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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-01-19, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017. Classified Advertisements Help wanted Help wanted *litcare Home & Community Support Services The caring support that people turn to and count on Join our Board of Directors ONE CARE Home & Community Support Services is a respected non-profit community agency, providing in-home and community services in Huron and Perth Counties and surrounding area. ONE CARE serves close to 4,000 people each year. Our 300 staff and 900 volunteers provide a full range of services that enable people to enjoy a good quality of life as they age at home. ONE CARE is seeking Board Directors who support and guide the organization with a focus on strategic planning, quality and ac- countability. Volunteer Directors on this governance board are responsible for: developing policy; making decisions about the agencys future including its strategic plan; and monitoring qual- ity and financial performance. The terms of office include a three year term. Applicants must understand the Huron and Perth community and community health needs of residents, and have a strong commit- ment to the ONE CARE mission and vision. We are seeking experi- ence in non profit board governance and a variety of perspectives that would be valuable to the board in carrying out its role such as a knowledge of finance, business and quality. We are particularly seeking applicants from the north of Huron and Perth, but all interested are welcome to apply. Please forward your expression of interest and resume by email: kscanlon@onecaresupport.ca Kathy Scanlon, Executive Director Subject Line - Application to Board Helping seniors & people with disabilities to live at home: In -Home Personal Care, Assisted Living, Adult Day Programs, Home Help, Meals on Wheels, EasyRide Transportation, Reassurance, Respite, Home At Last, Exercise & Wellness For more information www.onecaresupport.ca Tenders Tenders gar Aar Ar entral Huron MUNICIPALITY OF CENTRAL HURON REPAIRS TO STRUCTURES H195 AND H190 ON SUMMERHILL ROAD CONTRACT NO. BR1231/BR1199 SEALED TENDERS for the above contract, addressed to CAO, Steve Doherty, Municipality of Central Huron, 23 Albert Street, Box 400, Clinton, ON, NOM 1L0 will be received by him until: 12:00:59 (noon), Wednesday, February 1, 2017 for repairs to a short single span bridge and a 3 span bridge on Summerhill Road, northeast of Clinton, in preparation for a future paving project. The repairs include concrete patch repairs, erosion protection and guiderail installation. Plans, specifications and tender forms may be obtained from the office of the undersigned after January 18, 2017 upon payment of a non-refundable fee of $50.00, payable to B. M. Ross and Associates Limited, which includes all taxes. Each tender must be accompanied by a certified cheque or bid bond in the amount of $15,000.00. Lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. B. M. ROSS AND ASSOCIATES LIMITED Engineers and Planners 62 North Street Goderich, ON N7A 2T4 Phone: 519-524-2641 Fax: 519-524-4403 www.bmross.net BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED Vacation properties BOOKING FOR 2017: TWO - bedroom cottage with bunkhouse at Point Clark, includes fully -equipped kitchen, gas barbecue, fire pit, horseshoe pit and much more, close to lighthouse and beach. To find out more or to book your holiday call 519-523-4799 or 519-440-7447 after 6:00 p.m. tfn Is your merchandise blending in? Placing a classified ad is an easy and affordable way to whip up some interest among potential buyers. What are you waiting for? Contact us today and start turning the stuff you don't want into something you do want: CASH! GET THINGS MOVING WITH THE CLASSIFIEDS! The Citizen 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 Letter to the Editor Schwartzentruber questions natural heritage plan THE EDITOR, The gallery was crowded with concerned landowners at the latest Huron County Committee of the Whole meeting at Goderich. They were there in support of area farmer Bev Hill who gave what Councillor Jim Donnelly glowingly referred to as one of the best presentations he had ever heard. Indeed, Mr. Hill spoke eloquently against the proposed Huron Natural Heritage Plan (HNHP), a county concoction that launches a shocking and unjustifiable attack on property rights of Huron County property owners. Here is a synopsis from the gallery. Mr. Hill presented clear questions about the HNHP. They included: What is the need for it, who asked for it, who will pay for it, who are the beneficiaries, and, will it affect private property rights? Mr. Hill also brought to our attention that if the objective includes increasing our forest cover, we have already done that, demonstrating landowner's responsible management practices. Huron County forest cover has increased from 12.