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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, August 23, 2018
Volume 34 No. 33
PRINCESS - Pg. 10
Eight local young women
to compete for crown
FESTIVAL - Pg. 19
Young Company produces
‘HC Kid’ at Phillips Studio
ELECTION - Pg. 8
2015 Liberal hopeful Allan
Thompson to run in 2019
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
ESTC sale may hit snag with TCC arrangement
The potential sale of the North
Huron Emergency Services Training
Centre (ESTC) may have hit a speed
bump due to an existing arrangement
with Tuckersmith Communications
Co-operative Ltd (TCC).
At North Huron Council’s Aug. 13
meeting, Rob Van Aaken, general
manager of TCC, pointed out that in
2013, North Huron and TCC made
an arrangement to host a fibre hub at
the ESTC.
The hub would allow the company
to service area businesses with fibre
optic internet hookups, one of the
fastest types of internet hookups
available. “The long-term tenancy
for the fibre hub is in doubt,” Van
Aaken said.
North Huron Council declared the
ESTC surplus last month and Reeve
Neil Vincent said the municipality
had a potential buyer interested in
the property which is what originally
triggered the surplus definition
being considered.
After Van Aaken explained his
position, his first question was
whether he could work with the new
owners, a premise he had said was
not desirable.
“I’d never do it,” he said. “It’s too
risky. This has to be in service long
after I’m dead. I thought when we
entered into [this agreement] in
2013, I thought we were good.”
He said that, because the structure
was going to be the new home of the
fire department, he anticipated it
being a long-term home for the hub.
Councillor Trevor Seip said he
wanted staff to come forward with a
report indicating council’s options
going forward.
Chief Administrative Officer
Dwayne Evans said that North
Huron Council could, prior to selling
the property, use its authority over
the property to sever a small portion
of it without going through a formal
severance process.
The suggestion for the severance
was to create a small plot of land at
the northeast corner of the property
just big enough for the hub at
approximately 10 metres squared.
Seip said he would like a report
taking that option into account as
well as TCC’s concerns and the
options available to the council.
He also said he wants Central
Huron involved because the location
is on Central Huron land.
Deputy-Reeve James Campbell
asked if a separate entranceway
would be needed for the building,
and while Van Aaken said he would
want the option, he would prefer to
work with the new landowner to
maintain access when necessary.
The report will be brought back to
council during its Sept. 4 meeting,
Reeve Neil Vincent said. He added
that he had discussed the issue with
potential buyers for the property and
they aren’t against the severance.
“I think excellent fibre optic
communication [lines are] probably
the wish of any business,” he said.
“They would likely love to have it
close by.”
The Walton TransCan is back and
owner Brett Lee says that he and his
wife Mel Hodgson can take a great
deal of pride in resurrecting the
event.
The storied event wasn’t held in
2017 and earlier this year Lee and
his team were very enthusiastic
about reconnecting with not only the
motocross community, but the local
community as well in bringing the
event back.
“What I kept hearing from
everybody was, ‘Walton’s back’,”
Lee said.
He said that he and his family
were able to really dig in and do the
necessary work to bring the event
back after a year off, which always
adds another level of difficulty to
hosting an event.
As for the action on the track, Lee
said it was as good as he can
remember it. He always gauges the
quality of riding by the distances
riders have to travel to come to
Walton and with a large number of
the weekend’s champions coming
from British Columbia, it was a
good weekend for those watching
the action.
Lee, a motocross veteran himself,
said the riders showed their stuff on
the course, bringing their talents
from British Columbia, Quebec, the
United States and from all over
Ontario.
In the 450 Pro class, Colton
Facciotti was again named the
“King of Walton” and presented
with the fabled sword. He posted a
second-place finish in the first moto
and a first-place finish in the second
The 91st annual Huron County
Plowing Match is set to take place
on Thursday, Aug. 23 and Friday,
Aug. 24.
Stephen Thompson and Mike
Colclough are hosting the match at
Thompson’s farm at 80832 Stone
School Line near Clinton, alongside
Huron County Warden and Central
Huron Mayor Jim Ginn. There is a
free-will donation at the gate.
Thompson’s farm, a fifth-
generation family farm located on
Stone School Line, fit the bill, he
said, for what’s required for the
annual agricultural event.
Having 150 acres of wheat stubble
field and facilities to host events
made it the ideal location, according
to Thompson, and when the Huron
County Plowmen’s Association
connected with him, he was happy
to agree to host the annual event.
Thompson has a long history with
the plowing match saying that, it
was 50 years ago that he first joined
the 4-H Tractor Club.
The annual event begins with
Junior Day on Thursday, Aug. 23.
There will be two hours of practice
before lunch begins at 11:30 a.m.
The day’s plowing competition
Plowing match Aug. 23-24
TransCan returns to Walton after year off
back. To truly top off the week, Colton Facciotti, a repeat winner in
Walton, was the event’s top man once again, earning the fabled
sword and the title of King of Walton on Saturday as part of the
Monster Triple Crown MX Tour. (Denny Scott photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Flying high
The Walton Raceway once again played host to the Walton
TransCan Grand National Championship last week after
taking 2017 off. The prevailing sentiment from both riders
and spectators, said owner Brett Lee, was that Walton was Continued on page 8
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 7