HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-08-23, Page 8PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2018.
Thompson to run in 2019
Facciotti again crowned the King of Walton
Continued from page 1
race, earning 57 points and taking
top spot for the day. The win marks
the Aylmer, Ontario native’s fifth in
Walton.
Facciotti, after the race, led the
450 Pro season with 463 points.
Tyler Medaglia claimed second in
the 450 Pro class with a first- and
fourth-place finish on the day for 53
points.
Medaglia, from Brookfield, Nova
Scotia, sits in fourth place for the
season with 420 points.
Cole Thompson of Brigden,
Ontario, earned 50 points with a
fourth- and third-place finish.
Thompson, after the races, trailed
Facciotti with 434 points in second
place.
In the 250 Pro class, Dylan Wright
took first place for the day, earning
57 points with a second- and first-
place win in races one and two,
respectively.
Wright, from Ottawa, was fourth
in the season with 382 points.
Jess Pettis took second place with
a first- and third-place finish
generating 55 points.
Pettis, who hails from Prince
George, British Columbia, was on
top of the season leaderboard with
449 points after the races in Walton.
Marco Cannella took third place
with a third- and fourth-place finish,
earning 48 points on the day.
Cannella, from Waterdown,
Ontario, is fifth for the season with
373 points.
Lee said Saturday was a good day
for the raceway with an approximate
7,000 people passing through the
gates. With the action beginning on
Tuesday, Lee felt that it made for a
successful return given that the event
had taken 2017 off.
The Walton team operated with a
skeleton staff, Lee said, with just
over 10 people at the heart of the
operation and about 30 employees in
total. That wasn’t all, however, as
volunteers, whether they be friends
and family or neighbours like the
McGavins, made their way to the
raceway to pitch in unannounced.
As part of reconnecting with the
local community, Lee said he had
invited many of Huron County’s and
Huron East’s politicians to the
raceway and many took him up on
the offer.
To have Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan in attendance, taking a
tour of the grounds, Lee said, meant
a lot to him. The mayor hadn’t been
to the TransCan before and he said
he left thoroughly impressed with
what he saw.
Lee said that on a personal note, as
someone who has been involved
with motocross on his property (and
his father’s before him) for nearly as
long as he’s been alive, he and Mel
were very proud with what they
were able to accomplish last week.
For those who weren’t able to get
out to the raceway over the course of
the week, the action will be
broadcast on TSN next week
sometime, though Lee wasn’t sure of
broadcast times.
In October, the raceway will be
home to the Thames Valley Racers
on Oct. 6-7 and Walton Halloween
Tours Oct. 24-28 before wrapping
up the 2018 season with a
Halloween mudbog on Oct. 28
before taking a break for the winter
months.
On Monday, Goderich’s Allan
Thompson announced his bid to be
the Liberal candidate for Huron-
Bruce in 2019 federal election.
In a press release Thompson
circulated, he states he wants to
commit to create rural opportunities
and build rural economies in the
riding.
“Now, more than ever, I believe
that Huron-Bruce needs a stronger
voice in Ottawa,” he said, “an
ambitious, proactive and effective
MP who will speak up forcefully for
our rural communities and make
sure that rural concerns are heard in
the corridors of power.”
Thompson ran in the 2015 federal
election that saw now-Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau seize a
convincing majority from the
Conservatives who had been the
ruling party since Stephen Harper
led the Conservative Party to a
minority win in 2006.
Thompson received 39.71 per cent
of the riding’s votes, an increase of
23.21 per cent for the Liberals over
the previous election, coming in
second to Incumbent Conservative
MP Ben Lobb’s 44.94 per cent.
Thompson said he plans on
building on that momentum and, for
the first time since Huron-Bruce
Liberal MP Paul Steckle retired in
2008, sending a Liberal
representative to Ottawa from
Huron-Bruce.
After the election, Thompson was
chosen to lead ProjectRURAL, a
task force for the Liberal Party to
examine how it could better serve
rural ridings.
Thompson says he vows to be a
voice for his riding, including
farmers and everyone living in small
towns and on country roads. He also
identifies seniors’ needs, healthcare,
mental health issues and drug
addiction as concerns for rural
communities.
Retaining youth and making the
region a viable place for them to
settle is also on his radar.
Thompson is a former political
reporter from the Toronto Star and is
currently on sabbatical from
Ottawa’s Carleton University where
he is a journalism professor.
According to his release, he recently
launched a communications firm
based in Goderich. Thompson was
born and raised on a farm outside of
Glammis in southern Bruce County.
He attended Bruce Township
Central Public and Walkerton
District Secondary Schools and
began his career as a journalist as a
reporter with the Kincardine
Independent and Teeswater News.
Thompson is married to Roula El-
Rifai, who works at the International
Development Research Centre.
Their son Laith is starting his second
year at Carleton University.
Thompson’s campaign officially
kicked off on Aug. 22 at his new
home in downtown Goderich.
For more information, or to get in
touch with Thompson, visit
www.allanthompson.ca.
Your Local Paper -
The Original Social Media!
News / Information / Events / Shopping
Community / & More
In print, online or on the go, we are your local newspaper. We keep you connected to what’s
happening in our communities and surrounding areas.
The Citizen www.northhuron.on.ca
Facebook www.Facebook.com/NorthHuronCitizen
Twitter @TheNHCitizen
The Citizen
info@northhuron.on.ca
ATTENTION
August 28 & 30
7-9 pm - Blyth Arena
New players require COPY of birth certificate
Players younger than 7 welcome. Atom team based on numbers
You need to bring 3 cheques per player when registering
EVERYONE WELCOME!
Call Vicky 519-523-4870
www.blythjuniorbroomball.shutterfly.com
Youth Ages 7-19
BLYTH JUNIOR BROOMBALL REGISTRATION
For 2018/2019 Season
Good to be king
Colton Facciotti, centre, was named the King of Walton once again when he was presented
with the coveted sword on Saturday after another great day on the local track. Facciotti is no
stranger to the sword, having won it before. Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb made the presentation
as the event wrapped up on Saturday evening supported by a trio of Rockstar Energy Drink
girls, the new sponsor of the motocross tour. (Denny Scott photo)
Second time around
Goderich’s Allan Thompson, after a narrow loss to
incumbent Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb in 2015, has
announced he will run again in 2019, following a similar
announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (Photo
submitted)