The Citizen - July 15, 2022

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• Editorials • Sports • Farms to Tables • Agriculture

The

THIS WEEK

Citizen

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Friday, July 15, 2022

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Volume 38 No. 28

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0

Ballots continue to fill

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Just one shot The Dunganon Pro Rodeo was held over the weekend, with shows on both Saturday and Sunday to thrill the hundreds who made their way to the small community to take in the action. There was plenty to see and do at the annual event, which has only served to grow in

recent years. There was also plenty for the children of the community, including mutton busting and a kids’ calf scramble during halftime of the rodeo show. On Saturday night, there was also a rodeo dance with music that surely kept toes tapping. (John Stephenson photo)

County investigates housing options

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council is moving ahead with two potential options for supportive housing sites, with a final decision to be made at a future meeting.

Huron County Manager of Planning Denise Van Amersfoort presented her report to council at its July 6 meeting, bringing forward four options with very rough approximated costs associated with each option.

Van Amersfoort didn’t ask for council to make a final decision at the July 6 meeting, but asked which options council would consider further. She would then research them thoroughly and present a comprehensive report on any of those preferred options at a future meeting. (A special meeting of council has been scheduled for Wednesday, July 27 for this issue, so as to not get too close to a potential lame duck scenario due to

the municipal election and associated spending and decisionmaking limitations.)

Council has asked for more information on a 39-unit apartment building on Gibbons Street in Goderich, which would include 10 supportive units, and a 10-unit supportive housing facility at a location that has yet to be determined. Approximate costs (Van Amersfoort said there is a “significant amount of contingency” built into the estimated costs before more research can be conducted) for those two options would be $20.4 million and $5.2 million, respectively. Both would include additional operating costs for supportive service delivery.

The two options council turned away are a 20-unit apartment building on Sanders Street East in Exeter and a 39-unit apartment building on Gibbons Street that would be identical to the first option, but without any supportive

housing units. The costs associated with those two options would be $10.1 million and $20.4 million, respectively.

“Capital funding for proposed housing builds will be provided from county reserves and debenture financing through Infrastructure Ontario. Staff would propose debenture financing over a 20-30year period. The interest and principal payments on the debentures and the annual operating costs will be added to the county’s budget,” Van Amersfoort said in her report.

Van Amersfoort also noted that she and Director of Social and Property Services Barbara Hall presented the options in the order of their recommendation, so the first two options were the pair’s preferred solutions.

The first option, with an identified site, would involve acquiring property from the Town of Goderich by way of a land transfer, Van Amersfoort said.

“A 39-unit apartment containing 10 supportive units is proposed for the former Victoria Public School property in Goderich (located on Gibbons Street). The Town of Goderich owns the subject property; county staff have, as directed by county council, had discussions with the Town of Goderich administration and they are supportive of the site being proposed,” Van Amersfoort said in her report. “The units would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units and would comprise a blend of socio-economic households, including individuals from the county’s by-name list, rent-gearedto-income [and] affordable units.

Tenants of the supportive units would be provided with ‘wraparound supports’ to help ensure successful tenancy.”

For this option, she added, the county would be able to apply to Ontario Health for clinician support once council made a Continued on page 2

This October’s municipal election is continuing to take shape, with candidates filing to represent their communities for the next four-year term.

The nomination period opened in May and will close on Friday, Aug. 19 ahead of the Monday, Oct. 24 municipal election.

In Huron East, incumbent Mayor Bernie MacLellan has put his name forward to again fill his position, filing his paperwork on June 10. He is not running unopposed, however, as newcomer Nancy Craig filed to be Huron East’s next mayor on June 1.

Incumbent Tuckersmith Ward Councillor Ray Chartrand filed on July 11 to return to his position.

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn made good on his June 20 promise to run again for the municipality’s top spot, filing his paperwork on June 28.

Long-time Central Huron East Ward Councillor Marg Anderson has put her name forward to be the municipality’s next deputy-mayor.

Jared Petteplace is also running for deputy-mayor.

He ran unsuccessfully for the position in 2018.

Incumbent West Ward Councillor Michael Russo and East Ward Councillor Danny Colquhoun have both filed paperwork to return to their positions again this fall.

In North Huron, only incumbent East Wawanosh Councillor Anita van Hittersum has filed. She is seeking the same position.

Ray Berg has put his name forward to be a school board trustee for the Avon Maitland District School Board for the region serving North Huron.

In the Township of AshfieldColborne-Wawanosh, Mayor Glen McNeil is hoping to return to the position for a second term. DeputyMayor Roger Watt has also filed to return to his position, as have Councillors Jennifer Miltenburg and Anita Snobelen.

In Morris-Turnberry, incumbent Mayor Jamie Heffer put his name forward to return to his position, filing his paperwork on July 5.

Current Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn has filed to be a councillor once again (in Morris-Turnberry, the deputy-mayor is awarded from within council to the councillor who receives the most votes in the municipal election). Incumbent Councillor Kevin Freiburger has also filed in hopes of returning to his position.

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

HE to hire new economic development officer

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Council is moving forward with the process to hire a new economic development officer, now that the municipality’s economic development strategic plan is complete.

Nancy Johnston of McSweeney and Associates, the firm hired to create the Huron East Economic Development Strategic Plan, spoke to council at its July 5 meeting, which was held virtually via Zoom.

She told councillors that the firm gathered input over the course of five months to draft the plan.

Johnston says the plan sets the course for the municipality for the next five years. It focuses on three goals: Better understanding what economic development entails and collectively work towards Huron East being investment-ready; Effectively building positive relationships through productive communication and engaged collaboration with the business community and various levels of

government and building a Huron East business retention program that supports local business.

In order to achieve the first goal, to better understand what economic development entails and collectively work towards Huron East being investment-ready, Johnston laid out three strategic actions.

First, she said, the municipality needs to hire an economic development professional, replacing the late Jan Hawley, who passed away in early 2021. She then recommended investment readiness coaching and training, as well as an investment readiness action plan, which includes a community profile, inventories, an updated website, a community improvement plan, target sector analysis, business mix analysis and competitive land analysis.

For the second goal, to effectively build positive relationships through productive communication and engaged collaboration with the business community and various levels of government, Johnston

County to review housing options

Continued from page 1 a commitment to a physical build.

If the funding were to be approved, Van Amersfoort said in her report, it would be permanent.

The solution would require a land transfer from the Town of Goderich and planning approvals, Van Amersfoort said, and cost approximately $20.4 million, plus operating costs for supportive service delivery.

The second option would cost an estimated $5.2 million, plus operating costs for supportive service delivery, and there is no proposed location for the site at this time.

“This proposed facility would be for individuals identified on the county’s by-name list and include offices for agencies and medical appointments, as well as communal spaces for gatherings. Tenants would have independent living units (i.e. individual kitchens and washrooms, etc.) and be provided with ‘wrap-around supports’ to ensure successful tenancy,” Van Amersfoort said in her report.

“This option fits a dispersed supportive housing model (i.e. having several, smaller facilities located throughout the county, rather than one large facility). A supportive housing build meets multiple priorities of county council by providing stable, yearround supports to homeless members of our community and shifting away from the temporary shelter model over time.”

The second option would also put the county in a position to apply to Ontario Health for clinician support which, if approved, would become permanent.

Goderich Mayor John Grace said he would like to see the first option go ahead, adding that supportive housing in Goderich would be a crucial step in helping to address the issue of homelessness in his community.

Central Huron Deputy-Mayor Dave Jewitt said he wouldn’t favour any option that eschewed any of the supportive services, adding that there is a mental health

aspect to the situation that would be left behind if the supportive services were cut out of the proposal.

Council authorized Van Amersfoort and her team to bring back more information on the first two options, to be presented for a decision at council’s special meeting, scheduled for July 27.

recommended six strategic actions.

First, Johnston recommended creating a database of businesses, followed by building relationships to support business, communicating the status of the strategic plan, establishing a program that brings business together, developing a program to welcome new business and marketing the strengths of Huron East.

The third goal, to build a Huron East business retention program that supports local business, also came with a number of recommended strategic actions.

First, Johnston recommended understanding the business community through a Business Visitation Program. She then suggested communicating business successes, working with local business organizations for a Shop Local campaign, establishing a current business directory on the municipality’s website, council considering a vacant building bylaw and working with Huron County towards succession planning.

She also recommended directing local businesses to digital support programs, advocating for local businesses by providing information for grant opportunities, seeking opportunities to increase the local labour force, increasing tourism, strengthening the agricultural sector and strengthening downtown commercial cores.

Johnston also had a number of associated recommendations connected to strengthening the municipality’s downtown cores, including the development of a Business Improvement Area (BIA) in Brussels, supporting the existing community improvement plan in

Brussels and working with building owners in Brussels to convert ground floor residential to commercial. In Seaforth, she recommended continuing to support the Seaforth BIA, reviewing existing bylaws and updating the Heritage Conservation District, which hasn’t been updated since 2009.

Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts said the plan included a lot of information and direction for the municipality over the next five years, but that one decision that should be made soon would be allowing him to hire a new economic development officer.

He said there is a lot of work for the new professional to do, much of it connected to “boots on the ground” connection with local businesses, making visits, coldcalling and letting the municipality’s businesses know that there is someone at the municipality looking out for them and there if they need anything.

Building those relationships, he said, will take some time, but it’s an absolutely crucial element of the success of the position.

Deputy-Mayor Bob Fisher felt

otherwise, saying that he didn’t think the municipality had enough work to keep an economic development officer busy on a fulltime basis. He suggested either sharing a professional with a neighbouring municipality or assigning the person hired to work on the recreation side for Huron East for half the time.

Fisher didn’t find much support for his idea; however, with Councillor Zoellyn Onn saying finding someone to take a part-time job in this climate would be difficult. Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he felt there is enough economic development work in Huron East to warrant more than one full-time employee, but that the municipality could only afford to hire one.

Council voted to authorize the hiring of a new economic development officer for Huron East, also directing McRoberts to establish a list of immediate action items (or deliverables) to be accomplished within the successful hire’s first six months of employment, similar to what was done when McRoberts himself was hired.

In Memoriam Share your memories with a favourite verse and photo

The Citizen Call or email us today

519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

37th Annual Citizen of the Year Award Nominations Open Pictured from left, Zoey Onn being presented her 2021 Citizen of the Year award by North Huron Publishing 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

q

Huron County**

** New this year! Due to requests from the wider community we have added a category for Citizen of the Year Huron County to recognize outstanding citizens from beyond Blyth & Brussels.

I feel she/he deserves this award because ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nomination Deadline September 30, 2022.

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

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 3.

Morris-Turnberry to keep status quo for meetings

By Denny Scott The Citizen Despite some interest in virtual meetings to enable more accessible staff participation, MorrisTurnberry Council voted to retain its current meeting structure and to allow the next session of council to decide on any needed changes.

During council’s July 5 meeting, Chief Administrative Officer Trevor Hallam presented a report regarding changing council meeting practices, noting that most other councils met earlier than 7:30 p.m., when Morris-Turnberry meets.

“I'm gauging whether council is interested in making changes to its meetings,” Hallam said, adding the biggest drive behind any change would be having staff available to attend meetings.

Hallam said he doesn’t always have the depth of knowledge to provide answers to council on behalf of senior staff, which leads to questions being answered at council’s next meeting, usually two weeks away, in a separate report that needs to be prepared by staff.

“The alternative is having staff attend every meeting, but there is a cost to the municipality for that,” he said.

Hallam provided a number of options for council, including having one of its bi-monthly meetings at its regular time of 7:30 p.m. and the other during the work day, the latter of which would be attended by senior staff.

Hallam said he was aware that council availability is a big concern as some are working full-time jobs and having daytime council meetings could prove to be a problem.

He also said that online meetings are possible under the current provincial guidelines and can be called whenever necessary, including meetings held during inclement weather events in the winter and when council expects more people to attend than can fit in council chambers.

Hallam said there are barriers to using Zoom technology for meetings, but both council and the public have managed well and attended meetings in higher numbers when contentious issues are being discussed.

“We’ve had very good turnout for online meetings,” he said. “We [have even had] multiple people from one family attend instead of just sending one.”

He said that members of the local anabaptist communities have even participated through calling in to the Zoom meetings.

Most other local councils have earlier meetings, Hallam said, with 7:30 p.m. being the latest starting time for surrounding councils. He said that meetings can run late into the evening, but he does understand the benefit of starting late to both council and residents.

Councillor Jamie McCallum immediately proposed a motion to make no change to the meetings,

saying this isn’t the first time council has discussed it and he feels that the meeting allows council members and the general public a chance to attend and not interfere with day jobs. Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn seconded the motion “for discussion purposes”.

Councillor Jim Nelemans said that council members aren’t given special consideration from their jobs to perform their duties as councillors, so some people may end up having to take off 12 days of work throughout the year just to attend daytime council meetings.

He did say, however, that with Zoom meetings, council members and the public could attend daytime meetings with only a minimal interruption to their days. He was also in favour of Zoom meetings at night, especially when the meeting is forecasted to be short.

Nelemans also asked if staff couldn’t participate through Zoom in a hybrid model to answer questions, which was an option as well.

Zinn said the issue needs to be discussed, but the new council being elected later this year would need to look at it.

Mayor Jamie Heffer said, if meetings were pushed much earlier than 7:30 p.m. he would likely be late, but was also in favour of holding one virtual meeting per month, with the option to change either meeting to the other format if necessary. Later in the discussion, he said that there was a “stiff

learning curve” due to COVID-19, but Zoom technology proved to be a valuable asset once learned.

Councillor Kevin Freiburger felt that every council member needed to be ready to sacrifice for daytime meetings if that was necessary, saying that’s the “‘service’ part of ‘public service’.”

“You may have to give up some of your more valuable daytime,” he said. “I’ve talked to Councillor [Jennifer] Miltenburg in AshfieldColborne-Wawanosh (ACW) and she enjoys the daytime meetings [that council holds]. Everyone is fresh and ready for the meeting.”

Heffer would later address that as well, saying that both Howick Reeve Doug Harding and ACW Mayor Glen McNeil made the change to daytime meetings because their councils could make that work. He said both had spoken favourably about having meetings when staff members are on-site and available, but went on to say that

this should be a decision for the new council.

Freiburger was in favour of digital meetings as well, saying he felt there was greater attendance with virtual meetings than there were for in-person meetings.

McCallum inverted Freiburger’s reasoning, saying that any staff member who signs on with MorrisTurnberry does so knowing they may need to work beyond the scope of their regular office hours.

“That’s just part of the job description,” he said.

Nelemans said it would be best to leave it up to the new council, as he wouldn’t want to limit who would run for council.

Council voted for the first option presented, which was no immediate changes to the council meeting schedule, with Freiburger asking the report be brought back to the new council and Heffer saying he was open to one virtual meeting per month “any time”.

