The Citizen, 2007-11-29, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 47 Thursday, Nov. 29, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 7
Pg. 8
Pg. 11
Pg. 24
Pg. 26
BMG recreation
presents awards
Local hockey teams
face off
Physician recruiter
updates NH council
East Wawanosh
students donate
Brussels Library
debates continue
Local soybeans have made their
way to Bejing, China.
Four containers, each holding 20
metric tonne were loaded at Howson
and Howson elevators in Blyth on
Friday. From there they will be
shipped to Toronto, then Vancouver
before heading to Bejing.
Howson’s manager Bruce Howson
said the beans are being used for tofu
and/or soymilk. “This is the first
shipment to China by Howson and
Howson,” he noted.
The arrangement has been
brokered through Huron
Commodities in Clinton. “They find
markets and ask us to ship to them.”
The business will benefit area
farmers. “It helps open a market and
allows us premiums for beans.There
is a premium being paid for IP
(identity preserved) beans.”
Howson said the China market is
expanding drastically and that they
have also shipped the same type of
bean to Japan for quite a few years.
Looking ahead, said Howson,
2008 looks like it will be a good
year. “We plan on doing quite a bit
more next year.”
Local beans off to Bejing
In 1925, Helen Keller challenged
Lions worldwide to become “knights
of the blind in the crusade against
darkness” during the association’s
international convention.
Today, Lions are recognized
worldwide for their service to the
blind and visually impaired. Lions
demonstrate their commitment to
sight conservation through eyeglass
recycling, sight partnerships and
countless other sight services.
In response to the Letter to The
Editor in last week’s edition of The
Citizen concerning the continued
plight of those affected by the
tsunami in Sri Lanka, the Brussels
Lions Club has organized a
collection drive for used eyeglasses
to take place during the Brussels
Santa Claus parade this weekend.
This is the season for giving and
what better gift could one possibly
give than the Gift of Sight to
someone less fortunate.
It is by coincidence that the
Brussels Lions Club has recently
begun the process setting up a
permanent collection box in Brussels
for used eyeglasses and hearing aids.
The collection box will be in place
early in the New Year.
With that in mind, “We had already
been planning a collection during the
Santa Claus parade this weekend, the
proceeds of which would have been
distributed through the Canadian
Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre
(www.clerc.ca) said Lion Paul
Mutter, program chair. “However,
having spoken to Mrs. Roberts since
her letter, it has been decided to
assist her with her collection, the
proceeds of which will be distributed
through her daughters Relief Aid
International program”.
“As long as we can assist those in
need, how it is done is unimportant”.
Members of the Brussels Lions
Club will be on the parade route on
Saturday in bright yellow vests.
“Bring your used eyeglasses,
sunglasses and used reading glasses
to the parade and make sure to
identify yourself as having a
donation as we pass along the parade
route. For those of you that we miss,
a permanent collection box will be in
place at the Brussels Foodland early
in the New Year,” says Mutter.
The Brussels Lions Club has 38
members and meets on the second
and fourth Mondays of each month
throughout the year at 7 p.m. at the
BM&G Community Centre. Lions
Clubs are a group of men and women
who identify needs within the
community and work together to
fulfill those needs.
For more information or to get
involved with the Brussels Lions
Club, contact president Jason
Rehkopf at 519-887-8049 or any
member of the Club.
Six ratepayers showed up for an
information session to discuss the
township’s survey of residents’
opinions on various topics at the
Nov. 20 meeting of Morris-
Turnberry council.
Even among that small number,
however, there was a wide
divergence of opinions on the future
size and shape of the municipality’s
council.
“I find it incomprehensible that
our council would even discuss
going down to four councillors,” said
George Underwood, disagreeing
with one of the options on the survey
that was mailed to residents (the
survey is to be returned by Dec. 10.)
“Option four (reducing council
size from six councillors to four
plus the mayor) is totally a
mistake. I’m scared to death about
going to four. The fewer councillors
you get the easier it is to load
(council).”
But Jason Breckenridge argued
that “four competent councillors”
could do the job.
Councillor Paul Gowing also
supported reducing council size,
arguing that with only 3,500
residents in the municipality, five
councillors should be able to handle
the workload.
Councillor Lynn Hoy, however,
pointed out that if there are fewer
councillors to share the number of
committee meetings it will create a
heavier load for councillors.
The other hot topic of discussion
was whether or not the ward system
should be abandoned and all council
positions be voted on by all
residents, not just those in their
ward.
“I want to be able to vote for
everyone,” said Breckenridge. “I
don’t see the need for two wards.”
“We’re so alike in the two wards
I think it would work well,” said
Gowing.
“People who have approached
me said how much fairer (abolishing
wards) could be,” said councillor
Edna McLellan.
But deputy-mayor Jim Nelemans
noted wryly, that people want to be
able to vote at large but they also
want to be assured they have
representation from their own area.
Breckenridge said anyone who
worried that all the councillors
would come from one ward needed
to make sure someone was running
from their own ward.
But councillor Bill Thompson
said he continued to support
the ward system. He gets a lot of
calls from people from his ward
asking questions or pointing out
problems.
Nelemans pointed out that when
all the surveys have been received
and the votes tabulated there would
be another public meeting to discuss
the results.
Mayor Dorothy Kelly agreed,
saying the survey was just a way of
asking people for comments so
council can set the future direction
of the municipality.
Loading up
From left: Paul Kerr, Bruce Howson and Christopher Howson, oversee the loading of one of
four trucks that will be transporting 80 metric tonne of soybeans bound for Bejing China. (Bonnie
Gropp photo)
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
It’s time for Santa to pay his
annual visit to Brussels this
Saturday.
Jolly Old St. Nick will be guest of
honour for the Home for the
Holidays-themed parade, which
begins at 5 p.m. from the Brussels,
Morris and Grey Community Centre
Dec. 1
The parade leaves the arena and
makes its way up Sports Drive to
Turnberry Street, where it turns left
and heads through the business
section.
The route continues on, turning
left at Ellen Street then right onto
Ainley Street to make its way back
to the arena.
Organizers are planning a fun
family evening at the end of the
parade. Children will have the
opportunity to visit with Santa at the
arena and have a free skate. Hot
dogs and pop are available for $2.
Santa on
his way
Sometime between noon on Nov.
22 and noon on Nov. 23 person(s)
broke into the Grey firehall on
Brandon Road in Huron East.
The suspects stole a chop saw, a
generator and two 10-litre gas cans.
They pried open a rear window with
a crowbar-type instrument to enter
the building.
Further investigation revealed that
the chop saw was later recovered by
the Oxford County OPP at a
residence. The investigation is
continuing.
It should be noted that the Grey
Fire Department did the right thing
by logging the serial numbers of all
their equipment, police said.
Without that information, the two
investigations would not have been
linked.
Citizens are reminded to go
through their belongings and make a
listing of any items that have serial
numbers.
Break-in
at Grey
firehall
Lions
assist
with
project
M-T residents discuss survey
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen