Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-03-26, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, March 26, 2014 Goderich Township taking their petition to the Queen Gerard Creces Clinton News -Record The battle for Goderich Township is going all the way to the Queen. On Thursday, March 20, Gary HcHale from Canadians Advocates for Charter Equality (CANACE), was in Holmesville to discuss taking the de -amalgamation effort past Queen's Park and all the way to the Queen's representative - the Lieutenant Governor. The vehicle for doing so is a peti- tion of right. The centuries old prac- tice allows citizens the right to appeal directly to the Monarchy when their fundamental rights are called into question. In the case of Goderich Township, that includes the right to self - governance. But, with a system of government that only gives people one choice to make every four years, finding sym- pathetic ears in Queen's Park is an uphill battle, McHale said. "Elected officials do what they want. They infringe on our rights as much as they want," he said Thurs- day. "We have four years dictatorship and two months of democracy." That's why CANACE is getting involved. As an organization, McHale said they try to stand up for rights of individual citizens, making sure fun- damental rights are not being denied. Using the example of Quebec, McHale said the Supreme Court has allowed citizens to hold a referen- dum to decide the province's fate. That right to dictate their own des- tiny applies to all communities in Canada, he added. Cindy Moyer, President of the Huron -Perth Landowners' Associa- tion, said the Petition of Right is the first part of a two-pronged approach. Once Goderich Township residents have their right to choose self -gov- ernance accepted, the next step is to formalize a vote for citizens to self - govern. If the number of people signing the survey is any indication, the latter will be a landslide decision. Thus far, about 75 per cent of Goderich Town- ship residents have signed a petition to de -amalgamate. While much of the lakeshore area is made up of sea- sonal residents the number is still above a two-thirds majority. "We are greatly passed that golden two-thirds threshold," she said. "It is clearly evident Goderich Township COUNTY OF HURON NOTICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE CLASS EA FOR REALIGNMENT OF COUNTY ROAD 13 (BAYFIELD RD) AT KING STREET (COMMUNITY OF CLINTON) PUBLIC INFORMATION SESSION FOR RESIDENTS The County of Huron, in conjunction with the Municipality of Central Huron, is planning to redesign the intersection of Huron County Road 13, King Street, Matilda Street and Railway Street, immediately east of the existing rail crossing in the southwest portion of Clinton. A public information session is planned to present additional details on the proposed project and to receive input from interested persons. Representatives from the County of Huron, the Municipality and the Project Engineers will be in attendance to answer questions. DATE: LOCATION: TIME: PRESENTATION: HURON t1?L •Tli Thursday March 27, 2014 Central Huron Town Hall, 23 Albert Street, Clinton 6:00 pm -8:00 pm 6:30 pm BIVIROSS rprawkriF oaiur ..nnio,iioa landowners want to separate from Central Huron. The petition should be com- pleted within the next month and delivered soon after. In addition to local media, the de -amalgamation effort also caught the eye of Press for Truth - a Canadian documen- tary group covering national and international issues involving citizens' rights. Barnim and Moyer will be part of a podcast that will be aired later in the week. Redmond Weissenberger of Press for Truth conducts an interview with Cindy Moyer of the Huron Perth Landowners Association and Central Huron Councilor Brian Barnim about their efforts to de -amalgamate Goderich Township Thursday, March 20. ► Council renews YMCA contract for three years Gerard Creces Clinton News -Record Five years is just too long. Central Huron Council decided on a three-year term for the YMCA's contract with the CHCC. Originally, the contract renewal called for five years, but that was too high a figure for council to be comfortable with. Earlier talks around the coun- cil table suggested a one-year contract to review the services offered by the Y and possibly renegotiate. CAO Peggy VanMierlo-West explained that with a five-year contract the Y would have the time to create and nurture new programming, but that they were willing to go back to a three-year term if need be. The YMCA's total ask of the municipality for 2014 is $108,908, up about $10,000 over 2013. Projected revenues are esti- mated to be about $186,000, with expenses of $82,569. Licensing fees and training for new programs are responsible for a large part of the total increase in expenses, with day camps and marketing expected to bring in more members and revenues for the year. Training costs are listed at $3,375 and unfinanced capital is $3,177. The anticipated 2014 member- ship amount is 491. In December there were 484 members of the YMCA, and the slight increase in memberships will likely mean more programming for youth and wellness. This year the Y will be launch- ing an assistance program for sport and recreation, acting as a connection point for families fac- ing financial difficulties. OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Clinton News Record is as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 9am - 5pm *news Record 53 Albert St., Clinton, ON PH: 519-482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com