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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-06-11, Page 44 -9;t P4R ICI , SIGN L- A t t W DNESPA,Y, JUNE 11,1980 BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1979 Second class mail registration number -0716 SINCE 1843 • THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH it DISTRICT Founded in 1110 and ptibilsbad every wednesday at Oederkh. Ontario. Member of the COMA and OWNA. Adver- tising rafgrp on request. Subscriptions payable in advadce'16.10 In Canada, '35.50 to U.S.A., '35,10 to all other teen• tvls . single copies 33•, itisplay advertising totes aualiablg on request. Please ask for Rate Card No. IS effective Sept.I, 1175 Second claps mall Registration Number OAS. Advertising Is accepted on the condition that in the event of typographical e!!or -the advertistnQ sPpaf® Occup piilby h®•eArpnooys pta�n togeeh®r,with reasona_bleRilowaU„4y... for signature, will not . hatcheries' far but the balance bif theadvertisementwill bo paid for at the applicable rote. in the •event of a typographical error advertising goads or services at a wrong price, goods or service may not be sold. Advertising is merely on offer to sell, and may Re withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star Is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. sv PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER - Editor DONALD M. HUBICK - Advertising Manager DAVID SYKES - Assistant Editor P.O.BOX 220. HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH N7A 466 .-_--._-....._.__.__-.-FOR-BUSINESSOR--EDITORIALOFFICES-.please. neA51.9.)_.5_24-8/31_-.-- Plenty to do here There's no doubt it helps ease the psyche to get out of town once in a while. And as we head into summer many people will be taking that long awaited vacation to a quiet little spot where you can get away from it all. But as we approach summer it is well worth remembering that our own community is hosting or sponsoring a myriad of activities throughout June, July and August.. The Signal -Star attempted to list as many as of these summer activities in a schedule as was possible. The impressive aspect of the summer schedule was the scope and diversity of events offered by many different segments of this com- munity._ These events represent tireless effort on the part of service clubs, town employees and volunteers and are definitely worthy of our support. They have been in the planning for months and in simple terms offer an impressive package of activity for all. The community should also be aware that many of these projects are a means of fund raising for service and clubs, community groups and tax supported programs. What is generated from these events is put back into the community. The Optimist club is a relatively new service group but their music festival offers a fine weekend of entertainment and it is a large undertaking for a young group. The Lions will also be busy that June weekend with their barbeque and pancake break- fast. The Kinsmen will again operate the midway and beer tent on the Square in July. The tourist com- mittee has organized another Founder's Day celebration. Their program includes a bike tour, a parade Sunday afternoon and a fireworks display in the evening. There will also be a large air show and displays at the Goderich Municipal Airport, Saturday, June 28. The Goderich Recreation Department has organized some major sporting events for the summer including the second Goderich 10 km. Fun Run, -a cycling race and the major event, Sportsfest 80. Sportsfest is expected to attract over 2,000 area athletes to Goderich to compete in a host of low-key events, stressing friendly competition. And the annual Festival of the Arts in July offers an interesting display of the works of area artisans. There is so much to do in Goderich and area this summer and many of the organizers will be depending on your support to carry out their community work. D.S. . Struggle for power Where should the power base be? On Monday of this week the 10 premiers of Canada's provinces met with Prime Minister Trudeau to discuss the possibility of constitutional change and reform. The provinces will now delve into constitutional talks that will reach a pinnacle ina four-day session with the first ministers in September. The prime Minister is anxious to succeed with the reform in view of the fact he made a solemn promise to Quebecers to seek change in a renewed federalism. Failure to do so could bring on serious ramifications there. Quebec's premier, Rene Levesque, will ensure that a newconstitution will -provide for explicit recognition of Quebec's right to self determination. he wouldalso like to have language controls in the hands of the province. The provinces will pay particular attention to human rights, language rights, resource ownership and interprovincial trade, offshore resources, powers affecting the economy, communications and changes in the Senate and supreme court. Provinces are seeking a higher profile in con- trolling tly'eir destiny and resources, both offshore and natural. There have been 13 attempts to reform the constitution since 1927. Those attempts failed because of power struggles between Ottawa and the provincesand also between--the--provinces-them selves. Now, at least, there may not be agreement on many of the issues, but the ministers appeared to have resolved themselves to the fact these issues must be faced if there is ever to be reform `of a. consequential nature. There has been some talk of decentralization of power in Canada. Giving the provinces more power and autonomy. Alberta would welcome the op- portunity to set oil .and.gas prices. Newfoundland Premier, Peckford, wants control of offshore resources. Our own premier, William Davis, has maintained that decentralization of powe rem Ottawa would erode the basic principles n which this country was founded. Such a shift coul ndou t l b ed y cause rifts between provinces. And while the premiers have resolved to negotiate in good faith in September, municipalities across Ontario are playing a power struggle game of their own. 