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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-05-19, Page 1the 134 YEAR -20 eric GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 19,1982 TA 50 CENTS PER COPY Pets, paper and paste now taxable Potential first-time homebuyers and small businesses were the winners in the provincial budget unveiled by treasurer Frank Miller Thursday. People buying a new house for the first time in 12 months will be eligible for an interest-free loan of up to $5,000, a move that is expected to bolster a sagging construction industry. Small businesses in the province. received a welcome shot in the arm with the two-year elimination of the small business corporate tax that was running at 10 per cent. The tax cut affects nearly 60,000 small businesses and will result in a saving of nearly $250 million. The taxpayers of Ontario weren't as fortunate as Miller expanded the retail sales tax base by $230 million. Now, items that were previously exempt from retail sales tax are taxable such as household and hygiene products, plants; magazines, pets and building materials purchaged by municipalities and public bodies. Also, the labour used to fix your car, truck, appliances and televisions is taxable. The retail sales tax will also be applied to all prepared food and meals rather than the 10 per cent ' tax that was imposed on meals over $6. Miller also tackled the obvious targets and health care will cost more this year as OHIP premiums increase by $4 per month for single persons and $8 per month for families. The government expects to generate $170 million in revenue from the OHIP premium increase. As expected , drinkers and smokers will pay more for those luxuries as beer increased by 15 cents for case of 24 bottles while a 25 -ounce bottle of spirits is up by 25 to 30 cents. Cigarettes will cost 3112 cents more per pack of 20 which will add $30 millipn to the revenue ledger. Spring is a time for cleanup and renewal and that's just what the Katimavik participants are up to at the site of the marine museum. The wheelhouse is now in fine shape following the efforts of the group who applied fresh coats of paint and readied the structure for the summer. Here, a member of the Katimavik group works on an outdoor display.) Photo by Dave Sykes) Motor vehicle registration fees will be a standard $48 in. southern Ontario while residents in northern Ontario will pay a flat fee of $24. The day of the long lineup at licence renewal centres is gone as renewal will come due on the owner's birthday. Miller also included some changes in the Provincial Land, Tax andincreases in miscellaneous fees and licences will add $27 million to the treasury. The budget also focused on job -creation and a $171 million four -point program was introduced to provide 31,000 temporary jobs. The four programs include a $15 million project to create 6,000 jobs in cooperation with the federal government. ° A $133 million project will focus on repair and renovation of public buildings,roads and projects sponsored by municipalities, school boards, universities and colleges with a target of 14,500 jobs. The third program will pump $91 million into youth employment projects to create 8,400 additional .jobs. The final program commits $11 million to tile drainage and a new Farmstead Improvement Program. Miller's budget represents an 11.6 per cent increase in expenditures for the fiscal year 1982-83 to a total of $22.7 billion. Revenue will only increase at 9 per cent to a total of $90.5 billion which will result in a projected deficit of $2.2 billion for the year. The treasurer predictedthat the economy will strengthen during the balance of the year and that growth in the second half of the year should be four per cent on an annual basis. He forecast an em- ployment level at 125,000 jobs above the current level by year end and predicted that inflation wouldrun at 10.7 per cent in 1982 compared to 12.5 per cent last year. Town population declines The population of the town of Goderich is decreasing according to figures released by Statistics Canada recently. In a five-year period frota+-1976 to Y only two towns in the County of Thiron, experience, lines in growth, Clinton and Goderich. During that period, population in Goderich fell 0.9 per cent to 7,322. Clinton's population declined by a rate of 2.2.per cent to 3,081. Despite the declines in population growth in the two towns, the population in Huron County rose by .2 per cent in the five-year study period to a total of 56,127 in 1981 compared to 56,007 in 1976. The growth rate in this area was modest compared the to 4.4 per cent provincial average as the population increased to 8,625,107 from 8,264,465 in• 1976. The loom town of the county was Exeter, which recorded the highest population growth in the past five years. Exeter's population increased 6.8 per cent to 3,732, a growth rate higher than the provincial average. The towns of Seaforth and Wingham also registered modest gains with the population of Seaforth in- creasing 1.4 per cent to 2,114 and Wingham by .9 per cent to 2,897. The most impressive - . pepulatIoriaagoipaaawerea registered by the village of Bayfield and the Town- ship of Colborne with growth rates of 18.2 per cent and_,_, 10.6 per cent respectively. The largest decrease in the county was in Tuckersmitb Township as the -populatrorrd peed-by-10.Fper cent -to '3;003- from 3,357. There Was modest growth -in the villages of •Blyth and Zurich while Brussels and Hensall experienced a decrease in population for the same five-year period. Blyth's population is up 6.9 per cent to 926 and Zurich's is up 5.6 per cent to 795. The, number of residents in Hensall fell to 973 from 993 and the population of Brussels is down to 962 from 1,054 five years ago. The population of the Township of Ashfield in- creased by four in five years to 1,824 a jump of a mere.2 per cent. Goderich