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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-08-01, Page 1THE BAYFIELD PUGt..E cents No. 31 incorporating THE TANT)ARD Wednesday,. August 1984 McDonald chosen lthLiber4--s candidate in Hu ron CLJNTON—Bruce McDonald a 30 -year policies must be developed to help farmers. old insurance broker from Mildmay will Innovative tax policies are needed, along take the Huron -Bruce Liberals to the polls in with reasonable long and short term credit. the September 4 federal election. "Small businesses," he said, "create jobs McDonald earned the Liberal nod on July and can expand our foreign market." >26 in Clinton when more than 650 people fill- His campaign speech stressed, "equal ed the high school auditorium to pick their pay for equal work of equal value" and. also candidate. emphasized that Canada cannot allow The voters chose McDonald over Heather unemployment to destroy people's dignity Redick of Zurich on the first ballot. and disillusion young graduates, A life long resident of the riding, McDonald said that the close association McDonald was born in Brussels and raised Huron -Bruce has to Agriculture Minister on a -farm in Grey Township. His family has Ferguson from neighboring Lambton- Middlesex could be beneficial to the riding. "I'm concerned about the betterment of this riding," he said. He emphasized, "Huron -Bruce needs a thorough, active MP with a voice of asser- tiveness and knowledge. Citizens of Huron - Bruce have been on the wrong side of the house for too long." He concluded 'his nomination speech by saying, "I did not enter this race to lose. I'm not a token candidate." McDonald's opponent in the Huron -Bruce Liberal nomination race was Heather Redick, 37, of Zurich. A Huron County resident for 12 years, she has spent the last 10 years as general manager at the Huron Country Playhouse in Grand Bend. She said that the issues facing the Cana- dian government include the fight against acid rain, education, rights and concerns of women, (particularly farm women), the creation of new jobs, world peace and the strengthening of the petro industry. She noted that in Huron -Bruce the main area of concern is the family farm. She said that the farm was, "essential to the life- blood and economy of all Canadians....the family farm is a unit that must be maintain- ed and enhanced." ' Mrs. Redick also supported the need for improvements at the Goderich harbor. She noted that Goderich was the hub of Huron - Bruce and the harbor services and business were essential to the riding. Guest speaker, Senator Ann Cools told the audience, "All good politicians have lost one time or another....politics is a tough, dif- ficult business.... it belongs to those who have enough stamina." She noted that politics doesn't give many rewards, "The greatest reward is doing farms, he noted, have been associated with what you have to do to make society a little bankuptcy and foreclosure and government bit better." a history of involvement in community and civic affairs and his great -great- grandfather was the first reeve of Grey Township. The young Liberal candidate was educated at Walton Public School, Seaforth High School and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo. He was the owner and president of D.B. McDonald Insurance Brokers in Formosa and Mildmay in 1981 and is now a partner with Craig, McDonald, Reddon Insurance Brokers in Formosa, Mildmay and Walker- ton. • McDonald has been involved in Liberal party politics for the past 12 years. He is past president of the Liberal Association and past -campaign chairman in 1979 and,80. He was a delegate to the June '84 Leader- ship Convention in Ottawa and- currently serves as vice president of the Western On- tario North Liberal Association. McDonald told the Liberal audience, "What you see is what you get." He said he offers no illusions but offers, "youth, en- thusiasm and vitality." He said that the Liberal party. is one. (af,i "reform and renewsL...caul party hash emerged renewed, revitalized.60,1,4-6,6d t ash" The Liberal candidate emphasized that government must be open to the people and proposed that he would hold two public meetings a year and have two constituency. offices. "The residents of Huron -Bruce pay the MP's salaries," he. noted. McDonald stressed the need for free enterprise and said that the backbone of the economy is based on agriculture and small business. He said he is committed to the preservation of the family farm. Family year area sp .r1.41`9, "A A Riggin' in, Reg Watson of Gravenhurst is pictured diggin' in at the Clinton Fleming -Colts chicken barbecue on Saturday. Reg and 200 others enjoyed the feast which was held to raise money for minor baseball In Clinton. (Rod Hilts photo) 1 • Bruce McDonald will lead the Huron -Bruce Liberals in the September 4 federal election. The 30 -year old Mildmay insurance broker was ,named the Liberal candidate at a_ meeting in Clinton on July 26. More than 650 attended. (Shelley McPhee photo) Soil, degradation is costing farmers -• - -4:1 billion a year Soil degradation is costing farmers more than $1 billion a year and is a natio-Valcrisis that should be discussed at the next meeting of First Ministers, a SeIlate Committee says. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry ,says anada risks permanently losing a large ortion of its agricultural capability if a jor commit- ment to conserving the soil i not made im- mediately by all levels of government and Canadians. "Clearly, we are in danger of squandering the very soil resource on which our agricultural industry is based," says Com- mittee Chairman Senator Herbert Sparrow of Saskatchewan. In a "call to action" report this week, the Senate committee says the problem is serious in all regions. A major commitment by governments, farmers and scientists to actively promote conservation is required. As the first step towards raising concern seven senators are visiting various regions this week to discuss their report. To con- tinue the process, they are recommending a National Soil Conservation Week, educa• - tional programs and the establishment of a council on soil and water conservation. Because of the economic implications of their report, the senators believe considera- tion by First Ministers would demonstrate the seriousness of the problem and lead to high-level action. To encourage farmers to practise con- servation, the report recommends: - finan- cial incentives be provided to farmers through federal -provincial agreements ap- propriate to local needs to defray con- servation costs; - accelerated capital cost allowances on capital expenditures relating to soil conservation; and - land tax assess- ment notices in all provinces show clearly the basis on which the use of land is being taxed so the owner is aware of the worth of the productive capability of various portions of the land. The committee also recommends a com- prehensive federal soil conservation policy be developed and adopted immediately, making soil conservation a priority in the development of federal • government policies, programs and projects. Similar ac; 6 tion is urged for all provincial governments. In heavily populated, areas soil is being contaminated by industrial and municipal waste. The report expresses concern about the buildup of heavy metals. The committee recommends all provin- cial governments adopt legislation facilitating the establishment of con- servation districts similar to those in Manitoba and Ontario. Urban expansion is a serious threat to agricultural land in central Canada. The report says a third of Canada's top agricultural land is within two hours' drive of Toronto. Memories of the dust bowl in the Prairies have served to keep farmers and govern- ments more atuned to the problems and solutions of soil degradation than elsewhere in the country. Soil degradation is a costly problem not only to agricultural industries but to all aspects of the Canadian economy. One job in 10 in Canada depends on agriculture -related industries and about 40 per cent of the na- tion's Gross national Product is generated by the agricultural sector. Soil degradation is caused by the overuse of precious top soil without allowing reproduction of precious nutrients. Much of the problem lies with the pressure placed on the agricultural sector to produce. Cana`iiian farmers have been asked to demand the last ounce of productivity from the soil. Even farmers who realize the necessity of taking conservation precautions find their im- plementation costly in the start up stage. Erosion of one centimetre of soil can reduce wheat yields by 40 to 90 kilograms per hectare, the equivalent of .6 to 1.3. bushels per acre. Although farmers have in- creased their use of •fertilizer, on land af- fected by salinization in the Prairies, crop' yields have been reduced by 10 to 75 per cent and it is estimated that Prairie farmers would have to pay $239 million in fertilizer just to replace the nutrients lost through erosion. If Canada is to carry on even current levels of production after the middle of the next century, and thereby ensure the stan- dards Canadians now enjoy, soil con- servation must begin now, the report says. Mathers named Superintendent of Education for Huron County CLINTON - Arnold Mathers has been named Superintendent of Education for the Huron County Board of Education. The '.former. Huron Centennial St!hool principal" will begin his new position on September 1. .. . Mr. Mathers was principal at Huron, Centennial School in Brucefield for 18 years. He began his teaching career in Huron County as principal of Usborne Central School in 1964. In 1966 he moved to the Brucefield school. Earlier this year he accepted a position as principal at J.A.D. McCurdy School in Huron Park. The announcement of his appointment as Superintendent •of Education came this week. In a press release, the Board of Eduation noted, "As a principal in the system, Mr. Mathers has shown outstanding leadership qualities and interpersonnel skills. "Besides his many contributions to Huron Centennial School and the,comnrunity, Mr. , Mathers` has been a member-chairtnan on various committees. such as the South Huron Association for the Mentally Retarded, Board of Family and Children's Services for Huron County etc., and has worked on curriculum committees for mathematics, language arts and K-13 English. "Mr. Mathers has demonstrated an ability to establish a community profile which is positive, friendly ' and task oriented," it concluded. School board recommends evaluation of system Consolidating the 19 Catholic schools across Huron and Perth Counties is being strongly recommended by the Ministry of Education. . A report released at the Huron -Perth Separate School Board's June 25 meeting entitled "Co-operative Evaluation . and Development of a School System" (CEDSS) presented • recommendations .which the CEDSS committee acknowledges could cost money. ry "The investigators acknowledge that some of the recommendations contained in this report • may, if implemented, represented additional costs to the Huron - Perth County RCSS Board in this period of fiscal restraint. The investigators strongly zrr: w,x4 i •, recommend that the Board nves ga e where necessary in order to marshall the available resources in a more effective manner to meet the needs of the children in their charge," states the report's introduc- tion. The investigators referred to are two education officers in the Ministry of Educa- tion's London regional office. They are Eric Wiley and Ted Johnson. Mr. Johnson said the CEDSS report has no bearing on the current consideration of con- solidation in the Stratford separate schools. The investigators compiled reports on the system prepared by an internal team and an external team. The internal team was- chaired by acting superintendent Gaeten Blanchette and made up of principals, a teacher and a con- sultant. The external team was .chaired by G. Blake, a ministry superintendent from North Bay. This team was made up of other ministry representatives as well as representatives from the Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) and Althouse College of Education. The CEDSS work was approved by the Huron -Perth Board about a year ago. Ministry funding was guaranteed up to $20,000. The study cost $14,000. There were six areas studied by the teams. Organization and facilities of schools, board and administration organiza- tion, the role- of the principal and under Grades 4 to 6 curriculum, language arts, physical education and family life. One.of the major recommendations outlin- ed in the report calls for the review of the role of superintendent of education with an eye to adding staff. "A majority of respondents suggested that additional staff are needed at the super- visory level to cover the many tasks nec'esary at that level for the effective operation of the supervisory systcn t." states the report. 'Staff wise, all administration, director, superintendent of education and s-tlperinten- Turn to page 2 Raceway donates over S3,000 to hospital CLINTON - Thanks to a special promotional day at the races last Sunday, the Executive of the Clinton Raceway were able to donate over$3,000tothe -hos siia°fvl .rc. — n Tuesday afternoon, Dr. George Elliott and his son Butch acted on behalf of Clinton Raceway Inc. in donating a cheque for $3,018 to Clinton Public Hospital ad- ministrator Dan Steyn. "I'm overwhelmed by the terific spirit of 'cooperation, which I see over and over again in Clinton," Mr. Steyn said of the event. "I'm delighted to be part of this town." Sunday's event deemed "Hospital Day at the races", attracted a season record crowd of 1,600. The day was highlighted by the se- cond annual Drivers' Contest, which saw Ontario's top harness drivers in head to head competition. n Eight top Ontario Jockey. Club. (OJC) Cir- cuit drivers and two highly -acclaimed local reinsmen, all piloting horses drawn by chance, battled throughout the first nine races of the day for the title of top driver. The title, won for the second year in a row by Dave Wall, earned him a trip for two donated by the Clinton Raceway. Wall -retained his title with two wins, one in the third race with Rock N Bonnie and one in the eighth, aboard a horse called Philadelphian. (For further details see the sports section) After the races, nearly 400 sat down to a dinner in the Clinton arena. The roast beef dinner was prepared by Seaforth's master chef Ron Williamson and was served by Clinton Hospital staff and members of the Board of Governors. The Clinton Raceway raised over $3,000 at Hospital Day at thethe races, which saw a season record crowd of 1,600 in attendance. races last Sunday. Ontario's top harness drivrers were featured in (Rod Hilts photo)