The Citizen, 2012-03-15, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012. PAGE 11. After deciding that Huron County
Council would move on from the
issue of council composition
numbers that has dominated
conversation for months, it has once
again reared its head at the March 7
council meeting.
Huron County Warden Bernie
MacLellan told council that both
sides had agreed that after the
Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision,
whatever the decision was, councilwould accept it and move on.Essentially the decision stated thatthere would be no further appeals of
the appeal.
MacLellan said he didn’t even
read the details explaining the
decision handed down by Judges
Weiler, Sharpe and Blair on Feb. 21,
stating that Huron County Council
should remain at its reduced size of
16 members. The decision
eliminated one council each from
Huron East, Central Huron, North
Huron and South Huron.
The decision upheld the original
appeal decision made late last year
by Superior Court Justice Kelly-Ann
Gorman.
The issue came up once again
when an e-mail was sent by SouthHuron Councillor and former HuronCounty Councillor David Frayne.Frayne cited recent census numbers
that stated South Huron’s population
sat at 9,945 in 2011, well over the
8,000 residents needed to have a
third representative at the Huron
County Council table.
Frayne stated, in the e-mail, that
there would be no further legal
challenge necessary and that he
would be ready to re-join Huron
County Council at any time.
Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt
was the first to speak, stating that the
bylaw should be followed.
“We should follow the bylaw and
what’s reported at the time of the
election,” Shewfelt said. “How many
lessons do they need? Follow thebylaw.”No action was taken, butcouncillors did say the issue of
Huron County Council composition
should be revisited at a strategic
planning meeting soon.
Later in the meeting Ashfield-
Colborne-Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van
Diepenbeek said the issue should be
addressed because a lot of
councillors are not happy with how
it currently sits and how confusing it
has been.
“This might take some time,” said
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn. “It
requires a triple majority, so it will
go through several drafts and we
have a year and a half to complete it.
“I think we need to discuss this
and I think we need to get startednow.”Van Diepenbeek suggested thatthe process should start as soon as
April.
MacLellan agreed, saying that
getting started earlier, rather than
later, was probably a good idea, as
the first meeting would likely not go
well with the number of different
opinions around the table.
“It’s important that we start those
discussions,” said Bluewater’s Tyler
Hessel. “Everyone has their own
opinion and they all need to be
heard. It will likely take a day.”
The meeting was set for April 20
and councillors have planned for the
strategic planning meeting to take
the entire day.
County
art show
needs
artists
Huron County artists are invited
to submit work to the 12th Huron
County Art Show a judged
competition to collect local art for
the Huron County Art Bank. First,
second and third-place winning
entries will receive a purchase
award of $1,000, $800 and $700
respectively. Winning entries
become the property of the County
of Huron and join the Huron
County Art Bank to furnish
the public areas of County
buildings with the talent of our
local artists.
Submissions will be accepted at
the Huron County Museum at 110
North Street, Goderich until 4:30
p.m. on Saturday, March 31. See
www.huroncounty.ca/museum/artb
ank.php or call the museum at 519-
524-2686 for full information and
regulations. All submitted work
will be on public display at the
Huron County Museum between
April 23 and Sept. 2. Regular
admission rates apply. Artists other
than the first, second and third-
place winners may offer their work
for sale during this time.
The Huron County Art Show is
one of several initiatives made
possible by a generous bequest
from the Estate of Susannah
Lattimer to the Corporation of
the County of Huron. When the
proposal to establish the Art
Bank was made to County
Council in 1997, it was anticipated
that the funds would provide
for 30 to 35 works to be
collected over approximately 10
years.
The 12th Huron County Art
Show will be the final competition
made possible through the funding
of the Lattimer bequest. The
previous 11 shows have collected
33 works of art for the Huron
County Art Bank, preserving the
legacy of Huron County artists for
future generations.
Census causes composition issue to resurfaceBy Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen
#3 And
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Harder!
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