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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-12-09, Page 1133 YEAR -49 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9,1981 50 CENTS PER COPY Howick reeve is county warden. Every 25 years, or so it seems, the Township of Howick has supplied the county with a warden. And this year was no exception. Harold Robinson, Reeve of the Township of Howick, was elected Warden of Huron County here Tuesday, defeating Goderich Township Reeve, Grant Stirling by a resounding 27-4 margin. The margin of victory ,reflects favorably on the dedication of Robinson, who has served on township and county council for 16 years and worked with every committee at the county level. While both candidates expressed an eagerness to serve the people as warden, their enthusiasm was tempered by the role of council in uncertain economic times. And following the official swearing-in ceremony with County Judge F.G. Carter, Robinson said it was a "humbling experience." "Harold Gowdy, the last warden from Howick 25 years ago, pushed me into polities," he said. " As 1 sit before you it is a humbling experience. A lot of people have put their faith in me." Warden Robinson said every councillor must now face the responsibility of maintaining Huron as one of the,banner counties of the province. "I urge you to do he best you can to keep Huron m the position it is in now," he said. Following the swearing-in ceremony, County Judge F.G. Carter cautioned council that the hardships of today, pale by comparison to the hardships of the pioneers of Huron County "Both candidates mentioned hard times and you can recall that we've been there before in the 30s. The pioneers of this county experienced more hardships than we face today," he said. " We should face the times with a spirit of optimimi and if the pioneers prevailed, the depression was solved and surely the warden and council have the ability, ingenuity and • the wherewithal) to meet the problems of today and beat them. If you can do it at the local level, watch it catch fire through the province and country." While the warden cited inflation as the main issue facing council he said the solutions were difficult. "Inflation is the main issue but, I don't know what. we can do," he said. " We must just work together and perhaps influence the government. Stirling is also a' vegan of township and county politics and like his opponent in the election for warden, has served on county council for 16 years sitting on almost every committee. In his opening remarks, Stirling told council that times are as difficult as the depression years and that restraint would become the dominant theme of government, • "The times are difficult now as difficult as in the 30s. We must be prepared to practice restraint," he said. "As a council we are limited but we must cut expenditures. I am a firm believer in Local govern) ment and believe it is the best value for the dollar." Local government must remain strong and accept responsibility, Stirling warned claiming that three- year terms for politicians would only serve to lessen the public's interest in government. And less interest in government would lead to regional government he prophesied Past warden; Fred Haberer of Zurich, handed over the . chain of office to Robinson and said the new warden would direct council with authority and respect. Howick Township councillor, William Newton, told the group that Howick produced a warden 25 years ago as the township celebrated its 100th anniversary. This year the township celebrated its 125. th an- niversary, of the incorporation and produced Warden Robinson. Warden Fred Haberer II'owick ' Township Reece U Ha'ir61d >�oiifosron vv�as presented Robinson with the j "° . elected wardens of Rix Comity Tuesday defeating chain of office and key to the county. ( Photo by Dave e artmerit cons ars new Goderich Township Reeve, Grant Stirling, bast Sykest/ Municipal levies to MVCA powrs for Coast Guard increase in 1982 • Member municipalities will likely be requested to pay an increased levy by the Maitland Valley Con-. serva ion Authority (MVCA) in 1982: Authority secretary -treasurer - Marlene Shiell reported at the organizations general meeting held at the Wroxeter headquarters here November 25, that for the. past four years the levy to participating mtnicipalities has been between six axed eight par cent of the budget. however, because of reduced .provincial funding, Shell says municipal levies in 1982 will probably be between 11 and 12 per cent Presenting the Authority's preliminary • budget estimates for T902, Shiel) reported the total estimate for 198 has been set at $017,000 with $670,585 to be supplied by provincial grants and theremaining $246,415 to be raised by the Authority. The approved budget for 1901 totalled expenditures. at $018,450' with $581,740 supplied by the province and $236,710 by the Authority. the, preliminary bu..