Loading...
The Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-04-10, Page 4TIff ADVAACE • mob= fibbance-timesi Published at Winham, Ontario, P.O. Box 390 - NOG 2W0 by Wenger Bros. Limited Robert O. Wenger, Sec.-Treas. Audrey Currie, Advertising Manager Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations Member—Canadian Community NewspaPer Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Asspc. Subscriptions $21.00 per year $23.00 beyond 40 -mile zone Return postage guaranteed Barry Wenger, President Henry Hess, Editor Second Class Mail Registration No. 0821 Sensible proposal The most recent proposal made by the ad hoc committee which has been investigating ways to repair the col- lapsed Lower Town dam appears to make a great deal of sense. Ron Bee- croft, chairman of the committee and Allan Stinson, of DelCan, the firm which submitted the design, met with town council members to explain the plan. The latest proposal is to erect an ' earth -filled weir which would be faced with cabled concrete blocks. The struc- ture would restore the pond levelto its former height and thus re -flood the un- sightly growth of weeds which has re- placed the former pond area since the dam broke down last year. Cost of the project is estimated to be about half that of a full concrete structure. Councillors are naturally cautious because they have committed the town Six months $12.50 to considerable expenditure for a new heating system at the 'town hall and there are still costs to be met for the new fire hall. Our greatest fear is that not all councillors are agreed on the urgency or, indeed, the importance of repairs at the dam site. It is quite apparent that many in this community see the repair of the dam as a first priority. Perhaps Wingham's claim to fame is the natural beauty of its riverside parkway. With- out the lower pond that asset will be largely lost. Nor can the repairs be de- layed indefinitely. The weed growth will increase with each passing season, and the attraction for both townspeople and J trailer park visitors will be missing. Let us urge that plans for the re- placement of the dam may be carried forward as quickly as possible. What idiocy is this? Women's' groups have recently re- ceived an unsigned statement on the subject, "Support of the Church of Sa- tan" which claims that the Procter & Gamble company turns over much of its profits to a Satanic cult. Since no signature appears on the statement there is no telling where this wild stuff originated. It is also stated that the president of Procter & Gamble has appeared on both the Donohue and Mery Griffin TV shows where he openty°declared that he "lead told Satan that, tlf he (Satan) woujjd'help him prosper then he would give his heart and soul to him when he dies: He gave Satan all the credit for his riches." What sort of sick idiocy is this? Both Donohue and Griffin, according to the leader of one women's organization in this area, have denied that the presi- dent of Procter & Gamble has ever ap- peared on their shows, much less mak- ing any statement about friendship with the Devil. The brand names of all the mer- chandise manufactured by Procter' & Gamble are listed, along with this plea: "Please feel free to make copies of this letter and pass them out to those who should be informed so that as little business as possible will go to Proctor & Gamble. Then we can easily prove to their president that there are more than enough Christians and other be- lievers in God to put a very large dent into his profits." (Note that in the quotation above the word Procter is mistakenly spelled with an "or" rather than "er". The writer didn't even have the brains to spell the name of his intended victim properly.) s Unfortunately there are some gul- lible people in this world who will swal- low this sort of. trash. T IIflES A page of editoria opinion `Concerned Taxpayers' malign council Mar F.Aifnn• Dear Editor: I have been following closely the 'Saga of the Satellite Station', hoping that reason would eventually pre- vail, but I am now compelled to write this letter because I can no longer remain silent while the "Concerned Tax- -payers" 'continue to misin- terpret information, mislead the public and malign council. In fact, so much of their time is spent in at- tempting to paint the reeve and councillors as fools and charlatans, that this who affair has the connotation a political smear campaign There is no reason to do council has acted only wi the best interests of th community in mind. Th gain nothing by acting othe Whether they.:w "elected" or "appointed (according to proper Ontar Municipal Board proced ores) in no way alters th fact that these men ar intelligent, r pected, honest, taxpayin members of their commun ty (which is' the reason wh they were approached t serve as councillors). The inference that counci is attempting to rush thes plans through in an election year and without public input is simply untrue. The plans were ready for imple- mentations in 1984, but were ' delayed at the insistence of the people who "liave now formed the "Concerened Taxpayers" group. Since that time their only "input" has been undue criticism and . a blind determination to destroy well -laid plans which have been researched and formulated with the aid and guidance of the Fire Mar- shal's office, Ministry of Transportation and Com- munications, and the Ontario Municipal Board. While some may feel that Council is guilty of a breach of etiquette by not consulting the people before proceed ing, in fact, they were simply carrying out one of their elected responsibilities - to provide fire protection for the Township, in this case, an alternate method which would not only improve protection but alleviate the le of ubt th the ey er- ever-escalating costs 'of having to purchase pro- tection from four surround- ing municipalities in order to adequately cover a township of this size because of the time and distances involved. I find it illogical