The Citizen, 2007-04-26, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 17 Thursday, April 26, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 3
Pg. 10
Pg. 12
Pg. 18
Pg. 20
Blyth speaker wins
Area contest
Groundbreaking day
for Huron East
Morris-Turnberry
approves budget
Huron East passes
13% increase
Blyth Legion
donates to fund
OPP officers were out in full force
April 19 at Central Huron Secondary
School as a result of a threat received
on April 6.
In light of the recent tragedy at
Virginia Tech that left over 30 people
dead the school and police took the
threat very seriously.
The incident in Clinton goes back
nearly three weeks, when a threat in
the form of graffiti was scrawled
somewhere on the school grounds. In
a phone interview last Thursday,
principal Herb Klassen refused to say
much relating to the message itself,
due to the ongoing investigation, but
he did say it wasn’t so much crude as
it was threatening. It consisted of six
words and it implicated April 19,
2007 as the date the threat was to be
carried out.
All schools in the Avon Maitland
District School Board were required
to have a plan in place to address an
emergency situation. The idea at
CHSS was to have a large, visible
police presence to work both as a
safety measure and as a deterrent.
According to vice-principal Sheila
Jankowski, the school was toured
with an OPP K-9 unit for possible
threats prior to students entering the
building on Thursday.
In addition to the preliminary
search, officers stayed on the
premises, enforcing a “locked door”
policy at CHSS for the day, where
the only entrance accessible for
anyone was the main entrance, where
students were subject to a bag search
and to have a metal detecting wand
run over them to check for foreign
objects.
Klassen was on hand, assuring
students that measures taken by them
were strictly precautionary and were
for their safety. He told them to think
of it as if they were getting on a
plane, to empty out their bags and
their pockets, remove their cell
phones from their pockets and spread
their arms and legs in order to be
searched for metal objects.
In the afternoon police eased up
slightly, providing their presence at
the school, but stopped searching and
wanding people after the morning
rush to classes.
A fashion show, set to go at 7 p.m.
on April 19, went ahead as planned.
OPP officers were present at the
show. They did not search bags or
use metal detectors, but were simply
on hand as a precaution and to ensure
the safety of the show’s patrons.
The OPP has been looking into this
case since the graffiti was initially
scrawled and are continuing the
investigation. Klassen says that there
are no indications one way or the
other at this time if this was done by
a CHSS student or not.
While the investigation is still
ongoing, most parents were happy
A local son with a long-time
connection to politics is hoping to
take the next step up the political
ladder.
Greg McClinchey, a native of the
Blyth area and currently councillor
for the Blyth Ward of North Huron,
defeated two contenders in one
ballot to claim the Huron-Bruce
Liberal riding’s nomination in
Belmore on Saturday.
Losing out to McClinchey, who is
executive assistant to current Huron-
Bruce MP Paul Steckle, were Blyth-
area resident Dr. Maarten Bokhout
and Saugeen Shores mayor Mark
Kraemer.
In an interview Monday,
McClinchey said it was a “good,
equitable” contest with 700 votes
cast.
McClinchey, 31, announced his
intention to seek the nomination
minutes after Steckle announced his
intention to retire after more than 30
years in politics. McClinchey said
then he was eager to continue to
represent the people of Huron-
Bruce.
He said he had been fortunate to
have “apprenticed” with Steckle, but
had also worked to forge his own
path.
He has worked with Steckle since
1993, beginning as a junior assistant
when he was just 16. He became his
executive assistant in 2002 and has
served as campaign manager
through three elections.
Going into Saturday’s meeting,
McClinchey said he felt his team
had worked hard for the nomination,
but that didn’t mean he was over-
confident.
“I have learned in politics that you
can’t take anything for granted. We
did two mailings and made 1,100
phone calls to the membership. We
worked hard, but I was prepared to
accept whatever choice was made.”
McClinchey, who is married to
Julie and is the father of one child,
Mieka, said winning was a
“tremendous relief”, initially, but
now carries its share of pressure.
“It was great that so many would
place their trust in me. But now it’s a
little daunting to realize I have to
live up to that trust.”
Adding that he was humbled to
have been chosen, he promised to
work hard for his supporters.
As for what the election might
bring, the candidate was buoyed by
the fact that 1,000 came out to the
nomination meeting. “It was a
tremendous feeling. I think it bodes
well for our association, that not
only did we have three credible
candidates, but that kind of turnout.”
McClinchey said Monday he’d
been asked by a reporter after the
nomination, if he was nervous that
Prime Minister Stephen Harper had
700 turn out to see him when he
recently visited Huron. “I suggested
that perhaps the Prime Minister
should be nervous that we had 1,000
at our meeting. If this is any
indication of the interest in our
party, it’s locally a good foundation
on which to build.”
While this might imply a feeling
of confidence, McClinchey also
knows there’s plenty of work to do.
“I will take the same approach to the
campaign that I did to the
nomination. Nothing is a given.”
Describing the voters in Huron-
Bruce as “savvy” McClinchey said
they have strong opinions and know
what they want in a candidate. He
also acknowledges that they have
been accustomed with Steckle to a
representative who listened to them.
“There are 105,000 constituents in
the riding and I look forward to
meeting them, and to listening to
them.”
Funeral services were held
Monday afternoon for an RR1,
Walton teen killed in a single-
vehicle crash in Huron East.
OPP responded at 5:30 a.m. April
19 to Roxboro Line, between Hydro
Line and Bridge Road, north-west of
Seaforth.
According to OPP, 18-year-old
Kyle William Clark was travelling
north on Roxboro Line when his
Monte Carlo veered across the
centre of the road, entering the west
ditch. Police said the vehicle began
to tumble end over end, and Clark,
who was not wearing a seatbelt was
ejected.
The investigation revealed the the
crash occurred sometime between
11 and 11:45 p.m. the night before.
Clark was the son of Robert Clark
and Bonnie Rea of RR1, Walton and
Maryanne Clark of Ailsa Craig. He
was the brother of Chantell Clark of
Ailsa Craig, Chad Clark of Seaforth,
and Dustin Clark, Jennifer Rea and
Tanya Rea all at home.
Teen dies
in crash
CHSS
acts on
threat
Crash
Blyth firefighters, OPP and emergency medical personnel responded to a motorcycle crash
just south of Blyth on London Road at 3:15 p.m. Saturday. Jerrod Button of Blyth was
travelling on a motocycle, when, according to fire chief Paul Josling, he lost control at the
curves and hit gravel. The bike went down into the ditch and as it hit the bottom, Josling said
Button flew off and landed a few feet away, just missing a sign post. The victim was airlifted
to London hospital. (Vicky Bremner photo)
McClinchey gets Liberal nod
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 6
It was a tragic story that could
have been so much worse.
On Monday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
Graham and Marg Work were just
sitting down to supper at their
Brussels area home, when they
witnessed the climax of the story,
which had begun moments earlier.
A transport truck driver, Ab
Murray, 70 of Lucknow was barely
out of Brussels heading north when
the truck went over a shallow ditch
on the east side and crossed a field.
The vehicle travelled 700 metres in
a north-east direction.
It entered the Works’ side yard
where it totalled the shed and a
lamppost, struck a stand of trees and
the car, before stopping short of the
house.
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Close call
for couple
Continued on page 2