HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-03-17, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2016.
Investment marks
historic day for Blyth
Continued from page 1
of those involved in the project,
whether it was the Sparling family
investing in the community, or the
enthusiasm of Smith.
As Smith spoke to those in
attendance, he focused on the four
words in the title "Blyth Memorial
Community Hall". He said that the
hall as a living cenotaph is one of the
most important aspects of the
project, and in the focus on
community, it has been the people of
Blyth and its surrounding rural
communities who have helped the
Blyth Festival and the Blyth creative
economy thrive over the years.
In an interview with The Citizen
after the announcement, Matthews
also thought back to that first
meeting with Smith, saying she was
thrilled when this project was first
presented to her.
Matthews said her government
definitely saw an opportunity with
the project and knew Blyth could
pull it off.
"Blyth is such a special, special
place," she said.
She said that while she has
experience with some aspects of
Blyth, like the community itself and
attending Festival shows, the
Canadian Centre for Rural
Creativity proposal is something she
truly sees as innovative.
She also praised life in Huron
County, saying it's a beautiful place
where "the air is clear, the food is
fresh, the people are wonderful and
the lake is magnificent," she said.
"It's a real gem."
Smith, in an interview after the
announcement, said the investment
of $3.3 million into the project is a
real game -changer.
He cited the recent announcement
of the development of Blyth
Cowbell Brewing Company and said
there is a real opportunity for the
future of the village and that it's an
exciting time.
While the revitalization of
Memorial Hall and the creation of
the Canadian Centre for Rural
Creativity will mean a lot for the
community in the coming years,
Tuesday's announcement, he said, is
really important for Blyth residents
who haven't even been born yet.
As far as attracting youth to Blyth
and Huron County and sustaining
life in the village for the future, the
announcement will go a long way,
he said.
"The Blyth Centre for the Arts has
a long history as the home of the
Blyth Festival," Matthews said in a
press release issued shortly after the
announcement. "I'm happy that
through our investment, this historic
facility will continue to stage
productions that tell the story of our
province's culture."
Check next week's issue of The
Citizen for a full interview with
Smith regarding the full impact of
Tuesday's historic announcement.
Rising OPP costs
concern councillors
Continued from page 1
increased over $750,000 in the last
three years, with another increase of
$150,000 expected.
To face increases like this without
seeing a higher level of service, Van
Diepenbeek said, simply doesn't
make sense.
As part of his presentation to
council, Younan highlighted a
number of initiatives ongoing with
the OPP and a number of problem
areas that are causing costs to spike
in communities around Huron
County.
He said that tremendous progress
is being made in a number of mental
health initiatives. The approach is
proactive, he said, and it applies both
to the general public and internally
to the officers serving the
community.
When it comes to Huron County,
Younan said, officers are busy
promoting the "lock it or lose it"
campaign and encouraging people to
only dial 911 when it's an actual
emergency.
Younan said that false 911 calls or
"pocket -dials" are a huge problem
for the OPP that's costing the
organization, and its municipalities,
both money and time.
In order to "civilianize" some jobs,
Younan said the OPP and councils
should be working with schools and
service groups to be proactive in
their communities. Whether it's
spreading knowledge or organizing
programs to deter crime before it
happens, the success of such
programming can result in a reduced
burden on police, that will turn into
decreased policing costs at the end
of the year.
When Younan opened the floor to
questions many of them centred
around the rising cost of policing.
While Hessel was frustrated with
the costs, he also said that dispersing
that cost was becoming increasingly
more difficult. Because of the
diverse nature of rural communities,
police costs can't be charged on a
per -household basis, he said.
As a result, costs have to be paid
according to assessment, meaning
that those with the most valuable
homes and parcels of land —
arguably, the ones who use the
police the least, he said — have to pay
more, while properties assessed at
lower levels pay the least.
Younan said he couldn't help
Hessel in regards to how the costs
are collected, but that councillors
should perhaps summon Sgt. Kevin
Hummel to a future meeting.
Hummel, a Huron County
resident, specializes in outreach with
municipal partners and would be
able to answer many of the questions
that councillors had and that he
couldn't answer.
Goderich Deputy -Mayor Jim
Donnelly, a former lawyer and
judge, said that he could agree with
his fellow councillors that the price
of policing is high and that the recent
escalation in costs are scary, but said
that the arguments over the funding
model are wrong on a base level due
to flaws in the justice system.
Donnelly used an example of a
group of people travelling across the
province with plans of committing a
crime. The group, he said, stops in a
Huron County community and kills
a couple on its way to its final
destination. As a result of those men
deciding to commit a crime in Huron
County, it's Huron County that must
pay.
A criminal justice system that
makes the criminals pay for help is
wrong, he said, but that was not a
discussion for the Huron County
Council table.
‘14 19
CAMPAIGN
honour our past
for our futur
Moving Blyth forward
Huron County Warden Paul Gowing was one of several speakers on hand Tuesday morning to
welcome Deputy -Premier Deb Matthews to Blyth. As a cottage owner and a London native,
Matthews called Huron County a second home and was very proud to be able to announce
her government's investment of $3.3 million in the Blyth 14/19 project. (Denny Scott photo)
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