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The Citizen, 2013-04-25, Page 1CitizenTh e $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, April 25, 2013 Volume 29 No. 17 APPEAL - Pg. 20Central Huron continuesOfficial Plan appeal FESTIVAL - Pg. 23 Blyth Festival reportsincreased ticket salesAWARD- Pg. 13Brussels Build grouphonoured by OBIAAPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK: Huron East hopes to continue hockey victory laps Councils ratify fire agreement Master of puppets Kristi Friday, a master puppeteer, ran a puppetry workshop at Hullett Central Public School earlier this week. She visited students in Grades 1 and 2 in the morning on Monday and taught them about crafting and using puppets. The program was sponsored through the Foundation for Education Perth Huron. (Denny Scott photo) Despite hearing several complaints about the victory lap taken by the Blyth Brussels Midget Rep Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship hockey team last month, Huron East Council hopes to continue the tradition of winning teams riding atop municipal fire trucks after milestone championships. The issue of the ride, taken by this season’s OMHA winning team from Blyth and Brussels, was first raised by Councillor Diane Diehl at the April 2 meeting of council. Huron East Fire Chief Marty Bedard was then instructed to prepare a report for council at its April 16 meeting. Bedard told councillors that complaints surrounding victory laps on municipal fire trucks are nothing new. Every time there has been a fire truck ride for as long as he has been involved with the fire department, Bedard said, it has garnered some complaints. In his report, Bedard said that while victory rides are a tradition that shows community support and provides the participants with some level of fun, they also open the municipality up to potential liability. While it is unlikely that any potential ride would be affected, as hockey season is over and summer sports have yet to start, Bedard told councillors that fire truck rides of any kind have been discontinued until council makes a final decision on the matter. When discussion began, it was clear that most councillors wanted the tradition to continue, but felt a policy needed to be drafted to dictate some rules surrounding rides on fire trucks. Councillor Larry McGrath lamented that often one incident can change the public’s opinion on an entire practice, causing overreaction and he felt this was one of those situations. “I think this would be killing a fly with a sledgehammer,” McGrath said, “all because one person complained.” Councillor Bob Fisher said that when his son was 12 years old, a team he played for was fortunate enough to take a fire truck ride and that it’s an honour he still talks about years later. Councillors were, however, concerned about the chain of command when a fire truck is taken out for a ride. Bedard informed councillors that the chief of the Brussels station of the Huron East Fire Department was out of town at the time and that the deputy-chief was not consulted. Bedard said that if council was to set up a policy surrounding rides on the fire truck, Bedard would ensure that firefighters adhere to the policy and if they don’t, they will be reprimanded. He also said that arrangements for rides could be made in advance and that there’s no need for them to be a “spur of the moment” decision. Councillor David Blaney said that the complaint he received was “quite vociferous” and that it dealt with the lateness of the ride, around 11 p.m. McGrath suggested that the rides should continue, but with a basic policy that would ensure that rides only take place with the permission of the chief and that they take place no later than 8 p.m. He insisted, however, that the policy be an internal one with the fire department and that council shouldn’t have a hand in it. Mayor Bernie MacLellan said that while he felt the rides were good for community spirit, he can see the other side of the argument from a big-picture standpoint. “When HEAT [Huron East Against Turbines] wanted us to do something that put the municipality at risk, we didn’t do it,” MacLellan said, adding that the rides can essentially put the municipality at risk and that there are few differences between the two. Another reason to draft a policy, MacLellan said, is to ensure that the municipality’s volunteer firefighters aren’t put at risk of liability either. If something were to happen during one of these fire truck rides, MacLellan said, the risk should be taken by the municipality, not the firefighters themselves. Bedard was instructed to draft a potential policy surrounding victory rides on municipal fire trucks for council to consider at a future meeting. Central Huron ratepayers will see a 1.7 per cent overall tax decrease in the 2013 taxation year. In front of a packed hall April 18, Finance Director Terri Taylor unveiled a budget scenario, which shows a residential property valued at $100,000 would see a $24.18 cut in taxes, representing a 0 per cent tax increase on the Central Huron portion, a 2.7 per cent decrease on the County of Huron side, and a 4.07 per cent decrease on the education tax. She also noted the presented budget represents a 3.99 per cent increase on the Central Huron portion of the levy. In a multi-pronged presentation, Morris-Turnberry and North Huron Township Council both approved bylaws that saw a fire suppression agreement created between the two municipalities. The agreement, which will see the Fire Department of North Huron service a larger part of Morris- Turnberry than before, taking over a portion of the municipality that was previously serviced by Howick Township, came together between the administrative heads of the two municipalities: North Huron Chief Administrative Officer Gary Long and Morris-Turnberry Clerk- Treasurer Nancy Michie. While the agreement was passed with little comment at Morris- Turnberry Council’s April 16 meeting, North Huron Councillor Brock Vodden felt that the document had been mishandled by local media. “I think it’s really unfortunate that the impression that has gone out to the public is that North Huron has cut its cost and fees way, way down,” he said during North Huron Council’s April 15 meeting when the agreement was signed. “I’m concerned about the article in The Citizen that says that North Huron will pick up more of the cost of the fire department. Everyone’s costs went down. I want to assure North Huron taxpayers they won’t be paying any more.” While an editorial in The Citizen two weeks ago suggested that North Huron ratepayers may have to shoulder some of the reduced cost that was offered to Morris- Turnberry, North Huron Council insists that the decreased cost to Morris-Turberry is due to the restructuring of the fire department being completed. An article in that same issue of The Citizen also makes reference to councillor Bernie Bailey assuring North Huron ratepayers that tax dollars would not be spent to cover the change in price. At Morris-Turnberry’s April 16 meeting, Mayor Paul Gowing said that the agreement was a good one, even if it wasn’t what his council had sought when they first began negotiations. “It’s a good agreement for both municipalities at this point,” he said. “It’s not the agreement we attempted to get, but North Huron isn’t comfortable with signing a joint-ownership agreement at this time. “We have to be happy with what’s in front of us,” he said. “It’s a fair agreement for both municipalities.” Gowing also commended his council on their decorum and behaviour during the months of meetings that led up to the By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 9 By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen CH taxes to drop By Cheryl Heath Special to The Citizen Continued on page 22