Clinton News-Record, 1980-10-23, Page 17F-*
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Many of those staying t,r living at the ,Clinton Hotel
111/it ou 1 clothesv
were forced to.ere_wwi.evaeuatrelith:_bilding Wsistill, 0:31Y their
— — from right and her
everything in the blaze. (James Fitzgerald photo), owners of the hotel, lost
r
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'440,
44:
Jack Carter was one of the Clinton firemen who missed two nights sleep to fight
the Clinton Hotel fire. Here Jack is pictured 'hosing down the still buring
remains on Saturday 'morning. Smoke was still coming from the ruins on
Wednesday morning: (James Fitzgerald photo)
..,
„. .
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Dozens of bystanders watched on Friday afternoon as a crane with a wrecker's
bail on the end knocked over the,remains of the Clinton Hotel, destroyed In a
morning fire. (James Fitzgerald photo)
Stanley ratepayers to face first election
• - By Alice Gibb
Foreign ownership -o
farmland, farm
severancei 'and the
rehabilitation of gravel
pits were some of the
issues 'raised at the bi-
annual iSta,nley Township
ratepayer's' meeting. The
meeting, held in' the
Varna Community Hall,
attracted 55 ratepayers
and candidates in the
township's first election
battle in a decade.
Tom Consitt, a Varna
area farmer and reeve
for the past two terms, is
being ,challenged by
• deputy -reeve,..' Paul
Steckle of RR 2, Zurich.
The township also has a
contest for deputy -reeve.
Don Brodie, a councillor
for eight years and Don
McGregor, a six-year
veteran, are both running
°for deputy -reeve.
from further severance o
f surplus farm buildings
Paul Steckle, wh
pointed out •a ratepayers
meeting had'nt attracted
such a large turnout since
the last election 10 years
ago, explained why, he
felt' his dutrib Ute
against q Irving deputy
reeves sit on country
council. He said other
counties, including
Middlesex, Bruce and
Lambton, have reduced
the size of their councils
and this is "working,
effectively.”
Mr. Steckle, who
served as a member of
the Huron County Health
Committee, told
ratepayers the com-
mittee was concerned
because the county was
receiving only 50 per cent
funding for services from
the provincial govern-
ment, rather than 75 per
cent as other areas
received. He said he and
other committee
members met with
Dennis Timbrell,
provincial health
minister, and last year
funding was raised to 60
per cent. He said the
minister assured the
committee over the next
two year period, it will be
raised to 75 per cent for
Huron County.
When asked to state his
position an farm
severances, Mr. Steckle
said, "I am not in favour
of severances in the farm
area." He said under the
present secondary plan, a
farmer can't sever his
farm buildings to use as a
retirement home.
However, the deputy -
reeve said he could sell
his farm to a neighbour,
the neighbour could apply
to sever the surplus
buildings and then sell
these buildings and a
small amount of land
back to the original
owner. The deputy -reeve
said, -."We need to leave
our land as it is now,
intact." He added -the
place for farmers to
retite is in town.
Bill Chipchase, can-
didate for council, was
the only other candidate
to address. the issue of
severances. He said he
was in favour of farm
severances, but added
people buying the surplus
building should un- •
derstand they would be
living in a farming
comMunity ttnd should be
prepared to put up with
farming practises. .
Foreign ownership?
In the -question period
ollowing statements by
he candidates, Phil.
The candidates for the
three council seats are
ClarenceRau, a four-
year veteran of council
and newcomers Howard
Armstrong, who farms on.
the Goshen- line; Bill
Chipchase of 13rucefield
- and Jack Colemian, 'a
Parr Line farmer.
In his remarks to
ratepayers', Tom Consitt
explained why he voted
against dropping deputy -
reeves from county
council. The reeve said he
was opposed to reducing
county council since
Huron is basically an
agricultural county and
• now there will only be a
four vote difference
between rural and urban
representatives on
council. Mr. Consitt said
now there will be 17 votes
from rural townships and
13 votes from urban
centres in the eotuity. He
said he also feels the
reduced council will
mean more meetings for
niembers and that ad-
ministrators, rather than
council members, will be
making many of the
decisions on the smaller
expenses in the future.
Toni Consitt also
referred to Stanley
Township's secondary
pan which is now
aivaiting the Minister of
Housing's final approval.
Under the plan, the
township •allows
severance to surplus
buildings on bona fide
farms, as Jong as there
has . never been a
severance on the farm
before. The reeve said he
thinks, this policy should
• be revieWed in 1981, since
farm's along the
• lakeshore, • where land
was severed for cottages,
would' not be exempt t
f Durand' asked council if
the issue of foreign
0 ownership of farmland
had been raised at county
council.
Torn Consitt said there
• hadn't been much said
About the matter • at 'a
county level; adding a
-• recent article in a daily
• paper was the most in- •
formation he'd read on
the issue.
Mr. Durand then asked
candidates "are we going
to depopulate our
townships to the point
where the towns fall
apart?" He added, other
provinces. already have
legislation limiting
foreign ownership of
land.
.Paul Steckle said he
was also concerned about
absentee foreign
ownership. He said, for
example, if 3,000 acres
were sold to absentee
owner', this would mean
as many as 30 farm
homes could be available
for rent. "Is this the kind
of ratepayer we want in
.Stanley Township?" he
asked.
own she goes
anton, volunteer_ fireman -Bruce-Schoenhals. watches -2s - the Wrecker's
bashes in the side of the Clinton Hotel on Friday afternoon after it
. destroyed in an early morning fire. (James Fitzgerald photo)
Another audience now Covers township
member asked .if the 10 grovel pits. Tom Consitt
•acres.purchased on Hwy. said he understood gravel
No. 21 in the ,township pits would not have tp be
was an asset to Stanley. licensed and permits
Tom Cons ittsaid once the would have to be obtained
stockpile of sand on the • for wayside pits..
site was exhausted, the Mr. Hill, asked, "Is it
property would be re- desirable in this area to
sold. •rehabilitate (the pits)?"
Ratepayers also asked • He added, "it seems to
about the purchase of a me there are some
117 -acre farm .,_ in worked -out pits in this
Goderich -Township. The area which are very
farm, which includes only unsightly and should be
30 acres of workable land, reclaimed."
was purchased for its Tom Consitt • said
gravel -pits. Township county council was most
clerk' • Mel Graham ex- concerned with the ad-
plained• the farm is being ditional cost - in- pur-
paid off over a five-year chasing gravel, now that
period by council. He said operators . must pay an
eight cents per tonne fee
into a rehabilitation fund.
He said county council
voted last spring not to be
included under the Pits
and• Quarries
rehabilitation legislation.
At the end of the
meeting. Clerk Graham
reminded Stanley
ratepayers they can vote
candidates about the at an advance 'poll on
implications, of the Pits November 1 at the clerk's
and Quarries Act, which office from 9 a.m. to 8
p.m.
it was purchased out of
council's general fund
and this fund in turn will
sell gravel from the pits
to the township's road
account. The township
rents workable land on
the farm to a neigh-
bouring farmer.
Pits and Quarries
Gordon Hill asked
Women have speaker
By Shelley McPhee
Dorothy Smith, a professor of
sociology at the Ontario Insitute for
Studies in Education will be the
special guest speaker at the meeting
for newly formed Women Today on
Thursday, October 23.
The meeting, which is open to all
women throughout the county, will be
held in the Board of Education offices
in Clinton and will get underway .at
4:30pm.
Professor Smith was born in
England and educated at the London.
School of Etonomics and at the
University of California at Berkeley.
She is the mother -of two children and
has been a single parent for more
than 20 years. •
She will be speaking about women
to the group who is attempting to form
a network of women in Huron Comity.
Already over 25 women have shown
interest in forming such a network
which will provide an opportunity for
women to share ideas, discuss what is
currently happening in society that is
of concern to women in Huron County
and to find support.
The group is not made up of die
hard feminists or bra burners. They
do not speak of "male chauvinist
pigs" or battle against men.
The purpose of the women's group
is to help women with their problems,
raise their public awareness and offer
support and suggestions in regards to
their interests.
Plans are being made, to hold a one
day seminar or 'series of evening
meetings to promote the group.
Topic 4 which could be presented et
the workshop session may inolude,
women and etrets, entering the work
force, equal pay fo: work , of equal
value, promotion, women and the law,
women as single parents, women as
consumers, women and violence,
women and art, women and 'religion,
women and sport and women and
politics.
Organizers of today's meeting and
the proposed seminar are stressing
that the group is not only for working
women, but they are encouraging
mothers, housewives, students' and
women of all ages to become involved
in the network.
Tuckersmith
Do your homework
beforeyou deany work
on your horne.
Before you start on any home repairs or renovations,
you shlould do some careful thinking. Decide
exactly what you want done. DraA/ up an overall plan.
And do a little digging around to find out all
you can about potential contractors for your job.
A few precautions \N- ill eliminate some common
problems:
,/ Don't he talked into having work done just because
• • • • the rest of the neighbourhood is doing it or
because the price is presented as bargain basement.
1 If the project is a.major one. seek professional
advice (i.e. architects or engineers) before the work
is started.
Ask for estimates from at least three reliable firms.
When you decide to sign a contract, find out
first who does the actual work.
r insist that all details be written into the estimate - the
type and amount of work to be done, total cost, date
of completion and any c:ictras.
If a large amount of money is involved, have a lawyer
go over the contract before you sigh it. Don't
give more than 10 percent as a down payment.
Never sign a completion certificate until the work
has bean done to your satisfaction
r Hold hack 15 percent of the final payment for 37
days after the work is completed. That way, if
the contractor dr subcontractor does not pay for
materials, you are protected from liability under
The Mechanics Lien Act.
• from page 3
the press". He said he had
represented the township 'on the
Clinton Fire Area board and the Farm
Safety board.
Councillor William Brown gave his
report of his two years and said he
had been appointed to only one board -
- the Vanastra day care board, but
was removed from it by council
following his rejection by_the day care
board members. (No satisfactory
explanation was given for this by
Councillor Robert Fotheringham who
was chairman of the day care board
at that time, even when asked for it by
Councillor Brown.'
Mr. Brown drew a laugh from the
audience when he said, "Falconer
gave a list of his troubles on council
and 1 guess I was most of them." Mr.
Brown womised that if elected he
would continue to. bring before the
ratepayers "things that need to be
brought out".
Unfortunatelydespite the most carefully laid
plans, you may find yourself the vic tim of unethical
business practice's.
Your Provincial Government ,Vants you to
know what your rights'are under the Consumer
'Protection and Business Practices Acts.
1 The Consumer Protection Act allows you to cancel
any contract signed in your home (where deliv-
ery. payment and performance of work remain to be
completed) by sending a registered letter to the
company within 48 hours - or two full working '
days - of signing.
1 The Business Practices Act allows you to have the
transaction cancelled by sending a registered
letter to the company if you have been misled by false
or deceptive consumer representations.
For five free pamphlets on Home Repairs, Siding,
Paving, Painting and Decorating. and Insulation.
write to Consumer Skills,
Ministry of Consumer and
Commercial Relations,
555AY274g6e. Street, Toronto, Ontario
Frank Drea,
Minister of Consumer and
Commercial Relations
Willipm Davis; Premier
Ontario
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