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_Ehler has support for mayoralty ---------- Mayor Percy Ehler? The town's former Com- missioner of Public Works in a recent interview said, "T have been asked by a large number of people to run for Mayor." Ehler also suggested he might write a book about his experiences as a municipal employee for 21 years. "Midland is a pretty colourful communi- ty, when you look at it from a political point of view."' Ehler continues to insist that the Town Council has the responsibility to reveal how much Ehler was paid in settlement out of court of his unlawful dismissal suit. Ehler linked the Coun- cil's refusal to release the figure, and its recent deci- sion to give each member of Council a $2,500 annual salary increase. The reason given for his dismissal was costcutting, Ehler said, but "the council was prepared to give themselves a 41 per cent increase in salary. The two don't go together. That's in a six month period." Ehler and the Town of Midland settled out of court last Aug. 25. The council supported the recommendation for a raise, made by its members on the Finance Committee, earlier this month. The previous council salary in- crease occurred in 1980. The Town Council will only respond to pressure, Ehler said. "It's them that paid the money, and them who caused the whole situation in the first place." "The public should de- mand that Roach and his clique tell the public how much it was." Mayor Al Roach has ex- plained that the council cannot make public how much money it paid to. Ehler. Ehler's lawyer made confidentiality a part of the out-of-court settlement, Roach said. "There was never any discussion of confidentiali- ty,"' Ehler said this month. "T defy them to suggest there is. That's just one more of their bloody lies." Ehler said he has receiv- ed just under $120,000 since he was dismissed. He estimates that the cost to the Town of Midland has been close to $200,000, when $10,000 paid to a company to help him find another job, and legal fees to a Toronto lawyer who represented the Town in the dismissal, are included. "My lawyer cost just under $10,000. No wonder they want to keep the .whole damn thing secret." Ehler said he has been getting advice. "People say don't let them speak too soon. Let them hang themselves. The election is in two years." Ehler alluded to a Progress pleases MP Lewis "T am very pleased with our progress on the economic fronts," Simcoe North's MP said this month. "There's nothing like a full parking lot at Mit- subishi to give people a lift when they drive by it," MP Doug Lewis said. The situation on the na- tional scene is the same story, he said. "On the economic fronts, I think we're doing the job." Unemployment rates in Midland and Orillia are nine to 10 per cent, and eight to nine per cent, respectively. The Com- munity Futures Program operating in this end of the riding has proven itself to be a success and will be still more successful in creating jobs, Lewis said. The tourist and service sectors are in "good shape." Nationally, more people are working, and lower in- terest rates are leading to An expression of joy economic growth. The Conservative unemploy- ment programs focused on training and retraining is proving more successful than previous Liberal job creation programs. 'We were just kidding ourselves under the previous Liberal government." The MP also reviewed Conservative initiatives in the area of social legisla- tion, including the de- indexing of the pensions of federal civil servants. Tina Watling's dance students danced Monday before Christmas also featured joyfully to a wide variety of music - jazz, the girls dancing to Christmas songs. The traditional and modern. Their Christmas presentation at the Villa in Midland the room was packed and the girls' presen- tation was quite well received. similarity to politics in Midland and in the Phillip- pines under Ferdinand Marcos. "They pull a de- cent person off the Har- bour Committee and stick b Fallen bell his son on.' Miles Blackhurst, a former member of Midland Coun- cil, a critic of Roach who resigned during Roach's first term, was appointed A bell from the steeple of St. Margaret's Church lies in the doorway of the Midland church. The bell fell during the Dec. 24 fire which left great holes in the Bill 7's effect will last: MPP Simcoe East MPP Al McLean singled out legislative bills to ban extra-billing and to in- crease public funding of the separate school system as notable events at a '"'very lively' Queen's Park in~ 1986. But a recent bill, Bill 7, the Equality Rights Statute Law Amendment Act, McLean described as '"'one of the most controversial moral pieces of legislation that I've ever seen." Considering events in his riding, McLean said the changing of the boundary of Simcoe East was a big disappointment. After the next provincial election, Midland will be part not of Simcoe East but of a new riding, Muskoka-Georgian Bay. A section in Bill 7 con- cerning an amendment to the province's Human Rights Code, prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals, was added to the content of Bill 7 after the bill had been heavily debated, the MPP said. The move was "very unfor- tunate."" McLean called Bill 7 the most important bill the Liberals have introduc- ed. Bill 7 "will have an ef- fect on every resident of Ontario for time and time to come." McLean voted against passage of Bill 7. Bill 7 per- mits a person to show in to the town's Harbour Committee. He was the Committee's Chairman in 1986. He was not reap- pointed by the Council this month. One of the two new ae members of the Committee for 1987 is a son of Mayor Roach. Ehler is self-employed, an engineering consultant building a list of clients. church's roof and caused extensive other damage. Lost in the fire was the church's organ, one of only two of its kind still working in Ontario. public his sexual orienta- tion. Bill 7 allows homosex- uals to teach their morals in schools and day care centres. Two people of the same sex can adopt a child, McLean said. McLean explained that he doesn't believe that anyone should be the vic- tim of discrimination, but at the same time no one should have more rights than the rest of society. Bill 7 gives homosexuals extra rights, because homosex- uals were not victims of discrimination before Bill 7, he said. O'aer comments: The Liberal initiative to make possible the selling of McLean beer and wine in corner stores was defeated because the people of On- tario opposed it. Bill 51 which allows rent to be raised more than four per cent will be an incen- tive to builders to repair their buildings and to build new rental housing. Simcoe East in 1986 fared as well as any other riding in Ontario in terms of expansion, of attracting industry and in housing construction. The Midland Public Library and Contact Infor- mation Centre benefited from provincial grants, Local businesses received loans. Tuesday, December 30, 1986, Page 3