HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-06-11, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2015.
Huron East is in the midst of
crafting a bylaw that will create an
even playing field for businesses
within the municipality that wish to
host an outdoor patio accessory to
their restaurant.
The issue first came to council’s
attention in the form of a request
from Jeff Miller, owner of the Jam
Jar Pub and Eatery in Brussels, who
wanted to construct a sidewalk café
or even a licensed patio to the side of
the existing restaurant (which would
face King Street) which faces onto
Turnberry Street, the village’s main
street.
Upon inquiring about installing a
patio, Huron East staff told Miller
that the municipality didn’t have a
bylaw governing patios. He then
informed staff that Cinnamon Jim’s,
another Brussels restaurant, had
been operating a patio at the side of
the restaurant for a number of years.
Chief Administrative Officer Brad
Knight said he wasn’t aware of the
Cinnamon Jim’s patio and that it had
been operating for as long as it had.
Knight said he and staff didn’t
take issue with Cinnamon Jim’s
having a patio, but felt Miller was
correct in his submission that Huron
East should have a municipality-
wide bylaw governing patios, what
was allowed on them, etc.
At Huron East Council’s June 2
meeting, he told council that he has
written a bylaw, which is still
currently in draft form, based
heavily on similar bylaws from the
Town of Orangeville and the
Municipality of West Perth.
Miller, who was at the June 2
meeting, said that construction had
begun on a potential patio at the side
of his restaurant, but that he had run
into some “issues” with municipal
employees during the process.
He said that the sidewalk at the
side of his restaurant had become a
problem that had been mentioned to
him on a number of occasions. He
took it upon himself to fix it by way
of a patio.
Knight said the bylaw would
propose a $75 annual fee for a
sidewalk café and $150 for a patio
licence (which would enable alcohol
to be served). He said, however, that
a patio or sidewalk café would have
no effect on a restaurant’s occupancy
allowance. If a restaurant’s
maximum capacity was 50
patrons, for example, adding a
patio would not allow for
that capacity to be increased,
which he said was an important
fact to be noted in the bylaw.
Miller said he wasn’t looking for
any special treatment from Huron
East, just that he felt the playing
field needed to be levelled so his
business could be given the same
opportunities as others in the village.
Councillors agreed with him
unanimously, saying that one set of
rules for all businesses was only fair.
Later in the meeting, council gave
Knight’s draft bylaw a first and
second reading with a third reading
to occur after the wording of the
bylaw has been fine-tuned.
New Huron East Councillor Kevin
Wilbee is taking a stand for local
students who want French
immersion education, but it’s
unavailable to them.
At council’s final meeting last
month, Wilbee announced his
intention to draft a bylaw that would
encourage the Avon Maitland
District School Board to offer
French immersion classes to Huron
County residents, because the only
place the board currently offers
French immersion is in Stratford.
In Wilbee’s motion, he says that
members of the Huron County
community have requested French
immersion classes in the
community, but to no avail.
“Be in hereby resolved that the
Municipality of Huron East strongly
encourage the Avon Maitland
District School Board to consider
the provision of French immersion
services and classes to the residents
of Huron County and that the
position of council be expressed to
Ted Doherty, Director of Education
of the Avon Maitland District School
Board,” the motion reads.
Wilbee has also asked that his
resolution be sent to all eight of
Huron’s other lower-tier
municipalities for consideration as
well.
In a press release issued after the
meeting, Wilbee stated that the
opportunities afforded by French
immersion are much greater, and
Huron County students aren’t being
given that option.
“There is a general consensus in
the community that French
immersion should be available to
residents in Huron County,” Wilbee
said. “Being able to speak both
official languages opens up
opportunities for young people and
our youth should be afforded that
competitive advantage.”
Currently, the release stated,
French immersion in the Avon
Maitland board is only being offered
at Anne Hathaway, Bedford and
Stratford Central Public Schools, all
of which are within Stratford and
only available to students on existing
Stratford bus routes.
Council supported the motion and
it has been forwarded to lower-tier
municipalities throughout Huron
County.
Brussels patio concern leads to municipal policy
Wilbee lobbies for
French immersion
A bang-bang play
The Belgrave Kinsmen held their annual slo-pitch tournament in Blyth over the weekend,
with games playing out on both community diamonds. There was also a refreshment
gardens and a Saturday night concert to round out the tournament experience. In this game,
the Texas Longhorns took on Shadong, with the latter taking the contest by a score of 13-3.
(Jim Brown photo)
OPEN HOUSE / ANNOUNCEMENT
About the Playground Project @
Maitland River Elementary School
Wednesday, June 17
th, 2015
6:00 p.m.
250 John St. Wingham
~ Tours of school building
and grounds provided by our
MRES Ambassadors
Join our Facebook group "Building Bridges to Our Future"
or contact us at bridges2future@gmail.com
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen