The Citizen, 2004-04-08, Page 1Thursday, April 8, 2004
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Under suspicion
John Exel of McCutcheon Motors in Brussels stands by the police caution tape surrounding a
burned pick-up located behind the business. Huron OPP are investigating. The blaze, which
started sometime after 12:30 a.m. March 30, was discovered by Exel when he arrived later
that morning. It had gone undetected and fortunately burned itself out without causing any
damage to neighbouring homes. The business, which was a mere four feet from the truck, was
saved by a cement wall. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
County okays increase of 9.3%
Inside this week
Pg. 3
Pg. 9
Blyth Minor Hockey
presents awards
Salute to winter
sports begins
P 2 ironmen in OHA
g. '1 final
Piece of Belgrave
Pg, history ends
n County to tender for
rg. LL bridge, culvert work
Volume 20 No. 14
NORTH HURON PUBJ.SHING COMPANY INC
e Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
OPP
investigate
truck fires
in
Brussels
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
- Huron OPP are investigating two
cases of arson which occurred in
Brussels last week.
Police were notified at 8 a.m.
March 30 regarding a fire at
McCutcheon Motors on Turnberry
Street. A 1990 Chevrolet full-size
pickup had burned sometime after
12:30 a.m.
According to Brussels fire chief
Murray McArter no one noticed the
fire. It eventually burned itself out,
but not before causing damage to the
wall and windows of the business,
which was located a mere four feet
from the truck. The intensity of the
heat cracked the windows.
"The only thing that saved (the
building) is the fact that the walls are
concrete and steel," said John Exel
of McCutcheon's.
The truck sustained damage to the
front end and interior. As well the ,
front tires were burned off.
That night, at 11:15 p.m.
firefighters responded to a call at
Kurtis Smith Excavating Inc. on
Industrial Park. Upon arrival they
found a white one-ton dump truck
ablaze.
In this case, the cab area and
engine compartment of the truck
were destroyed. The OPP are
making enquiries to determine if the
lire was electrical or set.
Neither vehicle had been running
that day. OPP Sr. Const. Don
Shropshall said there is no doubt that
the two fires were set.
Police are asking anyone with
information to come forward. Call
the OPP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-
222-8477.
Surprise
bill
confuses
budget
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
Just as Huron County councillors
struggled to reduce their budget they
received a surprise $355,000 bill
from the Ministry of Community,
Family and Children's Services.
The bill covers costs for the
Ontario Drug Benefit retroactive to
January 2002. The ministry had
billed the county monthly based on
its estimated costs but actual costs
showed they had badly
underestimated. During 2002, for
instance, the county • had paid
$82,764_ but the actual costs were
$372,000, leaving a bill of
$289,251.
John MacKinnon, social service
administrator, explained to
councillors at their April 1 meeting
that during the downloading process
from the province, the county
became responsible for the drug
benefit costs plus 20 'per cent of
disability program costs in return for
the province taking over part of the
costs in the Ontario Works program.
But the province didn't anticipate
counties like Huron could drop the
number of cases on Ontario Works
as well as they did. At the same time
the number of people on disability
programs continues to increase. It's
meant the county's share of social
services cost has increased.
"We're doing such a good job on
Ontario Works that they're
"penalizing us," suggested Goderich
councillor Deb Shewfelt.
Dave Urlin, Bluewater councillor,
said there are six or seven counties
in the same predicament, including
Perth.
"The (ministry officials) were
very apologetic about it,"
MacKinnon added. "They're going
to work with us on how we're going
to pay it back."
The new bill came on top of
calculations the county had already
made on money owing forthe drug
program, bringing the total to
$729,000. "We've had three
different figures in eight or nine
months," MacKinnon said. He said
the county has asked for a month-
by-month accounting of the
program so it can be sure these
figures are final before paying.
The earlier estimates had already
been included in the budget but
councillors had to scramble to add
the additional $355,000 figure to the
already-expensive budget.
