The Goderich Signal-Star, 1974-03-21, Page 1Cir
a."
b , BILL DIMMiCK"
Gode ich may lose its local
police orce.
If the. Ontario governent
implements recommenda'@ions
of a task force .report released
last week, small town police
forces vyhich serve
municipalities with populations
under 15,000 will disappear.
Goderich Police' Chief Pat
King accepts the possibility of
losing the, wauttjnomy of the
force, but lie thins a Huron
County' force ahead, replace it
*rather than a takeover by the
Ontario Provincial Police.
He cited cost as one reason,
during an interview with the
Signal -Star Monday.
Goderich' ' is classed ,as `a~"
small municipality" in the task
force report according to 1971,,
population figures. Average per
capita cost for policing is
$22.92 per year.
° Average per .capita cost in
Goderich, after deducting
provincial grants, is . $19.31,
lower than the provincial
average, and lower than the
small municipality average. •
Chief King said that if ,he
were a politician he would ask
the per• capita cost of the OPP
protection provided for .32,200
Huron County residents living
bq
town officers was condemned in
the 'report also.
Goderich, doea train its men,
however.
"Everyone takes courses
here. It prevents the force from
getting stagnant," the chief
said.''
Th'e Goderich department
also has in-service training.
The government report
recommends ,better 'police com-
munity relations, a suggestion
Chief King heartily supports.
"I have started a projectwith`
Goderich District Collegiate In
stitute because it is important
to have an'understanding with
- young people," he said.
.He termed the 'project suc-
cessful, noting that he started jt
long before the report . was
released.
Some departments are hard -
.nosed about police meeting
people, the chief said.
'"I've encouraged the fellows
here to stop and chat, shoot the
breeze ' with • people whether
they be young or old, •
..Businessmen or of ° the long-
haired bluejeanel variety",
Chief King said.
Community relations are im-
portant, especially in a small
town, he said.
In line with this thinking, the
Goderich' Police- Force in co-
operation with the Canadian
Swimming pool
jijJJi.fl.� doubt.__
Chief Pal'King
.....accepts possibility
in areas ,lacking local police
forces. , °
How much would Goderich
have CO pay for OPP services?
"Normally, we would find
more / policemen in the corn-'
munity than when the strength
is under control .csf a local
police commission or council.
The .OPP officer 'gets' higher
wages than most municipal of-
ficers for 'a start," he said.
The civilian payroll would be
appreciably higher also, he ad-
ded.
-• "I still 'feel that for $19.31
.the .taxpayer is getting
relatively cheap policing,"
Chief King maintained.
That policing,„is efficient -foo,
he said. •
He pointed to Goderich's low
'crime rate and the force's bet-
ter than the provincial average
rate of solving crimes.
"There are a few complaints
but most of them are not
justified,” he said.
For example, the local police
receive complaints about
parking. Merchants complain
about people parking too long
on the Square.
When officers enforce the two
hour time limit rigidly,•persons
getting parking tickets com-
plain that, "I was only 'Parked
five minutes over the-
• ,,: - problem plagues ,police
departments everywhere, Chief
King said:
Because of modern radio
dispatching, local, police can
reach the scene of a crime or
accident quickly, he said:
The force has radios irl two
squad cars.. Portable uns are
—used by officers patrolling a
beat.
Moreover, the Goderich
police use the same frequency
as tl1"e""""°tither four municipal
police departments in Huron
County, he said.
• The radio network allows the
departments to assist each
other in times of emergency. It
is„ also a good reason for for-
ming a county police depart-
ment.
The Goderich department
does not allow for inefficiencies
the report cited several small
• town farces as having.
"Unlike many small police
departments, we never close
down. There is always at least
6neofficeron duty," Chief King
✓ said.. '
Not having.at least one man
on constantly, is poor policing,
he maintained;
"Criminals don't stop
working," he explained.
Lack of ' training for small
The Goderich recreation
commission will meet March 28
With Huron Cduntyhealth in-,
spectors in an effort to' settle
'the problem of the Judith
Gooder'harn swimming pool..,
Town council learned in
February that the pool has sub-
standard shower and change
room facilities. ,
With the -time needed 'to • :ss
the recreation 'budget, make
plans for alterations' and ac-
tually 'complete' the work, the
pool will not meet the stan-
dards in time for the summer,
season, Mike Dymond,
recreation' director said last
week.
He felt it would be unlikely
however, that the •health unit
would prevent the pool 'from-.
opening. ' ;
Health inspectors , told : the s
Signal -Star that,:the.pool would
probably be allowed ' to open
but' some cleanup work would
have to be done.
Nothing, will be, resolved for
certain until . the Meath 28
meeting.
Council of Christians and Jews
is •holdjng .a meeting March 28
to air opinions about polices
community relations.,.
"We hope to find if there are
any problems and if there are
we will try t� solve them," the
chief said.
"If we, get the co-operation.of
the public -half the"bettle'of. law
enforcement is won," he Main-
tained.
The report .has stressed this,
.The Goderich police have
already put it into .practice.
The chief gave an example of
how good community relations'
could work.
If a person called in a corn -
r
ay
1
plaint about hjs neighbourg dog
barking, in violation ,of a noise
by-law, ,police wouldask the
callerif he had discussed it
'his his neighbour,
If the .alter 'hadn't and
police arrived at the neigh:,
bour's home `' a eounter-
complaint,about ff loud;stereo,
for . example, " could' be made.
The neighbours should try to,
iron out differences, between
themselves first before ,calling
in police,
"We're not trying to shirk
our job. We',re trying to prevent
further • trouble," the chief ex-
plained. •
Be implied' throughout the
interview that these reasons
made a _county police force a
better choice over, OPP protec-
tion if small town forces' were
abolished.
"I" don't think you are going'
to see great upsurge in ef-
ficiency because of the OPP" he
said.
,`,`People have said that swit-
ching to the OPP would get rid
of the deadwood on the force.
i
This is not true," Chief King
maintajned.
In a small department, dead-
wood, or inefficient officers, are
just harder to hide than in a
big force, he 'explained,
`dAll departments have dead
wood," he said..
'The OPP would have
drawbacks.(
."Sometimes I feel .that going
to a bigger force, we're going to
lose personal "contact with the
community," he said.
If the 'OPP did take over
Goderich policing, local officers;
would haze three•,cl of es. They
could quit the force; join the
OPP, with possibilities of tran-
sfer and promotion; or join the
OPP, with possibilities °'•of
promotion but no transfers.
"However, , a county force is
probably the answer. If nothing
elate became county -wide,
policing should;" Chief King.
said.
It could be accomplished
easily in Huron County and
would keep the Size of the force
under local control.
Ay.'^pZ{-far _ 4d •.$ : �F s. ... o
If the OPP was fngtituted :ip •
town, orders would: com from
Toronto, the chief 'maintained.
The chief agreed with Most of
the task force re ort's recom-
mendations as "anything that
will' improve police efficiency is
good".
chief King was involved in
writing the report to a mt;ll1
degree. He is listed as a
resource person. He was inter-
viewed by task force personnel-
127. -YEAR — 1 2' . .
THURSDAY, MARCH 42 1 ,' '1 9 7 4
ti
Schooner
washed.up on beach
The bottom portion of the'hull of this once -proud schooner is---' and sailed in Goderich at the 'turn of
all: that remaking. now after the Iakewaterhas taken i,ts..tpH,- returned to land by the. lake currents
The wreckage of -the craft, typical of the boats that wore built ° Christopher's .Beach. (staff photo)
Students want grant
to survey the district
•
Four -students from Goderich Collegiate Institute have ap-
plied for. an Opportunities for Youth grant to cansvass the
town and area to survey public opinion on the proposed
recreation complex for Goderich. • -
The poll is h follow-up of the preliminary report by a com-
mittee °o researchthe , feasibility of such a complex in, the,,,,,,
town. 'I rnitttee presented a report to the town council
explaining their findings and left the rest tap to the town.
