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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 22 No. 17
Thursday, April 27, 2006
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Wingham man dies in Afghanistan
Inside this week
Speakers do well at Pg• 2 Area contest
pg
2 Community gives
• 0 generously
pg
4 Tension at Huron
• East meeting
P
g. 61 1 Donations made to
ill fight cancer.
Blyth Festival
Pg• 2 3 unveils poster
By Andrew Smith
Wingham Advance Times
Belgrave residents are outraged
with Morris-Turnberry council over
unfair costs tied to the new Belgrave
water system.
At the April 20 public meeting,
project manager Andy McBride
explained the need for the changes
to the water system rose from the
province passing new regulations
following the Walkerton water
tragedy of 2000.
"Those regulations haVe been very
strict and • demanding on
municipalities," McBride said.
One of The recommendations
made was to join the Humphrey,
McCrea and Jane water systems into
one system for all of Belgrave.
According to McBride, doing so
would reduce rating and operating
costs quite significantly. Both
Morris-Turnberry and North Huron
were also influenced by the
- Sustainable Water and Sewage Act
from the province.
"It basically says water and sewer
systems have to sustain themselves,
and those using them have to the
cost," McBride said.
Based On that, both councils
passed bylaws last year prohibiting
the drilling of new wells in Belgrave.
With tie need to connect the three
systems. new watermain was
planned to be constructed and
approved by the Ministry of
Environment. Since the changes to
the system were mandated by the
province, the capital costs qualified
for subsidy, but since then additional
customers requested the watermain
be extended.
"The additional work, however
• was not the result of changes to the
legislation and there was no subsidy
for it," McBride said.
McBride said the gross cost for all
capital. work done since 2000
amounts to $2.87 million, with net
costs of $302.000 for North Huron.
and $851,000 for Morris-Turnberry.
With keeping the costs between the
two municipalities separate, it was
left to them to decide on how to levy
the costs.
1 stress this is a difficult decision
for the councils, and it's a political
CPL. MATTHEW DINNING
Killed in Afghanistan
decision, it has nothing to do with
engineering," McBride said.
The end result is that customers on
the North Huron (Humphrey)
system would be charged $7,000
over 20 years at 4.5 per cent interest.
The point of contention is that all
Morris-Turnberry customers would
be charged, whether they are on the
system or not.
Prior to questions from the floor,
mayor Dorothy Kelly of Morris-
Turnberry commented that the
• system will be a benefit for the
whole municipality.
"We considered this over many
meetings, and council felt that
levying the costs was the best
solution for long-term planning."
Kelly said.
Finally letting the ,public ask
questions, Richard 'Moore said with
such a hard decision, council should
have asked the public.
"You could have went back to the
people. We were lied-to from day
one," Moore' said.
Paul McKee was applauded for his
remarks, saying that as a member of
the Belgrave water committee, there
was never any discussion of forcing
non-customers to pay.
"You can't expect people who
have their own water 10 pay this
money now," McKee said.
McKee continued, saying no other
committee members were advised of
council's decision, leading McKee
to believe their input didn't matter.
Councillor Jim Nelemans said
council was faced with reco,ering
the capital costs, and had to make a
decision.
"It's a really tough deal, but I
don't know how else to go about it,"
Nelemans said.
It was calculated that if the costs
were only levied across the existing
customers, each property would be
charged $11,000, with new
customers paying at least that much
to hook into the system in the future.
One resident stated the charge would
he acceptable, as the cost of drilling
a new well would be comparable.
Another resident questioned why
he should be subsidizing the costs
for a neighbour, when he has a
perfectly good well that is expected
to outlive him. Councillor Neil
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
"A humble person, always strong, •
always there."
This is how fallen Canadian soldier
Corporal Matthew David James
Dinning of Wingham is remembered
by his friend, Myron Hussey,
formerly of East Wawanosh.
Dinning, 23, a member of the
Headquarters and Signals Squadron
of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade
Group, Petawawa died when the
armoured G-Wagon in which he was,
riding, was struck by a roadside
bomb on April 22 about 70
kilometres north of Kandahar, .
Bombardier Myles Mansell,
Lieutenant William Turner and
Corporal Randy Payne also perished.
Funeral details for Dinning were
Warwick responded, stating that as
the whole Community will benefit
from the system, the whole
community should pay.
"Whether you're on the system or
not, you're going to benefit from it
eventually," Warwick said.
There are approximately 30
properties in Belgrave that will not
have access to the new water system.
and will not have to pay the $7,000.
Resident Ray Sheppard said that just
because he has access, shouldn't
mean he has to pay. -
"You're going to run a pipe in
front of my property that I don't
want, and you want me to pay
$7,,000," he said. "You're not getting
a cent out of me, I'll take you to
court."
Another resident voiced the
frustration of everyone, as
representatives from both councils
had no answers to their questions
and gave no notice of the charges.
"We weren't notified by the
township or the council, and that is
wrong," she said. "You're deceiving
the people that live here."
Since the meeting was only meant
to inform the public, Kelly noted
that Morris-Turnberry reserves the
right to change the levying
agreement at their next meeting on
May 2.
"I can't guarantee any changes. I
don't know how we'll vote," Kelly
said.
By Heather Crawford
Citizen staff
Huron East council has their sights
set on 64 Orchard Lane as the place
for an addition to the existing
Brussels library.
At the Tuesday, April 18 meeting,
a recommendation was made that
council proceed to prepare an offer
to purchase the east part of Lot 24,
an area of 4867 square feet from
Gordon Workman.
After recommendations from
Huron County library that all
libraries in the county become
accessible and have approximately
2,500 square feet, council met with
incomplete at press time. When they
become available they will be posted
on the funeral home's website at
www.mcburneyfuneralhome.com
The Minister of National Defence
Gordon O'Connor made a statement
Saturday extending his condolences
to the families. "The thoughts and
prayers of all Canadians are with
their families and their comrades who
must carry on the important work
they were performing in Afghanistan.
They will be sorely missed and while
we mourn their loss we take comfort
in the fact that their ultimate sacrifice
was made for a noble and worthy
cause.
Born in Richmond Hill, Dinning is
a graduate of F.E. Madill Secondary
School, an athlete who played on the
residents to discuss the options for
the library.
The options at the time were to
keep the library in the Carnegie
building on the corner of Morris and
Turnberry with adjustments-made, or
move to the Export Packers building
on Turnberry.
Recently the Export Packers
building was sold.
"There is some possibility that the
[person who bought the Packers
building] may be interested in
renting it out," clerk-administrator
Jack McLachlan said. •
Mayor Joe Seili said that a
contractor had looked at the present
library and suggested not to change
rugby and hockey teams.
The corporal was the son of Huron
OPP Const. Lincoln Dinning and his
wife Laurie, who is president of the
local MADD chapter. He has one
brother, Brendon.
His family was able to visit with
hm in Trenton in January before he
left for Afghanistan.
Hussey said the family is dealing
with the tragedy as well as can be
expected. "They are trying to be
strong, but we all know it's difficult. "
Hussey, who had been asked to be a
pallbearer, spoke of personal tributes
planned for a man who was more
than- a soldier.
"He was a pillar. He was there for
us, and for our country. Matt was a
good man."
it anymore than necessary. The
contractor's view was that an
addition to the west of the existing
building would be the most
economical and serve the best
purpose for the community, the
recommendation presented to
council stated.
In order to meet the requirements
of the county criteria it would be
necessary to purchase the Workman
property in order to get a proper
grade for a level entrance from the
municipal parking lot and avoid an
elevator. Once the plans have been
completed then it would be easier to
get an estimated cost of the
Continued on page 2
Belgrave residents outraged
Some youngsters turned out to help the Brussels Optimists
for their clean-up day on Saturday in recognition of Earth
Day. Besides tidying up the conservation park, Heather Hill
and Brittany Thyssen were among those cleaning up some
roadways. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Library could get addition