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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2015-12-03, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015. WALTON 519-887-8429 SAVE THE TAX! Work Boots Work Shirts & Pants ON ALL WORKWEAR UNTIL DECEMBER 24TH Work Gloves Pick up a gift basket! Our Christmas trees have arrived! Continued from page 2 condolences to Heather and family Mike, Sarah, Holly and Rebecca and their families. Gary was a 40-year member of the Royal Canadian Legion and a member in Brussels since 1986. He served as an executive member and the sports officer during his earlier years, until his business activities kept him busy. He was a generous supporter of the many fundraising ventures and during the years enjoyed many social evenings with friends around the Branch. He will be missed by his fellow Comrades. Tuesday evening was the monthly general meeting for the Branch. There were eight members of the executive present. The usual donation to the North Huron Food Share was approved. The Branch will also collect canned goods for the month of December at all events at the Branch. The Brussels Agromart held a meeting for its many customers and provided dinner for nearly 100 to enjoy. It was a successful evening for them all. Thursday evening was the weekly darts night. There were 11 darters taking part. It is open to anyone to attend. Winners were: first, Sharon Robbins and Sandra Josling; second, Gord Jacklin; high, Jim Brown, 78. The last night for darts in December will be Dec. 17. It will be Christmas party night! The Friday night supper of roast beef was enjoyed by just over 20 folks. This week is bruschetta chicken with a guest chef preparing. The Branch hosted the Huron County darts on Saturday with over 50 men enjoying a good day of play. The Saturday afternoon euchre had 11 tables of players. Winners were: first, Eileen Sloan and Pauline Bennett, 75; second, Mae Ritchie and Lillian Appleby, 72; third, Phil and Trevor, 71; lone hands, Edna McLellan and Judy Hahn, six and low, Olave Little and Marion Harrison, 42. The Branch hours over Christmas will be: Christmas Eve open until 6 p.m.; Christmas Day and Boxing Day, closed; New Years Eve, open until 6 p.m. and closed New Year’s Day. This means no Thursday night darts or Friday night suppers the last two weeks of December. The Sunday night dance had 85 people enjoying the music of the Country Versatiles for their final appearance for 2015. They will return to play the first dance in January. It was a nice evening with lots of great music, laughter and lunch. All are welcome. Continued from page 2 for a trip. John Harrison and Bob Richmond had their trucks loaded with books and trinkets, crafts and many, many other treasures. Many, not-named ladies, with great efficiency packed moved and cleaned our home with the Dauphins. Again thank you, thank you. So as we anticipate our new business spot, we want to thank everyone for the help and invite you for refreshments on Friday and Saturday when we open in our Sholdice home of 5Rs. You are invited to the craft sale and lunch at Huronlea on Saturday, a good time to do a little shopping and say hello to our many friends who live there. So mark your calendar for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday to see the talents of the crafters and have a nice chat over lunch. Take care of yourself and wash your hands lots. Bye now, Betty G.W. Huronlea lunch, craft event set for Dec. 5 Condolences sent to Dauphins Helping out The Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association made two donations during its annual general meeting last month. First, the group donated $1,500 to the Ronald McDonald House Charity which was accepted by Rob Reid, co-owner of Jusmeg Investments Inc., who operates the Exeter McDonald’s (above left). Second, the association donated $1,000 to the Wingham and District Hospital Foundation which was accepted by association member and hospital foundation representative Gord Baxter (below left). Both cheques were presented by outgoing association president Trina McBride. (Denny Scott photos) Anti-fortification bylaw proposed by FDNH Chief Sparling Some misgivings about a proposed anti-fortification bylaw will see the document reworked before it’s presented to North Huron Township Council again. During council’s Nov. 16 meeting, Fire Department of North Huron Chief David Sparling explained that, during a recent presentation by the Ontario Provincial Police, some significantly fortified doors within the county were shown. In response, he borrowed an anti-fortification bylaw from Wellington County to use in North Huron. He said that, without control, firefighters could run into these kinds of fortified homes and they could be a “death trap.” The bylaw would be a starting point for the township, but Sparling felt it was good as is since it was working for Wellington. Sparling said that, normally, this kind of bylaw would be brought forward by Chief Building Official (CBO) and Bylaw Control Officer Tim Lewis, however Lewis was unavailable to present the bylaw and, since Sparling and Fire Prevention Officer James Marshall worked on it alongside Lewis, he felt it important to present it. Councillor Trevor Seip right away said he wouldn’t support the bylaw if it couldn’t be enforced. “That’s critical to any bylaw,” he said. “If we’re not going to enforce it, why are we putting it to paper?” Sparling said that any situation where fortification is being used is one where the police will likely be involved. “Fortified buildings are not a place you want to send your chief building official alone,” he said. “What this does is deter people from doing it and it works well with the police. If they do encounter a fortified home, it gives them a tool to deal with this.” Sparling went on to say that most places that are fortified are done so because of questionable actions taking place inside. Seip said he understood, but said that made enforcement even more difficult. “If someone is going to fortify their house, there is a pretty good chance they won’t be paying a permit,” he said. Sparling said he isn’t a fan of bylaws for the sake of having them, but said this was a deterrent. “The fact that it’s been implemented elsewhere shows us it works,” he said. “If something happens where fortification is an issue, this is another tool in the kit.” He went on to say that fortified homes, which can often contain drug production or distribution centres, are bad news for fire personnel. “They do catch fire because of the activity there,” he said. “If there is a bylaw that deters fortification, it’s less likely to happen and I’m all for that.” Reeve Neil Vincent spoke to the issue as well, stating that he felt his property was already in breach of several of the rules outlined in the proposed bylaw. He pointed to the specific rule about “constructing an observation tower specifically designed to enable the visual observation of surrounding areas beyond the perimeter of the land actually owned or leased/rented by the occupant,” and said that he has a harvest-door silo that fits that description. Vincent also said that there are some families in East Wawanosh who should be allowed to have a panic room if they fear for their personal safety. Sparling felt that Vincent’s concerns were addressed in the bylaw, pointing out that the silo was not built as an observation tower, but as a silo. He also pointed to a clause in the document that exempted normal farm practices from the bylaw. He also said that the bylaw had been vetted by police before it was adopted by Wellington County and they felt it met the necessary criteria. Chief Administrative Officer Sharon Chambers said that the purpose of the bylaw, which was labelled as a draft, was to generate discussion. She suggested that, rather than the motion that says the bylaw was adopted, it be received as a report and that the CBO can be directed to report back to council with any more information about the need for such a bylaw. Councillor Bill Knott supported By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 9