The Times Advocate, 2008-04-09, Page 1MES ADVOCATE
Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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HURON TRACTOR
EXETER
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# # * www.hurontractor.com JOHN DEEREINSIDE
On the runway
Welcome Wagon hosts
bridal fashion show
at Rec Centre
PAGE 8
Protect yourself
Author warns against
the dangers of fraud
PAGE 12
INDEX
Editorial 4
Sports 16
Announcements 18
Classifieds 21
TIMES ADVOCATE
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Winter is over — Kaylee, Jenna, Jared and father Steve
Myatte were enjoying the warmer temperatures on Sunday
with some fun atVictoria Park in Exeter. (photo/Pat Bolen)
CanGro future still in doubt
EXETER — The status of the Cangro vegetable pro-
cessing plant in Exeter remains in doubt, after the
March 31 deadline for the plant to be closed or sold
passed without an announcement.
The deadline was announced by CanGro Jan. 8.
United Food and Commercial Workers representative
Wendy Absolom said she has heard several times of
rumours about a possible sale but nothing has been con-
firmed.Negotiations are also continuing for another
CanGro plant in Niagara Falls, that is scheduled to close
at the same time as the Exeter plant.
Calls to CanGro vice-president David Hoyles were not
returned.
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Five per cent tax hike
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SOUTH HURON — South Huron ratepayers can expect a five per cent
increase on the municipal portion of their 2008 residential taxes.
Council approved the 2008 draft budget Monday night, with plans to
adopt the final budget at the April 21 council meeting.
At Monday night's council meeting, chief administrative officer Roy
Hardy walked those in attendance through a PowerPoint presentation
detailing this year's municipal budget. Titled "Finding a Sustainable
Balance," the report not only includes highlights from the 2008 budget,
but makes projections for the next five years.
On a South Huron residential property assessed at $150,000, the munic-
ipal levy in 2008 will be $787, an increase of $35, or nearly five per cent,
over the 2007 tax rate.
Tax bills are based on three levies — the municipal levy, the county levy
and the education levy. This year's education levy is slated to be $396,
while the county levy has not been determined yet.
Mayor Ken Oke said council has spent a lot of time on this year's budget
and he thanked councillors for their efforts.
"We came up with a budget ... I think we can live with."
Hardy outlined several "principles" on which council's budget projection
was based:
• "maintain current service levels;
• identify service level increases;
• look for efficiencies;
• stick to core businesses;
• development pays for growth;
• pay depreciation costs each year to replace assets (equipment, build-
ings, infrastructure)."
Hardy's report addressed the municipality's various departments and
See SOUTH HURON page 2
Ethanol plant delayed
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
HENSALL — Originally planned to be up and running by mid -2008, con-
struction on the $150 million GreenField Ethanol plant planned for
Hensall won't start until at least the spring of 2009, with a probable oper-
ational date of 2010.
Vice-president of corporate affairs Bliss Baker told the Times -Advocate
Monday that the company is "still 100 per cent committed to the site and
the project," adding GreenField has already invested $20 million in the
Hensall site adjacent to the Hensall District Co-op. Baker explained
GreenField has invested in the land, roads, a technology agreement,
equipment and engineering and is still committed to paying $6 million to
the new water line from Exeter to Hensall.
"We haven't wavered in that commitment," he said.
The main reason for the delay in the project is what Baker described as
the volatility of the global economy, namely the financial crisis since last
August that has seen lenders tighten up credit. While GreenField had
intended on building two ethanol plants at once — the Hensall plant and
one in Johnstown, Ont., the downturn in the economy convinced the com-
pany to construct one plant at a time.
Baker called the decision "financially prudent" and "a safe thing to do."
The Johnstown site will be up and running by the end of the year, he
added.
Baker said he wants to come back to Hensall soon to publicly present a
See HENSALL page 2
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