to assume that men and equipment. located in Listowel, Harris - ton or Wingham can provide better protection than men and equipment located in the heart of the township. One can -understand the concerns 'of a few residents located on the fringe areas who perhaps will not benefit greatly by the proposed changes, but we should realize that council must base its decisions on what is best for the majority. Under the old system, the majority :'of residents iii this 'towiishlp were on the fringe„ areas of. io fire protection. Under the new plan, not only will the e majority (especially those re concentrated in the three e- villages) be in proximity to g their fire protection, but Y would be entitled to the Taxes upon taxes Premier Frank Miller has refused to guarantee that gasoline and heating oil prices will not increase. It may be Impossible for him to make any overall commitment in this regard, given the state of flux in energy pricing at the present time. One subject to which he should ad- dress himself, however, is the way in which the province lays on its own tax on gasoline. For several years past the Ontario gas tax has been levied in a manner which is supposed to be con- trary to the first principles of a demo- cratic society. The Ontario gasoline fax is levied on an ad valorum basis: the Ontario tax is calculated as a percentage of the price of the fuel after 'the federal tax has been added. Thus, if the federal tax is increased,the provincial tax auto- matically goes up. In other words we are paying taxes on already imposed taxes — a situation which is grossly and patently unfair. As we have pointed out previously in this column, the price of fuel for homes and motor vehicles is already much too high. It affects the cost of al- most everything we must buy. Mr. Miller should, since he claims to be the man who understands the problems of the "little people", do everything pos- sible to restrain the costs of such energy sources. The price of gasoline has risen 8.1 per cent in the past 12 months. That is inflation at its worst. "Threat" is over -emphasized Canadians whc, have expressed concern over United States interest in this country's defence program will be heartened by an American defence' analyst who claims the most serious threat to Canada's sovereignty are its defence agreements with the United States. According to The North Kent Leader the statement was made by William Arkin, director of nuclear weapons at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington. Canada, however, is hardlyin a position to quibble about defence against nuclear attack, because we have little or nothing to even pull a bluff against the "other major world power", the USSR. They know it, the Americans know it, but Canadians are loath to admit that our armed forces and their equip- ment are not up to snuff by present-day standards. Anti-nuclear bprotesters have staged rally after rally to keep nuclear weapons out of Canada and they are within their rights to do so. Just as are those who feel our defence system is inadequate, derive a modicum of com- fort from the fact that the Yanks are prepared to defend North America. In doing so they are not only bolstering the defence of the continental United States, but are also writing an insur- ance policy of sorts with Canada as a beneficiary. If the time ever comes, God forbid, for. Canada to be subjected to nuclear attack, it is much preferable that we have a neighbor willing to help knock missiles out of the sky. As much as we may detest the high-handed attitude of the United States president and his politicians, we simply don't have much of an alternative. If you happen to be one of the many "upper crust" Canadians who have been receiving offers of bank credit or new credit cards, you would do well to reflect on the fact that nobody ever of- fers you easy credit until your affairs have reached the stage where you don't really need it. bt• o added bonus of reduced in- surance rates. 1 Concern has been ex - e pressed regarding the equip- ment which would be located in Howick. The much - maligned pumper is still fit t and functioning and has been providing service from r Wingham to almost half of this Township, as well as Wingham and surrounding townships. Since a . new m pumper was purchased two c years ago, this one can now s be relocated in Howick, d I have no doubt the to residents of this township are fully as capable as those s in any other community of w forming a well-trained vol- b unteer fire det t several factors which pr this to be the most feasib option. a) the present shed is t small to accommodate al the road equipment an allows no working space fo machinery maintenace; b) the estimated cost o adding sufficient space was almost half the cost of a ne building, and a larger site was recommended; c) a representative from th fire marshal's ��offioe ad vised, after examining several possibilities, that the existing shed would be suit able fora fire hall; d) the shed would be pur- chased at its appraised value of $47,000, as opposed to con- structing a new fire hall at cost of about $100,000; e)'` Of that $47,000, the MTC wouM receive their 'share of 62.7 per cent. The balance (over $17,000) would be in- corporated into the town- ship's road budget; f) 62.7 per cent of the Cost of constructing a new works shed is paid by MTC. Basically, this all means that for a cost to the township of about $115,000 we can have a fire hall and a new shed, as pro April 10, 1985 • the municipal fire protection le budget. Furthermore,' ,37.3 per cent of that money would no be added to the road budget. 1 The cost of building the shed d would be spread over two r years, which means an ex- penditure of only $115,375.00 f in each of those years. Our approved expenditure allot - w ment for 1985 is $530,300.00. Deducting $115,375.00 for the shed and $122,000.00 for the e garder leaves a balance Of - •$292,925.00 (hardly deplet- ed). In addition, supplement- ary assistance is being re- - quested from MTC for half the cost of the grader which, if approved, will increase the funds available for road ex- penditure. $"" ----White it is- etitnmendable that these people are not apathetic to community issues, the "Concerned Tax- payers" have demonstrated a lack of understanding, are clearly adamant in their refusal to 'accept Council's information and explana- tions, and are steadfastly de- termined to call a halt to the inplementation of changes which would benefit this township. I would hope that residents will seek informa- tion from reliable sources before signing their names to the petition now being cir- culated. While I realize that a `citizen' vs. `government' type of conflict is popular, and that the sympathy. generally goes to the con- cerned taxpayer, may I ask that some consideration and space be given to another view point on this issue, one which is shared by many other Howick residents. Yours truly, Ronna Lee Johnson Gorrie 335-6164 opposed to building a new fire hall for $100,000 and re- aining the present shed which must inevitably be eplaced, at a higher cost ater). An example of how the `Concerned Taxpayers" isinterpret and mislead is learly shown in that election of their petition ealing with they road budget. First of all, $47,000 is the tal cost of the shed, not MTC's share, Secondly, the hed would not be purchased ith funds from the road udget, but with funds from par men . Having men located through- out the township who are trained in emergency and fire prevention procedures, is a valuable human re- source. I am sure when this controversy has been set- tled, we will have all the volunteers we need. Another great point of con- tention is that of con- structing a new works shed and utilizing the old shed for the fire hall. There are KEVIN COULTES, right, swept four of thb major awards at the March 30 year-end banquet for the Wingham lronmen. Bob Hopper presented Coultes with the Ex- ecutive Cup for ability and desire and he also was the recipient of .the team's Three -Star Selection award, the top scorer award and was named its most valuable player. (Ron Cooper Photo)' Council won't proceed with bridge on tenth Dear Editor, We, the Council of the Township of East Wawa - nosh, wish to advise the rate- payers of the Township of East Wawanosh that the pro- posed construction of the new 10th Line Bridge, Con- cession 10-11, has been post- poned indefinitely. Due to the lack of unanimous agreement of the landowners to proceed with planning, Council has decided to reallocate funds to other projects. Signed on behalf of the Council of the Township of East Wawanosh, Neil G. Vincent, Reeve TODAY'S CHILD BY JUDITH ADAMS Jonathan is 31. He 'heeds permanence in his life, and his adopt- ing parents should be people who can give him a lot of affection and acceptance as well as firm rules, espe- cially when it comes to eating. Jonathan was unlucky in being brain- damaged at birth, and has a "hypothalmus" condition which has resulted in his being overweight. He's a par- ticularly pleasant little boy who relates well to other children and to his foster parents. He learns c3uickly given his condition, but he is definitely delayed in his development, and his appetite is far greater than it should be Doctors can't really predict Jonathan's future with any accu- racy, but say his glan- dular problem will always need control through medication. They are guessing that he'll 'be `mildly impaired intellectually. He is taking physio- therapy, speech and. behaviour therapy to help his development. He's on a special diet to control his weight, and his foster mother thinks he'll be walking soon which may further help him to lose some pounds. At ,present he Walks holding some- one's hand or the furni- tire, and he is starting to' talk. Despite his delays and difficulties, she feels his intellec- tual functioning is nor- mal. She has been keeping a detailed diary of Jonathan's progress which will help prospective adopt- ing parents know him better. Jonathan's social worker says that par- ents for this little boy need to be well organ- ized and ` committed to providing the medical treatment he needs. They should be strong, caring and patient peo- ple who can be very consistent in their approach to him. If you think you may be those parents, please write to Today's Child, Ministry of Community and Social Services, Box 888, Station K, Toronto. Describe your present family and ,your atti- tudes and interests as fully as possible, and include your telephone number. On the brighter side A letter to the editor in one of our tion five years ago established the Ju - papers recently spoke of the "negativ- nior Citizens' Awards program. Aided ism" in the news today referring to all by the financial assistance of CP Air the bad news about crime and violence. and the personal sponsorship of We hope the writer was thinking of Ontario's lieutenant governor, John B. news sources other than her local Aird, hundreds of young people have paper, for the weekly press, by and been recognized for their courage, in - large, does not concentrate on the bad terest in community affairs and news of the day. Rather, community triumph over 'p-erson"al handicaps. papers are usually filled with stories of the achievements of neighbors in small and friendly communities. True, there is a certain amount of bad news in smaller places, but it is certainly not the dominant theme in such commu- nities. Reacting in a positive way to the criticism that the press carried only Yes, there is a lot of bad news these bad news about young people, the On- days, but your hometown paper does tarso Community Newspapers Associa- bring you the good stuff too. The stories of their good citizenship have been spread abroad in the col- umns of the weekly press and the pres- entation of awards at the annual con- vention of OWNA has become one of the most moving experiences in the history of that organization.