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Hundredth Year No 34 ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1975 Thirty Fiftflon Centt Attendance dismal cancel forum Wed Power off four hours Parts of Acton were without electricity for four hours on Monday as the result of a Ten thousand people in Acton and showed lack of concern govern In Hills not attending the nubile meeting arranged by the of Commerce It scheduled for last Wednesday evening at the Rolf course hut dismal attendance farad president Mike Worthington to regretfully camel the whole thine I In II tin Hills council hid a special e ipitai to come to lo talk to residents the town an J district nclance roller Attending the meeting Kt glor Allan EMPTY SEATS by the dozen faced councillors and a handful of rate payers at the public meeting called by the Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday Embarrassed organizers called the meeting off Seen chatting at the back of the golf course hall are Mayor Tom Hill Mrs Bill Anderson Mrs Mrs Mike Dave Williamson Mr and Mrs Ralph Denny Dave Dills councillor councillor Pat McKenzie councillor Joe Hurst Mercury reporter Bob councillor Dorothy Stone region chairman Allan Mail service affected by nationwide strikes Incoming mail to the Acton pout office has been cut by almost per cent due to the Public Service Alliance strike across Canada All mull coming from Toronto has been halted as the Carriers Union of Canada take part in the nation wide blue collar strike for higher wages More than employees across the country walked off their jobs on Monday slowing movement of mall halting grain loading in Winnipeg and stopping airport runway snow removers Malt has come in from such centres as and Georgetown and will continue fa do so according to post master McKcown but nothing will be arriving from Toronto where the majority corned from Acton letter carriers belong to a different union Mr said and therefore will not be striking along with their Toronto counterparts Th Acton postmaster has not had any word from Toronto as to the laying off employees or closing down the office There no placed on the mail yet even though one is ex pec ted So far Mr McKcown told this paper we have heard nothing All we know about the flow of mall is what we hear on the radio or read In the paper the same as everyone else Ho went on lo say We got letters by the trucks today Tuesday and we usually Fverything is very quiet We are affected but not Involved Meanwhile talks continue In Ottawa and most mailboxes in Acton arc empty OPP to leave end of August The contract with the Ontario Police for the policing or Acton will expire August 31 Region Police will assume duties here September The decision was made by police commission and Just awaits signing by region The last contract provides for corporal and six constables from January l to April JO and from then on a corporal and eight cons tables The increase in men is for the summer months The cost lo the region for these eight months is 332 too The regional police force will also take over policing of at the same time This means the regional force covers all of county except for a small rural area of Milton The will continue to patrol Highway from their headquarters at Milton Chief of region police says he expects there will be a sergeant six constables In the office with clerk With similar divisions in Milton and Georgetown will be covered as the need arises The force covers all of Hills Plans are still being made and the men arc yet to be hired and posted Chief Skerrett expects the takeover smooth I don t sec any problems Acton has been policed by the on contract for years A regional police force is an integral part of regional Trapping continues birds get jittery The birds at the pond ire becoming noticeably nervous the trapping operation there continues according to neighbor bather Taylor trap was set up over a week abound or mallard ducks were caught in it and transported to a district bam In past week or 30 more have been trapped They remain there till Dale of the Department Natural Resources comes to determine their fate Apparently some will go to another wildfowl location at Guelph has been suggested hybrids may face more chancy decision family The four favorite geese in one family have been taken by neighbor Doug Mason to Ihe farm home of Mrs Ella Harding In Erin township The geese who think they re people are doing fine according to Mrs Harding She says she mikes pets of her fowl The one big white duck wilt go to the home of Hitch cock and this duck smaller daughter to bred Water quality The deportation order became imperative when reported deteriorating Water quality in their system The birds or so were wintering in open water over the intake Department officials had also previously informed Harold Towns ley that a wildfowl sanctuary should Include wildfowl only no domestic animate or hybrids And so the trap was built and installed beside their open water on the lake Esther Taylor who feeds the regularly gets the feeling the birds faith in the sanctuary is shaken These are even nervous her now she says Their alarm calls are frequent She t seen any of the big beautiful Canada geese since Sunday circled the dam several flying a wa every morning a large flock of ducks now leaves Acton But at evening feeding time they return flying very high They wait for a signal from the birds below before they come down to their feeding place They never acted like this before Esther Taylor says Lest grain One aspect might be the decreased amount of feed being given as instructed by Mr Gartley of the Department Town grain is fed to the birds by neighbor Doug Mason Others including Miss Taylor supplement Una with their own contributions AU the ducks are jittery Esther Taylor notes with sadness After all they re not stupid Hill Hills eounclllors Joe Hurst Russell Miller l and Rlc Morrow Three reporters Chamber of Commerce executive members Mike Mike Jong and Bill Anderson Two of their 1 ive residents Aelon residents And of this group some came and left early late Not PUBLIC FORUM was cancelled but those attending the special meeting Wednesday at the golf course broke up into small groups to discuss concerns Shown in this circle are Ross councillor Joe Hurst councillor Coxe region chairman Allan Hamilton Spectator reporter Allan mayor Tom Hill wis there at once Small talk I hose there clustered In small groups to talk over mutual concerns Friends again several said were very pleased they had come despite the forced mediation The coffee is never made the were never However people were still talking at 10 despite the snowstorm outside The meeting had been week previous and news stories had on the front page of rce rcss two con sit itive weeks I lie had been unable to rent a school or the hill as had hoped had to hold the meeting mil of town In actual fact II Hills concerns wirt I been discussed in 1 i in township where the If tour is located Highest in Ontario region police became the Highest paid officers in Ontario last week The officers were an of 16 percent icross the board A first class now makes 1j is opposed to 139 for the same rank in metro Toronto last year contract went lo arbitration Halton s first constables were iking it is expected the eontract will be signed some time this week Hilton Hills threw out recommendation for a percent across Iht raise for employees lo compensate for 12 percent cost of living increase The recommendation from finance committee but it was voted down and sent buck fa committee of the whole lo sludv the overall affect It would have on the budget Councillor flic Morrow said moil salaries were In line with other municipalities He d eh in salaries wen mule liter the Don 1 member of the staff is an annual rewe is gettuif five percent inirense Thej shouldn I the God given right to Ret just because the cost of 1mm up He said with inert the rugger the present bigger the raist Morrow said they ilculatt what is relcv ml for of tin si iff Ik industries this tin lies of ace in He in the would the schedule He stress the 1 wi r a smaller ml still have to ij the imc for I with w rd remirktd Itusstll Miller I If fine lo do well for the emphasized the hive lo do well by the taxpayer He said some calculations shown him someone on a level would gel an inercasc of 574 but some others might get is much as t Coxe said there was no way he could f ivor an across the board raise This kind of raise makes rich richer and the poor poorer Councillor agreed saying should take no time at all to throw this out Notienbly annoyed Mayor Tom Hill pointed nut his had changed the date of budget meeting to come to Acton to talk lo people about their We could have had a free night he complained Mr replied In actual fact only per cent of the councillors expected had come On Tuesday Mr Wor thington said the Chamber loss on the night would be about He said the executive has met and they have no plans to re schedule the meeting One of the Chamber s goals is community leadership he said adding thoughtfully who arc we leading He wan appointed not lo see Wed the people who engage him in street corner or home with complaints C Cable were installing underground cable on Alice St in front of the Hydro Commission office When the juke stopped flowing Power was off all along Alia and Bower Ave from 1010 am lo around two o clock and off on parts John and Mill Streets for a short lime Settlement seen soon Ilea ore union contract Is still In alter expiring Jan According to union president BUI a strike vote was taken but he nays he an a settlement in the near future IB Legion pays 20000 in lieu of parkland The payment in lieu of five percent parklend In Ihc Ac Ion Legion subdivision bounded by Street Cameron Avenue and fairy Lake will he set at In the final draft of the bylaw Planning Board recommended Tuesday night The amount was debated loud and long at past meetings but passed with little comment at this one Councillor Joe Hurst said they would be Installed at the developer expense and were being looked after by the Region said he was con that no existing dwellings be inconvenienced Hurst said the Regional Engineer would inspect the plans The land has been ap praised There was considerable on the amount at previous meetings The original recommendation was for 000 but some councillors said they felt sum should be higher Drugs seized A drug seizure was made by Acton P at midnight Saturday and an Acton man will appear in court April A small amount or was found The same day an out of town man was charged with possession of hashish The recovery was made on Main He due In court April There were also two charges of impaired driving laid by Acton police during the past week Citizen of the Year outstanding service Nominations for Acton Citizen of the Year arc now being taken by the Chamber of Commerce The form for suggestions will be found in this paper next week with a closing deadline of March As in previous years anyone can nominate a person they feel has con outstanding service in Ihe community The Citizen of the Year will be honored at a dinner on April The dinner will be the closing note or the Chamber of Commerce week which runs from April 20 to April Cancel hearings Speyside quarry The hearing into quarries scheduled fa begin March has been cancelled The informed Hills this week that the hearing will be cancelled until the provincial cabinet gets a chance to look at the town The town petitioned the cabinet recently for an ad of the hearing on the grounds any decision the might make is premature until Hie Niagara Commission completes its master plan Hills had previously asked the M for an adjournment of the hearing but were refused forcing them to petition the cabinet It is believed the cabinet has not looked at the town request yet but did ask the tocanccl the March 10 hearing starting date until they have had time to deal with the petition is concerned It could cost the town as much as for expert help at the hearing and don want to to proceed until the Escarpment comes up with a FLOSSY snow Flossy is Spaniel owned by T like men but she does like a threeyearold American the Gallant family of Churchill She enjoys winter with Came and Lee Gallant Education budget 75 may be million Preliminary forecasts Transportation tuition feci indicate a capital expenditure education tab will Jump by operating expenses about 15 per cent or close to debenture charges schools 000 Superintendent of for Ihe trainable retarded and Business and Finance for the administration costs are Board of Education budgeted at Bruce Lindley said the early section of the budget draft of the 1975 budget calls represents an increase of for spending of per cent of compared to in The capital expenditure 1974 referred to Involves only The board reviewed a those projects of a relatively section of the budget during minor nature It does not the meeting Thursday Continued on page