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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-05-18, Page 1The Bluewater Centrefor the PerellopMentollY ii* on. Il'andl� ,.:.�witl ��e ., ins , months.:' dist., Community and Social Service Minister Frank Drea confirmed intim Leffialatiire Monday afternoon thathe was proceeding with Phase of he ministry's five-year plan by announcing the closure of the centre south of Goderich In six months. Centre administrator Bill Gregg said he met with management and union personnel early Monday afternoon to discuss the notification. By late af- ternoon, everyone had been advised of the November 17 closingofthe centre. While the employees have been given confirmation of the centre's closure, Drea will inform parent s of the ministry's plans by letter. Gregg' said Drea has promised parents in the letter that residents will not be MY K YM •, 4 .,0044 4. , o, 4,S/ ♦ 0, vuxrsultatilon, A, closure corrimittee Will be established to mai- taln effeive ogiommication4 during the rem...a ning *months and to;en$ure the process is a( conn .tis . d P efficiently, In the meantime, Gregg said every one of the 166 full4line employees wil'exploree potential job opportmities. Every full-time employee will be given the op- portunity to explore career opportunities with the personnel department," he said. "There may be jobs at the regional centre in Palmerston or Woodstock. available for some of these people. We are discussing the options and taking a look at what type of work poeple want to pursue and where. All selections will be by seniority." Every employee is expected to have a job offer from the ministry within the next three months Gregg said adding that many will be placed in a similar job #n APinstituUloa. , "It spill be difficult ," he said, " But the ministry saiditwilloffera job to overlie," The Aclea' uree mea. that the 109 'resldenta will have home settings in communities to be>q�lac+�d in:l�aup co . un in Huron' County. �'Conf ident that as many 100 of the centre's residents would be capable of functioning in a community group home, Gregg said the remaining 50 or so residents would have to be moved to the Palmerston facility. "Communities are moving on the matter of setting up group homes," he said. "But it will be at least two months before there is any resident movement." While the government has set November 17 as the closure date for the Bluewater Centre, that date is flexible if some residents have not been placed. "There may be an extension to that closing date for six months • a few staff if all the residents have not been moved," he said. "We will not make the residents move more than once." Earlier, Gregg had asked staff to prepare for an October 31 closing and the official confirmation Monday at least serves to remove the burden of doubt from employees'minds. The doeure of „six regional centres for the developmentally handicapped across the province was announced by Drea last fall after details were leaked to the press. Drea said the closings were part of the ministry's commitment to a five-year community integration plan. While the minister had resolved .to move the developmentally handicapped into the community, he promised that no placements would be made until parents had been consulted and until proper support services were in place in the community. Gtoderich SINAL -STA 135 YEAR -20 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 18,1983 50 CENTS PER COPY New harbour could- be part of expansion Goderich and District Collegiate hosted the annual Huron -Perth track and field meet here Wednesday for the first time. Hundreds of athletes from all high schools in both counties participated in the two-day meet held on the recently completed track adjacent to the school. The weather for the meet was ideal and as evidenced by the above photo, many par- ticipants took advantage of spare time between events to soak up a little sun. (photo by Dave Sykes) Canadian banks may not be able to support long-term farming needs By Sharon Dietz Area farmers had a chance to hear both sides of the argument regarding Bill 0-653 at a joint meeting of the Bruce and Huron Federations of Agriculture and the Huron -Bruce Farm Survival Association in Wingham, May 4 Brigid Pyke, an executive director of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and Larry Thomp- son, south-western Ontario manager of banking ser- vices with the Toronto Dominion Bank, were members of a panel which discussed the Bill and answered questions from the meeting floor. Pyke commented farmers need long-term credit and questions whether the Canadian banking in- dustry can support agriculture in this country. When you're looking at turning over several million dollars in 30 years, or in a generation, farmers don't need to have to review their long term credit every five years, she says. "We don't need someone saying at the first sign of trouble, they're going to get out of this business of len- ding money to agriculture." It isn't fair to criticize the banks for taking a second look at extending credit to farrry�rs, she adds, many farmers are taking a second loofa at banks. Bankers saying they'll pul their money out of • agriculture if Bill C-653 is passed is an over- statement, especially considering the provisions for rewriting debt included in Bill C-12, the Bankruptcy Act 1980. If banks were saying they were going to pull their money out of Canadian business should Bill C-12 be passed, the statement regarding the Farmers' Creditors Arrangement Act would be seen for what it is. 4 "Bill C-653 is not a wholesale assault on the rights of the creditor," she says. A farmer cannot just walk into court and have his debt