The Citizen - March 11, 2021

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THIS WEEK • Editorials • Farm Safety • Obituaries • Entertainment

Citizen

Huron County’s most trusted independent news source Volume 37 No. 10

Thursday, March 11, 2021

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County approves budget

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council officially approved its 2021 budget at council’s March 3 meeting with little discussion.

Council wrapped up the budget process during its day-long meeting on Feb. 11, so at council’s March 3 meeting, Treasurer Michael Blumhagen brought the budget forward for final approval.

The final draft of the budget comes in at over $44.6 million, which includes a 1.99 per cent yearover-year increase to the total tax levy. That levy increase results in an injection of a further $872,927 into the budget.

The residential tax rate for Huron County, Blumhagen said in his report, will increase by 0.77 per cent in 2021. This comes after Huron County saw an increase in assessment value in the county of just under $150 million.

In his report, Blumhagen said the average tax increase per $100,000 of existing residential assessment will be $3.54 in 2021 for the county’s portion of the budget, while the increase per $100,000 of farmland Continued on page 2

Emergency airlift A multi-vehicle collision on County Road 4 between Londesborough and Blyth, just south of Hullett-McKillop Road, resulted in one individual being airlifted to hospital.

While official details regarding the incident are yet to be made public, the incident saw Fire Department of North

Huron firefighters, Huron County Ontario Provincial Police and Huron County Emergency Services paramedics, as well as an Ornge air ambulance, attend the scene. The collision occured mid-morning and the road was re-opened later that day. (Denny Scott photo)

New COVID-19 variant case possible in region

By Denny Scott The Citizen Huron and Perth Counties may have their first confirmed COVID19 variant case with one probable variant of concern showing up in testing.

During a press conference on Monday, Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) Director and Incident Manager Donna Taylor, stepping in for Huron Perth Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen, explained testing had revealed a probable variant of concern in an individual

with a history of international travel.

She said it will take two weeks for genomic sequencing to find out if the case is a COVID-19 variant and, if so, which one. Taylor then explained the “probable” label is used due to a marker for variants being discovered through testing.

That single variant of concern case was one of 43 new cases discovered in Perth and Huron Counties over the past week, more than one-third of which were in Stratford. That brings the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic started to 1,364. Currently, she said there are 24 active cases.

One outbreak is still active in the area at the Stratford Jail. The outbreak at the Seaforth Manor Retirement Home was declared over on March 6, Taylor explained.

Taylor also addressed the significant uptake for COVID-19 vaccines in the over-80 crowd, saying that 5,500 appointments have been booked, 3,500 of which happened during the 18-hour period following the booking system being launched.

“Clinics from March 8 to March 21 have been filled,” she said.

“Additional clinics are being set up.”

Taylor reminded people to contact

HPPH through its website to register and not to call pharmacies or primary care providers.

“We’re excited about [the uptake],” she said. “It’s a great problem to have. We had 3,500 people book in the first 18 hours of having our system up…. This is a pivot, a turning point in the pandemic where we will get the vaccine into arms and see further decreases in cases.”

Taylor also announced HPPH had received information about phase two of the vaccine rollout which will allow adults between the ages of 60 to 79 years old to get the vaccine.

Also included are individuals with specific health conditions, some primary caregivers, people who live and work in congregate settings and people who live in “hot spots” with higher rates of death, hospitalization or transmission, as well as certain workers who cannot work from home.

As for local numbers, several municipalities across Huron County saw their case counts remain the same as last week, including Central Huron (51), Morris-Turnberry (45), Howick (35), Bluewater (33), Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Continued on page 8

HE Council to approve budget

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Treasurer Paula Michiels has balanced the municipality’s 2021 budget and will be presenting it for approval at a public meeting on March 16.

The second draft of the budget will include some savings to aid the 2022 budget and additional spending after several councillors felt the municipality was undercutting itself and “kicking

too many cans down the road”.

While Michiels first presented a budget with a five per cent increase to the general municipal levy, council encouraged her to raise it, which resulted in a proposed 6.5 per cent increase. After factoring in area-rated services like streetlights, waste management and others, the municipal spending increase across the wards dropped to 4.3 per cent.

Those tax levy increases vary across the municipality’s five wards to reach an average of 4.3 per cent,

beginning with Seaforth at 2.55 per cent, McKillop with 2.78 per cent, Tuckersmith at 3.47 per cent, Brussels with a 5.31 per cent increase and Grey in the highest position with an 8.2 per cent increase.

However, those numbers will now rise after council’s March 2 meeting, at which council approved a $100,000 contribution to the municipality’s equipment reserve.

The contribution will be Continued on page 15

Sunday, Mar. 14 at 2 a.m.

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

49 employees on HC ‘Sunshine List’

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen In 2020, Huron County paid 49 employees over $100,000 according to its annual Public Salary Disclosure Act report, known to many as the Sunshine List.

This represents a substantial increase over the 39 people on the 2019 list and the 2018 list, which included 30 people.

In his report to Huron County Council at its March 3 meeting, Treasurer Michael Blumhagen did note that there were 27 pay periods in 2020 due to the way the calendar fell, as opposed to a more traditional 26 pay periods.

“Based on how the dates fell with the 2020 calendar, there were 27 pay periods, which has resulted in additional staff being added to the 2020 salary disclosure reporting as compared to 2019, with only 26 pay periods. Normally, there are only 26 pay periods in a year for this reporting,” Blumhagen said in his report. “For example, in 2020, the two-week pay cycle ending Dec. 26, 2019 was paid to employees on Jan. 2, 2020, so for T4 tax reporting purposes these earnings would be included on the 2020 T4. For financial reporting purposes, these costs were expensed to 2019. In December, 2020, the pay [period] ending Dec. 24, 2020 was paid on Dec. 31, 2020, so this resulted in one extra pay (the 27th) being included in an employee’s T4.”

The county’s top employee, Chief Administrative Officer Meighan Wark, led the way as the county’s highest-paid employee with earnings of $189,175.10.

Next on the list is Director of Planning and Development Sandra Weber at $149,176, followed by Director of Operations Steven Lund and Treasurer Michael Blumhagen who are both at $149,106.91, and County Clerk Susan Cronin, who rounded out the top five at $139,320.

The rest of the list is as follows: Homes Administrator Connie Townsend, $138,182.79; Director of Social and Property Services Barbara Hall, $135,219.70; Director of Economic Development Cody Joudry, $134,209.51; Director of Human Resources Lara Vanstone at $130,042.30; Public Works Manager Mike Hausser at $128,969.16; Emergency Services Chief Jeff Horseman at $128,969.16; DeputyTreasurer Veronica Stevenson, $128,873.61; Homes Administrator Angela Steadman, $126,534.22; Primary Care Paramedic David Ludwig, $122,780.93; Homes for the Aged Director of Care Angela

Hartin-Riley, $118,165.93; Emergency Services Superintendent David Wagner, $117,194.33; Emergency Services Superintendent David Campbell, $116,371.74; Registered Practical Nurse Kimberly Mostrey, $115,503.75; Registered Nurse Anna Laxton, $114,562.46; Emergency Services Superintendent Mark Crawford, $113,285.16; Information Technology Manager Kimberley Reid, $112,866.94; Deputy-Chief (Professional Standards) William Lewis, $112,866.92; Technical Services Manager Jeff Kerslake, $112,448.61; Deputy-Chief of Operations Robert Taylor, $112,866.92; Primary Care Paramedic Melvin Andrews, $112,379.09; Museum Curator Elizabeth French-Gibson, $111,280.45; Registered Nurse Melanie Eden, $110,643.22; Child Services Supervisor Diane Millian, $109,704.56; Primary Care Paramedic Taryn-Lee Gutjahr, $109,107.52; Charge Nurse Kara Daw, $108,119.18; Director of Care Dana Mellor, $107,607.86; Human Resources Senior Manager Jane Anderson, $106,934.75; County Librarian and Director of Cultural Services Beth Rumble, $106,881.43; Emergency Services Superintendent Brad Watters, $106,300.13; Charge Nurse Dawn Powell-Parker, $105,088.95; Network and Security Architect Mike Mason and Client Services Supervisor – Information Technology Robert Barlow, at $104,514.58 each; Primary Care Paramedic Sean Gelber, $104,464.31; Housing Services Manager, Christine Hoffman, $104,322.86; Senior Planner Craig Metzger, $102,725.10; Provincial Offences Manager Lavonne Maize, $102,725.07; Senior Planner Denise Van Amersfoort, $102,725.05; Primary Care Paramedic David Bisback, $101,826,25; Primary Care Paramedic Andrew Kramer, $101,393.30; Engineering Project Manager – Bridges Cameron Harper, $100,928.94; Primary Care Paramedic Adam Robinson, $100,888.93; Community Emergency Management Coordinator David Clarke, $100,627.21; Primary Care Paramedic, Melissa Springett, $100,320.53 and Primary Care Paramedic James Janssen, $100,140.01.

The Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act was passed in 1996.

It calls for the provincial government to release a list of public sector employees paid a salary of $100,000 or more the previous year.

Social gatherings can have deadly GSRWIȩYIRGIW

2021 budget passes Continued from page 1 assessment will be 88 cents.

Blumhagen also broke down the budget further for councillors, explaining that 41 per cent of the county’s total annual revenue of just under $110 million comes from taxation. Thirty per cent comes from provincial grants, 13 per cent comes from county reserves, seven per cent comes from other external revenue, six per cent comes from fees and service charges while three per cent comes from federal grants.

The year’s capital budget sits at just under $23 million, while a total of $48,130,480 is projected to be in the county’s reserve accounts at the end of 2021.

As part of his presentation, Blumhagen did detail a handful of ongoing budget challenges for council to keep in mind. These included managing operating expenditure levels in relation to inflation, shifting tax burdens due to a declining industrial and commercial base and increasing farmland values, demographic challenges and an aging population, declining grants from sources like the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund, variable levels of senior government program funding and asset management and the need to close the infrastructure gap.

Council passed Blumhagen’s budget with no discussion.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 3.

M-T’s Zinn details cross-border negotiations timeline

By Denny Scott The Citizen Morris-Turnberry Council members wanted to share their view

of the cross-border servicing issue during council’s March 2 meeting, refuting some of the claims being made by North Huron Council members.

The discussion, which came at the request of Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn, was to “bring some of [the situation] out in the public” she said.

“As we all know, in January of

Helping out The Blyth Legion, represented here by President Ric McBurney, centre, and Jim Button, right, loaned out five wheelchairs for the upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Button and McBurney explained the chairs could be used to help elderly individuals who have to wait in line or need a seat after their shots. Collecting the chairs is OneCare’s Mike Dupuis. (Denny Scott photo)

2020, North Huron opened the agreement, asking for capacity numbers for future planning,” she said.

Zinn then ran through the past year of negotiations, starting with MorrisTurnberry requesting 30 cubic metres of water for ratepayers as of March, a number which she said was based on actual use.

“North Huron didn’t accept the numbers,” she said.

She said, at that point, North Huron suggested a land swap, which has been reported as being nearly 800 acres at the southern end of Wingham, including the Richard W. LeVan Airport. North Huron also suggested Morris-Turnberry would need 160 cubic metres of water, she said. That agreement would go nowhere, she said.

North Huron responded several months later saying MorrisTurnberry should pay for 60 cubic metres, including the land swap.

She said that, in June and July, Morris-Turnberry Council members lost faith in the negotiation process and suggested mediation or arbitration, which North Huron declined.

Zinn went on, saying that MorrisTurnberry increased its water request to 45 cubic metres, which was 50 per cent more than needed.

Morris-Turnberry Council then

expressed a preference for mediation and Zinn said North Huron had yet to respond.

As of November last year, Zinn said there were two points of disagreement between the two municipalities: the amount of water, where North Huron suggested 60 and Morris-Turnberry suggested 45 and the land swap, which North Huron wanted and Morris-Turnberry was against.

She said she would like to suggest arbitration or mediation one more time with North Huron to try and move the issue forward.

Councillor Jim Nelemans agreed, saying the issue needs to be resolved for ratepayers.

Mayor Jamie Heffer said there were meetings scheduled last week regarding cross-border servicing with Huron County and that, if council wanted to suggest mediation again, he would do so.

Several councillors voiced support for that, though Councillor Kevin Freiburger was unsure about the issue going forward.

“This is meant to be a user-pay system,” he said. “We’ve been paying all along. The old agreement was at a higher rate. I’m not sure where the whole dispute comes from.”

Heffer said he would report what resulted from the meeting.

NH turns down M-T request to renegotiate contract

By Denny Scott The Citizen North Huron has turned down a renegotiation request of the cost of its Chief Building Official (CBO), whose wage is split 60/40 between Morris-Turnberry and North Huron, respectively.

Morris-Turnberry’s Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk Trevor Hallam sent a letter to North Huron

requesting the agreement between the two municipalities be changed to reflect the fact that the CBO’s time is split more evenly than originally suspected. North Huron Council dealt with the issue during its March 1 meeting.

“With the benefit of two years of data regarding the use of the shared services, we have seen that the division of actual hours spent by the CBO in 2020 was 51.09 per cent in

Out for a walk Avery and Sadie Toll borrowed their neighbour’s dog Oakley to go out for a walk and some play time. Tanya Toll, not shown, submitted the photo and you can submit your own to reporter@northhuron.on.ca to see them in the newspaper. (Photo submitted)

North Huron and 48.91 in MorrisTurnberry and in 2019 it was 47.9 per cent in North Huron and 52.1 per cent in Morris-Turnberry,” Hallam wrote. “The information gathered over the last two years suggests that the [60/40] allocation of costs set out… does not accurately reflect the usage of the services by each municipality.”

As a result of the findings, MorrisTurnberry Council requested that Schedule A of the agreement governing the shared service be changed to an even 50/50 split of the CBO’s wages. Further, Hallam’s letter suggests that, at the end of the second and fourth quarters of each year, reconciliation takes place between the municipalities based on expenses. The suggested amendment would also charge the cost of having the CBO attend a meeting wholly to the municipality holding the meeting.

Hallam’s counterpart in North Huron, Chief Administrative Officer Dwayne Evans, didn’t feel the suggestion was taking all the information into consideration.

“We need to consider the whole service, not one case,” he said, before saying that a reconciliation of all the expenses associated with the situation should be considered.

At that point, Evans said the potential change wouldn’t be worth the time staff would spend investigating it.

As part of Evans’ report, he explained that the township’s Cross Border Committee recommended not considering the request and Councillor Chris Palmer took exception.

He said the committee’s mandate, which currently includes crossborder servicing, didn’t include this issue. He said he didn’t want any committee thinking it can give direction to council on issues outside of the committees’ mandates.

“I don’t want to see any committee, when it’s not their mandate, to try and influence council,” he said. “I just don’t like that.”

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip

disagreed, saying that the committee is responsible for making recommendations for cross-border agreements, and this is a crossborder agreement.

Councillor Kevin Falconer said he didn’t feel comfortable with paying 50/50 costs if the CBO isn’t a North Huron employee.

“I’d much rather see, if we’re going to a model like that, [the CBO] be our employee and we provide the services,” he said. “That way we have control over the situation…. I would like staff to look at all options to provide this service.”

Reeve Bernie Bailey claimed Morris-Turnberry hasn’t come to the negotiating table “for a year and a half” for other negotiations, so he didn’t understand the desire to start talking about a second agreement.

Seip suggested sending the request to the committee, as it’s that committee’s mandate to make

recommendations on such issues.

Councillor Paul Heffer disagreed, however, saying that he was in favour of going to the 50/50 model because North Huron is using approximately half of the service time.

“All that’s going on [if we agree] is we pay for what we use,” he said.

“We have building going on and I’d like to see a smooth-working building department. I can’t support [Seip’s recommendation]. I will vote yes to change this agreement.”

Despite Palmer and Heffer’s concerns, the rest of council voted to send the request to the committee for review.

During a discussion later in the meeting regarding modernization funding, Falconer suggested using the funds to get a full-time building inspector for North Huron, however Evans explained the funding is for efficiency and modernization, not to fund an existing position or service.

I cannot think little of sin, when...

(J.C. Ryle) “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matthew 27:46 Would I know how exceedingly sinful and abominable sin is in the sight God? Where shall I see sin most fully brought out?

Shall I turn to the history of the flood, and read how sin drowned the world?

Shall I go to the shore of the Dead Sea, and mark what sin brought on Sodom and Gomorrah?

No! I can find a clearer proof still! I look at the cross of Christ!

There I see that sin is so filthy and damnable, that nothing but the blood of God’s own Son can wash it away!

There I see that sin has so separated me from my holy Maker, that all the angels in Heaven could never have made peace between us. Nothing could reconcile us, short of the death of Christ.

If I listened to the wretched talk of proud people, I might sometimes imagine that sin was not so very sinful! But I cannot think little of sin, when I look at the cross of Christ!

“A bleeding Saviour I have viewed—and now I hate my sin!” John Newton A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-492-1359

PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

Editorials & Opinions

Founding Publisher: Keith Roulston Publisher & President: Deb Sholdice Editor: Shawn Loughlin • Reporter: Denny Scott Advertising Sales: Brenda Nyveld • Heather Fraser The Citizen is published 51 times a year in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $40.00/year ($38.10 + $1.90 G.S.T.) in Canada; $190.00/year in U.S.A. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited.

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Waste not, want not A U.N. report released last week outlining global food waste was an eye opener. According to the report, nearly half of all fruit and vegetables produced globally are wasted each year. Roughly one-third of the food produced every year gets wasted, approximately one billion tonnes.

This amount of food waste directly impacts the environment by causing farmers to have to produce more than we need. It also fills our landfill sites at an ever-increasing speed.

While food waste occurs at every step of the chain, from the farm through to processing, consumers can most affect the losses at the retail and home levels. Much of the waste is directly attributed to consumer behaviours. Marketing schemes such as discounting multiple purchases have increased the amount of food thrown out. And tools that seemingly give consumers more information such as “best before” dates have caused even more waste. Rarely do foods go bad by their expiry dates, but most households in developed countries throw it out the day after the date on the package and just buy new. In reality, those dates are often the last date a manufacturer has tested for optimal flavour quality or texture.

As consumers, we need to be more aware of the resources that go into all of our food and take steps to minimize the waste. Our grandparents would be appalled to see our garbage. – DS

Champing at the bit What a difference (less than) a day can make – more like 18 hours.

That’s how long it took Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) to fill its first vaccination appointment schedule for adults aged 80 and up and Indigenous adults aged 55 and up. More appointments opened on Friday.

That first block consisted of 3,500 appointments and they were full in just 18 hours. A news release from HPPH stated that demand was expected to be high, but that residents exceeded those expectations. The release also stated that HPPH appreciates “the enthusiasm of those eager to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.”

It’s nice to hear that about Huron and Perth County residents as attitudes persist throughout North America, mostly in the U.S., but also in Canada, of people taking the wait-and-see approach. Some are skeptical of the science, sure that they know more than the world’s smartest doctors, scientists and public health officials, while others would rather contract the potentially deadly virus than receive a vaccine.

Unfortunately, like so many aspects of life in this pandemic, vaccine hesitancy is seemingly following party lines – at least in the U.S. The Pew Research Center recently released a report showing that only a bit better than half of Republicans (56 per cent) are keen to get vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to 83 per cent of Democrats.

Vaccine hesitancy, however, has been dropping when compared to numbers from last November. Confidence has been growing as more people get vaccinated and show no signs of serious side effects or deaths as a result of the inoculation.

Locally though, it seems, people are using their brains and are willing to follow the science, trusting those who know more than they do. Let’s hope the trend continues, because as more people are vaccinated, fewer will contract the virus, which can only benefit the community. – SL

Reaching out Canada Post needs to pick a lane and stay in it to make sure it’s doing the best it can.

The beleaguered crown corporation recently reached out to people through postage-paid “postcards”, which is in quotations because they are pretty flimsy for that purpose. The move, which wasn’t very well advertised, has caught a number of people off guard.

For those who weren’t aware of the products, or who simply didn’t want to waste time filling them out, the postcards were quick to find the recycling bin. The problem with awareness, however, seems pretty prevalent as numerous news organizations and individuals have taken to social media to talk about the cards after they arrived.

That kind of groundswell is great, but should have happened before the cards ended up in the mailboxes of Canadians, that way some of them might not have ended up in the recycling. Canada Post needed to put more of an emphasis on getting the word out, which is ironic as that’s the entire company’s reason for existing. The crown corporation also needs to decide whether or not it wants to be a letter-carrying company. With a definitive focus on trying to be the package carrier for Canadians, the emphasis on letter mail (and other mailbox-bound mails like newspapers and periodicals) seems to have dropped in recent years. Hardly a week goes by that Citizen staff doesn’t field a phone call from someone whose newspaper didn’t make it to the box, along with the rest of their mail.

If Canada Post wants to continue to be in charge of letter mail, it should focus on boots-on-the-ground initiatives, advertise programs like the postcards and remind Canadians it doesn’t just deliver parcels. – JDS

Looking Back Through the Years March 12, 1964 The Brussels girls’ broomball team won its league’s championship, triumphing over a team from Wingham with a 5-0 win in the last game of the season.

The Brussels boys’ broomball team was still working its way through the playoffs, taking on Belgrave in the semifinals.

Wayne Lowe scored the lone goal of the game for either team, giving Brussels a 1-0 win in the first game of the series.

The second game of the series couldn’t be played in Belgrave due to the unseasonably warm weather.

It went to overtime and Barry Machan scored the winning goal to claim the series for Brussels.

In the finals, Brussels would face the winner of a series between a team from Wingham and one from the Tenth Line.

March 6, 1974 Despite the hopes of Blyth Village Council, the Blyth sewerage project could not be sped up. This came despite a special meeting in Toronto supported by local MPP Murray Gaunt.

As a result, the project would not get underway before 1976, which was the existing target date set by the Ministry of the Environment.

People applying for land severances in Huron County after June 1 would have to pay $50, an increase from $40.

The former Huron County Jail was officially declared an historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The announcement was made by the Huron County branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario at a meeting on Feb. 27.

March 6, 1996 The area lost a respected leader

and politician when Simon Hallahan passed away on Feb. 28 at the age of 96.

Though Hallahan spent much of his life farming, he was also deeply involved in many community organizations. While he was a member of the Blyth Agricultural Society and the East Wawanosh Federation of Agriculture, Hallahan co-founded the Blyth Farmers Coop and the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association. He was also an active member of the Huron County Plowmen’s Association, the Huron County Milk Producers, the Huron County Pork Producers, the St. Michael’s Cemetery Board, the Knights of Columbus, the Blyth Fire Area Board and the Huron County Holstein Association. He also served as a local 4-H leader for more than 50 years.

Hallahan was an East Wawanosh Township Councillor from 1958 to 1960 and again from 1965 to 1974, followed by a stint as the township’s reeve from 1975 to 1980.

He would be honoured with the Blyth Citizen of the Year Award in 1990 and received the Bicentennial Certificate of Merit from the Province of Ontario in 1984.

The Huron County Board of Education found its hands full, not only juggling finance reform, but also board amalgamation. As a result, Director of Education Paul Carroll said the board had to change how it did business and co-operate with its partner groups.

“There needs to be a more equitable distribution of finances and a reduction in the disparity of spending between boards,” Carroll said.

March 10, 2011 Central Huron Council began considering its options regarding a

contract with the Ontario Provincial Police for the municipality, improving upon its current contract for the five years to come.

Sgt. Kevin Hummel said he wasn’t trying to “sell” Central Huron Council on a new contract, simply providing information on enhanced policing for the municipality and all that would entail.

When it came to patient satisfaction, hospitals in both Wingham and Listowel came in above the provincial average for both emergency departments and inpatient care.

The Saugeen Maitland Lightning Midget AA team was working its way through its playoff run and eliminated the Waterloo Ravens in the semifinals with an overtime win.

The teams had tied the first game of the series, followed by a Waterloo win and then a Lightning win. After the Saugeen Maitland win, the teams played a five-minute, sudden-death overtime period to decide the winner of the series.

It was Laken Smith who would score the winning goal just one minute into the extra period.

The Huron County 4-H Leaders’ Association handed out its annual awards and many locals were honoured with awards.

Loretta Higgins won the Ben Lobb Essay Award, which asked her to write a 500-word essay about what the 4-H program meant to her, while Shelley Kroes won the Murray Cardiff Citizenship Award, which Cardiff presented to her himself.

The Huron Tourism Association named its new board for the coming year and it was Tim Cumming of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority who would serve as president.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 5.

Other Views

A year out of the life of Mitzi Magoo

A

group of us talked on Zoom the other day about the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and Mitzi Magoo sent me a few entries from her diary that illustrate her year of the pandemic.

The entries show how naive we were back then. For example on March 17 she wrote: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! The province says we have to stop going to restaurants and church and that we should all stay home. Oh well, I suppose I can manage this for a couple of weeks – even a month or so if necessary.

But the effects of the plague began even earlier.

• March 11: Went shopping today. There were lineups at the grocery store and liquor store. This pandemic thing isn’t driving me to drink yet, so only the grocery store mattered. I didn’t even care about the lines there until I got to the shelf that was supposed to have toilet paper and found it bare. Later I saw cars in the parking lot with their entire backseats full of toilet paper.

I’ve got six rolls left at home — not much for a family of two adults and three kids. Then what? My mother tells me her grandmother used to tell how they used old Eaton’s catalogues for toilet paper. I don’t even know what Eaton’s is and any catalogue I’ve found has glossy paper so that’s not going to do much good. Besides, they say even putting Kleenex down the toilet can plug it, so I’m sure glossy paper would be worse. Who even knows if you could get a plumber anymore. If I ever see toilet paper again I’m buying every roll I can carry.

• March 25: Hey, working from home isn’t bad at all. I don’t have to worry about the weather for driving to work. I can wear comfortable shoes and my pajamas if I want. I

Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk can eat whenever I want – though that seems to be once an hour so I’d better watch my weight.

• April 1: Please tell me it’s an April Fools’ joke and the kids are going back to school after all. They said they were extending the March Break to three weeks but now they say it’s too dangerous to send the kids to school. Well it’s dangerous to my health to have them interrupting me every five minutes when I’m supposed to be doing my office work!

• April 10: No more pajamas at work – at least not on top. And I have to fix my hair and put on make-up. We’re using something new called Zoom to have office meetings from our various homes, so people can see each other and, I’ve discovered from a glimpse inside other people’s houses, any mess in the background. So it’s even more fights with the kids to get them to clean up. At least I can still wear my pajama bottoms and slippers.

• May 10: The good news is that I don’t have to worry about finding time to get kids to baseball or soccer practice since it’s all cancelled because of COVID-19. The bad news is that the kids don’t wear off their energy, so their fights last longer. They could go outside and ride their bikes, or course, but I can’t get them off video games and Netflix.

• July 14: The kids may not ride their bikes, but getting out of the house and getting

exercise looks good to me. Their bikes are too small for me so I went out to buy an adult bike.

I couldn’t find one anywhere. Apparently everybody else had the same idea, only earlier (toilet paper all over again!). But after two more evenings of listening to kids fight, I rode my 10-year-old daughter’s bike around the block. I don’t even care about the strange looks from neighbours.

• Oct. 25: I thought the fact they cancelled trick-or-treating for Halloween was great – no more sugar-fueled tantrums. But the kids weren’t going to let me away with that one. I got tantrums even without the sugar. I have to go shopping and get candies, then put up with the sugar-fueled tantrums.

• Dec. 15: At least one turkey owes its life to the pandemic. We decided even a small turkey was too big for our family (the kids won’t eat leftovers) so we’re ordering in KFC. Turkeys 1, chickens 0.

• Jan. 11: The kids were supposed to go back to school today. Instead it’s more online learning. I’m trying to work but the kids keep calling me for help. Usually when it comes to computers it’s them teaching me. Do you know how long it’s been since I studied geometry? And I wasn’t good at it then! As for the stories of mythology, they’re all Greek to me.

• Feb. 13: I was so desperate to get out of the house I was ready to brave the cold weather and take up cross-country skiing, but everybody else had the same idea and skis are sold out. Oh well, at least I’ll stay warm.

• March 6: I saw a woman from church in the grocery store this morning and smiled at her, and then felt foolish because of course she couldn’t see the smile behind my mask. But then I thought, if I can still smile after a year of COVID-19, it’s a small victory.

What a difference a year can make

L

ast year, just as my birthday was about to hit, I decided to tackle a column that was about my next 35 years (as I was turning 35 at the time) and, while that column never saw the light of day, it does mark an interesting point in the pandemic cycle.

The column was inspired by Tim McGraw’s “My Next 30 Years” - a tune in which he talks about how he’s going to start living healthier, both physically and emotionally, for his next 30 years. A lot of McGraw’s goals were things I was working towards and I ended the column saying that it was nice to have a revelation that didn’t include adding things to my to-do list, but recognizing that I wasn’t as far behind as I sometimes feel.

When my birthday rolled around this year, however (just this past weekend), I realized that it was time for a whole new kind of revelation: that of looking back at the year of COVID-19.

I’m sure other people have a different experience with 2020, but for me, it seemed to just zoom by. Undoubtedly that was because my work week had become more formulaic than normal.

Prior to the pandemic, there was a chance I could be doing anything on any given day.

Depending on the season I might find myself in an arena any given night taking pictures of hockey, or taking in a soccer or baseball game.

There would be events happening throughout the day and the night and the weekend showing community spirit in the area.

Over the past year, however, photos have been few and far between (resulting in the request that The Citizen sent out for all of you wonderful readers to share photos with us, thank you for doing that and keep it going).

The experience of being deskbound really put into perspective how much I love the irregularity of my job (which is weird,

Denny Scott Denny’s Den because, outside of work, I’m pretty big on a regular schedule).

I definitely miss getting out and taking photos. Not only did it break up the monotony of swapping between council meetings and pandemic updates, it also gave me a chance to get some physical activity during the day, even if that was just walking.

It’s true that sitting at my desk for seven hours a day, five days a week, minus a walk to the post office, wasn’t good for my physical or mental health, and, while I don’t want to say I’ve gone backwards health-wise, I’m definitely not where I want to be.

Like my student loan payments, a lot of things just kind of stopped dead in their tracks for the last 12 months, even with the periods that we weren’t in lockdown.

I stopped walking in the morning, for example, for quite awhile when the first lockdown hit. I did it again when the most recent lockdown was announced.

Sure, being outside (especially at 5 a.m.) made it relatively unlikely that I’d run into anyone, let alone anyone stricken with the COVID-19 virus, but the risk, no matter how infinitesimal, just wasn’t worth it. I tried to keep physically active around the house, but, let’s just say that didn’t work out so well.

I also figured, by now, Mary Jane would be involved in some kind of group activity.

Whether that be skating, hockey, dance,

soccer, baseball, gymnastics or equestrian activities doesn’t matter – I figured I’d have something to be involved with alongside her.

In reading the above, you might think that the past year, since we first started hearing about COVID-19 pandemic, was a negative one for me. It wasn’t.

I got to spend more time with my daughter during the second lockdown. Sure, mostly it was me telling her to sit down and pay attention to her teacher, wait her turn and not get up and get more toys during her online classes, but there were moments in there when I got to see how her mind works and realize just how similar we are (much to my wife’s chagrin).

The pandemic also gave me and my wife the excuse to join the ranks of Recreational Vehicle (RV) owners. For the past several years we’ve saved up money to go on trips.

Last year that goal changed. We needed to find a way to get away from the house safely and that led to us putting a down payment on a trailer (and getting my wife’s vehicle retrofitted to haul the trailer), a plan we’d had for later in life. It didn’t take long for me to realize I loved being able to disconnect and sit outside a trailer for two days. It was a rejuvenating experience I look forward to continuing.

Whether it was fast or slow, busy or filled with relaxing minutes at home, 2020 will be a year long remembered for the change it heralded.

Final Thought Family is not an important thing. It's everything.

– Michael J Fox

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

Take a chill pill

A

s the pandemic drags on, people seem to be getting in touch with their angry side. Here at The Citizen in the last few months we’ve received a number of letters from people that are just dripping with rage.

Some we’ve published, others we haven’t and a portion have been little love notes for us.

Lacking a font to denote sarcasm, hopefully you picked up on the fact that what we’ve received have not exactly been love notes. We have certainly received more than our fair share of compliments, thanking us for our work throughout the pandemic, but it seems like hardly a week goes by without someone taking time out of their day (time they clearly have too much of) to berate us, complaining about this or that. And while, no, we are not perfect, I can’t help but think this uptick in criticism is misplaced anger.

The pandemic is getting to people. For most, it seems they are getting tired of all this. And I understand. It was just under a year ago that COVID-19 made landfall into our lives. For many reasons, the virus is still a part of our lives one year later and things promise to remain far from normal for some time.

The flip side of correspondence received here at The Citizen has been from the people who deny the very existence of the pandemic.

Poorly educated conspiracy theorists have felt it appropriate to take time out of their days to bother me and others at this office with their junk science, fake news and accusations of collusion. This includes frequent notes from someone who continually attempts to claw at our integrity, suggesting we all reside in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s pocket.

Anyway, I’m sliding a little sideways here and this is threatening to turn into another airing of grievances column. The point is that people are mad. They are very, very mad.

Late last year, as an unsettling finale to a year most were happy to hit with the door on the way out, we ran a story about diminishing mental and physical health in the region as a result of the pandemic. While the report didn’t specifically get into this, failing mental health can lead to this kind of anger. When I think of declining mental health, I always think of depression, but anger can be a definite factor.

No doubt the state of the world is taking its toll on us all – in one way or another. This just isn’t the way we’re supposed to live our lives, but times have changed and we need to change with them to stay safe and show that respect to our loved ones, friends and neighbours.

This anger that’s bubbling within us isn’t new. During the first lockdown, it was a factor in the sudden rush to appreciate essential workers like grocery store employees, gas station attendants, postal workers, etc. Not only were they out there every day, putting themselves in harm’s way so the rest of us didn’t have to be, but they were often on the receiving end of this anger. When someone bought up a store’s supply of toilet paper, hand sanitizer or flour they weren’t standing there.

However, right in front of a disappointed shopper, a cashier certainly was, and more often than not, it seemed they got an earful.

You might be angry, but remember that the person on the other side of the phone/counter/ computer/letter to the editor is likely just as angry as you are. The only difference is that they’re handling it a lot better than you are. So, let’s all try and control ourselves and look at the rest of the world and the people around you like the human beings they are, rather than punching bags there to make you feel better.

The world doesn’t revolve around you, after all. We’d all be well served to remember that.

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

At the Branch

‘Ace’ draws return

Keeping warm Emily Baker sent this photo of a couple of Brussels-area animals: Peppy, on the left and Missy on the right were braving the cold temperatures last week when it hit -18ºC. (Photo submitted)

By Jo-Ann McDonald Catch the Ace is back. Tickets are now in the outlets and the first draw is March 19. Outlets include the Brussels Pharmacy, Brussels Variety, McDonald Lumber and the Legion. Get yours today and help the pot grow or better yet, be our first winner of the pot. Legal name is required. No nicknames, children’s names or pet’s names are to be signed on the ticket. You must be 18 years of age.

The Brussels Legion Branch reopened on Thursday and Friday evening and a few people dropped into the Branch for a visit. Protocols are in place and the side entrance is

to enter. Face masks are required until you are seated and a sign-in sheet must be signed after answering the COVID-19 screening questions.

We are still looking for new members so pick up an application form while you are there.

Congratulations to a North Woods Elementary School student for her colour primary Remembrance poster that placed third in district competition. Rachel Albrecht is a Grade 3 student and her poster placed in the division that covers an area of 50 Branches from Goderich to the west to Kitchener to the east and Tobermory to the north and Exeter to the south. Congratulations!

Vaccine availability leaves columnist feeling hopeful A NOTE FROM BETTY

By Betty Graber Watson Call 887-9231 I think anticipation should be the word for this week. Vaccines are coming our way. The old folks have theirs booked and things are looking good. So, anticipate all the things we’ve put on hold, and now can

think of the good things as possibilities. Now be careful, we still need to mask and distance for a while yet, but it sure feels hopeful.

International Women’s Day was Monday: a time to appreciate the women in your life while knowing that most in the world are not as fortunate as the Canadian ones.

Respect, wages and education are not offered up fairly around the globe. We can each do a wee part to make life better for someone else here and abroad.

If Gordie Howe was Mr. Hockey, then Walter Gretzky can be Hockey Dad. Like Howe, he loved the sport, defended and enhanced it, all the

while appreciating the people around. Kindness, fairness, fun and respect are words used for the life that Walter led. Brother Bob, one of the Bell guys of Brampton, knew the Gretzky family through work and hockey and has good memories of Phyllis and Walter’s family growing up through sports. Another good guy away to heaven.

If you’re appreciating the life you have and want to share , the Huron Women’s Shelter and second-stage housing could use your help. Their needs are very high and every bit we do will help. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, laundry needs, washcloths and towels and

bedding for single beds are on their wish list at this time. The United Churches of Brussels and Blyth are collecting these items over the next few weeks, and community help is appreciated.

Call the churches for details, but for this week, someone will be at the Brussels church on Saturday and Monday, other drop off times can be arranged, so let us know. There is much need in our world, but this is a local, worthy cause. It will feel good to help.

We’re in anniversary time now.

Next week we’ve been COVID-19 confined for a year. Oh my! As much as it’s been hard restricting our

movements, it’s had many good spots as well. Getting to know people better, learning technology to keep up with others, sending and receiving hand-written letters (thanks Robyn) trying new recipes and finding long forgotten pictures.

So as we approach our COVID-19 anniversary, review the good things that have come as we recall the horrors for many.

Be safe. Be kind.

Bye now, Betty G.W.

HE resident dies in single-vehicle collision As of Monday, Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with members of the West Region OPP Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (TIME) Team, continued to

investigate a fatal snowmobile crash that took place southeast of Vanastra last week.

On Friday, March 5 at approximately 8:35 a.m., officers became aware of an overdue person

who failed to return home after being out snowmobiling. A search was conducted by police and civilians and shortly before 11 a.m. the crash scene was located off of Morrison Line on private property.

Police say the lone rider was pronounced dead at the scene.

OPP have since identified the deceased as Jess Aicken, a 33-yearold resident of Huron East.

Any person with information regarding this crash should immediately contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 519-482-1677.

Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

Brussels Legion 218 Catch the Ace Draw begins March 19th at 7:15 pm We are celebrating our re-opening and the start of the Catch the Ace Draw with a Wing Night Wings will be available from 5:30 - 7:30 pm. (seating capacity allowed for 50 people - max. 6 per table - masks must be worn when not seated at your table)

$12.00 per order (includes 8 wings, sauce, carrots/celery and dressing)

Take-out available by pre-ordering.

Call 519-887-6562 Catch The Ace tickets available at Brussels Variety, Brussels Pharmacy, McDonald Lumber and Brussels Legion.

Municipality of Huron East

2021 Budget

King of the cob Liz Allan recently captured this shot of two bluejays snacking at the local corn cob bar. Allan shared the photo with The Citizen and you can too. Send your photos to Denny Scott at reporter@northhuron.on.ca for a chance to see them in the paper. (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

Notice is hereby given that the 2021 Huron East Budget will be considered by Council on March 16th, 2021 at 7:15 pm A brief budget synopsis is available on the Huron East website: www.huroneast.com Complete copies of the budget document will be available at the Municipal Office.

Paula Michiels, Finance Manager-Treasurer/Deputy Clerk

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 7.

Staff to provide report on cannabis stores in NH

By Denny Scott The Citizen

North Huron Township Council has reversed course from its previous stance on allowing cannabis stores within the municipality, which had been a flatout no.

After the issue returned to council by individuals seeking to set up a store, Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said council could reconsider the issue. Last month, he made a notice

of motion to revisit the issue during council’s March 1 meeting.

The discussion at that meeting had a decidedly different tone than when the issue was first brought up in 2019, and resulted in staff being directed to investigate the implications of a cannabis retail store.

Seip said that, in 2019, the concern was the lack of information.

“We know more than we did,” he said. “If information can come

before council, we can know what’s different now.”

Council approved the motion to revisit the issue with Councillor Paul Heffer voting against it.

Councillor Kevin Falconer, who seconded Seip’s motion, said he knows consumers in North Huron that are going outside the municipality to get cannabis and related products.

“I don’t see the difference whether we allow it here or [not],” he said.

“It’s always available now that it’s

provincially and federally legalized.”

He said that putting constraints on someone’s ability to pursue cannabis as a viable business doesn’t make sense.

Councillor Chris Palmer, who had taken a firm line against the possibility of a cannabis store in 2019, put forward a motion to have North Huron staff investigate the implications of a cannabis store. The

Birds, more daylight herald spring’s return From Marilyn’s Desk

By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318

Collision A significant collision resulted in the closure of County Road 4 between Blyth and Londesborough last Thursday. Firefighters from the Fire Department of North Huron alongside Huron County paramedics and Ontario Provincial Police worked to extricate an individual from the above vehicle for evacuation by Ornge air ambulance. (Denny Scott photo)

motion included communicating with the Alcohol and Gaming Commision of Ontario (AGCO) and municipalities that have cannabis stores, suggesting Listowel.

He also wanted staff to contact the potential vendor to provide more information to help determine how to proceed.

Falconer also suggested reaching out to a vendor in Wingham who has been selling hemp products.

Happy birthday to Mary Lou Stewart, who will celebrate March 11; Diane Howson, March 13; Ken Siertsema, March 15; Steven Sparling, March 16 and Madison Lee, March 17. Happy Birthday everyone.

Congratulations to Hubert and Edelgard Hoba who will celebrate their wedding anniversary on March 15.

Today, as we look outside, there are many signs of spring appearing.

The days are getting longer and I have noticed the birds are singing at dawn to welcome the day. Our snow is disappearing and the warmer temperatures are returning. When you drive through the country you can notice that people have tapped the trees and are making maple syrup. After the winter we had, spring can’t come soon enough.

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

NH defers signing fire dispatch agreement

By Denny Scott The Citizen

North Huron Township Council decided to postpone the signing of a fire dispatch program renewal with the Owen Sound Police Services due

to an extended termination clause in the document.

Fire Department of North Huron Chief Marty Bedard presented the renewal agreement during council’s March 1 meeting, which included several new clauses and a new price.

One clause in particular, however, an 18-month termination period, raised questions among council members.

Bedard explained the previous agreement included a six-month termination clause, one-third of the proposed time period.

Fighting for change Nearly a dozen protesters made their voices heard in front of Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson’s constituency office in Blyth last month. The protest was arranged to support paid sick days for every worker through the adoption of Bill 239. (Denny Scott photo)

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip questioned why the 18-month term had been set.

“That’s quite a long time,” he said.

“We could run into a situation where we’re not able to cancel it.”

Reeve Bernie Bailey also questioned the term, saying he would like a staff report on why that number was chosen. Bedard said he could look into it, but a decision needs to be made at council’s next meeting on March 15.

Bedard also reported the agreement includes a significant increase in cost for the service.

Over five years, the agreement will see the price increase by $12,256.70, Bedard reported, up from approximately $20,000 in 2020 to $32,908 in 2025.

“It’s important to note the [proposed new rates] are average rates. All dispatchers are going to be increasing,” Bedard said.

The agreement, which is for a five-year term, also includes a new clause in which the municipality will be responsible for the cost of a dedicated dispatcher during major incidents. Bedard said an example of such an incident would be a tornado.

Council accepted Bedard’s report and directed him to investigate the 18-month cancellation term.

NEWS FROM BLYTH Broken Dryer?

Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687

Drop by our office in Blyth or Brussels and check out our wonderful selection of books. We have books for all ages.

413 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114

PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

COVID-19 cases drop significantly in February Continued from page 1 (ACW) (23) and Goderich (19).

Municipalities in Huron that saw increased case counts included South Huron, which reported two new cases for a total of 100, Huron East which reported one new case for a total of 98 and North Huron which reported two new cases for a total of 46.

In Perth County, Perth South (37 cumulative cases) and St. Marys (32) remained static. There were

increases in North Perth, where four new cases were reported for a total of 348; Stratford, where 16 new cases were reported for a total of 329; Perth East, where two new cases were reported for a total of 138 and West Perth, where two new cases were reported for a total of 30.

Active cases are located in Stratford (16), North Perth (four), South Huron (two), North Huron (one) and Perth East (one).

February marked the lowest month for COVID-19 confirmed cases in the last four, with a total of 100 confirmed cases across Huron and Perth Counties. That’s down significantly from January, the highest month on record, when there were 450 confirmed cases.

Outbreak-related acquisition

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

There has been an up-and-down week of weather and we look forward to some warm temperatures for this week. The snowmobiling may come to an end, if the highs of 10°C and 12°C happen. There were many machines out on Saturday and Sunday to get in maybe their last rides before the melting snow turns the trails to mud. As I write on Monday, the day began with -9°C temperature. It was up to 0°C at 1 p.m. and the forecasts say a high of 8°C. Not sure we made it.

Does this mean spring is coming?

I have heard reports of folks seeing robins, yet have not seen one myself.

If the number of dead animals on the road is a sign, it must mean they are coming out of hibernation and are a little dopey. Farmers are out spreading manure on the fields. Lots more folks are out walking and enjoying the sun. Shoes are replacing boots on the frozen ground, but that will change back when the mud arrives with the expected rain! Ah isn’t spring wonderful!

Our sympathies are extended to

The warmer weather of Monday saw students at Hullett Central Public School ditch their hats and even their coats to soak up some of the warmth and the sunlight. Above, Addison Hoekmeijer climbs one of the basketball hoops at the school in just her sweater and gloves. (Denny Scott photo)

Neews depends endss on facts. ts. Where Whe are you our facts ts coming com ng from? ro News Media Canada is a passion ssionate advocate for the news industry. We support our mem mber m publications in their pursuit of quality journalism nalism.

Wee believe that when society has factss they can W trust, better decisions will be made.

newsmediacanada.ca

per cent of cases have an unknown cause of acquisition.

There are currently two residents of Huron Perth Counties hospitalized and COVID-19-related deaths remain at 50 since the pandemic started.

For more information, visit hpph.ca.

Looking for signs of spring PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

Hanging out

continues to be the most likely cause of COVID-19 contraction in the area with 30.1 per cent of known likely acquisition being attributed to outbreaks. Household contact accounts for 26.6 per cent of likely acquisition, while close contact accounts for 16.7 per cent. Travel accounts for 1.2 per cent while 25.5

Lyle and Doris Hood on the passing of his mother, Leola Hood. I knew Leola for 35 years and she was a hard-working woman. She loved playing bingo, going to the casino with her late husband, eating out with her girl friends and her visits with her son Lyle. I remember her stories of adventures with her husband when they were killing chickens with the neighbours and how they loved just going for a drive. She always had a smile and laugh when we would be together and she will be missed. Our condolences to her family.

Our family had a drive-around birthday celebration for our fouryear-old granddaughter on Sunday.

Elaina turned four and she was very excited to see us and get her presents. The Jarosz family came from New Hamburg and had a visit with us, with masks and handwashing etc. They also picked up her presents and her birthday cake. They went to see their cousins for an outside visit, and again, more presents. The family then had a Zoom call after they were home with both sides of their family and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” and she opened more presents. What a happy and excited little girl!

Celebrating birthdays this past

week includes Sandra Butler, Brooklyn Murray, Elaina Jarosz, Deb Fraser, Melissa Glanville Brand, Dean Hackwell, Ruthann Hoegy, Andy Pethick, Nicole Stevenson, Brian Wilbee, Kaleigh McCallum, Neil McDonald, William Ringgenberg, Jerry Zwep, Allison Braecker, Jeanette Robinson, Eric Ross, Fred McClure, Bridget McCallum, Carali McCall Hughes, Alex Melady and Linda Bird. Happy birthday to all.

NEWS FROM WALTON

Visit The Citizen online at huroncitizen.ca for news, photos, obituaries and editorials.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 9.

Floodplain mapping shows dam as a flood concern

Antithesis While council members in both North Huron and Morris-Turnberry questioned him, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) Flood and Erosion Safety Services Co-ordinator Steve Jackson confirmed that the presence of the Howson Dam actually increases the floodplain instead of controlling it. The above map, which was part of a comprehensive update to the floodplain mapping for the Wingham area, shows that the presence of the dam results in significantly more land (highlighted in red) being limited in development due to being in the floodplain as a result of the dam’s presence. Jackson said the dam isn’t a flood-control infrastructure, so it causes flood concerns upstream from its location. (Image submitted)

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Both North Huron and MorrisTurnberry received updated floodplain map documents from the Maitland Valley Conservation Area

during two recent council meetings.

During North Huron’s March 1 meeting and Morris-Turnberry’s March 2 meeting, Steve Jackson of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA) presented the document. The last update to the

mapping, he explained, was over 40 years ago in 1978.

Jackson said the document has been in the works for the past three years. It was delayed due to COVID19, he said, because public information centres weren’t able to be held due to lockdowns.

Late last year, however, those

meetings were held as one-on-one affairs, Jackson said.

“Public meetings were held Oct. 28 through Oct. 30 with 27 appointments,” he said. “The meetings lasted 20 to 60 minutes per appointment.”

He said the format was a welcome change from the more traditional open-house style meetings. He added he wants to continue to use it after the pandemic as it makes it easier to answer questions.

Jackson explained that the floodplain area is dictated by the province and is determined by the 1954 rainfall that accompanied Hurricane Hazel. The floodplain is not determined by the impact that storm had locally, however, but by the worst-hit area: Woodbridge.

Jackson said that, in Woodbridge, there was approximately 12 inches over the brief period during which the hurricane moved through the area. He said, to compare that, the rain and snow melt in December of 2008, which resulted in widespread flooding and service disruptions in the area, was only about five inches.

Jackson explained that, using updated mapping, the floodplain was set by taking that 12 inches, or 300 millimetres of rain, and pouring it over the Wingham area mapping.

The updated mapping comes thanks to a project undertaken by North Huron and Morris-Turnberry which used airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology to measure the elevation variances in the area. While it’s rated to provide accurate elevations within four inches, Jackson said, in most cases, the MVCA found it was accurate to one to two inches.

The overall floodplain had some minor changes to it, with some areas being added and others being removed, meaning that some areas may not be able to be developed while new developable land opened elsewhere. For full details, visit mvca.on.ca.

During both the North Huron and Morris-Turnberry presentations, councillors questioned a slide that Jackson included that showed how the presence of the Howson Dam, the focus of a possible rehabilitation

by North Huron, actually resulted in more lands being in the floodplain.

“The dam increases the floodplain area,” Jackson said, explaining it isn’t a flood control apparatus. “If the Howson Dam isn’t in place, it opens up more land for development.”

North Huron’s Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said that didn’t seem to be logical, but Jackson explained that, due to the structure, there was a great concern of flooding.

When answering the same question from Morris-Turnberry Deputy-Mayor Sharen Zinn, Jackson explained that flood control dams are different. “[We] found if the Howson Dam is removed, there wouldn't be any change in flooding downstream,” he said. “The Howson Dam causes flooding upstream. It’s more of a hindrance in flooding than a help.”

Jackson explained that the mapping is still not officially complete due to one MorrisTurnberry ratepayer not submitting information “in a timely manner”, so the deadline for comment from that ratepayer has been extended to 120 days.

Morris-Turnberry Councillor Jim Nelemans asked if all the other issues were resolved, and Jackson said some were, however some people still had qualms about the modeling itself.

“There are outstanding items in the minds of those at the [public meeting appointments] who are concerned with flood forecasting,” Jackson said.

Those concerns, however, aren’t anything that the MVCA can remedy as it isn’t responsible for the formula behind flood forecasting.

“We have to follow the province’s flood standard,” he said.

y a D ’s n e om W l a tion a n er t n I e t a r b e g l n i Ce k a m or f s l ir g d n a n e om w g n i ! by thank y t i n u m om c r ou a difference in y

King of the Hill Some hills of snow had survived the warmer temperatures of the last week at Hullett Central Public School. The hill above, nestled in the shade of the school building, ended up being the focus of a lively game of King of the Hill between Keith Lindsay, top, and Jermaine Hendricks.

Those games will likely die down as warmer weather sees snow gradually disappearing from the landscape. (Denny Scott photo)

LISA THOMPSON MPP-Huron-Bruce

Blyth Constituency Office Kincardine Constituency Office 519-523-4251 519-396-3007 Email: lisa.thompson.co@pc.ola.org Website: www.lisathompsonmpp.ca

PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 11.

Don't wear loose clothing around equipment or work areas.

Legendary Custom mer Servvice - Itt’s In Our DNA

www.robe ertsfarm.com m | www.mcgavinequip.co om CHESLEY 519-363-31922

MOUNT FORREST 519-323-27755

LUCKNOW 519-529-79955

WALTON N 519-887-63365

Brian E. Wightman Certified General Accountant • Personal & Corporate Tax • Accounting & Bookkeeping • Agricultural Services

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Brussels Agromart Ltd. • Crop Inputs • Crop Consulting • Crop Protection Products • Seed • Custom Application

www.brusselsagromart.ca

Seaforth ~ 519-527-1331 Email: brian@wightmancpa.ca

Dumpster Rental and Service Residential & Commercial Dumpster Rental & Service

R.R. #1 41403 Londesboro Road Londesboro, ON N0M 2H0 Jim Anderson Jason Fleet: 519-523-4894 Cell 519-525-9473 Cell 519-440-6007

AIRTIGHT STORAGE LTD. 42607 Cranbrook Rd., Brussels, Ont. N0G 1H0

Bottom Unloading Silos Sales & Service David Baker Phone: 519-887-9965 Toll Free: 1-877-880-7883 Cell: 519-654-6791

Brussels

519-887-6273

The Citizen Take your time doing farming chores, wear proper footwear, watch for hazards, keep pathways clear, use handrails, and stay alert.

405 Queen St., Blyth

541 Turnberry St., Brussels

519-523-4792

519-887-9114

Your full-service John Deere Source for Parts, Sales & Service

• Agricultural Equipment • Utility Vehicles • Skid Steers • Sprayers • Pressure Washers • Lawn & Garden Equipment • Exeter 519-235-1115 • Blyth 519-523-4244 • Mitchell 519-347-2251 www.hurontractor.com

Lisa Thompson MPP Huron-Bruce

CONSTITUENCY OFFICES Blyth Office: Phone: 519-523-4251 Toll Free: 1-800-668-9320 Kincardine Office: Phone: 519-396-3007 Toll Free: 1-866-396-3007 Website: www.lisathompsonmpp.ca Email: lisa.thompsonco@pc.ola.org

Huron-Bruce Matters

Leading an AgSafe Canada

Farm Safety and COVID-19

It’s Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, and this year be a leader.

Lead your community, your farm and your family in farm safety. Start conversations and raise awareness. Be part of an AgSafe Canada and help make Canadian farms a safer place for everyone to live and work.

As a farmer and employer, it’s up to you to make sure everyone who works and lives on the farm stays safe and healthy. And with COVID-19, that role is as important as ever.

Be a farm safety leader. Keep everyone safe by developing and following a plan to reduce COVID-19 exposure, train farm workers and talk to your family. Always make sure that any plan follows the latest guidelines of the provincial health authority.

Resilience on the Farm Did you know that farm business management isn’t just good for business, it’s also good for mental health?

It’s no secret that farming is a stressful occupation. That’s why planning ahead is so important.

Implementing farm business management practices can go a long way to helping farms weather a storm and remain resilient through challenging times.

Following a farm business plan contributes to peace of mind for farmers, farm workers and families. And healthy minds go hand in hand with healthy farms.

This Canadian Agricultural Safety Week, we’re celebrating Safe and Strong Farms.

For more information on Leading an AgSafe Canada, visit agsafetyweek.ca.

Brett & Laura Fischer

Remember to put safety first!

519-887-8253 Office

COVID-19 has brought a lot of attention to the importance of self-care.

But a global pandemic isn’t the only time farmers should practice self-care. It should be a regular part of routines at all times.

It’s important to remember that there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to self-care.

Eating healthy foods, finding a creative outlet and putting aside time to tackle necessary tasks can all benefit selfcare.

Take time to figure out what self-care practices work best for you and your farm business.

Brussels brettandlaura@plantpioneer.com Farm Safety is everyone’s responsibility

40356 LONDESBORO RD., LONDESBOROUGH 519-523-4742 www.townsendtire.ca

Touchstone Therapies 625 Turnberry St, Brussels (226) 889-5654

519-887-9661 3878 WELLINGTON ST., 20 KING ST., MITCHELL and CLINTON

519-348-8485

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Come in and discover our new product lines

Be safe. Stay alert.

JOE SEILI

Brussels 519-887-6289

Todd Wheeler Insurance Inc. AGENT: TODD WHEELER PO Box 394 75 Sports Dr., Brussels, ON N0G 1H0

Exhaust Bending Service Complete Vehicle Service twheeler@mckillopmutual.com OFFICE: 519-357-0155 • FAX: 226-889-8944

Take extra care when handling livestock.

• Order Buyers • • Slaughter/Feeder Cattle • • Western/Eastern/Local Cattle • • Cattle Appraisals ~ Processing Available • Ross McCall

Office 519-887-9571 Fax 519-887-9171

Farm Safety = #1 Priority Seed Crop Protection Fertilizer Grain Elevators Custom Spraying Contact us at 519-523-9624 • 1-800-663-3653

Be cautious when working around farm equipment and livestock.

Farm Safety is everyone’s responsibility!

www.howickmutual.com

1-800-265-3033

G. L. HUBBARD LIMITED

Locations ~ Blyth and Walton

Safe, Dependable Trucking Service • Livestock • Bulk Brussels, Ontario 519-887-6122 1-800-667-8399

COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL • Foundations • Floor Finishing • Circular Tanks • Sandwich Walls FREE ESTIMATES RR#3 Blyth ~ Fax 519-523-9604 519-523-9971

Wellness on the Farm

AUTO PARTS

235 TURNBERRY ST., BRUSSELS

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37117 Blyth Road, Goderich

RADAR “You will find it at CARQUEST”

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Howson & Howson Ltd. Flour Mill Blyth 519-523-4241

• Farm • Residential • Commercial • Automobile

• FARM • HOME • AUTO • BUSINESS • COTTAGE • COMMERCIAL • RECREATION • MARINE

1-877-839-3742 www.mcconvilleomni.ca

Dave Franken

PO Box 429 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

519-523-4311 STEVEN NIXON Broker WILFRED MCINTEE & CO. LIMITED

Growers And Packers Of Quality Rutabagas

STAY SAFE! Experience the DELTA Difference

Used Car & Truck Sales Repairs to all makes & models of cars & trucks Located 2 miles south of Blyth Corner of London Rd. & Hullett-McKillop Rd.

www.deltapower.ca

Jack Van Dorp 519-523-9308

Farm Safety is everyone’s responsibility

Serving the area since 1999

Blyth 519-523-4554

Bus: 519-357-2222 • Cell: 519-531-0252 Email: nixon@execulink.com Web:www.stevennixon.com 318 Josephine St., WINGHAM, ON N0G 2W0

PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

Sawchuk pens new book on bathroom design

A new way of thinking Blyth’s Julie Sawchuk, seen above in an accessible washroom, aims to change some minds about accessible bathroom design. The book is now available in e-book form on Amazon and physical copies are available at The Citizen office in Blyth. (Photo submitted)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Blyth’s Julie Sawchuk has released her next book on accessible building design – officially launching it on March 10 live from Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company – this time focusing on bathrooms.

She launched her book virtually, live from the brewery’s bathroom, which she says is one of the most accessible in the county. The launch included her two co-authors, Samantha Proulx and Jane Vorbrodt, and several other interested parties, including a representative from the Rick Hansen Foundation, for which Sawchuk is a certified ambassador.

Sawchuk, who has already penned one successful book on accessible home design, began work on Building Better Bathrooms in late 2019 after attending a conference in Vancouver and meeting the two women who would eventually become

her co-authors on the project.

They spoke about accessible bathroom design as being another blind spot in accessible building design. After going back and forth about it for a while, they decided they should do something about it and set about writing a pamphlet on accessible bathroom design together.

Not long after they got started, however, did it become clear that what they were producing would be far more robust than any pamphlet and that they had committed to writing a book together.

The bathroom, Sawchuk said, is the most important room in the house when it comes to accessible design. Whether in a home, a business or a community centre, the accessibility of the bathroom determines how long someone with a disability can be in the building.

She said that the information available to contractors and architects is all related to the Ontario Building Code. Not only does the

A look back at the 1955 polio vaccine rollout in Huron

By Karen Webster As our area prepares for the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine for the general population, it is interesting to compare our time to that of the rollout of the polio vaccine in 1955.

Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious disease caused by a virus.

Although the first major polio outbreaks occurred in Europe in the early 1800s, the first known occurrence in Canada was in Hamilton in 1910. Waves of polio epidemics occurred in summer or in fall and mainly affected children. An

estimated 11,000 people in Canada were left with some effects of polio between 1949 and 1954. In 1953 there were 9,000 cases and 500 deaths, making that the most serious brush with a virus since the 1918 influenza pandemic.

In a 2018 editorial, Citizen founder Keith Roulston mused that “few people today remember when the very word ‘polio’ struck terror into people’s hearts, particularly the parents who worried about their children who made up more than one half of all polio Continued on page 13

Welcome Your New Arrival in

code not explain “the why” behind accessible design, but it also sets the lowest bar for an acceptable home.

Instead of inching ahead of that bar, Sawchuk said, we should be standing on the bar and reaching upwards, always trying to do better.

“The why” of accessible design, Sawchuk said, is the most important aspect of it and really a driving force behind the work she’s doing.

By not being so formal, like the Ontario Building Code, Sawchuk and her co-authors are able to be anecdotal about bathroom design

and explain why something needs to be placed where it’s placed or why it has to be as high as it is.

That understanding, she said, is crucial to changing minds and implanting the basics of accessible design into the minds of those who are building homes and buildings. If they understand why the Ontario Building Code is telling them they need to do something, they can then be creative and seek to improve upon it, making life better for those who need accessible washrooms and other building features.

Once the trio began working on the project, they aimed for publication in December of 2020.

Sawchuk said the COVID-19 pandemic actually didn’t hinder the process very much, as the three authors would have had to meet remotely anyway, with Proulx based in Calgary and Vorbrodt in Vancouver.

However, what delayed publication was actually ensuring that its contents were applicable in the real world.

As Sawchuk worked with Gary Rutledge on an accessible suite in his subdivision at the north end of Blyth, she began applying the information the three women had gathered for the book.

She tried to apply that information to the project, but then found it needed tweaking here or there.

Practically applying the principles, she said, was the best thing for the book as she was able to find out what worked and what didn’t. She was then able to hone the information and ensure it would be helpful to those reading it.

That final step was so important, Sawchuk said, and soon enough the book was ready to be published.

The other change she made rather late in the process, she said, was to

Leadership in energy and environmental design

Devon Henry 84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels

devonjhenry@hotmail.com 519-505-2473

Calling small business owners COVID-19 support could be available to you.

• Grants of up to $20,000 through the Ontario Small Business Support Grant • Up to $1,000 in support for purchasing PPE through Ontario's Main Street Relief Grant • Rebates for property tax and energy costs

We’re working to ensure small businesses can keep employing people and serving their communities now and when COVID-19 is behind us.

Visit ontario.ca/COVIDsupport to apply

The Citizen

Call or email to book your ad today 519-523-4792 info@northhuron.on.ca

go back and inject some personal stories, anecdotes and “uncomfortable conversations” into the book, making it personal. Once her husband told her that’s what he thought was missing, she agreed. It now plays such a crucial role in the book that it’s how the book begins.

It is now available as an e-book and has already seen success on Amazon. It is available in print as well, she said, with the printing being done by Blyth Printing. She is proud to have the book produced right in her home community.

While Sawchuk doesn’t have a new book project on the go just yet, her next initiative will be to connect with design and construction students locally, hoping to get her guidelines in their hands. If she can influence teenaged students and get them thinking about accessible design now, she said it could help change the world of home and building design for years to come.

She has already reached out to the specialist high skills majors programs at local high schools, which is where she plans to start and hopefully expand her reach from there.

For more information on Sawchuk and her writings, visit juliesawchuk.ca.

Paid for by the Government of Ontario

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 13.

519-523-4311

www.ruralvoice.ca

Agriculture

BLYTH 519-523-4244

www.hurontractor.com

Brussels Livestock Report

Beef veal sells steadily at livestock sale Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending March 5 were 1,890 cattle and 538 lambs and goats.

On Tuesday, fed steers and heifers sold actively with steady prices.

Choice steers and heifers sold $138

to $144 with sales to $145. Secondcut cattle sold $130 to $137. Agedand medium-fed steers and heifers sold $110 to $130. Holstein steers and heifers sold $85 to $115. Cows sold actively.

On Thursday, veal sold actively

with prices steady to last week. Beef veal sold steady with quality considered. Lambs, sheep and goats sold steady.

On Friday, calves sold on a very active trade with steady prices.

Yearlings sold with a good demand

Spring forward The Brussels Leo Club was busy on the weekend ushering in a new season with spring around the corner. Members were selling spring bulbs to those looking to get a jump on their gardens as snow began to thaw and temperatures began to warm. (Photo submitted)

with prices slightly easier than last week.

K/C McAlpine of Ailsa Craig, consigned eight head. Two charolais steers averaged 1,578 lbs. and sold for an average price of $144. One gold steer weighed 1,530 lbs. and sold for a price of $144.

George Roney of Staffa, consigned nine head. One charolais heifer weighed 1,470 lbs. and sold for a price of $142.

There were 325 cows on offer.

Beef cows sold $74 to $84.50 with sales to $88; good holstein cows, $72 to $77 with sales to $93.50; medium holstein cows, $68 to $71; D4 cows, $57 to $67.

There were 150 head of veal on offer. Beef veal sold $120 to $165; good holsteins, $125 to $140 with sales to $146; SL heavy holsteins, $105 to $125; medium holsteins, $112 to $119; plain holsteins, $90 to $115. James Vanderheide of Mitchell, consigned 15 head. One holstein steer weighed 770 lbs. and sold for a price of $146.

