The Citizen, 2015-09-03, Page 1CitizenTh
e
$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, September 3, 2015
Volume 31 No. 34
FESTIVAL - Pg. 22
Young Company brings
clown show to stage
WEATHER - Pg. 11
Local student helps MVCA
with weather reporting
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:
Soaked for a good cause
New Brussels Fire Chief Max McLellan threw his name into the mix for the dunk tank at
Saturday’s swim relay event, which took aim at a new compressor for the department, but said
the price to dunk him would be steep, saying he wouldn’t sit in the chair for less than $500. He
underestimated the generosity of the Brussels community, however, as the amount proved to
be no problem. McLellan can be seen here in the three stages of his dunk tank experience:
dry, on his way down and wet. The event raised over $5,000 for the compressor, while a
neighbouring event raised over $1,000 for the Ronald McDonald House. Read more about
both events on page 23. (Jim Brown photos)
McGavin crowned
Canadian champ
Huron East report
defends department
Sparling outlines dangers of illegal lanterns in NH
Fire Department of North Huron
Chief David Sparling is concerned
about Chinese, or Oriental Lanterns
and the damage they could cause.
The lanterns, which are crafted of
various fabrics and function like a
hot-air balloon, can travel as much
as a mile on the winds while
carrying an open flame according to
Sparling.
“There has been talk, and, with
[Morris-Turnberry Fire Prevention
Officer] James Marshall discussing
the issue on the radio, the issue has
become more prevalent,” he said at
council’s Aug. 24 meeting. “Fire
services are taking an active stance
on how they should be dealt with.”
Sparling said that he felt that while
the lanterns are attractive, but they
are a huge fire hazard. He explained
that, if a lantern were to suffer a rip,
it could fall and cause a fire.
Sparling said that, in one evening
Huron East Councillor David
Blaney, also the chair of the
municipality’s economic develop-
ment committee, says he hopes to
have calmed the storm that had been
surrounding the economic
development department for a
number of months.
In a report titled “What is
Economic Development?” Blaney
detailed a number of initiatives and
responsibilities of Economic
Development Officer Jan Hawley
and her department.
The report came out of a
discussion that took place at the May
19 meeting of council where
Councillor Larry McGrath suggested
that the department be “scaled back
or cut right out.”
McGrath was critical of the
department, asking for it to be
reviewed, adding that he didn’t “see
the worth in it.”
Media reports elicited responses
from a number of local business
people and community supporters
who stood behind Hawley and the
department, saying that Huron East
is a better place with economic
development, some writing Letters
to the Editor to The Citizen, as well
as letters to council.
Blaney, however, sought to defend
Hawley and the department with the
report, as well as detail a number of
her activities, including awards and
successes, which includes a number
of awards from the Ontario Business
Improvement Areas Association
(OBIAA) in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
In his report, Blaney concluded
that the “old style” of economic
development is no longer an option.
He said it’s unlikely that small
communities would attract large
plants that would employ hundreds
or thousands anymore.
“In small towns, small business
creates economic action. We
advance one entrepreneur at a time,
one store at a time, one innovative
idea at a time,” Blaney stated in his
report.
He added that the uncertainty that
has been surrounding the economic
development department at the
council level has done nothing to
Walton native Brandon McGavin
will be heading to the United
Kingdom next year to represent
Canada at the World Ploughing
Championships.
Earning the berth at the world
event, slated to be held at Crockey
Hill, near York, Sept. 8-11 next year,
was no mean feat for McGavin who
had to overcome not only stiff
competition, but the man who
trained him to plough at the
Canadian championships at Wolfe
Island last week.
McGavin, who now lives in
Alberta and was representing his
new home province at the
Canadians, had to take on his father
Brian, who was representing
Ontario.
McGavin’s first place, 682-point
finish beat out Carmen Weppler of
Clifford, Ontario, who earned 652
points and Brian who earned 638
points, but it was anything from a
sure thing.
“At the start of the week, in the
practice rounds, I was kind of
struggling and couldn’t get my
plough to plough the way I wanted it
to,” McGavin said in an interview
with The Citizen. “Things did kind
of come together eventually.”
The first day was a good one
though, according to McGavin.
“I think I could’ve done some
things differently, but I thought I had
a pretty good land at the end of the
day,” he said. “The second day, we
ran into some tough sod that was
hard to work with, but, for some
reason, I can work well in that kind
of situation, so I had a good day. The
third day, I had a rough start, but a
good finish.”
McGavin didn’t know if he would
win, but said that after the second
day he figured he would be in
contention.
“Dad and Carmen did well, but on
The Citizen
Celebrating 30 Years
1985~2015
Continued on page 14
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 14
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 10