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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-05-10, Page 1• alt mine workers vote. to stri hundred and ten, of the mbers of Local 682, In- onal Chemical Workers, 'n Sunday and voted ously to take strike ac - against DOMTAR als' Sifto Salt mine at h. ork stoppage is expected r before May 22. tiating committee an for the union, Guy Robinson, explained that the Union -will meet in a new negotiating session that day and pointed out that no strike was likely to take place before that meeting was held. Local 682 will be in a legal strike position 16 days after a "no settlement" conciliation report is filed. The members have been working without a contract since that tune, March " 31. -. Mr. Robinson told the Signal -Star in an interview Monday evening that the main issues at stake in the negotiations were hours of work, vacations, medical coverage and other fringe benefits. Wages, he said,. were not the main issue at the negotiating table although they remained an issue with the membership. The Union is asking for an in- crease of 53 cents„ to bring them on par with workers at the DOMTAR mine at Windsor but the company has only offered an increase of 20 cents to date. The Union also wishes to negotiate a two year contract while the company would like to arrange a three year pact. "Hours of work seems to be one 'of the -big problems," Mr Robinson explained, "the men are working a great deal of overtime and since the air un- derground is not the beat they don't want all that extra time." Mr. Robinson said that overtime was becoming "almost compulsory" at the mine. Local 682 is still awaiting copies of the first conciliatiorf report that was to have been mailed out last Thursday as well. Sixteen days after this report is filed the Union may strike. t5 Other members of local 682 are employed at_'the DOMTAR Chemicals' Evaporator Plant in Goderich but the Union spokesman said he did not feel any strike at the salt mine would effect workers at the Evaporator Plant. Members employed there work under a separate contract and still have 18 months left in that agreement. Although Mr. Robinson an- nounced the strike vote Mon- day Bill Coughlan, speaking on behalf of DOMTAR management at the salt mihe, said negotiations were ,still in the early stages and that there were "several rounds of talks coming up." The Union spokesman said the talks at the moment were "broken down'= ' and weren't likely to resume until May 22. Story by Ron Show YEAR - 19 ije 4obert.cjj .. SIGNAL S THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1973 R SINGLE COPY 20c a, Goderich Municipal Police Force has now two new ants one of them being Sergeant George Bacon. ant Bacon Joins Mery Witter who was also promoted rank of Sergeant. Bacon halt been with the local force for over 12 years., (stall. photo) . ding inspector warned Among a number of changes within the Goderich police 'force which have been taking place over the past month Mery Witter received promition to the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant Witte► has been with the Goderich Municipal Police Force for the past six weeks. (staff photo) Such says planners will interpret byluws a meeting of Goderich Board on Tuesday Building Inspector Roy idge raised the ire of mber Bert Such when ested that planning should overlook cies of five feet in a allowance for the Apartment building a very unusual piece y," Mr. Breckenridge ut "and it should have setback under the new ut only has 15. -feet roadway. This should +ked though." ch interrupted the in - presentation asking ping Board chairman ower instruct the Inspector not to inter - ,y -laws for the Board.' sur job," he added. 'an Gower upheld Mr, retest and asked the to refrain from sub - marks. Breckenridge was arecommendation Planning Board ap- nge of zone to R3 to e apartment building. report he noted "the is ideal for apartment conforms to arterial setback but the weie advised by me that the requited set: 15 feet for front and ide yards," new schedule issued with third reading dation forthe restric- ialt by-law, this WAR increased to 20 kenridge also recom4 PProval even though es short four spaces he by-law vOlich 1.5 spaces per apart - Painted out that the I was short some 15,464 square feet. Under the by-law the required area for the 22 unit building, 10 one bedroom units and 12 two bedroom units, would be 42,400 square feet. The lot size however is only 26,967. Mr. Breckenridge in his report however noted, "due to the unusual corner cut off and the large boulevard fronting the property land area should be accepted." The' rear yard, for one por- tion of the building, is short some 9 3/4 feet of the 35 feet required but the building' 'in- • spector pointed out