The Citizen - Aug. 19, 2021

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• Editorials • Sports • Plowing Match • Entertainment

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Huron County’s most trusted independent news source Volume 37 No. 33

Thursday, August 19, 2021

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Festival cuts ribbon on outdoor Harvest Stage

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Another season’s harvest On Aug. 11, the Blyth Festival officially opened the new outdoor Harvest Stage at the Blyth Campground. That night, there was a preview performance of The Downs before opening night on Thursday, Aug. 12. Dignitaries like Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, Huron County Warden Glen McNeil, North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey and Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson were all in attendance to mark the occasion. Thompson, left, did the honours alongside Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, marking the beginning of a new era for the Festival. (Denny Scott photo)

On Aug. 11, which marked the first day of performances at the Blyth Festival’s new outdoor Harvest Stage, a number of local dignitaries were at the site to cut the ribbon on the new facility.

Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb and MPP Lisa Thompson, alongside Warden Glen McNeil, Reeve Bernie Bailey and members of Community Futures Huron, which had aided in the creation of the stage, were at the site to officially open the stage.

Introduced by Festival General Manager Rachael King, they each took some time to reflect on the new stage and the importance of the Blyth Festival.

Bailey was first to speak, saying that since he had been elected as North Huron Reeve, he has been working hard to make sure the Blyth Festival receives the recognition it deserves. He also spoke about how great it was to see the Festival utilizing the campground and how the outdoor stage project was brought about at the same time North Huron Council was putting an emphasis on having the campground better utilized by transient visitors to the community.

Lobb said the venue is a beautiful addition to the community, and said he expected nothing less from the Blyth Festival. He said the Festival and the community offer such unique experiences that it was no surprise the stage was remarkable.

Lobb went on to say that the Blyth Festival is “ground zero” for new and innovative Canadian

content and that everyone from Huron County should be familiar with the works produced there.

Thompson congratulated everyone involved, saying the stage was “another gem” for Huron County and Blyth.

She said the stage would offer unique opportunities as a performance venue and that the Festival should “be ready to rent [it] out”, saying the organization had “hit it out of the park this time” with the creation of the space.

“I’m happy and impressed to see this type of initiative,” she said, adding she looked forward to bringing provincial cabinet members and ministers to the site.

McNeil then spoke, both congratulating everyone involved in the creation of the stage and saying that, to stay relevant, organizations need to evolve and that was what the Festival had achieved.

“Huron County is proud to have this and to welcome people here,” he said.

Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt spoke last, saying the past year-and-a-half has been a trying time, during which the organization was only looking at survival. Since then, however, he said the focus had shifted to putting together a great season of theatre.

He said the stage and even the theatre itself are a “communitybuilding machines” that will work to bring everyone together during the “polarized times” in which the world finds itself. He then thanked everyone for attending before cutting the ribbon on the stage alongside Thompson.

175th Seaforth Fall Fair to go ahead this Sept.

Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic put a pause on the ability for Seaforth Agricultural Society to celebrate a true milestone. Last year was to be the 175th edition of the Seaforth Fall Fair. The pandemic is not going to stop the tradition from continuing this year.

The theme for this year’s fair is “175 Years! A Celebration of Rural Life TAKE 2” and it is scheduled for Sept. 16-19. The organizing committee has developed activities that build on some of the greatest traditions the fair has, while adjusting them to factor the times

we are in and ensure the community’s safety.

“The fair is such a part of Seaforth in the fall we wanted to come up with activities for all ages to feel that sense of community this fall,” says co-chair of the fair committee Crystal Whyte.

Many of the staples that people remember and love about the fair will be present, such as the ability to enter your wares and the many contests and activities associated with the fair. The homecraft sections have all been pared down to make for simpler and quicker

drop-off and judging. The plan at the current time is that the community can walk through the Agriplex on Friday and Saturday to see the entries following the direction of volunteers. The ambassador competition will go ahead, but with judging the weekend prior.

Other popular contests that have been fundamental at the fair have reverted to an online format for this year. The baby show and pet show will both involve submitting photos the week before the fair dates.

Online shows of the participants

will be posted through the fair dates online. All of the online activities can be followed by following Seaforth Fall Fair on Facebook and Instagram.

This year the parade is coming to you. For the 10 days leading up to the fair, one vehicle will be decorated as a float and parked in various locations around town. If you spot the “One Float Stationary Parade” snap a pic and post it on social media tagging #seaforthfallfair for a chance to win prizes.

The sunflower selfie field and

haybale maze that were additions in recent years to the fair will make reappearances as they can easily be enjoyed in a physically-distanced manner. Three new exciting additions to the fair this year will be a decorating contest, scavenger hunt and a fireworks display. The decorating contest will allow people to participate in the fair from their own home or place of business by decorating, using the fair theme.

The scavenger hunt will allow people to get out in the community and snap photos of a variety of Continued on page 33

Look inside this issue for the Huron County Plowing Match Special Section

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

In close vote, county turns down housing corp.

A proposed solution to the local housing crisis dubbed the Huron County Housing Development Corporation has been turned down

by Huron County Council, despite an impassioned pitch by Director of Economic Development Cody Joudry.

Joudry presented the idea at Huron County Council’s Aug. 11 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom. The proposal would see the county construct new houses at

intensification guidelines. He said the initial phase would be between three and six units, costing between $5 million and $10 million, borrowing money from Infrastructure Ontario, sticking with a single design for the first phase.

Joudry, in his report, said that the houses would be sold and ADUs would be rented to people who will live in Huron County and work for Huron County employers. If the owner were to sell, they would then have to sell to another person under the same conditions.

Coming up throwing The Walton Brewers hosted the Fullarton A’s last week, but ended up on the wrong end of a 10-4 score. The Brewers now sit with a record of 3-4 in the league with six points to their name. The team was due to play its final game of the season on Tuesday against the Monkton Muskrats. A score was unavailable at press time. (John Stephenson photo)

Letter to the Editor complete transformation to a magical outdoor theatre –twinkling lights and all.

There are six accessible parking spaces at the bottom of the hill, with only a short walk or roll to the seats. Arrangements for parking there are made when you purchase your tickets. The three tiers for seating are constructed of cement — all of which are accessible directly from the path of travel. Yes, if you use a mobility device you can actually choose where you would like to sit! Front, middle or rear!

What’s so exciting about that?

Most theatres, churches or arenas give one, maybe two options for parking a wheelchair: the front or the back. Those “options” leave you craning your neck or not able to see well (think of a concert). At the Harvest Stage there is choice. I realize that the folding chairs currently being used will eventually give way to more permanent seating, but the fact that all three

involved in this way.

Bluewater Mayor Paul Klopp also wasn’t in favour of the recommendation, saying he felt it conveniently ignored some aspects of the situation and that he feels that, like farmers having to negotiate markets both high and low, people trying to buy houses just need to ride out volatility in the market.

Bluewater Deputy-Mayor Jim Fergusson agreed, saying he didn’t think the county should be in the development business for a number of reasons. One of them, he said, was that the county would have an unfair advantage in the marketplace and it wouldn’t be fair to the county’s developers.

Goderich Mayor John Grace, however, saw it a different way, saying Joudry’s report was the best he had seen in a very long time. He said it was innovative and really told the story of how Huron County and its housing market has gotten to where it is today.

He said he didn’t have any doubt that, if council went ahead with the proposal, it would be successful.

Goderich Deputy-Mayor Myles Murdock said he had been recommending something along these lines for years and he was in favour of Joudry’s proposal.

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said he’d like to see some more information, but that he liked what he had seen. With housing becoming increasingly unattainable for Huron County residents, council needed a solution. He did say, however, that there were a lot of “off ramps” for council along the way if council didn’t like how the process was progressing.

Council then voted down moving to the next step of the proposal, by way of a recorded vote that was defeated by eight votes to seven.

Councillors Grace, Ginn, Murdock, Bernie MacLellan, Dave Jewitt, Roger Watt and Warden Glen McNeil voted in favour of the motion, while Councillors Fergusson, Klopp, Harding, Jamie Heffer, Bob Fisher, George Finch, Bernie Bailey and Jim Dietrich voted against it.

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Sawchuk lauds new stage THE EDITOR, The anatomy of an accessible outdoor theatre; it’s a gem, truly magical and incredibly welcoming.

These are the words that are circling in my head about the new Harvest Stage at the Blyth Festival.

Built on the old soccer field in the Blyth Campground just beyond the Blyth and District Community Centre, this new performance space has captivated all for over the past two months as we have watched and wondered how on earth it was all going to come together. How could it be finished in time to launch the first play by the middle of August? How would they find people to do the work? Where would they find the lumber and other supplies? And my question, of course, how could it possibly be accessible? It’s at the bottom of the tobogganing hill for heaven’s sake!

Well, they did it! On June 9 there was a tatty old field, while on Aug. 14 I witnessed for the first time the

He suggested that the corporation remain arms-length or internal and that it would dissolve if and when housing demand decreases, there is significant development within the lower market segment or the wages catch up to private free market prices. That refers back to Joudry’s presentation and previous reporting in The Citizen, stating that with the rising costs in the housing market, many working in Huron County are being priced out of the market, unable to own a home in the county.

There are risks, Joudry said, mainly that the demand for the housing that would be constructed wouldn’t materialize and they would then have to be sold for prices that are below cost, and that development costs exceed the market rates of existing housing on the market.

Joudry, however, said that methods to mitigate the risks would be outlined in the feasibility study and then detailed in the project’s business plan.

If council were to approve the concept, Joudry said he would then have to provide terms of reference for the project to council, conduct a feasibility study, develop a full business plan, and then, after presenting the feasibility study and business plan to council for approval, form the corporation, hire staff and develop the process and commence development.

Joudry also detailed numerous similar, successful initiatives to tackle housing crises in the Town of the Blue Mountains, Wood Buffalo, Alberta and Whistler, British Columbia.

Several councillors, however, were not as excited about the idea as Joudry was, seeing the process as competing with and undercutting local developers.

Howick Reeve Doug Harding said it sounded like Huron County was going to get into the development business and that he didn’t support the idea at all. He said the county’s many home builders and developers know what their customers want and he didn’t think the county should be getting

The

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the “lowest cost possible” and then sell them at cost to anyone who works for a Huron County employer. The target price point, he said, would be about $300,000, which would be affordable for a household making at least $36 per hour for 37.5 hours of work per week, which would be the average household income in Huron County.

The project would include between six and eight stacked townhouse units with accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which would follow the county’s

tiers are also deep, leaves way more versatility for the space in the future.

The nightmare of COVID-19 has created a few wins for accessibility: contact-free power door operators, assistive listening devices at service counters, curbside pick-up and now this brilliant example of how possible it is to create an accessible outdoor theatre.

Thank you to Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt and General Manager Rachael King at the Blyth Festival for keeping access on the radar and knowing that doing it now will pay it forward for the future. Thank you to Jason Morgan at Allan Avis Architects for planning to the smallest details and to Mike Siertsema and the Supreme Concrete team for knowing how to bring it all to the next level.

We have an amazing community.

Go see for yourself and enjoy the shows!

Julie Sawchuk, Blyth.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 3.

Garratt grateful to see return of live theatre

Setting the stage Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, in red, welcomed audiences to the seasonopening performance of The Downs last Thursday evening at the brand new Harvest Stage at the Blyth Campground. Garratt was excited to see theatre return to the community and also excited to see how successful the stage is, as it will be a part of the Festival’s regular season planning going forward. (Shawn Loughlin photo)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Last week, the Blyth Festival officially began welcoming people to its new Harvest Stage and Artistic Director Gil Garratt said he couldn’t be happier to have live theatre back in the community.

On Aug. 11, Garratt, members of his staff and board of directors, as well as Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, MPP Lisa Thompson, Huron County Warden Glen McNeil and North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey all opened the stage as part of a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

That night, the first preview

performance of Sheryl Scott’s The Downs took to the stage, delayed slightly by questionable weather.

The next night, The Downs officially opened the season, and Garratt said that was emotional for him.

“I’m just so grateful to have everyone back,” Garratt said in an

A farm-illiar sight Maitland Valley Camera Club member _____ Griffey snapped this agricultural shot recently and shared it with The Citizen. You can do the same by e-mailing your photos to reporter@northhuron.on.ca. (Photo submitted)

interview with The Citizen on Monday.

To be able to open a show at the Blyth Festival for the first time in two years, he said, was very special and not something he would soon forget.

And while he said he’s happy for what’s happening at the stage right now, Garratt said he’s even more excited about what it means for the future, both for the Festival and for the community.

The audience response to the stage, he said, has also been very encouraging. People are happy to be back, enjoying live theatre in a safe setting, he said, but it runs even deeper than that. He said he’s spoken to several audience members who have been impressed with the permanence of the stage and who are looking forward to seeing what it will bring to the Blyth Festival for years to come.

Garratt said he has also talked to long-time patrons who have been impressed with what has been accomplished at an unused soccer field, including local accessibility consultant Julie Sawchuk. The two spoke last week at one of the shows, even taking a selfie together, and Garratt said Sawchuk was very impressed with how accessible the site is.

As for the stage itself, Garratt said there have been some hiccups in the

first few days, including having carpentry crews still working on the location on the morning of the ribbon-cutting ceremony. There have also been some changes, including the addition of sunblocking shades, after the first matinee, to try and provide some shade during sunny afternoon shows. However, for the most part, Garratt says things have gone pretty smoothly at the Harvest Stage.

He also said that The Downs was the perfect show with which to welcome people back to live theatre with the Blyth Festival. As a warm, welcoming show with which Festival audiences already have a history, he said it was nice having the show on stage for the first week of shows.

Garratt also cited a recent Globe and Mail review of the show, which called the Festival a “special little theatre”, but added that it had become a bit more special with the addition of the Harvest Stage.

Those thoughts, Garratt said, really helped to sum up how he feels about the new addition.

Garratt also went back to what he said on opening night, saying that the Harvest Stage isn’t a theatre, but a community-building machine and he says he really feels that is true.

For that machine to be turned back on, he said, is a very special feeling for him and for the community.

Province providing COVID-19 funding The Ontario government is providing close to $2 million in new funding to help local municipalities deliver critical services, create longer-term housing solutions and keep vulnerable people safe.

“If this pandemic has shown us anything, it’s that we must protect our most vulnerable,” said HuronBruce MPP Lisa Thompson.

“Today’s announcement will play a big part in making this possible across the counties of Huron and Bruce.”

Bruce County will receive $1,051,200 while Huron County will be receiving $826,100.

Last week’s announcement was part of the province’s additional $307 million investment to help municipalities and Indigenous community partners respond to COVID-19. This investment builds upon the $765 million of Social Services Relief Funding (SSRF) announced in 2020- 2021, for a

total support to communities of over $1 billion.

“Municipalities have been on the frontlines of Ontario’s pandemic response and vaccine rollout, while continuing to protect our most vulnerable populations, including homeless populations,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Our government is committed to ensuring municipalities have the resources they need to keep their communities safe, and today’s funding will help our local partners deliver critical services, support vulnerable people, and unlock affordable housing in their communities.”

Municipalities and Indigenous community partners can use the funding to protect homeless shelter staff and residents, add to rent banks, build affordable housing, and support plans to prepare for potential future outbreaks and/or emergencies.

The diamond in that ring!

Thomas Brooks, “The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness”

Sunday Buffet starting at 4 pm Reservations suggested.

The whole Scripture is but one entire love-letter, all written in golden letters, dispatched form the Lord Christ to His beloved spouse on earth. In it, there is so much to be read of... the love of Christ, the heart of Christ, the kindness of Christ, the grace of Christ, and the glory of Christ, that a holy heart cannot but love, and embrace, and endeavor to conform to every line.

The whole word of God is a field — and Christ is the treasure which is hidden in that field!

The whole word of God is a ring of gold — and Christ is the diamond in that ring!

The Scriptures point to Me! John 5:39 A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-492-1359

PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Editorials & Opinions

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Stolen creativity The arts have never been an easy way to earn an income and coming out on the other side of a global pandemic, the current state of things doesn’t seem like it will favour a “gig economy” any time soon. A single statement by an actor in a video last week may sum up the forecast for many actors, musicians and artists. “Theatre will return. It always has, after every plague since Greek times. My own participation, well, we’ll have to see,” said Randy Hughson, the Stratford-based actor, in a short film Something Behind by Ballinran Entertainment on YouTube.

As the COVID-19 virus closed down all live entertainment venues, countless artists were forced to find other means to support themselves and their families. Now that many of these creative people have found other, perhaps easier or more consistent, streams of income, will they all return to the arts as the theatres, galleries and concert halls reopen?

We have heard of many artists now working in landscaping, carpentry, sales, accounting and video game production. The jobs satisfy the bills and put food on the table, even if they don’t offer the same artistic outlet these people crave. Many of them used to string together roles and gigs, often not knowing where they would be working from one month to the next. Being forced into a different mindset, but with a steady paycheque, might keep some of them from returning.

The pandemic has stolen almost two years from us now, but how much creativity will it take by driving artists into other careers? – DS

Why? Why not?

On Sunday, just before noon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called a federal election, with Canadians set to go to the polls on Monday, Sept. 20. The 36 days between the dissolution of Parliament and the election is the absolute minimum campaign length allowed by law.

Opposition leaders have argued against calling an early election, rumours of which have been swirling for months, saying that Trudeau is clearly acting out of his own political interests, rather than the wellbeing of Canadians. As Canada seems to be entering the dreaded fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to many experts, it’s hard to argue with the opposition. It’s even harder to find a reason for this election beyond Trudeau pouncing while other parties are in disarray, seeking the majority government that eluded him in 2019.

Trudeau has been far from perfect in the last two years. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has infuriated some, but was the envy of some other nations (especially as our American neighbours descended into chaos in the final months of Donald Trump’s presidency) and he has bungled several decisions and endured some harsh criticism. Now, this decision is sure to rub many Canadians the wrong way and it’s easy to see why. In addition, it fits with the frequent criticism of Trudeau as someone who only looks out for himself, rather than Canadians.

Canadians will go to the polls on Sept. 20. We may have a new Prime Minister the next day, or we may not. But when Canadians file into community centres and school gyms during a pandemic to cast their vote, the question on their minds may not be, “who will best lead our country?” but rather, “why do I have to do this?” – SL

We need to be better Reporting out of Saskatchewan last week featured a number of entries about Berkeley Trayhorne, a 12-year-old girl who was, for all intents and purposes, kicked out of her local hockey association because her parents felt she was being discriminated against based on her gender.

Trayhorne was “permanently released” by the Dalmeny Minor Hockey Association after an eight-month battle over her ability to enter the dressing room. Last year, despite COVID-19, Trayhorne’s team was able to play, provided she and her teammates followed the rules, which included showing up to the arena fully dressed. She was actually happy about that because, as a female player on a co-ed team, she had been forced to change away from her teammates for years, sometimes in utility rooms or vacant hallways. However, due to the interpretation of the rules by the association’s executive, she was barred from the change room. While other organizations have said it’s because of the COVID-19 rules, in interviews with CBC, association members said it was to “protect both genders from a potentially compromising situation.”

Even the association’s president said that assault may occur due to males and females being in the same room unsupervised.

While no one would want to see that happen, the simple fact is this young player was forced out of the camaraderie that is provided by being part of the team because a bunch of adults decided some 11- and 12-yearold boys and girls couldn’t be trusted to act appropriately behind closed doors. In doing so, the association is sending a message that the only thing preventing that kind of behaviour is separating boys and girls, instead of educating both to be respectful of the other.

The treatment of sexual assault will never be fixed by this closedminded approach. Instead, we need to teach respect. – JDS

Looking Back Through the Years August 20, 1964 The 4-H Tractor Club held its August meeting at Bauer’s Massey Ferguson dealership on Aug. 12.

Members were treated to a talk on oiling systems, tire care and general tractor lubrication, followed by a quiz on the information covered.

Brussels Village Council decided to buy 100 feet of new one-and-ahalf-inch hose for the Brussels Fire Department. Council was also searching for quotations for paving on Catherine, Flora, Elizabeth and Alexander Streets in the village.

The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) was carrying out a preliminary engineering study on dams in Gorrie, Fordwich and Wingham under the Department of Energy and Resources’ new reservoir assistance program. The purpose of the studies was to determine the feasibility of rehabilitating those three dams. The Department of Energy and Resources would pay 75 per cent of the rehabilitation costs, leaving the MVCA member municipalities to pay the remaining 25 per cent.

Three hundred and sixty four children took part in swimming lessons at the Seaforth Lions Pool, 93 of whom were from the Brussels area. The event was co-sponsored by the Brussels Legion and the Brussels Lions Club. The pool was under the supervision of Anne Troutbeck with Hugh Huff serving as a consultant.

August 21, 1996 Blyth Village Council was set to take its fight regarding education taxes one step further as members planned to lobby for support at the annual convention of the Association of Municipalities (AMO). The initiative sought to

remove education taxes from property tax bills. In addition, the Blyth resolution stated that the village planned to discontinue the collection of education taxes as of 1997.

In addition to seeking further support, councillors also planned to meet their counterparts from around the province, who had already supported the motion, and talk about their next steps.

Despite legislation banning the sale of tobacco to minors, the Huron County Health Unit found, during a compliance check in November of 1995, that about 20 per cent of retailers were willing to sell cigarettes to 15- and 16-yearold children.

As of Aug. 12, 1996, the Health Unit had charged seven stores with selling tobacco to minors, stating that if a store was found to be selling tobacco to a minor on a second occasion, it would lose its right to sell tobacco for six months.

