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In brief
Community
survey
in today's
Expositor
Eighty-five questions are
being posed to residents of
Huron East in a community
survey about business,
recreation, seniors,
youth,agriculture, the
environment and tourism.
"This is the first time
we've ever given residents
of this area a chance to
express their opinion about
their community in a
survey," says Ralph
Laviolette, Huron East's
economic development
officer.
"It's an opportunity to get a
broad view of what the
whole municipality thinks,"
he says.
The survey, which is
included in this week's
edition of the Huron
Expositor, was developed
by Laviolette from an idea
of Expositor publisher Tom
Williscraft.
"I saw a similar survey
done in another community
and I thought it was a good
idea for the people with a
vested interest in the
direction the community is
going in to have a say," says
Williscraft.
"You have a lot of different
groups out there but without
asking them, you'll never
know what they want," he
says.
"I thought it would be a
good idea since we have a
brand new council. It's
fairly comprehensive and
could be used as a planning
document," adds Laviolette.
Questions range from the
level of services provided to
where local people shop to
what can be done to
improve the environmental
health of the area.
Laviolette says the survey
could be used to help Huron
East council determine their
focus and could be repeated,
in the future to determine if
plans put into place are
working.
The 12 -page document
will take an hour to
complete. While 2,500
surveys will be distributed
through the Huron
Expositor, Mitchell
Advocate, Clinton News -
Record and North Huron
Citizen, 500 are available at
stores and restaurants in the
various towns and villages
of Huron East.
Copies of the survey are
also available on the Huron
East website at
www.huroneast.com.
Respondents are being
asked to return the surveys
to drop boxes in Seaforth,
Egmondville, Kippen,
Dublin, Ethel, Walton and
Brussels by the Feb. 6
deadline.
Those who prefer to be
interviewed personally for a
response can reach
Laviolette at 527-0305.
Steerage
releasing first
CD...
P09. 7
ArcheryCkk
looking for new
members...
Pop. 1S
Huron pork producers
in crisis...
Pis
Susan Hundertmark photo
Snow day construction
Thomas Scott, 6, of Seaforth, looks between the icicles used to decorate the snow fort he, his
brother Zach and neighbours Cassidy (shown behind) and Morgan Flanagan built last
Thursday during one of two snow days last week.
Seaforth trust agreement
amended with recorded vote
Seaforth councillors argue for court solution
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
The bylaw that formed the Seaforth
community development trust was amended
by Huron East council during a recorded vote
at council's Jan. 20 meeting to include three
mutually -agreed-upon requirements.
The amendment states that the trust provide
monthly minutes and quarterly financial
statements to council, that the trust engage the
services of the municipal auditor to audit the
its financial records and that the trust provide
a list of all investments on a quarterly basis.
And, while Seaforth councillors Lou
Maloney and Joe Steffler (who also chairs the
trust committee) agreed to the requirements,
they were the only council members to vote
against the amendment because council
disagreed with the need to apply to the
Superior Court of Justice to make the changes
legal.
"On the advice of our lawyer Fred Leitch,
we were told that the amendment is not legal
if it doesn't go before the court of justice,"
said Steffler as he presented a second
amendment asking for council to follow
Leitch's advice.
"I have no problems amending the
agreement but 1 think it should be legal - 1
want it legal and binding," agreed Maloney.
Council defeated the second amendment,
also with a 10-2 recorded vote in which
Steffler and Maloney were the only council
members voting in favour.
Steffler said after the meeting that trust
funds are not governed by the Municipal Act
but instead fall under the Trustees Act of
Ontario. He told council that the legal process
was estimated by Leitch to cost between
$2,000 and $3,000.
"It's not that I don't trust council or vice
versa but let's amend it legally. Is it going to
Soo MINUTES, Pogo !
