HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-05-15, Page 1Step by step
Blyth Public School pounded the pavement (and the Greenway Trail) last week for its annual
walkathon. The event has raised money for the school since its inception seven years ago.
From left: Jonathan Snell, Connor Brooks, Ben Kolkman and Kaila Nesbitt, all from the
school’s Grade 1 class. Over $1,600 was raised during this year’s event. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
The county and the health unit’s
CUPE members have struck the first
deal in Ontario ratifying a new three-
year contract last Thursday.
The 42 full- and part-time
members, which includes health
service providers as well as clerical
and administrative staff, voted 75
per cent in favour of the agreement.
But for the first time in many
years, workers will be receiving less
than a three per cent increase each of
the next three years. The increase for
2008, retroactive is three per cent
increase while there will be a 2.85
per cent increase in 2009 and 2010.
“With 75 per cent in agreement,”
said local CUPE co-president Cindy
Simpson, “obviously everyone
wasn’t happy. But the majority felt
that what was presented was
something they could live with.”
“From the membership’s
perspective it was important that
there be no disruption of service to
the public,” she said.
Human resources director Darcy
Michaud said, “This is more of an
indicator that Huron staff and
elected officials are looking at
accountability to taxpayers and
fairness to employees.”
Both Michaud and warden John
Bezaire credit the CUPE members
for the result. “Our CUPE members
were fantastic,” said Bezaire. “I
believe they understand that there
may be tough times ahead facing
taxpayers.”
“It was a collaborative effort that
became a philosophical issue,” said
Michaud. “At the end of the day all
parties realized this was the
responsible thing to do, that the
compromise was for the better.”
CUPE members did get increases
in other areas, including a benefit
package identical to non-union
employees. “We have seven
bargaining groups and a non-union
component,” said Michaud. A “re-
jigging” of the package provided
better coverage to non-union which
the county has not been able to
extend to CUPE.
Simpson said they were pleased
with the benefit plan increase.
As well there has been a
“generous” increase to in lieu of
benefits compensation for part-time.
This went from 85 cents to $1.25.
Both part-time and full-time were
given an employee assistance
program to provide support on a
number of levels, such as
counselling, financial and legal.
“It’s become relatively standard
across Ontario,” said Michaud.
“We’re very pleased to offer it
because we recognize the stresses
that face working people today.”
Bezaire said the county’s position
is to be a competitive employer in
south-western Ontario. “This
contract kept our CUPE members in
the top third for the area.”
In looking at 11 comparators from
Grey-Bruce through the south-
western corridor, Huron’s CUPE
members are in the top 35th
percentile, said Michaud, important
for recruitment and retention.
However, there is another element.
Michaud explains that corporations
are better informed about what
others are offering, thus one can set
the standard for the rest. “It’s
important for the county to realize
that this is the first deal in Ontario,”
said Michaud.
“Our CUPE really put the heat on
places where they’re on strike. It will
put a lot of pressure on others about
to start negotiations too,” said
Bezaire.
Health Unit CUPE
signs 3-year deal
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Paul Nichol, economic
development manager with the
Huron Business Development
Corporation, has begun what he
hopes will be a fruitful downtown
revitalization study in Brussels.
Invitations to the first third of the
study have already been mailed to
any main street property owner.
The first step of the three-part
study is a meeting scheduled for
May 21 exclusively for those who
own property on Brussels’ main
street.
“We want to come up with some
ideas that are going to maintain the
vitality of the downtown. We don’t
know exactly what those are going to
be, but we know they’ll cover several
areas, possible marketing strategies,
new business developments and the
physical state of the downtown,” he
said.
“We want to talk to those who
have made an investment and have
properties in the downtown. Some
are full, some are empty, but we all
have one thing in common, we all
have a stake in the downtown.”
Nichol says that while much of the
feedback he has received from
property owners has been positive,
some have been concerned that they
might not be the only group Nichol
would want to talk to.
Nichol knows this. He says this
study was planned to be a three-fold
study from its inception. Steps two
and three, he hopes, will take place
in the fall sometime.
Nichol says that step two and step
three will happen simultaneously in
September and October.
Step two involves Nichol, Huron
County downtown revitalization co-
ordinator Kerri Herrfort and newly-
appointed Huron East economic
development officer Janice Hawley
interviewing every business owner in
Brussels; not just downtown.
Nichol says there are over 60
business owners in Brussels and he
hopes that Brussels will be the first
community in Ontario to interview
100 per cent of its businesses.
While these extensive interviews
are happening, Nichol hopes to have
residential surveys mailed out to all
of Brussels, fulfilling the third step
of the study, hearing from the
consumer.
When all three steps are
completed, Nichol hopes to have a
culmination meeting in November,
to present the study’s findings to the
community. He hopes then that
Brussels will have its ducks in a row
in time for the first council meetings
of 2009.
While this is not the first time a
plan like this has been attempted in
Brussels, Nichol thinks it may be
different this time.
“We are going into this with our
eyes open, but this time, there are a
lot more financial resources to
implement the findings than there
ever has been before,” he said
Nichol says that because Huron
County is on-board and the province
has made downtown revitalization a
priority, several factors have come
together to build a unique
opportunity for Brussels.
“The whole province is behind
this, the wind is blowing in the right
direction,” he said. “We may never
have a better chance to do this.”
The program, Huron Economic
Development Matters, is not new. In
fact, it was implemented in Blyth in
2007, with several downtown
businesses taking advantage of the
offers of funding for revitalization.
Huron County is hoping to address
two communities per year. This year,
Goderich and Brussels are the
hopefuls.
However, at this point, Nichol says
it is just a group of citizens trying to
do some research.
The first meeting, for the property
owners, was called by Nichol and
Dave Rapson, a main street property
owner himself.
Nichol says this meeting is the first
step of the program, and if it isn’t
taken, then nothing will happen.
Brussels looks to re-vitalize
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
The temperatures may not be a hint, but the first long weekend of summer
will soon be here.
The offices of The Citizen will be closed for Victoria Day, May 19.
Deadlines for submissions in the May 22 issue must be in to the Blyth office
by 4 p.m. Friday and in the Brussels office by 2 p.m. that day.
The Brussels office will re-open at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 21, while the
Blyth staff will be back to work putting the paper together on Tuesday.
Have a safe and entertaining long weekend.
Deadlines change for holiday
After meeting with representatives
from the Belgrave Women’s Institute
Morris-Turnberry councillors, at
their May 6 meeting, agreed to co-
operate in trying to find a new use
for the Belgrave WI Hall.
Dorothy Coultes, Nancy Jardin
and Ka Roberts were present from
the institute to tell council the group
decided at its April 15 meeting to
divest itself of the 120-year-old
building.
“With the rising cost of fuel and
water and the aging of Institute
members we are no longer able to
maintain it,” Coultes told the
councillors. “Needless to say there
are some strong feelings both ways,”
she said of the decision to sell the
building which the WI has owned for
40 years (it was the Foresters Hall
for 80 years before that.)
Last year there were about 40
events in the hall, she said, or less
than one a week. “We’re losing
WI Hall’s future uncertain
Continued on page 2
CitizenTh
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Volume 24 No. 204.3% 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 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK: