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Bennett playing the waiting game by Adrienne Gardner Claude Bennett, Ontario's minister of housing, has answered the request of the Township of Tiny for permission to withdraw from the Tiny-Tay Peninsula Planning Board. In a letter dated Dec. 10, 1980, Bennett notes his receipt of Tiny's brief detailing its reasons for pulling out of the area board. However the minister stressed he'll not make any final decision on the matter until the urban municipalities on the area board have responded to his questions. In a separate letter also dated Dec. 10, Bennett offered Penetanguishene, Midland, Port McNicoll and Victoria Harbour the opportunity to comment on the future of the area planning board. However the minister did express disap- pointment that "'the past joint planning efforts of the area planning board have reached this ap- parent impasse and I would not want those efforts, time and devotion to go unrecognized."' He added, "In the current climate of apparent distrust and hard feelings I don't feel insistance upon a formal alliance would serve any purpose.' Late last year both the townships of Tiny and Tay indicated plans to pull out of TTPPB. MPP Smith wants to hear from you In an effort to feel the pulse of the people, Simcoe East MPP Gord Smith has included a questionnaire in his Christmas newsletter which appeared in the mails last week. Smith is seeking feed-back concerning five questions: 1. Do you feel the Ontario Government is doing enough in the area of Environmental Protection? 2. Are you in support of the present policies of the Ontario Censor Board? 3. Do you believe the Ontario Government should continue to aim for a balanced budget by 1984? 4. Do you feel there is a need for a major new tourist attraction in Simcoe East? 5. If so, do you believe it should be funded by: Private Sector, Government, Both. In other news from the MPP he noted: Ontario Ministry of Housing recognizes that there is a need to help upgrade the quality of many of our downtown cores. Orillia has recently received $150,000 under the Main Street Revitalization Program to make improvements and maintain the attractiveness of downtown residential neigh- bourhoods. In addition, Orillia has received $750,000 through the joint provincial / federal Neighbourhood Improvement Program. This grant may be used for a variety of projects - to renovate or convert private residential housing, to upgrade sewers, roads. sidewalks or parks to mention a few. Under the Ontario Home Renewal Program, loans and grants are provided through par- ticipating municipalities, to assist eligible homeowners in bringing their properties up to standard. The income eligibility ceiling has recently been raised from $12,500 to $15,500. This fiscal year, the program has allocated a budget of $20 million, some of which has been awarded to Simcoe East. For this year, Orillia has received $40,000; Port McNicoll, $41,000; Town- ship of Matchedash, $20,000; Township of Medonte, $35,990.63; and Victoria Harbour, $40,000. A tremendous selection of imported and - domestic fashion fabrics at discount prices! Besides our basic fabrics. we also stock an outstanding range of bridal and exclusive materials for formal oc- casions! FABRIC & DRAPERY MILL OUTLET 547 Bayfield St. N. (Hwy. 26/27) 726-2556 Just north of Georgian Mall, Barrie Open daily 9:30 - 6:00 Wed., Thurs., Fri. 9:30-9:30; Sat. 9:30-6:00 Page 2, Wednesday, January 7, 1981 Windsor pair charged after string of shootings | Two Flu foils Windsor teenagers were arrested near Orillia last Friday morning and charged with murder and at- tempted murder following a string of senseless shootings bail review application San Ancio appeared in provincial court in Midland, Monday, without his Toronto lawyer, Robert Goldin, who, the court was told, was ill with flu. Goldin had intended to ask Judge John Anjo to hear a bail application for the former reeve. Ancio has been in custody in the Barrie jail since his arrest Dec. 6 in a Sixth Street, Midland home. Goldin had stated his intention on the first day of the trial, Dec. 29, to call witnesses to support the bail application. Ancio is facing six charges, the most serious one being at- tempted murder. An application Monday, to have the bail review set over to Jan. 12 was denied by Judge Anjo. who adjourned the bail review until Jan. 19, the date when Ancio's trial is scheduled to resume. Judge Anjo will also on Jan. 19 rule on the admissability of evidence given Dec. 29 by Midland Police Constable Michael Brady in the Ancio case. Meanwhile Ross Chapman, Darlene Williams and Joyce Williams, jointly charged with arson in connection with a Fifth Street house fire last year also appeared Monday in provincial court here. They