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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-05-04, Page 5appy Mother's Day Like a goad neighbor, State Farm Is there. R,W. (RICK) GIBBONS, Agent, 25 Alfred St. E., P.O. Box 720, Wingham, Ontario. NOG 2W0 Bus. `($19)357-3280 STATE FARM IN URAMCE COMPASSES Canadian Stead officaa Scarborough. One. ition leader discusses Continued from Page 1 much local farmland is owned by foreign investors, adding he had heard alar- ming rumors about high amounts of land in Morris owned by foreign entities. Mr. Sanders estimated that approximately 15 per cent of the arable land in Morris is owned by foreign concerns. In fact, he said another 500 acres down his line recently was purchased by foreign buyers for $1,500 to $2,000 per acre. The land often is purchased through a registered Ontario cor- poration, he explained. The buyer takes over the farm credit mortgage and makes the farmer part of the cor- poration. He, the farmer, then rents back the land from the corporation. Ontario Tax Gran For Sernor Citizens 1983 Instalments are in the Mail Ontario Tax Grants for Seniors is a program designed specifically to help offset municipal and school taxes for Ontario residents 65 and over. The Ontario Ministry of Revenue Is mailing cheques which comprise the first instalment of the 1983 Property Tax Grant of up to $250 and a temporary Home Heating Grant of $40. These cheques were mailed on April 29th. Who will receive it? • If you are 65 or over and own or rent your home, you are eligible for the Property Tax Grant. ■ The 1983 instalment cheque is mailed to Ontario seniors who received the 1982 Property Tax Grant. ■ This is intended to help you pay your property tax or rent for the first part of 1983. In the fall you will automatically receive an application for the balance of your grant. Who will not receive it? Basically,_iLyou.didn't receive -a 1982. Property Tax- Gran ou-will-not _-.._-__—_-_.-__ fed -ell -re theespring inskdment. In particular, seniors should note that: ■ If you reside in a nursing home, home for the aged or any property tax-exempt institution, you are not eligil?le for the Property Tax Grant • If you turned 65 after December 31st, 1982 (and therefore did not qualify for a ,grant last year) you also will not receive the spring instalment. However, you will receive an application for the entire 1983 grant in the fall. For more information call the Ministry's multilingual Information Centre • In Area Code 416– ■ In Area Code 807– dial 1-800-263-7100 ask the Operator for Zenith 8-2000 or write to: Ministry of Revenue, Guaranteed Income and Tax Credit Branch P.O. Box 624, 33 King St. W., Oshawa, Ontario, Lill 8118 IN In Metro Toronto– dial 965-8470 • In all other areas– dial 1-800-263-3960 Ontario Ministry of Revenue George Ashe Minister T.M. Russell, Deputy Minister Two weeks ago, when Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food Dennis Timbrell was in Lucknow, Mr. Sanders said he showed him a map of Morris Town- ship which identified the foreign-owned farms. But Mr. Timbrell said the figures were wrong and his govern- ment's are right. Mr. Peterson said the Davis government estimates foreign ownership in the province at around one per cent. But they don't know, he said. Foreign investors' not only keep the price of land high, he said, but there is a sociological spinoff problem of "tenant" farmers who don't own the land, therefore don't care about it. That often leads to buildings which become rundown, or even fall down, thus depreciating the assessment base of the property, leading to fewer tax dollars collected. GENERAL OUTLOOK All in all, Mr. Peterson asked, what is the general outlook for farmers? Gerry Priestrap, a Massey -Ferguson dealer from Lucknow, said many farmers he has dealt with for many years are facing hard times. As far as forecasting the future, Mr. Priestrap said 1983 looks like a very slow year for him, compared to 1982. People can't afford to replace their implements, remodel their houses, or do things like they used to, said Mac Inglis of Formosa. It's simply because there's not enough money. When asked what they think of farm' survival groups, the farmers said they don't agree with them, - but Mt _Inglis: said they..have served a purpose in alerting people to the real problems in agriculture today. Mr. Trick said he thinks the farm survivalists have caused a lot of paperwork and problems at the bank. Also, he noted, any farmer who is $500,000 in debt should blame himself and not necessarily the bank. Finally, Mr. Peterson asked those present what they thought of .the .govern- ment's proposed land tax rebate of 100 per cent. The farmers agreed they generally are happy with the way the tax system is run now and said there are other ways the government can give the farmer a break. "High taxes aren't the problem in agriculture," said Mr. Inglis, "low com- modity prices are." How Muth Ofbur• Ls R The Wingham Advance -Times, May 4, 1-983—Page- 5 DA VID PETERSON, leader of the provincial Liberal party, stopped over in town last Wednesday to discuss matters of concern with local farmers. The informal discussion session was one of several stops made by the leader in Southwestern Ontario last week. He also met with farmers in Kincardine and Port Elgin and addressed the Huron -Bruce Liberal Association's annual meeting Wednesday evening in Kincardine. Murray Elston, Huron -Bruce MPP is with Mr. Peterson. • ■ mmission pro Continued from Page 1 come as.a complete surprise, he said, since one of the suggestions from the Ontario Police Commission following its inspection last year was that council consider for- ming a commission as a governing body for the police. Subsequent to that, a meeting was held with representatives from the other towns in Huron County to explore the possibility of a county -wide police com- mission, but aside from Goderich the others didn't seem too interested, he said. He added that he had been looking at the idea during the year and in his last report to council suggested that a police commission is "a progressive system in our field". The chief said there are a You might be shocked to find out. Inflation and fluctuating real estate values have a way of reducing your insurance protection — unless your policy is constantly up -dated. Then there are questions of land value, house foundations and the cost of removal and re -building. To find out where you stand talk to one of the LBAO. insurance brokers listed below. Is there a difference between an LB.A.O. broker and an agent? Yes there is. An agent works directly for one insurance company, An I.BAO, broker is independent and unbiased. Your broker is able to choose a policy that gives you the right coverage at the right price. , . making sure you're not under -insured or over - insured and that your interests are well repre- sented when you come to making a claim. So call your broker and ask if he or she is a member of the I:BAO, INSURANCE irBROKERS ASSOCIATION ONTARIO There's More To Insurance Than Just a Folies' Cal the I.BAO. broker in your neighbourhood Wingham: K.EIL INS. Box 250, 357-2636 Gorrie: KEIL INS. Main St., 335-3525 60%-- 50%-- number of variables in forming a commission, .. which can have three or five members and may or may not include a judge. Basically, though, it is formed of appointees from within the community who are on rotating terms to ensure there is always some continuity. Because members come from the community, there is no loss of local autonomy, he said, and council still has final say over the budget. In general, the commission serves as an intermediary between the police force and the "political scene", much as the OPC does provin- cially. A number of small com- munities such as Mitchell have recently formed commissions, he noted, but usually as the result of great turmoil between the police department and council. He would prefer to see the change take place while the two are still on good terms. Although neither Mr. Cur- rie. nor the chief cared to dis- cuss any underlying reasons for the commission proposal coming forward at this time, a certain amount of friction has been evident this year between members of the police committee and be- tween the committee and others on council. At the beginning of his police report, Mr. Currie said there appears to be a "jurisdictional dispute" over who can dispatch police and who defines their line of duty. However he did not elaborate and said he hopes to resolve the matter within the committee. i®gred i�leelrs - Mailbox Education Week always is busy, enjoyable and en- tertaining for all those in- volved. Last Monday, we had a science fair. The projects were set up by the students and judged later by the teachers. There were numerous outstanding projects with topics like: cotton, Plains Indians, rabbits, swine operations, solar system, the wood in- dustry and many others. The winners were: Grade 1 and 2, first, Patty McGlynn and Kelly McGuinnes, second, Darryl Hallahan, and third, Patrick Hallahan; Grade 3 and 4, first, Carrie Skinn, second, Tracy McGuinnes, and third, Joey Schmidt, Sheri Lynn Allen and Healy Hallahan. Grade 5 and 6 winners were: first, Giselle Kelly and Laura Hallahan and Diane Hallahan; second, Sheri Marklevitz and Shelly Marklevitz; third, Kelly McGlynn, Robbie Van- DenBroek and Lori Belanger, Christine and Shannon Hallahan. Grade 7 and 8 winners were: first, Paul Fear; second, Doug Cerson; and, third, Murray Skinn. Congratulations to all the winners. The theme for our spring concert was "Education for Tomorrow". The program commenced with songs by Grade 5 and 6. Then • Grade 7 and 8 per- formed three skits: Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence; La Tortue et Le Livre; and Herlock Sholmes. Also performing from Grade 7 and 8 were music festival winners and Lori Belanger and Jeffery San- ders gave their speeches. We had the pleasure of listening to two other schools sing: St. Mary's, Goderich, and St. Joseph's, Kingsbridge. Grade 1 and 2 visited CKNX last Tuesday af- ternoon' and the Wingham and District Hospital Wednesday afternoon. They had enjoyable and in- teresting tours. Last Thursday, April 28, Grade 5 and 6 had a visitor, Mrs. Mary Ann Kissner. Mrs. Kissner, an artist, showed some of her sketches and paintings. She then led the students through some warm-ups for drawing. It was a very creative af- ternoon. Education Week was finalized with a Mass at school. A special ' intention was that we continue to grow, love and learn together and work for "Education for Tomorrow". Merchants to continue downtown bea utification Members of the Wingham business community plan to continue their program of making the downtown core a more pleasant place to be by adding a touch of greenery this summer. At a meeting last week, the Wingham Business Association voted to buy 10 planters to go along the sidewalk with trees and flowers, providing. some color and perhaps a place to sit. The planters, which are boxes about six feet by 21/2 feet, will be purchased from Huron Landscaping of Lucknow at a cost of $225 each, including topsoil and small, ornamental trees, and are to be on the street in time for the May 24 weekend. Bob Middleton of Mid- dleton's Home Furnishings, who chaired the meeting, outlined what is available in the way of planters and the cost. He also noted it is possible to use sections of the planters as park benches by adding planks. Following a brief discus- sion, members present voted, unanimously to start by buy- ing 10 -,planters to be distri- buted along two blocks, with the possibility of adding more later. The planters will be paid for out of the association's own funds. Mr. Middleton noted that since the town already pays half the cost of the flags along the street and the full cost of the hanging flowerpots, probably' it should not be asked to share the cost of the planters. In other business at the meeting, held at the Wingham Golf and Curling Club, the group voted to buy 10 new Ontario and 10 Canadian flags for the main street this year, with the town sharing the cost. One- third of the flags will be replaced each year instead of replacing all at once. Several association members suggested the flowerpots should be mounted lower on the street light poles so they would be more visible, and Mr. Middleton agreed to take this up with the town works department. Merchants also were reminded to get their con- testants lined up for the Miss Wingham Hoedown contest coming up this summer. The next meeting of the business association has been set for May 19 at the Great China House. R. W. Bell OPTOMETRIST Goderich The Square 524-7661 1 s commumry CALENDAR Emir INSURANCE BROKERS LTD. Insurance - All types. Home. business, auto, farm. life. WINGHAM 357-2636 GORRIE 335-3525 a Thurs., May 5 to Wed., May 11 Thurs. May 5 Fri. May 6 Sat. May 7 Sun. May 8 Mon. May 9 Tues. May 10 Wcd May I1 Public Meeting to establish "Help Line" for Grey. Bruce. 7:30 p.m. Tara Public School Carnation Days - Multiple Sclerosis, Wingham & Wroxeter. Social Evening for Les Stafford & Joanne Jacklin., Howick Community Centre. Family Dance, Wingham Figure Skating Club, Wingham Armouries, 9 - 1. Paper Drive, Boy Scouts - Wingham & Belgrave, starting at 10 a.m. Carnation Days - Multiple Sclerosis, Wingham & Wroxeter. Cake Raffle - Sacred Heart P.T.A. at Wingham Armouries, 2 - 4. Bake Sale & Tea - Mother Care, Wingham Town Hall, 1 - 3. Dance - Bluevale Community Hall, Bluevale Recreation, 9 - 1. Discipline is Love - Speaker Don Keillor, Exec. Director of Huron Centre for Children & Youth, 8:30 p.m. Wingham Public School. 3 -Act Comedy "Everybody's Getting Mar- ried". 8 p.m. Howick Central School. Registration, Ladies Recreation Ball League, 7 to 9 p.m. Wingham 'Town Hall. 1 R . W. PIKE & ASSOCIATES LTD. 224JOSEPHINE ST. WINGHAM 357-1225 " Accountrnq and management services for small businesses " aim ® seem sem emu eras rsma mem abM male abam t arms MO MAN Migb MM. MIA 4