the remain- der of the building had a rear_„ yard of 134 feet in depth.. The' report did point out that services -were suitable with Mr. Dixon having to provide storm and surface water drainage to the Elgin Ave. storm sewer. "Zoning changes are necessary on the new map which will make the property in question R-3 zoning„' the in- spector explained. "In ' conclusion,” Mr. Breckenridege noted, "57 apar- (Continued on page 14) Pass new motion after S.J.S. questions minutes Dorothy Wallace, represen- ting the Save the Jail Society, attended Goderich Planning Board meeting on Tuesday evening in an attempt to set matters straight regarding a request over a month ago by the S.J.S. solicitor to have the zoning of the former Huron County tail site changed from ential to Park Land. "It was 'my understanding hen the request was discussed at that time," she told the • board, "that we were to be asked to show our cause for the request." "We have never received of- ficial notification of this factor a guideline of. what was required however," she ex- plained. "We are unclear as to what is expected of us." Planning Board secretary Ed Giesbrecht apologized saying that he must have made an error when recording the' motion that would have provided such notification in its original form. 'A new motion was passed authorizing the secretary to notify the S.J.S. solicitor that the board wished justification shown, "with reasons and precedents if any." Planning Board also heard a letter from W.E. Elliot pointing out that a home on Waterloo Street (in a residential area) seemed to be setting up a fur- ni'ture' business. Bert Such moved recommen- dation that the offender he notified that he was making nonconforming use of his property under town zoning bylaws and d'sked to cease operations. The Board passed the motion but later Chairman Dave Gower pointed out, that the onus for action lay with Town Council in accepting the Planning Board motion. "Council in the past has chosen not to take action against some nonconforming uses. 'Some were sent letters and smme not." Board member Gus Chisholm went on record as saying that he felt itwas unfair to enforce the bylaws against some and not against all. In other husineht' the Plan- ning Board agreed to rechm- mend to Town Council that a planning student be hired for the summer months to help with planning in Goderich. Secretary Ed Giesbrecht ex- plained that he had spoken to the councillors about this some time ago and reported that he felt council would support such 'a move if the Planning Board felt the student could be put to good use. The town would have to pay only 25% of the expense in- curred with the Province picking up the remainder. County Planner Gary David- son has agreed to be the spon- sor and it was ter`fMtively agreed the student would be directed by -Mr. Davidson, Planning Board Chairman Gower, Secretary Giesbrecht and Town Council. Bert Such noted, "the town will profit greatly by such a program." Gus Chisholm asked if it might. be possible to get a student from Goderich or the immediate area. Mr. Such suggested however that it did not matter where he came from since it was far more important the town obtain n "competent young person." Suncoast offers cash for completed sewer A. •J.(Bert) Alexander of Sun - coast Estates Limited has ad-`_�, vised Goderich Town Council the firm is anxious to get on with the SouthStorm Sewer. In fact; the company is so anxious it has made an offer to the town - a cash settlement of $25,320 for the 4,220 feet of storm sewer which is required in the development land area owned by Suncoast Estates Limited at the southern edge of the municipality west of Bayfield Road, and the farm grant credit "which could be obtained". It is understood the remain- der of the costs would be paid by other- land developers and subdividers in the area as well as the Town of Goderich. Under The Drainage`Act, the present suggested method of financing the drain, local homeowners in the area of the sewer would be assessed a sizable slice of total costs. Suncoast Estates Limited has already dug the largest por- tion of the ditch, all under the supervision of Burns Ross and Associates, to facilitate the company's own developments: Beginning in 1968, parts of the ditch were excavated so that now with the most recent diggings, the sewer` extends •from-Bayfielt Road we11 "}rant Eldon Street. However, it is not yet to Furse Road where the South Storm Sewer will con- nett up with the existing flume. The ditch is draining the Suncoast development to date and is providing an outlet for some waters from the east side of Bayfield Road as well as some makeshift style drains in the area. • . "We have dug the ditch, cleared the trees and main- tained the ditch since 1968," Alexander