HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-09-17, Page 1Re-enacting harvests past
Glorious weather helped push attendance up at the 2009 Threshers Reunion in Blyth on the
weekend. People came for the music, the crafts, to meet old friends and, of course, the
threshing demonstrations that began the event nearly 50 years ago. (Vicky Bremner photo)
A just-approved review of student
accommodation in the Listowel
region stretches as far east as
Wallace and as far west as Brussels,
even though there were strong
indications of disagreement among
trustees and senior staff of the Avon
Maitland District School Board
regarding the schools on each
extreme.
At the board’s first regular
meeting of the 2009-10 school
calendar on Tuesday, Sept. 8,
trustees first amended, then
approved a staff recommendation to
commence an accommodation
review in the catchment areas served
by six elementary schools: Brussels
Public School, Grey Central Public
School, Elma Township Public
School, Listowel Central Public
School, Listowel Eastdale Public
School and Wallace Public School.
A separate accommodation review
was also approved in South Huron,
involving Hensall Public School,
Exeter Public School, Usborne
Central Public School, Stephen
Central Public School and Zurich
Public School.
A staff report, delivered at the
meeting by education superintendent
Mike Ash, states, “declining
enrolments remain (the board’s)
biggest financial challenge.
Regardless of changes to the
(provincial Education Ministry)
funding formula, our revenue
remains directly tied to the number
of students within the board. As
enrolment declines, so does revenue.
As a result, the board must continue
to seek efficiencies in its
operations.”
Speaking to trustees, Ash
commented, “as schools get smaller,
we have an increased likelihood of
triple classes, which we are
concerned about and parents are
concerned about.”
The superintendent added that, as
schools get smaller, there’s a smaller
“professional learning community”
– a network of teachers and
administrators between whom ideas
can be shared and best practices
compared.
He also cited the advancing age of
many Avon Maitland schools. This
year, the average throughout the
board is 45.4 years.
“When you have a significant
number of buildings in which you
have to deal with 40-year-old
infrastructure . . . those costs impact
on our ability to provide service.”
The age of the building is a factor
at Brussels Public School. Even
though its enrolment is actually
higher than its Education Ministry-
rated capacity, the staff report
explains “there are concerns about
the condition of the building and the
costs to maintain.”
Interestingly, however, this
information is included in the
“North Central Huron” section of
the report – alongside information
from six other elementary schools in
the Wingham district. Five of these
schools are currently slated to
undergo consolidation, including a
recently-approved, newly-built
facility near Wingham.
But Brussels was not included in
the 2008-09 accommodation review
that preceded those changes.
The “North Perth” section of the
Sept. 9 report, by contrast, includes
no information about Brussels. The
report does address nearby (and
fellow Huron County-based) Grey
Central Public School in Ethel,
noting that “staff have heard from
the . . . school community that they
align more with Listowel District
Secondary School than they do with
F.E. Madill Secondary School.
It’s unlikely the same could be
said for Brussels Public, especially
considering that the school’s
graduates tend to move on to the
Wingham-based high school.
Speaking to trustees, however,
Ash explained that “enrolment is
declining at a very quick rate” at
Brussels, Grey in
new accommodation
review of schools
Threshers Reunion draws more
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009
Volume 25 No. 364.3% HIKE - Pg. 6County approves budget increase SPEAKING OUT - Pg. 7 Local spokesperson for Make A WishNEWJOB- Pg. 2Huron East hires new economic development officerPublications 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:
The Threshers Reunion has always
persisted through tough times,
approaching its 50th year in
existence very soon and this year’s
Reunion was no different.
Attendance at this year’s Reunion
was up six per cent from last year,
with a total of 835 campsites
occupied this year says Threshers
secretary Marian Hallahan.
This year found more first-time
campers and more first-time visitors
in Blyth than there has been in
recent memory, she added, with
larger attendance being recorded at
this year’s dances on Friday and
Saturday nights.
There was also a good amount of
people attending the evening
concerts, she said.
This year people came from as far
away as Ireland, Holland, British
Columbia, Sault Ste Marie, North
Bay, Sudbury, Elliott Lake, Niagara
Falls, Pelee Island and Ottawa,
Hallahan said.
On the food front, breakfast was a
booming time with the Blyth
firefighters serving between 1,350
and 1,400 plates of breakfast
between Saturday and Sunday
mornings.
On Friday, dozens of students
from surrounding schools worked
through new student programs while
for the extent of the weekend,
visitors saw several new displays
this year.
The small animals tent and the
petting zoo were popular attractions
once again, but this year’s newest
attraction, the pony rides, were also
enjoyed by visitors young and old,
Hallahan said.
One of the weekend’s most
popular attractions is the special
adult games. This year, organizer
John Lowe said there were some
new competitors as well as some
familiar faces, with Saturday
drawing an excellent crowd for the
events.
On Saturday, winners were: Don
Reaman in men’s bag-tying with a
time of 43.2 seconds; Jean Hedley in
women’s bag-tying with a time of
45.3 seconds; Shag Campbell and
Jason Searson in the men’s log-
sawing with a time of 7.4 seconds,
narrowly edging out Bob Machan
and Lyle Hood, who had a time of
7.5 seconds; Roseann Adams and
Lisette Top in the women’s log-
sawing with a time of 15.8 seconds;
Lisa Glanville and Lyle Hood in the
mixed log-sawing with a time of
11.6 seconds.
Lyle Hood also had the time to
give a demonstration of a single
buck saw, ending up with a time of
23.6 seconds.
Jamieson Ribey and Bob Machan
ended the day in first place in tractor
belt-setting with a time of 1:38,
edging out Ribey, with his son,
Walter’s time of 1:41 and Ribey’s
team-up with Jean Pentland, who
had a time of 1:51.
On Sunday, Richard Martin won
the men’s bag-tying with a time of
44.4 seconds, while Jean Pentland
won the women’s bag-tying with a
time of 43.5 seconds. Bob Machan
and Lyle Hood won the men’s log-
sawing with a time of 12.6 seconds,
while Deb Swanson and Lisette Top
won the women’s log-sawing with a
time of 37.2 seconds. Shag
Campbell and Jean Pentland won the
mixed log-sawing with a time of
21.1 seconds.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of
participants in the steam engine belt-
setting, the John Hallahan Memorial
Trophy for the best time in the event
was not presented.
In the fiddle competition, winners
were: Shae-Lynne Preiss of
Tavistock in the nine and under
class; Joseph Flynn of Sebringville
in the 12 and under class; Aynsley
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
The tragic death of one Blyth
Ward councillor and the prolonged
absence of another brought some
discussion at the Sept. 8 meeting of
North Huron council.
This was the first time councillors
were back around the table since
their colleague Murray Nesbitt
passed away in an industrial mishap
Aug. 25.
Clerk-administrator Kriss Snell
outlined the process that must be
followed under the Municipal Act.
“Obviously when a councillor dies
the seat is vacant, but council has
until two meetings to declare the
vacancy. Then there is 60 days to
either appoint someone or hold a by-
election.”
In respect to councillor Nesbitt
council made the decision to wait
until the next meeting to declare the
seat vacant.
There was also some information
regarding the second Blyth
councillor Greg McClinchey, who is
now working in Ottawa and who,
Snell confirmed, hasn’t attended a
meeting since July 13.
“The Municipal Act states that a
seat becomes vacant if a councillor is
absent for three successive months
without being authorized to do so by
resolution of council.”
At that time the seat is declared
vacant and the same process follows.
Snell stated that McClinchey has
been in contact with the
municipality, however and can still
be reached by constituents at 519-
357-8297.
North Huron discusses council vacancy
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