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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, November 19, 2015
Volume 31 No. 45
HOLIDAYS - Pg. 19
Blyth to host Lighting of
the Lights this Saturday
SCHOOL - Pg. 8
Education reborn in Brussels
through Old Colony School
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:
County
confirms
G2G trail
support
Leading the way
Pipe Major Don Martin, left, led the Brussels Legion Pipe
Band down Turnberry Street last week at the conclusion of
the village’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony, bringing
along two of the band’s younger members with him. The
Legion held two ceremonies on Nov. 11, one at the cenotaph and
one at Huronlea Home for the Aged, while the Blyth Legion hosted
its ceremony at Memorial Hall. After the service, the band then led
the community to Melville Presbyterian Church. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Core teams to continue work says Lass
Vicki Lass of the Ontario Ministry
of Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs says Huron County Council
should be very proud of its
economic development core teams
and the work they’ve done – and
hope to continue doing.
Lass, speaking to council at its
Nov. 12 committee of the whole
meeting, says that the “formal”
portion of the Ministry’s “train the
trainer” economic development
program is now complete in Huron
County and those involved wish to
keep the conversation going.
She congratulated council on that
level of engagement, saying
councillors should be proud of their
community members and staff.
One of the big take-aways from
the most recent stage of the process,
Lass told council, was the
establishment of main themes for
Huron County economic
development. The teams came up
with eight: business attraction and
retention; agriculture; tourism, arts
and culture; environment; health
care; infrastructure; population and
workforce retention and attraction
and communication, marketing and
collaboration.
The teams hope to continue to
engage one another Lass said, which
means that the process is far from
over.
While not a main theme in itself,
Lass said that education is a big tool
going forward, as further education
opportunities are needed to attract
and retain people in Huron County.
Before any initiatives can get off
the ground, she said, Huron County
needs the people first.
She also stated that the
environment is a great place
for businesses to start and that
green businesses should be
encouraged in Huron County.
Lass pointed out that there are a
number of similarities between her
report and that of economic
development consultant Ron
Gaudet, which was produced earlier
this year in conjunction with the
newly-formed Huron County
Economic Development Board.
However, Lass said that through the
Ministry’s work, there are now 300
more people in the county who have
been trained about the benefits of
economic development and who
understand the challenges that come
along with it.
Chief Administrative Officer
Brenda Orchard agreed, saying that
the Huron County Economic
Development Strategic Plan, which
was due to be presented to council in
September, has been held back in
order to let Lass and the core teams
complete their work. With both
reports now in place, Orchard said
that staff hopes to present the report
to council at one of the December
committee of the whole meetings.
Huron County Council has
reconfirmed its support for the
Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) Rail
Trail and will send Warden Paul
Gowing to a pair of G2G Working
Committee open houses.
Council discussed the report on
the trail, authored by Tourism Co-
ordinator Cindy Fisher and Project
Manager Rebecca Rathwell, at its
Nov. 12 committee of the whole
meeting. The report had been
forthcoming for a number of
months, since representatives from
G2G Inc. came to council to speak
about the trail and opponents of the
trail spoke to council about their
numerous concerns.
Rathwell told councillors that the
G2G Working Committee, along
with staff from both Huron and
Perth Counties, had worked to
address a list of concerns from those
opposed to the trail. The concerns
raised, along with potential
solutions, are all detailed in
Rathwell and Fisher’s report.
She also suggested that the county
be represented at two upcoming
open houses, the first on Nov. 26 in
Milverton and the second on Nov.
28 from 2-4 p.m. at the Blyth and
District Community Centre. Huron
East Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler
nominated Gowing – both as the
county’s warden and because the
trail runs through the entire width of
Morris Ward of Morris-Turnberry,
Gowing’s home municipality.
Gowing accepted the nomination.
Bluewater’s Tyler Hessel said he
supported the entire motion from
The Citizen
Celebrating 30 Years
1985~2015
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Work begins on cycling safety program
The Huron County Planning and
Development Department is
proposing a comprehensive cycling
safety program in the hope of
enhancing the road for all users.
After the devastating incident in
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh when
Blyth cyclist Julie Sawchuk was
struck by a car and paralyzed,
several Huron County councillors
proposed that the county improve
safety conditions for cyclists. The
suggestions were sent to the
planning department and a report
was compiled, which was presented
to council at its Nov. 12 meeting.
Director of Planning and
Development Scott Tousaw
presented the report, suggesting that
some small changes be made
immediately and that larger,
sweeping changes be proposed in
2016 and beyond.
Immediately, he suggested that the
county participate in Share the Road
educational programs, investigate
the feasibility of a pilot project that
would widen paved road shoulders
during the reconstruction of County
Road 31 from Saltford to Benmiller,
enhance the Huron County Cycling
Guide and website with additional
safety information and support
(including road traffic counts and
posted speed limits), where possible,
off-road cycling options, such as the
Goderich-Auburn Rail Trail
(GART), the Port to Point Trail
(P2P) and the proposed Goderich-to-
Guelph Rail Trail (G2G).
Following those immediate
changes, Tousaw said, he proposed
the development of a cycling
strategy that would involve extensive
consultation with stakeholders and
avid cyclists using the county’s in-
house resources.
Tousaw’s extensive report details a
number of options and learning
opportunities in the coming years to
further educate the county on
cycling safety, including the Ontario
Bike Summit, which is set for April,
2016 in Toronto.
One of the major concerns Tousaw
addressed is the potential for
increased liability due to cycling
initiatives and the development of
infrastructure. He said that the
county would not be creating any
additional liability by participating
in the Share the Road programs, but
that consultation is ongoing with
Frank Cowan Company, the county’s
insurance provider, in regards to
further information on liability to
inform the cycling strategy.
Tousaw suggested, in his report,
Continued on page 16
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 18