HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-01-14, Page 1Devastating blaze
Clinton firefighters responded to a downtown blaze in Clinton early on Tuesday morning.
Departments from Seaforth and Goderich were called in to assist in fighting the fire which
within a few short hours had become an inferno that was threatening neighbouring buildings.
At time of press Huron OPP said that the Salvation Army Thrift Store sustained extensive
damage and that no casualties had been reported. No further details were available. Portions
of Huron Road, Albert, Ontario and Rattenbury Streets were closed. (Joanne Josling photo)
Council rejects
hiring freeze
for county staff
A committee of the whole
recommendation for a hiring freeze
on new staff for the county didn’t
make it through council.
At the Jan. 6 meeting of Huron
County council, the
recommendation was defeated
following some debate.
Huron East councillor Joe Seili
had made the motion at the Dec. 9
committee meeting, asking that the
freeze be put in place until a service
delivery review was completed.
However, last week, Central Huron
councillor John Bezaire proposed
what he felt was a friendly amendment
to the motion, which wouldn’t stop
hirings but would instead allow them
with council approval.
“If there were to be provincial or
federal programs that would give
department heads an opportunity,
I’m fearful the ‘blanketness’ of this
would inhibit some of them from
doing what needs to be done,” said
Bezaire. “I agree with the spirit of
the motion but feel we could miss
some opportunities.”
Chief administrative officer Larry
Adams, however, said that as
Bezaire’s idea changes the context
of the motion, it could not be a
friendly amendment. He explained
that Bezaire could made his own
motion if the original was defeated
by council.
Councillor Bernie MacLellan of
Huron East wondered if council
couldn’t pass the recommendation
then should a situation arise where a
hiring was necessary, make a motion
that would supercede it
Adams said it could be done but it
would require a two-thirds vote.
Seili argued for his original
motion saying that its intent was to
get a timeline on the service delivery
review.
“We’ve talked about this for two
years. This was meant to get the job
done. As far as I’m concerned 100
per cent government funding still
costs us money. People can’t afford
to live in this county. We have to
start standing up and saying no or
there’s no point in us being here.
We’re wasting taxpayers’ money.”
Bezaire however said that the
motion could be tying staff’s hands.
“We are bound by legislation to do
certain things. For example,” he
said, “the Ministry of Long-Term
Care can go to the homes and tell
them to do something and with this
motion it’s possible we are asking
staff to turn around and say no.”
Bezaire said he felt his motion
would allow the county to control
staffing but in a way that allowed the
department heads some leeway.
MacLellan, while saying he
appreciated Bezaire’s concerns felt
they were unfounded. “I would be
some upset if the province went to
staff with (an opportunity) and it
didn’t then come to this council. We
can supercede this.”
Others didn’t feel it would be that
easy and weren’t ready to take the
risk. Central Huron’s Tim Collyer
used the mandatory septic
inspection program that the county
is working towards and the
qualifications required as an
example. “How do we carry on
gung-ho when we can’t hire the
proper people?”
Bezaire reminded that if the
recommendation were to pass, staff
wanting to hire someone would have
to bring it to council and a two-
thirds vote would be required to
change it. “Do you think staff is
going to ask this council to lift their
own motion?”
Seili was unswayed, however. “I
would like the SDR done while I’m
still on this side of the grass and I’m
still a fairly young fellow. It’s time
to say to the public we have to look
at what we’re doing and get it done.
This is a business and we have
taxpayers who can’t pay their taxes
that are paying these bills.”
Bezaire called for a recorded vote,
which resulted in the defeat of
Seili’s motion by 10-8.
Bezaire then made a motion that
all new positions be approved by
motion of county council. In a
recorded vote this passed with Seili
as the only dissenting vote.
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010
Volume 26 No. 2NEWS- Pg. 10Local Bantam curlersadvance BUSINESS - Pg. 17 Company launches dealwith MicrosoftSPORTS- Pg. 8Girls shine at hockeytournamentPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 PAP Registration No. 09244 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Snow little fun for snowmobilers
Despite the recent frigid
temperatures, there just hasn’t been
enough snow to sustain a consistent
base for snowmobiling through the
area.
As of Monday, trails through the
Brussels and Walton area, as well as
the North Huron area were open in
limited areas due to a lack of snow
according to the Ontario Federation
of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC)
website at www.ofsc.on.ca
Many of the trails throughout
Huron and Perth Counties were
either closed or open for limited
usage.
Through Brussels, the only trail
that was in good shape, says Mervyn
Bauer is the 109 trail, which runs
north and south from Seaforth up to
Listowel.
“Most of our trails just aren’t in
good shape,” Bauer said. “There just
isn’t enough snow. We need snow,
but we can barely find enough to
groom the one trail we have that’s
open.”
East and west through the area has
been a problem, Bauer said, with
everything south of Cranbrook
remaining short on snow and unsafe
to travel.
The same can be said for North
Huron says Bruce Howson. Trails
are open, but limited and there are
still a lot of spots that can be
dangerous if the proper amount of
caution isn’t exercised.
“We need more snow,” Howson
said. “It’s starting to get a little
better, but people have got to be so
cautious out there and drive very
slow through some of these plowed
fields.”
While Howson says a lot of
snowmobilers were out on the North
Huron trails over the weekend,
grooming, especially through some
of the area’s plowed fields, has been
difficult.
Trails through Blyth, Clinton,
Goderich and St. Helens, groomed
by the North Huron Trail Groomers
were also opened for limited use on
Monday.
Things aren’t much better
surrounding the local trails either,
with the Palmerson Snow Kings
trails also closed as of Monday.
The Wingham Snowmobile Club
also reported that its trails were not
safe for travel and that they were
closed.
Trails running through Milverton
remained closed through Monday.
The snow, however, was slightly
better in the northern municipalities,
with trails through South Bruce,
Grey Bruce east, Meaford,
Southampton, Port Elgin and
Wiarton remaining open for limited
travelling. Trails through Grey Bruce
west and Sauble were also open for
limited usage.
Trails through Walkerton, Paisley,
Tiverton, Kincardine, Lucknow and
Ripley were also open for limited
use.
Trail statuses, however, are
updated as often as daily on the
OFSC website and are constantly
changing.
The Huron County OPP is also
reminding snowmobilers that
obeying trail statuses is not only the
law, but that it’s for their safety.
Every season, OPP media relations
officer Joanna Van Mierlo says 30-
40 people are killed and over 300 are
injured throughout Canada while
snowmobiling.
Most of these incidents occur off
of safe trails and involve illegal
activities such as alcohol, high
speeds or riding after dark. Two
snowmobilers lost their lives last
year in Huron County.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen