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The Times Advocate, 2008-12-17, Page 31Wednesday, December 17, 2008 Times -Advocate 31 Singing and dancing From left, Zurich Public students Duncan Blyde, Dylan Jacobs, Holly Smith and Madison Teeter were putting their best foot forward during the school s Christmas concert rehearsal on Monday. Below, Riley Masse, Sarah McDon- ald and Kara McBride were some of the other performers in the concert. (photos/Pat Bolen) Talking it over Below, Brooklyn Dayman, JenniferTrembu- lakand Mackenzie Consitt discuss the busy season of Christmas. (photo/Pat Bolen) School boards elect chairpersons By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE SEAFORTH At a meeting Dec. 9 in Seaforth, R.R. 2 Gorrie resident Jenny Versteeg was acclaimed to the position of 2009 chairperson of the Avon Mai- tland District School Board, returning to a position she held for one year in 2007. The Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board, meanwhile, will be led in 2009 by first s -time chair- person Jim McDade of Goderich. He was acclaimed at a meeting Dec. 8 at the Catholic board s Dublin headquarters. In Seaforth, Stratford trustees Meg Westley the outgoing chairperson and Doug Pratley were both nominated for chairperson, but declined to let their names stand for election. Pratley eventually ac- cepted the position of vice- chairperson, after Huron County trustees Shelley Kaastra and Randy Wagler both declined to stand for election. It s a personal opportunity for me to grow and learn, said Pratley, who has been nominated in the past as vice -chairperson but opted not to seek the position. For the Catholic board, long-time Stratford repre- sentative Ron Marcy returns for a second consecu- tive year as vice -chairperson. Versteeg, who first joined the Avon Maitland board as North Perth trustee in 2003 and then was re-elected in the 2006 municipal election, served as vice -chairperson for the past year. Before that, she served one year as chairperson and the previous year as vice -chairperson. It s our ability to work together that makes the job of chair do -able for me, she told trustees after her acclamation. Education has been good to us and to our fami- lies, and we want to give something back, said Ver- steeg, whose family formerly operated a dairy farm. But she added that Avon Maitland trustees have shown themselves to also be concerned about what education will look in the district in the future, and what type of legacy the current trustees will leave for those who join the board in 2010. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Versteeg said the biggest challenge facing the board over the next year will probably be accommodation reviews. She noted that, not only are public consultations un- der way into possible school consolidation and clo- sure in Exeter and Wingham, but the board is still dealing with the repercussions of similar processes undertaken last year in Goderich and St. Marys. So there are a lot of different communities that we re working with, she explained. Also in 2009, the Avon Maitland board faces the challenge of negotiating a local agreement with its elementary teachers. That challenge has been taken care of in the Cath- olic board with four-year collective agreements already ratified with all employee groups. Accord- ing to McDade, that frees up Huron -Perth trustees to concentrate on some of the other areas they have identified as priorities. We have labour stability, explained the former teacher, principal and special education co-ordina- tor, whose career in education spanned 34 years. Now we have to work to ensure we live within our budgets. And we have to make sure we continue our focus on literacy and numeracy. McDade has a long history of community political leadership, having served a number of years with both the Public Utilities Commission and the recre- ation committee for the town of Goderich. He spent time as chairperson of both organizations, and also is past president of the Ontario Municipal Water As- sociation. McDade succeeds Perth South trustee Bernard Murray as Huron -Perth chairperson. Lucan Biddulph approves ABCA budget By Ben Forrest TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN Lucan Biddulph council voted Monday to accept the proposed Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) 2009 budget. The first draft of the ABCA bud- get, presented in early October, called for a 15.6 per cent increase over 2008, though various revi- sions brought the proposed in- crease down to 4.96 per cent. Lucan Biddulph stands to con- tribute roughly $2,150 more to the ABCA next year than it did in 2008, an increase of 5.1 per cent. Lucan Biddulph Mayor Tom McLaughlin was an opponent of the October figures, saying his municipality hopes to keep its own budget increase to three per cent. McLaughlin maintained that any increase over three per cent cation, stewardship and property from bodies such