The Citizen, 1985-11-13, Page 1But dad, usually you want me to keep my hands clean
Aaron Sauve was one of more than 100 students at Blyth Public School who was asked to get his hands dirty
Thursday but he was asked by his father Rob [left]. Parents helped with the voluntary program to
fingerprint children in case they should ever become lost or missing. Jason Clark awaits his turn while
Constable John Marshall from the Ontario Provincial Police supervises.
Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel
Londesborough,'Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL. 1. NO. 4 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1985. 40 CENTS
Ontario Hydro will try to spare woodlots with line
BY BOB MURPHY
Huron County council has been
told Ontario Hydro is willing to
co-operate "wherever possible"
with its requests to relocate
transmission lines for'its proposed
new power corridor in order to
lessen the impact on valuable
woodlots.
According to county planning
director, Gary Davidson, Hydro
has indicated its willingness to
move the lines off fence rows in
order to save bush lots "if they are
requested to do that and wherever
possible."
Davidson made the statement
during presentation of the plann-
ing committee's report to council at
its regular November session at the
court house in Goderich.
"Hydro is willing towork with us
on that point," Davidson said.
Colin. Lionel Wilder (Reeve of
Hay) raised the issue of the
possible loss to valuable woodlots
through the construction of the
corridor during the presentation of
this report as well as an earlier
report presented by the county's
tree inspector.
Wilder said Hydro had been on
record as stating it would establish
transmission routes at the back end
of properties and along fence lines
but on many farms that is precisely
where the tree distribution lies.
If a fence line now cuts through a
four-acre woodlot, each property
owner could find his bush lot
reduced tojust half an acre once
land was cleared for the corridor,
he suggested.
Wilder said loss of the bush lots
meant loss of a wind buffer "and in
the case of a field with light soil we
could have many wind tunnels
which would create a lot of
problems."
He asked tree inspector Joe
Gibson if Hydro could be restricted
from clearing away the tree lots
under the Huron County tree
cutting bylaw.
Gibson said that Hydro is
exempt under the provincial Trees
Act. "I'm afraid we can't stop
them," Gibson said, "but it would
be nice if we could revise the bylaw
so it could suit us."
Blyth's discarded trees will
generate money for the cost of
replacing trees if a new program
instituted by village council at its
November 7 meeting is successful.
In response to Councillor
William Manning's proposal at the
ratepayers meeting October 29 for
charging for the wood from trees
cut down by the town, council
explored the situation. Councillor
Manning said that since the report
of his proposal at the ratepayers
meeting had appeared in The
Citizen he had had calls saying it
was about time such a policy was
considered.
He said he had taken advantage
of the old system himself but after
thinking of the amount of wood he
got out of the last tree he cut up, he
began to think "We've got a
saleable product here, why aren't
we doing anything with it."
He said that over 50 homes in
Blyth burn wood and estimated
that even at an average of only
four cords a year at a cost of $30 a
cord that means $6000 a year is
being spent on wood in Blyth. At
present he estimated that about a
half-dozen residents at most are
getting the bulk of the wood from
trees cut by the village that aren't
taken by the owner of the property
himself.
Town foreman Mery Ritchie said
Wilder's proposal to encourage
Hydro to avoid cutting down the
wood lots was later addressed by
Davidson in in statements.
Davidson also told council he
had attended preliminary hearings
in Guelph of the joint board to
consider the approval of the
there are currently 12 trees on his
"hit" list that must come down as
soon as possible.
Councillor Manning earlier said
67 of the villages 600 trees needed
to come down in the next year and
about 100 show some ill-health. He
told the ratepayers meeting that
trees that have been cut show an
age of 95 to 115 years and that if the
village doesn't replant 35 to 50
trees a year "we'll look like a
prairie town by the year 2000".
Mr. Ritchie said that a plan to
sell the wood was fine "as long as
we don't get into the trouble of
people leaving wood in heaps on
the sidewalks or not cleaning up".
Reeve Tom Cronin said that after
hearing Councillor Manning's
ideas he had investigated to see
what the county does and found it
tenders for the wood it had taken
out of its plantations. If, he said,
the village could get one tree
replanted for every tree taken
down it would gain.
Councillor Manning estimated
that with 67 trees to come down it
would yield about 400 cords with a
retail value of about $12,000.
