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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 1981-02-05, Page 1A bea ntVal saaay day with as excellent saw pack of the t9rafl, hared a reed crowd of over !fi persons on 3.8 machines to die abten Savannah& Chute's first aa■sal poker rally for crippled childrea. The dab raised aimed $1,3N for their efforts and pktored Murray Gaunt retires above is part i the Hamm at Dale's Pump Servile for registration. timings photo Provincial election set for March 19 6 Although Ontario Premier William Mavis on,... Monday wafted a provincial election; the race is already shaping up to be an interesting ere in at lmatone r;. in the News -Record readership area. Premier Davis pulled the plug on the. legislature Monday, and Ontario people will go to the polls on March 19, but long- time Huron -Bruce incumbent Murray Gaunt's name won't be on the ballot. Mr. Gaunt, 45, has held the rim for the Liberals for the pas, DM years, and in a surprise prove Tuesday, said he won't seek theLiberal nomination. enivieeninmt crat?s for iabera-Dss. in the last House, Mr. Gaunt said it was strictly for personal reasons he was resigning, not political ones. "My family has taken on a greater deal of responsibilities in the past 18 years hard now I want to lead a normal home Mr. Gamut said. "I'm going to take a good holiday and then do a little farming," he said. The family owns 300 acres in the Wingham area He paid tribute to the voters and sup- porters in the riding, who made him one of thioraostjopularMPP'sblithe area. "The people have been good to me. I'm going to miss t," he said. As of praesstime, no names or dates had been released for the Huron -Bruce riding, which includes the southern half of Bruce Candy, and the �townships of Tuckersmith, Buffett, C��pe, Ashfield, East and West Wawanosh, Monis and Grey. Meanwhile over in Huron -Middlesex, which indudes the rest of Huron County and the townrships d Bidduiph and McGillivray in Middlesex County, in- cumbent Liberal Jack Riddell said be will seek the Liberal nomination on February 18 in Exeter. Mr. Riddell, 49, has held the seat since an upset win in a by-election in 1973 and was opposition agriculture critic. Having already experienced a winter Mr. Riddell was upset that the election wield be held in the coldest time of the year. It's going to be very treecherous for the candidates to get around, and if it's stormy on election day, then the voters will have trouble getting to the pons," he said. -There hasn't been a winter provincial election since 1905„°' Mr. Riddell said. He said the Toronto press has speculated t Premier Davis called an March e1 tion because his ughter and son are both getting marries' this May and June. Ms. Davis, whose Conservative minority velment has been in power since 1977, held 58 seats in the 125 seat Legislature, while the Liberals held 34 and the -New Democratic party 33. Mr. Davis has been Premier for the last Murray Gaunt...served 18 years first column by jim fitzgerald Well, well, well, just when we thought things were settling into the long winter doldrums, which don't usually end until Easter, along Domem Premier Bill who's going to liven things up again by calling a provincial election. He has been in a minority position since 1977, and quite frankly, I think that it has worked out rather well. You can't get too cocky in a minority position, thus all sides of a story get heard and that beautiful word com- promise takes on its true meaning. More has been accomplished in the last four years under a minority govern- ment than anyone thought possible At least it will give us plenty to a .e about, but the newsroom is cringing at the thought of trying to follow ' " • politicians around during He . County's traditional February and March snow and ice storms. + + + All this election talk inspired the Main Street Wit to remark that voters should remember there's a big dif- ference ifference between free speech and cheap talk! + ++ Arid just maybe all this hot air emanating from the politicians will heat up the cold weather and well have an early spring. In this instance, a yawn may be bad manners, bit at least it's an honest ezpreselon of opinion. + ++ Actually, I think that Davis had a weather forecast as well as the Gallup poll to look at when he derided to call for a March election, afterall, it's been so doggone ksnkl that surely we must have run out of cold air by now and are due for lin early' spring. + + + And cold it sure has been. January 1981 will go down as one of the coldest in many many years, although we can't find out how manly. Most sumo to think January of 1934 was colder. According to our mean figures, compiled from data recorded at the Brucefield weather station on the Norman Baird farm, the mean struggled up to only -10 degrees C (14 F ), far below the long term average of - 5.6 C (22 F). The temperature got above the freezing mark on only four of the 31 days, .mobile it was below zero Fahrenheit (-18 C) on 10 nights, the coldest being -29C (20F) on the 4th. Our snowfall was near the average of 66 cm, with 69 cm (27 inches) being dumped on the area, but that will vary according to your distance from the lake. Normally we also get 23.4 mm (.92 inches) amain in January but this year Sid4any. d ah that translates into a very expensive fuel bill, with 2,570 degrees days being recorded since July 1st, compared to the normal 2,241, about 15 per cent colder than normaL ++ 1 wintry weather should put everyone in the mood for the Optimist Winter Carnival this weekend, as there's a big snow base for the outdoor activities, particularly on Sunday. + + + The Londesboro Lions will also be out again this coming Saturday morning, making their monthly rounds to collect old newspapers. Please have them tied and bundled and out by 9 am. + + + Although the clerk said not to tell anyone, the deadline for paying the first installment of your town taxes has been extended until Monday, February 16. Normally, the deadline is February 15, which this year is a Sunday, but who ever heard of government employees working on Saturday or Sunday, and it wouldn't be fair to ask taxpayers shell out by Friday the 13, so hence the extension. .10 years, and the Progressive Con- servatives have held the Ontario reins for the last34 years, since 1946_ The Hunorelliddleses PCs will hold their nomination Meting on February 19 at 8 pm in the Exeter Recreation Centra, whole the NDPs have not set a date yet. Tony McQuail, who ran for the NDP in larsst year's federal election, will again seek the nomination. Man assaults polices Nike MIMI dud ale laminae has been charmed with aasauhl, mid mother Maim MO has been charged with trespaserom, *Zone* a Samday afternoon alteination at the fir Haven Meter Hotel an ffighway t Hotel owner Doug Fraser and andirty Mahn police officer Coestable Iii Arestriong were assaulted. Mr. Fraser said, that the incident o - armed alter the two men, who bud had previottsly been baited them Elm Raven property, confnerted the owner_ The police were mike in and the alternation hrdce et. A buil bearing was set on Wednesday mattinginGorden& for the man charged with A court date has net been set for the sealed man, dame! with In other news, Chief Lloyd Wei reported that a car received $8013 in damages after it was stack by a second unktionn Vel onJ modry 3H - A car emeral by Man West2, was tree/Aim atm Sheet in Chilton when the second vehicle, travelling on Bark Street, failed to obey a stop fir, came through the _ and collided with the Hirst can The unknown car stopped Welly, that rime A car &Min by David Beech, 23, of car driven by Joh of Chaim received 6908 in damaniges farming a January 1.5 crash. Ilhesiceidedit maned ad the inters" of Noilhhr1 and no one was he *ed. Damages came to til, acrd Paid Gibson, 31+,dRR2,, Seafeeth escaped helisies after the car he was &icing did auk the trader ei a trammed truck on January 13. Lyn Jeirme, 31, of RR 5, Chace was turning the Bums Tampon truck onto Ontario' Street, when Mr_ Gibson, driving op behind his brakes and slid bite the _ The" the ht the ; � car was the fearer -roof the car were A red Clikareah aUlten .remise VW hi fig._ ... .......... January 19 accident. A second car driven by Wham Cam - i, cif Listowel was not damaged is the n that occurred at the comer of and Raglan Street. , 116th year —No. 5 Thursday, February 5, 1981 County budgets may jump from 15 to 27percent BY SHARON DIETZ Huron County Council wrestled with budgets presented by the county's various conunittees at its January 29 meeting in an attempt to hold the overt budget to an increase of between 15 and 17 per cent. Increases in the department budgets rang from 15 to 27 per cent. Wainer Fred Haberer told council the county 'was able to slip through last year but in 1981, the council would be faced with same -tough decisions egarding budget increases. The county's highways department submitted the budget with the largest county rate increase: 27 per cent in, a budget of $3,927,500. The increase in the mad budget this year was related to aimadeant overruns on two projects in 1980, leaving the department with a deficit for the year of $201,068 on a cash bads,. Reeve George Fellows of Bayfield questioned the right of the road committee to permit significant overruns resulting in a deficit. County engineer, Bob Dempsey answered that unforeseen difficulties had resulted in a larger overrun than an- ila'ipated on the wmtructies d Road 11. Road committee chairman Lloyd Mousseau told council the second overrun was the Auburn garage replacement and pointed out that it was a one-time project. Once the garage is paid for, said Teachers, board settle The Huron County Board of Education announced Monday it has reached a tentative agreement in contract negotiations with the secondary school teachers. Thetentative agreement was reached early Saturday morning marking the end of the latest bargaining session that began last Thursday at the Holiday Inn, London. Details of the agreement will, not be released until both parties have ratified the collective agreement The teadhers are expected to vote on the new offer within the next week and probably Monday. As indicated in the factfinder report prepared by Malcolm Stockton, the teachers were seeking an increase of 15 per cent in a one-year contract from September 1980 to August 31, 1981. At that time the board had offered five per cent from September 1 to December 31,, 1980 and an additional 1 per cent to August 31, 1981. The offer represented a 5.6 per cent increase over the one-year agreement The factfmder bad recommended an increase of 8.5 per cent in a one-year deaL The board did reach agreement with secretarial employees members of CUPE Local 1428. The newone-year agreement calls for average wage increases of 95 per cert. Secretaries in classification 1 now earn from $5.39 per hour to $6.27 under the grid while class two wages range from $5.72 to $6.60. Audio-visual technicians in Bass 1 will receive $8.39 and $8.89 in class 2. Effective may 1, 1981 wages in the clerical -secretarial clam will range from $5.72 to $6.60. Musicprogram examined The Huron County Board of Education agreed to examine the feasibility of 'in- stituting a credited music program at Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton. The board has recently been petitioned by parents of both elementary and secondary school students in the CHHS area to initiate a credited music program similar to that in existence at Goderich and District Collegiate Institute. The music program in Goderich is the only one of its kind in Huron County high schools. Subsequent to a presentation by a delegation of parents, the board agreed to refer the matter to a joint committee of the Persomlel and Education Committees for further consideration. Bill Hearn, spokesman for the parent delegation., told the board their original purpose was to maintain music as an extra curricular activity at the school, adding that the wishes of the students went beyond that. "We are aware of staffing problems and our original purpose was to retain music as an extra curricular activity as it exists now," he said. "However, we have con- tacted the Grade 8 students in feeder schools and the interest goes beyond extra curricular. The bulk of the students want a credit course." Hearn indicated there are 30 students in the school band and an additional 60 students from elementary feeder schools interested in a music program. He claimed that such numbers would mean an automatic music program in Goderich. In his presentation to the board, Hearn submitted that the guar or education was to devebp student talent "Music expands the educational ex- perience and it relates to higher education," he said. " ` It is a universal expression of feeling and we are asking that a music credit course be given fair consideration for Central Huron Secon- dary School." Goderich trustee Dorothy Wallace said she was in favor of a credited music course but added that board faced difficult decisions with staff allocation. "I am in favor of restoring music as a credit course," she said. "Our problems with staffing are acute but we will see if we can do it." While Goderich has the only credited music course in the county, students at CMS have been pursuing a music program on their own time. Wec,ther 19.q.,1� 1980 1W1 Lb HI LO JANUARY 27 1 -7 28 -- 2 -13 29 - 6 -18 30 -8 -23 31 -7 -- 22 FEBRUARY 1 2 -11 2 0 -10 snow 10 cm Rain 10 mm -5 - 8.5 - 6 -10 6 -14 - 7.5 -15 -11 - 20 —10 - 22 -11 -16 Snow 28 cm Moueau, the road budget can be brought in line next year. The land division committee brougtl in one of the lower budget increases at 15.1 per cent- The committee recommended the fee for all approved severances be raised franc i$75 to $100, resulting in in- creased revenues of approximately $3,000_ Reeve Bill Elston, Morris Township, told council that land severances were a 'bona fide part of county pluming'. He objected to the person wanting the severance being asked to bear the burden_ County clerk- , erk. treasurer Bull Hanly pointed out that the county is subsidizing eadr fee more than 50 per cent_ Reeve Paul Steckle of Stanley (Township said he is oppesed to severances and remarked that the county cannot continue to subsidize those who are benefiting. He said he would not be opposed to having those wanting severances pay half of the administration fee. The board of health budget came in with an 18.5 per cent increase largely due to expenditures created by the purchase of furnishings and equipment for the new county health building under construe/lima at Huronview near Clinton_ Fellows objected to the allotted ex- penditure of $45,000 for furnishings and equipment at the new health building. Dr. Brian Lynch Medical Officer of Health, told council more realistic figures would be available at the end of February. Hesaid the figure in the budget was an educated guess but that he was certain when the figures were available, the furnishings and equipment would cost less. Reeve Fellows commented that he did not hie using expanded figures berme this permits the expenditure to increase to meet that figure. He said he did not like that approachtobudgeting. County clerk -treasurer; BIB Hanly, told council members that the figure of $45,000 was realistic for, the type of facility and number of staff at the health building. Hanly remarked that considering the type of building and staff requirements, the cast offurnishingsand equipment could well be $, l,0tp_ . Budgets were also received-fr tthe Social Services Committee, the Planning Department, the Development Com- mittee, Huronview, the Library Board, and the Property Committee. Huronview gets. New Horizons grant for seniors. A group of Huronview residents have been awarded a $9,831 New Horizons grant by the federal department of health and welfare_ Headed by Frank Bissett, the group, called the Huron Helpers, will expand an existing program to include indoor, gar- dening, games, movies, woodworking and a newsletter. New Horizons is a federal government program encourging participation by awarding grants to groups of seniors. The program aims to benefit both retired citizens and the community. Like students from four other area schools, the pupils at Clinton Public School, where impressed by the showing put on by the Ceutral Huron Secondary School choir and band Last Thursday. Under the direction of Rob Parr, the high school students went out to promote the course and raise Interest in it for upcoming secondary school studea .. (Shelley McPhee photo)