�,: t for 1982 will now be forwarded to the Ministry or Natural Resources for approval. Both Shiel and Authority general manager, Bryan Howard said the Authority had revised its complete budget a few weeks ago after being advised that 'Provincial funding to all Authorities was being substantially reduced. However, a few days before the general meeting,, the Maitland Authority was 'further advised that cutbacks might not 'be! as drastic as had been predicted. Robert J. McClure, of the Southwestern Regional Office, also assured Maitland. Authority members at the. general meeting that funding allocations did not look as bleak as a few weeks ago. He indicated the. Authority "came through fairly well" regarding allocations and noted members would be " a little' more pleased•than a week ago: " Turn to page 3.• Increasedpowers for the 'an enfo ement for Canadian Coast Guard wou d not have prevented a death near Goderich Harbor ' 1980 Minister of Transport, Jean - Luc Pepin said. In a letter to. Huron -Bruce MP Murray Cardiff Pepin noted th recommendations from the inquest into the death of Thomas Kyle,who drowned near the mouth of the M ' land River, asked that the Canadian Coast Guard be given further enforcement powers. However, Pepin said certain points had to be made concerning -the tality. 'Given the circumstances of the case, that four men set out on. Lake Huron in a fourteen foot boat which capsized during strong winds of 40 km. per hour and six-foot waves, it is not clear how legislation, or additional enforcement powers, could have prevented the accident," the Letter read. Pepin explained that . with respect to existing en- forcement powers, steamship inspectors of the Canadian Coast Guard do have certain powers under provisions of the Canada Shipping Act. Those, powers relate specifically to the boarding, inspection and, if deemed appropriate, the detention of any ship. The act also contains a number of provisions dealing with other affects of enforcement with other aspects enforcement and the powers of the various components of the Department of Transport: The • Minister said that the enforcement of regulations such as Small Vessel Regulations and the Boating Restriction Regulations is left up to peace • officers. Therefore police of the town of Goderich may enforce the regulations, . as well as members of any other municipal, county, provincial or • federal police forces. Pepin claimed that even if the Coast Guard officers had more powers, because of the area they covered and numerous tasks assigned, police forces could provide better coverage. But the subject of enforcement is being studied Pepin said, adding that the department will deter- mine what powers are appropriate for various Coast Guard officers. Provisions are also being made in the draft Maritime Code, which will replace the Canada Shipping Act, for ticketing and payment of fines for offences. Earlier this fall, when it was announced that the Rapid would leave Goderich Harbor earlier than normal, council expressed its displeasure with the move and asked Cardiff to look into the matter. Turn to page 19•. Bureau: brings Christmas spirit to needy families Trad`itional'ly, the Christmas season is time to share with family, friends and! loved ones A time to give; receive and share. For many families in haven County it can be a bleak time of year. Especially for families who lack the financial means to. give their children the gift they drof or share the Christmas meal classmates tae for granted, The Christmas Bureau, sponsored by Family and Children Services of Huron County, for years has relied on your donations of toys and clothing to• help, make Christmas a more, cheerful celebration for hundreds of families in, the county. This year five depots in the towns of Seaforth,. V ingham,. Clinton, Exeteri Exeterand Goderieh have acted as drop off points for toys, clothing,. food and donations to be given to needy families. Last year 205 families and 495 children in the county benefitted from the bureau, Approximately $10,000, donated to the fund, was used to buy some new gifts and each family is given money for Christmas dinner. The depot • in. Goderihh is located at the former Shore Gift store on The Square and donations will be accepted until. Friday. Clients have made app poin 'mentis and will select gifts for their children nest week Every eligible family may select gifts for children and also receive a small food hamper': The Rinette Club of Goderich has provided rohinteer workers at thedepot which is open until 11 a.m. untiliFridgy. . Donations to the bureau have come from Witness,. industry, local service clue and private