HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-05-03, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 18 Thursday, May 3, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 8
Pg. 13
Pg. 32
Pg. 39
Pg. 43
Moto cross season
begins
Home and garden
time
Walton landmark
comes down
Teachers receive
recognition
Scott Woods Show
comes to town
The new Provincial Progressive
Conservative candidate for Huron-
Bruce is ready to paint the riding
blue.
That was the message from Rob
Morley after receiving the majority
of votes at the Conservative
nomination meeting in Lucknow on
Saturday, April 28.
Morley defeated past warden of
Bruce County and Saugeen Shores
deputy-mayor Doug Freiburger as
well as Lucknow area realtor Diane
Peckitt.
Nearly 900 PC supporters and
spectators packed the Lucknow and
District Sports Complex along with
other political figures including
Ontario federal PC candidate for
Huron-Bruce Ben Lobb, former MPP
Helen Johns and former federal
candidate Barb Fisher.
Supporters either wore blue
bandannas for Freiburger, yellow
stickers for Peckitt, or yellow scarves
for Morley.
In his opening remarks, Morley
said he is prepared to work and earn
the respect of the people in Huron-
Bruce. Morley was endorsed by
former Judge Jim Donnelly, of
Huron County, and Patricia Morley,
of the Huron Perth Catholic School
Board.
"Helping people is a passion of
mine," said the former warden of
Huron County and mayor of South
Huron. "I am proud to call Huron-
Bruce home and proud to be a Tory."
Morley said he believes John Tory
is a leader for all of Ontario, who
understands and cares. He said the
province needs a 21st century health
care plan and economy and he will
ensure that Huron-Bruce is a part of
that.
Freiburger said he went into
municipal politics because he
believed he could help and went into
provincial politics because he
believes he can make a difference.
"I am sick and tired of watching
Dalton McGuinty play with
taxpayers’ money," he said, adding,
"Why has Carol Mitchell failed to
speak out for her constituency."
He said he would find funding for
agriculture, address the shortage of
doctors, protect rural schools from
closure and protect peoples' pocket
books.
"I promise to do ordinary things in
an extraordinary way," said
Freiburger. "I will bring the voice of
Huron-Bruce back to the table in
Queens Park."
Peckitt said she has strong rural
roots in Huron-Bruce and a great
deal of experience working in
government. She resides in Huron
and works in Bruce.
She said she planned to address the
issues of doctor shortages, school
closures and inadequate funding for
Tea time
East Wawanosh Public School kindergarten student Mackenzie Wightman hosts her
grandmother, Muriel Coultes of Belgrave for some tea on April 25 for the school’s Spring Tea
event. The students invited family members for a proper tea break where all the proper
manners and customs were of the utmost importance. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Morley
PC’s
choice
Student
art
exhibit
opens
May 10
As a result of the Energy
Conservation Leadership Act
(ECLA), each municipality will be
required to develop an energy
management plan, leading local
councils to send representatives to
summits, hoping to bring back tips
on how to lead the way in this field.
Huron East councillor David
Blaney attended Energy Matters
2007 on behalf of the municipality
as well as Growing the Margins, an
energy summit in London concerned
with energy conservation on farms
on behalf of the Centre for Applied
Renewable Energy.
North Huron recreation director
Pat Newson attended Energy
Matters as well, after having energy
conservation added to her job title.
Both came back with great ideas,
but both worry how long it will take
to incorporate these ideas into an
already full schedule.
Both officials say that the first step
is to do an energy audit, something
that Newson will propose to council
at their next committee of the whole
meeting in May.
“This is one of about four things
the provincial government has told
us to do,” says Blaney.
“Infrastructure studies and building
studies and this one is the newest so
it’s at the bottom of the list right
now. When will it get done? I’ll be
honest, I don’t know.”
Although there may not be enough
time to make the report a top
priority, Blaney came away with
ideas and insight into what will
matter to Huron East in the coming
years.
In a report prepared for council,
Blaney listed the two priorities as far
as Huron East is concerned as the
report for ECLA and a change
coming in April of 2008, saying that
municipalities will start to pay the
wholesale electricity price on
facilities that use over 50kw. This is
a system that will involve smart-
metering and higher costs at peak
times and may lead the municipality
into looking at running services at
different times if it wouldn’t result in
an interruption of services.
“I’m sure that by now everyone
has heard of smart-metering and that
if you’re on one, you don’t want to
be doing your laundry between 4
p.m. and 7 p.m. because that’s peak
time and consequently, demand
drives prices up,” Blaney said.
“There are some implications for
the municipality that they might be
able to use pumps and motors at
different times and still have the
same effect. They might arrange to
avoid certain things, not having all
of the water pumps running at the
same time for example, depending
on what system you’re using.”
Blaney says that the energy audit
is crucial to this system, because you
need to know when and where you
can cut down before you make too
strong a move.
“One of the elements of being able
to cut back is knowing when you’re
using energy, what machinery is
using energy, what parts of your
infrastructure are using energy at
any given time,” he said.
Blaney thinks the ECLA is a lead-
in legislation. He says that right now,
the legislation says that the province
has the right to do certain things, but
not yet that they demand these things
happen.
“I think the reasoning behind that
is to develop a lead-in time because
this is a fairly complex move and it’s
going to require, unfortunately, more
costs to the municipalities,” he said.
“Right now it’s not good enough
to fix lightbulbs and put in variable
speed motors and all these things
because you can’t really quantify
how effective your conservation is
unless you knew where you were
when you started, so that’s what’s
probably going to cause the
municipality the most grief.”
Blaney worries that smaller
municipalities facing financial
issues already, will have problems
fielding the kind of staff they will
need for a move like this.
“We don’t have staff who have
By Sara Bender
The Lucknow Sentinel
Continued on page 6
Local reps learn Energy Matters
Continued on page 6
The opening reception of the
Student Show 2007 will officially
kick off the new season of
exhibitions at the Blyth Festival Art
Gallery. Dozens of works by Huron
County high school students will fill
the Bainton Gallery for this show,
which begins with the official
opening at 7 p.m., Thursday, May
10th and runs until May 25.
This annual show is an exciting
venue celebrating student creativity
and featuring the best works of
young people in Grades 9 – 12. The
Avon Maitland District School
Board encompasses F. E. Madill in
Wingham, Central Huron Secondary
in Clinton, Goderich District
Collegiate Institute, South Huron
District Secondary in Exeter,
Mitchell District Secondary, St.
Mary's District Collegiate and
Vocational Institute, Stratford
Central Secondary, Stratford
Northwestern Secondary and
Listowel District Secondary School.
The Huron Perth Catholic School
Board is represented by works from
St. Anne's Catholic Secondary in
Clinton and St. Michael’s Catholic
Secondary School in Stratford.
A wide range of artistic
techniques will be featured
including mixed media, sculpture,
photography, drawing, painting,
printmaking, and digital illustration.
For the first time this year an
award of excellence will be
presented to a deserving student.
The winner will receive a cash prize
of $100 and their piece will be
displayed at the Festival for the
duration of the 2007 season.
Everyone is invited to the
reception to join in the festivities
and help us open this exhibition.
Refreshments will be served.
The show will be available for
viewing during the Blyth Festival
box office hours.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen