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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1986-04-23, Page 1INDEX Births /A9 Brussels /A6 Classified /Al2, 13, 14 Dublin /A4 Entertainment /A15, 16 Family /A9 Hensall /AF Legion /A15 Obituaries /A9 People /A9 Sports /A7, 8 Walton /A10 Wedding /A9 Centenaires bring All -Ontario title to Seaforth. See page A7. Serving the communities and areas of Seatorth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensel) and Walton diminimw Huron xpositor SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 1986 — 16 PAGES Threat a hoax A bomb threat made just prior to `khat ended up to be the championship game in All Ontario Junior D hockey action, turned out to be a hoax, according to the local police chief. Chief Hal Claus said an employee at the arena received a call at approximately 7:30 p.m. last Tuesday from a caller who said he was from Delhi, "He said Seaforth didn't need to worry about winning the game since a bomb would be going off at 10:30 p.m. But just because he said he was from Delhi doesn't mean he was," said Chief Claus, Chief Claus said although the department was convinced at the time the call was probably a hoax they couldn't afford to take any chances and had to take the necessary precautions. After apprising arena manager Graham Nesbitt of the situation and determining no one suspicious had entered the arena prior to game time, the police met with the coaches of both hockey teams to discuss the situation. They made a combined decision to play the hockey game as scheduled. They did not, however,' tell the players of the threat. "We decided not to clear the arena because we figured that was what the caller really wanted," said Chief Claus. in the minutes before the game police searched the arena and dressing rooms thoroughly overturning benches, . checking garbage containers and looking in any other areas a bomb could have been concealed. Nothing was found. In addition two OPP officers were commis- sioned to stand by and police informed a few trusted people of the threat and asked them to be on the look out for anyone or anything suspicious in the stands. Constable Charlie Akey viewed the crowd from the gondola. The mayor was also advised. 'We didn't want to be too alarmist but we wanted to make sure the place was secure," said Chief Claus. "The coaches were concerned but didn't want to tell their players in case It affected their play. We also figured if we cleared the place a lot wouldn't have come back." Chief Claus said the bomb threat is not the first in Seaforth's history but added It has been some time since the last one. There used to be, he said, a number at the high school once the warm weather approached and students wanted time off. "It's just sad that something that would have been enjoyable to most people had to be marred by this," he said. 50 cents a copy Board approves big budget BY WILA A OKE The Huron -Perth County Raman Catholic Separate School Board approved its 1986 budget of•$10.4 million at a special meeting in Dublin Tuesday. This is an increase of $1.2 million or 13.3 per cent over the actual expenses in 1985. Finest Vanderschot of St. Marys, chair- man man of the finance committee, explained budget includes costs of 8455,500 for the hoard's first secondary school, St. Michael School in Stratford. which opens in Septem- her for Grade 9 students. Included in that amount 138100,000 in renovation costs to that school for secondary purposes. Additional grades will be added, one year at a time, until a complete secondary school is implemented. Mr Vanderschot said other capital Items in the budget include roof replacements of 8220,000 at three Stratford schools, for which the ministry of education postponed funding in 1984 and 1985 and only now has approved it, with the work completed on the three schools this spring; and $260,000 for approved educational computers. half of which will be used for the new secondary school at St. el Idled Mr Vanderschot said general legislative grants will increase by $737.500 to $7.8 million. Provindal contributions will gene ate 75.7 per cent of the total revenue for the board with a further 1.8 per cent generated by tuition fees and other revenues. County municipalities will be responsible for22.5 per cent of the board's revenue in 1986. The hoard has adopted a mill rate increase of 7.8 per cent which on average will cost taxpayers 85.43 per $1,000 of assessment. For a homeowner assessed at 83,500 the increase will be $19 additional to that levied in 1935. HAS NO RESERVES The board has no reserves, except for a capital fund for a planned building project in 1987 with the addition of St. Bo lfgce School in Zurich and has neither a surplus nor deficit to bring forward from prior years. With the extension into secondary school programs In September, and no additional tax base on whidr to levy secondary school rates, the board is planning to operate at a deficit of about $300.000 this year for the first time In the baord's history. Mr. Vanderschot said the deficit is of great concern and said by the end of the year some grants may ease that, naming possible grants for the renovations to St. Michael School, where the new secondary school has been established. Jade Lane, superintendent of business and finance. said "'oris was perhaps the most difficult budget we have had to deal with, the starting of the secondary school, costs of $165.000 alone in Stratford, is quite extraor- dinary. there are capital costs included in that.....". Included in the budget are teachers' salaries and benefits amounting to S8.2 million 187 per cent of total instruction cast); total instruction expense of 87.2 million; transportation, 81.1 million; and