The Blyth Mosquitoes soccer team won the league’s year-end tournament in Goderich over 10 other teams that were competing.

The Blyth team took on Lucknow in the final game of the tournament, meaning Blyth was facing the only team to beat them in the regular season.

The game was scoreless through regulation and most of the extra time period before Luke Slotegraaf scored for Blyth to take the lead, followed by another goal by Matt Anderson, leading Blyth to a 2-0 win over Lucknow to win.

August 18, 2011 Supporters broke ground on a new Habitat for Humanity build on Sports Drive in Brussels. Those with shovels were family members of the late Henry Exel, who passed

away the previous year.

Exel had long held a dream of bringing a Habitat for Humanity home to Brussels, but due to his untimely death, he wasn’t able to see his years of work come to fruition. The project, however, was dedicated in his memory.

On the day of the ceremony, Habitat for Humanity also received a number of large donations, coming from the Brussels Community Trust, the Brussels Optimist Club and the Brussels Lions Club.

A group of motivated citizens and business owners were looking to revitalize the main street of Brussels and in order to do so they formed a new advocacy group called the Brussels Build Group.

The group held its first meeting on Aug. 15 at Cinnamon Jim’s.

Ty Sebastian of Brussels was named the winner of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award at the 2011 Pepsi U19 Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Championship in New Brunswick. Sebastian played as a member of the Wiarton Red Devils, the team that would go on to win the tournament, earning the title of Canada’s best team.

Lisa Thompson, the recentlynamed provincial Conservative candidate for Huron-Bruce, cut the ribbon on her new main campaign office in Blyth.

Thompson, an East Wawanosh native, said she felt Blyth was the natural geographical centre of the riding, so having her office in the village made perfect sense to her.

Long-time Blyth Lions Club members Gord Jenkins and Charlie Shaw were honoured for their decades of service to the club with the planting of trees and placement of stones at the Blyth Lions Park.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 5.

Other Views

How to be good in this bad world

W

atching Afghanistan descend into chaos with the Taliban sweeping the country, I couldn’t help but think of the central character in Nick Hornby’s novel How to be Good.

The book tells the story of a doctor who spends her life helping people in pain and suffering. She thinks of herself as a good person until she’s forced to re-examine her life after her husband is influenced by a penniless visionary who feels that no matter how much you’ve given, you should give more. Not only does her husband invite the mystic to move in with them, but he gives away his children’s toys and persuades his neighbours to take in homeless kids, some of whom take off with their prized possessions.

So in Afghanistan, were we not as good as we wanted to be? For some, the devastatingly rapid collapse of the Western-supported government once the Americans said they would pull out their army proved we should never have interfered in the country at all. For others, that decision to leave betrayed all those who had believed Westerners’ words that they could build a new, more enlightened country.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump agree on one thing – that it was time that the U.S. got out of Afghanistan. Biden argued that the original purpose of going into Afghanistan had been accomplished. Then-President George W. Bush wanted to drive out Al-Qaeda, perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which used the country as its base. With AlQaeda gone, Biden argued one more year, or five more years of U.S. presence wasn’t going to change the country. The quick surrender of the Afghan army, even with its superior numbers and superior weapons provided by the U.S. seems to prove his point.

Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk Canada followed the U.S. into Afghanistan 20 years ago because Prime Minister Jean Chrétien felt we had to support the Americans somewhere, but didn’t want to be part of the invasion of Iraq. Prime Minister Stephen Harper brought Canadian troops home in 2014, to the relief of most Canadians who were tired of watching the bodies of 158 soldiers paraded home along the Highway of Heroes.

On one hand, Westerners – particularly Americans – are blamed for getting involved in parts of the world where they are accused of having no place. On the other hand, we are indicted for being rich and self-centred for not caring what’s happening to those living in hardship in the rest of the world.

Whatever support there was for our involvement in Afghanistan was mostly for the plight of women. When the Taliban took over the country in the 1990s, they forbadE girls from being educated. Girls were forced to marry Taliban fighters. Educated women were not allowed to practice their skills. Women could only be treated medically by women but women weren’t allowed to be doctors!

Religious police enforced edicts on dress code, employment, access to medical care, behaviour, religious practice and expression.

Anyone found to be in violation of an edict might be subject to punishment meted out on the spot, which included

beatings and detention.

This, apparently, will be the world for the people of Afghanistan again now that the Taliban is back in control.

So how can we Westerners be good? Do we mind our own business or do we get involved? It’s been a point of debate particularly in the U.S. for decades. In the 1930s Americans, reacting to the terrible loss of life in World War I, turned to isolationism.

Strange bedfellows from progressives to conservatives, business owners to peace activists together supported non-involvement in the affairs of Europe and Asia, even as Hitler and Mussolini invaded their neighbours and Japan expanded into China and dreamed of an empire. Later, when the U.S. was attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor and Germany declared war, the isolationist movement was seen as naive and plain destructive.

The argument can be made that Westerners should not get involved directly, but simply send their dollars and Euros to help disadvantaged countries. The problem with that can be seen in Haiti, the other distressing hot-spot on the weekend, where another earthquake killed hundreds. Earthquakes, hurricanes and general poverty have plagued the people there. Billions have been sent from abroad but too often corrupt politicians have siphoned off money to their own hidden bank accounts.

And how do we help the women of Afghanistan? Hardly by sending money to a government run by the Taliban.

So the challenge of how to be good remains. Certainly United Nations agencies and non-profit aid groups can make things better for thousands, even millions, but it all feels so frustratingly small compared to the world’s challenges.

The housing divide showed by EI/CERB

D

uring two recent North Huron Township Council meetings, councillors raised two intertwined issues: the fact that Employment Insurance for people whose jobs were lost due to COVID-19 (formerly the Canada Emergency Responses Benefit) pays more than some people would potentially get from a part-time job and the fact that housing prices, or even the price of building materials, has become so high that building affordable units is impossible without government support.

Councillors who brought up these issues took different sides of each argument. For example, with the EI, Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said that taking $500 a week from EI just makes sense for a person who would only make $300 from their part-time job.

Councillor Chris Palmer, however, said there was no “integrity” in benefitting from federal funding if they could be working.

Both of these issues are leading us to some dangerous potholes ahead that could have dire impacts on Canadian society.

While there were a number of issues with the EI that could be addressed, the biggest one wasn’t a problem with the program, but the fact that it showed us the dangerous divide between the classes in our country.

At $2,000 a month, the EI was supposed to be enough to survive on for those who couldn’t go to work. However, even here in Huron County, that’s not enough to pay for a median home’s mortgage payments.

Those who are still on the EI because it’s the best financial decision, may find it difficult to continue paying for their home, especially because real estate seems to be among the few markets that weren’t slowed by the pandemic.

House prices continue to rise and that’s despite

Denny Scott Denny’s Den the fact that the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation’s (MPAC) updated property values have been frozen since the pandemic struck.

Those looking to buy or even rent now may be facing prices that, plain and simple, are unaffordable by the average wage earner in Huron County. According to the Royal Bank of Canada, no more than 30 per cent of annual income should be spent on a mortgage.

Using Brussels as an example, the average sale price, as of Monday, for a home in the village was $553,000 (I’d like to tell you what it was in Blyth, but there were no properties for sale in the community as they get snatched up quickly). That means that, using a 2.49 per cent rate and no down payment (as suggested by several institutes) over 25 years with a fiveyear fixed closed mortgage, payments would be around $2,474.50 per month for that average Brussels home.

A family would need to make nearly $100,000 as a household, after taxes, for $2,474.50 per month, or $29,694 per year, to be 30 per cent of its household income. That’s significantly higher than the average and median household incomes for families across the province (Stratford, the closest example I could find, for example, has a median post-tax household income of $56,643 according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation).

Now, to help frame this discussion: those still on the EI because it pays more than their wages or because they can’t get back to work, are being given a grand total of $28,000 per year. That’s less than the mortgage payments on the median house for sale in Brussels, and certainly a far cry from the 30 per cent that the Royal Bank of Canada suggests. (At that rate, an individual on EI could only afford a $170,000 home, which doesn't really seem to exist in the current market.)

Heck, let’s throw government assistance out the window here and just look at the minimum wage. Someone working 35 hours a week at minimum wage, before taxes, makes $28,126 per year. If you have a spouse or a partner in the same boat, that’s $56,252 annually.

After taxes, they would make about $47,814.20 That means that, per year, that couple should be paying no more than $14,344.26 for a mortgage, meaning they could afford (at the rates above) a house just above $300,000 (which is pretty hard to find in our area).

Over the last seven years, according to the Statista Research Department, the average price of a home in Ontario has increased by nearly 50 per cent (from $423,300 to $625,100). Wages certainly haven’t followed, and, unless something is done about the inflation of the housing market, we’re going to price people out of living in Huron County.

And, in my opinion, the people likely to be priced out will be the people we need most: young families with children.

I know, it’s been a long journey to get here but, $2,000 a month for the EI might have been enough in the early days of the pandemic, but it won’t be for the next pandemic unless something is done to help control the cost of keeping a roof over our heads.

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

A field of dreams

W

hen I came home from seeing The Downs at the Blyth Festival’s new outdoor Harvest Stage, I saw that the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox had played each other that night as well.

They played the first-ever official Major League Baseball game at the Field of Dreams, a from-scratch stadium built in Iowa, adjacent to the site of the iconic movie’s baseball field.

Kevin Costner, the Field of Dreams star, was even there to do the honours, making his way through the outfield corn field, followed by both team’s players, leading to the start of the game (though, notably, the Academy Award winner did not throw out the first pitch).

Now, I should get this out of the way upfront and say that I am a fraud in that I have not seen Field of Dreams. Yes, I am a lifelong baseball and film fan who has not seen Field of Dreams (favourite baseball movies: The Sandlot and Major League, and most recently, Moneyball).

What everyone remembers about the movie, whether you’ve seen it or not, is the iconic, other-worldly refrain that leads Costner to build the field in the first place: “If you build it, he will come.”

Often misquoted as “if you build it, they will come”, Costner’s Ray Kinsella finds that the “he” in the original sentence (spoiler alert for those of you who haven’t seen it... like me) eventually refers to Ray’s father. The mantra, however, has been adopted by all manner of “idea man” as the foundational text dictating that they trust their instincts and build “it” and if they do... “they” will indeed come.

Not to get overly dramatic (of which I’ve no doubt been guilty in this space once or twice before), but seeing that as I laid in bed, I couldn’t help but think of the Harvest Stage as a small-scale, theatrical Field of Dreams. For Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, his team, the actors, directors and craftspeople able to work in Blyth this season and fans of theatre all across the province, it must feel that way. I know it does for me as someone who lives, works and is raising a family in Blyth.

As I wrote in my review of The Downs, Sheryl Scott’s show that opened this unique, one-of-a-kind season of the Blyth Festival, was the perfect warm welcome back to live theatre for those of us who have been cooped up, taking the pandemic seriously and avoiding unnecessary outings. Stepping out is just different now. Not to anger the “no new normal” crowd, but it is a new normal out there. For those of us trying to mitigate risk even after full vaccination for the good of those at home who can’t yet be protected that way, it has been a long time since we’ve been together with that many people in one place. It was all done safely, but even so, it requires some mental gymnastics for some of us.

To see familiar faces (a face behind a mask is still a face), to partake in one of life’s great joys (live theatre) and to experience a beautiful event of nature together (a Huron County sunset) must have been emotional for many in attendance. I know it was for me.

And to know that it all started with an idea the repurposing of a former soccer field whose only real patrons had become casual golfers and off-road vehicle drivers - that may have sounded strange to some, makes it that much more special. The Blyth Festival, its financial partners and, yes, even North Huron Council saw potential, thought outside of the box and made the Harvest Stage a reality.

Now, we can all enjoy it and it can be part of our story as we return to life. Kevin Costner may not quite emerge from the trees beyond, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be special.

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

H. East creates new clerk, treasury positions

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Huron East Council has voted to create singular clerk and deputytreasurer positions, while eliminating the stand-alone role of the drainage clerk.

Council discussed the issue at its Aug. 10 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom. New Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts presented a report and recommendation on the subject, saying it was one of the earliest tasks council had directed him to undertake when he was hired earlier this year.

For years, he said, the chief administrative officer would also serve as the municipality’s clerk and there was no deputy-treasurer.

A clerk’s role will be to handle

council agendas and minutes, elections, records management, freedom of information requests, licensing, vital statistics, commissioning, serving as the secretary/treasurer to the committee of adjustment, bylaw and property standards, planning, municipal drains, fences act, wildlife damage compensation, communications and accessibility.

In his report, McRoberts said Huron East has the highest ratio of service population to full-time equivalent employees without a clerk. Huron East’s 5,389 service population per full-time equivalent is “well above” the average of 2,552 service population per fulltime equivalent in the county, he said. He also said that his comparison showed that Huron East has the lowest number of

resources in the chief administrative officer and clerk service area across the comparable municipalities, which included all of Huron County, West Perth, North Middlesex, Arran-Elderslie and Mapleton.

The largest task for a new clerk, McRoberts said, at least in the early stages of employment, would be a universal records management system. The current system, he said, appeared to be a patchwork of how records were kept by Huron East’s five member municipalities prior to amalgamation, which can be confusing. He said a standard system for the entire municipality should be brought in, and managed by the new clerk.

He also suggested a new electronic document system and an improved communication plan,

which is another of the tasks council has asked McRoberts to tackle.

“Current formal communication via the website, public notices and social media is limited,” McRoberts said in his report. “Council has asked for a communication strategy to be prepared and this will be provided at a later date as a separate report.

The communication strategy will need to have a point person to coordinate the preparation and distribution of external communication approved by the chief administrative officer. It would be a suitable role for someone in the clerk position.”

He also said that the recent resignation of the drainage clerk has created an opportunity with the finance department also lacking sufficient resources.

He recommended that council eliminate the position, rolling any administrative responsibilities tied to the position into the clerk’s role and the financial portion of the role would be taken on by the newlycreated deputy-treasurer role in the finance department.

The new deputy-treasurer, according to McRoberts’ report, would be responsible for asset management, grant applications and funding reports, bank reconciliation, harmonized sales tax (HST) claims, financial analysis and reporting, reconciliation and billing of shared services, the

financial component of municipal drains and assisting and supporting information technology (IT) management.

The creation of the position, McRoberts said in his report, would transfer a number of key responsibilities, alleviating the workload pressures on Treasurer Paula Michiels.

McRoberts said timing for the creation of both positions will be critical, as the clerk will need to begin preparations for the 2022 municipal election soon and the treasurer and deputy-treasurer would need to begin year-end fiscal and audit reporting soon.

Creating two new positions and eliminating the drainage clerk position, McRoberts said, will result in an additional net cost to the municipality of between $130,000 and $160,000. For the current budget year, he said, the existing vacancies in the drainage clerk and economic development officer positions will provide sufficient savings to cover any additional salaries.

Council approved McRoberts’ recommendation with Mayor Bernie MacLellan saying the report confirmed what councillors had known for a long time: that the municipality was on the lower end in regards to its staffing complement and that help was needed at the municipal office.

At the Branch

Jackpot climbing

Bringing the heat The Walton Brewers hosted the Fullarton A’s on Aug. 10, however the home-field advantage never materialized for Walton, as Fullarton posted a 10-4 win over the Brewers. (John Stephenson photo)

Brussels Legion 218 Catch the Ace Weekly Winner Winning Ticket: Vern Logan $188 Envelope #11 found the 8 of clubs Estimated jackpot for August 20 is $850

News Media Canada is a passion ssionate ad dvocate for the news industry. We support our mem mber m publications in their pursuit of quality jo ournalism nalism.

We believe that when society has facts they can trust, better decisions will be made.

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By Jo-Ann McDonald The Brussels Legion Branch was quiet this week after such a busy weekend last week. Week two of the Catch the Ace draw was the only function this week.

The lucky winner was Vern Logan who had chosen envelope number 11. It revealed the eight of clubs and he won $188. The estimated jackpot for the next week will be around $850.

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 7.

Staffing shortages results in pre-season ice delay

By Denny Scott The Citizen

A lack of available and ablebodied staff has led to North Huron Township Council delaying preseason ice time at the North Huron Wescast Community Complex this year.

Typically, ice time is available in September at the site after the ice is installed at the end of August, however, Director of Recreation and Facilities Vicky Luttenberger explained, during a special council meeting last Friday, there were several issues with pushing to get the ice surface in this year,

including a lack of staff.

Luttenberger said that much of the regular complement of staff at the site was either off due to injury or surgery or on modified duties, also due to injuries. She later explained modified duties are specific to each individual and injury, but could include anything from not being able to use stairs to not being able to lift things.

“We’re not able to put the ice in at this point,” she said, suggesting the ice be put in at the end of September, giving approximately one week of pre-season ice time in Wingham before the season starts on Oct. 7.

Market offers fun, food and produce

Luttenberger also said that, as long as vaccine clinics are being held in Wingham, it might make more sense to continue to have the space available for that purpose.

Reeve Bernie Bailey said that walk-in clinics were being held and still bringing in hundreds of people.

While he supports and believes in the clinics, he said the municipality needs to look towards the future.

“It’s very hard for the public to stay at home,” he said. “We need to get things back in place and back to normal.”

Councillor Kevin Falconer asked if the staffing shortage had impacted the Blyth and District Community Centre and was told that, while it is an issue in Blyth, normally the ice isn’t available until Oct. 1 in the village, so it’s not as pressing an issue.

“We have staff that are brought in specifically for the ice,” Luttenberger said, adding another staff member will be brought in then.

Councillor Chris Palmer asked how long it takes to prepare the ice, to which Luttenberger said there wasn’t a concrete answer.

“That depends on the facility, the time of the year and the weather,” she said. “If you put it in in August, it will take a lot longer to cool down the floor and get the ice to set.”

She said it usually takes 10 days to get the ice installed in Wingham.

However, she noted that last year, COVID-19 caused a delay and the installation took place at the end of September and, as a result, it only took seven days.

“The humid weather recently is playing havoc on the systems at the complex,” she said. “Neither facility [Wingham or Blyth] was built for humidity like we’ve seen this year.”

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip asked if ice could be installed in Blyth easier than it could be in Wingham to allow Wingham minor hockey players, alongside the Wingham Ironmen, a chance to take to the ice in the preseason. He suggested Blyth as he felt it would be less expensive.

Luttenberger, however, said the problem wasn’t financial but in finding staff to help install it.

Bailey pointed out that kind of work required a specific skill set.

“It’s not like you’re going to hire someone from Tim Horton’s to come over,” he said.

Luttenberger agreed, saying it is complicated work and is made more complicated in Wingham due to the proximity of the pool at the Wescast Community Centre. She also said that hiring initiatives were being employed, but that staff has been hard to find.

Seip said that was likely due to the government funding for those who lost their jobs due to COVID19 which had been in place since early in the pandemic.

He said his opinion of the situation was that employers across Canada, but especially in Ontario, were suffering due to the CERB and, “until the Government of Canada turns off the tap of the COVID relief benefits”, the struggles will continue.

“People are getting $500 a week to do nothing, ultimately,” he said.

“They sit at home and wait for employment to call them back.”

Seip said he wasn’t disparaging those on government assistance, saying ultimately it was a financial question.

“It’s an easy decision if your parttime job [pays] $300 a week and you can do nothing for $500,” he said. “Would I do it? Absolutely.

Until the federal government decides [to end the program] small businesses and municipalities are going to suffer.”

He said unless employers are paying $20 to $25 per hour, staff may feel better staying at home.

Seip did admit that staffing issues at the municipality pre-date COVID-19, but that government pandemic funding wasn’t making it easy to fix those problems.

While Seip said he felt for those receiving benefits, Councillor Chris Palmer admonished them, saying there is “integrity in being at work”.

Palmer went on to say the problem will persist until the “tap” of funding is turned off, which won’t likely happen until after the federal election next month.

After more discussion around the issue, council approved a motion to have the North Huron Wescast

Community Centre closed for the purposes of vaccination clinics as of Sept. 17 with ice installation to start Sept. 20 and ice availability to start in October.

FUTURE IMPACTS Luttenberger said council may wish to consider eliminating or significantly shortening pre-season ice time, mentioning in her report that the municipality could save $15,000 to $20,000 by making the change.

During the discussion, she pointed out that pre-season ice has traditionally been for tryouts and hockey camps, neither of which are as widely used in modernity as they were in the past.

“We can look at whether we need [pre-season ice] for the whole month or potentially a shorter [period],” she said. “We can look at two to three weeks before the season instead of five to six.”

She said that, while skill-building opportunities are especially important this year due to many players not seeing the ice last year, there are other opportunities like dryland training.

NEWS FROM BLYTH Broken Dryer?

Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687

Township of North Huron Painting Rita’s place Youngsters were welcome to paint Rita Rutabaga’s new hangout beside Wild Goose Studio during last week’s Blyth Community Market. Above, Lilly West puts her own decorations on the structure. (Denny Scott photo)

From Marilyn’s Desk

By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318

The village of Blyth was saddened on the weekend to hear that a longtime resident has passed away.

Sympathy is extended to Ella Ives and her family in the death of her husband George who passed away on Friday, Aug. 13. George will be missed by his family and friends.

Happy birthday to Diana Robinson, Wingham who will celebrate on Aug. 25.

Happy anniversary to Scott and Sal (Colleen) Bromley who will celebrate on Aug. 19.

Monday was another beautiful summer day, with the sun shining and low humidity, which made for a comfortable day to be outside.

Take a drive through Huron County to see the lush countryside. Go to your destination and come home a different way.