We find that they are empty bubbles!

(J.C. Ryle) “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world!” 1 John 2:15-16 The possession of the whole world, and all that it contains — will never make a person happy. Its pleasures are false and deceptive! Its riches, rank, and honours, have no power to satisfy the heart! So long as we have not got them — they glitter, sparkle, and seem desirable. The moment we have them — we find that they are empty bubbles, and cannot make us feel content.

And, worst of all, when we possess this world’s good things to the utmost bound of our desire — we cannot keep them! Death comes in and separates us from all our property forever! Naked we came upon earth, and naked we go forth — and of all our possessions, we can carry nothing with us.

Such is the world, which occupies the whole attention of thousands!

Such is the world, for the sake of which millions are every year destroying their souls!

“This world is fading away, along with everything that people crave!” 1 John 2:17 A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-492-1359

Your Local News Just the way you like it!

Hold on!

The annual Dungannon Pro Rodeo was held over the weekend and delivered on exciting action for competitors of all ages. (John Stephenson photo)

Hospice Butterfly Release set The sixth annual Huron Hospice Butterfly Release is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 28. The butterfly is a universal symbol of transformation and the release is a muchanticipated event by families and children across Huron County. It is a beautiful way to honour and remember the losses in our community and recognize the important work being done at the Hospice. It is also an important annual fundraiser for Huron Hospice.

“For the first time in a few years we will be able to have the butterfly release as a live, in-person event. It is remarkable to watch butterflies spread their wings and migrate south with other butterflies. The butterfly release will take place in the garden behind the Huron Hospice Bender House,” said Willy Van Klooster, Executive Director of Huron Hospice. Van Klooster went

on to say, “we will hold the release at Huron Hospice Bender House so families and their loved ones can join in the event.”

Families are encouraged to remember a loved one or a family friend by releasing a butterfly in a special place. It could be on the Lake Huron shoreline or in a favourite park or garden. Choose a special day and you will feel closer to your loved one. Children will gain an appreciation for the meaning of transformation and the life cycle of migrating butterflies.

In a way, it is representative of how Huron Hospice brings together members of our community who are going through similar experiences and have the same passion to support our cause.

Butterflies are important pollinators for our flower gardens and fields. Gardeners, farmers,

winemakers and brewers all rely on pollinators. The International Butterfly Breeders Association (IBBA) has done thorough research on butterfly releases and demonstrates that these events are safe. Butterflies that are released, retain their instinct to migrate.

When they join the annual migration they can find the food and shelter they need as they have for hundreds of years.

In addition, butterfly releases decrease the need for the use of insecticides and increase opportunities to educate schools and other organizations.

Butterflies can be purchased for $40 each. They are available on eventbrite.ca or by e-mail at chris.walker@huronhospice.ca.

The deadline for orders is Aug. 5.

Visit the Huron Hospice website at www.huronhospice.ca for purchasing and pick-up times.

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PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Editorials & Opinions

Founding Publisher: Keith Roulston Publisher & President: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld

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Back in time While it may not go down in the annals of history like the infamous blackout of 2003, last week’s Rogers system failure did serve to remind everyone how reliant we have become on our ever-present smartphones.

The outage is being attributed to a maintenance update gone awry, which is far more plausible than the Russian cyberattack that the conspiracy-theorist Reddit threads immediately blamed. We’ve all been there when a Microsoft update knocks out another component or Apple releases a new operating system that relegates our software to the realm of obsolete programs. Hopefully a good debriefing with Rogers and the CRTC will get to the root of the problem and figure out how to prevent that type of error from taking down the entire system again.

This major outage affected cell calls, text, data transfers and Interac debit and e-transfers, as well as Rogers internet customers. Many no longer have a landline in their homes and were left even without access to 911, creating life-threatening circumstances for some. For most of us, it meant a quiet(er) day of figuring out how to find our way around without a personal GPS in our pocket, how to reach friends and family without an instant message device and how to pay for our coffee without flicking a square of plastic. Many of us needed a reminder that a simple paper map in the glove box and a little bit of cash in our wallets is a simple way to be prepared for the inevitable blip in technology. Who needs a DeLorean to travel back to good old 1985? – DS

Asked and answered In a world in which it’s common for voter turnout to hover around the 50 per cent mark, it’s hard to point fingers at the survey responses of the few making decisions for the many, but, as several Huron East councillors have pointed out, the municipality has a turnout problem.

Most recently, just 35 people (in a municipality with a 2016 population of over 9,100 people) answered a survey asking how many councillors should govern them and whether to keep the preamalgamation wards. Before that, just 165 people weighed in on waste management in the municipality; much better than 35, but still under two per cent of the population. During discussions on both issues, councillors pointed to the lack of responses, saying it was hardly fair to use data from such a small sample size with any type of authority.

Council’s waste management decision fell in line with responses from the public, but the committee charged with examining the composition and compensation of council didn’t even follow the will of the few who took the time to answer the survey. True, eighteen people said the current council size is too big, but 17 said it wasn’t (a truly slim majority). Furthermore, 24 people (more than two-thirds of respondents) wanted to retain the ward system and the committee recommended restructuring, leading to full ward system elimination.

If Huron East Asks Residents (the online municipal public engagement forum) is going to be held up as a useful tool in the decision-making process, more voices need to be heard. And while council will always have the final say, if the forum is to be met with public confidence, a consensus can’t be eschewed so easily. – SL

Two strikes and you’re out Depending on who you ask, after he was removed from the Conservative Party’s federal leadership race, Patrick Brown is either Ontario Conservatives’ whipping boy or a glutton for punishment.

Brown was removed from the race just two months prior to the vote in a way that is eerily reminiscent of his last scandal, which saw him bow out as the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader just months before the election, paving the way for future Premier Doug Ford.

While leading the provincial Conservatives in 2018, Brown found himself on the wrong end of allegations of sexual misconduct, which were eventually withdrawn. He then decided to run for leadership of the federal party (with a mayoral stint in Brampton in between) and has now had those aspirations demolished by a whistleblower who may be a supporter of his main opponent in the race, Pierre Poilievre.

The problem with the situation is that everything has been handled behind closed doors, with no information from the party and only speculation and claims as to what led to the dismissal (improper handling of finances within his campaign). Because of that, it seems as though the party has removed Brown from contention without the transparency needed to prove he’s guilty, instead of guilty until proven innocent.

Whether or not Brown has infringed upon the rules, the way this was handled seems to clear the way for Poilievre in what could have been a very tight race and will undoubtedly cast a pall over the leadership race, regardless of the outcome. Just as we’ll never know whether Brown could have been an effective leader for the province, we now may never know whether he could lead the federal Conservative Party, and maybe even the country, based on the word of one whistleblower and the party’s (thus far evidenceless) claims that Brown made a mistake. – JDS

Looking Back Through the Years July 16, 1975 East Wawanosh taxpayers were hit with a 12-mill tax rate increase when East Wawanosh Township Council accepted its 1975 budget on July 3. Township officials chalked much of the increase up to increases at the Huron County and Board of Education levels.

Blyth Standard Editor Keith Roulston, also a co-founder of the Blyth Festival, said there was much optimism in the air following the premiere of Mostly in Clover, the first production of the new Blyth Summer Festival.

“The luncheon was provided by Village Council for those who had taken part in the opening of the Festival and the re-opening and rededication of Memorial Hall. But somehow by that time of night the talk was all about Mostly in Clover.

Members of the cast, though tired, were floating on a cloud because of the tremendous reception of the show by the near-capacity audience. They’d received a standing ovation, something that every actor dreams about on opening night,” Roulston wrote.

“Those in the audience had a tremendous feeling too. There is a magic in being involved in an exciting theatre presentation, particularly being there for the very first presentation of the play. This time there was for the very elation of the feeling of being involved at the very beginning of something that is going to last a long time and grow and grow: the Blyth Summer Festival.”

July 16, 1997 Social assistance cases in Huron County were at a five-year low, according to John MacKinnon, the county’s Administrator of Social Services.

He said they were down 10 per cent from May to June that year.

Though he couldn’t confidently identify the reasoning behind, wondering if it was an improved economy or the provincial government’s Ontario Works program, he said it was good news.

The Brussels Tigers now sat with a record of 5-6 in the Huron County Fastball League standings after a 15-3 victory over the Brussels Bulldogs and a loss to the Walton Brewers by a score of 8-7.

There’s Nothing in the Paper, a comedy written by David Scott, was set to premiere at the Blyth Festival on July 23.

Scott, the editor of the Huron Expositor in Seaforth, said that, with the “big fish” of the newspaper industry swallowing up smaller publications, it was important for small communities to keep their newspapers as an avenue through which to express and maintain their own unique identities.

July 12, 2012 Huron County Council voted to change its composition, which would take effect after the 2014 municipal election, but the decision of who lower-tier councils send to Huron County Council had already been made for them.

Council opted to retain a portion of a previous bylaw, which was being changed as a result of the new motion, that dictated that a council’s first representative would be its mayor or reeve and if the municipality was large enough to have a second representative, that that person be the deputy-mayor or deputy-reeve.

Londesborough-area teen Lexi Aitken won three gold medals in the under-15 age group at the

Legion Provincial Track and Field Championships. She topped her competitors in the high jump, the 80-metre hurdles race and the 200metre hurdle race, setting a new record in the latter.

Her performance at the meet earned her an invitation to the Legion National Youth Championships, scheduled for August in Prince Edward Island.

The Huron County Fastball League’s defending champion Walton Brewers continued to struggle out of the gate, unable to win their first game of the new season. The Brussels Tigers defeated the Brewers by a score of 11-2, falling victim to a complete game pitched by Ty Sebastian, who recorded a dozen strikeouts.

Steve Campbell of the Auburn Lions Club was presented with the Melvin Jones Fellowship as the club marked its 35th anniversary.

Long-time local Lions Club member Charlie Shaw presented Campbell with his award, the highest honour a Lions Club member can receive.

Frank Valeriote, the federal Liberal Party’s Agriculture, AgriFood and Rural Affairs Critic, was in the riding to meet with the Bruce County Federation of Agriculture and then some party supporters in Blyth for lunch at the Blyth Inn. Huron East Council accepted a tender for the restoration of the municipal office in Seaforth. For just over $530,000, Empire Restoration would be taking care of the slate re-roofing and new windows for the heritage building.

Elva Armstrong celebrated her 90th birthday with friends and family members at the Auburn Hall.

Guests made their way to Auburn from all over Ontario to attend.

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 5.

Other Views

Interruption a chance to clear head

F

or Rogers phone and internet customers, there was a fate worse than death last week: they had to do without connecting when something interrupted their service.

Users accustomed to being in contact with people and companies, next door or on the other side of the world, suddenly found themselves isolated, unable to communicate by their usual means. Worse, some people who had adapted to the pandemic by working from home, found themselves cut off.

Often, they flooded libraries to use their free WiFi – in the case of one Toronto-area library, overloading the system and shutting it down.

For someone my age, it’s hard to comprehend how the world has changed so much in a little over 10 years since Apple’s first iPhone and competitors from other companies were introduced. The world of the Blackberry, which in itself seemed so revolutionary at the time, has been completely replaced. Every day somebody is inventing a new app (a revolutionary term in itself) to take advantage of the social media created by these hand-held computers.

And yet at the same time, the freedom that social media has introduced is also part of the greatest challenge facing western democracies today. The internet has the potential to provide so much information, so many different opinions, that it can be hard to determine what the truth is anymore.

For instance, recently CNN carried coverage by a reporter who questioned people who were attending a rally by Donald Trump, the former President of the United States who claims he would still have that office if he hadn’t been cheated. Trump inspired the riot that attacked the U.S. on Jan. 6, 2021, with his supporters smashing their way into The Capitol

Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk through windows, injuring dozens of police trying the protect the legislature and legislators hiding inside for safety and shouting to hang Vice-President Mike Pence unless he changed the rules of the vote to confirm the winner of the 2020 presidential election to Trump.

All this had been widely covered in the media, yet some of the people the CNN reporter spoke to before they went into the Trump rally, didn’t even know the significance of the Jan. 6 date and were undeterred from going to hear Trump even when the reporter made them aware of what had taken place.

Others, when he showed them what had actually taken place, were shaken and questioning – yet even they still went inside to hear Trump, who no doubt reaffirmed that he had been cheated.

In the days before the internet, we depended on a relative handful of news sources, usually people like me who had studied in journalism programs which taught the importance of passing on as many viewpoints as possible on any subject, even if you didn’t agree with them.

That philosophy holds true today in networks like CBC, CTV, BBC and NBC as well as top newspapers. During the occupation of Parliament Hill, major networks interviewed leaders of the convoy as well as representatives of various governments and local business

people affected by the protests to help viewers understand all aspects of what was going on.

Some protesters harassed these mainstream reporters because they weren’t reporting the news the protesters supported.

What truth is has troubled people for centuries. Jesus, speaking to other Jews in John 8:32, is reported to have said “The truth will make you free.” Of course, even among Christians, let alone people of other religions, what is truth and what is freedom is a matter to debate.

Religion is a big part of the divide over the internet. Many of those who support what I’d call a twisted version of reality in right-wing media come from religious organizations – organizations that also back the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on abortion and ownership of guns.

Of course religion has always been a dividing point and cause of war in the world.

Afghanistan, for instance, has become a battleground as two different views of the Muslim religion fought for supremacy. The Middle East has been a constant source of tension between Jews, Muslims and Christians, particularly in Israel.

I’m sure supporters of all these competing viewpoints have sought to make use of the internet to promote their views. As we’ve seen with the Trump supporters, the diversity of the internet makes it possible to live in a bubble that’s completely divorced from others in the world who get their information from different sources.

Those who were cut off from their phone and internet by last week’s Rogers failure were perhaps given a holiday. Maybe a few of them will join those who have turned off their internet to gain a clearer vision of the world.

The right way and the wrong way

W

e all realized last week exactly how important the internet is to our lives when many of our cell phones and debit cards just stopped working.

We didn’t realize how much we relied on Rogers until their services shut down. Not realizing what you’ve got until it’s too late is a timeless lesson, and one that is even immortalized in a fairly catchy way in a prominent song, ‘Big Yellow Taxi’, which you can enjoy in its original 1970 recording by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell or in 2003’s Counting Crows version featuring Vanessa Carlton or Bob Dylan’s critical flop cover of the tune (or a huge number of other covers).

Like most cliches, the idea of not missing something until it’s gone is pretty universal (which is why it became a cliche). It can be small things like losing your favourite pen or big things like losing your access to clean drinking water, which is what two planners were trying to prevent during MorrisTurnberry Council’s July 5 meeting. However, some people felt they knew better.

My wife likes to call me a know-it-all and, I’ll admit, I’m a big fan of gathering all sorts of knowledge, from the useful to the absolutely ridiculous. Like, for example, did you know that if you spelled out all the numbers from one to 999, there isn’t a single letter ‘A’ used? Pretty useless, but that’s something that sticks with me.

I’m not a know-it-all though - I am a guy who has penned hundreds of thousands of words about everything from amendments to zoning bylaws, from agriculture to zoology and from archery to ziplining. When your job has you looking into different things every week, you tend to accumulate a broad base of knowledge.

Despite that broad base of knowledge, I always try to defer to the experts. That’s not to

Denny Scott Denny’s Den say I always take their recommendations, but I at least give them the respect due for being where they are in their fields. That’s an important lesson: experts need to be respected. You can disagree with them, but you have to do it in a respectful manner. It’s a lesson that some folks at that recent MorrisTurnberry Council meeting should take to heart.

Water safety is taken for granted until it’s gone and Huron County Manager of Planning Denise van Amersfoort and Planner Meghan Tydd-Hrynyk recommended that Morris-Turnberry Council not support a proposed development that relies on tertiary septic technology to allow for higher density development, which is against, according to them, the Provincial Policy Statement and both Huron County’s and Morris-Turnberry’s official plan documents.

Let’s get this out of the way first: I’m not casting my lot here. I don’t know anything about these tertiary septic systems beyond what was explained by the experts at the meeting, so I’m not weighing in one way or another. I’m also not against the development. I’m happy to see two residential lots being merged to accommodate five units if it can be done safely. That’s a great change to see.

What I am against is everyone thinking they know better. From council members to people in the gallery, everyone thought their “common sense” or “research” trumped the

opinion (and experience and education and research) of the planners.

And, for the record (since my wife says I can be a bit dramatic), I’m not being dramatic here.

People in the gallery literally called the report ridiculous and said it wasn’t following common sense, while councillors said they had “researched” the proposed systems and found them to be the greatest thing since sliced bread (alright, I’m seeing that dramatic flair now).

The planners are just trying to protect the aquifers of the area, which, according to them, are accessed by a number of shallow wells and could be a vulnerable water source, so the planning department did not support a recommendation of approval.

It all made sense, the way the experts laid it out. They didn’t say the systems wouldn’t work, they just said that, if those tertiary systems stopped working at optimal capacity, the local aquifer could be contaminated and there is no easy way to fix that problem, which could leave numerous families having to take extreme measures to secure safe water.

The members of the gallery, and a council member or two, felt that was a risk worth taking, and that’s fine. Just do it without judging the experts trying to protect your water. If you want council to take the risk of having people ill or worse from contaminated water to add a few more residential units to your block, just say that.

Like I said - I’m not casting a vote here, just urging people to be a bit more respectful with experts who are only doing their job and, beyond that, trying to protect the communities they are charged with protecting.

However, one would think that people in Belmore, which is less than 20 minutes from Walkerton as the crow flies, would have a little more patience for people trying to protect water sources.

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

Outside the [office]

T

he future of work and what our world will look like 10, 25 and 50 years from now has always been a topic of chatter.

Which jobs will survive, which ones will not and which ones will change have been hot topics for centuries as innovation has driven efficiency, erasing jobs and creating others.

The conversations happening now about the future of work are largely centred around automation, which is nothing new. What I’m thinking of in regards to the future of work, however, is the culture of the office.

This has been another talking point after two years of many businesses shifting to a workfrom-home model. Some people have seen an increase in productivity and employee quality of life as a result, while others, like real-life James Bond movie villain Elon Musk, have criticized the work-from-home model.

However, one of the rainbows resulting from the rain of the COVID-19 pandemic has been many seeing the benefits of working from home. It may not be for everyone, but for some, it’s a good fit. This got me thinking back to an editorial topic Publisher Deb Sholdice pitched about the four-day work week.

A pilot program, led by 4 Day Work Week Global, kicked off in the U.S. and Canada on April 1 (perhaps allowing dinosaurs like Musk to question if it was an April Fool’s Joke) with almost 40 companies taking part. (A planned trial in the U.K. was set to begin on June 1, involving more than 50 companies.) Rather than cramming 40 hours (traditionally worked over five days in eight-hour intervals) into four days, the project asked employees to work 80 per cent of their traditional hours and maintain 100 per cent productivity for 100 per cent of their pay. This would encourage people to increase their efficiency and focus wholly on their tasks, eliminating unnecessary meetings and other traditional office dilly-dallying.

I don’t know if that approach is right or wrong, but it’s certainly interesting. We’ve all had days when we’ve dragged ourselves to the office - mostly before the pandemic - not quite sick enough for a sick day (if you’re lucky enough to even have paid sick days) but not quite healthy enough to give 100 per cent.

Then there are other days in which you’re mentally distracted, perhaps due to things at home, or just otherwise not at your best.

For me, despite being in a deadline-driven environment, these days happen. I’ll look at this very column space and on some days I’ll fire out 600 words in a half-hour, while on others, I’ll stare at a blinking cursor for a halfday with no idea what to write. There are more of the former than the latter, at least for me, but in a creative field, those days happen.

I got thinking about this while listening to a podcast recently. The hosts told a story about the actor James Caan, who passed away last week, on the set of Misery, the film based on a Stephen King novel that won Kathy Bates an Oscar. Director Rob Reiner told Caan he’d have to reshoot some scenes from the previous day, citing a problem at the film lab. Caan later learned that it was a night of his drinking, subsequent hangover and resulting poor performance that led to the reshoots. He felt so bad about the lost day that he offered to pay for that day of production out of his salary.

Being in the office doesn’t necessarily equate giving 100 per cent 100 per cent of the time. Employers are slowly learning that and whether it’s a four-day work week or other ways to ensure employees can live full, happy lives while maintaining a successful career, for every step in the right direction, the better off the world (full of happy people) will be.

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Village preparing for homecoming events A NOTE FROM BETTY

By Betty Graber Watson Call 887-9231

Stung The Belmore Stingers were on their game last week when they visited the Walton Brewers’ home field. The Stingers handed the Brewers a 13-3 loss over five innings. (John Stephenson photo)

At the Branch

Lewington finds Legion’s ace

By Jo-Ann McDonald The week at the Brussels Legion Branch began with the general meeting on Tuesday evening. There was plenty of business to discuss, including the upcoming homecoming fish fry. Tickets are now available and you can purchase them at the Branch, from Jo-Ann’s or you can e-mail the Branch at legion218@ezlink.ca It was decorating time at the Branch to get ready for homecoming on Friday. Deb Ross and Sandra Brown have the Branch looking very festive for the celebration.

Friday night pub grub was chicken burgers and this week is wing night.

The Catch the Ace draw was held with Deb Ross, Nanci Ducharme and Kathy Burkholder in charge.

The lucky weekly winner was Annette Lewington and she won $202. She chose envelope number 19 and the ace of spades was found.

Annette is the lucky winner of this ace draw, winning $4,911 for a total of $5,113. Congratulations Annette.

We hope to see Annette soon to present her winning cheque to her.

Sunday the Branch was the venue

for the celebration of life for the late Lin Steffler. A nice crowd of approximately 125 people dropped by to visit with Joe and John and family and to share stories and reminisce about time shared with Lin. It was a lovely afternoon for all. Branch helpers included Judy Lee, Linda Bird and granddaughter Tamara, Lisa Glanville, Jayne Ross, Nicole Lowe and Jo-Ann McDonald in the morning. They were replaced with the afternoon crew of Marni Knight, Kathy Burkholder and Judy and Jo-Ann stayed on. Sandra Brown was the bartender.

Ah, summer. People are out and about, visitors aren’t in a hurry, we have summer food, beach time; the list of possible activities is endless.

Summer can be a social time with weather that encourages outside happenings. Travel is easy, no white-outs, and free time for some is more plentiful. So I hope your summer days are fun-filled.

This house is much quieter now.

The Graber boys have returned home after some good times together. The last time we were all together under one roof was in 2018. When family members live a distance apart, together time is precious. With Edmonton, Barrie, Brussels and Listowel in the mix, a little co-ordination was required.

Plans worked out, holidays and days off fixed and Canada Day was celebrated here. It did my heart good to see everyone playing nice.

Ralph and I just watched in wonder as games were played, water guns appeared, memories surfaced, pictures taken and laughter filled the air. Showing city kids how to dig worms, catch a firefly and roast a marshmallow made me think once again how good life is. A sleepover with 16 worked out well, much better than I anticipated.

Beach time at two different Huron beaches reminded us how fortunate we are to have access to the Great Lakes. A farm visit to Uncle Mike and Aunt Val had the wee boys talking about the zoo; they saw pigs, chickens, ducks, a goat, a pig and llamas, more than enough for them to see at a zoo.

Visits with friends brought things

full circle as memories were brought forth. Over the 10 days, kids came and went, friends came and went and it was a memory-making time.

We had a very good time and will anticipate the next all-together time.

Homecoming is fast approaching and the village is looking good.

Your plans with your people will be getting to the final stages with the schedule of activities a wonder.

One of the many groups working to make this time fun is the Horticultural Society. Plans are in the works for work bees to play in the dirt in the next two weeks. So, give them a hand as the beds and butterfly garden get a tidy up.

Pictures would be appreciated by the school reunion folks, Mary Douma, as well as the United Church, so folks can see faces and things from the past.

The United Church is offering a place to rest. Between all the activities, our doors will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. as a place to stop, visit, refresh and appreciate all our village has to offer, both past and present. It looks like it will be needed with all the good work done already.

Bye now, Betty G.W.

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

Brussels Legion 218 Catch the Ace Weekly Winner Winning Ticket: Annette Lewington $202 Envelope #19 found the ACE OF SPADES winning $4,911 for a total of $5,113 ~ Congratulations

Brussels Legion 218 Homecoming Fish Fry dinner with all the fixin’s Drive thru (enter from rear of Branch) or take­out (patio and upper and lower levels of Legion available for dining)

Saturday, July 30th Available from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. ~ $20.00/plate Purchase your tickets at the Branch, from Jo­Ann’s or email the branch at legion218@ezlink.ca and e­transfer your payment.

Tickets will be held in your name. Get your tickets today!

Thank You!

In bloom Loretta Dolmage recently captured this flora photo and decided to share it with The Citizen. You can do the same by sending your photos to reporter@northhuron.on.ca (Photo submitted)

to everyone who attended our annual Firefighters' Breakfast on Father's Day and for the generous donations received.

Special Thank You to the Brussels Foodland for the barbeque fundraiser for our department as well.

Your continuing support is greatly appreciated.

Brussels Firefighters

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 7.

New event guide proposed for NH

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Story time The TD Summer Reading Club, hosted through the Huron County Library, has groups of youth across the county visiting their local libraries for story time and special activities.

The program is being run by Olivia Rose, shown above reading at the Blyth branch of the Huron County Library, and Gwyneth Pella, not shown. The program is completely full at the Blyth Library branch according to staff. (Denny Scott photo)

Locals celebrating special events From Marilyn’s Desk

By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318

Happy birthday to Joan Chalmers, who will celebrate on July 15; Orrey Bromley, Belgrave,

July 17; Anne Nesbit and Barb Musty, Listowel, July 18; Kim (Craig) Hornyak, London, July 19 and Emily Josling, July 20. Happy birthday everyone, enjoy your day.

Happy anniversary to Mike and Christa Haggitt, who will celebrate on July 16 and Joye (Craig) and Murray Kane, Fullarton (66th anniversary) July 20.

Blyth United Church has changed the date for its lunch at the parking lot to Thursday, July 21 not Friday.

See you on Thursday, July 21 for lunch.

By the time you get this paper it will be the middle of July. Where is the summer going? We have had good weather for those who have taken holidays these last two weeks. The rain that we received Monday night was much appreciated. The corn crops in this area were in need of rain. When you drive through the country this week take notice of the crops in the fields.

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

Cruising Local photographer Liz Allan, a member of the Maitland Valley Camera Club, caught this photo of a happy pair out for a swim. The Citizen welcomes photo submissions from local photographers of flora, fauna and even people. Submit yours to reporter@northhuron.on.ca. (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

North Huron will be giving groups and individuals wanting to host special events in the community some homework to do going forward to make sure events are run according to code.

North Huron Township Council reviewed the 33-page document that will govern special events held on township property and approved it, then directed staff to prepare a bylaw to officially adopt the manual at its July 18 meeting.

The manual covers aspects of special events from classification through processes to required licences and permits, detailing rules every step of the way.

In a report to council, Community Engagement Coordinator Denise Lockie, who worked on the manual, said that the document will be a benefit to staff and those looking to host events.

“After years of assisting community groups and private organizations in providing annual and unique experiences in North Huron, it became apparent to staff that a consolidated document containing all of the rules and regulations associated with hosting a special event on… municipallyowned property would be beneficial

to event organizers,” Lockie said in her report. “Staff have conducted a considerable amount of research and found a number of municipalities have a Special Event Policy and Procedures Manual for organizers to refer to when planning and organizing an event.

She said the manual would be “an effective communication tool” to outline rules and policies for event organizers, as well as outlining specific licensing, permit and approval processes.

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said the document was excellent and asked how it would be used. Lockie said the manual won’t be handed to organizers for every event, but then said she would be giving copies to organizers she has worked with early enough for them to benefit from it.

She also said that staff tried to make a four- or five-page document, but said she didn’t feel it would cover enough.

“There is a lot of material, and it references additional materials like bylaws,” she said. “This is the minimum and maximum we could come up with.”

Reeve Bernie Bailey said he would be happy to give people “a thicker book ahead of time” so they know what to do when “everything goes wrong.”

Unemployment up In June, the unemployment rate for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula economic region increased by 0.4 percentage points to four per cent, now the second-lowest in Ontario.

The provincial unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points to 5.4 per cent, both unadjusted for seasonality.

Overall net employment in the region increased by 2,700, with full-time gains (+4,000) and parttime losses (-1,200).

The number of goods-producing sector employees increased by net 600. The main driving force came from gains in utilities (+900) and construction (+800). Manufacturing experienced the biggest loss (1,000).

Employment in the servicesproducing sector increased by net 2,100. Wholesale and retail trade and professional, scientific and technical services both experienced gains of 1,200 whereas transportation and warehousing experienced the biggest loss (1,000).

“Positive signs are showing with a decrease of job vacancies and a steady increase of full-time employment.

However, the manufacturing, transportation and warehousing industries continue to struggle to fill positions. The collection and analysis of local data for the Stratford-Bruce Peninsula economic region will be critical to

exposing the unique challenges and opportunities within our local labour market,” says Dana Soucie, Executive Director for the FourCounty Labour Market Planning Board.

Current job postings for the Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth region have increased overtime since the pandemic and can be found at: www.connect2JOBS.ca. This is updated regularly, so visit often and create an account to track the job opportunities.

NEWS FROM BLYTH

PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Volunteers continue with hall improvements PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

Another week of my summer holidays has flown by. It was a nice week for weather and my time was spent doing mail for a couple of days, hair in the mornings and working at the Walton Hall in the

afternoons. The crew was busy doing more painting, working the flower beds, trimming the bushes and trees and going through every cupboard, closet and storage area and throwing out the junk. Saturday came about and with the help of our men, five loads of stuff went to the landfill. Wow, what a difference!

There is still a bit more painting to do, windows to clean and new curtains to put up, but the end is in sight. The Walton Hall will be in ship-shape condition for the summer rentals!

Weather is always a topic around here. They forecasted rain, we don’t get rain or very little rain. Crops

really need more than we have had, but those farmers cutting hay are happy to not have the rain. Can’t keep everyone happy. Wheat is coming along and a fellow we were talking to Saturday night witnessed someone combining wheat in the Wellesley area. It will not be long and our area will be at it too.

Saturday night, we had the chance to purchase tickets and attend the Gord Bamford concert in Owen Sound thanks to Robert’s/McGavin Farm Equipment. The company was celebrating its business relationship with Kubota and the business expansion of the Robert’s

Getting creative The Federated Women’s Institutes of Ontario are hosting a WI Scavenger Hunt (WISH) competition all year to mark the organization’s 125th anniversary. Teams from across the province are all taking part and the winners of the province’s most creative team name came from one of the Walton WI’s teams, known as the W.Eyes, which consists of, from left, Marion Godkin, Helen Craig, Brenda Perrie and Monique Baan. (Courtesy photo)

Huron East fills senior roles The Municipality of Huron East has hired two new employees for the Director of Finance and Manager of the Vanastra Early Childhood Learning Centre positions.

Stacy Grenier will be starting her new role as Director of Finance on July 25. Grenier comes with a strong background in finance and has demonstrated her commitment to new challenges. Grenier says “she is looking forward to the opportunity to work at Huron East and to begin a new stage of her career.”

Candice Seulal will be starting her new role as Manager of the Vanastra Early Childhood Learning Centre on July 20. Seulal comes with over 12 years of experience working in early childhood education. Seulal stated that “she is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the Vanastra Early Childhood Learning Centre staff and families.”

“The Council of Huron East is pleased to have the opportunity to attract the strong talent that these two individuals bring to the table and we look forward to working

with them,” said Mayor Bernie MacLellan.

dealerships. It was a great concert with food, refreshments and great music.

It is grandparenting time for us, with the Jarosz family at our house.

The three kids spent the night with their cousins at the McDonald house on Saturday night and then made their way to our house.

Sunday was a quiet day with biking, outdoor hockey, and watching television with Papa Rick. Monday was lunch at McDonald’s, movie day and going to see a movie at the Listowel theatre. The evening had the boys going to watch cousin Wes play ball and Elaina playing with Nate. We will see what Tuesday will bring.

Congratulations to Cody and Danica Janmaat on the arrival of a big bouncing baby boy! Tucker Ronald arrived last Saturday in the early morning. He will be welcomed home by big sister Mckinley and his grandparents George and Jane Zwep and Ron and Colleen Janmaat. Congratulations to the happy parents!

It was a good thing that the Zwep boys’ annual motorcycle trip was the third week of June so George could be home for the expected arrival of the new grandson. The men went away for their four-day adventure. It was a northern-bound trip with stops in Sudbury, Wawa, Timmins and North Bay. There was lots of beautiful scenery and even a moose sighting. They biked about 2,300 kilometres. The bikers included George, Jerry and Harry Zwep, Albert Roetcisoender and Hank Pardys. Glad to hear everyone had a great trip.

The town is looking better and better as the countdown is on for the 150th celebration of Brussels.

Homes and businesses are being decorated and looking good. It takes a special event sometimes to push us all into doing a little sprucing up.

Our condolences to the Gibson family on the passing of Peter Gibson. He will be missed by his wife and soulmate Kate and his children Pam Egli, Mark and Scott and their families. He was the loving grandfather of five. He will be remembered by his siblings Mary Douma, Don Gibson and Peggy Aitcheson and their families.

He was the son of the late Gerald

NEWS FROM WALTON and Isobel Gibson of Brussels. Pete was a long-time employee of Bell Canada and they lived in Stratford.

Our sympathies to the family.

Brad Knight was excited about the arrival of his daughter Janine to help celebrate his birthday in July.

She was home from Woodstock, New Brunswick over the weekend.

She had a dual purpose as she and her friend attended a wedding as well. It’s always great to have family home for special occasions.

Val Gratto is recovering from a fall and we hope she is soon ready to return home. Happy healing to her.

The celebration of life for Lin Steffler was held on Sunday at the Brussels Legion. Many of her Walton, Seaforth and Brussels friends attended for a lovely afternoon of remembrance.

Happy birthday to Steve Fritz as he reached the milestone of 50. A surprise party with family and friends was held at brother Greg’s and a band played and a great time was had. Happy birthday Steve!

Celebrating birthdays this past week were Jasmin Roth, Russell Pryce, Steve Fritz, Mitchell Ryan, Dona Knight, Pete Martene, Neil Mitchell, Melanie Kirkby, Emma Johnston, Jackson Janmaat, Alicia Dalton, Nicholas Shahshahahani, Ed McClure, Monica Ryan and Tracey McKee. Happy birthday to all.

Summer Sports Pages Coaches and parents We need your team's picture and players' names 1. Please submit team photo A.S.A.P. 2. Please include players' and coaches' names for under photo.

Brussel

sP

re Mite: Back ro w, from left: Co row: Ai aches: de Brooke DeWit. n Albers, Conn lyn Jo Front ro or w: Hayd Kellington, Co hnston, Mat Shor tre t Sh ed. en Bene rn dict, Ad elius Versteeg or treed, Patri cia Beue el Fisc her, Br , Ty Somers, Br rmann. ook Be Middle uerman idget McCall um n, Jesa Fische , Ryker r, Conn or

• Soccer • Baseball • Lacrosse

Please help us get ALL the summer sports teams published.

On the prowl Ange Coneybeare from the Maitland Valley Camera Club was able to snap this stunning picture out in the wild. (Photo courtesy of Ange Coneybeare of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

The Citizen

405 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792

info@northhuron.on.ca for more info

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 9.

Sports Tigers catching up to Hitmen, Brewers hold third

Bringing the heat The Walton Brewers are holding on to third place in the Huron County Fastball League, however, last week they were dealt a convincing loss by the Belmore Stingers. The Stingers scored a 13-3 victory in five innings on July 5 in Walton. The Brewers faced off against Mitchell on Wednesday night, but a score was unavailable as of press time.

Next, Walton takes on Sebringville in Rostock on July 17. (John Stephenson photo) The Brussels Tigers, defending champions in the Huron County Fastball League, are closing the gap on the league-leading Wingham Hitmen thanks to a pair of wins over the last week.

As of Tuesday, the Tigers had a record of seven wins and two losses, putting them behind the Hitmen, who have a record of seven wins and one loss, with both playing on Thursday evening.

The rest of the league, in order of place, include the Belmore Stingers (four wins, one loss), the Milverton AW Millwrights (four wins, two losses), the Fullarton A’s (three wins, five losses), the Mitchell Mets (three wins, three losses), the

Sebringville Sting (two wins, three losses), the Wroxeter Rippers, (one win, four losses), the Monkton Muskrats (one win, six losses) and the Goderich Grizzlies (eight losses).

On Monday, the Tigers visited the Goderich Grizzlies, handing the Grizzlies their eighth-straight loss, though a score was unavailable as of press time. The game was rescheduled from July 10.

On Sunday, July 10, the Brewers downed the Fullarton A’s by a score of 10-2 in five innings. Wingham was set to take on Mitchell that day, however the game was postponed with a make-up date yet to be determined. July 8 saw two games,

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SUDOKU Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles?

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as the Monkton Muskrats posted a 13-4 win over Goderich, while Wingham downed Fullarton 3-2 in Wingham On July 7, Milverton posted a 144 win over Walton. Mitchell was also set to visit Belmore, however that game was postponed.

July 6 saw two games as Brussels downed Mitchell 7-4 in eight innings in Mitchell while Wroxeter fell 5-1 to Wingham in Wingham.

On July 5, Belmore downed Walton 13-3 in five innings.

On Thursday, July 14, the Hitmen were scheduled to face-off against the Milverton AW Millwrights in Wingham, while the Tigers were set to host the Belmore Stingers. The third-place Walton Brewers were also set to play on Thursday in Mitchell against the Mets.

The weekend promises to be an exciting one with six games scheduled between tonight, July 15, and Sunday night.

This evening, Monkton hosts Goderich, starting at 8 p.m., Sebringville hosts Fullarton at 8 p.m. and Wroxeter hosts Mitchell at

8:30 p.m. On Sunday, Walton will visit Rostock to take on Sebringville at 1 p.m. Two hours later, Sebringville will host the Goderich Grizzlies at 3 p.m.

Wroxeter will also host Belmore that day with the game set for 2 p.m.

On Monday, July 18, Monkton will host Milverton. On Tuesday, July 19, Wingham will host Walton at 8 p.m.

For more information, visit huroncountyfastball.com.

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PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Huron Farms To Tables Restaurant’s farm has expanded its potential

Expanding possibilities This year, James Eddington is celebrating 25 years of Eddington’s of Exeter. Seven years ago, the chef and restauranteur bought a farm property near the Lake Huron shores in order to expand what he could offer at the restaurant. Eddington says it was a game-changer as, between his farm and his many local producers, he’s able to provide a unique farm-to-table dining experience in Huron County. (Courtesy photo)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen For The Citizen to publish stories under the “Huron Farms To Tables” banner, the discussion almost has to start with James Eddington, chef and owner of the renowned Eddington’s of Exeter.

The well-known restaurant and tourist destination is marking its 25th anniversary this year, nestled in a designated historical landmark home that was built in the 1870s.

However, it’s Eddington’s commitment to using locallysourced ingredients in the restaurant and the never-ending search for fresher, more local and more interesting elements that has made him the face of farm-to-table dining in Huron County.

In an interview with The Citizen, Eddington says he maintains excellent relationships with dozens of local farmers, producers and processors for many of the ingredients he and the rest of his cooks use in the restaurant.

However, seven years ago he purchased some farmland where he now grows many of his own specialty products, in addition to still working with many of the area’s farmers and producers.

Eddington’s 25 acres of farmland is located on the shores of Lake Huron, where he grows different crops every year. He also has many

raised garden beds, fruit trees and a greenhouse. This year, he said, the farm crop is a little less diverse than it’s been in past years, growing all soybeans, but in his raised beds, he’s growing a lot of unique herbs and edible flowers, hard-to-find ingredients he feels sets his restaurant’s food apart from the rest.

The farming he does on his land, he says, is done in conjunction with (in a way) the producers he works with every season. For example, if he knows one of the local farmers he works with is going to have an abundant broccoli crop, it doesn’t make sense for Eddington to grow his own broccoli that year, instead freeing him up to focus on growing something else for the season.

In an Eat Drink Magazine piece, Eddington said he is able to grow

over 25 varieties of fruits and vegetables on some of the land at the farm. The greenhouse also allows him to stagger seed planting to allow for varied availability.

In that piece, Eddington said he was attracted to the restaurant business as a teenager when he visited a friend who was working as a dishwasher at a local restaurant (Eddington grew up in Thamesford, east of London, before coming to Exeter 25 years ago) and he immediately wanted to get his foot in the door of the industry.

He took on a one-year lease at what was then Robindale’s Restaurant in the year he’d turn 20, not knowing what the next 25 years would hold. He said he was “very green” in those early years as a young man just trying to figure out his own restaurant, but he’s

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continued to evolve and morph over the years into the chef he is today, just as the restaurant has changed and improved every year.

In that first year, he had established chef John Oliver working with him three days a week and that helped him learn a lot that first year, Eddington said.

Seven years ago, when Eddington bought his farm property, he said it was simply an extension of the search for great, fresh, local ingredients. He says he’s blessed to cook in Huron County, singling out the relationships he’s able to have with local producers and farmers and all they bring to the table at his restaurant.

Eddington says he works a lot with Masse Fruit and Vegetables, based in Zurich, which has helped him a lot, but he says he’s among the happiest when he has his hands in the dirt.

The work on the farm was very challenging at the beginning, he said. When he bought the farm, it was overgrown and run down, so he had to put in a few years of hard work to even get it to a point that it could begin to produce anything.

That hard work, however, has paid off and he’s now reaping the benefits with what he can cook with at Eddington’s of Exeter.

One of the more unique ingredients he’s able to source from the farm is the blood peach, which he grows in his orchard. Where it ends up on the menu, however, all depends on the harvest.

For example, one season, the crew ended up with an abundance of blood peaches. So, while they

were able to use the fresh fruit for the first few nights, the rest of the crop was preserved and turned into elements that could be used in many aspects of cooking. Recently, however, it was early for the blood peaches, and just a handful of them were ready for harvest. Eddington used the fruit to make a blood peach smash cocktail, because there wasn’t quite enough to use it on Continued on page 12

Join us for our monthly farm crawl Check out our website or Facebook page for more information

eatlocalhuron.ca info@eatlocalhuron.ca

jtklopp@hay.net The Klopp Family 519-236-9969 37550 Zurich-Hensall Rd., Zurich, ON CHECK WEBSITE: www.cedarvilla.net - TO ORDER Halves, Quarters and Individual Cuts Available

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 11.

Huron Farms To Tables Deliveries connecting customers with producers depending on the time of year, Zoethout said he visits between 28 and 50 homes over a day or two.

“If the travel is too long, I break it up into two days,” he said.

“Tuesdays is the south part of the county and Wednesday is the north part.”

He said he travels over 200 kilometres a day, stretching from Wingham to Amberley Beach to Grand Bend and to Wroxeter, covering the whole county.

“It’s a joy to go through all the different parts of Huron County,” he said. “It’s beautiful and I haven’t experienced all of it before.”

Zoethout got involved through a friend of his who was a part of the organization. He said it fit well because he was already working a couple days a week at Firmly Rooted. He didn’t start until

December, however, as when Eat Local Huron initially opened he was working at another location.

“When they started operations, after the warehouse fire, I was available and said I’d do the deliveries,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”

He said the business seems to be growing, adding it’s very encouraging to see one or two new clients every week.

“In the summertime, we’re not as busy, as people have other sources to shop local,” he said. “But when it comes to the fall, that’s when we’re definitely going to see more people ordering…. It’s very encouraging to see new people added even in the summer.”

He said that, after garden season comes to an end and farmers’ markets close, people will be

looking for the grocery delivery service featuring local produce more than ever.

While he has had fun meeting new people and enjoying the scenic routes of Huron County, the job hasn’t been without challenges, Zoethout said, primarily those caused by driving in the winter.

