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Vol. 130 No. 17 PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1996 By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Time has run out for man- agement and staff at Pine Ridge Packers. After hanging on for as long as possible while a public servants' strike kept meat inspectors off the job, owner Murray McLaughlin finally laid off his workers last week. "The guys are going to be laid off," Mr. McLaughlin said Thursday afternoon. "All these guys are going to lose their jobs." One employee had been laid off earlier, as the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) strike, now in its fourth week, left the packers outside Port Perry with less and less product to handle. Strike forces closure at packing operation "would mean the four family "There will be four guys out of a job, along with me and my wife," said Mr. McLaughlin, who has run the family-operated business for 12 of its 28 years here. South of Port Perry at Windcrest Meat Packers, they're operating day to day, said part-owner Alfredo Diminno. "If (the strike) goes on for another week, we might con- sider shutting down," he said Friday. Already three workers have been laid off because of the shortage of work; a closure members who manage the operation would also be out of their jobs, said Mr. Turn to Page 2 Ridiculous' costs lead Lishman to kill Nestleton plan By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Bureaucratic "cholesterol" has killed plans by Bill and Paula Lishman to build a new industrial complex in Nestleton. Citing requirements for thousands of dollars worth of studies, opposition from neigh- bors and the threat of a chal- lenge before the Ontario Municipal Board, Mr. Lishman announced Friday morning he's pulled the plug on the ambitious plan. "There's no sense pursuing that plan at the moment," Mr. Lishman said. "We've invested a lot, and jumped through a lot of hoops already." The "regional node" devel- opment, on a sod farm just west of the hamlet, would have combined the Paula Lishman fur manufacturing operation with an ultralight assembly plant, a movie studio, and a landing strip for the ultralight aircraft. Neighbors objected to aspects of the plan, particularly references to flights by the small, one-man aircraft. And Mr. Lishman said that the reams of tests on ground- water supply and quality that would be required for provin- cial approval of the plan were too costly and time-consuming. "There was just so much cholesterol in the system it bogged the embryonic plan to such a degree that all the cre- ativity was overridden with bureaucratic nonsensical goo," Mr. Lishman wrote in a letter Turnto Page 11 uo pontiscs Buicks & Goodwill Used cars & Trucks | SORRY WE'RE BUSINESS HOURS EFF MITC Fi I 7 PORT PERRY STA H Strike closes ment Poy A grim Murray McLaughlin, owner of Pine Ridge Packers near Port Perry, posts the 'Closed' sign on his front door Friday morning. He's forced to shut down his operation and lay off five employees because of the ongoing strike by Ontario's - meat inspectors, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Another packing operation, Windcrest south of Port, 18 Operating day? to gay nm : A hopes of avoiding further layoffs. Businesses receive e phony bills By Kelly Lown Port Perry Star Local businesses have been receiving invoices resembling Ontario Hydro bills, which in many cases are asking for hundreds of dollars. The invoices are from a company called Ontario Energy-Electric. The invoice includes an account number, kilowatt usage for hydro consumption and GST. The invoice even includes a logo, similar to the one used by Ontario Hydro. The invoices have a due date, past due amounts and a stipulation that overdue accounts are subject to a two per cent interest rate. The return envelope has a Toronto post office box address, but no telephone number. Directory assistance listed a number for the Turn to page 4 - GMC Trucks - REIT PONTIAC BUICK LIMITED 10 Vanedward Drive, Port Perry