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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-01-11, Page 15THE WHRIGNAM ADVANC TIMES WEIR ESDAV, JNIVARY n, 1995 FRE EELIN' Turnberry Twp. will look at agreement in budget The road Foriner 'Ninghanfteacher By MARION DUKE w Special to the Advance -Times t r'covery struggles through recuperation Dec. 7, 1987 had been a near perfect day for Marie Douglas. She had made dinner for her mother in Brussels and then picked friends to, travel to Sea - By MARGARET STAPLETON • would pick up its share of the 1994 up some deficit. At the .best, she says, it forth to hear a quartet perform. The Advance Times As she was making the turn out hopes council will sign a suppor- of Walton toward Seaforth,,disas- tive agreement to cover its share of ter struck. Representatives of the North Hu- the deficit on a yearly basis. "I hit a sheet of. black ice and ron Special Transit Corporation, In a telephone interview after I more commonly known as Wheels last week's meeting, Turnberry there was an. oncoming car. Away, must wait until Turnberry Reeve Brian McBurney said the couldn't do anything and neither council sets the 1995 budget to council is wary of entering into could the other driver. I hit the oth- know whether or not the township such an agreement to pick up a por- er car," Mrs. Douglas recalls. will contribute to the specialized tion of .the Wheels Away operating She also recalls she didn't panic• transportation system. deficit. "I saw the car was smoking, so I Wheels Away representatives "The province funds it ,(Wheels went to turn off the ignition. 1 had hoped to have an answer within Away) heavily now," noted the couldn't do it. My right hand was one month's time. However, coon- reeve. "But what happens if they dangling from my wrist cil does not begin budget delihera decide to pull out?" He said .he "My right food was caught un tions until late February to early fears the township could be left der the dash and 1 crit to move'it. March. holding the hag. Three members of the corpora- Piluke says she believes that is ,When [ couldn't, I looked down to see my foot was turned backwards will be [ion's volunteer board of ddicet ors, unlikely. Even though there wt including Turnberry's representa- a provincial election this year, On- on my ankle — the toes were atthe back and the heel at the front." live, Jack Fischer, as well as Vicki tario has long been committed to Mane Douglas also suffered a, Piluke and Bev Brown, attended specialized transportation. in fact, uM Marie lung and torn ribs. Her the Jan. 3 meeting of township she says, Wheels Away did not re- punctured and the people in ter , council. ceive a cut in its provincial funding passengers Wheels Away commenced serv- last year when many did. other car received 'much less Be- ing individuals in North Huron and "We wish they (the Wheels vere injuries. South Bruce. counties in '1991. Away corporation) would do more Before she lost consciousness, Since then, notes Piluke, ridership fundraising," McBurney added. to Mrs. Douglas remembers ambu- has almost tripled to 2,531 in 1994, come up with money needed to lance personnel from Wingham Toning Tale,.■Marie Douglas+ of Atwood, works her legs at Dynafit Exercise Centre up�from 930 three years earlier. cover the operating deficit. coming upon the accident, but be The Wheels 'Away van is fully - The Wheels Away board has ing unable to help because it was in Listowel. A former Wingham teacher, Mrs. Douglas has had both knee joints replaced. wheelchair motorized lits. In addition to pep Past through 50-50 draws, Blue Having g who have a mobility problem, P ears, she knew Wheels Away also provides service Jays' weekends and "suitcase school for many years, interrupted to individuals who have mental or dances, says Piluke. In fact, this them, and they knew her. Both n boband atsevere thyroid intellectual disabilities, are blind or year it will embark upon an indepth. sides felt helpless. . deaf. Eligibility is determined by a fundraising • campaign with the "It was so stupid. I had to wait ' condition. eventual goal of buying another ve- for the right ambulance people w On Jan. 3' in Kitchener- . hide to service the growing de- arrive. I finally passed out. from Waterloo Hospital she had' her left .The lion'swshare of funding for mand. The board has been in touch the loss of blood," she' said. - ' knee replaced with a plastic and Wheels Away comes The method the pro- with the Trillium Foundation, she Mrs, Douglas spent the next two steel joint with.Dr. Anthony Chris • calculi goveor Prov.cisui of said; to help with the purchase of adoingthe surgery. calculation for provincial subsidy is weeks in Stratford General Hospi-"Then on Feb. 1, they discov- plus vehicle. tal where Dr•. Arciszewski, a sur- 30 per cent of the operating cost, Bred • myplatelet plus the. total nurnber of rides times McBurney said township council geon for whom she has great re dropped ro330,000 count had I $3.50. . will be looking at the whole matter spect, "sewed me back together." pP g There followed another nine was given gamma globulin for 24 Thc� remainder of the funding of donations at budget time. hours to restore it comes from those people who use Piluke says she does not believe weeps in Wingham, and Distractr.