The Citizen - March 5, 2020

INSIDE THIS WEEK:

HOUSING - Pg. 2

SPORTS - Pg. 9

HEALTH - Pg. 13

County looks to increase, diversify housing options

Belgrave’s Cottrills qualify for nationals

OFA calls for mental health resources in rural Ontario

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Volume 36 No. 10

Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County

Thursday, March 5, 2020

Crusaders lead 2-1 in OMHA semifinal

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Winter or spring?

The last week has left room for some debate as to whether winter is alive and well or if spring is starting to inch into Huron County. Either way, students at Hullett Central Public School enjoyed the best of both worlds on Monday, savouring the remaining snow piles from late last week, but

in above-zero temperatures. The combination seemed to elicit smiles from all involved as they enjoyed their recess time. From left: Addison Hoekmeijer, Gavriella Garrity, Summer Shannon, Alexis Ansley, Lucia Dale, Kyla Shannon and Emma Howson.

(Denny Scott photo)

The Blyth Brussels Atom Rep Crusaders traded victories with the Mariposa Lightning over the weekend, maintaining a one-game lead in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) Atom ‘C’ semi-final playoffs.

The Crusaders entered the weekend leading their series against the Lightning 1-0 after posting a 6-1 win on Feb. 23 at home in Blyth.

With bad weather swirling, members of the team started making the journey to the Kawartha Lakes area on Friday for the first game of the weekend on Saturday. The trip is a three-hour trek in good weather.

The first game of the weekend, but the second in the series, held in Little Britain, saw the Crusaders downed 7-2 on Feb. 29.

On Sunday, March 1, again in Little Britain, the Crusaders fared better, posting a 4-3 win over the Lightning.

The two squads have three backto-back games this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

On Friday, March 6, the Lightning will visit the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre to take on Continued on page 20

Bailey confident in new Wingham development

By Denny Scott The Citizen Development of the SZAM subdivision in Wingham, formerly known as the A2A development, may begin by the end of the year.

Reeve Bernie Bailey, in an interview with The Citizen, said that a recent open house focused on the

project went well and he expects the project to be moving forward.

The open house, held Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Hot Stove Lounge at the North Huron Wescast Community Centre was hosted by SZAM Capital Partners through local representative Doug Cerson, the lead developer and facilitator for the property.

Bailey said that Cerson did a great

job and provided a “really good, understandable presentation.”

He shared a development plan detailing 450 serviced lots set to be sold to builders. The first phase of the project will see 170 lots sold for building, starting with 42 lots to be ready for building by the end of 2020. The lots can have single detached homes, townhouses or duplexes built on them and the

structures, once built, are expected to sell for around $300,000.

Bailey said identifying the homes’ price point was a common question at the event.

“The main thing being asked about was affordability,” he said.

“The question was, ‘are the houses going to sell for $1 million or are they going to be built for the working class?’”

Bailey said he identifies $300,000 as a “working-man” price range.

“We need those,” he said.

“Factories are having trouble finding employees and other businesses will be looking soon.”

Bailey said he believed that the new McDonalds restaurant set to open at the south end of Wingham will need 50 employees, and the two Continued on page 10

Madill girls to host WOSSAA The F.E. Madill girls hockey team has claimed the Huron-Perth Championship and will now represent the two counties at the Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (WOSSAA) championships in Wingham on March 10.

Late last month, the Madill Mustangs travelled to Stratford to play their Clinton-based rivals from Central Huron Secondary School, just south on Hwy. 4, coming away

with a 3-0 shutout victory to earn a space in the championship game.

The team’s win propelled them to the finals against St. Mike’s of Stratford, a team that had been undefeated going into that game.

Madill would open the scoring in the championship game with a screened point shot that found its way into the net in the second period.

The Wingham team would add two more goals to make it 3-0, but

St. Mike’s would open the third period with a goal, making it 3-1.

That’s how it would stay, however, with Wingham ending the Stratford school’s bid for an undefeated season.

This is the first time in a decade that the Madill girls have won the Huron-Perth Championship.

The Wingham school will now host the WOSSAA competition on March 10 at the North Huron Wescast Community Centre.

Clocks go ahead one hour March 8 beginning at 2 a.m.

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

County takes on housing shortage with new projects

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County is working to make housing more plentiful and accessible in the coming years with the hope that partner municipalities will take their efforts to heart.