Lambs, 50 - 64 lbs. sold $472 to $489; 65 - 79 lbs., $424.50 to $452; 80 - 94 lbs., $338 to $360; 95 - 109 lbs., $321.50 to $331; 110 lbs. and over, $295 to $315.

Sheep sold $150 to $285.

Goats: billies sold $150 to $350;

Polio epidemic full of lessons for 2021 Continued from page 12 victims. Parents almost came to dread summers, which was when polio usually attacked. Some summers would have relatively few cases and others would have infections of epidemic proportions.”

The parallels between polio and COVID-19 are stark: spread – by personal contact or touching contaminated objects; range – can affect people of all ages; symptoms – fever, sore muscles, fatigue; effects – from few or no lasting effects to death. Fear and isolation were experienced by patients, parents and caregivers, and there was no cure until a suitable vaccine was developed.

Some polio cases were very fast moving. One teen was healthy on Saturday and had passed away by Tuesday. In the fall of 1939, one northern Huron County family had three of six siblings affected. Their 19-year-old son died within a few days, his 17-year-old sister was hospitalized and lived with the assistance of an iron lung for nine years before succumbing to the illness, while a younger sibling had only mild effects at the time. This family suffered its loss in isolation with supplies being dropped off at the mailbox. Friends of some other polio victims saw people crossing the street to avoid contact with them.

Since the cause of polio was unknown, many phobias arose. Pat Hunking of Blyth remembers that peaches were thoroughly scrubbed as the fuzz was thought to carry the germ. Other people blamed flies for the problem.

Many “cures” were tried. Serum

from people who had been afflicted with polio was injected into recipients in the hopes of immunity.

A nasal spray was touted but did little except to cause loss of the sense of smell.

American researcher, Dr. Jonas Salk announced in a radio broadcast on March 25, 1955 that a vaccine had been developed. He further announced on April 12 that the vaccine, after being tested on over 500,000 American and Finnish children, was safe and effective. The vaccine was manufactured in Canada at the Connaught Laboratories, a division of the University of Toronto. Dr. Raymond Parker had created a medium, called Number 199, that was used to host the vaccine growth. Following that, the live vaccine was killed by formaldehyde, making it safe for injection.

Ironically, times have changed because Americans of that day decried the fact that vaccines were too slow to arrive and blamed officials because the vaccine was being produced in Canada.

The April 7, 1955 edition of the Clinton News Record reported that 250 Grade 1 and 2 students from Clinton and surrounding rural schools received their first vaccination that week. Provincial Minister of Health Dr. MacKinnon Phillips announced that this age group formed a large cross-section of those most vulnerable to polio.

There were to be two shots, a week to 10 days apart, followed by a third shot four weeks later. Other Huron County areas were to follow with Blyth and Brussels receiving the vaccine the week of April 11.

Marie McGavin of Walton attended Browntown School and remembers that her mother, Florence Johnston, a nurse, was quite anxious for children to be inoculated and drove students to another Morris Township school to receive the vaccine. McGavin says she is looking forward to receiving the COVID-19 shots when they become available.

The administration of the Salk vaccine and later the oral Sabin vaccine did not quell all cases of polio immediately but there was a steady decline in the number of cases. In 1957, there were no polio

cases in Huron County. By the early 1970s, polio in Canada was brought under control. The World Health Organization declared Canada free of polio in 1994. In 2021, only Afghanistan and Pakistan remain with a wild polio virus present.

Several underdeveloped African countries still have some outbreaks.

Today’s children are routinely vaccinated for a number of illnesses that once claimed the lives of many.

As polio is part of our past, there is hope that in the near future, COVID19 will be conquered by the success of vaccines.

nannies, $100 to $250; kids, $290 to $489.

Lars Steunebrink of Kirkton, consigned eight head. Three kids averaged 53 lbs. and sold for an average price of $492. Bruce Pehlke of Ayton, consigned 49 head. Eleven lambs averaged 52 lbs. and sold for an average price of $489.

Top quality stocker steers, 400 499 lbs. sold $241.75 to $269; 500 599 lbs., $239 to $260; 600 - 699 lbs., $204 to $224; 700 - 799 lbs., $197 to $206; 800 - 899 lbs., $187 to $191.50; 900 - 999 lbs., $173.50 to $178; 1,000 lbs. and over, $155 to $176.

Top quality stocker heifers, 400 499 lbs. sold $186.50 to $196; 500 599 lbs., $185 to $204; 600 - 699 lbs., $176.50 to $195; 700 - 799 lbs., $171 to $186.50; 800 - 899 lbs., $158 to $167.50; 900 lbs. and over, $149.50 to $169.

Anna Enever of Williamsford, consigned 46 head. Eleven limousin steers averaged 726 lbs. and sold for an average price of $199.75. Ben Snyder of Beachburg, consigned 84 head. Sixteen charolais heifers averaged 625 lbs. and sold for an average price of $190.50. James Frey of Tara, consigned 42 head.

Nineteen black steers averaged 954 lbs. for an average price of $178.

BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK Division of Gamble & Rogers Ltd.

UPCOMING SALES TUESDAYS 9:00 a.m.

Fed Cattle, Bulls & Cows

THURSDAYS

8:00 a.m. Drop Calves 10:00 a.m.Veal 11:30 a.m. Lambs, Goats & Sheep

FRIDAYS

10:00 a.m. Stockers Visit our webpage at: www.brusselslivestock.ca email us at: info@brusselslivestock.ca

Call us 519-887-6461

PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

Classified Advertisements – RATES – 20 words or less only $7.00 + HST. Additional words 20¢ each + HST. 50¢ will be deducted if ad is paid in advance

DEADLINE 2 p.m. Monday in Brussels 4 p.m. Monday in Blyth Phone 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 e-mail: info@northhuron.on.ca

Articles for sale GERBERS FIREWOOD SERVING you for over 10 years. Your number one source of quality slabwood and bodywood. Delivery available. No Sunday calls. 519-656-2057, 519441-2085.

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, 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 and The Citizen Blyth.

In memoriam JOSLING. In loving memory of Paul, my husband and best friend, who passed away March 11, 2017.

Although you sleep in Heaven now, You’re not that far away, My heart is full of memories, And you’re with me everyday.

You lived your life with meaning, And with a smile upon your face, A world that was full of happiness, Is now an empty place.

People say that only time Will heal a broken heart, But just like me and you, It has been torn apart.

I know you are at peace now, And in a place where you are free, Meet me at the Pearly Gates, When Heaven calls for me.

– Love and miss you so much, Tiny.

-------------------------------------------JOSLING, Paul. In loving memory of our father and grandpa who passed away March 11, 2017.

The only thing better than having you as our dad, Is our children having you as a grandpa.

– Love and miss you, Jeff, Kyle, Jacob and Emily; Joanne, Mike and Keegan.

-------------------------------------------JOSLING. In special memory of a dear friend Paul Josling, who passed away four years ago March 11, 2017.

One thing we will always cherish, No matter what life sends, A memory of the happiness, Just being friends.

We remember you in silence, And make no outward show, But what it meant to lose you, No one will ever know.

– Love, Joan, Stephen and family.

Help wanted

Help wanted

WEST COAST LEISURE SALES is looking for people to join our team for the installation of park model, mobile, and manufactured homes.

Basic carpentry skills are an asset but will train the right person. Paid travel Monday to Friday. Some overtime required. D or A restricted licence is an asset. Benefit Package available. Wage based upon experience. Please email résume to Derek at bluwtrgc@cabletv.on.ca or drop it off at Bluewater Golf Course.

10-3p --------------------------------------------

Services

Wanted

INCOME TAX PREPARATION – farm, business, personal. Stephen Thompson, 519-482-3244. 09-8b -------------------------------------------CUSTOM CLOVER SEEDING with GPS, $2.50/acre or $3 for pasture. Seed available. Call Kurt Beuerman 519-525-0538 or 519523-9234 (home).

09-4b

YOUNG LOCAL AREA COUPLE looking to expand their farm.

Looking for a farm with 50-plus acres workable with a livable house within the Brussels-Blyth area. Please call 226-927-9124 for more information.

07-4b

Seeking Music Director St. Paul’s-Trinity Anglican Church, Wingham is seeking an organist and/or pianist to be our new Music Director. Our small and dynamic SATB choir enjoys singing a variety of styles of music including a cappella. Our church has a Yamaha upright piano and a new Rodgers-2 manual digital organ with full pedal board. Salaried Position.

Résumés and any questions may be sent in confidence to stpauls@hurontel.on.ca or 519-357-7781.

HELP WANTED Looking for a licensed carpenter Competitive wages based on experience Contact:

Citizen-To-Citizen

519-524-0253

or email: mikeboven@tcc.on.ca

“SWAP SHOP” ad “One person’s junk is another’s treasure”

• NEW CONSTRUCTION • RENOVATIONS

TOWNSHIP OF NORTH HURON SUMMER 2021 DAY CAMP LEADER POSITIONS

Let us help you turn that junk into $$ ➨ Free ad up to 25 words, person to person only (no businesses),

items valued at $1,000 or less. Your ad will run three times unless it sells faster!

We are looking for energetic, conscientious, caring, and organized individuals to work at our day camps in Wingham and Blyth for the months of July and August.

➨ The Citizen reserves the right to limit the number of items or ads per

Duties Include: Planning, implementing, and supervising summer day camp programs for children and special events; ensuring a safe and positive environment (COVID protocols will be implemented) for all participants with a fun atmosphere; demonstrating responsibility, leadership and commitment to quality programming.

Call 519-523-4792 or email: info@northhuron.on.ca

Qualifications for Employment • Current First-Aid & CPR Certificate; • Available to work full-time hours in July and August; • 16 years of age or older; • Experience in the organization and implementation of activities for children and youth of various ages; • Valid/Current Police check required.

If you are interested in joining our team, please send your clearly marked cover letter and resume indicating the position you are applying for, no later than 3:00 p.m. on Friday, March 19th, 2021 to the undersigned: Please submit cover letter and résumés to: Township of North Huron Attention: Human Resources P.O. Box 90, 274 Josephine St. Wingham, Ontario N0G 2W0 hr@northhuron.ca The Township of North Huron is an equal opportunity employer. Accessibility accommodations are available for all parts of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. Information is collected solely for the purpose of job selection under the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

person.

FOR SALE – Craftsmen model 600 router with a stand and bits, $50. Phone: 519-357-9694. 10-3 -----------------------------------------FOR SALE – manure spreader, used for hauling wood, no beaters, $250 or best offer. Call or text 519441-0484.

10-3 -----------------------------------------WANTED – love seat in good condition; To trade: detective pocket books to trade for western pocket books. Will trade three for one. Call 519-357-9467.

10-3 -----------------------------------------FOR SALE – 500 and 1,000 piece puzzles; infant/toddler girl’s clothing and bedding. Proceeds to Wingham Hospital Auxiliary.

Phone 519-357-2768.

08-3 ------------------------------------------

All word ads in The Citizen classifieds are put on our webpage at

www.huroncitizen.ca

FOR SALE – BOSU ball, mini trampoline and wooden bunk beds.

Please call 519-357-4040 for pics and/or prices.

08-3 -----------------------------------------FOR SALE – index to “Snippet In Time” a celebration of the 150th Anniversary of East Wawanosh is now available at the Blyth office of The Citizen for $4 a copy or call 519-357-4935.

08-3 -----------------------------------------FREE – two wooden step ladders.

Leave a message at 519-441-0484.

08-3 ------------------------------------------

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 15.

Generator purchase to use modernization fund Continued from page 1 officially considered by council at its March 16 meeting as part of officially adopting the budget.

Mayor Bernie MacLellan proposed it after Michiels, in order to balance the budget, suggested deferral of a tandem truck purchase for Huron East’s public works department.

The truck purchase, which will replace a truck from 2004, is expected to cost $300,000, so the inclusion of $100,000 in this year’s budget will serve to soften the blow of that purchase next year.

Council also agreed with Director of Public Works Barry Mills’

suggestion that he be permitted to actually solicit tenders for the truck later this year, despite the truck being in the 2022 budget, in order to have it delivered and ready for the spring of 2022.

Some councillors were concerned with even pushing the truck purchase to 2022. Council noted that with another truck and a grader needing to be replaced in the coming years, there could be as much as $1 million in public works equipment purchases on the horizon for the municipality in the next few years.

Another change recommended for

the final draft of the budget is the reinclusion of a Genset generator for the Huron East municipal office in Seaforth, expected to cost $40,000.

Some councillors were skeptical of the purchase when it was included in the first draft of the budget. As a result, it was dropped from the second draft.

However, Michiels spoke to the purchase on March 16, saying it’s not just a matter of convenience for municipal staff in the event of a lengthy power outage, it allows the office to run at full capacity. With the office’s current generator, she said, it isn’t convenient, nor does it

Waiting their turn Students at Hullett Central Public School were sliding down the small hills of snow left at the school on Monday. Waiting their turn are, from left: Artemis Kalou Venardatou, Eddie Neeb, Kiarra Hugill and Bennett Van Bakel. (Denny Scott photo)

Obituaries McMichael, brother Kenneth McMichael, sisters Isabelle Bremner and her husband Robert, and Marie Davidson and her husband Herb, and brother-in-law Bill Steel.

The funeral service was held at the Eaton Funeral Home, Listowel on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Interment is in Molesworth Cemetery.

Memorial donations to Listowel Memorial Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.

Online condolences may be left at www.eatonfuneralhome.ca ROBERT ANDREW “ANDY” McMICHAEL Robert Andrew McMichael of Brussels passed away at Huronlea, Brussels on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. He was in his 92nd year.

Andy is survived by his stepchildren Wayne and Cheryl Allen, Derwyn and Marg Allen, Norva and Mark McQueen, and Doug and Donna Allen, and their families, all of Mount Forest. He was the brother of Alma Steel, Guelph, and brother-in-law of Mary and John McIntosh, Wingham.

Andy is also survived by several nieces and nephews, and his dear friend Annalisa Fitzsimmons, Hanover.

He will be fondly remembered by the Donaldson inlaws and their families.

Andy was predeceased by his wife Mary (Donaldson) Allen, parents Morley and Della (Doig)

Biesinger, and Uneetta Biesinger and Mark Thitchener. He was the proud uncle of Jasmine, Ashley, Lori, and Layne.

Len will be remembered by all of the people with which he ever crossed paths.

Cremation has taken place. Private family arrangements have been entrusted to the Haskett Funeral Home, Seaforth.

Donations to Heart and Stroke Foundation or the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation would be appreciated by the family.

Online condolences may be forwarded through www.haskettfh.com.

fully service the office’s needs, saying staff have to choose between running computers or heating/cooling and lights.

Council, however, suggested funding that purchase from modernization funding the municipality had received in 2019, but not yet spent. Councillors were keen to spend it, as the municipality could only apply for more once the current money was spent.

As a result, the inclusion of the generator will be paid for through the modernization fund and will not have an impact on the levy.

In order to remove $50,000 from the budget, Michiels also recommended funding a document scanning project from the administration budget from the modernization funding.

After some additional work to “nickel and dime” the budget, further reducing the bottom line by just under $5,500, Michiels was able to bring the budget to a balanced position to be presented to council at its March 16 meeting.

Michiels also noted that the municipality’s reserves are due to decrease as a result of this year’s budget. They will drop by over $2.2 million, leaving a full reserve balance of just over $12 million.

At the end of Michiels’ presentation and with the additional $100,000 factored into the budget, Huron East’s budget includes a 4.3 per cent increase to the municipal levy. When Huron County and education taxes are factored in, she said, Huron East ratepayers are facing an overall tax rate increase of 2.9 per cent.

While the increase sat at 2.3 per cent before the changes, councillors said they were still pleased with the year’s increase being under three per cent after what has been a difficult year for many.

Councillor Alvin McLellan said that while his ward is facing the highest increase in the municipality, he still felt council needed to better position itself and not push too much

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spending to future budgets.

Councillors also felt the municipality would be in a better budget position at this time next year because cuts to Huron East’s Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) allotment are due to cease after years of trimming.

One final budget item that will be considered at a future meeting will be the potential sale of a municipal parking lot in Brussels.

Council considered selling the lot on Elizabeth Street in order to inject some money into the budget, but was cautioned by staff due to an open application to place an electric vehicle charging station at the lot.

There had been some confusion regarding the municipality’s two lots, including the Elizabeth Street lot and one on the main street next to the LCBO. Chief Administrative Officer Brad Knight didn’t advise council one way or another on the sale, but told councillors not to expect a large return for the sale of the lot. He said another lot was recently sold to a local developer and the sale netted the municipality only $2,500.

Councillor John Lowe agreed, but said it wasn’t necessarily about the profits, but rather divesting Huron East of a lot it would have to pave sometime down the road and the costs it would incur.

Knight said the issue could be discussed at a future council meeting and didn’t necessarily have to be part of the year’s budget deliberations.

Council accepted Michiels’ report, establishing that the budget will be officially considered as part of a public meeting on Tuesday, March 16 beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom.

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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

Collision closes County Road 4 PEOPLE AROUND LONDESBORO

By BRENDA RADFORD Call 523-4296

Finding the green Students at Hullett Central Public School had a choice on Monday: play on the pavement, play on the snow or eke out some greenery as snow melted from the playground. The students above decided on the latter, playing games under the trees where green poked through the brown as the temperatures neared double digits earlier this week. Back row are Keira Dann, left, and Elise Bean. Front row are, from left: Karsyn Frazer, Naomi Rowe and Everleigh Watson-Hart. (Denny Scott photo)

The sympathy of the community is extended to the Biesinger family over the unexpected passing on Tuesday, March 2 of Len, who lived with his mother in the family home on Winthrop Road. He was the son of Brenda and the late Ray Biesinger. He will be missed by his three siblings and a number of nephews and nieces.

Then on Thursday, County Road 4 was closed north of the village for several hours because of a nasty accident in the area of HullettMcKillop Line. The evidence of the truck that plowed into the opposite ditch looks nasty, but details of the accident are still sketchy.

Although the faith community of Londesborough United is still not meeting in person, the annual reports have been assembled and are ready for pick-up. A box of the reports is in the covered entrance on the side of the church. You can pick one up at your convenience, being sure to sign the list so we know you

have yours. An annual meeting date has not been rescheduled yet due to COVID-19.

Stay calm! Spring is on its way and we will all be able to get outdoors again, if only in our own space. And vaccines are also on their way to us. That being said, I am beginning to wonder about the efficacy of the various manufactured ones. Do I get a choice? Can I ask to wait on the best? But many will be vaccinated by the summer, which will make interactions more comfortable.

NEWS FROM LONDESBORO

Gaol roof project to cost $290K

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council has approved the replacement and restoration of the roof at the Huron Historic Gaol at a cost of $290,331.46.

County Technical Services Manager Jeff Kerslake spoke to the tender at council’s Feb. 17 meeting, saying that the original bid submission was in February of 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was put on hold until early 2021. The only change will be that the chosen contractor, Roof Tile Management, will have to provide a COVID-19 construction plan to the county’s Social and Property Services Department prior to the beginning of construction.

He added that Allan Avis Architect is the consulting architect on the project and the firm has provided the architectural services and specifications for the project.

While the Social and Property Services Department had applied for a $100,000 grant through a costsharing program with Parks Canada, Kerslake said the department was notified in July of 2020 that the county’s application was not successful.

The project will be funded from the 2020 budget as a carry-forward item. However, just under $260,000 was budgeted, so just under $31,000 will be required from the 2021 property services capital budget.

The Roof Tile Management bid was one of four received and was the lowest, with bids ranging from Roof Tile Management’s bid of just over $290,000 to a bid of over $389,000. *** At its Feb. 17 meeting, Huron County Council approved the sale of the county’s building at 38 North Street in Goderich (the current home

of Service Ontario) for $440,000. In addition to the sale, the agreement includes a condition that the new owner assumes the parking lot tenancy agreement with the Town of Goderich that states that the rental amount is $0, but dictates that the Town of Goderich is responsible for snow removal.

County Technical Services Manager Jeff Kerslake said that proceeds from the sale of the building will be placed in the Huron County general reserves account.

He also said the sale will not have any impact on the county’s information technology (IT) department, as it is leased by an external tenant (Service Ontario). *** Huron County Council accepted the tender results for the replacement of two bridges in the county for a total cost of nearly $4.2 million.

Cameron Harper, the county’s bridges project manager, presented a report on the tender process at council’s Feb. 17 meeting. Both bridges are on County Road 83 between Exeter and Dashwood and were constructed in 1948.

He told council that the bridges underwent extensive deck repairs in the late 1990s, which proved successful, as the bridges are now 73 years old.

The county received 11 tenders for the projects and chose the tender of McLean Taylor Construction Limited from St. Marys in the amount of $4,198,844.76. The tender ranged upwards to nearly $6.15 million. *** Huron County Council approved the elimination of the 30 per cent subclass discount for properties in the vacant and excess land commercial and industrial subclasses for 2021.

The changes date back to late

2019, when council directed staff to embark on a public consultation process to review possible changes to the reductions for the commercial and industrial vacant and excess land subclasses.

Treasurer Michael Blumhagen said there will be a slight shift to the vacant and excess land subclass from other property classes as a result of the decision, primarily residential and farm. The shift of upper-tier taxes is approximately $32,000.

Blumhagen said the county’s residential tax rate would decrease by 0.07 per cent as a result of the change in this year’s budget. *** Huron County Council has authorized its human resources department to implement a new information system.

In her report to council, Director of Human Resources Lara Vanstone said that the county’s human resources and payroll records are spread across numerous systems and are supplemented by Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and other manual systems, she called it a “disjointed” system that has made it challenging for those working with the department.

Council approved the new system, but several councillors raised eyebrows at the price tag, which will not include a set-up fee, but will cost the county just under $210,000 per year, which is based on its employee base of 650 people.

Vanstone, in her report, said it allows a 10 per cent threshold for growth before any subscription fee adjustments would have to be made.

Several councillors spoke on behalf of the software based on their experience with it, saying it will be well worth the money for the department.

Council approved the new contract.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 17.

From the Minister’s Study

The Bible says every person needs a Saviour

By Jason Hovius Brussels Community Bible Chapel A book I’m reading is confirming my suspicions; my worldview is unacceptable and not fit to be tolerated, according to our culture.

It’s not because I participate in or promote hate speech, because I don’t (although even this term means different things to different people).

It is actually because my opinions and ideas are based on values straight out of the Holy Bible, and sometimes these biblical views contradict the values touted by our media and governments as the only lawful ones to live by. The costs of publicly sharing these opinions are still relatively low in this great country of Canada, but times are changing.

Apparently, in an increasing number of situations, having an opposing opinion supposedly makes someone an evil person. In fact, an increasing portion of our society does not even understand how someone could have an opinion based on a religious or spiritual belief, saying that personal principles should not interfere with our laws or jobs or research or anything else that happens outside of a church building.

Jeremiah is an Old Testament prophet who understood exactly

what it was like to have an unpopular message in an intolerant society. Historically speaking, it was Judah’s last days of independence in the years leading up to 586 BC. Exactly as Jeremiah had prophesied, Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon was coming to destroy Jerusalem and take its inhabitants captive. Jeremiah encouraged God’s people to live and surrender to the Babylonian army.

As far as we know, no one submitted to God’s message through Jeremiah.

Not surprisingly, individuals, as well as the nation as a whole suffered greatly as a result of their disobedience.

Jeremiah’s warnings were unpopular, but they were for the hearers’ good if they would have listened. Instead, they made threats on his life and threw him into prison. The emotional toll must have been tremendous.

Fittingly, Jeremiah is sometimes called “the weeping prophet”.

His message wasn’t even all bad news. As with many of God’s prophets, Jeremiah’s message was interspersed with hope and promises of restoration to Israel’s homeland.

He even gave the Jewish exile to Babylon an expiration date of 70 years, which was fulfilled by a decree from Cyrus king of Persia.

Also like many other prophets, Jeremiah mentions the coming of the Jewish Messiah. “I will make a

County remuneration tops $400,000 in ’21

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County spent just under $415,000 on remuneration for council members and non-elected committee members in 2020, according to its end-of-year public disclosure.

That represents a significant drop from the county’s 2019 expenses, which were just under $510,000 and a lower bottom line than those of 2018 ($432,078.10) and 2017 ($439,621.14).

Leading the way was Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn, who was the Huron County Warden until December of 2020. He had a total of $74,658 – $63,862 in remuneration and mileage and $10,796 in conference expenses.

Next was Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan with expenses totalling $31,888 – $26,214 in remuneration and mileage and $5,674 in conference expenses.

Expenses for the rest of Huron Continued on page 19

righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.”

(Jeremiah 33:15-16) The coming of the Messiah would fulfill multiple promises that God had made in the past. One of these promises was given to King David regarding an everlasting dynasty.

God would establish the kingdom of one of David’s direct descendants forever and ever, no strings attached.

In fulfillment, The New Testament clearly traces both Mary’s and Joseph’s ancestry through King David with typical accuracy of Jewish genealogies.

That Jesus was a “son of David” was no secret. The Roman census mentioned in the gospels required that Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem, David’s hometown.

During his ministry, the blind man called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus also called himself David’s son in Matthew 22:45.

In this passage about the Messiah, Jeremiah also references another promise that God would fulfill, this time to the priesthood in Israel. God promised that they would never fail to have a priest who could stand before Him to offer sacrifices for sin.

Once again, Jesus is the perfect fulfillment of this promise, as demonstrated eloquently in Hebrews, a New Testament book.

“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

(Hebrews 7:27) God does not have a track record

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of breaking promises. He told Jeremiah that the only way His promise would be made void would be if Jeremiah could stop the day and night from happening at their appointed times. In other words, just as God appoints seasons and planetary orbits and gravity and whatever other laws sustain this universe, He also appoints the coming of the Christ, His Anointed One, at the right time.

It is very important that we recognize the royal kingship of Jesus Christ as well as His sacrificial suffering for every sinner in the world. It is inexplicable why someone like Jesus is so hated all around the world. I often hear His name used as a swear word. In much

of the world, confessing belief in Jesus is enough to have you imprisoned without trial, raped, shunned by your family, or even killed, even though His true followers consistently show love to and pray for their enemies instead of taking revenge.

It is not a popular message, but the Bible says that every single person needs a Saviour, even if they are not willing to admit it. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.”

