The Rural Voice, 1979-02, Page 3Inside this month
Special features
Stress P 4
Fitness P 8
1880 Health Hazards P. 11
Environmental Fairy Tales P 15
Guest Column Don Pullen P 16
Regular features
Up and Coming P 10
A Matter of Principle P. 13
Voice of a Farmer P. 18
Rural News in Brief P. 19
Mailbox of the Month P 24
Advice on Farming P. 25
The Rural Family P 30
The Young Farmer P. 33
Farming Around the World P 35
Classified P. 37
Perth Federation P 38
Bruce Federation P. 39
Huron Federation P. 40
Cover Photo BY SHEILA GUNBY
the rural
Voice
Published monthly by McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd., Box 10, Blyth, Ontario,
NOM 1HO. Telephone 523-9646 or 527-0240. Subscription rates: Canada $3;
Single copy 50c. Editorial board: Bev Brown, Sheila Gunby, Alice Gibb, Rhea
Hamilton, Adrian Vos and Susan White. Advertising representative: Barbara
Consitt, Telephone 527-0240. Staff reporter: Debbie Ranney. Authorized as
second class mail by Canada Post Office. Registration number 3560.
Opinion
What zoning is for
The controversy in the Town of Goderich about the rezoning of
the industrial harbour area or a part thereof, to commercial
shows a lack of foresight by the proponents of the change, as well
as by the man who proposed building a restaurant there. If the
change would be approved and the restaurant built, the fight
against the industries in the area would begin with a long string
of court battles in sight. This would be costly to all parties
concerned, including the taxpayers of Goderich.
It would start with OMB hearings, costing town, industry and
the restaurant promoter their first expenses. If the OMB should
approve, all three parties would look to a running battle to
improve dust control from the elevators; noise control from the
salt industry; demand for cleaner restaurant kitchens from the
Board of Health, and possible lawsuits over these issues.
Presumably it could lead to a decision allowing no industrial
expansion in the harbour area and no further development of
smaller harbours on Lake Huron.
If a restaurant is allowed, by zoning to commercial, the
restaurant owner will automatically have the right to an
environment compatible with the zoning. The council will have to
enforce this environment, and conditions could be considerably
more stringent than for the former industrial zoning. And who
will pay the shot? The taxpayer of Goderich, of course. If a
restaurant is needed, is there no other place?
The Huron County Federation of Agriculture knows what will
happen next. Farmers have gone through this exercise so often
that the scenario is quite clear. An urbanite gets a building
permit from a township council, so he can breathe fresh country
air. When he moves in he finds that the fresh air contains a
concentration of barn smells. There may also be a tractor doing
spring or fall work behind his house in the middle of the night, or
the banshee sounds of a modern corndryer may disturb him 24
hours a day for a month or so in the late fall.
If enough of these urbanites have been allowed to build, they
can, and sometimes do, outvote the rural people, imposing a ban
on the formerly normal practises in the area.
Provisions for changes in zoning must remain. but the initial
purpose of zoning should not be forgotten.
Letters to the editor
are welcome!
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THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1978 PG. 3