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Times-Advocate, 1982-12-08, Page 2Tins -Advocate December 8, 1982 Say 5845,136 in taxes circumvented • A SPECIAL AWARD — former Exeter -fireman Bill Musser received o 30 year service medal recently at the Ontario Fire College at Gravenhurst. Making the presentation at the _right is Solicitor General George Taylor. ' Council adopts new procedures .A new set of procedura policies was approved in prin ciple.by Exeter council. Mon day. consolidating a variety of pre% ions by-laws which dic tated councils procedures All. former .bylaws were rescinded; and the. new 'pro- cedural p cedural bylaw will . be presented for ratification at the next meeting' The new policies were, not made public. although' Mayor Bruce Shaw indicated they were-. few changes from us previorules: . One of the major .changes outlined ina brief review by 'council was the ruling that 1. -during a council vote: Members who abstain will - have been considered to have voted • in the negative - Previously. they had been coni idered to have voted in the affirmative and Shaw sug- rn- gested this may cause some problems Reeve Bill Mickle wanted to know what was considered a "'reasonable time.' in the • reference to that time frame: •e: being required ir. calling a _special nieetirtg. He said a • special meeting had been • called at time with only 45 minutes notice and added that. he didr..t think that was a reasonable time. • Shaw suggested it shouldbe a "couple of days" but noted it 'would depend on the issue over which the special .,i meeting is required. a Arrears Conti ed from front page . ;cheated tire'` were in agree- ment with the principle of the matter as they suggested a letter be sent to the Ontario Association'of Municipalities voicing the town's concern and suggesting the AMO move to have the tax system changed so the burden of un- collected taxes doesn.'t fall• solely on the municipalities; That was . carried unanimously. as was a motion presented by Morley Hall that the town circulate a petition to all municipalities in Huron suing support for their poli; tion of municipalities - withholding the portion of un • - collected taxes in the board of educkiion levy Riddell, Peterson outline Non-resident foreign in- vestors are buying up Ontario farmland and avoiding the Ontario Government's 20% land transfer • tax, Liberal members of the Legislature • have revealed. Opposition Leader David Peterson and agriculture critic Jack Riddell Huron - Middlesex I.cite theexample of 3.585 acres of productive farmland in Huron and Bruce which was sold in the last year to 'overseas interests. In these sales alone. a total of 5845.136 in land transfer tazees were circumvented :We believe these pur- chases reveal sizeable flaws in existing Ontario legislation regarding speculation in farmland:". Peterson said: "They also • d'emonstrate a neglect by the Ontario Government of a growing problem --the increasing takeover of farmland by non- residents for speculative purposes. " • In the Legislature. Revenue Minister George Ashe conced- ed he does not know how much land ' is ins'o1ved province -wide; or. how much . in land transfer taxes have been lost through an existing loophole which ''enables foreign investors to take over farmland through a -corporate structuring of farms. Agriculture Minister Den- nis Timbrell assured the Liberals that the loophole: would be closed. but Peterson was skeptical. He said the Conservative Government has been aware of the pro- ' blem since 1954 and has fail- ed to act. • ' . Ina joint statement on the issue. Peterson and' Riddell said the farmland purchases n Huron and Bruee counties re probably symptomatic of hat is happening in prime gricultural areas across the rovince. • • • They stated; . "We find these transactions tanning. because we feel that they are only. a small flection of a much larger He said the ` policies em . ._ phasized that the press was to- a be invited to special meetings. • Ironically. later in the meeting. members decided to a have 'a special . meeting on December 16 to discuss the re Personnel Management: A_ssbciates study on town re- otganization .with represen= tatives of the employees: - Councillor • Gaylan` Josephson asked if that would be a meeting open to the press and publics and Shaw replied in the negative. .swing i} would be • an in -camera session - DENTURE TNERA P Y CLINIC 665.781 6.1x336-6580 R.R. 1, Neustadt Horst Feige D.T. WOOD STOVES Talk to us about the high technology stoves by: Lakewood; RSF Energy; SFB 3 Boilers; Heritage; Better 'N Ben's REDUCE CREOSOTE in any airtight stove with the CATALYTIC DAMPER Results will amaze you Available at THE COLLECTOR'S SHOP Kirkton 229-8965 The energy saving products store 5 Year Guaranteed Investment Certificates VG VICTORIA AND GRAY TRUST Since 1844 "New! More Convenient Hours" Monday -Thursday 8:30 - 5:00 Fridays 8:30 • 6:00 Exeter 12`_ 'Oa .n St 235-0530 saw•nor cameos Noose rink arwe Cascraecr • Riddell is ousted Liberal agriculture critic Jack Riddell was ' ejected -from the legislature Monday during a. philosophical tussle • over farm interest rates with his NDP counterpart. • .The Huron -Middlesex: MPP i-eftised to withdraw remarks that New. Democrat Mel Swart. "deliberately distorted facts" about something Riddell once said. Swart. • his party's ,agriculture critic. said earlier . during the evening session that Riddell "advocates high interest rates for farmers". Riddell said thatwasn 't so accused Swart of lying .and was immediately ordered by the Speaker to withdraw the remark. • considered un- parliamentary. When Riddell refu ed. he was ordered out of the chamber. • . • • Outside. Riddell accused Swart of deliberately con- voluting what he said in a speech earlier this fall. "All I ever said was high in- . terest rates are the result of a restricted monetary policy advocated by some govern- ments. Tell me -how that gets turned` around into •ad - vacating high interest 'for - farmers. which I would never do. •• - - Swart said Riddell and the Liberals '!advocate high in- terest rates generally and he's never said specifically- thathe don't advocate them for farmers " •-l. must admit I've con- tinually needled and prodded him about it " 11 Normally: accusations that a member hashed are laun- ched from the opposition ben- ches at.the government Ver- bal scuffles between two op- position members. especial!} hose with the same critic's portfolio. are unusual Best Interest • • r 13% We represent many Trust Companies. We are often able to ar- range for the highest interest being of- fered on Guaranteed Investment Certificates • subtect to Char }c •wiser iNeeale insurance Brokers Inc EXETER 235.2420 GRAND BEND 238-8484 CLINTON GODERICH 482-9747 524-2118 problem The fact is we don't know how much land we hale lost to non-residents. We don't know because the Ontario Government has failed toade- quately monitor this situation. "l'nder the existing legisla- tion. foreign purchasers are required to pay 30 percent of the purchase price in com- pliance with the Ontario Land Transfer Tax By. com- parison, resident buyers are required to pay only two-fifths of one percent of the first $45,000 and four-fifths of one percent on the remaining pur- chase price. "The spirit of this legisla- tion is clearly being violated. And this is how: • (a A farmer who agrees to accept a lucrative offer from a non-resident is instructed to incorporate an Ontario numbered company. All legal costs are borne by the foreign buyer. b I. The farmer then sells his farm to his own corpora - PARADING CHEER LEADERS — Participating in Saturday's Santa Claus parade were South Huron District High School cheer leaders Angelo Simpson, Denise'Renning, Nellie DeKoker, Lori Lewis and Tracey Coward. T -AP hoto A ;500 used weed sprayer could become 'priority one • A $500 .used weed sprayer could become the priority item in the 1963 budget for the Exeter works department committee. - -• It: was act.uallv- at the bot- tom of the- quarter -million dollar list of projects recom- mended by the out -going works department commit - Damage runs high • Drivers and occupants of two cars sustainedminor in- juries in a collision at the Huron and Main 'St. intersec= tion. Sunday. Driversinvolved were Rev. Donald McMaster. 89 Charles - St.: London. and Janet Kints. RR 3 Exeter. Damage was Misted at $6.000 by Constable Jim Barnes. Two thefts were reported•to Exeter 'police .this week. On Thursday. a cassette -deck was stolen from a motor vehi- cle owned by Mark Stire. 