The Citizen - Feb. 25, 2021

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The

THIS WEEK • Editorials • Scouts/Guides • Agriculture • Obituaries

Citizen

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Thursday, February 25, 2021

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Volume 37 No. 8

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0

Tax levy rises in H. East By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Advanced sledding The Shannon family of Blyth was out over the weekend, basking in the sunny and snowy weather in Huron County as of late. They took tobogganing to the next level, adding

a little speed to the equation with Darryl Shannon, right, at the helm, keeping everyone on track and providing plenty of fun for the little ones riding behind. (Photo submitted)

Huron East Treasurer Paula Michiels has presented the first draft of the municipality’s budget with a proposed general municipal levy increase of 6.5 per cent. Michiels spoke to the budget at Huron East Council’s Feb. 16 meeting, noting a marked change from the budget preview she provided council at its Feb. 2 meeting. At that meeting, she told council the budget included a five per cent increase to the levy, which was as high as she was comfortable going. However, the budget wouldn’t cover inflationary costs and Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he felt council should be covering the cost of inflation in its budget, even if the COVID-19 pandemic had been hitting residents hard. As a result, Michiels implemented the proposed increase, providing an additional $331,487 of levy revenue for the municipality. The first draft of the budget remains unbalanced, however, with a deficit position of $567,110, although that has been cut nearly in half from Michiels’ budget preview, which included a shortfall of $1.1 million. While the municipal levy will differ by ward, the general increase is set at 4.36 per cent in the draft budget, which includes special arearated costs, along with a proposed Continued on page 3

No return for Seaforth ice, despite impassioned plea By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Despite a campaign and petition to reinstall the ice surface at the Seaforth and District Community Centre, a failed partnership means things will remain status quo in Seaforth. Huron East Council discussed the issue at its Feb. 16 meeting, beginning with a presentation from Craig Skinner, who said he was representing the youth of Seaforth in asking council to reverse its decision to remove the ice from all municipal arenas earlier this year and keep it in until the end of April. He cited numerous factors that led to the request, including the mental health and wellbeing of young people throughout the pandemic, who he said feel as though they’re being overlooked. He said that while society has focused on essential workers, healthcare professionals and senior citizens as those most impacted by COVID-19, children

have been suffering in silence. Skinner presented statistics from a recent Toronto Star article stating that calls to Kids Help Phone more than doubled from 2019 to 2020. He said the children of the town could play hockey safely, with all relevant protocols in place to limit the potential for virus spread now that the provincial lockdown had

been modified. He added that when hockey was played again in the fall of 2020, there wasn’t a single case of COVID-19 linked to Seaforth Minor Hockey. Skinner also said he had done the math, crunching the numbers and, in his opinion, the municipality could actually turn a small profit by reinstalling the ice. With $2,200 in

costs to reinstall the ice and approximate costs of $1,000 per day, he said he had interest from enough user groups already to turn a small profit, though there could be an opportunity to attract even more usage once the ice returned. Several councillors, however, were unsure of Skinner’s math, but said that wasn’t necessarily the

issue. Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said municipalities run their community centres knowing they won’t make money, but treat them more like a community service for residents than a vehicle to make money. MacLellan said that once Skinner expressed interest in speaking to Continued on page 12

Auburn team raises thousands for CNOY By Denny Scott The Citizen As of Monday, the local chapter of the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser, an initiative to raise funds to help those facing homelessness, hurt or hunger, had raised more than double its $40,000 goal. The fundraiser, which is centred in Goderich and had its inaugural event last year, raised $81,984 this year thanks in no small part to a local

team from Auburn that raised $3,370, making them the seventhranked team out of 42. The team’s captain Beth Blowes reached out to The Citizen to let the community know about the team, the project and the good the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser does. The event, which, due to COVID19, started on Feb. 20 and runs to Feb. 28, encourages teams to fundraise by walking together which also raises awareness of homelessness issues.

Blowes is a board member for the United Way Perth Huron, which hosted the Goderich event, as well as events in Exeter (in its second year) and St. Marys and North Perth, both in their first year. The United Way also co-hosted the long-running walk in Stratford, which Shelterlink has hosted for more than seven years, Blowes said. One of the most important things about the event is that the funds raised locally support local initiatives, Blowes said.

She said the money raised will help support local projects like the hiring of a housing advocate to support homeless or precariously-housed individuals, the Heart-to-Home Shelter that is hosted by the Lakeshore United Church in Goderich, the Help with Safe Homes for Youth project in Goderich for youth who are unable to live with their parents, the Huron Women’s Shelter, Second-Stage Housing, Continued on page 9


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