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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-04-21, Page 1rE the 0 erich IGNAL- STA 134 YEAR --18 GODERICH, ONFARIO,°WEDNESDAY, APRIL. 21,19x2 50 CENTS PER COPY 1 f. At the stroke of midnight on Friday, April 23, one of these five nominees will be crowned Queen of GDCI at the school's annual At Home formal dance. Left to right, are Susan Thompson, Debbie Squire, Patti Botz, Brenda Love and Lori Hassall. The theme for this . year's At Home is Hawaiian and last year's Five vie fQr GDCI queen title At the stroke of midnight on Friday, April 23, one of five pretty girls will be crowned queen of Goderich District Collegiate Institute amidst a Hawaiian theme at the annual At Home formal dance. Patti Botz, Lori Hassall, Brenda Love, Debbie Squire and Susan Thompson are the five nominees for high school queen this year. Patti is a 19 -year-old Grade 13 student. She has played on the GIXI basketball and volleyball teams and is also a student council class representative. She plans to attend Fanshawe College in London, after graduation from GDCI, where she will study to be a law clerk. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benson Botz of Goderich. Lori is a 17 -year-old Grade 13 student. She has played on the GDCI badminton and tennis teams and has also been a cheerleader for the last four years. She plans to study English and journalism at York or Western University ,when she graduates. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Hassall of Goderich. Brenda is a 19 -year-old Grade 13 student. She is a student council class representative and she plans to study. nursing at Conestoga College upon graduation. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lorne Love of Goderich. Debbie is an 18 -year-old Grade 13, student. She has queen, Stacey Ward, will be on hand for the crowning. been on the GDCI tennis team and has also been a (Photo Sby Joanne Buchanan) cheerleader. She plans to study, nursing. after high school. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Bedford is backinthe faril One of the grand old ladies of the Square is back in the family fold. The Duke -of Bedford Hotel, the 86 year-old struc- ture that has stood as a sentinel on the southern corner of the Square, is back among the family that nurtured the, hotel business for over 50 years in Goderich. Bruno Lapaine and .his wife Mary have made another" foray into the hotel business acquiring the -assets ofthe-hotel-after aro eight year -absence- — The Bedford Hotel has long been a tradition in Goderich, ever since the turret atop the three-story structure poked above the architectural lines of the Square when it was constructed in 1896 to replace the Albion Hotel. Historically the ownership has passed through many hands but has survived as a family operation, even through the turbulent depression, when it was purchased by the Litt families in 1928. The hotel has not been immune to turbulence and while the community was rife with rumors of its imminent demise recently, the Lapaines made a careful and calculated commitment to plunge their efforts back into the demanding business. The family involvement dates back to the Litt purchase in 1928 when the hotel was operated by cousins, Gid and Wes Litt. Mrs. Gid Litt bought out the interest of Wes in 1935 and operated the business with daughter Auleerf until 1938. At that time the hotel was taken over by Auleen, who was then Mrs. F.J. Curry. On September 1, 1970, Bruno Lapaine bought the hotel from the Currys, parents of his wife, Mary. The Lapaines carried on with the business until 1974 when the hectic pace of operating' a hotel and trying to raise a young family, combined with a lucrative job offer, convinced the couple to sell their interests. In retrospect, that period was a more than adequate -training ground for their renewed commitment. ..Considering that the demanding lifestyle was a major factor in their decision to sell eight years ago, it is difficult to understand Bruno's revived en- thusiasm at the prospect of managing the grand old lady. But the word family crops up in the picture again. "Now it is a family affair," he said. "The children are older and able to make a contribution and we are confident we can make it work." The prospect of operating the hotel business still excites the man now involved with international sales at Champion Road Machinery who was more than pleased to offer some assurances of employment to the hotel's staff. While the staff had worked under the pressure of rumored closures with the subsequent threat of unemployment looming, the Lapaine purchase ignited a vestige of security and vice versa. "I was excited to get back into the business and my decision was spurred by the staff and their en- thusiasm," he said. "The staff attitude gave me more security and they also had some assurance for the future." The legend of the staffilittealmostlike the fatlrtily ownership history of the hotel itself and it was that loyalty that struck a sentimental and responsive chord with Lapaine who said he. has never heard people as willing to accept ik challenge as .the hotel staff. "I owe allegiance to the staff who stuck through all this." The Lapaines were in a management position March 16 after negotiating a foreclosure. While previous owners had undertaken grandiose im- provements to the old girl, there is still much to be done. "The hotel is not acceptably finished but it will take some energy and finance to accomplish," he said. " We are spending as much as possible to make it a unique place in the county and a facility for com- munity use." The potential of the building also excites son, Mike, who is gleaning much about the hotel business from his parents. So, perhaps it was destiny that lured the Litt family to the Bedford in 1928 and brought the grand old lady ,back into the family this spring. Squire of Goderich. Susan is a 17 -year-old Grade 12 student. She has been on the GDCI tennis, badminton, volleyball and basketball teams. She is also a student council class representative and serves on the social