HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-06-06, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013. PAGE 11.
The Municipality of Central Huron is pleased to announce their annual Central
Huron Façade Grant Program. The Program includes façade improvements for
all properties in Central Huron that are assessed as Commercial for taxation
purposes. The Municipality has set aside funds to assist property owners in the
expansion or improvement of the building façade or signage.
43210/.0.-2,1+*)*,21('0/.&2'2%$1'#-$1'22$1$321-02"(!"10/.02/$ 1 "/($2/(*1
outlined in the “Façade Improvement Concept” and enhance the “cosmetic”
appeal of the structure from a streetscape viewpoint . The application package
(-1*&*( * 21*$1$321'#%("(0* 1.+!"21./1 2 -($2 11 "2%$/* 3#/.%".'
2*, (%21 00 ("*$(.%-1 '#-$1 21 /2"2(&2,1 1 1 %..%1 .%,* 1 #%21 1
+1 .#13*&21#2-$(.%-1./1".''2%$-10 2*-21,(/2"$1$32'1$.1$321#%("(0* 1.+!"21
*$1
Applications must be completed on the required forms and are to be addressed
*-1+. . -
“Central Huron Façade Grant Program”
1 1 $$2%$(.% 11 /2%,*1*"-**"1 2/
Municipality of Central Huron
1 1 1 .1 11 2/$1$/22$
1 1 (%$.%1%$*/(.111
The Municipality reserves the right to fund projects as deemed appropriate.
Council divided over turbine newsWith the recent announcement of
changes to how and where wind
turbines can be built and the larger
role that municipalities will play in
deciding on locations for them, local
councils like Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh (ACW) might finally
have something to present to irate
ratepayers as a step in the right
direction.
While the plan doesn’t directly
affect existing turbines like the
Kingsbridge 1 project in ACW or the
proposed K2 project in ACW, which
has already received approval,
councillor Roger Watt, one of three
ACW councillors who can still vote
on turbine issues and the Green
Energy Act, is hopeful that this will
indicate a change in the future.
“I hope this will have a profound
effect on new projects going
forward,” Watt said. “It will affect
property tax increases in ACW, but
as far as the existing turbines and
plans for new turbines, those are
beyond the stage that the
announcement deals with.”
Watt said that the announcement,
which was made last week by
Ontario Energy Minister Bob
Chiarelli, was a good thing.
“Of course this is a good thing,”
Watt said. “It’s not as good as the
change most people wanted, not by
far, but I think it was unrealistic to
expect that the government was
going to change what already exists.
Councillor Doug Miller, however,
feels that it may not be the move it
seems to be.
“At this point, I’m not really sure
that this is a gain for us,” he said.
“[Municipal councils like ACW]
will have discussions or input into
locations, but we would not have
veto power over whether something
does or doesn’t happen. It justchanges the mix from what I’ve seenat this point.”The announcement stated that,
specifically, procurement policies
would be changed dramatically for
larger scale projects and the Feed-In
Tariff program (FIT) would be
scrapped. Smaller projects, such as
the microFIT program will still
exist.
“As the minister said, the province
can’t afford more expensive
problems like the cancellation of the
gas plant,” Watt said. “Even [Official
Opposition and Progressive
Conservative Leader Tim] Hudak
made that clear last month, whereas
a few years ago he was running
around practically saying off with
the Liberals’ heads in regards to the
Green Energy Act. It’s good news,
it’s just not what was being hoped
for.”
Watt said that the change likely
came as a result of the realization
that the Liberal Party had lost so
much ground in rural, and especially
southwestern Ontario.
“I think the inspiration for the
change was the new Liberal
administration’s awareness that they
really screwed things up here,” he
said. “The backlash from that means
they need to do something about
that. [Ontario Premier Kathleen
Wynne] said that in the Throne
speech. Will it be enough to let them
turn the political tide and let them
recapture the seats they lost? I doubt
it. Will it help? Maybe. Will it hurt?
Not at all.”
The political landscape at ACW
and especially at council meetings
over the past few years has been one
of two opposed factions; the very
visible anti-turbine and until
recently quieter pro-turbine groups.
Watt said that situation is unlikely to
change this issue.
“The anti-wind faction is still
being anti-wind and the pro-wind is
still pro-wind and this is still a
significant issue,” he said. “It won’t
make it less of a significant issue in
that there are people who think that
we have some authority to change
things that we simply do not have
and I don’t blame them for wishing
that. People are irate with us for not
doing things to solve our problems
or be a step towards solving their
problems. I know there are people
out there who are very upset, putting
it mildly, that their way of life and
things they cherish in the
community are being threatened by
these projects they can’t do anything
about.“I can’t blame them for being irateabout these conditions,” he said.“The province took away our ability
to do anything about it.”
Watt said that he hopes this isn’t
the final attempt by the province to
remedy the situation caused by the
Green Energy Act and said he still
has hopes for previous attempts that
are ongoing.
“I would like to hope this isn’t a
last-ditch effort, but it could be,” he
said. “I know, from what I’ve read,
that there’s a four-minister
committee that Wynne tasked to
come back and make
recommendations on what they
should do and it was said, in the
media coverage, that they would
have a report by August 1, so I hope
that might result in additional
changes. I didn’t see anything in the
recent announcement that cancelled
that task force.”
By Denny ScottThe Citizen
Big winner
The Brussels Lions Club held its annual elimination draw last weekend at the Brussels, Morris
and Grey Community Centre to a sold out crowd once again. The Braecker family won the
night’s big prize of $4,000. Accepting the big cheque on behalf of his parents Bruno and Joyce
Braecker is John Braecker. Doling out the big bucks was Lions President Paul Mutter, right.
(Jim Brown photo)
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Mud boggin’
The Walton Raceway recently began holding mud bogs this
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The
Citizen