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Home My WebLink AboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1989-02-14, Page 28Pap 12B - The, Wingbani Advance -Times, February, 14 989; • -••••••••••,-. „, • 4.3 4•"'"'"44. • rs ..:eAVKAirtC,L4oR RESTAURANT GUTTED IN FIRE—Bobbi-Jo's Truck Stop just south of Wingham on Highway 4 was gutted by fire Sunday evening. Wing - ham Fire Chief Harley Gaunt estimates the damage at $50, 000. New policy sets meeting and per diem allowances Wingham Mayor Ian Moreland - will receive an honorariuM of $6,300 in 1 9 according to a meeting and per diem remuneration policy passed by Wingham Town Council at its regular Februlry meeting. Honoraria for the reeve, deputy reeve and each of the six councillors will be $3,150. For attending committee meetings and special council meetings, all members of council will receive $30. The half-day per diem rate for time spent on municipal business is $40 while the full-day per diem is $80. The mileage rate has been set at 23 cents per kilometre. During discussion on the policy Deputy Reeve Bill Harris pointed out that the new rate for attending special council meetings is down by $25 from the rate paid to council last year. Mr. Moreland explained that of five special council meetings held in 1988, none took any more than a half- hour to complete. "That's a lot of money for a half- hour," he said. Just before the municipal election last November, the council of that time, took action which set the regular honorarium rate for mayor, reeve deputy, reeve and councillors. Last week's action officially set those figures into policy. According to the policy: -A meeting allowance will be paid to members of council for attending any meeting of a committee to which they have been appointed, provided Health councils, colleges now covered by act Ontario's 26 district health coun- cils and 22 colleges of applied arts and technology are now among those Ontario government bodies covered by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Murray Elston, chairman of man- agement Board of Cabinet and the minister responsible for the legisla- tion, advised the provincial legisla- ture that the second phase of the iin- plementation of the• Act came into effect on Jan. Ist, U:9. ,r - that copies of the meeting are, deposited With the Clerk and the meeting is at least an hour in length. -A meeting allowance will be paid to members of council attending any special council meeting. A per diem allowance is paid to councillors who, excluding meetings and with the prior approval of council, are involved in municipal business. For such allowance, a half-day is considered to be a minimum of three hours and a full day to be no less than SIX hours. Attendance at conventions — one per year — and seminars will be eligible for a per diem allowance provided council has been notified. Prior council approval is required for attending more than one con- vention; Public gatherings or open meetings which the councillor does not have to attend or which he was not requested by council to attend will not be eligible for a per diem. 1988 statistics are included in report to council Turnberry Building Inspector Alex MacDonald presented the 19 township building statistics to council's first February meeting.. Mr. MacDonald reported that 59 building permits were issued last year for a total value of $1,359,000. Thirty permits were issued for farm and storage buildings for a total of $674,000, while nine new home construction permits were valued at $685,000. In addition, permits were issued for nine mobile homes; six demolitions; two swimming pools; two grain bins and one manure tank. Building activity appears to be down somewhat in the township from 1987, when 73 permits were issued for projects valued al $1,780,700. Three permits were approved a last week's meeting: Peter Laird Lot '21, Con. 5, a hobby shop; Jun( Hull, Princess Street, Lower Town, addition to a residence and J. H. Fleming, Lot 24, Con. 11, a hog barn. Emphasizing the cee,d• to get ex- penditures into balance with revenues, Wingham Mayor Ian Moreland asked the chairman of all council committees to adopt a realistic outlook in proposing, ex- Perldituires to be included in the town's 11 ;‘; budget. Mr. Moreland made the comment during a brief opening Statement at council's regular Februarymeeting. Ilis comments, he said, were p_romp.,e- by recently announcecl changes in provincial government funding philosophies. In December, Ontario Treasurer Robert Nixon announced that un- conditional grants to municipalities will remain at $871 million in 1989 and that municipal road assistance will be maintained at the $678 million level. "In other words, there will be no in° creaseln these payments -to• cover -- the cost of inflation," Mr. Moreland said, "The result in our case will mean a reduction of income in the neighborhood of $15,000." According to Mr. Moreland, Mr. Nixon's announcement along with a ministry of industry, trade and tecimogy. statement Ja4407 41ear that goOethro011t is sengout *strong •signal that lt wants manicilialities to becOta0 nwesemsthflment. • . "I am sure lbstthsereozily preliminarymoves," he .salti.,141t is evident that both federal and provincial governMents are be-. ginning