The Citizen, 2016-12-22, Page 32PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016.
Last-minute
shopping
Brussels United Church held its annual Christmas bake
sale on Saturday morning, with plenty of sweet treats up for
sale to save residents some baking this holiday. Taking a
spin around the tables was Betty Graber Watson,
accompanied by her 10 -year-old granddaughter Jill Graber.
(Vicky Bremner photo)
County to provide CEMC
Huron County will implement a
shared Community Emergency
Management Co-ordinator (CEMC)
position for next year.
Jeff Horseman, chief of Huron
County Emergency Services, made
the recommendation to Huron
County Council at its Dec. 14
committee of the whole meeting in
Goderich.
While the county had contributed
some CEMC services throughout
the county, for the most part, the
CEMC role had been filled at the
lower -tier levels. Horseman said that
while buy -in is anticipated from the
lower -tier municipalities, in the end
it will reduce costs and streamline
the process.
Horseman told councillors that it
was first discussed in the 2015
service capacity review that the
CEMC position was one that could
potentially be shared at the county
level by all municipalities.
In April, at the Huron County
Municipal Officers' Association
meeting, the proposal was first
made, Horseman said, but interest
from Huron County's lower -tier
municipalities was low. Interest,
however, grew later in the summer.
The process moved forward again
in July, Horseman said, when a
meeting was held in Clinton to
confirm municipal interest and to
also hear from Linda Dickson, the
Wellington County CEMC to
discuss the shared model.
The shared model in Huron would
require increasing staffing levels to
one full-time equivalent, from the
0.6 equivalent it currently sits at.
Horseman also detailed a number
of benefits to the shared model
program, including a focus on
CEMC duties, a shared emergency
plan throughout the county,
standardized training throughout the
county, improved co-ordination and
communication, additional
expertise, increased education,
Help is available at Christmas
Continued from page 30
Meanwhile, moderns seek diversion
or solace in a drug epidemic that
could be related to a surge of local
vehicle thefts and recently in a
major western Canadian city
killed nine individuals through
overdoses in just 24 hours. What a
mess!
Yet, despite the atrocities and
hopelessness, the message of
Christmas is that help is available. In
our mess, there is One who
understands, who has been through
it with us, whose very name means
He can save us from our sins.
Matthew sees this as fulfilling what
Isaiah had prophesied some seven
centuries before Jesus was born:
"The virgin will be with child and
will give birth to a son, and they will
call him Immanuel" —which means,
"God with us."" (Mt 1:23)
'God with us' right here, alongside
us, in our mess. Whatever desperate
situation you may find yourself in
today, whatever problems you may
be facing this season, Jesus
understands. He's been through it.
This high priest is able to
sympathize with our weaknesses
(Hebrews 4:15). He was even
tortured and crucified as a result of
others' base human jealousy and the
desire to cling to power; yet God
raised Him from the dead. Call on
Him today for help in your time of
need.
"Peace on earth", as announced by
the angels, becomes more of a
reality when we experience Jesus'
forgiveness and love for ourselves,
so we can then start extending it to
those who've wronged and
disappointed us. Instead of just a
temporary covering of whitewash,
God's grace found at the cross really
cleans to the core, and makes fresh
starts possible.
Merry Christmas!
Mevy ChrL1mQs
mop G4w'
May your home be blessed by good fortune this Christmas,
& may you & your loved ones enjoy all the comforts of a very
merry & joyous season. We really appreciate your business
& look forward to serving you again, soon.
David, Charlotte, Dave
Holiday Hours:
Closed December 24th - 28th; Open December 31st 9 am to 1 pm
Closed January 1st & 2nd
Box Furniture
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Seaforth 519-527-0680
standardized messaging to Huron
County residents, reduced costs at
the lower -tier level and ensured
compliance.
While the lower -tier municipal-
ities will now have to pay into the
county CEMC program, they will be
able to discontinue the program at
their level, Horseman said, which
should result in savings to the lower -
tier municipalities.
Central Huron Deputy -Mayor
Dave Jewitt said he was in favour of
the CEMC position, but wanted to
be cautious about adding labour to
the county's workforce at a time
when salaries account for more than
half of the county's entire annual
budget.
Horseman said that if the lower -
tier municipalities buy in to the
program, costs to the county will be
minimal, but he acknowledged that
if the municipalities don't buy in, the
cost will fall to the county.
Council accepted the report and
moved to implement the position
with Jewitt not voting in favour.
May you and your loved ones rejoice in the
miracle of this holy season and may this year
hold the birth of new blessings and the
promise of lasting peace.