will appear in court again on Feb. 9 so that a date can be set for a preliminary hearing. And Hessel Pape, a Manly Street, Midland resident, charged with two counts of sexual intercourse with a female under the age of 14, appeared to have a date set for his trial. Pape's trial will commence on April 27. CPR course Local officials connected with Canadian Heart Foundation are planning to stage an information night later this month at Huronia District Hospital. The session, free of charge and open to the general public, will be held on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 14 starting at 8 p.m. in the cafeteria at HDH. There will be a demonstration of CPR (cardio-pulmontary-resuscitation) as well as a film. Coupled with the above will be time for a question and answer period. The project will be spear-headed locally by two ICU team members at HDH, Pat Best and Carmel Cox. It is hoped to get the youth of the com- munity involved in CPR and an extra special invitation is being extended to them to attend this information night. Elmvale May the Joy of the Festive Season and the Love and Companionship of Family and Friends be with you throughout the coming year. Lynn Funeral Home Midland along a stretch of High- way 11 between Hunt- sville and Orillia. On New Year's Day a Mattawa gun store near North Bay was the scene of a break-in. This was later followed by a gasoline attendant on Highway 11 being killed after being shot once in the face with a rifle blast. Sometime after the Burk's Falls station operator, Neil Black- more. 50, was gunned down Const. R. M. Verdecchia of the Huntsville detachment of the OPP was reported missing. His body was later discovered partially covered by snow. He had been shot several times. A second OPP officer Const. Neil Hurtubise of Orillia remains in Orillia hospital where he is recovering from wounds he received in a shooting that took place later in the day. The series of shootings led to one of the biggest manhunts in Ontario in years with an OPP helicopter, tracking dogs and road blocks being set up by OPP detachments at Midland, Huntsville, Barrie, Lindsay, Beaverton, Orillia and Bracebridge. OPP Commissioner Harold Graham who flew to scene last week called the crimes '"'three vicious shootings." ' The pair from Wind- sor were likely to be charged also in con- nection with the shooting of the service station operator. - Meanwhile violent deaths in the U.S. set records during 1980 with New York, Los Angeles and Miami posting record number § of murders. A total of 1,787 people were killed in the Big Apple in 1979 up 50 from the previous year. Los Angeles' count was 1,040, up 25 per cent from the previous year while 580 people were killed in Miami, an increase of 50 per cent over 1979. And just for the record, City of Toronto had a total of 43 homicides last year. 1,500 'men in blue' attend officer's last rites in Huntsville Policemen from both the Elmvale and Midlanddetachments of the OPP joined about 20 other policemen from the area to attend Monday's funeral in Huntsville of OPP Const. R. M. Verdcchia. He was gunned down last week during a shooting spree that resulted in one other policeman being badly injured by gun fire and a Burk's Fall service station operator being also shot and killed. In all an estimated 1,500 police officers from as far away as British Columbia and New York attended the dead officer's funeral. Premier Davis, Ontario Treasurer Frank Miller and Attorney General Roy McMurtry were among those who paid their last respects to the slain policeman. Two Windsor teenagers were charged in connection with the shootings. Prices Slashed 44 Main St., Penetanguishene 549-8998 "The Store at the Bottom of the Hill" snow here's some shivering Statistics. New Year's Day-1981 brought with it six cen- timeters of snow, according to Midland's Mel Curtis who keeps such information for the Atmospheric Environment Service. As of Friday with snow still blowing, a total of 195 centimeters, or 75.05 inches, has fallen on Midland (in the heart of Ontario's snowbelt) since Nov. 24, 1980. At this rate we could be in for a record year for snowfalls. Mind you we still have plenty to go to beat the winter of 1964-65 which took the cake for the most snow. That year a total of 205.9 inches of snow fell on Midland, That works out to 523.03 centimeters. The least amount of snow to fall on the town in any given winter was during the winter of 1952-53 when 92.1 inches of snow fell on Midland, or 233.9 cen- timeters. And last winter (1979-80) we got a real break when only 95.5 inches was recorded in this neck of the woods or 242.7 centimeters from Nov. 3, 1979 to April 3, 1980. on ALL Coats Jackets Snowsuits Tremendous savings throughout the store GIGNAC'S CHILDREN'S WEAR cea