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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-08-18, Page 3Wednesday, August 18, 2004 Exeter Times–Advocate 3 Organization wants to educate consumers By Mary Simmons almost entirely consisted of small family -run busi- nesses, but at that time EXETER — Selected publicly traded compa- Independent Funeral nies started buying the Homes, an organization smaller operations and based in the U.S. with tried to fit them into a approximately 1,500 business model. member funeral homes, According to Clarke, the wants to educate the model didn't work. public about its"It's emotionally "Funerals business. aren't a com- Of the member satisfying to help modity and companies, 47 people through they shouldn't are in Canada, the most difficult be," he said. one of which isy times in their "Traditional Hopper -Hockey retail models Funeral Home in lives,' are not pro - Exeter. GEORGE CLARKE ductive." Executive direc- EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Clarke said tor George Clarke many of the said the associa- funeral homes tion was founded to within the trade organi- develop and share best zation are family busi- practices and improve nesses which are being levels of service, adding it run by the fourth and is centred around stan- fifth generation. dards and ethics. "They provide their Clarke said until the communities with a well - 1980s the industry established knowledge of TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF local customs and tradi- tions," he said, adding they work hard to main- tain their reputation and relationship with the peo- ple in the community. Clarke said with the increased popularity of shows such as 'Six Feet Under' people have become more comfort- able with talking about death and planning for their own funerals. "There is a real need and desire to know more," he said. "They want to know their options and demand straightforward answers." Clarke said there is a higher level of satisfac- tion if consumers know they have choices and can work with a funeral home to create a ceremo- ny that reflects the life of the person who died. He said funeral homes can work with the emo- tional, spiritual and eco- nomic needs of con- sumers. Since many are independent, they can make their own choices about their services and are flexible when it comes to special requests. He said the Internet has become an important tool for funeral homes. Web sites often serve as a community resource. Some funeral homes also have open houses so people can see what they have to offer without attending a service. Although the role of the funeral director has been traditionally been male - dominated, Clarke said that is turning around and more women are entering the field. He said there is anecdo- tal evidence within the industry that many of the Council defers decision on lot severance By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN — Lucan Biddulph council deferred granting a lot severance application at a meeting Monday night. First on the agenda was an application by John Kemps to sever off a 1.1 acre parcel of land on his property on Coursey Line. Although planner Ted Halwa was not at the meeting, his report recommended granting the application. Council chose to defer a decision after hearing from Bob Rushton, a neighbouring farmer who opposed the severance and plans to build a residence on the lot. Rushton said the building of another house in this area would almost create a small hamlet and would change the conformity of the area. He also expressed concerns about drilling another well in the area, saying it could damage existing wells. An application was also made by Cliff Knip to square up a piece of his property on Mooresville Drive and make the parcels of land in the area equal. There were no objections to the application and coun- cil granted its consent for the severance. The second application was for a parcel of land with an existing house owned by Premium Pork, which was also represented by Knip. The existing parcel of land is zoned M2-3 for farm industrial use. It contains a single-family dwelling with an existing entrance off Highway 4, as well as a truck wash facility. The applicant was asking to sever the parcel so the house would be a separate lot, which could then be sold for use as a home. In his report, Halwa recom- mended council deny the application, citing insufficient separation distances and potential for incompatibility of land use. He said sight and noise could become prob- lems between the residence and farm business. Knip told council he was willing to create a buffer between the residential and farm business lots to take care of any issues with sight. As for noise, he said around four trucks a day go through the truck wash and should not pose a problem. He said the existing house already has all the necessary infrastructure for a dwelling, but is only being used occa- sionally by staff or overnight guests of Premium Pork. "We don't need the house," he said. "It would be best suited for someone who could use it." Although Coun. Doug Anderson said that if the appli- cant agreed to create the buffering, he was in favour of granting the application, he was outvoted by the rest of council who decided to deny the application due to the recommendation of the planner. Donate Your Unwanted Vehicle to The Kidney Car Program! Call You will receive: ✓ a free tow ✓ fair market value tax receipt ✓ funds raised support local kidney patients 1-866-788-2277 people entering the field are in their 30s or older and are choosing it as a second career. "It's emotionally satisfy- ing to help people through the most difficult times in their lives," Clarke said. He said it is important for people to learn about their options, know their rights and inquire about the funeral homes in their area before making a decision. He said when pre -plan- ning a funeral, it is important to talk to friends and family and let them know what you want. "Get input from the people who will be left behind," he suggested. "Funerals are really for the living." Liquor stolen HENSALL — Huron OPP have learned about a break-in that has occurred at the Hensall arena pavilion just west of the Hensall arena on Oxford Street. Sometime through the night someone forced open a door to the pavilion kitchenette and stole a quantity of alcohol. The alcohol had been stored there overnight by the local Optimist Club, which was running a ball tournament. The value of the theft is approxi- mately $600. Huron OPP is contin- uing its investigation. Anyone with informa- tion can call the OPP or Crime Stoppers at 1- 800-222-8477(TIPS). 1 F :, 4.4 On September 4 all public places and workplaces in Huron County will be S oke -Free. m m Bylaw information kits are available at the Huron County Health Unit, Municipal Offices and at www.huroncounty ca For questions or concerns, call 482-3377 Putting Health First Environmental Tobacco Smoke Bylaw #21, 2003 For more information and resources on quitting smoking, call the Huron County Health Unit at 482-3416 or 1-877-837-6143 if long distance. SANDOLLARS where everything is $1 or less m M M N M i M N M w w w w M LONDON ICE CREAM CO. 1 Dollar a Scoop... EVERYDAY GREETING CARDS 50C... EVERYDAY TISSUE PAPER Buy 3 Get 1 Free... EVERYDAY Lots of Unusual Gift Items Back to School Supplies COME IN AND FIND NOTHING OVER 1 DOLLAR FRIENDLY SERVICE... SEE YOU SOON 210 MAIN ST. N., EXETER a BESIDE EXETER SUBWAY 1 1 F :, 4.4 On September 4 all public places and workplaces in Huron County will be S oke -Free. m m Bylaw information kits are available at the Huron County Health Unit, Municipal Offices and at www.huroncounty ca For questions or concerns, call 482-3377 Putting Health First Environmental Tobacco Smoke Bylaw #21, 2003 For more information and resources on quitting smoking, call the Huron County Health Unit at 482-3416 or 1-877-837-6143 if long distance.