as the ABCA management are among the other will make it difficult for Lucan areas slated to receive funds. Biddulph to reach its own bud- The largest source of funding for getary goals. the ABCA in 2009 will be the fed- ABCA financial services su- eral and provincial governments, pervisor Brian Horner attended which will contribute nearly $1.47 Monday s council meeting to an- million. swer questions about the budget Various levies will contribute 26 and was asked by McLaughlin per cent of ABCA revenue in 2009 what had to be given up during roughly $1.06 million budget revisions. McLaughlin said during Mon - Horner said the ABCA increased day s meeting the proposed five its rates in some areas and made per cent budget increase is a tre- cuts to projects like natural heri- mendous improvement over the tage studies and endangered spe- document s first draft, though cies studies, among other things. three per cent would be better. The ABCA s budget proposes Coun. Paul Hodgins expressed expenditures of nearly $4.2 mil- similar sentiments, and Hodgins lion, with roughly $1.365 mil- suggested these thoughts are not lion allocated for drinking water unique to Lucan Biddulph. source protection, and roughly $1 He said he has been to other million allocated for environmen- budget consultations recently, tal monitoring programs. and Lucan Biddulph is on the Floodplain management, edu- same page as everyone else. Lucan Biddulph seeks to discourage non -local waste storage tario Municipal Board (OMB) but then with- drawn. Council commissioned a study and draft official plan amendment (OPA) that would provide a framework for future dealings with companies that seek to introduce non - local waste to the municipality. The report was completed by London- based IBI Group and put before council for discussion on Dec. 15. The report makes many distinctions be- tween agricultural waste such as manure and industrial waste, noting agricultural waste normally does not have to be trans- ported long distances before it is applied to agricultural lands, and that application of manure to agricultural lands generally only happens once or twice a year. Agricultural operations are designed to manage this material efficiently so that it does not compromise the public infra- structure, risk contamination of ground wa- ter sources and impact relationships with By Ben Forrest neighbours, the report states. According to the report, DAF material is produced a significant distance before being stored and applied to land and may contain pathogens and contaminants not known by the municipality. This uncertainty adds to the risk should there be a spill of the material, the report states. Other concerns include the notion that companies that might import such waste into the municipality do not have the same community relationship that exists be- tween farmers and their neighbours. In a section pertaining to land use, the re- port concludes that it is unsound analysis to consider the storage, processing and ap- plication of such material an agriculturally - related use of land. A number of options were presented to council for consideration. These included discouraging waste management facilities outright; allowing such facilities by zoning TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN Lucan Biddulph council is contemplating measures that would dis- courage the import and storage of non -local waste in the municipality. Council received a report into policies, regulations and practices pertaining to non - local wastes at its Dec. 15 regular meeting. The study was commissioned after a com- pany requested a zoning bylaw amendment that sought to allow for the storage of Dis- solved Air Floatation (DAF) in tanks once used to store manure on agricultural land. DAF is a process used to clarify waste in a number of industries, including poultry processing, meat packing and canning. The zoning bylaw amendment application was denied, as the municipality considered DAF waste to be an industrial byproduct re- quested for use on agricultural land. The application was appealed to the On - bylaw amendment; and permitting waste management facilities in certain zones. Council will consider an official plan amendment that would discourage the im- port of non -local waste in the municipality, but would allow it if a lengthy list of condi- tions were met. If the official plan amendment is ap- proved, it would require an applicant to demonstrate why storage, processing and disposal of non -local waste in the munici- pality is necessary. Applicants would also be required to complete a variety of environmental stud- ies, a traffic impact assessment and a risk assessment related to contamination of the environment that may result from non -local waste storage. Studies required by provincial statues would also need to be completed, and coun- cil may choose to retain services to peer re- view all of the studies and reports at the ap- plicant s expense.