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The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Thursday, December 2, 2021
Volume 37 No. 48
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
Budget process begins in CH By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
Coming to town With a number of Santa Claus parades held in the area over the weekend, including Brussels, Seaforth and Wingham, Jolly Old St. Nick is most definitely coming to town, as the song would suggest. Residents lined the streets of Brussels, Seaforth and Wingham over the
weekend to see their friends and neighbours and welcome the holiday season to Huron County, returning to in-person, traditional parades after the COVID-19 pandemic caused some parades to be cancelled or modified during last year’s holiday season. (John Stephenson photo)
Area COVID-19 cases continue to rise By Denny Scott The Citizen Huron and Perth Counties continue to see increased COVID19 numbers, with 70 active cases being reported by Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) on Monday, more than has been reported since May. There are currently 2,554 cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases across the two counties, 60 more than last Monday, including an outbreak at Elma Township Public School in North Perth with 14 students testing positive. Outbreaks have also been reported at North Perth Spinrite Child and Family Centre in North Perth, where two students have
tested positive, and one unidentified workplace. Listowel District Secondary School also reported a confirmed case of COVID-19, which did not result in any class or school closures. This is the fifth time cases have been reported at the school since the school year began in September. As of Monday, there are three individuals hospitalized due to COVID-19, resulting in a cumulative total of 117, and one new COVID-19 linked death, bringing that number to 70. Of the 60 new cases, more than half were reported in North Perth, which reported 562 cumulative cases, up from 524 last Monday, an increase of 38.
Most of Perth County’s municipalities reported new cases, with five each in Stratford and Perth East, for cumulative totals of 559 and 309, respectively, and one new case each in Perth South (74) and West Perth (100). St. Marys remained at 65 cumulative cases. In Huron County, four new cases have been reported in Howick, bringing its total to 58, while two new cases each have been reported in Bluewater (73 cumulative cases) and Goderich (48). Central Huron (114) and North Huron (90) each reported one new case. South Huron (184 cumulative cases), Morris-Turnberry (84) and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) (53) stayed at the same counts as the previous week.
Acquisition continues to be driven by household contact, with 31.5 per cent of cases likely linked to that kind of exposure, and outbreak-related exposure, with 23 per cent of cases. Close contact with known cases of COVID-19 is responsible for 19.2 per cent of cases while travel is responsible for 1.4 per cent. Onequarter of cases are tied to unknown vectors. Huron and Perth Counties continue to see incidence rates in the “orange” level of the government’s previous reopening plan, at 37.2 cases per 100,000 people. The area’s positivity per cent, however, which is the per cent of tests with positive results, is at Continued on page 3
Central Huron Council dipped its toe into the 2022 budget process on Monday night, pre-approving a number of items to begin the process and ensure early tendering opportunities. Before council could begin preapproving items for early tender, however, Director of Finance Jeff Boyes said council needed to understand where the municipality is in regards to its 2022 budget. He estimates an impact of over $560,000 for next year’s budget as a result of annual salary increases of 1.5 per cent, the addition of new staff positions, an increase in the municipality’s insurance costs, rising inflation and the beginning of loan payments for the purchase of the former Bluewater Youth Centre building. Boyes also estimates an inflation increase of 4.7 per cent on essential purchases, such as materials and supplies and contracted services, accounting for $214,034 of the aforementioned $560,278. Boyes told council that he was seeking a motion to approve over $2.2 million in capital projects, just over $900,000 of which would come from taxation. These projects included the reconstruction of Whitehead Street ($1,209,926), the reconstruction of Cutter Street ($573,418), road construction in the Langlois development ($66,000), work on the Dutch Line culvert ($10,685), work on the Main Street culvert in Holmesville ($269,664), a polyethylene water tank insert ($30,528), a grader mounted packer/roller ($15,264), a mailer folder inserter unit ($14,980) and top coat on both Park Lane and Princess Street ($41,074). Before councillors began debating the pre-approval items, Boyes presented a taxation breakdown, as requested by Councillor Alison Lobb regarding taxation coming from rural wards versus urban wards. In 2021, the former Goderich Township contributed $3,856,369 in taxes, while the former Hullett Township contributed $2,068,887 and the former Town of Clinton brought in $1,812,857. Lobb was concerned that the municipality was spending most of its capital funds in Clinton, despite Continued on page 2