Clinton News Record, 2014-10-15, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Council questions Historic Canadian Forces Base
specificity of special zoning
,.,., Clinton�arevisited in mural installation
The Clinton News Record
Last Monday night Cen-
tral Huron council received
a zoning by-law amend-
ment application. In partic-
ular, the amendment would
change the zone provisions
for the existing special
zones at 282 Huron Street
(the property currently
occupied by M.P. Russo &
Associates) and 286 Huron
Street (the property cur-
rently occupied by Farm
Credit) in Clinton.
Huron County planner,
Monica Walker -Bolton, rec-
ommended to council that
the application for rezoning
be approved.
In response to Walker -Bol-
ton's explanation of the
rezoning, Coun. Brian
Barnim asked how the zon-
ing by-law amendment
would affect the properties
in question. In particular, he
asked about what would
happen if different busi-
nesses wanted to move onto
these properties in the
future. "Would they have to
reapply?" Barnim asked.
Walker -Bolton responded
that different businesses
would have to reapply.
Barnim then pointed out
that the existing zonings
are highly specific and
asked about whether there
was some way that the
zonings could be more
general thereby making it
easier for future busi-
nesses at these locations.
Walker -Bolton responded
by saying that there is no
flexibility when it comes to
special zoning.
Mayor Jim Ginn then
echoed Barnim's comments
by asking why the zoning
just can't be left open so
that it's general enough for
all commercial interests. If
this was the case, Ginn
said, then people wouldn't
have to go through the pro-
cess of reapplying, a pro-
cess which Ginn called, "a
considerable expense."
Walker -Bolton reiterated
that zoning by-laws must be
specific and stated that if the
by-laws were too general
they would be ineffective.
In the end, the application
for rezoning was approved.
clintonnewsrecord.com
The air base, built from the
ground up in 1941 on 100
acres of plowed fields near
Clinton, Ontario, now
known as the Village of
Vanastra, was critical to the
AlliedForces' victory in
World War II. And a newly
created mural recently
installed at the former base
will celebrate its illustrious
past on the walls of the Rec-
reation Centre in the present
day Village of Vanastra.
The historical aspects of
the RCAF Base mural and
mounting it where it all
began are significant and
appropriate. Bringing history
alive builds community and
pride of place.
Recreation Centre Man-
ager Lissa Berard hopes that
residents will feel more con-
nected to the base buildings
that still exist within the
community after viewing
the mural and seeing what
used to be.
Station Clinton was top-
secret from the get go,
ostensibly an air base but
without runways or
planes—the product of
unprecedented interna-
tional cooperation between
Great Britain and Canada.
The Brits desperately
needed trained technicians
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Tara Ostner, The Clinton News Record
Vanastra resident, Nigel Dezell, comparing the buildings that were on the air base in 1941 to
those that currently exist at the location. Dezell trained at the radar school for eight months and
now currently resides not far from the very spot where he trained.
and mechanics to operate
and maintain their new
technology—RADAR. Eng-
land sent an SOS to Canada
requesting electronics spe-
cialists to counter German
bombing raids. And Can-
ada answered the call.
5,000 Canadians and 3,000
American and British train-
ees graduated between
1941 and 1945 from the
Clinton Base.
At war's end, RCAF Clin-
ton was designated a Royal
Canadian Air Force Signals
School and continued with a
wide variety of education in
addition to its Radar & Com-
munications curriculum.
Over the next 26 years, the
base grew and expanded,
becoming a self-contained
community with a large resi-
dential neighbourhood,
amenities and services
spread over 250 acres.
Since its closure in 1972,
Canadian Forces Base Clin-
ton has endured a checkered
period of form and function-
ality as the Village of Vanas-
tra. However, a comprehen-
sive revitalization initiative
by the Municipality of Huron
East is underway for the Vil-
lage, and part of that is a
salute to its Air Force legacy.
Vanastra's motto "Through
Adversity to the Stars" is
coming to fruition.
For over a year, the mural
was proudly showcased in a
prominent location at the
London International Air-
port. "It is extremely
gratifying", says Economic
Development Officer Jan
Hawley, "to be able to bring
the exhibit back to Vanastra
where it will be displayed
permanently at the newly
renovated recreation centre. I
not only see this as a tribute
to the rich heritage of the for-
mer air force base, but an
economic driver for the com-
munity by attracting visitors
to the area. The Village of
Vanastra could soon be seen
as a tourist destination."
This large mural is a testa-
ment to Canadian ingenuity
and dedication to the war
effort as well as to the sci-
ence of radar. Long before
the Canadarm, Canadians
were probing and exploring
space in a vital way.
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