HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-09-12, Page 1 CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, September 12, 2019
Volume 35 No. 36
SPORTS - Pg. 12
Brussels Tigers win
year-end tournament
RUN - Pg. 19
Annual Brussels Terry
Fox Run set for Sunday
GRANT - Pg. 3
Councils support arena
expansion grant app.
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:
Thresher Reunion brings 6,000 people to Blyth
County working to address housing shortage
Huron County staff, across
numerous departments, are working
to find solutions to the housing crisis
Huron County is experiencing.
Director of Economic
Development Cody Joudry,
Economic Development Officer
Chris Watson, Director of Planning
and Development Sandra Weber and
Director of Social and Property
Services Barbara Hall jointly
presented to Huron County Council
at its Sept. 4 meeting, outlining a
number of proposals staff had
brainstormed in recent months.
The issue is that Huron County is
in the midst of a housing crisis,
Joudry said, and it’s affecting the
economy. Businesses are looking for
employees, but there is a massive
labour shortage, he said, which is
connected to the lack of attainable
housing in the area.
He said that mixed density
housing would be attractive to those
who can’t afford to pay Huron
County’s high housing costs.
Joudry and Watson discussed the
increase in housing costs and how
it’s made it more difficult for those
moving to Huron County to find a
home in their price range.
Between 2007 and 2011, demand
for housing was low, Joudry said,
but then between 2011 and 2015
house sales increased steadily,
hitting their peak in 2015 and then
rapidly declining again. That
decline, however, was different from
the lull between 2007 and 2011, he
said, whereas the previous drop was
due to a lack of demand, the 2015
drop was due to a lack of supply.
The only houses on the market
that weren’t selling during that time,
he said, were in the upper bracket of
$600,000 and higher.
He also noted the increase of
housing costs compared to a lack of
growth in median income. In 2006,
he said, the average Huron County
house sold for $150,000. Thirteen
years later, the average house in
Huron County is selling for
$275,000, which is four-and-a-half
times the county’s median income,
which makes the current market
unsustainable.
As part of their presentation, the
group outlined eight possible
initiatives that could warrant further
research: a public information
session for the National Housing
Strategy, residential intensification
guidelines, a review of planning
documents (zoning changes),
residential development pre-zoning,
community/business funded housing
consortium, municipal rental build,
development-ready lots for multi-
use residential and a public
education campaign.
Councillors weren’t keen on the
first option of hosting a public
information session to generate
interest in the National Housing
Strategy, as they viewed it as a waste
of money and resources at the
proposed cost of $5,000 plus staff
time. Council suggested proceeding
on the rest of the options, finding
benefit to all of them.
Residential intensification guide-
lines would explain how residential
The 58th annual reunion of the
Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby
Association went well despite some
wet weather on opening day
according to Secretary Jackie
Lantinga.
“Attendance was down on Friday
due to rain, but excellent on
Saturday and Sunday,” Lantinga told
The Citizen on Monday.
In total, there were an estimated
6,000 admissions at the gate, not
including the members, 1,000
volunteers or children who passed
through. Lantinga also said there
were over 500 camping units on the
site.
Despite the rainy weather on
Friday, two nursing homes brought
out their wards for the day:
Pinecrest Nursing Home and
Goderich Place, and two schools
attended: Hullett Central Public
School and, for the first time,
Maitland River Elementary School.
Lantinga also said there were a
number of homeschooled children
in attendance as well.
As far as the reunion’s winners
were concerned, the Wayne Houston
Memorial Trophy, which is the best
in show steam engine was won by
Rob Repko of Kingsville for his 25
horsepower 1916 George White
General Purpose Engine. His engine
will now be the featured engine at
next year’s reunion.
Best Feature Tractor was an Allis
This year the Brussels
Agricultural Society is going “Back
to our Roots” with the 158th
Brussels Fall Fair on Sept. 17-18.
The annual event will begin with a
new addition: a barbecue pork chop
supper catered by the Agricultural
Society. Last year the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Recreation Board
hosted a supper on the opening night
of the fair and it sold out, so the
society has opted to take it on.
The dinner runs from 5:30-7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at
the door, while children between the
ages of five and 12 are $7 and
children under five are free.
That night the inflatable rides will
open at 5 p.m. and a new attraction,
FireFit competition for youngsters,
will begin at 7 p.m. FireFit is
a competition that turns many of
the common firefighting tasks
competitive with contests arranged
all over the country. Members
of both the Huron East Fire
Department and the Fire Department
of North Huron regularly compete in
such events.
The opening ceremonies will
begin at 7 p.m., followed by
the Ambassador cake-decorating
competition and auction at 7:15 p.m.
and the dog show at 7:45 p.m.
On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the
exhibits will open at 9 a.m.,
followed by the kick-off of the
children’s educational program at
9:20 a.m.
The parade leaves the Brussels
ball park at 11:30 a.m. sharp. It will
then make its way through the
village and down the main street
before working its way back to
the Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre.
The FireFit for youngsters
program will run again from noon
until 3:30 p.m., while the rescue dog
agility show will begin at 1:30 p.m.
The little folks and 4-H beef show
will begin at noon, while the
inflatable rides will be open from
noon until 5 p.m. that day.
There will also be face-painting
clowns at 12:45 p.m. and the pedal
tractor pull at 2 p.m.
For more information on the
Brussels Fall Fair, visit its website at
brusselsfallfair.ca.
Fall Fair set for Sept. 17-18
Another great year
The annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and
Hobby Association was a success again this year, the 58th
time the group has assembled in Blyth to celebrate the way
life was generations ago. Though Friday was rainy and
cold, the reunion bounced back on Saturday and Sunday, bringing
approximately 6,000 through the gates, which doesn’t include the
1,000 volunteers and members and children who were in
attendance. (Mark Nonkes photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 2
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 10