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feel misled sa Secret Cabinet paper puts pits before people Autumn has arrived and there October to there a activities source late Joanne Let lei loU of fall activities these days at Moo tits berg Wildlife Centre Sunday tike displays of apple pressing and corn cobs Checking out the apples with re- is Barney Photo courtesy the Mil ion Champion ByJIm Robinson Quarry pits and gravel extraction will be made more Important than people housing and food production if a secret Ontario Cabinet policy paper is passed This paper has obtained a copy of the provincial policy lenient on planning for mineral aggregate resources which is to go to the Cabinet within weeks for discussion and approval The document contains a number of statements which clearly state that housing people and other Incompatible uses are nut to be allowed on or near possible future gravel and aggregate sites Under general policies the document stales Any planning jurisdiction including municipalities and planning boards shall Identify and protect as much of Its mineral aggregate resources as Is practicable to supply local regional and provincial Under policies for official plans it states The plan shall identify legally existing pits and quarries and shall protect them from incompatible activities In order for pits and quarries to be protected the document states official plans should not allow residential development and other Incompatible uses on adjacent lands and residential com and Industrial developments on top of the mineral aggregate deposits other than those directly related operations But most shocking of the policy statements Is the official plan shall permit wayside pits and quarries throughout the municipality witout requiring an amendment to the plan This newspaper has talked with MPP Mel Swart who currently sits on on Ontario Select Committee investigating several months of submissions on Bill which govern pits and quarries In Ontario He said that if the so far secret policy statement is approved by Cabinet all your environmentally sensitive fereas in will not be protected Mr Swart who also had obtained a copy of the policy statement said he feels that I personally have been misled by Natural Resources Minister James He said the Minister had sat through hours of submissions about Bill but had given no in whatsoever of a new policy being written and submitted to Cabinet without the select com mittee having time to even see it or comment The Ontario Municipal Board which will or bitrato disputes on location expansion and lie en of pits and quarries must use the policy statement as a main factor in Its decision Environment agriculture and other concerns thus will have to take second place to aggregate extraction he said Councillor Bill Johnson who has been the major opponent to any changes in the Quarries Act and who a Regional submission against any changes through council said this is what vebcen afraid of since the beginning I said way back when that this was being done for the aggregate industry and not for us You take the widening of Highway that being done for them not for us Acton Fall Fair W wrap up Ladies fair meeting el Its wins tractor pull Tractor Pull winners at the fair fell into two classes Winners of the pound class were Brian McDuffy of Milton in first place Charles Speck of Georgetown in second place and Ed Stewart of Erin roaring into third place In the pound class first pnie went to Bill of Acton BUI Webb of took second place and third was Hud Snow or Georgetown 30132uTugofwar Tugofwar champs Tug of War winners at the fall fair have been announced Top winning place was copped by the Georgetown Golden Beam with the Acton Bull dogs coming a close second Galloping in for third place were the Milton Bushw ackers The Ladies Division of the Acton Fall Fair invites anyone interested in the hall exhibits for the Fair to join them for their October meeting It will be held tomorrow Thursday at m at the home of Mrs Lucille Cooks For lions call counted Fair secretary John has finished counting Sale of advance tickets number bringing paid total fair attendance to 10 However an amount of youngsters under 12 years of age were allowed in free to the fair Saturday so actual attendance figures could be close to IS An Inland Community Newspaper bt ilundnd at d Sixth Year No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1 1980 Eighteen Pages Twenty Cents Minister wont meet about Acton school Ontario Minister of Education Belts Stephenson doesn plan on meeting with a delegation from Hal ton Separate School Board parents association president Vince Whetan and Halton Burlington MPP Julian Heed to discuss the need for a new Catholic school in Acton Trustees received a letter at last night meeting Tuesday from Stephenson saying there is no need or a meeting until there arc fund3 available Parents who are fighting to have a new school built to replace the antiquated St Joseph in the rented old Stone School have been waiting for several weeks to hear when the meeting would be held Stephenson wrote Informing the board there would be no meeting on September but because of mall delays in recent weeks it dldn reach the board chairman Robert O until early last week Last week Whclan contacted Terry to see If she could And out when the meeting would be held Both and Grubbe emphasized she con tacted Stephenson not as a local councillor but as a concerned nonCatholic parent who has tried in the past to enrol her son at crowded St Joseph and been turned down Grubbe is an old family friend of the minister She talked to Stephenson Thursday afternoon and learned the minister has received nine letters from parents and one from a fiveyearold child regard the need for a school In Acton The minister who told Grubbe she had the Acton in front of her could find no record of the board requesting a meeting with her After a flurry of calls Friday the letter from the board dated August as well as her reply dated September were located In addition sources In Acton many more than Just letters have been sent to the minister Grubbe said Stephenson explained she won be meeting with the parents association or visiting Acton The minister t meet with parent groups because her time won t allow It and there are hundreds and hundreds of groups in Ontario like the St Joseph Parents Association Stephenson Grubbe said school board officials only and only spoke Grubbe about the matter because they are friends There arc no funds in the budget for a new Acton school and the minister couldn t tell Grubbe when there might be monies available Grubbe added the minister pointed out the school board sets the prion ties for spending of their allocation According to Grubbe the minister also said there are emergency funds available and if the province received a fire or health department report con the building then money could be allocated to correct health or fire hazards Stephenson wrote the board saying a meeting between the board and herself wouldn be pro ductive until it is determined if there will be funds available O said the minister is sensitive to the concerns of the board and Acton parents I optimistic we are going to get our school in Acton It is Just a matter of timing O added the board will continue to push for a meeting with Stephenson O told about the letter Thursday evening when he was contacted by the parents association president The board chairman ad ml t ted the parents wouldn t have learned of Stephenson a reply until today Wednesday after trustees saw the letter