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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-12-07, Page 5• ai is ing • Dear Editor: While other commirities along the Lake Huron shoreline are iiorking to develop the potential of offshore sport fishing and tourism, Goderich Town, Council appears to be working in reverse. During the past three years, offshore sport fishing out of Goderich has, as a result of a stocking program of salmon and trout by the State of Michigan shown a spec- tacular increase. Salmonids are attracted to our waters during the summer months to feed on the schools of smelt which frequent our waters. During the summer of 1983, it was not uncommon to see thirty to fifty boats fishing four or five miles out of Goderich. Communities such as Port Elgin and Southampton are working with angler clubs and the local Chamber of Commerce to promote this new found tourist attraction and have gone so far as to petition the Minister of Natural Resources, Hon. Alan Pope to implement a stocking program in their area. Earlier this year, Mr. R. Moody, a local commercial netter filed an application with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Wingham for a licence to trawl for smelt out of the Port of Goderich. This application was denied by the Wingham Office and Mr. Moody filed an appeal to the Fish and Game Hearing Board. will suffer LI -TT RS Upon hearing of this appeal, the Maitland Valley Anglers petitioned Town Council, Tourist Committee and the Goderich Businessinens Association to oppose this appeal on the following grounds; In a report of a trawling experiment initiated by Mr. Moody and conducted by the ministry in 1981, the Wingham District Natural Resources advised that trawling for smelt would decrease the supply of forage food for sport fish namely salmon and trout and could have an effect on their presence in our waters. They concluded their report by recom- mending that no licence be issued to trawl for smelt out of Goderich. + The local economy has been boosted by increased sales of offshore fishing gear during the past three years and prospects are good for future growth. + Visitors from as far away as Windsor and the U.S. are filling our Local motels and trailer parks on weekends during the summer months. These visitors must eat as well as requiring other commodities. + The Maitland Valley Anglers are working on a stocking program of rainbow trout for the Maitland River with the Ministry off Natural Resources. When these trout move out into the lake to feed, they too will be in search of the smelt for their food. If a trawl licence is granted, they along with the salmon feeding on the smelt will be caught in the trawl nets. A special meeting was called by council on Friday, November 25th with Mr. Moody and conservation officer Blake Evans to discuss Mr. Moody's appeal. As president of the Maitland Valley Anglers, I was not aware of this meeting and therefore no represen- tation was made on behalf of the sport - fishermen or tourist operators. Mr. Moody claims he could create up to one hundred jobs as a result of trawling. He also claims that alewives, the main forage food for salmon have increased to the population they were ten years ago and therefore, salmon no longer depend on smelt for their food. We all know what our beaches were like ten to fifteen years ago with the piles of rotting and decaying alewives (shad). Salmon were introduced into Lake Huron by the State of Michigan to clean up the alewives. It must be evident to everyone including town council that this program was successful as our beaches are now clean. Thanks to the salmon the stench and decay created by these fish is no longer evident. Having cleaned up the alewive population, salmon and trout now depend on smelt and �I says small shiners as their source of food. This is confirmed by the stomach content, of fish taken the last few years and would have been re -confirmed to council had they in- vited a ministry biologist to their meeting rather than a conservation officer. The bottom line is that council supported Mr. Moody's appeal even though the original application was denied by the Wingham District Natural Resources. The Maitland Valley Anglers forwarded their objections to the Fish and Game Hearing Board along with copies of their letters to council. The Fish and Game Hearing Board has heard the appeal and their recom- mendations will be forwarded to the' Minister Alan Pope who will make the final decision. The Maitland Valley Anglers will on behalf of the independent businessmen and tourist operators forward an appeal to Mr. Pope asking that in view of the cir- cumstances, he disregard the support of the appeal by Goderich Town Council, that he take all factors into consideration when making his decision and that he support the decision of the Wingham District Office and reject the application. Let us hope that when making his decision, Mr. Pope shows more wisdom and concern for tourism and the local economy in general than has been exhibited by town council. Fred Salter, President, Maitland Valley Anglers Key pointy missed in Ontario Hydro criticism Dear Editor: During the past several months, your readers have been exposed to claims from the Opposition that Ontario Hydro is "out of control", and counter claims of "not so" from the president of Ontario Hydro. Both parties have overlooked a most important, but obvious fact - that hydro in Ontario is a municipal cooperative. Municipalities own (debt free) a huge equity in hydro with community owned and operated distribution (and in sorne cases generation) systems. Elected com- missioners ' have traditionally, in a quiet, efficient manner, discharged their responsibilities to their hydro customers, thereby ensuring that hydro customers have a voice in electricty matters at all levels. I would like to address the subject from this point of view. I can appreciate how your readers