News
Federal election candidates off
and running towards 14 October
Vol. 12 No. 34
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Candidates off &
running as federal
election called
by Brad Harness
L A M B TO N - K E N T-
MIDDLESEX - After many
threats and dares to both call
or initiate a federal election,
Prime Minster Stephen Harper
finally asked Governor General
Michaelle Jean to dissolve the
House of Commons and to call
new elections.
The campaign has been set
for the minimum length allow-
able under the Canada Elec-
tions Act, and this will mean a
vote the day after Thanksgiving
Monday (Mondays normally
being the election day, but it
being a holiday, the vote falls
therefore on the Tuesday).
Most Members of Parliament
had already returned to their
ridings across the country in
anticipation of the election call.
Elections Canada machinery in
the individual ridings is up and
running, and parties and their
candidates are assembling their
‘Twp. should pay costs’
by Barb Shea
NORTH MIDDLESEX
- A resident visited council
in hopes of getting the
municipality to upgrade a
part of Cassidy Rd. where he
wants to sell a piece of land
for a house.
The section of road in
question has not been
maintained by the municipality
in the past. Bob Thompson on
a past visit to council was told
the road had to be upgraded to
MTO standards before anyone
could built a house there at a
cost of about $1,000 a foot, for
a total out of pocket cost of
about $26,000.
Thompson does not think
he should have to pay the cost
for the upgrading of the road,
since he maintains it is a public
road. The section of road on
the south end of Cassidy Rd.
needs a turn around piece
Focus Sports
Are we better off witih another Junior hockey hopefuls are
minority government? trying out for local teams
Page 1 Page 3
BANNER
Page 12
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campaign teams of volunteers to
handle the many necessary tasks
including recruiting more volun-
teers, raising funds, finding of-
fice space, printing and erecting
signs, placing advertisements, as
well as canvassing the 25,000 or
so homes each riding contains.
The latter is a monumental task,
made even more so by the sheers
size of ridings like Lambton-
Kent-Middlesex.
This riding, home to most
Banner readers, is almost as
long as Prince Edward Island.
It runs from Wallaceburg,
Watford, and Forest in the west,
to Grand Bend and Mt. Carmel
in the north, east to Granton
and south to Delaware. It
includes Lucan, Ilderton, Arva,
Dresden, Alvinston, Ailsa Craig,
Parkhill, Komoka/Kilworth,
Glencoe, Wardsville, Bothwell,
Thamesville, and Strathroy.
SEE RIDING / 3
OPP constable using a portable speed radar to track the speed of traffic hurtling through major roads in Lucan
Biddulph last week. Granton, Clandeboye, and Lucan itself were all surveyed, and as expected, speeds were
often above the posted maximum speed limit posted along the roadsides. Granton Councillor Alex Westman
is behind the effort to slow down traffic that, he says, poses a threat to life and limb in certain locations in
added to bring it up to the Lucan Biddulph Twp. See story, page 9. BANNER/Submitted Photo
standards it needs to be. This
section of road is used by
farmers to access their fields
Bannister questions policy direction
and has a sign saying there is by Tabitha Lavoie
not public maintenance. MIDDLESEX CENTRE were directed to bring the Official held the public meetings for
Bob Thompson, who owns - This past Wednesday saw Plan Amendment to the next regu- the residents when there was
the Middlesex Centre Council lar meeting, as it has already been nothing that could have been
71 acres along this section of meet for a regularly scheduled approved, but needs to progress done to change the 2007 rec-
road, said that in 1996 there meeting, but with little on the through the consideration of adop- ommendation.
was a bylaw that said the road agenda, the meeting was short tion “pending the undertaking of “It seems we were mislead-
is a public road and therefore and sweet. the mapping schedule changes as ing the public by allowing
the cost of the road upgrade First on the agenda saw recommended by the Ministry of them to think that they can
should be the municipality’s the Approval of the Consent Transportation.” do something about it,” says
responsibility. He had a Agenda. This is a regular occur- Deputy Mayor, Albert Bannister, Bannister.
lawyer look into the matter rence at Council, but is rarely raised the question to Council re- Although the public was
and the lawyer’s opinion was reported on because of its usu- garding the section of the Official not able to influence it, Se-
that the road is indeed a public ally unanimous vote to pass it Plan that deals with surplus farm nior Planner Marc Bancroft
by Council, with a rare occasion dwellings, and to re-visit the long points out that the notices
road. He paid $160 to obtain of a few questions. Wednesday, and touchy subject in order to make that circulated for the resi-
maps from the county office however, saw the approval for some changes. dents advertising the public
which say that the road is a Planning and Development Bannister recognizes that in July meeting spoke about the pro-
public road. Council decided Services Minutes and Recom- 2007 there was a recommendation hibition and stated that no
to look into the matter and let mendations from 20 August from Planning and Development change was happening.
him know at a later date since presented, which included the to leave the surplus farm dwelling Marc also reminded Coun-
this new information may Official Plan. as “status quo”, but he does not cil that while there were
change their earlier decision. The minutes stated that staff understand why the municipality SEE SURPLUS / 16
2 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008
Labour troubles could
affect London LCBO’s
LONDON - Last week, OPSEU
Local 164 President LCBO Lon-
don Warehouse Mike Robertson
and members of Liquor Board
Employees Division held a
picket to increase public aware-
ness and provide information
about the upcoming contract
negations between Local 164
and their employer the Liquor
Control Board. The current
collective agreement between
both parties is set to expire as of
March 2009.
As indicated in the 21 June
2008 edition of “The Echo”,
members of the Local 164 are
stating that the “LCBO man-
agement slams door on union
request for Durham warehouse
tour.” The newsletter goes on
to state that it appears that the
LCBO needs to be reminded that
it operates as a Crown Agency
of the Ontario Government.
“As such, it is responsible for all
Retail and Logistics facilities as
a ‘public trust’ for the citizens of
Ontario.”
“The LCBO also needs to be
reminded that the Union, as
exclusive bargaining agent for
employees of the LCBO, is a
contractual stakeholder in that
trust. The collective agreement
Taxis and buses getting
more money from riders
LONDON - The cost of taxi’s
and bus rides may rise if the
operators have their way.
With soaring gas prices the
cab drivers and cab companies
say they need significant rise in
fares to pay those costs.
City staff are recommend-
ing a 9.9% rise in fares but taxi
cab companies want it raised
by 22%, and the taxi drivers
association would like to see
a 17.5% raise. Brett Stein, the
city’s licensing manager, said
that these companies do need
an increase but raising rates by
17-20 percent would make them
the highest in Ontario. His pro-
posed rate increase would cost
for a five kilometre ride about
$12.22 up from $11.25. The city
also wants to rise what it charges
taxi cabs drivers and owners to
cover higher administration and
enforcement costs.
London Transit wants their
prices to rise as well. The LTC
says that rates need to rise if
London wants to see improve-
TVDSB releases system
lead sampling results
MIDDLESEX - One hundred
per cent of all schools and fa-
cilities operated by the Thames
Valley District School Board
have passed government stan-
dards for lead in drinking water.
Testing for lead was carried out
throughout the summer months,
and all schools and education
facilities have recorded final test
results below the maximum al-
lowable concentration (MAC)
contains provisions for the
Union to access the Employer’s
premises in the course of foster-
ing better labour relations that’s
not an ‘accommodation’; that’s
just ‘good business!”
Robertson went on to state
that union members are unhap-
py with the LCBO neglecting
their collective agreement and
breaking their contractual agree-
ment by abuse to the health care
system; providing lack of respect
for their employees rights and
dignity in the work place. OP-
SEU members are claiming that
they have received violations
from management that fall un-
der the Ontario Human Rights
Commission. Robertson went
on to state the injured works
are not receiving the proper care
from management as included
in the current collective agree-
ment.
At this time there is no strike
date set, however the union
states that there is one in the
works, and the union has more
information pickets planed.
“The next information picket
will be bigger than ever.” said
Mike Robertson as he walked
with his Human rights sign on
Wellington Road.
ments to its public transit. They
want fares to rise by eight to ten
percent to cover their costs for
higher fuel. They have had more
passengers using the system and
need to expand some of the
routes all of which cost more
money. The transit company
would need another $1-million
in funding from the city as well.
If they do not get the funding
they need they will not be able
to purchase the three buses
they need to expand routes and
prevent crowding on existing
routes. If they get approval for
the new rates, fare will go up to
$2.75 up from $2.50 for adults
and $1.43 from $1.32 for seniors.
These prices will not take effect
until December and still have to
be approved by city council.
The city wanted the tran-
sit commission to keep their
costs down to 3.5%, but Larry
Ducharme, general manager of
the LTC, said with those rates it
would be impossible to build an
adequate transit system.
set by the Ontario Safe Drinking
Water Act.
Conformance will continue to
be managed using daily water
flushing protocol at all schools
and education facilities prior to
the start of each school day to
ensure drinking water systems
remain safe and do not exceed
maximum allowable levels of 10
parts per billion (ppb).
Health Centre unveils
new 3-year strategic plan
GRAND BEND - Grand Bend
Community Health Centre has
unveiled its strategic 3 year
plans for its future last week in
grand Bend. The Health Centre
which has two locations one on
the main street of Grand Bend
and another location in Hen-
sall . The centre built a new
building in 2003 with funding
from the Ontario Ministry of
Health and Long Term Care.
The centre offers health care
in many areas. Their goals for
the next three years will be for
better collaboration with other
programmes, communication,
chronic care and a better walk-
in system, focusing on chronic
New principal at SHDHS
EXETER - South Huron Dis-
trict High got a new principal
last week since the old principal
Jeff Reaburn is moving on to
become the system principal
of information services for the
Avon Maitland Board.
Reaburn served as principal of
the South Huron high school for
seven years. In his new job he
will administer and manage the
use of technology in the board’s
schools. He will promote the use
of technology in the classroom
and help to improve student
Residents fear new emissions
ST MARYS - The first public
meeting concerning the testing
of a new fuel was hosted by St
Marys Cement last week.
St Marys Cement wants to
perform a test burn of an al-
ternative fuel product in their
cement plant in December and
was holding two public meetings
to present information and an-
swer questions of the public.
It was eported in the St. Marys
newspaper that the company
brought in a team of experts to
ensure the public is informed
about the process.
disease management, system
navigation, health promotion
and illness prevention, timely ac-
cess to care, reducing the depen-
dence of hospital based service
and supporting people at home.
They want to work for the ben-
efit of the patient with other
agencies. The clinic is looking
into funding for a walk-in clinic
since there are no services for
that existing in the community
and has submitted plans to
the Local Health Integration
Network. The LHIN does not
directly provide health services
but is mandated by the Ontario
government to plan, integrate
and fund health care services.
achievement. He will oversee
data collection as well.
While he was principal at
South Huron he promoted the
uses of technology there by
expanding a digital audio pro-
gramme, brought in SMART
Board to the school and started
mobile computer labs. Read-
burn enjoyed his time at South
Huron and is sad to go.
He graduated from the school
and his children and wife also
attended the school so he has
strong roots there. Reaburn is
Bridget Mills, senior environ-
ment manager for the plant,
said the levels of trace metals
and organic chemicals when
burning the alternative fuel
would be similar to the current
emissions from cola burning and
petroleum coke which are below
emission standards.
The new fuel is made out of
plastic bags and film made from
sanitary products like diapers,
from municipalities with green
bin programmes. They say that
the plastic burns at high tem-
peratures up to 1,500 degrees
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The Health Centre has made
the goal of having no waiting
list in one year if fully funded.
They plan to increase partner-
ships, smoking cessation, blood
pressure clinics, health related
workshops, school programmes,
physical fitness and wellness
programmes and eventually offer
cooking classes. Their goal is to
enhance the health and wellness
of the community in everything
they do. The plan will be re-
viewed every year to make sure
it stays relevant. They plan to
share a library with South Huron
Hospital and mentor students.
There are also plans to expand
because of lack of space.
proud of his accomplishments
at the school such as the appear-
ance of the building, upgrades
to the technical shops and re-
modelling of the gym. He said
there have been many positive
developments in the school.
Kevin Mills will be taking
over the position of principal,
he came from St Marys District
Collegiate and Vocational Insti-
tute where he was principal for
seven years.
Celsius and the public should
have no concerns about harmful
chemicals released into the air.
The company said the plastic
burns quickly. They expect
a drop in the sulphur dioxide
emissions which is a trigger of
asthma.
Residents at the meeting were
concerned with current condi-
tions of odour and dust and
wondered if this would change
with the new fuel. The com-
pany said the odour would prob-
ably be lessoned because of less
sulphur in the product.
The Middlesex BANNER
Are more cooks actually better for we, the voters?
Choosing between a majority government’s power & a minority government’s voter control
by Brad Harness
OTTAWA - Well, the election
is underway, and we are all
expected to turn out on Tuesday,
14 October, to register our choice
for one of the candidates in our
respective ridings.
At dissolution, the House
of Commons looked like this:
Conservatives 127 seats, Liber-
als 95 seats, Bloc Quebecois 48,
NDP 30, Independents 4, Vacant
4, for a total of 308 seats.
For this election to make any
real difference to the governance
of Canada, one party ideally
needs to win a majority of the
seats in the House, which means
155 seats. Can any party accom-
plish that feat, given the reality
of our multi-party political sys-
tem nowadays?
The most likely party to pull
this off is the Conservative
Party: They need to hold onto
their 127 seats and add about 30
more. These gains must come
from territory where the party
came very close to winning in
2006. This means the ridings
between Montreal and Quebec
City, as well as those in the 905
belt of the Greater Toronto Area
(GTA) and the Golden Horse-
shoe. There are precious few
gains to be made out west, as the
party holds most of these ridings
already. Out west and up north,
the Conservatives hold 67 of 97
seats. They hold 28 of 28 seats
in Alberta, 13 of 14 in Saskatch-
ewan, 8 of 14 in Manitoba, 18 of
36 in BC. They may pick up one
or two seats in Saskatchewan,
but it will need to be British Co-
lumbia where the party regains
seats it lost in 2006. Overall, BC
could deliver another half-dozen
Conservative MPs to Ottawa.
But those, plus a few from the
Prairies, do not add up to the 28
seats needed for a majority.
In the Atlantic provinces,
which have traditionally been
safer for the Liberals than the
Tories, 3 of 7 Newfoundland
seats went Conservative in 2006,
2 of 11 in Nova Scotia, 3 of 10
in New Brunswick, and none of
the 4 PEI seats were Conserva-
tive blue.
In Ontario, 41 of 106 ridings
voted Conservative. Fifty-one
voted Liberal, and another 12
voted NDP.
In Quebec, things were fairly
evenly split, with the Conser-
vatives tying the Liberals at
11 seats. Of course, the Bloc
Quebecois holds 48 of that
province’s 75 seats, and has al-
ways been the deciding factor in
federal elections since the party
was formed in 1992. The NDP
has a single seat here, with a
pair of Independents rounding
things out.
Political analysts say that in
Quebec, the Bloc has dropped
in the public opinion polls, los-
ing its lead and running fairly
even, or in some ridings behind,
the Liberals and Conservatives.
This might translate into a series
of losses for the Bloc, but Leader
Gilles Duceppe is a strong cam-
paigner and it is likely that he
will be able to rally the tribal
Quebecois voters to remain loyal
to the sovereigntist cause. How-
ever, if he fails, the Liberals and
Conservatives will make inroads
at the Bloc’s expense. It is pos-
sible that as many as 20 seats
could be “in play” in Quebec,
and this means that Quebec will
likely be the deciding factor on
whether Stephen Harper can
get his elusive majority win this
year.
Let’s not count out On-
tario from the overall strategy:
Harper needs to pick up seats
deeper and deeper into Fortress
Toronto, advancing into ridings
like Oakville, those in western
Brampton and Mississauga,
Newmarket, Aurora, Markham,
Vaughan, King Twp., Richmond
Hill, Stouffville, Ajax, and Pick-
ering.
Elsewhere in Ontario, a ma-
jority win means the Conserva-
tives must take Liberal ridings
such as Ottawa South, Brant-
ford, Welland, Huron-Bruce,
North Bay, Thunder Bay, Kitch-
ener, Waterloo, Guelph, London
North and West, and Hamilton
Mountain.
It’s a tall order, to be sure.
But the opinion polls have
taken a dramatic swing round
in Harper’s favour this summer,
and he now enjoys a 10% lead
over Liberal Leader Stephane
Dion’s party both nationally and
in Ontario.
Voters will face that age-old
choice: Local candidates versus
parties versus party leaders ver-
sus policies and any screw-ups
they recall. It is at times hard
to balance it all out and come up
with a clear decision. Choosing
a Member of Parliament is an
Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 3
attempt to select who will best
represent the interests of each
riding in Ottawa. Often that is
overshadowed by voters’ prefer-
ences for a party, a party leader,
or for policies the leaders are
pushing. Not all information
available to voters in unbiased,
either! Most of it reaching your
ears is tainted in misinforma-
tion, twisting the truth to create
maximum electoral impact.
There are 34 days remaining
in which to make up your
RIDING (from page 1)
The sitting Member for Lamb-
ton-Kent-Middlesex in Ottawa
is Beverley Shipley, a former
dairy farmer and past mayor of
Middlesex Centre.
Shipley is seeking re-election
as the Conservative Party’s
candidate in the riding. The
Banner aught up with Shipley in
Strathroy last week and at that
point he said he was ready to go
to the polls but had no advanced
knowledge of when the election
would actually be called.
Not possessing such insight
did not appear to deter him
from spending thousands of
dollars in pre-writ spending,
monies outside of the election
spending limits. These limits are
ferociously guarded by Elections
Canada to ensure candidates to
not spend more than they are al-
lowed and thus gain a leg up on
their competition.
This significant extra direct
mailed advertising by Shipley
was certainly noticed by his
principal opponent, Liberal can-
didate Jeff Wesley. Wesley is a
former mayor of Wallaceburg
and a lawyer who has recently
been called to the Bar of On-
tario.
Wesley charges that Bev
Shipley has funded these half
dozen or more mailouts using
taxpayer dollars from his MP
budget, which is supposed to
be for non-partisan uses only to
allow the MP to communicate
with his constituents. It is a dif-
ficult thing to prove.
This would not be the first
time Shipley’s electoral finances
have been called into question.
His previous election rebate for
half of his allowable expendi-
tures - a total rebate of about
www.banner.on.ca
mind. Is a majority government
good for a nation steeped in a
political system run by and for
the political parties, or, are we
better of with the greater control
of our politicians that a minority
government creates?
We have now seen both sce-
narios in play. Both produce
bickering, childishness, and
finger-pointing. Both waste tax
dollars, but at least minority gov-
ernment offers voters a slower
process to run amuck.
$40,000 - has been held back
due to issues Elections Canada
had with his last campaign, say
insiders who asked to remain
anonymous.
The last time these two can-
didates squared off was in the
2006 federal election, with
Wesley a first-time candidate re-
placing the popular Rose-Marie
Ur, who stepped down that year
after many years in the House of
Commons as a right-wing Lib-
eral. Most of the southwestern
Ontario Liberal MPs fell into
that category, and most retired
from politics at the same time.
Paul Steckle, the Liberal MP
for Huron-Bruce, the riding im-
mediately to the north of Lamb-
ton-Kent-Middlesex, stayed on
and won his seat. Many of the
Liberal ridings turned Tory blue
that year. Shipley’s win was
comfortable, and Wesley has re-
mained active on the sidelines of
federal politics awaiting another
turn.
Shipley has been a backbench
MP with little to show from his
two years in Ottawa. On the
positive side, he has kept his
nose clean. On the negative
side, voters will tell you that he
hasn’t done anything they can
think of for this riding.
There are more than two
candidates seeking to represent
Lambton-Kent-Middlesex. The
New Democratic Party candi-
date was not yet announced at
press time but it may be the 2006
candidate Kevin Blake. while
the Green Party candidate is Jim
Johnston, a Lucan area software
entrepreneur who ran twice be-
fore against Shipley. There may
be one or two other candidates
before long, too.
4 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008
Ontario’s economic
strategy is way
off track
by Brad Harness
The idea that handouts are the
best way to operate an economy
is false. Human nature functions
on behaviour modification, with
rewards reinforcing certain
courses of action as “the best
way to go”.
Offering handouts to beggars
on the street, to industry, even
to farmers and fishermen, is not
in their best interests, or in the
province’s best interest. “Give
a man a fish and feed him for a
day, teach him to fish and feed
him for a lifetime,” should be
government’s motto.
The role of the government
at Queen’s Park is to create an
economic environment where
individuals, and companies, can
prosper. Prosperity often brings
happiness and good health, and
so it follows that healthy, happy
voters will return the political
party to power if they are able
to create good economic times.
Thus, this must be the focus of
any political party hoping to
govern Ontario for more than a
single term.
Governments’ life blood is
its revenues, the lion’s share
of which come from taxation.
It has been shown in many
jurisdictions around the globe
that when you reduce tax rates,
you create jobs and therefore,
expand the overall number of
taxpayers, which results in a
Letters to the Editor...
net gain in revenues for the
government compared to the
period prior to the tax reductions
Regarding: Proud to Regarding: Appreciation and doing school work - well being made.
support Canada’s soldiers for avery worthwhile as much as any other kid Corporations have the
does anyway. He has no more responsibility of creating
community programmeme most of the jobs in Ontario.
Have you ever thought problems being teased, his self Corporations and their jobs
about the freedom we have Dear Editor, esteem is nothing but positive come and go, as do the fortunes
My son has been involved now. We have had teachers in of each business enterprise. It
in Canada and how we came the school comment to us on
to achieve it? Well I have and in the in-school mentoring is the responsibility of those
programme now for 3 years, how much he had changed leading our corporations to
want to take this opportunity just in the first year. My son apply their resources to ensure
to say thank you to all the men with Big Brothers Big Sisters that the business both survives
of South Huron. My son and and his mentor have a lot of
and women who put their fun doing in school activities and prospers.
his mentor meet once a week Individuals have the
own lives on the line to keep for 1 hr. It is amazing to see as well as the fun stuff like
us safe. No one ever wants to playing sports games in the responsibility to provide workers
the effect the programme has for corporations to allow them
see a World War again and had on my son. Before he was gym and doing the bowl a to exist. Without human labour,
now is the time to honour accepted to the programme thon. My son looks forward business cannot function. The
those who have died for that he had very low self esteem, each week to when him cost of labour to corporations is
right. Canadians are Peace he didn’t want anything to and his big brother get to one of their largest expenditures
do with school and school meet again. If you asked – along with overhead,
Keepers and it makes me him if there was anything marketing, and input costs - and
proud to support our troupes’ activities; he was having as such, labour costs cannot take
problems with other children he would change about the
and all their families. programme or his mentor too great a slice of the corporate
teasing him. Since he has pie without negatively affecting
he would tell you no way!
Cheers gang, been in the programme and That having more time with the business’ ability to continue
involved with his mentor he operating into the future.
Angela Latta is like a whole different child. his big brother would be the In Ontario we have a mix of
Lucan He enjoys going to school only thing he would change. unionized and non-unionized
It is a great programme and labour. Unionized labour often
there are a lot more children commands the highest wage
out there that need that
Letters to the Editor...
rates of the two. The dichotomy
friendship and help in school. is that while unions serve a valid
Please consider becoming a purpose in representing a single
Dear Editor, “I think that...” Big Brother or Big Sister for viewpoint to management on
in-school mentoring or out of a whole range of issues and
Got an opinion? Got a beef ? school. It’s great to see smiles being a true partner in business,
Then drop us a line at the mailing address or e-mail address at
on our children’s faces. labour shoots itself in the foot
the start of this page. You can also fax them in. You can leave by the endless pressure it exerts
them by telephone on our answering machines. 150-350 words. to push up labour costs. In
Must include your name, address and phone number! Colleen Reymer very profitable corporations
Parent to a Little this is not a major issue, as
Letters will be edited for length, profanity, grammar, and spelling Lucan
only. E-mailed letters are appreciated!!
they have the financial room to
E-MAIL ADDRESS: editor@banner.on.ca accommodate such demands.
However, in industries such
The Middlesex BANNER is published by BANNER Publications. We can be reached at our Middlesex office by phone or fax at (519) 293-1095 any time night or day; by writing to us
at P.O. Box 433, Ailsa Craig, Ontario N0M 1A0; by e-mail: editor@banner.on.ca; or by visiting our Ailsa Craig office at
175 Main Street (Mon 8am-8pm, Tue 1-4pm, Wed/Thu/Fri 8am-5pm) or our website: www.banner.on.ca. The BANNER is a weekly newspaper distributed to homes across the
county. It is available by subscription ($42/1-year, $80/2-years, $108/3-years) and at newsstands for $1.25 per copy. We welcome your letters.
The news deadline is noon, the Monday prior to publication. The advertising deadline is 5pm, the Friday prior to publication. Advertising rate are available upon request. All material
printed in this newspaper is copyrighted. Any reproduction without the permission of BANNER Publications is expressly prohibited.
Publisher/Editor: Brad Harness(Strathroy) • Accounting Manager: Tania Rawluk-Harness (Ailsa Craig) • Production Manager: Brad Harness • Designer: Jason Oudekerk(Lucan)
Advertising: Brad Harness • Classified Advertising: Brad Harness • Circulation: Brad Harness and Tania Rawluk-Harness
Reporters: Barb Shea (Ailsa Craig/Nairn/Parkhill), (Ilderton/Denfield/Coldstream/Arva/Komoka/Deklaware), (Tabitha Lavoie (Lucan/Strathroy/Mt. Brydges)
Correspondents: Josey Beintema (Strathroy), Serena Moro (Poplar Hill/Coldstream) • Driver: Ken Whiting (Lucan)
The Middlesex BANNER
as manufacturing, that face
extreme competition in the
marketplace – now even more
so with freer and global trade
– organized labour is causing the
collapse of numerous factories
across Ontario.
To stave off collapse, business
turns to government for help.
There is little government can do
that is justifiable: Why should
government prop up one business
and not another? Often that is
for electoral considerations first
and foremost.
A more palatable solution is
to forego that business’ taxes
for the year to free up financial
room. But that is a band aid
solution at best. What is needed
is a long-term economic and
industrial strategy for Ontario,
one that is ethical and forward-
looking.
Several courses of action
are available: These include
corporate tax cuts across the
entire economy. For one, an
immediate 20% cut is affordable,
and sends the signal to business
that the government is serious
about growth and job (taxpayer)
creation.
Another would be halting the
increase in minimum wages:
Employers know what they need
to pay to hire who they need.
Increased minimum wages
merely hinder the development
of newer businesses that are
finally in a position to hire
workers after a few early years of
initial business experimentation
and growth, often with very
limited human resources.
Workers always have the option
of refusing a job they think is
unattractive.
A third measure is to offer
incentives to business to
become forward-thinking. This
Prometheus Incentive, as I call
it, causes business to pay less
tax provided they invest it in
developing new products and
services, to ensure their ongoing
business success and to secure
jobs into the future. R&D often
requires skilled workers, which
means that they are creating
good-quality, higher-paying
jobs.
A fourth measure is to offer
incentives for businesses that
take on additional workers.
This often means entry level job
creation, and this, too, plays into
the grand strategy of creating
more and more tax payers.
These measures should be
available to all industries: The
service sector - which employs
more than half of all Ontarians
- industry, transportation,
resource extraction, and
agriculture.
All forms of subsidies, bailouts,
support programmes, and the
like, should be discontinued.
This allows for fairness and
competition, and permits the
marketplace to function as it
should, free from the outside
interference and their economic
distortions which subsidies and
bailouts cause.
The Middlesex BANNER Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 5

ASK ALICE: Country churchyards tell a tale

by Alice Gibb
LOBO - One country churchyard
that soothes my soul is the First
Lobo Baptist Cemetery, west of
Hyde Park.
Overlooking a meandering
creek, it is the final resting
place of two of my heroes
– archaeologist Wilfrid Jury, and
his wife, librarian and author,
Elsie McLeod Murray Jury.
As writer Jane Irwin
points out in Old Canadian
Cemeteries, Places of Memory,
cemeteries are places of
memory. Sometimes when we
visit burying grounds, we do
so to remember loved family
members or old friends. And
sometimes we simply want to
explore the past.
Older cemetery stones,
in particularly, were often
decorated with traditional
symbols. Pioneer stones often
display hands – used to evoke the
presence of the whole person.
At other times, a handshake
or handclasp decorates a
tombstone. In a cemetery in
Fisherville, Grey County is
the stone of Valentine Kiefer,
75, who died in 1882. He had
immigrated to Upper Canada
from Prussia in the 1840s.
Featured on his tombstone is a
handclasp between a man and
a woman – the different cuffs
indicating the difference in sexes.
Irwin speculates, since Kieffer’s
wife had died 20 years earlier,
that the handclasp symbolizes
the couple’s heavenly reunion.
As well as the carvings on
the stones, you can sometimes
find some very sobering – even
chilling – epitaphs. For example,
“Death is a debt that’s nature’s
due, Which I have paid and
so must you.” Or the more
common, “As you are now, so
once was I, As I am now, so you
will be, Prepare for death and
follow me.”
Since pioneers had limited
resources, you can sometimes
still locate wooden markers
in older cemeteries. These are
often crude wooden crosses
made from two pieces of wood
– sometimes treated with
whitewash but more often left to
weather naturally.
Other pioneers simply took
fieldstones, split them to create
a flat surface, and then roughly
engraved the stone face with the
name of the deceased. Those
stones were often cleared from a
family’s own farm fields.
Among my favorite “stones”
in older cemeteries are the
zinc of white bronze metal
grave markers, created by the
Monumental Bronze Company
in Bridgeport, Connecticut,
from the 1880s. These markers
were sold throughout Ontario
by agents – you could actually
select your tombstone from a
catalogue! These grave markers,
which were impervious to
organic predators like black spots
and lichen, became so popular
that a subsidiary plant was
opened in St. Thomas, Ontario.
The White Bronze Company
could ship out its products
on the 26 railway lines which
passed through St. Thomas. The
Monumental Bronze Company
flourished until World War 1,
when the American government
took over the plant to produce
munitions.
If you spot one of these
unique “stones” listen for the
hollow sound when you give
them a good tap on the side!

Basic Black: SO ALONG CB, MAY YOU R.I.P.

by Arthur Black, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
Last Saturday morning I found
myself half way up the side of a
mountain – not Himalayan-
scale, but creditable. I wasn’t
swinging across crevasses or
sucking on oxygen cylinders
but I was up there, alright. High
enough to be looking down at
the backs of bald eagles soaring
below me; high enough to watch
popcorn balls of cloud scudding
through a stand of fir at eye level
across a valley.
I was well beyond the urban
grid and the telephone wires,
up there on my high lonesome,
a couple of hours walk from my
fellow man and all of his works.
So I did what any intrepid,
pioneering explorer type
deep in the wilderness – Thor
Heyerdahl, Sir Edmond Hillary,
Stanley Livingstone -- would
have done in my situation.
I whipped out my cell phone,
called up my local bookstore and
reserved a Saturday copy of the
Globe and Mail.
Cheap thrill? Sure, I guess. But
I’m an old guy – so old I actually
remember the great grandfather
of that slim little lozenge I
was holding to my ear up that
mountain.
Anybody else out there
remember Citizens Band radio?
Seems ludicrous now, but
30 years ago the modern cell
phone was as unreachable and
futuristic as Mister Spock’s
phaser. What we had instead
were black and shiny hand-
held microphones attached by
curlicue cords to the underside
of our dashboards. It was called
CB (for Citizens Band) radio
and yes, you did require that one
extra component in order to be a
dyed-in-the-ether CB-er.
You needed an automobile.
Or, ideally, an articulated
ten-ton semi. CB’s began life
as the preferred means of
communication for North
American long-haul truck
drivers. Those guys used their
CB’s to keep in touch with fellow
truckers on the job. In its early
stages of its evolution, CB radio
was actually useful. Truckers
could warn fellow knights of the
road about blizzards, washouts,
rock slides and traffic jams up
ahead.
Not to mention government
inspectors, radar traps and cute
waitresses.
CB wasn’t just a Oh, yeah – and to be really
communications device, it
was a cultural phenomenon.
A CB ‘slanguage’ sprang up.
Cops weren’t cops; they were
‘smokeys’ or ‘bears’. (a ‘smokey
on four legs’ was a Mountie).
Instead of ‘hello’ a CB-er said
‘Come on’ with an interrogative
lilt at the end. As in: “Toledo
Ted, this here’s Ruptured Rabbit,
come on?’
That was the other thing about
the CB culture. You couldn’t
just be Fred or Tony. You had
to give yourself a ‘handle’ like
Winnipeg Willie or Saskatoon
Slim.
CB even inspired a Top Ten
song – Convoy, a mawkish,
talkin’-country saga about a
bunch of rebellious truckers
fed up with paying exorbitant
highway tolls. Sample lyric:
I could see the bridge was
lined with bears but I didn’t have
a doggone dime.
I sez Pig Pen, this here’s the
Rubber Duck, we just ain’t a-
gonna pay no toll.
authentic, you had to make
yourself sound like a Tennessee
hillbilly – lots of ‘This here’s”
and “a-gonna’s”.
Sounds ridiculously hokey
and maybe it was, but CB
seemed to work just fine when
it was solely the purview of the
burly, flat-bummed jockeys of
tanker trucks and big cargo rigs.
It sounded painfully dumb when
high school kids in their dad’s
station wagons or accountants
in Audis tried it on.
There were technical
problems too. Solar flares,
for some reason, played hell
with CB reception, as did the
sheer onslaught of millions
of fad-chasing amateurs who
clambered aboard the CB
bandwagon in the late 70’s
and early 80’s. Reception was
unpredictable and haphazard
under normal conditions. Hordes
of day-trippers swamping the
airwaves just made it worse.
In the end CB proved to be the
technological equivalent of a
dinosaur with glass ankles. It
collapsed of its own weight.
Just as well. I’m a certified
technophobe but when I
compare those old, clunky CB
units and the phoney, mock-
jock Good Ol’ Boy personas
that went with them to the
modern mobile phone, a wire-
free gizmo smaller than a deck
of cards that can take pictures,
send emails, download Seinfeld
episodes AND allow me to talk
with crystal clarity to my cousin
in Mississauga or an old school
buddy in Melbourne, Australia
-- even I have to admit that
some technological advances are
– to quote my Melbourne buddy
– bloody marvellous, mate.
And that’s a ten-four, good
buddy.

Very Cool: New in music, new in websites

Young People’s Press ~ Copyright 2008: YPP
Distributed by: Torstar Syndication Services
CONNECT YOUR MUSIC without a program like this, you strummed guitars, noodling
WITH FRIENDS will never hear of them. Get in pianos and Hayden’s wavering
Instead of whining about how touch with the music around you vocals provide the musical
the music sharing industry is and see how similar you and your accompaniment for an album
changing so quickly, we should friend’s musical interests actually that is just so honest and baring
just embrace it. We are now able are. one feels exposed to hear it. A
to hear music that never before --CHRISTOPHER CURRY must-have album for 2008.
would have entered our listening --SAM STILSON
realm. With innovative ideas HAYDEN FINDS
such as www.ilike.com you can EXCELLENCE IN FIELD & BEYOND POINT AND
expand your already impressive TOWN SHOOT
music albums and relate to other The latest disc from brooding Sadly, the age of technology is
fans. This site allows you to singer/songwriter Hayden, In also the age of bad pictures. It
connect all of your iTunes and Field & Town is an achingly seems everyone in the world has
Windows Media Player albums beautiful album that captures an a digital camera but no one seems
to your friend’s libraries. The excellence and purity of intentions to be taking the time to learn how
more friends that you connect that turns up only so often in this to use it. If you are serious
with, the broader your albums genre. This is Hayden’s After The about bringing your digital
will become. This allows you to Gold Rush and like Neil Young’s photography to the next level,
familiarize yourself with up and masterpiece this album features visit www.photonhead.com.
coming online artists and also ruminations about alien contact, Whether you are a professional
allows you to keep your music love, loneliness, re-emergence photographer or just want to
portfolio incredibly organized. from pain and the peculiar make your cat pictures clearer,
There are hundreds of bands nostalgia that comes from the you can learn from this site. It
that gain online notoriety, but healing of a broken heart. Softly has practical and easy to follow
instructions which allow you to
practice many different shooting
techniques. Some people think
that just because the camera is
digital that it takes care of all
the work. In fact, there is just
as much art and technique used
in a proper digital picture as one
developed in a darkroom.
--CHRISTOPHER CURRY
wall, commercially unavailable
future is going to sound a lot like
comedy then you should check
the 1970s. On their new album In
out www.funnyordie.com. This
The Future Black Mountain wear
site was spearheaded by none
their influences on their sleeve.
One song they are imitating other than Will Ferrell and has
Zeppelin, the next Sabbath, appearances by many up and
coming, and some already known
the next Pink Floyd. What this
comedians.
amounts to is an album full of With the motto
‘if everybody else is doing it, it
generic forgetful hard rock that
makes little to no impressionmust be okay’ this video sharing
site is certainly laid back. Ferrell
because it’s been done before and
himself appears in many of the
done better. Songs are too long,
clips, along with Sarah Silverman
too derivative and lack any thing
and many other hilarious actors.
that makes you sit up straight and
Although it is a similar platform
start listening. It’s not that the
to YouTube and other online
music is poorly executed, it’s just
ventures, you are sure to find
plain boring. In The Future holds
tons of hilarity that you never
nothing that one couldn’t get, to
would have seen otherwise. You
better effect, from a greatest rock
hits from the 70s mix tape. can search through the videos or
--SAM STILSON simply watch the most popular
ones. No matter what you go in
WILL FERRELL COMEDY to this site expecting, you are sure
to come out laughing.
ONLINE
If you are a fan of off the --CHRISTOPHER CURRY

BLACK MOUNTAIN’S IN
THE FUTURE STUCK IN
THE PAST
If one is to believe hard rock
band Black Mountain then the
6 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008 The Middlesex BANNER

Between Friends
NORTH OF FORTY
The End of the End
I have a theory about the size of a man’s butt. (I’m
happy to report that I haven’t done any research on this.)
My theory is that through a man’s life, the size of his
butt pretty much follows the pattern of the Bell Curve,
starting out quite small, increasing in mass in the early
teens, expanding exponentially through the thirties
and forties, reaching the zenith of its growth potential
by Red Green around the age of 53, and then diminishing in size
exponentially until the age of 75, at which time it has
returned to being quite small. I can understand why it enlarges through
middle age because there’s usually a fairly substantial gut out front, and if The Other Coast
the butt was too small, a man would be unbalanced and unable to stand
up. But I don’t understand why it has to shrink with age. It seems cruel
or at least ironic that when you finally get to the age where you can stop
worrying, you’ve got nothing to fall back on.

The Shrinking Attention Span

I’ll try to keep this short. I find that guys my age have a short attention
span. I’m not saying that’s bad. In fact, most of the time, it’s a good
thing. We’re starting to sense that time is running out and we don’t want
to waste it reading thick books or watching mini-series or listening to the
neighbor talk about her cats. We like short, pithy meaningful sound bites.
People that attempt to communicate with us need to accept that and to
alter their style of communication to fit those parameters. Here’s a short
checklist I make people ask themselves before they waste my precious
Chuckle Bros.
time:

Do I know you?
Does this information affect me personally and will not having
it cause me bodily harm or, worse still, cost me money?
Can you express your thought in less than ten seconds?
Are you planning to use words that I don’t know?
Will you be blocking the exit?

