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The Citizen, 2003-11-05, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2003. Wingham ratepayers hear from candidates By Jim Brown Wingham Advance-Times A small number of interested ratepayers attended the all-candidates meeting held last Thursday evening at the Wingham Legion. The only election being held in the Twp. of North Huron is in the Wingham ward, where three people are running for the two seats. Earle O’Neil is challenging incumbents Archie MacGowan and Arnold Taylor. Reeve Doug Layton has been acclaimed to another three-year term as the head of council. Incumbents Murray Scott and James Campbell were both unopposed for the two positions available for the East Wawanosh ward. Newcomer Ralph DeVries joins incumbent Murray Nesbitt as the two representatives for the Blyth Ward. DeVries takes over from Jeff Howson who did not seek re-election. Although the all-candidates forum, sponsored by the Wingham Area Chamber of Commerce, was held in Wingham, those already acclaimed to their seat on council also had an opportunity to express their opinions on the issues, and what they hope to accomplish during the next three years. ARCHIE MACGOWAN As a nine-year veteran on council in Wingham, Archie MacGowan indicated the past three years have been an incredible experience and he feels fortunate to have played some role in Wingham’s history during the past few years. During his nine years on council, he has served on many boards and committees. “There are still a number of challenges facing the township,” stated MacGowan. “These include providing quality drinking water while meeting new provincial regulations and the expansion of the landfill site.” He said council has worked hard the past three years in an effort to maintain the quality of service now provided while limiting the burden to the tax payers. Attracting more industry to the town is a major priority of council over the next few years. “I feel I am the person who can make a difference in the Wingham ward of the Twp. of North Huron.” EARLE O’NEIL As a resident of Wingham for the past 12 years, O’Neil said he is concerned by the high tax rate in Wingham ward. “We have one of the highest tax rates in Huron County,” he stated. He added at one time taxes used to pay for water and sewer, and also for road maintenance and garbage collection. Many of these services are being subsidized by the ratepayers through such things as bag tags. “There are people out there who are making minimum wage or on a fixed income who cannot afford to pay these tax increases,” he stated. He said council has to encourage industries or businesses to come here, not turn them away. “If nothing changes, people will not move to Wingham and the town will get smaller,” claimed O’Neil. If elected, he said he would bring the concerns of the people to council. “I will present the concerns and issues to council on your behalf,” he said. "There should be more public meetings.” ARNOLD TAYLOR As a resident of Wingham for over 50 years and a nine-year member of counci1 Taylor said, “the last three years have been interesting and challenging, he stated. There are several issues he feels still have to be met by council and these include attracting more industry, tourism, recreation, public safety and health and there are also a number of rural issues that have to be addressed. “We have to promote the municipality in an effort to get more industry to town,” he stated. Taylor said a pilot project is being done in Blyth in regards to the number of empty stores on the village’s main street. Depending on the success, the project may be done throughout the municipality. He indicated the infrastructure has to be improved, but added a three-to- five-year plan should be developed. He noted the council has worked well together during the past three years, and while there may be differences, once a decision was made it was a council decision. Taylor believes that experience, along with fiscal responsibility will be an asset for the next three years. DOUG LAYTON Layton said council has worked well together for the past three year. However, he added that the next three years are going to be challenging because there are many issues coming before council. These include the water systems in Belgrave, more land in Wingham for industrial growth and the landfill site. With the changes in the Municipal Act and downloading, council has learned to live and work with these challenges. There are many more A touch of October fever The beginning of autumn is my favourite time of year. 1 enjoy noticing the leaves change into burnt oranges and crimsons - they clothe each branch with their warmth, and etch the steel-blue sky with gold. We always experience a few days where the heat of the sun absorbs itself into the cool air, summoning a crisp, Indian summer. I love to sit on my deck and breathe in the fresh breeze of the air and feel the warm sun brush my skin. However, this year, my enjoyment of the autumn was spoiled - the fresh air hid from me as I sniffled into my kleenex and the heat of the sun sent chills through my body and made my aching head feel dizzy. I had a very miserable cold - the suffering from it remains fresh in my mind. My dose of the common cold carried its typical symptoms: sore, scratchy throat, sneezing and a runny nose. After a few days, it decided to torment more, bringing a headache, stuffy nose, watering eyes, hacking cough, chills, and a general ill- feeling. These effects usually last from two to seven days, but after nine days of feeling horrible and seeing no improvements, I decided to go to the doctor and ask for a prescription of antibiotics. After waiting to see a doctor for over an hour in the waiting room, I quickly asked for a prescription and went home to my bed. My common cold was now becoming severe: 1 was going in and out of fever, and 1 ached all over - it had me bedridden and depressed. 1 felt angry that I waited for an hour to see a doctor who didn’t even know my medical history, and the antibiotics he prescribed me were not working fast enough! I don’t support antibiotics to begin with, but I didn’t think my body had “North Huron has a lot to offer. I am proud to live in North Huron,” stated Layton. He said he would like to see taxes go down, but there is no magic wand. “For the last three years, we have tried to keep tax increases to a minimum, but our costs are increasing on an annual basis,” he stated. “Our insurance has increased 20 per cent this year.” Layton pointed out that downloading has added to the municipality’s costs. RALPH DEVRIES DeVries was raised on a small dairy farm in Auburn and has been in the agri-business for the past 12 years, moving to Blyth in 1996. He said taxes are too high, but he felt that paying taxes was a privilege because there are places where they don’t pay taxes. DeVries stated there are many other issues which he does not have enough information on, adding his learning curve is pretty steep. He would like to balance the various needs of the community, while still trying to maintain the smaller communities. MURRAY NESBITT Nesbitt said the previous council worked well together during the past three years. “We had our differences, but when it was all over everyone abided by the decision,” he said. He indicated that the past three years have been a learning experience for him, and stated he was still Beyond Limitations the strength to fight the probable infections the cold brought with it. My body is not totally missing its defences to fight back, but my damaged nerves cannot distribute the vitamins and minerals I take into my body properly. The antibiotics do help combat those nasty infections, but they also cause new problems as well. I often feel that I am in a no- win situation. Within a few days, the antibiotics I was taking finally began to take effect - 1 could finally say goodbye to the mounds of kleenex I had stuffed in my wheelchair. But, that cold really took a round out of me. I wish I would never get a cold again, but I imagine it will happen again. The average adult suffers two to five colds per year, and because there are over 200 cold viruses to contend with, the infection is very widespread. A cold is not really contagious. Being in the company of someone with a cold does not automatically mean you become infected. Yet, the common cold results when nasal cells become infected. Contaminated droplets produced when someone else coughs or sneezes may be one way to catch a cold. These nasty droplets can remain infectious for up to a few hours - handling a contaminated item, and then rubbing your nose or eyes will spread the virus into your nasal cavity. Our Indian summer has left, and now the cooler temperatures of the autumn season have come. The cool weather does not cause the common cold nor does it bring on further complications. There is no cure for the common cold but you can protect yourself from getting it by practising safe hygiene habits, eating a healthy diet, and getting a good night’s sleep. learning. MURRAY SCOTT Even though he was acclaimed as a councillor for the East Wawanosh ward, Scott said he is looking out for the betterment of North Huron as a whole. There are different issues that he has to get to know in the bigger community, but he has some concerns about agriculture because it is getting more complex, while the farmers are getting older. There are more changes coming in the next 10 years, but something is needed to keep the young people at home. “I am excited about the next three years,” he stated. Some of the challenges to be faced by the next council are coming up with a new operating plan, and he believes the municipality should promote itself in order to achieve growth. JAMES CAMPBELL Although Campbell served six years on East Wawanosh Twp. council, he said the past three years have been a real learning experience. “I didn’t realize all the things that go on,” he stated. Even though amalgamation has meant more meetings, he indicated that everyone has an opportunity to On November 10th, ELECT TIM COLLYER Councillor, Central Huron (East Ward) RELIABLE, RESPONSIBLE REPRESENTATION On November 10th, 2003 Vote for... Better Education VOTE FOR S&ettecf. KAASTRA for Central East Huron School Board Trustee A.M.D.S.B. ________Re-elect________ Bill Colquhoun for councillor of EAST WARD Municipality of Central Huron Committed to Youth and Improving our Community I would appreciate your support on November 10th Please call 482-8724 or 955-1102 with any questions or concerns. . voice their opinion. “Everybody has had to work together during the past three years,” stated Campbell. Q AND A The first question from the floor was the high tax rate and why no one mentioned it during their four-minute talk, with the exception of Earle O’Neil. Taylor said that at every council meeting, there is a concern about taxes. “When budget time comes, we try to keep tax increases to a minimum, which results in every department making cuts,” he said. Taylor said a lot of times they have to look at the municipality’s taxable assets and the services offered. Layton said he doesn’t like paying high taxes, but at budget time every year, council goes over it very carefully. “Our assessment is low, and a lot of times we have to choose between cutting taxes or cutting services,” he said. MacGowan indicated Wingham has the second lowest assessment in Huron County. Nesbitt indicated that because of budget cuts, some projects that could be done in the long term, keep getting put off.