The four students decided .that a poll would be the most
accurate and easiest way to learnliow the people who will be
paying for the complex feel about it. They prepared a -list of
costs and salaries they think they will encounter in doing the
project and sent off the application to Ottawa.
The area to be covered in theresearch effort is Goderich
and the' homes within a five mile radius, It -was felt' by the
students that these people awil-lt•be the ones most often using
the facilitiesyand'who know the most about its possibilities.
Interviewing the entire population of Goderich and the
surrounding five miles is a huke undertaking but the four
feel they can accomplish just that -in ten weeks. They will be
calling at event house in .the tow ind will be questioning
everyone who is home when they are' there.
A list of question* have been prepared by the foursome
and they have prepared themselves for same of the questions
that they could be asked by the people,they interview'1They. '
will be working in co-operation 'with the recreation director's
office and the questionnaire has been preparc;dd by -both par-
ties. - "'
"We would -like the public, to be aware of the true nature
of the complex," said Mike Dymond,. "The emphasis in this
situation is on the individual rather than the team. We are
trying to keep 'the program proposed as diversified as
possible so .that the facilitiea will be interesting and
stimulating to 'as many,people as possible.'-
There was some concern expressed at the outset of the
,plan that the school would be operating the -building and not
the,town., It- was' felt' that -the school board would not be
preared to staff the building and operate 'it..so that the
public could' benefit entirely from the scheme. •-
"If the plan goes through as,proposed, then the whole
operation would be directed even though the building is orr"'
,',drool property'`, Mr. Dymond commented.
"'T'he school board is working {in,..comillete co-operation,
with my department and are not going to be operating the,
complex at all," he, went on to say.
"'If the school wanted to'use the fa Mies for classroom -
type teaching thetf •,they` would °sup the staff if they could.
Otherwise we would have p en""' here who could handle the
situation," he said. -
The complex planned is a far reaching thing that will take
a'long time to 'realize, Mr. Dymond said, blotif everything
goes .according to schedule it could be very beneficial to, the -
citizens of the town and the surrounding townships.. '
a,
the century, has been
and deposited on St.
•
SINGLE' COPY 20c
Streaker dazzles
G�dericli wor
44
ers'
Signal -Star news d desk received N.
The Si, n '-e f ei�%efi' _a n anonymous news
tip from employees at.the Sifto Salt'•Mine late last week.
Three men working at the 1700 -foot level of the mine ob-
served a man streaking'dcc}},wn the mineshaft wearing only his'
-safety equipment (a' hard hat and a pair of safetyb.00tsrr The
'three gave. immediate chase but -were not -able to catch the
fleet -footed nature lover and so cannot give positive iden-
tification.
bAnother streaker was reported • at the Dominion Roads
•pl••liAMarehirrer",y Co.. shortly after ,the man in the salt -,mine was
' chased but once -again, no one could give a positive iden-
tification. °
It is possible that the two 'could be one in_ the same but •
..owing to the frosty weather it is highly' unlikely:
the nide runner at Dominion Roaols apparently ran hap- •
• oily throughout ' the plant causing minor. disturbances
wherever he showed his face or body. -
Reports of a streaker at the Bedford Hotel" were dismissed'
'as'wttrue.,Apparently that "streaker" was more of a "slight
light" -. only dropping his .:drawee ;momentarily. a -
I
One observer described it as .an up -and -downer, not a full-
fledged strip and streak.
,.- . Gower r•• wants
out of MVCA
Jinn . Britnell
elected for '74
Jim Britnell, Huron County
engineer, was elected chairman
of the „Ontario Good Roads
Association ,during its ,.recent
1914 convention. •
One of the many things' Mr:"
Britnell.. will strive for is to
squash what- he considers';'the
unjust accusations made by
people that the good roads con-
vention is nothing more than a
"drunken orgy".
As to the acctisations„he
during an intervie hat `','this
is not nor 'has een true for.
many ,years'''
There,„,, e individuals zit the
°conveh'iion who do get drunk,
king bad impressions. But
/„ on the whole the convention is
well `Organized with few
problems, Mr. Britnell .conten-
ded.