“I got stuck about four times in people’s laneways,” he said laughing. “I started to figure out where to park and what the van could handle.”

Celebrating A Special Occasion?

Advertise it in

The Citizen 519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

Making connections Eat Local Huron recently hosted its first monthly farm crawl, allowing customers to visit local farms that are featured with the company. Above, Tamara McMullen of Firmly Rooted Farm was one of the stops on the crawl. Local George Zoethout, not pictured, has been making deliveries for the company after a stint with Firmly Rooted, helping to connect customers to the Eat Local Huron producers. (John Stephenson photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen

George Zoethout’s job delivering groceries through Eat Local Huron has been a unique experience offering him the chance to meet new people and spread the word about the company.

Zoethout started with the company in December, just after it had reopened following a devastating fire last summer, which he felt was the right time to start as he had to face the worst of the travel conditions right away.

“I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays,” he said, explaining he picks up a work van from Firmly Rooted Farm, just north of Blyth, which is one of the suppliers for the grocery service. “I pick up the van, and the farm is also a drop-off place for the northern producers. I pick up whatever the local producers have and start deliveries.”

He says that half the food is frozen and the rest is produce, so loading up the van includes coolers.

With people having unique shopping schedules, and even having different schedules

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PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Huron Farms To Tables ‘Citizen’ staff tackles its second 100K meal

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Local and delicious Citizen Editor Shawn Loughlin cooked up pasta with a mushroom bacon cream sauce for the newspaper’s second 100K meal installment, following up on the editorial department’s efforts in last year’s ‘Salute to Agriculture’. (Shawn Loughlin photo)

Fields bring new tastes to the fork

In last year’s “Salute to Agriculture” special issue, The Citizen’s editorial department Publisher Deb Sholdice, myself (Editor Shawn Loughlin) and Reporter Denny Scott - tasked ourselves with putting together a day’s worth of meals featuring entirely local ingredients.

The experiment proved to be a popular one with readers, so Denny and I are back with another pair of meals for this year’s Huron Farms to Tables section. This year I decided to do another pasta (after last year’s spaghetti carbonara) with bacon mushroom cream sauce.

This time, I’ll skip making fresh pasta. Those instructions can be found easily online or in any Italian cookbook and surely fit within the 100-kilometre meal parameters, using flour, eggs and salt, all easily found in the community.

As I mentioned last year, using dry Italpasta ensures you’re using products grown locally and processed through Blyth’s own Howson and Howson Mills, so by definition, I think that works

in a 100-kilometre meal.

Start building your sauce in a heavy-bottomed pot with some olive oil and at least six or eight strips of side bacon from Metzger’s or any other local butcher, like Green’s Meat Market.

(If you can get your hands on some pancetta, that would be lovely, but it is harder to find in this area.)

Cook the bacon off until it’s to your liking and remove it from the pot, along with the bacon grease that’s accumulated in the pot.

At the same time, get cooking your mushrooms from a local company, like Weth Mushrooms near Goderich, or farmers’ market. I do this in a second heavy-bottomed pot to save time, though I guess if you’re really committed to making a one-pot meal, you could make it work somehow.

Put the pot on a high heat and get some oil hot in the pot. Once the oil begins to let off wisps of smoke, get your mushrooms in the pot. Be very careful, as the mushrooms will be a bit wet from washing and ensure there isn’t any water left in the bowl with your mushrooms - you don’t Continued on page 14

Castings Public House We started our business in 2021 with one goal in mind: providing an enjoyable dining experience to the rural areas of Huron-Perth and Bruce Counties.

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A unique experience James Eddington at Eddington’s of Exeter has always sought to connect diners with the Huron County landscape. After buying his own farm land seven years ago, he was able to take that to the next level. (Courtesy photo)

Continued from page 10 the food menu, but enough for a cocktail special.

While Eddington has continued to grow as a chef and as a farmer and gardener, the restaurant has also grown with him, with changes like a new addition or patio or

seating area always on the horizon.

Historic buildings, he said, always require a lot of work to keep them functional.

For more information on Eddington’s of Exeter, visit the restaurant’s social media channels or website at eddingtons.ca.

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 13.

Huron Farms To Tables Scotts tackle chicken, potatoes for 100K meal (though they’re all out this season) and lamb products and are branching into other agricultural endeavours as well. Find them online or through Facebook for more information.

The vegetables, including some mini red potatoes for our fromscratch oven-roasted potato medallions, were all sourced through various vendors at the Goderich Farmers’ Market. With my assistant (my daughter Mary Jane) and one of the people who taught to me to cook (my father) we meandered through the market, picking up vegetables from a few different stands, alongside some baked goods for dessert from the Red Cat Bakery north of Goderich and a bag of peas from Firmly Rooted Farm north of Blyth (those were just to snack on while we walked, as was the giant pretzel Mary Jane picked out at the Red Cat Bakery food truck). We also picked up some ginger cookies (a personal

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Mary Jane Scott is clearly a fan of her father’s recent 100-kilometre meal, chicken and potatoes, as she was well on her way to clearing her plate. (Denny Scott photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen The last time the editorial department at The Citizen tackled a 100-kilometre meal, it was for our farm section, which is produced early in the year, making one-stop shopping a priority.

We wanted to be able to gather as much as possible from one place not just due to the potentially

wintery weather but also because sites that offer fresh produce is few and far between in the winter. For the Huron Farms To Tables special section, however, we’re in prime growing season for Huron County farms and gardeners, making it easier to tackle everything from the basic building blocks of the meals, the proteins and starches, to the herbs and spices that make those building blocks fantastic.

favourite of mine) and havarti cheese from Shanahan’s Quality Meats on the Square in Goderich.

I’ll start this off by saying that my wife Ashleigh, alongside my father, picked out a wonderful oven for us when we had to upgrade a few years back and we’ve got some fancy features that make cooking a meal like this easier. Not only do we have a convection oven, which makes cooking multiple pans easier, but we also have one with a built-in temperature probe receptacle, so we can keep an eye on the chicken without ever actually removing it from the oven. You don’t need those kinds of features to make the meal, as rotating pans can help with spreading heat evenly and you can always manually check the temperature of the chicken. If you’ve got them, however, take advantage of them.

Starting from frozen, the chicken was cooked at 175°C Continued on page 14

For this year’s 100-kilometre meal, I decided to tackle a simple but sensational meal with roasted chicken and potatoes.

The main course included a whole oven-roasted chicken, from Steele Wool Farms just outside of Blyth, dressed in garlic and onions and cooked with other local vegetables for that fall-off-the-bone tenderness that makes it great.

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PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Huron Farms To Tables Sauce can take time

Ready to eat Denny Scott’s simple, yet delicious chicken and potatoes meal is the epitome of a locally-sourced meal that showcases great, local ingredients and makes them the star of the show. (Denny Scott photo)

A simple and delicious dinner Continued from page 13 (approximately 350°F) for a half hour, then dressed appropriately with the oven-probe inserted.

Dressing appropriately included some olive oil, finely chopped garlic and onion and inserting some celery and some herbs and spices.

When everything was said and done, it took about four hours to get even the deepest-placed temperature probe to read 75°C (about 165°F) on the nearly-sevenpound chicken. The last 40 minutes of cooking was done in convection mode, not only to help cook the potatoes evenly, but also to give the outer skin of the chicken that nice crisp texture. It is a simple recipe,

but it produced some fantastic chicken that ended up providing leftovers for a couple days for chicken caesar salads and wraps.

The potato medallions were similarly simple, but the best meals usually are. After washing the bounty of potatoes, we formed the medallions using a mandolin slicer set at 3/8 of an inch. We then tossed the medallions in a bowl with olive oil and spread them out over two parchment-lined baking sheets.

From there, we spread chopped parsley, rosemary, garlic and onions over the potatoes before cooking for 20 minutes. We then flipped and dressed the potatoes with a sprinkling of shredded havarti

cheese and rotated the pans (just in case) before roasting for another 20 minutes, resulting in tender potatoes that didn’t taste too starchy, nor too crunchy.

For dessert, we split some cinnamon buns from the Red Cat Bakery and some ginger cookies.

Continued from page 12 want an oil-and-water explosion on your hands.

Stir the mushrooms to ensure they’re completely covered in oil and then try to agitate them as little as possible over the next 15 minutes or so. The mushrooms will let out a tremendous amount of water and to ensure you get a good sear and some colour on them, rather than boiling them, you need to let the water come out and have the mushrooms spend some time on the pot’s surface.

There will be plenty of fond (a French culinary term for the brown bits of food stuck to a pan after cooking) built up on the bottom of the bacon pot (where you’re building your sauce). Run a few cloves of garlic through a microplane and throw them into the pot. Stirring them around for 30 seconds or so to incorporate those flavours before deglazing the pan with a cup or two of local white wine (you can use chicken stock if you’d prefer).

It will sizzle away, so get scraping the bottom of the pot to release all that flavour and make it part of your sauce. Once the bottom of the pot is clean and the fluid is bubbling away on medium heat,

add two cups of local heavy cream and one-and-a-half cups of chicken stock. (This is easily bought at any grocery store, though it likely won’t fit the 100-kilometre meal parameters. Now is the perfect time to try and make your own stock for the first time, using a whole local chicken and in-season vegetables, simmering them away for a few hours to create a tasty, fromscratch, local chicken stock.)

Stir the cream, stock and wine together, adding some salt and pepper. Allow it to come up to a boil and then turn it down, allowing it to simmer and reduce down.

At this point, return your cooked mushrooms and bacon to the pot and incorporate them all together, letting the sauce reduce and get creamier. Near the end, you’ll be adding in about a half-cup of grated cheese (Parmesan cheese if you can find it or any of the delicious hard, salty cheese produced by Blyth Farm Cheese), which will also help to thicken the sauce.

Once your pasta is cooked and your sauce is ready, mix the two together, coating your pasta (use a wider noodle with a lot of surface area to take on more of the sauce) and serving with some freshlygrated cheese and pepper.

Special thanks to our farmers who provide food for our tables.

We truly live in a vibrant agriculture community.

Buy local and buy fresh!

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 15.

Agriculture

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Brussels Livestock report

Fed steers, heifers sell on steady market at sale Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending July 8 were 1,666 cattle and 1,399 lambs and goats.

On Tuesday, fed steers and heifers sold on a steady market.

Choice steers and heifers sold $188

to $195. Second-cut cattle sold $175 to $187. Holstein steers and heifers sold $128 to $175. Aged and medium-fed steers and heifers sold $145 to $176. Cows sold steady.

On Thursday, veal sold on a strong active trade. Lambs, sheep

sold steady and goats sold extremely high.

On Friday, calves sold on a strong trade. Good yearling steers sold steady. Second-cut yearling steers sold easier. Good yearling heifers sold stronger and second-cut

Behind the scenes Eat Local Huron recently hosted a farm crawl event, welcoming patrons to tour some of the company’s food providers and learn a bit more about where their food comes from.

Above, Tony McQuail of Meeting Place Organic Farm near St. Helen’s leads a horsedrawn wagon tour of their farm operation on Saturday morning. (John Stephenson photo)

yearling heifers sold steady.

Larry Reinhart Jr. of Mildmay, consigned 16 head. Two limousin heifers averaged 1,215 lbs. and sold for an average price of $195.

There were 300 cows on offer.

Beef sold $115 to $141; good holstein cows, $120 to $127 with sales to $134; medium holstein cows, $109 to $121.

Bulls sold $123.50 to $158.

There were 165 head of veal on offer. Beef veal sold $180 to $195; good holsteins, $168 to $180; SL heavy holsteins, $120 to $174; heavy holsteins, $135 to $168; and medium holsteins, $144 to $167.

Mike and Tina Metske of Lucknow, consigned 10 head. One holstein steer weighed 710 lbs. and sold for a price of $180.

Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $240 to $257.50; 50 - 64 lbs., $270 to $307.50; 65 - 79 lbs., $280.50 to $329; 80 - 94 lbs., $310.50 to $326; 95 - 109 lbs., $307 to $328; 110 lbs. and over, $258.50 to $280.

Sheep sold $100 to $275.

Goats: billies sold $150 to $450; nannies, $100 to $350; kids: dairy, $350 to $602; meat, $375 to $680.

Wayne Wright of Dutton, consigned 10 head. Two kid goats averaged 60 lbs. and sold for an average price of $675.

Bonnie Beuerman of Dublin, consigned five head. Two kid goats averaged 63 lbs. and sold for an average price of $680.

CBH Farms of Auburn, consigned 46 head. Ten lambs averaged 90 lbs. and sold for an average price of $336.

Parker Merkley of Crediton, consigned 12 head. Six lambs

Enjoy... from a distance says OFA

By Mark Reusser and Drew Spoelstra, Vice Presidents, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Ontario boasts a picturesque landscape with a wide range of elements, from rolling hills and waterfronts to diverse croplands, endless horizons and everything in between. Especially in the summer season, it is easier for us to get out and enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer. There are plenty of beautiful scenes to look at and activities to enjoy.

Whether snapping a photo of a vibrant sunflower or canola field or riding your ATV on a trail, it’s important to be mindful of your surroundings and who’s property you are entering. Although farmland appears to be an open and vacant lot, it is private property and entering without permission is considered trespassing. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) wants to remind Ontarians that farmers work hard to maintain this landscape and use it to grow and raise healthy crops and livestock to feed the world. It is important to respect this process and avoid disrupting the growth of crops or livestock at a farmers’ expense.

Trespassing on private property is an ongoing concern for Ontario

farmers that is unfortunately heightened during the summer season.

Several incidents of trespass have taken place across the province recently, including instances involving social media selfies in canola fields in the Dufferin region.

On one side, travellers and tourists are capturing the beauty and essence of a canola field in the countryside to share on their Instagram account. But on the flip side, a farmer is under heightened stress with visitors entering private property, causing potential damage to crops, and creating a liability on the farmer should any accident occur while snapping a picture on farm property. In the recent Dufferin situation, an estimated cost of $2,000 was assessed in damages that the farmer will likely have to cover out of their own pocket. It’s a hefty price to pay.

In the Niagara region, trespassers went as far as releasing cattle from a barn which not only poses a risk to the public with stray cattle wandering the roads, but also results in biosecurity and animal welfare issues. Additional reports of trespassing appear on social media every day, resulting in the OPP Central Region posting on Twitter, “It is NOT a right to enter a

field to get a perfect photo.”

The impact trespassing has on farmers and their business is far greater than the offenders likely intend. However, that doesn’t make it acceptable. Mentally and

financially, trespass can take a large toll. In addition to the existing stressors of uncontrollable elements in farming such as weather, disease outbreaks and equipment Continued on page 17

averaged 85 lbs. and sold for an average price of $330.

