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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-07-06, Page 1e • • 0. Despite the dusty track, Bill Henderson from Kippen,l driving the super -modified tractor "Whiskey Peddler" saw the flags and made his run to take two third prizes at the tractor pull in Auburn - last Saturday afternoon. Some 52 competitors , competed in various classes. It was said that nearly 3,000 turned up to watch the day's event. (News - Record photo) Riddell can't be sued A committee of the Ontario legislature found the United Auto Workers guilty Thursday ' of having breached the privilege of the MPP for Huron -Middlesex - a decision some legal experts warn has far-reaching consequences for the ' rights of citizens and MPPs. The decision, on a 4 -to -3 vote, went against the advice of the committee's lawyer who concluded the union hadn't violated the parliamentary privilege ,of Jack Riddell. The committee also voated to recommend that the legislature -take no. action against the UAW over the breach. The all -party procedural affairs committee further recommended the ministry ,of the attorney -general review legislation covering MPPs' privilege so the committee can address the issue again the the fall. The complaint of breach of privilege by Riddell was made last' March after the UAW .initiated legal action against the Liberal MPP over remarks made in Health .workers nalI; r. r n ,. The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1305, the union representing 12 Huron County health unit inspectors and clerical workers, has applied for the appointment of a conciliation officer in an effort to end a contract dispute. The Board. of Health recommended to County Council at a m eting on June 30 that there be no op osition to the appointment of a con illation officer and further informed council members that the County Solicitor has been engaged to represent the Health Unit in further negotiations. The county has offered ,a four per cent increase to all employees while the union is seeking a wage and fringe benefit package which would amount to a 24 per cent increase, says Stanley Township Deputy Reeve Paul Steckle. Under the old contract which expired last Friday, clerical wages ranged from $6,916 a year for a beginning clerk typist to $9,854 for • a • senior secretary. Public healthinspectors' wages ranged from $"12,740 for beginners to $15,990 for those with more than five years experience. r first column. t • ti connection with the controversial, strike at the Fleck Manufacturing plant in Huron Park's - The legal action involved a notice of intent to sue under the Libel and Slander Act and an application to the Ontario Labor Relations Board for consent to prosecute under the Labor Relations Act. The UAW libel and slander action is in connection with remarks made outside the legislat.i'e chamber. There is another privilege - not involved in the Riddell case - which protects MPPs from being sued for comments in the house itself or in its commj.ttees. The committee found that Riddell's privilege under section 38 of the Legislative :Assembly Act had been ,Q00 surplus Clinton taxes up .slightly Municipal taxpayers in Clinton received good news again this year, when for the second year in a row, Clinton council has held the line on' taxes. At- a special meeting last Tuesday night, July 4, council passed their 1978 budget that will see taxes go up by only one per cent. For the average public school residential taxpayer with a $3,000 assessment, the 3.61 mill increase will House rules would be deprived of his rights altogether by the period of MPP im- munity against.civil action, he said. James Bullbrook of Sarnia, lawyer for ,Riddell, said a review of the statutes' was something Riddell had requested. Bullbrook told the committee last week that if its interpretation of the law was such that the rights' of ordinary citizens would be abrogated, then the MPPs should recommend a change in the law. , '"One advantage to the whole sorry mess emanating from the Fleck strike is it has brought to the legislature's attention the need to contenporize some of its rules," Bullbrook said. He said the committee decision breached. That section says an MPP "dpesn't necessarily mean anything to isn't, liable to arrest, detention or ' the two actions (brought by the molestation for any cause or matter of UAW)." He said "the courts aren't a civil nature during a session of the necessarily bound by the decision of the legislature or 20 days before or after. committee." UAW lawyer Lennox MacLean said The vote of the committee didn't in an interview he was "astounded" by break entirely down party lines. the outcome and said "the Conservative member Norm Sterling ramifications are really ex- (Carleton -Grenville) voted with NDP traordinary." members Donald MacDonald (York The Toronto lawyer said the com- South) and Tony Grande (Oakwood) mittee's finding , would appear , to against the majority. "seffitiu jeopard zea he• rights '°tom^`, • Voting inJavor-Oft/1'eLibel'al tit tion members of the public to bring civil actions against their MPPs." He said the prohibition period during which civil action cannot be taken would leave only a few weeks a year in which a citizen could seek legal redress MacLean said he would have to advise his clients to comply with the decision, which would mean the writ in the libel and slander suit, recently issued in the Ontario Supreme Court, couldn't be served until next January. That is because the house is only in recess and the current session of parliament won't end until late this year:. MacLean said the committee's in- terpretation of the law would mean that in cases where "immediate redress" is sought—in the courts - such as an ap- plication for support or child custody from an MPP - the ordinary citizen would be forced to postpone the exercise of his or her normal rights of .civil action: In cases where there is a limitation period during which a citizen must take legal action or forego hits right (such as in a libel and slander suit), a citizen by jirn fitzgerald The Canada Day weekend has come and gone, and by all reports, most everyone enjoyed it, and took advantage of the many activities offered in the area. Yours truly and spouse Lois had one of the best Dominion Day holidays ever, as we were lucky enough to travel on one of Ontario's wonders, the Severn -Trent water- way. We spent the three-day weekend on a boat cruising just part of the 270 -mile candl system, that links Lake Huron with Lake Ontario, with Pete and .Vivienne Roy of town, and if you ever get a chance to boat the water system, jump at it. The cruise we took, which covered over 150 miles, features huge manmade locks, fantastic natural scenery, excellent fishing, and even .some outstanding girl watching, for those so inclined. 