Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-08-18, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 21 No. 32 Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 $1 (93c + 7c GST) NH | NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC. | Inside this week Pg. 6 Pg. 11 Pg. 12 Pg. 22 Pg 23 Community Living holds info night Walton woman wins goid at Games Veteran visits Lancaster Young Company show begins New exhibit at Bainton Gallery Police seize 4,600 pot plants Last week the Ontario Police Drug Enforcement Section members' -as well as the Emergency Response members 'conducted a marijuana eradication program in Huron. Perth, Grey and Bruce Counties. Over the course of four days officers seized 4.600 marijuana plants from farmers’ fields and bush lots. Police estimate the value to be over $4,600,000. Twenty-five hundred of the plants were found in Huron County. Marijuana will be ready to harvest sometime later this month or in September. The OPP are asking farmers in rural Ontario to report any suspicious activity they may see around the farm. Look for vehicles parked unattended in the morning and evening hours and footprints along the edges of your crops. All farmers are asked to check their crops and bushlots and if they come across marijuana plants on their properly to immediately call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 for the eradications of the plants by officers. Doors Open brings Leckie’s grandson By Bonnie Gropp • Citizen editor The first Doors Open for Brussels was a trial run in June. Yet, with promotion done primarily by word of mouth and through local papers, organizers fell it was a success For one Brussels couple, whose home was on the tour, however, it turned out to be much more. And as a result visitors taking part in this weekend’s official Doors Open event in the village, will hear some interesting facts about the Leckie Hoy house. Bob Leckie. who is 78 this year, travelled from his Goderich home. Stop by The Leckie-Hoy house in Brussels is one of the stops on this weekend’s Doors Open tour. Now owned by Charles and Alison Hoy, the impressive Victorian was built by the village’s first reeve, John Leckie. Following a trial run for Doors Open earlier this summer, Leckie’s grandson visited the Hoys and shared some of his family’s archival information with them. Pictured are Charles, Alison, Corinne and Patrick. Son, Charles Jr. was absent. (Bonnie Gropp photo) that weekend in June to visit the house built by his grandfather John in the late 1800s. Current owners Charles and Alison Hoy said Mr. Leckie had brought a number of his family’s archival records and pictures including one of his grandfather. John Leckie was an important man in the village. He first settled in Cranbrook where he opened a general store and served for a number of years as postmaster. He then opened a gneral store and grain and produce business in Brussels in 1863. He eventually went into private banking and invested money in business blocks and residential properties in the village. He contributed to the community locally and through politics. Leckie was a deputy-reeve in Grey and became the first reeve of Brussels. He also held the position of warden for a term at the county level. Leckie also played a major role in bringing the railway to Brussels: In the village, Leckie served as president of the East Huron Agricultural Society and served on the library board. He was chair of the building committee for Melville Presbyterian Church. Leckie was also a long-time justice of the peace. According to Hoy, when Bob Leckie visited them he said his grandfather was instrumental in bringing about the laws of Prohibition. “We’ve done research since and that makes sense. The Presbyterians were strong in their stand on Prohibition and Leckie was obviously a very important man in the church," said Charles. “Robert joked about how the laws had been set up so the working guy couldn’t buy alcohol, but the rich guy could.” Hoy said Leckie also told him that the impressive Dunedin Drive Queen Anne Revival house, that sits Continued on page 2 Meat packing plant a step closer By Jim Brown Citizen staff The process of getting a meat packing plant for Huron East moved one step further along on Aug. 9. when Huron East council adopted a bylaw approving a zoning amendment. The Huron County Planning and Development Department recommended that the zoning bylaw amendment for Part Lot 3 of Cone 10 in the Grey ward be approved. A public meeting on the zoning amendment was held last Tuesday as part of the regular council meeting. The purpose of the bylaw was to change the zoning from general agricultural (AG1), restricted agricultural (AG2) and recreational residential (RC1) to agricultural commercial-industrial-special- holding (AG3-3-h). The AG3-3 zone would permit the establishment of a beef processing and packaging facility, including its accessory uses, but not including a rendering plant. The general agricultural (AG I) zone uses are also permitted in accordance with the zoning bylaw and all other applicable provisions shall apply. HCPDD senior planner Cindy Fisher indicated the area to be rezoned is approximately 45 acres in size and is located at 42863 Newry Road (County Road 16). The area proposed to be rezoned is located on the same property as the Brussels Livestock yards, Brussels Agri- Services and The Cowboy Loft which are zoned AG3 and are approximately 11.4 acres in size. The entire property is 62.5 acres. The -h designation is a holding zone category which can be used in undeveloped agricultural commercial areas in the municipality, whetc the specific use of land has been established, but other development details have been determined but not resolved. According to Fisher, once the holding (-h) designation is removed, the AG3 zone would permit the establishment of a beef processing and packaging facility, including its accessory uses, but not including a rendering plant. The AG 1 zone uses would also be permitted on the property. She indicated municipal water and sewer are proposed to service the facility and agreements with the municipality will need to be entered into. The property will be placed under site plan control. The proposed facility will be required to meet the standards and Continued on page 14