HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-12-09, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2010.Report answers toelection concerns
Fire Officer pleased
by program’s success
For whom the bell tolls
Blyth Memorial Hall’s community bell is in the process of being repaired just
in time for the holiday season as crews were working on the historic building
on Dec. 1. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Christmas tree timer
stolen in Brussels
Network gets message out
THE EDITOR,
Thanks to the thoughtless
thieves with a Grinch attitude,
Brussels downtown no longer
has a decorative tree with
automatic timers in the
Homecoming Gazebo Park.
This year, we were able to
light up the blue spruce to
give the downtown a little
extra holiday cheer. Yes, two
timers have been stolen off of
the three. The elves who
worked so hard last week and
volunteered their time have
been undercut by someone
who chooses to conserve their
power on lights.
Please return the timers to
Solace on Turnberry or
offices nearest the little park.
It is their power, graciously
connected, that our thieves
are stealing from for their
own. We spent $25 each on
the timers, shopped locally,
supported locally and yet,
someone has chosen to steal
from us. Leave them on the
stairs of the office if you want
to remain unknown. You
know who you are. You have
stolen timers from us and
increased hydro costs, but you
can’t steal our Christmas
spirit. Please get back some of
your own Christmas spirit by
returning them.
Concerned Brussels citizens
THE EDITOR,
Canadian HIV/AIDS
Awareness Week has just
finished, World AIDS Day
was Dec. 1. Did HIV even
cross your minds this week?
It has been slipping out of our
country’s focus for the last
few years and now we are
faced with positive HIV tests
rising to 1982 levels.
Human rights are often at
the centre of the epidemic, not
just globally, but here in
Huron County as well. It can
be the issue of equal access to
health care and treatment,
personal privacy,
discrimination or education,
to name just a few, but human
rights play a significant role
in shaping the evolution of
HIV in our country and
county.
Let’s help promote human
rights and make our country a
better place to live for people
and communities living with
and at a greater risk of HIV –
North Huron Township
recently released a report on
what they had done to inform
ratepayers of the October
municipal election.
At the Nov, 15 meeting of
North Huron Council, Clerk
Administrator Gary Long
stated that the report would
be compiled to address
complaints from the public,
as well as candidates,
regarding election
advertisements and
notifications.
Long stated that he
prepared the report to explain
what steps were taken to
inform the public of the
election.
“Interestingly enough, we
did run a total of eight
advertisements in the
Wingham and Blyth papers,”
Long said, adding that the
advertisements stated when
and where voting was to be
held.
Two advertisements in mid-
August stated exactly where
the election was to take place,
but none of the six
subsequent advertisements
stated a location, just the
towns in which the advance
polls and polling stations
were held. The remaining six
advertisements dealt with
who can vote (two
advertisements, one per
newspaper), how to be
nominated and run (two
advertisements, one per
newspaper) and a list of
meetings that is produced bi-
monthly that mentioned the
election (printed in both
newspapers).
The report does say that the
information was available on
the town’s website.
The report stated that,
between The Wingham
Advance Times and The
Citizen, $1132.82 was spent
on placed advertisements.
Blyth Ward Councillor
Brock Vodden stated that he
had done some research and
found no advertisements for
the election in the two weeks
prior to the voting day. This
was validated in the report as
the last advertisments placed
were on Oct. 6 (in The
Wingham Advance Times)
and Oct. 7 (in The Citizen),
nearly three weeks before the
election.
Vodden added, at the Nov.
15 meeting, that the report
should not take on a defensive
tone.
“We don’t want to put out a
defensive report, that will put
a worse angle on it than there
already is,” he said at the
Nov. 15 meeting. “We missed
the boat, we have to face it
and acknowledge it.
“I don’t think we can be
defensive,” he continued.
“Too many people found fault
with it.”
The number of people
coming to the Morris-
Turnberry municipal office to
purchase new smoke
detectors has pleased Fire
Safety Officer Jared Cayley.
Reporting to the final
meeting of the outgoing
council, Nov. 30, Cayley said
he was “surprised and very
happy” that 170 at-cost-
priced smoke detectors
had been sold through the
office.
Most of those who had
purchased smoke detectors
seemed to know the legal
requirements to having
working smoke detectors on
every floor of their dwelling,
he said, but 12 per cent of the
purchasers, according to a
questionnaire they filled in,
would now have homes
compliant with regulations
that weren’t before.
Two-thirds of the fire
detectors were sold to Morris
Ward residents. Rural
residents made up 77 per cent
of the sales.
Most people were buying
three detectors which would
match the predominant two-
storey-plus-basement housing
style in the municipality,
Cayley said.
Council authorized the sale
of detectors to continue until
the current supply is
exhausted, at which time it
will be up to the incoming
council to determine the
program’s future.
Caley also reported to
council on the number of fire
calls for the year to date. Up
until Nov. 24 there had been
47 calls into Morris-
Turnberry. North Huron had
attended 39 calls. Huron East
(Brussels) had eight calls.
Howick provided coverage
for six calls.
There were six occasions
when more than one of the
departments was on scene.
Letters to the Editor
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The Citizen
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
Continued on page 7