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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-07-02, Page 66 Times -Advocate Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Opinion Forum News No equality in water rates To South Huron council: In its coverage of the June 18 public meeting on the proposed new water rates, the Times -Advocate failed to report the reason for my objection. If council and their consultants also missed my point, this letter will explain. I live in a 17 unit building. It has one service, for which it is assessed a connection fee of $75. In my rent, I pay 1/17 of this fee, or $4.40. If the new connection fee of $142 were to be levied, my cost would rise to $8.35, an increase on that portion of 90 per cent, steep but tolerable -if that increase were to be applied to everyone. However, the connection fee is to be applied to each "living unit", therefore that portion of my bill goes up $142 or over 3,200 per cent! Based on figures cited in the T.A. and provided by staff, my water bill in 2009 will raise from its current $13.52 a quarter (16 cubic metres used), to $170.16, or an increase of over 1,250 per cent. At the same time, a single family house using 50 cubic metres from $103.50 to $230, an increase of less than 225 per cent. Equality? Hardly. But hold it! You ain't done yet! There is to be a "per living unit" connection fee charged for sewage, too. This means that my bill for sewage goes from $10.36 a quar- Lett to th Edito ter to $30.80 or almost 300 per cent. At the same time, a single family house goes from $79.70 to $54 a decrease of 67 per cent ! Bottom line? My water and sewage bill goes up from $23.82 to $200.96 per cent a quarter or 850 per cent. For a single family house it goes from $182.50 to $284, or 155 per cent. Or one cubic metre of water costs me $12.56 while a single family house pays $5.68. If this is equality I would hate to be discrimi- nated against. The only fair way to pay for water is by per unit used. I can accept a small charge to cover meter reading and bill preparation -say $25 a quarter to r cover water and sewage, but operational costs, debt repayment costs, and setting aside reserves for future capital expenditures, must come from user charges. Or as the saying goes, "Dem dat use it, pays fer it." But while you debate what the cubic metre rate should be, remember the first law of consumerism, "the frequency of service utilization is inversely propor- tional to its cost". Other municipalities have experienced major drops in water usage after starting user pay, some over 20 per cent. If you think that can't occur here, just look back at what happened when garbage went user pay. These "proposed" water rates are not fair, not equal, not just. Council still has a chance to change these charges, to redeem themselves, to show they listened to the citizens they represent. I sure hope they utilize it fully. ROBERT DRUMMOND, Exeter ers Playground returns EXETER — Welcome back, everyone! After a long off-season, the staff at Playground are ready to venture into a great summer. First of all we would like to extend our thanks to those who came out to support the Playground program at our fundraising bar- becues this past weekend. We hosted one Friday at the Town Hall as well as Saturday at Belongers. Both were great successes and will immensely benefit the costs of this years trips. We would also like to give a huge thanks to Town Hall and Belongers for the locations, the Works and Rec departments the delivery and pick-up of many supplies and local businesses for supplying burgers, juice, napkins and cups. Appropriately enough, this week's theme is `Schools Out!' Week #1 started off with a few reminders of how the Playground program works and the children enjoyed creating and decorating their own kites. Tuesday we celebrated Canada Day and although it was not a regular playground day, we still saw several familiar faces at our annual Child Fair. The play- ground staff would like to thank our volunteers for helping run the activities. Also planned for this week are `Silly Olympics' and a `Picnic in the Pines'. Next week come on out and enjoy oodles of new activities and games as we get 'in motion.' July 11 we will `celebrate' the end of the week with an outing to New Orleans Pizza for a tour of their facilities. Did you miss registration day? Not to worry — stop by the Ag Building between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. and our staff will be more than willing to give you all the information you need to sign your children up for great summer fun. For more information about our program see the municipal website or e-mail any questions to exeterplayground@gmail.com =alai. JESS BICKE EXETER PLAYGRO LL UND Update from South Huron mayor SOUTH HURON — I think we all learned a lot at the information meeting dealing with the new proposed water rates. These rates are not final and this was a public meeting to keep everyone informed about what is going on and to get public input. A lot of thought was made before council decided to Ken Oke abandon the well system and proceed with the pipeline to Grand Bend. At the time I figured it would take 10 years to really justify the extra money with the pipeline but, only three years later, it is quite clear council made the right decision. It is starting to look like the money we would have had to sink into the well system might exceed the cost of the pipeline and as the wells deteriorate we would have been forced to go to the pipeline anyway. At this point in time, one well is unfit to drink and the water from two others must be mixed to make it pass standards. The statement I made at the meeting was, "If you are going to get angry at someone, get angry at federal the upper tier govern- ments." I was quickly shot down. I tried to get A - channel to put my thoughts in the news, but the apartment owners were more spectacular for their news. More money is collected by the provincial govern- ment than by the munici- pal government and more money is collected by the government