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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-06-10, Page 22 News Record • Wednesday, June 10, 2015 Huron County sticks with SWIFT Central Huron and Bluewater hire economic Marco Vigliotti Postmedia Network The clock hasn't struck midnight yet on Huron County's participation in a regional broadband initia- tive seeking to bring high- speed Internet to all corners of southwestern Ontario, including sparsely popu- lated rural areas. County council, however, first wants answers on why it is being asked to put forward an additional $20,000 to the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) project and how the group managing the scheme spent the previous $25,000 the county paid in membership dues. Council voted at its June 3 meeting to send the infor- mation requests to SWIFT leadership following another debate that saw several members criticize the group for lacking a clear plan on how to move forward with the ambitious initiative. Nevertheless, county council refused to immedi- ately back out of SWIFT, with most members agreeing to wait and see how the esti- mated $233 million project to build a high-speed fibre optic regional broadband network for Western Ontario develops in the coming months. Councillor Roger Watt, who serves as deputy reeve of Ashfield-Colborne- Wawanosh, likened the debate about the project to a game of poker, saying it is too early for council to sim- ply fold its hand and refuse further participation. "I think it's too soon to fold - that's the most positive thing I can say about it," he said, revealing some reserva- tions about the lack of clear details regarding the pro- posed scheme. Warden Paul Gowing expressed similar concerns, explaining that he was told recently by those involved with SWIFT that certain questions raised by the county, such as when its investment would start bear- ing fruit in Huron County, might not be answered until the "process is already underway." Despite reservations about moving forward with so much uncertainty, he said it would probably be wise to stick with the scheme after already providing thousands of dollars in membership fees. "I really believe that we're CAMP -OUT RV sales. rentals s sertti : e. -tore Lip.J., ;. Shirt? 1962 Sr3tPard.On1ar1a ,cerT asirr.eEMI ti-11M67-d$ri5 53rd �frthday Oyer; Kruse IT HAPPENS ONLY ONCE A YEAR 3 DAYS ONLY Fri, June. 1Z u-rs Sat. Jurrm 13 9-1 pier Sun, June 14 r i -a pm 141010 , Yard SaIn • dumoo id O94tairien .l5Atwara,iyot Door Pi IlanuFFtLu rRepsen-SIN lEH'ZER I411HT N*Ili Faliktok TIM ItIr tintaprn Foa 4luei i s sharer ha •iii ONE tkmweprova an OM 5 nil out wehsill fit fun dela 519 -N3 -593e at a point where it would be a leap of my faith to move forward but we already have funds in this, it might be best to see it through," he explained. Gowing also noted that a "well-received" presentation by the SWIFT managing committee at a recent Good Roads Association event in Toronto attracted the inter- est of an Ontario govern- ment minister who later ref- erenced the delegation in their speech, which could potentially raise the possibil- ity of future funding support. "It has been noticed, it is on their radar. Does that mean something positive as far as funding in the future? Who knows," he cautioned. Helmed by the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus (WOWC), a not-for-profit organization comprised of the heads of council repre- senting 15 rural municipali- ties, in cooperation with the Southwestern Economic Alliance (SWEA), SWIFT is currently weighing which service providers it will tap to build the fibre optic net- work, with construction anticipated to start in 2015. It is expected to be com- pleted by 2020. Brenda Orchard, the county's chief administrative officer, told council that a draft business plan was actu- ally discussed at a recent WOWC meeting, but said it focused almost exclusively on the financial aspect of the project and did not touch upon many of the concerns of county council. "It was more about the dollars where we have questions about process and governance and when will we see our dollars invested in Huron County," she said. There "didn't seem to be an appetite," Orchard said, among WOWC members for a request by Warden Gowing to develop a terms of reference prior to the business plan, with the CAO expressing concerns that a completed business plan would be centered entirely around financials. She suggested council compile a list of questions it wants to see answered in the prospective business plan and pose them to those developing SWIFT during the next WOWC meeting slated to be hosted in the county next month. Another one of the major sticking points in county council discussions remains the lack of clarity on how SWIFT would bring broadband service to resi- dents living in remote, rural areas - figuratively known as the "last mile:' According to the project's website, the cost alone to connect broadband fibre optic network to the so- called last mile would total somewhere between $50 million to $70 million. development officer Laura Broadley Clinton News Record Kim Leach is the new eco- nomic development officer for the municipalities of Central Huron and Bluewater. Prior to last year Central Huron only had a part-time community improvement coordinator. After the feasi- bility study and the Trillium Grant the municipality was able to employ someone full-time but will now have to go back to the previous position, said Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn. Ginn said the two munici- palities share many of the same interests and sharing the role would help with costs. "We actually hope to share a lot of services with Bluewa- ter. From an economic point of view we have a lot of simi- larities between the two municipalities. A lot of the things we want to do from the economic development point will apply to both," Ginn said. Many of the things Leach would do would overlap if there was one development officer for each municipality, Ginn said. In her new role, which starts this week, Leach will be the contact and support for potential businesses that want to relocate, open or expand in the area. She will help foster relationships between community stake- holders so that they are able to collaborate on a regional economic strategy. Leach will also work with the Clinton and Central Huron Business Improve- ment Association (BIA) to help existing businesses. The BIA is a group of vol- unteers and in the last few years its responsibilities have grown and Leach will be able to help, said Ginn. Leach has worked in the non-profit and private sector and recently with the Town- ship of Leeds and the Thou- sand Islands and Smiths Falls. "I am a person who believes in listening to the people and have developed many on-going relationships with leading economic development stakeholders over the last several years," Leach said in a press release. 1ItM1III'Et1 small ads deals Thnkng about quitting? SmOkerS'HELRLINE � L W+a .N CM t lR-li l 1 TOLL-FREE 1-877-513-5333 BOOM LIFT FOR RENT Working Height Call 519-525-0133 or email www.swtree@tcc.on.ca For further details or to book clintonnewsrecord.com Huron Superior' Memorials • MONUMENTS • FLAT MARKERS • INSCRIPTIONS Appointments in the privacy of your own home anytime MICHAEL S. FALCONER - MANAGER RES 482-3664 • CELL 525-2281