'We were blessed with perfect weather, good food, and yours truly even learned how to read and use those funny looking nautical charts. The man-made lock system is trui .-an engineering marvel, and it served to remind us, again, there is so much to see right here at home in Ontario. u While we enjoye.d sunny warm weather u'p in central Ontario, we understand it was a little miserable "down" here. According to the UMW!. J LUAU .0 LnIS area was slightly cooler than nor- mal, drier than normal, but there was more sunshine than the average June. We had only 61.1 mm of rain last month, compared to the average of 75.2, and most farmers and gar- deners would agree that since it hasn't rained since June 21, it's now getting time for a good soaking r� ' + + + Both the Clinton and Blyth fire departments went rushing out to Huilett Central School in Londesboro last Thursday night when some prankster reported the school burning down. The alarm proved false, and ex- pensive to lure all those firemen out, and police are attributing the nasty call to a student unhappy over school being dismissed for the summer last Wednesday. --1- "While "While enormous strides have been made in communications in recent years, there's still a lot to be said for the smile." +++ • Please, don't forget the meeting on -the possible' formation of a Big Brothers organization in, town. Interested parties are asked to drop into the Huron Centre for Children and Youth at 160 ' Huron Street, Wednesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. Fur- ther details can be found in a story published elsewhere in this edition. that there was a breach were Michael Bolan_(L - Nipissing), Ray Hagerty (L - Erie) and two Conservative ex -cabinet' Weather 1978 1977 HI LOHI ID JUNE 27 30 18 88 - 56 28 26 13 89 58 29 28 16 75 56 30 26 42.5 74 51 JULY 1 22 11.5 76 67 2 24 12 71 52 3' 18 14 81 56 No Rain Rain 1.9 J ministers James Taylor (Prince Edward -Lennox) and Margaret Scrivener (St. David). mean taxes will go up $10.85 to $517.75 from last year's $506.90. In fact, taxes in Clinton are the same as in 1975, mostly because of a seven mill drop last year. • Council, despite buying a new grader and backhoe for the public works department, still ended up with a $49,000 surplus from last year's budget, and were able to reduce the increase cin this year's mill rake, despite adding $30,000 to a reserve fund for outside repairs to the town hall. The total budget for the town this year is $1,257,235 compared to The $1,208,880 of last year, mainly due tom started increases of $22,000 in the education whole and county levies, Although the town's police budget is „.r, t97 1r,n t., T1 n1,126, the public works budget dropped nearly $44,000, due mainly to fewer equipment purchases this year. The parks and recreation pudget is up $16,000 to $86,000 '`sand garbage collection is up $3,000 oto $33,000 this year. �r The town will be paying $137,673 to the county this year, an increase of $4,000 from last year, while the public school levy climbed' $8,000 to $142,650 and the secondary school levy is up $10,000 to $129,234. meeting on Tuesday night as a closed committee -of -the - meeting, and then' council opened up the meeting to pass the budget. The press and the public were not invited, �liday busy While most people were on holidays, the Goderich detachment of the OPP were out in, full force, attending the number of calls that were received. Fortunately, no serious accidents or criminal cases were investigated in the area. Some of the incidents that were reported on the daily occurrence sheet included: noisy beach parties in Bayfield; all area parks calling for assistance; theft , when in Brucefield when a piggy bank holding $4 was stolen; an unfoundedarson case in Vanastra; a flag taken from Pat Graham's store in Bayfield; a demented man running the streets of Zurich; Zehr's alarm in Goderich Township was ringing; a false fire alarm- was sounded in Londesboro at the public school; one-half gallon of ice cream was stolen from Hully Gully and a large number, ofliquorcharges were -issued. , L• 1 Two teenagers escaped serious . in- juries after the car they were driving left the road and rolled over early Tuesday morning. Lyle Hill ,and his passenger Laura Hill, of Varna --were travelling east towards Varna at a high rate of speed when the 1973 Dodge car left the road and wascompletely.demolished. Both teenagers escaped with minor injuries, and after they were treated at Clinton Public Hospital, both were released. The Clinton Police reported that Christopher Hoggarth, 5, received minor injuries 'after he was' in a collision with a car driven by Wayne Hohner, 18, of Victoria Street, Clinton. ,The Friday morning accident oc- County seeks industry BY JOANNE WALTERS Huron County Council has accepted a recommendation from the Develop- ment .Committee,,. that Development Officer, Spence Cummings be authorized to insert a two -column classified advertisement in mid- September, 1978 for six consecutive days in the Montreal Star Newspaper, total cost not to exceed $655. The purpose of this advertising is to try and attract industry to various locations in Huron County. In a report of the Development Committee submitted by