Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-05-31, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 22 Thursday, May 31, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Inside this week Pg. 8 Pg. 12 Pg. 20 Pg. 21 Pg. 23 Soccer teams face stiff competition Woman tells inspirational story HealthKick Huron gets recognition Best Start finally home Sun sets on Last Light photo contest With no bylaw in place, North Huron is increasingly worried about ATV usage. Councillor James Campbell spoke of an incident on his property. He said that while ATV users travelled to the area to drive along private property, when he called the OPP, they said there was nothing they could do because there was no by- law in place. Councillors suggested putting up signs, but without a bylaw putting up signs is not permitted. It was suggested that a letter be sent, appealing to the county and to the province for a universal bylaw, as opposed to the patchwork of by- laws in the area now. In 2004, former reeve Doug Layton and former clerk- administrator John Stewart were told that no bylaw ensures the use of ATVs would be prohibited throughout North Huron. However, in 2006, Huron County allowed ATVs to use specific county roads as connecting links between trails to help boost tourism. And finally, earlier in 2007, council received a letter from the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority in regards to ATVs tearing up their property in the watershed. “The county is aware of the problem and they’re looking into it,” said deputy-reeve Murray Scott. “But a letter couldn’t hurt.” Clerk-administrator Kriss Snell said he will look into the possibilities of a bylaw and what can be done in this situation. He said that trespassing is definitely in play, but that when it comes to ATVs, the county has different bylaws for each municipality. Campbell said there are bylaws now in Morris-Turnberry and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, but that each municipality is doing their own thing and it is confusing. Snell will look into the issue further over the next two weeks and bring information back to council at their next meeting. ATV woes continue After a near hour-long handshake revolution around Blyth’s Memorial Hall, Liberal leader Stéphane Dion sat down to a plate of bacon and eggs last Saturday. Dion came by Blyth for breakfast before catching an afternoon flight to Quebec City, to support Huron-Bruce Liberal Federal candidate, Greg McClinchey. “What will we do without Paul Steckle?” Dion said was one of the burning questions on his mind, and the minds of many others, when Steckle decided he would not seek re- election in the coming election. “I know [McClinchey] has a great policy mind,” he said. “But today, with you, I see how much he is loved by his community.” Dion explained that McClinchey is going to be a very important cog in the Liberal machine for the forthcoming election, and that it is going to be very involving for him. “I apologize to his family, who I think might be half of the room,” he said. “We will ask a lot of him.” McClinchey will be a champion for rural Canada, said Dion, and he assured the people of Blyth that in the coming election, the Liberals will win in the Huron-Bruce riding as well as in Canada. Dion expressed the important role that rural Canada will play in his vision of the country under his supervision and he addressed several issues specific to the area. He said that the environment is one of the biggest items on his agenda and he told the people of Blyth that he wants to keep rural Canada strong, so youth will stay where their roots are. To do this, he said, rural Canada needs to have strong universities and good health care, both top points on his agenda, in addition to reforming the pension plan. Dion stressed that his vision is for a united Canada, that will stand strong on the world-wide stage. “The world needs Canada and Canada must have a strong voice in the world; a strong independent voice,” he said. “The U.S. is an ally, but they’re not a model. We have our own model.” The question of McClinchey’s lack of political experience eventually came up. While McClinchey has worked behind Steckle for 14 years, he has very little direct political experience, besides taking a seat as a councillor in late 2006. This did not worry Dion. “Greg will play a key role. He has a lot of expertise,” he said. “I knew that, but in addition to that, I’ve now seen the human touch of the man and this will be great.” McClinchey also spoke to his critics and says he knows what people think, that it doesn’t worry him and that he is confident in his riding. “For 14 years I’ve had the opportunity to apprentice with [Steckle]. It’s been a wonderful experience. But with all due respect, actions speak louder than words. We hear a lot of talk from politicians and that’s a wonderful thing, we have to hear ideas and exchange thoughts,” McClinchey said. “As I mentioned before, in the last few hours, we’ve had two fairly prominent Liberals come into Huron- Bruce and they came here for a reason. You speak of connecting Huron-Bruce and Ottawa. We don’t need to take lessons from anybody, we’ve got some wonderful things here to show the world.” McClinchey has high hopes for Huron-Bruce in the future. He said that the riding has the ideal landscape to try new things in fields like renewable energy and experimenting with clean business. He said one major thing Huron-Bruce brings to the country is its ingenuity. “Huron-Bruce has got lots to teach Ottawa and representatives from across the country and that is exactly why Mr. Dion is here today and that is exactly why Mr. [Bob] Rae was here yesterday. And they won’t be the last to pass through the gates of Huron-Bruce and we’re happy to have that,” he said. “You speak of connecting, we’re going to show you how we can connect things and have Huron-Bruce show Ottawa our innovative ideas and approach to problems.” After Dion spoke, McClinchey made sure to point out the absence of teleprompters and scripts, saying that he speaks his mind when he sets foot in any part of Canada. Nick Whyte, president of the Huron-Bruce Federal Liberal Association, presented Dion with a sheepskin from downtown Blyth, “right where it should come from” he said. Dion thanked Whyte, later reiterating that visits like these are what teaches him the most about his country. “It’s not alone in your office that you learn what to do, it is interacting with the people,” he said. “Thank you for this warm reception.” A meeting held last Thursday was an opportunity for some Belgrave ratepayers to have their say to Morris-Turnberry council. Water upgrades and the costs involved have been a hot-button topic lately. However, a quotation for the mandatory work came back earlier this year at nearly double the cost of the original estimate. Now many citizens feel they are being taken advantage of. Ratepayers are confused as to how a quotation of $1,400 could jump to $2,625 in just over six months. Jeremy Taylor of R.J. Burnside and Associates explained the two major changes. The first is inspections and permits from the Huron County Health Unit, something that was not included in the first quotation, which he said was aptly documented. The second was health regulations that came into effect on Jan. 1, 2007, right between the first and second quotations. These requirements require each new installation to be equipped with check valves and expansion tanks to keep unsatisfactory water from household use backflowing into the common supply as well as stopping hot water flowing into municipal piping that is only equipped to carry cold water. Finally, Taylor broke down the costs, with the majority of the money going to construction work, in the amount of $1,300, permits and inspections at $360, plumbing at $750 and $215 for sod restoration, the deadline is June 30 for completion and June 6 for intent. QUESTIONS Most ratepayers wanted to know was why this work wasn’t completed when it was initially quoted. Taylor said these regulation concerns would have come up sooner or later, and while the inspection and permit costs were not included in the initial quotation, they would have been an additional cost anyway. Taylor said that although the new health regulations did not come into effect until Jan. 1, he couldn’t speculate on how the health unit would have reacted with such a regulation looming so closely to this work. Several ratepayers said they felt they were receiving unfair treatment. It came up that people felt it unfair that a handful of homes had to pay for these new regulations, while the rest of Belgrave homeowners were exempt from these costs because their water flows in from the front of their homes. In addition, seven affected citizens were not present at the meeting, A Liberal village? Canadian Liberal leader Stéphane Dion, left, stopped in for breakfast last weekend to endorse Blyth Federal Liberal candidate Greg McClinchey, right, and to see where he is from and his human touch. McClinchey started Dion on main street, meeting a few Blyth residents before taking him inside Memorial Hall to scores of supporters waiting to meet him. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Dion makes stop in Blyth By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Belgrave residents have their say By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Continued on page 6 By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen