The Citizen, 2004-07-01, Page 1• e C itizen
sels and northern Huron County
Volume 20 No. 26
Thursday, July 1, 2004
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Celebration
Re-elected overwhelmingly for a fourth-term to Parliament in Monday night's election, Huron
Bruce Liberal MP Paul Steckle with the help of his family (some pictured) gave recognition to
his many supporters and campaign workers. The atmosphere at Sacred Heart Parish Hall in
Wingham where the celebration was held was jubilant through the entire evening as the
Liberals first kept their stronghold on the eastern provinces, then went on to claim a minority
government. (Bonne Gropp photo)
NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC
Inside this week
Pg 2 Committee sends
out survey
P2 . 6 Blyth unveils new
0 heritage project
EWPS gets new
P5.• / pavilion
P‘ Saluting the
S. II Grade 8 graduates
Young Company
Pg. 23 youth workshops
begin
Youth
dies
Some 500 people gathered for an
emotional . farewell to Joseph
Kerkhof. a 14-year-old Brussels
youth who died
in a freak mishap
early last week.
On June • 22,
around 4 p.m.,
Kerkhof and
.David Keating of
Wingham were
in the back of a
'4.44W pickup, driven by
t. Holly Stein, 23 of
Belgrave, They
were returning
canoes from a
church youth group canoeing trip.
They were heading east . on
Cranbrook _Road between Button
Line and Nichol Line.
According to Kerkhof's parents„
John and Pauleen, the rope holding
the canoes down, somehow fell
under the truck and got caught
around the drive shaft.
As the shaft spun rapidly around,
Kerkhof unknowingly leaned his
head in the cab's back window to
talk. At that precise moment the rope
was pulled as tight as it could go.
The rope pulled against the back
of Kerkhof's neck while the inside
of the his neck was pressed against
the window.
Kerkhof was rushed to Seaforth
Public Hospital.
Keating and Stein were uninjured.
Kerkhof, along with his fellow,
classmates, proudly celebrated their
Grade 8 graduation from Brussels
Public School the day before the
tragic mishap. He won two awards
at the ceremony.
The school flag stood at half-mast
last week in honour of the fun-
loving youth.
Heather Beattie. principal at the
school, said the "students are
grieving the loss of an important
member of their class."
"He was a very talented, musical
young man. He was energetic,
spiritual and always lending a
helping hand. The young kids just
loved him and he will be forever
missed." said Beattie.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
It was a jubilant room at Sacred
Heart Church in Wingham almost
from the beginning of Monday
night's election, as supporters of
Huron Bruce incumbent Liberal MP
Paul Steckle watched results.
And that mood proved to have
been the right one as Steckle easily
defeated his opponents winning by
nearly 10,000 votes. While his party
failed to win a majority, they did
despite contrary suggestions
throughout the campaign, find
themselves back in power.
From the eastern provinces, results
showed little significant change in
what has always been a strong
Liberal area. But while Steckle's
campaign manager Greg
McClinchey was buoyed by the
early lead, any optimism was
cautious. "We have a ways to go, but
I do like what I'm seeing so far."
By 10 p.m., just half an hour after
the polls closed in Ontario Steckle
was showing a solid lead with 95
over Conservative Barb Fisher's 63
and NDP Grant Robertson's 33.
By 10:25 p.m. word came that
Steckle had been declared the
winner. His numbers rose swiftly
and significantly as further results
came in. His supporters were not
surprised that their candidate,
running for his fourth term, would
win by a landslide.
"He is a good man, who stands up
for his constituents," said Bev Elliott
of Blyth. "He works hard for the
people of Huron Bruce."
At 10:30, cheers and applause
followed the news that CBC had
predicted "a minority government
for the Liberals at the worst."
With pollsters saying throughout
the campaign that it would be a tight
race, particularly in Ontario, the
message of this election was clear
for Liberal supporters at Steckle's
party.
