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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2005-08-31, Page 1RoserT TRAVEL FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 3 day bus tour with Local Pick up Nov 19 Featuring Brenda Lee, Ray Price, Bobby Vinton In concert. 482-7771 Toll-free 1-800-668-7477 45 Albert St., Clinton Ont Reg 2420885 Best 0.1.C. Rates 3.25% 40ar 35% 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