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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-01-19, Page 1135 YEAR -3 eric 4 w GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19,1983 50 CENTS PFR -COPY entre will close cD � nald says Project manager, Ray Fisher (left) and architect, Nick Hill look over the blueprints for the Livery Theatre. Restoration . of the building is rapidly progressing and due to a Canada Community Development Project grant, 10 people have been hired to work. ( photo by T. Marr) Weekend Withthe Stars to air this weekend The Weekend With The Stars telethon for•cerebral palsy (CP) will air nationally this weekend. Local pledges will be aired over CKNX-Wingham Channel. 8. ' For the third straight• year, members of the Goderich Kinette Club will man the phones for Goderich and area pledges from the Canadian Tire Store here. The phone number is 524-2121. You may call in your pledges any , time between 7 p.m. Saturday, January 22 through to 5 p.m. Sunday, January 23. ;These pledges will then be phoned into CKNX and put on the air. All money raised in this areareturns to the area via Participation Lodge in }Tolland Centre, a member group of the Federation for Cerebral Palsy. This Lodge has a 21 -bed capacity and offers a year-round recreational -vacation _centre for physically disabled adults. It also provides parent relief and offers vocational training. Remember that- phone number is 524-2121! This weekend! Employees and parents' of residents of Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped were bitterly disappointed following a meeting with deputy -minister Robert McDonald of the Ministry of Community and Social Services at the centre Wed- nesday. The meeting was the third in series for McDonald as he makes the round to the.six centres across the province that are scheduled.to' close.within the next five years. Prior to meetr, with, employees an& parents, which were closed�t*ithe press, McDonald said it had always been the ministry's' Intention to meet with affected- groups hint the premature leakage of the ministry document created some problems. "We had planned to.make an announcement of the community support programs the ministry designed and follow that up with meetings at •each institution and talk to both the staff and parents." McDonald said. "Everything was geared up to be done but the. document was leaked and the cadence was affected. "• "The care of the patients isof primary concern and the ministry has never discharged people unless they have somewhere to go. We will work with local associations to make sure they have somewhere to go There has been a great deal of concern expressed by parent groups and employees since the closure of six centres for the developmentally handicapped was announced in October. The Bluewater Centre, the second of six centres to•be Abased out, is scheduled to close'•by the spring of 1984 and possibly before the end of 1983. Despite ' efforts by the Ontario . Public Service Employees Union, parent and volunteer groups and municipal governments in the area, McDonald said the government "will not rescind the decision to close the Bluewater Centre." He added that the •ministry will be in touch -with parentsand staff within the next few weeks to outline, the unity • support programs for the resident$ Of th tre While. admitting liatrt illcggidre, is. Loomed, McDonald said the bujlding will he. used as a correctional facility for youing,offenders. He said the federal government hoPes to have its Young Offen- ders Act in place and in full operation by 1985 and that the centre soutno tioaericn was being scouted as a site. "They are examining the building and it may be used as a correctional facility," he said. "Architects and engineers have been through the building." McDonald held two meetingtrint the centre Wed- nesday, the first late'inthe afternoon with employees to discuss -'tuns of the collective bargaining agreeinent and the prospect of jobs. The second meeting, held in the evening, Washeld privately with parents of Bluewater Centre residents. Peter Cameron of the. Public service Employees Union said that McDonald s}e to the employees first, explaining the ministry's,; position on the closures and vaguely touching on the subject of the building being used as a torrecttional centre for yopth„T'heemployeespumped McDonald>ioranswets to questions but Cameron said the.deputy.-minister was "evasive and didn't fully answer the questions.” The Ontario Public Service . Employees jinion obviously opposes the closure of the six centres and co-ordinator of the union effort, kndie Beckerman, said the closure is a retrograde step, '`The primary.issue is to defend the good features of the system, " he said. ". The unioninay agree in principle with the. concept of the thitistry but we disagree with the process." The union is pursuing the matter through a coalition with parent and volun r groups, municipal governments in the aff ted area, associations for the mentally retarded and other interested citizen groups: "We have spoken with parents of residents and found they distrusted the message from the ministry concerning community programs and tikejr are in- terested in co-operating with the union," he said. "We will be working with community groups, parents, volunteer groups and to date we are pleased With the co-operative effort." ,' The .union wants to go further with the pjoCess of corditionandivilipushAtigprovineelorimmoptithehrim on the implementation of the demstitutiofaliiation program. Beckerman said the union will con " de the • soft -sell approach unless the government bac cs it Into a corner. . • Save Biuewater Week underway ri This is Save Bluewater Centre Week in Goderich, a 'week whichshould highlight and bring public at- tention ttention to the uncertainty of the future of the staff and residents of the centre for the developmentally handicapped. - The council of the town of Goderich endorseda resolution calling for the week of January 17 to 22 to be declared Save Bluewater Centre Week and Ontario Public Service Employees Union co-ordinator, Andre Beckerinan, said it is an important week in the fight to keep the centre open. • ,"The week should highlight the dangers of the government plan, •highlight the economic danger to the communities involved and also pint out that residents are losing care they are entitled too," he said. " The week in Goderich is just the first 'step to. focus attention on the government closures." While the union had originally hoped to schedule • activities throughout the week, Save Bluewater Centre Week activities actually°begin this Thursday • with a meeting c f delegates of parents and y ohtn- teers, The delegates from across the provincewill meet in closed session at the town hall on West treet Thursday afternoon. On Thursday, January 20, a large public meeting will be held at Saltford Valley Hall at 7 p.m. Theuitioit has secured a list of speakers for the evening that includes Huron-Middlesx Liberal MPP, Jack Red; • dell, Richard Johnston; OPSEU President, Seaw O'Flynn and•local president Dorothy Potter. Ontario Premier William Davis had also been in- vited to the meeting along with Community and l Social Services Minister Frank Drea but only Drea has confirmed he will not attend. There has been no official'word from the premier's office as of yet. On Friday, members of the union will play a slopitch game against members of the local Optimist Club and an Saturday, union representatives will conduct a house-to-hbuse peitition blitz ,in the af- ternoon and a torchlight parade around The Square in the evening. Winter wonderland Well, winter finally hived. It's a little late this year but the snow and winds of winter finally made an appearance in Hu on County on the weekend. Many winter sports enthusiasts were out in hill force on Sunday to enjoy a little toll igailing at the Maitland Country Club and the country side was dotted with cross country skiers as well. While many. were enjoying their favorite winter sport, the youngster pictured above simply enjoyed watching he gently failing snow Sunday. (ph yv Dave Sykes) Rock fans wreak havoc in theatre The rock group AGDC sing a song called, "Breaking the Rules" andthatis Nut wbatthe movie- goers did at the Park Theatre's Saturday midnight showing of the AC -DC movie Let There be Reck. Some of the 285 customers kicked paper holders off a washroom wall, plugged the toiletarwith paper and hurled beer bottles through the movie screen. As well some of the chairs were damaged. The disturbance has been called a "mini -riot". Theatre manager, Allan Fulker said that he notified police before the show started to tell them that there might be trouble after the movie was over, but then bad to phone them again when the distur- bance isturbance started. Goderich police advised Fulker to stop the show and then called in the Goderich OPP, Clinton police. and Seaforth police, for support in case the incident "got totally out of control. Although certain patrons were searched before being allowed into.the movie, some of the customers managed,to take alcohol into the theatre. Fulker says the incident was instigated by, "four or five guys who got a little too drunk." • One young man was thrown out before the movie was stopped when he was found standing on the toilet seats and at least 12 people left because they couldn't hear the movie due to the noise the crowd was making. Fulker says he took the police department's advice and stopped the movie 15 minutes before the end because, "we were afraid that someone was going to get hurt." After the movie was shut off, one of the patrons tried to encourage all the others to stay and :to demand their money back. Several charges have been laid against five youths in connection with the incident. These include two charges of obstructing police, one of resisting arrest, two of causing a disturbance, one of assault and one of escaping lawful custody. All five youths will ap- pear in Provincial Court in Goderich on February 4. Man dyes after fall from plank An accident which occurred at the harbor on Thursday, January 13 at 8:20 p.m. has resulted in the death of Lloyd Henry Pierre, 54, of 122 St. Patrick St., Goderich. Investigating officer, Sergeant Gerry Hilgendorf said Mr. Pierce was walking on a -plank, which was suspended from a catwalk on the side of an elevator toy the deck of the freighter, Spruceglen, when the freighter shifted and the plank gave way. Mr. Pierce fell 25 feet to the docs- and then slid into the Water. The body was found at 8:50 p.m: after police and firemen dragged the harbor. Attempts to revive Mr. Pierce by Dr. Bruce Thomson end ambulance attendant, Alan Chrysler were unsuccessful. Drea agrees to ,nieetwithpareS4 Six parents;: who arespar-t of a parent liaison group at the Bluewater Centre, have been given the oppor- tunity to meet with the mini responsible for the dedi- sion to close the facility. Frank Drea, Minister of Community and Social Services decided to meet with. the parents`"'and Bluewater Centre Administrator, BiliGreggr ,Gregg says the purpose of the meeting is to "allow the opportunityfor the parents to speak directly to Mr. Drea and to convey their concerns." Gregg added "there will also be an emphasis placed on maintenance continuing for the.develop- mentally handicapped at Bluewater." The meeting was scheduled to take place Wed- nesday, January 19. INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR h re Eighteen -year-old Kevin Denbok of Collingwood is trying to accomplish a very difficult task. The young man, who is a victim of cystic fibrosis, is touring the country trying to raise money which will be used to fund research into the disease. Denbok was in Goderich last week and he talked to Signal -Star reporter, Joanne Buchanan. The story appears on page 6. Director to retire After 15 years- as director of education, John Cochrane has decided to retire. The story about Mr. Cochrane's career in the education field appears on page 7. Volleyball tournament Fifteen area women's softball and slopitch teams held a volleyball tournament in Goderich on the weekend. The story and pictures appears on the front page of the Recreation section.