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The Citizen, 1991-07-31, Page 1Grey Tivp. scholars Sisters named Ont. Scholars at LDSS See page 9 Tournament weekend 20th fastball tournament at Brussels on weekend See page 14 Quilt show Art Deco doors inspire quilter See page 20 Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.tv J £ ___ VOL. 7 NO. 30 WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 1991.60 CENTS Brussels blaze Volunteers from the Brussels fire department were called twice to fight a fire in this old cement house on Catherine Street, Monday night. The property, which is owned by Curtis Gardner, has been sitting vacant for some time. Damage to the structure was extensive and the cause is as yet unknown. Brussels fire damages house being repaired Volunteers from Brussels fire department were called twice to battle a blaze in a vacant Catherine St. home on Monday night around 9. Fire Chief Howard Bernard said CAS head disputes budget increase figures It has become a battle of figures Mr. Knight and county councillors hudeet and last vear's actual per cent, Mr. Knig as Tom Knight, Executive Director of the Huron County Children's Aid Society (CAS) last week struck back at statistics quoted by Huron county councillors that claimed the CAS budget had jumped 28 per cent in one year. * Actually, Mr. Knight said in a telephone interview, the budget increased 13.9 per cent over last last year's expenses and is within the six per cent guideline set by the provincial government. The difference in the figures of it didn't take long for firefighters to extinguish the fire the first time in the property owned by Curtis Gard­ ner, and after careful investigation they returned to the fire hall. Mr. Knight and county councillors is due to selective comparison by the county officials, he said. The 28 per cent figure had come from past Warden Lionel Wilder at the July 4 meeting of county coun­ cil. Calling the increase too large, he had argued that the county should go for a Child Welfare Review, the arbitration system used when a municipality disagrees with the operation of a CAS. But Mr. Knight claims that Mr. Wilder was comparing last year's actual expenses with this year's "We thought it was out when we left, " said Chief Bernard. Half an hour later, however, a second call came in and the volunteers remained at the scene, until 2:20 budget and last year's actual expenses were distorted by a Child Welfare Review the county called for last year. The review delayed implementation of many of the CAS' programs until late in the year so that the full effect of, for instance, increased staff, was not in last year's actual expenditures. The county's share of the CAS costs for 1990 was $396,870 while the bud­ get for 1990 had been $423,072. Because of that late implementation of the 1990 budget, the real increase isn't 13.9 per cent but six a.m. The damage to the old cement structure is extensive and the cause of the fire has not yet been deter­ mined, Chief Bernard said. per cent, Mr. Knight said. The six per cent increase is in the "base” programs of the CAS, he explained. Other special projects, such as the increased expenses caused by the adoption disclosure legislation, add to the cost. Mr. Knight also disputed figures quoted by Exeter Reeve Bill Mick­ le who had claimed Huron's per capita costs for CAS were double such counties as Middlesex, Samia- Lamblon and Bruce. Reeve Mickle claimed Huron's per capita costs Continued on page 18. Elston interim Liberal leader Morris Township native Murray Elston was chosen Monday night as interim leader of the Ontario Liber­ al party. Mr. Elston, 41, will hold the leadership of the party until a suc­ cessor is chosen at a convention, probably next February. He replaces Robert Nixon as interim leader. Mr. Nixon, who became interim leader after David Peterson stepped down following last September's election defeat, stepped down to become Ontario's agent general in London, England. Mr. Elston has already declared he will not be a candidate for the full-time leadership of the party because he doesn't want his family life to suffer to the extent it would if he was leader. He served as health minister and minister of financial institutions in the Liberal government, including representing the government in the bitter doc­ tors' strike of 1986. Huron Study looks at agriculture’s future A meeting to look at the Huron County Study and the future of agriculture will be held at the Clin­ ton town hall Thursday night. Agriculture makes up a special part of the Huron Study which is looking into the future of the coun­ ty and effect on the delivery of municipal services to meet the challenges. Don Pullen, long-time Agricultural Representative, has been providing research for the agricultural part of the study. He has been discussing the future of agriculture with farmers and farm groups across the county. He has created a survey involving several questions which attempt to discover what the future holds for agricul­ ture: questions such as what trends are unfolding in the agricultural scene; what pressures there are now and what farmers forecast in the future; the off-farm employment situation and agriculture in the 1990's and beyond 2000. Anyone wishing to complete the brief sur­ vey can contact Mr. Pullen at 233- 7896. * Al Thursday's meeting farmers, members of agricultural groups and interested citizens will have a chance to help shape the Study. The meeting begins at 8 p.m. The Background Report to the Huron Study has been compiled examining municipal services, municipal structures and the future outlook for Huron. The next step in the study process is to determine the best way to deal with social, economic, environmental and phys­ ical development into the 21st cen­ tury.