Planner Monica Walker-Bolton, Economic Development Officer Chris Watson and Housing Services Manager Christine Hoffman spoke to the status of housing in Huron

County Monday night at council meetings in both Central Huron and North Huron.

The initiative took flight in recent years after house sales in Huron County dropped drastically after 2017. However, after the county consulted with real estate professionals in the area, that drop was not due to a lack of demand, but rather a lack of supply. People were looking for places to live, Watson told Central Huron Council, but

homes simply weren’t on the market. He also pointed to the hot real estate market in Huron County, saying that while houses would be on the market for an average of four months in 2014 and 2015, they are now on the market for an average of just two months.

In addition to the limitations of the housing supply, Watson also noted the increase in the home sale prices, which is rising drastically, while the county’s median income has gone

up, but not nearly at the rate of housing prices.

Through those figures, the county began to study income scenarios for the housing available in Huron County and found that many residents were not able to afford a home in Huron County under the current market. Watson said that with the county’s average home remaining a single-family, detached home, it was becoming unaffordable for families to own a home in Huron County.

Watson said that because of those findings, county employees discovered that higher-density, affordable units were necessary in a variety of communities.

The model ran six scenarios for four different types of home ownership and two types of rentals and found that not until incomes reached the heights of the fourth scenario, two full-time employees, one making $20 per hour and another making $15 per hour, that people could begin to afford to buy houses.

Watson said that when those figures presented themselves, those at the county knew something needed to change so more people could find housing in Huron County, which is what led to a number of

An important one

Serving the area since 1999

The Blyth Midget Girls Bullets wrapped up their broomball season on Saturday night in Blyth with a fun game against their parents, taking to the ice against the people who taught the Midget Girls Bullets everything they know. (Darlene McCowan photo)

STEVEN NIXON

Committee recommends dam rehabilitation in Wingham

By Denny Scott The Citizen While the Howson Bridge and Dam Committee has suggested rehabilitating the structure to North

Huron Council, or demolition if funding can’t be secured, the committee’s work is far from over according to chair and North Huron Councillor Kevin Falconer.

Last month the committee decided

Any means necessary The Blyth Brussels Midget Local League Crusaders took on the Mount Forest Rams on Saturday in Brussels, coming out on top of a 4-2 score. (Darlene McCowan photo)

that rehabilitating the dam was the preferred option, but suggested that, if that couldn’t occur due to funding, demolition should happen.

Falconer has continuously reminded the committee that fundraising for any project chosen by council was not the purview of the Howson Bridge and Dam Committee.

Multiple council members, including Reeve Bernie Bailey, have also said there aren’t enough tax dollars in the budget to support the project.

In an interview with The Citizen on Monday night, Falconer said the committee needs to come up with a work plan as to how the project will go forward.

“That will give a framework for what the final project would look like,” he said.

That framework will include allowing council to set a sensible timeframe depending on the financial realities around the dam, Falconer said, adding that financial reality needs to be “favourable to both residents and the council”.

The recommendation, however, is just that, Falconer said. “Ultimately, council has the final say.”

Falconer estimates that the framework and recommendation will come to council in late May or early June alongside a presentation to council by the committee.

BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED

initiatives.

First, Walker-Bolton said, the planning department would be creating residential intensification guidelines to help address some of the common issues during the planning process for high-density residential development.

From a planning perspective, Walker-Bolton said, the guidelines address design considerations to incorporate intensification into neighbourhoods, among other things.

She also said the planning department could be reviewing planning documents like the official plan and zoning bylaw amendments to ensure municipalities were equipped to allow higher-density housing in their communities.

Walker-Bolton also suggested residential pre-zoning for parcels of land, ensuring they are ready for high-density housing, streamlining the process by removing the need for a zoning bylaw amendment.

Watson also said the county is exploring a community/businessfunded housing consortium where local businesses looking for employees could help to fund and manage the development of housing for their employees with homes in Continued on page 3

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 3.

‘Understanding’ key to diversification

Another great season Blyth Broomball handed out its annual year-end awards as the season wrapped up and a number of local players were honoured for their dedication and commitment to the sport.