Don’t forget to visit the Blyth Community Market on Thursday, Aug. 19 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The vendors and merchants have a variety of things to offer – there are things for kids to do, food, fresh vegetables, baking and coffee.

Come out and see what is available to the buyer.

Stay safe everyone and give someone a call to let them know you are thinking of them.

Development Charges Study and By-law

Notice of Public Meeting The Township of North Huron is holding a public meeting to discuss the proposed Development Charges By-law. Development charges are fees on new developments that fund growth-related costs to the Township, as governed by the Development Charges Act, 1997. This By-law will replace the existing By-law and will set out the new development charge rates. The meeting will be held: Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 6:00 p.m Wingham Town Hall Theatre.

The Draft Background Report is available for review at www.northhuron.ca. Copies of the proposed By-law will be available 2 weeks ahead of the meeting.

Representatives of Council and B. M. Ross and Associates Limited will be at the meeting to present details of the Draft Background Report and answer questions.

This Notice issued August 18, 2021 Carson Lamb, Clerk, Township of North Huron

PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Council seeks input from homelessness task force

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Huron County Council has taken a step back in its fight against homelessness, seeking more supportive housing options for the county and input from its homelessness task force before committing to a path forward.

Council discussed the issue at its Aug. 11 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom. Director of Social and Property Services

Barbara Hall presented several options to council at the meeting, including a modular/stick-built apartment building, tiny homes or trailer-type modular units, the purchase or renovation of an existing apartment building or the purchase or renovation of an existing motel.

In her report, Hall recommended the construction of a modular/stickbuilt apartment building as a solution, saying it would allow for the development of a high-quality

space to deliver supportive services for those experiencing homelessness. There, support service agencies will have dedicated office space designed to safely engage with residents, she said in her report.

In addition, she said there would be a strong sense of community within the building, as residents would be able to meet for social activities in a common lounge, greet one another in the hallways and easily meet with support

Horse power The Clinton Raceway’s season is winding down with the races on Aug. 15, above, being the fourth-last of the season. The final race day, including the Charity Driver’s Challenge, is set for Sept. 5. (John Stephenson photo)

Letter to the Editor

Need for election questioned THE EDITOR, Why have an election now?

Canada’s election law has measures that have fixed the next election date for October, 2023, four years after the last election, unless the government loses an important vote in Parliament (like a vote on its budget or other major issue). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority government has not lost such a vote.

We are starting into the fourth wave of COVID-19.

The only reason for a snap election is that Justin Trudeau is hoping our outdated, first-past-thepost, electoral system will give him a phony majority. In 2015, Trudeau promised to make every vote count by making 2015 the last first-pastthe-post election, but promptly forgot that promise when he got a phony majority.

If he knew that every vote would count and that a 40 per cent vote for the Liberals would only get them 40 per cent of the seats and no phony majority, he wouldn’t be trying to call an election. Instead, he is hoping that 40 per cent of the vote will give him over 50 per cent of the seats and 100 per cent control of Parliament for four years.

We need governments that work for the majority of Canadians yearin and year-out. We need a proportional system where everyone’s vote counts in each election. It is costly in cancelled programs and reversed directions when we flip-flop phony majority

Conservative and Liberal Governments. It also means that when governments have 100 per cent control of Parliament for four years they listen more to lobbyists on behalf of the rich and powerful

than they do to ordinary Canadians.

We don’t need an election – we need a proportional electoral system.

Yours sincerely, Tony McQuail.

service workers without having to venture outdoors in the case of inclement weather.

She said the apartment building would also provide the opportunity for life skills stabilization activities in the common lounge area and allow for on-site security services.

In addition, a new build could conform to the county’s guidelines in regards to being energy-efficient and accessible for all.

However, Hall said that securing land for the project could be a challenge, with very few parcels of land in the county currently zoned to accommodate high-density residential use.

In her report, Hall estimated that the building would cost $317 per square foot for a one-bedroom unit with an anticipated size of 609 square feet. However, the report was based on construction estimates from December of 2020 for a one-bedroom unit with a modular-type two-storey apartment building with 20 one-bedroom units.

Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he wasn’t in favour of Hall’s recommendation, saying that building a permanent structure sends the message that there will always be people in the apartments.

That, he said, is at odds with council’s direction of trying to help those who are experiencing homelessness in the interim, while providing support to get them into jobs and homes of their own after a temporary stay.

Howick Reeve Doug Harding said he found the options presented in the report to be very different and that he always thought council was leaning towards temporary “tiny homes” or trailer units.

He also balked at the proposed size of the units, saying the county shouldn’t be endeavouring to “build the Taj Mahal”, adding that those living in the units shouldn’t get too comfortable in them, because then they’ll never want to leave.

Modular trailer-type units, Hall said in her report, would cost approximately $275 per square foot, consisting of 289 square feet of livable space. Additional costs, however, would be required for infrastructure connections like

trenching hydro lines and water and sewer connections to reach municipal services.

Bluewater Mayor Paul Klopp was also against any form of supportive housing, saying the county should be lobbying the provincial and federal governments for support with homelessness in the community, rather than building housing with tax dollars that should be used to repair roads and bridges.

He suggested deferring the issue to the county’s homelessness task force for another set of eyes, more information and perhaps another recommendation.

Goderich Mayor John Grace, who has been sounding the alarm on homelessness in the county, specifically in his home community of Goderich, for over two years, went the other way on the report, saying council needed to act quickly because the problem is only going to get worse.

Residents are frustrated, he said, and he doesn’t blame them.

Goderich Town Council is frustrated and municipal staff are overwhelmed. Simply put, Grace said, the town doesn’t have enough public works staff to keep up with the homelessness problem in the town and the department’s regular work is falling by the wayside as a result. He said the town doesn’t even have enough of a staffing complement to clean up the current homeless encampments.

He also sought to remind council that it was discussing people. He said they are Goderich residents and Huron County residents but, for the moment, they happen to be in Goderich.

Grace also wondered aloud if the issue would drag on and begin to bleed into next year, which would be a municipal election year, which would mean further inaction from the county on an issue that was going to get worse before it gets better.

Council then voted to send the report to the homelessness task force, requesting more information on options going forward before the issue returns to Huron County Council.

Spend more time in the Garden!

The Citizen now accepts Visa & MasterCard by phone Order from the comfort of your own home • advertise • subscribe • buy books Call our Blyth office 519-523-4792

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 9.

Trail, camping increases traffic PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

A’s get the W The Fullarton A’s triumphed over the Walton Brewers on Aug. 10, posting a 10-4 win in one of the later games of the Huron County Fastball League season. (John Stephenson photo)

The on-again-off-again rain put a damper on farming activities. Some were able to gather up round bales and get them off the fields, while others are still waiting. There was quite a difference in the amount of rainfall in the area last week. There was as little as a quarter-inch to over two inches in some places only a few miles apart. You never know what’s happening just a few miles down the road.

Traffic was over the top around Walton with campers heading somewhere. There were vehicles coming and going from the Walton Ball Park and lots of folks heading to the Walton ‘start’ area of the Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail.

Well over a dozen vehicles were parked and many with bike carriers,

so the trail was being well used.

The hotdog stand was a busy place most of the day with folks stopping for a quick bite.

I was busy doing mail again in a different part of Morris and Grey on two roads. In the north part of the two townships beef farmers were the winners with my counting of 27. Big and small herds were counted and of course, I would have missed some. Pig barns came in second with 17. There were 10 dairy operations, four sheep or goat, five chicken and five horse farms. New houses were few and far between with only eight in the nearly 50 miles I travelled. There is something new to see every time you are out and about with new construction happening. Some big, some small, but changes are evident around the area.

Congratulations to Wade and Kayla Stephenson on the birth of a son. Welcoming Blayz home will be big sister Laken. Dave and Annette Stephenson are happy grandparents in Brussels.

Celebrating birthdays this past week were Christopher Bernard, Craig Sullivan, Alicia McDonald, Floyd Nesbitt, Craig Hackwell,

NEWS FROM WALTON Shirley Coleman, Amanda Hoegy, Joshua Nichol, Marina Glanville, Joan Perrie, Cooper Verkley, Amanda Fraser, Shayna Melady, Devin Blake, Marion Godkin, Rob McIntosh, Hayden deVos, Jim Armstrong, Susan Nichol and Andrew McDonald.

Happy birthday to all.

One Care to host parade event One Care Home and Community Support Services in encouraging the community to get moving in support of the organization’s annual fundraiser: The Grand Parade. This is a special year as One Care is celebrating 10 years since forming in 2011, and organizers are calling on the community to help make this year’s event the best one yet.

This family-friendly team event is fun for individuals of all ages and accessibility levels. Similar to last year, participants have the freedom to do any activity, where they want, the distance they want, any time between Sept. 1 and Sept. 18. For those unable to participate, sponsorship and donation opportunities are also available. To register a team and start fundraising, visit https://thegrandparade.org/location/ stratford.

“This fundraising event is a lot of fun for the entire family, and the modifications we have made make it easier than ever to participate,” says Kathy Scanlon, Executive Director, One Care. “It has been an extraordinary and challenging time for everyone, and a time when the work we are doing is imperative to the wellbeing of seniors living in Huron and Perth counties. Whether you are a sponsor, are fundraising with your team, or have made a donation, you are making a difference in the lives of seniors living in our communities.”

Funds raised through The Grand Parade will go directly towards a senior or older adult with health challenges in need of subsidized fees, as well as the purchase of essential equipment, like accessible vehicles. One Care is working hard to ensure cost is not a barrier to receiving the programs and services on which clients rely. Many of these programs and services require specific equipment and funding does not cover the cost of these essential items.

For the second year in a row, Tuckersmith Communications Cooperative Ltd. is one of the generous lead sponsors of the Grand Parade. One Care is also excited to welcome Foxton Fuels this year as a lead sponsor.

“I value the relationship we have

with One Care, and have developed a heartfelt gratitude for their programs,” says Mark Foxton, Foxton Fuels in Wingham. “My father attended Coffee Club on Wednesdays in Wingham. It was a program he really enjoyed and it was a blessing for him and my family. One Care does great work, and I am grateful for the opportunity to support them through his fundraiser in memory of my father.”

Supporting seniors in your community has never been easier or more fun – enjoy an activity with your team, skip rope with your kids or grandkids, or play basketball in your driveway.

Participants are encouraged to snap photos of their team costumes and take videos of their activities so that they can be included in One Care’s parade video.

36th Annual Citizen of the Year Award Nominations Open Pictured from left, Marguerite Thomas accepting on behalf of her late husband Bob Kellington, 2020 Citizen of the Year award recipient. Presenting award is Citizen board member, Ralph Watson.

There are so many people out there who do so much to improve their community.

This is your opportunity to show your appreciation for all they do.

Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area and Brussels and area communities to receive an award for contribution to the community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the form and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and they didn't win, we encourage you to submit again.

Emailed submissions can be sent to Shawn Loughlin at editor@northhuron.on.ca I nominate ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ as Citizen of the year for

q

Blyth & area

q

Brussels & area

I feel she/he deserves this award because ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nomination Deadline September 30, 2021.

Name and phone number of nominator Fax: 519-523-9140 Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or Box 152 Brussels, ON N0G 1H0

PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Sports Tigers still undefeated atop Fastball League

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

A good take The Brussels Tigers took on the Wingham Hitmen last week in an effort to preserve their perfect record atop the Huron County Fastball League and did just that with a 9-0 shutout in Wingham, thanks in part to their good eye at the plate. (John Stephenson photo)

The Brussels Tigers remain atop the Huron County Fastball League standing, preserving their undefeated record over the past week with wins over Wingham and Wroxeter.

The Tigers defeated the Wroxeter Rippers by a score of 20-6 on Aug. 8, before beating the Wingham Hitmen in Wingham on Aug. 11 by a score of 9-0.

On Sunday, the Wingham Hitmen defeated the Mitchell Junior Mets by a score of 6-4 after losing to the Brussels Tigers on Aug. 11 by a score of 9-0.

The Walton Brewers beat the Wroxeter Rippers by a score of 103 on Aug. 13, but lost to the Fullarton A’s on Aug. 10 by a score of 10-4.

The Brewers were set to take on the Monkton Muskrats on Aug. 17, but a score was unavailable at press time. That will be Walton’s last game of the regular season.

Wingham’s final scheduled game of the regular season is set for Aug. 22 in Goderich against the Grizzlies. However, the Hitmen have games against the Fullarton A’s and the Belmore Stingers to

play that were postponed due to rain earlier in the season.

The Brussels Tigers have one last game to play in the season, hosting the Mitchell Junior Mets on Aug. 22.

The Tigers currently sit atop the league with a perfect 7-0 record with 14 points and just one game left to play.

The Belmore Stingers are tied for second place with 10 points and a record of 5-1. They have two games left to play. The Wingham Hitmen also have 10 points with a perfect 5-0 record, with three games left to play.

The Goderich Grizzlies and Walton Brewers both have six points. The Grizzlies have a record of 3-3 with two games left to play, while the Brewers sit at 3-4 with just their Aug. 17 game left to play.

Mitchell and Fullarton both sit with a record of 2-4 with two games left to play, followed by Monkton with a record of 1-3 with four games left to play and Wroxeter with a winless record of 0-7 with one game left on their schedule.

For more information or a full schedule or league standings, visit the league website online at hcfl.bravesites.com.

Shaw tournament a success for Blyth Lions

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Going low The first-annual Charlie Shaw Memorial Golf Tournament went ahead last Friday at Goderich Sunset Golf Club with 26 teams participating. Above, John Stephenson drives as a member of The Citizen’s team, consisting of Publisher Deb Sholdice, Editor Shawn Loughlin, Reporter Denny Scott and Stephenson, one of the newspaper’s photographers. (Photo submitted)

Last Friday, the Blyth Lions Club was finally able to host its first-ever Charlie Shaw Memorial Golf Tournament, which the club now hopes to make an annual event after the success of the first one.

The team of Kirk Stewart, Tyler Stewart, Chad Haggit and Dave Meriam won the men’s competition of the best ball tournament with a score of 15 under par.

Second was the team of Jeff Peters, Justin Peters, Cole Stewart and Chris Stewart with a score of 13 under par, while the team of Glen Ditner, Jason Steinmann, Adam Suski and Jeff Robinson, finished third in the men’s class with a score of eight under par.

With a round of 13 under par, the team of Greg Burns, Sandy Burns, Vicky Colquhoun and Jack Watson won the mixed class, followed by the team of Paul Warwick, Virginia Warwick, Audrey Skinner and Steve Skinner in second place with a score of four under par.

The McDonalds - Mike, Jenna, Nick and Greg - finished third with a score of three under par.

There were also a number of competitions on specific holes over the course of the tournament. Justin Peters had the men’s longest drive of the day, while Jenna McDonald had the women’s longest drive.

Audrey Skinner claimed the women’s closest-to-the-pin prize, while Kirk Stewart was closest to the pin for the men. Jenna McDonald also had the day’s longest putt for the women, while Ed Podniewicz had the men’s longest putt of the day.

Cathy Strickland, Kathi McGee, Cathy-Jo Thom and Heather Van Dorp were dubbed the tournament’s “most honest” team with a score of

84, 14 over par, while the team of Mark Nesbit, Erin Nesbit, Scott Bromley and Veronica Lee were the “Luck of the Draw” team with a round of 72, two over par.

Long-time Lions Club member and one of the tournament’s organizers John Stewart said he felt the tournament was a success for

the club. Though he could not determine a concrete figure just yet, he said he was pleased with the money raised for improvements at Blyth Lions Park and the Lions exchange camp, named for the late Charlie Shaw.

The tournament was full, with 26 Continued on page 32

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93rd Huron County Plowing Match Ross and Barbara McIntosh will serve as hosts for the match at 80089 Division Line in Central Huron just a few kilometres west of Seaforth

Friday, August 20, 2021

Co-hosted by: Huron County Warden Glen McNeil and Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn

Please note: This year’s Match is by invitation only and will not be open to spectators

A special section of

The Citizen

a division of North Huron Publishing

PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Match a result of working with HPPH banquet. Due to the pandemic we had to work closely with Huron Perth Public Health in order to put a match on by having a site plan and having participants pre-register in order to participate. When you arrive at the site you will be screened and handed your lot number, then you will go and find your lot.

Normally we would have Princess and Queen of the Furrow Competitions but with the International Plowing Match in Lindsay being cancelled this year, our Queen Maranda Klaver and Princess Grace Hallahan said they would stay on for another year because they missed so much because of the pandemic.

I would like to thank Ross and Barb McIntosh and family for hosting the 93rd Huron County Plowing Match. I would like to say thank you to all the volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to make our 2021 plowing match a success. Thank you to all the sponsors that support our match.

Full Automotive Service Tires, brake and alignment specialists Proud supporter of the Huron County Plowing Match

Preparing Brian Wiersma, left, is the President of the Huron Plowmen’s Association and said this year’s Huron County Plowing Match has been a joint effort including not only the volunteers of the association but also Huron Perth Public Health due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Wiersma is shown above with long-time plowing match supporter Don Dodds erecting the host sign for the 2019 match. (File photo)

By Brian Wiersma, President Huron County Plowmen’s Association I would like to welcome the plowing competitors to our 93rd Plowing Match, which is being held on Friday, Aug. 20 at R&B McIntosh Egg Farms, home of Ross

and Barb McIntosh and family at 80089 Division Line in Central Huron.

The plowing match is going to look a little different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no spectators, exhibitors, food booths or plowing awards

Looking towards 2022 International Councillor for the Huron County Plowmen’s Association, I bring greetings from the Ontario Plowmen’s Association. As we host a modified version of our match with only plowers in attendance, we look to the future with LeedsGrenville planning on hosting the 2022 International Plowing Match (IPM) and Rural Expo in Kemptville at the former agricultural college on Sept. 20-24.

Dufferin County is making plans for 2023 hosting the IPM on Sept.

19-23.

Plans are underway to finally have Kawartha Lakes host in 2024 at the Lindsay Fairgrounds.

For anyone interested in plowing match souvenirs, contact the Guelph office to purchase IPM 2021 OPA ADVISORY COUNCILLOR souvenirs at reduced prices. Please everyone, STEVE CORBETT stay home, stay safe and next year we will be back

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 13.

McIntoshes play host to 2021 Plowing Match

Your hosts The McIntosh family - from left: Barbara, Dugald, Kristen and Ross - is playing host to a Huron County Plowing Match unlike any other. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the match will be closed to spectators and several annual traditions, like the Queen of the Furrow and Princess competitions and the awards gala, will not be going ahead.

However, the McIntosh family has stepped up and let their land be used for what is one of Huron County’s most time-honoured traditions. (Denny Scott photo) deep familial connection with the event.

Barbara McIntosh, formerly a Fotheringham, said that her father Bob has been involved in local plowing matches since the 1960s.

Her brother has also been involved

By Denny Scott The Citizen

The McIntosh family is hosting this year’s Huron County Plowing Match on the largest of their wheat fields thanks in no small part to a

for many years, winning plenty of awards since he started in the 1980s.

The family connection is a deep one, she said, as Bob was both a director and steward of the land with the plowmen’s association, but

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the selection of the field, saying that it was “one of the Brians” (Current Huron County Plowmen's Association President Brian Wiersma or long-time association member and Sodbusters leader Brian McGavin) who encouraged them to help out by lending a field.

“It’s the one with the most land,” Dugald said. “We only have two wheat fields, and the other isn’t that big. We needed to pick one with lots of land to allow for social distancing.”

While the McIntoshes have agricultural land that they’ve worked on for years, they only bought the host field for the event, located on Division Line, four years ago as part of expanding the family business. Aside from the wheat field, the family also works with corn, beans and layer hens. When they sat down to speak with The Citizen, just weeks before the match, they were just preparing to welcome a new flock of chicks.

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recently stepped down after he retired from farming. Barbara competed in the Queen of the Furrow competition in her younger years as well. On top of that, her brother Bill and his wife Amy hosted the 1999 Huron County Plowing Match, and she’s catching up now, hosting this year’s event with her husband Ross.

Barbara has been following plowing since she was a child, starting with local matches and building up to the International Plowing Match, however she hasn’t been as involved lately. It wasn’t until her son Dugald started plowing through the Huron 4-H Sodbusters Club that her family got involved in it again.

“Dugald is the third generation to plow,” she said. “His first match was in 2019.”

Both Ross and Barbara have tried to help Dugald, while Dugald’s sister Kirsten said that she may follow in her mother’s footsteps someday and compete for the Queen of the Furrow crown.

Dugald is plowing both for his own name and also carrying on his uncle Bill’s legacy as Bill’s plow was made available to the Sodbusters Club, at which point Dugald took possession of it.

Barbara said the plow was in great shape and that almost everything, including the weights for the blades were still in place. Dugald then said the only major thing that’s missing is a wrench that went missing in transit. He said he hopes he has a home field advantage when it comes time to start carving his own furrows.

Both Dugald and Ross spoke to

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PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Klaver’s reign extends to unprecedented third year moved to September of 2022 in Grenville County near Kemptville, rather than in Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay this October. I am very proud and honoured to represent Huron and women

in agriculture for another year.

Thanks everyone for the memories thus far and I can’t wait to see what year three as Huron County Queen of the Furrow has in store for me.

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History being made At the 2019 Huron County Plowing Match, Loretta Higgins, left, handed the title of Queen of the Furrow over to Maranda Klaver, right, who couldn’t have known at the time that her time with the crown would extend into 2022. On that day in Howick, Klaver spoke about mental health and farming, a topic about which she’s very passionate. She says that in the following years, the topic has only become more important as the COVID-19 pandemic has gripped the world. (File photo)

By Maranda Klaver Huron County Queen of the Furrow It seems like forever ago that I was crowned as the Huron County Queen of the Furrow; about two years ago to be exact. But if I knew when I signed up to run in the competition that I’d be serving a three-year reign, I wouldn’t have it any other way and would’ve still jumped at the chance to compete.

