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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-07-28, Page 18PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2011. .Classified Advertisements Tenders Tenders Municipality of Morris-Turnberry Tenders for Snow Removal Snow Plow Equipment is required for the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry for the 2011-2012, 2012-2013 seasons with an option for the 2013-2014 season. Required is: 1 (one) Truck, being either a tandem or tri-axle mounted with snow plow and sander, OR 1 (one) Grader with snow plow equipment. Clearly marked, sealed tenders will be received by the undersigned on a form supplied by the Municipality until 12 noon Friday, August 12, 2011. Lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted. Nancy Michie Administrator Clerk-Treasurer Municipality of Morris-Turnberry 41342 Morris Rd., PO Box 310, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0 Email: nmichie@morristurnberry.ca Telephone: 519-887-6137 Fax: 519-887-6424 Getting their hands dirty Maisy Jefferson, left, and Grace Hildebrand, both of Auburn, both participated in the recent MedQUEST camp that took place. Both F.E. Madill Secondary School students have expressed an interest in pursuing a career in the healthcare field. (Photo submitted) Recent changes to the way liquor licences are distributed through the province could create problems for several community events going forward says Huron East Clerk- Administrator Brad Knight. A recent request from the Ethel Minor Ball Committee asking that Huron East Council declare its August 26-28 men’s slo-pitch tournament as a municipally significant event piqued the interest of several councillors on the issue. The request came to councillors at their July 19 meeting, the same night an identical request came asking to declare the Walton TransCan a municipally significant event. Having never really seen the term before, Councillor Andy Flowers asked Knight what a municipally significant event is, to which Knight responded, “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask that.” Knight said the distribution of liquor licences has been changed drastically for events not being held at facilities with their own licences. For example, organizers of an event at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre would not have to worry, as the facility is licenced under the municipality’s licence. Events held at unlicenced locations seeking one-time licences, however, such as the Ethel Ball Park or the Walton Raceway, are now judged differently by the province. The parameters are still be developed, Knight said, so he would likely know a lot more about the issue in the next two or three months, but as he understands it, events such as these have to be declared a significant event, either through the municipality, the province or the country. These requirements kick in if the event isn’t being organized by a municipality, a not-for-profit organization or a charity. Knight said he spoke to a local representative for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) who said the new regulations are even baffling many of them. Knight said it took hours for them to be fully explained to him. “They’re really working through some issues,” Knight said. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the events that used to always receive licences don’t get them anymore.” In addition to the new regulations, there are also increased timelines that could hinder organizations. “The letters could be submitted without enough time and it could not even be the right letter,” Knight said. At the time Knight was unsure if the new regulations would have affected this year’s Brussels FunFest. He said he was at the LCBO store in Brussels last week, just a week before the FunFest and the permit had yet to be issued. “They submitted their request this year the same way they have for the last 39 years,” Knight said. Because many of these events will take place on municipal property (specifically the Brussels FunFest, which took place on the municipality’s property, as well as the municipality’s new pavilion) there could be some liability issues down the road as well Knight said. “It’s going to be very difficult for an individual to host an event where the intent is to make money,” Knight said. New regulations could make licensing difficult Green jobs strategy wins Ontario award By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Morris-Turnberry keeps CP Rail land Morris-Turnberry councillors have decided not to sell part of the old CP Rail right-of-way north of Wingham. Council had been approached, at its July 5 meeting, by Frederick Friendorf of RR 1, Wingham about purchasing the land which adjoins his property. He said he had been cutting grass and weeds on the property for several years and thought if he was going to maintain it, he might as well own it. Council had put off a decision until its July 19 meeting. At that meeting Nancy Michie, administrator, clerk-treasurer explained that in order to sell the land council would need to declare it surplus to municipal needs. It would then require two appraisals of the land’s value before offering it for sale. Councillor Jamie Heffer led off the debate by saying he was not in favour of selling. “It is my opinion that we should maintain that property ourselves,” Heffer said. “I think we should keep it but we should tree it or maintain it,” agreed Councillor John Smuck. Mayor Paul Gowing agreed that the property might be a location for Morris-Turnberry to plant trees to add to the tree inventory of the municipality. Heffer made a motion to maintain ownership of the property and to develop a plan to plant trees on it. The motion was approved. By Keith Roulston The Citizen In 2009, the communities throughout Midwestern Ontario suffered an economic blow. The near collapse of the auto industry meant that the region needed to look elsewhere for areas of economic opportunity that would boost industry and create new jobs. That area was the green economy. The Midwestern Ontario Regional Green Jobs Strategy was formed to assess local challenges and opportunities related to the emerging green economy. The Midwestern Ontario Regional Green Jobs Strategy is a partner- ship between seven Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs): the Bruce CFDC (Kincardine), the Elgin Business Resource Centre (St. Thomas), Huron Business Development Corporation (Seaforth), the CFDC of Middlesex County (Komoka), the Perth CFDC (Milverton), the Saugeen Business Development Corporation (Neustadt), and the Wellington-Waterloo CFDC (Elora). These CFDCs recently received the Community Strategic Planning Award at the annual conference of the Ontario Association of Community Futures Development Corporation in Niagara Falls, for the Midwestern Ontario Regional Green Jobs Strategy. Paul Nichol, the Economic Development Manager at the Huron Business Development Corporation, says, “We’ve been looking for a number of years at three main- streams of our local economy: renewable energy, both the manufacturing and the service sides; energy efficiency; and also climate change mitigation and adaptation. Really what we’ve been trying to do is see these as econo- mic drivers for the area and talk to our landowners, talk to our communities, and talk to our businesses and figure out how we can best capture economic opportunities.” But why focus on the green economy? The answer is simple, according to Joan van der Meer of Brussels, the Project Manager of the Midwestern Ontario Green Jobs Strategy. “We have wind, we have sun, we have land, we have potential to produce crops for biomass and we have some really creative people,” she says. One of those creative people is Jasmin Hofer, CEO of Energrow Inc. Her company designs and manufactures oilseed pressing systems and complementary equipment for farmers. She is well aware of the benefits of develop- ing the green economy: “It grows research, it increases investments, it has local businesses developing products, which makes more jobs and that’s a very good thing.” The Midwestern Ontario Green Jobs strategy is ensuring that midwestern Ontario reaps the full benefits of the emerging green economy. The economic advantages are clear and for those in the community looking to save on energy costs, reduce their carbon footprint and have a positive impact on the environment, the Green Job Strategy has been a tremendous asset. The success of the Green Jobs Strategy and its dedication to the future economic development of the region is ongoing. There are 61 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) across rural and Northern Ontario. They offer free business counselling, loans for start- up and expansion of small business, strategic planning on local projects, and community economic development. Each CFDC is locally managed by a volunteer board of directors, funded by Industry Canada’s Community Futures Program through FedNor in Northern Ontario, and FedDev Ontario in Southern and Eastern Ontario. To learn more about CFDCs in Ontario or the OACFDC visit: www.ontcfdc.com