The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-05-06, Page 4ti
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6. 1987—PAGE 5
c
ne r
about roads
LETTERS
Dear Editor:
The following is an open letter to the
Premier of Ontario from the Ontario Good
Roads Association.
We are concerned about Ontario's
municipal roads. We were expecting the
Speech from the Throne to reflect your
government's full and firm commitment to
new directions in your road policy. We still
hope that, while your general statement of
intent in the Throne Speech did not bring
roads into sharp focus, the actual budget
will recognize the need for a massive infu-
sion of money to arrest the inexorable pro-
cess of road deterioration in Ontario: '
Municipal roads are grossly underfund-
ed. The 4.6 per cent. increase in 1985 road
subsidies was, in actual dollars, $151
million less than in 1975. At the present
rate of funding, almost half of the now ade-
quate roads will soon drop below. the
MTC's adequacy standards. The gap bet-
ween the cost, of maintaining municipal
roads and the subsidy allocation is causing
1 a serious erosion of our road system.
Putting off road repairs for five years
pushes .municipalities into spending five
times as much on major rehabilitation
work. In many instances, municipalities
are raising 100 per cent dollars for essen-
tial roadwork that the Ministry of
Transportation and Communications does
not subsidize. This is a heavy , burden on
the tax base of any community.
Municipalities, Mr. Premier, are
responsible for the constructionand
maintenance of 132,000 km. or some 86P er
cent of the entire 153,000 km. Ontario road
and street network. Your government, to-
day, is in the enviable position of having
the resources to arrest the deterioration of
this valuable infrastructure.
The road system is the most visual part
of the municipal budget. So the motorist is
beginning to see the non -relationship bet-
ween the state of the roads and the higher
road -related taxes. And today the motorist
is paying half a million dollars more per
day in' additional gasoline. taxes. As the
government closest to ' the community,
municipalities know all too well that to-
day's public frustration over our roads
could soon boil over into a public outcry.
On behalf of .the over 700 municipalities
that Ontario Good Roads Association
represents, we repeat the urgency for an
additional $75 million a year in provincial
subsidy, for five years,' to restore
Municipal roads. This is th'e bare
'"minimum".required for road repair and
reconstruction. This increase will not ac-
commodate one kilometre of new road or
one kilometre of a new lane to an existing
road.
Mr. Premier, the Ministry of Transpor-
tation and Communications knows the
scale and rate of • road deterioration is
beyond 4.6 per cent solutions. The in-
cremental approach is defunct. We need a
180 degree turnaround, a new direction, a
new deal.
Road construction is a *able, effective,
economic trigger. Every dollar spent on
road .construction injects an additional
$1.50 into the economy and creates new
employment, both locally at the job site
and in the communities where products us-
ed in road projects are manufactured, pro-
cessed, distributed and marketed.
• This spending, Mr. Premier, meets your
government's long -held criteria. It will
result in local, social benefits, enhance
tourism, create jobs and, it is clearly cost-
effective in the long term.
Our April 7 mailing to municipalities
calling for their support to our March brief
to the Treasurer has brought in a tremen-
dous response from municipalities from
across Ontario. Small, large, rural and ur-
ban municipalities are continuing to write
to you and to us to demonstrate their
whole -hearted support to our brief. We ex-
pect your government to show leadership
and responsibility to respond to their con-
cerns in your government's May budget.
Yours truly,
Robert E. Leggate
OGRA President
Residents visit
with friends
Downstairs
will be opening
Friday, May 8th
at 4:00 p.m.
Main entrance on the Square. Serving
Harp Lager, Yonger's Tartan Bitter, Pub Fare.
Hours: Monday to Saturday frona2 p.m. to 1 aim
For the Form
of the Day
Chef Ben's Soup
or Caesar Salad
•
Filet -.Stea witlo
j
Beare►� Ceitd
else Sauce j 11 y�
•
Breast ®f •
Supreme with u whet
wines sauce
il�ed Pork
Gr
Apricot ;sauce
with potato's' (&,,htic
accompanied choice
,stables. Your or 1 resh
�'eh >se C• Coffee
ake
Mate Cheese s & cream, plus Coffee' herrie.•
Straw
with Branded
KINGSSRIDGE-
KI N•TA,I L
;Jennifer Dalton, 529-4420
Happy birthday to Dennis Dalton who is
celebrating his 80th birthday this week.
Bayne and Marion MacLennan had a
steak barbecue back at their lake on Sun-
day. Guests were Alex and Marg MacLen-
nan and Clete and Mary Louise Dalton and
family.
Drew Black, John S. Dalton, Jerry
Johnston, Chris Maize, Gary Scott and
Michael Menary all received their Sacra-
ment of Penance on Sunday at St. Joseph's
in Kingsbridge.
Jean and Bob Simpson spent a week
visiting old friends and family.
On Wednesday, April 29, Brookside
Public School held their Spring Concert.
Everyone enjoyed the show which the
children had worked hard at in order to.
present it to the public.
Tag days to be held
The Humanitarian Service Committee of
the local chapter of the Ontario Odd
Fellows and Rebekahs will be holding their
annual Tag Days July 31 and Aug. 1 for the
Goderich Hospital Bed program.
Goderich Town Council approved a re -
/nest -for -permission to- hold the event, , at
their, April 27 meeting.
#y:
cial
etSDay Br
ljehese muffins and Homemade bread..•(hoice ofsalads the buffet
Homemade Soup and
..
&Om
of
'V
Eggs or,
,,/ York Strip'A Loin Steak arid
Eggs Re/In! or,
„/
Shrimp'
Asparagus n .
Choicet. • Whitefish
Quiche or
Desserts
Fruit fromthe 4►r, Fresh
Coffee buffet,
4,r Tea
'Children under 12 only 6.50
-POP Je.1�':.
S4Du p or Q idQ'•ti'adB' Formai
Betof lira!)died Mushroom Sauce
'
or 4181➢ it
��➢➢d4,t,
Chkk
X11 Pasta
accompanied with
your choice o
home-
made desserts,
Coffee or Tea
• 'OPEC:<3!?u sere ed
;::..... 9 •.
®ther S Day Brunch • •
MAY 10, 1987
SODAN, and
Gilled Grapefruit with honread or
•brown sugar and Banana with
Cream of Cauliflower So•
up.
homemade Cheesebread.
Choice of
��f Quiches
Selection t►� 411
fresh Atipara�,
Eggs Benny or,
sa
Sauges and
.Grilled
Tomatoes and potato and
TOn with mint
withe `► pie. 1ction of desserts
with
on the trolley
Children under 12. only 5.50
Plus. to
Day Dlnller••.
Mother's ,teS Vinaigrette,
of 1 resp NSpara#� bread,'
Choice pate with walnut beer
'Maitland
Caesar Salad, Chef Ben's Cream of
C'aulifloWer Soup
B
Choice of...
Fre Beef
Roast Prime Rib of �erel
Fresh Lake Huron Picl
Breast of Chicken
Cordon Bleu.
t of
Chesa `T Od'd, s special
Ch
Cheesecakes
Coffee• •
der 12 only 6.95
Children un....'''
plus has
with
plus tax
Veggies Day Danner •
Dip to .start, rolls, s(iup
or Caesar ,Sapid
with your chi)ice
Roast Por of', ..
and orange sauce
Or
•
wit lt .stuffing
Salmon&
pan herb, butter sauce
with
Hot h accompanied with potatoes
and vegetable
Roast New York
►e it Strip
Loin of Beef
Pudding. h 1 ork.shire
.Selec6ion of Desserts on
Children und•er the Troll
.06
plus tax
COUNTRY CLUB