The Citizen, 2019-05-23, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2019. PAGE 7.
Former Blyth CIBC to become new pharmacy
In June, the Blyth Pharmacy will
officially open its doors under the
guidance of Iranian native
pharmacist Ramin Ghiasi.
Set to open in the former home of
the CIBC branch in the village, the
pharmacy is currently undergoing
extensive renovations ahead of
Ghiasi’s arrival later this month.
Ghiasi first graduated as a
pharmacist in 1992 in Iran after
working as a pharmacological
assistant for a number of years,
beginning in his early teens.
It was in those early years that
Ghiasi said he fell in love with the
care that came with being a
pharmacist. Not only was he helping
people with their health, but he was
forging relationships with them, who
he eventually came to think of as
friends and family members.
That personal connection is what
has attracted Ghiasi to a rural
Ontario pharmacy. In some of
Canada’s largest urban centres, there
is no time to connect with
customers, while in a small town, it
becomes much more of a
relationship.
Ghiasi continued to work as a
pharmacist for a number of years
before he and his family decided to
move to Canada, starting in Toronto
in 2010. He set about obtaining his
pharmacist’s licence in Canada,
which took him seven years –
slightly longer than average because
both he and his wife Farahnaz were
working and raising two children at
the same time.
He worked again as an assistant
pharmacist at a Loblaw location,
aiming to take one of his three
certification exams every two or
three years. In 2014, however, they
moved to Nova Scotia where
Farahnaz found work. They still live
there now, though the family will be
moving to Blyth later this month.
Wanting to fulfill his dream of
opening his own pharmacy, Ghiasi
began looking for communities that
may be a good match for a new
pharmacy and he came upon Blyth.
Not only would the village be a good
match for the new business, but he
liked a lot of what he saw in the
community, especially the thriving
Blyth Festival.
Meeting with local developer
David Sparling also helped the
transition, he said, with the work
going into the former CIBC building
ahead of the pharmacy’s opening to
the public.
In the small-town setting, Ghiasi
hopes to really connect with
residents and help them improve
their health in the years to come. The
relationship he hopes to have with
residents in Blyth, he said, goes right
back to the reason he first became a
pharmacist and his experiences back
in Iran.
Look for more information in
The Citizen as to when the
pharmacy will officially open to the
public.
Wash & Fold Services
Blyth Laundromat
191 Westmoreland St., Blyth
519-523-9687
Please join us as we host
Teen Challenge Women’s Choir for worship
Sunday, June 2 at 10:00 am
BBQ to follow the service!
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
PUBLIC
INFORMATION MEETING
BELGRAVE COMMUNITY
GROWTH PLAN
Notice is hereby given that
an ‘Information meeting’ will be held on
Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
from 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Belgrave Community Centre
12 Queen’s Street, Belgrave, ON
Open House 6 pm Presentation 7 pm
Information will be available as follows:
• Proposed Lot configuration
• Studies in progress for the lots
• Planning Process
• Proposal for the sale of lots
For further information
please contact the
Municipality of Morris-Turnberry
Municipal Office
519-887-6137 or
email: mail@morristurnberry.ca
A new start
Ramin Ghiasi, second from left, will be at the head of a new pharmacy opening in Blyth some
time this year. The business will be located in the former Blyth CIBC Branch. From left is
Ghiasi’s family: daughter Romina, Ghiasi, son Roham and wife Farahnaz. The family is seen
here on a recent trip to Spain. (Photo submitted)
NEWS
FROM BLYTH
Low assessment a problem: Seip
In response to a letter complaining
about the cost of North Huron taxes,
Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said one
of the biggest stumbling blocks for
growth in North Huron is low
assessment, resulting in low taxbase
growth.
The letter, entitled “Excessive
yearly property tax increases”, airs
grievances with the fact that, despite
cost cutting-efforts, taxes continue
to rise. It was presented to council
during its May 6 meeting. The
letter’s author was redacted by North
Huron staff.
The author compares North Huron
to other municipalities, saying that
his home municipality of Georgian
Bluffs manages to make significant
capital expenditures while keeping
taxes low.
After airing several more
grievances in the letter, the author
says that the current municipal
government seems to not be the
“change” that was advertised.
Seip said that savings from cutting
costs aren’t necessarily passed on in
the form of reduced taxes, but rather
shifted to other municipal projects.
“To say these savings are
supposed to be going to bottom-line
tax base, in all honesty, isn’t fair,” he
said.
He added that when savings are
realized from North Huron’s
policing conversion, that money
should be directed to infrastructure
needs.
Seip said he felt that a 4.5 per cent
increase in taxation, as is expected to
be realized this year, is a good sign.
“There are hindrances,” he said.
“We need to communicate what
we’re striving to accomplish, and
support those accomplishments with
something substantial.”
Reeve Bernie Bailey said he’s
proud of the work the council has
done, pointing to the impending
construction of the Fire Department
of North Huron’s Blyth hall and
shared space with the Public Works
Department in Blyth.
He also pointed to the Hutton
Heights project, saying he’s proud of
council for creating a revenue
stream for the municipality that
some members won’t be around to
see come to fruition.
Council took no direct action as a
result of the letter.
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Social media superstar
The Blyth Lions Club won the District A9 Facebook Page
competition recently. Above, Blyth Lion and Past Zone
Chair Mary Lou Stewart, right, presents the award to Blyth
Lions Club Publicity & Public Relations Chair Lion Bonnie
Bromley. (Photo submitted)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen