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Zurich Citizens News, 1976-01-07, Page 1Year in Review JANUARY The council of the village of Hensall gave a building permit to the Hensall District Co -Oper- ative to erect three new silos on their property, in the north-west section of the village. The proposed fire agreement between Hay Township, Stanley Township and the village of Zurich bogged down in the last minute of the year and was not completed in time to come into effect on January 1. As a result of the delay a fire in the west section of Hay could stir quite a controv- ersey. At the inaugural meet- ing of the council of the village of Zurich, reeve Fred Haberer warned council that a heavy expenditure was facing the tax- payers due to a large renovation program at the Community Centre and Arena. Anson McKinley, reeve of Stanley Township, was elected warden of Huron County. The first baby of the new year born at South Huron Hospital was Kelly Schenk, son of Mr. and Mrs. Don Schenk, Zurich. Harry Horton was honoured for 50 years service to the choir of Hen- sall United Church. Stanley Township will collect municipal taxes twice yearly instead of once as they have done in the past. Twenty-six cottages at Poplar Beach, south of St. Joseph, have been broken into according to Exeter detachment of the OPP. Zurich and Hay and Stanley Townships have reached a new one-year fire agreement. --- Claire Deichert was re-elected as president of the Zurich Ag- ricultural Society. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Becker, R.R.1, Dashwood, were honoured on their 50th wedding anniversary. FEBRUARY A car went out of control on Highway 21 north of St. Joseph on Sunday afternoon and crashed into the home of Dolph Sopha 600 employees were sent home Friday afternoon after bomb threats were received at Dash- wood Industries plant and also at Bendix Horne Systems in Hensall The Huron County roads budget" shows an increase of almost 30% over the prev- ious year Mr. and Mrs. Rud- olph Stade of Zurich were honour- ed on their diamond wedding an- niversary Elgin Thompson. reeve of Tuckersmith Township, was elected to his third term as chairman of the Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority -- ---Stanley Township will form a recreation committee Zurich minor hockey teams played host to teams from Garden City, Michigan The Huron County Board of Education voted to disregard a suggestion from the Ontario School Trustees Council that they fight fire with fire in current salary negotiations About 1000 people were served pancake breakfast at the annual Crippled Children's Day at See page 16 SWISS PRESENT FLAG - A touring Swiss hockey club playing exhibition games in Western Ontario visited Zurich during the holiday and presented village officials with a flag and book. From the left are interpreter Rudolph Keller, Zurich Reeve Fred Haberer, Swiss captain Koni Kaufman, coach Vlidimir and OMHA representative Wes Oswald of Forest. News Photo ird© C4e4p6t NO 1 FIRST WITH THE LOCAL NEWS Jan. 7/76 • PRICE 20c PER COPY Huron MPP Jack Riddell has expressed bewilderment at the recently announced decision to close the Goderich Psychiatric Hospital. In an interview Friday with the News. Mr. Riddell said he heard about the proposed closing of the psychiatric hospital only the day before it was released to the media and it came as a complete surprise to him. Mr. Riddell said that Ontario Health Minister Frank Miller called him by telephone arid informed him that he was closing a hospital in his riding. The Huron MPP said he immediately thought of the Clinton general hospital, one of the smaller in the province, and was completely surprised when Mr. Miller said in fact it was the Goderich hospital which would be phased out. '1 can't understand the ration- ale in closing this particular hospital.' said Mr. Riddell. 'Granted, we've got to tighten up the purse strings, there is no doubt about it. But I'm not sure the way to cut down the health expenditures is to just willy-nilly close hospitals. t think there has to be an overall plan. Mr. Riddell said the Health Minister was not prepared to announce what hospitals he intended to close. He said he had asked Mr. Miller to reveal the hospitals on a list of hospitals to be closed and was refused that information. 'I've asked him in the House. He apparently has 24 on his list," said Mr. Riddell. 'But he said no he was not. He said we would find out about it at the time he is ready to close them down.' Mr. Riddell said the Goderich Psychiatric Hospital was recog- nized as far away as England as being one of the best hospitals of its kind. He said this was because it was in a smaller community and there are fewer patients in it than in large hospitals in larger com- munities. 'They have encountered a large measure of success in the treat- ment of patients at the Goderich Psychiatric Hospital.' said Mr. Riddell. 'It's one of the most modern hospitals of its kind and yet he (Health Minister Miller) is closing that hospital down rather than the one in St. Thomas which I understand is quite antiquated. Mr. Riddell said he wrote to Mr. Miller immediately after learning of the - decision asking him to reconsider. 