Huron Expositor, 1999-06-02, Page 1404
Your community newspaper since 1860
411111111.110,
June 2, 1999
si
(includes GST)
Local weather
Wednesday --Scattered
showers, thunderstorms.
High 26. -
Thursday --Mix of sun and
cloud. High 27. low 17
Friday --Mainly sunny:
High 27. Low 14
Saturday --Mix of sun
cloud. High 28. Low 14.
From Environment Canada
In brief
Teachers
ratify
a new
contract
A new two-year,
contracthas been ratified
between the Avon
Maitland District School
Board and ' the
Elementary Teachers'
Federation of Ontario.
"We're very pleased
because now we can'get
on with being one board.
not two." said Dorris
Potter, president of the
Avon Maitland local of
the Elementary Teachers'
Federation of Ontario.
The new collective
agreement for,the period
Sept. 1, 1998 to Aug. 31.
2000, harmonizes
salaries. henefitS and_
staffing . across the.
district.
"It's a very large gain
to have a new'hgreement
for the whole board with
grid harmonization. It's
important that everyone
doing the same job gets
the -same salary," said
Potter.
• The agreement does
not give teachers a raise
or contain • language that,
protects teacher -
librarians or' music -
teachers, issues Potter
said will be pursued
during the next round of
negotiations for the next
contract.
"We recognize that the
board has to do things in
steps," she said. .
However, she -said -the
contract contains
maximum class sizes for
elementary ' classes,
including a maximum of
30 in primary, a
maximum of'35 in junior
and a maximum of 37 in
intermediate grades.
"One of the old boards
didn't have maximum
class sizes in place," she
said.
"The board is pleased
that, the intensive
negotiation efforts which
have taken place recently
resulted in a contract
which .ensures that the
high quality . of
educational standards
available to students in
the Avon Maitland
' District School Board
will be maintained in the
coming -year;'-' said a
press release from the
board.
By Susan Hundertmark
Inskle...
Inside look...
at lawn
bowling
Page 6
What's this?
Find out on...
Page 7
Provincial
election
candidates...
Page 14
x
McGuinty drops by Seaforth
to make agricultural pledges
Liberal leader picks
rural riding to offer
support to farmers
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
A strengthened Ministry of
Agriculture and an annual
prcrmer's conference with,
the farming cbmtnunity were
two major 'announcements
affecting the rural
community made by Liberal
party leader Dalton
McGuinty in a campaign stop
at farm near Seaforth last
Wednesday. • -
"The ministry it merely a
former shadow cit` itself."
said McGuinty of ' the
Ministry-- of Agriculture.
Food and Rural Affairs.
This was the first
McGuinty had -addressed the '
agricultural issues of his
-
ianipaign.
_He came t� the farm of
lames. and Brenda -McIntosh
to' - make. those
announcements because the
Huron -Bruce riding is one of
the only completely rural one
in Ontario. said local Liberal
candidate Ross Lamont..
McGuinty said Harris cut
S17 million from agricultural
areas in the past four years
and that the Ministry of
Agriculture, needs to be -a
stand=alone ministry. at the
provincial cabinet table.
'He then promised there
would . be an annual .
conference between himself
and leaders of the agriculture
communities to identify
issues and goals for each
year with a plan in place to
work toward them.
"'think that's an important,
initiative to develop' in'
Ontario." he told" crowd of
More than 100 Liberal
supporters from on top of a
tractor in a building at, the
McIntosh farm. The stop' was
kept small with people
invited by word of mouth for
a barbecue lunch and a
chance to talk with
See McGUINTY, Page 2
Scott Hilgendorff photo
Provincial Liberal Party: leader. Dalton.McGuinty speaks with Jim McIntosh at his Tuckersmith
Township farm where McGuinty made a stop last Wednesday to make annpucements about
agricultural issues for the first time in his. j„pmpaign. - /
Council tasked to look 'at urban services
as it moves ahead with restructuring
By Scott Hilgendorff
. , said the municipalities will have to try
Expositor Editor to reach a consensus as they work
toward a November deadline for a
'"`Seaforth-council members -have each ---restructuring proposal.
been tasked with looking at the
• different services in the community to
assess whether or not they should be
considered urban sertices as it heads
. full steam ahead into restructuring talks
with Tuckersmith Township .and
McKillop Township.
"You've got to look at it with a bit'of
an open mind,' instructed clerk
treasurer Jack McLachlan at council's
May 25 meeting. He told council they
had to look at each service carefully
and determine. whether it is one
e� eryone in, a combined municipality
should share costs of or is• it should be
charged to the tax hill's of just those
receiving the service. -Services include ' scenarios that will be given to each of
policing. street lights. water. hydro and the three municipalities.
garbage collection. • The report will take into account the
Once the results are compiled. he most effective and economical way to
The committee. chaired by Seaforth
Mayor Dave Scott has been meeting
the third Wednesday of each month
between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the
Seaforth council chamber.
McLachlan said all the meetings are
open to the public and delegations are
encouraged. Any people requesting to
speak to the committee,will be given
l(S'minutes to do sound there will be
10 minutes at the end of each meeting
for a -public comment and question
period. •
The committee's goal is to•develop a
report on amalgamation and to look at
shared services and status quo
deliver services. economic growth. of
the whole community. the fairness of
how its ratepayers are treated such as
- the- use-of_user-pay_systems_.andlair
treatment of municipal staff. '
The committee. which has been
meeting since. late winter. has already
agreed to a portion of•a restructuring
report that would, see theamalgantation
taking place January 1. 2001 and
Outlineshow the 2000 elections will •
take place and -how county council
positions will he filled during the
transition. • , .
According to the report. there would .
be eight members on council. two from
McKillop, two from Seaforth and two
from Tuckersmith. elected under a
ward system. A maydr and deputy
mayor would be elected at large.
The Seaforth Public. Utility
Commission would remain for the
Ss* RESTRUCTURING, Page 2
Safety Fair
to 'help -
combat
top killer
of children:
injuries,
•
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff •
More children under 19
die from injuries. than' from
all other from.
combined. • •
That national statistic is
one of the impetuses of this
Week's Safe Kids Week
across Canada and the Child •
Safety. Fair in Seaforth on
Sunday, June 6 at the
AgriPfex from 1 to 5 p.m..
Organized by the Seaforth
Block Parent Association,
the Seaforth Co-operative •
Children's Centre. the
Seaforth- Agricultural
Society and the Seaforth
Optimist Club, the Child
Safety Fair was organized
..,..despite the fact the Tical,
committee'didn't receive•a
Safe. Kids grant from the
Trillium Foundation. -
"Everyone was: very
positive about going ahead
with the fair anyway since it
involves children's safety.
As soon as you bring kids
into it. many people were . .
very - helpful. •saysi•
-
organizer and Block Parent
chair Kim Bootie.
The 'coinmittee , did
receive a $200 grant from
Take Heart Huron to •go -
•towards the safety fair,
Shirley Brooker. of the
Co-operative Children's
Centre. said the fair's
important since Huron : •
County. whenvcompared •
with other areas of the
province is an unsafe
community.
A provincial statistic
Sei MANY, Page 2
Helping hands
Members of the Seaforth Figure Skating Club, took port in a car was Saturday with some help from the staff of Teatero Motor
Products
Scott Hilgendorff photo