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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, December 12, 2013
Volume 29 No. 49
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INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Turbine bylaws stalled, OPP needed at meeting
A life’s goal
Huron East Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler, right, was very emotional on Dec. 4 when he was
elected to the position of Huron County Warden, fighting back tears as he addressed his fellow
councillors as warden for the first time. Here, shortly after being named to the position for
2014, Steffler is signing all the official documents and being walked through the process by
Huron County Clerk Susan Cronin while 2013 Warden George Robertson waits to place the
Chain of Office on Steffler. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Huron East’s Steffler named 2014 Warden
OPP officers were required to
calm the pandemonium that ensued
when four wind turbine bylaws were
scheduled to be read at Huron East
Council’s Dec. 3 meeting.
After repeated interruptions by the
dozens of members of Huron East
Against Turbines (HEAT) in
attendance, Huron East Mayor
Bernie MacLellan engaged two
police officers to ensure the meeting
would run smoothly, and without
further interruption.
At the meeting, council was set to
authorize bylaws that would approve
road user agreements and
community vibrancy funds with
both Varna Wind Inc. and the St.
Columban Energy Limited
Partnership. Only one of the four
motions would eventually pass.
Before the bylaws were
introduced, HEAT member and
Councillor Allison Dekroon made a
motion that would defer the four
bylaws, calling the documents
“hefty”. She said since council only
received the documents the Friday
before the meeting, members of the
public had not been given time to
review them and did not have
enough time, legally, to request a
formal appearance before council
that night.
She suggested the bylaws
be deferred until the Jan. 7
meeting so council, and members of
the public, could do their due
diligence.
“We’re not giving the people a
voice,” she said.
Councillor Les Falconer, however,
disagreed with Dekroon, saying that
council had been working on the
road user agreements for almost a
year, long before Dekroon was even
Fighting back tears as he took over
the seat of Huron County Warden,
Huron East Deputy-Mayor Joe
Steffler told his fellow councillors he
had just achieved one of his life’s
goals.
At the meeting of Huron County
Council on Wednesday, Dec. 4,
Steffler faced off against Howick’s
Art Versteeg for the position. As a
result of the secret ballot election by
members of council, Steffler will
serve as the warden for 2014, the last
year before the warden’s term is
extended to two years.
“I’ve strived for this for a lot of
years,” Steffler said through his
tears, “and I did it.”
After Steffler took his oath of
office, and eventually his seat at the
head of council, he was welcomed
by Archdeacon Allan Livingstone of
St. George’s Anglican Church of
Goderich.
“God loves a man who’s got a
little emotion,” he told Steffler, “so
thank you.”
He told councillors that 15 years
earlier, before he had retired and
began his career in municipal
politics, he made a promise to
himself that he would one day run
for warden.
Steffler said Huron County has all
the tools to be successful, it’s just a
matter of putting them to work.
“I think Huron County is a leader,”
he said. “We have everything here,
all we have to do is promote it.”
Steffler, who worked for in the
Huron County Roads Department
for 35 years, said the county is the
best employer in the county, but it
has worked its way up from humble
beginnings.
“I started working for the county
for 55 cents an hour, getting paid
once a month, working 55 hours a
week,” he said.
To see how the county has grown,
not only as a place to live, but as an
employer, he said, has been great to
experience.
During his term, Steffler said, he
hopes to focus on bringing
manufacturing and industry to
Huron County, while emphasizing
economic development.
“I believe in [Huron County] and I
will promote it,” he told councillors.
Steffler was nominated for the
position by Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van
Diepenbeek, who said Steffler is
very active in both his community
and his church.
If Steffler was elected as warden,
Van Diepenbeek said, “I’m
confident we will not be
disappointed.”
Versteeg was nominated by
Bluewater’s Tyler Hessel, a younger
member of council who said he had
learned a lot from Versteeg in his
three years as a councillor alongside
him.
He described Versteeg as a level-
headed councillor who always came
to meetings prepared. Hessel said
that while he may not have always
agreed with Versteeg, he found
Versteeg’s points to be well-thought-
out and justifiable.
Versteeg said council had achieved
a lot in the last three years, but there
was still more work to be done.
He said he looked at the
consultant’s report by George Cuff
as a “catalyst” for change in the
county that has spurred council on to
better things.
While council held its December
committee of the whole meetings on
Dec. 9 and Dec. 11, Steffler’s first
meeting where he will serve as
warden will be on Wednesday, Jan. 8
beginning at 9 a.m. in Goderich.
“ Almost 100 years ago, a group of people had an idea,
and that idea became Blyth Memorial Community Hall.
Almost 40 years ago, a group of people had an idea, that
idea became the Blyth Festival. 14/19 is another group of
people with an idea - to create a cultural hub in Blyth that
reaches county wide, country wide. Be a part of it.”
PETE SMITH
PROJECT DIRECTOR
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 23