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The Citizen, 2006-02-09, Page 1WELC.0010 , ::1?OlLAYTH ISMBIJSnial .v 'tfr Mother Nature's dark side Well, we knew it was too good to be true. After a record-breaking January of high temperatures and little snow, and just on the heels of Wiarton Willie's promise of an early spring, Old Man Winter made a comeback on the weekend and into the first part of the week. Close to 30 cms of snow was dumped in some areas, while high winds caused the new fluffy stuff to minimize visibility. Driving conditions on Monday were next to impossible as roads were blocked and visibility was nil. The heavy snowfall on Saturday night resulted in many trees being damaged due to the weight. Power was out in a number of local municipalities for days. (Bonnie Gropp photos) Work begins on park this spring e Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 22 No. 6 Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006 $1 (93c + 7c GST) Inside this week Pg. 2 Pg. 7 Pg. 8 Pg. 9 Pg. 12 County supports farmers By Keith Roulson Citizen publisher Huron County council took two steps at its Feb. 2 meeting to support the county's farmers. Council approved two .motions, included in the report of the committee of the whole, to lobby federal and prOvincial politicians for more,support for farmers. The first motion came after a presentation from Bob Hallam, president of the corn, soybean and wheat producers of Huron and Larry Lynn, Huron director on the Ontario Corn Producers Association emphasizing the importance of agriculture to the county's economy. A 1995 study by Dr. Harry Cummings of the University of Guelph showed that more than 5,000 jobs, 16 per cent of all county jobs, depend on agriculture. With farm gate sales of $512 million in 1995, Htiron County produces more farm revenue than any of the Atlantic /provinces. The committee recommended that the county support efforts to have the federal and provincial governments help farmers in the face of subsidies under the U.S. farm bill and unforeseen natural disasters. In a second resolution, council voted to support a resolution from FarniGate5, a coalition of dairy and poultry farmers who work under supply management. The resoldtion called on the federal government to prote,t supply management in World Trade Organization talks. Addressing the concern of the farm income crisis, Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Ron Bonnett and vice-president Paul Mistele will be stopping at several places in the county By Keith Roulson Citizen publisher The first meeting of the new Warden's Economic Development Task Force Jan. 31, has called for the county to set aside money to implement a strategy to boost the county's economy. The task force, which was created after a strategic planning session of county council established economic development as the top priority of council, brings together elected officials and staff of the county and local officials to plot a co-ordinated strategy. At the Jan. 31 meeting Sandy Baroudi and Tony Fariea, consultants preparing the manufacturing marketing strategy, presented their recommendations, including an action plan for business retention and expansion initiatives as well as external marketing efforts. Speaking at the Feb. 2 meeting of county council, Huron East councillor Bernie MacLellan wondered if the county putting in place funding for economic development might conflict with efforts already in place by local municipalities. But Goderich councillor Deb Shewfelt said the combined efforts of both local and county officials is needed. "What we're losing out on is that we have nobody prepared to go after something like an ethanol plant," he said. He also pointed to the effort to try to get a packing plant built in Brussels as something which might require a bigger effort than one municipality can manage on its Own. He recalled the 1970s when Huron County had an economic development officer. "Quite frankly I think we need $200,000 to do the job," Shewfelt said. "It's an investment in the future. "We know that there is trouble in farming. We know that China is causing problems for"bur industry. We need to do something." The recommendation to find money for the new task force will be considered in new budget deliberations. The next meeting is scheduled for March 3 at the council cham- ber. to meet with farmers and anyone interested in voicing their con- cerns. The presidents will be at the Blyth Community Centre from 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. on Feb. Phase one of the construction for the youth activity park for Blyth will begin this spring. Thanks to the efforts of a supportiVe community, what began as a group of interested citizens, is now a broad-based public/private project. This activity park will be good for the young people of Blyth and area, said committee rep Diane Ferguson. "We 'approached the Parents Advisory Council at the Blyth Public School and distributed a survey to every family with students from Grade 5 - 8. From this, we identified the need for low-cost youth activities. We also approached the Blyth Ministerial, the Blyth Lions, the Blyth Legion and Auxiliary, the Blyth Business Association, and BIG (the Blyth Idea Group) and the Ontario Provincial Police for their support. The Blyth Festival has also joined the Youth Activity Park committee. Each group is committed to this project — with the first phase being the skateboard park and basketball hoop." 10. The reason for the meeting is because of "the severe concern for farm income crisis at the present time," a statement for the federation said. Members of the committee toured skateboard parks throughout central and southwestern Ontario. They talked with park planners and operators and gained knowledge on fundraising and construction. A public meeting was held in November to announce the preliminary plans to the community. In December the proposal was approved by North Huron County and the Thresher's executive added its approval in January. The new park will be on municipal property south of the arena ball diamond. The committee is finalizing plans for this customized skateboard park. They are seeking the "well-known Huron County councillors got good news at their Feb. 2 meeting, They're just waiting to find out how good, and what impact it will have on the budget for 2006. A press release issued by Huron- Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell's office, Jan. 31, said the county would receive an additional $3.3 million from the proVince's Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) in 2006. "We don't know if it's one-time special assistance funding or ongoing funding,"' said David Carey, county treasurer. He explained that the province has announced that no municipality would get less money from OMPF than in 2005 and will give special assistance funding for this reason. community spirit" for volunteers (under the supervision of licensed contractors) to help ensure the first stage will be completed by summer. The fundraising committee is also asking for the support of Blyth and area residents with various fundraising events planned for this spring and summer. If you have any questions or ideas regarding the construction or fundraising, please call a member of the committee. Contacts are Susan Howson 523-9436, Debbie Hakkers 523-4932, Kurt Lentz 523-9396, Diane Ferguson 523-4563, Ernest Dow 523-4848 and Rick Van Wyk 523-9156. On the other hand, the province also has a special program for areas with low property assessment. Because of Huron County's large amount of farm assessment, it would qualify under this program that would give the county 150 per cent of its tax revenue, just about the amount announced. So far, Carey told council, he has been unable to get information from officials in the finance ministry or the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as to which program the additional money is corning. In the meantime, council voted to table approval of the budget that proposed a 5.01 per cent increase in the county tax rate, pending more information of what the money Continued on page 6 Teachers gather for celebration More pics of winter's blast Playoffs underway for local teams New website for HealthKick 2 pages of financial advice Warden sets up task force OFA presidents in Huron County gets good news