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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-05-13, Page 5Wednesday, May 13, 2015 • News Record 5 1 www.clintonnewsrecord.com From the archives 15 years ago... Drawings for Clinton Public Hospital healing garden were completed. Initial plans for the garden were done by Fan- shawe College students, saving the hos- pital a lot of money, said project volun- teer Marg Makins. The Soapbox derby, cake decorating and a video competition to the Home - craft division were new events added to the Clinton Spring Fair. 20 years ago... The Huron County Smoke -Free Coa- lition lobbied service clubs to host a smoke-free bingo as a part of World No -Tobacco Day. The bell in the Clinton Town Hall was rung to mark the 50th anniversary of VE -Day. Stephen Lewis, former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations and former Ontario NDP leader, spoke to a group of Huron County teachers at Central Huron Secondary School. 30 years ago... Brucefield resident, John Cornish, revisited the area of Holland where 42 years previous he survived a burning bomber shot from the air by a German fighter plane. A Dutch family helped him after he stumbled to their doorstep blind and with burns on his face. Cor- nish eventually ended up as a prisoner of war for two years. The Royal Canadian Legion Clinton branch celebrated 40 years of peace in Europe 140,000 trees were planted on the land of 451 private landowners. An additional 40,000 trees were planted on Ausable Bayfield Conservation Author- ity property. Council gives Windmill Lake the go-ahead Laura Broadley Clinton News Record Windmill Lake Wake & Eco Park got the go-ahead from Central Huron Council on May 4. There was a lot of emotion on display during the April 20 Council meeting when the discussion turned to the temporary zoning bylaw amendment for Windmill Lake Wake & Eco Park to continue its operations. Huron County planner Mon- ica Walker -Bolton recommended that Council not grant the temporary zon- ing bylaw amendment because it violated mini- mum distance separation. The park is located in a des- ignated agriculture zone. Farmers in attendance at the first Council meeting were concerned with what the operation of the park meant for them. Much of their interest in the matter surrounded the possibility that the park would prevent them from expanding. Some in attendance also questioned why the park had been in operation for a year already if it was in violation of a zoning bylaw. Councillor Metzger explained that most people don't necessarily understand how zoning works. Sharon Vitali-Ebers, owner of the property where the park is located, made a presentation to Council on May 4. She explained that when she and her husband bought the land they were out of the country. She said the realtor told them that it was previously operated as a commercial property. She said they had a letter from public health and that they also had the proper building permits from the municipality. Mayor Jim Ginn said he was reluctant to force a busi- ness to close, especially one that was owned by young people. The one-year temporary zoning bylaw amendment was granted with an agree- ment that it is restricted to the existing structures and limited to its existing activities. Councillor Westerhout was concerned that Council was setting a precedent by allowing the park to con- tinue its operations. While he said he loved the idea of the park, the fact was that it was in violation of minimum distance separation. He also questioned why Council would pass the amendment if they didn't know whether it would prohibit or restrict farmers. Councillors Westerhout, Anderson and Colquhoun voted against passing the temporary zoning bylaw amendment. Windmill Lake Wake & Eco Park opened last spring. It is located on over 200 acres of forest and trails with a 40 -acre lake. Andy Oke and Jen Pate are the co- owners/operators of the park. Oke also owns Endless Surf in Grand Bend and Pate owns Your Frontier, a film company specializing in worldwide expeditions and environmental responsibil- ity projects. Regional unemployment rates steady, construction jobs steadily declining Dave Flaherty Postmedia Network It is a mixed bag of news in the latest report from the Four County Labour Market Planning Board. For the third consecutive month, unemployment rates held steady in the Stratford - Bruce Peninsula economic region (Huron, Bruce, Grey and Perth counties) at 5.8 per cent The April labour force sur- vey shows the participation rate in the economic region increased by 3.9 per cent and saw employment rise by almost 10,000 jobs, with all the growth in full-time work. There was a minimal loss in part-time employment. The bad news was employment in construction for the region is down almost 5,000 jobs since October. Genna Mendez -Smith, executive director of the Four County Labour Market Plan- ning Board, said while there is usually a loss of construc- tion jobs over the winter months, in 2014 to 15 there has been a "steady decline': Mendez -Smith said they would be watching with great interest whether the numbers rebound over the spring months. The market report also indicated there were 9,700 more people working in wholesale and retail trades compared to a year ago. The province saw increases in both construc- tion and trade jobs, but experienced a loss of approximately 20,000 jobs in manufacturing. However the job loss in manufacturing has not affected the Stratford -Bruce Peninsula economic region where the sector has fluctuated marginally between 18,300 and 21,600 jobs in the past year. Mendez -Smith said despite the loss of large com- panies such as Volvo, the manufacturing sector remains one of the largest employers in the region. She said the manufactur- ing companies in the region are now small (under 200 employees) to medium (200 to 499 employees). While the question of how to attract larger manufactur- ers has been raised by resi- dents and local politicians, Mendez -Smith said the board is focused on retain- ing businesses. "Our focus is who is already here and how do we keep them here," she said. For more information on the board and to view its reports, visit www.planning- board.ca. clintonnewsrecord.com Get all of your news, sports and more. Serving Huron County