'Several ' municipal representatives met last weekend, in a prelude to the constitutional reform meeting, to discuss problems of a similar nature. Simply, Ontario municipalities want more power from the province. The municipalities maintained they do far more_ work with tax dollars than the province ever dreams of. And for that reason are convinced the province should -loosen the reins. The power struggle will continue down the line and may never beresolved to the satisfaction of all. The constitution has served Canadian$ for 113 years and Quebec has proven that without reform it could not continue to serve all. But the ministers `'- must approach the reforms with a national concern and a sense of federalism. Regional disparity kust be given a good lookbut there can't be power shifts at the expense of a nation. We're all in this together. D S Misty romance by Cath Wooden Thanks Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to thank the citizens of Goderich ' for the hospitality shown to our Grade 5 classes on their field trip to Goderich on June 3. From the suggestions made by Mrs. Hayden, Waterfront Chairwoman, we visited Mr. Shear - down at the lighthouse, Mr, Wilkinson 'at the Filtration Plant, Mr. Fisher and Mr. Kennedy at the Pollution Control Plant, as well as the museum and, gab'. At each of these locations we were met by friendly, informative people who helped to make- the day one that we will all long remember. _It is so refreshing to have these kinds of ex- periences presented •to our children by people in other communities. Our sincere thanks and appreciation. Respectfully, Joan Pickens, Grade 5 teacher, Nicholas Wilson Public School, London, Ont. Honesty Dear Editor, Is there reallyno honesty left in people or Grade 4 kids?. Our daughter worked hard, bought a satin jacket worth $18, wore it to school and someone leached it or borrowed it. The jacket can be easily identified as it has a little DEAR EDITOR not a cheap pencil. It was a technigraph worth $15 and someone took it out of her desk. Really, I do think honesty should begin at home. There must be a kid or kids who feel real guilty. Donna Scott. Error Dear Editor: • With reference to your fine article on the"We Do Remember" night celebrating the liberation of Holland which ap- peared in the May 20 edition of the Signal Star, there was an error in attributing the address which was the main body of the article to' the Rev. Van Oenberg. This speech was actually given by .the Dutch Vice Consul Dr. Heenenam at the reception in the J-ub-ilee Room -' of the Legion. The Rev. Oen- berg gave a brief but moving address at the service at the' Dutch Memorial Fountain. This error of at- tribution was solely the mistake of the Legion PRO and we apologize to both Dr. Heenenam and the Rev. Vandenberg fot this problem of iden- tification. Yours -truly, Neil Shaw Legion Branch 109 PRO P.S. Who has one? Goderich Legion Branch 109 wishes to borrow one World War II army battle dress (pants and tunic) or one summer drill uniform to be used as part of the float Branch 109 will enter in cut on it from when she fell off her bike and also the ticket is well marked. ' One other 'day she borrowed a pencil from her dad to take to school for, show and tell; It was -on same day of •the parade. Yours truly Neil Shaw Branch 109 PRO 190 Wilson St. Goderich Unfair Dear Editor, Following is 'a letter to the Treasurer of the Township of Colborne outlining my concern over market value assessment in this township and the sup- posed fairness of such a scheme. I cannot possibly believe that the overall setup is fair in nature considering what hap- pened in California a few years back. I am not complaining about paying the amount but I am very upset about the amount of change -- from 1975 to the present and ask myself what cones' next - indexing of the market value? There seems to be too many variables affecting this new tax structure. Yours truly, Mr. D. E. LaFontaine. The Treasurer, Township of Colborne, R.R.5, Goderich, Ont. Dear Sir: Today I received my tax notice for 1980 and needless to say I almost had a cardiac arrest when I realized what I am required to pay. The amount is horrendous as a per- centage over last year's billing and it is stupefying over the 1975 so called market value township has adopted as a base. In 1975 the assessment value for the 1.35 acres of vacant land I own in Menesetung Park ...(with no sewers, sidewalks, the Canada' Day parade on Sunday, June 29. Anyone having such a uniform is requested to contact Neil Shaw at 524- 8488 soonest and your uniform will be returned paved roads, culverts, lighting, etc.) was $300 and the taxes were $33.13. In 1979 the taxes had climbed to $45.58 which is not unrealistic con- sidering inflation rates of nearly 10 percent each year. Consequently the taxes for this year should be roughly $50 for the same vacant property (with no sewers, sidewalks, paved roads, culverts, lighting, etc.). Well, this is not the case. In calculating the percentage increase of the taxes from 1975 to the present and from 1979 to 1980, I find the township has done a masterful job of making sure it gets its money by one way or another if not by both. According to the "equalized assessment" calculated on market value and an arbitrary percentage factor of 5.138 percent, I now have property that has in- creased in assessment from $300 to $1,280. This would not he out of line if the taxes based on this assessment amounted to the approximately $50 anticipated for this year (1980) - i.e. the mill rate would be around $45 per $1,000 of assessed property.. Now the funny arith- metic comes