The Citizen, 1999-11-03, Page 1Business 1 News
Massage, sacro-Workshop demonstrates
cranial therapy how to combine farm
comes to Blyth drains and fish habitats
See page 6 See page 16
Entertainment
Frank Mills visits
Blyth on final
concert tour
r
\ -
See page 23
N. Huron responds
to Morris questions
After attending the North Huron
restructuring meeting, Oct. 26
Morns council sought clarification
on issues included in the plan.
Blyth/Wingham Clerk-Treasurer
John Stewart said Morns council had
received a copy of the plan prior to
the meeting so they would be
brought up to speed.
Morris councillors left the meeting
after an hour and a half to discuss the
plan in private. At 9:30 p.m. a call
back to the committee outlined mat
ters they wished to discuss further.
“They had three major concerns,”
Stewart said.
Morris wanted to make sure town
ship taxes would not go up with
amalgamation, said Stewart and the
committee “tried to give reassur
ances.”
The North Huron group had agreed
there would be a base rate for all
municipalities with special area
rates.
Morris was also seeking a guaran
tee that township reserves would not
be included in general funds. Stewart
said reserves will remain in place
and used for designated purposes.
No changes will be allowed after
Dec. 31,2000.
The third concern centred around
the next municipal election. While
the municipalities would not formal
ly amalgamate until after the election
in November 2000, the North Huron
group felt it would be appropriate to
allow one municipality to be respon
sible for the process in all three
municipalities. Wingham had been
chosen to look after the election.
However, Morris expressed an inter
est in overseeing the election.
The suggested representation for
the new municipality would be three
from Wingham, two from Morris and
one each from Blyth and East
Wawanosh. The reeve and deputy
reeve could be elected at large.
Acre T Farms
withdraws appeal
By Ralph Pearce
Special to The Citizen
In a development that was clearly
a shock to some. Acre T Farms of
RR3, Brussels, used a public hearing
before the provincial Environmental
Assessment and Appeal Board to
officially withdraw its appeal of
orders to correct manure leakage
problems first detected last May at
two Ashfield Twp. sites. The
announcement was made by Thomas
Corbett, counsel for Acre T, to hear
ing Chair Natalie Desrosiers of the
Environmental Assessment Board,
virtually ending the hearing, held
Monday at the Brussels, Morris and
Grey Community Centre.
The gathering was expected to run
at least a full day and would have pit
legal counsel for Acre T Farms
against members of the PROTECT'
(Presenting Recommendations on
Township Environmental Concerns
There were also questions regard
ing the responsibilities of the transi
tion team.
Because of the limited time to
resolve their concerns, a request was
put forward by Morris to delay pre
senting the plan to county council
until the December meeting instead
of Nov. 4 as the North Huron group
had planned.
The committee expressed some
reluctance to do so as there was con
cern a December approval by county
council could limit the possibility of
ministerial approval before the end
of the year.
However, Stewart said the ministry
has indicated plans received in
December would be considered.
The North Huron group held an
impromptu meeting at 8 a.m.
Monday morning to discuss the
issues brought forward by Morris
council.
The committee agreed to extend
the deadline for submission to the
county to Nov. 12.
It was also moved that if Morris
requests a meeting, the restructuring
group will meet Nov. 8. Stewart and
East Wawanosh Clerk-Treasurer
Winona Thompson will meet with
Morris Clerk-Treasurer Nancy
Michie prior to that meeting to dis
cuss concerns. Any other meetings
would be at the call of Morris Reeve
Bert Elliott.
A third motion stated that a deci
sion by Morris to join the North
Huron group prior to the Nov. 12
deadline would be binding. The
North Huron group may invoke the
triple majority process to write
Morris into the plan if their
decision to join is rescinded after
Nov. 12.
The committee agreed the election
issue was not negotiable and it would
remain the responsibility of
Wingham.
Together) community group. The
appeal from Acre T Farms cited
eight reasons for their action, includ
ing statements that called the orders
from the Ministry of the
Environment and Energy (MOEE)
“Unreasonable and unfair”, “vague”
and that “any leakage ... arose as a
consequence of construction by a
third party.”
But what could be viewed as an
end of the appeal process was actu
ally a beginning for concerned citi
zens. Many of the members of the
group and other area residents called
for greater diligence on the part of
the Environment Ministry along
with assurances that further appeals
from Acre T Farms would not slow a
process that has already taken too
long.
Following the announcement,
Desrosiers excused herself from the
proceedings, citing that her pre-
Continued on page 22
CitizenThe North Huron
Vol. 15 No. 43 Wednesday, Nov. 3,1999 (70€ + 5c GST) 750
A book for Minnie
There were some unique visitors to this year’s Book Fair at Brussels Public School as children
were also involved in Halloween activities. Meagan Jones as Minnie Mouse was one of many
browsers who attended the open house in costume last Wednesday. (Ashiey Gropp photo)
Blyth, Hullett to get bag tags
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
One of the last “free” refuges for
garbage may soon disappear.
Blyth Clerk-Treasurer John
Stewart presented a draft bylaw to
Blyth councillors, Monday evening,
proposing bag tags for users of the
Blyth-Hullett landfill site.
The landfill site committee had
suggested a bylaw be drafted to
implement a user-pay system which
could get underway by early in the
new year.
Stewart said he contacted several
other municipalities to determine
average fees for tags as well as vari
ous bulk loads.
When asked why the user pay sys
tem was necessary at this point,
council was told of people including
recycleable and compostable materi
als in their garbage as well as non
village residents traveling into the
municipality early on garbage pick
up day to drop oft bags.
With restrictions on the burning of
materials, encouraging recycling and
composting will also help extend the
life of the landfill site.
Stewart said with the impending
amalgamation with Wingham and
East Wawanosh Twp., it would cre
ate uniformity of service as both
municipalities already have bag tags.
"The bag tags are to pay for the
cost of running the landfill site and it
should come off taxes.” said Stewart.
Councillor Murray Nesbitt said it
was fair as those disposing of the
most would pay the most. “People
will get better at recycling and com
posting.”
Stewart will bring a bylaw before
council for approval at an upcoming
meeting.Hullett council will have
Continued on page 3