'I told him he has been badly misinformed as he maintained that the hospital is running at 60 per cent capacity and that is not true.' said Mr. Riddell. He said the Goderich facility was running at between 90 and 92 per cent of capacity taking into con- sideration that the hospital closed a 30 bed ward because of the Ministry's restrictions. Mr. Riddell said he had talked with Dr. Conlin, a former adminis trator of the hospital tiow on the medical staff, and he agreed that the closing would be a retrograde step. A petion is being circulated and a meeting was to be held January 6 at the Saltford Valley To reconsider closing of Goderich hospital Ontario Minister of Health Frank Miller will reconsider the recently announced closing of the Goderich Psychiatric Hospital. Several delegations from the area have petitioned Mr. Miller objecting to the closing. One group from Goderich, accompanied by Huron -Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell met with him Monday. Another group is scheduled to meet with the Minister today (Wednesday). Mr. Miller said the arguments presented urging him to keep the hospital open have been "quite impressive." He said he would take all information to the Ontario Cabin- et and have the cabinet share in the responsibility of making the final decision. He suggested that a decision would be made as soon as two days after all inform- ation had been received and not longer than one week. Hay -Das As the result of a special meeting Monday night called by Hay township ratepayers in the Dashwood area, an agreement has been reached between the township of Hay and the police village of Dashwood concerning fire protection. The meeting called by a ratepayers group headed by Harold "Scotty" Fox and Lloyd Willert attracted about 40 resi- dents who were very concerned with the loss of coverage by the Dashwood fire brigade. Beginning New Year's Day, Hay council made arrangements with the Grand Bend and Zurich fire departments to provide. protection to two areas previously covered by the Dashwood fire brigade after the township and wood fire agreement police village failed to come to a satisfactory aggrement. After a closed session later Monday night, Hay township Reeve Jack Tinney said the area from Concession 16 along High- way 83 to the Visscher farm about three miles east of Dashwood and about two miles north would again be under protection by the Dashwood brigade. An area stretching three and three quarter miles south of Port Blake and two and a half miles east to Concession 16 will continue to be under protection of the Grand Bend brigade. This agreement with Grand Bend will continue for the year 1976. Hay council made arrange- ments late in 1975 for alternate coverage by the Grand Bend and Zurich departments after the township refused to pay Dash - wood's request for payment of three mills as a retainer fee on the area previously covered. Zurich village officials had agreed to provide protection for the easterly portion previously served by Dashwood on a temp- orary basis only. After several hours of vigorous discussion all but two of the 40 some concerned ratepayers voted to ask council to reinstate the Dashwood brigade protection. Under the new agreement which will be in effect for the year 1976 the police village of Dash- wood will receive $1.200 as a retainer fee from the township to cover the area which was covered by Zurich for the first few days of this year. Dashwood will now receive the same amount of money as they did last year but the area to be covered will be much smaller. The feeling of the majority of the persons in attendance was summed up by Harold "Scotty" Fox when he said, "Everybody here wants fire protection from Dashwood and we are willing to pay for it." • The .motion intended to give council direction was moved by Ray Hartman and seconded by Fox who added, "Let's get an agreement for 1976 and then start negotiating for a fire area board beginning in 1977. See page 12 ddell Hall to discuss the problem. Mr. Riddell said he and other key people would arrange a meet- ing with the Minister of Health and present the petition to him at that time and discuss the situation with him. 'We hope that we can talk some sense into Mr. Miller and see if he won't reconsider.' said Mr. Riddell. 'I just fail to understand the timing of the announcement too. Why he would announce it just prior to Christmas to spoil it for the employees and now spoil their New Years by giving them their termination notices before we have had a chance to talk to him about the matter?" Mr. Riddell said he felt Mr, Miller had timed the announce- ment, which came just as the Ontario Legislature was closing for the Christmas break, so that that the matter could not be raised in the House by Mr. Riddell. There will be further discussion with the Minister and it will be brought up in the House when it reconvenes in February, said Mr. Riddell. He said the closing was to become effective at the end of March. RC chairman is acclaimed A 48 -year old Mornington Township dairy farmer, Arthur Haid of R.R. 4, Listowel, was acclaimed chairman of the Huron - Perth County Roman Catholic Separate School Board at the inaugural meeting of the board in Dublin Monday night. He was vice-chairman last year. He succeeds David Teahen of Stratford. Ted Geoffrey of R.R. 2, Zurich, became vice-chairman by accla- mation. Both Mr. Haid and Mr. Geof- frey have been members of the Board since it was formed in 1969. Rev. J. Durand of Zurich, Dean of the Huron -Perth Deanery expressed a few comments and led the devotional exercises. A borrowing by-law was passed for $1 millon. The first regular meeting of the board in 1976 will be held Jan- uary 12. +w. •