plant operation and maintenance, 81.2 million. Alachlor is to remain banned Agriculture Minister John Wise an- nounced he is refusing to grant temporary registration for alachlor, a corn and soybean herbicide. "1 find the fundamental issue basically unchanged since i reviewed the question more than a year ago," Mr. Wise said. The product, sold by Monsanto Canada inc under the trade name Lasso, had its full registration cancelled last year. The cancella- tion was ordered because of concerns by Health and Welfare Canada over public health and safety. After representations by the manufac- turer. a five -member Alachlor Review Board was established by Mr. Wise to review this decision. its recent recommendation to the Minister was to re -instate the temporary registration of the product for the 1986 Grossman says Peterson panicky over doctors season, pending completion of a full inquiry. In turning down that recommendation, Mr. Wise said: "Considering that Monsanto has submitted no new toxicological data to the Alachlor Review Board or to Agriculture Canada, and in view of advice received from Health and Welfare Canada subsequent to the board report and the ministers of environment from provinces hi which it is predominantly used, itis my decision that the continued use of alachlor represents an unacceptable risk of harm to public health and the environment. "This decision should not be considered prejudicial to the final outcome of the registration status of aladrlor, once the Madder Review Board has futalfzed a complete and.detailed review of all pertinent informiatinn." BYallAIWN DIET'L Premier David Peterson is panicking in his battle with Ontario doctors over the proposed ban on extra -billing, provincial Conservative leader Larry Grossmatn said in Godorich April 10. Mr. Grossman suggested the government is not operating on a preconceived strategy and pointed to the premier bringing in Attorney General ian Stolt to take over the negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association from Health Minister Murray Elston. Speaking at a public forum organized .by the Huron County Medical Society, Mr. Grossman said Mr, Peterson has painted himself into a corner and the war with the doctors no longer has anything to do with health care accessibility. About 50 people attended the forum held from 1.3 p.m. in the afternoon. Doctors. their spouses and local Conservatives aside there were few members of the general public who attended the forum, .The panel included Dr Art Steed, president of the Huron Mediad Association, Dr. Bruce Thomson, a Goderich family doctor and Dr. Don Neal also a Goderich family practitioner who organized the forum Dr Neal said he tried unsuccessfully for four weeks to get Health Minister Murray Elston from the neighboring riding of [turnip Bruce to come to the forum and when he couldn't came on the various dates suggested, it was proposed Agriculture Minister Jack Riddell of Huron -Middlesex or another member of the Ubetal caucus attend., Dr, Neal Bald no one from the government wa able to attend. According to Murray Elston's office the Liberal caucus was meeting In Cornwall the date of the event and this had been planned for some months previous to the request for someone to attend the forum in Godench Mr. Grossman accused the government of overkill in the way they are handling the issue of health care accessibility. "What you have is the extension of a very small problem where less than one per cent of the people ,n Ontario have a problem with extra -billing and the government comes In changing the way the profession looks at itself and the relationship between the doctors anti the government. "The approach is very out of focus You provide bad government if you don t try to keep the pmbletn and Its solution relative." said Mr. Grossman "This is overkill and the exercise of power isn't worth it " "How many will have a dramatically improved health Bare as the result of Rill 94 and how many will have their health carr quality damaged over the next 10 years because of the greatly changed relationship between the doctors and the government resulting from Bill 94," Mr Grossman asked Mr. Grossman said the premier has hacked himself into a corner and the Vberals don't have the political maturity to hack off Fle suggested Mr. Peterson can resolve the issue by simply backing away, leaving Bill 94 on the order paper and negotiating with the doctors until the end of 1986 The government has one year to comply with the Canada Health Act to qualify for 850 million in federal health transfer payments. The Conservative leader said he promised to support the government if they agreed to negotiate with the OMA until the end of 1986 "I told Mr. Peterson yesterday 1 would support the government on the specific issue of negotiation until the end of 1986 and not lel them be cornered on an election an the issue of negotiating." He called the proposed bill the last great hurdle to government taking over the health care system. "Once every doctor is conscript - Continued onpage A l4 WE WON IT, !