HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1977-11-16, Page 1•;pa•+.; y.a...T r..J 4ii 'Cµ ; 4i,W+vYJB°`Miu1R�r1+: •rp*
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FIRST SECTION
Wingham, Wednesday, November 16, 1977
Single Copy Not Over 30c
Local youth is killed
in three -car accident
Robert Joseph Kinahan, 23, of
RR 2, Lucknow, was killed in a
three cai accident on Highway 86
west of Wingham late last Satur-
day night. Five other persons
were injured in the accident.
John J. MOir, 21, of RR 1, Luck -
now, a passenger in the Kinahan
vehicle, is listed in fair condition
in Victoria Hospital, London.
R. Mark Vincent, 21, of Dinsley
Street, Blyth, the driver of one of
the vehicles, and two of his pas -
PTE. FISCHER, J.D.
David Fischer has suc-
cessfully completed- a 12 -
week Basic Training Course
at Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
and is now starting a
five-year course as an Airo
Frame Technician and will be
stationed at Camp Borden
till the end of March. David is
the son of Mrs. June Mc-
BurneyMrd Douglas Fischer,
grandson of Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas Stokes and Mr. and
Mrs. John V. Fischer both of
Turnberry Township. David
is a graduate of .the F. E.
Madill Secondary School of
Wingham.
Do you have
a dopy of the
Sept. 14 issue?
Although The Advance -Times
usually has an ample supply of
extra copies of each issue we find
that we have a need for those of
Sept. 14, 1977.
If you happen to have this issue
in your stack of old papers and
you don't want to save it, we
would appreciate taking it off
your hands. For personal reasons
one of our readers would like to
get the extra copies.
sengers, Christopher Moore, 16,
and William Gibson, 15, both of
RR 3, Wingham, were admitted
to Wingham hospital. Mr. Gibson
was discharged Monday, while
Mr. Vincent and Mr. Moore are in
satisfactory condition.
Lynda B. Moore, 18, of RR 3,
Wingham, the driver of the third
vehicle, was treated at Wingham
hospital and then released.
Sgt. Len George of the Wing -
ham detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police reports the
accident occurred with both the
Vincent and Moore vehicles west-
bound on the highway, the Vin-
cent vehicle in the eastbound
lane.
The Vincent vehicle first struck
the Moore car and then ran into
the Kinahan car, which was east-
bound along the highway, he said.
He confirmed that alcohol was
involved to -some degree and also
noted that "practically nobody
was wearing seatbelts".
4
Our readers asked
why no report
On Nov. 4, 1977, a 1976 Chevrolet driven by Constable John
Nolan struck the CPR light standard on Josephine Street.
Damage was estimated at approximately $2,000.
- 0-0-0
After The Advance -Times appeared last week residents of
this community begari to ask members of our staff why there
was no account of the accident in which one of the town's
police cruisers was extensively damaged.
The reason was obvious - because the report which The
Advance -Times regularly receives from the local police
department contained no mention off the accident in which
the cruiser was involved — despite the fact that the same
report week after week gives us\ the details of accidents in
which vehicles owned or operated by private citizens have
been involved.
A telephone call to Police Chief Rpbert Wittig from an Ad-
vance -Times reporter elicited virtuallyanothing in the way of
facts concerning the accident and the statement that never at
any time would he divulge to the newspaper any information
which' would be detrimental to the police department. .
Chief Wittig did, however, say that he would provide The
Advance -Times with information about the accident in which
the. cruiser was involved. .
On Monday of this week Publisher Barry Wenger discussed.
the ,ratter with M,ayoa.WillWa.. Walden, in the absence of
Councillor David Cameron, chairman of the ' police
committee, who was in Florida at that time. Mayor Walden
agreed that since the cruiser istown property and the police-
men are town employees, a full disclosure of the circum-
stances surrounding the accident' was reasonable and that
the whole matter was one of legitimate public concern.
After our conversation with the mayor Mr. Wallen volun-
teered his willingness to discuss the matter with the chief of
police. A short time later he telephoned the publisher with the
information that the police chief was "on holidays". Mr.
Walden informed the publisher on Monday evening that he
had been in telephone conversation with Councillor David ,
Cameron in Florida and that it was agreed that the mayor
should try again to reach the chief of police. Mr. Walden did
so and was given the answer that the information about the
accident would be in the hands of The Advance -Times' on
Tuesday.
You have read the information we were given and you must.
judge for yourself whether or not it is adequate to satisfy
your questions as a taxpayer.
Mayor William Walden has made every possible effort to
secure the facts of this case and has agreed that in an in-
stance such as this the public has every right to know what
really did occur. The Advance -Times has attempted to
provide nothing more than an honest explanation of the cir-
cumstances.
Block parent program
is set to begin soon
Plans to initiate a block parent
program in Wingham are moving
ahead briskly, with the first signs
expected to be out before the end
of this month. The signs will
identify -the houses of block
parents, to which children can go
in cases of emergency.
Don Farnell, vice-chairman of
the block parent committee, said
the group has collected about 110
names of persons interested in
participating in the program.
Each prospective block parent
will be required to fill out an
application and will be 'screened
by the police before being ac-
cepted and issued with a sign.
The screening is nothing to worry
about, he said; it's necessary to
make sure a person would be
suitable to look after children.
The block parent committee,
set up during a public meeting
Nov. 7, is chaired by Rick White-
ly. Mr. Farnell is vice-chairman
and Heather Shaw is secretary-
' treasurer. Other committee
members are: Carol Clark, Gwen
Laidlaw, Linda Smith, Carol
Whitely and David Hynes.
The committee will establish
liaisons with police and the
schools and will coordinate the
program. Among other things, it
will maintain a map showing the
locations of all block parents in
town, Mr. Farnell said.
The block parent program was
proposed by members of the local
branch of the Royal Canadian
Legion earlier this year. It is pat-
terned on the program which has
been ; operating successfully in
London since 1968. The purpose of
the program is to provide chil-
dren with places to go for aid in
case of any type of problem or
emergency arising while they are
away from home.
Fire damages
carpentry shop
A fire Nov. 12 caused an
estimated $500 damage to Stan
Campbell's woodworking shop on
Scott Street, Wingham Fire Chief
Dave Crothers reports.
He said the cause of the blaze
which was reported at 8 p.m., is
still under investigation.
The fire department also
responded to a call involving the
fatal accident on Highway 88
west of Wingham later that night.
Mr. Crothers-explained the fire-
men will often be called to an ac-
cident when gas has been spilled
to insure that a fire does not oc-
cur. This is particularly import-
ant when persons are trapped in-
side the vehicles or ambulance
personnel are working around
them.
The police are continuing their
investigation and charges are
pending.
Bob Kinahan was born in Wing -
ham on November 1, 1954, and
was a son of William and Mary
Kinahan of West Wawanosh
Township. He received his early
elementary education at St.
Augustine Roman - Catholic
Separate School, later attended
Sacred Heart School in Wingham.
Following his graduation from F.
E. Madill Secondary School in
Wingham, he was. employed by
Canada Packers, Walkerton. As a
teenager, he played minor hoc-
key with a Belgrave team.
He leaves to mourn his passing,
besides his parents, one sister,
Genevieve, and three brothers,
Gordon, Leo and Billy, all at
home. Also surviving are his .
grandmothers, Mrs. Genevieve
Kinahan of West Wawanosh and
Mrs. Anna Kennedy of Stratford,
formerly of St. Columban.
The late Bob Kinahan rested at
the MacKenzie Memorial Chapel,
Lucknow, until Wednesday
morning when removal was
made to St. Augustine Roman
Catholic Church for mass at 10:30
a.m. Interment followed in St.
Augustine Roman Catholic
Cemetery.
Pallbearers were six cousins,
Stephen Edwards, David Ed-
wards, Mark Edwards, John
Kinahan, Steven Kinahan and
Paul Kennedy. ,
As expressions of sympathy,
donations may be made to the
Huron -Perth Lung Association or
to one's favorite charity.
Wingham OPP get
new radar unit~ . :.
- The Wingham detachment of
the Ontario Provincial Police has
been issued a new mobile radar
unit which can clock the speed of
motorists travelling the opposite
direction from the cruiser, Sgt.
Len George announced this week.
Theunit has already proved
quite effective, he said, and may
be the best device to lower the
overall speed of traffic in this'
area.
He added that the intention is
not to issue a lot of tickets just for
the sake of laying charges.
"Economic conditions are such
that there are more important
things to pay for than fines. But if
motorists realize we have this
sophisticated equipment, they'll
adhere more to the speed limits,"
he said.
Sgt. 'George noted his detach-
ment has three major priorities
in traffic enforcement: drinking
drivers, seat belt usage and
speeding. The emphasis will be
placed on these three, he de-
clared.
REMEMBRANCE DAY PARADE—Scouts, Cubs, Guides, CGIT and town councillors\
joined with veterans from the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion' n a. parade ,to
the cenotaph for a Remembrance Day service last Friday. The Salvation Army band led`
the parade.
Outlook bleakfor hospitals
director telis Wingham bd.
The outlook for Ontario hos-
pitals during the next few years is
"rather depressing", Norman
Hayes, executive director of
Wingham and District Hospital,
told the board of governors last
week.
Not only is capital funding
being severely curtailed by the
ministry of health, but hints were
dropped during the recent On-
tario Hospital Association con-
vention that operating budgets
may be cut back below the rate of
inflation.
If this occurs, Mr.. Hayes
warned the board, it means a cut
in service at the hospital. "If they
chop operating funds back below`
the rate of inflation, there's no
doubt we'll have to chop staff or
beds," he said, adding, "We'll
just have to wait and see."
If cuts do occur, -he predicted,
the hardest hit will be minority
groups, such as East Indians,
women and unskilled workers.
