HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-01-05, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012. PAGE 19. Tornado devastates Goderich and area in late AugustContinued from page 13McCutcheon and Matt Cardiff allexpressed a desire for the title.The first-ever Phillips StudioSeries was set to begin at the Blyth
Festival with The Hanging of
Françoise Laurent and Miss
Caledonia. Both plays garnered rave
reviews at the 2010 SummerWorks
festival in Toronto.
After receiving a $25,000 Trillium
grant earlier in the year, the Auburn
playground was officially approved
by Central Huron.
Ground was officially broken on
the Habitat for Humanity project on
Sports Drive in Brussels. The family
of the late Henry Exel was on hand
to break ground.
All of Huron County paused when
a devastated F3 category tornado
thrashed through Goderich and parts
of Central Huron and ACW.
In addition to millions of dollars
worth of damage, one man was dead
as a result of the tornado. Norman
Laberge, 61, was working at the
Sifto Salt mine in Goderich when
the tornado hit and there wasn’t
enough time for him to reach safety.
Jim Johnston of Blyth was also
severely injured in the tornado.
Serious damage was done to his leg
as a result of a trailer being blown
over him by the tornado.
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty
travelled to Goderich to assess the
situation personally and pledge $5
million in aid to the people of
Goderich and the surrounding area.
Provincial NDP leader Andrea
Horwath visited Brussels to support
Grant Robertson in his bid to
become Huron-Bruce MPP.
The Blyth Legion received a$45,000 Trillium grant for anextensive renovation project to thebuilding. The first phase of theproject will cost $100,000 with the
Legion and the Legion Ladies
Auxiliary raising the $65,000, more
than necessary. The remaining funds
would go towards the second phase
of the project.
Ground was officially broken on
the new AMDSB school in
Wingham with Huron-Bruce MPP
Carol Mitchell doing the honours.
The Huron County Federation of
Agriculture and the Ontario
Federation of Agriculture held a
joint celebration highlighting 70 and
75 years in the world of agriculture
respectively.
The Emergency Services Training
Centre held its grand opening on the
same weekend as the 50th annual
reunion of the Huron Pioneer
Thresher and Hobby Association in
Blyth.
Huron East Council decided that
the Brussels Library would be
renovated, despite a decision being
made years ago to build a new
library.
The final Belgrave, Blyth and
Brussels School Fair was held
featuring exhibits from the fair’s
decades-long history in the
community.
A pair of dancers from Blyth, Les
Cook and Anne Elliott, took home
the grand prize at a Dancing with the
Stars fundraiser in Goderich. The
fundraiser helped benefit Huron
Victim Services.
Conservative Lisa Thompson was
elected as the new MPP for Huron-
Bruce, defeating long-time
representative Carol Mitchell.
Thompson defeated Mitchell by
nearly 4,500 votes, 42.7 per cent of
the riding’s vote share.
Blyth native and aviation pioneer
Lorna deBlicquy was honoured by
being placed on a stamp. An open
house was held at the Blyth post
office to honour the release of the
stamp.
Blyth resident Bill Knott called for
North Huron Deputy-Reeve David
Riach’s resignation after an
interaction Knott called an abuse of
power.
It was disclosed that clean-up and
restoration at the Goderich
Courthouse, after the Aug. tornado,
was costing $150,000 per day, a
figure that was to be split up among
the Ontario Courts, Huron County
and the county’s insurance provider.
The Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey
Association announced that the
London Knights of the Ontario
Hockey League would be coming to
Blyth for a practice and an
autograph signing.
The Blyth Festival announced its
2012 season, with Artistic Director
Eric Coates saying the season would
focus on farmers.
It was announced that a Huron
County EMS rapid response vehicle
would be stationed at the Emergency
Services Training Centre in Blyth.
The Central Huron Community
Complex was officially opened with
a ribbon-cutting ceremony held the
same night the Toronto Maple Leafs
alumni team took to the ice.
Councillors throughout Huron
County were waiting patiently for a
decision on the composition of
Huron County Council from
Superior Court Justic Kelly-Anne
Gorman. Gorman heard arguments
from both sides on Nov. 9 in
Goderich before rendering her
decision.
Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thomp-
son was officially sworn into her
position at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Blyth-based architect and Brussels
native John Rutledge said he would
present Huron East Council with
plans for the soon-to-be-renovated
Brussels Library before the end of
the year.
John Bokhout and Blake
Hesselwood, both 22, perished in a
house fire in Bonnyville, Alberta.
The pair had moved west to work for
an oil drilling company in Alberta.
Both were planning on returning to
Blyth for the holidays.
After receiving word from Waste
Management that it would be pulling
out of all Central Huron routes in the
new year, Central Huron Council
began to investigate providing waste
and recycling co-collection
throughout the municipality.
Four Huron County Council
representatives, one each from North
Huron, Huron East, Central Huron
and South Huron were informed
they were no longer needed after
Superior Court Justice Gorman
rendered her decision.
The ribbon was cut on the new
playground equipment in Auburn
after a lengthy local fundraising
effort.
Central Huron Council launched
an official appeal of Gorman’s
decision, which would be joined by
Huron East Council later that month.
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan was acclaimed to the
position of Huron County Warden
on Dec. 7.
The Blyth BIA named its first-ever
executive ahead of its first meeting
in January.
Goderich devastated
Goderich was devastated by an F3 tornado in late August and the residents of the town are
still picking up the pieces today and trying to rebuild their lives. Shown here is Courthouse
Park, located on The Square in Canada’s Prettiest Town, which, prior to the tornado, was
home to dozens of trees and didn’t at all resemble the barren landscape that is seen here.
(File photo)
September
2011
October
2011
Representing
Aware that this would be their final year representing Blyth Public School in the annual
Belgrave, Blyth and Brussels School fair in Belgrave, students from Blyth Public School
donned their school jerseys to make sure people knew they wouldn’t forget their time at the
school. Shown is the Blyth Grade 7/8 class carrying their banner and cheering loudly for their
school during the Sept. 14 school fair. (Denny Scott photo)
November
2011
December
2011