HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-06-09, Page 1liner p c
Eileen Palmer, deputy -reeve for the Town of
Goderich, will be travelling to Toronto later this
month to take part on a committee which is to
study Confederation. The conference is to be
known as Destiny, Canada Destinee and will be
held at York University June 27 through 29.
A cross-section of Canadians from coast to
coast is participating in the" discussion con-
cerning Canada's, future. Chariman of the
committee is H. MacDonald, president of
York University.
"It is my hope that some of the questions and
perhaps some of the answers that arise during
the conference, with he valuable to governments
the
Sideris, left, and Jim King dig in to pull
g'o'war at Victoria School's play day
ay afternoon as Lori Steckle gets set to
ttle muscle to the team effort. The
s were competing in the turn of the
teld day which included such games as
rolling a hoop, an egg and spoon race and rolling
a peanut with your nose. This team was out
pulled in this battle and the two key men at the
front end of the rope were eventually pulled off
their feet and dragged over the line. (staff -
photo)
ndidates agree
be. disagreed
BY JEFF SEDDON
ree candidates in Huron -Middlesex
ed a crowd of about 250 that they would
any government attempt to close
or impose health councils in the riding.
eary, New Democrat, Jack Riddell,
and Anson McKinley, Progressive
five candidate in today's election said
Id oppose any move the province in -
those areas.' t e co tituents in their
e opposed tot.
ey said he would not support a decision
ealth councils in Huron -Middlesex or
pitals here even if it meant voting
s own party. He said he would be
support voters in the riding and would
against a minority government if he
what people wanted. He said he would
feeling of people here by `discussing
ith municipal councils in the riding.
hospitals are vital to small com-
and ``I would fight to keep them open
eabtgoing against my own party," he
uggested that government had totally
ed its attempt to cut spending in the
health care program. She said the
nt had done little to solve the problem
much to arouse voters. She said the
he government seemed' to adopt to
oyes left room for doubt.
s silly if not stupid to investigate how
s are needed after you close the
said Weary.
aid his party was"committed to keep
flats operating, pointing out that their
efficiency levels and cost of operation are much
less expensive to the taxpayer than large
teaching hospitals.
Riddell added that he was totally opposed to an
arbitrary decision to unite Huron and Perth
counties in a health council just because of
population. He said the governm'ent's decision
that a health council should govern 100,000
people had no merit by itself and the decision
should not be based on shear number but on
background and lifestyle.
"Why should we in Huron be grouped with
anyone on a government matter?" he said. "We
are capable of looking after ourselves."
McKinley was charged by one reporter with
trying to take advantage of the country's
misfortune in his party's election campaign by
stressing a need for a PC government to protect
national unity. The question suggested that unity
was a federal issue and should be kept out&of the
provincial election as a pertinent issue in the
politics of Ontario.
McKinley said the issue. was -probably more
important to Ontario than any other province
other than Quebec. He said unity was more than
a federal issue and was vital to each and every
Carilian regardless of where they lived.
Wary said national unity was like
"motherhood and that everyone was in favor of
it" but added that Ontario should be concerned
about Ontario now. She said the province should.
be endeavoring to make sure that it is unified
and that the people in the north are getting the
same benefits and opportunities from their
government as the people in the south.
Riddell said he felt national unity should not be
e demi; six injured
uglas J. Stephens
Torn topage 2•
A single car accident on Highway 21 one mile
north of Kintail claimed the life of 20 -year-old
Douglas J. Stephens last Thursday evening.
Stephens was the passenger in a car driven by
Dennis H. Powell,. 20, of Regent Street in
Goderich when the vehicle was involved in the
crash.
' The Goderich detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police reported that Stephens died in
the crash just after nine o'clock on ,Thursday,
June 2. Police said that the car was travelling
north on 21 when it went out of control and
eventually overturned in the ditch, Four other
passengers in the car were injured in the mishap
and one man escaped unhurt.
Powell was treated at Alexandra Marine and
General Hospital and released and David
Geddes, 20, Tammy MacAstocker, 18, Catherine
O'Hagan, 17, and Elizabeth Burt, 16, were also
treated at hospital. 'James Smith, 20, was not
injured in the accident. Police are still in-
vestigating.
e
in Canada as they deal with issues of C
federation," Mr. MacDonald said.
The delegates, estimated to number about
will consider themes such as '"What
Canadians want?", "What economic intere
cultural values, political institutions do we w
to retain?" and "How do we go about achiev
our goals?"
Members of the consultative panel are fr
nine •of the ten provinces. Mrs. Palmer who
fluently bilingual, said she was unable to say h
many delegates will be drawn from Ontario,'
from what areas.
erich
IGNAL
130 YEAR -23
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 1977
Haydon's verist
to encourage
A motion termed "a pompous piece of non-
sense" was approved Monday evening in
Goderich Town Council chambers by the six
male councilmen present. Deputy -reeve Eileen
Palmer refused to vote in favor of the motion to
censure Councillor Elsa Haydon for her actions
on the evening of May 2, 1977.
The motion put forth by Councillor Don
Wheeler and seconded by Councillor Stan Profit
stated that it was to "show their disapproval of
Councillor Haydon's actions by officially cen-
suring her".
Censuring in effect is little more than a
procedure to declare to the ratepayers that in
council's view, Mrs. Haydon has misbehaved
and such action will be duly recorded in the
minutes so that futurer guPSals„may also know of
council's ': view concerning the conduct of
Councillor Haydon. There is no other action
taken as the result of a motion to censure.
Councillor - Wheeler told council Monday
evening he hoped to "dispel the notion" that the
motion was brought forth for effect only.
"On the contrary, this course of action was
only taken after serious and sober consideration
of what the consequences might be if nothing was
done to show disapproval of Councillor Haydon's
action," said Wheeler.
"If council supports this motion it in effect
reaffirms its support of our procedure bylaw,"
Wheeler continued. "The effect of this I hope will
be to ensure that 'the actions of Councillor
Haydon will not be precedent setting."
Councillor Wheeler said it was his fear that if
nothing was done to show council's disapproval,
a precedent would have been set and the con-
sequences would make "deliberations by this
council difficult and at worst cause such
..-disruptions so as to make deliberations im-
possible".
He said he could not accept Councillor
Haydon's statement that she is not answerable.to
council for her actions.
"We are all of course ultimately responsible to
the citizens of this community," Wheeler said.
"However, we were elected by them to
exercise the powers of•the corporation by action
in the proper form," Wheeler went on, "either by
resolution or bylaw, and it is a cardinal rule of
municipal law that corporate affairsmust be
transacted at a council meeting."
Wheeler said that since council deems it wise
to pass bylaws to govern conduct at meetings of
council, it is his contention that councillors are
indeed responsible to council as a whole for their
actions while council is in session.
"In this regard I also believe that it is the
responsibility of councillors to ensure that all
corporate affairs should be transacted at council
meetings, and not as some might suppose,
through the editorial pages of the press,"
Wheeler stated.
Wheeler said he did not intentionally go into
the "motives which precipitated the incident"
because it would involve getting into "individual
personalities and assessment of character".
"My only concern is to disapprove of an ac-
tion," Wheeler insisted. "My motives in
presenting this motion are to ensure council
continues to function in an orderly and efficient
manner."
HAYDON'S TURN •
Co ncillor Elsa Haydon called the motion of
Wheeler and Profit "a pompous piece of non-
sense". She said a motion to censure is nothing
more than a fancy procedure by which to ad-
minister a "tonguelashing",
Haydon said procedure bylaws are passed by
councils "as guidelines for getting through
meetings".
"They do not even mention a penalty," Haydon
stated.,, •
She said that according to the Municipal
Councillors' Handbook, "deviations from
procedural rules adopted by councils are treated
as irregularities".
"Nothing more," she said.
In another chapter. Haydon went on, it states
that "the actual presence of a councillor at a
meeting is sufficient to count him in making up a
quorum and it is of no consequence that some
refuse to vote or are only there to protest".
Councillor Haydon suggested that some
members of council felt she had -left the cham-
bers just after Mayor Deb Shewfelt called for a
motion on the Borg-Warner situation. She denied
this, and said she had left prior to the call for the
vote and she distinctly recalls hearing the mayor
call for the vote while she was outside the
chambers.
"I left the council chamber quietly and
peacefully in what I felt was a ladylike manner,";
she said. "I did not return later for the rest of the
meeting. I was not even the only member who
left the meeting early that night. The colleague
who left even earlier 'had a good and valid
reason. So did I. And it says nowhere that one
reason is more acceptable than another.".
Hearings set
for August 5
August 25 is the date set for a preliminary
hearing into the charges of murder and at
tempted murder against Terrence Lloyd Bullen,
45, Bayfield.
Bullen was charged May 22 following an in
cident at the Bullen residence in Bayfield in
which Ronald DeJong, 25, and his brother LeRoy
DeJong, 22, both of RR2 Bayfield, were shot,
Ronald DeJong is dead and LeRoy DeJong late
released from hospital after being treated fo
bullet wounds.
Bullen appeared in provincial court in
Goderich Monday. He was released froth
Walkerton jail on May 27 and his bail was set a
$1,000.
Both charges will be tried by a Supreme Cour
judge and jury in Goderich.