The Citizen, 1991-06-12, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12,1991.
Puppeteers to entertain
The graduates
Brussels Playschool held its graduation ceremony at Brussels, Morris and Grey Community
Centre on Thursday, May 29. Front row, from left are: Jessica Spinks, Sarah McDonald,
Rachel Elliott, Katie Aitcheson, Anne Yuzwa-Reilly, Heather Little, Carolyn Exel, Amy Bridge,
Candace Ross. Middle row. David Bondi, Anthony Deitner, Brandon Blake, Jamie Ross, Kelly
White, Robbie Semple, Jonathon Engel, and Nick Campbell. Back row: teacher Tara Pipe,
Cindy Stevenson, Amanda Stevenson, Scott Armstrong, Aaron Richmond, Ashley Kueffer,
Amanda Mitchell, Jenna Fischer, Christine Seili, Cody Diehl, Cory Quesenberry, Michael
Albert and teacher Barb Mutter.
Canada Post sends message
Canada Post officials tried to
build some bridges of understand
ing when they addressed Huron
County Council, Thursday but by
the time the session was over,
councillors made it clear they
weren't happy about many aspects
of post office management.
Councillors complained of every
thing from slow mail delivery to
new postal rates for community
newspapers to the closing of corpo
rate post offices in rural communi
ties to Canada Post’s luxury Skybox
at the Skydome in Toronto. By the
end of the meeting, Jim Craig,
Community Affairs Officer for the
huge Huron Division of Canada
Post found his audience more and
more hostile.
Things nad started out well
enough as Mr. Craig explained ihc
rationale behind current Canada
Post policies such as the franchise
of retail outlets. The post office lost
money every year between 1954
and 1989 reaching a height of a
half-billion dollars in 1979. People
were paying tw;ce for postal ser
vice he said: once when they
bought stamps and again on their
tax bill. When Canada Post was set
up as a crown corporation in 1979
it was to be affordable, accessible,
reliable and fiscally responsible.
Canada Post turned a profit for the
first time in four decades in 1989.
Canada Post began its program to
convert corporate retail offices to
franchised Retail Postal Outlets
(RPOs) in 1987 and although the
program dos "strike a nerve in rural
communities", Mr. Craig said, the
same policy really effects all com
munities large and small. There is
only one corporate post office in
London but there are 20-30 RPO's,
he said.
There have been 141 conversions
in Huron District (stretching from
Hamilton to Windsor and north to
Tobermory). The latest Huron con
version was in Brucefield and Bay-
field is scheduled to be converted
Sept. 9 with the village looking at
buying the post office building
where Canada Post would rent
space for its lock boxes while retail
sales were handled by a store.
Mr. Craig argued that having an
RPO in a rural store can increase
traffic and help the store stay in
business but Jack Coleman of Stan
ley argued that in many cases the
thing that had made the general
store economically viable was the
salary the post master received.
"Take away the salary and the store
closes."
In Brucefield neither of the stores
in town wanted to have a RPO with
the result that Brucefield now has
no place to buy stamps or get postal
service. "From where we sit we
wish they would have", Mr. Craig
said, but since it wasn't that far to
go to Vanastra to get service, it
made sense for Canada Post to go
ahead with its plans.
John Doherty of Goderich, a
retired postal worker, pointed out
that the operators of an RPO in
Brucefield were offered consider
ably less than the post master had
received.
Brian McBurncy of Turnberry
pointed out that there was also no
counter service in Bluevalc after
the post office there closed. Il isn't
far to go to Wingham, he admitted,
unless you're old and you have to
walk.
Marie Hicknell, of McKillop
complained that it lakes a half-hour
lo drive to Goderich from her home
near Seaforth but on May 15 she
had received two letters from
Goderich, one that had been mailed
on May 13 and one on May 6.
Mr. Craig said lhal by Canada
Post's own standards, the letter
mailed May 13 was probably one
day ahead of schedule but the one
on May 6 is "one of those wonder
ful mysteries in Canada Post." He
said that kind of service was unac
ceptable and asked those who had
problems to send in the post
marked envelope so the post office
can trace to see where the hold-up
is. Of the billions of pieces of mail
moved by Canada Post only three
per cent is late but "probably a dis
proportionate amount of that is in
rural areas."
When Reeve Hicknell com
plained that the high cost of
postage may put community news
papers out of business Mr. Craig
explained lhal the government had
subsidized rales but was cutting
back and the cost had to be passed
on to the papers. "They’re a private
business," he argued. "I don't
understand how a private business
should expect a subsidy from the
government."
Some of the strongest criticism
came over the post office's Skybox.
Exeter's Bill Mickle said that he
thought the taxpayers of Canada
needed the expensive rental fee for
the box more than Canada Post
employees did.
But Mr. Craig replied that Cana
da Post is aggressively sales-orient-
ed. Il's a $4 billion a year
corporation and it should be com
petitive and do things the way other
major corporations do, he said.
Other corporations use their Sky
boxes lo entertain customers and so
should Canada Post.
But Colborne's Bill Vanstone
returned to the issue of the Skybox,
wondering what kind of people
would be entertained by Canada
Post. Mr. Craig said people like the
vice presidents in charge of mailing
for major corporations would be
entertained to help attract their
business. Mr. Craig said he didn't
feel he had lo defend Canada Post's
business practices.
The presentation and question
period look more than an hour of
the afternoon session of council.
County gets
$36,000 for
grant study
Huron County will get a grant of
S36.OOO to help pay for its county
study, Minister of Municipal
Affairs David Cooke announced in
the Legislature June 4.
Responding lo a question from
Huron M.P.P. Paul Klopp about
financial help for the study, Mr.
Cooke said he appreciated the
county's leadership in undertaking
the restructuring study despite not
receiving any financial assistance
from the previous Liberal govern
ment which had urged counties to
lake on such studies. The govern
ment will provide the S36.000
grant to help meet the costs of the
study, he announced.
at United Church picnic
The June meeting of the U.C.W.
of Brussels was held at the home of
Audrey Cardiff (Jack) with 20
ladies present.
President Gertie Kellington
thanked Audrey and opened the
meeting with a poem, "Look on the
Funny Side". The secretary, Joan
Bernard read the minutes. Joyce
Jacklin gave the treasurer's report.
The Sunday School and church pic
nic will be held at the church. The
puppeteers will be guests at the
church.
The stewards and some U.C.W.
ladies will look after beef on a bun
on the FunFest weekend one day.
Pal Watson gave a report on the
catering program. Sarah Stephen
son gave a report from the stew
ards.
Audrey and Ida Evans look over
the worship. The hymn "For the
first of all Creation" was sung.
Jeannette Boynton read a story "All
Getting Older" Ida read the scrip
ture from Matthew, chapter 7.
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| Pointing the
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brighter
tomorrow
Most of us hope that the future holds good things in
store for us. And in most cases we're probably right.
To ensure your financial future have a chat with
your bank manager or accountant. To make a will,
see a lawyer.
Part of your future planning should also include
pre-arranging your funeral. We can help you with
this. Please don’t hesitate to call.
Taking all of these steps will ease your mind today
and help ensure that your future is a bright one.
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335-3571
Prayer followed by Dorothy Stef
fi er.
Audrey gave the introduction to
the guest speaker, Sallie Lawton
from the Wingham Home Support
Group. A discussion was held.
Lunch was served in the sun
room by Laura Barbour and Sarah.
All the ladies were thanked and the
U.C.W. benediction closed the
meeting.
THIWK SMALL!
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