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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-09-20, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2012.Teachers storm Thompson’s office in protest Holding their ground A group of disgruntled teachers made their way to Blyth on Friday to show Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson that they disagree with her stance on ongoing teacher/government negotia- tions. (Denny Scott photo) Huron East Council defeated a motion to support Huron County’s mandatory septic system inspection program. At the Sept. 4 meeting of Huron East Council, Mayor Bernie MacLellan stepped out of the chair’s position to discuss the topic, handing that duty off to Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler, saying he should speak to the topic as Huron County Warden. MacLellan, in fact, was late to the Tuesday night meeting, as he was appearing in a similar capacity at the Bluewater Council meeting, which began at 7 p.m. that night. Several councillors began the pres- entation skeptical of the program as MacLellan attempted to sell it to them. “This is a lot better than it was originally,” MacLellan said. MacLellan said that after a meet- ing with area haulers, it was agreed that the program would be rolled out in conjunction with the haulers who would pump the tanks, record the information and have digital cam- eras provided to them by Huron County. There would then be a certification process where area haulers would be certified by Huron County as an approved pump-out service, which would be the only requirement to be involved in the program. MacLellan said that there are ways to ensure residents comply to the program. If, after multiple requests to pump out the tank are made, the home-owner still refuses, then the county can go onto the property, have the tank pumped and bill it back to the home-owner. Councillor Larry McGrath said he felt the program was “a total waste of money” and if Huron County wants a mandatory pump out sys- tem, to implement that in a five-year cycle. “I don’t need a bureaucracy like Huron County,” McGrath said. “The next thing they’ll do is hire more people.” MacLellan, however, insists that the program will use just one full- time employee at the county level and be complemented by the haulers and summer students who will help implement the program throughout the summer. “I don’t agree with it whatsoever,” McGrath concluded. McGrath said that if the goal is to ensure that residents are pumping their septic tanks every five years, that task can be accomplished through a mail-out, not a complete program with employees and sum- mer students. “We want consistency. We want everyone to be treated the same,” MacLellan said. “We want everyone following the same set of rules.” The program, like the bylaw on the composition of Huron County Members of teachers’ unions aswell as their supporters gathered infront of Huron-Bruce LisaThompson’s Blyth constituencyoffice on Friday afternoon to expresstheir disdain over Thompson’s voteto limit the striking powers of teach- ers. Jeff Denys, a teacher at Central Huron Secondary School as well as a local representative of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, said that the group, for only having one day to organize, had an impressive amount of people show up for the event and, during his speech he visited one point consis- tently: the fight will happen for the rights of the teachers and their union partners and it is just begin- ning. After having representatives “plas- ter” Thompson’s door with sticky notes filled out with their feelings on recent government action regarding negotiations between teachers and their boards, Denys spoke and wel- comed local NDP representative and former teacher Willi Laurie to speak to the group. Laurie said she was reminded of when former Ontario Premier Bob Rae was suggesting changes in labour in Ontario when she was in a similar protest in Exeter and said that everyone there was standing together just as they were in front ofThompson’s office. “They were attacking programsthen and they are doing that now,”she said. “This will be a big fight.”She said that, during the days ofFormer Ontario Premier Mike Harrisand Rae, she and her fellow teachersnegotiated with the government and that the results of that are being felt by current teachers. “It bothers me that we negotiated against our own people,” she said. “But this time we will say no. There will be no two-tiered system.” She said that labour communities are watching the teachers right now and that they aren’t being self- ish because teachers are fighting this fight for other organizations that may run into it in the future. Both Laurie’s and Denys’ speech- es brought condemning shouts of “Shame” against the government and policymakers as the two called for support and change in the way the government was treating them with the passing of Bill 115 which freezes their salaries and prevents them from striking legally. Locally, teachers will hold a strike vote on Sept. 20 prior to the negotia- tion period with the local board. Denys said he anticipated the vote will indicate that striking could be an option if negotiations don’t go well. Huron East Council denies county septic program Hydrating for a good cause While lots of places will be holding coffee breaks for the Alzheimer Society in the near future, Blyth had a one-of-a- kind Lemonade Stand put on by 5-year-old Kyrah Haak on Sept. 6. Haak raised just over $400 for the Alzheimer Society of Huron County. She served ice tea, lemonade, snacks and coffee because she wanted to help “someone who really needs it.” The money raised through the lemon- ade stand, as well as through other coffee breaks, stays in Huron to support the society and the programs they run. For more information, visit www.alzheimer.ca/huroncounty or call 519-482-1482. (Denny Scott photo)www.frankmills.com Tickets available at the Blyth Festival Box Office or by calling 1-877-862-5984 Also available online at www.blythfestival.com SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012 – 3 PM BLYTH MEMORIAL HALL Subscribe to The Citizen and have a monthly chance to WIN A PIZZA 422 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4303 Once a month we will draw a name of someone who has renewed their subscription or bought a new subscription toThe Citizen to win a GIFT CERTIFICATEfor a LARGE 4-ITEM PIZZA from By Denny ScottThe Citizen By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 20