HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-08-02, Page 2Win
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Hall read into the record, although
Mr. LeVan's is also recorded in NTA
files. In his letter, Mr. Allison says
his company supports the ap-
plication on two grounds that it is
not in favor of any corporation being
)•
forced to continue operation when it . •
does not want to operate, and that it •
does not favor wing taxpayers'
money to force a comp,y 'tocon-
tinue operating against its:wilL
Western Foundry has been unable
to use the line to ship and Mr, LeVan
Y N 2
HEAR/NG CHAIRMAN — National Transportation Agency of Canada
Chairman E. J. O'Brien follows one of the briefs presented during
two-day Wingham hearing into Canadian National Railways applica-
tion for authority to abandon its Kincardine subdivision from Listowel
to Wingham.
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St. Paul's Church
(ANGLICAN) WING HAM
John Street at Centre Street
THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF
WINGHAM AND BELGRAVE
All services from the "Book of Common Prayer"
e:...deee._m
SUNDAY AUGUST 7, 1988
11'k() a.rn. - Holy Communion
Minister : Rev. D. Madge
sr*.* * * *
Tnnty, Setgrat e - 9 3 a.m
*. * *4 +t- ;fir.
t4
0a
ttel,;
against -t e a on tri r
thecasuaI Manner: in whichMr.
suggested that Premdor coasi,'er
moving its- WOshain.. operation
closer to' its BriUSli Colrintbia source
of cedar. .. ..
SMOCKED
"I rtov7 shocked yesterday lis-
��� National
e �•anadian
people suggest that Premdor move
its operation from Wingham ,to
Calgary," Wingham Deputy Reeve
replied` to a question posed by
Premdor lawyer Hugh Morris. "I've
never heard anything so absu
all my life."
He asked the agency to not
the subdivision: "Do not stifle the
industry, .the other businesses and
the Town of Wingham by closing the
rail Iine," he said..
Roads in the area are not wide
enough to accommodate the in-
creased truck traffic, he added,
especially in the harsh Huron . e
County winter conditions. • li
If the line is closed, Mr. Harris e
said, the Town of Wingham will f
request: h
— Financial assistance to current
users to adapt; assistance
and pur- o
chase equipment .necessary to ..ase :.
alternative means of transport. .ea
— Compensation to current users t
to cover additional expenses' in- Na
curreil in die change to other modes
of transport.
— That the rail linerassociated
bridges and rights of way `'reri a� lit
intact- •
for a sufficient period of time
to enable the possible reactivation th
under private enterprise.
— Incentives to the Province of al
Ontario to make improvements to
area roads so that,, large transport
vehicles may move with greater ab
ease and safety to link this area with c
major highways and railheads. "
Mr. Harris also provided the hear- b
ing with copies of letters from the es
Village of Blyth, Village of Brussels, on
East Wawanosh Township and Ow
Turnberry Township, all supporting do
Wingham's stand. `
DISASTROUS EFFECTS dis
David Cameron, Wingham
rd in
close
lis -e: 'Western 41444
vered to *alarm in: five .
Mr. Cardiff told' la �ryer*...
.But to mora modern .you.lgot,
took tip' to ten days. x4
Wingham ' Business. Asseciat
President Elmer Squires said-
town's business community `e
siders the railway line` vitally it
portant , to, . the area,.not Q
economical transportation
existing business, "but also as
indispensable tool in attracting n.
industry to the area." The WB
strongly opposes abandonment
the rail line, he said.
The business association will als
,carloads auuh ly r
• ‘C warts to abandon,
it ; .ted several •
"-caches: to get
ion divulge a customer's name `•
the : Owen Sound 'rue refused lode so.
on- Mr.. Bowers did, beWever,: Sal
• the shin nen a
a�
as ,ducts.` would „pass through Cwi
fan Sognd harbor and' use rail. Tiny
ew running from that city.
44,
A . Roger Tinimers, of the -Ontario y
of Legislative. Committee -which
represents Canadian railway ern-
o ployees, testified that his' ?research
seek financial and research assis
ance to find other ways to co -
pensate for the loss of the rail li
should C -N's application be ap
proved.
"We ask you to be aware of "!the
fragile nature of our loc
economy," Mr. Squires said. "
e mination of even one of ou
xisting industries, because of a la
o economical transportation;; woul
ave a detrimental and, nes
disastrous affect well beyond
wn community boundaries."
YTwor t; hose- prese»it1
ch said they. just 'mightbe 'better
a running a railroad than. Canadian
tional. •
Peter' Bowers ,of Owen Sound
wants to acquire the line fpr h` $
proposed regional railroad-'systen ,
bile Andrew Tare nt Paftherst in
president -of Para -Saucer Ltd. told
e hearing he wants to put
passenger service on the line if CN is
lowed to abandon it.
RAILBUS
Mr. Tare asked' that if the line is
andoned, he be allowed -to pur-
base it for $i so he can establish' a
railbus" service on a two-year trial
asis. He said he- also wants to
tablish passenger railbus service
the line between Stratford and
en Sound, but CN has turned him
wn.
`CN has gone out of its way to
courage private enterprise from
t- has determined that.CN. is prepcsing
m- to abandon about 27 per cent of'its.
lin track in Western Ontario
A CN employee himself: and. .,a
qualified track maintename
foreman, Mr. Timrners said dile
al conducted .a .walking , inspection The sections'of the line and disputed
✓ CWs.high estimate for rehabilitative
lac
work. He estivated. a "more,:
d reasonable" -figure to 'be closer to
✓ $100,000 than the $220,000 plus
our : Suggested by th�erailway.
b.,,y.�Mrl�r..is.;htnw:be_:_�a►as
agile to arrive at the 2? }ler `cent �y Y
m' figure for rail ''abandonment Mr.
Thinners saidit came 'from CN's
own in-house magazine "Keeping
Track". .
. 4 811`1 ZA .
,.-.Tie titller.ot.tfip.article,rM4•rTim
Meta said,:is; "Line Abandonment
Creates Real Estate Bonanza"
which prompted Mr. Morris to point
out that Western Foundry has some
of "that- real estate next to their
plant"
economic development committ
chairman, asked the hearing to c
sider the disastrous effects t
closing would have not only on the
town, but its neighbors as well.
More is involved in the decision
than just CN's profits, he said.
"Other transportation companies
provide service in areas where it is
not profitable ... and many other
companies service accounts that are
not profitable. This is part of being
in business."
CN has no one to blame but itself
for the state of poor repair which the
company claims exists on the line,
Mr. Cameron said. He ren embers
the days section gangs lived in
Wingham and worked on the line,
"...but I don't think it is in the last 20
years."
Huron Bruce MP Murray Cardiff
also appeared and told the hearing
he supported the Town of
Wingham's stand and -its four
specific requests for compensation
should the line be abandoned.
"We realize it is y'eridifficult to
justify the economic viability of the
line, but if it is dropped, it will never
be abler came back," Mr. Cardiff
said.
Once a user of the rail line himself,
Mr. Cardiff said poor service forced
him to discontinue. Ever since
centres lost the local age* `who lived
in the coni n'tli ity ahti+dikerstood its
needs, there, was a steady drop in
rail service, he said.
N No announcement yet, but
Wayne Caldwell, senior planner
and deputy director of planning and
development for Huron County, also
attended the hearing and presented
the county's brief opposing the
application.
,At the hearing's conclusion
Wednesday night, Mr. O'Brien said
he will make . a decision within -290
days.
Mulroney set for election
(Continued from Page 1)
Mulroney made at the beginning of
his second speech -- at a Huron -
Bruce Progressive Conservative
sponsored picnic at the airport --
when he referred. to "the issues in
the campaign" only to catch himself
and say "when an election comes, as
it will, at an appropriate time."
Based On each of the speeches,
opportunities for youth, regional•
development, protection of the
environment, support for en-
trepreneurial spirit, day care and
trade will likely be planks in his
campaign platform. However,
concern for young people is perhaps
the strongest theme and one to
which he returned throughout each
address.
"I want our young people to know
the Canada we knew as children,"
he said. "Fresh water, clear air, and
healthy timber stands."
Later, he referred to aid for
economically depressed regions as
another way, of making sure "the
kids in Newfoundland and Labrador
have the same kinds of opportunities
as the kids who are here today."
That, the prime minister said, is,
Cafittdti '``lnihe>t a e`itei y kid 'can o
*with a di' 1iiri g ess end
Ali of -_� J4_..
� �` op�tir;
Pressed by several reporters to
indicate when he would call an
election, Mr. Mulroney replied only
by holding up that day's edition of a
daily newspaper which carried the
results of the latest Angus Reid poll
published the day before.
"Hage you seen this?"- he smiled
and asked the reporters while
holding -aloft the paper and its
headline that the Tories had passed
the Liberals in popular support to
now hold 35 per cent of support
among decided voters, the highest
position the Conservatives have held
in two years.
"The trends are encouraging and I
think it indicates that people are
beginning to focus on the alter-
natives and beginning the process of
making some choices," he said.
Speaking of the government's
commitment to cleaning up the
environment and the country's
greatest resource — its water —Mr.
Mulroney drew applause when he
declared that water will not be a
part of the Canada -U.S. free trade
agreement and that International
Trade Minister John Crosbie would
be announcing, Iatpr that day.
govern ierit' ameii'dn ent to the `free:
trade bill. to .Oielude . the wort of
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