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The Huron Expositor, 1990-03-21, Page 3S HOPPING. SMARTER - Lorrainet Devereaux, (far lefty, Director of Nutrition and Fond Service for the Seaforth Community Hospital, leads a- group of health- , comer aecipus..shoppers an -a Shop -Smart- tour of-£yones- supermarket: 'Tailiirig .in the tour are (left to right) Jean Pinder, Leona Nigh, Olive Papple and Helen Brenie. Dale photo. Shop tours focus on nutrition "By starting in the supermarket and bringing home healthy alternatives, 10 or 15 years down the road the results are go- ing to show." So says Lorraine Devereaux, Director of Nutrition and Food Services at the Seaforth Community Hospital. Mrs. Devereaux is one of several health profes- sionals in the County taking part in the Shop Smart supermarket tours, leading consumers down the aisles to the healthy alternatives in food buying. The tours, held in conjunction with Nutri- tion Month in Ontario, are being run by Nutrition Services of the Huron County Health Unit. The Seaforth Community Hospital is also promoting the tours in line with their new 'Be Trim" weight manage- ment program. Consumers in Clinton, Ex- eter, Goderich, Wingham and Seaforth are invited to sign up for the one and a half hour tours - free of charge - to learn how to buy best, and healthiest, with their grocery dollar. Mrs. Devereaux reports that the response has been excellent. The tour teaches shoppers how to select the best of the processed foods, and which foods should be avoided. The emphasis these days is on promoting low-fat choices, and replacing fatty foods with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Consumers are also coached m 'label -reading'. "There's a lot of hype out there," Mrs. Devereaux explains, and knowing how to avoid it can lead to healthier, often less Meas on W expensive, food choices. One misleading label appears on "low cholesterol corn oil". "Whether it's low cholesterol or not is neither here nor there, because there was never any cholesterol in it in the first place", she points out. Mrs. Devereaux also notes that trimming fats and sugars from your grocery list can also trim dollars. The processed, rich foods are often the most costly. "You tend to be more selective," she says. Although the tours emphasize the best choices in processed and packaged foods, they also touch on some of the natural foods and meats. "Beef and pork get a lot of bad publici- ty," notes Mrs. Devereaux. She adds that fish and poultry are always wise choices, but that any meats are fine - in moderation. "We're not telling people 'never, ever should they touch a sausage again', she laughs. "That's not the concept." The Shop Smart tours in Seaforth have been taking place at Lyon's supermarket, with good turnouts. Tours are slated for March 27 at 1:30 p.m., and again on March 28 at 9:30 a.m., but space is limited and pre -registration is required. Anyone in- terested in taking in the free tour should contact Claire Alexander at the Huron County Health Unit, Nutrition Services, 2-3416 or 1-800-265-5184 unty h+ d I3.WBILL HENRY Huron county's seven ;depart ent .heads will spend up to .$5,000 setting the;; municipal 'corporations' policy at at leastplanning retreat• m X09O, But; the decision was made amidst star. my opposition which, lead to : a close. ,recorded vote -ancd sbrne 'bittersweet jibes et Thursday's county courtcil• session. "I believe that the political agenda should -not be manipulated by staff. The political fallout is the • politietan's pro, " said Fseter Reeve Bill Mickle,: who spoke against and; then was among, the 17.:county council members who voted in favor ofa staff retreat. Thirteen mempbers voted for _the retreat,,first posed to and accepted by the executive committee last month. Mickle was also among those who said -department heads -could easily hold -plan - Wog .sessions within the county office building in Goderich, at less expense. As well, he complained that the request from the. department ,heads failed to swhere how they would be held, what mightts there may be t sp nc on the agenda, and bow decisions made. would be reported to ,council, "T htuk this hax a'slightly open -elided approach to it," said Miekle, Chief among sllliP iters was 49,89 warden Dave ;Johnston, who said the county's "eacelient team of department. heads" have earned the opportunity. to coordinate their. thinking In such a forum. But Johnston also joked that ,he yhoped,, thate when they come bat acka with the,: BBet miller Accord, eI hope they don't declare planning partmendistinctsocie- ty." That was In reference to cO ncerns at council Meetings recently that the plan- ning department, . with its • forays into tourism development and other -Matters, isexpensive. becoming unnecessarily Powerful, and County .clerk -administrator- Nigel Bellcharatber said the retreat would. be held within Huron County under the direction of "an outside facilitator." The purpose, he said, . is to allow senior staff to gain a better understanding of one another and of how the several depart- ments must fit together. THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MARCH. 