The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Yesterday, while the brief ex- plaining Midland and Penetanguishene's financial straits was on its way to Ottawa, Minister of Supply and Services Jean-Jacques Blais was telling members and guests of the Rotary Club of Penetanguishene that ILAP "funds by themselves are not magic." The two towns have prepared a joint application for federal assistance under the federal ILAP program. The deadline for applications is March 31. & The purpose of ILAP is to relieve unemployment in areas where unemployment is unusually high. Blais also said that he has talked with Edward Lumley, the minister of industry, trade and commerce, and that he was told to be 'cautiously optimistic'? about the sale of RCA's closed colour picture tube factory. The gaining of new markets is the key to economic prosperity, Blais said yesterday, adding that the markets to be gained are in the Third World. Included in the brief sent to Ottawa are reports of a 33 per cent unem- 'LAP isn't magic, Blais cautions: ployment rate in Penetanguishene and Midland, and an unemployment rate in the larger area covered by the local Canada Employment Centre, but including the two towns, of 25 per cent. The 25 per cent unemployment rate in the larger area represents people registered with the local employment centre. Not included are the people not registered and no longer looking for work. Sudbury, the last area to receive ILAP designation, had an unem- ployment rate of 33 per cent. Blais said that in a shrinking world market the sales have been going to the most aggressive companies, and that Canada doesn't have its share of the world market because of a lack of promotion by Canadian salesmen. Blais has been in Morocco recently, and learned that while officials there, including the monarch, are knowlegeable about, and interested in, the Canadian Candu_ nuclear reactor, a salesman has never been to Morocco. Community Newspaper 24 pages, 40 cents Vol. 16, No. 5, Folio 9 1a HE'S A STAFF-S Wednesday, February 2, 1983 s € ERGEANT NOW: Yesterday Sgt. Don Westcott became Staff-Sgt Westcott. Staff-Sgt Westcott has been with the Penetanguishene police force since 1972, and a sergeant since 1976. At left is Chief Dennis Player. At right is the new 'staff.' Mayor Bellisle is out of hospital...at last! 'Penetanguishene's| mayor. has _ lett Penetanguishene General Hospital and returned to his home. Mayor Ron Bellisle underwent abdominal surgery in late December. He returned to the hospital soon after his initial release because of com- plications resulting from the surgery. Will groundhog see its shadow? Today is groundhog day. According to the old saw: if the groundhog sees its shadow today we are in for six more weeks of winter! Damage to truck under investigation The frame on the door of a pick-up truck parked on Robert Street East in Penetanguishene sustained $200 damage on the weekend. That case of mischief to private property is currently under investigations, reports Police Chief Dennis Player. Meanwhile, 30-year-old Ronald Robert Pyke, of Fox Street in the town, has been charged with theft over $200. The charge follows a theft last month at the Commodore Hotel of a valuable string art picture. Election moved (again) to Feb. 22 Although there was a "good turnout"' last week by members of the Penetanguishene Chamber of Commerce, at the second meeting held this year to elect a president and executive, voting was postponed, chamber secretary Joyce Sauve said. The election of a president and executive for 1983 is to be held Feb. 22. Not enough members attended the first meeting to allow the holding of an election. 2,000 Winterama badges ordered Badges for Winterama, which falls on the Feb. 19 weekend this year, are to go on sale on Group home policy complete on Feb. 28 board hopes Next Monday residents' of Penetanguishene interested in the approach the town will be taking towards group homes will have another opportunity to speak their mind to the town planning board. The planning board is hosting the second public meeting on the subject, as part of the process of preparing a group home policy for the consideration of the town council. Planning board secretary Paul Hodgins says that the board hopes to have its group home policy ready for the council at its next meeting, on Feb. 28. If possible, the planning board will also have recommendations on_ two applications to open group homes in the town, using the proposed policy it is formulating as a_ basis _ for recommendations to accept or deny the applications. At next Monday's meeting, the board will outline its approach, and the criteria it proposes to use when dealing with a group home application. Comments made at the meeting will be considered, Hodgins said. The first meeting, a _ public information session, was well received, he said. The board did not hear any major criticism or objections. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. next Monday in the town council chamber. Feb. 10. Two thousand badges have been ordered by the Rotary Club of Penetanguishene. The club is also in charge of this year's Winterama parade. Lower statistics reflect season Statistics released by the Midland OPP for the seven days ending Jan. 31 are low when compared with the annual weekly average, but not low for late winter. While the Midland OPP will often, handle 150 or more calls during busy summer weeks, a modest 69 general occurrences were recorded in the week ending last Monday. Four cases of wilful damage, three cases of theft, and one case of shoplifting were in- vestigated. Four drivers were charged with driving while impaired, and six charges were laid under the Liquor Licence Act. Two tax billings for Tay Township Taxes in Tay Township will again be paid in two installments this year. Tay council passed a bylaw at last Thur- sday's regular council meeting to allow the township to issue two tax billings. Initial tax levy will be administered in March, while the final tax bills will be issued in June. The dual billing has been general policy in Tay Township for several years. Both school and shop were in Lafontaine Le Caron students attended a makeshift school in Lafontaine for one-and-one-half school terms, and moved to Le Caron in December, 1981. The students took shop in the carpentry shop of Andre Forget in Lafon- taine. Because of their school year timetabling, their shop courses in the current school year did not start until yesterday. Andre Forget was the Le Caron shop teacher while the school was in Lafontaine. He has been taken on staff by Le Caron and will teach Le Caron students at ESPSS, if any Le Caron students choose to go to the school.