Above, the players from the PeeWee division were awarded. Back row, from left: Kaleigh McCallum, Jack Harris, Eli Baxter, Peyton Riley and Greg Bell. Middle row, from left: Leah Boven, Rachel Wilts, Bryce Dale, Nathan Westra and Ryan Beauchamp. Front row, from left: Brendan Hickey, Emily Burkholder, Hailynn Greidanus, Abby Mitchell and Leah Westra. Below, the Bantam and Midget players were recognized. Back row, from left: Sadie Squires, Grace Hallahan, Jillian Hummel, Dakotah Sarty, Lauren Hickey, Ryder Lee and Ben Buttar. Front row, from left: Gabby Gowing, Kayla Cowan, Olivia Gutscher, Tyler McMichael, Sheldon Lee and Ethan Buttar. Absent were Hannah Boven and Kyle Bakelaar. (Photos submitted)

BIA aims to bolster Blyth parking

By Denny Scott The Citizen Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) Chair David Sparling asked for North Huron Council’s support in reworking the parking and pedestrian landscape in Blyth during council’s Monday night meeting.

The request, and accompanying presentation, were the result of months of work for Sparling and the BIA and asks for a near-complete overhaul of parking allocation and sidewalks in the community.

Among the major changes suggested were removing parking in front of Memorial Hall for a permanent drop off and emergency area, single-side parking on Dinsley and Drummond Streets, sidewalk extensions on Drummond and Mill Streets, a sidewalk extension on King Street west of County Road 4, a parking overhaul at the Blyth and District Community Centre and four-way stops at the intersections of Gypsy Lane and Dinsley Street and Gypsy Lane and Wellington Street.

Sparling also requested that North Huron take the lead on gathering the stakeholders necessary to create pedestrian routes to the south end of Blyth, connecting Blyth Cowbell

Brewing Company and Tim Horton’s and the Ultramar gas station to the rest of the community.

He explained this was a very important project because he had been told by some visitors to Cowbell that they were completely unaware of the village north of the intersection of County Roads 4 and 25, likening it to smaller villages like Carlow.

Council was in favour of reviewing the changes with staff, however several councillor members had questions that need to be answered.

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip asked how removing the parking spots directly in front of Memorial Hall for a permanent drop-off/emergency services space would be policed. He said the municipality doesn’t have bylaw enforcement available 24 hours a day.

Sparling said much of that would fall to the Blyth Festival, which currently polices the space when it’s closed for performances, and to the good nature of people.

“Most people, frankly wherever they are, are obliging,” Sparling said, adding that if people are asked to move, they will.

Seip then commented that

bringing pedestrian traffic from Cowbell and Tim Horton’s to Blyth’s downtown was a significant concern, but said the issue would need to be discussed with multiple stakeholders, including North Huron, Central Huron and Huron County. Seip also said that the issue was being discussed as part of a cross-border servicing agreement with Central Huron.

Reeve Bernie Bailey echoed that, saying he wanted to work with Central Huron on a project like that because he hopes he will convince Huron County to relocate its proposed new staff building somewhere immediately south of Blyth.

As far as the other sidewalks, Bailey said he wanted to start implementing new sidewalks to the Blyth and District Community Service on a phased basis, directing staff to consider it immediately.

Director of Public Works and Facilities Sean McGhee said that a plan was already in the works as funds in the draft budget are earmarked for a Blyth sidewalk initiative related to the discussions he had with Sparling.

Bailey was happy the project was Continued on page 19

Continued from page 2 the $200,000-$300,000 range.

He also said the county could take an industrial park-type approach to multi-unit residential development by servicing and parceling land before it’s developed, creating shovel-ready lots.

Hoffman said her department would work with a rental build model and utilize the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative to create affordable units in addition to market units. She would also work on a public education campaign to broaden the understanding of housing in Huron County and why it’s good for communities to have a variety of housing options.

At the North Huron Council presentation, Reeve Bernie Bailey asked what kind of buy-in the county expected from the funded build and Hoffman said she expected obtaining builders wouldn’t be difficult.

“We have a list of interested builders,” she said, adding that some of those contacts were made as a result of presentations to local councils.

Councillor Kevin Falconer asked if the county’s economic development department had studied who was buying the houses in the area and where the sellers are going.

“Are people selling to upgrade or trying to get smaller?” he asked.

Watson explained no such study had been completed, but he had some information about who was buying the houses. “Anecdotally, we have information about who is coming,” he said. “There are a lot of people from the ‘wave’.”

The “wave” is people living in a smaller community and working in a larger one. Specifically, the southwestern Ontario wave saw people living in Kitchener and Waterloo to work in Toronto, forcing workers from Kitchener/Waterloo to live in Stratford in turn forcing people working in Stratford to start looking at living in smaller communities, including those in Huron County.

