The Citizen, 1999-09-01, Page 1News ■ Feature Sports Community
Blyth youth
wins golf
tourney
Photos of
IPM
Media Day
See page 3 See page 7
Tigers take
fastball
title- again
See page 9
New
minister at
Blyth UC
Irak
-r
See page 25
North Huron group
delivers draft proposal
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
Last Friday, East Wawanosh
Councillor Judith Gaunt hand deliv
ered to the county the restructuring
proposal for the new municipality of
North Huron almost a week ahead
of the Sept. 1 deadline.
At three meetings on Thursday
the councils of the Town of
Wingham, the Village of Blyth arid
the Twp. of East Wawanosh
approved the proposal.
In an interview following the East
Wawanosh meeting. Gaunt said
concerns which had been expressed
earlier, regarding the grouping of
the township with two urban munic
ipalities were addressed by memo
randa of understanding.
One of the issues is that of local
boards jointly formed with munici
palities outside of the proposed
restructuring being retained. These
are the Wingham Airport commis
sion, the Wingham area fire board,
the Blyth and District area fire
board, the Blyth and District
Community Centre board, the Blyth
Hullett landfill site board and the
Belgrave Community Centre board.
The second memorandum is over
services provided and how they
shall be paid. “Generally, these will
be not be equal but per usage or area
rated,” said Gaunt.
With regards the the Wingham
Police Services it has been suggest
ed that with the talks of a county
police force taking place, any costs
relating to the disbanding of the
Wingham force would be incurred
by the Town of Wingham. “East
Wawanosh and Blyth won't be pick
ing up the cost,” said Gaunt.
The final memorandum of under
standing deals with agricultural her
itage. It states that the new munici
pality will continue the policy of
restriction of non-farm development
in the agricultural area and promote
growth and new development adja
cent to existing urban areas.
When Wingham met Thursday
night. Reeve Bruce Machan ques
tioned the council representation in
the proposal which suggests a head
of council to be elected at large, a
deputy-reeve chosen by council
from six elected members, two from
each of the three w'ards. Machan
felt the equal representation did not
support the democratic principle of
representation by population.
Councillor Archie MacGowan
said the item had been discussed in
detail by the committee and it was
agreed to by council at a previous
meeting. He added that council
would have the ability to realign
wards if they wished following the
next election.
A cover letter to the Warden Carol
Mitchell has been sent with the pro
posal. It expresses the three munici
palities’ pride in the degree of co
operation and in the proposal.
However, the letter states, the three
are on record as preferring a larger
grouping, which despite many
meetings they were unable to do.
The letter continues that if the
county applied a majority ruling to
an amalgamation of the current
municipalities of Blyth, East
Wawanosh, Howick, Morris,
Turnberry and Wingham, they
would have full co-operation from
Wingham, Blyth and East
Wawanosh.
CitizenTheNorthHuron
Vol. 15 No. 34 Wednesday, Sept. 1,1999 (70c +■ 5c GST) 7 50
OPP find pot plots
Acting on tips from Crime
Stoppers, Huron OPP located a large
amount of marijuana in areas near
Blyth last week.
The first site was next to the ceme
tery in Hullett Twp. where 58 plants
were removed from a cornfield.
Next to the cornfield was a bushlot
where another 58 plants wre discov
ered just inside the covering of the
trees.
While officers were pulling these
plants out they came cross another
10 plants close to the sideroad.
Later the police went to the sec
ond site in East Wawanosh Twp.,
where they removed 182 plants next
to a cornfield by a river.
On Monday, Aug. 23, a commer
cial pilot who had attended an OPP
seminar on marijuana growing saw
what he believed to be illegal plants
at different stages of growth.
Police came across 194 plants,
which had been planted in a corn
field and bushlot located next to the
river.
Later a Morris Twp. farmer report
ed suspicious behaviour around his
cornfield. Officers went to the loca
tion and found 38 plants.
Sr. Const. Don Shropshall said,
police acknowledge the co-opera
tion of these people “in helping to
keep this drug from reaching the
streets and infecting our next gener
ation of citizens. Their help has
taken $540,000 worth of marijuana
out of the drug scene.”
And then there were five
As Sarah Anderson of Morris Twp. seated centre, celebrates her 96th birthday, Sept. 3 it will
be with a very special new guest, great-great granddaughter Brookelynn Bos. Five genera
tions include, clockwise from left: the infant’s mother Sandra Bos, her great-grandmother Pat
Hunking and grandma Donna Walsh. Also celebrating with Mrs. Anderson at her home will be
her other five children, Audrey, Muriel, Jim, Keith and Karen as well as her sister Clara. Mrs.
Anderson enjoys her church, the Institute, bridge, her garden and flowers. She is one of four
over 90 involved in her church group.
Ashfield, IV. Wawanosh have plan
Office open Monday
The unoffical end of summer is
quickly arriving.
Following this weekend, the ele
mentary and secondary schools are
back in business as classes resume
for another year.
While everyone is enjoying the
long Labour Day weekend, howev
er, the staff at The Citizen in Blyth
will be on the job. The Brussels
office will be closed.
The deadline for advertising and
editorial copy will be moved up to
noon on Monday, Sept. 6. Anything
taken to the Brussels office can be
put in the slot in the door to be
picked up at that time.
Have an enjoyable, safe holiday.
The Ashfield/West Wawanosh
Twp. restructuring plan went before
a small group of residents recently
as the councils prepare to present the
plan to Huron County council Sept.
I.
West Wawanosh Reeve Doug
Miller outlined the plan for the 15
residents gathered at the Dungannon
Senior Citizens’ Centre. The pro
posal deals with finances, bylaws,
transition, municipal services and
representation.
Effective Jan. 1. 2001, the people
of the Township of Ashfield
Wawanosh will be represented by
seven councillors. The reeve and
deputy-reeve will be elected at-large
with the former Ashfield Twp., Ward
1, having three councillors and the
former West Wawanosh Twp., Ward
2, having two members. The reeve
and deputy-reeve will sit on county
council.
The West Wawanosh Twp. office
will be closed with all administra
tive duties moving to Ashfield. Both
municipal sheds will remain in use.
All employees will remain
employed by the new municipality.
The transition board and new coun
cil will try to ensure that all future
staff appointments are made from
employees who had been with a for
mer municipality since January
1999.
Some ratepayers asked why the
two townships could not stand alone
as Howick Twp. was doing.
Miller said if they didn’t do some
thing, a commissioner would come
in and tell them what to do.
Ashfield Reeve Ben Van
Diepenbeck said they will not be a
big municipality, but “it’s, a step.”
“This is not a big deal and it will
keep the province quiet for a while,”
he said in explaining the amalgama
tion of the two small townships.
Miller added that the amalgarna-
Continued on page 6