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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-11-16, Page 4Y PAGE 4 -- GODERICH SIGNAGST R, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1983 AVE SYKES 1' 7 Member: A I don't often project my into the future, is act, I don't o meagre thought to Korot Not that I shy away frau the co of pungent prognostications blitcgathge exn of the belief that those who constantly contemplate the future are most often idle, romantic dreamers. In short, their minds tend to be on the mushy side from con- tinuous speculation. If there is one topic that is rife for speculation and conjecture it is the weather. Yup, round about this time each and every year, the most inisgnificant quirk of nature takes on mammoth proportions in relation to predictions concerning the weather for the winter months. If chickens are seen flying upside down over the lake, the winter is expected to be a mild one but if the squirrels are spotted running up a red maple tree backwards, then we could be socked in for months. It's that kind of self-appointed, homespun philosphy that turns winter -weather predicting into a ridiculous game of one- aannd ruminating ithis se of in fulls year. swing andgl were to believe everything that is printed, we are in for everything from the mildest winter on record to the most severe known to man. The margin for error is obvious, but prognosticating pundits have covered the spectrum. Take for example a rural 96 year-old man who claims to be quite adept at reading natural signs and making rash but sane judgments concerning the weather. Con- sidering that the woolly bear caterpillars are black this year; that hornet nests are low and there is hardly an acorn or beechnut to be found, the winter promises to be another mild one in the fashion of 1982. Now this man has been reading these signs for most of years and the evidence, I would suggest, is comppeel big at the least. The amateur meteorologist is basing much of his weather prediction on the state of the black woolly caterpillar, a reliable guage that dates back to the 18th century. Before a cold' winter, they are mostly red In colour but this year they are black and thus we can expect another green Christmas. Apparently there has also been a noticable lack of visible snow clouds in August, a phenomenon that was prevalent m late summer before the severe winter of 1978. These kinds of predictions boldly challenge the inallibility of the Farmer's Almanac which churns out annual calls for a severe, old-fashioned winter. They got stung with that prediction last year but feel the odds are in their favor for the whiter of 1983- 84. With the threat of a storm looming large this day and weathermen calling for five inches of partly cloudly to fall in the lakes, my thoughts are til snow -less days of the winter 'Hopefully; the weather will resp; The reasoning behlnd'our i and tropic summers is that ca ben in the atmosphere is aliowing the MP to penetrate to earth but, hke lavIaW barrier, it blocks that heat front ra4iatOg back into space. Each year, the weather ,wW .ehange'ta a more temperate climate and willtlogrill.be marginal, it is still a change for the ter. 13y the end of the century the earth will be a whopping one degree Celsius warmer and by late in the next century it could 4.5 degrees Celsius warmer. I can hardly wait. But there is only one sure method to predict the weather this winter. I haven't put snow tires on the car, so the deluge should start any day now. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 Founded In 11141 and published every Wednesday at Proderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA, OCNA and ASC Audit Bureau of Circulations. Subscriptions payable in advance '20.05, (Senior Citizens 17.15 privilege card number required) In Canada,'SS. to U.S.A.,'55. to all other countries, Single copies 50'. [Display, National and Clessified edvertlaing rates available on request. Please ask for nate Card No. 14 effective October 1, 11119. Advertising 1s accepted on the condition that In the avant of typographical error, the sdvertleing specs occupied by the erroneous item, together with reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the edvsrtissment will be paid for et the applicable rata. in the event of s typographical error advertising goods or services et a wrong price. goods or service. nosy not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be traltbdrewn st enir rale Signal-Star for reproducingsnoresponsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or Second class mail registration number 0716 PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES - Editor BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1983 P.O. BOX 9E0 HUCKINB AL PARK v �` INOUBTFIIAL. 1300ERICH, ONT. N7A c11138 FDA BUBINE99 OR EDITORIAL OFFICE9...please phone (5191804-8331 Development needed When town of Goderich and officials representing in- dustrial concerns at Goderich Harbour present a brief to Minister of Transport Lloyd Axworthy their arguments for development and expansion of the facilities here will be solid ones. Both Domtar and Goderich Elevator have strong arguments for the creation of a seaway berth and channel at Goderich Harbour. A new seaway berth, north of the existing salt mine operation, would greatly enhance the export potential of both companies. The exportation of their respective products, is now limited because of the channel and harbour depth and ocean-going vessels are prohibited from loading to capacity. It results in lost time and money. Expansion is estimated at between $12 and $16 million, much of which could be recouped in a matter of years from the highest revenue producing port among 37 under federal jurisdiction in Ontario. The expansion would involve the dredging of the channel and new berth to a depth of 9.2 metres, expansion of the existing north breakwater and the construction of loading docks. While the construction process would generate obvious man-years of employment, the enhanced harbour capabilities would result in increased production on the part of both companies. It would generate more jobs in this community while taking ad- vantage of the town's only real potential natural resource, the lakehsore and harbour. Axworthy challenged the town in a recent letter