A Middle Aged Man’s Wallet

Many of us have several ad hoc living time capsules that show the chro-
nology of our lives. One of them is our wallets. If you found a wallet and
it had these things in it, you’d know it belonged to a middle-aged guy:

1. A picture of Charo.
2.
3.
4.
Ticket stubs from a Herman’s Hermits concert.
An unused condom marked ‘Best Before April 12, 1965’
The condom is wrapped around a Viagra pill.
Recipe of the Week
5. A picture of a man in his early twenties wearing the exact same
leisure suit that the wallet owner is currently wearing.
6. A large collection of business cards of varying age. They are
each from radically different businesses, although they all have the wallet
owner’s name on them.
7. A small calendar identifying the owner’s time-share week in
Greenland.
8. The singed remains of his Ford Pinto Proof of Ownership.
9. A coupon to have his colors done.
10. No money.

Getting the Seniors’ Discount

I was in a restaurant for lunch yesterday. One of those salad buffet places
where you fill your plate with low calorie, no-fat lettuce and tomatoes
and then smother it with mounds of creamy salad dressing and a couple
of handfuls of bacon bits. So I’m standing there at the cashier in a ‘What
a great day’ kind of mood and she says ‘Do you get the Seniors’ Dis-
count?’ ‘Say WHAT!?!’ The Seniors’ Discount!?!’ ‘Are you talking to
me!?!’ I was so upset, I could barely go back for seconds. Okay, having a
Seniors’ Discount for people over 50 is a fine incentive for customers and
all that but they’ve got to handle it right. I’m 53 and I think, like most
men my age, that I look about 37. I don’t need some 19 year-old sweetie
exploding that myth in front of total strangers. Not for a lousy 10 percent.
My pride is worth at least 15.

Quote of the Day

“If you find time goes by too fast, spend an hour with a boring relative.”
– Red Green

THE TERRY FOX WALK, BIKE, RUN OR BLADE

Sunday, September 14th, 2008
Registration 9:30am,
Warm-Up by Jazzercise Instructor Rita Davis 9:45am
Start 10am - 1pm
Start/Finish - Middlesex Mutual
(corner of Robert St. & Ilderton Rd., Ilderton)
THIS IS AN EVENT FOR: LUCAN, GRANTON, AILSA CRAIG, NAIRN,
ILDERTON, DENFIELD, ARVA, POPLAR HILL,
COLDSTREAM, KOMOKA, KILWORTH & DELAWARE
Participants are encouraged to pre-register on-line by logging into www.terryfoxrun.org.
Those who wish to donate but are unavailable to attend can also make on-line
pledges at www.terryfoxrun.org
The Middlesex BANNER Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 7
Food for thought:
“I don’t deserve this award, but I have “You can pretend to be serious; you can’t
arthritis and I don’t deserve that either.” pretend to be witty.”
Jack Benny (1894 - 1974) Sacha Guitry (1885 - 1957)

Week of 8 - 14 September 2008 LIBRA

ARIES
Someone wants to argue with you and
they will not stop unless you refuse to
argue back or simply agree with them.
Lie a little! It is very difficult to disagree
with someone who agrees with you.
TAURUS
New business venture is finally
consummated and you can finally get
back to work again. This is a time when
you can gain great success with any
kind of foreign dealings. Inventions,
new discoveries great ideas or law
brings opportunities now so keep
yourself alert to all possibilities.
GEMINI
Between now and next week you
should hear some really good news
about your finances. Any action you
take now should turn out in your favor.
Your ‘key word’ this week is caution!
Do not make any settlements or sign
any type of agreement. You will need
to think things over before committing
yourself. Take your time and mull it
all over for the next two weeks and
do not allow anyone to stampede
you into decisions or commitments
you may be sorry for later.
SCORPIO
There is quite a bit going on in the
background and meetings are being
held to find a way to cut costs. These
meetings are also searching to find a
way to bring in more money.
SAGITTARIUS
Between now and next week is the
time to go after that raise in salary
you want. You talk a good story now
so speak up for yourself and be very
business-like in your presentation.

CANCER
PUD by Steve Nease A really nice business deal comes
along between now and the second
week of September. Do not agree too
quickly with a “deal” or sign any papers
because you will lose money.
CAPRICORN
A very nice business venture can be
concluded this week but you have to
be sure of the legalities before you
sign on the dotted line. Take a few
days to look it all over.

Check out this week’s cool website:
www.SuccessWallpapers.com
LEO
Business can be a bit overwhelming
right now but you are ready for it and
you know it cannot last very long so go
with the flow. New deals are made now
that bring in more cash.
VIRGO
This is a good time to get into a house
project, something you have been
putting off for awhile. Between now and
next week a rather large bill comes due
so plan your finances carefully.
AQUARIUS
If you have money due you, you
should be collecting it within the next
week or so. If you need some kind of
agent to represent you for anything,
this is a goof time when you find the
right person so start looking around.
PISCES
Someone may need your assistance
or expertise to complete a business
arrangement or some sort of a deal
this week. You are more concerned
about others this week than you are
for yourself.

Mystery Word Search by Brad Harness

Use the remaining 12 letters, in order, to create the mystery word!
(#195) THEME: TRAVELS IN INDIA
AGRA HYDERABAD
S E SM I L S UM AC B
BOLLYWOOD
CASTS
MUMBAI
MUSLIM
NA LGHAT SROHO
CHENNAI PLANTATIONS
O D C B U E S GW B E L
COWS RAJASTAN
I ASRA J AST AN L
DUNG SACRED T BU I EHCGAONY
GHATS SEA A A D C K D C N E A AW
GOA SIKH TRNONHTUHY I O
GODAVARI TEA N E I R A V ADOG I O
HEAT TIGERS
ADHNSREG I TSD
HIMALAYAS UNTOUCHABLE
L YMUMB A I E ENN Last Week’s Answer
HINDUS YOGA
PH I MA L AYASTU Solution: SUBCONTINENT

