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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-07-02, Page 1CitizenTh e $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, July 2, 2015 Volume 31 No. 26 FESTIVAL - Pg. 22 ‘Seeds’ opens 41st Blyth Festival season LIONS - Pg. 11 Blyth Lions celebrate their 70th anniversary Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0 INSIDE THIS WEEK: School’s out for summer It was an exciting day for Hullett Central Public School students last Thursday as they got to chant, “No more pencils, no more books” and enjoy the last day of school. Shown as they hit their stride are, from left: Hannah Boven, Evan Wijnsma, Brette Brohman, Mrs. Gilroy, Colby Dale, Taylor Hanna, Axeton Wright and Shayna Hunking. (Denny Scott photo) Garden hosts social Local student named to Advisory Council A special social meeting was held at the Blyth Community Garden last Thursday and served as an opportunity for the public to see just what’s been growing at the playground of the former Blyth Public School. The event, which saw members of the garden committee officially welcome the public to the site for the first time, showed off some of the first vegetables that are now ready to be harvested. After a social period, Blyth Arts and Cultural Initiative 14/19 Project Director Peter Smith spoke to the crowd and explained where the vision behind the community garden, which is shaped like a comet, came from. “One of the things [the 14/19 committee] hoped for in creating the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity is that when people come here, either from away or from the county, they will put their hands in dirt,” he explained. “[Huron County’s] backbone is dirt. What comes out of the dirt is livelihood, families and our experiences.” Smith, whose family works on a farm called Utopia, said he understands just how important earth is to a rural community and that’s why it’s so important for the Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity. “We started talking about it, when people come here, I want to have people put their hands in earth,” he said. Smith then told a story about a visitor who asked why dirt is so important, and he said the answer was a pretty basic notion. “I said [the earth should attract visitors] because that’s where all Auburn-area student Clarissa Gordon will be helping to direct the evolution of education in Ontario for the next year as part of the Minister of Education’s Student Advisory Council (MSAC). Gordon, who is graduating from Grade 8 this year at F.E. Madill Secondary School, applied to the program because she wants to make sure that rural schools have a voice on the council and the Avon- Maitland District School Board announced she had been named to the prestigous organization last week. The council provides feedback to Minister of Education Liz Sandals as to what the students would like to see at the school level to make education more interesting for students. Through two main events, and correspondence throughout the year, approximately 60 students will talk to the ministry and explain the realities of education and what needs to be done to reach out to students. Gordon got involved in the application process thanks to one of her teachers who thought Gordon would be a good fit for the council. She said, in an interview with The Citizen, that more of an emphasis needs to be put on those who are succeeding, to foster their drive and make sure the achievers and ‘quiet leaders’ aren’t forgotten by the system. “I think that people who are succeeding aren’t getting the voice they need,” she said. “The ones that are getting a voice are the ones not doing so well in school. The system is trying to make up for that by paying twice as much attention to the people having trouble. Those doing well are left because people think those students can manage on their own.” Gordon said she was inspired by being chosen because of the intense competition. “It was amazing to know I had been chosen,” she said. “I had heard there were around 500 to 600 people and they were only choosing about 60. That’s a real honour.” Gordon’s choice was also a surprise to her because the competition is open to students from Grade 7 to Grade 12, which means there were many more experienced applicants. After being chosen, she attended a special day to get to know the other members of the council and her desire to be a voice for rural schools was solidified. “We went for a one-day event in Toronto to get to know each other and to talk in small groups about a lot of different things,” she said. “We talked about how schools could be improved and how to get more kids feeling like school was fun and not feeling like it was a chore or boring.” She said her experiences singled her out quickly as the other students weren’t really aware of the experiences students in a rural area face. “I found out pretty quickly that most the people came from less rural areas than me,” she said. “Most of them didn’t even know the difference between a Holstein and a Jersey, so that was interesting, but I guess I should have expected that. They found out pretty quickly that I was more country-oriented and from a different kind of educational background.” Gordon was glad she stood out because it would make affecting change easier for her. “I feel that students should have input and be informed about decisions that impact our education,” she said in the application. “I have been in three different school buildings over the past four years [Blyth Public School, Maitland In a move reminiscent of the last time the council debated a bylaw to regulate open-air burning in 2014, Morris-Turnberry Council deferred its burn bylaw for the second meeting in a row at its June 16 meeting. Councillor Sharen Zinn, when the bylaw was presented, said she immediately wanted to defer it in light of issues brought up by local ratepayers. Councillor John Smuck, however, felt that the entire bylaw needed to be re-worked. “I don’t like it,” he said. “I don’t like the restrictions on size of a burn or time restrictions. I think that people should be able to have recurring burns with one call to the fire department. I also think that asking people to sit and monitor a fire is ridiculous. If I’m burning some brush, do I have to have a johnny-on-the-spot there? It seems that common sense doesn’t exist.” Several other council members, however, felt the bylaw fit, with The Citizen Celebrating 30 Years 1985~2015 By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 18 Burn bylaw deferred By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 24Continued on page 19 By Denny Scott The Citizen