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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-09-14, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017. PAGE 7. SWIFT deadline prompts county council decision By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County is now on the clock to decide whether or not the region will participate in the SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) initiative. Geoff Hogan, executive director of the project, spoke to Huron County Council at its Sept. 6 meeting, imposing a Sept. 15 deadline for a decision from council. Hogan told councillors that a contract has been created with the provincial government for project funding and those behind SWIFT need to know who the project partners will be ahead of signing the contract, or it will have to be restructured. The SWIFT project is an extensive expansion of fibre optic broadband internet technology throughout the entire region of southwestern Ontario. Phase one of the program will begin next year and run until 2021. The plan was hatched by the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus and it will largely be funded by the provincial and federal government, with buy -in also coming from private partners and municipalities and counties that stand to benefit from the expansion. More rural than The Rural Voice North Huron Publishing, which publishes The Citizen, The Rural Voice and Stops Along The Way, was one of many media outlets featured at International Plowing Match Media Day last week, not only as a media partner, but as a Supporter -level sponsor of the match. Media members, sponsors and politicians alike were all treated to a Tented City tour, a special lunch and the opportunity to give hand -plowing a try. Citizen reporter Denny Scott, left, was one of many who took advantage of the opportunity. While he received some help from John Becker, Scott's results were universally deemed to be sub -par, although he'll be the first to tell you that his team did win the media tug-of-war. (Shelley Kroes photo) However, Huron and Middlesex Counties had yet to commit to the project, leading to the ultimatum that Hogan imposed last week. He said that funding from the province is contingent upon all of the regions in southwestern Ontario being a part of SWIFT. If Huron and/or Middlesex choose not to be a part of the project, the contract will literally have to be redrafted, he said, and the amount of funding coming the project's way could decrease. The entire cost of phase one of the project is $288 million and Hogan said that during the request for qualifications period of the process, 28 internet providers expressed interest in the project, which he said was an exceptional result. Three providers — Bell, Rogers and Eastlink — were pre -qualified for the project, in addition to three pre -qualified small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs). Hogan said that SILECs in Huron County chose not to participate in the process, citing that they didn't want competition in the area. He said that local SILECs are an important part of the process and, in most cases, are the best candidates to help roll out projects on a local basis. Hogan said he was disappointed to see that none of the Huron County SILECs chose to participate and that he aims to re -open the request for qualification process in hopes that Huron SILECs will reconsider their stance. As for what the project would look like in Huron County, Hogan used a portion of the London Road corridor as an example. He said there would likely be a 96 - strand fibre optic cable run between points of presence in Clinton and Wingham Two strands would be used for backbone and four strands would be used for aggregation backbone. There would be an aggregation station in Wingham and then there would be access nodes in Belgrave and Blyth. Hogan essentially equated it to servicing along a major corridor, saying that it would run along Letter to the Editor Writer fears legislation taking away liberty THE EDITOR, The editorial opinions in the Aug. 3 edition of The Citizen v oiced a welcome lament on the erosion of democracy in other lands. Many of us share the writer's deep concern with the loss of democratic freedoms, responsibilities and privileges, but are even more disturbed that we need not look across any borders to witness this travesty unfolding. Indeed, look no further than our own backyards. Whether or not the people of Canada are aware of it, we are witnessing the surreptitious dismantling of democracy right at home. Such as, the macro management stemming from the Prime Minister's office. The caucus, in order to hold office, must follow the "moral" dictates of the Prime Minister rather than follow their own conscience. Also we see similar creeping losses on a local level. An example is the recent passing of the amended Official Plan by Morris Turnberry Council. Let me be clear, I witnessed the council of Morris Turnberry do the best they could with the hand that the provincial and county governments dealt them. Most of our councillors are to be commended for trying to accommodate the interests of the people they represent. But they can only do so much without the strong guidance of their constituents to counteract the counter -democratic pressure from the province and county. The problem rises from the fact that the majority of property owners in any municipality either are unaware (uninformed), or don't care (indifferent) when it comes to the significance of this very undemocratic system of governance which removes more private property rights every time the official plan is updated. Very few want to be bothered with learning about what the official plan means and how it affects them. For the most part, the first thing that many learn about the effect of the official plan is when they discover a multitude of restrictions on their own property when undertaking improvements or developments. They encounter unexpected rules, fees and prohibitions which add costs and delays in achieving their plans. (Trimming back brush to reclaim your fields, permits for anything including logging, etc.) How and when did this happen? It happened in county and municipal council meetings while most of us were too busy or disinterested to pay attention to what was going on in those council chambers. And while the councillors may or may not personally approve of what they are passing, they are merely following the dictates of higher levels of government, essentially becoming a rubber stamp to give the appearance of legitimacy. And waiting in line to have their say in what happens on our private property are conservation authorities, international bodies and a multitude of special interest groups — all unelected! They have no right to regulate private property except for what the owner concedes to them. And if a property owner does not stand up and say a definite "no" to these interlopers, they will take your silence as consent. Don't become a victim. The only solution is to watch what is happening with our councils and have our input into the process. But we cannot expect our councillors to act on our behalf if we are never in touch with them with our concerns, or remain in the dark as our democracy dissolves into an unelected oligarchy. So, it becomes necessary to bear "the burden of being a responsible citizen" and pay attention to your democratic responsibility - or lose it. It takes time. It takes effort. And it takes more than one or two people to maintain a democracy. You cannot take this too seriously for it is exactly as another concerned journalist, Edward R. Murrow, said, "A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves". They are at our door. John Schwartzentruber. London Road, for example, and allow for it to branch out to roads along that corridor as the project continues on. Huron County's contribution to the project would be $678,557, which is split nearly down the middle between refundable and non- refundable investment. What Hogan told councillors, however, is that there is a guaranteed investment for Huron County of nearly five times its original investment ($2.7 million). However, he said, it is likely to reach a return of $6.8 million, 10 times the county's original investment. Several councillors, however, were still concerned about what the initiative would do to the local telecom providers that had served the area and built up their infrastructure in the decades since large providers turned their backs on the region. Hogan remained confident that there is a solution that includes both SWIFT and the local providers. Council planned to debate the issue and make a final decision at its Sept. 13 committee of the whole meeting. However, Huron East Deputy -Mayor Joe Steffler asked that representatives of the local telecom providers present to council that morning, ahead of a decision being made, so council can know where the companies stand on the current state of the SWIFT project. Acting Chief Administrative Officer Meighan Wark said that request would be made and that council could then make its decision during a special council meeting on that day after the committee of the whole session. Do you have fond memories that you'd like to share of someone whose obituary has been published recently in The Citizen. Send us a few lines or paragraphs with your story. E-mail editor@northhuron.on.ca, Fax 519-523-9140 or mail to: The Citizen, P.O. Box 429, Blyth, NOM 1H0 or P.O. Box 152, Brussels, NOG 1 HO. There is no charge for comments we choose to publish. A cemetery is a history of people, a perpetual record of yesterday and a sanctuary of peace and quiet today. A cemetery exists because every life is worth loving and remembering - always Distinctive Memorials of Lasting Satisfaction North St. West, Wingham Mac & Donna Anderson 519-357-1910 lentral Huron NOTICE OF DECISION The Council of the Municipality of Central Huron has approved a request from the Board of Trustees of the Hope Chapel Cemetery to increase the capacity of the cemetery by 196 lots. The Council has decided that the expansion is in the public interest. Dated this 5th day of September, 2017. Benda Maclsaac, Clerk