"I feel like a dog that's been
kicked," complained John Bezaire,
councillor for Central Huron.
"Maybe like a dog, we should bite
back."
East Huron councillor Joe Seili
argued that the government wants
thing runs on a business-like basis
but no business would try to go back
two years to -collect extra money
Continued on page 6
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
After weeks of detailed debate,
Huron County councillors Thursday
approved a 2004 budget that will see
a 9.3 per cent tax intrease.
The increase will mean an
additional $50 in taxes on a house
assessed at $100,000 for county
purposes, not including any local
.municipal and school board
increases.
Councillors had started out with a
54 per cent increase in 'the initial
budget presented by staff. Council
had only whittled the increase down
to 32 per cent before deciding to take
$2.9 million from operating reserves
to bring the bill down to a single-
digit increase.
In taking the money from the
general operating reserve, council is
left with only $264,216 left in the
fund. County treasurer David Carey
warned this amount would only
cover 1.4 days of the county's
operating expenses in case of
emergency.
"From what I've seen this is a
very, very risky thing to do," said
Carey. He warned that council must
work to rebuild the reserve in the
future.
Asked by South Huron councillor
Rob Morley if the Ministry of
Municipal Affairs had a
recommended level of operating
reserves, Carey said there was no
such number, but the-county's policy
was to have 15 per cent of annual
expenditures in reserve for
unforeseen emergencies.
Ken Oke, South Huron councillor,
said he felt this was a special case
this year. The taxpayer is already
being hit with an increase in
assessment and now must face a tax
increase on top of the increased
assessment, he said.
"Reserves are for a rainy day,"
Oke said. "It's not raining, it's
pouring."
Carey agreed the unusually large
budget increase this year could be
termed an emergency.
But Goderich councillor Deb
Shewfelt said that while the general
reserve was being depleted, this
budget does add money to
designated reserves for things like
winter road maintenance.
"We might be robbing from Peter
but we are also topping up Paul,"
Shewfelt argued.
Carey agreed that council can, by
passing a bylaw, transfer those
reserves if needed.
Dave Urlin, past warden and
South Huron councillor, noted that
in case of emergency, the county
does have a $4 million line of credit
for borrowing from a bank.
Paul Klopp, councillor for
Bluewater, warned councillors that
with the depletion of reserves they
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
It was a night to remember for
Justin Peters as he scored his first
goal in the Ontario Hockey League
(OHL.)
What makes this particularly
noteworthy is that Peters, 17, son of
Jeff and Janice Peters of Blyth, is
goalie for St. Mike's Majors in
Toronto.
During game-seven of the Eastern
Conference quarter-final series
against the Sudbury Wolves on
March 30, he scored the final goal
were going to have to be firm in
sticking with their budget.
"If anyone comes in with a
wonderful idea we don't have any
money (for them) unless it's in the
budget," he warned. "And even if
there is money in the budget, we
don't have to spend it."
Joe Seili, councillor East Huron
said that even .after the budget is
passed, he'll continue to press for
cuts. He said he'd be making a
motion at the next meeting that
expenditures like extra money for
opening libraries on Sunday not be
spent. If lakeshore Municipalities
want their libraries open Sundays
they should find the extra money, he
said.
Councillor Jim Fergusson of
Bluewater also, wanted cuts. "I'm
still concerned with the level of
spending," he said. "I can't see
asking residents of the county year
after year to sustain this level."
Fergusson was one of five
councillors to vote against the
Continued on page 6
ending the game 5-2 for the Majors.
With three minutes left in the third
period, the Wolves pulled their
goalie and dumped the puck into the
Majors end.
Peters caught it and shot it down
the ice scoring an empty-net goal
with 2:38 seconds left in the game.
"It was a whole body rush, I
started shaking a little bit," said
Peters who finished with 22 saves. "I
didn't believe it at first."
He is the first goalie to score in an
OHL playoff game since former
Detroit Jr. Red Wings' Fred
Brathwaites in 1993.
Peters scores from net