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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-05-25, Page 1Board delays eight layoffs Alexandra Marine and General Hospital Board chai►oman, Mrs. Jo Berry announced- th%t the layoffs of five nurses and three nursing assistants has been delayed. Mrs. Berry said the layoffs of the eight full- time staff would be delayed at least until the board has a chance to view the audit of the hospital's financial statement. The"' audit is expected to be completed by the end of May. The eight full-time employees were laid off effective June 1 in an effort for the board to meet the budget requirements for 1978-79. The savings amounted to $135,000. In addition the board was going to cut 16 beds in the west wing effective June 1 for a three- month period. The savings and bed cutback were to be evaluated at the end of a three-month period. The decision to delay the layoffs was made following a management and finance committee meeting last Friday. Tax inequities. exaggerated Floyd Jenkins, assessment commissioner of the Huron -Perth Regional Assessment offices in Goderich said this week he was in agreement with a Signal -Star editorial which pointed out the need for market value assessment in the province,but complained that the Signal -Star editorial had grossly , exaggerated the tax inequities that currently exist between old and new housing in Goderich. According to Jenkins, there are about 50 homes in Goderich which are valued at $80,000 or more. The lowest tax bill on these 50 properties is $781 said Jenkins and the highest is 11880. The Signal -Star editorial had suggested that some homes valued at $80,000 were paying tax bills of $200 or less. Jenkins did not, however, dispute the fact that some of the newer homes valued at $45,000 or $50,000 are paying taxes equal to older homes valued at $80,000. He admitted that inequities do exist in Goderich, and that there "is certainly a need" for market value assessment. • The assessment commissioner also pointed out that if and when market value assessment is enacted all Goderich homeowners will pay considerably less in property taxes. A friendly smile could be worth a buck this summer BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER If the Goderich Tourist +committee had anything to say about it, the people of Goderich and wea would be eating, sleeping and thinking tourism every day. But since not everyone can get so enthusiastic about the mufti -million dollar industry that rolls through this part of the country all year round via anything that moves, the local tourist committee is planning a seminar for everyone in the community to try once again, to make citizens aware of the tremendous im- pact of the tourist dollar in Goderich. Tourism is a multi-million dollar industry. Latest figures show that from the international bridge between Sarnia and Port Huron, Michigan to Goderich along Highway 21, the Blue Water Route, $20,000,000 is spent annually by tourists. "The average tourist spends $60 a day," Bert Squires of the Goderich Tourist Committee told the Signal -Star Tuesday. "That seems high, but that's what statistics show". In Goderich last year, about 11,000 tourists signed the guest book at the tourist information booth at the Five Points. If each one of those tourists spent only $2 in the town for gas, food, lodging or entertainment, that would amount of $22,000 or almost the entire tourist committee budget for one year. But only a small portion' of the tourists in Goderich visit the tourist booth. This year, the tourist committee is operating on a budget of almost $23,000, paid out of the town's $4.25 million budget. That's about one- half a percent of ,the total municipal budget. Huron County spends another $3,500 on tourist promotion in Huron County's 26 municipalities. It is obvious then, that the greatest benefit to the tourist industry in Goderich - or anywhere for that matter - is the one-to-one" contact between the tourist and the average citizen. And that's why the tourist -committee is planning a seminar with ev,iryone in mind. "Out of every 100 tourists in Canada, 48 are Canadian, 47 are ffom the United States and the rest are from other partsof the world," 'says Squires, who operates a gift shop on Bayfield Road in Goderich. "The American tourist dollar is important to this community." In preparation for the seminar, members of the tourist committee have been attempting to have all businessmen in the town of Goderich display a sign in their places of business which says, "Fair U.S. Dollar Exchange. This business will pay exchange on U.S. funds offered as payment for purchases or services within two percent of the current official exchange rate." Squires admits there has been some opposition from the merchants in the service industries - restaurants, gas stations, motels - who have been approached directly by the tourist committee. Other merchants will be contacted through the Shoppers' Square organization. "We are aiming for 100 percent co-operation," Anyone for a morning dip? Any spirited health and sport enthusiasts^who have taken to jogging in the early morning hours may get the opportunity to take a dip at Judith Gooderham pool this summer. Paul Dockstader approached the Goderich Recreation and Community Centre Board at their monthly meeting Thursday and said he was willing to offer his services as lifeguard if the board was agreeable to opening the pool for a half-hour session in the morning beginning at 6:30 a.m. Dockstader is a former lifeguard at Judith Gooderham and Recreation Director Mike Dymond said his qualifications would have to be updated for him t6 actas lifeguard. Dockstader said he was willing to update his qualifications and the board was agreeable to proceed with such a program. "So hopefully this sumfner anyon•e.who gets the urge to take a refreshing dip at 6:30 a.m. will have the opportunity to do so. says Squires, who adds the program is en- couraged by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism in Ontario. The fair exchange program is underway in The. Southwestern Ontario Travel Association in co- operation with the tourism committee of the Woodstock District Chamber of Commerce. According to the Woodstock April newsletter, the tourism committee is encouraging "those engaged in all tourist related services industries and all progressive retailers in Woodstock" to get involved in the program. The brochure went on to say that the Ministry of Industry and Tourism is 'highly optimistic' about the Wood-, stock idea and feels the fair exchange signs 'might be used on a province wide basis to assist and guide the American- traveller to tourist service industries and retail outlets who are offering a premium on American currency". The Goderich seminar will be held June 13 at the Candlelight Inn. It will feature guest speaker Frank Thompson, director of Cortorate Motivation Systems. Some of the topics to be examined at the seminar will be the do's and don't's of hospitality for retail trade personnel, the employees of accommodation establishments, service station and transportation personnel, food service" employees, hunting and fishing guides, police officers and every citizen in every walk of life. The seminar is geared for everyone because, as Bert Squires points out, everybody benefits. Toquote from a brochure printed by the , Travel Industry Association of Canada, "If you se., goods, prepare food, serve meals dispense gasoline, style hair, carry luggage, transport people, make beds, your present position can be improved through an expanding tourist industry and the future made even brighter for you in your chosen occupation." Robert Davies, 4, looks somewhat apprehensive as he receives a needle from Phyllis McConnel at a child health clinic last week. The pre-school health clinic examined hearing, vision and developmental skills of children and also in the case of Robert, offered immunization shots. Such clinics are held in the five major municipalities in Huron County on a monthly basis by the Huron County health unit. (Photo by Dave Sykes) L 131-21 THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1978 30 CENTS PER COPY Building permits may be illegal BY JEFF SEDDON Officials from Huron County's 26 municipalities discovered Friday that they may he illegally charging for building permits. Roman Dzus, county planner, told the Huron County Municipal Officers' Association annual meeting that unless a municipality has passed a bylaw enforcing. the Ontario Building Code it has no legal basis to charge for, or issue, building permits. Dzus said the Ontario Building Code Act of 1974, passed by the provincial government, is the only legislation that can be used to control construction in,a municipality. Dzus said the Ontario Building Code stipulated Bert Squires, a member of the Goderich Tourist Committee, would like to see more of these signs put up in and around Goderich. The sign welcomes American tourists and offers to give the visiting shoppers a fah' exchange for their money. Squires says, the exchange service Is one of many things businessmen and residents of Goderich can do to make tour sts feel welcome here. The tourist committ a is planning a seminar next month to a ate people interested in learning ways and means of dealing with tourists to leave them with a good impression of the town of Goderich. (photo by Jeff Seddon) that a municipality appoint a chief building official to administer construction inside its boundaries and specified that all buildings conform to the terms of the code. The planner said that the code was adopted on a province wide basis as of December 31, 1975 and at that time municipalities were.require,d to pass bylaws to administer and enforce the building code. He said any municipality not Passing the appropriate bylaws at that time could have any of its building permits since then challenged and will probably' find they are in- valid. Dzus said that municipalities were given the mandate to charge for building permits and control construction by virtue of the planning act in the past but the adoption of the building code in 1975 superseded that authority. He said the planning act was once the legislation governing building permits and the hiring of building in- spectors or other building officials that each municipality voluntarily made use of. He said the hiring of building officials is no longer voluntary but mandatory. The planner said municipalities choosing not to enforce the Ontario Building Code may find themselves liable if a new building not meeting the requirements of the Ontario code is faulty or collapses. He said that if a municipality has not carried out its responsibilities to enforce the code it may be held partially responsible for property or personal damages. Bayfield reeve Ed Oddleifson balked at the suggestion that each municipality be required to put achief building official on its payroll. He said Bayfield, and probably a lot of other smaller municipalities, will have to pay someone to administer the building code and "dammit we can't afford it." Dzus said the building code recommends municipalities hire. people familiar with 'con- struction trade and informed with zoning and planning regulations but pointed out that it is not an absolute 'requirement. He said many municipalities merely make their clerk - treasurer the chief building official or share the cost for an official with a neighboring municipality. He said the appointment of the official need'not cause a mi.nicipality financial. hardship. He said the fees charged for building permits may offset the cost of the building official. He said a provincial average charge of $6.00 for every $1,000 of construction provides for up to 80 per cent of the wage for the building official. He added that each municipality has the right to detern'iine the permit fees and can set them to either pay the official from the tax dollar and keep the fees relatively low or set them higher and use the money to pay the wage. Stanley township clerk Mel Graham said that his municipality had adopted the building code bylaw and appointed a chief building official and found the move solved many problems for township council. He said council set the fee for building permits and turned the matter over ,to the building official for administration. "I hate to blow up our building inspector but I think it's the best thing since sliced bread in our township," he said. Just fill in' the blanks and return it to the editor BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER A telephone survey done in a professional manner has been going on in the Goderich area for about two weeks. The survey was designed especially to determine the numbers of people in Goderich and district who read newspapers, what newspapers they are reading, what readers think about the newspapers they are reading and what improvements could be made to add to their enjoyment of the newspapers they are reading. Simultaneously, The Goderich Signal -Star has been running its own survey in the newspaper. People have been encouraged to fill in the survey, clip it out and send it to the editor. That survey appears for the last time in this week's edition of the Signal -Star. Readers are urged to make their opinions known about the hometown weekly by means of this survey. Just fill in the blanks and return it to the editor. Some concern has been expressed about the verification section at the bottom of the survey, asking for the name, the address, the phone number and the age of the respondent. This information is vital since it is the only way researchers have to verify that the survey is accurate. It is possible that a false opinion poll could be the result if some readers for instance, returned more than one survey. The age of the respondent is also helpful in determining the average age of Signal -Star readers and perhaps the reason for the responses on the survey. Age and reading preferences ces do have a relationship If you haven't sent in your completed copy of the survey, please do so immediately. Your opinion will be most helpful to the staff at Signal -Star. They are attempting to provide you with the best weekly newspaper this community has ever known and they need to know what you are thinking. ....mIIa=s^"^eueeme yoOpwlr Mesissasi.