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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-07-27, Page 22 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, July 27, 2005 Regional wrap up OPP probe BAYFIELD — A member of the Bayfield and Area Chamber of Commerce says $30,000 is missing from the organiza- tion's bank account. The fraud was reported to police June 18 by BACC interim president Carol Pakenham. According to the Goderich Signal - Star, Pakenham learned her name had been forged on some bills. Meanwhile, former chamber president Denise Schramek has resigned. Schramek says she invested the money and plans to return every cent to the chamber. Wind turbines going up ACW — The land- scape of Ashfield- Colborne-Wawanosh is changing with the addition of 22 tur- bines across the area. The Goderich Signal -Star reports the EPCOR Kingsbridge Wind Power Project will generate 39.6 megawatts of energy, contributing about 100 gigawatt hours of renewable power annually. The turbines will take advantage of the steady winds blowing from Lake Huron. Contstruction of the turbines is expected to be complete by the end of 2005. Trivitt Memorial Church and Grimes estate going to court By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GODERICH — A court case in Goderich Aug. 19 will determine how much compensation the executors of the Mildred Grimes estate will receive. As previously reported, Grimes, who died Dec. 30, 2003, left $5 million — the bulk of her estate — to Exeter's Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church, solving that church's financial woes. The estate trustees, Edna Sims and Peter Raymond of Exeter, are claiming the standard five per cent of the estate, which works out to $365,465.10, but the church wants the courts to determine the number. The Times -Advocate has learned from some members of the church the issue has become divisive among the congregation. Estate lawyer Kim McLean of Exeter said the "application to pass accounts," which is what will occur at the Goderich Court House Aug. 19, is typical for an estate as large as Grimes'. "We start out with what we call `receipts and disbursements,— McLean says. "The execu- tors' job, of course, is to gather in the assets, pay the bills and distribute, and they have to account for that." During the passing of the accounts, the judge will approve what money came in and what went out, McLean said. While the church can object to the state- ments and the compensation claimed by the executors, McLean says he has received no official word of objection from Trivitt Memorial, although he expects to hear soon one way or the other. "To date, I have no objection with respect to that," but McLean noted the church has the right to object to both the executors' claims and the legal fees. "That's why you have `passing of accounts.' A judge has the discretion to lower them or raise them." If an objection to the claim is raised by the church, the issue will be argued in court. Trivitt Memorial rector's warden Marion Astle said the church isn't objecting to the executors' claims but "we don't know what is proper to pay them ... We're laypeople and we want to do what's right, so the best way we thought was to pass the accounts through a judge who knows what is proper ... We want them to be paid fairly and honestly and as laypeople we don't know what's right. And we have to honour Mildred's estate and when you're handling that much money you've got to do what's proper." Astle said the court procedure is not an attempt to "slight" or "hurt anyone. There's no way we want that." She added no one has come to her to com- plain about how the church has handled the estate. "I know there's talk around town. You hear rumblings ... but no one personally has come to me as the rector's warden and said any- thing." She said the church will comply with what- ever decision the judge makes on the execu- tors' claim on the estate, whether it be lower or higher than the standard five per cent. Trivitt lawyer Doug Skinner of Harrison Pensa in London said the court proceeding is simply a case of the church exercising its rights. "There's nothing out of the ordinary," he said, "this is just a normal course of action." As for the five per cent claim, Skinner said it's used as a rule of thumb, "but that's just the yardstick ... If there are significant assets inside that estate that don't take that much care and maintenance to deal with, then the court has latitude, which it exercises on a fre- quent basis, to reduce the compensation." Court documents show Grimes had a wide variety of extensive investments. In addition to leaving the bulk of her will to Trivitt Memorial, she left $50,000 for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, $50,000 for the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation and $25,000 each to South Huron Hospital, Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation. Originally from Toronto, Grimes retired to the Exeter area in the mid-1980s, eventually moving into the Exeter Villa until her death at 98. VON says thanks to Middlesex Cattlemen's Association Jackie Wells (bottom right), of VON Middlesex -Elgin, hosted a lunch at On the Que BBQ Catering in Lucan last week. Joining her are Maria Van Bommel, parlia- mentary secretary to the Minister of Agriculture/ Rural Affairs, Gord Hardy (top left), vice-president of the provincial Cattlemen's Association and Grant McComb, president of the Middlesex Cattleman's Association. (photo/Stephanie Mandziuk) By Stephanie Mandziuk TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN — Beef on a bun accompanied by a giant -sized thank you was the right thing to serve to members of the agricul- tural community. The informal get together also focused on an upcoming event, the VON Great Community Walk Sun. Aug. 28. VON has been helping seniors in Elgin -Middlesex for 99 years. In 2004, 600 par- ticipants raised a net profit of $64,000 and organizers are optimistic they can surpass that total this time around. The Elgin -Middlesex walk will take place in five loca- tions: Ailsa Craig, Strathroy, Longwoods, Conservation Area, Dorchester and Poplar Hill. Participants are invited to a barbecue at Poplar Hill Park after the event and that's where the Middlesex Cattlemen's Association comes in. The organization has donated enough beef to feed 650 people. VON community support services man- ager Jackie Wells says, "Even though the beef industry was in a crisis when we planned this event last year, it still stepped forward to help us help our community." The community however has been ral- lying behind its beef industry as well. "We're the only country in the world dealing with a BSE crisis where our beef consumption has risen, " says Gord Hardy, vice-president of the provincial Cattlemen's Association. Meanwhile staff at Lucan's on the Que BBQ Catering have vol- unteered to cook the beef. Other sponsors are also donat- ing their time and products so funds raised go directly to the services VON supports. For more information on the VON Great Community Walk call VON's Lucan office at 227-4546. Pledge sheets can also be picked up at the same location. VON has been helping seniors in Elgin - Middlesex for 99 years. ABCF welcomes new directors By Stephanie Mandziuk TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Two new directors have been appointed to the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation (ABCF). Cliff Ryan of Arkona is a retired teacher and Ernie Miatello of Merton is the owner/pharmacist of Huron Apothecary. Both men will assume their new posts Sept., 1. The positions became vacant when Tom Tomes and Bill Dinney stepped down. The ABCF is made up of volunteer watershed residents and is governed by a board of directors. The non-profit agency's goal is to pro- mote conservation projects in the Ausable Bayfield watershed. T H E 7! kalfil HAVEYOUR CAR'S AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM SERVICED NOWAT OUR LICENSED FACILITY. • RETRO -FITTING TO R-134 •• RECHARGING 9S AUTO SERVICE EXETER • LEAK DETECTION & REPAIR • SMELL ELIMINATION 3 g • ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE SERVICING • CALL FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT!! 235-0160 FxT#1 EXETER AUTO SERVICE 100 Thames Rd. E. 235-0160 Glenn Edward Enterprises Inc. 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