Top quality stocker steers under 400 lbs. sold $278.75 to $305; 400 499 lbs., $241.25 to $262.50; 500 599 lbs., $261.50 to $285.50; 600 699 lbs., $275.50 to $282; 700 - 799 lbs., $203 to $245; 800 - 899 lbs., $204 to $225; 900 - 999 lbs., $202 to $210.50; 1,000 lbs. and over, $186 to $205.

Top quality stocker heifers, 500 599 lbs. sold $184 to $200; 600 699 lbs., $188 to $250; 700 - 799 lbs., $173 to $198.50; 800 - 899 lbs., $182 to $191.50; 900 lbs. and over, $171.50 to $186.50.

Reuben B. Martin of Clifford, consigned 34 head. Eight black heifers averaged 743 lbs. and sold for an average price of $196.

Aaron M. Bauman of Teeswater, consigned 21 head. Seven black heifers averaged 829 lbs. and sold for an average price of $191.50.

Franken Farms of Teeswater, consigned 43 head. Three charolais steers averaged 727 lbs. and sold for an average price of 245.

Steve Pastoor of Kerwood, consigned 72 head. Twelve charolais steers averaged 983 lbs. and sold for an average price of $204.75.

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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

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Call 519-887-9300.

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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.

Coming events SUMMER TAKE-OUT LUNCH, Tuesday, July 19, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., Trinity Anglican Church, Blyth. Ham salad plate and dessert, $12 per person. Ordering deadline: Monday, July 18. For ordering/pickup time call 519-523-9396 or e-mail: mcgregor@ezlink.ca 28-1

Garage/yard sale YARD SALE – 224 CARLING Terrace, Wingham, July 16, rain or shine, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Household items, small tools, books, art, mint condition custom La-Z-Boy sofa and chair, $500; men’s golf clubs and bag.

28-1p

Looking for LOOKING FOR A STOW’N’GO van, older model. 519-525-9377.

28-2p --------------------------------------------

Help wanted ROLLING LANDS FARMS IS looking for enthusiastic, reliable and caring part-time milkers. Times are from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the occasional morning. Please call 519523-4492.

28-3

Miller Howson & Howson Ltd. is a long-established Canadian milling company owned and operated by the Howson family since 1875.

Our primary objective is to manufacture a safe product of consistent quality that meets or exceeds our customer’s expectations. Howson’s product lines are used in pasta, specialty breads, flat breads, couscous and other various food items. We remain firm on the desire to be an industry leader with development of new products to meet the changing needs of the consumer.

Howson & Howson Limited currently has an opening for a Miller in its Flour Mill in Blyth, ON. Requirements: -

Previous Flour Milling experience would be an asset Able to work on rotating shift Effective communication skills Good problem-solving skills and decision making Able to work efficiently as part of a team and independently Proficient Math Skills Good organization, time management and prioritizing skills High level of personal integrity Strong work ethic Accountable and Dependable

Interested persons can forward résumé and cover letter to: Email - rick@howsons.ca Mail - Howson & Howson Limited Attn: Human Resources P.O. Box 390 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

McConville Omni Insurance Brokers is seeking a customer-service insurance broker to join our team. The successful candidate will be responsible for helping customers in person and by telephone and will assist new and existing clients with their insurance needs.

Responsibilities: • Writing new business and maintaining our existing customers by doing quotes, processing change requests and doing renewal reviews.

• Processing renewals, new business and endorsements.

• Data entry into carrier insurance portals and broker management systems.

• Liaise with insurance carrier partners to process and submit change requests and follow up to ensure we have all the necessary documentation in place.

• Help create a customer-focused mindset and culture.

Qualifications: • RIBO licensed (Level 1/Entry Level) or willing to obtain • Attention to detail and being organized.

• Know how to prioritize and handle multiple competing priorities yet not get frazzled.

• Prior experience in insurance preferred.

• Working knowledge of TAM is an asset.

• Must remain professional and serve as an ambassador of the company brand promise at all times.

Job Type: Full-time Benefits: – Casual dress – Dental care – On-site parking – Paid time off – 8 hour shift – Monday to Friday Please mail résumé to:

We thank all applicants, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Drawer #684 c/o North Huron Publishig Company Inc. PO Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0 or email: bdyck@mcconvilleomni.ca

Citizen-To-Citizen “SWAP SHOP” ad • Free ad up to 25 words, person to person only (no businesses), items valued at $1,000 or less. Price must be included in your ad.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 - adult three-wheel bike with basket between back wheels, like new, 26" tires, raised seat rest, brakes front and back, $500. 519-3575429.

28-3p ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Wingham area – 30" ceiling fan new in box, coffee maker - like new, iron, toddler John Deere booster seat, box of kids’ toys – make a donation to the Wingham Hospital Auxiliary.

Phone 519-357-2768.

28-3 ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Wingham area – Safety First folding mesh playpen with carrying case, excellent condition, $25. Call 519-357-2768.

28-3 ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Craftsman table saw with motor, $75; Stanley hand-planes, $5 and up; chisels, squares, handsaws and C-clamps, assorted prices; hand sanders and jigsaws, $5 each. 519-3579249.

27-3 -----------------------------------------------------------

FREE - goldfish in pond – catch yourself. For details call 519-527-2089.

27-3 ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - one male, one female purebred golden retriever puppies born February 21. They have been vet-checked and dewormed. They are great around kids, love to swim and very calm dogs. Asking $850. Call or text 519-721-5732.

26-3 ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - brand new, handmade Shillcraft yarn, hooked rugs, very beautiful. All sizes, colours and patterns, starting at 5'x7'. Prices starting at $40 and up or best offer; All hooked wall clock, $20. 519-612-1112.

26-3 ----------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE - boy’s bicycle “Evolution” Ozark trail bike, silver grey colour, 5 gears, height 31", recently tuned up, $120. 519-482-5648.

26-3 -----------------------------------------------------------

FOR SALE - king-size upholstered bed frame, beige canvas headboard, footboard and sideboards, adjustable slat support, removable and washable covering, asking $100. Call Paula 519-341-8667, Brussels.

26-3 -----------------------------------------------------------

Let us help you turn that junk into $$ “One person’s junk is another’s treasure”

All word ads in The Citizen classifieds are put on our webpage at www.huroncitizen.ca

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 17.

Classified Advertisements Tenders

Tenders MUNICIPALITY OF HURON EAST

SEAFORTH WWTP BIOSOLIDS REMOVAL PROJECT NO. 16318, CONTRACT NO. 1 Sealed tenders addressed to Barry Mills, Public Works Manager, Municipality of Huron East, 72 Main Street South, Box 610, Seaforth, ON N0K 1W0, will be received until: 2:00:59 p.m. (Local Time), Tuesday August 2, 2022 The work includes approximately: • Biosolids removal from biosolids holding Cell No. 1, including all dewatering, mixing, or other preparation process required per removal contractor’s methods.

• Biosolids transporting and off-site disposal, including obtaining all necessary permits and licenses required to carry out the work.

• Associated site works and restoration, including any temporary works required for removal of biosolids from the Cell and restoration of all disturbed areas following removal operations. as well as other work incidental thereto.

Plans, specifications and tender forms may be obtained from the office of the undersigned, upon payment of a non-refundable fee of $40.00, payable to B. M. Ross and Associates. This fee includes all taxes. A certified cheque or bid bond in the amount of $15,000 must accompany each bid.

Lowest or any tender not necessarily accepted.

B. M. ROSS AND ASSOCIATES LIMITED Engineers and Planners 62 North Street Goderich, ON N7A 2T4 Phone: 519-524-2641 www.bmross.net

Inspiring donation J.M. McDonald Lumber of Brussels has donated $250,000 to the Inspiring Our Future Campaign which is raising funds for the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre.

While organizers knew they could count on the support of the McDonald family, the donation resulted in the fundraising committee being “blown away” according to board member Brian TenPas. From left: Jennifer (McDonald) Hundt and Michael McDonald representing the business and TenPas, Doug McArter and Roxane Nicholson of the Inspiring Our Future Campaign. (Photo submitted)

$250,000 given to campaign The Inspiring Our Future Campaign has received its largest support to date with a $250,000 donation to support the major renovations of the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre from J.M. McDonald Lumber

Enjoy sights, avoid trespassing Continued from page 15 breakdowns, there is the unsettling fear that animals or crops might not be safe even with an adequate amount of signage indicating farmland and private property.

To put things into perspective, this situation compares to a group of strangers entering a private backyard and taking a closer look at your garden or flowerbed. It’s unsettling and anxious to have strangers in a private area they shouldn’t be. In some cases, the field or barn that is being trespassed is adjacent to the home of farmers and their families. If an invitation hasn’t been extended to enter private property, there should be no assumption that it’s permissible.

The result of trespassing can also cause financial strain based on the damage to crops, animal health or fences protecting these crops and livestock. By law, a field is considered private property, even in the absence of signage, which people tend to disregard when they want to grab a photo. Entering a field or a livestock sanction also increases biosecurity risks, threatening the health of crops and

livestock. Encountering a diseased species prior to entering a field of a healthy crop or a barn with healthy livestock, can expose the entire population, threatening their viability, especially at times when disease pressure is high.

Trespass can also turn into a dangerous situation very quickly if you aren’t aware of your surroundings – especially on a farm. After pesticides are sprayed, there is a re-entry period that you must wait to enter the field again for safety. Strangers entering the field won’t be aware of this re-entry period without communicating with the farmer first. A bull could be among cattle released from a barn which also poses a serious trampling risk.

Fines and penalties for trespass violations can be handed out by law enforcement under the Trespass to Property Act or the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act. As farmers, we are more than happy to share the beauty of our farms and the agriculture sector with everyone, but please be respectful and enjoy the picturesque scenery from a distance. It’s important to remember that what might appear to be a pretty picture can be highly disruptive and lead to consequences for both the farmer and the photographer. Farmers work hard to produce food, fibre and fuel for all Ontarians to enjoy, and it is important to remember to respect that objective.

and the McDonald family.

J.M. McDonald Lumber is a retail lumber and building supply dealer and is part of the Home Hardware network. The store has been a mainstay in Brussels for many years, founded in 1929. There have been five generations involved with the business. For Michael, Jennifer and the rest of the McDonald team/family, this pledge was a natural choice. Both they and their children have grown up through the minor sports system and they understand the importance that the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre has on the Brussels community.

Inspiring Our Future Chair Brian TenPas, Deputy-Chair Doug McArter and Campaign Coordinator Roxane Nicholson accepted the donation from Michael McDonald and Jennifer (McDonald) Hundt with TenPas saying “the McDonalds really stepped-up big time here.

There was never a doubt that they would be big supporters of the project, but they have truly blown us away with this level of commitment. Hats off to the McDonald family, they have our

Swine Club practises carpentry

By Mackenzie Terpstra The first meeting of the Huron County Swine Club was held on June 14 at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. The club executives are Mac Terpstra, president, Darcy Fear, vice-

president and Clara deBoer, secretary.

Club leaders Don Dodds and Darrell Bergsma brought carpentry hammers for the club members to practise judging; carpentry hammers have a wood or fiberglass

handle to absorb the shock from hitting and the hammer head must also be firmly fitted to the handle to keep it from falling off.

The meeting was adjourned with the 4-H motto. The next meeting will be held July 6 in Brussels.

heartfelt thanks and we really hope the local community supports them as they have supported this community”.

The Inspiring Our Future team is grateful to J.M. McDonald Lumber and all the local businesses that have pledged donations to the project.

The planned renovations to the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre will bring the facility up to modern standards, provide something for people of all ages and interests, and revitalize the facility to be a hub for recreation in which the community can take pride.

Any donations to the Inspiring Our Future campaign will benefit the expansion of the dressing rooms, creation of an unobstructed heated viewing area, new entrance and foyer, roof replacement and several other modernizations.

Anyone interested in learning more about the project is encouraged to contact TenPas at 519-492-0214, Nicholson at roxane@ jamienicholson.ca, or any member of the campaign team.

PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Sickinger shares Brooks’ insights

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Scramble!

The kids’ calf scramble was part of the half-time show at the Dungannon Pro Rodeo over the weekend, which brought people from all over the community and beyond to Dungannon for the once-a-year action. (John Stephenson photo)

Inflation benefitting grocers

This week I have chosen a Chinese Proverb: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a month, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.”

Well, where are you when it comes to mask wearing? Fewer and fewer people are making a point of wearing them regularly. However they have become accepted by others if one chooses to wear one.

Personally, I feel it is important to feel comfortable in one’s surroundings and if wearing a mask accomplishes that, then wear one.

Waste water testing indicates that cases are on the rise again. And through the media, health officials are encouraging vaccinations – third and fourth doses. But when was the last time you were asked to show your proof of vaccination?

However, a recent newspaper article says the Omicron strain of COVID-19 has killed 3,700 Ontarians over 60 since December, making this strain more deadly for that age group than the two previous strains combined. And research finds those who succumbed to the disease were not otherwise in imminent danger of dying. But this age group is the most vulnerable. Pre-existing health concerns may play a role too, in how badly someone in this age group suffers. This particular strain of COVID-19 also increases the odds that persons who contract it will have severe outcomes and risk being part of the “long-haulers” group of patients. Remember, you are wearing a mask to protect others, especially the older individuals in our lives.

Inflation and the cost of groceries is another of the concerns over which Canadians are stressing.

Food prices are rising faster than many other goods – a whooping 9.7

per cent as opposed to the overall inflation rate of 7.7 per cent.

And research shows that the three largest supermarket chains – Loblaws, Empire and Metro – are making money from inflation; meaning that because consumers are expecting rises in prices, the companies are taking the opportunity to set prices higher.

Granted there are other factors involved in the rise in prices on grocery shelves, like production costs, overall supply and gas prices, but profit margins are increasing because they can charge more.

Loblaw, which owns Loblaws, Superstore, Zehrs, No Frills and Shoppers Drug Mart, has seen its gross profit margin jump by 21 per cent. At Empire, which owns Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, Freshco, Farm Boy and Longo’s, gross profit has risen more than 27 per cent. Metro’s gross profit rose a modest, by comparison, 15 per cent. Metro also owns Food Basics.

So, if you think you are being

gouged, essentially, you are. These chains are so large that even a few percentage points results in profits in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

NEWS FROM LONDESBORO

Recently, Huron County Economic Development Officer Rick Sickinger passed on some knowledge and best practices from renowned tourism expert Roger Brooks, who visited Huron County and offered his thoughts.

Sickinger presented the information to Huron County Council late last month, summarizing a lengthy presentation made by Brooks earlier this year.

Brooks undertook a destination assessment of the county, which was paid for by funding from FedDev Ontario’s Regional Relief and Recovery Fund, obtained by Community Futures Huron. The Huron Chamber of Commerce coordinated the project and five municipal partners (in addition to the county) participated: Goderich Tourism and Community Development, Central Huron Community Improvement, Huron East Economic Development, the Zurich and Area Chamber of Commerce, the Blyth Business Improvement Area and the County of Huron’s Economic Development Department.

