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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-01-10, Page 1Dublin A15 Weddings All Obituaries - All Sports — A7, A8. —A9, A14 Welton - A15 . See A1 Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dublin, Hensel' and Walton 4 Seaforth, Ontario HURON EXPOSITOR. IMMESH Y. JANUARY 10. 1990 Tuckersmith salaries revenred Tuckersmith Council members Bill De - Jong and Rowena Wallace attended the Board establishment meeting of the Brucefield Fire Department. It was decid- ed that the Board will carry two represen- tatives from each Council (Tuckersmith and Stanley), and will meet three times a year to discuss the operations of the fire area department. Any additional meetings will be called as necessary. The Board's first official meeting will take place on February 14. It was pointed out that, with four members on the Board and two from each Township, a deadlock could easily occur if a vote was called on an issue. Councillor Wallace explained that the Chairman of the Board has the option to vote. In addi- tion, the Board structure was set up in such a way that, if there is a problem, it would have to be negotiated out through the townships. One of the issues that will have to be reviewed by the fire area department board is the filling of the Brucefield fire truck. Apparently, the pumps shut off in Vanastra when the Brucefield fire depart- ment fills up their vehicle, and approx- imately four hours of overtime work ensues. "You're not getting a realistic view of what the fire department is costing you when you're not charging out for the fires", councillors DeJong and Wallace were told. "If you're going for the formality of a board, you're better to get your priorities set from the, start." Rowena Wallace noted that it will be hi- teresting to see what is discussed at the Board's first meeting in February. ROADS OVERTIME Doug Poulton, Superintendent of Roads, reported that a total of 44 hours of over- time was put in over s Day, Box- ing Day and New Year'`;:Day clearing the snow from the Township roads. "We're still within ourrsnow budget, but we don't know yet haw it reflects on everything else," he.repled when question- ed on the December is costs for snow removal. EMPLOYEE REVIEW Tuckersmith Council feviewed the 1990 salary adjustments > for Township employees after their regular meeting. It was suggested, by Cbuncillor Larry McGrath that proposals and recommenda- tions be submitted by they employees before the adjustments be,cemented. In addition, Deputy ;peeve Bill Car- nochan strongly suggested that employee interviews and job reviews be carried out in the near future. There was some con- cern as to when this could be arranged, as 'Turn to page 14 Bridge repairs .at $721( for McKiHHop Ken Dunn, from B.F. Ross and Associates of Goderich, attended the latest meeting of Mckillop Township Council on January 2 to discuss bridge repair costs. Mr. Dunn has examined the bridge on Lot 22, Concession 6 and 7 in McKillop Township and has presented a repair cost estimate of approximately $72, I to coun- cil. The bridge requires new curbs and railings and replacement of the deck surface. The Township will be applying to the Ministry of Transportation for the subsidies and funding If a grant is made available, tenders will be called for on the repairs. However, McKillop Township clerk Marion McClure notes that work on the bridge pro- bably won't commence in the near future, WEAR AND TEAR on the bridge at Lot 20, Concession 6-7 in McKillop Township is clearly visible. B.F. Ross and Associates of Goderich have informed McKillop Council that repairs to the bridge will run in the neighbourhood of $72,000. Elliott photo. COUNTY RESTRUCTURING REPORTS McKillop Council recently received a copy of the draft Terms of Reference from the Huron County planning board. Huron county is currently in the process of set- ting up a study committee with regards to the restructuring of the County govern- ment, and is looking to the various municipal and township governments for their input and proposals. , The study has been set up in response to the Tathem Report, a Provincial task force named after Oxford MP Charlie Tathem, which recommends that the counties in On- tario examine their go, ernmental struc- tures with an eye to the reiresentation, functions -,.and . accountii ` ?ity;,,; One of the Provincial `t ecomt i ends 'ons was that the separate municipalities' sttidy their own structures and report back 'to the County. Huron has agreed to take this route and has approached McKillop, among other municipalities and townships, with the draft of the Terms of Reference. Public meetings will be held concerning the proposals, and the municipalities have been asked to respond to the County on the recommendations by the end of the month. It is hoped that the whole study will be completed by the time of the next Municipal elections. One of the controversial points of the study is the proposal that 4,000 be set as the optimum population for a municipal or township government, and that townships such as McKillop, with a population of less than 4,000, be amalgamated with other town or township government structures. TOWNSHIP ACCOUNTS Payment of the general account was ap- proved in the amount of $81,457.42. A voucher from the Superintendent of Roads in the amount of $10,856.15 was ap- proved for payment. It was reported to Council that the total expenditures for the Roads department in 1989 was $411,181.90. Council approved one Tile Drainage loan in the amount of $7,500. The borrowing limit for the Township for the year 1990 was authorized at a max- imum of $600,000. MEETING TIME CHANGED McKillop Township Council has changed the meeting time for February to Wednes- day, February 7 at 7 p.m. In addition, the meeting times for the months of March and April has been changed from 1 p.n.). to 7 p.m. 50 cents a copy LIFE IN THE WILD - Tom Bannon of Winthrop, top, and Adam Wallace of Clin- ton hang out in their multi -entrance snowfort. The two cousins spent a sunny Satur- day afternoon in Winthrop in the snow construction business. Elliott photo. Seaforth workers benefit Workers laid