Got Something to SELL??? ADVERTISE HERE!!! CALL 519-293-1095

8 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008
Roadwork round two
done in three weeks
by Barb Shea
NORTH MIDDLESEX
- It’s roadwork season again
in North Middlesex and
the pavers are out repaving
all the roads that are on the
schedule.
A call to the Works
Department showed that the
work should be all finished in
the next few weeks. The roads
currently being worked on or
going to be worked on are
the paving of Maguire Road
from Mount Carmel Drive
to McGillivray Drive; Prince
Road work is in full swing in a variety of locales around North Middlesex, in a bid to get all of the approved William Street from Mcguire
projects completed before the winter weather arrives. Prince William St. - which runs from William St. and Road to Denfield Road;
Denfield rd. in Lucan Biddulph west to Maguire Rd. - received asphalt resurfacing over a three-day period last Cassidy Road from Adare
week. A dozen dump trucks and the big roller were kept busy, busy, busy! BANNER/Brad Harness Drive to Mooresville Drive;
New Ontario Road from Petty
Street East.
In Ailsa Craig streets that
will get some extra paving are
Anna Ada Shipley Street from
Queen Street to Henderson
Street, William Street from
Craig Street to Old Mill Street
and the connecting blocks,
Craig Street, Henderson Street
and Stewart Street.
On the other side of the
township, streets in Parkhill
that need some paving are
patch paving on Allen St.,
Main Street to Catherine and
Village recreation needs
finally being addressed
Your input is crucial to a new study
by Barb Shea
AILSA CRAIG - The Ailsa
Craig Recreation & Management
Fund Committee met in August
to discuss upcoming plans.
This fund was formed when
the town’s hydro utility was sold
and the Village of Ailsa Craig
amalgamated with the four
neighbouring municipalities to
create North Middlesex Twp.
in 2001.
In that year, after expenses
relating to the multi-use
municipal building (the library,
satellite office and policing
office) were paid for, Ailsa Craig
was left with neatrly $300,000,
which was placed into a new
fund called the Millennium
Fund. A committee was formed
to look after the fund and decide
what it would be used for.
There is also a Recreation
Centre Fund which stands at
$123,888. This money was left
over from funds raised from the
community to build the Ailsa
Craig Recreation Centre.
These two funds have
helped out with some major
projects over the years like the
skateboard park, the museum,
and the addition of an elevator
for Olde Town Hall.
The committee - made up
of five members - has agreed
to look into the cost of adding
a sign over the gateway at the
park by the community centre.
They are thinking of making the
sign as an arch attaching to the
two pillars on each side of the
driveway.
They would like the name
of the park put across the sign
with wrought iron or aluminum
lettering. Recreation Manager
The Middlesex BANNER
wrap ups on Pearl, Elk and a
connection on Delaware St.
Some sidewalks and parts of
sidewalks will be redone also.
The total cost for all of this
the paving work is estimated
at $934,875 for 12,500 tonnes
of asphalt. Lavis Contracting
Company was awarded the
contract with the lowest bid of
$74.79 per tonne. The paving
for the West Park Drive
Project is under a different
contract.
Some of the previous roads
were paved with the lower
costing tar and chip paving.
North Middlesex has decided
not to use this type of hard
surface pavement any longer
because it was not holding
up under heavy truck traffic
and patching did not work on
those roads. This decisionwill
see the inventory of tar-and-
chip roads being repaved with
asphalt, which is much more
durable and easier to patch.
The base required for the
tar-and-chip was the same
as for asphalt and it made
more sense to pave it with the
higher-costing asphalt since it
lasts longer and it was more
cost efficient in the long term.
Scott Nickles will look into the
cost of this kind of project and
bring it back to the committee
for approval.
The committee with Scott is
looking into developing a 5-year
plan for recreation facilities in
Ailsa Craig. The Lions Club is
interested in working with the
committee and the municipality
for a major project.
The committee would like
some input from the public as
far as what kind of facilities the
people would like here in Ailsa
Craig. After they get input from
the public they plan to take all
the ideas and see what the cost
of the different projects would
be.
After that, a public meeting
would be held for further
input. Some suggestions that
the committee thought should
be in the 5-year plan were the
pavillion, flower pots, paving,
play equipment and a water
park.
The Banner did its own
telephone survey of random
people last year. A lot of people
had no idea of what they would
like but when given suggestions,
a fitness centre with a pool was
something that received the
most support. Second on the list
was an arena.
People are invited to submit
any ideas or comments for the
type of projects that people
would like to see in Ailsa Craig.
You may contact any one of
the committee members: Wes
Hodgson, Marty Jones, Gary
Keays, Blake Bexon, or Brian
Ropp. There phone numbers are
in the Banner Phone Guide.
The Middlesex BANNER
Radar speed trap bears temporary fruit Creek project gathers steam
by Tabitha Lavoie
GRANTON - “Only with the or-
ange flags do people react.” Unfor-
tunately, there won’t always be an
orange flag present to encourage
people to slow down.
Alex Westman, Councilor for
the Granton Area, commented on
the actions of drivers’ in the Lu-
can Biddulph Community Policing
Committee’s initiative to slow driv-
ers down for the back-to-school sea-
son and beyond at Tuesday night’s
Council meeting. The orange flags
he speaks of are part of the large
sign that has been at the centre of
their efforts and on the side of many
roads in Lucan Biddulph recently.
The most recent location that
Westman, the sign, and a few volun-
teers, have set up is on Main Street
in Lucan at the Community Centre,
and at the north end of Granton
on Granton Line. Westman felt it
necessary to again set up in Granton
due to a number of complaints that
vehicles were racing through town
at very high speeds.
“They weren’t wrong by any
Saintsbury sidewalk to school planned
by Tabitha Lavoie
LUCAN BIDDULPH - Council
met for a regularly scheduled
meeting last Tuesday, as Mon-
day was occupied by the Labour
Day holiday.
First on the agenda was a
presentation by Susan Brockle-
banks, the acting Community
Partnerships Specialist of the
Upper Thames Conservation
Authority (UTCA). Brockle-
banks presented to Council the
progress that the UTCA has
made on the Medway Creek
Community Based Watershed
Strategy Development and was
also present to ask Council for a
helping hand.
A group that has recently
started, called the Friends of
Medway Creek, is looking for a
member from the Lucan area,
means,” says Westman in regards
to the residents advising him of the
speeds. Westman clocked cars going
both ways between 5:30am and 8:
30am on 4 September. Between
those hours he saw 218 cars, and
only 58 of those cars were within
the speed limit, one even breaking
90kph.
“Most of the vehicles were head-
ing south bound into the village
(Granton), but I did notice that
the north bound vehicles that were
speeding through town seemed to be
traveling faster and slowed down for
the sign,” says Westman. The sign
he is referring to is the same RA-
DAR sign with orange flags.
Although they are slowing down
for the sign, there isn’t always going
to be a sign present, and Westman
hopes that by having the RADAR
sign now when many are in back-to-
school mode and before winter hits,
drivers will know now is the time to
reduce your speed.
Instead of holding studies all
throughout the year with the RA-
as Lucan Biddulph sits at the
mouth of the Medway Creek
watershed. While she didn’t ask
a member of Council to sit on
the board, Brocklebanks did ask
them to use their connections to
try and recruit a new member.
The commitment for the
group is a meeting on the last
Thursday of every month, and
they brainstorm and implement
ways to improve the Medway
Creek watershed.
Next on the agenda, Public
Works Manager Steve McAuley
brought the preliminary design
report for sidewalks to Coun-
cil last Tuesday. The sidewalk
of concern is on Saintsbury
Line, on both the north and
south side. The not-yet-existent
sidewalk has been on the back
DAR sign, as it is the property of
the Community Policing Com-
mittees of Middlesex County and
Lucan Biddulph’s turn with the sign
will soon end, Westman is passing
all the information he compiles onto
the OPP. So far, that has seemed to
work.
The day following Westman’s
findings in Granton saw the Police
out in full force trying to catch those
daily speeders neglecting the 50kph
through Granton. That same morn-
ing also saw Westman in front of
the Lucan Memorial Community
Centre, a place where many drivers’
speeds pleased him.
“The speeds were much lower
than expected,” says Westman of
the initiative in front of the Lucan
Memorial Community Centre. Al-
though it may be a little early to tell,
Westman would like to think they
RADAR programme is having an
effect on drivers’.
“It may only be temporary,”
Westman says of the change, “but it
is still good.”
burner for awhile, but as the new
school fast approaches, the need
for a sidewalk on Saintsbury also
approaches.
The report looked at the cost
to complete two different types
of sidewalks: a curb face side-
walk and a paved sidewalk. The
curb face would require the in-
stallation of catch basins where
as the paved sidewalk would
require less work but would be
flushed with the road. In order
to ensure safety, rumble strips or
cat’s eyes (the low sitting road
reflectors) would have to be
installed as the sidewalk would
meet even with the road.
McAuley recommended in-
stalling the curb face sidewalk,
as it would last longer and be
a better investment for the mu-
Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 9
by Tabitha Lavoie
LUCAN BIDDULPH - Township
Council had a visitor on Tuesday, 2
September for a regularly scheduled
council meeting. The meeting was
moved to Tuesday because of La-
bour Day.
The visitor, Susan Brocklebanks,
the acting Community Partnerships
Specialist of the Upper Thames Con-
servation Authority (UTCA) was in
attendance to update council on an
initiative they have been working and
also to get publicity out regarding a
new member they are looking for in
a newly formed group called The
Friends of Medway Creek.
Brocklebanks updated council on
the progress of the Medway Creek
Community Based Watershed Strat-
egy Development, and explained to
council that many initiatives have
taken place in the Medway Creek
watershed because of poor scores
from the 2007 Upper Thames River
Watershed report cards.
In ‘water quality’, Medway Creek
scored a ‘C’, in ‘forest cover’ a ‘D’,
and in ‘interior cover’, which is cover
for birds and other animals, it re-
ceived a failing grade of an ‘E’. Many
initiatives have been put forth by the
UTCA in the past year to combat
these poor grades and protect what
the watershed has left.
One of efforts has been a group
created called Friends of Medway
Creek which invited more members
into their group in May 2008 when
they held an open house. The group
was formed to improve the health
of the Medway Creek watershed
and to educate and involve the com-
munity in the need to improve the
watershed.
Brocklebanks explained to Council
nicipality. It came back quoted
at $100,000 plus GST and engi-
neering costs to complete, which
makes Council question the need
to do it right away because of the
state of Saintsbury itself. McAu-
ley says that they are probably
looking at refurbishing or redoing
Saintsbury in five years, so pour-
ing a lot of money into sidewalks
on a road that isn’t up to par
doesn’t make a lot of sense either.
It was suggested at Council that
only part of the work be done
until the road is updated, but that
would mean ending the sidewalk
at Nicoline Avenue, which cre-
ates an even greater safety issue
with leading the end of the side-
walk to a culvert.
While the project, half or in
New school year sees
more pupils, teachers
by Tabitha Lavoie
BIDDULPH - A few new teach-
ers and a few more students is
how Biddulph Central School
kicked off their first week of
school.
The number of students for
this school year has increased to
170, a number that principal Earl
Towell says is up enough from
last year to create a whole other
class.
Biddulph Central School,
which instructs students grades
four through eight, usually sees
two intermediate classes a year,
which are grades seven and eight.
Teacher Wade Mathewson was
brought into the school in order
to teach the overflow of kids from
grades seven and eight, creating a
split class.
Principal Towell said that space
wasn’t an issue this year, as they
were able to house all the stu-
dents without the introduction of
portables, even with the increased
number. Without bringing in
Mathewson however, class sizes
would have been an issue.
Other new staff that were
welcomed at Biddulph Central
School are Christine Gomez,
who is teaching intermediate
www.banner.on.ca
that while the group has been suc-
cessful in recruiting members, no
one from Lucan is involved in the
group, and the UTCA would like
to see all areas of the watershed
represented.
While Brocklebanks wasn’t ask-
ing for one of the council members
to join, she thought that by bringing
the initiative to council, they would
be able to use their connections and
the number of people they know to
hopefully recruit a few members
from Lucan.
Brocklebanks explained that the
group is currently working on a
strategy for the area, and most of
the brainstorming and develop-
ment will take place over the win-
ter, while the implementation will
take place in the spring.
The time commitment for the
Friends of Medway Creek is cur-
rently one meeting each month,
which takes place on the last
Thursday of the month. Roughly
ten meetings each year will be held,
as December and a month during
the summer won’t have a meeting.
Once the project gets further under-
way fewer meetings may be called.
The Medway Creek watershed is
205 sq. km and encompasses por-
tions of Middlesex Centre, Lucan
Biddulph, Thames Centre and the
City of London.
If anyone is interested in joining
Friends of Medway Creek they
are encouraged to contact Susan
by email at brocklebanks@thame
sriver.on.ca. There will also be a
newsletter in September circulating
the community with more informa-
tion for all.
full, won’t be approved until all
2009 projects come to Council,
many council members have
strong feelings about the side-
walk being finished. Councillor
Wayne Hall explained to the
rest of Council that this proj-
ect has been pushed back too
many times and simply needs
to be approved and started so
that the kids going to the new
school next fall have a place to
walk to and from school safely.
He stressed that although there
are going to be many other proj-
ects that will need funding for
2009, this most definitely needs
to be pushed to the front. More
research will have to be done
on the state of Saintsbury Line
before anything is finalized.
French, and Sandra Smith, a
learning support teacher.
The school is continuing
an initiative for the students
that started last year, as well
as fundraising programs that
have started years before. The
learning initiative emphasizes
the importance of student writ-
ing and knowing the difference
between specific writing genres
and styles. Going over narra-
tives, expository writing, and
essay writing, as well as others
is all part of the effort to further
prepare the students once they
graduate elementary school.
As for fundraising, the Par-
ent Advisory Group does a
majority of the fundraising for
the school, says Towell, and
the students and school will
continue their charity work for
the Terry Fox Foundation with
the annual Terry Fox Run fast
approaching. The school also
works hard to raise funds for
the United Way.
Stay tuned next week for up-
dates on Lucan Public School
and St. Patrick’s Catholic El-
ementary School.
10 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008 The Middlesex BANNER

Strathroy Report Police Files

by Josey Beintema - 849-5321 or e-mail: joseyiscute@yahoo.ca Break & enters The thief smashed the driver’s
Strathroy Middlesex General look at the operations of the SWLHIN acting chief executive DORCHESTER - Northdale side window to gain entry and
Hospital (SMGH) is still in hospital and make some calls Michael Barrett has said that a Public School on Catherine St. made of with a GPS unit.
the province’s black books for on whether what we’re saying news release was to be issued on was the target of a break and
not getting out of the red on is supportable,” SMGH CEO Friday, September 5th to outline enter crime sometime over the ARVA - A wallet was stolen from
their own budgets. SMGH is Mike Mazza has said of the the process the three problem summer. The break-in was a work site on Medway Rd. in
one of three, the others being impending negotiations. “We’re hospitals will follow during noticed when school resume Middlesex Centre on 29 August.
Woodstock General Hospital willing to take that risk.” Mazza budget negotiations. don on 2 September. Projectors, The credit cards were later used
and Grey Bruce Health Services, hopes that the meetings will help The Strathroy fire department a digital camera, and a video in London. The OPP say they
who have not been able to with unresolved issues with the is still looking for fit persons camera were all missing. have suspects in this case.
balance their budgets. Last Health Ministry and welcomes who work and live in Strathroy
Friday, September 5th, the South the investigations into the $2.2 to serve on its force. The urgent NEWBURY - A wallet and KILWORTH - Two rear
West Local Health Integration million deficit that SMGH has. call has gone out to the public home phone were stolen from windows of a car were smashed
Network (SWLHIN), He and others of the SMGH to pick up applications at a home on Durham St. in out by thieves to gain entry at
announced the names of third board are more than willing Zimmerman’s Greenhouses if Newbury on 30 August. Thieves the parking lot at Komoka Prov.
party negotiators who will head to discuss the $1.5 million in willing, able, physically fit, and entered early in the morning. Park in Middlesex Centre on
talks between the SWLHIN and ministry funding that SMGH licensed. During the last week 30 August. A brief case was
SMGH in an attempt to work believes it is entitled to assist of August, volunteer firefighters THAMES CENTRE - The stolen.
out a plan to bring SMGH back in offsetting the orthopaedic were learning new skills at the Willows Golf Course in Thames
out of negative territory. The work that is being performed in Strathroy Lions Pool. Using dry Centre was broken into on 3 ADELAIDE METCALFE
SWLHIN has given SMGH Strathroy which was formerly suits and bunker suits, volunteer September 2008. Nothing was - On 3 September, an unlocked
until the end of the month to done in London. The current firefighters were using proper stolen, but police say that thieves vehicle was entered sometime
come up with a solution then it proposed strategy eliminate the methods of trapping air in their activated the intrusion alarm overnight along Dodge Dr. Only
can, by law, impose a solution deficit is to shut down the fourth suits. The methods assist them and then cut the phone lines. sunglasses were stolen.
on the hospital. Under Ontario floor of SMGH which serves when in a real water rescue
law, hospitals are not allowed patients who require long- emergency. Firefighters from DENFIELD - A home on NAPPERTON - Thieves went
to run a deficit. “Our hospital term care and cannot currently both Strathroy and Mt.Brydges Sixteen Mile Rd. in Middlesex to it at a construction site along
has been asking for this review find an opening, as well as stations were on hand as they Centre was broken into on 3 Napperton Dr. in Adelaide-
because we feel we need an patients needing rehabilitation practised land-based water September after the door of the Metcalfe twp. on 6 September,
unbiased third party to come after major surgery or strokes. rescue techniques. residence was forced open. A making off with copper pipe.
42”TV, DVD player, XBOX 360, A black Jeep was spotted at the
More provincial money for women’s shelters and jewellery were stolen. scene.

MIDDLESEX - New funding
for social services centres that
deal with abused women are
receiving an injection of money
from the McGuinty government,
to the tune of $18.8-million
across the province and nearly
$200,000 in Lambton-Kent-
Middlesex. Within Middlesex
County, the Women’s Rural
Resource Centre of Strathroy
and Area is receiving $49,997.
The Childrens Aid Society of
London and Middlesex is getting
$8,068; Family Service Thames
Valley $1,508. In Kent County,
the Walpole Island First Nation
is getting $5,626, the Chatham
Kent Women’s Centre $63,073
and the Family Services of Kent
$483. In Lambton County, the
Women’s Interval Home of
Sarnia and Lambton $59,696,
the Social Service Bureau of
Sarnia-Lambton $6,485, and
the Reseau des Femmes du Sud
de l’Ontario (Sarnia/Lambton)
$2,941, Across Ontario, the
money will add 83 beds to
existing shelters, raise the
minimum per bed funding to
$30,000 from $25,000, provide a
a 5% increase to shelters.
KOMOKA - Firerock Golf Suspicious vehicle
Course on Oxbow Dr. in LOBO - A vehicle parked
Middlesex Centre was broken outside a residence on Charlton
into on 3 September. Nothing Dr. in Middlesex Centre on
appears to have been stolen. 3 September for 15 minutes
The alarm was activated as then pulled down the road and
thieves attempted entry to the stopped again, according to a
rear clubhouse door. witness. The vehicle is described
as a black Nissan Pathfinder,
THAMES CENTRE - Tamarack with a single male occupant
Golf Course on Cromarty Dr. in dressed in an orange shirt and
Thames Centre was targetted ball cap.
on 4 September. Again, as in a
few other break-ins at area golf
courses, nothing was stolen. Mischief
An employee observed a strobe NAPPERTON - Flowers and
alarm activated on a building. a greenhouse were damaged
Two men were inside at the after someone riding dirt bikes
time, and they fled from the left the area of a property along
scene when confronted by the Napperton Dr. in Adelaide
employee. The first suspect is Metcalfe Twp. on 31 August
said to be 5’9” tall, white, 150- 2008.
170 lbs in his early 20s, with
dark brown hair, a goatee, and Liquor violations
was wearing cut off blue jeans BALLYMOTE - Police stopped
and a long sleeve shirt, ball cap. a vehicle after it failed to stop at
The second suspect was similar a stop sign at Nine Mile Rd. near
in build and wore dark clothing. Clarke Rd. in Middlesex Centre
on 30 August 2008. The driver
Thefts was found with open liquor
DELAWARE - A building at Donald Edgar, 45, of Middlesex
the Oaks Golf Club on Gideon Centre, was charged with having
Dr. was entered through a rear open liquor.
window on 31 August 2008.
Socket sets and a natural gas
detection unit were stolen. KILWORTH - A RIDE check
conducted at Glendon Dr. at
DELAWARE - A car parked Jeffries Rd. on 7 September at 1:
at Echo Valley Golf Course on 30am saw 78 vehicles checked.
Brigham Rd. in Middlsex Centre One was charged for a liquor
was broken into on 31 August. violation and two 12-hour
suspensions were issued.
The Middlesex BANNER Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 11

