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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-05-08, Page 2Times -Advocate, May 8,1996 Salt mine to increase production GODERICH - Sifto Salt Mine Inc., has been notified its parent company, Harris Chemical Group Inc., plans to invest $12 million in an expansion to in- clude new equipment and con- struction that will be completed by March. According to the Huron Ex- positor, the world's largest salt mine employs 253 unionized workers. The expansion will in- crease the mine's capacity from 4.5 million to 6.5 million tonnes. "We're number one in the world and we'll be the ones to beat," Manager Rowland Howe told the Expositor. Cyclist struck by vehicle EAST WAWANOSH - A 14 - year -old Belgrave boy suffered minor injuries after he was struck by a car on April 27 while riding his bicycle on Conc. 6, re- ported the North Huron Citizen. According to Wingham OPP, a 1992 Volkswagon driven by John Voskamp, 26, of RR 2 At- wood, was heading westbound as he passed two cyclists and one cut in front of him, although he had sounded his horn. Get ready for Santa CLINTON - It's official. San- ta Claus will arrive in town in November's renewed parade, re- ported the • Clinton News - Record. The decision to go ahead with the planning came about at a second parade organizational meeting held last week. With $2,000 raised for the event, which has not been held for a number of years, another $2,000 to $3,000 is needed, said Business Improvement Associa- tion Chair and Clinton Council Member Don Sootheran. An executive was chosen for the parade committee and a third organizational meeting was planned in preparation for San- ta's arrival on Nov. 22. Morris Tract given final extension GODERICH - Huron County. has agreed to give the Moms Tract fundraisers a final exten- sion to raise money needed to purchase the area for the Nature Conservacy of Canada. According to the Clinton News -Record, County Council has approved a request by the NCC to extend the April 15 deadline to Sept. 6. Thetract is located on the north shore of the Maitland Riv- er, east of Goderich. It is one of the few remaining hardwood fo- rests left in the county. The property will be included in a selectiv, logging program if approximately $100,000 is not raised through a summer cam- paign, Hospice office opens CLINTON - Huron Hospice officially opened its second of- fice on Friday, reported the Hu - run Expositor. Located in a space donated by the town's hospital, it offers sup- portive volunteer care for those with terminal illnesses. The hospice is establishing cancer support groups and hotel to begin bereavement st>tlpdrt groups within the next year. 1, Letter sent to Paul Steckle I believe that judging individuals based on sexual orientation is equally as bad as judging some based on their race, color, or religious beliefs... Dear Editor: The following is a letter that was recently sent to Paul Steckle in Ottawa in reaction to his refusal to support gay rights legislation proposed by the Fed- eral Liberal party. My personal views on the situa- tion are expressed in the letter and I welcome any comments of support or constructive criticism that may be relevant to the letter. I can be reached by tel- ephone or through e-mail at: jeremy. brock @odyssey.on.ca Dear Mr. Steckle: In following recent news reports, it has come to my attention that you have chosen to vote against your party's inclusionary amendments for gays and lesbians. I am personally a heterosexual male, al- though in reality it makes no difference, and I be- lieve that you should reconsider your very public decision to not support the proposed changes. You have decided that based on a "moral and religious" foundation, you cannot justify support for the amendments. I realize that you feel that you must follow the wishes of your constituents and ultimate- ly those of your person, but I think that an enlight- ened attitude by a Parliamentary representative would go a long way to show the people of this area that different, tolerant attitudes do exist and are nec- essary in this diverse nation that we all call home. I have been "educated" as well as learning a great many things during my time away from home at university. One of the most elemental changes and one of the changes that I am most proud of is the ex- pansion of my mind to accept all people based on personal merit and not based on race, religion, color or sexual orientation. I understand that there is a great deal homogeny in our area, and that most peo- ple never get to meet and interact with others who are different than ourselves. However, I believe that at no time is it impossible nor too late to change personal attitudes and trans- form oneself from a person who judges based on ap- pearance to a person who strives to understand each individual's personal merits. In addition to this, I think that it would be safe to say that there are a far greater number of homosexual and lesbian individu- als in this area than let on. The feelings of discomfort and exclusion perpetu- ated by many, including you, our Member of Parlia- ment, eliminate the chance of most individuals feel- ing safe or comfortable enough to "come out" and express their true sexual orientation. Who knows, one of your closest relatives, friends or acquaintanc- es could be homosexual or lesbian but you will like- ly never know because you have made it very clear that you do not approve of these people, regardless if they are just like you and me in all other conceiva- ble ways. I realize that at this point the damage is done and your vote has been recorded in the House as being against the amendments. As I realize this fact, I hope that you come to the realization that this is a world of tolerance and respect. There are parts of all people that others find unacceptable, but I believe that judging individuals based on sexual orientation is equally as bad as judging someone based on their race, color or religious beliefs. Please consider that while the decision that you have made may be popu- lar not only with many of your constituents, but also yourself, I speak on behalf of the numbers who are in disagreement with your representation of Huron County with regard to this issue. I would be very interested to hear and understand your personal point of view, especially away from the glare of the media and all of the pressures asso- ciated with it. • Yours very truly Jeremy Brock Bar owners don't anticipate higher profits with extra hour or Continued from front page On New Year's Eve, when the bar served alcohol until 2 a.m., she said few drinks were served during the last hour of business." We're going to have to be careful with overserving," she explained. Penhale considers the 2:00 cur- few as a novelty that will eventual- ly wear off. But he feels the spin- off will affect local pizza establish- ments, forcing them to remain open later. "There's a lot of school kids (em- ployees) that'll be going home at 3:00 in the morning," added one of Penhale's customers, B.J. Row- cliffe, who feels the new hours are "ridiculous." Rowcliffe also feels local taxi service and policing will have to run later into the night. "I'm surprised they passed it," said Penhale. "So many people were lobbying against it...Police forces were against it." "It doesn't affect just us," he con- tinued. "It's right down the line....I don't think it's necessary at a11...If customers want it, you've got to supply it." Colonial Hotel and Gables John Musser, manager of the Co- lonial Hotel and Gables Tavern in Grand Bend, said Gables will take advantage of the extra hour but the Colonial will take a wait-and-see approach. He feels Gables, which generally caters to a younger age group, will benefit from extending last call and the results may influence what hap- pens at the Colonial." "They're both different, the Co- lonial has a quieter atmosphere, but we'll compare them and see how it goes," said Musser, adding they will also consider what action competition takes. Musser isn't sure whether li- censed establishments will benefit from a 2 a.m. last call and feels to- day's economic reality will dictate how much money local bars will bring in. "Things have changed since the 80's. People are more conscious about their money," said Musser, who also cited a trend developing in some London bars that has peo- ple arriving later. As a summer resort town, Grand Bend is a popular attraction to youth who frequent the bars along Main Street and in the past has gained a notorious reputation for its high number of alcohol-related charges on long weekends. However, Musser feels the gener- al clientele of patrons has im- proved and people are drinking more responsibly. With the village's busiest week- end, the Victoria Day weekend, less than two weeks away, Musser believes, most licensed bsmbiishv ments , wilt ; ehoone to stay 'discs or lose patrons who will make last call somewhere else. F innigan's Susan Roche, owner of Finne- gan's Restaurant, said her establish- ment was open until 2 a.m. last Wednesday when the new law came into affect. "I think it's fantastic and its about time!" she said. Roche said the extra hour means the "party crowd" will arrive later allowing the "dinner crowd" more time to leave before the excitement begins. "Sometimes we were caught be- tween the easy listening people and the partiers, now we have more time to appease both groups and the transition will be much more civilized," she said. As a tourist town, Roche feels Grand Bend will benefit from the extended hours as visitors on vaca- tion are not eager to call it quits early in the evening. Extrication practice Students, staff, friends and family gathered on Thursday morning at South Huron District High School to dedicate a tree to the memory of Ralph G. Wareham, a Huron County educator for 25 years who died suddenly on February 28:: Wareham's wife Joanne, pictured above, said he will be re-: membered as a tough but fair teacher who was proud of the role he played in local education. Grand Bend sets 1996 mill rate The village has reduced last year's mill rate by 2.64 but assessments have gone t p,; pp: many properties GRASrt nr,s ,,Maypps h)tt,,+tl buis still M?t glpbol¢ fi(11,141;440 n ieU:..i ted ah�4@l3m due to a $58,000 surplus transferred • into reserve at the end of last year,. According to Ivey, the problems will be felt next year rather this this year. Grand Bend collects 21 per cent of the total tax levy with schob`t boards and the county making up the rest. Although the Lambton School Board has not yet set it's budget, the county has come in with a zero per cent increase. +Ivey announced the good. news, along with the bad as council ap- proved the 1996 Municipal Budget at Monday night's meeting. The good news is the municipal portion of the mill rate set for 1996 is a 2.64 reduction from last year. A decreased municipal mill rate, however, still raises considerable funds because many village proper- ties were reassessed at a higher rate. "The problem is our portion of the assessment has gone up," ex- plained Ivey. The village is collecting roughly the same amount of tax dollars as last year plus the addition of tip- ping fees downloaded from the Lambton County to municipalities. The results is approximately an $11,000 budget increase and a four per cent decrease to member mu- nicipalities. "It's a good deal for the munici- pality," said Ivey. The total money required to be raised through the mill rate has been calculated at $452,046.63. Due to the change to a block grant system, the village has lost approximately $18,000 in revenue Heaman Sewage Collection In other business, council passed a motion to move forward with the engineering study required to start work on the Heaman Sewage Col- lection System by September. The system, anticipated to cost each property owners approximate- ly $7,800, was opposed by only six residents in the subdivision. This cost will only cover the ex- pense of taking the system to the, lot line and may be paid in a lump sum or during a period of 10 years. The size of the pumping station will be determined by the engineer- ing study. %;uj ri FOIZ THE \10\TH O \1 Exeter volunteer firefighters Danny Smith helps Todd Jones feed a chain through a punc- tured windshield during a controlled environment extrication practice on Thursday after- noon. Firefighters used heavy hydraulic rescue tools to dismantle a car donated by Bob Knox. They also rehearsed a search and rescue In a house designated for demolition and donated by Jim Rowcliff. The exercises focused on technique and safety and are avital aspect to their training. Due to a limited budget the Exeter Fire Department rely on the public to donate Items such as dysfunctional cars which allow them to practise life-saving operations under controlled environments. I0OJR SEASONS JEWELLERY DESIGN clic wooed se 423 MAiN ST. EXETER Call 235-2666