Everyone’s year as queen is special and different in its own way.

Mine however, has made history as I am now the longest-reigning queen in Huron County history! So that itself makes me happy, as I always like to look at the bright side of things, and if this pandemic had not happened, I wouldn’t be known as the longest-reigning queen!

Since the pandemic, I have adapted to being a quarantine queen, but I have still been able to represent Huron at some events. In September, I partook in the Brussels and Ripley fair parades – special thanks to Larry and Kurtis McNichol for driving me in their awesome car, the longhorns definitely caught people’s attention! In November, I attended my first-ever stationary/reverse parade at the Seaforth Santa Claus Parade. I was able to see so many people and definitely made use of that blanket, as the one-hour parade turned into a three-hour parade thanks to the huge turnout, so I was definitely an icicle at the end of it!

In the spring, it was announced that the Ontario Plowmen’s Association’s annual convention was once again cancelled, and the annual general meeting would be postponed. I am very fortunate for social media at this time, as I still have not physically met the majority of the other queens from across Ontario like I would have at the convention. However, I have been able to connect with many of them through social media for the time being and am able to see what they are up to during their extended reigns as well.

In June, Clinton had a different, but I thought rather intriguing, approach to the annual spring fair.

Many events were held prior to the

fair date and you were able to do them on your own. With this, I was able to go with friends in my bubble on a scavenger hunt throughout Central Huron and learn some new fun facts and see things I often don’t see.

In July, I had the privilege of presenting about my years as Huron County queen to the Huron County Council via Zoom. After this pandemic, I’m sure many of us will be able to set up Zoom calls with our eyes closed!

Throughout the year, we have been fortunate to still be able to have our monthly association meetings as long as we stay six feet apart. This has served as a good source of normalcy for us as we are still able to meet, discuss and share a few laughs with one another. All but Huron, Chatham-Kent and Ottawa-Carleton counties have cancelled their matches for this year. We are very ecstatic to be able to host a Huron-Perth-plowers-only match following the Huron Perth

Public Health guidelines as it still gives us the opportunity to get together and remember how much we love plowing. Many of us have just been itching to get our plows out once again and turn some dirt.

Looking forward, I will be partaking in more events, like the Ontario Plowmen’s Association’s annual general meeting in September as well as some parades and fairs that are going to be inperson as well. I can’t wait to see and be around people again!

Heading into the third year of my reign, I could not be more thankful for all the support I have received from everyone over the years, especially my plowmens’ association. The members have been very helpful and always made sure I had whatever I needed. They are also very optimistic for more inperson events in the new year.

I’m really looking forward to the convention in March and the International Plowing Match that has been once again cancelled and

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 15.

Long may she reign: Hallahan remains Princess

A day to remember Grace Hallahan, seated, won the 2019 Princess competition at the Huron County Plowing Match and has remained in the position ever since due to two years of cancelled competitions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is pictured above in 2019 with the year’s contestants and 2018 Princess Jaden Shortreed, top right. (File photo)

By Grace Hallahan 2019 Huron County Princess The past year has been interesting, to say the least. The COVID-19 pandemic has put rest on our regular lives. My role as Huron County Plowmen's Princess was a part of that worldwide halt.

Back in 2019, I attended fall fairs and had so much gratification through the magic of the Christmas parades. COVID-19 cut my experience as Princess short, but nevertheless, I am so thankful for the fun I have had. I do hope that in this next year of my reign, I will be able to venture out and experience more events.

It has been surprising and exciting to become the longestreigning Huron County Princess, I am sure that this moment will be remembered. In spite of everything, I am appreciative of this chance and look forward to the new opportunities this role has to offer.

Each day the world’s new problems change.

We all think this is a new complication that the world has never faced before. But that is not the truth. History has proven to repeat itself one way or another.

Though we have never seen something so confusing and worrisome as the COVID-19 pandemic, we have continued to repeat one simple, yet powerful way of coping with life's uncertainties: our community.

Through this past year and a half, I have seen us all come together.

With the power of love for each other, we have been able to lean on

and encourage others through this walk of life.

Truly, I have seen the downfalls of this past year unravel, I have also seen the way we rely on our communities in times of need. It is the sense of continued support that we all desire. I have seen this endearment through areas growing together, making neighbours more like family. And strangers considered reliable allies.

My only wish moving forward is that we continue to grow and flourish our relationships with others. As if the only thing we have learned through all of this, is that our peers are always encouraging and reliable. Whether a couple of miles down the road or through a long-distance phone call, we have all leaned on each other through this difficult time.

In Huron County, we remember how tight-knit our neck of the woods really is; how amazing the power of community is, as we are sewn together, we create one vibrant, powerful visual of different colours, cultures, and personalities.

As we continue to grow and navigate through this life, my hope is we can always know the power of community through the courage and authenticity of others.

May we all keep safe and healthy in this next year, keep kind and always trust that everything will work out in the end. I am joyful as I continue to reign as the 20192022 Huron County Princess. I look forward to this next year of excitement and I hope to see you all at the next Huron County Plowing Match.

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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

McNeil, Ginn excited to co-host plowing match

Busy month Huron County Warden Glen McNeil is happy to be hosting the Huron County Plowing Match. He’s shown above at the ribbon-cutting at the Blyth Festival’s new Harvest Stage which happened the week before the match. (Denny Scott photo)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen While Ross and Barbara McIntosh may have their names on the deed related to the property hosting this year’s Huron County Plowing Match, Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn and Huron County Warden Glen McNeil are also serving as ceremonial match hosts.

The two municipal politicians have been involved in the process for several months, supporting the Huron Plowmen’s Association and offering any help needed from the Municipality of Central Huron or the County of Huron. This even included formally assigning the site a 911 number, which it didn’t have until just a few weeks before the match.

In an interview with The Citizen, McNeil said that, on behalf of the county, he wanted to congratulate the association for its hard work

and perseverance in hosting the match. He also thanked the volunteers for giving of their time and making the match a reality, even during such a trying time.

McNeil said the plowing match has always highlighted the importance of agriculture in Huron County and this year’s match, even though it will take place behind closed doors, is no exception.

He said the county’s agricultural productivity, thanks to its amazing soil and proximity to Lake Huron, makes it a special place to live for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its agricultural value.

McNeil says he and his wife Vanda have been long-time supporters of the plowing match. In fact, they were very involved with the 1999 International Plowing Match, creating a notable produce display that turned out to be one of the highlights of the match for many who attended.

We continuously work to promote and protect our Huron County farmers and their families and our rural communities.

He said that, despite the fact that the match will go ahead without spectators and many other traditions like the Queen of the Furrow and Princess competitions, it’s still important to celebrate the plowing competitors, which is what this year’s match will certainly do.

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said he’s proud to be hosting the match and the fact that a match is going ahead at all is a positive step forward in community life as the COVID-19 pandemic hopefully becomes a thing of the past.

To see the match go ahead safely, he said, is hopefully a sign of things to come as beloved events return alongside some semblance of normalcy.

From a safety perspective, Ginn said he doesn’t have any concerns.

Huron Perth Public Health has provided its guidance, and the Huron Plowmen’s Association has set up an event that is outside, with plenty of distance between competitors and many best practices in place.

While spectators won’t be permitted this year, he says traditionally the Huron County Plowing Match has provided an opportunity to show off your municipality, hoping that those who attend take advantage of local amenities, shops and attractions while they’re here.

As far as the importance of plowing matches, Ginn agrees with McNeil, saying that the agricultural roots of Huron County are so deep that events like plowing matches are just part of a special way of life in this community. Ginn was the Huron County Warden when Walton played host to the 2017 International Plowing Match, so he knows the importance of such events.

Experienced As a two-term Huron County Warden, Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn has lots of experience opening plowing matches. He’s shown above speaking at the 2019 Huron County Plowing Match. (File photo)

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 17.

Vincent eyes 2022

Extended term Huron County resident and Zone 7 Director to the Ontario Plowmen’s Association Margaret Vincent had her director term extended due to COVID-19. (File photo)

By Margaret Vincent Back in March of 2019, I began what was to be a three-year term as the Zone 7 (Huron, Perth, Bruce and Grey County Branches) Director to the Ontario Plowmen’s Association. So very much has changed and happened since then, including a one-year extension to director terms due to COVID-19 restrictions.

During this time our board has continually worked through rapidly-changing circumstances by meeting by phone or online when in-person meetings were not considered safe.

Regular communications have been key as recommendations and regulations have constantly fluctuated. These past 16 months have certainly increased the appreciation of being able to meet in-person, as well as having reliable internet and phone connectivity.

Despite those continued efforts, for a second year in a row, the Directors of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association were forced to make the heart-wrenching decision to cancel the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo (IPM).

While a traditional in-person match has not been able to be hosted, our Board has been investigating options and opportunities for honouring our traditional IPM features in consideration of future aspects that will be needed and beneficial Our board has seen some welcomed new directors joining including Floyd Wills, Rochelle Deslippe and Kate Maitland. This is in addition to Sheila Marshall (President), Don Priest (First VicePresident), Robert MacLean (Second Vice-President), David Murray and Mel Switzer.

Our board and staff are currently developing events and options that will soon bring the IPM experience to our many dedicated and faithful volunteers, participants and visitors.

Once details are confirmed, the Ontario Plowmen’s

Watch The Citizen, both on- and off-line, for results from the 2021 Huron County Plowing Match.

Association will be making further announcements.

Stay tuned.

We are excited that the 103rd International Plowing Match will be held in the Municipality of North Grenville (United Counties of Leeds Grenville) in Kemptville, Ontario.

Scheduled for Sept. 2024, 2022, the IPM will be centred around the former Kemptville Agricultural College Campus and the former Kemptville Agricultural College Farm.

Plans are progressing well for IPM 2023, which will be held in Dufferin County. The IPM will return to Kawartha Lakes (Lindsay) in 2024.

I look forward to seeing everyone back to attend and support both our local branch matches, as well as our upcoming International Plowing Match and Rural Expos.

Proving grounds The Huron County Queen of the Furrow has to take to the field during the Huron County Plowing Match to show their skills with what it’s all about: plowing. Above, 2018-2019 Queen Loretta Higgins does just that at the 2018 match, impressing the judges. (File photo)

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PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Huron IPMs begin with ‘The Match That Never Was’

A day in the mud Huron County first hosted the International Plowing Match in 1946 at Port Albert, bottom right, which is hailed at the Victory Match, as it was the first match after World War II. Above, Blyth’s Joe Hallahan is seen transporting dozens of match-goers at the 1966 match near Seaforth, which would become known as the Mud Match for obvious reasons. (Photo submitted)

By Keith Roulston The Citizen After the tented city was finally packed up just south of Walton in September of 2017, it was the fifth time Huron County had hosted the International Plowing Match – not including the match that never was.

IPMs were held in Huron County at Port Albert in 1946, Seaforth in 1966, Wingham in 1978 and Dashwood in 1999, but the county’s first attempt to host the big match in 1942 was undone by World War II. The Match That Never Was In the spring of 1942 The Blyth Standard, The Stratford Beacon Herald and probably most other local newspapers announced that, several miles northwest of Seaforth and eight miles northeast of Clinton, Huron County would be hosting its first IPM that fall (the next nearest match had been in Perth County in 1930). The site chosen was the farm of L.W. Whyte on the eastern edge of Hullett Township, and surrounding farms in both Hullett and nearby McKillop Townships. Since the

match was only months away, it’s obvious that there wasn’t quite as much planning required as today when IPM sites are chosen four years in advance.

The site was almost the exact centre of the county, since six farmers had signed agreements to allow their land to be used.

It was predicted that 100,000 or more visitors would attend the match along with 300 teams of horses and 150 tractors. Hotels in Goderich, Clinton, Seaforth, Blyth, Brussels and Hensall were expected to be booked solid to accommodate the crowd. The Commercial Hotel in Seaforth was chosen as headquarters for the match where judges and officials would stay.

A special feature of the match was to be a banquet for 1,000 to be held in either the Seaforth or Clinton arena (Clinton was in the midst of building a new arena at the time).

But farmers never had the chance to attend the match when it was cancelled. Gasoline rationing had just been declared in April, 1942 in an effort to save fuel to help the

armed forces fight the war. There wouldn’t be another IPM until 1946.

The Victory Match During the war years Gordon McGavin of Walton was the president of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association and in 1946 he had a perfect, if unusual location for the first post-war IPM, named “The Victory Match” – the abandoned air force base at Port Albert.

As part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, parts of seven farms on the east side of Highway 21 at Port Albert had been purchased in 1940 and turned into the Royal Air Force Air Navigation School where from Oct. 1940 to Feb. 1945 advanced navigation techniques were taught to classes of 1,200 navigators at a time from all the allied countries training for their roles with bomber crews. Even before the war ended,

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Sept. 17 Signal-Star told of a discussion during a plowing match host committee meeting about accommodation. The committee planned to host 400 people by billeting them in local homes but the accommodation chair said some of the housewives, who would bear the work, didn’t think the $1.25 per night they would receive was worth it. When he suggested the charge might be increased to $2, one committee member was quoted as saying, “I don’t think that charging $2 is showing much hospitality to our visitors”. Nevertheless, the committee voted to allow people to charge up to $2 a night.

Admission to the match was 50 cents per car, with passengers free.

The committee was hoping for the best-attended match ever, the previous record being 170,000 people at the 1940 match at St. Thomas.

Also requiring major planning was a banquet for 1,000 on the Friday night of the match.

On Sept. 26, The Signal-Star reported that a record number of competitors were expected for the match because the first and secondplace winners in the top competitions would win a free trip to Great Britain.

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training at the base had been scaled back as the allies beat back Nazi Germany. In 1946 the base was declared surplus but before it was dismantled it would have one last hurrah as home to the Victory Match.

It was a convenient venue in terms of accommodating the match because the old runways could be used for parking up to 10,000 cars while four large aircraft hangars would provide lots of room for exhibits without the need for the Tented City we’ve become familiar with these days.

The Goderich Signal-Star of Feb. 26, 1946 first announced that the IPM would be coming to Port Albert from Oct. 15-18. Among the committee planning the event were McGavin, Hugh Hill, who was in charge of the plowing, George Feagan and Huron County Warden R.E. Shaddick. W.T. “Doc” Cruickshank, founder of CKNX radio, was chair of the publicity committee.

On May 23, the paper also reported that John Hanna, the local MPP had announced there would be $1 million in road construction in his riding that summer which would include paving Highway 21 from Port Albert to Amberley, helping to speed visitors to the site.

As the match neared, more details of the planning were reported. The

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 19.

Armstrongs hosted ‘Money Match’ in 1978 made with Friday’s dry weather.

It became a plowing match legend that for years later the Scott family was plowing up rubber boots that had been sucked off the feet of match visitors.

On the bright side, Amy Stewart of Seaforth, was crowned Ontario Queen of the Furrow. She was daughter of Ken Stewart, Warden of

Huron County and Reeve of McKillop Township, the host municipality.

The Money Match After rain plagued Huron County’s previous International Plowing Matches in 1946 and 1966, Mother Nature smiled on the 1978 match held Sept. 26-30 just east of Continued on page 20

INCOME TAX SERVICE Hand over fist The 1978 International Plowing Match, hosted by Jim and Carol Armstrong in the Wingham area, became known for attracting over 215,000 people to Huron County and for the massive amount of money it generated, which earned it the moniker of the Money Match. (Photo submitted) Continued from page 18 match and also announced that Governor-General of Canada Field Marshal Lord Alexander would be arriving in Goderich on the noon Canadian National Railways train to open the match on Oct. 15.

Attendance at the opening day was reported at 80,000, the largest ever one-day attendance at the time.

The Signal-Star reported bumperto-bumper traffic from Goderich to Port Albert. One of the things that was not so ideal about the old airport site, only a mile from the Lake Huron shore, was that people could come to it from only three directions. As well, when you see the modern Highway 21 travelling over the beautiful sweeping concrete bridge across the Nine Mile River at Port Albert, it’s hard to picture the bottleneck of those days when the highway travelled on a circuitous route through the centre of the village and over the old iron bridge that can still be seen in downtown Port Albert today. In God Speed the Plow, The History of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association, it’s reported that traffic trying to enter the grounds was backed up all the way to Sheppardton, four miles to the south and to Dungannon, in the east.

In his history of the Port Albert air base, Eugene McGee points out that such a celebration after the years of war-time deprivation brought people out in droves. They were celebrating an end to rationing of gasoline, sugar and butter and other hard-to-get items. At the match they were also able to see displays of the first new cars in years, now that automobile assembly lines were returned to their original purpose after being turned over to weapons production during the war.

After such an enormous opening day crowd it seemed the previous attendance record was bound to be topped but then it started to rain and attendance fell. In the long run, the four-day attendance reached 140,000, well shy of the goal of beating the St. Thomas record.

Once the match was over the buildings of the air base were sold off and moved away and within years it was hard to see evidence that the old air base had ever existed.

The Mud Match Twenty years after first hosting the Victory Match, Huron County won the right to host the IPM again on Oct. 11-14, 1966 at Seaforth.

The organizing committee had plans for the biggest and best match ever, but as in Port Albert, Mother Nature had other ideas.

Gordon McGavin of Walton and Larry Snider of Exeter were cochairs of the organizing committee.

James M. Scott’s farm, just west of Seaforth on Highway 8 was to be the site of the tented city. Right from the beginning the weather seemed determined to ruin the event. The Huron Expositor in Seaforth reported that intermittent driving rain, hail and high winds struck on both of the first two days.

Plowing went ahead but other activities were cancelled.

With the site a mucky mess, tractors were on standby throughout the grounds to haul out vehicles that became mired in the mud. Few cars used the parking fields.

Because of the weather it was decided to extend the match until Saturday to give more people a

chance to attend. It seemed like a good move when Friday dawned sunny and the streets of the tented city began to dry out. Once again the hopes of the host committee were crushed Saturday morning when the rain started early and wiped out the gains

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PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

The sun shone on Huron County for 1999 IPM blessed with sunshine. Chair Graeme Craig of Walton said exceptional weather was just one of the factors that made the match a near-perfect undertaking. From efficient transportation of visitors from the parking lots to the tented city, the high quality of entertainment and well-attended displays, there was nothing he would have done differently, Craig told Janice Becker of The Rural Voice in a wrap-up of the event.

He attributed the success to longterm planning by members of the 26 committees and execution by more than 1,000 volunteers who worked during the match. Among the volunteers were six local tug o’ war teams that put up 23,000 feet of snow-fence around

the site in a single day.

The Huron County organizing committee was the first to take advantage of the internet to publicize and document the IPM. Jim Prior of Brussels set up the website two years prior to the match and it included information on everything from where to buy tickets to accommodations.

Among the displays, two stood out especially. The late Bruce County artist Allen Hilgendorf created a huge 40-by-8 foot mural depicting the previous IPMs held in Huron at Port Albert, Seaforth and Wingham.

Also demonstrating the diversity of Huron County was a mosaic featuring fruits, vegetables and Continued on page 21

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A thoughtful display When the International Plowing Match returned to Huron County in 1999, it was held near Dashwood, and one of the most memorable displays was a massive mural and mosaic combination using fruits, vegetables and grains all grown in Huron County. It was the creation of the late Allen Hilgendorf of Bruce County and current Huron County Warden Glen McNeil and his wife Vanda. The McNeils were inspired when they saw a similar display on a trip to Australia. (File photo) Continued from page 19 Wingham on the farm of Jim and Carol Armstrong, and adjacent farms on Hwy. 86.

Nearly 180 volunteers were involved in the committees organizing the match in the years since Huron was awarded the IPM four years earlier. Howard Datars of Dashwood was the chair of the organizing committee.

Officially opening the IPM was Neil Armstrong, the U.S. astronaut who nine years earlier had been the first person to walk on the moon.

Blessed with warm, dry weather, (dust was more of a concern than mud this time around) the match welcomed record crowds.

For local communities, the match provided a huge financial boost. At the time a new building code had seen many community arenas condemned and communities were busy raising funds for replacements (or paying off the remainder of

costs on those erected). Both the Belmore and the Brussels, Morris and Grey arena committees hosted tents catering to hungry match visitors. Belmore served over 6,300 lunches, with visitors feasting on 1,222 pies (50 from one baker alone). The Belmore caterers also served breakfasts on three mornings, the busiest having 200 guests. In all, the hard-working committee raised $15,000 for the community arena and curling club.

The Brussels, Morris and Grey tent was also busy, serving 5,150 lunches to the public, 920 to officials and providing 324 dinners at the official banquet. Business built rapidly from just 185 meals served on Monday to 1,485 on Thursday, 1,495 on Friday, and 1,590 on Saturday. The cooks used 2,183 pounds of roast beef and 618 pounds of ham.

Generous local residents donated 2,145 pounds of potatoes, 525

pounds of carrots and 1,200 pies, among other foods. The Brussels tent also offered breakfasts Thursday, Friday and Saturday and had a snack bar at the front of the tent that served 1,216 pounds of hamburger and 214 pounds of hotdogs, topped off with 15 gallons of hot dog relish and 50 pounds of cheese slices.

The Sunshine Match In 1999, Huron County won the right to host the last IPM of the century (and the millennium).

The farm of Earl Becker near Dashwood in the southwestern corner of the county would host the match, held Sept. 21-25.