The, OGRA Wks founded in
1874. It is dedica(d to the
transportation, need's of On-
tario,
Mast m,..nicipalities belong
to it.
The Association's' objectives
are to support: members •in at-
• tempts lo improve transpor-
tation systems and educate
members through seminarsand
courses.
' ,t
d
Richard.D. Hunter, manager
of the Maitland Vaa.ley Conser-
vation ' Authority at . Wroxeter
told Goderich rown Council
last , Thursday evening that
while than organizaton
recognizes. the "substantial con-
tribution" made by Goderich in
the.. last twp,.. years toward
MVCA, the removal of the san-
dbar at the mouth of.. the
Maitland is one project that is
beyond the scope of the
Authority. • A
Bob 'Chang; an engineer -for
Conservation Authorities who
was on hand with Hunter, said
that if the town could '.show the
involvement of pleasure craft in
.connectidn with,•the' sandbar,
the Ministry of the 'Environ-
ment could be of help in
removing it.
This possibility was further
explored °by,a representative of
the Federal Department of
Public Wo'rks who was at the
meeting. He admitted he was
only "second guessing"but
suggested that dredging the
sandb=ar could be, a real
possibility through the Ministry
of the Environment.
Councillor' Dake Gower told
the meeting he was unhappy
about the MVCA's inability to
assist Goderich in the. matters
of flood control and erosion. tie
said it had been his understan-
ding that this kind of assistance
would be forthcoming'after full
Membership in MVCA and
oncevre declared hqopinion
that Goderich should wltthdraw
from the Authority - "Act of
Parliament or not".
N''tinter explained the
Authority could purchase some
flood plain land for the pur-
poses, of recreation and told—
council an "enlarged SWEEP •
program was tilanned•Vjor
Goderich and, Colborne Town-
ship this summer.
He also' said .the Authority
would be happy to lend support
to asking the Ministry of the
Environment to remoi;:e •the
sandbar at the 'mouth of the
Maitland but said the work
ta�
4.
local
could not be done through the
framework of MVCA which
relies heavily on' provincial
grants.
"We can't do it with SWEEP
crews, he ';aid •
'Chang told council dredging
out the mouth of the -Maitland
was only a short-term solution.
He said a more permanent
solution demands more
.detailed work, '
•
"You've` identified two • "and so they do:" '
hm
r •
projects the Authority can't get
involved in," said, Chang. "But
t re are many more we can get'
inv ' ved'in."
Rec._e - Deb Shewfelt
suggest coun-cil determine the
cost of t"/,,work "at the river
mouth and asake . plans ;to do
the 'dredging but of municipal
funds.
"`It has been said the wheels
of justice and conservation
. grind slowly," said Hunter,
Txis'getrate increase
The Goderich Police Com-
mission passed last week, a new
bylaw governing taxi service in
town. 7
Police Chief Pat King told
• the Signal -Star Monday that
the new' bylaw was basically
the same as the old one but
Dew licensing requirements will
have to be met ,by cab ccm-
panies and rates will be in-
creased, effective April 1.
In -setting rates, the 'coin- ,
mission heard' pres=entations by
representatives of three local
companies.
The commission`aiso decided
that meters will not be made
mandilory.
Most significant to taxi
riders i 1' Goderich °is the basic
I f+
rate hike from 75 cents for one
person to any place in town to
$1.00.-
Additional passengers are 25
cents, stopovers of not more
than 10 minutes are 50 cents;
each additional. minute over 10
minutes is 15 cents; and each
additional pickup, is ^25 cents
between 6:00 a.m. and 12:30
a.m,
Between, 12:30 a.m. and 6:00
a.m. one br two persons going
any place in town . will cost
$3.00 while the Th.her charges
(remain the same .
Cab's engaged on an hourly
'basis will cost $8.00 per hour.
When a cab is standing, costis
$6.00 per hour.
• r.
•