Loading...
The Citizen, 2001-02-21, Page 1e Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2001 Volume 17 No. 8 75 Cents (70c + 5c GST) OPP unit to fight rural crime Rural residents of mid-western Ontario will now have the benefit of a concerted effort to curtail roving groups committing agricultural and rural crimes. The Western Region OPP Rural and Agricultural Crime Teams, initiatives supported by the provincial government and integral to the OPP business plan, are now up and running, said OPP Sr. Constable Don Shropshall. With one officer assigned to oversee rural crimes in Huron, Perth and Bruce Counties and another, working from the same office in Mount Forest, dealing with Wellington and Grey, Shiopshall said patterns in, the crimes can be more easily seen. The RACT teams will target a reduction in break and enters and agriculturaUforestry crime. In doing this, there will be a corresponding impact to be realized in auto thefts and drug related investigations. This region has seen many ATV, farm tool and livestock thefts, said Shropshall. Farm dealership losses will also be included. In 1999 Project Intruder, Tri-Con and Tri-Bar were formed in every county to help reduce rural property crime. The projects saw a reduction of break and enters from 1998 to 2000 by 34 per cent. They also saw an increase in clearance rates during the same time period of 7.2 per cent as well as an increase in recovered property. Intruder was able to identify a large group out of Toronto moving across the area hitting post offices and another from- Barrie striking township offices, added Shropshall. It is hoped with one person overseeing larger areas and resources pooled for the RACT team, more arrests will be made. By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen The mould-contaminated condition of the gymnasium floor at Seaforth District High School (SDHS) continues to spark discussion of much wider issues within the Avon Maitland District School Board, despite the fact there have been no results from recent tests on the mould. At a regular board meeting Tuesday, Feb. 13, trustees discussed a request to establish an ad hoc committee that would not only seek alternatives for repairing the floor, but also explore "the feasibility of other options to retain and enhance- the enrollment at Seaforth District High School." The motion was initially brought forward at the conclusion of the board's previous meeting, Jan. 23, by Seaforth trustee Charles Smith. It was accompanied by another 12- part notice of motion regarding changes to the board's school closure policy, and a 148-page information package. Following minimal discussion Feb. 13, trustees voted unanimously to refer the 12-part notice of motion to the policy committee. Newly- elected South Huron representative Randy. Wagler, who compiled considerable experience with the board's closure policy as the top spokesperson for last year's Exeter- area community accommodation study committee prior to the closure of McCurdy Public School, offered support for the move, suggesting several of Smith's proposed amendments deserve consideration. But Wagler, along with others, weren't nearly as supportive of the two-part -motion based on the school floor issue. "I think it would be a dangerous precedent to set if we have an ad hoc committee established every time we need to increase- enrollment in a school," he said. His opposition was based on the background to Smith's motion, which goes far beyond the deteriorating floor (which was temporarily patched and has not suffered considerable wear and tear due to the near absence of extra- curricular activities this year in Avon Maitland secondary schools). It makes reference to judgments last year from two levels of the Ontario judicial system, striking down the board's earlier decision to close SDHS. It also points to statements by the provincial government's arms-length advisory body, the Education Improvement Commission (EIC), including the assertion that the Avon Maitland board "needs to be careful not to overreact and put overly restrictive limitation on public input." Both are clear suggestions the board must allow for a higher level of public input, or risk becoming what Smith called "a repeat Former resident gets rave reviews The latest audio artistic creation by Janet Cardiff of Lethbridge, AB, daughter of Audrey and Jack-Cardiff of Brussels is getting rave reviews. Using the Rideau Chapel within the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa as her setting, Cardiff has deigned a sound sensation entitled Forty-Part Motet. Cardiff recorded the individual voices of England's 60-member Salisbury Cathedral Choir then produced 40 separate tracks of the performance piece, a 1575 choral work named Spem in Alium. The music is played through 40 speakers placed strategically amongst the statues, stained glass windows and religious decor. Cardiff is in the running for the $50,000 first prize in the gallery's exhibition and international competition called Elusive Paradise: The Millennium Prize. Carver featured in magazine The artwork of Jason Lucio of Auburn was recently featured in Competition 2000, an annual publication spotlighting the winners of national bird-carving competitions. Lucio's hawk owl won first best of show in the open decorative birds of prey contest at the 2000 Central Ontario Wildfowl Carving competition, held in Kitchener. offender" next time the school closure issue arises. "If we don't allow the people of this community to be proactive and we don't allow them a committee which includes board staff then I think we have failed to meet the requirements of the court's decision," Smith argued. Director of education Lorne Rachlis spoke prior to the vote on Smith's motion, noting that no renewed effort has been put in place to close SDHS. He also suggested that the establishment of an ad hoc committee to look into issues beyond the gym floor might place the board in contravention of the court's ruling about treating each school equally, unless similar committees were established simultaneously at all other Avon Maitland high schools. In a recorded vote, all trustees except Smith voted against the ad hoc committee. Brightening their day Colourful Clowns BooBoo and Dots (aka Cathy Cochrane and Cassandra Bootzin) entertained the residents of Huronlea in Brussels last week. With their quick jokes and silly antics, the pair had the audience giggling and playing along. Fees earned from the afternoon show will be donated to the Children's Aid Society, the organization through which the two newly-anointed clowns were trained. Inside this week 4 At work for the pg• " municipality D Hitmen shoot for fg. 0 gold pg.A salute to Scouting I" and Guiding n 15 Dairy day in rg.Brussels P 16 Churches mark g World Day of Prayer Gym floor debate continues for school bd.