HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-05-14, Page 1A young Blyth family of five is
left with nothing more than the
clothes on their back, after an early
morning blaze Sunday destroyed
their home.
Blyth fire chief Paul Josling said
Shane Dale had returned home just
before 2:30 a.m. May 8 from a
family celebration. “He opened the
door and the flames met him,” said
Josling.
Dale’s wife, Candace was at work
at the time, while their children
Chase, Nevaeh and Ryder, who are
all under the age of four, were at
their grandparents.
Josling said the fire at the 217
Hamilton St. home is believed to
have been started by a burning
candle. The 1 1/2-storey dwelling is
a “total loss” said Josling, who
estimates the damage at $150,000.
Mrs. Dale’s mother Frances
Bearss said it is expected that
the family will be moving into the
home at the former Campbell
Transport.
While nothing formal had been set
up to assist the family at press time
Monday, Dale’s sister, Shanann
Josling said that anyone who did
have items they’d like to donate
could contact her at 519-523-4988.
A group of concerned North
Huron parents heard three Stratford
principals, past and present, sing the
praises of a Grade 7-12 school
Monday night in a meeting anchored
by the Avon Maitland District
School Board.
While the meeting was advertised
to be bringing principals, as well as
staff, parents and students from the
Stratford model, superintendent of
education Mike Ash said there were
complications bringing anyone but
two principals from Stratford. He
insisted, however, that those
travelling on the bus trip to Stratford
on Tuesday would be treated to a full
compliment of those affected and
involved in the current model.
In addition to Ash and North
Huron’s board trustee Colleen
Schenk, Stratford Central Secondary
School’s current principal, Jackie
Campbell and Stratford
Northwestern Secondary School’s
current principal Deborah McNair as
well as F.E. Madill’s current
principal and a former vice-principal
in Stratford, Martin Ritsma were
present.
All principals agreed that the
board’s assurances about the Grade
7-12 system are correct. Where
parents were concerned about
negative interaction between older
and younger students, there was
only positive interaction, and the
students weren’t second-class
citizens at a school unprepared for
them, instead, they were given more
opportunities and better facilities
and resources with which to learn.
There is still division at the
schools, all three principals insisted,
saying that the Grade 7 and 8
students still have their own identity,
sports teams, clubs and student
council.
However, because this system was
implemented in Stratford over five
years ago, Campbell, said, this
current system is all that the students
know now.
Campbell said that every school
will have truancy issues or
behavioral issues, but there is no
data to say that these issues would
not have arisen in a traditional public
school structure.
McNair said she has found that the
students who go to the school for
Grades 7 and 8 are better prepared
for Grade 9 when they get there.
Some of the toughest adjustments
they have to make have already been
taken care of, like learning the
layout of the building and becoming
familiar with the facilities.
However, there are still orientation
days. For the Grade 6 students
coming to Grade 7, the current
Grade 8 students host an orientation
and take the students around the
facilities themselves. For the Grade
8 students coming to Grade 9, there
is a barbecue where the students can
meet many of the other soon-to-be
Grade 9 students.
In addition to the assimilation of
students and the possible changes to
orientation sessions, mentoring and
relationships were also a concern of
several parents.
However, in addition to the
mentoring the Grade 7 and 8
students will get from the secondary
school students, with Madill’s
proximity to Wingham Public
School, Ritsma said, there would be
plenty of opportunities for those
students to participate in mentoring
activities with younger students as
well.
There were also concerns over the
use of specialized facilities such as
instrumental music, science
laboratories, computer laboratories
and gymnasiums.
Ash says there have already been
some ideas posed on where the
Grade 7 and 8 students would be
housed, should the trustees accept
the staff’s recommendation.
However, one member of the
community was concerned that
secondary students would be
missing out. With current facilities
Down and dirty
The wet weather at the end of last week, gave new meaning to dirt bike racing for the
competitors at the Auburn Hills event this past weekend. The naturally-flowing track is open
for only three special events each year. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Family left homeless
after Sunday blaze
A Morris-Turnberry woman is
dead after a single motor vehicle
crash on Hullett-McKillop Road just
after 9 p.m. on May 10.
Louise Laplante, 43, a passenger,
was ejected from the vehicle and
pronounced dead at the scene OPP
said.
Police say the vehicle was
travelling west on Hullett-McKillop
Road, just west of North Line in
Huron East when the driver lost
control. The vehicle rolled into the
south ditch before coming to a stop
in a nearby field.
The driver, Stuart Holloway, 53 of
North Huron is recovering from his
injuries in the hospital, said police.
Technical collision investigators
remained at the scene of the accident
for most of the night, piecing
together evidence and attempting to
identify the sequence of events that
led to the collision.
Holloway has been charged with
dangerous driving causing death,
impaired driving causing death and
criminal negligence causing death.
Crash claims life
CitizenTh
e
$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 14, 2009
Volume 25 No. 19COMMUNITY- Pg. 9Grey Central school tobuild a hill ART - Pg. 19 Madill student amongwinners of art showSPORTS- Pg. 8Local soccer teams get season startedPublications 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:
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
The weather warms, the days lengthen and the first long
weekend of the season is upon us.
The offices of The Citizen will be closed for
Victoria Day weekend on Monday, May 18. This
means that advertising and editorial copy must
be in to the Brussels office by 2 p.m. Friday,
May 15 and 4 p.m. that day in Blyth to be in
time for the May 21 newspaper.
Enjoy a safe and enjoyable long weekend.
Travellers had better ease up on
the gas pedal when travelling
through Belgrave.
County council approved a
reduction to the speed limit for
Belgrave at the May 6 meeting.
The recommendation came from
the public works department in
response to concerns from residents
and Morris-Turnberry council
M-T wrote to the public works
department March 5 asking that a
speed reduction on London Road be
considered. The concern was for
pedestrians crossing the road,
particularly in the area of the
community centre.
The county’s director of public
works Dave Laurie presented a
report for the April 8 committee of
the whole meeting. In it he listed a
number of considerations.
Laurie noted that the average
speed from the most recent traffic
count was 57 kms an hour,
indicating, he said, that most drivers
conformed to the posted speed limit
of 60 kms an hour.
However, parts of the road
allowance through Belgrave are only
20 metres wide and many existing
buildings have reduced front yard
setbacks or no setbacks.
Laurie said that a hill at the south
end of Belgrave reduces visibility
increasing the risk for people
crossing the road.
While motor vehicle accident data
reported no speed-related accidents
within the past five years in the
hamlet, other small communities in
the county with similar features have
a 50 km an hour limit.
In his report Laurie said that
“Most drivers drive at a speed limit
appropriate for the conditions,”
adding that 60 may be appropriate.
However, he said, that reducing
the speed limit to 50 kms an hour
should be effective in reducing the
overall average speed. “The
compliance of the majority of
drivers along with traffic
enforcement by the OPP should also
have an effect on reducing average
speed.”
Since existing signs would be
recycled, the net effect on the county
budget to drop the speed limit would
be minimal, said Laurie.
The county sign budget is
sufficient to accommodate any
labour costs.
County drops speed
limit for Belgrave
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Parents hear from principals
Citizen closed Monday
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 6