wrote in his letter to council. "There has been a lot of money spent in this connec- tion." Alexander estimates about $20.000 has been spent to this time on the ditch. The letter also suggested that if the work could be under- taken by the method suggested by Suncoast Estates, the sewer could be completed by June 15 this year "with no trouble at all". He also inferred the work could be accomplished at con- siderably less cost than the present estimate of $283,000 by Todgham and Case. In a private interview Friday, Alexander told the Signal -Star the continued delay of the South Storm Sewer work is costly for his company. He said he was of the opinion council was making "a big thing,' out of what should be a relatively simple project. "There's no houses, no trees, no wires, it's straight, clear digging," said Alexander. He said it was just a matter of digging the existing ditch a lit tle deeper, laying the sewer pipe and covering it over, as well as extending it the short` distance to Furse Road. "The flow of water has in- creased drastically .over the past couple of years due to the extra illegal water dumped. each' year," noted Alexander in his letter to council. "It would appear that building is , still_ going'on and still the 'sewer is not settled." • "We feel our offer is a good one when you take into con- sideration the delay that was unnecessarily caused," wrote Alexander. "Another point we would like. to suggest is that some storm sewer fund should be started for the future by way of a lot assessment for odd lots so that the whole town could be ser- viced by storm sewers in the near future," Alexander ad- vised council The letter also discussed streets in the south' end of Goderich. "During the past winter and Constable John Sills, 31, who was formerly with 'the London England Pollee and most recently with the London Ontario POCO Department, has Joined the Goderich Municipal Police Department(staff photo) spring the condition of Eldon Street and Rich Street was a disgrace to the town," wrote Alexander. "We would ask that you check back or your correspondence to about a year ago where we agreed to pay a portion of the cost to put a proper road bed on Sunset Drive. This was turned down. We feel that there -hould be something done about these streets before we go through another winter. The Signal -Star asked the Town Administrator Harold' Walls to comment on Alexan- der's statements concerning the streets. Walls said he believed council agreed with . Alexan- der's views but added that lack of funds always curtails many valuable projects. The matter was referred to the Public Works committee meeting tonight (Thursday, May 10) and to the town eneineer. trea townships reject Ministry The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent out letters to the various townships in the Huron -Perth Counties asking for. their approval to hold an archery season on deer this fall from October 29 until Novem' ber25. To date, only four townships have replied. They all flatly rejected the proposal. Goderich Township in their reply stated that they were "opposed to a 'deer season of any kind". The ulinlit ,per .hunter ,would be one_... deer. It was the branch at Alymer which started the "wheels tur- ning" in this area as they sent a letter to the Ministry office in Wingham stating their inten- tions to attempt to organize an archery season there. Such a season was held last year in the Luther Marsh which is a border line between East and West Luther Townships. It was very well accepted by all those who participated, claims Rene Jones, District Biologist in the Wingham office. Jones also stated that a questionnaire had been mailed to . those who took part in that 'runt and the replies indicated that they would like to see more activities of that type. In that hunt, only one deer was bagged for the whole month. Signal customer is delayed Signal Star Publishing Ltd. Printing Superintendent John Buchanan announced this week ,,, that,....tJre Signal Star Printing, , operation recorded a first last • Wednesday, if a rather unfor- tunate one. "We have been printing a large number of customer newspapers through our plant. now since /966," Mr. Buchanan • explained, "and we are proud to say we have never had misfortune befall any of those papers, that is until last week." • The Seaforth Huron Ex- positor was delayed by about 90 minutes last •week when courier George Anderson of Seaforth lost control of the company vehicle and, went off the roadway into a ditch near Holmesville. One of two new Constables to join the Goderich Police Department le 27 year old Larry Webb. Constable Webb comes to Goderich from the Metro Toronto Pollee force. Constable John Hills has pled Joined the local Palos Department. (staff photo)