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The Citizen, 2000-11-08, Page 30PAGE 30. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2000. Tourism association meets in Holmesville The Huron Tourism Association welcomed special speakers from Tourism London, Tourism Stratford and Tourism Samia/Lambton to their annual general meeting Nov. 2, 2000 at the White Carnation in Holmesville. With a membership of more than 200 tourism business members, the Huron Tourism Association is con­ sidered one of the most successful partnerships between private enter­ prise and county government, pro­ Lost court case brings questions An attempt to prosecute a West Wawanosh man for alleged viola­ tions of the county tree bylaw was rejected by a justice of the peace and the lost case brought questions at the November meeting of Huron County council. County engineer Sandra Lawson said the justice of the peace ruled in late August that she wasn’t con­ vinced there were sufficient trees of I I I Councillors to get full day for 2 Huron County councillors next year will only need to attend a meet­ ing for two and a half hours in order to qualify for a full day’s pay accord­ ing to a motion adopted at the November meeting of council. A motion, moved by Goderich Twp.’s Laurie Cox and Usborne Twp.’s Rob Morley, set the threshold for a meeting to be considered a full- day meeting at two and a half hours. It means that a meeting that starts 9 a.m. and lasts until noon will be con­ sidered a full-day meeting. Another proposal by Brian McBumey, reeve of Turnberry and Jack Coleman, reeve of Stanley to make the thresh­ old three hours was rejected. In addition, council will now hold two meetings monthly and will directly undertake the functions pre­ viously handled by the administra­ tion, finance and personnel commit­ tee. There will be three committees left: agriculture, roads and seniors, I Take tour of north Huron Tucked away at the top east comer of Huron County is rural Howick Twp. But while one may be lulled by its quiet atmosphere, picturesque country scenes and smalltown charm, there is also a good deal to discover. Now tn its sixth year, Along the Maitland’s Christmas in the County Studio Tour Nov. 11 and 12 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. offers a glimpse of some unique artisans and businesses. Spokesperson Bev Woodley says when the idea began there was just herself and one other person involved. “It was so successful oth­ ers wanted on board and it has just grown in leaps and bounds.” Though no accurate record can be kept of attendance, that first year was, she says, “almost scary”. “With just two of us, our houses were so full, people were wall to wall. It has been a real plus that oth­ ers have joined in so that we can spread the people out.” The idea behind the tour came about, she says, to market “this little comer of Huron County.” Though many of those who are involved have belonged to the county’s tourism association, “we often got missed in the shuffle. We needed to market ourselves as a group.” The success of that venture has unquestionably been a boon for the area. “We’ve brought a lot of buses viding marketing and communica­ tions, training and networking opportunities for all members. The new board of directors was announced, with members represent­ ing accommodations, support servic­ es, theatres, media, retail, destination marketing organizations and more; the Association has a significant role to play in the economic health of Huron County and area. Membership applications have been sent out to more than 600 other the varieties mentioned in the coun­ ty tree bylaw to constitute a wood­ lot. The ruling was that there must be at least 400 trees of the named species such as ash and maple for the area to be called a woodiot. “If it’s not a woodiot he has the right to clear,” Lawson said. Lawson said there were other vari­ eties of trees growing that were not which will take on responsibility for ambulance service; library, museum and social services, which will now include the responsibility for public housing being downloaded from the province; and planning and develop­ ment. Under the new pay schedule, all councillors will get a $1,000 a year stipend to help compensate them for additional functions they must attend on behalf of council. The motion was amended to say councillors would only receive the money if they attend 75 per cent of council meetings. The warden’s stipend is also increased to $7,500 a year from $6,223.99. The ceiling for convention expenses will be raised to $2,000 from $1,500 per councillor beginning Jan. 1. *** Council approved building an addition to the Wingham patrol yard, taken over from the Ministry of Transportation, that would allow into the township. One comes now especially for a meal made by the church women. It has put us on the map,” says Woodley. She says she is still surprised by the distances people travel to enjoy he tour. “London, Toronto, it’s really wonderful.” Stating that the tour offers a little bit of something for everyone, she notes that this year there will also be horse-drawn wagon rides, a particu­ lar favourite with children. But what is most interesting for visitors, she says, is the area itself. “This is an interesting part of the country. It’s a nice drive from the city. We have the Mennonite com­ munity and a slower pace. The prices Continued on page 31 F.E, MADILL SECONDARY SCHOOL PARENT-TEACHER NIGHT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Report cards will go home on Monday, November 13th with information about making appointments for Thursday evening. tourism operator sand many new businesses are taking advantage of the opportunities this organization provides. The joint partnership between County and the Association provides members with an award­ winning Huron Travel Guide, with HTA members highlighted on every page. Benefits of membership also include participations in the web­ pages for Huron County, consumer and travel trade shows, direct mail mentioned in the bylaw but these weren’t counted. In one