Brooks visited the county to conduct his assessment over a twoweek period in April under a “secret shopper” model in which he never informed anyone where he would be nor conducted any interviews along the way.

He eventually offered his findings after the visit in a full, three-hour presentation in Holmesville, which Sickinger said should be available online soon.

Sickinger said Brooks’ guidance and advice could be broken down into five key areas: Wayfinding, branding, “Invite us back”, downtowns and marketing.

Brooks also said that tourismoriented businesses in Huron County need to rethink the traditional tourism season.

Sickinger said that much of Huron County still adheres to the tourism season beginning with the Victoria

Day long weekend in May and ending with the Labour Day weekend in September. Following the pandemic, Brooks said, peak tourism travel months are now April, May, September and October and Huron County needs to change its approach in order to take advantage of that change in attitude and scheduling.

As for wayfinding, Brooks said that navigation systems are not a substitute for wayfinding systems.

For example, he praised the county’s Ontario’s West Coast signs directing motorists to attractions as they approach a community, but found conflicting and non-uniform signage confusing and messy. In Blyth, he pointed to two signs within feet of each other labelling both the Blyth Trail and the Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail.

Someone unfamiliar with the area, Sickinger said, would question if those are the same trail or if there are two different trails.

He also used the main intersection in Clinton as an example of inconsistent and confusing signage with a mixture of municipal direction signage and branded signs for businesses such as the Gateway Casino in Clinton and the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH).

The second initiative is branding and Brooks said the goal for each community should be to set itself apart from everyone else. He pointed to Walton branding itself as “Motocross Town” and Blyth as a home for the arts as good examples of local branding.

Brooks suggested that each town or village should create a “Destination [insert community name here] Team” to determine what sets the community apart from everywhere else and emphasize that quality through pointed branding.

The concept of “Invite us back”, Brooks said, is crucial as the world opens back up as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

In Sickinger’s presentation Continued on page 19

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, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 19.

15 attend coffee break PEOPLE AROUND BELGRAVE

By Linda Campbell Call 357-2188

Crawlin’ Eat Local Huron hosted a farm crawl over the weekend including stops at local producers like the McQuail family’s Meeting Place Organic Farm and Firmly Rooted Farm between Blyth and Belgrave, shown above. At Firmly Rooted, Tamara McMullen, in orange next to the greenhouse door, provided tours of the site. (John Stephenson photo)

Brooks advocates for branding Continued from page 18 Brooks noted a local golf course sign with no message in its changeable letter portion, asking questions like, is the course open?

Is it public or private? Does it have nine or 18 holes?

Brooks then pointed to a sign at Goderich Sunset Golf Club, listing its different courses and an upcoming event as a good example of communicating a lot to a passerby in a short amount of time.

He also suggested a simple change in language for locations that are closed for the season. He used the Huron County Historic Gaol sign as an example, saying it listed the site as being closed for the season. Instead of reading closed for the season, Brooks recommended listing the date it would be open again and welcoming people to visit then, turning a negative into a positive.

He also suggested that venues and businesses should add boards listing their events for the year to get people thinking about coming back.

For his fourth initiative, Brooks said there is nothing communities can invest in, aside from schools, that will create a better or faster return on investment than its downtown. He also applied the “787 Rule” to Huron County

downtowns, saying that 70 per cent of all consumer spending takes place after 6 p.m., 80 per cent of consumer spending is done by the women of the family and 70 per cent of first-time sales come from curb appeal.

Sickinger said this fact was one of the most important in the presentation and that Huron County needs to change its approach when it comes to these statistics, with most businesses closing by 5-6 p.m., missing that prime spending window.

Brooks also suggested some easy ways to improve curb appeal and make downtowns more welcoming, in hopes of bringing people in to spend more time there. He suggested extending window displays to exterior spaces, the regular placement of pots, planters and benches. Using Blyth as an example, Brooks said there are some benches in the village, but that a community of Blyth’s size should have 30 benches.

He also advocated for “blade” signs that are consistent in height and size so people walking down a sidewalk can read them. Brooks claimed that consistent signage indicating what type of business is there, rather than the name of the business itself, was the most effective option.

He added that a community’s downtown should be its “community living room”, as a welcoming place in which locals can spend time more than 300 days of the year. A big part of that initiative, Brooks said, would be programming of events downtown that would attract people and keep them coming back over the course of the year.

The fifth initiative, according to Brooks, should be marketing. He said that, while many people make decisions to travel based on the internet and word of mouth from friends, 81 per cent of travel decisions are made as a result of brochures while travelling.

Sickinger said he does this while travelling: making decisions and booking accommodations online before making the trip, but then relies on printed material found locally once he’s arrived.

He said communities should be promoting their top restaurants, retail locations, attractions and activities, adding that decisionmakers shouldn’t “let politics kill this effort.”

Brooks pointed to the Taste of Huron Vine and Ale Trail as a successful initiative along these lines, adding that the printed map and pamphlet was also a successful way to bring people in.

As a result, he suggested the creation of a farm-to-table guide, a history brochure and an RV and camping guide to the county.

Council accepted Sickinger’s report for information, but didn’t take any action as a result of it.

Irene Rawn (formerly of Belgrave), passed away on Sunday, July 10. Sincere sympathy is extended to her husband Harold Rawn and her twin sister Eileen Stauffer-Wharton.

Anniversary greetings are extended to Shawn and Katie Cottrill on July 13 and to Mike and Donelda Cottrill on July 17.

On July 23, Oliver Cottrill will celebrate his second birthday.

Happy birthday Oliver.

Fifteen people attended the Community Coffee Break at the Belgrave Community Centre on Tuesday, July 12. They enjoyed coffee, snacks and fellowship.

After a dry spell, we finally got some rain. Mother Nature gave us an inch of rain early Tuesday morning. It really helped the crops, gardens and made the grass grow.

NEWS FROM BELGRAVE

NH defers agreement North Huron Township Council deferred an agreement with Blackburn Radio to allow the township to put hardware on the radio company’s antenna for communication purposes.

The technology would be used for North Huron staff radio services, including fire department communications.

Councillor Kevin Falconer was surprised to see that the agreement was just between North Huron and Blackburn Radio, saying that Morris-Turnberry is responsible for some of the expense.

Morris-Turnberry will be paying for half of the cost of the rental agreement, Fire Department of North Huron’s Deputy-Chief Chad Kregar said, but that wasn’t part of the contract with Blackburn Radio.

Falconer said it should be.

Chief Administrative Officer

Dwayne Evans asked Falconer if he wanted to see Morris-Turnberry as part of the agreement or have something different from MorrisTurnberry confirming its commitment to the cost.

Falconer said he wanted it in the agreement because, as it was written, there was no liability for Morris-Turnberry if they decided to pull out of the program.

Evans said council could defer the issue, or proceed with a condition that Morris-Turnberry has to sign a commitment, with Clerk Carson Lamb saying the issue wasn’t pressing because council had until September to approve it.

Falconer said if North Huron was using the tower itself, it would be fine, but since there is joint usage

by Morris-Turnberry, he wants to see it handled differently.

Council voted to defer the issue.

Ambassador event set The Brussels Fall Fair Ambassadors will be hosting a meet-and-greet event this Saturday at the Brussels Legion, beginning at 2 p.m.

The 2022/2023 Brussels Fall Fair Ambassadors - Sean Mitchell, James Speer and Rowan Gaspric will be in attendance for the event, which will include refreshments, social time with Brussels Agricultural Society board members and the Ambassadors themselves.

Mitchell still has some work to do on behalf of Brussels, representing the community at the Canadian National Exhibition’s provincial ambassador competition, set for Aug. 21. He is moving on as the

winner of the District Ambassador competition.

Celebrating A Special Occasion?

Advertise it in

The Citizen 519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

STRATFORD MEMORIALS Creating Memories in Stone for Over 95 years

Remembering your loved one Going for a ride Eat Local Huron’s first of what the company hopes will be monthly farm crawls was a success on Saturday, bringing people to local farms like Meeting Place Organic Farm, above. (John Stephenson photo)

Honour your loved one by placing their obituary in

Call or email to make an appointment.

The Citizen.

Masks are preferred for meetings.

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.

Cards of thanks can be placed in our classified section, starting at just $7.00.

519-524-8457 email: mfalconer@stratfordmemorials.com

Goderich/Clinton Michael Falconer Memorial Counsellor www.stratfordmemorials.com

8

PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

M-T supports project recommended for denial

By Denny Scott The Citizen Morris-Turnberry Council decided to go against the recommendation of the Huron

County Planning and Development Department and support a residential development in Belmore.

The proposed development, which will next go before Huron

County Council, would see two residential properties merged to allow for the construction of two structures housing five residential units: a duplex on one side of the property and a triplex on the other.

The project is being proposed by Evergreen Holsteins, owned by Robert and Andrea Van Nes. The concern that planners had, however, is that there isn’t enough land to accommodate traditional septic systems for five residential units. The applicants proposed using tertiary systems to remedy that problem, however, as Huron County Manager of Planning Denise Van Amersfoort explained, that wasn’t a solution as far as her department is concerned.

She said that tertiary systems, which reduce the amount of nitrates in effluent before it can get to aquifers, were not permitted as a means to justify increasing lot density. She said the combined properties, which are low-density residential, could house one residential unit under the proposed development and have enough space for the accompanying septic system.

Morris-Turnberry planner Meghan Tydd-Hrynyk said that, while one of the lots is empty, this was not technically infilling existing space, since it was creating more residential units than are currently allowed.

“The development of five dwelling units can’t be supported on conventional [septic] systems based on nitrate loading,” she said.

“One dwelling unit would be feasible on the lot.”

She went on to say that, should the system fail, it could pose a significant risk to the aquifer in the area, especially to the number of shallow wells that were in use in the area. She said there was also no contingency bed outlined in the plan.

Van Amersfoort said the planning department knows that residential development is a priority, but protecting the aquifer has to be the priority in the area.

“We don’t feel the application has demonstrated there will be no negative impact to the aquifer over the long term,” she said.

She went on to say that the planning department had sought out

a third-party review in which a B.M. Ross Limited representative said that using tertiary systems for intensification was not a familiar practice.

Van Amersfoort said the systems have excellent uses, like replacing faulty beds or being used near the lakeshore, but this was not an appropriate application of the technology.

“The systems must be operated and maintained properly in order to work,” she said. “If they fail to reduce the nitrate [count] to 50 per cent, what that would mean is we’re exceeding provincial thresholds and putting shallow drinking water wells at risk.”

She went on to say that the technology doesn’t mitigate the risk to the aquifer or public health.

Van Amersfoort also explained that there was no easy way to purify the aquifer if the systems weren’t working properly, meaning that any failure in the system could have dire results.

Mayor Jamie Heffer asked how many shallow wells could be at risk. Van Amersfoort said she Continued on page 23

Enjoy the Best of these Summer Reads!

Bringing the heat The Belmore Stingers had the Walton Brewers’ number on July 5 in Walton. Over the course of five innings, the Stingers’ bats gave them a 13-3 victory over the home team. (John Stephenson photo)

Good Employees are hard to find

110 NATURE HOT SPOTS IN ONTARIO Informative introduction to some of the BACKROADS OF ONTARIO province’s best-kept secrets. A fresh look TH 6 EDITION at destinations that have made Ontario From afternoon outings to famous. If you’re looking for a day trip or weekend excursions, this latest a weekend getaway, this book will appeal edition features 33 backroad to you. $29.95 adventures, each illustrated with colour photos and accompanied by a map. $29.95 SHEDS 4th Edition: The Do-It-Yourself Guide for Backyard Builders Award-winning designer David Stiles inspires you to see beyond the limited options of prefabricated sheds found at big box hardware stores and toward something more personal, appeals and functional. $24.95

BEEKEEPING: A Practical Guide A primer on beekeeping and how to get started this book offers 180 pages of practical information — everything from equipment to clothing to managing hives and collecting honey. $28.95

Let us help you find the ideal person!

Place an ad in our classified section in

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BACKROADS OF ONTARIO 6TH EDITION 110 NATURE HOT SPOTS IN ONTARIO PRESERVING MADE EASY SHEDS - 4TH EDITION BEEKEEPING HORSE GAMES & PUZZLES 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.

HORSE GAMES & PUZZLES For the young person who loves all things horses, this book has 102 brain teasers, word games, jokes and riddles, picture puzzles, matches and logic tests in 130 pages of fun. $14.95

The Citizen

Total

Qty.

Big Jobs Little Jobs Odd Jobs Even Dirty Jobs

PRESERVING MADE EASY: Small Batches & Simple Techniques The perfect book for today’s busy cooks who want to enjoy the homemade goodness of fruits and vegetables all year round. Simple instructions plus recipes for jams, pickles and more. $9.99

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 21.

From the Minister’s Study

Even if school’s out, learning, teaching will continue

By Student Minister Alex Jebson Blyth, Brussels United Churches School’s out for summer! Perhaps not a phrase that many of us have had to take to heart for quite a while. Now, for pretty much everyone, it’s exciting that school is over. But those who are particularly on my mind this week are the new teachers, those who have just finished their first or second year of teaching. They probably have had much more mixed feelings. Many of them were likely nervous throughout the year, joking about needing a more “adultier” adult.

With the end of the school year, they might now have a different concern. At the end of the year, when they’re likely not going to have the same students in the next year, and a two-month gap before the next school year begins, these teachers are concerned about whether they have taught well enough, have been good enough mentors to these kids to carry on beyond these brief months in their homeroom.

This type of concern around mentorship is not limited to the education system. In our families, in our community groups, and as Christians, we are often confronted both with the struggles of losing our own mentors, and facing the responsibility of being mentors ourselves. How do we serve and teach in these uncertain and emotional times?

We find ourselves in a situation similar to the prophet Elisha, in his final moments with his mentor Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-14). Elisha was wishing that he had brought an extra notebook to write down whatever final morsels of wisdom that he could gather from his teacher. They had reached the banks of the Jordan, the boundary between the known and safe, and the wilderness to which the people had no desire to return to. Elijah had served the Lord for a number of years, and Elisha had been with him for the past few years of this journey. Elisha had repeatedly refused to leave his teacher’s side, as they got further and further away from Israel, even though his teacher had repeatedly told him to stay home. The journey seemed much more palatable than staying home.

These were not the best of times – Israel was still having some severe leadership issues, and there was a great deal of tension between those faithful to God and those who had been lured away. Elisha was going to have to face similar conditions, and perhaps have more

expectations placed upon him, since those who respected God’s prophets knew that Elisha was the pupil of one of the greatest prophets since Moses. Elisha had been called to give up everything to become a student; he was now going to be called to even greater challenges as a mentor.

