HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-04-07, Page 2PAGE 2-GODERI0 SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1977
uilders hire lawyer fi
Lawyer Paul Rivers told
town council Monday evening
its impost bylaw was . not
written and passed in ac-
cordance with the guidelines
set out in the Municipal Act,
and suggested the legislation
designed to collect an impost
fee of $1,000 per nep dwelling
unit constructed should
immediately be repealed.
Rivers was representing a
number of builders, other
tradesmen and potential new
home buyers who had signed
a petition to have the bylaw
scrapped by town council.
There are 99 names attached
to the petition, Rivers told
council, and if there had been
more time, many more
signatures could have been
affixed to the document. The
bylaw was drafted and cir-
culated "in the space of a
week".
Loss of income,
discrimination against
building tradesmen and new
home buyers, and "exor-
bitant" extra costs to persons
planning new homes were
listed as the reasons for the
opposition to the bylaw -
Bylaw 12 of 1977.
Rivers strongly suggested
that council should "im-
mediately repeal the bylaw"`
since it was "null and void in
any event".
The local lawyer put forth
an alternative proposal,
however, urging council to at
least pass a new bylaw which
would extend the effective
date of the impost charge for
60 days so that "further
proposals can be brought to
council concerning how the
bylaw should be set out".
If council fails to take
either suggestion, Rivers
warned, his clients would
have no alternative but to
"bring the appropriate ac-
tions to have the bylaw
quashed".
CASE PREPARED
In explaining to council the
concerns of the citizens he
represents, Rivers said the
net effect of the impost bylaw
is to "impose an extra $1,000
on each residential lot".
"The effect of that added
cost has caused potential
purchasers of property to
refuse to buy or to construct,"
Rivers argued.
He explained that an ad-
ditional $1,000 on an average
$31,000 mortgage over the
length of the agreement
would result in a total added
cost of $3,000.
"Building will slow down
and will cause loss of income
to building tradesmen, their
employees and small
businessmen in the com-
munity," Rivers added. He
charged that the bylaw
discriminates against the
building trade and adds
"exorbitant cost" to new
homes when basically, the
provincial government is
attempting to provide more
low income housing both in
the form of privately owned
homes and rental ac-
commodation.
"Is $1,000 the right figure?
We don't even know how
Special meeting
to deal with filth
The Huron County Board of
Education is planning a
special public meeting April
25 at 7:30 p.m. to take.a look
at a claim that secondary
school students in the county
are being subjected to
"literary filth" ,in the books
used in English courses. •
Lloyd Barth of RR 3, Blyth,
spbke to the board at the
meeting Monday bringing the
board's attention to material
from novels taught in
secondary school English
literature.
Barth said he didn't really
expect the board members to
know about the filth since
their other vocations . com-
bined with the high number
of books used in schools would
not permit them to read all
material, but he asked who
might be responsible for the
selection of books. He con-
ceded that he, as a parent and
former teacher himself,
would not have known of the
material in the books had his
daughter not brought it, to his
attention.
He referred to three novels
used in schools regularly -
John Steinbeck's "Of Mice
and Men", Margaret
Laurence's, “The
Diviners" and' J.D.
Salinger's, "Catcher in the
Rye". One selection he read
to the board came frorn "The
Diviners" and read "When
apples are ripe they should be
plucked, when girls are 16
they should be...."
"When I taught school this
filth was not there," he said.
The former teacher told the
board that he had written
letters to education ad-
ministrators up to and in-
cluding Ontario Minister of
Education Thomas Wells. He
added that everyone up to
Wells had the letters and had
said a "total of nothing".
Barth pointed out that
former generations didn't use
the kind of language used
today by children. He said if
people in his day , and in the
days of the board members'
childhood, had written ob-
scene things on walls in
school they would have been
expelled or at least received a
very severe thrashing.
"If that was the case then
and it isn't now, who is
responsible for the change?"
he asked. "No one wants to
lay blame but someone is
responsible. Who selects the
books for classes?"
Superintendent of
Education Jim Coulter said
the department heads in each
school meet with their staff
members and go over the
material available -from the
ministry of education. He
said they select the books
they wish to use adding there
is no prescribed list of books
to choose from as there was in
Barth's teaching days.
A suggestion to turn the
matter over to the education
committee Was rejected by
Trustee Eugene ,Frayne, who
said the subject is one the
entire board should be
looking at. Frayne said that
when situations where
"boars members and parents
are not filled in enough on
what children are being
taught it's time it got looked
at".
Frayne also indicated that
he felt the board should hold a
special meeting and that it
should be closed to the press
and public.
The trustee later withdrew
his motion for a closed
session asking that irrather
be . advertised as public.
Board chairman Herb
Turkheim praised the move
and suggested that the
English department and
principals be asked to attend
the meeting.
BILL'S
BAYVIEW
TOURIST TAVERN
HWY. NO. 21, 7 MILES NORTH OF
GRAND BEND
Family Dining at its Finest
SPECIAL
ROAST BEEF DINNER
Complete with btalm.rt 8 say.ray* .
;5 2s
HOURS: FM. - S-4. SAT. 114, SUN. 11-11
LICENSED UNDER L.L U.O..
i
$1,000 was arrived at, what it
means" he said. "Perhaps a
lower figure shogld be con-
sidered."
Town Administrator
Harold Walls said the impost
bylaw was passed - under
Sectidn 309 of the Municipal
Act.
"That section doesn't
authorize passing a bylaw,"
claimed Rivers. "It -is an
auditing provision and relates
to how money is to be spent.
There is no mention of any
special charge being levied."
Impost bylaws can be
passed under Section 359 of
the Municipal Act, according
to Rivers, but such bylaws
require the permission of the
Ontario Municipal Board and
must be passed according to
"very specific guidelines"
and for specific purposes.
Rivers pointed out that
usually impost charges are
approved to be applied to new
subdivisions and not
privately owned individual
lots.
"But your bylaw refers to
all lots," Rivers insisted.
"What it does is impose taxes
upon municipal owners of
property and it applies to
everybody that owiis vacant
land, no matter if it has been
owned for 40 years."
TRADESMEN NOT
INFORMED
"An awful lot of people
didn't even know this was
happening," Rivers said.
"Where were the - building
tradesmen when this was
being publicized?" asked
Councillor Dave Gower, who
told Rivers 'the newspapers
had carried stories about the
impost bylaw.
I'm not a building
tradesman," said Rivers;
"but some I talked to did not
know that the bylaw was
being considered. There was
no official notice in any
paper, no official notification,
no public meeting for that
pal'ticular purpose.
Administrator Walls
confirmed that no impost fees
had been collected to date.
Rivers claimed this was
indeed fortunate.
"If people pay in, you'll be
in a very difficult position,"
he warned. "It might be very
difficult to reimburse those
people." -
Reeve Bill Clifford said he's
never found it difficult to get
people to take money in the
form of refunds.
"How are the surrounding
municipalities collecting
impost charges if they are not
valid?" asked Gower. He
ht im
issued a challdhge to the
spokesmen for the tradesmen
to "take action to prove -the
bylaw is not valid".
Rivers told Gower it was
not illegal to pass an impost
bylaw and collect the impost
charges, providing the,bylaw
is passed under proper
procedures. He said •he
believed other municipalities
where impost charges were in
effect "didn't - pass a com-
plete, general bylaw on all
vacant residential land".
He said he, personally,
would be pleased to take
action on behalf of his clients
against the town since "that's
my business'. Rivers also felt
confident that ;,kris clients
would probably initiate the
action if there was no other
way.
"But that course is ex-
pensive to everyone con-
cerned," Rivers commented.
Councillor Bob Allen said
the town's administrator had
spent a great deal of time
getting sample bylaws from
other municipalities across
the province. Allen claimed
impost bylaws "are not, new
in the province".
• NOT MANY LOTS
IN REALITY
He also reminded Rivers
that the number of vacant lots
privately -owned by in-
dividuals in Goderich would
not be more than 10 or 15.
Allen indicated that most
building lots are owned by
developers.
Allen said that when
Suncoast Estates came to
town council with its most
recent proposal to build over
200 more homes, that's when
it became apparent that
expanded facilities - sewage,
drains, roads etc. - would be a'
major expense for Goderich
taxpayers.
"How would the builders
feel," Allen asked, "if no new
homes could be permitted in
this municipality because this
council hadn't had the
foresight to make financial
provision for the necessary
services? Surely that would
dry up their potential market
even quicker."
Councillor Stan Profit told
Rivers it wa "a little
unreasonable" to e>f , ct
council to repeal the bylaw
immediately. He claimed' if
council did that, it would be a
bunch of ',;run for thehillers"..
"But what happens in the
meantime?" asked Rivers.
"What about those people
who may be paying in the
interval?"
"The people are not
OPEN
Good Friday
SPECIAL
EASTER SUNDAY
MENU
EASTER DINNER
Set your appetite with .. .
Marinated Herring
Shrimp Cocktail
Smoked Oysters
2 00
2 50
2.25
then warm your tummy by sipping
Homemade French Onion Soup 1.25
Beef Bouillon with Egg , 1 25
EASTER ENTREES --0.--
Wiener Schnitzel Viennese Style pork cutlets covered with
Sauerbraten
bread crumbs, sauted golden brown
Delicate Roast of Beef marinated Ina sauce of red
Wine and spices
Rainbow Trout-Meunlere
Sirloin Steak
Panfried in butter, served with
drawn butter, onions and lemon
Tender aged steak with onions broiled to your
preference
We invite you to serve yourself from our chefs fine salad bar,
e wondrous iarlety o/ enticing salad..
Pr'r. v" nind., $6.75
hiij,.n under 12' $4.00
Now we wish you a HAPPY EASTER and GUTEN APPETIT
Easter Dinner Served
Easter Sunday 12 noon to 8 p.m.
The
Bavarian
Tavern
BAYFIELD
FULLY' LICENCED UNDER L.L.B.°.
•
post levy
breaking the door down yet,"
Gower reminded Rivers.
Reeve Bill Clifford,
chairman of the finance
committee where the impost
bylaw originated, said•it had
been the committee's in-
tention to leave a 6b day in-
terval between the date the
--bylaw was passed and the
date it would be im-
plemented:
"The purpose for that was
to give a certain amount of
stimulus to the building
trade," Clifford said. "But by
majority vote of this council,
the implementation date was
effective at the time of the
third reading."
WANT POSITIVE INPUT
Clifford suggested the
finance committee would be
pleased to sit down and
discuss the matter with the
tradesmen, but warned that
the committee would be
looking for some "positive
suggestions" about ways and
means to generate additional
dollars tet provide the ad-
ditional services required
when new homes are brought
onto the market in Goderich.
"You say 99 people are
upset about the.. impost
charges," Clifford told
Rivers. "There are 7,000
people upset over the taxes,
particularly in view of the
budget we now have before
us."
Mayor Deb Shewfelt told
Rivers council would be
"open-minded". This remark
came after Frank Graham
stepped forward from the
audience to suggest that if the
fin We committee had spent
so" much time looking into the
bylaw, there seemed to be
little use in "going back to the
same committee" for
reconsideration.
In a recorded vote which
THE
CLUB GRILL
WILL BE
CLOSED
EASTER
'SUNDAY.
showed only Councillor Dave
Gower opposed, council
voted to refer the matter back
to the finance committee for
review and recommendation.
For the present, however, the
impost charge of $1,000 per
new dwelling unit, payable at
the time the building permit
is picked up, remains in ef-
fect.
SMALL TOWN SYS
G.D.C.I.
APRIL:
9:00 - 3:30 p.m.
As our contribution to Jubilee Three end Edu
the Geography Department of- GDCI 1s sponsor
possum on small towns. Guest speakers and pane,
will present viewpoints on the small town from
perspectives.
Prof. R. C. Longman - kewynote Spee
(Althouse Collage of Education)
PLAN NOW TO BATTEN
EVERYONE IS WELCOME
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Mrs. Watkins invites you to visit her
Newl Redecorated
OUNTRY KITCH-Ey
in the
Take Highway
4 or 8
To Vanastra Road
then follow
the signs to the
Vanastra
Shillelagh
CHILDREN5
PRICES IN
EFFECT ALL
WEEK LONG
Banquet an
Dining Cen
VANASTRA PARK, CII
BEGINNING FRIDAY, APRIL 1st
Mrs. Watkins will be preparing her delicious full course
SMORGASBORD
Monday- Saturday F3OM 5-10 p.m.
ADULTS
$3.49
CHILDREN
UNDER 12
$1.99
Pre-schoolers No Charge'
FOR
Ins
01
RESER
uu.
AT
Mn
482
OR
482;
ater
real
atii
g of
opt:
You will be pleasantly surprised with the quiet atmosphere
and delicious menu now available nights a week.
A SPECIAL TREAT AWAITS YOU EACH SUNDAY:..
BREAKFAST BUFFET
Served from 8-11 a.m.
SUNDAY DINNER
5 is available from 12 NOON. until 7 F%.111•
g.
OPEN NIGHTLY -MONDAY TO SATURDAY 5 P.M. TO 10 P.M.
ITi
F.
. 482-3644 The Vanastra Shillelagh 482.954
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, WE ARE NOW
ACCEPTING RESERVATIONS
EASTER
SUNDA
Nominations
for
Jubilee 3 Queen
MUST BE 80 YEARS OR OVER
AND A RESIDENT Of GODERICH
A written Nomination, accompanied by the consent of the
Nominee, to be filed in a Drum at the Cabin HQ on The
Square, starting NOW and continuing until June 29. -
On Octogenarian Day (July 6) a letter will be drawn from
the Drum and the Nominee will be the Jubilee 3 Queen.
Electee will ride in a private car in the Mammoth Parade
(July 9)
All other nominees will be the Queen's court.
Trophy will be awarded the Winner.
NOMINATIONS FOR.
JUBILEE 3 QUEEI
ort
to
Ian(
ch,
ad
alr
one
of
fi
for
ip
of
re:
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on
as
ant
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Cone
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