—Seat orth Centenalre Captain Dave Murray leis go with a victory yell, as he proudly holds aloft the ONA AII-Onlarto Junior D trophy, after the learn clinched the final series vrtth the Delhi Flames, in Seatorth, April 15. For more Genrenaire coverage, see page A7. Flatus photo Hydro hearings antagonize some participants BY ALAN RiVE'i`T Ontario Hydro rolled into Clinton on April 15 for hearings of the proposed hydro transmission route from the Bruce Nuclear Power Development to Landon, through Huron C-ou_nty. The Consolidated Hearings Board, an impartial three-member board, has been hearing submissions concerning the pm - posed hydro corridor from Ontario Hydro, interest groups and individuals since the preliminary hearings opened in Guelph fn November of 1985 and have continued in Markdale and London. The consolidated hearings became neces- sary after Ontario Hydro announced plans for a 500 kilovolt double drarit transmission line from the Bruce Nuclear Power Developnient ($NPD) to the London generating station in July of 1985. The plan, called system plan M7, would also involve uansmission lines from the BNPD to Esse near Barrie and another line from London to the Nanticoke generating station on Lake E ie. The BNPD to Landon route would pass east of Ripley, through Ashfield, Colborne and Goderidh Townships, and continuing west of Ailsa Craig to London. The Hydro panel of Glen iog'hmd, Christopher Bancroft -Wilson, Bill Stott and Greg Neill of Hydra's design and tranamis- sion department, were first to speak at the opening day of hearings. They gave a general description and features of the BNPD to London region, placing particular signifi- cance on agriculture, recreational, and environmental aspects of the area. According to Bill Scott, senior planner with Hydro, the London corridor was originally spiit into three gpeaficregions encoeing the north, central and southern se ons for the purposes of a study in 1984 and 1985. Hydro representatives, at that tithe, met with such agricultural organizations as the Feder- ation of Agriculture, Christian Farmers' Associationd other area groups to determine land use objectives. They were then rated and studied: iAND USEOBJECTIVES Mr. Scott said the information in this study provided the basis for constraint maps, one showing the ranking of Hydro and another showing the rankings set down by the agsicuitural groups These maps were used by Hydro to determine the individual corridors and to assess Where constraints would be lessened to accommodate the transmission lines. CHANGES TO BEMADE The Hydro representatives also outlined how the hydro routes were identified, through the use of a variety of technical information, composite maps and studies as well as comments and suggestions at public meetings in the area According to Mr. Bancroft -Wilson, the Hydro open houses have resulted in four changes incorporated in to the final plan of the alternate routes. The recommended hydro BNPD to London route, the western route, would run from Bruce, southward through Greenock, Bruce and Kincardine Townships while avoiding the village of Glanunis and the Glammis Bog. in traversing Kincardine Township, the line would observe side lot lines, but moves off the lot lines when crossing the Durham Road, explained Mr. Scott In Huron and Ashfield Townships, the route picks up on the side lot Imes again until it readies the Ashfield -Colborne Township line where a short diagonal's required. When crossing the Maitland River, Hydro insider- ed two possibilities of travenaing the river. but both involve a "potentially great effect on the natural environment,' said Mr. Scott. Upon crossing the liver, he said the route does not follow the boundaries because of the fabric of the river and the built-up area along airway near Holmesvrlle. The route then fb owls the MR rah Waytracks on a diagonal and proceeds through Goderich Township on the side lot lime. ft would then extend on the side lot fines through Stanley Township, then east of Zurich while avoiding the Hay swamp in Hay Township and continues on to Landon. Mr. Scott said the route generally follows side lot boundaries whidi would have a minural effect. on Class 1 and 2 soils m the area. The route also has Tnnited forestry resources with most of the woodlots found in the eastern corridor. Other technical aspects associated with planning the route were three cable TV operations and the Goderich Municipal Art, north of Goderich and the Huron Air Park near Centralia. In order to determine the clearance for transmission towers near the airrppoort, Tram rt Canada and local zoning bylaws on height restrictions were consulted, said Hydro representative Glen Hoglund. in addition, Mr. Hoglund said gas and oil pipelines run along the route, but explained they don't need a great deal of clearance and can be adjacent to the hydro lines. FEASit3IIXTY AN ISSUE in cross-exartifnation of the Hydro panel, Foodland Hydro Chairran Tony McQuail asked the panel members to speak on the feasibtlityof using wetlands orforestl'ands for as opposed to farmland. the transmission corridor Glen Hoglund, of the Hydro panel, said it would cost Hydro 200 per cent above the base cost to establish a line through wetlands and a cost of 850,000 per kilometre to construct a line through forestlands. "So 1 would be correct in saying it would cost twice as much to construct towers in wetlands and forest lands as compared to stable soil and the maintenance oasts would be higher in wooded areas than on farmland," said Mr. McQuail. Mr. Hoglund was in agreement with Mr McQuail on these two statements. Mr. McQuail further asked the Hydm representative if they ever built a hydro line through Wetland in the past. Mr. Hoglund replied Hydro had to construct a line through several settto'ns of swamp when building the BNPD to Milton transmission line. Mention was made by Mr. McQuail to an existing 115 kv line which runs from east of Seaforth to Kitchener. Mr. McQuail asked if use of these existing tight -of -ways could not be used instead of establishing a new line. Mr. Hoglund replied the line would not be appropriate to rebuild because of the narrow right-of-ways on the line. He also said the wooden poles used on the line are not designed for the 500 kv power lines. DAYTWO Board member J. Ward Rodman opened questioning on day two by asking the Hydro Continued on . a. a A3 S 4