Clinton News Record, 2014-01-29, Page 3Central Huron receiving
$134,000 OLG payment
Gerard Creces
Central Huron got a big boost
in the bankbook this week with
the release of the Ontario Lot-
tery and Gaming Corporation's
(OLG) third-quarter payment
of $134,406.
The money is part of an
agreement between the OLG
and host municipalities, repre-
senting 5.25 per cent of net rev-
enue from electronic gaming.
There are two main projects
the funds go toward in the
municipality - $40,000 is set
aside for community grants and
another $40,000 is put into the
facade grant program, allowing
businesses to revamp their
exteriors with municipal
assistance.
The remainder of the fund is
used for capital projects in Cen-
tral Huron. Mayor Jim Ginn
said using the money in this
way reduces the risk of opera-
tional deficits. Tying the money
into the budget itself, he said,
could mean shortfalls down the
road if the funding formula
were altered or stopped all
together.
"We try not to put those
funds into operating costs," he
explained. "Just in case that
funds dry up at any time."
Because Central Huron's
books go by the calendar year,
the OLG's third-quarter pay-
ment is actually the fourth-
quarter installment for 2013.
Treasurer Terri Rau noted that
the total amount for the year
received from the OLG will be
$594,000, about $35,000 less
than they anticipated.
The end result will be fac-
tored into the annual surplus/
deficit figures for the munici-
pality, but with many invoices
still coming in, Rau said it is
difficult to know where Central
Huron will end up at year end.
Still, those funds add up to
about 12 per cent of Central
Huron's total annual budget,
and Ginn said the idea is to give
the money back to the
community.
"It's really a shot in the arm
for community with the com-
munity improvement and capi-
tal work that gets done," he
said. "The arena and REACH
have benefitted from (OLG
funds) and lots of roads have
been paved with these dollars."
Central Huron's donation
fund is intended to assist char-
ity functions, and is based on
requests received. It is mainly
used for one-time requesters.
However, there are some com-
munity staples, such as Pluck -
infest, that receive donations
year after year.
To date, Central Huron has
received more than $7 million
for hosting the OLG slots at the
Clinton Raceway.
"OLG gaming sites generate
substantial revenues for munic-
ipalities and makes available
greater resources to invest in
their priorities," said Charles
Sousa, Minister of Finance in a
press release. "Host communi-
ties are able to access more
funding and improve local pro-
grams and services. Additional
revenues to the province also
go towards important public
services like health care and
education."
The Municipality Contribu-
tion Agreement determines
how much host communities
receive, based on an escalating
scale of slot machine revenue.
Under the agreement, munic-
ipalities receive:
• 5.25% on the first $65 million
of slot revenue
• .0% on the next $135 million
of slot revenue
• 2.5% on the next $300 million
of slot revenue
• 0.5% on slot revenue above
$500 million
• 4.0% on table game revenue
In 2013-2014, the province
will allocate $115 million in
gaming revenue to support
charities through the Ontario
Trillium Foundation. Every
year, the Government of
Ontario allocates funding to the
province's problem gambling
program for research, treat-
ment and prevention. The
amount for 2013-2014 is budg-
eted at $41 million.
Usborne & Hibbert
Mutual Fire Insurance Company
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING
The 138th Annual Meeting of the Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company
will be held at the Kirkton-Woodham Community Centre at 2 p.m. on Monday, March
17, 2014, for the presentation of the Annual Report, to elect Directors and to transact
any business that may rightly come before the meeting.
Nominations will be received for the election of two Directors for a three year term.
The Directors whose term of office expires are Tom Feeney and Michael O'Shea, both
of whom are eligible for re-election.
Article 21 Any person wishing to seek election or re-election as a Director must
file his/her intention to stand for election in writing with the General Manager of the
Corporation in person at least thirty days in advance of the Annual Meeting or Special
General Meeting called for the purpose of electing Directors.
The 2013 Financial Statements for Usborne & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance
Company will be posted to the company's web site. Copies will also be available at
the company office, 507 Main Street South, Exeter, Ontario.
Tom Feeney Shelagh Cleary BA, FCIP
Chair and President General Manager
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 • News Record 3
False alarms top fire calls for 2013
Gerard Creces
FIRE!
The stats are in for fire calls in
Central Huron for 2013, and Chief
Steve Cooke reports "the year turned
out to be a good one, with no 'large
loss' fires in the municipality.
All told, there were 13 fire calls in
Central Huron last year, and five
mutual aid calls, including the Sea -
forth Foodland.
There were two structural fires in
Clinton, two rural fires, a trash fire and a
chimney fire among the calls for serv-
ice, in addition to two lightning strikes
and a truck filled with debris from
another house fire that ignited itself.
Firefighters responded to five
motor vehicle collisions and five
calls about natural gas odours.
However, the highest number of
calls in 2013 was for false alarms.
The fire department fielded 28 acci-
dental and false alarms over the
year, and Cooke said one of the pri-
mary causes is alarm systems being
accidentally activated. Most are
from commercial and public estab-
lishments - businesses and schools.
"These are the people with the
most extensive alarms," he said.
"There is not a whole lot you can do
about it - we do have a bylaw on the
books if someone is having repeated
false alarms or if their equipment is
not up to snuff."
The rule of thumb is everybody
gets one. For repeat offenders, there
is a $400/hour fire call charge.
Meanwhile, Cooke said the fire
department is trying to get the mes-
sage out to people to be very careful
when using fuel -fired appliances
indoors during power outages. Even
something small like a camp stove
produces carbon monoxide, which
can be fatal.
A new law has been enacted as of
January 1 requiring Ontarians to
have CO detectors by every fuel -
burning appliance. The exact speci-
fications of the law will be ham-
mered out this year.
WHO'S WHO
f
Our Local Business Women
Attention: Women In Business
The Clinton News Record and
the Seaforth Huron Expositor
will be placing Special Pages
in our Wednesday March 5th
edition for our Local
"Women In Business"
Let our readers know about you
and your business or services.
Why you started the business
you are in and what products
or services makes your
business unique.
Home - Retail - Service!
Contact Us Today! 519-482-3443
or Call 519-527-0240
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