Going into this journey, Elisha knew that his mentor was not long for this world, as did everyone else.

The other followers kept pestering him about it, with each annoyed reply, “yes, I know, keep quiet!”

Elijah had done God’s mission and been God’s mouthpiece to the extent that he physically and mentally could. Elijah had earned his rest, and, as it turned out, going out in blazing style, but this did not make it any easier for his student.

The close bond they had developed over these past years was going to alter dramatically, no matter how many times the mentor had tried to comfort the student. Fearful to let his master go, and anxious about taking up the mantle, Elisha felt ill by the riverbank. Perhaps he should

have stayed home from this field trip; perhaps he should have never heeded the call to follow.

Elisha recognized that being a disciple and following was a difficult task; knowing that you are the act to follow, and that this would be the primary occupation by which you will be judged by all who you meet. Centuries later, those who wanted to get on the Jesus bandwagon when He began to head towards Jerusalem were schooled with a similar lesson, when Jesus chastised them for wanting to sort out the family and farm before heading off.

When we are called to unknown places, when we are told those who we mentor and learn from have expanded to include all God’s peoples, we don’t know which part of the lecture is more important.

And while we know that our ancestors in faith were as fallible and needing God’s guidance and forgiveness as we are, sometimes it seems like they had a better handle on things. There is a fear that these learnings don’t work in our current

The­Regional­Ministry­of­ Hope www.regionalministryofhope.com 519-357-7781 email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca

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United Church Brussels United Church is on Summer Break in July All are invited to Melville Presbyterian 11:00 am worship Immediate pastoral care needs 519-887-6259 Website: brusselsandblythuc.ca P.O. Box 359, Brussels ~ 519-887-6259

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Blyth United Church Services to resume August 7th at 9:30 a.m.

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spiritually enriching for both the one reaching out and the one being reached. Never mind having school in session; we feel unable to learn or to teach, doubting our abilities.

Elisha’s prayers and heart poured out in front of his teacher, asking for a double-portion; Elisha wanted to receive all of the blessings and courage that God had granted Elijah. He asked this out of desperation more than anything.

Looking at his master on the riverside, he saw a weary but sympathetic face. He heard Elijah say, “… just keep watching, keep Continued on page 22

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situation, or that it is more difficult to reach or hear the next generations.

These are the struggles we face.

We, as people who are sometimes fearful or fallible, feel that we are not enough or that we know enough to serve the Lord. The world in which we live makes it more difficult to establish confidence in our call to mentorship and being mentored.

A society that discourages spending extended periods of time discerning with one another; a society that discourages us pouring ourselves out into the lives of others in ways that are

"When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground. May the glory of the LORD endure forever..."

(Psalm 104:30-31) Contact Alex at: minister.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.com

Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches blythunited@tcc.on.ca ~ 519-523-4224

Sunday, July 17 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

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Join us for our 10:00 am service Services are live-streamed and can be found by searching “Blyth Christian Reformed Church”

BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743 www.blythcrc.ca

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 22. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

Offer God’s love: Jebson

Buzzing the tower Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club recently captured this avian image of a bird coming in for a landing at one of her feeders.

(Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

Continued from page 21 learning, and you shall receive it.”

And Elisha did watch and learn. He learned that it was not Elijah’s to give, but God’s. While Elisha was correct in paying respect to Elijah, it was ultimately Elisha’s relationship with God that would provide the material, confidence and direction for his role as the new mentor, the new prophet of the nation.

In the scene by the Jordan River, God showed wisdom and encouragement. This was shown in things both unexpected (the fiery chariot), and in the familiar, whether it be Elijah’s mantle now taken up by his pupil, or in the faces and missions of the other followers that had journeyed with them to the Jordan’s bank. Elisha had some time of emotional turmoil. Elisha had to realize that his mission would not be exactly the same as others. But as a great and godly leader had gone, God had uplifted a new great and godly leader. God was made known both to Elisha and to those whom Elisha met. God would show Elisha how to reach out to those who needed their faith reaffirmed, who needed to know the incredible love of God. As ones who seek after the lessons learned by our ancestors, as well as by what God teaches us every day, we can be assured that however we are called to be mentors to God’s children, we will have the experiences and wisdom to

faithfully mentor, even if the information, mission or location is unexpected. We cannot deny that we have lost mentors in our midst.

We cannot pretend that we have all the answers. What we have been shown is that by mentoring, we turn to God ourselves as we encourage others to do the same.

And while God is our ultimate mentor and sustainer, taught through Christ and nurtured by the spirit, we have also been lovingly provided with role models all around us, from the ancients like Elijah and Elisha to those who have recently departed, to others still who are with us or unknown to us.

Though we may inherit the double-potion, the blessing and wisdom, from God and our predecessors, we recognize that things have changed since we were in Sunday school. But this is a blessing in itself, for God is always showing us new ways to understand and reach out, while rooted in the faith and the dedication of our mentors past. Especially in these times, to be a mentor is more about listening and learning from those whose voices have traditionally been ignored, rather than pretending that we ourselves are the fount of all wisdom.

Nevertheless, all of this is encouraged and aided by the One who orders, mentors and, above all, loves us completely. Just keep watching, keep learning and keep offering the same love that God inspired in those past and those around us. While school may be out, may our learning and teaching go on. Thanks be to God, Amen.

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022. PAGE 23.

Council votes to join $10-a-day child care program

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Council has voted to opt in to the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care system, which is also known as the $10-aday child care program, rolled out jointly by the federal and provincial governments.

As part of the program, Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts said in his report, a wage floor is being introduced for

early childhood employees.

However, McRoberts said that won’t affect the municipality, as all of the Vanastra Early Childhood Learning Centre employees are currently exceeding the wage floor.

In addition, the program will retroactively refund fees for some parents who had children enrolled on or before Dec. 31, 2022.

Providers are required to refund parents 25 per cent of their current fees. McRoberts said that Huron County, with which the

municipality has an agreement for the centre, will provide funding for those refunds as of March 31, 2022.

Council approved participation in the program with McRoberts indicating that doing so will have no financial impact on the municipality at this time. *** As part of a closed-to-the-public session ahead of its July 5 meeting, council hired two new employees to serve the municipality.

On July 7, the municipality

Starting it off The Dungannon Pro Rodeo was held over the weekend and started off with a celebration of Canada, followed by a weekend of rodeo performances, mutton busting, kids’ calf scrambles and a dance on Saturday night. (John Stephenson photo)

announced that Stacy Grenier had been hired as the new director of finance, set to start with the municipality on July 25.

Candice Seulal has also been hired as the new manager of the Vanastra Early Childhood Learning Centre. She will begin her time with the municipality on July 20.

Council made the decision at an early in-camera meeting, ahead of the scheduled council meeting, which was held virtually, via Zoom. *** Council has awarded the tender for the 14th Concession Municipal Drain to Horst Excavating Inc. for $253,525.

Clerk Jessica Rudy, in her report to council, said that the municipality received two bids on the project. The unsuccessful bidder was VanDriel Excavating Inc. for a price of $452,643.70.

Both bids exceeded the engineer’s estimate of $236,000.

Rudy said that the costs of the project will be assessed to the associated landowners, with the municipality assuming approximately $50,000 of the cost, but the final figures will be dependent on the final construction costs.

She added that the municipality has budgeted $500,000 for capital drain expenses this year.

Approximately $170,000 has been used or committed thus far, she said, so there are sufficient funds in the reserve for the project. *** Council read new off-road vehicle and clean yards bylaws for a first and second time at its July 5 meeting, allowing time for public input before a third and final

Council questions septic double standard Continued from page 20 couldn’t provide a specific number, saying there are eight recorded, but more may not be on the record.

Other councillors questioned how other similar projects had been approved, which Van Amersfoort said could have been a matter of the rules being different or being enforced by different organizations in the past. She said that, previously, these kinds of issues were handled by the Huron County Health Unit, however, when it merged with the Perth unit into Huron Perth Public Health, the responsibility was downloaded to the planning department.

Council members also said they knew of tertiary systems in use that functioned as intended, however Van Amersfoort reiterated that, if a system fails, there are “very few options”. She said tertiary systems can be used to help with existing systems, but using one to create new development opportunities isn’t following the rules.

“This is new development, and new development should be set up for the long term to demonstrate no negative impacts,” she said. “We don’t feel this proposal [meets that]. Compromised well water isn’t easily rectified.”

Councillor Jim Nelemans, who had referenced what he felt were success stories for tertiary systems, said this seemed like “throwing up a roadblock” against needed residential development.

Van Amersfoort said that more servicing was needed to promote development, like communal sanitary and septic systems or municipal wells.

“A higher order of servicing allows more density,” she said.

“Municipal infrastructure allows higher density than on private services.”

Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn said she had researched tertiary systems and feels they are good technology, going on to say that B.M. Ross’ third-party review laid out instructions for how the system could be used.

Heffer asked what could be supported on the joined properties, and Van Amersfoort said the procedures she followed identified the site as being able to house 1.8 residential units, but that number always rounds down. She said she could investigate two units, but that wasn’t what was requested by the applicants.

Zinn asked how many units could be constructed there with a new proposal and Van Amersfoort said the maximum she could conceive of Huron County supporting would be two units based on technical guidance.

Residents of the area spoke in favour of the development, as did retired Morris-Turnberry Clerk/Treasurer Nancy Michie, who spoke on behalf of the applicants. Michie produced a long presentation, saying that, if these lots were built on before the 1980s, there could be eight houses on them, not the five residential units being proposed. She also said there was sufficient room for septic beds and contingencies on the back halves of the lots.

Nelemans suggested council recommend approval to Huron County Council, citing the need for

housing and because the applicants had come so far in the project already.

Councillor Kevin Freiburger said it could be supported if a monitoring agreement was put in for approval.

Council then turned to Chief Building Official Kirk Livingston, who has some experience with the systems. Livingston said, thus far, the only problem with the system is that he can’t always get system reports regarding operation in a timely manner, so a monitoring agreement would be worthwhile.

“The reports don’t come in automatically,” he said. “When a report doesn’t come in, we have to send a letter out and let the landowner know we need that.”

He said there is a fee for the testing, and said he would like to see an agreement that forces the owner to turn over the reports so he doesn’t have to spend time chasing them.

After more discussion, council supported the applicants’ proposal against the advice of the planners, recommending that Huron County Council approve it.

reading at a future council meeting.

Clerk Jessica Rudy provided council with a report on the two bylaws, saying that several of the municipality’s enforcement-related bylaws required attention in order to ensure compliance with current legislation, regulations, definitions and standards.

Rudy added that she will continue to review various enforcement bylaws and bring those reviews and recommended changes to council in the future as they are completed. *** Council authorized a number of road closures on Saturday, July 30 and Sunday, July 31 at the request of the Brussels Homecoming Committee.

Parade Co-ordinator and former Huron East councillor John Lowe made the request, asking that the parade staging areas be closed from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on July 30.

These include Beech Street, Cypress Street, George Street, Industrial Park Road, C.N. Road, Princess Street from Queen Street to George Street and Albert Street from Queen Street to C.N. Road.

He then asked that the parade route be closed from noon until 2 p.m. that day, comprising Turnberry Street from Beech Street extending to Raymond Crescent.

On July 31, Lowe asked for several road closures to allow the classic car show to go ahead. These included Turnberry Street from Orchard Lane and Sports Drive to McCutcheon Drive, McCutcheon Drive from Elizabeth Street to Ainley Street, Flora Street from Elizabeth Street to Ainley Street and King Street from the Brussels Foodland and CIBC parking lot to Ainley Street.

Council approved the request with no discussion.

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PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022.

HC Council approves hybrid meeting upgrades

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council has opted to invest in technology that will allow for hybrid capability for future meetings, improving the audio/visual potential for council chambers.

Council made the decision at its July 6 meeting based on extensive research and a lengthy report prepared by Clerk Susan Cronin.

This came after council turned down a complete overhaul of the

county’s meeting system in March, opting for the less expensive option, but still working towards providing the option of hybrid participation in council meetings for staff, members of the public and presenters.

The new system will cost $173,008.17. Cronin asked council to approve funding of up to $175,000 in order to cover any contingencies that may arise, noting that the upgrades will be funded by Ontario Safe Restart Funding provided by the provincial government.

“We have adapted a system in the interim, however, the audio is of poor quality and there are concerns of impacting the current internet bandwidth available with more inperson attendees,” Cronin said in her report. “The current solution is a Band-Aid solution and will not work permanently.”

Of note, Cronin said, is that the local Provincial Offences court will also be using Zoom, as council has been. The option presented, Cronin said, meets the needs of the courts and, as the county owns the

Searching for a bite The Bluevale Community Committee hosted the annual Bluevale Kids Fishing Derby at the Bluevale Dam on Sunday. Griffin Bragg and Maddox Creeden were crowned the winners of the competition. (John Stephenson photo)

building and rents spaces to tenants, she said there is a certain expectation that the room will be able to meet the needs of the organization renting it.

Cronin reiterated a point made when she first reported to council in March, saying that many of the upgrades proposed would have to be made anyway, due to the existing audio/video equipment in the room.

“The implementation of a solution may take several months and possibly be impacted by supply chain issues. Retrofitting the room is challenging. We have had two vendors attend on-site to review the current set-up. One vendor has not provided a wired proposal, due to supply issues. Due to these factors, we are requesting final ratification by bylaw at this July 6, 2022 meeting, so the implementation can be as soon as possible,” Cronin said in her report.

“This is the proposal from DTS (Doing Things Simply). Existing council chambers is to be retrofitted with Zoom conferencing, using two new cameras and a new audio delegate conferencing system, while keeping the existing displays and projector in use. Council members will be captured by new audio conference [microphone] stations....”

Cronin added that two new cameras will connect directly to a computer running the Zoom platform, allowing users to use both cameras at the same time. She also said that the county’s property services department will chip in, building a cabinet, completing some electrical work and other

general support in order to bring the system up to grade.

In speaking with councillors, Cronin said she conducted a lot of research ahead of both her March report and the one presented last week and found that, due to a number of factors, no two solutions are alike.

She also noted that a wireless setup would come with a lot of labour and maintenance, which is why she was recommending the wired setup.

Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he was in favour of an option that allowed for hybrid participation because he felt it would increase staff productivity, allowing employees to Zoom in for a few minutes to make a presentation, working all the while during the rest of the meeting. In the past, he said, employees would have had to sit in an hours-long meeting, while they could have been doing something else.

Council approved the recommendation.

Existing technologies that will be utilized under the new system are: two televisions, a projector and screen, Zoom Room software, amplifier, ceiling speakers and network cabling. New technologies will include: two new conferencegrade cameras, a Zoom PC and two touch controllers for cameras, 36 audio conference microphone stations, a processor and WAN router, video distribution and a rack or credenza to house all the centralized equipment, as well as further training and system technical documentation.