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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, November 5, 2015
Volume 31 No. 43
FESTIVAL - Pg. 27
Garratt details early
play commissions
REMEMBRANCE - Pg. 16
Blyth native shares decades
of military experience
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:
Getting a start
A large group of volunteers spent the day just outside of
Walton on Saturday working on the Goderich-to-Guelph
(G2G) Rail Trail portion between Brussels and McDonald
Lines. Chris Lee, left, Vice-Chair of G2G Inc., was one of
those hard at work alongside Paul VanderMolen, right, Huron
County G2G representative, and trail enthusiast Doug Wilson,
centre. The group installed posts, signage and fencing, in addition
to grating the trail’s surface, preparing it for use. (Vicky Bremner photo)
First NWMO phase complete in Central Huron
G2G Rail Trail work begins on Walton stretch
The Nuclear Waste Management
Organization (NWMO) has
completed the first phase of
preliminary assessment for the
Municipality of Central Huron.
Based on work the NWMO
completed, Central Huron is
assessed as having potential to meet
site selection requirements for a
deep geological repository for used
nuclear fuel, and warrants further
study.
“The objective of the site selection
process is to arrive at a single
location for a deep geological
repository and a Centre of Expertise
with a willing and informed host,”
said Kathryn Shaver, Vice-President
of APM Engagement and Site
Selection at the NWMO.
“Increasingly detailed field studies
and engagement, completed in
collaboration with the community,
will provide additional learning
about the area’s potential
for meeting strict safety
requirements and for the project to
align with the community’s long-
term vision.”
The community requested a
preliminary assessment after
expressing interest in learning about
Canada’s plan for the safe, long-term
care of used nuclear fuel.
Preliminary findings do not confirm
technical suitability and safety of
any site, and at this early point in the
process no community is asked to
confirm its willingness to host the
project. Nor do these findings affect
work ongoing in eight other areas in
Ontario involved in the site selection
process.
The NWMO has completed Phase
1 preliminary assessments in 21
communities that requested them,
including Central Huron. Nine
Ontario communities are continuing
to learn more about Canada's plan. It
is expected to take several
more years to complete the
necessary studies to identify a
preferred site in an area with
an informed and willing host.
At this point in the process,
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said
in an interview with The Citizen that
council has had limited involvement.
It would be in Phase 2, which could
be years away, when council would
have to make a decision.
Should Central Huron be
deemed an appropriate candidate,
the process would span nine steps.
A team of dedicated volunteers
was out in full force on Saturday
working hard to prepare a portion of
the Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) Rail
Trail for demonstration.
Chris Lee of Walton, vice-chair of
G2G Inc., the independent body
carrying out the curation of the trail,
says it was important to him and
others involved in the trail to have a
section of the trail prepared as he
hopes the entire trail will one day
be. This way, he said, organizers are
able to show potential users, as well
as neighbours, what they can expect
when the trail is completely
implemented from end to end.
The segment of the trail the group
worked on is just east of Walton,
running from Brussels Line (County
Road 12) to McDonald Line, a two-
kilometre stretch of the trail that
runs adjacent to Blyth Road (County
Road 25), but just north of the well-
travelled road.
This segment is not just a portion
of the trail, however, Lee says it’s an
important gateway for the trail if
volunteers want it to serve as a main
artery when the International
Plowing Match is held in Walton in
2017. Lee says the group is calling it
“the departure section” that could
serve as a springboard to head either
west to Goderich or east to Guelph
eventually.
There are still portions of the trail
that are leased by private
The Citizen
Celebrating 30 Years
1985~2015
Help us celebrate the junior citizens who make our communities better.
Do you know someone age 6–17 who is involved in worthwhile community
service, is contributing while living with a limitation, has performed an heroic
act, demonstrates individual excellence, or is going above and beyond to help
others? If so, nominate them for a 2015 Junior Citizen Award today!
Nomination forms are available from this newspaper, and the Ontario
Community Newspapers Association at www.ocna.org or 905-639-8720 ext. 4439.
Nominate Amazing.
ONTARIO
JUNIOR CITIZEN
AWARDS
Sponsored by:Justin Hines, 1999 Ontario
Junior Citizen, Stouffville, ON
Continued on page 23
Continued on page 18
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen