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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-07-17, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 17,1991. County council briefs Debate on with MNR over fish habitat concerns The debate between protecting fish habitat and doing county busi­ ness continued al Huron County council's July 4 meeting. Councillors were told that a pro­ posed work permit from the Min­ istry of Natural Resources (MNR) would put restrictions on the coun­ ty's work on a culvert on County Rd. 20 in Ashfield township. Coun­ Actors share views with visitors Bill Dow, the associate artistic director at Blylh Festival and his wife Wendy Noel, who appears in Two Brothers were the special guests at this past week's Tea 'N Talk in the Art Gallery at Memorial Hall. This series of informal talks was established to give people an opportunity to meet with and talk to the members of Blylh Festival company. Each week, different members take time to share details of their business and personal life with visitors to the theatre. The Dows shared with the group, their early struggles, career victo­ ries and their feelings of Blyth. Mr. Dow, who directed Barber­ shop Quartet this season will always be remembered most for his wonderful portrayal of Harold in The Mail Order Bride at Blyth in 1988. He has worked across the country as both actor and director and has extensive film and televi­ sion credits to his name as well. Ms Noel is Colleen and the Wait­ ress in this year's production Two Brothers by Ted Johns. From Van­ couver, she has worked extensively in the west. Her most recent work includes The Invisible Detective for Touchstone Theatre in Vancouver and the mini-series And The Sea Will Tell shot out of Tahiti. The couple are presently residing in Blyth with their twin sons, Mal­ colm and Stuart. When asked about their most memorable or exciting experience in the business, Mr. Dow recalled his premier performance of Mail Order Bride. Apparently two or three bus loads had arrived to see the performance and they had come fairly early. "They spent the lime in the bar, and were drunk by the lime the show began," said Mr. Dow. He said that he likes to go out on stage to banter with the audience prior to the performance as he is nervous and likes to use this way to warm up. "I got up on stage and explained that the show wasn't starting yet and somebody hollered out,' So when's it going to start?' " From there it went on to good- natured heckling and Mr. Dow says he ended up doing a "kind of stand­ up routine. It was a wild experi­ ence." WEBSTERS SUMMER Begins... er M ALL! SUMMER CLOTHING Blyth X%OFFB _ O r I Ladles Summer / Dresses " WEBSTERS Clothing & Footwear 523-9709 cillors had been strong in their con­ demnation of application of the federal Fisheries Act which would prevent work on municipal drains and other waterways without per­ mission from the MNR. The county's road committee had authorized county engineer Denis Merrall to negotiate to gel the restrictions lifted by MNR. Ms. Noel also remembered those years. "I was working-at the Shaw Festival when Bill was here," she reminisced. "I came up to Blyth to see him in Mail Order Bride and I couldn't believe the experience Bill was having with the audience. Huron County audiences are incredible." "Two women beside me at the performance saw I was alone. They began including me in their thoughts and views regarding the play," she said. "I thought at inter­ mission that I would tell them I was Bill's fiance, but by then I realized they thought he really was this old coot and I decided I better not," she laughed. Her husband agrees with her feel­ ings about Blyth. "There is a real sense of participation." Both say they have worked in several small theatrical centres, like Blyth, and enjoy the personal feel­ ing you are able to have with the theatre-goers. "It's nice working in centres where you can meet the audience, " said Ms Noel. There will be two more Tea 'N Talk session, July 19 and August 9. Admission is free and information can be obtained by calling the box office. Those on hand to talk to the Dows felt it was an enlightening session, that brings the larger than life characters from the stage a little closer to those that watch them. Goderich II Legion team wins tournee On Saturday, July 13 Blylh Branch 420 to the Royal Canadian Legion played host to the Zone C-l Co-ed Slo-Pitch Tournament. Six teams took part in the competition with the members of the Blyth Branch team taking first place with Goderich Branch II second and the Wingham Branch as runners-up in the "A" Division. The Lucknow Branch look the championship in the "B" Division, Exeter Branch second and the Goderich Branch I as runners-up. The tournament was run under the direction of Al Fisher, the Zone C-l Sports Chairman and members of the Blylh Legion Branch 420. "What is it," Hay Township Reeve Lionel Wilder asked sarcas­ tically, "there seems to be a min­ now in the water and we haven't found out where it lives?" Mr. Merrall explained that he couldn't see any fish habitat in the area where the culvert was to be installed but a blanket application of the Fisheries Act pul a slop to work by the County. Mr. Merrall said he had MNR officials out to have a look al the area and told them if they could see a fish he'd do anything they wanted. They had since compromised to some extent but he still couldn't justify the restrictions they have placed on the construction, he said. Negotiations will continue.*♦* Opening of the county highways Department’s Wroxeler garage has been set for Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m. The council was told that with the opening of the new garage the old garage and the Fortune Pit in Turn­ berry Township will be surplus property. The lease on the Fortune property expires this fall. The engi­ neer was directed to obtain an appraisal on the property.♦♦♦ Some relatively recent programs in the county are getting to be big budget items. Dr. Maarten Bokhout, Huron's Medical Officer of Health, told council that the total Home Care budget for Huron is now just under $5 million which is larger than the budgets of at least one, and possibly two of the coun­ ty's hospitals. Home Care now makes up the largest single part of the budget under the Board of Health's jurisdiction. Total Board of Health budget is between $7.5 and $8 million.♦♦♦ The demand for welfare assis­ tance in Huron dropped for the sec­ ond straight month in May. John MacKinnon, administrator of the county's Social Services depart­ ment reported that the number of requests for assistance dropped to 102 in May from 128 in April. There were 44 fewer cases and 90 fewer beneficiaries in May than April which in tum had been down from March. Still, by comparison to May last year, there were 82.44 per cent more cases issued and the number of beneficiaries was up 77.62 per cent from 1990. Total social services department Get Your Message AROUND THE WORLD IMMEDIATELY If you have important papers that need to go somewhere FAST...use the CITIZEN'S FAX MACHINE! Our Fax machine can contact any other Fax machine, in the world, instantly. We offer this service for a cost of *4.00 per printed sheet for the first one and *1.00 per additional sheet, (and the longi distance charges are free in Ontario) Our Fax Number, is also your number, so use it to receive your messages at *1.00 per sheet. HERE ARE OUR FAX NUMBERS.... BLYTH 523-9140 BRUSSELS 887-9021 WE CAN RECEIVE 24 HRS. PER DAY! spending has increased 98.35 per cent over the same time last year. The Committee of Management of Huronview has approved in principle a proposal from the Huron Day Centre for the Home­ bound for use of the Summer Hill wing of the current Huronview building. The committee had met with Rosemary Armstrong, director of the centre and volunteer Phyllis Tyndall to discuss the plans. Also discussed were the ability of the wing, built in 1953, to stand by itself once the old Huronview is demolished for the new building and what would need to be replaced to provide the necessary services. Committee members toured the building to see what would have to be changed, then authorized the County's Clerk-Administrator Nigel Bellchamber and Huronview Administrator Wayne Lester to consult with the Ministry of Com­ munity and Social Services (joint owners of the building) regarding the proposed renovations. The county's position is that it would prefer the renovated building ulti­ mately be owned by the Huron Day Centre.