Clinton News-Record, 1977-01-13, Page 1• r
Clinton, Ontario
Weaver
• 1977 1976
HI
JANUARY
• 4 25
23 • 11
19 10.
30 „5
31 9
14 . 7
15 9
18 11
Snow 10'.' Snow 15"
Snow budget depleted, council debates cleaning';.
With a howling blizzard outside their
council chambers, and most highways
closed with drifting snow, Clinton .
council Monday night had a lively debate
on snow removal.
Already faced with aa, deficit in their
1976 public works budget because of
heavy snows in 1976, council made no
firm decision on how to keep some of
Clinton's sidewalks • cleared, despite
eight foot drifts on some.streets.
With the vast accumulation of snow
now on most streets, public works
chairman Ernie Brown told council that
the town's small tractor with V -plow can
no longer. get down the sidewalks, and he
suggested that if the sidewalks were to
be kept open, one way was' for the town
to purchase a$14,000 mini -snowblower.
t Council, which had seen a demon-
stration of the blower last week were
caught in the middle of the debate, •with
•
Clinton's first baby of the year waited until -January 10th at 5:09 a.m.,to make
an appearance at the Clinton Public Hospital. Little 6 pound, 13 ounce Willena
Ramaker, daughter of Joanne and Herman Ramaker of RR 1 Clinton poses for
her first picture on -Tuesday. (News -Record photo)
By Jim Fitzgerald
. Like a broken record, here we"go`again
on that same old subject. . . the
weather. Well, witheverything either
cancelled or closed, what else is there to
talk about but the weather,. unless it's
ei, and we can't do that in News-
ecord, a family newspaper.
+ -1- -1-
Like
Like nearly everyone else, yours truly
has had enough. I'm sic ,,µf shovelling
, the stuff, sick of getting stuck in it, and
even getting sick of writing about it. And
to top it off, not only do we have to shovel
it offour driveways and walks, now
many of us have to, of the ridiculous
things, get up on the roof and shovel it
Off.
+ + =1-
•
-Most -U -ourreadrss will be scanning
this edition on time, we hope, thanks to
the dedication of our, - workers ' and
correspondents, most of whom managed
to get their .copy to us by Tuesday night,
We may be a little thinner, page wise
'that is; but we're here. -
We understand that,;several readers.
are going to send off a copy of this paper
to our beloved health minister,' Frank
Miller. Just think, if the Clinton hospital
had been closed last year,- "virliat a
most agreeing that the sidewalks needed
to be cleared, but wondering at what
cost.•
.
"Do you realize this (14,000 machine)
thing would add 'five mills to our tax
rate," Deputy -Reeve Frank Cook said
after agreeing the sidewalks needed to
be opened.
"Yes, but what's the cost of one child's
life," Councillor Ron McKay, said,'
telling council he was worried about all
the children walking to school on the side
of the road.
Reeve Royce Macaulay said it seemed
like a lot of,,-mono'y to tie up for only a few
months' use.
Council decided to look into the matter
Reeve picked.
Clinton's new reeve, Royce Macaulay,
was picked as the town's acting mayor
until a new mayor is elected, and right
off the bat Monday night at council's
first meeting, Mr. Macaulay had his
hands full.
"I feel quite humble", he said when he
took the mayor's chair for the next
month or so," and with council's help
and guidance, I'll be able Weary ozr
Once the meeting proceeded, Reeve
Macaulay, - who made only . a few
further and see if there were any other
cheaper.
In other business, council will meet
with the PUC to discuss street lighting t
charges, and will look further. into,
continuing their subsidy of Clinton
children attending the Tuckersmith Day
Care Centre.
Council also passed a by-law allowing
the town to borrow up to $100,000 until
taxes are collected, but ' Clerk Cam
Proctor informed council that only
$12,000 had been borro-wed in the last two
years, and in fact the four times a year
collecting has resulted in the town
having money to invest in short term
deposits, and collect interest instead of
paying it.
nterim mayor
mistakes in procedures, got onto the
system easily; and council accomplished
a great deal in the three hour meeting.
During the meeting, council also gave
final approval to a bylaw' calling for an
election to fill the vacant mayor's chair.
Nominations will be held on February
16 and 17, with February 18 set as the
last day for withdrawal. If more than
one candidate qualifies, then an election
would be held on March 7th.
•
',14
Digging asmall hole through the 10 -foot bank in front of his Victoria Street
home proved quite -a chore for Hartley Managha-n, one of the town's senior.
citizens hard pressed to stay ahead of the over seven feet of snow that has been
dumped on the area Chis winter. Hartley is smiling anyway, confident it will all
go away...when spring finally arrives. (News -Record photo$
Sn owstorm cripples area ....-again!
With nearly - three • months of winter
left, and over seven feet of snow already
on the ground, area residents- are
beginning to wonder when it will -all end.
For the second time in less than two ,
',week's, a severe snowstorm belted the
area with nearly a foot of snow, hg1
winds, and!°�''tiear4eco 1 breaking co
l&
F
The storm- moved into the area from
the south late" Sunday night and it was
still blowing, at presstime Wednesday
morning.
Most roads in the area were blocked at
one point or another, and many township
roads, heavily drifted over, still weren't
opened on Wednesday morning.
All highways in the Clinton area were
blocked for part of Monday and Tuesday
morning, and thousands of Huron
County school children had a two-day
holiday, with some schools still closed
Wednesday.
The post office reported little mail was
moving, in or out of Clinton on Monday
and- Tuesday morning, with some
semblance of order returning late
Tuesday afternoon. ' -
Highway four was blocked from,
H` asall to Blyth for part of Monday and
Tuesday, , and complicating th-e- matter -
*ere the already high banks from
previous storms, which quickly allowed
the highway to fill in as soon as* it was
plowed.
The ministry of transportation and
communications' Clinton office reported
it took three and a half hours to plow the
12 miles to Hensall'and back on Tuesday
morning, with the road being one lane in
many places..
The ministry's.. giant 250 horsepower
snowblower -was called in to open •u•p
Highway four, and a bad stretch of High= .
way 8 near Taylor's Corner.
Highway- 21 !north and south of
1T�inter:Carnival on, snow welcome
Clinton's 9th annual Winter Carnival is
in full swing as of yesterdy, Wednesday,
and for the firsttime in years there is
plenty of snow on the ground to lend
most carnival eventsiS
authenticity to the event. Admission to
$1.00 for adults
and 50 cents for those 16 and under.
The six day carnival (Jan. 12-16 and
22), got off and running with •a senior
citizens card party •in the - Arena
Auditorium, Wednesday afternoon:
Tonight, Thursday a touch of glamour
sets off Carnival activities with the
crowning of the Queen at 'C.H.S.S.
Auditorium. The crowning, sponsored by
the Lions Club, starts at 8 p.m..
For those with a gambling streak in
their nature, Las Vegas night . at the
Az ena Auditorium, sponsored by the
Kinsmen and Kinettes, follows the
carnival queen crowning at'9 p.m.
Broomball is also offered at the arena
beginning at 7 p.m.
The girls' hockey advertised to start in
the arena at 7 p.m. Friday has been
cancelled and novice hockey is offered in
its place. -
A torchlite parade, courtesy of the
Clinton Snowmobile Club, heads, out
from the Arena grounds at 7:30 instead
of 8 p.m. (note the time change).
According to parade organizer 'Ray
Potter, over' 90 snowmobiles - par-
ticipated in last year's procession - a
colourful spectacle that is a must for
serious Carnival revelers.
The parade - leaves the arena' • and
moves -along William St. to Kirk. It turns
• right onto Maria before heading west on -
James and back around to King. St. At
Dunlop St. the parade winds its way -west
to
to'North St. right over to Princess St. A
turn left,-- and the procession - passes
under the windows of the Clinton Public
Hospital on Shipley.
Moving along John St. the torchlight
parade turns off to Queen St. before
heading north past Kingswell's'to Maple.
The procession moves along Whitehead
and then back to the arena.
Inside, warmup to the heat and en-
tertainers on stage for the very popular
Hospitality Night in the Arena
Audiriurn beginning at 9 p.m.
Saturday's events begin with a parade
formingatat - the Legion at 1 p.m.. and
winding up at the arena. For further
details contact Jue Reid. .
A children's afternoon at C.H.S.S.
Auditorium provides fun and en-
"'teout causes '$6,000_crash
A car stalled on Highway 4 one mile
south of the Vanaitra road, triggered off
a three vehicle accident Tuesday
morning -that resulted in a total of $6,000
damage, reports Goderich OPP.
• Donna Broadfoot, 37, Of Lot 3r Con-
cession 3 Tuckersmith Township, was
travelling ,no0h on Higliway 4 when her
car stalled. $he got Out and tried to flag
down .an oncoming tractOr trailer; who
failed to see her or her car. The lady
managed to get out of the way as the
tracfot Willer hit the ear, while at-
tenipting to avoid it. The truck, driven
bypordbn Keys, 55, of London jacknifed
across the road blocking the highiray's
southbound lane. `tb`o tithe, 6:45 an '
egg' truck, dtiven by, Eric De'Viet, *21,
" also of London, swerved to miss the --
•
tertainment for .the whole family
beginning at 2:30 p.m. - ,
Championship broomball gets' going in
the arena at 3 with novice chmpironship -
hockey following at 4 p.m'.
Family skating for all 'gay blades'
begins at the arena at 6:30.
'A dance in the arena auditorium,
sponsored' by- the Fair Board,
at • 9 p.m. brings the day's ac-
tivities to an end. For dance reser'
vations, phope 482-3196 or 482-3120, •
If you're left 'tired Sunday morning
and don't feel like cooking, bring
yourself down to the arena for an 8 a.m.
pancake breakfast. •
Snowmobiles meet Lady Luck at the
arena grounds at 1 p.m. for a
Snowmobile Poker Rally.
. - For those not so inclined, there is a
figure skating program inside from 2-4
p.m. -
The following Saturday,,. January 22,
Winter Carnival. officially closes with
dancing at the Legion to the strains of
the fioyalaires. -Admission is $8 per
couple and . can be obtained from all
•Carnival organizers.
In post carnival activities,. there is a
Ladies' Bingo -Night in the legion on the
following Wednesday, January 26.
Goderich was blocked for awhile, and at and will have to call in their
one point Highway four north of Lon- snowblowers again after opening up the
desboro was completely sealed off. , tracks last week.
Huron County road crews had to be Many in the area are calling this the
pulled off the road during the .Worst part worst winter in recent memory, even
of the storm,, but the Clinton Public, surpassing the big blow of '71 and the
works managed to keep town streets bad one of '46.
open and passable for the most part'. - Fortunately, say school officials, the
Many -township roads will have :to be latest storm started before the children
opened up with bulldozers and were in school, or many might have been
snowblowers, because there simply isn't stranded in their classrooms for several
anywhere leftto push the snow. before days, much like 1'971. •
the latest storm, many sideroads lead, _ The weatherman, however, is not
already been reduced to tunnels, with up -predicting any respite, and cold wintery
to 12 -foot banks. weather is expected to continue for at
Even the railroad is having trouble, least another week.
filler still adamant on
closing Clinton hospital
It might be a year or at least take
another election before anything definite
is settled on' the-' status of the Clinton
Public Hospital, Hospital administrator
Doug Coventry told the News -Record
Tuesday.
"It might be another year . before
anything happens or nothing might be
settled until the next election."
Mr. Coventry's comments follow a
statement made by Health Minister
Frank Miller that Clinton Public
Hospital, as well as hospitals in Chesley
and Durham and Doctor's Hospital,
Toronto• would be' closed despite the fact -
that each institution has received a 15-
month'budget. r .
"When we got our budget,_the, hospital
staff felt we'd 'stay open for 15 months
and it raised their spirits, but the budget
doesn't mean a thing."
Mr, Miller has said that every hospital'
in the province has been issued a 15 -
month budget but that it_does not mean
the hospitals that were told to close will
remain open.
"I think Miller's ,statement was
misinterpreted," Mr-. Coventry said.
"Essentially -what he said, was that if he
couldn't get government backing for
closing the hospitals, he would- resign."
Mr.• Coventry said he would process
the 15 -month budget the hospital. has
received and continues to be optimistic
that the hospital will remain open.
A government decision to close Clinton
Public Hospital and the three other
hospitals was ruled illegal by the
divisional,court of the Ontario Supreme
Court. ' The ruling . stated' ' thatthe
government could not close the hospitals
for financial reasons. Mr. Miller has said
the government could save $800,000 by
closing the Clinton Hospital.
The government has appealed the
court decision and although an appeal
date has not yt been set, Mr. Coventry
said that acco ing to runiours, it could
be held.someti e in February.
The legal battle will be fought over
whether the health minister has the right
to close hospitals under existing
legislation. It won't - be fought• over
whether or not the hospital is needed,
that fact is very clear, he said, referring
to recent snow storms in and around
Clinton.
"Almost all our beds are full and with
the roads having been closed for the last
few days, there would be no way'patients
could get to Seaforth, Goderich,
Wingham or even to London for medical
treatment if there -Was no hospital here,"
Mr. Coventry said. .
Mr. Miller has said he will introduce
legislation giving the healih minister the
power to ---close hospitals if the govern-
ment's approval fails: --
stopped tractor trailer but sticabeded in
hitting the stinted car. It came to a stop,
blocking the highway's northbound lane.
No one wag hurt in the•three-vehicle
accident that.resulted ' in $4,000 damage -
to the Broadfoot car; and $1,000 damage
to each of the trucks. -
Both lanes of the highway were
blo ked by the accident vehicles until
Seri u§ injury Monday after the throttle
t eh' stibwmobile got stuck and the
s edran into a barbed wire fence.
brother regory, ran intb the toted. The
youngster was taken .to Seaforth
Hospital for treatment atid relcaged,
Eiteri The rallioad hid '4 calf lit.reitifo4eitiients4111§ witttet ,, - Cli,titOtti*St Thuitdays The blOvilef it
at heaVy drifting' bloeked patt.ofthelitte Iron eafdth tb following another blow earlier this Wee
Goder160.. ,Tiithuge 35'0 horse poWer diegel blower niounied photo)
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