donations The Eiarasmeit Club also has established save a' troy dirops in store got schools, around nod gi frs, Even brownie groups have offered assistance to the Christmas Bureau, Ittemiliern of the goderiela Brownies helped other ehildren too happier Christmas by donating used toy and &Ming items to the Christmas B'ureau spony scores by Y and~ efilittres Strokes- 01- Roma - County. There are five depots hi the comity and the Goderieh location hi at the former Shore Gift Store on the. Bquare..Laa keit the burl Adakted Wife 'Mgt 200 needy families in the county. (Phhoto by Dave Sykes) Road reports just a phone call. away Are you waiting for the bomb to drop? While winter will not officially be with us until December 21 it is not uncommon for the symptom& winds, cold temperatures and snow, to precede the first day of winter. In Huron County, as residents well know, the weather can change drastically overnight. While winter can be an enjoyable season that leads itself to the pursuit of many recreational activities, it is a season that many drivers dread. Driving can be most difficult and a true test of nerves at times, especially in the Goderich area when winds reduce visibility and drifting snow forces the e closure of many roads and highways. But, if you must travel during the winter road condition reports are just a call away. The Ministry of Transportation and Com- munication has announced that its Winter Road Reporting Service for the public went into operation on November 9. While there is little need for the road report service now, it will come in handy. The Road Information Centre at Toronto and the ministry's district offices throughout the province have up-to-date information on the condition of all provincial and secondary highways 24 -hours a day, seven days a week during the winter months. For information about any roads or highways in the Huron County area , phone the ministry district office in Stratford at 2718321. Houses, office are target for thieves From November 28 to December 6, Goderich police report four break and enters (three into houses and one into an office), one disturbance and three thefts. Seven arrests were made. Three impaired driving charges, nine criminal charges (other than driving), four liquor charges and seven traffic' act charges were laid. Twelve warnings were issued and four motor vehicle accidents were investigated. Three persons were administered the breath test and all three failed with over .08. This is the decade of the marketplace BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE BLYTH - The 1980s and 1990s are the decades of the market place, former MPP Murray Gaunt of Wingham told the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. Speaking at the December meeting here, Mr. Gaunt said farmers have to organize especially in the production of red meat. Mr. Gaunt was a member of the OFA's emergency task force and he talked about some of the impressions he received from the sessions. He said the 1960s and 70s were geared to production andimproving efficiency. Farmers have been too _. busy producing while others are reaping the benefits. trsw`Y* dssed a i lf nothing in production touches the amount of production time Canadian farmers put in. Mr. Gaunt said farmers are not supported by those who should be supporting them. He indicated the 1981 Ontario budget has only 1.2 percent devoted to agriculture. He compared this to countries in Europe which devote 75 per cent of their budgets to agriculture. He noted European farmgate prices are double to those of Canadian farmers.. The former MPP expressed dismay towards economic researchers from the University of Guelph. He said they have the capacity to fight for farmers but a recent study giving farmer's weekly salaries; was biased and outdated Reciting figures, Mr. Gaunt said the study showed, the very bottom figure of $174.90 per week. Telling the federation, that now is the time to be effective, he suggested they talk to. "key" govern- ment people. Mr. Gaunt said the finance minister and the industry, trade and commerce minister have powerful influence in federal and provincial gover- nments. In the business portion of the meeting, Huron OFA president Gerry Fortune said representative of Huron County Council will be meeting with the directors d;n Dec. 17 todiscuss council's support of the Mt transmission line from Bruce Nuclear Power Development through Huron County to London. );[_ JE THE A house builder Pat Martin of Goderich creates and sells gingerbread houses during the Christmas season. Read about her 'masterpieces' on page 13A. Wallace elected Dorothy Wallace has been elected chairman of the %lrrrorn Comnty BOgrd of. Education for tie 1982 year,. -ri'reatinrg Bert Moria. Eugene' Fi a y ire wrrs eiectej vice-chairman. See page 3.