Goderich Signal Star, 2011-07-27, Page 8Wednesday, July 27, 2011 • Goderich Signal -Stat 7
to the editor
eers ready for
judges
it
have all been sweltering in the
our hard-working Parks Dept has
g its best to keep the lawns cut and
parks, flower beds and planters
d watered.
nlmunities in Bloom Volunteers
busy as well, because next week we
teaming two "Communities in
dges, who will arrive on August 1 to
ow well the citizens of our town
doing to keep it neat and tidy and
ommunity to be proud of.
ting at or near the top in several
'canal and international competi-
e past, this year the Town of
will be competing in the Circle of
/Small category of the 2011
dition of Communities in Bloom!
tty Town will be competing with the
ties of Dauphin. Manitoba, and Mil-
lion and Pincher Creek, all of
es are Maurice Baren from the U:K,
ewis, from Ontario. They will spend
1 days touring the community and
it in several different categories,
Tidiness, Environmental Effort, Nat-
rchitectural Heritage, and Commu
ement.
n is fortunate to have many consci-
lunteers who have planted and con-
aintain the many small parkettes
arils throughout the town. Many
bs, like the Lions, Rotary and the
ral Society also lend a hand. . And
ard-working Parks Dept. employees
kinds of things to help keep the
and tidy, and looking goodall year
immunity member, you can help out
looking after your properties, water-
)Ianters when they dry out, or pick -
r some o lie thoughtless people
to litter around our Town. It takes a
on everyone's part and Business
ents as well as the average citizen
to lend a hand.
show that we are a community of
ns we can help to impress the
help keep our title as one of the
owns in Canada" !
Doug R. Bundy
Communities in Bloom Volunteer
%AKjQ.)VISt 1
iii'( (11151' N 1111' (1
(ii,l trail r,(' Nernst (hi%
',1
Fight continues for Walkerton jail
Dear Editor,
I would like to update and inform
area citizens of the work we are
doing to "Save Our Jail", which serves
south Grey -Bruce area and Huron
County. We have established a Walk-
erton -based committee which
continues to pursue our local goal of
keeping the Walkerton Jail open until
a new Regional Facility can be bunt.
The Walkerton "Save Our fail"
Steering Committee was formed as a
result of our. May 31 meeting at
Queen's Park. Since the closure will
not save money as originally pro-
posed, why is the Liberal Govern-
ment still intent .on closing the _ jail?
The goal of this committee is to
educate the citizens of Bruce, Grey
and Huron Counties about the nega
rive impact the Walkerton. Jail clo-
sure would have on tax dollars and
community safety, so that when they
go to the polls on October 6, they can
make an informed vote. Our mem-
bership is a cross section of Jail staff
as well as members from the Public
Sector. We invite anyone to partici-
pate who Is passionate about saving
the Walkerton Jail and is willing to be
an active participant in our cause.
We meet every second Wednesday at
the Firehall and our next meeting is
August 3. Our chairperson is Barb
Ernest. So what have we done so
far? On June loth, we filed a "Free-
dom of Information" request with
the Provincial Government for the.
documents used to substantiate this
Jail closure dedsion, as did Brockton.
Council. The government had 30
days to respond but did not. We feel
that there are no supporting docu-
ments and there will be no cost sav-
ings. This further supports our
cause.. We have met with MPP Carol
Mitchell informing her of our com-
mittee's goals. We have supplied her
with accurate information regarding
costs, how inmates and staff will be
affected, how programs will be
affected, the communities involved,
and why this Walkerton Jail closure
decision makes no sense.
•
In tum, Carol Mitchell prepared
and forwarded letters to Corrections
Minister, Jim Bradley in lune asking
for a review and reconsideration of
this March 29 decision. Again, we
have not heard back from Ms. Mitch-
ell or the Liberal Government.
Two members on our committee,
are also on the "Transition" negotiat-
ing team. As a result of this negotia-
tion process, the "proposed" closing
date will be no sooner than October
31, which will allow the next elected
government to make the ultimate
decision about this jail closure. We
continue to submit articles to news-
papers in Bruce, Grey and Huron
Counties, informing the public about
the negative impact and cost to our
communities, if the Walkerton Jail Is
closed and there is no Correctional
presence in the area. We have devel-
oped an information display presen-
tation that we take to various public
venues throughout. Huron and Bruce
Counties. This display is our educa.
tion tool for the public. At this dis-
play, there will be post cards for the
public to sign. These post cards are
addressed to Dalton McGuinty,
requesting he reconsider closing our
jail. We also encourage the public to
call Carol Mitchell to voice their
opinion of the closure. We plan to
attend all -candidates meetings and
ask questions that will stimulate
thought and concern to all people
present. We have invited Provincial
Conservative and NDP leaders and
candidates to tour the Walkerton jail
and to have a meeting with them to
discuss the issues surrounding the
proposed closure. We plan to have a
very busy four months and hopefully
on October 6th, or sooner, our com-
mittee
om-mittee will have achieved our goal to
keep the Walkerton Jail open or for ,
an announcement regarding a new
Regional Facility. Paul Spitzig, Barb
Ernest, Walkerton ~Save Our Jail"
Steering Committee
Paul Spitzig
P.O. Box 2033
Walkerton, Ont. NOG -2V0
Cones for Kids a cool success
Dear Editor
The Lung Association, Huron -Perth would
like to extend its appreciation to Bayfield
Berry Farm, Cravings in Goderich and the
Dairy Queen in Exeter for their pardcipadon
in the second annual "Cones for Kids
fundraising event which took place over the
Canada Day long weekend.
Asthma rates have quadrupled over the
Businesses need to be on The Square
Dear Editor,
Since we closed "Pupil's Purchase" I have Iloticed that
there are now two other businesses that are located just off
the Square; closed or closing. "Balloons to You" is now
closed. I have recently noticed that "rising Star" on Kingston
St. has a "store closing" sign in the window.
What is happening to the small businesses just off the
square? Where is the BIA to help these businesses? As
members of the Chamber of Commerce in Goderich, I am
very concerned that we have yet to receive evena phone call
of concern regarding our closing on June 3rd. Nothing has
been said to us from the BIA either. Does anyone care about
businesses that are not located on the Square?
After being in business for 3.5 years, I noticed that no mat-
ter how much money we spent on advertising there were
still people in Goderich that did not know we existed. We
also realized that you cannot trust other business owners in
the town. There were days when we would bring in new
products and within a week we would see the same product
in another store window. This happening after we were told
by our supplier that no one else in town was selling it. How
does this happen?
Why are there so many financial investment institutions
on the Square? 1 don't have a problem with the businesses
themselves, it is just their location. How many people
walking around the Square, walk into these places for advice
about Investments? I would say very few. A spot just off the
Square for them would free up rental space for retail
businesses who depend on the walk around business:
In April when. I had made the decision that the store had
to close, I had a lifelong dream come to a close. Not only had
I put everything I had financially into the business, but I had
lost my dream. I had also lost my home and found myself
homeless for over a month.
Today, I am past being upset about closing the business,
but am very apprehensive of ever starting another business
in this town. I have learned a few valuable lessons in this
process. The bank may say that you can afford to_run the
business, but you better make sure you have at least 12 -24
months of personal money saved to pay the rent, heat,
electricity and other bills in case the sales are not what your
business plan said they would be. Never quit a full time Job
until you know that your business will succeed. That was my
saving grace; I still had my full time job. Never place a retail
business in Goderich, off the Square. You need a place on.
the Square to be seen and ;have people walking by corse in
fora look.
I would like to finish by thanking all our customers for
their past support. It just wasn't enough to keep the dream
alive.
Susan Barnett
past 20 years and today as many as 20% of
children in Ontario suffer live with this
condition. Asthma is a leading cause of hos-
pitalization and school absence for children
in this province. By donating a portion of ice
cream sales as part of the Cones for Kids
campaign, thesebusinesses are helping The
Lung Association to provide education and
support to children with asthma and their
■ wwvv.goderichsignalstar.com
agetedn Community news: Dominique Milburn
email: gssnewsebowesnet.com
families as well fund vital medical research.
Sincere thanks to all ten ice cream
parlours across Huron and Perth Counties
who joined us in taking a lick at childhood
asthma.
Sincerely,
Jennifer McCaw
Volunteer and Fund Development Co-ordinator
The Lung Association, Huron -Perth
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