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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-04-20, Page 1Blyth Bra noh Lit, vary Box 2U2 H1yth, •nt. NOM 1HO .,, Jan . 4 'Pioneers' f - resented with plaqu Ca inet DOUGLAS POINT— PSSST. Hey,; developers, industrialists — wanna buy some cheap energy for ex- pansion purposes? See your friendly Ontario Hydro. supplier about the Bruce Energy Centre. The advertisements carrying the famous Ontario Hydro logo aren't quite as hokey as those old television spot commercials, but the message is essentially the same. Ontario, Hydro has P s potentially cheap energy for sell — lots of it — but before it can develope the site of that- cheap energy, the provincial utility needs customers — lots of them. The cheap energy is waste steam from 'the Bruce Nuclear Power Development and the site to be developed is the Bruce Energy Centre located near the power plant. The centre has 1,100 acres of industrial land just waiting to be developed, but• Ontario Hydro which -- TUANBERRY CENTRAL SCHOOL will be represented again this year at the Canada -wide science fair competi- tion to be held In Saskatoon next month. Jamie. Picker- ing, Treena Jeffrey and Tammy Storm placed first in their categories at the county-wlde science fair com- petition held last week in Clinton and therefore qualify to go on to the national finals. Teacher Allen Harrison of Turnberry Central is very proud of the students and will accdmpany them to Saskatoon. Turnberry Central to send three in national science fair For the second year in a, row, Turnberry Central School will be well - represented at the Canada - wide science fair finals, being held next month in ,Saskatoon. The three young people, Jamie Pickering, Treena Jeffray and Tammy Storm, quite understandably are excited about their ' up- coming trip May 15-22. And school officials, particularly teacher Allan :Harrison, also are proud and happy. The week spent in Saskatoon will be filled with a variety of activities, such as tours and lectures. Mr. Harrison, who will ac- company the young people, said he thinks Turnberry has as good a chance as anyone else to win this year because the quality of the projects is' up considerably. The prizes are not to be scoffed at either. Last year, over $50,000 in awards, such as a personal computer, trips and cash prizes, was presented. The fact that Turnberry has produced prize=winning projects for two years in a row is a reflection of its good students, said Mr. Harrison, plus his own efforts in promoting science fairs, in his .own school and throughout the county. Jamie Pickering and Stephen Bray of Turnberry attended last year's Canada - wide science fair in Toronto. Jamie captured top honors this year in the Grade 8 physical category at last week's county -wide science fair held at Clinton. He ex- panded on his topic from last year, erosion, because he said he feels it's a real problem in this area and added farmers should be made aware of how to minimize its effects. Through a series of scientific experiments, he determined, for example, that the speed of rainfall affects erosion and erosion is more drastic on a steep slope. He also experimented with different crops to see which withstood wind and water erosion best. Alfalfa, with its sturdy root system, proved to be the best, he said. But any type of vegetation helps prevent erosion. He discovered as well that different soil types are susceptible to different types of erosion. For example, he Conestoga Chair Co. found clay soils to be best for preventing wind erosion and topsoil. helps to prevent water erosion. Jamie spent approximately six months researching his topic. Treena and Tammy, two Grade 7 students at the school, have worked together since last June studying the habits of the common earthworm. Their efforts paid off when they captured first prize in the Grade 7 biological category at last week's competition. Treena said she and Tammy noticed a project on worms at last year's science fair and became interested in them. So, the girls started to read up on the subject and kept approximately 200 worms over the winter to study. There's more to worms than meets the eye, they explained. In addition to mixing a farmer's soils and drawing life-giving oxygen to seeds, they also are'in- telligent, or reasonably so. To test the intelligence level tof the earthworm, Tammy and Treena con- structed a T -maze which had sandpaper on one side of the T and humus, a favorite Town council offers tax consideration to pros , ...ive buyers Although it cannot agree to write off tax arrears, the Town of Wingham has of- fered an easy payment plan to potential purchasers in an attempt to keep a long-time industry operating in Winghalm . At a special, closed -door meeting last week, town council agreed that a buyer of the Conestoga Chair Co. Ltd. may pay off the property taxes and interest in arrears at the time of purchase over a five-year period. Normally all taxes must be paid within three years or a property faces possible confiscation by the town, The offer, which is con- tingent on the factory being sold to an unrelated third party and on the agreement of a future council, was made after council had been approached with the request for a rebate of tax arrears on the industry, which went into receivership at the end of March. Clerk -Treasurer Byron Adams reported following the meeting that the Ontario Municipal Act does not allow municipalities to "forgive" unpaid taxes, so the longer repayment period was the best council could offer. Mr. Adams said he is not permitted to divulge how much the owners . of Conestoga Chair owe to the town, but a calculation from the property's assessed value indicates that com- bined property and business taxes would amount to some $6,000 per year. A spokesman for the receive said last week that he was 'in negotiations with prospective purchasers who would continue to operate the furniture factory in Wingham. The factory, which most recently produced a line of carved dining room chairs and rockers, has been a part of the town since the late 1800s. For most of that time it was known as Fry and Blackhall, a name which became synonymous with fine furniture. worm food, on the other. The girls reported the worms tested always went to , the humus side after first going to the sandpaper, thus proving they can be trained to some degree. Two other Turnberry. students, Erika Hooftman and Colleen Thomson, Please turn to Page 3 illion for assumed responsibility of the project last June has made it clear development of the site will not go ahead until Hydro has received enough 'firm offers" to. make it economically feasible. To attract those "firm offers", Ontario Hydro this week began an extensive advertising campaign aimed at industrialists, developers, entrepreneurs and anyone else with an idea for a business which can utilize DIM ruse stea the kind of energy supplied by the waste steam from Bruce. The advertising campaign was announced at the Bruce plant on Friday morning by Milan Nastich, 'Ontario Hydro president and interim chairman. Mr. Nastich was at the Bruce site along with On- tario Energy Minister Robert Welch and Malcolm Rowan, president of the Ontario Energy Corporation and chairman of the Bruce rv`• 4 'K'9 f'�`'?h f,_ l 0•04,40;1•":,.,,Vx s•,. Overwhelming majority Huron farmers vote down 100 per cent rebate plan By Shelley McPhee Dennis Timbrell filled the Clinton high school audi- torium last Thursday night as more than 600 farmers gathered to discuss and vote- on- the -- agriculture minister's proposed 100 per cent tax rebate on farm land. In a meeting reminiscent of one five years ago when Mr. Timbrell, then minister of health, filled the auditorium with his proposal to close the Clinton hospital, again hundreds of area people spoke Out in opposi- tion to the newest al. In the end, by a 393, to 86 vote, the farmers solidly rejected Mr .411 017,rel,1' plan,— which proposes a 100 per cent rebate of property taxes on farm land and buildings. Farmers referred to the program as a "handout'.' scheme, which {night eventually. usurp ,their right to private land ownership. Essex County Warden Jack Morris warned the group that the rebate STILL CLOSE AFTER 56 YEARS are Mr. and Mrs. Bill Young of Wingham, who celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary this week. Mr. Young and his bride, the former Irene MacDonald, were married April 18, 1927, at her home on the 8th of Culross. Most of their married life has been spent in Wingham, where they now reside at the Bray Lodge. An open house was held Sunday for their many friends and relatives. Clocks will `spring ahead' You may find yourself getting up ani hour later this Sunday morning, as clocks "spring ahead" to daylight saving time for the summer. The time change takes place almost a week early this spring. Usually it happens on one of the last days of April, but because the change traditionally occurs at 2 a,m. Sunday and April ends this year on a Saturday, the date was moved ahead to April 24. it's a little difficult to think about daylight saving time or to take the approach of summer very seriously in. light of the continuing un- seasonable weather, which brought snow to this and other areas of Ontario over the past weekend, It could have been worse, though. While we got just enough snow to cover the ground, Sarnia got some six inches of the white stuff Sunday and Thunder Bay was reported to be snowed - in. program could put farmers in a very vulnerable position. He reminded them that taxes spay for required services such as police and fire protection and roads, and said the- current 50 per cent- -rebate ent—rebate system -is-"right and fair. We should pay for the services our farm land requires." Despite strong assurances from Ontario Federation of Agriculture executive mem- ber Bridgit Pyke, OMAF representative Nancy Bar- dechi and Harvey Tasker of the Ministry of ,Revenue, farmers maintained their opposition to the plan. Together with the over- whelming vote of rejection, they passed a motion asking the OFA to reconsider its endorsement of the proposed program, and a request that tiie current 50 per cent rebate program continue until an acceptable alter- native is found. With the motion, the Huron County Federation of Agriculture joined the Bruce, Peel and Simcoe federations, Huron County Council and the Christian Farmers' Federation of Ontario in opposition to the program. The motion will be presented to an OFA directors' meeting in Toronto April 20. Stanley Township Reeve Paul Steckle, representing county council, explained _ council's position by pointing - out the proposed plan would offer nothing to small business operations and other farm -related enter- prises which are also suf- fering the effects of a poor economy. "I'm afraid we're opening an issue that will have long social impact and upheav- al," he said. Tom ` Jackson of Peel County called Mr. Timbrell's Continued on Page 5 Police urge continued caution Parents and pet owners in Wingham are urged to continue their vigilence in the face of a possible rabies outbreak. Though there have been no more con- firmed cases of the disease to date, police say it is possible there are other rabid animals at large and people should continue to be especially careful about contact with strange animals. Rabies was confirmed in a skunk shot by town police two weeks ago, but test results were not yet back on a raccoon shot in the back yard of a Leopold Street home last week. Police had earlier received a report of a raccoon behaving strangely, though Chief Robert Wittig said they are not sure whether this