into play. In the assessment notice I received in January of this year, it was stated 'the mill rate would not be 45 mills but "ap- proximately" 144.72 mills and it would be used in ,calculating this year's taxes. Thus my taxes would increase by a whopping 440 percent if the the mill rate were the aforementioned 144.72 mills. At that time I filed a complaint against my assessment because of the... astronomical per- centage'increase in the property taxes that would be generated if the mill rate were not lowered or the arbitrary assessment factor were not changed to a lesser value. It appears my request fell on deaf ears as the township not only won its case for more taxes with the new plan ,but it also increased the mill rate to 167.32 mills to gain even more money and never acknowledged my request. As it stands, and it seems I have no recourse in the matter, my taxes for the year will be in- creased 470 percent over last year's to $214.17 for 1.35 acres of vacant land (with no sewers, sidewalks, paved roads, culverts, lighting, etc.). This also means that the tax increase from 1975 to the present;l, (1980) amounts to a staggering 646 percent. Considering my property is classified. as "Farm and Residential" and the assessment for such is now considered "equalized" with all others in the vicinity then I am under the im-. pression that others in the Township of Colborne have had their taxes raised by the percentage that mine were raised. And, from this it seems that still others should have had their taxes lowered considerably or the township will be receiving a gigantic windfall • from its ratepayers using market values. And, we all know that real estate generally appreciates every year. Thus, I want to know the number of taxpayers _that—h a ri their_.taxes----- raised, stabilized or lowered as a result of this so called equalization process in the portion of the township known as Menesetung Park. Turn' to page 5 • 1 DEAR READERS BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Secretary of State Francis Fox is doing his level best to ensure a bang up celebration for Canada's 113th birthday on July 1 this year. But it's hard. So few Canadians really want to celebrate the birth of this nation at this time in hi story. ' First of all, the budget for Canada's Birthday Celebrations has been reduced from 3.8 million in 1979 to 2 million in 1980. Maybe people would be more attune to a birthday bash if the party were free. But it won't be. Not this year. Citizens have been asked to take more initiative on their own, with the help of local business and industry of course. And maybe people would'get out and celebrate if they were being en- tertained royally. But they won't be. 'All volunteer sectors and private citizens are being asked this year to place an extra effort into participation events. That's right. The Government . of Canada wants the country's citizens to enjoy themselves on Canada Day. They want them to have fun at celebrations planned and carried out by Canadians. More and better .... for less. That's the slogan this year. What are you planning for Canada Day? How are you going to show your pride in your country and in ,ni our identity as a Canadian? How will you reflect on the Canadian way of life this July 1? You know, in Goderich and area everyone will have a tremendous op- portunity to celebrate Canada's bir- thday. In fact, if things come off as planned, all the aspirations of the Canadian government will be achieved right here in The Prettiest Town in Canada where the motto for Canada Week is "a weekend full of activities with something for everyone". It all starts Friday, June' 27 with Festival and Friends at Harbor Park. You'll find folk and blue grass music along with a display of crafts and the nearby hospitality tent to be manned by the Goderich Optimists. This particular feature of Goderich's celebrations continues through Saturday and Sunday. Saturday and Sunday look like the really big days though. Saturday starts off with a Lions Club pancake break- fast at- Sky Harbor Airport where an air show is on tap for the afternoon. And right in the middle of all that, a number of Bay City dignitaries will be touching down at Sky Harbour to join the fun. After the air show, there will be country -style smorgasbord suppers at St. Peter's Catholic Church and St. George's Anglican Church, with dancing to the big band sound at the Goderich Legion Hall to follow. And guess what? That's no charge for the dance. Sound good? Saturday night at dusk there will be the traditional fireworks display off the south pier. Kids should get to stay up just a little longer this day, to see the show. How about it mom? On Sunday morning, there will be church services to attend for those who like to begin the week by worshipping with others ,.,,. and a mystery bike tour for others who prefer another form of quiet and relaxation. It may even tickle your fancy to watch some of the sailing regatta which started Saturday. At noon, you may want to get down to The Square for a pancake brunch served by the Lions Club ,,.'sand get a good seat for the parade which begins 'at 2- p.m. from Agricultural Park and circles The Square. Then there will be a Lions beef barbecue in Courthouse Park and a concert with Kincardine's famous Knights of Jazz to round out the weekend. If you aren't weary by then, you can take a walk through the town's tree - lined streets or grab a bench overlooking the lake to watch the moon cast sparkling patterns on the water. Yes siree, it is too bad Francis Fox couldn't be right here in Goderich this Canada Week. The people around here • will certainly show the Secretary of State what Canadian hospitality is like here in southwestern Ontario. What about you? Will you be there dear readers? Will you show by your participation that you care enough about Canada to come to the birthday party?