might feel ill-disposed toward Ontario Hydro because of a continual tirade from well orchestrated "Hydro Bashers" - some of whom are responsible to no one. These opponents continally discount one of the most outstanding hydro systems in the world. I guess if you say it often enough and loud enough, people begin to believe it. Let's look at some facts regarding Hydro responsibility. During the past 10 years Ontario Hydro has experienced hearings and inquiries from no less than Task Force Hydro, the Solandt Commission, the Porter Com- mission on Electric Power Planning, the Select Committee of the Legislature, numerous Environmental and Planning Hearings, Consolidated Hearings, Costing and Pricing Hearings and since 1974 Annual Rate Hearings. Elected municipal commissioners, through their Provincial organization, the Ontario Municipal Electric Association, intervenes on behalf of its customers who represent 65 percent of all hydro users in Ontario. The excellent results of these interventions are there for the record should further research be required. There are two points to be made: firstly hydro customers do have a strong voice in Ontario Hydro policies at all levels, and secondly, the expense of all these hearings, millions of dollars, must be recovered from electrical users. It is a fact that Ontario Hydro has an over supply of generation capability. It is also a fact that it takes 10 to 15 years to bring a nuclear plant on stream, and most of these plants were started when forecasted needs were rising at 7 percent per year - requiring doubling of output every 7 to 10 years. None of us even heard of oil cartels or O.P.E.C. or recession or double-digit inflation and double-digit unemployment in 1970. In Ontario today most industries have an over supply of production capacity, and when the economy improves and uses the excess hydro capacity, much of Ontario Hydro surplus capacity will disappear. I believe this to be a much healthier situation than to require electrical energy and wonder where the supply will come from. Since 1973 hydro rates have..Ctiipled. For the same period natural 'gas prices have increased four and one half times, and oil almost 500 percent. When Ontario Hydro can keep their rate increase below the com- petition it does not appear to be operating like a corporation "out of control". With one of the lowest rates in North America, the electricity users of the Province can be proud of Ontario Hydro. Some 75 years ago the politicians of the day wisely and correctly decided to place Ontario Hydro outside of the political arena. Those of today would be well advised to reaffirm this principle in the best interests of the electrical customers. Sincerely, Jim Peters P.U.C. Commission Australian looking for great-grandfather 'r 's descendants Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to request your assistance in tracing descendants of my great-grandfather, Alexander Rodgers, who migrated to Canada frcm Scotland in the 1840s, lived and farmed near Paris, Ontario and raised quite a large family. The Canadian family corresponded with my grandmother in Australia during her lifetime but since 1915 there has been no con- tact. I write hoping that the enclosed short arti- cle may be of sufficient interest to be includ- ed in your newspaper. Perhaps the story will catch the eye of a descendant and lead to some contact being re-established. Trusting that you may view my request favorably, Yours faithfully, John C. Brown, Milawa, Victoria, Australia. In 1852, a young resident of Paris, Ontario, Alexander Rodgers, aged about 22 years, emigrated to Australia. He embarked on the ship 'Oneco', leaving New York on October 27, 1852 and arriving at the Port of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on March 3, 1853. Moving to the Ovens goldfield, later to become known as Beechworth, he became involved in sawmilling and ironfounding. He was mayor of the town for a term and was later appointed shire engineer until 1872. He then held several other civil engineering positions in various parts of Victoria, finally retiring to live at Tungamah, Victoria till his death there in 1910 at the age of 80 years. He was born in Perth, Scotland. his parents being Alexander Rodgers, and Rebakkah (nee Willis) who emigrated to Canada and lived at the farm named 'Spr- ingfield' near Paris. He appears to have had one brother, Robert, born in 1819 who lived at Tillson- burg, and several sisters. These were Isabella (marital name not known); Charlotte, married to Colin Groffnow of Berlin, Ontario; Esther, married to Robert Walker of (Maplebank Farm), Paris; Janette, married to James Somerville of 'Uplands' Dundas, (a member of Parlia- ment); Margaret, married to John Goldie of Galt (a machinery manufacturer); and Anne, married to Robert Girdwood of South umfries. Another sister, Hannah, married John Graham on January 25, 1844 at Dumfries. They had two children, Rebeccah and James, and this family also migrated to Australia, arriving there in August 1853 on the ship `Indian Queen'. The family moved to Beechworth to join Hannah's brother and in 1857 purchased land on the nearby Oxley Plains where John Graham farmed till his death at the age of 57 in 1873. John Graham was the son of James Graham and Mary, (nee White) of Glasgow, Scotland. His brother, James, married in Canada, lived at Goderich and is known to have had three daughters and one son. If there are any descendants of these families, with knowledge of their family histories, a descendant of John Graham, in Australia invites them to correspond with him, so that a more complete family history can be compiled. Please write to John Brown, Milawa, Victoria, Australia. 