Once again Huron County was

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 21.

100th IPM shows perseverence through shutdown

In the fields Paul Dodds, above, was one of many local competitors who took part in the International Plowing Match when it was held in Walton in 2017. (File photo) Continued from page 20 grains grown in the county.

The idea had been brought back to Huron by Glen and Vanda McNeil of Goderich, who had seen something similar in a farming show in Sydney, Australia. Floral designer, quilt maker and former home economist Loralee Marshall of Kirkton designed a display based on the 1999 IPM logo. It took two years of planning and a team of 20 volunteers working over a threeday period to put the display together but it became the talk of the IPM. The 100th IPM The Huron County Plowmen’s Association expressed interest in hosting the 2017 IPM in March, 2012, five and a half years before the match would actually take place.

Huron County representatives knew at the time that it would be the 100th IPM. This was one year before the 100th anniversary IPM in 2013 – the match a century after the first match, which was held in York County in 1913 – but, due to the loss of four years of IPMs between 1942 and 1945, the 2017 match would be the 100th actual IPM. At the time, three potential sites in Huron County were still up for discussion, including one in East Wawanosh.

In early March, 2013, Huron County won the right to host the 2017 IPM. While it had been rumoured that other counties were planning to bid on the match, in the end Huron was the only county in the running.

It was former Huron and Ontario Queen of the Furrow Melissa Sparling (now Veldman) who made the bid on behalf of the county, suggesting that perhaps other counties were “scared off” by the strength of the Huron County bid.

On June 23, 2013, the Huron County Plowmen’s Association held a special event in Seaforth called “A Celebration of Rural Plowing” that served as the stage for several important announcements.

There, the association announced that Bluevale’s Jacquie Bishop would be chair of the 2017 IPM – the first woman to ever serve in that capacity. In addition, it was on that day that Walton was announced as the match site by way of an ice sculpture bearing the community’s name being revealed to those in attendance.

In the spring of 2014, the IPM’s

logo and slogan were revealed in Goderich at a meeting of Huron County Council. The winning logo was designed by Heather Logan of Brussels, based on a concept by Kevin and Alicia Deitner, while the slogan, “Huron Hosts on Ontario’s West Coast” was crafted by Charlene O’Reilly and her mother Ruth Townsend.

In early 2015, IPM organizers began to pursue a potential partnership with the Brussels Agricultural Society that would see the 2017 Brussels Fall Fair hosted on the IPM grounds in Walton.

A month later, IPM organizers appointed a number of honorary senators – men who had a long history in the world of competitive plowing and whose expertise in the event was second to none. Neil McGavin, Don Dodds, Don Pullen, George Townsend and Graeme Craig (who passed away earlier this year), who was the chair of the 1999 IPM, the last to be held in Huron County, were all “appointed” to the senator positions.

In May, 2015, the Brussels Agricultural Society voted to officially partner with the IPM and host the 2017 Brussels Fall Fair at the match in Walton.

The one-year countdown to the IPM began in September, 2016 with another one-of-a-kind event, which served as a fundraiser for the Brussels Agricultural Society. There was a ceremonial passing of the torch from the closing ceremonies of the 2016 IPM in Wellington County and a procession to Brussels.

IPM Secretary Lynne Godkin, a veteran marathon runner, travelled on foot from the Wellington County site to Brussels and transferred dirt from that site to a tree-planting ceremony in Brussels.

The first day of the match was marred by a torrential downpour that would eventually force the closure of the site. Many politicians, including then-Premier Kathleen Wynne, were in attendance.

Just after opening, the match was closed to the public, with the rain turning the site into a mud pit.

Hundreds of volunteers, farmers and community members banded together, donated time and materials over the course of the day, as well as the next day, during which the site was also closed to members of the public, to rehabilitate the site after the damage done by the rain.

Straw and any number of other materials were used on the ground in tents all over the site, while machines were hard at work smoothing out the thoroughfares, readying them for members of the public again.

The site reopened on the Thursday of the week and the rain made way for scorching heat for the last three days of the match, which were very

successful. Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family made a visit to the site, spending time with some students and popping in at the Queen of the Furrow competition.

Justin also tried his hand at competitive plowing under the coaching of Brian McGavin.

In the end, the IPM in Walton

realized a healthy profit, even when considering that the site was only open for three of the scheduled five days. That money was handed out to local charities, with some set aside for the creation of the IPM Legacy Fund, a scholarship fund that aims to provide students with assistance for years to come.

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PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Hallahan has enjoyed extended Princess reign chosen at the 2022 Huron County Plowing Match next summer. She says it’s been an honour, but it’s also been different, because she hasn’t been able to attend many events and represent the association, of course, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her time as Princess has given

Stiff competition 2019-2022 Huron County Princess Grace Hallahan, centre, beside her predecessor Jaden Shortreed, had some tough competition during the 2019 match, but she persevered and won the title. Little did she know the one-year term would become a three-year term due to COVID-19. (Denny Scott photo)

2019-2022 HURON COUNTY PLOWING MATCH PRINCESS GRACE HALLAHAN

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen When she finally hands her crown over to a new young woman at next year’s Huron County Plowing Match, Grace Hallahan will have served as the match’s Princess for three years.

Hallahan, who lives in the Westfield area, won the crown in the summer of 2019. With the cancellation of last year’s match due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the competition not being part of this year’s match for the same reason, Hallahan is now the longest-tenured Princess in Huron County history.

The daughter of Steve and Arletta, Grace is now 16 years old and entering Grade 11 this fall at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School in Clinton. She lives on her family’s farm and has been steeped in agriculture for her whole life. Her grandparents are Marian and Frank Hallahan, whose roots go back to the founding of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association.

It’s no surprise then that Hallahan spoke about the importance of farmers and perhaps extending thanks their way when she captured the crown back in 2019 at the match in Howick.

Hallahan says she had been attending Huron County Plowing Matches and International Plowing Matches for years, so in the lead-up to the 2019 match, she had considered letting her name stand in the Princess competition. She said

she has really enjoyed attending the matches and thought she could be more involved in the experience through taking part in the competition.

As the competition began, Hallahan said she was definitely nervous as she listened to the other contestants present to the judges.

However, once she started making her presentation, Hallahan said it didn’t take her long to settle in and get comfortable with the process.

When the judges declared Hallahan the winner, she said she was very surprised, but proud of herself and excited at the same time.

After being awarded the crown, Hallahan began spending a lot of time with Maranda Klaver, who was crowned Queen of the Furrow at the same match. They were part of a few parades together before the pandemic struck and have attended a few parades since, as well.

Hallahan said Klaver has been a big inspiration for her and that they’ve had a lot of fun spending time together and representing the Huron Plowmen’s Association over the course of the last two years.

Klaver’s willingness to share her experience and friendship with Hallahan during their time serving together has meant the world to

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Hallahan says it’s been a unique experience serving as the Princess for two years. It will be three years by the time a new Princess is

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 23.

Klaver sets record as longest-serving Queen course of the previous three years.

While Klaver’s activities and her ability to represent Huron County at events have all been stifled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she says she has been able to be part of a handful of parades and events. In addition, she has kept up with her fellow Ontario queens through social media and it appears her experience is shared by many others.

She is, however, looking ahead to next year’s IPM and the Huron Plowmen’s Association’s annual general meeting in the hopes of a slightly more normal year ahead as Queen of the Furrow.

She says she’s been very proud to represent the county, though it has been different. She has been in the

queen position for longer than anyone else, but she hasn’t been able to attend as many events as she would have if the world weren’t in the middle of a pandemic. All in all, she says it’s been a tremendous honour to serve the county and she’s received a large amount of support from the Huron Plowmen’s Association along the way.

Klaver says she’s also enjoyed spreading the word about plowing matches and celebrating Huron County. Updating Huron County Council recently, she said she felt a lot of support from local politicians as well.

And while there won’t be a Queen of the Furrow competition at this year’s match, Klaver says she looks forward to representing the county there.

Long may she reign When 2018-2019 Huron County Queen of the Furrow Loretta Higgins, right, crowned her successor Maranda Klaver, left, neither knew that Klaver would serve for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Klaver’s win was due not only to her plowing proficiency but also her outstanding oration. Her prepared speech was on mental health in the farming community, an issue that became even more important as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe. (File photo)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen As the longest-tenured Queen of the Furrow in Huron County history, Maranda Klaver has had plenty of time to master the role before she relinquishes the crown in the summer of 2022.

When the next Queen of the Furrow competition is held, hopefully at the 2022 Huron County Plowing Match, Klaver will have served in the role for three years.

This came after Klaver won the Princess crown years ago and decided to follow in the footsteps of her sister, Samantha, who had also

won the Queen of the Furrow crown.

When she won the crown in Howick back in 2019, she won the competition’s plowing award and, for her speech, she spoke about the mental health of farmers. That topic, she said, has only become more important in the following years, as the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on many in the world, including those who farm for a living.

She says it’s still a problem that needs to be discussed further. She had hoped to use her same speech at the 2020 International Plowing Match (IPM), but those plans were

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PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Plowers the focus of 2021 match: Wiersma “I have heard some people saying they don’t want to come out for two hours just to plow. Some of the tractors they use are the same tractors that see use in the fields every day,” he said. “They have to take the time, set the wheels, get their plow on and make sure everything is good before they plow

for two hours then go home. It’s understandable that some may not want to go through all that.”

Despite the changes, Wiersma said the plowing will still be exciting. He said he hopes that specialized classes, like the horsedrawn plow classes, continues to attract participants.

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One jam-packed day Normally younger competitors would take to the Huron County Plowing Match’s fields on Thursday during Junior Day, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, all classes and all plowing will take place on Friday, Aug. 20. (File photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen

While this year’s Huron County Plowing Match will be different than any that have come before it, due to COVID-19, the plowers themselves will see little difference after they get to the field.

Huron County Plowmen’s Association President Brian Wiersma, in an interview with The Citizen, said that once the plowing competitors are ready to start cutting furrows, things will be like most other years.

“There is pre-registration, but besides that, it should be the same,” he said.

Normally, plowers would sign up the day of the match, however with COVID-19, the association’s executive decided that preregistration could prevent sign-in problems that could arise, as well as combatting COVID-19 concerns.

While the plowing will be relatively the same, Wiersma said the plowers will notice a difference on their way in, starting with the contact tracing necessary and the flow of traffic across the site. From there, plowers will notice there will be no food or booths and no spectators in the field. There will also be no banquet afterwards during which awards have traditionally been handed out and the Queen of the Furrow has been crowned.

For photos from the 2021 Huron County Plowing Match, watch The Citizen on Facebook, Twitter or its website at huroncitizen.ca

“With all the screening we have to do for [Huron Perth Public Health] and all the tracking for COVID-19, arriving will be different,” he said. “We have to be able to trace everyone in case there is any concern.”

Wiersma said that, because of the changes, there may be a smaller field of competitors this year. As of last week, just before the deadline, only 11 competitors had signed up: 10 junior plowers and one adult.

That’s down significantly from 2019 when there were 35 plowers.

He said that could be because some classes, like the antique and novelty classes, have been dropped, but it also could be because, without the rest of the attractions of the event, it may not seem worthwhile.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 25.

Wiersma pleased that match is going forward

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Brian Wiersma took on the role of president of the Huron Plowmen’s Association at an interesting time, but now he’s just happy the organization is able to host a match.

Wiersma succeeded Margaret Vincent as the president of the organization. Vincent is now serving as one of the Ontario Plowmen’s Association’s directors.

She is one of nine directors and her three-year term began in 2019.

In his first year as the president, Wiersma was forced to confront the COVID-19 pandemic and make the unfortunate decision of having to cancel the 2020 Huron County Plowing Match. While it was disappointing, he said, it was inevitable, given the state of the

pandemic in the province at the time and it was essential that the organization put the health of its volunteers, members and plowing match participants first.

A long-time volunteer, Wiersma had dedicated his spare time to helping out at his local church, the Optimist Club and as a member of a men’s choir. However, after a number of years, he was looking for a different way to give back to the community. Brian McGavin, a long-time member of the local plowing match community, directed him to the Huron Plowmen’s Association, saying they were always looking for more help from dedicated volunteers.

After attending a few meetings, Wiersma became more involved.

He became a director a few years ago when the Fear family hosted on

their farm between Belgrave and Brussels. This was after, however, McGavin encouraged Wiersma to try his hand at competitive plowing a handful of times at the matches.

He hadn’t done it as a kid, other than for work on the farm, and he said it was a great experience.

Competitive plowing and plowing on the farm, he said, are completely different, so learning how to compete in a plowing match really opened his eyes.

In the last year-and-a-half, Wiersma can also add public health guidelines and regulations alongside competitive plowing to the list of things about which he never thought he’d know so much.

Wiersma, Secretary Joan Ryan and others who are involved in planning the annual match, like so many other volunteers, have had to

learn the rules about public health’s best practices in the era of COVID19. However, he said it has been a good education and he’s confident that the match is set up to succeed, even if it can’t be open to members of the public this year.

He said this year’s match is about the competitors. To have them out on the fields, doing what they do best, he said, feels like a success in itself.

The process to get here hasn’t always been smooth, Wiersma said, with so much uncertainty along the way, both associated with the pandemic and with government regulations, but he’s just happy the organization can host a match this year.

Numerous changes, beyond the event being closed to the public,

have been made for this year’s match, including a dedicated entrance and exit and a site plan to ensure physical distancing can be maintained. In addition, a number of events have been eliminated for the year, including the gala dinner, awards ceremony and the Queen of the Furrow and Princess competitions. Wiersma hopes all will be able to return in 2022.

The Huron County Plowing Match is set to move ahead as a one-day event on Friday, Aug. 20. It will be hosted by Ross and Barbara McIntosh at 80089 Division Line in Central Huron, just west of Seaforth.

The competition is by invitationonly and closed to spectators this year in order to comply with public health guidelines.

Complex site plan needed

HPA SECRETARY JOAN RYAN

By Denny Scott The Citizen While there are no easy volunteer positions in a group like the Huron Plowmen’s Association or its executive, every position became a bit more difficult since the COVID19 pandemic struck, including the responsibilities of Secretary Joan Ryan.

Ryan has been tasked with figuring out how the match could go forward, which included dealing with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH). Ryan said that, while

HPPH was open to communication, getting the public health organization to sign off on the match was difficult.

“We had to follow guidelines and, while [staff at the HPPH] could give us guidance, they couldn’t necessarily say we had permission,” she said. “We normally don’t have to do this kind of work, except for when we have food at the site.”

Working with HPPH involved submitting a site plan, a safety plan and then waiting for input on how things could be improved, Ryan said.

“The site plan is a map that lays out the area and it’s pretty simple,” she said. “It shows the flow of traffic, the entrance and the exit and information about where plowing and parking were going to be. They wanted to see flow - how people would be traveling the land - as well as accessibility and screening for the event.”

Ryan said she may have provided more information than necessary, but she felt it was better to do that then have any questions as to whether the event could proceed.

She said the tight time frame, which ended up being less than two months from when the association decided to try and hold it to the day of the actual event, necessitated that kind of attitude.

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“The [HPPH] provided different ideas or questions and we had to address them, including things like how to ensure that all workers (staff, volunteers and competitors for us) were to be kept safe from exposure,” she said. “There were six questions in all: [the previously explained question], how to screen, how to control the risk of transmission, what we would do if there is a potential case, what would our plan going forward with contact information and how we would manage any risks.”

The event, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be significantly different from previous plowing matches, Ryan said.

“There will be no audience and everyone is going to have to preregister,” she said. “Normally, plowers come and register that day.

Hopefully it’s a successful change.”

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PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Sodbusters focus on plowing, judging lessons

Getting them hooked An important part of the Huron County Plowing Match is the chance to attract younger plowers to the activity.

The local 4-H Sodbusters Club helps with that, not only encouraging young plowers but, in a normal year, holding an entire Junior Day on the Thursday before the match, as shown above. (File photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen This year’s Huron County 4-H Sodbusters Club, despite a truncated club season, has been a really successful program according to organizer Brain McGavin.

McGavin, who works alongside other volunteers like Melissa Veldman and Don Dodds to make

the program happen, said this year’s club is filled with plowers who are both eager to learn and teach each other.

McGavin, in an interview with The Citizen, said that, with nine members, the club is a little smaller than it has been in previous years, however he attributes that to the shorter seasons for both the club and many other activities.

“We’ve tried to get the club

going, but it’s jammed in with other activities like soccer and baseball,” he said, noting those sports have tighter schedules due to COVID-19.

“But it’s good to see the plowers out. The younger ones are excited to start or continue learning while the older ones are really helping the younger ones.”

Veldman agreed, telling The Citizen that everything from sports to swimming lessons had been condensed into July and August, making it difficult to schedule meetings.

She said the change was a significant one because the 2019 Sodbusters Club had 15 members, which was a robust membership at the time.

Aside from this year’s truncated club period, there will be some change in how the 4-H Junior Day is handled, as it’s being rolled into the one-day Huron County Plowing Match this year.

The executive behind the event decided that a one-day event would make it easier to limit the potential for COVID-19 exposure. The match is typically held over two days, with the first being a Junior Day for the Sodbusters and other young competitors.

This year, to accommodate public health guidelines, the event will be all in one day, meaning, McGavin said, that Sodbusters members will have their scores from the match counted towards their year-end club performance.

The Sodbusters have also been tackling judging, McGavin said, as there hasn’t really been an opportunity to have a judging competition this year.

He said the club had been

COVID cancels food, booths Continued from page 25 condensed, Ryan said. Typically, the princess competition and the 4H Junior Achievement Day is held on Thursday while the Queen of the Furrow competition, gala dinner and traditional plowing class events are held on Friday. This year, with the cancellation of the Queen and Princess competitions and the gala dinner, all the plowing is being held on the Friday.

The event also won’t feature any

kind of food or vendors, or booths for trades displays.

“We’re just giving the plowers a chance to get out in the field to plow,” she said. “That’s the purpose of hosting the event this year.”

While getting ready for the event has been a unique experience, the biggest challenge has just been timing, Ryan said.

“Because the province had just [moved into Step 3 of reopening], we weren’t sure where we could go with the match,” she said. “We

thought maybe we could do the event provided it was limited compared to other years.”

teaching members about a different part of the judging at each of their meetings with hopes of instilling education on that.

One thing the club was able to avoid with its truncated schedule was meeting online, Veldman said, which was an intentional decision.

“The nature of the club means that we can meet outside,” she said.

The only drawback was that, normally the club tours an agricultural facility or business, however that couldn’t happen due to COVID-19 restrictions. Instead, the club focused on plowing and judging, she said, which played to the interests of the diehard members who had made being part of the club a priority.

Yet another change the club

members will have to handle is that there likely won’t be any way for them to receive awards until December at the earliest, McGavin said.

Typically honours would be awarded at the gala held at the end of the match, however due to COVID-19, the match will be completely closed to the public and the gala itself has been cancelled.

McGavin said there has been some discussion that the awards could be presented at the Huron County Plowmen's Association’s annual general meeting in December.

While the cash awards may be mailed out, he said, the actual trophies will take some time to be handed out.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 27.

Coaching led Dodds to decades as a plow judge range from 20 points for the first split up to 60 points for general appearance for a grand total of a possible 200 points, however Dodds said that it isn’t likely anyone will ever reach to that lofty number.

“You don’t often see anything perfect outside of the split,” he said.

“People don’t see 10 points on their scorecards, though you see eights or nines.”

The split, or the first cut made with the plow, is judged based on its straightness, its cut and its uniformity.

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Quite an honour After years of serving as a judge at International Plowing Matches, all stemming from early ambitions of becoming a better coach, Don Dodds was honoured upon retirement at the 2017 International Plowing Match in Walton with a golden clipboard. Dodds received the prestigious gift from his daughter, Lynne Godkin, who is a previous Ontario Queen of the Furrow. (Denny Scott photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen For retired International Plowing Match judge Don Dodds, examining the cuts, straightness and various other qualities of a well-plowed plot was a decadeslong ambition.

While he’s retired from the IPM, he continues to support local plowers through both his judging expertise and involvement with local 4-H clubs.

During a span that reached back to the 1980s and that continues today at local matches, Dodds, who lives in the Winthrop area, annually takes to the fields to ply his numerous years of expertise as a plowing judge. He has examined and evaluated every level of plowing from local competitions and 4-H club practices up to national competitions.

Dodds has been involved in plowing for nearly 70 years now.

He started as a youth in the 1950s and he is still involved with the Huron County Plowmen’s Association and as a 4-H leader.

He explained to The Citizen that, when he went away to pursue his post-secondary education, he stopped plowing, however, when his own children started, he got involved right away coaching and then eventually wanted to learn about judging so he could be a better coach.

In the early 1980s, Dodds attended a coaching school to further his understanding.

“I learned as much as I could and went through the scoring contests,” he said. “Within a year, I was asked by the Ontario Plowmen’s Association to be a judge.

“I guess I did too well at the judge classes,” he said with a laugh.

After that he was paired up with other judges before taking to the fields himself with a scorecard in hand.

“Basically, I learned what was

required for a good plow, then I saw whether it was there or not,” he said.

Beyond that, judging isn’t exactly clear for most people.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “It basically took a long time to learn what to look for and... incorporating the changes I’ve noticed over the years since then.”

Some of the most important of those lessons are, of course, the categories and what to look for when scoring plowing.

