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Amalgamation
worries council
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Blyth councillors once again dis
cussed the seemingly-futile amalga
mation talks if the county has set a
target electoral population of 6,000.
Councillor Jeff Howson stated
repeatedly at the June 22 meeting
that if the county would not approve
plans for amalgamated municipali
ties of less than 6,000 there was lit
tle use in continuing to talk with
only East Wawanosh Twp. and
Wingham, which has a (combined)
population of 4,600.
When Howson asked where does
that leave Blyth Councillor Murray
Nesbitt responded. “Up the creek.”
Reeve Mason Bailey said the
motion was “very vague, with not
much teeth”.
Bailey said the motion has been
sent back to the strategic planning
committee.
“I am not comfortable being a
paper gatherer if we have to start
again,” said Howson. “Why should
we tromp ahead if others will need
to be added?”
South to
Brussels,
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
Whether or not Brussels and Grey
will be welcome to join amalgama
tion talks with the Town of Seaforth
and Twps. of McKillop and
Tuckersmith is now in the hands of
each council.
Grey Twp. Reeve Robin Dunbar
and Clerk-Treasurer Brad Knight
attended the June 16 restructuring
meeting on behalf of the
Grey/Brussels committee. A letter
had been sent to the group of three
for consideration.
It stated that the Brussels-Grey
Transition Committee, had dis
cussed the proposal of amalgama
tion with the three municipalites.
Interest in joining with them was not
based solely on forming a larger
grouping, the letter states, but on
common interests such as the Walton
landfill site, the hospital, medical
clinic, school and PUC.
In an interview last week, Dunbar
said that it was made clear that
B&E squad nabs thief
Members of the Huron OPP break
and enter squad have recovered
some stolen property from break-ins
that occurred early this week.
Officers were given a detailed
description of a vehicle that had fled
the scene of a break-in at the
Molesworth Bowling Alley in Grey
Twp. early last week.
The break-in squad then drove
throughout the area looking for the
possible vehicle and came across
Bailey said he was fearful it was
coming down to the crunch and if a
co-ordinated county-wide plan was
not in place by September, a facilita
tor (not a commissioner) may be
brought in.
Councillor Doug Scrimgeour
believed a facilitator would not
leave municipalities in (smaller)
sizes.
Bailey also stated his displeasure
with the decision to re-open discus
sion of a single-tier government.
He had asked single-tier support
ers if they support a corporate
takeover, as that is what it would be
if governance went to the county
level.
He said no one wanted that as they
expected the whole system to be
tom down and started again.
Nesbitt also expressed concern
that “Wingham was a pretty dear
bride” after seeing what is spent on
nursery and day care.
“Some figures were scary at the
last meeting.”
In other amalgamation matters, a
meeting was set for June 30, with
Hullett Twp. council to discuss
shared boards.
consider
Grey
Brussels and Grey did not want any
amalgamation that would disrupt the
present grouping. “If our joining
causes any disharmony among the
other three then we would not pro
ceed.”
While they must now wait and
see, as the representatives get their
council’s opinion, Dunbar said he
felt the reaction to a partnership was
fairly positive.
The main thing is that every action
has been taken to try to meet the
county’s objective of 6,000 electors
for each new municipality. “That’s
only a number, but there did seem to
be great variations of size. I think
roughtly the same size will work
better. This is the only direction left
- for us,” said Dunbar.
Morris, Turnberry and Howick
have all declined Brussels and
Grey’s invitations to enter discus
sions.
“We are acting in response to what
we have heard. People like the way
we are going and want us to consid
er a bigger grouping.”
one parked in Atwood. The officers
set up surveillance of this vehicle
waiting for an owner or driver to
show up. After several hours two
people got into the vehicle and start
ed to drive away.
The officer attempted to stop the
vehicle but it fled dowm the road
until another unit assisted in stop
ping them 15 minutes later.
The officers found a quantity of
Continued on page 7
CitizenTheNorth Huron
Vol. 15 No. 26 Wednesday, June 30, 1999 (70c + 5C GST.) 750
Enjoying a relaxing ride
Walton Public School student Jamie Mitchell, centre, and Michael McDowell sit back and take
in the scenery as Sheila Adams guides the tiny pony around the school yard, June 25. Pony
rides were just one of the popular attractions at the school’s annual fun carnival where pupils
had the opportunity to go fishing and golfing or challenge each other to the obstacle course.
Parents and staff watched the fun on the hot, humid evening.
Festive mood kicks off
Festival’s 25th season
There was a party mood when 282
people packed Blyth Community
Centre Friday night for the gala din
ner opening the 25th season of the
Blyth Festival.
In what one observer later com
pared to a family reunion, the festiv
ities included everything from
entertainment by a string quartet,
the Bows Arts Quartet to a town
crier, bringing greetings from
London’s Grand Theatre, to the first
live performance of songwriter/per-
former James Gordon’s Blyth
Festival Anniversary Song. Gordon,
had composed the song for CBC
Radio’s Ontario Morning show.
Present for the festivities was
Ontario’s new Minister of
Citizenship, Culture and Recreation
Helen Johns who said she was
proud to be an honorary board
member with the Festival.
Guest speaker David Mirvish
praised the work the Festival has
contributed to Canadian theatre,
naming some of the shows like I'll
Be Back Before Midnight and The
Dreamland which he had seen in
Toronto productions. 'There is no
other place I can think of that is
going to do five new plays this sum
mer,” he said.
As owner of Toronto’s Royal
Alexandra and Princess of Wales
theatres, Mirvish said large theatres
like his couldn’t afford to take the
risks Blyth and other smaller the
atres take. A show on his stages
must generate $250,000 a week for
six weeks and draw 70,000 people
to break even, he said.
“We can’t take the risk that this
community takes. We can’t have the
adventures of this community.”
He can, however, see good plays
at the smaller theatre and put them
into his own season, such as he has
done with The Drawer Boy, a
Theatre Passe Muraille hit by
Michael Healey which was original
ly commissioned by the Festival.
Mirvish said he came to theatre as
a member of the audience, and when
he became interested in program
ming new Canadian plays, one of
the first people he talked to was
Anne Chislett, currently artistic
director of the Blyth Festival.
Master of Ceremonies at the din
ner was Festival founder James Roy,
now a CBC Radio drama producer
and a member of the Festival’s
board of directors.
Meanwhile, entertaining theatre
goers in the Memorial Hall court
yard before the opening night per
formance of David French’s play
That Summer were members of the
Blyth Festival Singers.
Offices
closed
The Citizen offices will be closed
in recogntion of Canada Day,
Thursday, July 1.
Deadlines and the publication
dates will remain unchanged.
Enjoy our nation’s holiday.