Public meeting
Feb. io will
present plans
for Seaforth's
new Jr. D team
By Susan Hundortmark
Expositor Editor
The London, Ont. investment group proposing a new Junior
D hockey team for Seaforth will be holding a public meeting
at the Seaforth community centres on Feb. 10.
"We're inviting everyone - parents, business people,
anyone who's interested - to meet our board and we'll tell
everyone who we are, why we want to set up the team and
what we're all about," said Rick Agar of the McGafka Pro
Group in London.
During a phone i nterview last week, Agar said McGafka-
Pro Group is a division of a company that he is not yet
prepared to name, made up of 15 people who want to invest
in a junior hockey team in Seaforth.
"Everyone in the investment group has a keen interest in
hockey and four of us have boys in junior hockey. We were
all so sad to see Seaforth fold in junior development when we
know Seaforth was a hockey hotbed at one time. We'd like to
keep it that way," he said.
Agar said none of the 15 people in the investment group
have personal connections to Seaforth or have boys that are
eligible to play in Seaforth but are investing in the team more
for the love of hockey.
"We wanted to keep __hockey going in the area. For the love
of the. ame is basical`iy it;'•fre said.
Agar said he is a former professional hockey player with
the American Hockey League for seven years but he declined
to name the team.
While he said there are "100 different ways Seaforth people
can get involved," Agar added that whether or not his
investment group gets any help from the conununity will not
determine if the team will succeed.
"We are the investors and the executive and we have every
reason in the world to get this team going. We need coaches,
equipment managers and people helping on the doors but if
we have to, we're prepared to work the doors ourselves," he
11';x•.•;
Soo AGAR, Pogo !
Huron in middle
of `relentless deep
freeze': climatologist
By Jonnifor Jackson
Goderkh Signal -Star Staff
Will it ever end?
With many Huron County students enjoying their eighth
snow day on Tuesday, the winter weather doesn't seem to be
letting up anytime soon.
And while it's not unusual to have snow days in January,
Avon Maitland District School Board communications
manager Steve Howe said he's surprised by the amount of
cancellations so far this year.
"We've had a total of seven days where there's been some
Soo HURON, Pogo 10
Huron urged to promote local foods
By Shoiloy McPhoo Hoist
Focus Editor
There was plenty of food
for thought on the table in
Clinton on Jan.' 20 when
more than 50 people attended
a workshop to to discuss
promotiing Huron County
agri-food.
Sponsored by the Field to
Table Network and the
Huron Business
Development Corporation,
the daylong workshop was
held to promote Huron
County food production and
processing.
When it comes to
Marketing the Tastes of
Huron County - there are
countless opportunities urged
• Pamela Stanley of the Huron
Field to Table Network.
The seminar proved that,
when it comes to food,
exceptional products and
ideas are growing in Huron
County.
Marketing consultant
•
Laurel Armstrong of Ripley,
encouraged the audience that
marketing local foods has
huge potential.
"The educated consumer
seeks information and has
food expectations about
growing, producing and
preparing food," she said.
An observer of trends and
culture, Armstrong said that
baby boomers are
particularly interested in food
and wines, andhilosophies
like the Slow Food
Movement, which originated
in Europe, which questions
the fast-food philosophy and
promotes culinary hentage,
are gaining in popularity in
North America.
"To keep our communities
viable we have to support
local producers," Armstrong
-mild., "Graze your way
through Huron County."
Tourism and agricultural
partnerships - like the award
winning Huron Harvest Trail
and Tastes of Huron booklet
Dick Burgess, of Seaforth, speaks in favour of the Good Food
discussion about food production and promotion In Clinton last
are examples of promoting Festival and the Huron
and celebrating local food. Plowing Match, celebrate
Farm markets and special local product and the rural
events - like the Zurich Bean culture. Farmgate sales of
Shelley McPhee Hoist photo
Box program during a panel
week.
local food, locally grown
foods in stores and use of
local product in the
Soo FOOD, Page 3
4;1 060101: s'0111~ 40110,