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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1976-11-17, Page 15Citizens News, November 17, 1976 -Page 15 Reeve for 15 years,time to quit Close to 40 people attended the Tuckersmith ratepayers meeting last week in the Huron Centennial school near Bruce - field. Bad weather conditions may have been one of the fact- ors keeping the turnout from being larger. Tuckersmith Reeve Elgin Thompson thanked his council and the ratepayers present for theL support over the past 15 years. Reeve Thompson said, "It's hard when you are quit- ting to know what to say, I just wish the ' new council every success, and thank you all." Reeve Thompson then went on to give a report to the rate- payers on some of the main activities carried out by council over the past couple of years. In the future, Reeve Thomp- son felt the council would have to talk with Clinton and Seaforth concerning the recrea- tion facilities owned and used by all three municipalities. Clinton has set .a fee of $15 against Tuckersmith people going into sports in town. However, according to Reeve Thompson, Vanastra has 98 children enrolled in swimming courses and they have not laid any extra charges on those children. "Where does the ball stop rolling?" asked Reeve Thomp- son and then added, "they use our facilities and we don't charge them but we get charg- ed for using theirs." Ervin Sillery, deputy -reeve for Tuckersmith, has also been on council for 15 years, but for him it is not over yet. Mr. Sillery declared he will be a candidate for reeve in the com- ing municipal election. Mr. Sil- lery said it had been wonder- fuI sitting with a reeve such as Mr. Thompson and that he was too 'good a man to put on the shelf yet. However, as Reeve Thompson seemed to have his mind made up, Mr. Sillery would do his best to take over from Mr. Thompson if elected. Councillor Cleve Coombs has decided to retire from council after spending 11 years there. "I feel I should move up the ladder after 11 years," said Mr. Coombs, "however, the posi- tion I'm in now just doesn't give me the time to do so." Mr. Coombs added he has enjoyed the work of serving on council and felt sure he was going to miss it. After six years on council, Bert Branderhorst is also step- ping down. "There should be a better man than I am in the crowd," said Mr. Brander horst. "It's time to step down." Bob Bell has just completed his first term on council and said he has enjoyed it very much. He intends to let his name stand for deputy -reeve if the ratepayers see fit to support him. Following statements by the members of council, the rate- payers had a chance to ask particular members about council's actions over the past two years. George Townsend asked if there had ever been any thou- ght put into finding another engineer? Reeve Thompson replied to this saying there had, but the one they have now is "pretty darn good". "We choose the engineer we think is the most capable," said Reeve Thompson. "All engineers have their faults and it is had to find someone who pleases everybody." Reeve Thompson assured Mr. Townsend if he wished to have another engin- eer used, all he would have to do would be to go to council and request it. Another ratepayer asked council several questions con- cerning the Sheppherd drain. The total cost of the drain was $13,000 and the ratepayer claimed he and several of his neighbours were billed for the drain although they had not received any notice from council the work was being done, Clerk Jim McIntosh explain- ed the drain had been done un- der an old by-law as repair assessment and everyone had been billed accordingly. Reeve Thompson added it was cheaper to do the repair that way. All ther drains were either ratepayers should either phone the reeve or phone the country engineer Jim Brittnel and ex- plain the problem. Rob Gates of Vanastra then asked several questions of Mr. Sillery. "I'm not trying to put you on the spot," he said to Mr. Sillery, "I just want to know that I'll be doing the right thing if I cast a vote for you." Mr. Gates asked Mr. Sillery what his stand on regional REEVE SAYS NO MORE—Elgin Thompson has been a member of Tuckersmith township for 15 years, and at the ratepayers meeting last week he informed those present he would not run again. Photo by McKinley 100 percent or more of the estimated cost but the Shepherd drain ran only 96 percent of the estimated cost. Several ratepayers expressed some dissatisfaction with the road care during the winter months. One claimed last Mon- day morning when there was some snow on the ground, the plows and sanders went up and down the road several times more than was necessary. In the evening, when more snow made the situation worse than before, there was not a sander in sight. Another added the Egmondville hill was in such poor shape she doubted she would be able to get up it that evening and would have to go home by way of Clinton. Reeve Thompson explain- ed the township's roads condi- tions were subject to having staff for only one nine hour shift per day, after that they have to pay overtime. Also the length of the average snow plow run is 25 miles, which is fairly long. However, some of the roads complained about were country roads. In this case the government was. Mr. Sillery said he had voted to retain the deputy -reeves at the country level as he felt the more people you have the more opinions there are to draw from. He said he has opposed regional government as much as poss- ible, adding if the municipali- ties get lax, regional govern- ment may close in. Mr. Gates then asked Mr. Sillery if he still believed what he had said in the past, that council has to abide by decis- ions made in Toronto. Mr. Sillery replied that in certain circumstances it is possible to express opinions very effectively. He says he and others on several occasions have gone to Toronto to speak directly with the ministry in- volved in a particular problem and made sure the feelings of the municipality are known. He added he can only deal with the township and vote on things at the County level as he sees them, and he has no power to see what the Ontario government is going to being in. NOTICE THE CUSTOMERS OF HAY MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE SYSTEM During the entire month of December, there will be NO INSTALLATION CHARGES for the following installations Extension Telephones (On Premises Residence Only) Contempra Telephones MONTHLY RATE $1.30 1.50 Place your order by calling the Business Office at 236-4333 Wayne Horner Secretary -Treasurer Hay Municipal Telephone System Concerning recreation Mr. Sillery felt the County should be involved on a county rec- reation basis and everyone take part. He said there is a terrific amount of overlap and it is hard to allot a fair portion of the tax dollars out to all the recrea- tion areas, Concerning the Vanastra day care centre, Mr. Sillery reminded ratepayers the gov- ernment is picking up 80 per cent of the loss so it isn't costing them very much. He added it seems to be getting more and more popular all the time. However, he said if he says it was not being patronized he would recommend cutting it off. Mr. Gates informed the meet- ing he is interested in a position on Tuckersmith council, but it will be another few days be- fore he decides whether to try and "knock off" Mr. Sillery in. a bid for reeve or run as a councillor. Wilf Sneider, also of Vanas- tra, "said he was going to run for council as well. "I think I can be of some help in making sensible decisions with the 20 years of experience I have had in industry he said. He added operating a municipality is much like operating a business in that you have to "watch expenditures and make sensible decisions, not throw any money nrnunrl The last person to say he is considering running for council was Frank Falconer. Mr. Fal- coner has had seven years on council in earlier years. He said he felt council should "pound on Clinton's table and tell them if they don't want us in their recreation facilities then we won't go there at all and they would notice a difference." He added, "If we can't pound this in then maybe we should just pay them." However, Mr. Falconer said he has not de- finitely decided to run as he still has to get 10 names on his nomination papers, and "my wife's consent." Ben Brydges, on behalf of the community of Vanastra, thanked Reeve Thompson for the work he has done say- ing, "Over the past four years we have seen great improve- ment in Vanastra." Mr. Bryd- ges says Vanastra has com- plained to the township in the past but by and large they realize Tuckersmith is a com- munity of industrious farmers who had an urban community dumped in the middle of them and that it takes time to adjust. He thanked Reeve Thompson for understanding the problems Vanastra ha's. 0,000 acres is a fair slice of Canada's corn cake There will be close to 2.6 million acres of corn grown in Canada this coming year. More than 400,000 acres will be planted with Pride varieties. And that's a fair slice of the cake. No-one gives you that sort of market share, It's not magic and it's ce.tainly no accident. It has to be earned the hard way - like 25 years experience in the corn business, a continual research and development program and an aggressive expansion program into the new corn areas of the Maritimes, Quebec and Western Canada. You can buy seed corn from more than 18 different sources, each with a network of dealers, but you cannot escape the facts. There's no substitute for experience. Let us prove it to you. King Grain Limited P.O. Box 1088 Chatham, Ontario, Canada N7M 5L6 Curtis Gingerich R.R. 2, Zurich, Ontario 236-4875 Ted Oud R.R. 3, Kippen, Ontario 262-5900 Doug Lightfoot R.R. 1, Crediton, Ontario 234-6287