off from Genesco Canada Inc. in Seaforth will be one of the first group of Ontarians who may be eligible for help under a Program for Older Worker Adjustment (POWA), announced by federal Labour Minister Jean Corbeil and Ontario Labour Minister Gerry Phillips. POWA will provide income support to up to 600 laid -off workers age 55 to 64 who have exhausted their unemployment insurance benefits and who have no realistic prospects for reemployment. The Seaforth company was one of 15 in Ontario who will be the first to benefit from the program. Other layoffs will be examined to determine if they fit the pro- gram criteria. The Canada -Ontario POWA agreement calls for Ottawa to fund 70 per cent of POWA costs and Ontario the remaining 30 per cent. Workers whose employment has been ended by layoffs that are designated as "major permanent layoffs" leading to "severe hardship" for a "substantial number off older workers" may be eligible for POWA assistance. Designations are determined layoff -by - layoff. Once a layoff has been designated, the eligibility of individual workers is determined. POWA benefits provide financial assistance to older workers who have ex- hausted unemployment insurance benefits but who are not yet eligible for the old age pension. Permanently laid -off workers who qualify for POWA will receive an amount equal to 70 per cent of their unemployment insurance benefits at the time of the layoff. Workers can claim a maximum of $1,165 per month in 1990. POWA benefits are taxable. Older workers eligible for POWA benefits will be located using a number of sources, including company records and Canada Employment and Immigra- tion files. Crimestoppers Chairman pleased with program's progress The success of the Huron County Crimestoppers program is fitting testimony to the dedication and community concern of the men and women who worked to get it off of the ground. Ken Cardno of Seaforth is one of those men. The Seaforth representative for the coun- ty Crimestoppers Board of Directors, and Chairman of the county Board for a year and a half, Mr. Cardno has been one of the driving forces behind the program since its inception in the fall of 1987. The County chapter officially received their charter in March 1988. Jim McNichol also serves on the Board of Directors as a Seaforth representative. "We have 16 directors on the board, from all walks of life and from all areas of the county," Mr. Cardno notes. Members volunteer for the Board and, if a spot is available, serve a term from one to three years. The Board meets once a month to oversee the administration of the program, control the funding and discuss the reward payment responsibilities. Crimestoppers, which originated in El Paso, Texas seven years ago, functions in co-operation with the Ontario Provincial Police and local forces. A 1-800 number, which is connected with a North America - wide network, can be dialled by anyone wishing to provide the police with any tips concerning crimes of any sort. As Mr. Cardno ex ' lains, a citizen need never reveal his or her identity, and can even phone in a suspected crime, such as im- paired driving, to the Crimetoppers number. "When you call, you would be given a code number," says Mr. Cardno. That number would be the 'informant's' iden- tification for all subsequent communication with the police and the Crimestoppers organization. "If the information that is given pans out, leads to an arrest or conviction and charge, you are eligible for a reward," he continues. The reward can range in size from $50 to $1000, depending on the severi- ty of the crime and the usefulness of the tip. As a board member, Mr,,Cardno is also occasionally responsible ,tor handing out reward monies. This is a pretty clandestine affair, carried out in such a way as to pro- tect the identity of the caller and the board members. "They never pay you in the same town that you're from," he explains. "And the board member who pays you isn't from your town, or from the town where you meet them." A rewardayment for an in- formant from Exteter, for example, might be arranged in Goderich by a board member from Gorrie. "There's total anonymity." Mr. Cardno cites some of the latest figures' froin Crimestoppers and its suc- toppoosil oo 2 THE NUMBER TO REMEMBER for Crimestoppers is prominently displayed on the Seaforth Police cruiser. Ken Cardno, left, Chairman of the Huron County Crimestop- pers Board of Directors, and Constable Charlie Akey, Police Liaison for the Board, are pleased with the progress of the program in the county. Elliott photo. cessful, though short, history in Huron County, To date, $83,505 Worth of stolen property and drugs has been seized through Crimetoppers tips. 36 cases have been successfully closed, and 40 charges have been laid. "We're just coming up to our year-end now," he reports, noting that the total amount of reward money paid out in 1989 hasn't been calculated et. However, in 's- 1988, between $800 and $900 was paid out. "There haven't been any big ones yet," he says, referring to the maximum reward payment of $1000 for a tip. He praises public support for much of the success of the Crimestoppers program in Huron County. Most of the money to run the system comes from public donations, and last summer's "Jail or Bail" day in Goderich - during which Seaforth Mayor Hazel Hildebrand was even thrown in the clink - raised about $16,000 for Crimestoppers. The Ontario Provincial Police "..are very supportive of Crimestoppers, they're the behind -the -scenes driving force," comments Mr. Cardno. A full-time co-ordinator oversees the program in Goderich, and like every other system these days, everything is on computer. But the success of the Crimestoppers program depends on the people that it was designed to assist, the private citizens. And, thanks to them, Crimestoppers will be doing the great job that it has been do- ing for a long time to come. The toll-free Crimestoppers number is 1-800-265-1777. Locally, you can dial 4823821. CKNX-TV carries a Crimestoppers "Crime -of -the -Week" spot on Monday even- ings, and local newspapers - including the Huron Expositor - often run the "Crime -of - the -Week" write-ups. 4 1