committee of the student council. She plans to attend Fanshawe College after graduation where she will room with Patti and study to be a medical laboratory techni- cian. She is the daughter of Tom Thompson of Goderich and Betty Saxton of Idaho Falls. Students at GDCI are busy this week making the Hawaiian decorations and working on last minute preparations for the At 'Horne dance under thedirec= • tion. of social convener, Theresa Donnelly. Last year's queen, Stacey .Ward, will be present"the night of April 23 to crown the new queen. Daylight Saving Time returns The arrival of spring usually signals the emergence of warmer weather and longer daylight hours, although this year might be an exception. Regardless, extended daylight hours will be with us from now "on as Daylight Saving Time arrives Sun- day, April 25. Readers are reminded to turn clocks ahead one hour Saturday evening or Sunday morning before retiring to bed. Peterson speaks to Huron Liberal Association The man who hopes to reinforce the image of the Liberal party in the province, Opposition leader David Peterson, made a brief tour through the ridings of Huron -Bruce and Huron -Middlesex, Wednesday speaking tovarious groups about the salient issues of the times: Peterson, tette tools evert the reins of the Ontario Liberal party from Dr. Stuart Snaith earlier this year, is cognizant of the image construction job facing the party and himself,' The Conservative party has laid down the longest standing record of government in the western world and by his own admission, Peter- scn;s task , and that of the Liberals, is a formidable one. "We have a strong presence here in Huron - Middlesex but there has to be some reorganization. So far I am pleased with the progress," he said. "It is a three-year proposition for our party but the Tories are sneaky and not politically stupid. Given the condi- tions the people, of Ontario are ready for an alter- native and they will look at us." Economic conditions affect everyone and high in- terest rates are having far-reaching implications in the business and industrial world, conditions that Peterson claims tan be alleviated to a degree, at the provincial level. "There's no question the province can do something, just look at what other provinces are do- ing," he said. " There must be interest rate relief in the form of cash subsidies and the key people are the farmers. A lot can be done in the form of job creation, especially in high technology industry and even on a short -terra basis it can be socially constructive. We have to earn our way out of this and look at innovative ways to do it." Peterson's political colleague, Jack Riddell, MP for Huron -Middlesex, echoed those sentiments ad- ding that the federal government has been the unwill- ing victim in accepting blame for the provincial economy. "The Tories have no funds for the Ontario economy but won't accept the blame," he said. "If the govern - Ment would scrap band-aid programs and come up with a subsidy on interest payments, it would stimulate all indu§try". In speaking to a most relevant and sensitive issue of the times, both Peterson and Riddell believe Health Minister Larry Grossman has mishandled the negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association over the OHIP fee schedule. Peterson was critical of Grossman's unilateral ap- David Peterson proach in connection with the imposition of the hike in the fee schedule and indicated a settlement could be reached through negotiation. „ Riddell added that Grossman has now alienated doctors and the Ontario Medical Assocation. "He has mismanaged it and run roughshod over the doctors. It's important that he negotiate," Riddell said. "I am sure the doctors would like the issue to go to arbitration but that should be a last resort. I would like to see an agreement reached but if patients are being used as pawns, then we must serve their needs through arbitration." Elected as Ontario Liberal leader earlier this year, Mr. ,Peterson lashed out at the provincial government for the present state of • the economy. He suggested short term relief now, for the homeowner, those in agriculture and small businessmen. A program is needed now to help those in "dire straits" said Mr. Peterson to the 251 people at the April 14 meeting. "We can't afford to help everyone, but those that need' help now," said Mr. Peterson. Responses from the government such as blaming Ottawa for high interest rates, claiming to have no extra money, and raising provincial taxes are not answers to the current economic situation, said the Liberal leader. • It's a total cop-out," said Mr. Peterson. He added other provinceshave solved the problem by protec- ting the people and creating'jobs. "If Bill Davis answers he can't do anything, he should resign because we can," said Mr. Peterson with the audience responding with loud applause. Commenting on. Premier Davis' answer that the government has no money, Mr. Peterson said money could be found by trimming colts. Particular cost trimmings Mr. Peterson suggested included selling Ontario's 25 percent share of Suncor and selling £armland.in the. South Cayuga area now lying fallow. . Mr. Peterson said most economists would agree not to:increase taxes during a recession such as is being ' experienced in Ontario now. "We cannot afford even a one cent increase in a recession," said Mr. Peterson. The Liberal leader said there isa need for a policy to protect the family farm. To keep farms available for the upcoming generation, Mr. Peterson said farmers have to be helped. He doesn't want to see third generation farmers turned into tenant farmers. Mr. Peterson called for a restructuring of the pre- sent educational system, suggesting a system that would meet society's future needs, especially in the field of electronics. He said the educational in- stitutions are not responding to this need and laid the blame on Premier Davis saying, "he's in charge". Returning to agriculture, Mr. Peterson said On- tario must have a goal of reaching a high degree of self-sufficiency in food production. He said Ontario currently produces 60 percent of its own food and that figure is fading fast. Student decline largest here CLINTON -- Declining enrolment at secondary schools means 11.5 teaching positions will not exist this September in Huron County. The Huron County Board of Education approved a workload committee, report showing the staff reduction at each school, at its April 5 meeting. Overall, the projected enrolment at secondary schools is expected to decrease from 4,032 students this school year •to approximately 3,843 students in Septemb r n turn, teaching staff will be reduced from the pres t 45 to 233.5. The average pupil - teacher ratio remains constant at 16.46 to 1. Looking at each school individually, only Seaforth District High School shows an actual increase. The school's enrolment is expected to increase by 17 students, from its present 343 students to 360. This results in a half-time teaching position increase, from 23.5 teaching positions presently to A this September. Central Huron Secondary School, Clinton is ex- pected to decline from 859 students to 798 this fall. Goderich District Collegiate Institute is expected to have the largest decline in student enrolment from 843 now, to 773 in September, a loss of 70 students. The number of teaching positions will be reduced from 50 in 1981-82 to 48 in September. F. E. Madill Secondary School, Wingham will lose four teaching positions, going from 60.5 now to 56.5 in September: Enrolment will decrease from 1,015 students to 959, a loss of 56 students. South Huron District High School will lose one teaching position as its enrolment decreases by 19 students. It now has 55.5 teaching positions and 942 students and this is expected tc drop to 54.5 teaching positions and 923 students. New shaft means jobs at Domtaar. Goderich may get a badly needed economic shot in the arm in the near future with the completion of the number three shaft at the Sifto Salt Mines in Goderich. According to mine spokesman, Jack Brady, the completion of the shaft by early spring or late sum- mer will mean that the mine will require additional manpower. Althought the mine has not decided on the number of personell it will be hiring, Brady placed estimates at between 50 -to -70 new employees will be needed The increase in the Local labor force should help Goderich through,the present economic slump. Kinsmen to hold 35th reunion Sat. The Goderich Kinsmen Club received its charter on May 15, 1947. Since that time, theclub has been busy • serving the community's 'greatest needs'. On Saturday evening, the local Kinstt men will hold a reunion, banquet and dance in honor of the club's 350 anniversary. Former members of the. Goderich. Kinsmen Club are expected from as far away as Alberta and British Columbia as well as from all over Ontario for the event. Approximately 140 people will sit down at the ban- quet which will be catered by K-40 members Max Cutt and Mel Culbert. Speeches will be given by local dignitaries at this banquet. The Goderich Kinsmen Club received its charter from the Stratford Club and has since chartered the Clinton and Dungannon Clubs. The first president of the Goderich Club was R.H. Cornish. The national project of the Kinsmen Club, a Cana- dian service club founded in Hamilton by Hal/Rogers, has been cystic fibrosis since 1964. Each year, the Goderich Club holds a ski-a-thon to raise money for research into this disease. The club also assists the Red Cross with its blood donor clinics in Goderich, holds a summer earnival in town each year and organizes the annual bike-a-thon for cancer here. The club contributes money to many local projects and causes. In 1977, on the occassion of its. 30th anniversary, the Kinsmen completed and opened a new clubhouse . on South Street. This Kinsmen Centre also serves as a workshop for retard- ed adults during the day and the Kinsmen continue to be active in helping the mentally retarded. Goderich boy. killed in accident A joy ride ended in tragedy last Wednesday even- ing for a 13 -year-old Goderich boy. John Lourenco, son of Marie Lourenco of 245 War- ren Street, took his mother's car without permission while she was at work. He was killed about 10 miles from his home around 8:30 p Pm. when he drove the 1977 Chev Impala into a Hydro pole and rolled it over twice. The accident occurred approximately four miles from Bayfield on concession road 5 and 6, two kilometres north of county road 13. A spokesman for the Goderich detachment of the OPP, which investigated the accident, says Lourenco was going_too.,fast ,on,the gravel road when, he lost control of the vehicle and left the road, striking the Hydro pole and knocking it out of the ground. He was killed instantly when he was thrown from the car. Six friends, who had also been riding in the car, received only minor injuries. They were treated at hospital and released. All of the friends were 14 years of age except for one 13 year old. Dr. Raymond Flowers pf Clinton, the coroner, said Lourenco died of injuries to his chest, heart and lungs. He said he was not considering an inquest because "there would be nothing to gain". Hearing delayed Charges against Domtar Inc. and three of its employees ware adjourned to May 31 in Provincial Court here Monday. Charges were laid by the Ministry of Labor in connection with the deaths of two miners last year. The charges were to be heard in provincial court Monday but the defence asked for an adjournment to May31. INSIDE THE , SIGNAL -STAR Bike-a-thon Bike riders were out in full force Sunday for the annual Kinsmen bike-a-thon for cancer. The riders covered a 10 km route through town and money raised • through pledges will be donated for cancer research. The story and pictures appears inside. GDCI jazz choir The GDCI jazz band received some deserved recognition this past weekend in competition and they will compete in a Canadian festival. The story and a picture appear in the first section. Volunteer week This is National Volunteer Week in Canada and in a letter to the editor that appears on the editorial page, councillor Elsa Haydoti is &' 'g eVei`yone to fake a volunteer to lunch in appreciation. A