3678. MP says bill to reduce firearm offences Y has failed Dear Editor, An Open Letter To All Canadians: Re: 'Gun Control' - A Case of Abuse - By Police, Attorneys - General and the Courts. Amendments to the firearms provisions of the Criminal Code were considered by Parliament in 1977. A number of the new laws were perceived then as a potential abuse to the thousands of safe honest gun owners and handlers across Canada. The proof is now in with the completion of a three year study provided to the Solicitor General, Mr. Kaplan. " Let me focus on three key areas of con- cern and demonstrate how these new firearms laws have'failed to serve the public interest. First, the Firearm Acquisition Certificate ( FAC 1. This document is now required by every Canadian wishing to acquire or possess a firearm. The government attemp- ted to sell this concept to the public as a means of providing a screening process of those individuals involved in firearms ac- cidents. The Decision Dynamics Report con- firms'hat there is no comprehensive data on whether individuals involved in firearm incidents possessed an FAC. This means that the principal argument for implemen- ting the certificate process is now without support. Second, and perhaps most shocking in light of the Constitutional protection from "unreasonable Search and Seizure" is the evaluation of the Search and Seizure Without Warrant provisions of Bill C-51. This provision was intended to allow police officers to search and seize in situations where no criminal offence has yet occurred. As a safeguard, there is a requirement that following any search with or without a war- rant that the Attorney General make a return to a magistrate or Court. This in theory would afford protection - all be it after the fact - to the rights of all Canadians. The conclusions of the Report to the Solicitor General are alarming. Non com- pliance with the return procedures is widespread. This means that the police and the Attorneys General are breaking the law. This law of Search and Seizure without war= rant - while perhaps of legal use on occasion - is a Mack -Truck loophole allowing abuse of the privacy and property of Canadians. One can only wonder why the police and politicians in power are not functioning within the terms off the legislation. In the 1981 Supreme Court of Canada deci- sion on this section of the law - Colet vs Queen - the Supreme Court held that any statutory provision which encroached on the common law rights of property owners would be strictly interpreted in favour of the property owner. So here we have a law - search and seizure without warrant - Iegislated by the Liberals and enforced across Canada principally by Conservative MAKING A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION TO QUIT SMOKING? We'II help you do it! HURON COUNTY HEALTH UNIT Will offer a 3 week QUIT SMOKING PROGRAM beginning THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 1984 7:30 p.m. LOCATION: IN THE BOARD ROOM OF ALEXANDRA MARINE & GENERAL HOSPITAL, GODERICH For Information or Registration CALL 524-8301 maximum registration -20 0 governments - that is being used carelessly and at least on occasion to the detriment of our rights. Third, and a powerful indictment of the haphazard nature of the new firearms laws is the fact that the Courts are not imposing the mandatory prohibition orders: These orders are required where a firearm is used in an indictable offence. Less than 20 per- cent of criminal convictions has resulted in prohibition orders. Surely, where an individual is convicted of a serious criminal offence involving a firearm - there should be a prohibition order to protect the public. There is not. In summary, Bill C-51 which was heralded by the Liberals as a means of reducing firearm offences and protecting the public has failed. This failure involves not only the Editor likes Dear Editor, We have all heard it said that "the media" never carries any "good news." But you certainly proved them wrong with your story involving Peter Doherty, his ambition to enjoy a trip to Disneyland, and the efforts of your citizens, spear -headed by your volunteer fire fighters, who made this dream come true. It was so heart-warming to read how this wheelchair-bound young man, and his parents, were sent off to enjoy a completely Trudeau government, but also the Police the almost entirely Progressive Conservative Attorneys General of the provinces and the Courts. This situation must be addressed by legislatures at both levels of government. There is not in my view substantial sup- portive evidence for the continued inclusion of many of these laws on the books. I have introduced into the House of Commons a private member's bill to remove certain provisions brought in by the infamous Bill C - 5L I would be more than happy to make available a copy of this private member's bill and related background information to anyone interested in writing to me in Ot- tawa. Sincerely, Jim Fulton, M.P., Skeena. cc good news,/ paid-up, week-long trip toOrlando, Florida. It is planned to use this item in the presen- tation "Report from the Country." It will -form part of the news late Saturday night, December 10. And again my thanks for your assistance, and for keeping the Sighal-Star in my mail box each and every week. Yours sincerely, Arthur Carr, CKCO-TV's, "Country Editor". A HEARTY THANK YOUo TO Jim IL June Hayter Jim A Sherry Hayter And Of Course Santa Claus FOR A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS PARTY From Your Staff And Grateful Families GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7,191 i --PAGE 5 IS S rl r Fr'`r s 1 A L FREE: 4 0 1 Year Supply of Salt (lo bag FREE! Installation (normal) FREE: Service for 1 Year WHEN YOU PURCHASE A NEW CULLIGAN MARK SERIES WATER CONDITIONER OFFER ENDS DECEMBER 31,1983 'xErcuuEriMaNr• GODERICH 524-9571 LONDON'S NEWEST MEN'S WEAR STORE! (This season's merchand51ise Only) Shop with us for all your Christmas Gifts and... SAVE! 20, . % OF FN ALL IN-STORE MERCHANDISE NOW 5125. 50% OFF ALL BOMBER JACKETS 30 % OF 236 DUNDAS ST. LONDON (North side of Dundas between 438-1161 • Clarence and Wellington)