HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-15, Page 1On the run
It was cross country day last week at Grey Central Public School and some of the races came
right down to the wire with Howick Central Public School’s Caleb Tolton, left, edging out
Bennett Newell from Brussels Public School just before the finish line. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
The county will be considering a
recommendation at the next
committee of the whole, Oct. 16, to
add their voice to the fight against
school closures.
In response to comments from
Huron East councillor Joe Seili,
chief administrative officer Larry
Adams said the Community School
Alliance presented a resolution to
AMO (Association of
Municipalities of Ontario) asking
for a moratorium so that the
province, the school board and the
municipalities can work to resolve
disputed school closings.
“It takes the issue to the political
side of things,” said Adams. “There
is a groundswell across the
province.”
Seili explained that the latest
round of accommodation review
involves two Huron East schools.
“Brussels it seems is being looked at
because its 99 per cent capacity, and
Grey Central because of declining
enrollment.”
He added that the preliminary plan
seems to be to close both schools,
sending Brussels students to North
Huron and Grey to Perth. “This is
unacceptable,” said Seili.
He said that the board will soon be
making a presentation at Huron
East, before “the shenanigans” begin
with the accommodation review
committee’s first meeting, Oct. 22 in
Elma.
“I am asking for support for rural
schools, that these closings be
stopped,” said Seili. “They are
robbing rural areas to keep urban
schools open. It’s unfair, and
unjust.”
Councillor George Robertson,
whose municipality of South Huron
has experienced accommodation
review in the past, expressed his
frustration with the current process.
“We got a reprieve for one year, but
that’s all it is. During a presentation
our council was told straight out (the
school board) is not talking review,
they’re closing the school. It’s a
wash.”
Warden Ken Oke of South Huron
added, “The writing is on the wall.
It’s what they’re going to do.”
Councillor Dorothy Kelly of
Morris-Turnberry said, in reference
to Brussels being included in the
review because of its age and
condition, “one of our councillors
said they would like to take a tour
through the school and be shown
what’s wrong.”
Like Robertson and Oke, North
Huron councillor Neil Vincent has
experience with the committee
process and also finds it failing.
“Our area was very heavily involved
in a review last year. The board
announced the criteria then changed
the parameters.”
It was only after the review that it
was brought into discussions that
there was extra space at F.E. Madill
Secondary School which could be
filled by moving Grade 7 and 8
students there.
“The problem is that all of this is
on the elementary schools,” said
Vincent. “A lot of these schools are
less than half the age of Madill, but
they have never done a review of a
secondary school. They are sacred
ground.”
Even worse, Vincent went on to
say, was the fact that an employee of
the board told someone what was
going to happen long before the
review was done.
“I have a lot of suspicion that
people worked hard to come up with
solutions, but the decision was made
before the review even started. We
have to have some commitment that
we are dealing with a
straightforward process,” he
added.
Saying that Huron East lost
Vanastra and Walton schools in the
first round Seili noted that the
people making the decisions have no
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009
Volume 25 No. 40SPORTS- Pg. 8Local Midgets gethockey season underway FEATURE - Pg. 11 Home improvementsection beginsEDUCATION- Pg. 3Blyth students get awardat CHSS commencementPublications 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:
County considers
adding its voice
to school battle
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
After extending an olive branch to
Huron County in the first part of
September, to make up for her less
than lovely summer, Mother Nature
has put a damper on things since.
Geoff Coulson, a metereologist
with Environment Canada, said
despite the substantial rainfalls Sept.
21 and Sept. 28, the monthly
precipitation totals came in below
average, thanks in part to good
weather at the start of the month.
“There was no measurable
precipitation until Sept. 20, but then
we got a good soaking Sept. 21 with
15 mm of rainfall.”
Another 33.9 mm fell on Sept. 28,
with the total at the Goderich station
being 64.3 mm.
“The average for September is 83
mm so even with those heavy rains
we ended up a little lower because of
the dry start to the month. September
only had five days with rain, so
Mother Nature extended an olive
branch after that disappointing
summer.”
October, however, has been seen a
bit of a shift to a more fall-like
weather pattern, said Coulson. “Up
to Oct. 7 we only had two days with
no rain at all, that was Oct. 1 and
Oct. 5.”
The total for the first week was
25.1 mm. Coulson said, “The
average is 76 mm for the whole
month, so we were a quarter of the
way there.”
As of the end of last week,
forecasts were predicting more of
the same in store, too, said Coulson.
The lovely weather Thursday, was
“a jewel in the crown, to have
sunshine and double-digit
temperatures. I was at a conference
today which just happened to be at a
golf course and it took every fibre of
my being not too pick up a
club.”
In addition to the rainfall, the other
issue has been temperature. “The
unfortunate note is that it has been
cooler than it should be as well.”
The normal for this time of year
should be 14°C.
While none of this is ideal,
Coulson says it’s not surprising.
“This is considered a transition
season. We are still dealing with
the first of the colder air from the
north and the warmer air from south
of the Great Lakes so there’s
variability.”
Indian summer is still on the
horizon, too, he said, so there could
be another shift at the end of the
month.
Continued on page 3
Mother Nature continues to put damper on fall
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen