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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1971-12-02, Page 1NO. 48 FIRST WITH THE LOCAL NEWS Int Section ZURICH ONTARIO, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1971 41 • WINTER SETS IN - The beach at Grand Bend is a long way from being as attractive at this time of year as it is in the summer months. High waves and scattered debris along' the waterfront create a cold and dismal atmosphere at the pier, and attracts few tourists compared to the busy summer months. Ma OS If 100 persons gathered at the May Township Hall on Monday night have their way, waste disposal wells in the municipal- ity will never become a reality. Strong opposition to the plan was voiced by practically every person in attendance from Hay, Stephen and Stanley Townships, as well as the villages of Zur- ich and Hensail, along with the mayor of Exeter. The meet ing had been asked for by L.J. Prefontaine, presid- ent of Sub -Surface Liquid Disp- osals Ltd., of Sarnia, the comp- any who was seeking permis- sion to drill wells for this purp- CORigliMS kiceC WeirdN (by Shirley J. Keller) There will be at least two reeves from Huron County in competition for the Warden's chair in 1972. They are Reeve Elmer Hayter, Stanley Town- ship who will make his second try in two years, and Reeve Roy Pattison, East Wawanosh. A third reeve who was exp- ected to enter the fray, Reeve Hugh Flynn, Hullett, told Council he will not enter the race this year. He said that because of commitments at his home, he would not be able to be a candidate, but he exp- ressed satisfaction that two men, one from the north and one from the south, would be competing. "I don't like to see an accl- amation for Warden, " stated Flynn. Reeve Pattison, a five-year veteran of county council, told his associates it has been 52 years since there has been a warden from East Wawanosh. Each of the new members to county council this year had an opportunity to speak at the close of the session on Friday. Each commented on the fine hospitality to be found at the county level of government. ose in the area. He was accom- panied by B. Brittain, an indig- nant representative of the Ont- ario Department of Mines and Northern Affairs. In opening the meeting Mr. Prefontaine explained that his company wished to drill the wells to dispose of certain waste materials from Sarnia industrial firms, which cannot be disposed of in any other way. He said the wells would be approximately 1000 feet deep. Joe Miller, R.12.1, Dashwood, opened the question period with wanting to know why the Sarnia - based firm chose Hay Township to dispose of this type of waste, instead of keeping it in their own area. Mr. Prefontaine told the gathering that Hay is the only lost circulation zone area left in this area of Ontario that can be used for this type of operat- ion. .He explained that the pract ice has been used in Sarnia for some time, but now the wells are all full and the process is forcing water up above the ground. A Zurich area resident, Neil Gingerich asked what guarantee the people have that this proc- ess won't pollute wells in the area. He was told that three different casings are used in the process, with the first one being cemented to the surface to eliminate possible escape of any of the chemicals that might be disposed of. One of the most pronounced opponents to the scheme was Henry Stasik, of Hay Township, who asked Mr. Prefontaine "why he hold not told the farmers what they were going to use their land for when it was leased Mr. Stasik accused the company of advising him they were going to drill for gas and oil, without mentioning the possibility of waste disposal wells. The same charge was levelled at the company president by at least half a dozen other farmers, who all said they were never advised of the idea of waste disposal wells. Another Hay Township rate- payer, Matthew Denomme, well asked Prefontaine, " how many holes did you dig in this area back in 1968, when you left us with nothing but a real mess and no money for the use of our land." Mr. Prefontaine tried to expl ain that he was an employee of the company who drilled ten to 15 wells in the area back in 1968, but he thought all propert- ies had been cleaned up and everyone had been paid. In answer to a question from Louis Farwell regarding how many acres had been leased by the company in Hay Township, Mr. Prefontaine said he estim- ated about 1000. Mr. Farwell also pointed out that few pers- ons had been advised of what the company wished to drill the wells for. Mr. Brittain told the meeting that his department only super- vised the actual drilling of wells, and the final approval for the disposal of waste mat- ters in such types of wells must come from the newly -created Department of the Environment. On questioning by Karl Haberer, Mr. Brittain said his department had already issued a permit to drill a well to the Sarnia firm, but added again that any sub- sequent use for the well would be the decision of the Depart- ment of Environment. Gerald Regier asked Brittain, "why drill the well when you know the municipality is against it." Brittain retorted that the government has the privilege of allowing drilling, without approving the subsequent use of the well for waste disposal. Someone else in the audience started a controversey over who called the public meeting to discuss the whole idea, after the township council indicated they were opposed to the project Another asked who had invited Brittain to attend the meeting, so finally it was explained that the meeting had been called by Mr, Prefontaine in an attempt to outline his company's plans, and he had brought the govern- ment representative with him. (continued on page 19) 100 PER COPY (by Shirley J. Keller) It may have been the Christ- mas spirit which gripped Huron County Council last Friday at its regular November session and probably the last one for this year. At any rate, several salary adjustments were made for Huron County officers al- though most of them were within the five percent guide- lines imposed. Only one salary hike was not approved as presented to coun- cil and the Huron County Road Committee has been asked to restudy its request for county engineer Jim Britnell. The proposal for a $500 increment and a $500 merit increase for a total of $1, 000 annually was not passed. Britnell's present salty is $20, 500. Salary increased were approv- ed for Administrator John Berry and Deputy clerk -treasurer Bill Hanly. Berry received an in- crease of $1, 000 bringing his salary to $16, 500 and Manly gained another $1, 000 as well, hiking his annual earnings to $12, 000. A bid for a further increase for each of these officers was turned down be recorded vote. Two county employees work- ing with the Huron Planning 4 Board were given increases. Gary Davidson, planning direct- or, went from $13, 00 to $13,500 and his assistant, planning tech- nician, Nicholas Hill will rec- eive an extra $500 .per annum bringing his earnings to $7, 700. The Administrator at Huron - view, C . A . Archibald, will receive $12, 000 this year, $500 more than last year. County librarian Ethel Dewar will receive $11,100 this year, an increase of $500. A similar increase was approved for county development officer Spence Cummings who goes from $10, 000 to $10, 500. Roy Scotchmer, curator of Huron County Museum, receiv- ed a raise of $800 to $7, 000; Mrs. F. Nanz, a $300 increase to $4, 400; and R. Pfrimmer, another museum employee, was raised to $2.35 per hour. Caretakers received raises, too, including Jim Sheardown who received $500 annually to bring him to $7, 200; and $300 each per annum to three others, D. Dalton at $5,'800; M. MacAulat, $5, 400; and D. Lynn, $5, 400. The Construction Safety Inspector, Everett Smith, re- ceived an increase of $258 per annum for a total salary of $6, 300. s (by Shirley J. Keller) Members of Huron County Council were told at last Fri- day's regular November meet- ing that it may be prudent in the new year to give some thought to inaugurating a county -wide bovine vaccinat- ion program for rabies. The suggestion followed a presentation by Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Frank Mills who said 1971's statistics showed four times as many incidents of rabies iri cattle as in 1970 with 36 cases reported this year and only nine reported cases last year. Dr. Mills said that rabies us- ually follows a 10 -year cycle and travels in a circular fashion. He estimated that Huron County'. turn was upcoming shortly with the peak coming in about two years. A loss of about $8, 000 during 1971 was reported by farmers in Huron who lost cattle. Mills indicated this figure could certainly climb as the incidents of rabies increased and he sug- gested it is entirely possible the members of county council should be looking into the feasibility of a county -wide bovine vaccination program against rabies. The cost of the program, stated Dr. Mills, would not be prohibited, It would be carried out on a strictly volunteer basis. Small animals, particularly pets, are vaccinated now in the county free of charge and more and more people are tak- ing advantage of this service, said Dr. Mills. There was a 17 percent overall increase in attendance at the clinics this year with 6,331 animals being vaccinated against 5, 378 last year, w high "Rabies is treatable, " said Dr. Mills. "It is preventable." Reeve Roy Pattison, East Wawanosh, said that as a farm- er who has lost money through rabies, the government comp- ensation offered for the loss does nearly cover. He felt a county -wide vaccination prog- ram should be studied. During the questioning, it was learned that the rabies vac- cine must be administered by a veterinarian and cannot be given by the farmer as are some other types of vaccine. T ck rs h stro g petititi (by Wilma Oke) A delegation of seven Eg- mondville residents attended the Tuckersmith Council meet- ing last Tuesday night, They were Walter Armes, Mr, and Mrs. Howard James, Melvin Cooper, Car Cooper, Mi. and Mrs. Leo Teatero. They presented a petition bearing 33 names for reconsid- eration by Council for revoc- ation of William Brown's Licence. for a salvage yard. The petitioners requested: (a) Relocate Mr. Brown's business at some mutually sat- isfactory location at their own expense. (b) Permit Mr. Brown to oper- ate at his present location until the above is carried out. Members of Council explain- ed to the delegation the circ- umstances leading up to their decision not to renew the lic- ence because Mr, Brown did not operate under the conditions (continued on page 19)