If the matter had not come to light Thursday Whelan said he can see how a meeting can be considered useless even when there is still no money available He is pleased to see the board will continue to press for a meeting Whelan said he couldn t see how Stephenson can refuse a meeting if the board and parents keep pressuring He said the letter from Stephenson was negative and discouraging and all parents can do now is wait It out New leather factory outlet soon Acton tourist attraction Acton could soon be known as Leather town right across the province if ambitious plans for a leather factory outlet in the Frank Heller and Co Ltd Eastern Avenue plant bear fruit Don unveiled plans for a unique Acton tourist attraction in the factory after Heller moves Into Monday night for Halton Hills general committee It should bring tourist dollars to Acton and create some Jobs here A group of investors in the project want the region to allow them to keep the leather factory outlet open Sundays The factory outlet won though the owners of the leather firm are Involved In the project Back In July when it became official that Heller was moving to Diss ton it was revealed the firm would add a factory outlet offering leather goods primarily manufactured by customers of the company Dawklns said the project has evolved con In the past couple of monthsand will now combine both commercial and manufacturing operations There will be a factory outlet retail area of ap proximately square feet a furniture manufacturing area covering about 10 square feet and eventual on site manufacturing of leather goods Including furniture gloves handbags pur sea wallets They will also look at having local craftsmen and Jeatber hobbyists sell their wares at the new store inside Bert will have competition for the Acton trustee job now that Arlene Bruce she is running Details A mediator has ban appointed to help Separate School Board and its tthetr contract negotiations back on track See page 9 and have all manufacturing areas open for public viewing If the project is a success then the possibility of adding a restaurant and lounge a leather and tanning museum and more manufacturing of crafts on the premises will be explored They want to fully utilize the building Noting Acton leather heritage dates back to the last century sold there t been a serious attempt to exploit the commercial possibilities evolving from a leather town image The Eastern Avenue plant was built In as a hide house for and is brick wall with Douglas Fir trusses with foot spans There are a number of solid wood columns up to 18 inches thick in the building The group has decided to name the Factory outlet the Old Hide House The building offers similar potential for at tractive Interior development to many of the old mills in Southern Ontario that have been sue converted to restaurants or other com activity Our Intentions arc to make full use of the history and character of the building and to promote and exploit the leather town history and Image of the town of Acton Dawklns explained Our objective is to create a unique commercial and craft based light manufacturing centre with leather being the largest common denominator said He noted the goods for sale will bo Canadian made and as much as possible in corporate leathers made In Acton Right off the bat the project should create eight to full time jobs and another to positions for part time workers If it Is a success then there should be is to permanent positions and to parttime Jobs created within a year or two They plan to get started immediately they want to in on some of the Christmas shopping trade The venture can be truly successful only if It achieves tourist status similar to Chudlcigh Apple Farm the pine furniture manufacturers in western counties or the factory outlets for leather garments In Blythe Ontario he stated They must draw customers from outside Acton in area of to miles The project has very firm financial footings said but costs wilt also be high so they want to get started quickly It is essential if the project is to evolve Into a highly successful tourist attraction bringing dollars into Acton that it be open Sundays They expect to do considerable advertising of Acton as leather town to bring in business from Toronto and Kitchener areas We believe the merits of the project speak for themselves It is very much a tourist business In nature In a community which presently offers no such attractions It both capitalizes and emphasizes the leather town image which Acton is known for and of which It should be proud Dawklns declared He told It was unfortunate similar project ton earlier Dawklns repeated the importance of being operational by November and the need to be open Sundays just like It is a significant ven lure which will benefit community In answer to question from council Dawklns said they now have parking for bo to so cars and are negotiating another 60 spaces Councillors backed the proposal and rccom mended to the region the factory outlet be given a Sunday closing exemption as a tourist attraction Councillors felt It would be a big boost to Acton particularly the downtown area where efforts hove been made to enhance the area and promote the leather town theme Having visited Blythe Councillor Ross Knechtel felt the project could be a real shot In the arm for Acton He said Sunday opening caused no problems In but this house will be solar heated Burl Clark Is a unique fellow He building a log house fairly coram Photo by KEN AUSTIN Solar heat log house marries past present by Ken In this day and age of people trying to simplify their lifestyles building a log house t that un usual But only a unique person would want to combine an old lifestyle with an ultra modem technology solar energy That a what long time rural North resident Bill Burl Clark is doing building a solar heated log house An native who has also resided In the J and areas Clark has ways had the knack of trying things that are unus I and different or at least not everyone cup of tea j It is his nature And this strong Individual nature j For example some of his undertakings over the years have included such things as hot air bal j looning and operating log raft trips down the rapids of the River in Canada west I And he is an accomplished musician from time to time you just might see him playing stand I He has even tried life in a teepee I You could say Burl Is a basic back totheland i typewhohasallottcdEomoroomformodcnilzatlon So designing and building a traditional log house and then heating It with modern solar technology is not so unusual to Burl Timber framing has been part of his life for the last six years Since completing a log building course at Seneca College In he has worked with four different companies and built a total of 15 homes In rural southern Ontario It was during these years that the Idea to under take a big project like a log home was first planted in his mind Then in the fall of he attended a solar energy course at the University of Guclph This was the turning point The additional know ledge of solar energy combined with his vast know ledge of timber framing produced the Inevitable for Burl Last winter at his Speyside residence he spent his spare time with Taquarc and pencil drafting out the design for the loghouse At the time It wasstlllmore a dream than a reality But in the spring of this year following hours of preparation the blue printed plan was sold to a Kit client Now this fall Sound that dream is becoming a reality Log houses were common place In pioneer days Continued on page