Township grew by nearly 200 residents in the past five years to 2,505 from 2,315 a jump of 8.2 per cent. Liberals back Bruce Energy Centre BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE A "mega project" at the Bruce Energy Centre out- side of Kincardine has been unanimously approved by Southwestern Ontario Liberal Association members. At a policy meeting at Benrriiller on the weekend, 64 representatives from ridings in Southwestern On- tario met to discuss party policies. Federal agriculture minister Eugene Whalen, along with MPs Maurice Bossy of Kent- and Ralph Ferguson of LaMbton-Middlesex, was part of the conference. Mr. Whalen referred to the Bruce Energy Centre as a "mega project" and is excited about the potential of the plant. A presentation was made. to the delegates onSaturdaynight by Sam MacGregor of Kincardine, who has spearheaded the project since 1976, "I have never seen that kind of presentation before," said Mr. .Whalen at a noon hour press con- ference in Benmiller. The support given by the federal Liberal associa- tion members will be brought to the attention of the Liberal caucus. Mr. Whalen added resolutions passed at the conference will 'have an effect on the provincial policy meeting in Kingston on July 9, 10, and 11 and the national policy meeting in Ottawa on Nov. 7; 8.and 9. The Bruce Energy Centre is a proposal by a consor- tium of seven investors, including Mr. MacGregor, president of Resolute Development Corporation. The aim is to use waste steam from Bruce Nuclear Power Development to power an industrial park, through pipelines to greenhouses, then aqua farms and then back to Lake Huron. Now, water is taken from the lake and used to power BNPD reactors ( no water comes in contact with radiation) and returned to the lake at 15 degrees celsius. The proposal will return the water at a lower temperature. The steam will produce en amount of power equal to 40,000 gallonso f oil per day and costs less than natural gas. A one -acre area of greenhouses are on site now as a pilot project and have proven successful. The consor- tium has an option to purchase 2,000 acres surroun- ding BNPD. Ontario Premier William Davis a year ago, promis- ed $10 million under the Board of Industrial Leader- ship and Development (BI LD ) program. The benefits of this project are considered enor- mous, especially for employment. When generating station Bruce Fl ' is completed in 1987, 3,000 construction -related jobs will be lost; 1200 approx- imately each in. the communities of Port Elgin and Kincardine. This is foreseen to have a ripple effect on other jobs in the communities. This is one reason the • Federal Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan communities support the Bruce Energy Centre as it anticipates creating 10,000 jobs, both ii°f Construction and in operation phases. Mr. Ferguson said he was impressed that the delegates had done • their homework andwere knowledgeable on the Bruce situation and its\ long range impact on the economy in that area. Not all discussion at the conference was on the Bruce Energy Centre. Agriculture, small business and tourism were also discussed in their relation to federal policies. Mr. Whalen referred to his agrifood strategy an- nounced recently as another "mega project". He sees as a challenge, feeding the two billion more people expected in the world by the year 2000. 'Endorsed by the delegates, the agrifood strategy aims at increasing agriculture production 75 per cent. Severahmeans of accomplishing this were men- tioned by Mr. Whalen. • He said there. is a potential for 24 million acres of land to be developed for farming in Northern Ontario and Quebec. Through scientific research, Mr. Whalen added, better .means of pest and weed control, and improved fertilizer would. help to increase produc- tion. Mr. Ferguson, alss a farmer, said another method of increasing production would be through exporta- tion of agriculture products through Canagrex con- tracts. The spin-offs from this may affect the total economic picture, by creating five to seven jobs to every one farmer. Echoirig words he has said 'repeatedly, Mr. Whalen indicated a "guaranteed sufficient return" is needed by farmers, especially those in the red meat industry. This could be accomplished he said through a form of supply management. All three Liberal MPs were optimistic about the conference. "It was a very, very, good meeting ... and the par- ticipation was good," said Mr. Whalen. Mr. Ferguson referred to the conference as "a grass roots movement" and Mr. Bossy said the needs of the future and today were identified. The Kent MP indicated • the ridings taking part represent a "tremendous amount of population". Rodger Schwass, Dean of Environmental Studies at York University, Toronto, and a defeated Liberal candidate in Bruce -Grey riding, said the conference not only provided a chance to deal with short term plans, but a "focus on the future". Budget poor Riddell says "It was a way of mobilizing public opinion," said Jack Riddell Liberal MPP for Huron -Middlesex, following the recent closure of the Legislature, by the Liberal opposition. Liberals are angry over the recent budget handed down by Treasury Minister, Frank Miller, last Thursday. "It is one of the few measures the opposition can use in a majority government," Riddell told the Signal -Star in a telephone interview from his Toronto office. He explained that the closure did not disrupt House business because it started on a Friday when there is little work and ended on Monday without taking up valuable time. "We feel that we accomplished our purpose in bringing the message across to the people of Ontario that the budget is extremely poor," he said. Riddell acknowledged that his office has received a number of calls from people who object to the budget. Several people who operate small food vending shops have told hire that the new tax on Candies and other items will put them out of business. "The budget is striking out against the needy through the new taxation on plants, pets and personal hygiene products. Miller says that the personal hygiene products is not a neccessity, but I feel that it most certainly is," he said. Riddell also criticised the new tax on school sup- plies and the tax break for small businesses which he feels will do little to help businesses from. going bankrupt. must remember that many .businesses are not making profits and therefore are not paying taxes," he explained. Riddell feels that the gove"'-unent is using a regressive form of taxation wit. .rew taxes and increased OHIP premiums. He also feels that the $5000 interest free loans offered- by the government to pe.ople who purchase a new home will do little to help the majority of homeowners looking at mortgage renewals in the near future. "The loans will encourage people to buy new homes but in five years they might not be able to afford those same homes," he said.. According to Riddell the government's work program falls short of what is needed to fight unemployment in the province. "The economic problems are structural not cyclical. The job creation program is a make work project for the short term and is not based on providing jobs on a long term basis. Riddell feels that the budget could have offered greater assistance to the farmers to help them cope with rising interest rates and operational costs. He said that the government should be looking at a subsidization plan to bring the financial burden on farmers down to a level they can cope with. The Liberal strategy in the months to come will be to inform voters that the budget will hit the needy in the province the hardest and that purchases by the government of Suncor, land tracts and a new government jet are wasting taxpayers money. "Why in the world should little kiddies have to pay extra for candy so that cabinet ministers can fly around in jets," he said. Town would like old dump pictures Time has a habit of healing many wounds. Take the old dump site along the banks of the Maitland River for instance. Maty Goderich residents will likely remember the site, just oft Maitland Road, that was used to dispose of tons of garbage generated within the town. But the site has undergone a drastic reformation within the past year and it hardly seems fair to refer to the area as the old dump site. The Optimist Club of Goderich, in' co-operation with town council, has transformed the site into a park and while much work remains to be done, the club's annual music festival will be held there. - The town has dumped tons of fill on the site and acres have been seeded in initial preparations. Recently hydro was installed and members of the club are lending their expertise in the construction of other facilities. At a regular meeting of council Monday, deputy - reeve Bob Allen remarked on the transformation of ° the site and wondered if anyone had pictures of the old dump. "It would be interesting to note the com- parison between the area 20 years ago and now," he said. If anyone has pictures of the site, when it was used as a waste disposal site, they are asked to contact town hall. Beautify Goderich is themeof week Visitors have undoubtedly noticed the signs to the entrances of Goderich which audaciously proclaim the town as the prettiest in Canada. But the town has legitimate claims to the slogan as evidenced by the number of inviting parks and well kept residential properties. People take pride in the aesthetic quality of the town. In keeping with that theme the tourist committeeis sponsoring a "Beautify Goderich" campaign for the week of May 24 to 31. The committee will be staging a contest to encourage the community to help beautify the town and to clean up areas around homes and businesses. The town's park committee does an excellent job in maintaining high standards in the numerous parks and parkettes around town, parks that offer serene retreats for thousands of tourists and residents. So, next week, everyone is encouraged to apply those standards to their homes and businesses and keep Goderich the prettiest town in Canada. Vandals smash school windows Windows at Robertson Memorial Public School and the former Schutz Motors building on -Huron Road were broken during acts of vandalism this past week. Local police also . report one break-in at a shed during which a bicycle was stolen. In total, six bicycles were stolen during the week. There were also three other thefts involving lawn ornaments and one shoplifting offence. ;,;,ahastu eat- 1 sb oo1 , i r d,vibgn9 : the -Wheel of his bicycle telref eatiising i o fall: police investigated and found that the Wheel had been • 'deliberately loosened as had several on other bicycles • at the school. Police Chief Pat King warns that such -vandalism -could -wove -serious -and -even fatal-_if_a loose wheel causes a child to fall in front of a car. Police investigated three motor vehicle accidents ° during the week and two criminal driving offences. They made eight arrests, laid six criminal charges, three liquor charges, 11 Highway Traffic Act charges and one provincial statute charge. They also issued eight warnings. iNaDE THE S1GNAL-RTAR Soccer and ball Baseball action is in full swing m Goderich. For the latest wrap up of last weekends events turn to page 2 of the Recreation section. Training goes on Horse training is an occupation that demands a lot of hard work from both man and beast. Signal -Star reporter. Terry Marr presents a behind the scenes look on horse training at the Goderich track on the front page of the Recreation section of the paper. Squadron inspected The 532 ( Maitland ) Squadron, Royal Air Cadets held their fourth annual inspection on Saturday, May 15. Inspecting the troop was Lieut -Colonel, R.P. Russell. The story and picture appear on page 2 of the paper".