2 4 9 13
• Tornado • Editorials • Sports • Agriculture
$1.25 GST included
The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source Volume 36 No. 30
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
‘Citizen’ nominees wanted
One wild Sunday Mother Nature made her way through Huron County on Sunday, causing plenty of damage with heavy rain and winds throughout the area. While Blyth and its surrounding communities were hit hard, with some locals even suspecting a tornado may have touched down (see page 2), Brussels saw a lot of damage. Many trees were taken
down by the storm, bringing down power lines all around the village, like the one above on the main street. Power would eventually be restored to the village thanks to the quick action of Hydro One and the Huron East Public Works Department with the help of local firefighters who found themselves busy on the otherwise uneventful Sunday afternoon. (John Stephenson photo)
Those of us at North Huron Publishing Inc. and The Citizen are actively seeking nominations for this year’s Citizen of the Year Awards. Nominations for the awards, which are handed out annually to residents of Blyth and Brussels and their surrounding communities, close at the end of the day on Friday, July 31. While Brussels residents have been active in nominating members of their community, Blythites have been slow in putting a name forward. The Citizen has been handing out the awards, which celebrate volunteerism and community spirit, since 1985, the year The Citizen was founded. A nomination form for the 2020 Citizen of the Year Awards can be found on page 8 of this week’s issue. Nominations can also be sent to Citizen Editor Shawn Loughlin at editor@northhuron.on.ca. The Citizen encourages residents and readers to nominate someone who has made a difference in the community and with this year going as it has, there are plenty of people who have stepped up and helped their neighbours and friends. The annual Citizen of the Year Award winners are chosen from among reader nominations. Readers nominate residents who make a difference in their communities. Those nominations are then considered by a panel of past Citizen of the Year Award winners, who then choose the year’s winner. North Huron Publishing Inc. and Continued on page 3
HPPH confirms first COVID-19 case in North Huron By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron and Perth Counties now have three active COVID-19 cases in the region, including the first case in North Huron since the pandemic struck months ago. As part of her bi-weekly briefing on the status of COVID-19 in Huron and Perth Counties, the region’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Miriam Klassen, said that as of Monday two new cases had been identified in the region – one in Huron County and one in Perth – this brings the total number of cases in the two counties to 61, though only three are active. On Monday, Klassen said the two new cases are connected to a previous case. Two of the active cases are in Perth County, while the third is in Huron County. Two of the patients
are asymptomatic and isolating at home, while the third is showing mild symptoms. To date, Huron Perth Public Health has conducted over 10,700 COVID-19 tests and there are no outbreaks at any of the region’s long-term care facilities. The North Huron case is the first ever in the township, leaving just Howick as the only Huron County municipality to not be home to a case since the pandemic took hold earlier this year. On Monday, Klassen reiterated the “good faith” nature of her face covering order for the region, saying face coverings are not mandated when in public places or shopping establishments, but she is strongly encouraging them. This is in contrast to a Section 22 order from a Medical Officer of Health making the wearing of masks mandatory in indoor, public settings.
She has urged everyone to exercise patience, kindness and understanding when it comes to masks in Huron and Perth Counties. Some people cannot wear them for medical reasons, she said, so residents should be understanding with people not wearing masks. The wearing of a face covering, however, is an extra layer of protection against spread of the virus that, when grouped with hand hygiene and physical distancing, can help slow the spread of the virus across the region. Furthermore, Klassen strongly recommended against businesses demanding patrons wear masks. She said it should be encouraged, but not mandated under her current order. The hope, she said, is that her order will increase the wearing of masks throughout the region and help slow the spread of the virus. In Huron County, there have been
three cases each in Bluewater and South Huron throughout the pandemic. Central Huron, Goderich and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh all had two cases each, while Huron East and Morris-Turnberry have had one case each and North Huron has one active case. There have been 26 cases in Stratford and four cases in St.
Marys, in addition to seven cases in North Perth, four cases in Perth East, three cases in Perth South and two cases in West Perth. Since the pandemic first reached Huron and Perth Counties, there have been 26 cases in Stratford, 16 cases in Perth County (outside of Stratford and St. Marys), 15 cases in Huron County and four in St. Marys.
‘Citizen’ up for awards Later this week, the staff at The Citizen will know if they won two Better Newspaper Competition Awards, handed out by the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). In February, the OCNA announced this year’s nominees and The Citizen was nominated – listed in the top three – for general excellence in its circulation class and for best sports photograph, a
category that is open to community newspapers of all circulation classes. The awards were scheduled to be handed out at the association’s annual gala on April 3 in Vaughan, but that event, like so many others this year, was postponed and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The awards will be handed out virtually this Friday afternoon with Continued on page 11