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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-04-14, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011. Reader questions funding for universal childcare program McGavin weighs in on severance discussion Lobb’s comments questioned Hike for Hospice celebrates its eighth year THE EDITOR, I thought I should add my experience regarding severances of property allowing building on land with improper differences. A customer told me how his father had passed away shortly after they built a second home on their farm. Their mother wanted to move to town so they sold the new house. Hearing all the horror stories of neighbour complaints, they put on the deed that this was agriculture land and no complaints regarding noise, dust or smell would be entertained. The farmer promised to call the owners when they were going to spread manure or spray so they would know to shut windows and not put clothes out to dry. The house has been sold twice and the original wording is still on the deed and they have never had a complaint. I suggested this idea to the planning people and they said it would be a lawyer’s field day to have such a policy. Huron County is, in my opinion, the leading agriculture area in Ontario and we are letting people in Toronto tell us how to run it. Where is our backbone and who knows better what is best for Huron than the people who live in it? We need the extra houses and the people who will live in the community. We also need the extra tax base. I know the planning department will say putting it on the deed can’t be done but it was done when you tried to sell your house with a certain insulation still in it. We have more people telling us what can’t be done than those who encourage forward thinking. Let’s make Huron grow rather than decline and be the leaders not the sheep. Neil McGavin. THE EDITOR, Spring is just around the corner and that means one thing for sure. Time for the Eighth Annual National Hike for Hospice. We will be hosting one hike in Huron County this year. It will be at a new site as well, the East Street Station in Goderich. We are seeking your support for the hike in many ways, supporting hikers with a pledge, hiking yourself and getting sponsors, if you are a business, consider sponsoring our hike in some way, or simply find more information about hospice/palliative care yourself. If you are interested in learning more about Huron Hospice Volunteer Service, please visit the website www.huronhospice.ca We provide respite care for families facing a life limiting illness of one of their family members. After the death of a loved one, we offer grief and bereavement sessions to adults and to children. Huron Hospice partners with the local schools and offers The Rainbow program to school-aged children who have experienced a loss, either by death or divorce or separation. Children often suffer the most because the significant adults in their lives are grieving so much that they are unaware how much pain children suffer. Rainbows is offered once a year, throughout Huron County based on where the registrations come from. Huron Hospice provides this program at no cost to families. If you cannot hike with us in Goderich this year, please consider making a donation to a neighbour or go online to www.hikeforhospice.com and click on the hike logo and make your donation. The history of hospice/palliative care support in Huron County goes back 18 years with five community groups offering support in Clinton, Goderich, Seaforth, Wingham and Exeter. Huron Hospice was formed 15 years ago when the three Central Huron programs partnered together to offer services to residents of Central Huron. In 2005, Wingham and Area Palliative Care joined with Huron Hospice to now include North Huron. Huron Hospice Volunteer Service is a member agency of Perth-Huron United Way and the hike is one of our major fundraisers of the year. Every dollar raised at the local level remains local to support the fine work that the volunteers and staff perform for in your communities. Get out your runners and tie up your laces and join us Sunday, May 1 in Goderich, be part of our caring communities, be part of thousands of Canadians hiking right across Canada. Thank you. Kay Mailloux, Chair Huron Hospice. THE EDITOR, I just watched federal Liberal Michael Ignatieff state there will not be a tax increase with this universal childcare program. If the Provincial Government agrees to this program, I bet they have to operate it and fund it to 50 per cent of the cost. The money will have to come from existing program cuts or new taxes. The next alternative will be the provincial government will fund part of the program and the municipal government will have to fund the remainder i.e. - property tax increase. So you and I, the taxpayer(s), will be on the hook for these tax increases. I would like to point out to two working parents with one child, you will have possibly up to three years of relief before kindergarten. You have to remember you will be paying taxes on this program as long as you pay income taxes and possibly property taxes. Parents with more children will have a greater advantage but then too will have to pay into the future for it. So much for truth. Yours truly, Barry Currie Brussels. THE EDITOR, In the last issue of The Focus,MP Ben Lobb was quoted as saying that the government was defeated on the budget. He further hinted that measures attractive to the farming community were included in the budget and that the other parties, by voting the budget down, had effectively made those measures null and void. This is a complete falsehood and the record needs to be set straight. The Harper government, for the first time in Canadian history, was found in contempt of Parliament. When a government has committed fraud, has refused to be forthright on financial costs of major expenditures, has cheated on election financing, it is the responsibility of the other parties to bring that government down in a vote of non-confidence. So, to correct Mr. Lobb, the government was defeated because of the contempt charge and not on its less-than-adequate budget. The people of Huron-Bruce need to be aware of this very important difference and need to question the statements of the former MP. If we want to elect a government that is stable, we need to elect a member and a government that are honest with us. And we need to elect a government that is willing to work with the other parties, not to sabotage their efforts, so that Canada can move forward into the future. Ross Hemingway. THE PROJECT: The County of Huron is planning to carry out repairs to the Londesboro Road Bridge, which is located immediately east of the community of Londesborough on County Road 15. The structure spans a tributary of the Maitland River (Pollard Municipal Drain). The rehabilitation project would involve the replacement/repair of deteriorated bridge components. This will include the replacement of the existing concrete railings with solid concrete barriers or parapet walls and concrete repairs to the deck. At this time, it is anticipated that the bridge rehabilitation would be completed during the 2011 construction season. The affected road section of Londesboro Road would remain open during the construction period; however lane restrictions would be necessary. THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCREENING PROCESS: The planning for this project is following the environmental screening process set out for Schedule B activities under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) document. The purpose of the screening process is to identify any potential environmental impacts associated with the project and to plan for appropriate mitigation of any impacts. The process includes consultation with the public, stakeholders and government review agencies. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT: For further information on this project please contact the consulting engineers: B.M. Ross and Associates, 62 North Street, Goderich, Ontario, N7A 2T4. Telephone (519) 524-2641. Fax (519) 524-4403. Attention: Kelly Vader, Environmental Planner (e-mail: kvader@bmross.net). A Screening Report documenting the environmental assessment process will be available at the Municipality of Central Huron administration offices, 23 Albert Street, Clinton during normal hours of operation, as of April 18, 2011. If environmental concerns arise regarding the project which cannot be resolved in discussion with the County of Huron, a person or party may request that the Minister of the Environment make an order for the project to comply with Part II of the Environmental Assessment Act which addresses individual environmental assessments. Requests must be received by the Minister at the address below within 30 calendar days of this Notice. A copy of the request must also be sent to the consulting engineers at the above address. If there is no request received by May 13, 2011 the project will proceed as planned. Minister of the Environment 135 St. Clair Avenue West 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M4V 1P5 This Notice issued April 13, 2011 Dave Laurie, Director of Public Works County of Huron NOTICE OF COMPLETION COUNTY OF HURON MUNICIPAL CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR REHABILITATION OF THE LONDESBORO ROAD BRIDGE Belgrave 519-357-2711 BELGRAVE CO-OP Auburn 519-526-7262 AUBURN CO-OP Order yours today by calling your local Huron Bay Co-operative Order by Pick up April 26 May 24 May 17 June 14 Chick Days Are Here Again! Get Your All Natural Vegetable Protein Chick Feed Here! Other Birds Available: Egg Layers • Turkeys • Ducks Letters to the Editor BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen