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The Huron Expositor, 1994-12-07, Page 1osto 70 cents plus 5 cents G.S.T. (75 cents) COMMUNITY Doll lovers came by he hundreds to Seaforth on the weekend. see page 18. '277— Briefly Recount doesn't change outcome of Hibbert race A re-count to finalize the third and final councillor position in Hibbert Township did fend a discrepancy --but it didn't change anything. Hibbert Clerk -Treasurer Pat Taylor said the five -vote difference in favor of Lou Maloney over Cinth Vogels after the Nov. 12th municipal election ended up as a six -vote difference--302-296--after the re-count was completed. The re-count was conducted by Mitchell Clerk -Treasurer Don Eplett and Becky Belfour of .the town's administrative staff last Tuesday morning. Feds approve grants for work in Hensall Three projects worth S97,500 in the Villiage of Hensall have been approved under the Canada/Ontario Infrastructure Works program, Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle, Huron MPP Paul Klopp and Reeve Cecil Pepper announced on Nov. 30. Funding will be used to recon- struct Richmond Street South at Highway 4 and Albert Street and repave Queen Street between Nelson and Wellington streets, and to improve the Hensall and District Community Centre. These projects, which will create an estimated 59 person -weeks of employment, should be completed by July 1995. More classrooms for St. Anne's school St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School in Clinton will have three more classrooms than originally planned when it opens next fall. Trustees at the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board voted to add four classrooms to the original plans which included four classrooms, library resources, special education, theatre arts, gym, and communications lab. Dr. James Brown, director of education, said the additional classrooms will finish the northwest comer of thc board's only secondary school in Huron County. With the additional classrooms, the school will be able to accommodate about 260 students, up from 215 students. The school will open with Grade 9 and 10 students as originally planned. If the board had waited to do the addition when it was originally planned, it would cost S98 per square foot to bring construction crews back to do the work. With them already on site, it will cost just $49 per square foot. "The cost to the local ratepayer will be considerably less than if we had done this in two years," said Dr. Brown. That brings the local share of the addition down from $50,000 to SI WOO said Ds. Brown. INDEX Entertainment... pages 18, 19. Sports...page 13. Rec Preview...page 19. "Your community newspaper since 1860...serving Seaforth, Dublin, Hensall; Walton, Brussels and surrounding communities." The Huron Expositor, Seaforth,'.Ontario, December 7, 1994 MILTON J. DIETZ LIMITED SEAFORTH 522-0608 •Pesticides & Custom Spraying • Spraying Equipment & Parts • Nutrite Premium Fertilizer • Ventilation & Livestock Equipment ®n 1PURINA & PET FOODSS POLICING In an in-depth interview Seaforth Police Chief discusses changes. --see page two. Your Full Line Dealer FORD MERCURY Sales - Service - Selection MART FORD MERCURY USED CARS .ri11211111 The Friendly Dealer With The Big Heart' EDUCATION A high schoo assembly uses powerful symbol to stress smok' dangers. page GREGOR CAMPH , PnOTO A STEP BACK IN TIME - Marion Kernighan of Komoka, formerly of Seaforth, stands in the middle of of some of her hand -made dolls at her eye-catching exhibit at last weekend's Mid -Western Show and Sale. The dolls have a Victorian look but are actually made of new porcelain. It's the outfits that give them the ambiance. Kernighan and her husband Don, who used to work at the Seaforth hospital, have been making and repairing dolls for about eight years now, scouting auctions and such things for authentic period materials and clothing, they then refashion for the creations. More on the once -again successful show and sale on page 18. Marketing of movie network criticized BY TIM CUMMING Expositor Editor A 'negative -option' marketing campaign by a local cable company is standard in the cable industry, says a spokesperson for the Cable Television Standards Council. "It is legal in Canada except in Prince Edward Island and Quebec," said Lynne Trottier, executive assistant of the Cable Television Standards Foundation. "It's a mar- keting practice that cable docs utilize and they are in their rights to do so." Under this marketing strategy cable subscribers in Seaforth, Egmondville and Harpurhey must inform the Mitchell-Seaforth Cable TV company by Dec. 15 if they do not want to subscribe to a new movie network. Scaforth's Dick Burgess said this could provide problems to Seniors or other residents who did not read a flyer distributed by the cable company or for residents who are vacationing in the south. "Older people shouldn't be faced with the hassle (of having to phone to cancel)," said the Seaforth Dis- trict High School teacher. He said he also has a concern about children being exposed to the movie MPP Klopp given nod by NDP to run in next election Paul Klopp,' MPP for Huron will be Huron's New Democratic candidate in the next provincial election. In an uncontested nomination, held Dec. 1, Klopp was acclaimed as candidate. "I've enjoyed the last four . years .as ---MPP. We've had too make some difficult decisions but overall I think this govern- ment has made a positive impact on Huron County," said Klopp, programming (while it is being delivered free even to those who didn't request it). The Seaforth man said many subscribers, like himself, pay for their cable through deductions directly from their bank account. Some subscribers may end up pay- ing for the movie network without knowing it, he said. Burgess also objects to the fact subscribers were informed through a flyer in their doors, not through the mail. The manager of Mitchell-Seaforth Cable TV, however, said the mar- keting campaign is not meant to 'trap' anyone into purchasing The Movie Network (TMN). A similar campaign in Mitchell drew no pro- tests and Harmer said subscribers were glad they could subscribe to the network without making any special calls. "We never thought it would be a problem," said Harmer. "The major- ity of people, we found, appreciate the fact if they want it they don't have to do anything (to subscribe)." The cable company informs people through three separate flyers delivered to the door about the details of the campaign, said Harmer. The second flyer states "if you choose NOT to subscribe to TIlo Movie Network give our office a call at 345-2345 by December 15, 1994." The name of the cable com- pany is not listed on the flyer. It states that movies will be free until Dec. 31 of this year. The extra cost of the movie network is $9.95 plus tax ($11.45). As part of the promo- tion the 537.80 -plus -taxes cost of installation is waived. The cable company received two - calls protesting the nature of the marketing drive In Seaforth. No one will be charged who doesn't want the new movie ser- vice, according to Harmer. "It's certainly not our intention to charge anyone if they don't want it." He said about half of cable TV subscribers pay directly from their bank accounts. In 1993 the Cable Television Standards Council received 13 complaints about marketing strat- egies by cable companies. That was from a total of 637 complaints for the year. Mitchell-Seaforth Cable TV is not a member of the Cable Television Standards Council. About 95 per cent of cable companies are mem- bers but some small systems, like the one in this area, are not mem- bers. The CRTC recommends mem- bership on the council but it is not required, said Trottier. She said that no action is taken on complaints about negative -option marketing but said "because it's legal doesn't mean it's right." The cable standards council has membership by about 80 companies encompassing 1,281 systems. A spokesperson for the Canadian Radio -Television and Telecommuni- cations Commission (CRTC) said marketing campaigns come under consumer laws and the CRTC doesn't take action on complaints against marketing strategies. "It is not something we regulate but the CRTC expects each cable operator to clearly state that these services are optional," said Marie Bender, a CRTC spokesperson. A marketing campaign for The Movie Nttwork in Mitchell was very successful, according to Harmer. The company serves about 2,500 people in Mitchell and Seaforth and about the same num- ber in locations including Blyth, Zurich, Hensall, Lucan, Grand Bend and Blyth. There is no movie net- work campaign anticipated for those areas in the near future, according to Harmer. The Movie Network has been in existence for about 12 years. The channel features 24 -hours of movies each day, commercial -free. Long-term care funds Huron and Perth counties will be getting an extra $2 -million for long- term care community services by March 1997. Perth MPP Karen Haslam made the announcement in Stratford on behalf of Health Minister Ruth Grier last Wednesday. The two counties will receive $60,211 of the increase by this coming March, and the district health council will consult with communities and advise the provincial government how the money should be divvied up, the press release states: "This gives communities more flexibility to respond to local needs and improve services for seniors and people who are physically disabled or who need health support services in the home or publicly funded schools," it continues. The press release notes the government has earmarked 11.1 per cent of its current Health budget to long-term care, compared to 9.1 per CCM in the mid-1980s, up from 8.4 per cent at the start of that decade. As part of the neva funding system announced by Health Minister Grier last week __the government is putting an extra$6- million this year, and $126.4 - million over the next two years, into the community services portion of Ontario's Tong -term care system. i Doreen Kilmer Woman donates $10,000 to Van Egmond House The Van Egmond Foundation, the fund-raiser and administrative body of the Van Egmond home in neigh- bouring Egmondville, received a surprise gift of $10,000 from a former Seaforth resident, Mrs. Doreen Kilmer of Brantford. Mrs. Kilmer was the former Doreen Spain, daughter of Margaret Ninon and John C.Spain. The Nixons and Spains were two well known Seaforth families throughout most of this century. Doreen Kilmer . anti hag, -m e Cornelius (Con) Spain, both former teachers, contributed articles to the Huron Expositor when it was oper- ated by publisher Andrew McLean. Doreen told the reporter that she and her husband, Glenn Kilmer, founded Westfield Pioneer Village, the recreation of a nineteenth cen- tury rural community in south- central Ontario, near Rockton. When asked why she gave the gift to the Van Egmond Foundation now, she replied with a poetic quotation, "I shall pass through this world but once, any good deed therefore I can do, or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now, let me not defer it or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again" - Stephen Grettlet. Although Doreen had been a Seaforth resident for her first six- teen years, she strongly supports the Seaforth -Egmondville spirit that doesn't recognize the artifical boundary lines between the two communities - "The Georgian home of the Van Egmonds belongs to the heritage of the area." Gene Nixon Baynham and her husband Jim accompanied the Kilmers to the Van Egmond home. The Dale Nixon Family Memorial was presented to Dorothy Williams and Robert Newnham, representing the Foundation. Gym purchased for St. Columban BY MICHELE GREENE St. Columban School's gym is on its way. The Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board recently purchased a 1,993 sq. ft. demountable gym from Jaratech Construction Ltd. for $50,000. Dr. James Brown, director of education, explained that the gym is built in sections and transported to its permanent site. It is 60 feet by 40 feet in size. Seaforth area Trustee Gerry Ryan said it is simi- lar in size to the gym at St. James School, Seaforth but it is a little longer and not quite as wide. Purchasing the demountable gym will result in a savings of $56,000 for the board. It is planning an addition to the school including classroom space and changerooms which will be built onto the demountable gym. It will require an increase of insulation to bring it up to current standards. The estimated cost for the addition is 8444,000. Also, the gym allows the board to reuse a good gym no longer needed by another board. Dr. Brown said the gym originally belonged to the Wellington County Board of Educa- tion. It was intended for a school tint w is r •«cr bu ' thc ' ' sold it to the construction company. i