HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-06-06, Page 1CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, June 6, 2019
Volume 35 No. 23
BOOK - Pg. 9
Julie Sawchuk shares
her ‘Shine’ chapter
LIBRARY - Pg. 20
County librarian still
concerned with loan cuts
SPORTS - Pg. 8
Madill soccer team claims
WOSSAA silver medal
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:
Provincial walk back gives county time: Wark
Traffic
concerns
persist
Premier Doug Ford’s cancellation
of retroactive cuts to municipal
services such as child care,
ambulances and health care has
given those in Huron County time to
breathe and prepare.
Cuts would locally be felt at the
Huron County level, through Huron
County Emergency Services, the
Huron County Health Unit and
county child care initiatives.
Huron County Chief
Administrative Officer Meighan
Wark said that while it’s nice that the
cuts have been shelved for a year,
she and county staff are proceeding
under the assumption that the cuts
will be going ahead in 2020.
Wark’s thoughts appear to
coincide with those of Ford, who has
said that mayors and municipal
representatives he’s spoken with
have said they could find efficiencies
at the local level, but need more time
to do so.
“We’ve come up with a conclusion
that we’re going to work together,”
Ford said in an interview late last
month. “We’re going to maintain the
funding throughout this year. Every
mayor I talked to said they can find
savings. So that’s good news. But
they said they needed more runway.”
The provincial government had
attempted to slash funding levels for
health units by between 30-40 per
cent for some municipalities and by
50 per cent for Toronto, hoping to
save the province $200 million by
2021/2022. The province had also
reduced child care spending by $93
million this year.
In Huron County, Wark said that
managing cuts at the provincial level
was established as the county’s
highest priority at a recent strategic
planning session for Huron County
Council. The discussion, she said,
was how the county would manage
the deep cuts, whether it was
through reducing services, running a
deficit or dipping into the county’s
reserves.
That decision had yet to be made
when Ford made his announcement.
Wark, among others, were relieved
when they heard the news.
Having to work on the fly to find
efficiencies after just passing the
Huron County budget, Wark said,
was going to be a difficult task. Now,
with at least another year to plan for
cuts to vital county services, she can
consult with staff and Huron County
Council and have a plan in place
when the cuts are made.
Council had directed Wark to
prepare a report on the cuts that had
been announced. While she has yet
to complete the report, she is going
to proceed with it, further consulting
During the May 30 meeting of the
Blyth Business Improvement Area
(BIA), North Huron Council
representative Kevin Falconer
fielded questions about traffic in
Blyth.
Brought on by his explanation of
the crosswalk proposed for Blyth’s
downtown core, several BIA board
members had questions about the
project and other traffic concerns in
the area.
The crosswalk, proposed for
either the intersection of Dinsley
and Queen Streets or mid-block in
front of the former CIBC Branch,
was the first issue to draw questions
with Blyth Legion member Crystal
Taylor questioning the need for the
crosswalk.
She asked if disrupting traffic
through the village was worthwhile
when the crosswalk would only see
significant use during Blyth Festival
shows. She also warned that, before
and after Festival shows, it could
result in significant traffic delays as
theatre-goers utilize the crosswalk.
Several comments were made
about the day-to-day necessities of
the crosswalk, including not only its
use by pedestrians but also the
calming effect it may have on
speeding vehicles through the
village.
BIA Chair David Sparling asked
about changes that could be made to
the County Roads 4 and 25
The former Blyth Public School
property could find new life as a
home for residential development in
the near future after North Huron
Township Council supported the
move.
During council’s June 3 meeting,
council approved several motions
that will allow the project on the
former institutional land, now
owned by J&S Eelman Holdings
Ltd. (Precision Builders Ltd.), to
move forward.
The property, if the plan receives
approval at the county level, will be
severed into six new properties, each
designated either R1 (Light
residential) or R2-19 or R2-20 (both
medium residential with special
provisions).
Four of the properties will be
rezoned to R2, with the R2-19
properties fronting on Mill Street
with exemptions for smaller
backyards than are recommended
and the two R2-20 properties
School land to be developed
Eliminated!
The Brussels Lions Club held its wildly-successful, annual
Elimination Draw on Saturday at the Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre. The club had an eye towards
community betterment with the event, with a specific
project yet to be determined. The Lions did, however, make
presentations on Saturday night, donating so usage of the
Brussels pool could be more affordable and contributing to the
renovations at the Brussels Medical Dental Centre. As for the
elimination draw, it was Ron Clarkson and his grandchildren who
won the $5,000 grand prize on a night that included music, clowns
and great food served up by the Lions and local 4-H club
members. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 3
Continued on page 3
Continued on page 11
By Denny Scott
The Citizen