to realize the conse- quences of our deficits and debt, and we will be faced .witIr high, er interest rides, more taxes, and reduced government assistance." To Wingham, Mr. Moreland said, this all means the town must recognize the problems it will face in the next three years and start now to implement measures to offset them. "We must, in the short term, make some hard decisions...make a close examination of all our spending programs and say what can we cut," While -recognizing the -truth of-ther--- MITT suggestion that municipalities promote their own community in order to improve their economic position, Mr. Moreland pointed out, nevertheless, that this is a long-terni solution. In the meantime, he added, steps f unj00 also said he feeis tnat most oif the public will udersttiid. . take the. OSS y out to "There it* increase the deficit, add tothepublic_ debt;" hatileis'stiojact.aell )t4%14)10i;;A:iot what You were elected for, go let; us- not indulge in fiscal fiction." By working hard this year to the town back on a sound finite footing while, at the same time, working hard at developing economic growth, Wingham will find itself in a much better position to meet the challenges of the years to come, Mr. Moreland said -thili-s*teilh(ii)nettteread6r in a then by worse position than ever," he Said,. "Govermnent will mit our grants again and we will have to make deeper cuts in our programs or get ourselves into further debts and (greater) deficits." rostyfest '89 is one f frostiest on record This year's edition of Frostyfest will go down on record as one of the "frostiest" in a number of years. While organizers fretted just one week ago that outdoor events might have to be cancelled due to a lack of snow, Old Man Winter co-operated and dumped over a foot of the white stuff just in time for Frostyfest '89. In fact, it snowed so much last Wednesday evening that the first event of the celebration, an Optimist bingo at the Wingham Legion Hall, had to be cancelled. However, things calmed down somewhat Thursday and Frostyfest '89 was kicked off that evening at a Lions Club talent show at the Wingham Town Hall. The highlight of :the eveningi,:was the crowning of Lisa•Alexander and Jason Schiestel as Frostyfest prince and princess. Brett Sangster and Jenni Kerr were runners-up, while Joanne Crawford won the con- geniality award. Frostyfest poster contest winners also received their prizes and are: Erin Whiteley, Jenna Ruttan, Diane Skinn, Lori Angus, Jeremy Barber, Melissa Evers, Kelly Phillips and Tracey Kingsbury. Downtown merchants opened their stores to shoppers last Friday and the Wingluun Snowmobile Club hosted a flag parade to the Wingham Legion Hall from the Riverside ball diamond, followed by a mystery tour last Friday night, Aaroximately 20 snowmobilers took part in the parade along the riverside to the Legion Hall. Saturday's pancake breakfast at- tracted almost 100 people to the Legion Hall and young and old enjoyed sleigh rides, courtesy of the •Bairds of Turnberry Township, iertf4ast Saturday afternoon from the 'oh Hall. Frostyfest horseshoe tourna- ment Saturday at the Wingham Sportsmen's Club was attended by over 20 players. Saturday's big events were two highly successful basketball games at the F. E. Madill Secondary School, The Canadian Half -Pints Midget Basketball team narrowly defeated the Madill Oldtimers and the CKNX Tri-hards last Saturday evening. The basketball games were spon- sored by the Wingham Kinsmen Club. Bob Hewines, a spokesman for the club, said both games were extremely well attended and provided fun and entertainment for everyone. In addition, the Kinsmen raised over $900 at the games, which club members intend to donate to "Teens Unlimited", Wingham's newly - formed youth group. Over 20 snowmobilers took part in Sunday's ShowarMa far Crippled Children from the WinghantLegion all, raising close to $2,000 in pledges. A busload of cross-country ski en- thusiasts also took to the trails at Falconer Sunday in the Frostyfest family ski outing. Hoards of hungry youngsters were fed hot, dogs and chocolate milk at the Optimist skating rink on Josephine street to end a successful Frostyfest 89. Chairman Fred McGee said Sunday he felt most Frostyfest events were well attended and by most reports, a lot of fun for all those involved Heart and Stroke Month valentine:The Lighthearted Cookbook is a favorite with health - conscious people. Canada's fasted selling cookbook ever contains 200 delicious, heart -healthy recipes and retails for only $14.95. A portion of the purchase price goes toward heart and stroke research and edu- cation programs in your community. Pick up a copy for your favorite valentine at your local Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario office. Work Wear Sale Continues! At The Wingham Sales Arena - Everything Under One Roof Hundreds of coveralls, work pants, work shirts, work jeans, work socks, safety work shoes, offered at discount prices. Work Pants as low as . $995 Work Jeans Canadian make by Buckeye ! 1995 Safety Work Shoes,..... .0 ea $34S up Coveralls $OO . , Start1Ging at . , v Also at fabulous February prices - Bulk Foods, Grocery Items, Ntv & Used Furniture, Sporting Goods, The Wingham Sales Arena 357,1730yr °F Nnigtsntsdi:::Pm •