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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-09-15, Page 22 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, September 15, 2004 Tory makes a stop in Exeter during his leadership campaign By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — John Tory made a stop in the area last week as part of his campaign to become the new leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Tory was at a barbecue hosted by Bruce Shaw to talk to local Conservatives and ask for their vote Sept. 18. Shaw introduced Tory as the man who may be able to, "take the province back from the folks who misled us in the last elec- tion." Tory told the crowd he is willing to do what it takes to, "fix what has to be fixed in our party." He has been involved with the party for the past 36 years and hopes to have a hand in rebuilding and renewing it. He also spoke of his intention to work as a member of the opposition to stop the day-to-day ero- sion by the Liberal gov- ernment, which is "dis- mantling the things we achieved in government." Tory said he will work to get rid of the party debt and will put his experi- ence and talent to work to maintain Conservative principles. Janet Ecker, who was Minister of Finance in the Ernie Eves government, came back to her home- town to lend her support to Tory. Ecker said Tory is suc- ceeding in attracting new people to the party as well as bringing back former supporters. "It's a positive sign," she said. Ecker also pointed out Tory is known for his fundraising ability, having raised millions of dollars for charities, and will bring that knowledge to the leadership position. Kitchener -Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer, who also grew up in Exeter, was also at the event to support Tory. "He is the one candidate who will be able to defeat Dalton McGuinty," she said. The other leadership hopefuls in the race are Jim Flaherty and Frank Klees. "When John makes a commitment, when he makes a promise, he fol- lows it through," Witmer said. She also said Tory will restore accountability in the party, make health care a priority and focus on the growth of the econ- omy. Tory said if he becomes the leader of the party he will sit with the people of the province and listen to their needs, promising to come back to Exeter and stay in touch with the peo- ple he met at the barbe- cue and a round -table dis- cussion on the agricultural industry held in Dashwood later that day. At the discussion on agricultural and rural issues, Tory listened to the concerns of 10 local farm- ers who spoke about the impact of BSE, the future of family farms and rural communities, aid pro- grams and supply man- agement. Lucknow-area farmer Ken Alton said one of the major problems in the cat- tle industry is the fact the government allows off- shore meat into the coun- try "The extra quotas are killing the industry," he said. The farmers also point- ed out the monopolization of the packing and retail- ing outlets, which hurt the smaller establishments and take profits away from the producers. Belgrave-area farmer Ross Procter also spoke of the hardships in the beef industry, telling of the drop in price at the mar - Bruce Shaw hosted Elizabeth Witmer, John Tory, Janet Ecker and many others in a backyard barbecue at his home in Exeter Sept. 7. Witmer and Ecker, who are both from Exeter, were in town to support Tory in his leadership campaign for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. (photo/Mary Simmons) ket. Since the crisis hit the industry, there have been times when he was only getting 50 cents a pound for livestock. Although the price has gotten better than that, it's not by much, so like many other producers Procter has been holding cattle back from market and has even considered selling one of his farms. Brussels -area farmer Jeff Cardiff said he is con- cerned about the decline of rural communities. He said there is a decrease in the rural population, which affects communi- ties, churches, schools and local economies. "I've seen the decline firsthand," he said. "I'm here looking for help." He said the government should encourage invest- ment in agriculture, adding farmers don't want a handout. Cardiff also spoke about how hard it is for young farmers to get started in the industry. Tory had to cut the dis- cussion short because of another commitment, but promised to come back and hear more of their concerns and ideas for solutions. Shoppers Drug Mart on the move Continued from front page of Hwy. 4/83. He said there will be nearly $1,000,000 in renovations done to the building, with talk of a video store also going into the building. In terms of building pro- jects in South Huron, Pattison said 30 per cent of the entire year's devel- opment took place in August. Sixteen building permits were issued at a value of $1.78 million, with $12,471 in fees col- lected. To date, 87 building per- mits have been issued at a value of $5.47 million, with $40,142 in fees col- lected. Those numbers are still well below last year's figures at the same time and Pattison said he's hoping for a busy fall. Signs Deputy Mayor Dave Urlin said council should start looking at designs for "South Huron" signs to be erected at various sites in the municipality. He said council should set aside money for signs in next year's budget. "We need our boundary lines identified," he said. He also commented on the plethora of "atrocious" broken signs on Hwy. 4 throughout Huron County. He said some signs have been broken for two years. Deputy clerk Laurie Dykstra said she placed a call to the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) in London and the broken signs are to be replaced by mid-November Mayor Rob Morley sug- gested the MTO should wait until the spring to put up the new signs because they could get broken dur- ing the winter. Participants in the Community Living Walk prepare to leave the Grand Bend Fitness Centre for the 5 kilometre walk Sept. 12. Others were waiting to join in along the route according to mobility issues. The walk raised money for Community Living South Huron. (photo/Mary Simmons) Exeter Library staff Megan Finkbeiner, Jane Hundey and Cheryl Redegeld were busy at work Sept. 1 2.The library will be open 1-5 p.m. Sundays until May 15, 2005 with the exception of holiday weekends. (photo/Mary Simmons) Terry Fox Run Sunday EXETER — Exeter's 22nd Terry Fox Run will take place this Sunday. The run, which raised nearly $9,000 last year with 143 participants, takes place at MacNaughton Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participants can run, walk, ride their bikes or rollerblade. The event is also wheelchair accessible. While participants can go as far as they L like, there will be a 9 km route at the new MacNaughton- Morrison Trail, a 1 km route and a paved 5 km route for bikers and rollerbladers. Pledge sheets are available at the Exeter Library and various businesses in town. To the south, Ilderton is also holding a Terry Fox Run Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting in front of the King QEdward jel Restaurant. There are 1 km, 2 km and oi 5 km routes for par- ticipants to walk, run, rollerblade or bike. Pledge sheets can be found at terryfoxrun.org Business Directory REPAIRS Sewing Machine REPAIRS to all makes Free estimates 90 Day Warranty Experienced since 1952 Sew and Save Centre Ltd. 149 Downie St., Stratford Phone 271-9660