Scoring for traditional plowing is split into five categories; the initial split, the crown, the general work away from the crown, the finish and the general appearance. Within each category are scores for specific aspects, each of which is worth 10 points. Category scores

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PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Organizers look to 2022 Queen, Princess events “Usually we have a strong competition, and three, if it went ahead right now, would be the lowest we’ve ever had,” Vincent said, adding other areas are often envious of the number of competitors Huron County pulls.

“Since I’ve been helping, we’ve been as high as 12 or 13 competitors in a year.”

Vincent credits the benefits of the event, for both competitor and winner alike, as reasons so many participants are attracted.

“There are a couple of big experiences the competitors get out of the event,” she said. “There are interviews and public speaking, which are good experiences to have. There have been a number of competitors who have thanked

judges for the experience after the fact, as it has helped them in job interviews or for other competitions.”

Plowing, while maybe not the most applicable experience outside of the match, is also something unique for the competitors, Vincent said. While some do work on it beforehand, others have never tried it before the event, she explained.

At that point, it becomes very much a lesson in learning not only how to plow but how to take direction from their coaches.

“The winners may also keep on practising for the other competitions,” she said, referring to the International Plowing Match where the Queen of the Furrow for Continued on page 29

Good to go Huron County Queen of the Furrow Maranda Klaver had to prove her ability to plow to win the crown in 2019. Since then, her reign has been extended twice due to the COVID19 pandemic. Organizers are hopeful that, after several years of dutiful service, Klaver will be able to crown her successor in 2022. (File photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen While the 2020 and 2021 Huron County Queen of the Furrow and Princess competitions have been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, organizers aren’t letting that dampen spirits for 2022.

The Queen and Princess competitions, which are open to competitors 17 to 24 years of age and 12 to 17 years of age, respectively, have been sidelined due to the constraints put on gatherings and public speaking.

Despite the setbacks, Joan Vincent, speaking on behalf of organizers of the Queen competition, and Ruth Townsend, speaking about the Princess competition, say they have interested participants for next year,

making sure the traditions carry on.

QUEEN COMPETITION While there is always a concern that after a year off, some events may not return, that is definitely not the case for the Huron County Plowmen’s Association Queen of the Furrow competition, held annually at the Huron County Plowing Match.

Vincent, speaking to The Citizen about the event, said they already have a number of contestants signed up for the 2022 competition after having to cancel the 2021 competition.

“We’re lucky that there hasn’t been anyone aged out of the competition,” she said. “We constantly recruit each year, and while we haven’t done that since the pandemic started, there have been some contestants who were

interested before and still are now.”

Vincent said those are just the contestants she’s been in touch with, as others may also be interested in pushing forward.

The competition consists of an interview with judges, a prepared speech in front of the audience and judges, an impromptu speech, also in front of the audience, and judges and plowing, typically with a 4-H Sodbuster member as a coach.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 29.

Possible Princess contestant list always growing is in the back of my mind each year when we need to start recruiting girls,” she said. “We have an ongoing list that we refer back to every year. We ask girls if they want to participate, and while some can’t [take part] one year, they ask to be considered for future years, so they go on the list.”

Townsend said the event couldn’t happen without the core group of volunteers who like to work behind the scenes, and said they’re all ready to lend their help and positive energy and thinking to next year’s event.

The Princess competition includes a short speech in front of the audience and private interviews before that with just the three judges.

Unlike the Queen competition, Townsend said, there

are no impromptu speeches or plowing competition.

Townsend, who has been a driving force behind the competition since she and her husband George founded it, is now stepping back and just offering her support while looking for others to take over.

Currently, the Huron County Plowmen’s Association Princess is Grace Hallahan, who claimed the crown in 2019. She decided to stay on through the two terms past her own, made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic. Townsend said that was so good of her to do and said she is a great representative of the organization.

For more information, or to sign up for next year, contact Townsend at 519-525-6690.

The court Huron County’s 2019-2020 Queen of the Furrow Maranda Klaver, centre, and Princess Grace Hallahan, left, will be looking to crown the next generation of royalty at the 2022 Huron County Plowing Match, provided it can go ahead. The duo, accompanied here by previous Queen Loretta Higgins, have had their reign extended due to COVID-19. (File

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Continued from page 28 Ontario is crowned.

In the past several years, the Queens have also been gaining some less traditional experiences through the event, including cake decorating as a fun distraction between their interviews and their speeches, and cheese platter arrangement, also for the same reason.

“A couple of years, those cakes have been used by the host families to celebrate birthdays,” Vincent said. “When the Shortreeds hosted, one of the cakes was for Brad and when the Haydens hosted, one went to Bill.”

Winning the competition, however, is really just the start of the journey for the Queen, Vincent said. Once crowned, there are a lot of choices to be made, she said.

“The Queen’s time is really up to them,” she said. “Some are able to attend parades in the county and other events. We don’t put pressure on them or stipulations as to how many events they attend. We encourage them to attend the Ontario Plowmen’s Association

convention, and compete at the IPM, but that’s it.”

When dealing with young women aged 17 to 24, Vincent said, some of them are in school so it can be difficult for them to get to events.

That said, it’s not uncommon to see the Queen representing the HCPM at Christmas parades, fall fairs or even visiting schools to drum up interest in the competition and the plowing match.

For more information, or to sign up, contact Vincent at 519-5230848.

PRINCESS COMPETITION While the Queen of the Furrow competition stretches back decades, the Princess competition is now in its 16th year, having started in 2005, Townsend said. The event encourages young women to participate in the plowing match and acts as a feeder event for the Queen competition.

Townsend said it was a difficult decision this year to put the competition on hold, while last year there wasn’t even a choice because the entire plowing match had to be cancelled.

“The core group behind the

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Princess competition is listening to the health experts, as is most of the world,” she said. “We want to resume life as it was prior to the pandemic, or as close as possible to it, before we start looking to the next Princess competition.”

She said there is a lot of positive thinking surrounding the competition, and that everything should return to normal next year, or as close to normal as possible.

Even if the decision hadn’t been made to go ahead with a closed-tothe-public plowing match, Townsend said the Princess competition would have been difficult to pull together in the short time period offered.

“We hadn’t approached anyone this year, and July 1 is the date that

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PAGE 30. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Keeping it straight is the key to success: Dodds

Years in the field Don Dodds has been mentoring young plowing competitors, like the young man above, and 4-H Club members for decades and his knowledge of being a plowing competition judge is unmatched. (File photo) Continued from page 27 not just for the split but for plowing in general,” Dodds said. “If you’re not plowing straight, you could be in trouble. You can go back and fix it, so that’s still worth marks, but you will still lose points.”

The first split has to be judged before the crown is established (or the high point of the furrow, typically in the middle of the plot) as it’s plowed under when proceeding with plowing.

The crown is a 40-point category judged on its straightness, closeness and conformity, the amount of grass or stubble not buried and the soil available for planting.

“That’s of course the whole point [of plowing] is making sure that there is enough good soil to plant in,” Dodds said.

After the crown is completed, the general work starts. Inspecting the general work requires some upclose inspection and this is when the judges are actually out in the

field examining the work.

“You have to check the furrows and soil stability and make sure you can’t see grass and stubble,” Dodds said. “You also have to see how firm the soil is. You can stand at the headlands and not see all that, so you have to walk the field testing things.”

Dodds added that this is one of the parts of the judging that really helps competitors understand what judges are looking for as he has walked through it with local 4-H groups.

The second-to-last section is the finish, which really deals with maintaining a happy medium between extremes.

“The finish should be as narrow as possible, making it easy to fill, and beyond that, it can’t be too deep or too shallow. The available soil has to fill it in,” Dodds said.

The final category is general appearance and it has to do with the plot as a whole.

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“Everything on the land has to look finished and be straight and conform with the rest of it,” he said.

“There shouldn’t be any humps or hollows or anything like that.”

One of the categories that appears on some scorecards, based on what kind of plow is being used, is the “ins and outs” category in the final section.

“This is how fast the plowman is able to get into the working depth,” Dodds explained. “It used to be a couple of feet, now they like to see it done within a foot. That’s why many people use hydraulics now, as they are quicker.”

Dodds said that reversible plows are scored differently because they don’t require the same amount of work to get to the necessary working depth.

Beyond the final score, there is the chance for penalties to affect the outcome of a plowing competition.

Dodds explained that, when working the final furrow, a plowman must cast off, or turn the dirt towards his own crown instead of his neighbour’s land.

“That last trip the furrow has to go towards the crown or else it could damage the work of a neighbour,” Dodds said. “It’s an

important rule that sometimes gets overlooked.”

Beyond knowing the scoring and the penalties, Dodds said the best experience for new judges is to have plowed themselves.

“Once you’ve plowed, you realize what’s involved with the system,” he said. “The longer you’re involved, the easier it becomes to recognize a well-plowed lot.”

He also said that scoring good plowing is much easier than scoring poor plowing.

“It’s a lot easier to start with a perfect score and work your way down than it is to try and figure out whether someone did half a job and then modify it from there,” he said.

Despite that, he said that giving people unearned marks, especially younger plowing competitors, makes for disappointment later on.

“If you’re giving marks that aren’t deserved, you deceive them,” he said. “You have to be honest when looking at the plowing because, if people get good marks locally then move up in competition and get poor marks, it’s a real heartbreaker.”

Judges go to school every year to learn any changes and to also communicate with each other and

! "

!

make sure they are on the same page, Dodds said. He added that some of the scoring is always going to be up to personal preference, however, because each judge is different.

In his judging career, Dodds has judged at every level in Canada and says that Ontario is fortunate to have the judges it has.

While it is a lot of work and it can be stressful at times, Dodds said that judging is a great experience and one he really appreciated.

“I have enjoyed doing it and I hope I’ve helped the kids,” he said.

“It’s stressful, especially at the International [Plowing Match] and it’s not a job to be taken lightly, but it is something you can look back on and know you helped out.”

As far as advice, Dodds said he has been given lots, but one of the most important lessons was one he was told on his first day.

“When you’re leaving the field, there are only going to be, at most, two people happy,” he said.

“There’s going to be the guy you put in first place and hopefully yourself if you know you did a good job. That was passed on to me on one of my first days as a judge and I won’t forget it.”

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 31.

Huron County businesses receive starter grants The County of Huron, in partnership with the Province of Ontario, has awarded two Huron County entrepreneurs grant funding of $5,000 to support their start-ups and growth efforts through the Starter Company Plus program.

The Starter Company Plus program, administered locally by the County of Huron, provides business training, mentoring and grant opportunities up to $5,000 for eligible participants to start, expand or buy a small business.

Successful recipients of the latest intake for this program include: • Les & Nel’s Kitchenette (Dashwood): Les & Nel’s Kitchenette is a new baking company that specializes in providing healthy baked snacking options for people with diet restrictions, including sugar-free, wheat-free and reduced carbohydrate options.

Les & Nel’s flagship product is a toasty savoury-seeded teff cracker.

There will be limited edition and seasonal flavour profiles of the original cracker available to purchase direct from Les & Nel’s throughout the year. Other products currently in development with some scheduled to launch in the next six months are soda crackers, cheesecakes, brownies and pizza crusts. Les & Nel’s Kitchenette successfully received the Starter Company Plus micro-financing grant for start-up costs, including kitchen and office equipment.

• Wilhelmina Bakery (Londesborough): Wilhelmina Bakery is a new bakery in Huron County that brings a European pastry style into the market. The bakery offers fresh, made-to-order cakes, specialty mousse and Bavarian cakes, entremets,

Bamboozled Local photographer Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club recently caught this butterfly getting faked out by a false flower. Share your nature photos by e-mailing them to reporter@northhuron.on.ca (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

custom designed cakes, small pastries, tarts and cookies. Monthly specialty pastries will also be available. The bakery will use fresh, local products when available.

Wilhelmina Bakery successfully received the Starter Company Plus micro-financing grant for start-up costs, specifically for specialty kitchen equipment.

The Citizen COVID-19 case counts continue to rise in Huron and Perth Counties, with 21 new cases reported across the area, the vast

majority of which are in North Perth.

Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) is reporting 1,978 cumulative cases across Huron and Perth Counties since the pandemic began, and the 21 new cases marks

start-ups or expansion concepts.

The next intake for the Starter Company Plus program will open in the fall.

For more information about the Starter Company Plus program, visit ecdev.huroncounty.ca or contact Patrick Donnelly, Entrepreneur and Business Coach, at 519-524-8394 ext. 3307 or by email at pdonnelly@huroncounty.ca.

Lions set to host Sept. 25 meal

I was so pleased to see that the municipality had hung new flags throughout the village in time for the Canada Day holiday. It seemed a nice way to spend a few tax dollars and show our pride in the country. However, on a recent trip through the village I now see that many of those flags are looking rather the worse for wear. What a shame that the summer’s hot, dry, windy weather has taken such a toll.

Robert Radford has been struggling in recent weeks with a lung issue that is turning chronic.

At time of reporting he is currently in a London hospital recovering from a procedure which developed complications. Be sure to keep him and Traci in your prayers. Traci is hopeful that this week will see him home again.

The village has also learned that former resident, Joanne Lyon, had a nasty fall in July. Following some time in the Goderich hospital, she is now being cared for in the Seaforth hospital. You might consider sending along a card to Room 245 there to boost her spirits as she heals.

COVID-19 cases rising in H-P

By Denny Scott

As part of the process, Starter Company Plus program participants were required to submit a formal application, which included a business plan and cash-flow projections as well as participate in mandatory business training. The successful recipients were selected by the Grant Review Committee after delivering a 10-minute pitch for their business

the largest one-week increase in four weeks. A single unidentified community outbreak is also reported by HPPH, with no other outbreaks across the area. As far as specific statistics, Bluewater Continued on page 40

Bonnie Jewitt (Snell) is also in hospital in Stratford receiving rehab/therapy from a stroke. As village folk do, remember to offer prayers and support to these folks and their families.

We are slowly getting used to our new surroundings. And the boxes are piling up again. Only this time they are empty. My reason for mentioning this is to offer them to whoever might be needing some for packing or storing or moving. We found suitable boxes difficult to come by when we needed them. If they are of use to you, just be in touch or drop by. The majority were from a moving company, so they are sturdy.

Have you remembered to contact a Londesborough Lion for tickets to their Sept. 25 fish fry? They generally sell out so don’t leave it too late to make that call.

Licensed Lay Worship Leader Sue Barnett led the morning worship at Londesborough United Church on Sunday. Aug. 15. The theme for the service was “wisdom”. During the children’s time, Mrs. Barnett explained wisdom as making right decisions because of what we know; as the difference between right and wrong. She used several scenarios to make it understandable to children.

Susan’s supporting scripture was Ephesians 5:15-20. In her message to the adults she elaborated on the scripture to clarify how God wishes us to live and display wisdom in our actions.

Rev. Jan Aylward will be the minister for the last two Sundays of August.

Bus ty Safe

Deadline August 27

Not to let a column pass without some reference to COVID-19 I am referring to that morning’s Minute for Missions. Eleven million people live in Cuba. In July that country was reporting, daily, 400 cases per million people. This number is naturally overwhelming the country’s medical resources.

Christian organizations have opened their doors as isolation centres and field hospitals. The United Church Mission and Service fund has been supporting these efforts as I expect other denominations are as well. This demonstrates your givings in action.

Londesborough United Church will hold its postponed 2020 annual meeting on Sept. 21. Mark your calendar and be part of the planning for the future.

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The squeeze is on Regular season Huron County Fastball League action is coming to an end, however the Wingham Hitmen, shown above triumphing by a score of 6-4 over the Mitchell Junior Mets on Sunday, have two rain games to make up. (John Stephenson photo)

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PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Huron East Fire Department focuses on training

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen The Huron East Fire Department spent its COVID-19 relief grant funds on training aids for both virtual training and ongoing inperson monthly training, according to Chief Marty Bedard.

Bedard spoke to the issue at Huron East Council’s Aug. 10 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom. He said that the department received $6,800 in relief funding from the provincial

government, part of a $5 million announcement from the government in March to aid fire departments in addressing challenges associated with training and virtual inspections throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Brussels station purchased a new laptop with office software, as well as a smoke machine and fog fluid. The Grey station used the funds to purchase a ‘Rescue Randy’ mannequin to assist in search-andrescue training activities,” Bedard said in his report. “The Seaforth

Strummin’ Ava Dawe provided some catchy tunes for the Blyth Community Market last week. (Denny Scott photo)

station decided to purchase the International Fire Service Training Association - Essentials of Firefighting training program and manuals.”

Bedard said the expenditures totalled just under $7,350, which means the department overspent by just under $550. That amount, he said, would be covered in the department’s 2021 equipment purchases budget. *** Council has followed the recommendation of Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts and did not grant an encroachment agreement with a Nicholson Drive building in Egmondville.

McRoberts advised council that a wooden accessibility ramp has been constructed at the address. Once it came to municipal staff’s attention, staff directed the property owner to stop work and obtain a building permit for the work, advising that, because the ramp is on municipal property, that it be relocated to the side yard of the property.

Instead, the property owner has requested authorization for an encroachment on municipal property. In his report, McRoberts said the construction of the ramp is “entirely” on a municipal road allowance and would extend 10 feet into the road allowance. He also said that the alignment of the ramp is situated atop the natural gas main, which runs along the north edge of the municipal road allowance. Due to its location, McRoberts said Enbridge Gas was very likely to object to the encroachment, if it were to be approved by council.

He also said that allowing the

Shaw tournament set for 2022

encroachment to go ahead would affect future municipal road reconstruction.

“Staff would typically only support an encroachment if there was no alternative or if the costs associated with an alternative were prohibitive,” McRoberts said in his report. “While staff recognize the accessibility needs, it does appear that there is sufficient space on the east side of the house to accommodate the accessibility ramp without encroaching on municipal property and costs would be the same or equal to the costs of construction with an encroachment.”

Council agreed with McRoberts and chose not to grant an encroachment agreement to the property. *** Huron East staff is planning on moving up its annual budget process in order to have the budget ready for adoption in January, as opposed to later in the year, which has been the norm for the municipality in recent years.

While the municipal staff had presented its annual budget for final adoption in March, April or May or recent years, Treasurer Paula Michiels, in a report to council, said staff would like to begin the budget process earlier.

As a result, Michiels said the first draft of the budget will be presented to council at its Oct. 19, 2021 meeting. Subsequent drafts of the budget will be presented to council at the Nov. 16 and Dec. 7 meetings, with final consideration of the budget expected to take place at the Jan. 4, 2022 meeting of council.

In her report, Michiels also noted a number of factors that will affect the 2022 budget. She said that the transition to the new Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund model is now complete, so no further cuts are anticipated. She also notes that property values have also been frozen since 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new four-year cycle was due to kick

back in this year, but it has been delayed for another year as a result of the pandemic, she said. That means, she said, that the municipality is still collecting property taxes at the 2016 levels as a result of this delay. *** With bridge repairs proceeding on Molesworth Line, council authorized the installation of several stop signs along the detour route.

“The County of Huron bridge crew is reconstructing the bridge on County Road 19 (Molesworth Line) between Browntown Road and Jamestown Road. Currently, the traffic already has been reduced to one late with traffic signals during the reconstruction of the bridge rails,” said Director of Public Works Barry Mills in a report to council. “Later this month, they will be waterproofing and paving the deck of the bridge and will require closure of the entire road for approximately seven days. The county has requested use of municipal roads to provide a detour to complete the bridge deck repairs.”

Mills, in his report, said that southbound traffic will be detoured toward Mount Pleasant Line and the northbound traffic will be directed to Maple Keys Line, reducing traffic congestion. Yield signs controlled traffic at three of the intersections, he said, and as a result, the county had requested that they all be controlled by stop signs while being used as a detour for both safety and liability reasons.

When the detour is no longer being used, however, Mills said his recommendation is to leave the stop signs in place on a permanent basis.

Mills recommended installing stop signs on the north and south sides at the intersections of Maple Keys Line at Jamestown Road, Mount Pleasant Line at Jamestown Road and Mount Pleasant Line at Browntown Road.

Council approved Mills’ recommendation.

Good Employees are hard to find

An honest bunch The Citizen was represented by a fabulous foursome at the first annual Charlie Shaw Memorial Golf Tournament last week, including, from left, Editor Shawn Loughlin, Publisher Deb Sholdice, photographer John Stephenson and reporter Denny Scott. The group claimed the unofficial runner-up position for the “Most Honest” team in the bestball format tournament with a score of 13 over par. (Photo submitted) Continued from page 10 teams on the course at Goderich Sunset Golf Club and several on the waiting list.

Stewart said he felt the event went very well, adding that the weather was good, the course was in excellent shape and everyone seemed to have fun. In addition to the support from those at Goderich Sunset and the Lions Club, Stewart

said he was really happy to see all the help from Shaw’s family members.

He also noted that he was very happy with the level of support from the business community.

Knowing it has been a hard 18 months for most local businesses, he said that the club invited them to take part, but certainly understood if business owners declined.

However, just about all the businesses that the club asked got involved, either putting a team into the tournament, sponsoring a hole or donating a raffle prize.

The tournament will now be an annual event for the club, with the 2022 tournament already scheduled for Friday, Aug. 12 at the Goderich Sunset Golf Club again.

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Brussels Livestock report

Fed steers, heifers sell actively on steady market Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending Aug. 13 were 1,295 cattle and 713 lambs and goats.

On Tuesday, fed steers and heifers sold actively on a steady market. Choice steers and heifers sold $150 to $160. Second-cut cattle sold $137.50 to $149. Aged and medium-fed steers and heifers sold $120 to $140. Holstein steers and heifers sold $85 to $127. Cows sold on a strong active trade at steady prices.

On Thursday, veal sold steady.

