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PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2002.
Councils hash over NMP model bylaw
By David Blaney
Citizen staff
The councils of both Huron East
and Morris-Turnberry have been
discussing Huron County's proposed
model manure management bylaw at
February meetings. The model
bylaw is an effort to establish
consistent standards for the storage
and spreading of manure in every
municipality in Huron County.
The Ontario government has
introduced the proposed Nutrient
Management Act 2001 which would
deal with manure as well as biosolids
from sewage treatment and other
sources of nutrients.
However, the proposed act did not
received final approval prior to the
end of this session and is currently in
limbo.
The process for developing the
bylaw was complicated by this lack
of a provincial framework. Brad
Knight, Huron East treasurer and a
participant in the process
commented, "We had to try and
work around the lack of provincial
legislation and try and anticipate
what would be in it."
In a letter to area municipalities
asking for their input on the
proposed bylaw, Scott Tousaw, a
planner for the county, warns that the
bylaw may need amendment or
repeal if provincial legislation is
enacted.
Tousaw goes on to say that even if
the bylaw is enacted by the county it
must still be passed by the individual
municipality to be in effect
locally.
The bylaw uses the mechanism of
building_ permits to regulate new or
expanded intensive farming
operations. It currently suggests that
an operation containing 100 or more
livestock units would need to file a
nutrient management plan (NMP)
prior to approval of the building-
permit for barn construction.
A live stock unit (LU) is based on
manure production and can be
anything from a beef cow and calf to
150 kg., 500 pullets, 4 feeder hogs or
5 emus.
The issue of how many LU
constitute an intensive operation was
discussed at the county level and at
Huron East. Huron East council
eventually decided that the level for
which a nutrient management plan
was needed should be set at 150 LU
rather than the county's suggested
100 LU.
This figure was more in keeping
with what councillors considered to
be an intensive operation. Grey ward
councillor Alvin McLellan reminded
council, "It worked well in the old
Grey Township."
Nutrient management plans
require that the land upon which
manure is to be spread by tied up
with manure agreements to ensure
sufficient land is available in the
long term. To ensure viability of the
operation the bylaw suggests a 25
per cent ownership of the land in the
management plan.
Morris-Turnberry council has
suggested that this level be raised to
50 per cent. Four of the old twps. had
bylaws specifying 50 or 60 per cent.
This level was rejected in Huron
East as councillors wondered if it
might put some of the smaller
operators at a disadvantage.
Both councils took issue with the
bylaw's provisions for manure
storage, although they came to
different conclusions. The proposed
bylaw suggests that there should be
on-farm capacity for 365 days
storage of liquid manure and 240
days of dry manure.
Morris-Turnberry suggested a
change of 240 and 150 days
respectively. Councillors for Huron
East were generally of the opinion
that it should be 365 days in either
case and asked for clarification from
the county as to the reasons for the
difference.
Morris-Tumberry councillors also
expressed the opinion that inspection
of facilities should be allowed on
any day and at any time. Huron East
councillors had no discussion about
the exclusion of evening hours and
Sunday from allowable inspection
hours.
The question of NMP renewals
was discussed at some length by
Huron East councillors. Eventually it
was decided to ask the county _to '
develop a specific renewals process
including specifying what
information must be included in the
application.
Mayor Lin Staffer, of Huron East
asked, "What happens if it (manure)
is crossing municipal boundaries?"
Council agreed that this could be an
issue and asked the county to
include a requirement that a
municipality be informed if land
within its boundaries is tied up in a
NMP originating in another
jurisdiction.
Although the model bylaw was
discussed at length relatively few
changes were made.It appeared most
councillors could agree with
Knight's statement about the model
bylaw. "We tried to produce
something that everyone was
comfortable with and I think we
have done that."
Complete report on effect in Tuesday's agenda
Continued from page 1
synopsis of a report, commissioned
at the request of trustees, about the
effects of school closure. Conducted
by two Education professors from
the University of Western Ontario's
Althouse College, the synopsis
argues, "the performance of
incumbent students at receiving
schools was generally not altered ...
Students with strong results
On Feb. 20 at 10:15 p.m. Huron
OPP were contacted over an assault
that had taken place in Huron
East.
A group of youths were working in
the barn when one was asked to do
some chores. -
The 15-year-old grabbed an object
and struck another 15-year-old over
On Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m. OPP were
called to a residence located on
King Street in Ethel over a theft.
The officer discovered that
sometime between 3 p.m. on Feb.
15 and 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 18, while
the owner was away, a garage on the
premises was forced open. Once
inside the garage snap-on tools,
wrenches, chain saws, drills, sawall,
walkie-talkies and other tools were
continued to have strong
results."
In reference to cautions from some
parents that students could be lost to
the Catholic school system, the
synopsis suggests, "anecdotal
information from school districts
across the province, and the board's
own recent experience indicate that
very few families actually choose to
move their students."
the head. The youth was treated at a
local hospital and released with a
minor injury.
The young offender has been
charged with assault with a weapon
and breaching probation. He has
been held in custody awaiting a bail
hearing on Monday, Feb. 25 at 2
p.m.
stolen. The value of the items stolen
is valued at $30,000.
Anyone who can help solve this
crime is asked to call the Huron
OPP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-
222-8477.
plaf x Please Recycle
This Newspaper
The complete report about the
effects of closure was included as a
separate section of last night's
agenda package.
And, at the very beginning of last
night's report, several paragraphs
essentially attempt to justify a
continuation of the board's
accommodation review process, in
the face of repeated public calls for
deferrals until after the effects are
known of several imminent political
changes.
These include the selection of a
new provincial premier by members
of the Conservative party, a planned
legislative review of Ontario's
educational funding formula, and the
graduation of the- so-called "double
cohort," marking the full
implementation of the new four year
high school curriculum.
Despite this justification, however,
it's quite possible the double cohort
factor played a significant role in the
removal of Robertson from the
closure list.
Conclusions in the Robertson
section of the report suggest
supporters of the school may want to
brace for renewed recommendations
for closure or other alterations when
the extent of the projected drop in
secondary school enrolment is more
clearly known, probably around
2005.
"By that time, (the four-year high
school curriculum) is expected to
free up significant space at GDCI,"
the report states. "Resultant student
enrolment in Goderich schools will
permit the exploration of other
options."
Similar sentiments are expressed
in the case of both Seaforth Public
School and the to-be-closed King
Lear building. King Lear will remain
in the board's possession, and
students will remain in Seaforth's
existing elementary school, but —
though the report doesn't state this
directly — perhaps only until the full
effects of the double cohort are
known.
Assault in Huron East
Tools stolen from garage