Times Advocate, 1999-08-11, Page 1716
Wednesday, August 11, 1999
The International Plowing Match is not the only act in town. Competitors are preparing for county plowing
matches to be held throughout southern Ontario.The Middlesex County Plowing Match executive (above)
gathered at the farm of Ron and Marg Smith, R.R. 3, Denfield, to check out the site of this year's match on
Sept. 6.The Huron County Match is Aug. 20 at the Bill and Amy Fotheringham's farm at Lot 39, Conc. 3 LRS,
Tuckersmith Twp.The Perth Plowing Match is Aug. 28 at Warden Dave Shearer's farm, between Milverton and
Monkton, 4728 Line 55.
Exeter Times Advocate
Fast and furious farce at
the GB's Playhouse
By Kate Monk
tWES-ADVOCATT STAFF
GRAND BEND -- Cash
on Delivery, a fast -paced
British farce, received a
standing ovation on open-
ing night, Aug. 4, at the
Huron Country Playhouse
and hasn't looked back.
The show concerns a
con artist who has duped
the welfare authorities for
years by claiming every
type of benefit for the
innumerable people he
claims live at lag address.
The scam nets him tens of
thousands.
Just when his con-
science gets to him and he
tries to kill off the imagi-
nary dole recipients,; wel-
fare investigators show up
with his household's file
— the thickest in the dis-
trict.
Council supports Biddulph Blanshard's EI complaints
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
LUCAN BIDDULPH -- The Biddulph
Blanshard fire board out of Granton isn't
happy its volunteer firefighters *aye to con-
tribute to employment insurance when they
have no chance of ever collecting it.
Council discussed the issue at its Aug. 3
meeting and decided to support a letter the
fire board wants to send to federal Finance
Minister Paul Martin protesting the pay-
ments.
Township administrator Ron Reymer
agreed charging volunteer firefighters.
employment insurance premiums isn't fair.
and added that members of council also
pay EI and never have a chance of collect-
ing.
"We're hurting volunteerism," Reymer
said. "That's not right."
Reeve Earl French said _many volunteer
firefighters earn'fess than $500 annually.
In addition to supporting the fire board,
council sent a letter to Martin stating the
unfairness of councillors paying EI.
"They certainly don't do their job of being
a member of council ler the money,"
Reymer later told the T -A, "and to be more
or less penalized ... it's almost like a
money grab. If you pay into it you should
have the opportunity to collect."
In other notes from council's Aug. 3 meet-
ing:
NeW equipment
Market Street Park could soon have a new
look.
Ccs ..cit agreed to allow Coun. Perry
Cask to tom ` approximately $12,000
� PP
time of new equipment for the- park.
Caskanette later told the T -A he hopes to
have the new equipment in the park in the
fall. He said , the existing equipment is
dated and dangerous. As a parent, he said
he'd like to see better equipment for chil-
dren in the park.
He added he wants to get groups in di
area to raise money to replace equfint
in Granton and in Elm Street Park.
Request for Main Street paving
Council has drafted a letter to request the
county pave Main Street in Lucan this year
when it begins paving Highway 4.
As planned now, the paving will come
north up Highway 4 from London to Lucan,
skip Main Street and then start again at the
north end of Lucan.
Reeve Earl French said he wants to see
the paving also be done in Lucan. Reymer
agreed, and told the T -A the work neces-
sary in Lucan is "substantial" because it
needs to be re -paved "curb to -curb."
The Ministry of Transportation would
have to pay for the capital costs, Reymer
said.
Arena negotiations
Council agreed to enter negotiations with
the councils of Middlesex Centre (formerly
London Township) and the Township of
McGillivray abs ,taking full 114
trol over the. Wein ' i
Centre.
As it stands now, both McGillivray and
Middlesex Centre : contribute eight_ per cent
to the arena's yearly deficit or, in the case
of a surplus, the municipalities get money
back.
In a letter to council, Middlesex Centre
has stated it wants out of the deal for sev-
eral reasons.
First, according to Middlesex Mayor Bev
Shipley,, the Lucan Community Centre has
changed significantly since Middlesex first
entered the agreement and now includes
the Leprechaun Hall, baseball fields and a
swimming pool. A new library is also being
built.
Shipley added that the arena in Iiderton,
is sufficient for Middlesex residents.
McGillivray, on the other hand, doesn't
want to terminate the, agreement, but only
wants to pay for use of the arena and com-
munity centre.
Council agreed to sit down with the other
two municipalities and negotiate a cash
settlement which would get themoutof the
deal.
To outwit the investiga-
tors, the con artist enlists
help from one of his real
lodgers and from his
Uncle George.
Nabbed in the end, the
cheat is offered a job in
the agency's fraud investi-
gation unit because he
knows all the tricks.
Michael Lamport throws
himself into the lead role
of Eric Swan (last at HCP
in One for .the Pot) and
keeps the farce moving at
a break -neck speed.
Paul Brown as Swan's
lodger Norman McDonald,
is equally outstanding. He
feeds off Lamport's energy
and gives back more. The
farce keeps people laugh-
ing throughout the
evening. -
Cash on Delivery is on
Main Stage until Aug. 14.
Single In The Rain, the
next play on. Main Stage,
opens Aug. 17.
Nunsense.II plays in
Playhouse II until Aug. 14.
POLICE BRIEFS
Police
called of.
EXETER -- OPP offi-
cers were forced to call
off pursuing two motor-
cycles speeding. through
Exeter due to safety con-
cerns on the evening of
Aug. 2.
London OPP Const.
Doug Graham said an
macer followed the two
speeding bikers south-
bound out of Exeter to
the Crediton Rd. The
bikes turned westbound
and the chase was
stopped near Stephen
Conc. 2/3 at 7:39 p.m.
Graham said police
chases are often stopped
due to safety concerns
and pursuits can only
continue if the chase
was started due to sus-
pected Criminal Code
violatiofL
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