Heavy lambs sold lower to the week’s decline. Light lambs sold

higher. Sheep and goats sold steady.

On Friday, calves sold steady on an active market. Yearlings sold stronger.

L & A Black of Proton Station, consigned 12 head. Five red steers averaged 1422 lbs. and sold for an average price of $160.

There were 275 cows on offer.

Beef sold $100 to $117 with sales to $120; good holstein cows, $88 to $97 with sales to $98; medium holstein cows, $75 to $87; plain cows, $64 to $74.

There were 185 head of veal on offer. Beef veal sold $150 to $180 with sales to $186; good holsteins,

$120 to $128 with sales to $134; SL heavy holsteins, $108 to $119; heavy holsteins, $100 to $115 with sales to $118; medium holsteins, $109 to $119.

Jim Maw of Forest, consigned five head. One red white face heifer weighed 835 lbs. and sold for a price of $186.

Lambs 50 - 64 lbs. sold $295 to $315; 65 - 79 lbs., $261 to $295; 80 - 94 lbs., $218 to $249; 95 - 109 lbs., $206 to $209; 110 lbs. and over, $199.50 to $209.

Sheep sold $150 to $250.

Goats: billies sold $150 to $400; nannies, $100 to $275; kids: meat,

$290 to $355; dairy, $250 to $318.

Jessica Burgess of Lucknow, consigned eight head. Five kid goats averaged 64 lbs. and sold for an average price of $355.

Darrin Durand of Hensall, consigned 14 head. One kid goat weighed 54 lbs. and sold for a price of $340.

Top quality stocker steers under 400 lbs. sold $181.50 to $270; 400 - 499 lbs., $208 to $265; 500 - 599 lbs., $179.25 to $238; 600 - 699 lbs., $224 to $234.50; 700 - 799 lbs., $190.50 to $221; 800 - 899 lbs., $190 to $215; 900 - 999 lbs.,

$189.50 to $195; 1,000 lbs. and over, $175 to $194.

Top quality stocker heifers 500 599 lbs. sold $160.50 to $205.50; 600 - 699 lbs., $180 to $202.25; 700 - 799 lbs., $171 to $186.75; 800 899 lbs., $152 to $184.50; 900 lbs. and over, $161.50 to $172.

James Hoover of Wroxeter, consigned 14 head. Five charolais steers averaged 1,003 lbs. and sold for an average price of $194.

Joseph Sherk of Wellesley, consigned 13 head.

Nine gold heifers averaged 942 lbs. and sold for an average price of $172.

4-H Vet Club hears from dog sled racing specialist

Imparting wisdom Dog sled racing expert Kathy Henry was the guest speaker for the Belgrave 4-H Vet Club’s recent meeting. She explained to members the ins and outs of keeping a large team of dogs, which includes keeping vaccinations up to date. The club’s achievement day was set for Aug. 17. (Courtesy photo)

Fall Fair going ahead Continued from page 1 items in the weeks leading up to the fair weekend. The fireworks display will cap off the fair on Saturday night and can be enjoyed drive-in style. A full roster of events will be online at the society’s website.

A sense of community was at the heart of organizing the fall fair this year as it has always been, and the organizing committee recognized that this has been a tough year for the merchants of Seaforth. These businesses have always been so supportive of the fair, so this year organizers have decided to turn the tables. No donations were requested of the businesses in the community

and all prizes for the major contests held through the fair will be BIA gift certificates. Warren Small, president of the Seaforth Agricultural Society said, “we know with COVID-19 and Main Street ripped up last year it hasn’t been easy for the business owners and since they have always been there for us in the past we want to support them by keeping all the money in the community.”

The legacy that was started 176 years ago and has been kept strong through volunteers over the decades now continues with resilience, tradition, creativity and a true sense of community.

By Lily Shapton The Belgrave 4-H Vet Club held its sixth and final official meeting over Zoom on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

We started the meeting with the pledge, then we moved onto the roll call. The roll call was to name a breed of working dog and the job it does. Moving onto the business portion of the meeting, the secretary and press reports were then read and approved.

The group then viewed a video all about the Yukon Quest. The Yukon Quest is a very tough and long, international dog sled race.

This race takes place over 10-16 days covering over 1,000 miles. It starts the first weekend in February.

The video went over the exceptional veterinary care and exams all the canine participants take place in before the race begins.

The dogs are also monitored throughout the race and receive care along the route at stops where a vet is present.

Members then welcomed the guest speaker Kathy Henry. Kathy operates a dog kennel specializing in racing dogs. She owns 29 dogs, 28 of which are purebred Siberian Huskies. The particular operation started with four dogs and quickly grew from there. Kathy educated us on the different positions on a dog team. Races can vary in length and have different classes. Training and nutrition go hand-in-hand with getting the best from the animals.

They start with just walking, working up to running. To quote Kathy, “your team is only as fast as

$30

your slowest member.”

The handlers use different commands to direct the team, such as “mush” to get them to go, and “easy” to slow down. We followed up with questions on purebred dogs and how certain bloodlines affect the over breeding and evolution of the sled dog. Kathy’s sled dogs follow a health program, which includes up-to-date vaccinations.

Kathy talked about how a pack of dogs is structured. There is an alpha male and female. When grouping dogs together, you have to be aware of the dog’s pack status as this helps to alleviate extra stress and any potential disagreements between dogs.

The club’s achievement day was tentatively planned for Aug. 17.

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PAGE 34. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

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01-50p -------------------------------------------REPRINTS OF PHOTOS taken by Citizen photographers are available to purchase. All are in colour. 4x6 – $5.00, 5x7 – $6.00, 8x10 – $10.00. Phone to order 519523-4792 or 519-887-9114. tfn -------------------------------------------THE CITIZEN IS AVAILABLE TO purchase at these locations – Auburn Co-op, Auburn Esso, Belgrave Variety, Blyth Variety, Blyth Food Market, Blyth Ultramar, Brussels Foodland, Brussels Variety, Clinton Convenience, Clinton Foodland, Dean’s Valu-Mart in Wingham, Wingham Mini Mart, Seaforth Foodland, GT Mini Mart in Seaforth, Fincher’s in Goderich, Goderich Victoria St. Shell and The Citizen Blyth.

Help wanted Help wanted Personals GENERAL FARM LABOUR opening on a swine and cash crop farm. Full- or part-time positions available. Clean organized work environment. Experience preferred but will train the right candidate. Send résumés to monowayoffice@ gmail.com, Attention: Paul.

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Maple Lane Haven We are looking for servers and kitchen help at our venue.

Mostly weekend but some weekday work as well. Dress code in place. If you are interested and reliable, please call 519440-8116 or email to maplelanehaven@gmail.com.

Coming events HOPE CHAPEL CEMETERY Annual Memorial Service, Sunday, August 29 at 2 p.m. Speakers are Nancy and Paul Buttar.

33-2p -------------------------------------------BRUSSELS AG SOCIETY BBQ Beef take-out dinner on Sunday, Sept. 19, $20 adults, 12 and under, $10; pickup time 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. at BMG Arena. Delivery available to shut-ins. Tickets at Murray’s Barber Shop or call Joan Bernard 519-8876377 or John Lowe 519-887-9799.

Deadline to order Sept. 10.

33-3

ARE YOU PREGNANT AND unsure about your future? Contact Ramoth House. We can help you discover your parenting potential. You can get more information about our services on our website www.ramoth.ca or by phone 519-323-3751 or email: office@ramoth.ca e6w

Citizen-To-Citizen “SWAP SHOP” ad “One person’s junk is another’s treasure”

Let us help you turn that junk into $$

CUSTODIAN WANTED Brussels United Church is inviting applications for a custodian.

Send a note/résumé to Box 359 before August 27 indicating your experience with cleaning and minor maintenance.

A job description will be shared if contacted for an interview.

Municipality of Morris-Turnberry HELP WANTED Full-Time Landfill / Public Works Operator The Municipality of Morris -Turnberry requires: 1 (one) Landfill / Public Works Operator – This is a full-time position with a competitive salary, comprehensive benefit package and pension plan A job description for the position is available for review on the Municipal website https://morristurnberry.ca/government/employment or at the Municipal Office.

Card of thanks WARWICK. The family of Edythe wish to extend our heartfelt thanks to our neighbours and friends and our extended family, during this difficult time. We want to thank you for your kindness and support and all the food that we received as well as cards and phone calls. We wish to thank Dr. Uniac and a very special thank you to the nurses, PSWs and the staff at Huronlea, Brussels. They are special people that work there.

The compassion and caring they showed our mother, we will never forget. Also thank you to Rev. Charmila Ireland for the funeral service, also to Zoe and Thomas at Riverside Funeral Home for their guidance and care. We are going to dearly miss our mother. Sincerely – Tom and Brian.

33-1p

STEVE HANEY TRUCKING, Seaforth is looking for a full-time truck driver to haul grain and agricultural commodities within Ontario. Home every night with occasional weekend work during busy season if wanted. Three years AZ minimum required. Clean driver’s abstract.

Email: stevehaney2@gmail.com or call Steve 519-615-2130.

33-2 --------------------------------------------

The • • •

successful candidate must possess the following: Class DZ licence Ontario Secondary School Grade 12 Diploma Ability to operate and maintain motor graders and / or other heavy equipment and / or tandem trucks, is an asset.

• Experience with winter maintenance on public roads is an asset.

• Free ad up to 25 words, person to person only (no businesses), items valued at $1,000 or less. Your ad will run three times unless it sells faster!

• The Citizen reserves the right to limit the number of items or ads per person.

Call 519-523-4792 or email: info@northhuron.on.ca FOR SALE - fuel hose with nozzle and new filter for portable fuel pump or fuel tank, $35. 519-5270734.

33-3 ------------------------------------------FOR SALE - two-step stepladder, $15; boxing and wrestling magazines - 1950s-1960s, $10 each; 191 Beehive hockey pictures, Gordie Howe-Maurice Richard, $22 each. Phone 519-357-9467.

33-3 ------------------------------------------FOR SALE - double quilt for $12; afghan (pink/white/wine) for $12.

Call Jean Jardine, 519-612-1112 (Goderich).

32-3 ------------------------------------------FOR SALE - seasoned firewood, $80 face cord, mostly ash. Call Bill 519-528-2084, leave a message.

32-3 -------------------------------------------

Please submit a Letter of Interest, résumé and a copy of driver’s abstract to: mail@morristurnberry.ca Subject Line: Equipment Operator or Attn: Equipment Operator Municipality of Morris-Turnberry PO Box 310, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1HO

Friday, September 3, 2021, at 1 p.m.

For further information contact the undersigned: Mike Alcock, Director of Public Works Email: malcock@morristurnberry.ca We appreciate the interest of all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

All word ads in The Citizen classifieds are put on our webpage at

www.huroncitizen.ca

FOR SALE - left-handed golf clubs with bag and cart, one and three wood, five and seven irons, one putter, good starter set, $50.

519-527-1554.

32-3 ------------------------------------------FREE - to a good home, Nordheimer upright piano, with bench, good working condition.

519-527-0908.

32-3 ------------------------------------------FOR SALE - New Rival roaster oven, $25. 519-528-2284.

31-3 -------------------------------------------

L SO

D

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 35.

N. Huron approves retail expansion

By Denny Scott The Citizen

North Huron Township Council supported expanding the retail plaza at the northwestern corner of the intersection of County Roads 4 and 86 at the southern tip of Wingham during a recent council meeting.

The expansion is proposed to take place north of the existing gas bar and McDonalds Restaurant. The new development will include a structure and will allow for two retail units that can house specific types of business under the C3-1 zone. Planner Monica WalkerBolton explained that some of those potential businesses include a bakery, an agricultural supply store, a hardware store or a brewer’s retail store. She went on to say the company that owns the property, a

numbered corporation, would require a zoning bylaw amendment if they wanted to put businesses that don’t fit the C3-1 zone in the space.

While council did support expansion of the existing retail space, Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip felt the additional traffic from the new businesses will make the existing need for a crosswalk across Josephine Street to the plaza more apparent.

“The walking discussion with Huron County is going to become more apparent with this particular property,” he said. “I think [the discussion] will need to be a much higher priority.

STRATFORD MEMORIALS Creating Memories in Stone for Over 95 years

Winding down The Wingham Hitmen trumped the Mitchell Junior Mets 6-4 on Aug. 15 after dropping a 9-0 decision to Brussels on Aug. 11. The Hitmen’s last scheduled season game is set for Aug. 22 in Goderich, with two rained-out matches to make up. (John Stephenson photo)

Procters host church service PEOPLE AROUND BELGRAVE

By Linda Campbell Call 357-2188

Belated birthday greetings to Isabel Young, who celebrated on Aug. 11.

Sincere sympathy is extended to Diane Bridge, Donna and Jim Muir, Barb and Kevin Pletch, Joyce Bloschinsky and Steve and Joan Chamney in the loss of their mother, Lois Chamney and sympathy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Sincere sympathy is extended to

Barry O’Krafka in the loss of his mother, Audrey O’Krafka and to her grandchildren.

John and I are second-time grandparents with the birth of Callie Mae Campbell, born on Aug. 11 in Grand River Hospital, Kitchener – a baby sister for Jackson. Proud parents are Jeremy and Stacy Campbell.

The Belgrave United Church service was held at Ken and Lila Procter’s pond. Jim Hess was the guest speaker. On Sunday, Aug. 22 it will be held at the Procter pond with Murray Scanlon as guest speaker. Bring a lawn chair and wear a mask. Everyone is welcome.

There is a come-and-go birthday party for Ruby Leishman at the home of Allan and Waneta Leishman on the celebration of Ruby’s 98th birthday on Sunday, Sept. 5. Everyone is welcome.

519-524-8457 email: mfalconer@stratfordmemorials.com

Goderich/Clinton Michael Falconer Memorial Counsellor www.stratfordmemorials.com

Remembering your loved one Honour your loved one by placing their obituary in

IVAN DOW Ivan Dow of Huronlea Home for the Aged, Brussels, passed away on April 14, 2021.

Ivan was predeceased by his parents Eccles and Wellington Dow and all of his siblings, Ada Taylor, Eva Snell, Victor, Nelson and Donald Dow. Ivan leaves behind his loving wife Elly and 10 nieces, nephews and their families.

A private family graveside service will be held in the morning on Saturday, Aug. 21 at Wingham Cemetery. Friends and neighbours

GEORGE IVES Mr. George Ives of Blyth, passed away suddenly at Clinton Public Hospital, on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021.

He was in his 88th year.

George was the beloved husband of Ella (Nethery) Ives and the

The Citizen.

This is a free service provided by The Citizen. We encourage you to share the story of your loved one in a special remembrance of their life.

NEWS FROM BELGRAVE

Obituaries are welcome to attend Ivan’s farm to further celebrate his life from 1 4 p.m. Plaids and jeans are welcome. Bring a lawn chair and maybe a story or two.

Online condolences may be left at www.mcburneyfuneralhome.com

We are now open but by appointment only and following government recommended protocols to ensure the safety of all visitors and our staff. Please call or email us to set up an appointment.

loving father of Sharon and Laurie Cox, Judy Ives, Linda Ives and Paul Barker, Tim and Patty Ives, Andrew Ives and Carla Messenger.

He was the cherished grandfather of Travis, Jesse and Vanessa, Luke and Bree, Siobhan and Jon-Michael, Sinead, Amy, Alma, Kaleb and Hannah, and Zachary and the greatgrandfather of Clara, Noah, Caitlin, and Ben. George will also be missed by several nieces and nephews.

George was predeceased by his parents Guy and Olive (Fox) Ives, four sisters and one brother.

At George’s request, cremation has taken place. A private family graveside service will be held at Blyth Union Cemetery at a later date.

As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations to Trinity Anglican Church, Blyth would be appreciated. Funeral arrangements were entrusted to Falconer Funeral Homes, Clinton.

Messages of condolence for the Ives family are welcome at www.falconerfuneralhomes.com

Cards of thanks can be placed in our classified section, starting at just $7.00.

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www.huroncitizen.ca www.Facebook.com/NorthHuronCitizen @TheNHCitizen info@northhuron.on.ca

The Citizen

PAGE 36. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

HC votes against ambulance decals for mental health

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

A wide field The Clinton Raceway continued its season on Sunday with more races. The next three Sundays will be the last of the season for the site, with post time of 1:30 p.m. (John

Stephenson photo)

Huron County Council has voted against the placement of the #ivegotyourback911 decals on the county’s ambulance fleet, disagreeing with the wishes of its paramedics.

The request dates back several years, but council finally discussed it earlier this year after a formal request to place decals on the back of all county ambulances was made on behalf of the community’s complement of paramedics.

South Huron Mayor George Finch, a former Ontario Provincial Police officer, spoke in favour of placing the decals, just as he did the first time it was discussed. He said the county should be doing everything it can to support its emergency services workers and if the paramedics wanted this decal on ambulances - a campaign to raise awareness of mental health and wellness among first responders council should step up and allow it.

He said it was a very simple request and a very simple gesture by the county to show support for something the paramedics have been asking for since 2017.

Central Huron Deputy-Mayor Dave Jewitt said that mental health is of the utmost importance, but that he has a very traditional sense of what an ambulance should look like, so he would be voting against the placement of the decals.

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn agreed, saying he’d be happy to place one of them on his personal vehicle, but didn’t think they were appropriate for ambulances. He also agreed with Jewitt, saying that whether or not council is supportive of its employees’ mental health was not the issue, it was a specific decision about placing a decal on its ambulances, rather than a referendum on council’s support of the mental health of its employees.

Finch made a motion to allow for the placement of the decals, but it was defeated by a vote of 10 councillors against and five in favour.

Councillors Finch, Doug Harding, Paul Klopp, Bernie Bailey and Bob Fisher voted in favour of the decals, while Councillors Ginn, Jewitt, Jamie Heffer, Jim Dietrich, Myles Murdock, Roger Watt, Jim Fergusson, Bernie MacLellan, John Grace and Warden Glen McNeil voted against it.

Federal, provincial governments support mental health The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing in new initiatives to support and promote mental health in Ontario’s farming and rural communities. These initiatives will improve the mental health services available to Ontario’s agricultural sector and help ensure farmers, their families and their employees have additional places to turn when help is needed.

Three initiatives will receive over $430,000 in funding as the governments continue to focus on ensuring farmers, agri-food workers and rural communities have access to the mental health support they need. These projects will provide more data on farmer and rural mental health in Ontario to ensure available supports meet unique community needs.

“Many farmers and employees have faced great challenges through the pandemic, which only add to the stresses they may face every single day,” said the Honourable MarieClaude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.

“Agricultural mental health programs, such as these, will give Ontario farmers and employees more tools to help them address their challenges. It’s important that farmers and workers know that they should never hesitate to reach out if they’re struggling with their mental health.”

“Owning and operating a farm can be very stressful. The combination of the unique challenges of farming with the additional stresses of COVID-19 have made mental health challenges for many in the farming and rural communities more difficult,” said Lisa Thompson, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Thanks to mental health champions like Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, our government is investing in the wellbeing of farmers, farm families, farm

workers and everyone living in rural communities and we’re building on current knowledge, supports and resources to help them address mental health challenges”.

“In a year unlike any other, there has been an increased demand for the expanded availability of mental health services and supports that address the unique needs of Ontario’s agricultural workers,” said Michael Tibollo, Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. “With today’s funding, we are taking another important step to ensure Ontarians living in rural communities have targeted, reliable access to the highest quality mental health care that they expect and deserve.”

The funding initiatives include: • Survey on farmer mental health and agricultural literacy of mental health professionals: Dr. Andria Jones-Bitton (Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph) will conduct a targeted survey to better understand the current state of farmers’ mental health in Ontario and Dr. Briana Hagan will consult with agricultural and mental health professionals to develop an agriculture literacy program and information for a mental health care audience. This project will help mental health care providers improve the delivery of mental health services to the farming community and tailor these services to the unique needs of the community.

• Community and workplace supports for the mental health of international agricultural workers in Ontario: Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) will research existing mental health services and supports that are tailored to needs of international agricultural workers employed on Ontario farms and recommend strategies to improve mental health and well-being

services and psychosocial supports available to agri-food workers.

• Survey on mental health impacts of disruptive events in rural Ontario: Dr. Leith Deacon (School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph) will collect community data on challenges and experiences faced by vulnerable populations and highlight successful initiatives in rural communities to make recommendations on ways to support the development of appropriate response plans for COVID-19 and future disruptive events.

In the spring of 2021, the Ministers of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Mental Health and Addictions held a roundtable to discuss key challenges to farmers’ access to mental health services.

Participants cited the main

challenges faced by farmers and rural communities include lack of access to mental health services in their communities, the lack of understanding of agricultural literacy by mental health providers, ongoing stigma around mental health issues, significant costs for existing resources, and the need for more emphasis on prevention.

The funding announced last week will support initiatives that help address concerns raised at the roundtable and build on Ontario’s existing investments in mental health supports for the agri-food sector. Through resources such as the online mental health first aid kit, and funding mental health training for frontline staff of farm and commodity organizations, Ontario is helping farmers, farm families and farm workers access

resources when facing tough times.

Ontario is also helping the sector through farm financial assessments, enhanced risk management programs, and the Ontario, Agricultural Information Contact Centre (OMAFRA) where comprehensive support information is available.

Leadership in energy and environmental design

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 37.

