HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-04-13, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
IPM 2017 - Pg. 14
The Citizen' continues to
count down to IPM '17
SPORTS - Pg. 17
The Citizen' salutes its
local winter sports teams
WASTE - Pg. 26
North Huron seeks further
input on waste collection
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4Citiz
Volume 33 No. 15
vie LCOME TD
ESTABLISHED 1877
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 13, 2017
County commits
millions to local
1l . wt. Internet solution
Getting some air
With the snow of early April now melted away, students at Hullett Central Public School were
able to resume typical spring and summer activities in the yard like basketball and soccer.
Here, Travis Wilts, centre, shows why he's a force to be reckoned with on the blacktop as he
nearly gets above the rim en route to this dunk attempt. Watching, but unable to defend are,
from left: Tyler Johnston, Reid Button and Rylee Chalmers. (DennyScottphoto)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
the Government of Canada funding.
Government of Canada funding.
Glenn Grubb of Hurontel, Angela
Schneider of Hay Communications
Huron County has committed to and Rob Van Aaken of Tuckersmith
supporting the $32 million Connect Communications had jointly
to Innovate project brought forward presented the proposal to Huron
by local telecommunication County Council at its March 22
companies that will bring improved meeting. At that meeting Grubb told
internet capability to over 98 per councillors that the co-ops' proposal
cent of Huron residents — a would address last -mile concerns,
dramatic improvement over those which is not something included in
figures as they stand today. the South West Integrated Fibre
The Huron County portion of the Technology (SWIFT) proposal.
project is forecasted to cost over $7 At the April 5 meeting of council,
million, while the rest of the cost Treasurer Michael Blumhagen
will be born by the local presented his report on how the
telecommunication co-ops and the county could afford a $7 million
federal government through the investment over the next seven
Connect to Innovate application, years, specifically by instituting a
should it be approved. The county special tax levy, using an model that
portion is projected to be the had been used in Mississauga to
smallest of the three. The county address capital infrastructure and
will contribute 22 per cent, debt repayment.
compared to 28 per cent from To adapt the concept to Huron
the co-ops and 50 per cent from
Continued on page 13
Budget finalised
in Huron East
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
assessment. Seaforth will see a
$1.71 increase for the same amount
of assessment, while the rural wards
Huron East Council officially will see decreases of $17.47 in
approved its 2017 budget at its April Tuckersmith, $34.71 in Grey and
4 meeting, instituting a net $35.46 in McKillop.
municipal tax levy increase of five These figures, however, do not
per cent. take into account the dramatic shift
Capital spending is up nearly $2.2 in assessment to rural wards.
million from the previous year, with Treasurer Paula Michiels
$5.53 million set to be spent this presented a summary of taxation by
year, compared to $3.3 million in ward at the meeting, saying that
2016. This year's total budget while Seaforth's taxes are actually
includes expenditures of $16.5 decreasing slightly by 0.08 per cent,
million. taxes in Brussels are rising 1.66 per
The changes are drastically cent, while taxes in Tuckersmith are
different from ward to ward. rising 6.37 per cent, compared to
Residents in the Brussels Ward will 9.15 per cent in Grey and 9.61 per
see a $48.03 municipal tax increase cent in McKillop.
per $100,000 of residential The Brussels increase is
somewhat due to the doubling of
area rated costs due to LED
streetlight upgrades from $25,000 to
$50,000 to be spread amongst
it did for a number of years. property -owners living in the
In later years, the Old Colony village.
Mennonite Church began renting the When factoring in the Huron
former school as a place of learning County increase, the Huron East tax
once again, bringing over 100 rate will rise an average of 6.09 per
students to the community on a daily cent, Michiels said. That still
basis, many of whom are from the doesn't yet include an increase to
Listowel area. the education rate, which has yet to
The school and its administration be finalized by the province.
were profiled by The Citizen in There was no further discussion
November, 2015. The story can be on the budget at the April 4 meeting
viewed on The Citizen's website at and it was approved by council. It
www.northhuron.on.ca under the will be adopted by way of bylaw at
"Features" heading. a future meeting.
Old Colony Church buys Brussels school
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
The Old Colony Mennonite
Church has officially bought the
former Brussels Public School.
The sale was made official on
Friday and the church group, which
has been operating the site as a
Mennonite school for the last few
years, has bought the school and its
surrounding property for $225,000.
Huron East Council passed a
bylaw authorizing the sale at its
April 4 meeting. At the meeting,
Chief Administrative Officer Brad
Knight said that while there was still
some work left to be done on the
sale, it was expected to close on the
following Friday.
Council officially declared the
property surplus and expressed its
interest in selling it at the Jan. 24
council meeting.
This was the second time it had
been put up for sale in 10 months.
The previous summer, council had
put it up for sale, but after lengthy
discussions surrounding expanding
the rules for an interested suitor and
questions regarding the tender
process, the municipality received
no bids and ownership of the
property returned to the
municipality.
After the school was closed by the
Avon -Maitland District School
Board, Huron East bought the
building and dubbed it the Brussels
Business and Cultural Centre.
Council wanted the building to serve
as a small business incubator, which