HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-03-08, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 10 Thursday, March 8, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 2
Pg. 3
Pg. 8
Pg. 10
Pg. 20
Wheeler goes out
on top
Blyth skater earns
award
Teams battle in
playoffs
Agricultural Safety
Week
Auctioneer takes
provincial title
Information about Brussels
Homecoming has now hit the
world-wide web.
Right now all that resides at
www.brusselshomecoming2007.ca
is a schedule of some events for the
weekend of July 27, 28, 29, but
there is more on the way. Jim Prior,
who is putting the website together,
says that there should be more
content on the site by the end of the
week.
“I haven’t even got a menu up,”
Prior laughs.
“We need to add some other stuff.
Actually, this morning they gave me
some other things they’d like to see
on it. So I think we’re going to have
a guestbook, as well as the directors
and the organizers.”
Prior said that something is
coming out to the public soon along
with tax information. He says they
want to have the information on the
website before it comes out to the
public in hard copy.
“I’m thinking I’ll have to try and
get to it by the end of the week,” he
said.
The three-day event is chalk-full
of events for people of all ages.
Events start early and end late,
starting with a breakfast and events
all throughout the day, with the
nights ending with a dance on the
Saturday and fireworks on the
Sunday.
The weekend will feature a
fastball tournament, live bands, a
soap box derby, a car show, a
barbeque, a beer garden, a parade
and duck races to name a few.
Keep checking back to the
website for updates, Prior said.
“I think eventually there will be
some description of some of the
events. We’re going to have some
more details about the barbeques
and the dances, but it’s still very
early.”
Farm groups say heads should roll
Do not enter
With all of the plows in Huron County pulled off the roads, just about every major route was closed to traffic Monday afternoon.
With a windchill warning turning into a snowsquall warning into Monday evening, schools were cancelled and towns came to a
halt in this winter’s latest snow day. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
March came in like a lion last
Thursday with a day of snow, ice
and power outages throughout the
area and by Monday that beast was
roaring.
As of Friday morning, 80,000
Hydro One customers were without
electricity. More than 25,000 of
these were in Huron, Perth, Bruce
and Grey.
Some of the areas affected had
been without power since supper
time on Thursday. Crews had been
doing their best to get power
restored, but stormy weather
continued to hamper their efforts
into Friday morning.
Along Hwy 21 where 15 utility
poles had snapped crews worked
throughout the night. That highway
remained closed through Friday.
The March storm made driving
hazardous as snow and wind
reduced visibility and ice pellets
created slippery road conditions.
In many areas of south-western
Ontario power wasn’t restored until
Sunday.
Flurries and drifting snow
continued locally during the
weekend, with a heavy snowfall on
Saturday. Snow continued off and on
Sunday with minimal
accumulations.
However, throughout the night the
winds picked up and by Monday, a
high wind warning had been issued.
With the blowing and drifting
came squalls making driving
extremely hazardous. Schools were
cancelled throughout Huron
County.
Mid-morning already had a
number of major highways closed.
Conditions continued to deteriorate
and by early afternoon a number of
highways were closed including
Hwy. 4 from Arva to Durham.
Secondary roads were closed
effectively shutting the area down.
North Huron Twp. pulled all the
plows of the East Wawanosh roads.
Morris-Turnberry plows were also
taken off the roads by 1:25 p.m.
By 3 p.m. the plows were off
every Huron County road.
As winter continues to pummel
the area, police remind the public
that they need to tread cautiously.
Even when the roads are open,
conditions can be less than
favourable. Huron OPP remind
motorists that when conditions are
poor slow down, leave more space
between vehicles, refrain from
accelerating, braking or changing
lanes.
If a vehicle does go into the ditch,
police said stay inside and call
police. “Remaining inside the
vehicle is the safest place to wait for
assistance,” said Const. Jeff
Walraven. “If you have abandoned
your vehicle and it is interfering
with road maintenance operations,
you may return to find it towed.”
Heads should roll among
bureaucrats who are hindering
farmers with their policies instead of
helping them, Huron County farm
leaders say.
Speaking at the Huron County
Federation of Agriculture’s
Members of Parliament day in
Clinton, March 3, several speakers
complained about the actions of top
bureaucrats, especially Jim Wheeler,
assistant deputy minister of
agriculture, food and rural affairs in
Ontario.
The complaints started early with
the presentation by HCFA president
Steve Thompson who noted an
OMAFRA study released a year ago
which claimed a typical U.S. grain
farmer with 500 acres would receive
no subsidy from the U.S. Loan
Deficiency Payments, when in
actuality, Michigan farmers received
43 per cent of their subsidies under
this program.
“Attitudes in the farm community
tend to harden when our provincial
ministry of agriculture publishes
what appeared to be a deliberately
misleading report . . .” Thompson
said.
“There seems to be a disconnect
between what Carol Mitchell and
Paul Steckle say and what comes
out (of the ministries)”, said Bill
Wallace of the Huron County Milk
Producers.
He was far more blunt when
March winds blow, and blow and blow
Homecoming
website
up and
running
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
Continued on page 13
If Daylight Saving Time heralds
unofficial arrival of spring for you
then this year for the first time
you've really got something to look
forward to.
This Sunday, March 11, three
weeks earlier than usual, it’s time to
turn your clocks ahead one hour.
The change in DST has occurred to
stay consistent with the United
States.
The return to Eastern Standard
Time is extended as well to Nov. 4
from Oct. 28.
The change in DST will have an
effect on some automated and
technological reliant products. The
time may need to be adjusted
manually on time-keeping devices,
then re-adjusted April 1 when the
original DST would have been.
However, in some cases more may
be required. Some systems and
applications may need to be updated
directly while others may simply
inherit or "read" the information
from the underlying system.
Regardless of whether technology
is ready or not, don’t forget to
‘spring forward’this Saturday night.
Daylight Saving Time, Sunday