Clerk-treasurer Larry Walsh
said that at present the trees are
only a financial liability. The Public
Utilities Commission has spent
$3700 so far this year on tree
removal and has budgeted $4000
expansion program by Hydro.
He said the main hearing will
begin today, Nov. 13, and is
expected to be lengthy since there
are at least 24 parties represented.
Estimates ranging from six to 12
months have been forecast for the
time interval before the hearing is
next year.
Councillor William Howson
moved that council advertise the
trees to be removed and see who
might be interested. The village
will continue to trim off all limbs
and leave only the main trunk of
trees standing to prevent danger
both to the tree cutters and to hydro
lines and equipment. Buyers will
be able to cut up the trunk and
limbs already felled and will be
responsible for cleanup.
DUMPING STATION
Another item raised at the
ratepayers meeting was the possi-
Dogs on the loose in Blyth joined
the endangered list Thursday
night when Blyth Village Council
voted to hire a new dog catcher.
Joe Mahon of Blyth was hired to
capture stray dogs and impound
them. He will keep a pound as part
of his duties. Dogs will be kept for a
minimum of three days after which
the animals can be sold or
destroyed.
Council spent considerable time
revising the old animal control
by-law and seeing what changes
needed to be made. They discuss-
ed keeping a file of pictures of all
completed.
The hearing will rotate sittings
around southwestern Ontario de-
pending on the issues, Davidson
said, but all general evidence on
need and systems comparison will
be given in Guelph.
The hearing session to consider
bility of installing a dumping
station for the convenience of
campers with trailers.
Reeve Cronin wondered about
the possibility of installing one in
Lions Park. Mr. Ritchie said it
wouldn't be difficult to tap into the
sewer outlet there -and install a
road access off Gypsy Lane with a
circular drive.
Asked about cost, Councillor
Howson estimated it would likely
cost about $1000 to install. Council
moved to explore the possibility
with an eye to installation in the
spring.
dogs registered for easier identifi-
cation. They discussed changing
the annual dog license fee to a once
in a lifetime fee but dropped the
idea because they felt some people
would rather pay a small amount
every year than a larger amount
(the proposal was $20) once for the
life of the dog.
Licence fees were raised how-
ever with the charge for a male or
spayed female dog going from $4 to
$5 for the first dog and from $6 to $7
for each additional one. The price
for the first female dog will be $11
Continued on Pg. 20
the Bruce to London route is to be
held at Clinton in early spring,
1986, Davidson said.
He also told council that the
issues of need and the reconsidera-
tion of the M-3 proposal are
definite points of address to be
presented during the hearing.
County says
no to booze
in stores
BY BOB MURPHY
Endorsation was given during
Thursday's session of Huron
County council to a resolution from
the county board of health urging
the provincial government to not
permit the sale of beer and wine
through grocery or convenience
stores.
The board's resolution was
based on the evidence which
indicates an increase in consump-
tion rate when geographic availa-
bility of alcoholic beverages in-
creases which in turn leads to an
increase in the incidence of health
hazards.
Paula Pranovi, a counsellor in a
Goderich alcohol education pro-
ram, urged council to endorse the
board's resolution "purely on the
issue of health related risks."
Pranovi told council that alcohol,
"as a drug -- and let's not forget
that it is a drug -- poses
health-related risks with increased
availability."
Statistics from a number of
studies support her arguments,
she said.
In what is considered a first by
council, page Cheryl Stafford was
permitted to present her views on
the issue to members of council.
Stafford is the daughter of Coun.
John Stafford (Reeve of Howick)
and recently spent a year in
Switzerland where she said, she
"was totally immersed in their
culture."
She told council there appeared
to be no minimum drinking age in
that country and alcohol was
available "everywhere" but that
did not pose a problem since "my
Swiss friends were not interested
in drinking and partying,"
In Canada however, things
might be different, with a "great
increase" in consumption if
there were an increase in availa-
bility, Stafford said.
"I don't think it should be sold in
grocery stores," she said, "be-
cause if it is consumption will go up
and somebody is going to get hurt
out there."
Coun. Lionel Wilder (Reeve of
Hay) called for a better education
program against the risks rather
than restricting its availability as
the solution to concerns.
"I'm not opposed to selling it in a
grocery store," Wilder said, "if a
person wants to buy a bottle of beer
Continued on Pg. 3
Blyth to tender for discarded trees
Look out dogs