The Citizen, 2015-02-05, Page 1CitizenTh
e
$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, February 5, 2015
Volume 31 No. 5
FESTIVAL - Pg. 19
Garratt details roster of
new Festival directors
SPORTS - Pg. 8
Brussels student sets sights
on Hockeyville for Brussels
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
IPM, Fall Fair may
explore partnership
Cat and Mouse
As part of a special outdoor activity day on Jan. 28, students at Hullett Central Public School
got to play Newcomb ball, play with crazy carpets, play tug-of-war and take part in other
activities such as playing games with the rainbow parachute, shown above. Shown enjoying a
game of cat and mouse using the parachute are, back row: Hannah Boven, Ella Sawchuk and
Alana Stewart with Brette Brohman sitting on the parachute and keeping an eye out for any of
her classmates. (Denny Scott photo)
Snowarama to return Feb. 14
A potential partnership between
the 2017 International Plowing
Match (IPM) in Walton and the
Brussels Fall Fair of the same year
stirred up a lot of excitement, as well
as a lot of questions, at Friday
night’s annual meeting of the
Brussels Agricultural Society.
Jacquie Bishop, chair of the 2017
IPM Committee, spoke to members
of the society on Friday night at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre, detailing a
number of ways that the historic
match and the society’s annual fall
fair could align themselves for the
year.
Because the Brussels Fall Fair is
the only area fall fair to take place
throughout the week, it will run
alongside the IPM, leaving
opportunity for certain events to
coincide.
She said that organizers, both at
the local level, as well as at the
Ontario Plowmen’s Association
(OPA) level, are very excited at the
possibility of hosting an authentic
fall fair at the IPM.
There would be logistical
concerns, however, if the society
was to agree to literally move its fair
to Walton for 2017. A number of
events may be in jeopardy, Bishop
said, but others could be enhanced
by the thousands of visitors per day
expected at the 2017 IPM.
She said that OPA members were
thrilled at the prospect of having an
authentic 4-H show at the IPM, such
as the beef and sheep shows that
typically take place at the annual
fair.
Bishop said that the Dodge Ram
Rodeo has historically held a show
at the IPM and it is likely, though not
confirmed, that rodeo organizers
would allow 4-H groups to use the
show ring when the rodeo isn’t.
Other events, however, like the
fair’s annual dog show could be
tougher to accommodate, Bishop
says. With a number of farm animals
at the site year after year, dogs have
historically not been allowed on
IPM grounds due to concerns of
spooking the farm animals.
There is also the concern
of the accessibility of events
to the general public.
Historically, the fair has featured a
parade down Brussels’ main street,
as well as a number of exhibits that
are all open to the public. If exhibits
and a parade were to be hosted at the
IPM, there would have to be an
admission charge to the grounds of
$18, Bishop says, and that is set by
the OPA and is non-negotiable.
This fact caused a lot of concern
among agricultural society
members, who said that those who
come to see their exhibits, their
children or grandchildren at 4-H
shows or the parade have always
done so for free.
There were also logistical
concerns, such as having flowers,
vegetables and baked goods on
display for the week of the IPM,
rather than the two days they would
be on display for the fair.
Bishop said that the fair’s exhibits,
should they be at the IPM, would be
housed in a sturdy tent, akin to a
mobile building, ensuring they
would be protected from the
elements and safe from night to
night.
If the fair was to take place at the
IPM site in 2017, said Huron East
Councillor and agricultural society
member David Blaney, it would
likely look a lot different than it
usually does, which might not be a
bad thing.
Blaney said that with this
opportunity to expose the fair at
such an important event, perhaps it’s
not a bad idea to conform to the
IPM’s requirements.
He said that instead of looking at
the fair in a traditional sense, saying
“this is what we’ve always done”
perhaps society members should
look at the IPM as an opportunity,
and shape the fair to the IPM, rather
than trying to shoehorn the fair’s
events into the IPM.
He said that if the fair typically
offers 25 “things” to those in
attendance in a regular year, perhaps
in order to fit into the IPM,
organizers should focus on the 10 or
15 things the fair does best and let
some of the other exhibits or events
go for one year.
Bishop said that Peggy Sloan,
chair of the IPM’s education
committee thought there would be
an excellent opportunity for
crossover between the educational
programs of the fair and the IPM,
such as a scavenger hunt or a
passport for students to get stamped,
with one of the points of interest
being the fair.
She also acknowledged other
concerns with moving and altering
the fair for one year, citing the
example of the Exeter Fall Fair,
which did the same thing, but
then was eventually discontinued
because it never really picked
up where it left off after integrating
With the snow piling higher and
snowmobile trails opening, the
Huron Trail Groomers are preparing
for the 11th annual Snowarama, a
snowmobile event that raises money
for Easter Seals Ontario.
The event, which is held on
Saturday, Feb. 14, happens in and
around Londesborough and will be
held rain or shine according to
organizer Audrey Bergsma.
“This year we’re basically sticking
with what works,” Bergsma said.
“Breakfast will be held from 9 a.m.
to noon at the Lions Hall and
registration will be held at the same
time.”
This year, the event will feature a
dart challenge.
“Snowmobilers can go around and
ride the trails and, at certain
intersection points, get coloured
sticks,” she said. “The sticks can
then be traded for darts at the North
Huron Trail Groomers Clubhouse [at
trail intersection 548 just north of
Blyth Road in East Wawanosh].”
Bergsma explained that a deck of
cards will be posted on a wall and
darts can be thrown.
“From the throws, people can try
and get the highest points or aim for
the best poker hand,” she said.
“There are a lot of prizes that go
along with that.”
Bergsma said there will be one
change people might notice and
that’s how the event is being tailored
The Citizen
Celebrating 30 Years
1985~2015
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 11
Ombudsman to investigate Central Huron
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 9
For the second time in three years,
Central Huron Council finds itself
under the microscope of the Ontario
Ombudsman.
At council’s Monday night
meeting, Chief Administrative
Officer Peggy Van Mierlo-West told
councillors to expect a phone call
from Ombudsman André Marin in
the coming weeks.
Van Mierlo-West made the
announcement after being informed
that the municipality was under
investigation for a closed session
that took place at council’s Jan. 12
committee of the whole meeting.
She said the Ombudsman was
satisfied that an investigation should
go ahead after initially reviewing the
complaint, but that was as far into
the situation as she could go.
Mayor Jim Ginn said he had a
pretty good idea of how the
investigation was going to end, due
to recent comments in the press from
Marin, which Ginn said outlined
very different guidelines for closed-
to-the-public sessions than
councillors were taught at their
orientation sessions.
So despite the fact that he says
he’s “certain” Central Huron
operated within the rules, he felt an
Ombudsman investigation would
come to a different conclusion.
In the face of that opinion, Ginn
suggested that council should
consider hiring its own investigator.
He said that decision would result in
the spending of municipal money,
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 9