to show a demonstrated user commitment to the harbour development project. Town officials and industrial representatives have prepared a brief that will be per- sonally presented to the Transport Minister before the end of the year. The brief firmly indicates that if the federal govern- ment were to commit itself to the $12 million expenditure, the result would be econimically beneficial to both the federal and provincial governments, the companies in- volved, and Goderich and surrounding municipalities. Hopefully, the proposal will be given due consideration by the federal government. But if things don't work out this time, it wont be from lack of effort. Prelude By Dave Sykes DEAR READERS SHIRLEYiKeLL ER Wage increase is justified That time honoured proverb, which proclaims that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, has a ring of truth to it. For minimum wage earners in the province of Ontario, the time between pay raises has been unduly long, creating great disparity between minimum wage earners and their counterparts in business and industry. The provincial government has finally seen fit to in- crease the minimum wage paid and rightly so. Today, minimum wage workers in the province of Ontario earn $3.50 an hour, the same amount they were paid for their toil over two years ago. The minimum wage paid in Ontario is the lowest in the country and translates into an annual wage of $7,280. Fortunately, the government has seen the error of its ways, or at least recognized the fact that people simply can't survive on a minimum wage of $3.50 per hour. Recently, Labour Minister, Russell Ramsay, announced that the government intends to increase the wage level by 35 cents an hour next March, and by another 20 cents in October, 1984. So in March, 1984, the minimum wage will rise to $3.85 per hour and the October increase wi'.1 bring it to $4.05 per hour. It is unfortunate that the minimum wage schedule remained the same for nearly two and one half years. Ideally, the wage should have been subject to regular increases, even if it meant adherence to the voluntary six - and -five program proposed by the federal government. Even federal and provincial social assistance was in- creased in that time period. Increases, however, were not administered the minimum wage laws. Many people, perhaps more than we care to realize, earn minimum wage for the jobs they do in the service industry. While many of them, admittedly, may be students working to finance an education, others are full- time employees who have families or other people to support on the meagre wage. Simply, our minimum wage was terribly unfair, by comparison and increases should have been regular rather than waiting until it falls pitifully behind that paid by all other provinces. Next year, the increases will be rapid and substantial and no doubt will create nightmares for many employers. In the future, the province should take more frequent looks at the minimum wage. My hat is off to Elsa Haydon who is challenging Huron County Council about a long standing policy - closed committee meetings. Anyone who knows Elsa knows she has always been a champion of open meetings, so it will come as no surprise to her friends and associates that she is on the march for an end to closed -door committee sessions at Huron County Council. Frankly, every citizen in Huron County should climb on Elsa's Bandwagon too. There's ab- solutely nothing like openness at any level of government to clear away misunderstandings and increase public awareness and trust. Members of county coi,mcil will discover that Elsa Haydon has done her homework. She knows more about the workings of municipal govern- ment than most citizens; it isn't easy to pull the wool over her eyes. They will also discover that Elsa Haydon isn't vindictive. She isn't hoping `to uncover any sinister plot or hideous scandal within the Huron County Council Chambers ... although those who stubbornly cling to old habits and archaic ideals will soon give that impression themselves if they continue to protest so vehemently. Elsa Haydon is something like the legendary Pollyanna who believes that right is right ... and there's good in everyone and everything. And bully for Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle who said, "I personally believe that government is responsible to its constituents and should be open in its operation." That's a mouthful of truth. It's the taxpayers who pay the bills when things are done right ... it's the taxpayers who pay the bills when things are done wrong ... it's the taxpayers' privilege to know what's going on in every segment of the county council chambers ... and why. County Council isn't a private club. Warden Grant Stirling is correct when he says committees can be run as "council sees fit". (That's county committees, Warden Stirling, that don't fall under other Acts than the one you quote .... committees like the Library Committee and the Public Health Committee.) But the taxpayers of Huron County might want to ask Warden Stirling why "council sees fit" to feed the ratepayers of Huron County only those items county councillors wish to make public. Do members of county council think the ratepayers would not understand? Do they think that when one is elected to county council, a new intellect is conferred automatically to make ordinary men and women into visionary officials different from everyone else? In Warden Stirling's defence, he has come up through the Huron County system of government in much the same fashion as Reeve Lionel Wilder of Hay Township who said, "If we have the press or the public at a committee meeting (subjects) will not be discussed as thoroughly." Why, Reeve Wilder? This writer remembers when you first came on the political scene in Hay Township. This writer remembers when you had the promising spark of a newly -elected coun- cillor who believed things weren't being done to the satisfaction of the voters ... and you wanted to put things right. This writer thought then you had the fortitude to cut through all the crap that government hands voters from time to time, and would get to the heart of the matter which is representing the will of the majority. Said Reeve Wilder, "Closed meetings are an important aspect of county council." Again, Reeve Wilder, why? Why are