Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-15, Page 171171 Lmblic Library Div. 4, Box ai Wingham, Ont. )eO 4 BELGRA VE ICE CARNIVAL—Among the winners for best costume at last Saturday evening's Belgrave ice carnival were: Sabrina Black, Lindsay Michie, Roselyn Hurst and Aaron Barnes. At two years of age, Roselyn was the youngest skater on the ice as well. Windham ends ye vvi heart su C b The Town of Wingham. ended 1983 m even better financial shape than ex- pected, town councillors learned last week. Tack Finance Chairman Jack Kopas reported that al- though audited figures are not yet availabe, prelimin- ary indications are that the towp ended the year with a surplus of close to'$60,000, That is higher than had been anticipated and very close to what it had on hand at the beginning of the year. Mr. Kopas said major factors contributing to the surplus included a $15,000 energy grant received by the property committee, an estimated $30,000 saved on the Edward Street recon- struction by contracting out rather than having the town do the work, the excellent performance by the Recrea- tion and Community Centres Board in managing to 'pay for a new heat pump for the arena and still come in $5,000 under budget, and almost $30,000 saved in interest costs by reducing town borrowing and d t h n o i w ., c vada r3 vJa�ab uisu ..... ... interest rates-77- A ates: 7_ Charge laid in car theft A Wingham man is being held in custody in connection with the theft of a car in town last week. Darrell Cranston, 18, appeared in court Friday and was remanded in custody until Feb. 16 on a charge of theft over $200. Police reported that a vehicle owned by Paul Rintoul of,Wingham was stolen from Victoria Street lastThursday..night and later :iiirecovered •on the other side • alt ita'rriston. They are continuing to warn motorists against leaving keys in their cars while they are unattended. Only a couple of depart- ments were over budget, notably the .police which overspent by nearly $13,000 as a result of more overtime paid to officers and fire which was over by about. $3,000 due to more fires in town last year. Councillor James A. Currie, who 'until recently had chaired the police com- mittee, said he was distressed to learn the over- spending was that high, He had 'earlier explained to council that last year the police were able to hold to budget by taking time off in lieu of some overtime pay, and said he had hoped that would happen this year too. Councillor Tom Miller, who has succeeded Mr. Currie as police chairman, said the police were a little disgusted at having their contract rolled back to a five per cent increase last year by provincial anti-inflation regulations "and so they took the money instead of the holidays." • He said he also was disappointed.,,. nd tithat "per capita costs wereliigh to begin with and when something like this happens it really makes them.. out of whack." The police association has recently begun talks with the town on a ne'w contract. In other financial business, council served notice that it again hopes to hold its .spending to a five per cent i Fire chief, captains threaten walkout over deadlock in salary negotiations. Scarcely two' wOekginto existence, the newly -formed Wingham Area Fire Board is facing its first crisis in the form- of, thfeatened resignations by 'fife depart- ment officers over a "pay dispute. Although the board was , able to quickly arrive at an amicable wake settlement with the firemen, efforts to arrive at a settlement with the officers bogged dowu Monday night. As a result, Fire Chief Dave Crothers and at least one uf his three captains have said they will quit if they do -not get what they consider to be a reasonable offer within 30 days. Another ofxficer, Lynn Hickey, walked out of the meeting when he learned that the board,did°not plan to continue paying; for his job as secretary -treasurer, and.Mr. Crothers said Tuesday that Mr. Hickey had quit the department. The .chief also said that both he and Captain Harley Gaunt will quit if they do get the settlement they and he expects the other captains, Ernie Merkley and Keith Devries, will top. "They can hire anybody refuse it," he reported. three captains, one of whom "We have a responsibility . would assume the duties of as a board to provide fire protection, but we also have a responsibility to our rate- payers to provide it at a reasonable cost." He said the figures offered by the board would make Wingham the highest-paid fire department around the area. He added that he is disappointed in what ap- pears to be an adversarial attitude taken by some in- dividuals toward the area fire board, which gives surrounding townships a shai -, of the ownership and operation of the fire department. "We're all a community, and we ha'Ve to work together." A major stumbling block in the .negotiations appears to be the wages being offered to the chief. Mr. Crothers last year was paid $8,400 for his work as fire chief, in addition to the hourly pay for the time spent on fire calls. three captains each secretary -treasurer. The board subsequently raised its offer to $4,800 for the chief, $1,800 for a fire prevention officer, which could also be the chief, $1,500 for a deputy and $750 each for two captains. It refused to go higher, saying these salaries already are higher than for any other depart- ments in the area. The fire chief in Listowel was paid $4,200 last year and many others worked for less, they said with the chiefs in rec their fire the secretar' paid $315 f smaller villages such as Brussels getting as little as $300 a year on topof their firefighting pay. When the two sides were unable to reach an agree- ment, the officers walked out of the meeting. Contacted Tuesday morning, lillr:\Gaunt said he preferred not to comment publicly on his reactions to the offer, but saidtthe ball is in the board's lap and it will have to come up with a new offer. Otherwise the threat to walk out in 30 days still stands, he said. Mr. Crothers said that as far as he is concerned the board will have to accept the officers' demands or find itself new officers. He added that he doesn't care what 'other chiefs are getting. "I'm not interested in what other people are paid. I know what I'm worth." "We've been asking for this for years," he added, saying a wage proposal presented in 1982 had never even been considered by the fire committee. That proposal asked for $10,500 for Please turn to Page 5 ouncil plans meeting over provincial .grants Wingham Town Council hopes to meet with a representative of the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing over its concerns about possible changes to the ministry's ed $210 in addition to unconditional grant pro- hting pay, while gram. -treasurer was Nigel Bellchamber, a preparing pay municipal advisor at the ----they_like-at_the end of this_Sheets an, keeping minutes ministry's London branch increase by using that figure to set its interim' mill rate for the first tax installment, due at the end of March. The final mill rate for the year will be set after council finalizes its 1984 budget. Committees are „meeting this month to review their proposed budgets and Mr. Kopas said he hopes to contain increased expen- ditures to the five per cent range. Council was very successful last year in holding. both spending and taxes to a five per cent in- crease. month. They better be hiring of depa mental- meetings. office, will be invited- to somebody becauseshe's all - - ear the officers had attend an upcoming meeting overas far as I'm con- presented en initial request to outline government policy cel d`F ,-' . epi, ,.u''', • - 1 ..°$1 094= + 'the chief , aid' On the grants. Fire B aaafd Chairman 12,000 each for the captains Council also is considering inviting other local muni peugPF ttnneesai It Tuesday and the secretary. g that he ismne'tfisure'what will The board, • pointing out cipal councils to attend the hppen, although the board. is a survey prepared to call ant emer- gency meeting if necessary. h that of more than a meeting. dozen volunteer fire depart- Council sent a letter to the ments in this area revealed ministry expressing concern that .Wingham already was after learning in a letter the highest=paid, countered from Huron -Bruce MPP with an offer which, while it Murray Elston last month more than doubled the pay to that contemplated changes the captains, cut back the to the grant program could chief's pay and divided it cost towns and townships in among three positions. Huron and Bruce counties a It proposed paying the total of about $2 million a chief a total of $4,200, filling year in lost provincial the position of deputy chief, grants. which has been vacant since In return, it . received a the retirement of the late , letter from Mr. Bellchamber James Carr, for a salary of . assuring council the $2,000 and paying $1,000 to a fire prevention officer and $500 to each captain. It added that the chief could continue to perform the duties of fire prevention officer if he desired, in which case that pay would be added to his salary, and could also draw the pay of the deputy., chief until one is appointed. There would be no ad- ditional pay for the secretary -treasurer. Mr. Fortune said the board had been told his duties were none of its concern, "so we didn't think we should pay for them if they didn't concern us," and also noted that some of those duties are spelled out in the fire bylaw as the responsibilities of the chief. • The captains immediately refused the offer of $500, with Mr. Gaunt commenting that "$200 a year wasn't a dollar a day and $500 isn't much more than that." After conferring ' in private, they presented a counter -proposal of $10,000 for the chief, including the duties as fire prevention officer, $1,500 for a deputy chief and $1,000 for each of .re not_ er Y� C� macre them a offer and so far they're in- dicating they're going to armers petition for # marketing vote A group of Morris Town- . ship beef ,- farmers is gathering support for a petition to the provincial government, asking that a vote be held before setting up any new marketing agency for beef cattle. The petition, drawn up last week by a group of nine farmers, is addressed to the Lieutenant Governor, the Legislative Assembly and to Agriculture Minister Dennis Timbrell. It expresses a willingness to meet with the three-man commission formed to develop plans for a beef marketing agency, but asks that the proposed plan, be submitted to a vote by the beef producers of Ontario before it is implemented. Ross Procter, a member of the group, said copies of the petition are being distributed right across the province. He said the farmers hope to collect signatures from a sizable portion of those in- volved in the beef industry, noting that Mr. Timbrell cited low turnout at a vote last year as indication of a lack of interest by beef producers. He added that any citizen Mencharged over theft of tractor Two men will be appearing in the Wingham provincial court to face charges of theft over the stealing of a tractor in Howick Township last year. Lamont Griffith, 36, of the Belmore area and Gary Watson, 33, of area, were arrested last week by Const. Ken Balzer of the Wingham OPP detachment and charged with theft over $200. Both men were sub- sequently released, with Mr. d Griffith to appear in court Feb. 22 and Mr. Watson to' appear March 28. The charges relate to the theft of a White farm tractor valued at $10,000 from the Gorrie-area farm of Bill Boyd about a year ago. The tractor has never been recovered. Const. Balzer, who headed the investigation, said fur- ther charges of possession of stolen property are pending against Mr. Griffith. REV. DOUGLAS MADGE took over his duties as rector at St- 'Paul's Anglican Church, Wingham, at an induction service last Tuesday evening. Mr. Madge and his wife Colleen come to Wingham from Brantford, but they are Goderich natives. Mr. and Mrs. Madge have five children, the youngest of whom still lives at home. of Ontario, beef producer or not, is welcome to sign the petition, which is available from Ken Hopper of RR 5, Brussels. The farmers are acting on their own, not on behalf of any organization, he em- phasized. They don't want to be perceived as being un- willing to consider new marketing alternatives, but want the assurance that nothing will be implemented until beef producers are given an opportunity to vote on the matter. As it stands now, details of the marketing plan have yet to be worked out, but Mr. Timbrell has announced that it will be imposed without a vote by the producers, Mr. Procter explained. Council considers iriflg zoning aff+�zoning officer Town Council has formed a committee to study the possibility of hiring• a zoning administrator for Wingham. The committee, formed of representatives from the finance -management, public works and planning advisory committees, has been asked to draw up a job description finance -management com- mittee) endorse their con- clusion to have such a person to help the building in- spector." Asked whether the com- mittee envisions it as a full or part-time jbb, he said probably it would be part- time. Councillor • James A. and proposed wage scale for Currie said the idea was to the position. - provide an enforcement offi- Its recommendations will cer to work, with the planning go first to those three advisory committee and standing committees for with council and to do some approval before coming to of the legwork in enforcing council for a final decision. zoning provisions. Councillor Jack Kopas, "I think this will help who brought the proposal to everybody." council, said the works Council endorsed the committee had discussed the concept and authorized advisability of creating the forming a committee to look position of zoning ad- into it further and bring back ministrator, "and we (the recommendations. Beware of rising river proposed changes were only changes. intended "to encourage "We don't want him to discussion of ways in which defend or debate them, just the unconditional grants explain:" system might be changed to Councillor Tom Miller increase equity, certainty agreed, commenting that and comprehension for "possible. ` new directions" municipalities." for government policy have The minister has yet to in the past become "actual announce the grant formula new directions" through for 1984; he added, so that legislation very quickly. "anything anyone else might Councillor 'Jam—es A. say' before then-wonld-ply-- Currie cliggested vntnng be hypothetical." other municipalities to at - Councillor s, tCouncillors, however, tend the meeting, adding he found scant' eo'mfort concerned-y-cuunnils, assurances. would be "taken down the "Mr, Bellchamber seems garden path" by all the to be, heading for cover as ministry's "mumbo jumbo". quickly as possible," He added that he feels Councillor Jack Kopas there cern is not sufficient the con - commented, adding, "I'm part Association of Municipalities not sure blame him." � He said the ministry position seems to be that because the changes are just a proposal it is not necessary to explain them until after they have been • im- plemented. - He suggested council should invite Mr. Bell - chamber to a meeting to out- line the government policy underlying the proposed tut0) f all of Ontario (A- or sm municipalities. He suggested that the smaller muni- cipalities, which used to have their own organization, got "sucked in" when it was merged with the AMO and now have lost their voice. "They (AMO) think a small municipality is some- thing - like Peterborough or Stratford.' • Wingham police are urg- ing parents to be especially vigilant in `keeping young children away from the river this week: The rain and melting snow is raising the water level in the river and breaking up the ice, making the area hazardous for children. Police Chief Robert Wittig said he hopes parents will make a special effort to caution their youngsters against th danger of going too close toThe water. HOWICK SNOW SCULPTURES—Judges Sarah Woodley (top), Sheila McKnight and Brian Mulvey had a hard time picking the best snow sculpture at the Howick Central School. The ice castle was constructed by Mr. Cober's Grade 6 class at the school.