21, 1990 a:. at retreat 'He also, said the format has yet to be worked -out,, but it, would be ,subject to county council approval and. would elude; a means of reporting directly to council after' rhe retreat • The retreat is not expected tobe open to the pu'blie, since it would not be a Cottee' session or council Session, Bellcianaber said Municipal observer and .tieWsPAPer col- umnist Else Ha,Xdl�u had sai tutting the public question period which now follows all council sessions that she expected °to be unformed of the retreat's date and" location, She said she would attend at her oww expense, since the group would be discussing public business. Any such details, bald Belichamber, would be ebb' - iect -to the approval of- the- county- iia- scathe committee, which consists of the warden and the chairmen of committees. Participating in the retreat would be Bellchamber and the directors of county health, roads and engineering, museum, library, social, planning and development, and seniors' residential services. Fire chief explains need for pumper/tanker Seaforth Fire Chief George Garrick went old equipment is still saleable, and because before town council last week to discuss a of the possible implications of the GST in $170,000 capital expenditure by the fire 1991, the Seaforth and Area Fire Depart - department in 1990 for a new ment decided 1990 was the ideal time to tanker/pumper. At its February meeting, budget for the capital expenditure of a new Seaforth Council voted not to approve the tanker/pumper. capital expenditure in view of the fact that , age of the current equipment, and not We would be tax exempt this year, need, was the only factor motivating the which would mean a saving of $13,500 plus purchase. eight per cent provincial tax," commented af- "Council members will come and go, but feet even peef Garrick. "Next year es, and ie GST t'll be the fire department stays here. It has to hard to say what the provincial tax will work with the equipment it has," said be." Chief Garrick. Chief Garrick added that repairs on the "Any Fire Chief tries to keep his equip- 1975 pumper this year will cost a minimum ment updated and replaced before he has of $500, since they involve brake work, major problems with it." hose and body work. That, he said, coupl- ed with the loss of revenue that could be brought in through the sale of the two trucks this year, could end up meaning an Chief Garrick noted that it has been e policy of the fire department in the past, to replace pumpers once they reach 15 years of age, since that is usually when they begin to start costing for repairs. Ac- cording to law old fire trucks can't be sold as municipal pumpers once they pass that 15 year age. The Seaforth and Area Fire Department currently utilizes a 1975 pumper and a 1976 tanker. The tanker is a converted gas truck and has approx- imately 142, I J J1 miles on it. Because of that fact, the fact the t the increased cost to the town when it has no choice but to purchase the new tanker/pumper. Chief Garrick also noted that other municipalities who contribute to the Seaforth and Area Fire Department, also contribute to other fire departments as. well, and will probably be faced with ma- jor capital purchases for them in a couple of years. He noted that both McKillop Township and the Town of Seaforth have been put- ting money away for such a major capi :1 purchase, and suggested that it would be in the best interests of all, if the new piece of equipment was purchased this year. "We can't be going out to fight fires if the power steering or something goes on Tuckersmith, Seaforth to work together on road ream, tenance The Town of Seaforth and Township of Tuckersmi decided to tentatively place the reconstruction of George Street South in their five-year road program forecasts The Seaforth chapter of Meals on Wheels, is stepping into the 1990s with a plan to further improve its service. By the first of May program organizers are hop- ing to have purchased new containers for the transportation of their product - food. Started in 1974 by Betty Cardno, Dr. Whitman and other concerned citizens of Seaforth, the purpose `of tine Meals on Wheels program is to provide nutritious meals to senior citizens, or convalescing adults, unable to cope with the daily task of meal preparation. Meals are cooked by staff at the Seaforth Community Hospital, picked up by volunteers around 4:30 p.m., and delivered within a half hour. The meals are generally the same as those prepared for hospital patients, with special attention paid to diabetics and such, who might have specific dietary needs. A meal usually consists of soup or salad, meat and potatoes or the equivalent, and dessert. At present the meals are packaged in styrofoam containers, placed inside a ther- mos cooler and surrounded either by heat or cold packs, depending on the meal be- ing delivered. The new containers, called Aladdin Trays, should go even further in keeping meals warm until they reach their destination. The meals themselves can be purchased by the consumer at a cost of $2.75 per day, (up only $1.75 since the program's 1974 start up date). The price however, is scheduled to increase another 50 cents once the new containers are in place. But, even with the increase, the meals are still a lot cheaper, according to local organizers, than those offered by neighboring towns and cities. Those interested in receiving the service purchase