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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-03-30, Page 1O --1 THE BA *1 F I.E) in('0rporaling THE 'NTH STANDARD 50 cent! No. 13 Wed esday, March 30, 1983 Summer opportunities are available ploy ebt y Rod Hilts Employment opportunities for summer students appears to be on the downswing according to Angelina Arts, the super- visior for the Canada Employment Centre for Students in Goderich. She says that the number of employers willing to hire students for the summer is down 50 per cent compared to this time last year. "This year there a lot of employers are saying maybe instead of yes we'll take a student," Miss Arts said. She feels that the majority of employers are going to wait until June before they make a committment to hire a student. "I'm sure a lot of employers are waiting to see if the economy is going to pick up," she noted. The Canada Employment Centre has set up a variety of programs to encourage the hiring of students. One such program that Miss Arts is especially enthusiastic about is the Ontario Youth Employment Program ( OYEP ). This program was recently allotted $23.3 million by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Claude Bennett. It is being offered to Ontario business people and farmers who hire youth to do extra work. The program helps them in paying the student's wages It also provides voting people with valuable work experience, skills, contacts and references that will better prepare them for permanent par- ticipation in the labor force. It is estimated the program will create 41,000 jobs for students across Ontario this summer. The employer must have been actively engaged in business or farming in Ontario for at least one year prior to April 11, 1983. The rate of grant will be $1.25 per hour in respect of the wages paid to an eligible employee. The program period begins April 11, 1983, and continues until October 16, 1983. A maximum of 20 weeks of em- ployment during that period are eligible for a grant. According to Miss Arts "the Town of Clinton has got lost in the shuffle for student employment in the past" because the town doesn't have an employment office. Clinton's employment office is located in Goderich. She says she plans to remedy the isolation problem this sum- mer. "I hope to put a real drive on in Clinton. 1 feel it could be an area for growth. Through recreation and the retailers we're really going to push the OYEP program this year," said Miss Arts. Other programs available to encourage summer employment are the Summer Canada Student Employment Program, the Student Venture Capital Program 1983 and the Summer Experience 1983 Program. The Student Venture Program is geared ve 121 toward students who wish to plan and operate their own small business. The program offers business start-up money to a maximum of $2,000 per summer business venture. The loan is interest free from April 1, 1983 to the repayment deadline of October 3, 1983. Applicants for the loan must be retur- ning to high school, college or university as full time students in the fall of 1983. Applicants must also be 15 years of age or over at the time the loan is issued. Those under 18 will need the signature of a guarantor acceptable to the Royal Bank of Canada to obtain the loan. The Summer Canada Student Employment Program was created by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission (CEIC ). It was designed to increase the availability of full time summer jobs for students. Summer Canada offers financial support for Community Projects that will provide tangible goods or services of benefit to the community at large and which will provide students with developmental work ex- perience. All community projects funded by Summer Canada must be of a non-profit nature and provide a direct, measurable benefit to the community. Each project must provide for a minimum of three full tilde jobs, and operate for a minimum of six and a maximum of eighteen con - Clin 1 l8th year secutive weeks. Miss Arts said that government funding for the Summer Canada Program is up 35 per cent over last year. The communities of Clinton and Blyth have been active in this program in the past and are planning to be involved in the program in 1983. Another program being offered to the students is Experience 1983 and is spon- sored by the Ontario Youth Secretariat. It offers young men and women a variety of summmer jobs in government ministries and community organizations. The Summer Experience Program is being offered to persons eligible to work in Canada who have not reached the age of 15 and not yet reached the age of 25 by April 1, 1983. Jobs through this program include work in conservation areas and parks, police departments, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Natural Resources. Despite the low enrollment by local employers in these various programs thus far, Miss Arts feels that the outlook for summer employment is positive. "The climate doesn't seem to be as closed. I think things will definetly pick up by the summer," said Miss Arts. She urges students and potential em- ployers to visit the employment office in Goderich to inquire about the programs that are being offered. Bairds are outstanding weather watchers By Shelley McPhee Since 1903 the Baird family of Brucefield has been keeping weather records. They are considered by Environment Canada to be among the outstanding volunteer weather observers in the nation. No other family in Canada has kept weather records as long as the Bairds. It's been a family tradition for almost 75 years, begun by George and Maude Baird. Their son Norman and his late wife Edith took over the job. Today Norman and his son George look after the white box, containing the thermometers. Twice a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the Bairds along with 380 other volunteers in Ontario trudge out- doors in all kinds of weather to perform a valuable service for the Atmospheric Environment Service (AES) of Environment Canada. Their daily observations include recording the maximum and minimum temperature, together with precipitation levels. These are recorded and mailed on a monthly basis to the Ontario Climate Centre in Toronto where they are quality controlled and archived to be released as required. The Ontario Climate Centre provides data to a myriad of users. Telephone requests in 1981 topped 49,000; the staff handled more than 1,500 written requests; and two staff climatologists provided evidence at 69 court cases. Users included students doing research • projects, con- sulting firits home heating companies, insurance agents, lawyers and police forces, to name a few. Locally the Bairds provide weather information to Ross Scott Fuels and a weekly report to the News -Record. Occasionally people call the Bairds to get their latest weather information and farmers who have had crop failures due to extreme weather conditions have used the