The Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-12-14, Page 9Council briefs
.Councillor Jim Magee served notice Monday
evening that he will be bringing in a motion at
the next council meeting that will make way for
a steering committee to be named from among
senior citizens in Goderich.
Magee said the object will be to determine the
Use of public buildings in Goderich for senior
citizens' activities and the ' involvement off
Seniors in recreation and cultural activities.
The new .councillor said he along with Reeve
Eileen Palmer and commissioner of works Ken
Hunter, had met with Richard Hewitt of the New
Horizons Branch as well as Wilma Bolton of the
Canada Manpower Job Creations Branch.
Magee said they had learned that suitable
projects for seniors can be organized so that
grants can be considered to offset expenses. The
first priority is to get a steering committee at
work, with council's endorsement.
Reeve Palmer said that work in the oc-
togenarians room at the library was updated "at
little cost to the municipality" by applying for a
government grant through the Kinsmen
organization in Goderich.
Palmer said once programs are set up, the
Elderly Citizens Centres Act provides for, the
cost of operations.
"The percentage of senior citizens is the
highest in Huron County of any county in
Ontario," Palmer told council. "The first step to
be taken is for the senior citizens themselves to
appoint a steering committee."
Councillor Elsa Haydon expressed some
reluctance to "cross the line" and suggested that
the town's senior citizens get involved in such a
project. She felt the initiative should come from
the senior citizens.
"Why do we always have to wait for people to
come to us, cap in hand?" asked Reeve Palmer.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Councillor Elsa Haydon presented her report
of the Downtown Forum '78, a conference she
attended in Toronto in late November.
"I would go, so far as to say that this was the
most intellectually stimulating and impressive
conference I have attended during my municipal
life," said Haydon. "I would highly recommend
it to other members of council as well for 1979.,"
She mentioned that the Goderich Heritage
District Plan was spoken of, Goderich being
among the first municipalities in Ontario ac-
tively pursuing the subject.
Haydon's report showed that Goderich may
not be the only community where the Business
Improvement Area executive is having difficulty
collecting levies from its members.
"Everywhere the BIA assessment was
collected in the usual businesslike manner from
the merchants who initially did not pay their
taxes,". said Haydon in her report. "In many
cases the reluctant businessmen were won over
once the results of the improvement projects
become visible."
There are now 90 Business Improvement
Areas in Ontario, Haydon said. The meetings
stressed that downtowns are more than retail
areas, and the Sarnia mayor stated that com-
plete public participation and citizen input are
the keys to success of revitalization plans.
"It was pointed out by several speakers that
the BIA districts usually cover the greatest
concentration of assessment from where a high
percentage of local money comes in the first
place," said Councillor Haydon. "Therefore the
;municipal participation in these projects is not
only perfectly in order but inevitable if the local
tax dollars are to be distributed fairly."
"Another aspect frequently overlooked is the
fact that most merchants and other businessmen
and professionals are also employers," said
Haydon.
She said the need for parking lots and ac-
commodation for cars was downplayed to some
extent at the meetings. One speaker asked, "Is
there a person who refuses to go to Paris because
he may not be able to park at the Eiffel Tower?"
Snowmobilers...
Watch for hidden Togs
and fence posts.!
NOTICE
If you drive ...
please don't drink.
FREE CAB
SERVICE
Will be available New Year's Eve, 1978, in
TOWN LIMITS ONLY from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. by
GREAT LAKES TAXI
Owned and operated by Robert Prouse
PHONE 524-9221
This service Is sponsored by these local merchants—
John C. Grace - Mac's Milk Highway 21 South; John Jef-
fery & Son - Building Supplies; J. M. Cutt Ltd. - Red &
White Victoria; Black's Grocery; Bank of Nova Scotia;
Dirk & Mary Wolterbeek - Dirk's Lunch Bar; Bedford
Hotel; Blue's Supermarket; Club Restaurant d. Tavern;
Burger Bar; Goderich Community Credit Union; Ander-
son's Book Store; W. J. Denomme Flower Shop; Ross
Shoe Shop; F. W. Woolworths Co. Ltd.; Cedar Lodgd
Motel; Smith's Farm & Garden Centre (The Bo 'k' Barn
Florist); O'Brlen's Meats & Abattoir; H. G. arca:110y &
Son Ltd.; Goderich Print Shop Ltd.; Triangle Discount
Store; Earl Rawson Ltd.; Bluowater Cleaners; Goderich
Restaurant Steak Hausa and T 2rrr; Jahn B. Prosesa 5
points Gulf Steffan; Adair's Groceries; Bluewaater Body
and Fender Goderich Ltd.; Zlebart Rustproofing
hayfield Rd.; Squires Gifts; McGee Pontiac - Buick
Cadillac; Signal -Star.
1
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, D CEMRAR P1,1070,4%0740
New flurry of land purchases
Non -Canadian big question
By Jack Riddell,
MPP
I asked the minister of
agriculture and food in
the Legislature this week
if he was aware of the
concern that has been
expressed over recent
purchases of blocks off
agricultural land in the
Counties of Bruce, Huron,
Kent and Lambton, by
foreign interest and if he
could tell us how
widespread this practice
is. I also asked if the
Minister would im-
mediately undertake a
survey of current foreign
ownership of rural lands
in Ontario and monitor all
new land transfers to
private or corporate
foreign ownership, as
was recommended by the
Ontario Federation of
Agriculture at its recent
annual meeting.
It was at this meeting
that I was able to observe
sparked intense concern
among some farmers at
what appears to be a new
flurry of Ontario land
purchases by non -
Canadians. The pur-
chases seem to be con-
centrated in the Counties
mentioned but since
raising the question, I
have been informed that
such purchases have
been taking place all
across Ontario. However,
this has been a con-
tinuous concern for at
least five years with
periods of more intense
• buying activity from time
to time.
Few farmers feel
comfortable in arguing
that non -nationals should
be prohibited absolutely
from owning Canadian
.real estate or farmland.
What causes worries is
.that large amounts of
foreign investment
frequently concentrated
in sizable blocks of
holdings raise questions
about future control of
Canadian resources and
communities.
Naturally such pur-
chases by outsiders push
up land prices for local
farmers wishing to buy.
Also much of the con-
cern stems from a lack
of knowledge about the
extent . of foreign
ownerships in an area,
the source and nature of
such large amounts of
ready cash, the long term
intent of foreign pur-
chases regarding the use
of land and the lack of
any effective controls
over such purchases.
The Ontario Govern-
ment seems to have little
Jack Riddell
MPP
exact knowledge about
this phenomenon as of the
last five years. Its latest
systematic survey of the
problem was in 1973 by
the select committee on
economic and cultural
nationalism. As it then
appeared that only about
one percent of Ontario
real estate was owned by
non -nationals, the
government has not seen
fit to monitor the trend
since. However, due to
general knowledge of
much purchasing of
Ontario real estate, in-
cluding farms, in 1974, the
Government did amend
the Land Transfer Tax
Act to increase this tax on
purchases off land by non-
residents of Canada to 20
percent of the purchase
price.
In fact this tax is easily
dodged as a local agent
for the purchaser can
register as an Ontario
Company, Registration
can be accomplished
without listing foreign
based principals and the
purchase is registered as
to a domestic company.
It is interesting to note
that Prince Edward
Island and the three
Prairie Provinces have
each taken legislative
measures to restrict
ownership of farmland by
non -Canadian residents
and I am surprised and
disappointed that the
minister of agriculture
and food for Ontario, has
such a lackadaisical
attitude about the foreign
purchases of farmland.
Beginning in January,
single elderly people 'in
this Province who receive
guaranteed income
supplements will get $20
more a month. The
minister of revenue also
told the Legislature that
elderly married couples
who receive the sup-
plement will receive $10
extra a month. The in-
crease in the guaranteed
income level ensures that
Ontario residents who are
65 or older will benefit
fully from recently an-
nounced federal
payments. With effect
January 1st, the
guaranteed income level
will be $343 a month for
single people and $666 a
month for married
couples, if both spouses
qualify for the guaran-
teed income supplement.
These increases will
affect about 294,000
elderly residents of
Ontario.
Some 2,500 additional
senior citizens who do not
qualify for the federal
pension and supplement
will receive a monthly
increase equivalent to the
federal increase. The
Minister said this will
cost Ontario about
$600,000 a year.
This week the
provincial treasurer told
the Legislature that
unemployment in this
Province rose marginally
from 6.1 percent to 6.6
percent of the labour
force between October
and November. Latest
unemployment figures
show an overall increase,
bringing the total
unemployed to 312,000.
This is despite the fact
that Ontario was the only
province to increase its
work force during the
period in question. The
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Treasurer described the
rise in the number of
unemployed as
"regrettable", but en-
tirely due to the increase
in the work force.
Some 154,000 new jobs
were created in Ontario
between November '77
and last month, but due to
the large number of
people entering the work
force, the seasonally
adjusted unemployed
rate is now at 7.3 percent
up .3 percent over the
previous month. The
Treasurer said he ex-
pected to sign an
agreement with Ottawa
in the near future, which
would cover heavily hit
areas of Eastern Ontario
and he promised a
"complete package" of
job creation measures to
combat unemployment.
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34 North St.
° (Next door to the Clothes Closet)
Shoppers Square, Goderich
524.8572
41