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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-02-25, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2016. Ec. Dev Board Chair says ESTC plan a good idea Continued from page 11 Teeninga asked if the issue could be put off until after budget deliberations, however Sparling said he felt that it would be best to get it done right away, saying the issue critical. "We have had large projects come our way in the last two weeks. I would like to have a structure, be on solid ground and know where we're going forward from. On the one hand, it would be great to defer it to after the budget, but I'd rather have it sooner than that" Council approved the recommendation, which will see Sparling, along with other senior staff, put an effort into finding someone to create a business plan for the site. Jim Lynn, the chair of the Economic Development Board, in an interview with The Citizen, said that having the business plan would be a positive change for the centre. He said, when the board looks at funding requests, there needs to be some kind of plan in place for the request to be dealt with seriously. "Our belief is that, when things are referred to us, there needs to be an exit plan for the funding," he said. "We need to know how the organization will make it self - sustainable in a reasonable amount Calling it out Brenda Finlayson stepped in for the special Valentine's Day bingo at Blyth Memorial Hall, hosted by the Legion and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary on Feb. 9. Finlayson stepped into the shoes of Charlie Shaw, who usually calls bingo for the heart -themed event. (Denny Scott photo) Municipalities can help grow agriculture Continued from page 23 advocate and share the good news story of what modern farming is today. Municipal leaders have a responsibility to learn and understand what the agricultural industry is all about — an industry that drives our rural economy and feeds our province. The OFA will be developing a recommended "best practices" checklist for municipalities to encourage local agricultural support. Many policies impacting the agri- food sector are established by provincial and federal governments. But there are still plenty of decisions being made at municipal levels that can support agriculture. Land use policies, taxation and development charges, financial support and community engagement are all opportunities for municipalities to support agricultural economic development in their communities. Farmers may be a minority in Ontario's rural communities, but our impact is big and agriculture is poised for growth. Municipalities are essential for agricultural economic development. We need municipalities to lend their support to Ontario agriculture and agri-food businesses, so we can all grow, prosper and meet the Premier's challenge. BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED of time. That is an important concept" Lynn said that other tangibles are considered for funding issues, but said that, with an ever-present goal of economic development, the committee needs to know that groups that request funds are looking at self -sustainability in a reasonable period of time. "We're pretty big on measurements," he said. "Tell us what success is going to look like so we can consider that." It took some time for the committee to deal with the request initially because it had just been formed when the ESTC and North Huron had requested funding. While the request was initially denied, Lynn explained that the board was willing to meet with North Huron Council and staff, as well as ESTC personnel, to set a plan for the future that could later make it a feasible place to direct funds to. He went on to say that, after the decision was referred back to Huron County Council, there was some delay in setting up that meeting due to conflicting schedules, however, recently the two groups met. Lynn said the meeting occurred before Sparling went to North Huron Council to suggest the business plan but said he was happy that the municipality is following up on it, especially given the announcement of the marine transport program. "It is that kind of entrepreneurial activity that brings people who need accommodations and meals to the county," he said. "It also provides the opportunity to change some of the branding of the county and branch out." With council's approval, Sparling and other North Huron staff have started to pursue a third party to help generate a business plan that will address many of the concerns put The next step is to have council forward by the Economic approve the hiring of the third party Development Board. to generate the plan. Letter to the Editor Playground request concerns Vodden THE EDITOR, North Huron Council has received a request for a donation of $40,000 from a community group dedicated to development of the field around the Wingham schools. This involves landscaping and sport facilities. In a presentation to council some weeks ago, the group called Building Bridges to our Future, explained that though the land belongs to the Avon Maitland District School Board, the board will not contribute funds to this purpose. Consequently the group is doing some of the work and raising funds for the remainder. This request is problematic for many reasons. Most basic is the suggestion that since the school board is unwilling to look after its own property, the municipality should step in and do what is needed. If this is the future towards which we are building bridges, we need to step back and do some thinking. This would be setting a bad precedent. There is another problem with this request. If North Huron Council were to grant this request, we would be in effect requesting ratepayers in Blyth and East Wawanosh Wards to pay for work that the school board refuses to do on its own property: the school board which stole our schools from us. Speaking on behalf of Blyth, I recall several years of bitter struggle we went through to save our school. The board members and senior staff routinely misled the public with incorrect information; they violated about half of the Ministry of Education Accommodation Review Committee guidelines; they schemed to ensure that our community had no business or municipal representation on the committee; they failed to advertise all of their meetings and to recruit a balanced representation of the community to the discussion. They ignored our 631 -name petition against the closure of Blyth Public School. Furthermore, neither of the two North Huron Councils of this period provided even a hint of support to Blyth's cause. There should be no surprise if we are not enthusiastic about this project. I support developments which improve North Huron, regardless of the ward in which they occur, but I draw the line on our accepting responsibility for the school board's neglected area of responsibility. Council is deep into its budget deliberations at this time and this request is one of many items under consideration. Brock Vodden, Councillor for North Huron Blyth Ward. Looking for local heroes There are so many people out there who do so much to improve their community. Now you have a chance to say thanks. Nominate that special person for the 31st Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards. Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area and Brussels and area communities to receive an award for contribution to the community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and he or she didn't win, please feel free to try again. I nominate as Citizen of the year for Blyth Brussels & area & area I feel she/he deserves this award because Nomination Deadline July 31, 2016. Name and phone number of nominator