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The Huron Expositor, 1990-08-22, Page 1INDEX Serving the communities and areas of Seaforth, Brussels, Dublin, Mensal) and Walton &Ws -5A Spot - &-9A Obauanes - 1OA Births 13A Walton - 14A SHABHA show will be a Seaforth first. See page 3A. WOW grads look back on summer. See page 4A. New Centenaii'es coach signed on. See page 8A. Huron F x ositor p Seaforth, Ontario HURON EXPOSITOR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 1990 60 cents a copy SAFE ON HOME! - Donna Lee guarantees her run in by flinging herself at home plate, while Mite catcher Jason Anstett waits for the ball that wouldn't come. Moms and Mites met on the diamond last week and battled to a 12-12 score, with both teams using every play in the book. Elliott • hoto. PUC deposit leaps to $100 on October 1 BY PAULA ELLIOTT New PUC customers in town will be facing a hefty deposit fee. The Seaforth PUC Commission has agreed to raise the deposit on utilities to $100 minimum for both residential and commercial cus- tomers, an increase of over 120%, effective October 1, 1990. The last time that the deposit was increased was in 1975, with the fee jumping from $20 to the present $45 for residential fees. Deposit for residents with electric heating is also now $45, and commercial deposits are currently $50 for small and $100 for large businesses. "I don't think $100 is out of the way," said PUC manager Tom Philips, adding that this will be the minimum amount charged across the board. Any deposit amount charged above the minimum will be at the manager's discretion, and justification will be given to these customers. As is the current practice, these deposits will be kept for a year. if a customer's account remains up to date and paid on time, they will receive the deposit back at the end of one year, including one year's interest on the deposit at the going rate for a Daily interest account. If the account is delinquent, the customer will forfeit the right to the interest on the deposit. The deposit will be applied to the customer's final bill and the balance, if any. will beid hack as well. The Commission agreed to raise the deposit rates after reviewing the current fees and concluding that the S45 was not covering delinquent bills or customers who leave town without paying their final PUC instalments. "We have grounds on our records to justify this, and that why we're doing this," remarked PUC chair- man Jim Sills. Tom Phillips explained that the PUC waits for 10 weeks before cueing a delinquent customer off, and that with the average residential bill coming in at around $70 per month, the Seaforth PUC is left in the lurch with a $45 deposit. He added that deposits above and beyond the $100 minimum would be well justified - ie, customers with a track -record of late or non- payments - and that commercial deposits would be averaged out according to the type of business that was being run. "Anything over the minimum would be on thin ice, and you'd probably have to use every cent of that deposit to cover the bill anyway," pointed out Commissioner Joe Steffler. Mr. Phillips distributed a table listing deposits for other area Public Utilities Commissions. Apart from Fergus, with a $20 residential deposit, Seaforth presently has the lowest deposit fee of $45. Goderich charges a deposit of 5100 minimum across the board, the same fee schedule as Seaforth will be rever ting to on October 1. Brussels char- ges a PUC deposit of $150 for residential and all -electrical cus tomers, Clinton collects 575 and 5 125 respectively, and Elora char gas a 5250 deposit for residential, all -electrical and commercial cus- tomers. Peterson offers rural enterpreneurs $19M BY PAUL RUDAN EXETER - The David Peterson campaign tour breezed through the area last week. But the premier stayed long enough to tour a processing plant, nibble on fresh rutabaga, and introduce a new farm program. Premier Peterson promised farmers, rural communities and agriculturally -related small in- dustry, 519 million over four years through a program called Rural Ventures. The announ- cement was made on August 15, at the Huron Produce vegetable processing plant in Usborne Township. Premier Peterson toured the plant with owner Eric Kints. The Liberal leader snacked on raw rutabaga, before heading to Exeter to open another Liberal campaign office. "We're the biggest farming province. A lot of people don't know that, they tend to think of Saskatchewan or Alberta," the premier told a group of supporters and the media outside of Huron Produce. "We've been talking about diversification in rural On- tario. To make sure we're seizing every single opportunity that pos- sibly exists. "Take the rutabaga for example 90 per cent export...maybe we need more Canadians eating tur- nip. And I'm going to undertake it as a personal mission. And when I go home...I'm going to grab my kids by the scruff of their neck and I'm going to make them eat turnip," joked Premier Peterson. Rural Ventures is designed to encourage the development of innovative agricultural products. The program was developed after the provincial government spoke with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, the premier said. Rural Ventures attempts to support entrepreneurs through a fund to provide assistance for product and market research, business plan- ning, and up to 550,000 in shared - cost funding for equipment pur- chases. Premier Peterson said farmers and rural communities feel an extraordinary amount of pressure due to Free Trade, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and high interest rates. He stressed that rural communities and family farms are an important aspect of the province. "We don't want to lose the atmosphere and the ambience of rural Ontario. Rural Ventures is going to assist fanners and others and communities in developing niche markets," he stated. "We're going to have to be far more creative and far more adventurous in some of the things we'll do in the future than we've done in the past." The program is designed to help rural communities move into non- traditional agriculture and food related economic activities. The premier pointed to a few examples: small processing plants, fish farms, and growing items such as garlic, peppers, sweet lupins and ginseng. "We think Rujal Ventures will help achieve these goals," Premier Peterson said. "You can't live on the farm and not make money." The premier was joined by the new Huron Liberal candidate, Jim Fitzgerald, as well as the outgoing Huron MPP, Jack Riddell. Later that afternoon, Mr. Riddell held his annual barbecue at his farm outside of Exeter. However, the premier could not attend. The joke of the 1990 provincial election is Premier David Peterson (right) serving and eating hotdogs. But the premier took a break from the red hots, when he munched on fresh rutabaga at Huron Produce in Usborne Township. Premier Peterson visited the plant on August 15 to introduce a new farm program. The Liberal leader is joined by Huron Liberal candidate Jim Fitzgerald (centre) and Huron Produce owner Eric Kints. (Paul Rudan photo) Council looks at recycling grants BY SUSAN OXFORD Garbage was the main topic at Seaforth town council meeting and Councillor William Teall had the opportunity to unveil the one-time government grant programs for starting up recycling. By the year 1992 municipalities must reduce their amount of gar- bage by 22 per cent and by 2000 it must be reduced by 50 per cent. The town of Seaforth has been looking into different types and companies that do recycling. Coun- cillor Teall presented information on four grants. Municipal Recycling Support Program (MRSP) provides assis- tance in the development and management of local recycling initiatives that will reduce waste disposal requirements. The MRSP grant provides for an operating cost grant, capital cost grant, household bins, promotion and advertising, education, demonstration and feasibility study. These articles apply to municipally run and private sector garbage collection. The Municipal Reduction Reuse Program (MRRP) aims to en- courage greater awareness of buying habits and products that will reduce waste production rates. Assistance may be obtained for projects to alter consumer waste Flower fund blossoms Libertarians into a scholarship Thanks to a caring community, a flower fund for a special young person has blossomed into a scholarship for a Seaforth High School student going into nursing. Dave DeVries, owner of Ginette's Restaurant in Seafonh, started up a flower money collection last week at the restaurant for 21 -year-old Jeanne Saidivar, an employee and Staffs resident who perished in a two -car collision on August 12. The flower money collection "mus- hroomed", says Mr. DeVries, and before he knew it Jeanne's friends had filled Iled the coffers to overflowing with over 51,500. "And there's more coming in that I know of," he adds. After consulting with Jeanne's parents and restaurant staff, Mr. beVria= approached the Huron County Board of Education about establishing a memorial scholarship in Jeanne Saldivar's name. With 5100 from the fund, a package was purchased at Maitlandbank Cemetery which will see flowers put on Jeanne Saidivar's pix for life. The remainder, however much it turns out to he, will go towards a t scholarship for an S.D.H.S. graduate who is going into a nur- sing program. Jeanne Saldivar would have entered her third year of Nursing at Fanshawe College this September. "We were figuring on a couple of hundred dollars that we could give to one student this year," says Mr. DeVries. 'The way it's going, it could be an ongoing thing." Once plans are finalized, a plaque to commemorate Jeanne and the scholarship winners will be placed in the school, and the recipient will be chosen annually by the school. "Once we realized what we were going to do, we put a sign u in the restaurant and it just sort ofspread from there," remarks Mr. DeVries, watching as donations keep coming in from all who knew Jeanne Sal - diva:. He reports that the nursing staff at Seaforth Community Hospital are also contributing to the scholarship fund. Mr. DeVries and the scholarship organizers will announce the final figure once all of the donations have come in. A fifthper+ has joined the election race for the provincial seat in the riding of Huron. This week, the Libertarians announced that Allan Dettweiler will be their candidate in Huron. This is the first time the Liber- tarians have run a candidate provincially in the riding, and it is also Mr. Dettweiler's first time running for office. The Liber- tarians became a registered political party during the 1975 provincial election. Mr. Deuweiler, 35, has lived in the riding for one year, and is self employed, working in food sales. He and his wife, Yvonne, have four children. Since moving to the Brussels- Belgrave arca, Mr. Dettweiler has come to know many Huron residents through his work, and through his involvement in the church community. He serves as president of the Maitland Motivators Toastmaster Club in Brussels. The Toastmasters are a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people improve their speaking, listening and leadership skills, Mr. Dettweiler also serves as a volunteer with the Blyth Festival. Discussing his party's stand in to town generating behaviour, such as home composting, packaging, new product approaches. The MRRP grant provides for a capital cost grant, promotion and advertising and creative projects. Private sector and individuals are eligible for projects aimed at reduction or reuse of waste material that would other- wise be directed to municipal landfill. Turn to page 4 • in the race ua; utAAJlaiuig election, he state, "Libertarians believe that our government and the bureaucracy surrounding it have increased to the point that they are an oppres- sive burden to the average tax - Payer. ' Libertarian policies will gradually reduce government size in order to lower taxes and increase our freedoms. "A government in Toronto should not dictate programs such as Junior Kindergarten or county reform to the people in Huron. We have a right to self deter- mination of our future."