The Times Advocate, 2008-07-30, Page 1MES ADVOCATE
Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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# * www.hurontractor.com JOHN DEERE
11111
INSIDE
Summer fun
Zurich hosts I44th
annual fair
PAGE 8
Children
of Chernobyl
Program brings
Belarusians to Huron
PAGE 16
INDEX
Editorial 4
Sports I 0
Announcements 18
Classifieds 21
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Fun in the sun — Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Huron held its first
Children's Festival Saturday in Exeter at the former Darling's parking lot on Main
Street.The day featured several games and activities for children, a barbecue and
demonstrations by local groups. Casework co-ordinator Amy Schwartzentruber
said she hopes the event becomes annual.Above blowing bubbles are Alexis
Brintnell and Nathan Foran. For more pictures, see page 14. (photo/Scott
Nixon)
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Water discussion
to continue
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SOUTH I-IURON — After a special meeting Monday
night to discuss the proposed new water rates for
Exeter and Stephen, council is still considering what
direction to take and has a couple of new options to
look at.
The meeting Monday night was a much tamer affair
than previous meetings dealing with the proposed
new water rates, with only about 10 members of the
public in the gallery. The meeting was mostly intended
for staff to provide councillors with new information
before making an eventual decision. Some members
of the public also spoke.
As has been previously reported, the proposed aver-
age annual water/wastewater bill will jump signifi-
cantly in Exeter if approved by council. The average
annual bill would jump from the current $758 annual-
ly to $1,123 per year, mostly to pay for the $13.5 mil-
lion Lake Huron water line. The new proposed water
rates for Exeter per connection are a quarterly base
charge of $60, an $82 per quarter charge for the
pipeline and a water rate of $1.53 per cubic metre
used, jumping to $1.76 per cubic metre in 2009.
Current quarterly charges are $75 per connection and
57 cents per cubic metre.
See COUNCIL page 2
MS Bike Tour raises $890,000
By Scott Nixon
1'1MES-ADVOCATE STAFF
GRAND BEND — Over 1,400 riders
took part in last weekend's Rona MS
Bike Tour from Grand Bend to London
(and back), raising $890,000 for the
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada.
The MS Bike Tour, the largest in
Ontario and second largest in Canada,
saw 1,448 participants make the 160 -
kilometre trip from Grand Bend to
London and back to Grand Bend, wind-
ing up with a celebration at Port Blake.
This was the 18th year for the local ride
and the turnout was a record.
One of the local riders in the event is
Bob Case of Grand Bend who has par-
ticipated in the last 11 bike tours, rais-
ing over $40,000. This year he has
raised $7,800 so far, with more coming
in. Case was the event's ninth -highest
fundraiser last year, pulling in more
than $10,000.
Case's wife Kim is also involved in the
bike tour, working as a volunteer. Kim's
sister has MS, one of the reasons the
Cases are involved in the bike tour.
Participants leave Grand Bend for
London Saturday, spending the night at
the University of Western Ontario with
movies and a dance. Sunday morning,
they bike back to Grand Bend.
Leaving London at 7:30 a.m. Sunday,
Case arrived in Grand Bend at 10:05
a.m. and said he felt "great." He said
there were some tough spots due to the
wind, but he was lucky Saturday after-
noon to miss a downpour that some rid-
ers experienced.
Case said he keeps in shape for the
event by training throughout the year
and participating in other rides. He said
the MS Bike Tour has grown signifi-
cantly since he first joined 11 years ago
— back then, he said there were about
180 riders, compared to last weekend's
record number of 1,448.
He gave credit to the more than 200
volunteers involved and said the tour
wants to become the largest in Canada
and is inviting participants to bring a
See RECORD page 2
Teen's body found
GRAND BEND — The body of a 17 -year-old
teenager who went missing July 23 was found last
Saturday night.
An autopsy performed Monday morning at
Stratford General Hospital confirmed the body
recovered from Lake Huron last Saturday is
Stratford's Ryan Albrecht.
The coroner deemed the death to be accidental
and advised that the cause of death is consistent
with drowning. The family has been notified and
Lambton OPP has concluded their investigation.
Around 8:30 p.m. last Saturday the Lambton OPP
Marine Unit recovered the body of Albrecht in Lake
Huron south of Grand Bend.
A boater in the area found the body in the water
approximately one and a half kilometres south of
the Grand Bend pier.
The Joint Recovery Co -Ordination Centre (JRCC) in
Trenton was notified and the JRCC then contacted
the Lambton OPP.
On July 23 Albrecht and two 16 -year-old friends
were swimming in Lake Huron north of the main
beach in Grand Bend. The water was reportedly
See BODY page 2
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