HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-09-28, Page 1Local 4-Hers win
Sweepstakes
Showmanship at Seaforth
See page 14
Fair results
Thousands of entries
at Brussels
See page 15
CP line may dose with little public notice
VOL. 4 NO. 39 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 1988. 45 CENTS
Irvin Bowes, [right] retiring Fire Chief of the Blyth and District Fire
Department receives a portrait of himself from Doug Fraser [left]
Reeve of Morris and Albert Wasson, Reeve of Blyth, as part of a
celebration honouring the Chief Monday night in Blyth. The event,
sponsored by the Blyth District Fire Area Board, also saw Chief Bowes
presented witha40yearmedal for service from the Ontario Fire
Marshall's Office.
Retiring Blyth Fire Chief honoured by bd.
Retired Blyth Fire Chief Irvin
Bowes was honoured Monday
night by the Blyth District Fire
Area Board and members of the
fire department.
Highlight of the evening w as the
presentation of a 40-year service
medal by Bob Beckett of the
Ontario Fire Marshall’s Office. He
said he felt very humble presenting
the medal knowing it represented
40-years of volunteer service, a
time longer than he himself had
been on earth. Given the difficul
ties in getting volunteers for any
Weather, I PM reduce Fair crowds
Threatening skies and the close
proximity of the International
Plowing Match combined to keep
both the attendance and the
number of exhibitors down at the
Brussels Fall Fair last week,
although both fair-goers and those
whodidenter seemed pretty happy
with the results of the 127th annual
show.
‘‘Attendance was noticeably
damped by theweather,” said Fair
secretary Harriet Boon, adding
that it was likely that a lot of people
decided to go to the 1PM after a few
volunteer organization these days,
marking 40 years of service was an
occasion one couldn’t let pass, he
said. Because of the danger they
undertake, volunteer firemen de
serve even more recognition than
other volunteers, he said.
Fred Lobb, Huron County
Mutual Fire Aid co-ordinator
praised Chief Bowes as a true
professional.
Tom Cunningham, Reeve of
Hullett township and chairman of
the Fire Area Board said that
having had a fire once himself, he
days of damp weather shut down
the bean harvest. The Perth
County IPM near Stratford is the
closest the match has been since
1982, when it was held near Lucan.
But despite the ominous clouds
which hung over the area through-
Compiete Brussels Fair results
starting on page 10.
out the morning, skies began to
clear just prior to the start of the
Fair parade at noon, and the rain
held off until the last goat was
knew how important it was to have
a goodfire department. He praised
both Chief Bowes a nd the mem
bers of the depart me nt for their
work.
Paul Josling, the new Fire Chief
of the department praised the work
of his predecessor and said he left
bigshoestofill.Healsop raised
Betty Bowes for her long hours
manning the fire phone and said
that both Irvin and Betty had
volunteered to still help when they
could manning the base radio at the
fire hall during fires and the fire
loaded at the end of the afternoon’s
excellent livestock classes.
The Brussels Fall Fair is the
Achievement Day for four local 4-H
Clubs, and the quality of entries in
that division was, as always,
excellent, with the top winners in
each club eligible to advance to the
4-H Championship Shows at the
Seaforth Fall Fair last Friday. In
addition, there was a strong
showing in the Poultry Division of
the Fair this year, as w ell as a good
showing in both the Sheep and
Goat Divisions, always highlights
phoneat their home. “I hope in my
termlcandohalfwhatlrvin has
done,” he said.
The retiring chief was presented
with a painted portrait of himself in
full dress uniform by Reeve Albert
Wasson of Blyth, and Reeve Doug
Fraser of Morris.
Chief Bowes said it isn’t the chief
but the members of a fire
department that keep it active. If
the members aren’t active you get
deadwood, he said. He was proud
to be leaving a very active fire
department, he said.
of the Brussels Fair.
Two new events added to the
Sheep and Goat shows this year
attracted a lot of attention, and
provided some good fun for both
participants and observors. Glen
Paine of Kerwood, a professional
shearer, demonstrated his craft
using several different animals,
then donated the fleeces to Harriet
Boon (who also serves as a
Provincial Director of the Ontario
Sheep Marketing Agency), on the
Continued on page 23
There is a strong likelihood the
Canadian Pacific Rail line from
Goderich to Guelph through Blyth,
Auburn and Walton will close some
time in the next few months with
few people in the communities
along the line even knowing the
future of the line was in danger.
CP applied to abandon the line
July 6 and anyone who could
provide ‘‘documented evidence”
that there is a reasonable proba
bility of the branch line becoming
economic in the foreseeable fu
ture” had 15 days to file its
evidence. When there were no
submissions there is little likeli
hood that a public hearing such as
theone heldtoreviewthe proposed
closing of the Listowel to Wingham
CNbranchlinewillbeheld. Ray
Baldwin, Head of Rail Rationaliza
tion, costing and Analysis for the
National Transportation Agency,
(NTA) the federal body that
regulates railways, said that it will
be up to the members of the
Agency’s board to decide whether
or not to hold a hearing after they
are presented the facts by agency
staff but “I don’t see any grounds”
for deciding to hold a hearing.
The public notification on the
proposed abandonment is less
than is called for under the new
National Transportation Act of
1987 because CP Rail had origi
nally applied for abandonment
under the previous act. While the
current act requires that the
railway give a 90-day warning that
it intends to seek abandonment,
and a further 60-day period to
receive submissions arguing the
economic viability of the line, the
old act requires only 15 days notice.
Procedures under the new act
call for advertising informing the
public of the application to close
the line in the major newspaper or
papers serving communities along
the line. Mr. Baldwin at first said
the 15-day period would have been
advertised in papers along the line
but when asked to say which
newspapers had carried the adver
tisement, he looked into the matter
and found out the advertisements
had not been placed because the
application for abandonment was
in a “transitional stage”, caught
between the provisions of the two
different transportation acts. Be
cause there had been 21 interven
tions when CP Rail first made
applications under the old act, the
NTA didn’tfeel itwas necessary to
advertise the fact that the railway
was seeking to abandon the line.
The information was sent to users
of the line and to local municipali
ties, he said.
Helen Grubb, clerk-treasurer of
Blyth said Friday she could find no
record of correspondence from the
NTA or CP Rail for the July 6
application though she had copies
of letters sent from CP to the NTA
once the 15-day period had expired
saying that since no submissions
had been made, it asked for
permission to abandon the line
within six months.
Copies of the July 6 submission
were received by Huron County
Clerk Treasurer Bill Hanly and
Wayne Caldwell senior planner
with the Huron County Planning
and Development office, but these
were not received until July 18 and
19, only three days before the
15-day deadline expired.
The county’s Planning and
Development Committee approv
ed a recommendation at its August
meeting that the short notice be
protested. Mr. Caldwell said last
Continued on page 6