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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2013-02-14, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013. North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent says his municipality is unhappy with the Huron County Planning Department and wondered aloud at Huron County Council’s Feb. 6 meeting if the department was making itself irrelevant. “Is the planning department working for us,” Vincent asked, “or are they just policemen enforcing the Provincial Policy Statement?” Vincent said that if the department was simply a mechanism for the county to police itself, then perhaps it should be investigated further, especially in an area, he said, with so much agricultural land. “It’s something we have to look at,” he said, “because the population has been steadily dropping since the adoption of the Huron County Official Plan in 1973.” Central Huron’s Jim Ginn said thatthe annual meeting of HuronCounty’s municipal officers is going to be held in Central Huron this year and the main topic of discussion is going to be development and how to enhance it. “We hope to develop an action plan,” Ginn said. “It’s a first step.” Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt, however, was quick to step in to defend the planning department. Shewfelt said that many decisions, before they made their way to the planning department, are in the hands of the municipality, so in a way, municipalities share part of the blame. “It’s frustrating at times,” Shewfelt said, “but [the planning department has] a professional guideline to go by and they can’t change that.” Shewfelt said that if change is needed, it’s going to be the politicians who will have to facilitate that, not those inside the planningdepartment.“It’s up to us as politicians to try and change these rules,” Shewfelt said. Vincent rebutted, saying that he was not attempting to “throw stones” at the planning department, but to highlight an ongoing problem in Huron County and rural Ontario that is being facilitated through the planning department. “The Provincial Policy Statement is the problem,” Vincent said, “it’s the ineffectiveness of using the same Provincial Policy Statement for every property in Ontario.” Huron East’s Bernie MacLellan stepped in saying that he did want to “throw stones” at Vincent, saying that changes had been previously discussed and Vincent had been resistant to them in past discussions. “I’m a little surprised,” MacLellan said. “We need a unified voice if we want to ask for changes and in the past I have not been convinced that [Vincent] has been on board. “I think we need to decide which side of the fence we’re on,” MacLellan concluded, “because it’s really tough to take our argument forward if we don’t even agree amongst ourselves.” Director of Planning Scott Tousaw said that while it may appear that no one is listening to rural Ontario, he sits on the rural and Northern Ontario planning working group and he has always made sure to bring council’s concerns forward. In the most recent incarnation of the Provincial Policy Statement, Tousaw said, some of the county’s suggested changes were made, but they were minor. Many of the major changes requested, he said, remain unchanged. He said the Provincial Policy Statement can be a tough balancingact, as the Ontario Federation ofAgriculture, for example, is currently seeking stronger guidelines surrounding farmland, so it’s difficult to make everyone happy, he said. Warden George Robertson summed up the comments, saying that often rural Ontario feels like it’s forgotten at the provincial level. He cited the example of the fierceness with which the Provincial Policy Statement protects agricultural land in rural areas, but around Toronto and other city centres, agricultural land is often levelled to make room for businesses and housing. “They don’t seem to have the same set of rules for everyone,” Robertson said. No resolution was made as a result of Vincent’s initial comment or the subsequent discussion. Continued from page 14 concerned that if the group began to incorporate a membership fee, that it would soon become private when its roots had always been public. Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler was concerned about the future of the group. He said that if it became membership-only and the municipality was involved, Huron East could be considered liable in court proceedings if the group was to ever become embroiled in a legal battle. “I wouldn’t want to see this thing escalate,” Steffler said. Tetu assured Steffler that this wasn’t the case, saying that because the group is not incorporated, that it can’t get involved in legal matters. Even if that wasn’t the case, he said, legal matters have been brought to the group before and it has always declined. Any legal issues, Tetu said, have been directed to the local municipality. Councillor Larry McGrath was supportive of Tetu’s request, saying that Tetu has committed a large amount of time to the group and reporting back to council and it was only fair that council continued that arrangement. Steffler said that he was comfortable approving the $500 payment for 2013, but not on an annual basis. He said that if Tetu returns to council next year asking for another $500, he wouldn’t be supportive of the request. A motion to approve the $500 payment for membership fees and administration costs was then carried by council on the condition that an invoice be provided and that the payment only be made for one year. If Tetu wants another $500 payment in 2014, he would have to return to council and ask again. Council approves member’s fee Vincent airs grievances with planning department && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& Find && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& 242)3+2' +1.23215 )!'1504+ The Healthy Homes Renovation T && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& +1)30*00''+..2 $53530+ 21+*542'12+) The Healthy Homes Renovation T && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& 5.405''+*12 5(+(5,45 40#+0*10+,342 axnovation TTa && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&&30+1.15) 40,3+*.40 ) && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&&30+.+115)++ 2315'+ 0*' ) && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&&5)4+, 15'3 15'(21'12 && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& Paid for by the Government of Ontario ),3*2+,-2./5012345 && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& Paid for by the Government of Ontario "#"!!#!!"#$%'+(5,)&& && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& !#! #"#$%&& && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& && && & && & & & & & & & & & & && & & & & & & & & & & & && && && & & & &&& &&&& & &&& &&&& &&&&&& Gas Bar & Variety Homestyle Meals, Desserts & More! 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