chairman William Elston at the Huron County Council meeting on June 30, it was stated that for some communities, advertising industrial,__.loccations has been a major source of their enquiries and that through lack of funds in the past, the Development Committee has not been asked to approve this type of newspaper advertising. Several members of council ex- pressed concern that the time wasn't right for advertising in Quebec and felt that it would only stir up trouble. Others said that it was a known fact that some Quebec r indust"ries were trying to relocate and it would be foolish to ignore this fact. It was also pointed out that the Montreal Star was a Canadian newspaper and not just provincial. Elsewhere in the Development Committee report, it was recom- mended that Mr. Joe Gibson of RR2 Seaforth be appointed Assistant Weed Inspector at $4 per hour for the balanee of 1978 and the necessary by-law passed. This reeomrhendation was accepted by council. The Warden, Chairman, County Clerk and Tree Comt'nissioner will attend a meeting of representatives of the Southwestern Ontario, Counties at 7:30 p.m. July 17 , at the `Middlesex County f3Uilding to discuss proposed Ern°end ni&its to the Trees Netto impose more appropriate fines and deterrents to,persons tutting undersiaed,rrees.. The report of the Development Committee stated that a copy of the Hawkins' Drainage Report was received from the Township of Colborne which was to -be read and discussed by Colborne Township Council on June 20. In accordance with the schedule of assessments in " the Engineer's Report, the County of Huron will be assessed $2,261 for outlet. The chairman agreed that the Chairman of the Development Com- mittee contact the Engineer to appear at the reading of the report if necessary to request reduction in size of tile and then reduction in outlet assessment, since the County will never re -u17 an outlet to drain the forest land. Tuckersmith buys municipal office By Frances Barrick Tuckersmith Township council passed a� bylaw Tuesday to purchase the land and building housing its municipal offices in Vanastra. The bylaw allows the township to enter into an agreement to purchase the land and building previously owned by the Bank of Montreal for $19,000. The township, which took possession of the building" a year ago, has been renting it for $200 a month, and the, --- $2,400 e'$2,400 paid in rent will be deducted off the purchase price. Council also passed Bylaw No, 9, rezoning Lot 31, Plan 23 in Vanastra from industrial to commercial. If no objections are raised, the rezoning will allow Jacob Thalen to open a furniture store in Vanastra. The Seaforth Lions Club plans to provide transportation to their carnival July 21-23 received township council approval. The club plans to rent a...„double decker bus to make regular runs through Egtn'ondville and Seaforth to and from the Lions' Park. The fare for one, ay will be 50 cents. or OPP curred when the Hohner vehicle was southbound o,n Shipley Street and he came to the intersection at Rattenbury Street, collided 'with a boy riding his bicycle. Three people were uninjured following an accident that caused $1,400 damage on Monday afternoon. Alfred Page, 24, of Toronto and his - passenger received $600 damage to the car they were travelling in when it ' came in collision with,a car driven by Petronella Gonnie, 45, of RR 5, Clinton. The Gonni,e vehicle received $800 in damages after it was northbound on Victoria Street on a green light when' the Page car attempted to make a left turn onto Ontario Street causing the front of the -?age car to collide with the rear of the Gonnie vehicle. County wide, • • Sentors to use housing County -wide residency for senior senior citizens don't have to go to citizen housing will be put into effect as senior citizen housing outside their soon as possible in 21 out of Huron municipalities but they have' that County's 26 municipalities. choice if necessary. The -Housing Authority maintains .that- noerne. we to another community for senior citizen housing ,but the change will mean those who de can move with less difficulty. Brussels is the only municipality with senior citizen housing units that is not participating in the new arrangement. Brussels Reeve J. Calvin Krauter said his municipality,is willing to°accept people outside the village but he wants to be able to say which ones it will take. Exeter Reeve, W. Eldrid Simmons said, "I believe Brussels is discriminating against the rest of Huron County and that's against human rights.” The change-tocounty-wide residency is unlikely to create a difference in what the participating municipalities are paying to support their', senior citizen housing. , Under the new. agreement, they will pay on a p^r- capita basis a 7.5 per cent share of any operating deficit for the 237 units in- volved. This decision Was reached at a Huron County Council meeting .on June only, the townships of Stephen, Howick, Morris and Grey and the village of Brussels will not pparticipate reasoning that the present arrangement is Suitable to them. Under this present arrangement, municipalities with senior citizen housing require vacancies to be filled with either local residents or people from neighbouring townships with whom they have signed agreements. In order to fill a vacancy with a non - local person,' the Huron County Housing Authority has to go through a lot of red tape with tfie municipalities involved. So, last fall, the authority requested that it be allowed to place applicants anywhere in the county based on the need: "I believe this is a said Huron County Ginn. County agreed. humane," better system," Warden Gerry Clerk -Treasurer Bill Hanly "It seems much more he said explaining that '� .:i ': Florence Chuter, left, helped one of her last etrstoters, Marion Thompson, on Fridayon her final dayof work at the Sears order offfce in Clinton. r t n. Mrs. Chute' has worked at, the Clinton catalogue stole for 13 years and the last five years were spent as manager. (News -Record photo)