case there was a dispute over whether a tree identified in a photo was an ash, as stated by the county tree commis­ sioner, or a poplar, as argued by defence witnesses. Under questioning by Roy Triebner, reeve of Exeter, Lawson said the amendments to the tree bylaw now being proposed would today’s larger trucks to be housed inside the building which was origi­ nally designed for smaller trucks. The cost of the project is estimated at $20,000. *** The county will respond to a report by Environment Canada and Health Canada which proposes to declare road salt as toxic under the environ­ mental protection act. The county says the report’s sug­ gestion that salt makes roadsides uninhabitable by animals ignores the fact roads have been designed to try to keep roadsides free of wildlife for the safety of both the animals and drivers. Similarly it claims that salt tolerant plants have replaced non-tol- erant plants on roadsides because of the adverse effect of salt but ignores the fact this kind of plant has been chosen by highway engineers for planting on roadsides. The county also says that study doesn’t recognize that the amount of salt put on roads has decreased in the past few years. The report cites fig­ ures from 10 years ago, the county claims. The county also points out that salt is the only viable way of protecting the safety of drivers in less-travelled areas. Some cities have tried other ice-removers but they are not only very expensive, but they also require heavy traffic volumes to work. *** The province is considering two grant applications from the county under the SuperBuild fund. The county is seeking money for an engi­ neering study of septic treatment sys­ tems along the lakeshore where it is suspected a significant number are leaking and contaminating surface water. The county is also seeking assis­ tance with the estimated $1 million opportunities as well as professional development training sessions. Monthly meetings are held at loca­ tions throughout the county to build awareness of individual businesses. If you are interested in joining this vital business organization please contact: Huron County Planning and Development Department (524- 2188). Cindy Fisher, Planner and Co-ordinator for the organization will forward a complete information package for prospective members. solve the problem by talking about a “woodland” instead of a “woodlot”. A woodland includes all trees. Tumberry Reeve Brian McBumey said in the future the county needs to be careful before going into another fight. “In this case the county was used as a stick in a feud between two neighbouring landowners,” he said. 1/2 hours cost of replacing the railway bridge just west of Clinton, on the way to Bayfield. That low bridge, which has been the scene of several trucks being wedged under the bridge over the years, would be removed and the road built up to the height of the rail­ way with a level crossing being cre­ ated. *** Councillors and members of the media will get the point at the November meeting of council when Dr. Beth Henning, medical officer of health, will be on hand to administer flu shots as part of the drive to inoc­ ulate all Ontario residents. *** People with firearms they no longer want but don’t want to see destroyed under new gun registration can donate them to the Huron County Museum, says Claus Breed, director and curator. Breed says he expects the museum’s collection to grow significantly because of the provision. *** Two beds at Huronlea will be des­ ignated as priority beds for veterans who participated in a theatre of war. The beds will not be held empty, stressed Cathie Brown, homes administrator, but veterans will move to the head of the line for these beds. SULLIVAN As performed by the Marti Don't miss this authentic recre celebrated show featuring Champion fiddlers SCOTT WOODS Champion step dancers Teeswater’s DOUBLE TROUBLE Buchta-styled dancing plus the famous "Marg and Charlie" duets appearing Blyth Memorial Hall, Blyth Nov. 30 at 2 & 7 pm Call 1-877-862-5984 for tickets or in person at The Blyth General Store, Blyth; Dixie Lee, Clinton; Ernie King Music, Wingham & Goderich The Huron Harvest Trail Association is an integral part of this Huron Tourism Association and farm-gate producers can join both organiza­ tions. To be highlighted in the travel guide, new and current members must respond with their membership fees and sponsorship funds by Nov. 10. This is an opportunity to join forces with a county-wide organiza­ tion focused on marketing the Huron county experience and Ontario’s West Coast to visitors in our target markets. Councillors ask questions on procedures Questions about Huron County council’s procedures were raised by two different people at the Nov. 2 meeting of council. During public question period Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt asked about a strategic planning meeting held to discuss the ambu­ lance service the day prior to coun­ cil. Noting that the press was not informed of the meeting and there had been no advertising of it, Shewfelt said it was “a very private meeting over a very public issue.” He said the county was walking a fine line with its own procedural bylaw in not giving more notice of the meeting. He wondered if it had been an official meeting of council or just a committee meeting. Warden Carol Mitchell said it had been a committee meeting and no decisions were made and all council members had been informed in advance about the meeting. Earlier in the meeting Mason Bailey, reeve of Blyth, questioned the system of sending letters. He said he had been asked to send a let­ ter to Dr. Doug Galt, MPP, head of the parliamentary committee look­ ing into large livestock operations. The letter, discussing the need to look at alternative methods of manure management, had been sent under his signature and Warden Mitchell’s but Bailey wondered “Is it the practice that anyone can write a letter (on the county’s behalf)?” He wondered if county councillors know what he had said. Later, a copy of the letter was dis­ tributed to all councillors.