HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2006-12-14, Page 1NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC I
Inside this week
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Inaugural meeting
• for HE council
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Juvies win Silver
Stick title
Brussels students
look out for fairness
pn A_ Last chance for
I S. 1-1 firefighters' calendar
Grieving need not
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County gets
first taste
of winter
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 22 No. 49
Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006
$1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)
Huron OPP officers and snow
operators were out in full force as
the first taste of winter struck Huron
County this past weekend.
The freezing rain and snow started
falling within the county and police
started to get calls of icy roads and
vehicles in the ditch. OPP commend
the Ministry of Transportation .and
area county and township roads
departments for their commitment
to responding to the ever-changing
road conditions and assisting
emergency personnel.
Parts of area roadways (such as
Hwy. 21) were closed to prevent
further collisions. This gave the
salters and sanders a chance to
attack the icy and snowy roads.
In all, police received 45 reported
collisions Dec. 8 to Dec. 11. In some
cases the vehicles were gone by the
time police arrived.
There were no injuries in the
collisions that were reported to
police.
Offices
close for
holiday
Next week's issue of The Citizen
will be the last for 2006, as the staff
is taking a holiday to celebrate the
season with family.
The Blyth office will close
Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. to re-
open Friday, Dec. 29 at 9 a.m. The
Brussels office will close Monday,
Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. to re-open Dec. 29
at 10 a.m.
Deadline for the Dec. 21 Citizen is
Dec. 18 at 2 p.m. in Brussels and 4
p.m. in Blyth. Anyone wanting to
advertise an event taking place
before the new year may wish to do
so in next week's paper.
The offices will also be closed
Monday, Jan. 1. Deadline for that
week will be Friday, Dec. 29 at 4
p.m. in Blyth and 2 p.m. in Brussels.
The Citizen staff takes this
opportunity to wish you and yours a
Merry Christmas and all the best for
2007.
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Four-year chair Meg Westley of
Stratford paved the way for her vice
chair to take her place in 2007, by
declining to allow her name to stand
for nomination at the Avon Maitland
District School Board's inaugural
meeting last week.
Jenny Versteeg of RR2, Gorrie,
newly re-elected in the only trustee
race in Huron and Perth Counties
during last month's municipal
election, will now serve as chair.
"I am deeply grateful for_ all of
your support," Westley told fellow
trustees, in explaining her reasons
not to let her name stand. "But four
years is a long time and I think a
change will be beneficial'. . . I have
complete confidence in Jenny
Versteeg and in her abilities to lead
this board."
Speaking to reporters after the
meeting, the outgoing chair added
she felt those abilities had grown
during Versteeg's 2006 tenure as
Avon Maitland vice chair. Previous
to that, the North Perth trustee also
served as the board's delegate to the
Ontario Public School Boards'
Association (OPSBA).
In her first address as chair,
Versteeg credited Westley for
leading the board through the four
years which immediately followed
the resolution of a divisive decision
to close Seaforth District High
School. During that time, another
potentially divisive issue — the
relocation of Stratford's Grades 7
and 8 students into secondary school Maitland staff members who may
settings — was dealt with, but with retire in the near future.
Westley actively participating within Still, she pledged to "remember
her own trustee ward, the transition that the sole reason we exist is to
has so far been smooth. educate children . . . I believe in a
"I'm proud and amazed at how strong public education system that
smoothly things have gone in the is available to everyone, and in the
three years since I first joined the advantages of kids learning about,
board, and I realize how much of that and accepting each other as they
smoothness can be attributed to chair are."
Westley," Versteeg commented. Versteeg comes from a dairy
The incoming chair couldn't farming family, including her
promise the same over the next four husband Art and four children — the
years (Versteeg's term as chair lasts youngest of whom is a student at
only one year, but the November Listowel District Secondary School.
municipal election marked the first Also at the Dec. 5 meeting, long-
time trustees were elected for terms time North Huron trustee Colleen
of four years instead of three). She Schenk was elected 2007 vice chair,
noted the board is committed to defeating South Huron counterpart
launching an accommodation review Randy Wagler. Stratford's Doug
process that could potentially lead to Pratley_ resumed his role as OPSBA
school closures, and there are also a delegate, defeating Perth East trustee
considerable number of Avon Tina Traschel.
MacNeil show cancelled
Regretfully, Rita MacNeil's "Now If you purchased your ticket by
The Bells Ring" Christmas concert credit card, call 1-800-465-7829.. If
dates in Ontario, Prince Edward you bought your ticket through the
Island and New Brunswick have had Blyth Festival Office, the Blyth
to be cancelled. The Nova Scotia General Store, Ernie King Music
born singer is recovering from an (Goderich and Wingham patrons) or
infection and doctors have Dixie Lee (Clinton patrons) please
recommended rest. go to the Blyth Memorial Hall,
A Rita MacNeil concert in Blyth Festival Box Office -during office
at the Memorial Hall has been hours, Monday to Friday. The
rescheduled for March 7. address is 423 Queen St. in Blyth,
Patrons who purchased tickets for NOM 1H0.
the Dec. 9 show may hold onto their You may also mail in your tickets,
tickets — they will be honoured for but include a stamped self-addressed
the March show. Those wishing envelope to insure property delivery
refunds must do so before Dec. 20. of your refund.
Former
McKillop
reeve
at county
for HE
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Former McKillop reeve and
Huron East newcomer, Bill Siemon
will represent the municipality at
county council along with the mayor
and deputy-mayor.
With close to 8,100 electors in the
municipality, Huron East is now
eligible for two county councillors
in addition to the mayor.
After the swearing in at the
inaugural meeting, a county council
representative for Huron East was to
be elected. The two councillors who
came forward for the position were
Siemon and Seaforth councillor Joe
Steffler.
Steffler stated his case to his
fellow councillors, new faces
Andrew Flowers, Bob Fisher, Orval
Bauer, Les Falconer and Siemon,
as well as the councillors he
spent his rookie term with, David
Blaney, Frank Stretton, Alvin
McLellan and Larry McGrath,
mayor Joe Seili and deputy-mayor
Bernie MacLellan.
Steffler said he felt like a rookie
last term and now he feels like a
sophmore.
Steffler also went on to tell the
councillors about how familiar he is
with the job and the jurisdiction and
was confident that he has the respect
and confidence of the previous
councillors.
Siemon cited his 20 years of
experience representing the
McKillop ward. He also said that
now he has both the time and the
experience and that he felt he could
work with Seili and MacLellan on
behalf of the ratepayers at county
council.
The contest went to the polls
with each councillor being handed
an official ballot, consisting of a
piece of paper with clerk-
administrator Jack McLachlan's
initials on the back to keep
everything in order.
After retiring to the side room out
of the chambers twice and coming
back with a tied result both times,
the councillor position was to be
decided by throwing names in a box
and choosing one.
The task was decided by the
names being drawn from a
box, revealing Siemon's name as
the third county council
representative.
This went against the
recommendation of Tuckersmith
councillor Larry McGrath, who at
council's last meeting, voiced his
thoughts that only returning
councillors should be eligible for a
seat on county council.
Girl power
It may not look like it any longer but winter did hit with a vengeance last week, providing
ammunition for youngsters outdoors. Enjoying, hopefully, a snowball battle from what in the
summer is playground equipment, but now serves as a fortress, were, from left: sisters,
Mikayla, Ally, Kiera and Cassie Henry and Abby Mellor. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Gorrie-area woman to lead
Avon Maitland school board