(1 John 1:8) Unfortunately, so many people refuse to humble themselves and agree with God that their sin creates a vast gulf between them and God. “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19)

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United Church As the pandemic changes our world take comfort in these words “Do not be afraid. Peace. Be Strong now, be strong.” Daniel 10:19

Weekly worship services continue via YouTube “Brussels and Blyth United Churches Contact Alex at minister.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.com Website: brusselsandblythuc.ca P.O. Box 359, Brussels ~ 519-887-6259

The Regional Ministry of Hope Join us for worship on our facebook page or on youtube @ St.Paul’s-Trinity Anglican Church Wingham.

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OUR CHURCHES HAVE RE-OPENED. WELCOME BACK. Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday ~ 6:00 p.m.

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PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

Central Huron Council opts in to shoreline mapping

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Central Huron Council continued its budget deliberation process on Wednesday, Feb. 17, examining a number of departmental budgets, to work towards approval of the budget in the coming weeks.

To begin the debate, Director of Finance Jeff Boyes raised the topic of a donation to the Huron Residential Hospice, which is located just west of Clinton in the municipality. Officials from the hospice had attended a council meeting earlier this year and requested a donation of $50,000 from Central Huron, which could be spread out over several years. The donation, hospice officials said, would help the hospice to leverage an additional $680,000 in funding from the Ministry of Health if the hospice could match the funds.

Councillor Michael Russo began the conversation, saying he wasn’t in favour of making the donation,

despite appreciating the work being done at the hospice. Councillor Alison Lobb said she wasn’t comfortable with it either, saying that she “loved the idea” of the hospice and its work, but said its model is one that will need a constant flow of money for something that should be the responsibility of the provincial government.

Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said Huron County Council had turned down the request, which is why the hospice has now gone to lower-tier municipalities in hopes of obtaining funding for its capital campaign.

Ginn said he wasn’t necessarily opposed to the municipality providing funding for the hospice, but felt that $50,000 was too high.

He said he would be in favour of contributing $10,000 per year for the next three years, as an example.

Russo said he felt the hospice wasn’t serving enough of the community, even if all of its beds

were full all year, and he felt that money could be used to serve more of the municipality’s residents.

Council opted not to donate to the hospice, at least at this point in the budget process, and take it out of the budget.

After a presentation at its meeting the previous night, council also considered the municipality’s participation in the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority’s shoreline mapping project, which Ginn said he felt council needed to help fund. If council didn’t take part, he said, the municipality could be opening itself up to liability along the shores of Lake Huron regarding erosion and other environmental concerns.

Council approved contributions of $7,500 in 2021, $55,000 in 2022 and $20,000 in 2023 to the project for a total contribution of $82,500 over the next three years.

Boyes had also cautioned council about the contribution, saying that, due to the nature of the project, council was facing an “all or

nothing” decision, meaning that after the first year, council couldn’t then decide to pull its funds. Council approved the inclusion of the funds over the next three years.

Council then moved on to the rest of the budget for discussion, first approving the inclusion of $25,000 for a light tunnel for Spooner’s Lane in Clinton. The walking tunnel would include lights strung above the alley to serve as an attraction and, as Ginn put it, something people can photograph and post on their Instagram pages.

In addition to receiving a private donation of $1,000 for the project, Community Improvement Coordinator Angela Smith said she was still hoping to apply for a Supporting Local Economic Development (SLED) grant from Huron County to help aid the project.

Ginn said he was in favour of the project, which would be there yearround for residents and visitors. He compared it to a fireworks celebration, on which the

municipality can spend between $10,000 and $15,000 for 15 minutes of entertainment.

Also up for consideration was the coming year’s YMCA budget at the Central Huron Community Complex, which has risen significantly for 2021. While in some years the municipality’s contribution to the portion of the centre has been as low as $15,000, this year it will be over $96,000.

According to a presentation at the Feb. 17 budget meeting, the centre had lost over 150 members in just under a year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 13, 2020, the centre had over 350 members, a number that dropped to just over 200 on Feb. 12, 2021.

Just under 70 members remain with their memberships “on hold” and it was also noted that requests for financial assistance from the YMCA had risen sharply from 19 per cent before the pandemic struck Continued on page 20

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021. PAGE 19.

Festival to receive $150,000 in government funding

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen With work on a truncated outdoor season progressing, the Blyth Festival received some welcome funding from the Ontario Arts Council last week.

In a personal call between Artistic

Director Gil Garratt and HuronBruce MPP Lisa Thompson, she told him the Festival was going to receive over $150,000 in funding. They spoke at length about the importance of the Festival to the community, Garratt said, and he felt it’s clear that Thompson will be supportive of the Festival in any way she can.

Garratt said the funding announcement was unexpected, but certainly appreciated.

This comes after Garratt and other Festival representatives have been in touch with Thompson regularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has worn on. Garratt added that both Thompson and Minister of Heritage,

Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries Lisa MacLeod have been very helpful during a time in which the Festival has been unable to produce new plays due to the pandemic.

Garratt went on to say that while the funding is nice and will go a long way to helping the Festival, what

Bayfield arts centre closer to a reality

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen The Bayfield Centre for the Arts has big plans for the coming year, according to Leslee Squirrell, who spoke to Huron County Council at its March 3 meeting.

Squirrell, who is an awardwinning interior designer, artist and professor, will serve as president for the new centre. A board of directors and advisory committee have also been formed. She spoke to council in order to provide a conceptual overview for the project, which she hopes will be a leading visual arts organization in southwestern Ontario.

While a location has yet to be determined, Squirrell said a generous donor is on board and the hope is to have a centre on the shores of Lake Huron that measures between 12,000 and 15,000 square feet. The building, Squirrell said, will be environmentally healthy and sustainably designed. She said that, had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, those working to make the centre a reality had hoped the building would be up and running by now.

“For many residents of Huron County this will be the most important project of a generation... a model of what can be accomplished when individuals and business come

together to build a new cultural facility for all,” Squirrell said in her report to council.

She said she hopes the centre will include a mobile art program, a gallery with state-of-the-art temperature, humidity and security systems to attract top-notch travelling art exhibits and an on-site café. There will also be studio classrooms, children’s studios and camps and digital and new media studios that will focus on everything from photography to woodworking and ceramics.

There will also be a culinary arts program. That came as a surprise to organizers, Squirrell said, but the survey results spoke for themselves.

After clear answers like painting and photography, the third-mostrequested program for the centre is culinary arts.

With nearby centres excelling in performing arts, such as the Stratford Festival, the Blyth Festival and the Huron Country Playhouse, Squirrell said the centre would not be competing with those forms of art, but focusing on visual arts.

Right now, the centre is operating with a temporary headquarters. She also said the centre has had its everimportant charitable status granted.

The centre’s next steps, she said, will be to offer COVID-19-safe programming, secure grants for the future of the centre and complete a fundraising campaign study.

Organizers will also be working to secure community support and funding for the mobile art program for this summer and to continue to develop the Ontario Outdoor West Coast Film Festival, which is scheduled for July 26-29, 2021.

Council lauded Squirrell’s presentation and thanked her for the group’s initiative.

was more heartwarming was knowing that supporting the Festival remains a priority for people like Thompson and others. Live theatre, he said, has a long way back from the pandemic and what future productions will look like remains a mystery, so having that support means a lot.

Questions about the funding persist, Garratt said, namely how it needs to be spent, but he assumes those will be answered in due time.

This funding announcement comes after two successful campaigns over the holiday season, including $125,000 through the Festival’s matching gift campaign and then another nearly $17,000 through the 10X10 online art auction.

Happy 1st Birthday Blakley Kaye Waechter March 11th

Love from all your family & friends!

Happy 65th Anniversary March 15 Hubert and Edelgard Hoba Love, your family

Incoming!

Local photographer Liz Allan caught this avian action shot recently and shared it with The Citizen for print. You can see your own pictures in the newspaper by e-mailing them to reporter@northhuron.on.ca. (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

County Council cost tops $377K Continued from page 17 County Council are as follows: current Huron County Warden Glen McNeil (Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh), $28,805; George Finch (South Huron), $27,870; Myles Murdock (Goderich), $23,770; John Grace (Goderich), $23,446; Dave Jewitt (Central Huron), $22,918; Jim Dietrich (South Huron), $22,779; Jim Fergusson (Bluewater), $20,607; Paul Klopp (Bluewater), $18,433; Jamie Heffer (MorrisTurnberry), $18,295; Bob Fisher (Huron East), $17,449; Doug Harding (Howick), $16,104; Bernie Bailey (North Huron), $16,302 and Roger Watt (Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh), $14,384.

Council expenses account for $377,708 of the bottom line. Also on the list were numerous board and committee members from the

general public who were paid meeting remuneration and mileage

for their time, which account for a total of $36,664.

Huron Perth

www.hpph.ca/vaccine

COVID-19 Vaccination

COVID-19 vaccine available to

adults 80+ and

Indigenous adults 55+ • Book an appointment online at www.hpph.ca/vaccine or call 1-833-753-2098 • Online booking preferred due to high call volumes • For vaccine updates, listen to a recorded message at 1-888-221-2133, press 1.

PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021.

LPAT hearing leads to rise in legal costs Continued from page 18 to nearly 30 per cent now.

For the municipality’s roads budget, there is a proposed general increase of just under $85,000. That includes $10,000 for engineering fees connected to finding a traffic solution to the troublesome intersection of Blyth and London Roads at the south end of Blyth.

The municipality’s tree-trimming budget is set to decrease in 2021 by approximately $24,000.

Central Huron’s general government budget was down significantly in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and conferences being cancelled or held online. Costs were expected to be just over $167,000, but ended up being just over $122,000. This year, $168,000 has been budgeted.

Boyes also detailed that the municipality has over $506,000 in COVID-19 relief funding available, however, Central Huron is also facing over $472,000 in lost casino revenue as a result of the pandemic and its closure of the casino for most of 2020.

The municipality’s building department is projecting an increase of over seven per cent to its budget, even though the budget includes a surplus from 2020 of over $24,000.

Central Huron is facing a slight reduction to its protective services budget, with a projected decrease in spending of 0.66 per cent. That includes a decrease of just over $21,000 to the municipality’s policing budget, an increase of $2,100 to the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority budget and a decrease of just under $1,000 to the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority budget. The municipality has also committed a $2,500 donation to the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation in 2021.

Boyes detailed the 2021 street light budget, which is area-rated, but didn’t spend much time on it, as council opted to freeze the rates. The budget will remain the same as it was in 2020.

Central Huron’s parks and recreation budget for the coming year will increase by just under four per cent, Boyes said. He did note, however, that the maintenance budget for 2021 will be lower as a result of the municipality catching up on many maintenance projects in 2020 as centres, facilities and public spaces were closed to the public for large periods of time over the course of the year due to the pandemic.

Regarding the parks and recreation budget, there was some discussion regarding grass-cutting in Auburn, with a paid volunteer cutting the grass at the Auburn ball diamond and municipal staff cutting the grass at the new Auburn dog park. Councillor Marg Anderson wondered about consolidating those services and having the same person, regardless of whom, doing both.

Facilities Manager Steve Duizer said he could investigate having the municipality cut the grass at both, since the volunteer had already been approached about cutting the grass at the dog park and had declined.

Boyes detailed the municipality’s library budget for council as well, which includes an increase in expenses of just over six per cent.

The municipality’s budget for recreational facilities and halls will rise nearly 10.5 per cent in 2021, because several attractions, like the Clinton pool and the Sloman School on Wheels weren’t able to open at all in 2020 due to their seasonal nature.

At the Central Huron Community Complex, Boyes is anticipating a return to full service at the centre for half of the season, which is how he calculated his budget, but warned council that, more than other budgets, it was full of variables.

He is proposing an increase in taxation for the centre of just under $90,000, despite the fact that expenses at the centre came in more than $52,000 under budget for 2020.

To round out Boyes’ presentation, he said the cemetery budget is due to increase by 5.6 per cent in 2021, while the planning budget will decrease by just under 5.5 per cent.

This comes, he said, despite thousands of dollars in expenses incurred through an LPAT (Local Planning Appeal Tribunal) hearing in January of 2021.

There will be an increase of just under 1.5 per cent to the municipality’s annual crossing guard budget, Boyes said. He added that, due to the nature of the job, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find crossing guards.

He said the municipality’s economic development budget will increase by over 3.5 per cent in 2021, while there will be an increase of over 50 per cent to the municipality’s drainage budget in 2021 due to a number of factors.

Council’s next budget meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, March 9.

Yo Y our voice, e your community comm ommunity ty, your neews.

Keeping busy Students at Hullett Central Public School have been keeping their minds and hands busy on recess as the weather has warmed, but the snow has remained. Here, Mary Jane Scott, left, Aleah Anderson, centre, and Luke Dalton spend a little time on one of the school yard’s many appealing snow hills. (Denny Scott photo)

St. Paddy’s Picks

FROM IRELAND TO THE QUEEN’S BUSH Author Arnold Mathers’ Irish roots run deep in these stories which weave a pattern about the romantic pioneers that were his ancestors. His great-grandfathers came from Ireland and settled in Huron County.

His mother’s family farm was called Queen’s Bush Valley Farm. $24.95 HOME SAUSAGE MAKING: How-to techniques and recipes for making 100 different sausages at home, from fresh to cured, pork, beef, chicken, even game. More than 280 pages of recipes and tips. $25.95

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THE HOME BREWER’S ANSWER BOOK Dreamed of creating your own beer?

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THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO HOME HERBAL REMEDIES More and more people are returning to the centuries-old traditions of herbal medicine.

The essential home remedies in this book cover 125 conditions from sunburns to throat sores. $24.95

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