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent over the last 40 years, closing in on the ideal presented by the County. Mr. Hill used this fact to show that incentives produce better results than rules and regulations. Planning Director Scott Tousaw's replies included that the HNHP is driven by the Provincial Policy Statement, it is a "refinement of existing policy", beneficiaries are the public and all of us and that it is based on better science and has basis in "robust mapping" and "robust definition". And we all know who pays for it — are the six-year development costs in the hundreds of thousands, or in the millions? And yes, Tousaw acknowledged, it will reduce property rights. Tousaw's argument from "science" seemingly ran into trouble with the discussion around the proposed 120 -metre buffer strip surrounding natural features, such as woodlots, streams and meadows. The buffer strip caused the most concern for council members as they could see its drastic negative implications for development, and they voted to reduce it to the existing 50 metres for agricultural settings. So this is where it gets interesting; if the buffer strip were based on a "robust scientific approach", where is the evidence and why can it be so easily changed on the whim of council, driven by economic concerns? In fact, this recorded event irrefutably exposes the fickle and whimsical nature of the Huron Natural Heritage Plan and even county council. But perhaps most telling of all was how neophyte Warden Jim Ginn continued the tradition of sacrificing facts for personal preference when he accepted the expressly labeled "legal opinion" of a municipal lawyer, Peter Pickfield, as a solid legal basis for county action, while dismissing a well -researched paper from highly regarded law expert Elizabeth Marshall, All Rights Research, as "...well, just an opinion". Some quiet hilarity ensued. The sworn duty of Warden Ginn — which includes protecting the interests of his constituents - became a little fuzzy when he claimed that the county or municipality "...absolutely has the right..." to impose any bylaws or actions it wishes on private property. (In this he is arguably absolutely wrong.) Warden Ginn himself wanted to see the 120 -metre buffer zone reduced — but again provided nothing other than his personal opinion as a basis, rather than hard evidence. This raises the question — if a councillor's personal bias has that much impact on public policy, why does a landowner's properly - presented interest get kicked to the curb like some dirty refuse? Essentially, Mr. Hill's excellent presentation was summarily dismissed since council did not understand that they have no lawful or democratic mandate to proceed with the HNHP. Does this not show the flaw of the entire procedure, making a mockery of the democratic process? It would be negligent to overlook the notable comments of Councillor Versteeg whose rather condescending tone was not lost on some in the gallery. He tried to refute Mr. Hill's concern around a lack of public notice with the fact that the gallery was full of property owners. Apparently the councillor was unaware of the fact that most of the public was there as a result of the efforts of the Huron Perth Landowner's Association, not the county. In a healthy democracy the attitude of leadership is of immense importance: deep listening is the Golden Rule, paternalism is insufferable, arrogance is infuriating, but sneering is unforgivable. Also worthy of mention are the reassuring thoughts expressed by Councillors Jim Donnelly and Neil Vincent. Councillor Donnelly again showed his well-earned reputation as a defender of the little guy against oppressive forces while Councillor Vincent decried the loss of local control to provincial heavy- handedness. He also affirmed Mr. Hill's statement that the HNHP is trying to address a problem that does not exist. Most of the councillors expressed their belief that more consultation is required. Therefore, if, after all the negative response from the people, the county passes the HNHP, they will prove the words of George Washington who said: "Government is not reason, it is not eloquent, it is force " And just as with the law of physics, that force will eventually and inevitably cause an opposite and equal reaction. We would not tolerate the theft of our tractor or truck — why would we accept the theft of our property rights? You may help restore a healthy system of government by calling or writing to council to register your objection to the Huron Natural Heritage Plan. Remind them that iron curtain policies have failed and reinventing them isn't in our best interests. John Schwartzentruber. All word ads in The Citizen classifieds are put on our webpage at www.northhuron.on.ca