From the Minister’s Study

True worship doesn’t consider the cost: Hovius

By Jason Hovius Brussels Community Bible Chapel To worship someone is to declare their worth with heartfelt awe and adoration. The Bible makes it clear in both the Old and New Testaments that worship is reserved for God alone. Jesus Himself affirmed this when He was tempted by the devil to bow down to him in exchange for earthly power and glory. He quoted part of the law from Deuteronomy, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

Sometimes we feel as if our worship of God is something reserved for a weekly church service, as if that hour or two every weekend is an act of devotion that by itself pleases God. This falls far short of true worship as we see in the Bible. In the same way, one weekly gesture is a pitiful method of developing and maintaining any relationship with someone we consider very special. Imagine buying flowers dutifully every week for your spouse, but then ignoring him/her the rest of the week. I would bet that your marriage is less than stellar.

The idea of worship was sometimes misunderstood in ancient Israel as well. It seems like it became commonplace to consider it a duty to be fulfilled rather than an act of the heart. They thought that if they did the right things on the right day of the week and at the right times of the year, God would be appeased. This concept mirrored the practices of the pagan cultures around them, that appeased their own false gods in like fashion. To be honest, mankind hasn’t changed much over the millennia. Ask almost anyone on the sidewalk today how they hope to enter God’s heaven, and they will usually talk about how their good deeds will (hopefully, fingers crossed and eyes squinted shut) outweigh their bad ones. The problem becomes apparent in the words of a friend of mine, “But how good is good enough?”

The point is that it’s more than doing the right things that God wants. He wants our hearts to value Him. If it were anyone else, we would consider them to be pretentious, but it is God who alone truly deserves worship from our hearts. We would do well to examine our actions and motives to see if we are just doing the right things because we feel we have to or because someone else is

Evangelical Missionary Church

Sunday August 22, 10:30 am Jason Bechtel (Ethnos Canada) “Three things the book of Jonah is NOT about” (Jonah 1:1-2, 17; 3:1-2) In-person and online! huronchapel.com/videos Thursdays - Check out area churches’ kids ministry at Blyth Farmers’ Market! huronchapel.com 119 John’s Ave., Auburn 519-526-1131

watching, or if we are doing them with love and appreciation for God. Many times God sent prophets to shake His people awake. Find Isaiah 1:11-14 in a Bible to see what God thought of their sacrifices and religious acts. Instead of being pleased with their offerings, He called them detestable, meaningless and a burden to Him. Their hearts were miles apart from their God, even while they made shallow attempts to do what He had asked of them.

True worship is a lifestyle springing out of an attitude of the heart. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1-2).

What is our motivation, according to this verse? It is God’s mercy. And when we look at God’s mercy, what is a proper response? It is to give our bodies to Him in

complete surrender to do whatever He wants us to do. How are we ourselves expected to become holy sacrifices? It is by continual renewal of the mind that transformation occurs. A tall order, but God’s great mercy in saving a sinner like me should be motivating enough to make me strive to give all I have back to him. In the words of a famous hymn, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all.”

Worship may cost something, although true worship doesn’t really consider the cost, because in our minds the recipient is worth it.

When Mary poured perfume on Jesus’ feet a week before his death, she obviously considered Him to be worthy of a year’s wages worth of perfume. Judas, who did not comprehend the worth of Christ, objected to the flagrant waste of precious resources when there were so many poor people nearby. Jesus defended Mary, saying that it was a beautiful thing that she did for Him. And when they went their own ways into the streets after the meal, both Jesus and Mary would have

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship We’re Back!!!

Worshipping Jesus Together All Are Welcome Sundays @ 10 am ­­ Face masks & social distancing in effect 250 Princess St., Brussels • 519­887­6388 • Pastor Ken Gazley

The Regional Ministry of Hope

exuded the fragrance of the perfume. People probably noticed.

Worship is a lifestyle. It can be 24 hours a day, seven days a week. My daily work, my relationships and my hobbies can be done with an attitude of worship to God. In all I do, I can ask the question, “How can God be glorified in this?”

People may notice.

God forgave me a great debt by sending his perfect Son to die my death as a substitute. How could I refuse him anything? I owe him my eternal life and soul. In the words of another famous hymn, “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord,

to Thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise....”

Welcome Your New Arrival in

The Citizen

Call or email to book your ad today 519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

BRUSSELS

United Church August 22nd & 29th No church services at Brussels United we will resume services in September Consider joining services at nearby churches during holiday Contact Alex at minister.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.com Website: brusselsandblythuc.ca P.O. Box 359, Brussels ~ 519-887-6259

Join us for our 10:00 am and 7:30 pm livestream services.

Video services can be found by searching on YouTube “Blyth Christian Reformed Church”

BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743

Churches are now open for in-person worship.

Weekly service live-streamed at 10.30 a.m. on our facebook page or on youtube @St. Paul’s-Trinity Anglican Church Wingham.

Rev. JoAnn Todd, Rector 519-357-7781 email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca The­Regional­Ministry­of­ Hope

Trinity

St. John’s

BLYTH 9:00 AM

BRUSSELS 12 NOON

St. Paul’s Trinity

WINGHAM 10:30 AM

COME WORSHIP WITH US!

Blyth United Church On vacation for August Stay safe. See you in September Summer outreach project The United Church Healing Fund supporting those impacted by the residential schools.

"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” (Galations 6:9) Contact Alex at: minister.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.com

Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches blythunited@tcc.on.ca ~ 519-523-4224

MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Join us for outdoor worship every Sunday at 9:30 am.

All are welcome!

Virtual worship available on Youtube at “St. Andrew’s and Melville Sermon” Brussels Soup and More 2 is cancelled until further notice.

519-357-5273

Sunday, August 22 at 10 a.m.

BMG Community Centre (upstairs room) 800 Sports Drive, Brussels **Please note our new location** Childcare provided for children aged 0 to 4 during the sermon

Worship and Prayer Time Loving Fellowship Expository Preaching

Face masks and social distancing in effect For additional details please visit: brusselscommunitybiblechapel.com

THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH

OUR CHURCHES HAVE RE-OPENED. WELCOME BACK.

Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday ~ 6:00 p.m.

17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday ~ 9:00 a.m.

220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph’s Sunday ~ 11:00 a.m.

1025 Wallace Avenue N. Facebook: Search for St. Joseph/Sacred Heart/St. Ambrose Live Sunday Mass, Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

PAGE 38. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Against staff recommendation, M-T to open office

By Denny Scott The Citizen Morris-Turnberry Council, going against the recommendation of staff, has decided to push forward with reopening the municipality’s offices as of Sept. 7.

During council’s Aug. 10 meeting, as part of his regular update on how COVID-19 is impacting the municipality’s residents and staff, Chief Administrative Officer Trevor Hallam recommended keeping the municipal office open by appointment-only and continuing to have council meetings hosted on Zoom.

He said there had been no indication of any significant interruptions as a result of the municipal office being closed to walk-in traffic, saying the only hiccups had been people not realizing the building wasn’t open who then had to call in from the parking lot. “We have been able to

fit them in,” he said.

The business of the municipality has continued, Hallam said, including appointments between residents and staff and permits being issued.

While Step 3 of the province’s reopening plan focused on allowing closed spaces to once again welcome visitors, Hallam said it was more focused on retail and restaurant spaces, and that the municipal building, in his recommendation, would be best to keep closed.

“The appointment-only model is serving us quite well,” he said.

Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn, however, felt that the municipal office should be open, originally pushing to have the building open to walk-ins for Aug. 20, but having council continue to use Zoom to meet.

“I don’t feel the need for council to go back to regular meetings, because Zoom meetings work very well,” she said, adding in-person

meetings may be needed for some situations. “I still feel the office should be open.”

She said her desire to have the building open was driven by the fact that other municipal offices are starting to open.

Councillor Jim Nelemans supported Zinn’s desire to have it reopen, but didn’t feel that 10 days was enough time for staff to prepare to re-open, asking to push the effective date to September.

Councillor Kevin Freiburger, however, didn’t feel it was wise to ignore staff recommendations.

“It’s staff that’s looking after the office, and their recommendation is to maintain [the appointment-only] situation,” he said. “At other past meetings, [Hallam] has mentioned increased costs with cleaning… to be able to have the office open all the time. [Hallam] also mentions the requirement of staff to be there to greet people. I think it’s best to stick with the staff recommendation… until the

province is fully open.”

Zinn disagreed, saying the cleaning wasn’t that onerous.

“It’s a spray bottle and a wipe,” she said. “It’s not like you have to clean the whole office.”

Hallam said, if staff was directed to reopen, a minimal meeting space for walk-ins would be allotted which would minimize cleaning requirements, however he said that before and after each walk-in, highcontact spaces would need to be cleaned.

“With appointments, it allows for staff to plan for cleaning,” he said.

“Opening would require more staff time.”

He also said that the bathrooms wouldn’t be open to the public as a time- and cost-saving measure.

Hallam also said the appointment-only model had saved time for ratepayers in a number of ways. He explained that, while some ratepayers felt they needed a meeting with a staff member, a phone call often sufficed. Others

who did require meetings didn’t have to worry about getting to the office without an appointment and finding out the staff member they needed wasn’t available.

After some discussion, council decided to push the reopening date to Sept. 7, however Mayor Jamie Heffer felt that didn’t make sense.

“If we’re talking about Sept. 7, that’s a council meeting night,” he said. “It would make more sense to discuss [reopening the municipal office] that night for more concrete timelines.”

Zinn then asked if staff would prefer to maintain the appointmentonly model permanently because she felt Hallam was saying it was superior to how the office was used prior to the pandemic. She also asked if there was always a person in the office under the current model.

Hallam said most days there was someone in the office, but staff members were still encouraged to Continued on page 39

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021. PAGE 39.

‘The Downs’ marks return of live theatre to Blyth

A labour of love Sheryl Scott’s The Downs is a proven winner at the Blyth Festival, selling out Phillips Studio runs in 2017 and 2018 before officially opening the new Harvest Stage last week.

Directed by Desiree Baker, the show is warm and welcoming. (Terry Manzo photo)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen It’s difficult to review The Downs, the Blyth Festival’s return to live theatre at the outdoor Harvest Stage, without folding in the entire experience, which will be new to Festival audiences.

Sheryl Scott’s heartfelt, warm and welcoming one-woman show about a farming wife and mother in rural New Brunswick living in the 1950s is well-known to Festival audiences. It sold out two runs at the Phillips Studio in 2017 and 2018 and, in many ways, it was the perfect means by which to welcome theatre audiences back to Blyth.

Scott plays Millie Johnson, the

mother of five girls and one boy.

She is a born storyteller and a lover of life and at the beginning of the show she welcomes the audience into her kitchen as she folds some of the day’s laundry.

After having a good sit - the audience, after all, is sitting, so shouldn’t she too take a load off? she spins tales about her life. She talks about her husband, her children, her church, her community and her endless list of chores around the house and the farm, all with the warmth and hospitality you might expect from a rural homemaker in 1950s New Brunswick.

She wants those in the audience to feel at home and it’s easy to feel

Morris-Turnberry office set to reopen Continued from page 38 work from home whenever possible. As for maintaining the appointment-only system indefinitely, he said while it is working well and minimizes wasted trips by ratepayers, once the COVID-19 protocols are lifted,

he didn’t see any reason not to return to pre-COVID-19 practices.

Council voted in favour of reopening the municipal building on Sept. 7 with Heffer and Freiburger voting against the motion.

Flying high for 90 years!

Happy 90th Birthday Dad! Jim Armstrong August 19 Love, Robert, Brian, Bruce, Leanne and families

at home at the Harvest Stage, a beautiful setting for the Blyth Festival. You have to think that it has exceeded the expectations of even Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt in its beauty.

Indeed, Garratt was choked up on opening night of The Downs as he welcomed audience members back to live theatre in Blyth. He explained safety protocols including physical distancing, mandatory masks, respect for others, etc. - but then he called the Harvest Stage not a theatre, but rather more of a mechanism through which community is built.

After nearly two years without live theatre in Blyth, he said, it was moving to see that community being built back up again.

Scott’s Johnson is all about community. Her world is small, not unlike Blyth or any of Huron County’s other tiny communities.

There are farms, there are churches and there are “trips into town”,

which might as well take a whole day. Mostly, there are the people.

Johnson talks about the people at her church, her neighbours, her friends and her family, especially her husband and their six children.

Some people are loving, caring and supportive, while others are a bit more divisive, judgemental and cruel. They are all part of the tapestry of a community and we can all relate.

Scott is funny, relatable and, at times, heartbreaking as she portrays Johnson, a woman she has been embodying for a number of years now. The Downs began as a short audition sketch that grew into a short show at the London Fringe Festival before she fleshed it out into a full-length show. The show’s heart is as big as that of any Festival show in recent memory, which is why it feels like the right way to ease back into the world of live theatre in Huron County.

It’s different. You’re wearing a mask and you’re surrounded by other people wearing masks. You’re not rubbing shoulders with the stranger next to you and you’re not in Memorial Hall, you’re outside, where you can hear the wind rustle through the nearby trees and the sound of crickets and camping children playing faintly in the background. And it’s hot. But then, the sun starts going down and it turns cool. That first show needs to make you feel comfortable and Scott and director Desiree Baker do just that in the simplest of ways; without even having to try.

The show is excellent, just as it was in its first two runs at the Blyth Festival. Seeing it on the new Harvest Stage, however, after all

that has happened in the last 18 months, comes with a greater resonance. It just “hits different” as the kids on social media might say.

After the show, as the sun set over the trees to the left of the stage with a brilliant pink glow, most audience members took their time leaving, looking back to admire the Harvest Stage, illuminated with hanging bulb lights after the show or to photograph the sunset with their phones.

Knowing that the Harvest Stage will be part of the Festival picture for years to come, rather than a temporary delivery method for theatre in the era of COVID-19, made last week’s slate of shows feel important; like the start of something great. Scott and The Downs was the right show to usher in that new era in a community like Blyth.

The Downs is on stage until Sunday, Aug. 22 with five shows remaining (daily from Wednesday, Aug. 18 to Sunday, Aug. 22).

Sudoku Solution

Memorial Service You are warmly and humbly invited to the

Celebration of Life gathering for Bryan Morton a visionary man of the community.

Join with his family

Sunday, August 29 for a Come‐and‐Go from 1‐4 pm at Brussels Four Winds Barn, 60 Orchard Ln, Brussels to celebrate in the barn that Bryan built as a landmark for Brussels.

Brighten Their Day with our Celebration Special During this time of social distancing don’t forget your loved one’s special day with our limited time special price for celebration ads (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.)

2" wide x 3" high 4" wide x 3" high

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The Citizen

Call or email today 519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

$60 + tax

includes colour

PAGE 40. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2021.

Festivals supported

Grand opening The Blyth Festival officially cut the ribbon on its new outdoor Harvest Stage last week with the help of several local dignitaries. From left: Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, Huron County Warden Glen McNeil, Alison Lobb of Community Futures Huron, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson, Festival General Manager Rachael King, Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt, Blyth Centre for the Arts Board of Directors President Elli Cohen and North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey. (Denny Scott photo)

The Ontario government is investing nearly $50 million to support 439 festivals and events across Ontario through the Reconnect Festival and Event Program, as well as support to events through the Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster Program.

Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson has announced that three local events are receiving funding support through the Reconnect Festival and Event Program: Port Elgin’s Pumpkinfest is getting $41,632, Kincardine’s Lighthouse Blues Festival will be receiving $49,325 and the Huron Waves Music Festival will be receiving $42,500.

This one-time funding increase for festivals and events will ensure the long-term success of the festival and event sector while helping municipalities and organizations deliver innovative and safe experiences, whether virtually or in-person, that allow people to safely reconnect with their communities.

“Tourism and special events have been hit really hard during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Thompson

55 isolation orders issued in H-P region Continued from page 31 is the only municipality in Huron County to have a new COVID-19 case reported in the past week as of Monday. The one new case brings the municipality’s cumulative case count to 53 since the pandemic began. Other municipalities in Huron County have stayed at their cumulative case count from last week, including South Huron (156), Huron East (148), Central Huron (88), North Huron (79), MorrisTurnberry (64), Howick (50), Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (37) and Goderich (31).

In Perth County, North Perth has reported 18 new cases over the past week, bringing its cumulative total to 454. Stratford reported two new cases for a total of 482. Perth East (171), West Perth (66), Perth South (51) and St. Marys (48) reported the same number of cumulative cases as last week.

There are 20 active cases across Huron and Perth County including 16 in North Perth, two in Stratford and one each in Bluewater and North Huron.

There are currently 55 isolation orders out, according to HPPH, which marks an eight-week high for Huron and Perth Counties. Since the start of the pandemic, 5,745 isolation orders have been issued by HPPH. Acquisition numbers remained relatively stable over the past week with household- and outbreaklinked exposures being responsible for the majority of identified COVID-19 vectors at 29.7 and 25.5 per cent, respectively. Close contact is the likely culprit in 19.3 per cent of cases and travel is responsible for 1.1 per cent. Unknown vectors are responsible for 24.5 per cent of cases.

Huron County, after spending several weeks under the “Green” category of the province’s nowdefunct reopening colour code has been moved to the “Yellow” category with a 19.3 incidence rate (or weekly new cases per 100,000) and 0.58 per cent positivity rate.

Currently, the area's ICU occupancy

and acute occupancy rates are at 64 per cent.

Vaccination numbers continue to increase for both single doses and full vaccination in Huron and Perth Counties according to HPPH, with fully-vaccinated numbers continuing to increase faster than single-dose counts.

Over the past week, more than 700 people have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine for a total of 100,963 residents, or 79 per cent, up from 100,201 and 78.4 per cent, respectively.

Fully-vaccinated numbers increased from 88,966, or 69.6 per cent, to 91,182 or 71.3 per cent.

Specific vaccination statistics for first-dose recipients are as follows: • 12-17: 6,245 (66.1 per cent of eligible recipients) to 6,377 (67.5) • 18-24: 7,178 (61.5) to 7,282 (62.4) • 25-29: 5,647 (60.8) to 5,740 (61.8) • 30-39: 11,321 (64.1) to 11,463 (64.9) • 40-49: 11,838 (73.7) to 11,943 (74.4) • 50-59: 15,961 (82.1) to 16,063 (82.6) • 60-69: 19,756 (91.8) to 19,809 (92) • 70-79: 14,239 (98.3) to 14,263 (98.5) • 80+ 8,016 (97) to 8,023 (97) Fully-vaccinated statistics are as follows: • 12-17: 4,513 (47.7) to 4,894 (51.8) • 18-24: 5,662 (48.5) to 5,937 (50.9) • 25-29: 4,469 (48.1) to 4,712 (50.7) • 30-39: 9,369 (53.1) to 9,756 (55.3) • 40-49: 10,258 (63.9) to 10,597 (66) • 50-59: 14,326 (73.7) to 14,635 (75.2) • 60-69: 18,586 (86.4) to 18,788 (87.3) • 70-79: 13,842 (95.6) to 13,904 (96) • 80+ 7,941 (96.1) to 7,959 (96.3) For more information, visit hpph.ca.

said. “That’s why it is vital that we support these events to help keep them operating. They are popular with both visitors and residents alike and provide a positive economic boost to the host communities and the surrounding area.”

The Reconnect Festival and Event Program was developed to help festival and event organizers adapt to new public health measures with virtual, drive-through and other safe offerings. The program directs support to events with innovative and safe experiences, while creating opportunities that encourage Ontarians to reconnect with the beauty and diversity of their communities in new ways.

The Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster Program supports municipalities and organizations in Ontario that host large-scale, highimpact signature events that draw significant tourist attendance and increase tourist spending; increase Ontario’s profile through media and broadcast exposure and provide significant economic impact and legacy development for the province.

Enjoy some summertime reading

AGRICULTURE TODAY A Portrait of Family Farms in Ontario Photographers Telfer Wegg, Bonnie Sitter and Fred Helwig capture the complexity of modern farm life: crops from planting to harvest, livestock and specialties. Includes informative text. $45.00

BARNS OF THE QUEEN’S BUSH From pioneer log barns to elegantly constructed timber-fram monsters, this book illustrates and tells of the barns that made the region flourish in agriculture (most stories from Grey and Bruce Counties). $34.99

TOP 10 FOR KIDS NATURE A weird and wonderful book about the weird and wonderful natural world. Top 10 for Kids Nature is packed to the max with checklists, fun facts and pictures. Humorous, relatable and informative, Top 10 for Kids Nature is a must-have book containing exactly what kids want.

Colourful, weird and masses of fun, this fantastic read will keep kids entertained to the max. $9.95

Prices subject to change with increases in wholesale prices, postage, taxes, etc. Please refer to current issue for correct figures.

Incorrect payment will delay delivery.

HAVE MERCEY My First Sixty Years Making Music An autobiography of the music career of Larry Mercey and the award-winning Canadian Country Music group, The Mercey Brothers. $25.00 DANCE OF THE HAPPY SHADES This is the book that earned Alice Munro a devoted readership, revealing the countryside of Southwestern Ontario and its many small sufferings and unanticipated emotions. $20.00

The Citizen

Total

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AGRICULTURE TODAY BARNS OF THE QUEEN’S BUSH RAW MILK TOP 10 FOR KIDS NATURE HAVE MERCEY DANCE OF THE HAPPY SHADES

RAW MILK and the Search for Human Kindness Michael Schmidt tells the story of his struggle to deliver raw milk to the owners of those who produced it. He takes readers on a gripping and often lonely journey through Canada’s legal and regulatory system. This book is testimony to the strength of the human spirit. $45.00

$45.00 $34.99 $45.00 $9.95 $25.00 $20.00 Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

Send cheque or money order for full amount to: Books: North Huron Publishing P.O. Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or call and pay by credit card 519-523-4792

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