The Citizen, 2001-12-12, Page 28Minister visits
It was a blue night in Blyth last week, Tory blue that is, as
Huron Bruce Provincial Progressive Conservatives met for
their annual general meeting. MPP Helen Johns, right, wel-
comed guest speaker, Environment Minister Elizabeth
Witmer. (Vicky Bremner photo)
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e • •
(tali:tea af the 'Yea*
2001
COMMEMORATE THE NEWEST
FAMILY MEMBER'S 1ST NEW YEAR
Join the gallery of faces in The Citizen's
baby photo display January 9, 2002
Send or bring a picture of your little one born in 2001 along
with a writeup which includes full name, birth date and parents'
names, to be featured in The Citizen's Gallery of Faces on
January 9, 2002, for only $16.50 (Gnincluded).
Please send picture (with name on back), along with a cheque,
to The Citizen, by December 20. Photos may be picked up after
January 9.
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Baby's Full Name
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Parents' Names
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DEADLINE - DECEMBER 20
(2 p.m. in Brussels & 4 p.m. in Blyth)
- Sample -
Mitchell Reilley McKay
December 16
son of Joshua Gropp
& Lisa McKay
By David Blaney
Citizen staff
Huron East is presently conduct-
ing the delicate task of harmonizing
the official plans of the five former
municipalities of which it is com-
posed. The process of gathering pub-
tic input has revealed the curious
truth that few people seem to care or
perhaps realize the impact of the
document being discussed.
Cindy Fisher the county planner
responsible for Huron East calls the
official plan an outline of the land
use and priorities for a munici-
pality. It establishes the permissible
uses of land and regulates to a major
degree things such as severances.
The official plan is a major factor in
shaping the future of any municipal-
ity.
The attendance at the two meet-
ings held in Brussels and Seaforth
last week was sparse with council-
lors and staff outnumbering local
ratepayers. However, the few mem-
bers of the public attending managed
to initiate several lively discussions.
Most of the discussion centred on
the role and fate of agriculture in the
new town. It quickly became appar-
ent that merging the current five
plans and balancing the interests of
current and future farm and non-
farm landowners would not be easy.
Two subjects received particular
attention; the severance of surplus
houses on farm property, and the
minimum farm, lot size necessary to
ensure both flexibility in planning
and the long term viability of farm-
ing in the area.
The severance of a surplus
dwelling typically happens when a
farmers expands his operations
through the purchase of land con-
taining a dwelling. If the dwelling is
not necessary for the new farm oper-
ation Tuckersmith ward currently
allows the new owner to severe a
small amount of properly around the
surplus dwelling and sell it. This is
not allowed in Grey and McKillop
wards.
Councillor Bill DeJong explained
the thinking of the former
Tuckersmith council in allowing the
Huron OPP officers continue to be
busy handling deer collisions in
Huron County. .
Last month OPP officers dealt with
71 vehicles that struck deer on roads
throughout the county. Most of the
collisions took place on provincial or
county roads during the early morn-
ing hours or the evening hours.
Times indicate that collisions took
place between 5:45 a.m. until 8:30
a.m. during the morning and the
evening between 5:45 p.m. until 10
p.m.
The collisions are continuing with
six happening in the first six days of
December. The total collisions to
date are 249 collisions. That figure is
lower than last year when the county
process. They felt owner- occupied
houses encouraged better mainte-
nance and lessened the possibility of
demolition which reduced the tax
base. Tuckersm'th councils had also
hoped the process would encourage
the expansion of locally owned
farms by allowing farmers to recoup
some of the -costs of the expansion
through selling the severed portion.
Neil Vincent of the _ Huron
Federation of Agriculture pointed
out some of the problems caused by
the process in the past. He men-
tioned there were cases where the
severance had to be revised when it
was discovered the septic bed had
been severed from the home in error.
He felt the more important issue
was one of expanding the non-farm
rural population and the increased
conflict that often resulted. He
described what he called the "Catch-
22" of more severances.
He said that small severances
might help increase or maintain the
tax base, but they also provided an
increase in the number of voters
whose primary interest is not agri-
culture. Those voters often have dif-
ferent concerns from their farm
neighbours. As their numbers
increase so does their ability to influ-
ence public policy to the detriment
of farming.
Several of those in attendance
were also interested in the issue of
minimum lot size in the non-urban
areas of Huron East. Currently the
three rural wards list three different
minimums ranging from 50 acres in
Grey to 94 acres in Tuckersmith with
McKillop in the middle at 75 acres.
Minimum lot size is a planning
device used to try and ensure the via-
bility of agriculture in an area by
preventing the break up of produc-
tive farms. In an attempt to provide
flexibility this size is often set at 50
acres or slightly lower.
Several in attendance at the meet-
ing pointed out that lot size alone
was not necessarily a good measure
of viability. The difference in
requirements between a cash crop
operation and broilers was men-
tioned as a case in point.
Fisher mentioned the county was
experienced its highest collision rate
of 315 vehicles striking deer.
Huron OPP are advising motorists
to stay obser7ant, scanning the road-
way and ditches in front of you
watching for deer. Watch for the
glowing red eyes and remember that
deer usually' travel in groups and if
one is seen there may be others fol-
lowing. Avoid being a victim. Take
your time and get home safely.
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tending towards using 'viability' as
the measure of whether smaller sev-
erances should be allowed. Several
in attendance pointed out that viabil-
ity could be highly subjective.
Members Of council stated clearly
that they did not want to be in the
position , of deciding on the viability
of an individual operation.
The only other subject to generate
significant discussion was the state
of the natural areas in the county and
the management of woodlot opera-
tions. Huron County currently has
about 11 per cent forest cover but the
goal is to get closer to 20 per cent.
Vincent explained that current
assessment policy act as a dis-incen-
tive to large woodlots. He said that
regardless of the percentage of
woodlot on a property, farmers can
be credited with a maximum of 10
per cent at the reduced woodlot rate.
Town council will now attempt to
resolve the differences in the current
plans in light of what they have been
told. They will come up with a set of
draft proposals which will be open to
public scrutiny.
PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2001.
HE reviews official plan
Police investigate
71 car/deer crashes