Back at it for all! Limbo: We know it as

by Lindsay Brink, Holy Cross High school reporter
STRATHROY - It was back to classes and lockers Montcalm Secondary School
school last week, and for many Q: How are you getting used by Connor Hill, Medway High school reporter
students it was time to get back to things like lockers, switching ARVA - Once, Medway High houses, insurance broker offices, shift. To allow for this schedule
into the swing of things. classrooms and lunch? School stood tall in Arva. The and a fairly constant stream to work, lunch has been severely
It was hard not to notice the A: Practice! Mostly just doing it classrooms were flooded with of traffic. The classrooms at reduced.
sea of new additions to our everyday sunlight, which streamed in Montcalm have, at most, one The students have been very
school. Holy Cross is growing Q: What was your best and worst through open windows. Small, small, window hidden towards doom-and-gloom about this
at an exponential rate, and it is moment of your first week? local shops and parkland the front of the room. It’s many whole situation, but things
obvious by the amount of new A: Worst: Being late for my surrounded it, and it’s halls halls are low and narrow and aren’t all bad, as one teacher
(though few) were wide and windowless like it’s classrooms, pointed out. It was 26 August,
faces we see every day. second class; Best: Meeting new high. Now, Medway HS has branching frequently and leading the grand tour of the school, and
Well, this time, the sea is a people. been gutted, nothing but steel it’s travellers in circles. the first time many of Medway’s
little bit different. One of those and brick remain. Where are all These halls are sometimes students had seen their new
faces is my sister, Katherine. I Hopefully, that gives you an the students? hidden behind doors or in small home. The layout was (as I’m
interviewed her to see what it is insight on the ins and outs of At Montcalm Secondary corners,and they can barely sure it was intended to) driving
like to make the transition from being a grade nine. School, where they will be every handle the after-class traffic, me completely insane, when
elementary to high school. Of course, it will get easier weekday from 12:00 till 5:15 which is convenient, because suddenly, I came across one of
Me: How was your first week? to get to classes and you still until the end of the school year. that’s the only traffic it gets. You my teachers from last year in a
Katherine: At first it was appreciate getting to sleep in While the Medway building is see, lunch is only fifteen minutes classroom I’m not sure I could
confusing trying to figure out because of the uniform. You undergoing major renovations, long. ever find again.
it’s students will have to attend Montcalm’s indigenous She pointed out that Montcalm
my way around the school, but almost forget, after a couple of Montcalm to continue with their students as well as Medway’s had far better resources than
once you got used to it, it is quite years, what it’s like to make that schooling. But, Medway and new kids on the block have Medway. “Many rooms have
simple. transition. Montcalm are as different as to share just one building. a computer in them, we have
Q: What was your impression of With that reminder I have to night and day. Montcalm’s students start class better computer labs overall, this
the teachers? say: good luck, grade nines, and Montcalm is on busy Highbury at 6:00 and finish at noon. school has an auditorium; And,”
A: The are really nice and make welcome to Holy Cross. Ave, surrounded by condos, Medway will take the opposite she added triumphantly, “at
learning fun. least everyone’s going through
Q: In what way is the teaching
style different than in elementary
school?
Saints Day 2008 a big success the same thing.”
“Yes” I shot back, “at
least we’re all suffering.”
by Mac McNeil, SDCI school reporter She laughed and shook her
A:We have more lectures and STRATHROY - As summer The day began with moving known as ‘Intellectual Baseball’. head. “My, my. You’ve always
less notes. comes to an end, students grade nine students to the Questions, relating to good work had a way with words, haven’t
Q: What were your expectations began to shift their thoughts gymnasium. After morning habits, were put into a hat, and you?
going in to high school? from whether they want to announcements and a brief when a student answered it
A: Lots of homework and hard go to the beach the next day, word to them by several staff correctly, they moved around students were brought back
work in class. Lots of notes and or to begin preparing for the and the new principal, Mr. B. the bases. Meeting a new teacher into the gym for their first pep
not a lot of interactive stuff. inevitable- back to school. Old Baker, students were divided again was a highlight. Jasmine rally. Grade 9 student Nelson
Q: How is it different than your news for previous students of into groups based on their home Crosby remarked, “Meeting Pereira exclaimed “It was
expectations? Is this good or SDCI, but for the graduating room classes and escorted by new teachers is like a box of superbly awesome. People were
grade 8 students, an incredibly several peer helpers around the chocolates. You never know cheering for me!” Songs were
bad? different and new experience. school. After this brief tour, they what you will get.” sung, cheers were chanted, and
A: It is completely different from “Where are my classes? When were led back to their classes To finish the day, students student moral was very high. “I
what I expected. That is a really do I have lunch? Where is my to learn the basics of locker were treated to a early lunch, met new people in the first week
good thing. locker? How do I do well?” All use and maintenance. With the a play from the SDCI Drama and I made some new friends,”
Q: How is the workload so far? these questions and more are expertise of ‘safecrackers’, all department., and a pep rally, said Brandon Pereira.
A: It has been pretty good, the answered on our second annual soon learned the proper way to with the school mascot “Bernie”. As they left for their buses,
same or less than last year. Saints Day, September 2. maintain their locks and respect Tyler Osinga commented about students felt reassured, reflected
Q: Do you think 5 minutes is Saints Day was set up for their lockers. Off to meet their the lunch menu, “The fries are by the words of grade nine
enough time between classes? the purpose of guiding grade period one teacher. The second amazing, the hamburgers are Josiah Campbell who remarked,
A: No... especially trying to get nines through their first day of period, students were shown the delicious and the wraps are “It was scary getting on the
school. “Saints Day is a special importance of their planners, great in this cafeteria.” The play, bus the first day. I didn’t know
up and down stairs. day devoted to ease student both as homework reminders which showed students the do’s where my classes were located
Q: What do you think of the transition into high school,” and as an information source. and do not’s of school etiquette, and I didn’t know anyone. It
uniforms? explained Mr. Saari, SDCI They had to fill out various was a hit, and featured the acting was much better at the end of
A: They are kinda uncomfortable Student Success Teacher and puzzles with information talents of not just students, but the day.” Rather than wishing
but I like the concept of them. one of the teachers in charge of gained from the planner, and as teachers as well. Tyler Osinga for summer break, SDCI grade
Q: That concept being? the event. Run by senior students ‘bookworms’ gain information explained “It was a blast on nines wished tomorrow would
A: Knowing exactly what who chose to participate and the by eating works, these new Saints Saints Day. The ‘Fashion come quickly, because as one
you are going to wear every faculty of SDCI, the day was devoured the written data on the Show’ had teachers, who were grade nine student, Brandon
morning. created to show grade nines page. Again students met their good actors, pretending to be Stiff, observed, “SDCI has lots
Q: Are you excited for Welcome that high school is fun and not a period 2 teacher. Third period students.” of Spirit.”
scary place. involved a more casual game, Before heading to the buses,
Week?
A: Yes, because I get to meet
new people in a fun enviroment.
Q: What, if anything, are you
finding difficult about the
transition from elementary
school to secondary?
A: Getting to the different
12 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008 The Middlesex BANNER

DAILY BREAKING NEWS...

www.banner.on.ca

Jr D Irish launch new season with new coach behind the bench
by Tabitha Lavoie
LUCAN - A new face and
a new strategy all to match
a new season for the Lucan
Irish, the OHA Junior De-
velopment hockey team in
Lucan.
The coach this year is Russ
Morningstar, and he’s made
the move from the West
Lorne Lakers after their re-
cent fold to coach the Irish
this year.
Morningstar has a lot of
experience coaching, and not
just in the Junior Develop-
ment League. He has also
been behind the bench in
Strathroy, Port Stanley, and
London at the Junior B level.
Morningstar will have at
least one familiar face behind
the bench with this year, as
Joe Pearson, assistant coach
for the Lakers, will be coach-
ing in Lucan this year with
him. Assistant coach Jason
Smith will also be behind the
bench.
Tryouts are already under-
way, and as of press time,
Morningstar said they were
down to a remaining four
final players to choose. This
year they had between 60 and
65 skaters tryout for the team,
as well as 12 goalies. The try-
outs were held 25 and 27 Au-
gust, and 3 September.
The philosophy this year
for Morningstar is set much
more in a defensive mode
than an offensive one. “We
are looking to play from our
own zone out,” says Morn-
ingstar. “We want to limit the
shots and opportunities of
our opponents by playing in
a defensive mindset.”
Fiercest among those op-
ponents will probably be the
Mount Brydges Bulldogs,
who Morningstar says were
a force to be reckoned with
last year.
“Last year Mount Brydges
walked away with the league
until they hit Thamesford
in the leagues finals,” says
Morningstar. Because of their
strong team last year, and few
changes made to the team, he
is expecting another strong
battle out of Mount Brydges,
therefore anticipating that
they’ll be the team to beat.
Before the Irish’s season
kicks off they have a few
pre-season games against
Thamesford, and then start
the regular season play also
against Thamesford with an
away game on 19 September.
With a new coach and a
new philosophy, the only
thing left to complete the
Irish is a home town crowd.
Show your Irish spirit on 24
September when the Irish
kick off their first home game
against Thamesford at the
Lucan Memorial Commu-
nity Centre and Arena.

This goalie shows off what he’s got at the Stars training camp held on Thursday at the Parkhill Arena. These
hockey players give thier best at the stars training camp at the Parkhill arena. Their first home game is on 27
September at 8:30pm at the Parkhill Arena.
Timmermans’ at the helm of Jr D Stars
by Barb Shea
PARKHILL - The North be the new defence coach
Middlesex Stars are starting and Ron Poore will be an
their new season and are in assistant coach. Doug was
the midst of training camp the assistant coach of the
and tryouts for the team. Stars 15 years ago. The last
Their first official hockey three years he has coached a
game of the season starts on Midget team in Parkhill and a
19 September with an away Senior team.
game in Exeter. The Stars are Timmermans is now in the
playing four exhibition games process of picking out the
on the 6, 7, 13 and 14 of Sep- new team for this year during
tember. the training camp. He needs
The team has a new head a total of 23 players and has
coach and General Man- 12 players returning from last
ager this year, that being year. He is allowed to pick
Dale Timmermans. He has four over-age players from
taken over the position from last year’s team.
Mark and Dean Schram who Timmermans runs through
resigned at the end of last some drills when training
year. Doug Timmermans, camp first starts to get the
Dale’s brother, will be assist- players warmed up. The re-
ing him. Scott O’Conner will mainder of the time is spent
on scrimmages to give him an
idea of how well the players
play. The exhibition games
also help him decide which
players he wants to keep. He
BANNER/Submitted Photo
still expects a few more play-
ers to come out after the cuts
are made from the Junior B
teams.
The team plays two games
a week and has been practis-
ing about 1½ hours a week
he is hoping to get the prac-
tice time up to 2½ hours a
week. Timmermans said the
team has been among the top
teams in the league for the
last two seasons and he hopes
to continue this trend.
The Stars play in the SO-
JHL (Junior D) league which
has lost a couple of teams,
one from the Yeck Confer-
ence which is the division the
Stars are in. The team from
Mitchell has dropped out and
moved into the Junior C.
The Stars will compete
against teams from Lambeth,
Mt. Brydges, Exeter and Lu-
can, and no doubt, will be New Coach and General Manger Dale Timmermans gives some point-
ers to a prospective player of the Stars Junior D hockey team at their
fierce competitors in 2008. training camp in Parkhill. BANNER/Submitted Photo

INTERESTED IN THE FUTURE OF HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY, Charlie!!!

September 17th
ONTARIO?
Education, Health Care, Agriculture,
Welfare, Energy, Resources, Taxes:
What will it look like?
Better yet, What could it look like?
Visit www.NewCanada.ca With Love, Your Family
The Middlesex BANNER Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 13
14 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008 The Middlesex BANNER

For DAILY BREAKING NEWS...