As for who was selling their properties, Watson said he wasn’t sure whether it was retirees looking to downsize or people looking to upgrade. Falconer said information was key to North Huron’s plans with developments in its community, saying developers need to know who to build for.

Watson said it was difficult to discern that because of the scarcity of housing available in the area, saying that, until an additional

supply comes along, prices will continue to go up and only certain kinds of buyers will be able to find a home.

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said one of the biggest concerns North Huron Council has is developers aren’t limited in what they can build.

He said that, regardless of what kind of housing is needed, a developer can build whatever they want.

Councillor Chris Palmer had some issues with the community housing initiatives and privately-funded housing initiatives that were outlined. He said he would like to see rules implemented to make sure that people benefitting from those programs be forced to work in the community that is supporting them, pointing to the industries in and around Wingham that currently need a labour force which is dependant on housing.

Hoffman explained that with subsidized housing programs there aren’t any prerequisites like that, nor would it be likely they would be implemented. The only rule is that, when a developer provides housing under their programs, rent be charged at 80 per cent of the going market value.

Palmer also took issue with that, saying he felt having one neighbour pay full price and another paying 20 per cent less thanks to county involvement would hurt neighbourhood cohesion.

Hoffman didn’t feel that was accurate.

“It’s O.K. to have someone next to you that can’t afford as high rent,” she said. “That’s part of the education. My neighbour might be a single mom with three kinds, and might not be able to afford what I afford. Part of the education is that people should be able to live where they need to.”

Bailey asked if the investor-funded private housing model has been pushed forward by the county.

Watson said preliminary discussions had occurred, however he couldn’t announce anything in a public council session. “There’s been progress,” he said.

Get information on Huron County attractions on the new Stops Along The Way website at stopsalongtheway.ca

We might as well preach to stone walls!

(Charles Spurgeon) “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words—but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction!” 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5 The gospel is preached in the ears of all men—but it only comes with power to some.

The power which is in the gospel, does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher— otherwise men would be converters of souls.

Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning—otherwise it could consist of the wisdom of men.

We might preach until our tongues rotted, until we should exhaust our lungs and die— but never a soul would be converted, unless there were mysterious power going with it—the Holy Spirit changing the will and heart of man.

O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls, as preach to men—unless the Holy Spirit is with the Word, to give it power to convert the soul.

A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-291-1956

PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Editorials & Opinions

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

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Bring our nurses home The Clinton Public Hospital’s emergency room will continue to be closed at night for the foreseeable future. A shortage of qualified nurses is the reason and Huron County is not the only area facing this shortage.

Ontario has the lowest nurse-to-population ratio in all of Canada due a very complicated set of factors. As our current staff of nurses is set to retire, the next generation of nursing graduates is not looking to work long, grueling shifts at a stagnant pay scale. This makes it very hard to recruit or retain nurses who may choose less-demanding specialized care fields or more lucrative positions in the U.S. The Ontario government is our first line of defence and it needs to react to the serious nature of this problem as our population continues to age and require more nursing care than ever before.

Succession planning is crucial for all fields and it seems that the Clinton Public Hospital has received applications from nurses still completing their education or recent graduates with little to no experience. Perhaps it’s time to grab them while they’re interested in coming to Huron County and get them trained by experienced emergency room nurses. We may need to get creative to keep them. We need to invest in the next generation or we may never get that emergency room back to 24-hour care. – DS

Keeping a legacy alive As The Citizen readies a team for the Charlie Shaw Memorial Golf Tournament in July, it’s important to remember the great people for whom memorial events are named. Shaw, an esteemed member of the Blyth Lions for generations, did so much for Blyth and beyond it’s hard to list the ways in such a small space, but he was essential to Blyth.

This comes one week after The Citizen covered the Blyth Lions Club’s annual snow volleyball tournament, held in honour of John Bokhout and Blake Hesselwood, two young men who grew up in Blyth and perished in an Alberta house fire nearly 10 years ago. The pair is also memorialized, like many other community members gone too soon, through an award given annually by the Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey Association. The Citizen also covered awards handed out last week by the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund, an organization that continues the work of OPP officer and Blyth firefighter Dave Mounsey, who, just before his death, raised money for a defibrillator for his department.

Remembering good community members after they’ve passed away is essential to the fabric of communities like Blyth, Brussels and beyond. It reminds us of those who built these towns and villages, the impact they’ve had on our lives and the rewards we reap thanks to their hard work, commitment and dedication, keeping their memory alive.