was the same animal. In another incident last week, a five-year- old youngster was bitten by a dog. The dog was tied up and was found dead on Tuesday morning, Chief Wittig reported, so it has been sent away for examination and a warning passed along to the boy's parents to consult with their doctor. Residents are urged to continue to report any cases of animals observed acting strangely, and to cooperate with police in locating them. The chief noted that with the return of warmer weather predicted for this week, it is likely more animals will be moving about. Huron officials criticize waste site guidelines Water quality guidelines for waste disposal sites are too severe for small rural sites, Huron County munici- pal officials told representa- tives of the Ministry of the Environment. At the Huron County Municipal Officers' Associa- tion annual meeting Grey Township Reeve Leona Armstrong told ministry of- ficials her understanding the water quality level at the edge of a waste disposal site is to be better than drinking water. Reeve Armstrong was speaking to Doug McTavish, director of the London rel gional office of the Ministry. Mr. McTavish spoke to the group on Regulation 309 re- garding waste disposal sites. "There is no change in the regulations, but there is a change in how they can be enforced," said Mr. McTav- ish. Provincial officers can now present a summon to a Municipality for an infrac- tion of the regulations where previously they could not. Late last year municiapli- ties received letters from the Ministry outlining penalties for convictions of guideline infractions. Many munici- palities are in the process of developing land fill site plans which have to be submitted to the Ministry by July 1. They are having difficulty meeting the guidelines. Mr. McTavish said a land- fill site does have an effect on the water quality around it. Reeve Armstrong said the intent of the water quality control is good, but the Ministry has to be more flexible when small sites are concerned. In her township's case, the water on the edge of the site does not meet Ministry guidelines but the closest well is over a mile away and there has never been any complaints of water con- tamination. Water quality guidelines were not the only concern of Huron Municipal officials. Burning on landfill sites was also raised. "The residents don't mind, but (Ministry) inspectors say we have to cut it off," commented Stanley Town- ship Reeve Paul Steckle, Mr. McTavish said the Ministry has no rules about burning at sites, but there are guidelines to follow, such as considering weather con- ditions, segregating plastics and rubber items and having fire permits, specifically in Northern Ontario and some municipalities in Southern Ontario. He said the Ministry wouldn't stop municipalities from burning refuse unless there are complaints or in- spectors notice infringe- ments of regulations. "We legally can't (prevent burning) unless there are complaints," said Mr. McTavish. Reeve Steckle called for the Ministry to consider each landfill site on its own merit. roJect FEnergy Centre Development Corporation (BEC Deveo). The press conference at the BNPD Information Centre and the luncheon which followed at the Bruce Township Community. Centre at Underwood were scheduled by the Ontario Ministry of Energy for two official reasons: to mark the recently signed agreement to facilitate the transfer of the assets of the Bruce Energy Centre from BEC DevCo and the Ontario Energy Corporation to Ontario Hydro: and "to pay tribute to the creative pioneering efforts of the community and corporate sponsors of the Bruce Energy Centre and its predecessor, the Bruce Agripark. While the 150 guests were ready to enjoy the luncheon and such added attractions as a steam calliope requested by the ministry to attend from Stratford, and being piped into the hall, what they really came to hear was a progress report on the Bruce Energy Centre. Major construction layoffs at the Bruce site will take place next spring and residents of the area. are apprehensive about the employment situation. They are counting on the development of the Bruce Energy Centre to provide jobs. "We have lived in a very favored part of the province," said Bruce Township Reeve __ _John,- •.- MacKenzie during the _luncheon,- "but -WS going lo- be disastrous if we don't get something and get it very soon." The people of Bruce, he said, have a lot of patience, "but that patience does wear a bit thin." When Ontario Premier William Davis visited the Bruce site in 1981 to talk about the energy centre, Reeve MacKenzie said, "We expected big things to hap a dial; €'isle i'iti hg was talked about, the production of ethanol — but hese things haven't materialized." BILD Money While Ontario Hydro and the Province of Ontario will do everything they can to make the Bruce steam at- tractive to developers — "In fact," said MrsNastich, "it will be available at less than half the going price for process steam produced from other fuels." — the success of the venture will depend a great deal on the state of the province's economy. "Both individuals and industries are suffering the effects of a severely weakened economy," Mr. Nastich said. "That's one hurdle which the Bruce Energy Centre, like any new enterprise today, will have to face" Right now, he said, Onatrio's industries are running at about 66 per cent capacity. °'It will be difficult for any industry to consider in- vesting in new plant until Continued on Page 5 HE STARTED IT—Minister of Energy Robert Welch (right) presents Kincardine developer Sam MacGregor with a plaque in recognition of his efforts to utilize waste steam from the Bruce nuclear site. Mr. MacGregor first proposed the steam energy idea about seven years ago. Now the project has been taken over by Ontario Hydro. (Staff Photo)