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• Warden • Editorials • Fowl Supper • Agriculture
The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source Volume 36 No. 29
Thursday, July 16, 2020
$1.25 GST included
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
HuronBruce enters Stage 3
Taking out, helping out The Blyth Lions Club became the latest local service club to experiment with the world of take-out dinner fundraisers after the Wingham Columbus Centre and Brussels Legion had both seen tremendous success with their efforts. The club sold out its 300 tickets to Saturday’s take-out smoked pork chop dinner, proving to be a huge success for the club,
which has been forced to cancel numerous fundraisers this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take-out meals could just be a road map to success for service clubs during these turbulent times. Lions Greg Toll, left, Krystyna Bateman, centre, and Ryan Lee, right, kept the lines moving with their speedy work on the grill as vehicles moved through Blyth Lions Park. (John Stephenson photo)
Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson has announced that nearly all businesses in the region can open as of Friday, July 17 as the region moves to Stage 3 of the province's reopening framework with public health and workplace safety measures and restrictions in place. “Moving forward to Stage 3 is a direct result of how residents and businesses in Huron-Bruce have been so responsible and reliable during this pandemic,” Thompson said. “We do not take this step lightly and all safety precautions must still be practised and honoured.” As part of the Stage 3 reopening, Ontario will be increasing gathering limits for those regions entering the next stage to the following: • Indoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 50 people • Outdoor gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 100 people • Gathering limits are subject to physical distancing requirements. Public gathering limits apply to indoor and outdoor events, such as community events or gatherings, concerts, live shows, festivals, conferences, sports and recreational Continued on page 2
Bailey, Finch seek maintained OPP presence By Denny Scott The Citizen North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey and South Huron Mayor George Finch want the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) to maintain a presence in their communities. In a press release issued by South Huron, Finch, a retired OPP constable, says the closure of local OPP offices “will result in a decrease in policing services provided to the communities of South Huron and North Huron.” In that same release, Bailey said the OPP’s decision to close offices was “shortsighted” and had failed to promote the OPP in South and North Huron. The release goes on to state that the two municipalities want to “find a solution that allows a provinciallyfunded ‘storefront’ office to remain in both communities.” In an interview with The Citizen last week, Bailey explained there were multiple reasons to have an
OPP presence in northern Huron County again after closing an office in Wingham last month. The first reason is that he already feels the OPP is burning the candle at both ends attempting to cover the entire county with limited manpower. “I see OPP in single-car accidents with no one around and they’re getting killed,” he said. “The OPP are run so thin in Huron County, trying to go from Grand Bend to Howick to service us.” Bailey said the second problem was highways closing in the winter, which could either result in the OPP being prevented from doing their job or getting stuck on the wrong side of a road closure with a prisoner in tow. “Since they closed the station, there is no place to stay,” he said. “If there’s a domestic dispute, a drug problem or any violence at all and the highways are closed, what are you going to do with [people who are arrested]?” He went on to say the issue at
hand was making sure all of northern and southern Huron County residents get the protection they need from the OPP. Finally, Bailey said it's important that the OPP recognize the need to have these local offices and that they be funded by the OPP, so as to not fall on any particular municipality. “I don’t care where in northern Huron County they go,” he said,
saying the office could be in Wingham, Blyth, Gorrie or wherever the OPP command would like. “But they need to be here for the safety of the police and the safety of the community.” Bailey said he wasn’t aware of much of the goings-on surrounding the OPP taking over policing in Wingham before he became reeve, including the announcement that the
Wingham office would be closed. His involvement was supporting the Wingham Police Service until news broke that the service would require a significantly higher budget to go forward. “North Huron has had two police stations close in the area [the Wingham Police station and the OPP station in Wingham],” Bailey said. “That shouldn’t have happened.”
County strikes task force By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County is developing a new regional, county-led homelessness task force to combat the growing issue of homelessness in the area. Council approved the recommendation of Director of Social and Property Services Barbara Hall at council’s July 8 meeting, which was held virtually.
The task force will include at least three councillors, the warden and representatives from relevant local stakeholder groups. Goderich Mayor John Grace, South Huron Mayor George Finch, A s hfiel d - C o l b o r n e - Wa wa n o sh Mayor Glen McNeil and North Huron Reeve Bernie Bailey will all join Huron County Warden Jim Ginn as members of the task force. The recommendation came about
after homelessness became a focal point of several Huron County Council discussions since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Last month, Grace said Goderich was “in crisis” and that the town needed assistance with its homeless population and further resources immediately. The county also issued a press release about the task force, saying its work would begin soon.