Loading...
The Citizen, 1986-12-17, Page 1Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. VOL. 2 NO. 51 WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1986.40 CENTS With the Christmas season now upon us, schools and churches throughout the land echo with the joyful sound of the season as children everywhere present annual Christmas concerts to legions of proud families and friends. Above, the children of the senior Sunday School at Knox Presbyterian Church in Cranbrook offer a hymn at the candle lit service last Sunday. From left, the children are David Strickler, Jennifer Vanass, Lori-Ann Perrie, Bobby Steiss, Will Perrie and Shawn Conley. Festival marks 8th year in black For the eighth year in a row the Blyth Festival has ended the year in the black according to the annual financial statement delivered at the annual meeting of the Blyth Centre forthe Arts on Thursday night in Blyth. A record total audience and an extremely successful fundraising campaign helped the theatre to a McBurney youngest BY HERB TURKHEIM Brian McBurney, reeve of Turn­ berry Township, was acclaimed warden of Huron County at the inaugural session of county council last Tuesday afternoon in Goder- Christmas issue one day early In order to get The Citizen’s Christmas issue to everyone well before Christmas, the next week’s issue will be in the mail to most subscribers on Tuesday morning instead of the normal Wednesday morning mailing. To meet this deadline, the paper will be printed on Monday after­ noon which means all news copy and advertising must be received by 2 p.m. Friday. The Citizen office will be closed Dec. 25 and 26 but will be open on Dec. 27 until noon to receive advertising and news for the Dec. 30 issue. $5,261 surplus for the 1985-86 year which ended October 31. Revenues of the Festival, includ­ ing both summer and winter programming, fundraising and grants, totalled $666,311, up from $622,421 last year (which had also included a much longer tour for ‘‘Garrison’s Garage’ ’ compared to the shorter all-Ontario tour of ich. Robert Bell, reeve of Tucker­ smith Township, was also nomi­ nated for the position but declined to stand. He said he may be a candidate for the office next year. McBurney, who is the youngest warden of Huron County in history at only 35, has been a member of county council for six years. He was nominated by Lionel Wilder, reeve of Hay Township, who told the council he had great respect for the valuable judgement McBurney had always shown in the past years. The new warden, who is married with two children, has been a member of Turnberry Township since 1977, and became reeve in 1980. He is a member of the Wingham and area Fire Board, the Royal Canadian Legion, and the Bluevale United Church. In addressing the gathering at the inaugural session, Mr. McBur­ ney said “we have three big projects underway at the present “Cakewalk” this fall). Expenses were significantly higher this year despite the shorter tour partly because large casts in the plays boosted the salary bill from $388,643 last year to $422,958 this year. Summer Festival operations contributed only $736 to the surplus this year with $4,525 ever Huron warden timewith the Museum, Huronview and the new bridge, so we really don ’ t have to start anything new. It is most important that work continues on these projects.” The new warden told county council members that he would like to see the entire county adopt a more aggressive approach to attracting new industry. “Some municipalities have been working hardto attract industry on their own,” he added, “but I would like to see a county-wide program under way.” McBurney also cautioned coun­ cil that they will have to keep a close watch on the financial picture during the coming year, pointing out that Huron is now the top county in Ontario and it would be a shame to lose this distinction. In turning over the chain and gavel of office to the new warden, Leona Armstrong thanked mem­ bers of the county council and the general public for making her year coming from the most successful fall and winter season in years. Marian Doucette, president of the board of directors, in her report noted that more people than ever before had attended the Summer Festival this year with a total attendance of36,000for 81 percent of capacity compared to 78 per cent Continued on page 3 in office such a memorable event. “This has just been one big dream come true”, the retiring warden said. Mrs. Armstrong said the only big disappointment in the past year has been the fact that no provincial funding has come forward on either the museum or Huronview project. “Hopefully what didn’t happen this year will happen next,” she concluded. Doug Fortune, deputy-reeve of Turnberry Township, offered con­ gratulations to the new warden from members of the council as well as the ratepayers “back home.” “The people in Turnberry are both happy and proud to have Brian McBurney be the third warden from their township,” he added. Greetings from the town of Goderich were extended by mayor Eileen Palmer, who also extended Continued on page 15 4% raise for Huron teachers Some Huron County principals, vice principals and teachers have been given an early Christmas present by the Board of Education, in the form of retroactive salary increases for the 1986-87 school year. A joint press release issued by the Board office in Clinton on Friday reported that the Board and its 265 Secondary School teachers, represented by District 45 of the Ontario Secondary School Teach­ ers’ Federation reached the agree­ ment last week, the first time in the past ten years that negotiations between the two parties have been concluded in the same year in which they began. Under the agreement, secon­ dary school teachers will get a 3.4 per cent increase in salary retroac­ tive to September 1. 1986, followed by a 1.1 per cent increase effective February 1, 1987. Principals and vice-principals will receive a 4 per cent raise, as will department heads and personnel with specia­ lized qualifications. As of February 1, the minimum and maximum secondary school principal’s salary in Huron County will be $59,280 and $64,480; the minimum and maximum for vice­ principals will be $52,000 and $56,160; andthe minimum and maximum teacher’s salary will be $21,740 and $48,300. As well, theagreementcallsfora joint investigation into the possi­ bility of establishing an Employee Assistance Plan for all employees of the Huron County Board of Education. Such a plan, designed as a first referral service to assist employees who may be having job-related personal, professional orfinancial problems, is widely used by Ontario school boards, and is becoming quite common in industry, according to Gino Giann- andrea, Personnel Relations Ad­ ministrator for the Huron County Board. There were no changes made to the employee’s benefit package under the new agreement. Injuries slight as truck hits car Three people were taken to hospital and later released after a two-vehicle accident last Saturday that resulted in $10,000 damage to the cab of a truck belonging to T. B. Allen Ltd. of Londesboro. The driver of the truck, Donald Allen, 20, of Londesboro, as well as the elderly couple in the other vehicle, Dorothy and Harold Marr of RR 3, Wingham, were taken to Wingham Hospital by ambulance, treated for minor injuries, and released. A spokesman for the Wingham detachment of the OPP said that Mr. Allen, going north, had crested a hill on Hwy. 4, near Morris Twp. Concession 2-3, driving at normal speed, to find the Marr vehicle directly in front of him, travelling the same direction at25 km. per hour. Unable to avoid the slower car, the Allen truck collided with it, totalling the truck cab and resulting in $1,000damage to the Marr vehicle. The police spokesman said that the accident occured at 9:15 a.m., on good road surface. Mrs. Marr, who was driving her vehicle, has been charged with driving too slowly.