than by the provincial government. Money from these two levels of governments is usually given to the municipal gov- ernments in the form of grants to keep expensive municipal projects still affordable by the local people. This is a way to equalize the way of life so everyone in Canada can have a decent sort of life without being overburdened with expensive necessities of life. Three municipalities in this area have connected to the London - Grand Bend pipeline within the last three years. One municipality has connected twice. All three of the other projects had a high grant from either the provincial govern- ment alone or joint provincial/feder- al government and some of the grants have been, as I have been told, as high as 70 cents on the dol- lar. South Huron has a grant from the federal/provincial government and it totals 31 cents on the dollar. All the municipalities on the London -Grand Bend pipeline went together to apply for a federal grant (South Huron was included) to get $50 million and this is going to be matched by the provincial govern- ment to improve the pipeline and help municipalities connect to the pipeline. South Huron does not qualify as we had our project start- ed. Why did South Huron have its project started? We were under orders from the provincial govern- ment to start or face fines. If we had been treated the same as the other two municipalities we would be getting another $4 to $5 million for our water project. I do believe there is still hope and mean- while this council will continue to lobby for the help we need and deserve. POLICE BRIEF Assault with a box DASHWOOD — On June 12 Huron OPP officers were dispatched to Arc Angels Thrift Store in Dashwood for an unwanted party complaint. Upon arrival police were advised that an angry customer had thrown a box of lights at one of the volunteers and struck her in the head. The incident had been witnessed by a sec- ond volunteer in the store at the time. The victim did not require medical treatment. The accused, a 55 - year -old Huron East man was charged with assault with a weapon. He will appear in Exeter Court Aug. 28 to answer to his charge. The `Eight Keys' EXETER — When busy employers narrow down applicants for a job, they may use the `Eight Keys to Employability' as a screening tool. These eight keys help employers remain equi- table while hiring the best candidate for the job. To better your chances of finding a job, show potential employers that you have the `Eight Keys to Employability.' 1. Personal values: Employers want workers who demonstrate a positive attitude and are motivat- ed, honest and goal -oriented. Project a positive self-image to employers and demonstrate you are willing to reach beyond per- sonal limitations. 2. Problem -solving and deci- sion-making skills: Employers in all industries want employees who are flexible, creative, innov- ative and are able to reason and make objective judgments. 3. Ability to relate with other people: Employers want friendly, co-operative team members who can demonstrate leadership quali- ties. Respect is an important aspect of this key. 4. Communication skills: Companies are look- ing for good listeners who can express themselves clearly to clients and co-workers and are not afraid to ask for help when necessary. 5. Task -related skills: This includes completing work on time, caring for tools and materials, fol- lowing directions and sticking with tasks until completion. 6. Maturity: Employers are looking for reliable, dependable and responsible individuals. If you take pride in your work and are willing to invest enough time and effort to get your job done with little or no supervision, you display the necessary level of maturity for success. 7. Health and safety habits: Employers will hire people who dress appropriately and practice good personal hygiene and who observe and respect rules and guidelines dealing with safety issues. 8. Commitment to the job: You should show employers you are enthusiastic and will continue to learn and grow in your job. Commitment to the job includes punctuality and consistency of work and effort. To show employers that you have the right skills for the job, focus your resume to demonstrate the `Eight Keys to Employability.' When preparing for an interview, remember examples of times when you demonstrated the skills identified in these keys. If you would like help with your resume or interview skills, visit the Exeter SCCY Tuesdays and Thursdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 349 Main St. S., call 235-1711, fax 235-2716, or e- mail ashley.blake@servicecanada.gc.ca For more information on Service Canada ser- vices for youth call 1-800-935-5555 or visit ser- vicecanada.gc.ca ASHLEY BLAKE YOUTH SERVICES OFFICER Communities in Bloom The judges are coming! On July 26th around 4 p.m. the judges for Communities in Bloom will be arriving in Exeter. They will be here Saturday night, all day Sunday and Monday morning. We will be touring them around Exeter and the surrounding area. They will see the McNaughton Trail, Trivitt Memorial Anglican Church, Soccer and Baseball fields, Victoria Park, the Exeter Landfill Site and the Exeter Cemetery just to name a few. The Communities in Bloom Committee are very excited to be able to show the judges what a wonderful place Exeter is. Our Town is clean, and boasts beautiful flowers on Main St., has two Great Parks, well groomed baseball and soccer fields, a lush, well kept lawn bowling green and an excellent back to nature walking trail. Our residents in Exeter do a wonderful job um on their lawns and flower beds as well. We are asking all the residents and busi- Ber part of It7 nesses to keep up the good work and to make sure on the weekend of the 26th, that your lawns are cut and any garbage on the streets is picked up. The Judges write a report on the things we do well and they give direction on what needs improvement. We will find out these helpful criticisms on September 13th in Gravenhurst at the Awards Banquet. Please show your pride and do your part for your community!