Loading...
The Citizen, 2013-08-22, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013. Brought to you by Elliott Nixon Insurance Brokers Inc. ~ 519-523-4481 • enib@himginsurance.com 7-Day Weather ForecastElliott Nixon Insurance Brokers Inc. 24° Monday 24° Tuesday 22° WednesdaySunday 24° SaturdayFriday 23°23° Thursday 24° Knight’s ‘tone’ questioned by new councillor Councillor Allison Dekroon, who had just been sworn in as a councillor at the beginning of the Aug. 13 meeting, says she feels municipal staff could conduct themselves better when dealing with certain issues. Dekroon referred councillors to an e-mail exchange that was included in the meeting’s information package between Chief Administra- tive Officer Brad Knight and wind turbine opponent Dennis Mueller. Dekroon, secretary for Huron East Against Turbines (HEAT), said she detected a certain “tone” in Knight’s responses to Mueller and suggested that staff should be more “professional” whilst dealing with the public. She also suggested that Knight was responding to e-mails on behalf of council with responses that councillors hadn’t necessarily “vetted” or “approved” before being sent out. Several councillors disagreed, however, coming to Knight’s defense. Councillor Andy Flowers said that he went through the entire e-mail exchange and found it to be extremely professional and thought Knight’s responses were representative of council. He went even further to say that all of council was being ‘carbon- copied’ on the e-mails, so they knew what was going on. If Knight had stepped out of line, or been disrespectful while representing council, Flowers said, councillors would have every opportunity to see that and call him on it. “Well I disagree,” Dekroon said simply in response to Flowers. Dekroon was also concerned that Knight had breached Mueller’s privacy in forwarding one of his e-mails to a wind turbine developer. Dekroon said that Mueller did not intend for his e-mail to be sent to the developer, just that it be sent to council. Knight, however, responded by saying that once an e-mail is sent to council and included in the information package, it is made public and available to any- one. He said that when Mueller posed certain questions that he couldn’t answer, he simply forwarded the e- mail along to the developer, who likely could answer Mueller’s questions. Several councillors told Dekroon they felt Knight did nothing wrong by forwarding Mueller’s e-mail along and that it’s a common practice to forward e-mails along that you can’t answer to someone who can. No direction was taken as a result of the discussion. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen 273 Hamilton St., Blyth • 519-523-4590 www.blytheastsidedance.com Blyth East Side Dance Learn the Rumba #1 And We Still Try Harder Recent circulation figures show The Citizen has the highest circulation in the northern part of Huron County, #3 in the entire county. The Citizen ~ Proudly Community-Owned Since 1985 Explaining the process Bayfield-area artist Susan Hay, on the left, who previously hailed from Central Huron, recently opened up an exposition of her works at the Blyth Festival Art Gallery. Hay is shown here discussing her works with gallery volunteer Rhea Hamilton Seeger during the grand opening of the event last Friday. (Denny Scott photo) Despite there being a conflict between Huron East Council’s Sept. 17 meeting and the Brussels Fall Fair, council’s September meetings will remain as scheduled. The issue was brought up by Brussels Councillor David Blaney, who volunteers extensively with the Brussels Agricultural Society. He said he would like to be able to attend the fair, without having to miss a council meeting. Council’s regularly scheduled meetings are slated for Sept. 3 and 17, with its “level of service” strategic planning session scheduled for Sept. 24. Because of the level of service meeting and how long it has been in the works, councillors said they were reluctant to reschedule any of the month’s meetings. Blaney said he would simply try to be a part of the fair’s opening ceremonies at 7 p.m. before making his way to Seaforth for the council meeting. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Fair conflicts with meeting Continued from page 6 journey of bringing hope to those who are facing ‘end of life’ issues. The course will be taught at the Seaforth Hospital. Volunteers will be introduced to topics such as: communication skills, different physical and emotional issues that come with a life-threatening diagnosis, diversity and spiritual concerns of the dying, ethical and legal aspects, grief and bereavement support and self-care. When volunteers are matched with a client they are given ongoing support and supervision. We invite you to explore the gifts and skills given to you to become a volunteer visitor with hospice. Each volunteer is required to complete this 30-hour training before becoming a hospice volunteer. This training is a standard set by the Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO). For more information and registration please call 519-527- 0655 or 519-357-2720. We look forward to exploring hospice palliative care volunteering options with you. Pre-registration is necessary. Sincerely, Kathy Procter Manager of Volunteers/Programs Huron Hospice Volunteer Service Program designed to help volunteers deal with death