Go to: www.banner.on.ca

Farm Commodity Prices

CATTLE PRICES 600-699 328 100.91-121.92 111.45 128.00
CROP PRICES
(at elevators): Bank of Canada Noon
exchange rate was 1.0641 down 0.0001
Chicago soybeans closed sharply lower.
NOV08 HI 12.11 LOW 11.68 CLOSE
11.77 Down 58
8.51 Down 26
Wheat Board Contract Prices - DEL Terminal
Current Crop 08 Soft White(C) Hard Red(C)
Soft Red(C) Red Spring(M)
Basis -2.01 -1.90 -
114.42 NOV08 HI 12.11 LOW 11.68 CLOSE
Comments for the week ending 500-599 238 95.98-120.60 109.80 132.50 CORN – Friday, 5 Sep 2008 (at elevators): 2.17 -0.64
11.77 Down 58 CAD $/bu 5.50 5.61
4 September 2008: 128.44 Bank of Canada Noon exchange rate was ELEVATORS
400-499 350 111.97-134.97 124.49 159.00 5.34 7.52
The fed cattle market sold on a mixed 1.0641 down 0.0001 Mdsx Low 0.96 12.73 467.75 CAD $/tonne 202.24 206.15
demand this week. The number of fed 129.16 Chicago corn closed lower. -0.85 10.92 401.24
-399 217 105.49-140.11 123.94 166.00 136.75 Mdsx High 1.05 12.82 471.05 196.37 276.15
cattle sold through auction markets HEIFERS
DEC08 HI 5.52 LOW 5.42 3/4 CLOSE5.48
ELEVATORS
was 1,054 head up 97 from last week 1/2 Down 16 -0.85 10.92 401.24
Volume Price Range Average Top Last week Mdsx Average 1.00 0.23 12.77 469.34 London -2.52 -2.41 -2.73 N/A -
and 494 less than last year at this time. Avg DEC08 HI 5.52 LOW 5.42 3/4 CLOSE 5.48
-0.85-1.63 10.92 401.24 2.48 -2.48 -2.48 N/A
The average price for steers was $96.10 +900 403 91.12-99.16 94.91 101.75 95.65 1/2 Down 16 Middlesex FOB 1.10 12.87 472.89 Hensall -2.75 N/A -2.75 N/A -
down $1.02 from last week and $5.03 800-899 472 96.25-103.94 100.85 107.00 ELEVATORS -0.50 11.27 414.10 2.55 N/A -2.55 N/A
higher than this time last year. Heifers 100.21 OLD CROP BASIS NEW CROP BASIS PROCESSORS TERMINAL
sold stronger averaging $95.18 up $2.88 700-799 494 95.77-107.26 102.54 112.50 99.28 Location Spot 1mt 2mt 3mt Adj $/bu Hamilton 1.60 13.37 491.26 Sarnia -2.21 -1.63 -2.46 N/A N/A
from last week and $7.13 more than last 600-699 $/mt Cntrct Adj $/bu $/mt -0.80 10.97 403.08 N/A N/A N/A
361 89.82-106.14 98.21 114.50 102.98 Windsor 1.56 13.33 489.79 Hamilton N/A N/A -2.15 N/A
year. Auction market reports ranged 500-599 264 90.75-107.01 100.56 116.00 Mdsx Low 0.00 5.49 215.93 -0.55 4.94
N/A N/A N/A N/A
from a shade lower to steady to $2.00 194.28 -0.78 10.99 403.81
105.53 TRANSFER Pt. Stanley N/A N/A -2.65 N/A
higher, according to quality. All markets 400-499 292 101.51-120.80 112.17 136.00 Mdsx High 0.10 5.59 219.87 -0.50 4.99 Hamilton 1.50 13.27 487.59 N/A N/A N/A N/A
reported active trading. 112.56 196.25 -0.20 11.57 425.12 Wheat Board Contract Prices - DEL Terminal
Slaughter cows were lower in volume 300-399 150 102.43-126.15 115.41 149.00 Mdsx Avg 0.05 -0.02 5.54 217.90 -0.52 -0.59 Pt. Stanley N/A -0.70 Harvest 09 Soft White(C) Hard Red(C)
and off just slightly in pricing. There 118.91 4.97 195.59 11.07 406.75 Soft Red(C) Red Spring(M)
were 1,677 slaughter cows sold through 299- 58 90.88-120.64 108.07 170.00 123.08 Mdsx FOB 0.15 0.20 -0.50 N/A 5.64 Sarnia N/A -0.42 Basis -1.81 -1.81 -
auction markets down 177 from last 221.84 -0.50 4.99 196.25 11.35 417.04 1.92 -0.82
week and 133 more than last year at QUEBEC ELECTRONIC TRANSFER Owen Sound N/A -0.30 CAD $/bu 6.20 6.20
11.47 421.45 6.10 7.69
this time. The average price for cows AUCTION MARKET Sarnia 0.00 5.49 215.93 -0.50
was $52.75 down $0.49 from last week 4.99 196.25 WHEAT – Friday, 5 Sep 2008 (at CAD $/tonne 227.91 227.91
Week ending Thursday 4 Sep 2008 elevators):Bank of Canada Noon 223.99 282.46
and $20.14 more than last year. Auction Price Range Pt. Stanley N/A -0.80
exchange rate was 1.0641 down 0.0001 FEED GRAINS
markets reported steady trade with prices A1, A2 Steers & Heifers 161.25- 4.69 184.44 Chicago wheat closed lower. Bayport Wheat 315.00 - 338.00
from steady to $3.00 lower. Hamilton 0.50 5.99 235.62 DEC08 HI 7.55 LOW 7.45 CLOSE Bayport Oats 260.00
As seasonally expected, replacement 163.75 -0.40 5.09 200.19 7.51 1/2 Down 25 1/2 Bayport Barley 260.00
cattle numbers are starting to increase. ALBERTA DIRECT TRADE MID SD CRN -0.52 JUL09 HI 8.06 LOW 7.98 CLOSE FOB Hm Soymeal 457.69 -
There were 5,666 replacement cattle sold Week ending Thursday 4 Sep 2008 1/2 4.96 8.01 3/4 Down 26 1/2 475.10
through auction markets this week, up Steers HI SD CRN -0.50 Minni wheat closed lower. FOB Winch SM 491.86
DEC08 HI 8.25 LOW 8.10 CLOSE DDG’s FOB Chatham/Sarnia 175.00
15% from last week and 29% more than Live 91.85-96.00 4.98 1/2
8.15 1/4 Down 26 - 205.00
last year at this time. Auction markets Flat rail 93.15-93.25 SOYBEANS – Friday, 5 Sep 2008 SEP09 HI 8.51 LOW 8.50 CLOSE
reported a good to moderate demand Heifers
with prices from steady to slightly lower, Live 157.00-157.85
according to quality. Actual average
prices were $0.50-$5.50 lower in all Flat rail 157.85
categories with the exception of steers ONTARIO DIRECT TO
800-900 lbs which averaged $1.15 higher PACKER
and heifers over 700 lbs which averaged RAILGRADE CATTLE TRADE
$0.10-$3.26 higher. Steers 500-600 were This is a summary for the week of
under pressure averaging $18.64 lower rail grade prices on a carcass weight
than last week. basis, before grade and weight
Ontario railgrade prices reported this discounts.
week averaged $0.75 lower than last
week and held steady throughout the A grade steers
week. Steers traded from $164.00-168.00 164.00-168.00
and heifers sold from $163.00-$167.00. A grade heifers
Alberta’s fed cattle market was light on 163.00-167.00
Wednesday and Thursday with prices US TRADE (US funds)
averaging $0.25-$0.50 lower than last Week ending Thursday 4 Sep 2008
week. Steers sold from $91.85-$96.00 Choice and select steers and heifers:
live and $157.00-$157.85 flat rail. Live
Heifers traded from $93.15-$96.25 live
and $157.85 flat rail. 99.00
U.S. cash cattle trade was moderate in Rail
Nebraska on Thursday with prices $1.00- 154.00-155.00
$2.00 lower at $154.00-$155.00 dressed CHICAGO MERCANTILE
(most sales at $155.00). Light trade on EXCHANGE
Friday in the south was fully steady to Closing quotes on futures 4 Sep 2008
last week at $99.00 live. Light volumes were as follows:
suggest that cattle will be carried over Live Cattle
Oct 102.95 -0.35
into next week in hopes of better prices. Dec 104.95 -0.35
Denfield Livestock – 2 September 2008 Feeder Cattle
Good & Choice steers 90.00-100.00 Sep 111.12 +0.35
Good & Exotic Cross Heifers Oct 110.67 +0.30
90.00-98.00 Corn $/bu US ¢/bu
Plain steers 80.00-90.00 Sep 5.314 -17.6
Dec 5.484 -16.0
Plain Heifers 80.00-90.00 Soybeans $/bu US ¢/bu
Good fed cows 60.00-75.00 Sep 11.800 -54.0
Good Beef bulls 65.00-75.00 Nov 11.770 -58.0
D1 & D2 cows 55.00-65.00 Canadian Dollar ($)
Good Holstein bulls 60.00-66.00 Spot 94.00 +0.27
D3 & D4 cows 40.00-50.00 Sep 93.95 +0.26
Good Holstein bull calves
$100.00-$185.00 PORK PRICES
Shells 25.00-35.00 Totals for week of 5 Sep 2008:
Plain & newborn Hol bull $10.00-$75.00 Pool and Pool Plus Hogs 14,600
Steers 350-500 lbs 105.00-120.00 Contract Hogs 77,306
Heifers 350-500 lbs 100.00-115.00 Total Sales 92,317
Steers 600-750 lbs 95.00-110.00 Pool and Pool Plus Average (C$/ckg
Heifers 600-750 lbs 95.00-110.00 DW) $140.56
Brussels Livestock - 29 Aug 2008 Pool Plus Price (C$/ckg DW) $142.91
STEERS Pool Price (C$/ckg DW) $132.37
Price Range Avg Top Increase/(Decrease) for week -13,100
1000+ 97.00-103.00 100.24 103.00 Total Exports (to Quebec, US and other
900-999 96.50-107.00 102.14 107.00 provinces) 12,264
800-899 101.00-117.75 109.96 117.75 CME Constructed (US$/cwt DW)
700-799 104.00-117.25 112.01 118.25
600-699 101.50-126.50 111.55 126.50 $75.84
500-599 104.00-120.50 110.44 131.00 100% Formula Price (C$/ckg DW)
400-499 128.00-140.50 132.90 140.50 $145.95
399- 125.00-150.00 136.26 150.00 Exchange Rate (C$/US$) 1.0643
HEIFERS Quebec Average (C$/ckg DW) $148.10
Price Range Avg Top Quebec Daily Hog Volume 122,826
900+ 90.00-99.50 94.42 101.50 US Daily Hog Volume 1,726,000
800-899 97.00-105.00 100.62 105.00
700-799 95.25-109.50 103.63 109.50 SHEEP PRICES
600-699 88.00-107.00 96.76 111.50 For week of 2 September 2008:
500-599 95.00-103.50 100.50 111.00 Head $/cwt
400-499 99.00-125.00 114.86 125.00
300-399 124.00-128.00 126.15 128.00 Lambs 1,866 -
299- 110.00-128.00 117.81 129.00 Under 50 lbs. 33 163.91
50 - 64 lbs. 283 171.97
ONTARIO LIVE CATTLE TRADE 65 - 79 lbs. 541 174.76
Ontario auction sales this week saw 80 - 94 lbs. 540 164.09
weighted average price ranges for
FED CATTLE 95 - 109 lbs. 331 158.52
Price Range Average Top Last week Avg 110 lbs. + 138 151.15
Large Frame Steers +1250 Sheep 471 74.89
90.61-99.77 96.38 110.00 97.18 Total Head 2,337 -
Medium Frame Steers +1250
87.96-100.24 95.57 110.00 96.62
Large & Medium Frame Steers + 1250
89.38-99.86 96.10 110.00 97.12
Large Frame Heifers + 1000
89.37-99.38 94.97 101.75 92.03
Medium Frame Heifers + 1000
92.41-97.85 95.13 101.00 94.00
Large & Medium Frame heifers + 1000
90.36-99.20 95.18 101.75 92.30
Cows- All Weights
42.41-62.63 52.75 86.00 53.24
Bulls- All Weights
62.10-75.57 69.09 91.00 68.40
STOCKERS-Large and Medium Frame
STEERS Volume Price Range Average Top
Last week Avg
1000+ 526 98.66-105.41 102.08 109.00 105.06
900-999 491 96.37-106.73 102.60 110.35
106.37
800-899 621 103.78-112.84 108.56 117.75
107.41
700-799 401 97.98-113.87 107.97 119.00
113.47
The Middlesex BANNER Wednesday September 10th, 2008 ~ 15
All classified ads must be pre-paid, either in cash, by cheque, or by credit card.
Basic Ad: $11 for the first 25 words, and 10¢ for each additional word. Bolding: $2 extra/week
3-Week Run: $29 + gst=$30.45 for up to 25 words (+10¢ for additional words) + bolding fee if applicable
CALL or FAX: (519) 293-1095 by E-MAIL: editor@banner.on.ca,
or by POST: Box 433, Ailsa Craig, Ont. N0M 1A0
*** ALL CLASSIFIED ADS SHOW UP ON OUR WEBSITE, TOO!***

Local & Area Notices of Passing FOR RENT HELP WANTED WANTED TO BUY
(27 August - 6 September 2008)
Apartment for rent - Lucan. Part-time reporter: BUYING CENTURY OLD
CUNNINGHAM, Beverly, 76, Clandeboye, 6 September, HASKETT FUNERAL HOMES LTD 241 Butler Street. 1-bedroom. LUCAN and GRANTON. 13 BRICK farmhouses, schools,
GROVER, Gordon, 70, Glencoe, 5 September, VAN HECK FUNERAL HOME All utilities paid. Laundry $575. hours/week. $8.75/hour + churches etc. for wrecking and
Call 519-227-1285 or 519-681- mileage. Writing ability, good brick salvage. Ross Lumley
McINTYRE, Doris (Annett), 91, RR#1 Wardsville, 4 September, communicator. Home computer (519) 383-2024, “Wrecking
PADFIELD FUNERAL HOME 4827. (c31-34)
+email+internet,digital camera people’s homes (38 last year)
MCLEOD, Joseph Donald, 88, Strathroy, 4 September, Lowest Rent, Excellent Deal! & car needed.Start having fun all over Southwestern Ontario
DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD Lucan Area, in the country. now! Call 293-1095 or Email since 1969.”
Bachelor, 2 & 3 bedroom editor@banner.on.ca (fw)
SELVES, Lawrence Malcolm “Larry”, 70, Exeter, 3 September, OCKHART FUNERAL HOME
JAMIESON, Alfred “Norman”, 78, Thedford, 2 September, GILPIN FUNERAL HOME
apartments available immedi- Part-time canvasser needed. FOR SALE
ately. Enjoy the clean & quiet LUCAN - Organized, great
MASON, Vera Mae, 87, Exeter, 2 September, HASKETT FUNERAL HOMES LTD environment. No last month FOR SALE - House of Brae-
communication skills; door-to- more Dining Room Suite, me-
DOXTATOR, Pauline, 68, Oneida, 1 September, ELLIOTT-MADILL FUNERAL HOMES rent required. Ample parking. door readership canvassing.
Laundry facilities. Bi-weekly dium oak finish, china cabinet
SILVEIRA, Isabel, 84, Strathroy, 31 August, DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD $11/hour plus 20% commis- and buffet with cutlery drawer,
payment arrangement. Don’t sion. WOW! Call Brad at 293-
SCHEIRING, Helen (Reeb), 87, Strathroy, 31 August, miss this great living opportu- 2 arm and 4 side chairs all with
1095. (fw) upholstered seats, 78”x40” ta-
JOHN T DONOHUE FUNERAL HOME nity! Call 519-227-0120
(34-37) Part-time canvasser needed. ble (includes an 18” leaf). Like
CUDNEY, Eileen, 80, Strathroy, 31 August, ELLIOTT-MADILL FUNERAL HOMES ILDERTON - Organized, great new! $750. Lacquered brass
WOODS, Eileen, Kerwood, 31 August, DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD LUCAN - OFFICE/SHOP communication skills; door-to- double head and foot board
BLOM, Nicholas Theodorus, 83, 30 August, BOX & SMITH FUNERALHOME INC PREMISES AVAILABLE TO door readership canvassing. $600. Call 519-657-8194.
LEASE ON MAIN STREET. $11/hour plus 20% commis- (fw)
PEREIRA, Rosa de Jesus, 87, Strathroy, 30 August, 400 – 1,000 SQ FEET. $350 sion. WOW! Call Brad at 293-
DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD - $800 MONTHLY. ALSO 1 & 1095. (fw)
RYCHEL, Jean (nee Gibson), Strathroy, 30 August, 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS
$350/$550 MONTHLY PLUS SERVICES
DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD UTILITIES. Call (519)227-4923
MYERS, James “Jim”, 80, Komoka, 28 August, WESTVIEW FUNERAL CHAPEL or 227-6724 (34-38) FARM BUILDING MAINTE-
GODDARD, Elizabeth (Seely), 79, Lucan, 29 August, HASKETT FUNERAL HOMES LTD NANCE - Cement or Carpen-
APARTMENT FOR RENT - try. Repair, remodel, or new
FIDLER, Annie McColl (Sullivan), 96, Strathroy, 28 August, Ilderton. 13278 Ilderton Rd. 2 construction. BOSCH CONST.
DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD large bedrooms. $595/month 519-245-8498 (w)
IRELAND, Elliott Glenn, 61, formerly of Oneida, 27 August, + hydro. Call 666-0161.
(34-35) Gravel Lobo Sand & Gravel
ELLIOTT-MADILL FUNERAL HOMES Topsoil, Stone, Sand

DAILY BREAKING NEWS..

MYERS, James “Jim”, 80, Komoka, 28 August, WESTVIEW FUNERAL CHAPEL 519-666-1742 (19-37)
VAN DEN HENGEL, Dave, 73, Strathroy, 28 August,

www.banner.on.ca
SEED CLEANING & TREAT-
DENNING BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME LTD ING - $1 per bushel. Chemical
CALDWELL, Norma Elizabeth (Snell), 78, Dashwood formerly of Exeter, 27 August, extra. Call Bob or Wayne at
HOFFMAN FUNERAL HOME 519-666-1859 (32-34)
HANCE, Charles, 84, St. Marys, 27 August, MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME www.banner.on.ca
16 ~ Wednesday September 10th, 2008
New library, family clinic on schedule
by Tabitha Lavoie
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - Last
Wednesday’s Council meeting at
Middlesex Centre saw a report
from Greg Storms for the Parks &
Recreations Dept. in regards to the
Coldstream Library. The library has
been under construction for the lat-
ter part of the summer, and is look-
ing to be completed rather soon.
Storms reported that they are cur-
rently on schedule for their finishing
date, and if it does get held up it
could possibly be with some of the
internal finishes, such as telephone
and internet. Storms says he is quite
happy with the way it has turned
out.
Storms also reported on the rental
space upstairs in the Ilderton Arena.
The office space in the upstairs hall
Poplar Hill Coldstream
Report
by Serena Moro - 666-1423 or e-mail: serenamoro@execulink.com
Don’t forget about the Lions
Pancake Breakfast, coming up on
Sunday, 14 September 2008. It’s
hard to believe it’s that time of year
again! Plan to have your breakfast or
brunch there – it’s always a delicious
meal, for a reasonable cost. At the
breakfast, winning tickets will be
chosen for the Summertime Draw.
Hope to see you all there.
The new and improved Cold-
stream Library has re-opened as of
Tuesday, 9 September 2008. Make
sure to check it out – and check out
a book!
I understand all the kids at Val-
leyview are settling in well. Princi-
pal Steve Timewell and staff are also
glad to be back. Meet the Teacher
night is slated for Wednesday, 10
September 2008 at 7pm.
The Enviro-Friends of Cold-
stream would like you to know
that over $11,800 was raised at the
2008 Benefit Gala! All proceeds go
toward maintaining and beautify-
ing Coldstream Conservation Area.
Projects include refurbishing the
outhouse, adding new playground
equipment, replacing sinks in the
mens’ washroom, and hiring stu-
dents to run the free day camp. Con-
gratulations to the Enviro-Friends
of Coldstream and thank you for all
of your hard work and dedication.
Thanks, as well, to those of you who
support them.
Here is some info on various
garbage disposal. Be sure to try and
reduce, re-use, and recycle, thereby
reducing the need for such landfills
and drop-offs!
The 2008 Fall Clean-Up Day is
scheduled for Saturday, 11 October
is now complete, and Council was
looking to agree upon a monthly
rate for rental of the offices. Inter-
ested groups include the Ilderton
Skating Club, Ilderton Minor
Hockey, and the Ilderton Baseball
and Soccer Associations.
Recommended to Council by
Parks & Recreation was $100 per
month for the rental space and the
groups would be responsible for
phone and internet costs, as well
as any further expenses associated
with their operations in the offices.
In order to determine the rental cost,
Storms said they came up with the
energy costs, which were $120,000,
and balanced that against the square
footage. With this cost, Middlesex
Centre would simply be covering
2008 from 8am until 2pm. Sites
include 11257 Hedley Drive and
11630 Miller Road. Please be sure
to follow the rules/guidelines for
what is permitted and what is unac-
ceptable. Don’t forget to bring some
cash to pay, too.
For compost material, every
day until 15 November, 2008 you
can drop off your compost mate-
rial from 9am until 1pm at 10227
Ilderton Road (the garage facilities
adjacent to the Coldstream Munici-
pal Offices) and 11630 Miller Road,
Delaware.
Hazardous waste can be dropped
off at 3502 Manning Drive, London.
You can drop off on the last two
Saturdays of each month from 9am
until 3pm. Please follow the rules/
guidelines for proper disposal.
On a cautious note, be aware of
any suspicious vehicles in your area
and report them to the OPP and to
Neighbourhood Watch and Citizens
On Patrol. Recently, some suspi-
cious vehicles have been spotted.
On or about Wednesday, September
3, a black Nissan Pathfinder was
spotted around dinner time sit-
ting in front of various homes on
Charlton Drive, between Poplar Hill
and Coldstream Roads. The license
plate was too dirty to read. The lone
male occupant kept driving up and
down a particular stretch of road
and stopping for an extended period
of time in front of a few homes. He
was not overly friendly or approach-
able. He left once all home owners
arrived home and started noticing
him. OPP were called. About a
week earlier, a shiny new black pick
up was seen in the same area, two
their costs and not making profit off
of the rental. Council agreed that
energy costs seemed reasonable, as
the people who are using the rental
space are generally going to be using
the facility as well.
The Clerk’s office also had a re-
port to Council last Wednesday. An
architectural firm to design the facil-
ity and manage the construction of
the Middlesex Centre Family Doc-
tor Clinic has been chosen.
Tillmann Ruth Mocellin Inc. has
been recommended by the Clerk’s
office to enter into discussion re-
garding construction of the Clinic,
which is going to be built at Heri-
tage Park in Ilderton. The Clerk’s
office also recommended that the
landscaping portion of the contract
be separated in order to price the
redesign and construction for the
remaining baseball fields on the site.
The possible consideration for the
funds and the work needed will be
presented at the 2009 budget.
It was noted at Council as well
that Tillmann Ruth Mocellin has a
great track record with their tender
pricing, and they have always come
in at the price given or below it.
Cathy Saunders, Chief Adminis-
trative Officer, said they are still
aiming for 1 January 2010 as the
opening date, and that there are still
public meetings that need to be held
in regards to the clinic.
male occupants who were not at all
friendly when approached. Again,
be cautious and call the OPP if you
notice anything suspicious. We all
seem to have a good instinct out here
about who belongs and who may be
up to no good – use your judgement
and discretion and call the police if
you’re concerned. Keep your neigh-
bours informed, too.
SURPLUS (from page 1)
respondents speaking out against
leaving the surplus farm dwelling
policy as is, many also spoke in
favour of keeping the status quo.
Council entered into the public
meetings knowing that there was
going to be plenty to discuss and
plenty of citizens who wanted to be
heard, that is simply why they had
the public meetings.
Frank Berze, Councillor for
Delware, said that although there
wasn’t any way for them to edit
the document, they couldn’t stop
the public from commenting and
having Council listen to them. They
wanted to hear their input.
While the review that Bannister
was looking for was too far gone
now, Chief Administrative Officer
Cathy Saunders said that Council
still has the option of amending
the Official Plan again, and send-
ing it back to Planning Committee
if the councillors wanted to make
any changes. In order to send it
New non-profit apartments
KOMOKA - The Lobo Twp. Non-
profit Apartment Corp. is pleased
to announce the beginning of
construction of our newest seniors
apartment building in Komoka.
This new building is located at
113 Hamilton Street adjacent to
our existing Malott Seniors Apart-
ments. Construction is expected to
be completed in December 2008. It
will feature 10 one-bedroom and 10
two-bedroom units, individual heat-
ing, and central air conditioning. A
common room available for tenant
family events is also included, as
well as controlled entrance and indi-
vidual mail box centre.
This new affordable housing proj-
ect for seniors is possible through
the funding assistance of the Fed-
eral and Provincial Government
under the Canada-Ontario Afford-
able Housing Programme. To en-
sure affordability for tenants there
The Middlesex BANNER
back though, two-thirds of Council
would have to reject the Planning
and Development Services Minutes
and Recommendations from 20
August.
Councillor Ken Filson voted ‘for’,
being one of the councillors that al-
lowed the minutes of the Planning
Committee to pass on Wednesday.
“We have spent a lot of time on (sur-
plus farm dwellings); the concerns
have been heard, and I don’t think
we need to send it back to staff to do
anymore with it,” says Filson,
Bannister simply hoped he could
get a little bit more of double check-
ing though. “I was hoping Council
would take a second look at surplus
farm dwellings and how it relates to
the Official Plan,” says Bannister.
Although Bannister questioned,
because of the July 2007 clause, and
now the Official Plan, the surplus
farm dwelling debacle doesn’t look
like it’ll be touched again for awhile
at least until the next Official Plan
review in five years’ time.
is a maximum rent guideline and
income cap requirement established
by the programme.
An information open house will
be held on Saturday, 4 October at
the Malott Seniors Apartments,
109 Hamilton Street, Komoka be-
tween 2pm and 4pm. Building and
individual unit plans will be avail-
able for viewing.
Applications for tenancy in this
new building will be accepted be-
ginning 4 October. Please contact
Fran Roes, Property Manager, at
519-657-3193 for application form.
Occupancy selection will be by
the Corporation’s Tenant Selection
Committee based on our corporate
tenancy selection criteria and the
income cap requirement. Applica-
tion for residency at the current
Malott Seniors Apartments can be
submitted at any time to the Prop-
erty Manager.