HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-5-31, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
FooD & D1ur K - Pg. 9
Taste of Huron relaunches
with new website, tours
BUDGET - Pg. 12
North Huron Council
finally passes budget
AWARDS - Pg. 19
Blyth -based restaurant
honoured nationally
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4Citiz
Volume 34 No. 22
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ESTABLISHED 1877
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 31, 2018
Just Small Town Girls
Blyth was the place to be on the weekend as the Blyth and
District Community Centre and nearby campground played
host to the 21st annual Barn Dance Campout and
Jamboree. The stage was humming with music all
weekend, whether it was the Friday night bluegrass show,
the Saturday night Barn Dance show, the Sunday morning
Gospel show or any of a number of open stage periods over
the course of the weekend. Above, 13 -year-old twins
Hannah and Haley Van Maele, along with their 15 -year-old
sister Cassie, not pictured, are known as Small Town Girls and
they were on the main stage on Saturday night. They have
performed all over the province, despite how young they are, even
opening for country music sensation Brett Kissel in Barrie two
years ago. The Saturday night show will also be remembered for
a special award presentation to Tommy Hunter, Canada's Country
Gentleman. See page 20 for the full story. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Policing
debate
persists
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Policing of the Wingham Ward
has once again been called into
question as North Huron Council is
revisiting the option bringing in
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to
service the entire municipality.
Council decided to revisit the
issue after receiving its latest
version of the Wingham Police
Services budget which includes the
hiring of three new necessary
recruits (there will be a total of five)
and a 4.5 per cent wage increase for
existing officers.
Council saw the budget at its May
24 meeting after a preamble
provided by Councillor and Police
Services Board Chair Trevor Seip
explaining that, while this budget
was 14 per cent lower than the
budget North Huron had declined
earlier in the month, the only thing
the board had done was push
expenses to 2019.
The new budget comes in at
$1.391 million and includes three
new recruits set to be hired by
September, trained and on active
duty by the end of the year. The new
budget also contains the 4.5 per cent
wage increase for existing officers.
The five new officers are
necessary because the Police
Services Board pledged, through an
agreement with the Wingham Police
Association, to have two officers on
every shift by mid -2019.
As part of the presentation, Seip
asked Chief Tim Poole to forecast
the 2019 and 2020 budgets to show
council the true expense of the
police service.
With capital purchases and the
hiring of the two additional officers,
2019 will see the Wingham Police
Continued on page 12
Provincial candidates spar ahead of election
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Five of the six candidates vying to
be Huron -Bruce's Member of
Provincial Parliament in the June 7
election were in Holmesville last
week making their cases to over 100
voters.
The Huron County Federation of
Agriculture hosted the all -candidates
meeting, which brought incumbent
PC Lisa Thompson, Liberal Don
Matheson, Jan Johnstone of the
NDP, Ron Stephens of the
Libertarian Party and Gerrie
Huenemoerder of the Alliance Party
to Holmesville to debate the issues.
Nicholas Wendler of the Green Party
was not in attendance.
In her opening comments,
Thompson said the message she was
hearing was clear and that it was
time for a change at Queen's Park.
After 15 years of what she called
"incompetence" from the Liberal
Party of Ontario, she said the PC
Party would bring credibility and
accountability to Ontario.
Her party vows to reform the
healthcare system and commit
billions to mental health. Thompson
also said that her party would clean
up the energy file in Ontario while
bringing jobs back to the province.
She said she wanted to continue
the work of representing the riding at
Queen's Park, like she's done for the
past two terms, and continue to fight
for its people.
Matheson, a Southampton native,
said he has spent years as a Saugeen
Shores councillor, while working as
a teacher and volunteering as a
hockey coach.
He also said he felt change was
needed at Queen's Park, saying that
he felt the riding needed strong
representation and a voice at the
provincial level.
The Liberal Party, he said, would
emphasize care over cuts and work
to find solutions to problems.
Specifically in the agricultural
sector, Matheson said he felt Huron -
Bruce lacked a voice at Queen's
Park, which is why he vowed to
create a special task force comprised
of agricultural professionals.
He said that as the economic
driver of Huron -Bruce, the world of
agriculture could be heard on a
number of issues and craft a made -
in -Huron solution to any agricultural
issues that may arise.
Matheson also cited the Liberals
as the architects of the Risk
Management Plan, which he said he
hoped to continue to build upon.
Johnstone said she has deep roots
in Huron -Bruce, with ancestors
dating back to the 1800s.
She said she has worked in the
healthcare field and as an area
school board representative for
decades, so she is well -versed
in some of the province's key
sectors.
As the vice -chair of a school board
that oversees thousands of students
and a budget of over $200 million,
she said she loved preparing students
today for the world of tomorrow.
She also said she had felt a
Continued on page 10