rewritten according to the provisions of the Act. The thrust of the Bill is similar to the bankruptcy laws in effect in Canada which relate to the general populace. These laws are not in place to grind a deb- tor into the ground so he will never step out of line again. Similarly the Act is to rehabilitate the debtor. To make him a fixture in the community able to func- tion, where he can service his debt at some level, rather than turning him out into the street and nobody; secured,creditor or unsecured creditor, gets anything. These are sound positive solutions in the free enterprise spirit says Pyke. If there is a legitimate effort to help farmers you cannot write him off the books. The Act also attempts to bring the status of the secured and unsecured creditor to the same level. The Bill attempts to prevent the secured creditor from trouncing the debtor into the ground. The idea of reducing the principal on the debt has happened in special circumstances. By reducing debt that cannot be serviced, there are losses which won't be recouped, but reducing debt to a level where the debtor can meet his payments, you come out ahead in the long run. Pyke explained the history ot•the original Farmers' Creditors' Arrangement Act saying that of the 142,000 farmers in Saskatchewan with a debt of more than $482 million, only 5,094 proposals in a five year span were accepted under the Act. Current statistics show farmers paid $641 million in interest rates during 1981-82 and 34 percent of the bank loam ander $1 million gcr to farmers. Pyke believes Bill C-653 will provide assistance for some farmers who have acted in good faith without favour- ing the debtor to the distraction of the creditor. Toronto -Dominion bank representative Larry Thompson is not in favour of the re-enactment of the Bill, because it permits debt to be written down. The reduction of debt and the time period to li- quidate assets are two main points of the Bill which appeal to farmers.416wever, when the Bill was in ef- fect during the 1930s, it made long term debt difficult to obtain and'suppliers immediately went C.O.D. Thompson is critical of two aspects of the Bill. It basically removes ,the right of a farmer to put up security for credit and the time lapse to go through the process of appraisal of the assets, is a disadvan- tage. Thompson noted the Bill wall not help farmers with 'zero equity and the farmer must have acted in good faith with his creditors to use the Bill. Allan Wilford, president of the Huron -Bruce Farm Survival Association, speaking from the floor of the meeting, said the impetus of the Bill is to make everybody, debtors and creditors, deal in good faith. "The threat of the Bill is enough to make creditors deal in gotid faith." If banks are going to liquidate, they should do it responsibly. Wilford says he knows of farmers who have been sitting in limbo for more than two years. They should get their act together and negotiate, says Wilford. Under the provisions of the Act, the receiver ap- pointed to do the appraisal of the assets will be local and paid by the federal government. Usually, the receiver is paid by the banker in a receivership and says Wilford, whoever pays the piper, calls the tune. Town of Goderich officials will petition Transport Canada to proceed with a $12. 5 million expansion and development project in Goderich Harbour as outlined in a recent feasibility study on the port requirements for the Bruce Energy Centre. The feasibility study, a joint venture of Transport Canada and the Ministry of Transportation and Communication, examined the development of. marine transportation facilities for the Bruce Energy Centre. The study; prepared by three consulting firms and released April 19, recomthends that the port of Goderich would be the: most suitable place to expend funds for habour development. That development, in the amotmt of $12.5 million, would call for the establishment of a new harbour having seaway depth of 27 feet adjacent to the north breakwall. The port of Goderich is the highest revenue producer of 37 ports in Ontario and is the favoredsite for expansion. The federal budget of April 19 al sated $2.4 billion to recovery program fund, some of. Which will be used for:harl expaz ston., T wn ;, officials are hopeTui' Goderich' get a piece of that' ` money pie to expand the port facilities here. Right now officials 'are not sure if the port of Goderich is being considered for expansion, despite the recommendations of the joint study. However, Transport Minister Jean Luc Pepin will be petitioned by officials to exchange ideas and explore the possibility of expanding facilities here. In a letter to Pepin dated April 26, Administrator Larry McCabe outlined reasons why the town believed it should receive consideration for habour development: -it is the highest revenue producer of 37 Ontario ports under federal jurisdiction. -two major industries, Domtar Inc. and Goderich Elevator located at the harbour require seaway depth channels for national and international shipping -Domtar has capabilities of shipping higher .quan- tities of salt to international markets if new port facilities were created. -as a result of increased output, Domtar would be in a position to increase employment -the development would stimulate the local economy and provide construction jobs for a period of about two years. 1 The expansion of the port facilities here and the creation of a new port north of the breakwall with seaway depth has obvious economic advantages to the town and local industry. With such facilities, ocean vessels could take on full loads of grain and salt and expansion of industries would mean increased employment potential. Transport Canada is now testing the existing channel to determine the rock depth. For now, the expansion and creation of a new harbour is still in the proposal stage and local officials will try to pursuade the government of the advantages of spending money on Goderich Harbour. The joint feasibility study released in April studied the possibility of creating new ports at Douglas Point or Holmes Bay to service the needs of the Bruce Energy Centre or expanding the facilities at Goderich. The study recommended that the Port of Goderich could easily be expanded at half the cost to serve the area. That expansion should take place by 1985 the study recommended. The three consulting firms estimated it would cost over $5 million to dredge the existing channel and new harbour on the north side of Domtar adjacent to the breakwall to a depth of nine metres. Breakwall construction would cost $2.8 million and $2.7 million for the creation of a new loading dock. While the port of Goderich is a major source of revenue for Transport Canada and an official port of entry, expansion could result in ancillary industries, such as warehousing and storage, to locate in Goderich. Gryseels promoted 11.a.rea dies in two -car crash d funeral mass will be held at St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in Goderich this 'Friday at 10 a.m. for the late Lawrence Lassaline of R.R. 2 Goderich with visitation at McCallum ;Funeral Home Thursday evening from 7-9 p.m. Lassaline, 60, was killed in a Iwo -car crash about four kilometers southof town on Monday afternoon. The G.oderieh Detachment of the. Ontario Provincial Police report that Lassaline was heading eastbound on Goderich Township Sideroad 10 when his car collided with a vehicle driven by Terry Johnston, 18, of R.R. 2 Goderich.-Johnston, who was not injured in the crash, was driving northbound on concession roads 5 and 6. Brigade will buy used ambulance The town of Goderich will act as intermediary between the provincial government and St. John Ambulance to assist the local brigade with the pur- chase of a used mobile first aid unit. Gary Renaud of the Goderich branch told council Monday that the local brigade is restricted from buying an used ambulance from the government but the transaction can be completed between two levels of government. Council agreed to act as the pur- chasing agent for the brigade and the Goderich Branch will cover all costs involved. Renaud explained that the brigade's recent fund- raising efforts realized $14,000, less than half of the $30,000 cost of a new unit. A used mobile unit can be purchased from the government for $2,000 and Renaud estimated it would cost an additional $4,000 to make it roadworthy. The mobile first aid unit is necessary during the summer months and Renaud said the Goderich Trotting Association would not be able to hold races without the first aid unit present. St. John Ambulance has served the town of Goderich for 24 years and over two million people 'in Ontario have the first aid training offered by the group. Champion will lay off 80 workers Approximately 80 employees will be issued tem- porary lay-off notices from Champion Road Machinery. Ltd. Workers in the finished products area of the company's Gearco facility will be out of work from Tuesday, May 24 to Friday, May 27 inclusive. Company spokesman Bill Metcalfe says the lay-off is a result of . a shortage of orders. "We do not have enough orders to continue full production," he ex- plains. xplains. Metcalfe says the company plans to call the af- fected employees back to work on Monday, May 30. "By that time we hope the order intake will have come back up so we can resume full production," Metcalfe says. iNSIOET 44.064 'SIGNAL -STAR The Huron County Board of Education has pro- moted personnel relations administrator Peter Gryseels to the position of superintendent of person- nel. The Oen—Win was approved at the board's May 2 meeting and becomes effective June 1, 1983. Person- nel committee chairman John Elliott said Mr. Gryseels has been handicapped in his position because of his lack of supervisory status. As superintendent of personnel, Mr. Gryseels will have the authority to make reports in schools without be- ing accompanied by a superintendent. Mr. Elliott noted that Mr. Gryseels received his supervisory officer's certificate from the Ministry of Education in March of this year. Along with the promotion, Mr. Gryseels receives a salary increase. Presently earning $52,710, his yearly salary will increase by $3,410. The chairman of the peonnel committee noted that not only is Mr. Gryseels responsible for negotia- tions, but for making them work. Athletes excel The Huron -Perth Track and Field Championship was held in Goderich last week for the first time ever. Although the G.D.C.I. team was small in numbers, the members put out their best effort and as a result the team finished as runners-up in the overall team championship. The story written by Track Coach, Phil Bugler and pictures by Signal -Star staff Dave Sykes and Terry Marr appear on the first page of the Recreation section. Courses now open Both Sunset Golf Club and the Maitland Country Club have begun their riew golf season. A story about Sunset's opening games appears on page 3 of the Recreation section while a story about changi"s around the Maitland appears on page 2 of the second section. bhefs graduate Seventeen cooks from area health care facilities recently graduated from a Cook's training course which was taught at the Bluewater Centre tor the Developmentally Handicapped. Sponsored by Conestoga College, the course offers classroom lectures as well as practical experience. For the story about the course look inside the first section.