Times Advocate, 1998-10-21, Page 3Wednesday. October 21, 1998
Exeter Tinme-,Advocate
In the News
Greater Grand Bend message loud and
clear: Keep us out of North Lambton
By Sco
tt Nixoning for support from ��... .... ��_ _
support the us lip service and frank) idea should be considered
rtntES,j)vcx:n1�sru_r• two local MTPs,. Beaubien that's about it," Bannister but said it -would take the
• and Johns: Ivey said talks said of Beaubien. "We've co -u e
.GRAND BEND — Help from Beaubien indicated had an annoying lack of rtrunicclpuliti sn of three
us put our village back he didn't want to get support from our MI'Yti
together.
'that was the message
over 200 people were
sending' .out loud and
clear at a Grand Bend
town hall meeting on Oct.
14.
The source of the meet-
ing is a.North Lambton
restructuring deal that
would see Grand Bend
–amalgamate--, with .
Bosanquet, Thedfor-d,
Arkona and forest:
Village -council and Grass
(toots for a Greater Grand ment, Ivey -said, "Yet the.
Bend Community, the county totally disregarded
group that hosted the -.those wishes, In. other
town hall meeting, are words, people who were
dead set against the pre- .not elected in the Grand
posal. • - Bend area have indeed
Grass Roots believes the. .determined
fact the Granwhere
d )lend area -= Greater Vrand- Bend area
is governed by the village, goes in the future.".
Stephen Township and Ivey. said he .worries
the Town of.Bosanquet.. Grand Bend's amalgama.
plus Lambton and Iluron . tion with the other North
- Counties, has hurt the Lambton municipalities
community. •- will cause taxes to rise
The group's position. significantly bec••ru •
involved with Grand Itoy _Merkley, also of Shirley And u a (cm
o-
Hend's.problem and• said Grass Hoots, called the plained that the North
he was. "looking for a 'North Lambton agree- Lambton restructuring
local solution." ment unfair d•
said an aid • meetings were closed to
As a result, the North Grand Bend has no clout the public and said every.
Lambton .restructuring -as a community because - one should have had the -
proposal. was passed at . of its border problems Opportunity. to attend the
county council... with and . said the. village meetings and let their
Grand Bend voting should be recognized fora opinions known.
against it. . being "perha s one of the
Grand Bund residents most important 'and oneest pn.lfuolhertand 4aid'-
"have •continually stated largest communities dri- beeause the meetings •
that they wish the ving-economic develop-,
Greater G'raird Bend area ment and he rent open **should not
to be under one govern-
region:,growth in the be considered a legal
During process."
f, question period, Letters opposing the
audience members were . North I,antbton restruc
told they' have to send a - luring proposal are avail -
message :to Harris, able in the village office
Beaubien and Johns that for :anyone %visiting to
they disagree with the: sign
North !Ambler] proposal.
In addition to faxing let-
ters- to their- offices, the
head table -urged citizens
to start a "phone blitz" to
the politicians' respective
offices. _
"We're talking about
statement calls for village taxes are higher in those - eityf-Merkleywarned.
boundary. adjustments to communities. Arkona's Ivey said of county and
be made fairly and with taxes, for example, are .provincial politicians, "At
citizen input. 16 per cent higher than •some- point in time they
They also state Greater Grand Bend's:
Grand Bend should be Ivey said such - an -hope."
start to listen :..=1
contained within one increase in Grand_ Bend's Everyone who spokee
municipality. taxes would be "devastat- during the question peri-
- Last week's -meeting ing to the community." :ed, which lasted an -hour,.
was an -attempt to get the "I'm very upset,"about was against the. North
.public involved to encour- the prospect of raising Lambton proposal.
age local. politicians such taxes, Ivey added.
• as Lambton MPP Marcel Bannister compared - -Southcottner Pineidens was
. 13eaubien and Huron MPP Grand Bend's predica- shocked when he got a
Helen Johns to influence - ment to llumpty Dumpty tax bill from the Town:of
Minister of Municipal after he fell off the wall. Bosanquet. Ile -said he
Affairs Al Leach to nix the "1 think this is par-ticu had never heard of the
deal. - - larly appropriate tonight, town beti)re.
Audience members because there are a lot of - "I've never been able to
-were asked to sign letters politicians who deserve find out where that town
stating their oppositt(An to egg on their faces fir. Heil- is," he said to laughter
the North Lambton deal. ing to show up," he said. from the crowd.
The -letters, which will be Bannister said the- fact Caffrey Cann, another
sent to Premier Mike Grand Bend 'isn't gov- Southc'ott Pines resident.
. Ilarris`. office, also plead corned by one. municipality , wondered what would
for public input in any has "cost us a great deal happen if he threatened
future restructuring talks. over. too many decades." to send a letter to
. Sitting at the head table Ile said services such as Bosanquet telling them
at last Wednesday's water, garbage collection .he's withdrawing pay -
Meeting were Grand - and hydro. come from ment of his taxes.
-Bund Mayor Cam Ivey; three separate municipal- Also discussed was the
Grassroots members Hoy• ities with overlapping possibility ofa-releren- -
Merkley, David Bannister costs.•
and- Hon Watt, Stephen He added the village has how residents,awafnt to
Township Reeve•fiarvey to be. governed by (Inc restructure. Ivey said the. and Grand Bend municipality if it i t
council. Invited to the attract new businesses
meeting but not in atten- services and'employment Man charged
dance . were. Harris, and secure a future: GODEHICII --- Christo-
Leach, Beaubien, Johns Under the North pher Mosurinjohn, 24, of
and Bosanquet council, Lambton deal, he said, Exeter is charged with
which passed a motion. decisions about Grand mischief in connection
not to attend. That Bend will be made out- with a broken window at
announcement was met side of thevillage. fie - the downtm:•n Goderich
with a chorus of boos echoed .Ivey's words that OPP.
from the Grand Bend the deal was made by OPP officers found the
crowd. those outside Grand Bend smashed window on Oct.
Ivey said to the crowd and "does not represent 19 at about 1:30 a.m.
the Town of Bosanquet the interests of the people Upon further investiga-
and . Lambton County of Greater Grand Bend." tion, a male was found
have- refused to include Bannister added he isn't inside the washroom
any part of Huron County happy with Beaubien's with a deep cut to his •
in their North Lambton response to the situation. ankle. Mosurinjohn was
restructuring proposal. He said Beaubien is Placed under arrest and
No help came from claiming he hasn't heard taken to Goderich hospi-
Leach when he told any complaints from the tal to be treated for the
Grand Bend council and Grand Bend public. cut. He is due to appear
• Grass Roots he was look- "I think .he's been giving vember.
to Goderich court in No-
one.
❑ D
■ • 174,
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