"This is very positive," said Robin
Dunbar of Ethel, who worked on
Steckle's campaign. "I think in
Ontario we've seen what happens
when tax cuts equal cuts to set vice. I
think throughout the campaign the
vocal people were heard, but
that was not the voice of the
majority."
Steckle, who arrived just after 11
p.m. with his wife Cathy and their
family, gracious in victory, quietly
accepting congratulations and
acknowledging his campaign
workers.
Wondering where to begin in
expressing his gratitude, Steckle did
joke that it's "more fun winning than
losing."
He first thanked the people of
Huron Bruce. He noted that while it
looked like the Liberals would be
forming a minority government,
something that would be a new
experience for him. his position has
always been that the people of
Huron Bruce come first. While this
has not always made him popular
with the government he serves, it's
something he promises he will
continue to do. •
Steckle also talked about the
campaign and praised Prime
Minister Paul Martin.
"There, were ill-tempered
constituents I had to meet day to day.
It was a different election than I ever
fought."
The hostility of the constituents to
Martin and the Liberals was
puzzling to the candidate, however.
He said that in Martin's short term as
prime minister he had done well. As
finance minister, Steckle said, he
was great. The blame, he added was
with his campaign ,handlers, who
"did a lousy job."
Steckle expressed frustration in an
interview later, that all of the
positives Martin had achieved in
politics, such as bringing the country
back from financial ruin_ in 1993,
were not the campaign focus. "I
can't understand how this campaign
went 35 days without us talking
about the positive."
Most .of the early campaign talk
about Martin had been on something
negative, an issue, Steckle said, over
which Martin, a man whom, "a year
ago could walk on water", had no
control. "It was making him seem
guilty, which he was not."
Personally Steckle hopes he can
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
Don't be alarmed by an over-
abundance of dogs barking in Blyth
next week, as the Bluewater Kennel
Club Dog Show and Obedience
Trials makes its way to town for the
22nd annual event.
The show runs July 6 - 8 at the
community park in Blyth beginning
Peters
off to
Carolina
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
Local hockey legend Justin- Peters
will have much to celebrate this_week
after being drafted to the NHL during
the 2004 NHL Entry Draft last
weekend.
Peters, son of Jeff and Janice Peters
of Blyth, was ranked 38th overall and
chosen by Carolina Hurricanes in the
second round. He is one of eight
players to join the Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes hosted the draft at
the RBC centre in Carolina. The event
was open to the public and televised
nationally throughout Canada and the
United States.
Peters' family travelled to Carolina
to support him during the nerve-
racking picks.
The NHL website said Peters
placed fourth in the NHL central
scouting service final North American
goalie ranking.
According the website, the
International Scouting Services said
that Peters is a "great butterfly goalie.
He plays bigger than he is due to
excellent positioning, is good with the
puck, has great reflexes, very good
lateral and recovers quickly."
continue as chair of the standing
committee on agriculture and as
such will focus on the BSE crisis.
Another concern is finding ways
to bring more doctors into rural
communities, he said, adding that he
looks forward to working with his
provincial counterpart, MPP Carol
Mitchell on some of the issues.
Steckle saved his final praise for
his wife and family. "It's family
that's made me what I am," he said,
calling Cathy his "fiercest critic."
In closing Steckle almost
apologetically, said that with the
campaign wrapped up he was going
to take a day or two to spend some
time with his family.
Results from Elections Canada
had press time showed Steckle with
25,311; Fisher, 15,669; Robertson,
6,644; Dave Vasey, Green Party,
1,501; Dave Joslin, Christian
Heritage Party, 950 and Glen Smith,
Marijuana Party, 635.
• National results have the Liberals
finishing with 135 seats, the
Conservatives with 98, the NDP
with 20, the Bloc with 54 and other,
one.
around 9 a.m. each day.
Florence Pullen, treasurer of the
club and chairperson of the
obedience trials, said that although
entries .are down a little this year,
there are still well over 400 dogs
registered.
The different breeds of dogs will
be competing in three different
categories; agility trials, obedience
Continued on page 3
'
JOSEPH
KERKHOF
Steeple returned for 4th term as MP
Dog days are here