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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-09-22, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: SPORTS - Pg. 8 Huron FC hosts its first-ever futsal tournament in Clinton MEXICO - Pg. 9 Local firefighter program yields results in millions TEAMS - Pg. 11 'The Citizen' celebrates summer sports teams Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 4Citiz Volume 32 No. 37 n $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, September 22, 2016 Another year, another fair The Elementary School Fair in Belgrave was a success again this year, bringing out students from Maitland River Elementary School in Wingham, as well as Sacred Heart School for the first time this year. The much -anticipated event included a parade, students showing livestock and plenty of games to be played. Marching proudly in the parade, representing their class, Grade 1A at Maitland River Elementary, are, from left: Elizabeth Losch, Katy Roberts, Matthew McLellan, Owen Wheeler, Olivia Al and Ava Thompson. (Denny Scott photo) Blyth meeting addresses numerous issues By Denny Scott The Citizen Taxes, snow removal and the condition of roads in East Wawanosh are on the minds of North Huron ratepayers if a recent town hall meeting is any indication. Held at the Emergency Services Training Centre in Blyth, the meeting saw members of North Huron Council, and several senior staff members, answer what questions they could from residents of the municipality. SNOW REMOVAL The first question of the night pertained to sidewalks not being cleared in the winter. Steve Hill of Wingham stated that he believed several collisions with pedestrians in Wingham could be linked to council not approving sidewalks being cleared. Reeve Neil Vincent said that the amount of snow that was being cleared was dictated by the equipment and manpower available. Vincent went on to say that the issue has never been officially brought forward to council. "At this time, nobody has brought it forward and asked for a report as to what snow removal costs," he said. While the issue had been raised from the floor at previous meetings, no official action had been taken. "This has to be brought forward as a request," Chief Administrative Officer Sharon Chambers said. "Any request for an increase in the level of service should come formally to council. Council would then decide if they wanted to entertain that request." Chambers explained that if council did entertain the request, a report indicating the cost of changing snow removal would be dealt with at a later date. Vincent said the township meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for road clearance. Councillor Bill Knott said he had raised the issue during the 2016 budget deliberations and that, this winter, under the new Director of Public Works Jeff Molenhuis, the township would be closely monitoring the cost of snow removal across the township before making any decisions. DONATIONS Doreen Taylor of East Wawanosh asked that the municipality give no donations to any individuals or groups in the 2017 and 2018 budgets unless council had already committed to donations, such as with the Wingham Hospital Foundation. Taylor had approached council during its 2016 budget process and was concerned about the condition of roads in her ward, especially with council considering hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donations to groups within the municipality. Taylor meant all donations that weren't part of a structured payout, such as the funds to Blyth Arts and Cultural Initiative 14/19 Inc. or the aforementioned Wingham Hospital Foundation project. David Hedley, also of East Wawanosh, didn't necessarily call for the same moratorium on donations, but did have some suggestions for council as to how they dealt with the requests. He said he watched council do "a lot of due diligence" on the hospital donation as well as other donations, which made sense. He didn't feel, however, that the excessive amount of time spent debating $100 or $200 donations wasn't necessary, Continued on page 23 Blyth awarded garden By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Blyth has been awarded one of 150 of the Canadian Garden Council's 150th Celebration Gardens, comprised of 1,000 red and white tulip bulbs. The Friends of the Village of Blyth gardening group received word just before the weekend that their grant application, submitted in June, had been approved. Lissa Kolkman, one of the heads of the group, submitted the application, saying that she made a point to focus on the historical aspects of the village and that its gardens are accessible to residents of all ages. She also communicated several aspects of the Huron County community in the application as well, including the fact that the area is agriculturally -focused and includes many residents of Dutch heritage. The garden will include 500 red tulip bulbs and 500 white, donated by Vesey's Bulbs in Prince Edward Island. "Containing 1,000 tulip bulbs, the international symbol of friendship and an enduring symbol of our national ethos of kindness and hospitality, the 150th Celebration Garden is a terrific way to say `Happy Birthday' to our home and native land," stated a release from the council. The groundbreaking for the garden will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. at the Blyth Horticultural Park on Dinsley Street in the east end of the village. Kolkman says she hoped North Huron Township staff will begin the process by digging up some of the garden so a handful of bulbs can be planted that morning. The remainder of the 1,000 bulbs will be planted later in the month in order to bloom in the spring of 2017, Canada's sesquicentennial year. The release from the council also states that the 150 gardens across Canada will have a symbolic link to the flagship Celebration Garden that will be planted at Niagara Falls. "Our garden, and the other 149 gardens planted across the country, will be symbolically linked to a Flagship 150th Celebration Garden Promenade, consisting of 25,000 tulips also donated by Vesey's, to be planted this fall and bloom next spring adjacent to Niagara Falls, one of the great natural wonders of the world, and one of Canada's largest gateways for visitors to our country," the release states. Kolkman says she's hoping to have local dignitaries, students and residents at the Oct. 1 ceremony to kick off the planting of the garden.