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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1975-10-09, Page 4Page 4 Zurich Citizens News, October 9, 1975 • Five grains of corn! For most Canadians Thanksgiving Day is a time for putting on storm windows and snugging up the house, tidying up the yard; a time for big eating and for foot- ball games. Few of us remember that in its beginning it was a day of gratitude for the rhythm of the seasons, set after the bounty of summer had been safely garnered and stor- ed against the starker days ahead. Through the long centuries, in almost every culture, such a day or series of days has been celebrated. The origin of our North American Thanksgiving is a little different, the gift of a stalwart company known as the Pilgrim Fathers, who cane to New England in order that they might worship and live as their consciences dictated. Governor Bradford, 354 years ago, procl- aimed in Plymouth, a "day of thanks to God," who had sustained them in the midst of hardship, peril and meagre resources. Their gratitude was for life itself, for religious freedom and escape from tyrann y and persecution, not for material assets, which they consp- icuously lacked. It is said that as the years passed, and prosperity came, those who followed them began their Thansk- giving dinner by looking down at five grains of corn set on otherwise empty plates, a reminder that this had once been the daily allowance of the colony. Such an exercise might be good for us. Across the world today, millions face just such limited rations, if they have any rations at all. We often get tired of hear- ing about the earth's hungry --our of sight is often out of sympathy --but it' s a cry we must both hear and heed. The resources of earth are not our particular pres- erve; we just happen to live in one of the favored parts of the world. The verse from Luke 12:48 is pertinent here: "Where a man has been given much, much will be expected of him..." Instead of griping when govern- ments make gifts from our taxes to the third world, and more particularly griping when we're personally asked to share in the redistribution process, we'd do well to remember those five grains of corn. (contributed) Of course manure smells! Each year, in some part of our province, city dwellers with aesthetic dreams about life in the country, forsake the noise, dust and crowds for what they believe to be a life of idyllic rural bliss. • The majority of city people, delighted to be surround- ed by green fields instead of concrete, fit comfortably into the rural community of their choice and make a worthwhile contribution to the progress of that com- munity. The minority, who immediately set themselves up in the grumbling business, are a form of migraine to their rural neighbours. They are the people who feel that a house in the country, situated on one acre of land, or less, gives them the right to raise a howl everytime a farmer spreads manure on his fields or the wind blows their direction from a chicken house or pig barn. Oxford County recently requested support from Wat- erloo Region on a campaign to protect farmers about complaints of handling manure `and were turned down not once, but four tines. The Oxford request generally calls for provincial legislation to guarantee that no manure complaints can be lodged if the farm operations were there before the residents moved in. City people like to eat. They are the first to howl if the price of dairy products is increased. They const- antly demand cheaper meat, vegetables and fruits. But, once they move from the city to the country, many forget that farmers cannot raise pigs, beef cattle, dairy herds and hens in a perfume -scented atmosphere. Those who find the smell of manure offensive would be well advised to remain surrounded by cement, so that the farmers of this province can get . on with the business of producing food as economically as is feasible without having people who have moved from the city to the country, running interference. (Milverton Sun) ZURICH Citizens NEWS PRINTED BY SOUTH HURON PUBLISHERS LIMITED, ZURICH HERB TURKHEIM, Publisher Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385 a�a tid Ff Member: .'� ����e > [� Canadian Weekly. Newspapers Association aillI1l� Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association `'�,epw�! Subscription Rates: $6.00 per year in advance in Canada; $$.00 in United States and Foreign; single copies 200 Cite . lack of co-operation County hears recreation report (by Shirley J. Keller) There were 10 conclusions drawn by membrs of Clusters 6 and 7, an association of mnicipal recreation commit- tees from municipalities within the county of Huron, following their intensive study into recreation in Hur- on, and thre recommend- ations involving Huron County Council. The report was presented to members of county council when they net in Goderich Friday, October 3. Jim McKinlay, recreation director for the Town of Exet- er, acted as spokesman for the association, and told council the study uncovered an appar- ent lack of co-operation and co-ordination in providing facilities and services for recreation within the county. "There was a cry, a demand fbr more of this," McKinlay told council. There are few examples of co-ordinated efforts around the construct- ion and maintenance of rec- reation programs and there was very little sign of any mutually agreeable cost-shar- ing between neighboring municipalities in order to sustain these recreational opportunities." The report laid out the conc- lusions for the study: "Historically, Huron County Council has played only a minimal supportive role in the development of recreation in the county. There are a number of ex= amplcs of capital cost sharing in the construction of recreat- ion facilities among neigh- bouring municipalities within the cunty. However, there are also examples where this has not occurred. "With regard to tax dollars allocated for the maintenance and operation of recreation facilities and program, in nearly all cases the cost has been born solely by the municipality in which the facility or program is located. As a result, there is a trend toward establishing sur- charges for non-resident participants. "Recreation participation opportunity is required by both rural and urban resid- ents of the cunty including all ages and both sexes. All levels of government within the county have an obligation to share in providing recreation service. "There is general agree- ment on the need for co-oper- ation and sharing between neighboring municipalit- ies regarding decision mak- ing, financing and planning within the county, but there is confusion as to how this can be effectively resolved and implemented. "There does not appear to be a great deal of long-range planning in the total spectrum of creation by municipal councils. There does not seem to be a clear and common understanding of what const- itutes planning for recreat- ion. "The facility standards as laid out by the Province of Ontario are not applicable to a rural county such as Huron due to geography and populat- ion density." By way of recommendat- ions, the report asks that Hur- on County Council become more involved in the assess- ment, planning, development and support of recreation in the county. It was suggested that a policy be developed which would outline the county council's role in rec- reation. This policy, it was further suggested, would be formulated after consultation by county council repres- entatives with the Municipal Recreation Committee. The report further recom- ended that neighboring municipalities be encouraged to develop methods of co- operation in the delivery of recreation services and educ- ation in changing trends in the philosophy of leisure. Huron County Council was asked to establish an uncond- itional grant system to mun- icipalities that are presently sharing program and facil- ities would ' be urged to develop joint committees to expedite co-operation in the delivery of recreation services. Finally, the report recom- mended that an equitable and fair system for cost sharing and decision making among municipalities that are sharing programs and facilities, be developed using an approp- riate formula system or syst- ems. It was requested that Huron County develop a recommended list of guidance and criteria to be used in the development of this system. It was suggested that to develop these guidelines and criteria, the county must rely heavily on the lay and professional resources that already exist in the county and the provincial Ministry of Culture and Recreation. The 42 -page report, the impetus for which originat- ed from a resolution passed by the Town of Clinton and forwarded to Huron County Council in January, 1974, was the result of the collect- ion of much data, including an attitude inventory. In all, 150 questionnaires were dist- ributed t elected officials and municipal recreation people. Mr. McKinlay said that 69 questionnaires were complet- ed and returned. He called that a "grand response." The study revealed that recreation costs per capita in the various municipalities vary all the way from a high of $54.25 per capita in the village of Zurich to 21 cents for head in Stanley Township. The towns pay an average of 525.66 per capita; the vill- ages, $27.52; and the town- ships, 52.74. Total cost of recreation across the county was 5665. 434.03. With a population here of 53,493, that means that the cost per capita in the county for recreation was 512.43. Another interesting set of figures in the report showed that of 53,493 persons in the county, 15,558 are under 15 years of age; 14,646 are bet- ween 16 and 35 years of age; 13,319 are between 36 and 60; 8,819 are over 61; and the age 'of 1,151 persons in Huron County is unknown. COUNCIL REACTION Reeve Bill Elston of Morris Township said that while costs , do look out of prop- ortion, arenas in small com- munities like Belgrave and Belmore operate "100 per cent gratis'.' when local people give time and effort to the programs. He reported a recent com- munity supper for 1,100 people, the proceeds of which will "run our programs." These big arenas with artif- icial ice are nice to have, possible,"Reeve Elston said, "but I'm wondering if we can afford it." Reeve Gerry Ginn of God- erich Township said his first impression of the report was that it was "just another way of getting dollars out of the rural municipalities." "But now I've cone to believe there are some very worthwhile recommendations in the report," Reeve Ginn went on. He said now that most municipalities have their own recreation commit- tees, it is a natural stepping stone to the kind of proposals contained in the report. Reeve Ginn said there is a need for an overall planning board for recreation in Huron County to ensure that some facilities are located in the town and some in the rural municipalities, and to ensure that all possible recreational facilities throughout the county are being utilized. Reeve Ginn further recom- mended that the restructur- ing committee of county council, previously charged with the responsibility of studying the co-ordination of such services as recreation, police and fire protection and garbage disposal, study the report with an eye to forming District Recreation Boards and a County Recreation Advisary Board. Jack McCutcheon. Reeve of Brussels, said that recreat- ion makes for a better com- munity. He echoed Reeve Ginn 's sentiments that overall co-ordination in the county is necessary because municip- alities, by themselves, are just too small to support facilities once they are establ- ished. "We should look to establ- ish facilities where they will benefit the most people," Reeve McCutcheon stated. Hullett Reeve John Jewitt said he was opposed to financing recreation by taxing property. "And I'm afraid that's what this report will lead us to," said Reeve Jewitt. "How much should come from the taxpayers' pockets and how much should be paid by the users?" asked Jim Mair, Morris Town-, ship Deputy -reeve. Reeve Warren Zinn of Ash- field Township urged town- ship councils to study the report and look at the facts and figures. "It should be a great help," said Reeve Zinn. NEW MOTION Later in the mroning, Reeve Gerry Ginn form- ally presented a motion that recreation study go to the restructuring committee for farther recommendation. "This is something that in- volved more than one com- munity," said Reeve Ginn, "and I think the restructuring committee could give it a broader look." "This matter belongs to development and it should remain there," argued Reeve Ed Oddleifson. "They started it and it shouldn't be passed on to another com- mittee. "The restructuring commit- tee is a co-ordinating com- mittee," said Reeve Mc- Cutcheon. "If you are not going to refer this matter to it, then disband it." At this point, Warden Ans- on McKinley reminded council that the committee meeting at which the restructuring committee was urged to co - (continued on page 6)