39; Main. and on the same date Andy. Debeer of• Sun Service •Centre reported the theft of a tire and wheel from'a tt•,,ehicle parked on his lot In atiliition. anattempt had been made to break in to the station via the front door. - • Sales in Huron, Bruce foreign land deals non. of which he holds one share and is the President N I The shares of the cor- poration are then transferred to lawyers acting on behalf of the foreign buyer. "In the transactions we are making public today. taxes totalling, $30.864' were paid, while. a total of $876.000 in taxes were avoided. "In each case the farmland was purchased by a person we believe to bean agent for West German and Austrian investors. ' •- "He is Wolf von Teichnlan of the law firm of Tikal. andv' Associates Ltd., -390 Ba Street. Toronto. Themt or- porate names used in ma of the transactions is Austro - Canadian Enterprises Inc.. a -company' which has recently changed its name to Algon- quin Farms Limited. Mr. Teichman was identified. as ,the Director of the company - intil Nov..3, 1981: The current ,president is identified as Helmut Sieber of RR 2 Blyth. "These transactions underscore the need for Government action. We can- not allow prime agricultural land. in Ontario to be used by outside interests for speculative purchases or as a hedge against inflation. • "Not only is eland being removed from the hands of Ontario residents and falling from production. but the • speculation is driving up the value_ of farmland and .mak- ing it difficult for • young farmers to pursue their life choice. "The Government has all but abdicated its role in this regard. To quote Revenue Minister George Ashe in the Legislature yesterday. the • • • ' Government doesn t know tee. but Mayor Shaw told • chairman . Don MacGregor they may want to alter the priorities to put the weed sprayer at the top.: His reasoning was based on the fact he had received a bill • for the weed sprayer that: very day and suggested it would be embarrassing for - the \1: ommittee if the item end- ed:tlp being dropped -off The Iist.wben it:had already been purchased... . Gaylan Josephson asked . why_the spra jier had been in= eluded in the tentative budget:. when..it had already been purchased. "When did you get the bill MacGregor asked. -Today.'-" Shaw replied. • MacGregor then explained • that last. year's committee. had seen the need to buy a • sprayer. but money was not available in the budget. and. they .had made a tentative • agreement with the owner 6f • the equipment to have it in- cluded in this year's budget and "the, sprayer has been stored in, the works depart ment building since that deal was made. Council finally agreed with a suggestion from • Deputy • - Reeve Losse Fuller that the works department budget go back to the new committee for further study. • Construction of the south- west storm drain at a cost of $190.000 had been set as the top priority in the works department budget for the new year. Other • projects and 'the order in which the committee recommended they be under- taken. were . as follows: reconstruction' of Pryde Boulevard. 586.000: culvert on Marlborough St ..• $35.000: curb• .cuts on Main St. for • aiding handicapped people. -$600••per corner: weed sprayer. ZOO \.. A culvert on.Carling St. was. set as a high'priority for 1984 and it was suggested that preventative maintenance be. undertaken this coming year. it was agreed to establish a reserve fund for the purchase . of equipment and an enabling • bylaw- Was passed Monday with $5.000 being set aside from the 1982 budget! • The committee also recom- mended that Mill St..be clos- ed at the CXR.tracks in keep - ting with a recent suggestion from a Transport. Canada of- ficial who had been in town to view the railway crossings following a train -truck colli- sion in September. • However. the Mill St. -cross- ing will. only be closed if signals are installed at the Huron St, crossing how much land is involved. although he said: "We frank- ly don't think that it is an ex- tremely large loophole..." Ili WHAT TO DO? What do a group of *ground- ed' boaters do after all boats have been hauled out of the water. and put away for the winter'?' • The .Grand Bend -Cruising Club decided to kick Off their 'land -locked' season by organizing a Grey Cup party. About 26 members and guests joined in the fun Sunday after- noon at the clubhouse to cheer on their favourite team. For the past two months the club has been selling tickets on a Sony Beiamax Video cassette recorder. • To end a fun filled day. local. marina operator. Dennis Snider. representing the '-village of Grand Bend. drew • the winning ticket. Jack Woodcroft of London was the lucky winner. • fact, the Revenue Minister claimed the Government was not even aware that these tat, Hp were being 'used by f ign investors to take over Ontario farmland and avoid the 20 percent tax. To quote Mr. Ashe: "In real terms; we, in the past, have not known about it." "The Government has been .aware of this situation for years. In the '1974 Budget , Treasurer John White stated "Where a non-resident ac quires control of a corpora- tion which owns land. in On- tario• this will be deemed to • be a transfer of land and the tax will apply." • "Two courses of action are urgently required. First, the Government . must in► mediately move to close the loophole' through which nein- resident foreign investors are violating the spirit of the On tario Land Transfer 'l'ax tie cond. the Government must • take Ido t'k of our farmland andn- wIIIce an inventory in whk'h �� a �'nn have fruit and. on wlurh we call base reason- ed public 1N1111'}' (6 the CO opelhlott INSURANCE SERVICES * LIFE - HOME i AUTO >^r FARM *COMMERCIAL Ca Il Verna Gingerich 314 Main St, Exeter T' Clinton Community Credit Union Office Residence 435.1104 Business Jhan Crediton and Uistric t .tions (I(jb thank 'the lollotvinl; Stephen . township businesses for their donation to our Se-- cond e=cond Annual Fowl Bingo held 1)ee( ember 6; 1982 • -7rru �i/r/ - 1;„4, �r� - / l fol / nr - hlrr: i !y l irodhr... /_�:Q,,,rrr/r/ ;Co - 1//i /(nru, k.../, /1//A- . ��rn r/r(j/ ha/_ - hr' `rn�rr . 1//J/. -r .•/,., / ar�r •.).ul (11„C„/ ;;'f • ,, // „lr., _Sir „HL/.r I� 7arrll �i,,, l' a(/ ' (flruu i11. _.•bdu . 11 rr. �rrl - '// 1/ S'� '/a�;. �.,r..J, (f:.,rr i:., / f, -Lifer/ - ( .MJ 41„/, ,/ - )i �JIJ - �'l.r rr .,t •,/ _T7/rr I'. .r/aunmr - / �arr era/ i �rrirli, /oa/red • . ,ref/on (inagr- • ' 7hanb u The Exeter Lions Club and Exeter Cen- tral Business Improvement area wish to- thank othank everyone who contributed to the success of this year's Santa Claus Parade. Special thanks to Tuckey. Beverages, Frito Loy, Hostess Potato Chips and Semi - Fob Industries. ALBATROSS FLOAT Yoking second. prize in the com.merciol.diviion n Sotur. s Santo Claus parade was the Albatross Tavern entry. T-A•photo UCW meet, at Greenway ly ANNE WAIPER La- mer The story presenta- \►cholas holly anti IV% :.on What Child is 'This • There are many others ;r. x a; presorted bl` the children addition to these A piano silo of the Sunday School under Star • of the . East: and the direction of Mrs Jear. -White C-hr;strias': xac Isaac and Mrs. Wendy•Rile). played by 01;v -e Steeper Re. Moore spoke to the follov.ed h} a poem Khat is c::dyer. and parents and Christmas- special Christmas music was provided by the choirA quiz or. Christmas was l (lt' meet handed out aryl ich member.. \Ir►eteer, members met at was giver a (twice to'ste h Nineteen a+► n ::k!riva much she rerrrernbered • Lager erf frr Prayer closer; this part of the the December meeting The meeting r,)i: Ca..; was answered with a socio) t o the heart fund Pres )dent 1sttt;' Bliiiox•k :e Steeper and Genre prided for • the!r,.n;ness F;c�K rca:e the devotions and Nflnutes were res: and the . °"-'4 ;i- — ed they Christmas reasurer s r`yr'" as g';rr TheilLwn s A thank }oiu•rrote was rereJt- ce-ebrated the:r i1.Kh w.eddirr Be:hiee O Lh►em asittle prayedToby• ed from Jrhn act t'Siarsi;'n• arruverser. a: a per.% head ir. alive Steeper softly in the 3tnithers fair ire Y,rt le that their 'honour at the West background while Gertz told had been give' '✓• therf-, i�tlhams Corr--ir.;:; Centre `rhe story surrounding its. Saturday everonft ‘...he The 19821 K?t::e Gift Service .A reading on •"chill:tmas was held Ir. the Listed Mirth Tradrt>ota around the world.• Sunda}. The second Advent rerru tied to of the C'hnstmas candle w as lt: , by Tara tree cards. plants. baking.. St v"EE-nT Graham; and Eagleson and family atter,:. ed the Exeter United Church Sundae hen their .Erand-. daughter Jack:yn M!cnelle • daughter of Roger and Jamce Dougall was baptized • Ron and Wend: Rtle1 have opened a bulk food store ,c .Parkhill •i: called The Cour.tr. Store • jte x; • them :uck \\ Jerre and Karen G;Crz t-er Kitchener spen:las' weelte-e.4, w::h Cec:. and E.:e- Sr,:ther= • Crrgratula:1or.s to Mr and - Mrs George • M;tche:: -. x• Other btitirlras .' as dispens- ed with and foliva-Ing gray{.a special Christmas lunch was served by Lillian l --liens and Iva L•agerwerf arrl a social time folkf el Les Batt Manager of Zehrs Market Exeter presents a Zehrs Save -A -Tape cheque for $540.60 to Beth Prouty and Karen Tigani, Exeter Pentecostal Ladies Bible Club whose organization redeemed Zehrs Cosh Regikter topes in order to purchase Church supplies. Our sincere congratulations to all who participated in this very commen- dable project. Zehrs Save -A -Tape Plan T -.s exciting offer is open to any non-profit organization, church or. schoo' group. service club or charity. Each $300• worth of Zehrs cosh register•tapes is worth one dollar. For example, if your club wishes to raise $250 towards o project 575.000 worth of Zehrs topes would be re- quired. Complete details ore contained in o helpful brochure available of any. Zehrs Market.