HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-12-02, Page 1e Citizen
1171FTT. • h and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 20 No. 47
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2004
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Inside this week
Pg. 2
Pg. 3
Pg. 6
Pg. 8
Pg, 23
BPS gives to
Christmas Bureau
Business raises
funds for clinic-;
Local teams in
Silver Stick
Couple shares
inspiring story
Santa Santa Claus
parade highlights
Sick leave
raises brows
_ "The plan must conform to the plan before a building permit is
Huron County official plan and the issued.
Provincial Policy Statement, which New community facility uses will
the province is currently proposing only be permitted in or adjacent to
numerous changes to," said urban areas and commercial wind
Treble. "One of the major changes energy facilities are now permitted
being that local municipalities will subject to a zoning bylaw
have to be consistent with the amendment.
statement." Treble said the mineral, aggregate
Treble read a general overview of policy states that existing aggregate
some policies in the new plan. operations are permitted to continue
The new minimal lot size for all and that new or expanding aggregate
new • agricultural - parcels is 38 operations require an official plan
hectares (95 acres), which in East and zoning bylaw amendment.
Wawanosh, was 2l hectares of These operations must consider
arable land. social, environmental and economic _ "This lot size is now based on the impacts of the proposed
requirements of the provincial development.
policy statement." said Treble. He said residential policies are
In the agricultural policies section "largely unchanged" from the Sept:
of the plan, it was included that 28 public consultation meeting.
farmers wanting to build or expand a "A policy is added to recognize
livestock facility, are required to the mix of commercial and
complete a nutrient management residential uses along Josephine
By Keith Roalst6n
Citizen publisher
There were eyebrows raised
among some county councillors
when the sick leave policy for
county employees was discussed at
the Nov. 24 meeting of county
council.
• The issue arose during the report
of the ambulance service—wfien Ben
Van Diepenbeek, councillor for
Asifield-:Colborne-Wawanosh
-questioned if it was standard policy
for employees to be granted one
week of sick -leave per year for
every year they had been working.
David Lew, manager of the
county's ambulance service' said
that had been a standard_policy but
recently the policy • has varied in
some counties.
"If someone works 10 years
they're allowed 10 weeks (sick
time) a year?" wondered North
Huron councillor Doug Layton.
Lew said the collective agreement
used was developed at the Wingham
and District Hospital. The Ontario
Hospital Association, for instance,
allows 15 weeks per year for any,
single incident of illness.
Lew said the ambulance
agreement is also in line with the
county's policy.
"Seventeen weeks at 17 years of
employment seems excessive," said
Van Diepenbeek.
Layton wondered how often the
maximum sick leave was taken.
Lew replied that the maximum had
only been used once since 2002.
Warden Bill Dowson noted that an
employee had to have a doctor's
certificate before being able to stay
off work for an extended period and
the county could ask for a second
opinion.
Lew said he was monitoring the
issue. To the end of September,
there had been 3,935 hours booked
off for illness among the 48
employees of the service, an
average of 82 hours per employee.
Projecting to the end of the year, it
appears there will be 109 hours per
employee, down from 121 in the
highest year of 2002.
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
-Avon Maitland District School
Board administrative staff has been
directed to prepare a report about the
potential for a French immersion
program in Huron County, following
a public delegation by the Ontario
branch of Canadian Parents for
French. •
Currently, both the Huron-Perth
Catholic and Avon Maitland boards
offer French Immersion in Stratford,
but only the Catholic board has a
similar program in Huron County.
However, following a presentation
by Ontario branch president Monika
Ferenczy, vice chair Randy Wagler
of South Huron asked Avon
Maitland administrative staff to look
more closely into the possibility.
"I think we want to gauge
interest," Wagler said, in making the
request at the board's meeting,
Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Ferenczy told trustees her
organization had been in contact
Huron OPP are investigating two
incidents which occurred in Brussels
on Nov. 27.
Police were first notified at 9:45
p.m. about a break-in at home on
Sports Drive. Family members were
away from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Upon
their return they discovered the
with between 20-25 Huron County
parents expressing interest in
beginning a French Immersion
program within the Avon Maitland
board. She added that, although
French Immersioi is termed
"optional" by the provincial
government (the same term given to
house had been forcibly entered and
a 27-inch Panasonic TV, valued at
$500 was missing.
Police say the television was
found smashed later that day by the
Brussels ball diamond.
A second call was received an
hour later regarding vandalism.
Street, north of Albert Street in
Wingham." said Treble.
He said new policies permit new
recreational trailer parks and
campgrounds, if an appropriate site
can--be found.
"The minimal lot size of a
recreational vehicle lot is 165 square
metres," said Treble. "And the
overall density of develoment will
not exceed 15 recreational vehicles
per hectare."
- A specific site addition to the
Blyth section of the official plan
include that a community facility
designation has added 10 acres west
of the existing Thresher's property
for future expansion purposes.
Copies of the new North Huron
official plan are available in the
township office in Wingham and at
Huron County Libraries in Blyth and
Wingham. It is also avaliable at
www.townofnorthhuron.ca.
to Huron
junior kindergarten), 55 out of 65
school boards provide it to some
degree.
She also highlighted a federal
government goal of having 50 per
cent of all Canadian high school
graduates "functionally literate
Continued on page 7
Sometime that evening the
driver's window of a- 1992 pickup,
which had been parked on Ainley
Street, was- broken. As well the tires
had all been flattened by the removal
of the valve stems.
Anyone with information should
contact the OPP or Crime Stoppers.
Making music
The Brussels Public School band entertained with this were invited to the arena to enjoy some skating and
float in the annual Brussels Santa Claus parade held on visiting with Old St. Nick (Bonnie Gropp photo)
Saturday evening. Following the parade young and old
Small turnout to official plan meeting
Only about 10 residents gathered
to voice their opinions during the
North Huron official plan meeting
on Nov. 23 at the Belgrave
Community Centre.
- Of the limited number of residents
who attended the meeting, a few
questions were asked regarding the
zoning bylaws and land use, which
were answered by county planner
Brain Treble. •
Treble explained the official plan
is an important tool that outlines the
long-term land use, planning 'goals
and the township's, objectives on
various matters.
An official plan is a statement
about where and how development
should take place and includes text
and maps which show how land is
designated for specific uses.
French immersion may come
OPP investigate break-in