closed sessions important to county council? Do you expect hordes of people to converge on your committee meetings? Do you do something different at your committee meetings than at county council meetings? Do we get better county government because committee meetings are closed to the public? Do the reasons behind the reasons really get explained there? We've heard a great deal in the past about the gloves -off discussions in committee meetings. Is it true? Do county councillors really fight tooth - and -nail about the nitty-gritty of Huron's future behind closed doors. Do they then just give up, sitting quietly and contentedly at open meetings without arguing a single point in the council chambers where the public just might hear and lend support for their opinions? If it is true - if something really happens in those committee meetings to cause county councillors to clam up like monks at prayer - it is time for a reassessment of the county system. If it really does happen that valid arguments are put forth in committee sessions that nobody from the public sector has a chance to consider - that county councillors can only think and speak out freely at closed committee sessions - it is a sad comment on the type of elected officials we are sending to county council. I remember another county group meeting for the first time in 1969 in the county council chambers because they still did not have a meeting place of their own. It was the first meeting of the Huron County . Board of Education. Maybe it was the air, I don't know. But one newly elected board member - her name was Marion Zinn - suggested that perhaps, the press and the public should be -excluded from the board's deliberations. Naturally, Marion's suggestion was shot down in short order. No matter. Marion went on to become one of the board's foremost supporters off open meetings. So history - even Huron County history - proves that changes can occur in elected people. Let's hope a change in attitude prevails among the members of Huron County Council's executive committee as they consider Elsa Haydon's presentation. Let's hope somebody has the courage to say the emperor is naked, to paraphrase Haydon herself. At a recent meeting of Goderich Town Council three pieces of correspondence among the letters on the agenda caught my eye. There was nothing out of the ordinary about any of them separately, but together they showed a pattern of council's reaction to certain activities. It is my impression that similar attitudes are visible on many occasions. it could be .said that this pattern deserves some attention. The three letters were different forms of invitations. Two pertained to working and information gathering events; one was for a social occasion. Nobody is going to attend the working events; six persons indicated that they are accepting the invitation which includes a reception and dinner. One of the two letters concerning working events was from Recycling Council of On- tario, inviting attendance at a one -day seminar (on a Saturday) in Toronto, on the subject of waste management, more par- ticularly alternatives to landfill sites. Source separation and municipal com- posting are mentioned. As Goderich faces considerable difficulties in connection with the present landfill site or a possible loss of it altogether, I should have thought that any bit of additional information and learning from other municipalities' experiences (there are successful programs in opera- tion) would be regarded as useful. The letter was received and filed. The second letter was from Maitland Valley Conservation Authority concerning an evening meeting in Wroxeter. The Authority's 1984 program and budget will be presented. The main speaker's topic is "Soil erosion in Southern Ontario". A progress report on the office expansion project will be given at the meeting. Considering that, with its $23,000. - annual payment, the Town of Goderich is by far the largest municipal contributor to the Authority and as distant criticism is directed at the Authority sporadically from the council, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Authority's af- fairs would be of considerable interest to our municipal officeholders. The letter was received and filed. The third letter was from The Huron County Board of Education in Clinton, in- viting council members to attend the Board's "Inaugural Meeting" and what is called the Chairman's Reception (including dinner) at the White Carnation in Holmesville. The invitation has six takers from Goderich. The Board has a three-year term which started in December last year inetc.The th an in- augural ceremony of swearing n trustees elect a chairman annually and the occasion is marked by the above mentioned event. In the past only heads (mayors or reeves) of the municipal councils were in- vited, but now the invitation is extended to "any interested members". There are 26 municipalities in Huron County. Goderlch will have six members attending. If that is any indication of the numbers to be added to the trustees, administration and related persons, it will be quite a party. The Board of Education pays. me These new dimensions intrigued con- siderably. In an attemptto understand the whole situation better the Board's office and put all my concerns and doubts on the table, in a frank conversation with the Director of Education. I am glad I did, because Mr. Allan explained to me that the invitations sent out to the extended groups reflect the trustees' desire to build closer and improved communications with their municipal counterparts. This new spirit of closer co-operation and better understanding is admirable and time- ly and ought to be greeted with apprecia- tion. There is nothing wrong with attending a good public relations party, but it is to be hoped that the party will inspire more coun- cil members to attend the Board's ( and other) working and learning events as well, because that is where the real understanding grows. Goderich with a $1,789,892. - payroent in 1983, is also by far the largest municipal contributor to the Board of Education. Earlier in the year Councillor Clifford was the only Goderlch member to attend the Board's budget meeting. It is good to know that such future meetings will have at least six Goderich members attending and learning. ELSA HAYDON