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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-01, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2011. PAGE 17. Barn parties alright: EveredContinued from page 15were to happen, Evered said, thelocal fire chief and any municipalcouncillors who knew of the alternative usages going on could be liable for countless lawsuits, civil suits and up to 10 years in prison. Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn then clarified Evered’s statements, making sure he understood them exactly, ensuring that no liability would fall back on Central Huron Fire Chief Steve Cooke or council itself as the result of a party held in some sort of agricultural building, accepting that it was not a regular occurrence or a money-making venture being promoted locally as a venue. “So if it’s a one-off like a 4-H meeting or a family picnic,” Ginn asked, “We don’t have a problem?” Evered responded by saying “pretty well”. He said that if the primary use of the building is for agriculture, there may be some safety issues the homeowner should investigate before bringing people in for a function and the fire chief should most certainly be involved. He said that if the fire chief is involved to take a walk through the building and extra precaution istaken, such as implementing a firesafety plan and having ‘no smoking’signs up, and the fire chief is satisfied the building is safe, the homeowner would then take on the responsibility. He said that if items that would be considered unsafe like barrels of gas and oil, farm machinery, etc. were removed, then he didn’t see a problem in hosting an event there. In implementing a fire escape plan, Ginn used the example of a drive shed, a building that typically has 16-20-foot doors on each side of the building, saying it would be a lot safer in the case of a fire than many other buildings in the municipality. “I’ll bet we could get 200 people out of a drive shed faster than we could that new arena that we just built (the Central Huron Community Complex),” he said. “Because the way I read the e-mail, it sounded like no function should be allowed and that the Fire Marshal did have a problem with it.” Ginn said that if these rules were to be imposed by the Ontario Fire Marshal, there would be no way a rural municipality could enforce them even if they wanted to. “Personally, I don’t see an issue,”Evered said. “If I was your firechief, I wouldn’t have an issue withthat.” Evered said he wanted to clarify the regulations because the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office does understand rural communities and understands that the rules have to be different in a rural setting rather than an urban one. He stated that there continues to be a lot of misinformation on the internet, citing specifically a website called www.saveourbarns.ca which has made itself a forum to fight the regulations many rural Ontarians felt were being handed down by the Ontario Fire Marshal. The website features a forum where people can comment and Evered said some of the comments being made are completely misinformed and he wanted to get the proper word out. “There is a blog attached to the website and a lot of the comments are way off base,” Evered said. “There are some really stupid comments on there.” Evered said this clarification would be included in the next ‘communicae’ from the Ontario Community Breakfast Edward Morris manned the hash brown station at Blyth Memorial Hall during the community breakfast there on Nov. 27. The breakfast was hosted by the Blyth Legion and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary. (Denny Scott photo) 155 Anglesea Street, Goderich 519-524-8382 Great Gift Ideas For Everyone Priced right for Christmas gift-giving! Ringing In The Holiday Season Over 1,500 sq. ft. of new selections in home décor, furnishings and Christmas decorations New W o r k w e a r ZON E CO W B O Y BO O T S All Woodwor k i n g Shop Too l s Clearanc e Priced! 44229 Amberley Road west of Molesworth 519-291-4643 www.old86famersmarket.com Monday - Saturday 9 am - 6 pm Sunday 10 am - 5 pm 20%off Sports Apparel December 1 - 4, 2011 Featuring Local Products Christmas Patio Pots Expanded home décor and antique area. Large selection of metal signs ~ Great Gift Idea! Happy Holidays from Greyhaven Gardens We have Available by calling 519-523-9781 Londesboro Gift Cards Continued on page 21