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In brief
Hensall
planning
another
public
meeting
to discuss
plans to
deamalgamate
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Armed with a
business plan that she
say's proves that
deamalgamation' can
work for Hensall, Kay
Wise is inviting
Hensall's residents to a
public meeting that
could start the process
of returning Hensall to
its former independence
as a municipality.
"It's absolutely
workable to be
independent again but
we promised the people
we'd show them the
plan first," says Wise,
who has spent the past
year creating a business
plan for the former
village.
She says she's already
collected more than 500
names: _on a ,petititm
supporting
deamalgamation that
represents 93 per cent of
the population of
Hensall.
As well, Wise says
communication with the
Ministry of Municipal
Affairs "hasn't closed
any doors on it."
If she receives support
at the public meeting in
Hensall on Sept. 19 at
7:30 p.m, at the arena,
the push to
deamaigamate will be
presented to Bluewater
council and a transition
committee will be
formed to reverse
Hensall's connection
with Bluewater.
"Bluewater is quite
aware of how we're
feeling about it. We've
indicated we're . serious
and willing to work hard
at doing it," says Wise.
She says she's
expecting the same
supportfor de -
amalgamation she
received a year ago at a
public meeting that
drew 200 residents.
"We've lost our
identity and we're
isolated," she says.
Wise adds that she's
getting calls from all
over the province asking
for information about
how deamalgamation
can work.
"I believe we're the
first ones in Ontario to
get this far," she says.
Inside...
St. James has
new
principal...
page 3
Dublin
plowman
going to IPM
...page 10
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005
Jumping for Jesus
More than 100 local children participated in this year's Vacation Bible School at Bethel
Bible Church last week. Above, Brandon Lindeman, 7, jumps during sing -a -long time.
Susan Hundertmark photo
$1.25includes
Fall Fair
celebrating
160th
•
anniversary
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Agricultural Society
presidents and fair
ambassadors of the past will
be returning to Seaforth this
year to celebrate the 160th
anniversary of the fall fair.
"It's the 160th anniversary
of the fair and the 35th
anniversary of
the ambassador
competition and
we want to
make a big deal
about that,"
says Ag Society
director Gwen
Good.
All past
presidents and
secretaries of
the Seaforth
Agricultural
Society and
-past. presidents
of the fair's
-home craft
division are
being invited to
ride in the fair
parade Friday morning at
10:30 a.m. and attend a 5
p.m. beef dinner Friday night
before the fair ambassador
competition.
"It's a new event and the
whole purpose is to honour
those who ran the fair in the
past," says director Ross
Ribey.
At a cost of $20 a person,
the beef dinner will be set up
with tables extending in a
sunburst pattern from the
stage, providing front row
seating for the ambassador
competition at 7 p.m. Tickets
for the dinner must be bought
before next Monday, Sept. 5.
"It's going to be a lot of
work, but it's going to be
exciting,"
says Good.
"There will
also be lots of
seating for
the general
public since
t h e
ambassador
competition
is always a
good draw,"
says Ribey.
As usual, the
director's pie
auction -and a
pork carcass
auction will
be held the
same night,
with proceeds
of the pie auction going to the
Seaforth Fire Department this
year.
The theme of this year's
parade will be "Happy
Anniversary."
Ribey stresses that despite
the lack of a midway at the
fair last year, a midway will
See BX93, Page 2
Qttl)1('(1
'There's a
rumour going
around that
there's no
midway but
there will be
one,' --
Ross Ribey, director
of Seaforth
Agricultural Society
Seaforth owners begin registering pit bulls
Owners and residents debate whether banning a breed will help prevent dog attacks
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
While she's already been using a
muzzle for a year and a half on her
already -spayed dog that is part pit
bull, Becky Kropf, of Seaforth, is sad
that provincial legislation is going to
phase out a breed she thinks can make
a loveable family pet.
Kropf brought home a part pit bull
"mutt" two and a half years ago after
three previous owners, one of which
abused the dog.
Tika was enrolled in obedience
training classes and ended up winning
first prize in the class.
"I wanted to prove that not all pit
bulls are mean and vicious," says
Kropf.
Anticipating a negative reaction to
the breed, Kropf has always muzzled
her dog "for her (dog's) own
protection" and says she believes all
dogs, especially big ones, should be
muzzled in public.
And, while she willingly complied
to the current Iegisslation and had her
dog registered. Kropf is upset that
Tika will no longer be able to run in
nearby Optimist Park since the
legislation demands that all pit bulls
be leashed in public.
"I'm going to have to find someone
with a farm or at least a big fenced
backyard because she's used to her
daily runs," says Kropf.
Conscious of judgements against
the breed. Kropf says she only took
the dog to the park when no one else
was using it.
"One of the reasons we got her was
because my son wanted a dog to play
fetch with. How can she do that with
a muzzle on T' she asks.
Kropf says Tika is "a real suck, a
Cody Kropf and his pet Tlka
real people person" who sleeps with
her nine-year-old son.
Pointing to statistics that show that
less than one per cent of the dog bites
in Toronto involved pit bulls, Kropf
says she believes it's the irresponsible
owner, not a particular breed, that is
responsible for dog bites and attacks.
"I feel bad for people who have
been attacked but banning pit bulls
will not end the problem. There are
still going to be dog bites and there
are still going to be stupid people
training their dogs to be stupid," she
says.
But, a Seaforth family learned
recently that a neighbourhood dog,
that fits into the definition of a pit bull
as an American Staffordshire terrier,
was not as good natured as its owners
originally believed.
Kody' Jacobs, 13, of Seaforth
received two bites - one requiring
stitches - from a neighbourhood dog
that was put down after the biting
incident.
"They tried hard to discipline the
dog - I watched them. But, those dogs
are bred to attack first and ask
questions later," says his mom Marna
Jackson.
Jackson says she doesn't blame the
neighbours but believes that pit bulls
"are just not the best choice for
domestic pets."
So far in Huron East, six pitbulls
have been registered, four of which
live in Seaforth. Monday was the
deadline for registered all pit bulls in
Ontario.
Seaforth veterinarian Dr. Brian
Nuhn says he's neutered one pit bull
since the legislation was announced
six months ago but points out that
owners still have a two-month grace
period until Oct. 28 to comply with
all the regulations.
He adds that dogs younger than 36
weeks do not need to be spayed or
neutered until they are old enough
and older animals that are "physically
unfit to be spayed," can avoid the
process with a written assessment
from a vet.
`Those dogs are not going to be
See VET, Page 5