tickets, which are picked up upon eels 4111 to •rovide better service MEALS ON WHEELS has been operational in Seaforth, Harpurhey and Egmond- ville for 16 years. Totally self sufficient the program provides nutritious meals once a day to people unable to cope with the daily rigors of meal preparation, be it on a temporary or permanent basis. Nellie Gallop and Janet McArthur of 50 Market Street are both users of the service, and on Thursday of last week, were photographed receiving their meals from volunteer driver, Bob McMillan. Robinet phpto. receipt of a meal. Meals can be ordered for an entire week, or for specific days on- ly. If a recipient happens to be invited out, he or she, can just cancel their meal for the •,!:y, and save their ticket for another occasion. Meals are available five days a week, and on all holidays - including Christmas Day, when they are delivered by Jane and Marlen Vincent. At present the Seaforth Meals on Wheells program is delivering to five clients, but usually its clientele numbers around eight or 10. Two years ago that number was up to 22. On the average heavier use is usual- ly made of the program during the winter months, when mobility is most difficult. In February, however, the Meals on Wheels program delivered only 103 meals, Retail business holidays act passed PASS RESOLUTIONS Seaforth Town Council passed a resolu- tion last week, giving the Seaforth Op- timist Club permission to seek LCBO privileges for its Mardi Gras event, scheduled to take place May 26 at the Seaforth and District Community Centres. The Town also passed a resolution ap- proving LCBO privleges for the Seaforth Agricultural Society's Elimination Draw, barbecue and dance set for June 30, also at the community centres. CORRECTED COST On an optimistic note, Seaforth Clerk Jim Crocker, advised council last week that he had incorrectly reported the repair cost to the damaged bollard in the town's civic court at council's last meeting. In fact the actual repair cost was about $30, and not $321. APPROVE PROGRAM Following a recommendation from its Economic Development Committee, Seaforth Town Council last week gave permission for the town's Economic Development Coordinator to attend an Economic Development Certificate Pro- gram at Waterloo University. The pro- gram is designed to provide a sound grasp of the principles of economic development, during an intensive two week study. One week of study will be completed next month, from April 21 to 27, and the second week, will be com- pleted in 1991. A certificate in Economic Development will be awarded upon com- pletion of the course. The tuition cost for the course is $800, and accommodation and food costs are expected to be an additional $400. Some of the cost will be offset by a $500 BRIEFS. I scholarship received from the Ontario In- dustrial Development Council. PURCHASE ACT Seaforth Town Council will follow the directive of its Finance and General Government Committee and purchase a cocost of $195. Members oof the annotated f the oal Ammittee agreed the purchase would be a wor- thwhile investment. INCREASE FEES Seaforth Town Council has amended a 1978 by-law in order to permit an in- crease in buildingpermit fees. Building permit fees will now be $15 for the first $1,000 of work done, and $4 for each $1,000 that follows, as opposed to $5 for the first $1,000, and $3 for each addition $1,000. PROBATION COMPLETED Seaforth s its Commercial, Heritage, and Eco omic Development Coordinator has completed her probation period, and that her salary will be increased in acccordance with the terms of her employment. Cathy Vida received a "very favorable performance evaluation". RENT INCREASED The has raised the rent it Town expects from of otheSeaforth Public Utilities Commission. Council approved a recommendation from its Finance and General Government Committee, which suggests that the t UC'S rent be increas- down from the normal 2 Coordinators Au ey Cameron and Jane Vincent attribute the decrease to two things - the number of retirement homes now in the area, and a lack of awareness about the Meals on Wheels program. Mrs. Vincent noted that initially clients had to be recommended' to the program to qualify for a meal, but added that has now changed. "We feel if they apply, then they're needy. We're here to get the service to people who need it, who say they need it." Mrs. Cameron noted that the majority of customers are senior citizens, some who were not getting the proper food and nourishment when left on their own, but who wanted to retain their independence. "They live alone and this service helps them to stay in their homes that much longer," she said. "We think it's a good service, but it's more worthwhile if a driver has six or eight meals to deliver." Started through donations from local churches and organizations, the Meals on Wheels Program is now totally self suffi- cient. All help is voluntary, including transportation of the meals themselves, which is done on a rotating basis by ap- proximately 23 drivers. Mrs. Cameron acts as treasurer for the program, and Mrs. Vincent coordinates the drivers. "As long as the program runs smoothly, it's not a hard job. If we didn't have the hospital, though, we couldn't do it. We work well together," commented Mrs. Vincent. "We're so fortunate in the smaller towns to get the services and the volunteers." Anybody interested in becoming involv- ed with the Meals on Wheels Program - either as a volunteer or a client, can con- tact Mrs. Vincent at 527-0373 or Mrs. Cameron at 522-0326. nl as a joint project, and to review and in- form each other as to the status of the project annually, during their budget reviews. George Street South is the dividing road between the town and the township. Tuckersmith Councillor Bill Carnochan reported that a delegation had requested that Tuckersmtih Township council include George Street South in its road maintenance/construction program for in 1990. He said however, the ttownship had been unable to rresponddttot the delegation, as it was unsure whether the road was town or township owned. In the past the Town of Seaforth has been maintaining the road allowance, and Tuckersmith questionned the possiblity of it being a boundary road. Seaforth Public Works Superintendent John Forrest noted that the Town of Seaforth has legal title to the entire 66 feet road allowance, but said the Ministry of the Transportation does not consider George Street South to be a boundary road, and therefore, both the town and the township are equally responsible for its maintenance. The Town of Seaforth has no plans for the reconstruction of George Street South in the next five years. It has already ten- tatively established its road reconstruction programs for the next two years, subject to various grant approvals, and does not consider George Street South to be one of its highest priorities. The Township of Tuckersmith however, said it does not feel it should have to maintain the road until it has been reconstructed. Tuckersmith Superintendent Doug Poulton commented that because the road is actually a town road, it should be upgraded to Seaforth's minimum road standards and requirements. To do that both superintendents agreed the existing roadway should be completely removed, a new gravel base constructed, and fresh asphalt laid over the base. Once that is completed the upkeep of the road could then be split by the two municipalities. The best way to do that, they agreed, would be by alternating year- ly maintenance responsibilities. ed from $312 to $325 per month effective May 1, 1990. IMPROVING EFFICIENCY In order to improve the efficiency of the town office, a couple of changes have been implemented by town staff. In an effort to ensure that either the town's clerk or deputy -clerk are in the of- fice, lunch hours have been staggered. A weekly meeting has also been scheduled with the Mayor, in order to ensure there is no gap in communication. PURCHASE FLAG In view of the increased attention be- ing paid by Seaforth in recent years to Canada Day celebrations, the town has agreed to purchase a special "Happy Bir- thday Canada" flag at a cost of $43.15. The flag will be flown annually in Seaforth from June 24 to July 9. ATTEND MEETING Seaforth Deputy -Clerk Treasurer Michelle Huard has been given authoriza- tion to attend the annual Association of Municipal Clerk Treasurers meeting, scheduled fro Toronto from June 24 to 27, 1990. POLICE MEETING Two members of Seaforth's Protection to Persons and Property Committee have been authorized to attend the Police Ser- vices Act Seminar in London on Satur- day, March 24. Cost of registration for the seminar is $40 and Deputy -reeve Peg Campbell and Councillor Garry Osborn will attend. NO PARKING No parking signs will be erected on Main Street in front of the Town Hall Civic Court, in an effort to deter people Turn to page 5 • Wed. Mar. 21 1:00-3:00 p.m. — Parents and Tota Skating 1:30-4:00 p.m. — Senior Shuffleboard at SDCC 4:30-5:30 p.m. — Junior Ringette Practice 6:30-8:00 pan. — Minor Broomball 8:00-10:00 p.m. — Recreational Volleyball at SDHS 8:00-10:30 p.m. — Ladles' Broomball et SDCC 8:00-11:00 p.m. — Men's Competitive Curling Thurs. Mara 22 4:30-5:30 p.m. — Figure Skating at SDCC 5:30-8:30 p.m. — Minor Hockey 6:30-8:00 p.m. — Minor Broomball at SDCC 7:00-11:00 p.m. =- Mixed Curling 8:00-11:30 p.m. — Men's Broomball at SDCC Fri. Mar. 23 1:00-3:00 p.m. — Open Curling 4:15-5:15 p.m. — Ringette Practice 5:15-6:15 p.m. — Junior Houseleague 6:15-7:15 p.m. — Senlor Houseleague 7:15-8:15 p.m. — Junior Ringette 8:15.9:11555 Mar. p.m. — Petite Ringette HOUSELLEAGUE HOCKEY P�YOFFS 0:30-9:30 a.m. — Canadians vs. North Stars 9:30-10:30 a.m. — Oilers vs. Kings 10:30-11:30 a.m. --. Flames, vs. Leafs 11:30-12:30 p.m. — Whalers ve. Penguins 12:30-1:30 p.m. — Mites ve. Brussels 2:30-4:00 p.m. — FREE PUBLIC SKATING - sponsored by: The Town of Seaforth Employees Sun- Mar. 25 2:00-5:00 p.m. — Seaforth Figure Skating Club CARNIVAL 9:00-11:00 p.m. — I.H.L. Mon. Mar. 26 7:00-11:00 p.m. — Men's Curling 8:00-10:00 p.m. — Competitive Volleyball at SONS 8:30-10:00 p.m. — Seaforth Beavers vs. Kincardine Tues. Mar. 27 10:00-12 noon — Parents and Tots Skating 5:30-6:30 p.m. — Minor Hockey 6:30-8:00 p.m. — Minor Hockey 8:00-10:00 p.m. — Minor Hockey Wed. Mar. 28 1:00-3:00 p.m. — Parents and Tots Skating 4:30-5:30 p.m. — Junior Ringette 5:30-6:30 p.m. — Minor Hockey 6:30-8:00 p.m. — Minor Broomball 8:00-10:00 p.m. — Recreational Volleyball at SDHS 8:00-10:30 p.m. — Ladies' Broomball at SDCC 8:00-11:00 p.m. — Men's Competitive Curling