The bulk of jobs cut won't be in
the area of direct nursing care,
he noted, since these are at the
very heart of a hospital. So, while
people will not be taken away
from the- bedside, perhaps hos-
pitals will be a little dirtier and
BLOCK PARENT COMMITTEE—Comprising the block
ffarent committee for Wingham are: Don Farnell, Heather
haw, Linda Smith, Gwen Laldlaw, Carol Whiteley, Rick
Whiteley, Carol Clark and David Hynes (not in picture).
Mr. Whiteley chairs the committee, Mr. Farnell is vice
chairman and Mrs. Shaw is secretary -treasurer.
the meals won't be so well pre-
pared as staff are cut from these
areas.
There is no real indication what
i;es five to 10 years down the road
for hospitals, he .said, but pro-
vincial Treasurer Darcy Mc-
Keough's announcement the
government is aiming for a
balanced budget by 1 r: l makes
funding increases in the near
future unlikely.
On the same note, the board
heard that its request for funds to
prepare a master plan for the
hospital has been turned down. A
letter from the area planning co-
ordinator explained capital funds
are very tight just now and so the
answer is "regretfully negative".
"That means `no'," Mr. Hayes
said.
The board conducted further
discussion on a master • plan in
committee of the whple.
In other business the board ap-
proved the purchase of a 1978
'Ford LTD from Bridge'Motors to
replace the present hospital
vehicle, a 1974 Chrysler Newport.
Bridge Motors' price of $3,400
with trade was lowest in the ha-
medthte area, finance committee
chairman J. R. Kaufman told the
board, and it was felt the pur-
chase should be made nearby to
facilitate servicing.
Mr. Kaufman also reported the
Nixon property purchased
recently by the hospital has been
rented to the mental health re-
source centre for $275 per month,
while rent for the space used by
the Huron County Health Unit has
been increased to $200 per month.
The rents are subject to annual
review.
Final approval was given to
pay increases of 8.06 per cent
(1976-77) and 5.61 per cent (1977-
78) for registered nurses, while
management group received in-
creases of slightly under eight
per cent for 1976-77 and 5.33 per
cent for 1977-78.
MISSING CATTLE?
Any area farmer who is miss-
ing 10 Hereford cattlebeasts is in-
vited to contact G. C. Moffatt at
357-3155. The animals wandered
onto his farm Nov. 10 and to date
no owner has been located.
Many join in
memorial service
at the cenotaph
Despite wind, cold and swirling
snow, a large number of people
gathered at the cenotaph in
Wingham last Friday morning
for the annual Remembrance
Day service, honoring those who
gave their lives in war.
After the opening of the service
by Chairman Don Montgomery
and the civic welcome by. Mayor
William Walden, everyone joined
in singing the hymn, "0 God Our
Help In Ages Past". Rev. John
Swan of St. Paul's Anglican
Church read from the scripture
and Rev. A. J. Sonderup of
Sacred Heart Church led in
prayer.
The names of the fallen were
then read and, as the group stood
in silence, about 15 memorial
wreaths from local organizations
were placed around the base of
the cenotaph. Mr. Montgomery
placed the final wreath, bearing
poppies from the local veterans,
and William Henderson Jr.
played. Last Post and' Reveille.
Rev. Barry Passmore of Wing -
ham United Church gave the
benediction.
The service was preceded by a
parade from the Legion Hall to
the cenotaph, Scouts, Cubs,
Guides, CGIT and town council-
lors joined with the veterans in
the parade, which was led by the
Salvation Army band.
Several -accidents
cause injuries
Several persons suffered minor
injuries as a result of motor
vehicle accidents in the Wingham
area during the past week.
Ronald McQuillan of RR 3,
Holyrood, was treated at Wing -
ham hospital for back injuries
and then released after he ap-
parently fell off a snowmobile
Nov. 13.
Leigh Marchment of Glen Wil-
liams, Ontario, received minor
injuries as a result of a single car
accident on Highway 87 west of
Huron Road 33 in Turnberry
Township Nov. 11.
In another accident the same
day, Elaine Martin of Missis-
sauga received h►;ad injuries
-when her car struck a tree on the
town line between Wingham and
Teeswater. She was treated at
Wingham hospital and released.
An accident Nov. 8 slightly in-
jured Gertrude M. Cooper of RR
2, Brussels, and a passenger in
her vehicle, James Boone, also of
RR 2, Brussels. The two were in-
volved in a single car accident on
Sideroad 30-31 at Concession 11-12
of Grey Township.
Damage minor
in accidents
A tractor -trailer driven by
Henry Deter of Guelph struck a
hydro pole in front of Joe's
Repair Shop on Josephine Street,
Wingham, Nov. 11. The accident
caused about $50 damage to the
vehicle.
An accident between Wilfrid
Haines of RR 4, Wingham, and
James R. Wilson of Bluevale
caused about $145 damage Nov.
10. Mr. Haines was reversing out
of the Toronto Dominion Bank
parking lot when he struck Mr.
Wilson's vehicle, Wingham police
report. There was no damage to
the Haines vehicle.
In another accident Nov. 10, a
vehicle driven by Mary E.
Gurney of Wingham struck a car
driven by Stephen A. MacDonald
of Wingham. Damage was esti-
mated at $130 to the MacDonald
vehicle.