HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1975-03-27, Page 7THURSDAY; MARCH 27, 19'75
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
This week in the Legislature,
the Minister of Education an-
nounced that the Government
will raise ceilings on school
board spending by $50. for
each elementary and secondary
school pupil "because of cont-
inued inflation." Boards will
now be permitted to spend
$926. for each elementary
school pupil and $1, 441 for each
high school student. This in-
crease will add some $20 mill-
ion to the province's share of
education spending, which is
about 60T/o of the total. Govern-
ment grants to boards of educ-
ation will rise this year to nears)
$1.5 billion from $1.33 billion
last year.
On the subject of teacher
salaries, the Minister said "their
salareis should reflect increases
in inflation, together with
other economic trends in the
community... but to withdraw
services to support demands
that are by any standard, exorb-
itant and unreasonable, is
grossly unfair to students."
The Ministerof Colleges and
Universities announced a new
student loan program and the
creation of a $5 00, 000 special
bursary fund to assist impover-
ished part -tune students. Max-
imum living allowances under
the existing Ontario Student
Assistance Program willincrease
next fall from $48.50 to $57.40
a week. The new Ontario Stud-
ent Loans plan will enable a
student to borrow at low interest
uD to $1.400 g_ach academic
year to a maximum of $4, 000,
and Ministry officials estimate
that up to 3, 000 students may
benefit from the plan. Applic-
ants must be on welfare, unem-
ployment or have a low family
income. A spokesman for the
Ontario Federation of Students
•
Jottings
by
Jack
from
Queens Park
has described the OSAP increase;
as inadequate to cover inflation
but welcomed the special bur-
sary fund as a "step in the right
direction in student assistance.
Liberal Leader Robert Nixon,
continued his reply to the
Speech from the Throne this
week,, strongly criticizing the
government because in Ontario
we are not 'pulling our weight:
in the economy, in, food produc-
tion, in house -building, in
education, not even in urban
transit. Despite our tremendous
natural advantages, despite our
rich resources of people, of land
and of mineral wealth, the
Davis Government has been
unable to maintain Ontario's
hard-earned position of strength
and leadership."
Mr. Nixon pointed out that
Ontario's unemployment rate
is going up almost two-thirds
faster than the national rate.
Also the value of Canadian
exports increased 58,6°7o betweer
1972 and 1974, but Ontario's
exports went up by only 34.1T/o,
only three-fifths of the national
rate. Consumer prices are rising
faster in Ontario than the nat-
ional average: in Toronto, for
example, house prices have beei
rising 18?/o faster than elsewhere.
Meanwhile between 1972 and
1974 Canadian average wage
rates have increased faster than
in Ontario. Also, across Can-
ada the pupil -teacher ratio in
schools has been improving,
but in Ontario class size has
grown larger.
Our agriculture industry is
%experiencing serious difficulties,
and there were 127, 000 fewer
Ontario farms in operation in
1971 than a decade earlier. This
decline is continuing, and our
arable land is fast disappearing.
There has been a fall in acreage
1
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ZURICH
PAGE 7
for feed grains, tobacco, fruit
and vegetables. The number of
dairy cattle in Ontario has
dropped steadily since 1956,
from more than a million head
to 755, 000 in 1971.
For the past two fiscal years
this province has actually under-
spent its housing budget. In 1973
and 1974 the government under-
spent by a total of $103 million -
103 million which should have
been spent on housing and
was not. This past fiscal year,
the renta l housing budget alone
was underspent by $20 million.
The Government has introd-
uced legislation to increase the
number of Ontario Ridings to
125 from 117, as recommended
by the Report of the Independent
Ontario Electoral Boundaries
Commission. The changes will
be in effect for the next prov-
incial election, according to
the Premier. There have been
minor changes made to the
Huron Riding since I last report-
ed to you on the interim reports
of the Commission. The Riding
will now be known as the
Huron -Middlesex Electoral
District and it will consist of
the townships of Adelaide,
Biddulph, East Williams, God-
erich, Hay, McGillivray, Stan-
ley , Stephen, Tuckersmith,
Usborne and West Williams,
the towns of Clinton, Exeter,
Goderich, Parkhill and Seaforth,
and the villages of Ailsa Craig,
Bayfield, Hensall, Lucan and
Zurich.
Lobo Township and the town
of Strathroy were re -aligned
with the Middlesex Riding where
as Tuckersmith township and
the town of Seaforth remain in
the Huron -Middlesex. Riding.
The interim report removed
Tuckersmith township and the .
town of Seaforth from Huron
and included them with the
Huron -Bruce Riding. Hullett
and McKillop townships now
form a part of the Huron -Bruce
'Riding, otherwise the Huron
portion of the new Riding rem-
ains as it was formerly.
the
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