Bairds' records to help in their insurance claims. The volunteer climatological observing program includes many different ob- servers having many varying interests in the weather. Some municipalities operate climatological stations on a cooperative basis with AES. Rainfall amounts are of particular interest, since this information keeps municipal staff on top of runoff of rainfall into their sewer systems. Along with recording the local weather conditions, George Baird used to give his reports a personal touch with extra comments and observations. A typical report, all written in fountain pen with perfect penmanship would read: April 30, 1903, swallows returned; May 8, 1903, plum and cherry blossoms out, hummingbirds seen; May 14, forest in leaf; May 27, hail at 6 p.m.; June 24, sinokey, i it is presumed smoke had drifted down from a northern forest fire). Throughout the province, farmers make up agood deal of the volurileers. Corn heat units and growing degree day values aid in, crop farming operations. Using maximum and minimum temperatures, a farmer scan calculate these values for hie farm. Conservation authorities run many climatological stations; their interest lies in stream flows and rainfall runoff into their watersheds. And then there are the volunteers who enjoy watching the weather, strictly as a hobby. Day after day, year after year, temperature and precipitation are recorded for their own personal en- joyment. Many have compiled and graphed statistics and are a knowledgeable of their local weather as the most experienced meterologists. All of these volunteers continue a service begun over two centuries ago, long before there was a national meteorological service in Canada. The earliest weather journal in Canada extending over a 12 -month period is from Quebec City for 1765-1766, while some of the earliest records for an extensive period were taken in Toronto in the 1830's and in Montreal in the 1850's. The first official observatory, manned by professional observers was the Toronto Magnetic and Meteorological Observatory µ hich was started in the winter of 1839-40. 1874, four years after Confederation, n Professor C Borg -e Kingston Organized the new Meteorological Service of Canada, a network of 126 weather ob- servation stations were in place. The network has steadily grown and spread across the country ever since. In 1983 there were over 2,700 weather observation sites in Canada. Some individual stations have been maintained by members of the same family over many years, the work being passed from one generation to the next. The Baird family and the Waites of Alberta have observed weather at their homes since the early 1900's and have involved three generations in the task. Baird is still a well known name in the Brucefield area. The family has been associated with their weather watch for more than seven decades, and there is a goon chance that the tradition will con- tinue. Angelina Arts, a supervisor for the Canada Employment Centre for Students iu Goderich says many employers are waiting to see if the economy picks up before hiring students for the summer. ( Rod Hilts photo) /5% will be charged Clinton keeps line on tax arrears By Rod Hilts On March 21 Clinton council passed a bylaw stating that a penalty of 15 per cent per annum will be charged on tax arrears effective April 1, 1983. The bylaw got heated opposition from Councillor, Charlie Burgess who was against the 15 per cent penalty. "It's got to be equal to e bank rates. If people can't pay their taxes in the first place how are they going to pay the 15 per cent penalty," argued Councillor Burgess. Mayor Chester Achibald interjected Councillor Burgess by saying "over the past years many people were using the tax thing as a cheap loan." The mayor said that the municipalities charge hefty tax rates to discourage that type of thing from reoccurring. Clerk Cam Proctor added that the town needs tax money to operate and that if you don't impose penalties people won't pay. He says it's been proven that people pay their taxes more promply if there's a stiff penalty. At the present time surrounding municipalities are imposing the 15 per cent rate penalty. They cheered, jeered, giggled and grasped at the antics and wonderful tricks performed by Mr. Magic. The master illusionist from London was at the Clinton Library on Friday afternoon and he entertained a full house audience. The era- rA thusiastic young crowd thoroughly enjoyed the guillotine trick and victim Kerry Cox came away lit one piece. (Shelley McPhee Sign problems In other business council received a letter from the Blue Fountain Restaurant owners complaining about a sign on the newly opened Pepo's Restaurant that apparently doesn't comply to the building inspector's instructions. According to Blue Fountain owners the sign's overhang is in direct Contravention .• of the town's bylaw. "There's no use having town bylaws unless we stick by them," said Councillor John Deeves. Council is preparing a letter requesting that Pepo's conform to the bylaw by fixing the sign. No freebies for ': IA Council received a letter from the Clinton . usiness Improvement Area ( BIA) requesting that they be given permission to reserve ice time for a December 10 skating party. The BIA also requested that the ice be given free of charge. A few councillors were against the idea of the BIA getting the ice time for free. "We have to charge for events to keep in the black. They should pay like everyone else," said Councillor Burgess. Councillor Jim Hunter agreed with Councillor Burgess by saying,''free ice time means a loss of revenue." The loss of revenue would be about $75 for the three hour skating party for local youths. Council passed a motion recommending strongly that the BIA get the ice time but left the cost factor up to the recreation committee for a decision. Highway resurfacing The Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced that they will be resurfacing a section of Highway 4 south of Clinton, 200 feet north of Charles St to the town limits. Work is expected to begin sometime this summer. Contract updated Council passed a motion stating that Chamney Sanitation will receive an in- crease of $650 for increased fuel costs to be added to the present contract of $26,880. The contract, which is a three-year pact, will be retroactive to March 1, 1983. This represents a 2.5 per cent increase. Lapel pins studied Council received a presentation from Mike Russo of Vanastra on selecting pins and other souvenir items with a crest of Clinton. Council discussed the advantages of purchasing Russo's pins as compared with buying the pins Bill Riehl presented. It was decided by council to get estimates from both for a four color pin with a picture of the finalized town hall on it. Weather 1983 1982 MAR('H 22 2,1 24 25 26 27 28 Rain 5mm Snow 12 em HI LO HI 1,0 -7 -11 4 -3 -5 -11 6 7 -5 -14 7 -1 0 -21 3 -3 3 -13 2 -8 3 -3 -5 -10 4 -1 1 -13 Snow 3 rm 1