•. P "Ori March 4, I was m radi- the service, charitable donations that Wheels Away should be Hos ital. and some of, the municipalities .in lumped in with charitable organiza Then Marie Douglas got down oactive iodige to, 1esuoy my thy,-. to the tough business of getting roid and then I recetved.'thyroxin. Etch"'bVVheets~rway~seYvice area. At tions: it'ik'a"dritice: sl9e:n 's; a cal_ ' Theyfinall got it stabilized on though Turnberry residents made . ued service for people with trans her physical life in order. y •Oct, 3, and on Oct. 6, 1 had my left knee done while they were still working on my thyroid condi- 1 A had a few aces up her sleeve. ion," ader contributed financially, she The service is in jeopardy if One is her positive outlook on Between the knee operations, adds• the (municipalities) alities) don't'contrib- life. The other is the fact that for Mrs. Douglas in March used the (ln fact, Turnberry 1991 councilto deed . ( P ed in October of to look at uta, says Piluke, adding that the many years she has followed an toning tables at Dynafit, now o - service, as it exists now, could be exercise routine. Gated on Wallace Ave. South and 10- y aeats Away funding on a year -to- withdrawn from municipalities Before retiring from the teaching owned by Al and Connie Walter, year basis, says Clerk -Treasurer which do of contribute toward rofession, she lived on a farm near "My right knee used to lock and Dorothy 'Kelly. In February of P 199', Turnberry contributed Wheels Away. Belmore, driving each day to teach the tables, as well as working with $383.2_3 toward Wheels Away.) This could mean that those who at F. E. Madill Secondary School physiotherapist Ince Krastin in Turnberry 's share of the 1994 wish to use the service in affected in Wingham. Stratford, helped me improve." operating deficit is $1,169, said Pi- municipalities would be forced to. "On the farm 1 had a swimming Mrs: Douglas said the physio p' approved of her ex 1 f $16 to$'0 fora i d [ swam for an hour every therapist also accessible through a done extensive fundraising in the outside their area. • o le tau ht in Wingham high up 15.33 per cent of the rides in portation difficulties. 1994, said Piluke, the township "It's not just a luxury, but some - docs not have a supportive agree- thing we need for quality of life," merit with Wheels way, nor has itshe claims. ADVANTAGES In this regard. Mrs. Douglas luh it At the least, the corporation pay the full costo poo an - grog and encouraged board hopes that the township ride. morning and every night- 1 also ercise ram worked out with my own weights her to use the treadmill for waik- • and on the trampoline and the trig. cycle." Six years ago, ' Mrs. Douglas exercising at Dynan[ Crime Stoppers Beware of frauds Douglas said she greatly enjoys the social exchange with other men and women who come in the moming to work out. "I. have my weights at home and I could use them there, but it's m(ire fun to doit here." The social exchange is evident as the interview. is constantly in- terrupted with people stopping to chat to Mrs. Douglas. • Dons Weishar, an employee at Dynafit, said the "morning crowd" is a closely knit group. "They have, ai'great time— it's., almost like a club. They visit with each other as they exercise and if somebody has a birthday, they all chip in for a cake — that kind of thing. We don't see that with peo- ple who come in later during the - day, or in the evenings. They just do their workout and leave." Mane Douglas who"has had her exercise program curtailed since the operation on her left knee. is looking forward to getting back to • her regular routine. SOCIAL TIME She also had a sauna. Besides the physical benefits of ._..Mrs. Many frauds are attempted and a small number of those are reported to the police. Over the fall period of 1994, there have been 1.0 fraud at- tempts reported to the Godench OPP, four to the Wingham OPP, four to., the Exeter OPP, as well as those to the Godcrich, Clinton and Wingham Police Seryices. There have been four cases where these frauds resulted in area resi- dents being defrauded of large sums of money and having little hope of recovering any of it. These scams are done over the phone, and in the majority of cases, and except for one, there is no personal contact, as the perpetrator cons the victim into sending money to a remote location, usually in Quebec, on the pretext thay they have won a car, money or other prizes and that an amount of money is required' as a good faith gesture. "I used to come every day," she said, climbing up on one of• the toning tables for photo. Noting 'her legs are still very swollen, she nonetheless limbered up by raising her leg, as high as she could; before turning on the table which massages the lower back. Later, on a table that raises and lowers one leg after the other, she said the movement felt really good. "This is what I need for - this knee," she said. Over the years, Marie Douglas said she has become a loin'be1ierP • er in the slogan, "no pain, no gain." "My arthritis is a lot worse when I don't come in here. It makes a big difference. I don't care what medication they give you. If you don't work your muscles, they won't move." . Mrs, Douglas, said it- has been her experience that arthritis "only gets worse if you coddle it." Before she retired from teach- ing, Marie Douglas taught for a to- tal of 42 years, 30 of them full- time. She was known as a teacher who could handle a difficult class — somewhat unusual for someone who specialized in music, al- though she also taught English, mathematics, special education and guidance. his obvious this dynamic, wom- an, who doesn't look anywhere near her age, exerts the same self- discipline in .her own life that she used to demand ofiher students. She is walking proof that.regu- tar exercise can do wonders for people at any age, in any kind of physical condition. "1 expect to be back in the gym in January," she said. and her son Wayne exchanged properties, amendments seeking Residents with Marie moving into her son's house near the Atwood cheese factory and Wayne and his family moving to • •the Belmore farm.������®n ®� s"1 do miss the sauna," Mrs tiff hike iniJf a,�e s�p Douglas said. , Theft of dog. On Dec. 3, 1994, at Lot 21 Concession 4 of Howick Township, a small dog was allowed out at 3 p.m.; and at 5 p.m., the dog was no where tb be found. The owner noticed that a burgundy -colored car pulled in the lane and that no one came to the house. The missing dog is described as a male toy pomeranian, black in col- or with a white tuft of hair on the chest area. The dog has a tattoo o right flank "INFSBRF." Damage at Blyth School The basketball ,nets at the Blyth Public School were damaged over the weekend of Dec.. 12, 1994. Unknown persons djtd $300 physical `damage to the nets and ruined a source of recreation and enjoyment for the local residents. If you have information about these or any other crimes call Crime Stoppers of Huron County at 1-500-265-1777 and you could receive a reward of up to 51,000. does. Remember crime doesn't pay, Crime Stoppers e Out of hospital and finding physiotherapy sessions not doing that much good. Marie Douglas paid attention when someone suggested she try the toning tables at the Dynafit Exercise Centre. then located on Wallace Ave. North and operated by Brenda and Brian Burrows. . , "They signed me up for six months. Brian said it couldn't hurt me — and he was right. • "I could scarcely walk. I was in a great deal of pain and I had no energy. 1 .waS totally .. out of - shape." Mrs. Douglas credits the toning tables with improving her ,circulation, her flexibility and relaxing her body; "You can make them go as fast, or slow as you like," she said. She moved on to also sign up for the gym and began using the weight, machine, rowing and cycling. • KNEE REPLACEMENTS Mrs. Douglas said she got mixed reactions from .doctors re- garding her exercise program, • "But Dr. Barb Matthews (of Listowel) is totally in favor of me doing exercise; especially the weights. She encourages it." Mrs. Douglas said chiropractor Peter Hemingway of Listowel also encourages her to exercise. This year, at age 76. Marie Douglas had more physical prob- lems to overcome. has been You can lose a lot more than your licence drinking and drivin��" {�w+" Ministry 01 �7i / tM Attorney airy. Gen4rai Her exercise prograM HOW1CK TWP.—Residents of this township who require a zon- ing amendment or minor variance are facing a substantial increase in fees. Based on information presented by Wray Wilson, the township's chief building official, the town- ship is preparing a bylaw revising the fees for a zoning amendinent to $750 and a minor variance. to 5500, with no amount to be re- funded. Currently the township charges S350 for_ each zoning amendment or minor variance application with 5125 being refunded to the appli- cant if there are no appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board. However, Mr. ' Wilson advised council the County of Huron is charging a fee to the township of 5174 for each minor variance and $371 for each zoning amendment. Mr. Wfison said the county will be reviewing these fees in 1995. Meanwhile the townshri •'t't re- covering adequate fees t;, cover the cost of the ctmnty's present billing. • Mr. Wilson presented council with a planning fee summary which indicated the cost of a re - 1994 was zoning transaction $701. and a minor variance from $500 to $700. He also advised council the re- zoning of a property is of more benefit to the owner than is a mi- nor variance, OTHER AREAS The fees being set by Howick, especially for minor variances, are substantially higher than is being charged by surrounding municipal- ities. The Town of Listowel demands a deposit of $1,000 for each zon- ing amendment • application. -Of this amount $250 is for administra- tion and is non-refundable. If -there are no complications, the remain- ing $750 is refunded to the appli- cant. However, if the amendment is appealed to the Ontario pal Board the remaining 5750 is applied to costs. Furthermore, if a third party ap- peals to the 0M13, the applicant is required to make a further deposit of $2,000. Any remaining funds are returned to the applicant. Any additional costs are billed to the, applicant. A municipality has no lunsdictron to charge a third party costs. These same conditions for zon- ing amendments apply to property • owners in Ehna and Wallace townships, with the exception 'that Wallace requires $200 rather than $250 for administration purposes. In the case of miner variances, the Town of Listowel and Wallace Twp. each charge $100, Eima Township. charges $150. There are no refunds, The additional amount charged by Elma is due to the fact the townships pays its CutnmiItee of Adjustment members. Listowel's Committee of Adjustment is staffed by volunteers and Wallace Twp. Council handles its minor variance applications. REVIEW OF FEES In response to a letter from Gary Davidson, director of the Huron County Planning Depart- ment, regarding the review of county planning fees, in 1995, Howick council appointed Mr. Wilson and Reeve Norman Fairies to take part in the review. Decorating • winners WINGHAM - . Winners in the Wingham Home Decoration Con- test, sponsored by the Parks and Recreatiomdepartment were: 1. Bob and Anne Crawford, 326 Minnie Street 2. Len Walters, 11 Charles St. 3. Keit Kaufman, 79 Victoria St. Honorable mentions went to: Mike Alexander, Gerry Belanger, Roger Irvine, Verna Hodgins. Gary Harkness,- John Nevery and Rae Robinson. GORRIS--Winners of the Gorne Business Association promotion for best -decorated . home at Christmas are: first, Mrs. Greta Bennett and runners-up, Wayne and Dian Brown.