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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-06-29, Page 11 The Canadian National station house at the end of East Street will be closed officially to the public, but contrary to ex- pectations, it will not be abandoned by C. N. Operations in Goderich but will remain at the current level. Only the designation of the station will change, despite the fact that A&P may be open Sat. BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER The A&P food store in Suncoast Mall probablywill be open to shoppers on Saturday, July 1. Goderich town council met in special session Wednesday afternoon (after press tine) to consider a bylaw that would permit A&P to conduct business as usual on Dominion Day. Earlier on Wednesday, indications were that the majority of town councillors agreed that either both major food stores in the Goderich area should remain closed - or both should be open. Zehrs store in Goderich Township will be open Saturday, July 1 under a bylaw passed in September 1977. It is that same bylaw which was considered Wednesday by town council. The bylaw gets its authority from Chapter 9, Section 4, Subsection 2 of the Retail Business Holidays Act of Ontario which allows municipal exceptions to act i•h places where it is essential for the "main- tenance and development" of a tourist area. The special bylaw, according to Clerk Larry McCabe, could apply to as many stores as council wishes to include. Many other businesses in Goderich are already covered fora July 1 opening under the Act. Section 3 gives authority for food stores, newspaper, magazine, and tobacco stores, 'antique shops and handicraft stores- less than 2,400 square feet to be open. Special con- sideration "is also given in the Act to garages, plant nurseries, fresh fruit and vegetable stands and drug stores where prescriptions are sold. A&P managerrient approached the clerk earlier this week seeking approval for the bylaw. The store pays heavy taxes annually to the town and management felt the town should accommodate the store in this matter. McCabe said this Saturday's holiday is an unusual one and there won't be another one like it, perhaps, for years. The clerk also said that if the bylaw had not been presented at a special meeting this week it would have been on council's work schedule within two months. Unity twin BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Unity, Canada. It could be a slogan for : Canada Week but it isn't. It is the name of the town in Saskatchewan with which Goderich is twinned for Canada Week. Unity, Saskatchewan's slogan is "A good town in a good district". "But we just call it Unity, Canada," said Kevin Hamm, publisher of the North-West Herald in Unity on Tuesday morning. "That seems to say it all these days." Unity has a population of 2,509 people. The area around the town is much like the area around Goderich - it's mixed farming country with an emphasis on wheat and other grains and rapeseed being a prime crop. Beef cattle and poultry are also becoming important in the Unity district. Located 125 miles west of Saskatoon and 45 miles east of the Alberta border in the north- west Federal Riding of Kindersley- Lloydminster, Unity is the home of a Domtar chemical salt plant which employs about 80 people. While some salt for commercial use is produced, for the most part it is table salt which is Unity's main industry. Leonard 13oxe11 is the mayor of Unity, in- corporated in 1912 with its early beginnings in 1906. Unity now has a hospital and two railways...including passenger service. Hamm said the town isn't planning much in the way of Canada Day celebrations this year, although the town is decked out in the customary red and white for the occasion. The holiday weekend draws people away from Unity. }Lanni said, and Canada ray events are poorlyIto) elect . rxi,/d council did not concur with CN'srequest for municipal ap- proval. CN officials said,. Tuesday in Goderich the matter would go to the Canadian Transport Commission with or without council approval. (staff photo ) 1 Won't a an • on Goderich station By SHIRLEY J. KELLER The fear of Goderich Town Council that Canadian Natiopal Railway had decided to abandon its station house in the municipality was found groundless on Tuesday at a special meeting of council, CN officals Bob Doty and Ron Wingrove told council nothing would change in the town if council decided to concur with CN's request to apply to the Canadian Transport Commission to re-classify the Goderich operation and withdraw the station agent from here. "There will be no change at all in the level of service on the CN rail side," Doty told council. "We hope to keep marginally improving it as time goes on." hope to keep marginally improving it as time goes on." • Several interested citizens who attended the special meeting to present briefs concerning possible uses for the station house at the end of East Street, left the meeting silently. There was no purpose now to their presentations. Doty explained that the present agent - operator at the station, N.B. McEwan, would still be.on CN's payroll as operator and would be in charge of train orders. The telecom- munications equipment would remain in the station house; the premises would still be used On occasion as a bunk house; and the main- tenance workers will still utilize space in the building, and the freight shed would probably be leased to an interested party. "This is just'a formality," Doty said. "There is no public activity at the station at the present time, and we waft to officially re-classify and eliminate the station classification." Still town councillors voted against the CN proposal. In a recorded vote, only Councillor John Doherty, Councillor Dave Gower and Deputy -reeve Eileen Palmer voted in favor of a motion to concur with CN's suggestion. The three other councillors who were present, Elsa Haydon, Bob Allen and Don Wheeler, voted against the motion. The tie vote resulted in an automatic loss of the motion. _GIVE REASONS Councillor Don Wheeler said he was voting against the motion because he felt he was "protecting" the possibility of restored passenger service in Goderich, "We don't gain anything by concurring with CN," said Whe$ier, "and there is a possibility we are protecting something if we do not concur.' Councillor Elsa Haydon said she was "ex- tremely disappointed" that CN appeared to be shutting the doors to the promise of passenger service in this area at some time in the future. "It isn't very encouraging," said Haydon. Councillor Bob Allen agreed with Wheeler and Haydon. He said there were weeds growing on the railway tracks all over the area, and he Turn to page 20 • 131 YEAR -26 THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1978 3O CENTS PER COPY Union launches action against While workers at Fleck Manufacturing,. in Huron, Park 'continueto strike against 'the company, a United Auto Worker Union lawyer announced that the union will proceed with a libel and slarfa'er suit against Jack Riddell, Huron -Middlesex Liberal MPP. Union lawyer, Lennox MacLean, told the procedural affairs committee of the Legislature last week that a writ of summons had been issued in the Ontario Supreme Court but had not been served. Riddell lodged a' complaint with the procedural affairs committee in April stating that his privileges as an MPP had been violated when the UAW served him with notice of intent to sue under the Libel and Slander Act. The... UAW also applied to the Ontarjio 'Labor Relations Board, seeking consent to"prosecute Riddell under the Labor Relations Act. The Legislature's procedural affairs com- mittee has . been holding hearings into the allegations by Riddell that his privileges as an MPP were breached by the union. In an appearance before the committee, MacLean said that action has been started against Riddell and the writ claims "actual "consequential and punitive ,damages on behalf of the union, four of its officers and Local 1620". The writ claims that the Huron -Middlesex MPP issued defamatory and false statements to the press and news media. The writ states that statements issued by Riddell were intended to mean or could be interpreted to mean or imply that the union used illegal, deceitful, fraudulent and in- timidatory methods and means to ohtaih membership cards from employees of Fleck Manufacturing Co. and that it used the cards to obtain bargaining rights for the workers. The writ also makes allegations that Rid-, dell's statements.. were intended to mean or imply or would be so interpreted that the plaintiffs', as officers and organizers of the union "used illegal threats and physical in- timidation and' illegal means" to convince Fleck employees to strike and that the union wasn't '`a credible organization" and didn't represent the interest of the employees. The writ also( alleges that the statements by Riddell interfered with and caused serious prejudice to the position of the union as bargaining agent, interfered with collective bargaining and contributed to prolonging the strike. In a 66 -page defence on the issue of privilege, MacLean told the Legislature committee that the law on parliamentary privilege was not intended to give MPPs immunity from civil action and that the scope and extent of the privilege is finite. MacLean further argued that if the committee ruled in favor of Riddell's ° privilege and granted immunity then it would deprive citizens for right to take action against MPPs. i Th ion had six weeks to send a notice of intent .,ue to Riddell and an additional three months to start the action. MacLean said the writ was issued on the eve of the expiry date. James Bullbrook representing Riddell, claimed that the legallimitation period wouldn't begin until the 21st day after the house rose so as not to deprive a citizen of his legal rights. He added that if the committee disagreed with that interpretation then the law should be altered to protect those rights. ark carefully Because of Founders' Day festivities today, June 29, Police Chief Pat King has announced some changes in the normal traffic routine on The Square. At certain times of the early afternoon, the inside of The Square from Colborne to West Streets, and from Montreal to Kingston Streets, will be no parking areas. This will facilitate the children's birthday party and the senior citizens' social hours. Chief King said an area will .he left open to permit senior citizens to he transported to The Square and dropped off clow to their activities. The area adjacent to the children's party is being cleared to ensure maximum safety for the childron. 1 he .cloct said I,uuu youngsters are expected at The Square and police do not want them running out from between parked cars into traffic flow. Three other spots from time to time during the day will he no parking zones to allow preparations for the festivities. Signs will he posted by police, and motorists are urged to watch for them and obey them. From 7 p.m. to midnight on the outside of The Square from West' to Montreal streets, and ' from Hamilton to Fast streets', no parking will he allowed due to street dancing. ' Chief Ring points out that the entire Square will he closed to traffic after 9 p.m. ee-ee! Beating the heat at the beach. Young Jennifer Robinson, 18 months, appears to be poised for a dive into the cool waters of Lake Huron despite the fact her back is turned to the water. The young lady, like hundreds of other area resident, flocked to local be -aches during the current heat wave. (Photo by Dave Sykes)