There is a saying that is often loosely and unspecifically credited to Indigenous culture stating that a person lives only as long as the last person who remembers him/her. This idea is also explored in the Disney film Coco. With memorial events and awards, we seek to elongate that timeline and create new generations who will know the importance of those who came before them and respect all they’ve done for us. – SL

Are you sure about that?

Everyone likely remembers when the false alarm related to the Pickering nuclear facility caused a wave of short-lived panic across Ontario and it’s finally been revealed how the message about a potential problem was sent out. It turns out, as we were told to expect, operator error is to blame.

The short story is that someone was logged into the live emergency system when they should have been logged into a test system. Reports indicate that those responsible for the warnings have to log in to the live emergency system daily to make sure it’s accessible, then log in to the test system to work. That switchover didn’t happen and the alert was sent out.

While that seems like a logical explanation, the question remains: how could someone send a text alert to every cell phone user in Ontario without realizing it? The technology is there to verify the message before sending it, so why wasn’t it used?

It’s been decades since computers starting asking us to verify what we’re doing; whether that’s closing documents, shutting down the computer or spellchecking. Those kinds of warnings continue to get more advanced.

Take, for example, e-mails. Google Mail users will have become accustomed to the warnings the system provides. For example, sending a message without a subject will prompt a warning, as will sending a message with the word “attachment” in the body that doesn’t actually have an attachment. So how could we have a live system without a warning that someone is about to text millions of people? Technology is great, but sometimes the thought process needs to catch up before its true value is shown. – JDS

Looking Back Through the Years March 7, 1963 L.E. Cardiff, a seven-term veteran, would again represent the Huron riding for the Progressive Conservative Party.

The 74-year-old farmer from Morris Township was nominated at the Conservative convention held in Clinton. Cardiff was unanimously supported and no other names were offered for the position.

After Cardiff’s unanimous nomination, he received a standing ovation from those in attendance. He told his supporters that he had decided not to run again over a year ago, but eventually reconsidered.

In elections for the Hog Market Committee in Huron, Martin Baan of Walton led the slate, earning the support of 726 voters. Just behind him was Brucefield’s Robert P. Allan with 721 votes and Elmer Ireland of Wingham with 717.

Approximately 75 women were in attendance for the World Day of Prayer service held at Melville Presbyterian Church in Brussels.

March 10, 1971 Local hockey fans were in for a treat with a special game scheduled between Blyth’s hockey coaches and standouts from the village’s teams.

The game would serve as a fundraiser for the Blyth Sports Committee.

Mrs. Charles Johnston was named the next president of the Blyth Women’s Institute, taking over from Mrs. Luella McGowan, who would continue to serve the institute as its secretary/treasurer.

The Blyth Midget hockey team was stopped in its tracks by Ayton on their way to a Western Ontario Championship, losing the first three games of a best-of-five series.

The Blyth Standard reported that while the Blyth team did get

stronger as the series went on, the Ayton team was simply too strong.

Winners of the Blyth Figure Skating Club’s poster contest were Cathy Cronin in first, Garry Manning in second and Sandy Marshall in third. The contest was held in conjunction with the club’s upcoming carnival, which would be held on March 12 with the theme “ Around the World”.

March 11, 2010 Thirty-seven-year-old Vu Pham, a constable in the Ontario Provincial Police’s Huron County detachment, was shot dead conducting a traffic stop on County Road 12 between Walton and Winthrop.

The gun fire was said to be closerange with approximately 20 shots being fired. OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said Pham pulled over a pickup truck and the 70-yearold driver exited his vehicle with a rifle and shot at Pham incapacitating him. Other officers would soon arrive and subdue the suspect.

Both Pham and the suspect were transported to the London Health Sciences Building. Pham died at the hospital shortly after arriving in what Fantino described as a grave condition.

The Accommodation Review Committee considering the closure of several local schools approved two presented options, including a majority report and a minority report.

The majority report called for the consolidation of Brussels and Grey Central Public Schools, though it was unspecific about how exactly that would take place.

The minority report, however, called for the closure of both Grey Central and Brussels Public Schools, in favour of a newly-constructed school somewhere in Huron East.

That option would also close two Listowel schools and Wallace Public School with a new school to be built in Listowel.

After making his National Hockey League (NHL) debut, Blyth’s Justin Peters was continuing a streak of excellent play with the Carolina Hurricanes. He held a 94.3 save percentage in the four games he’d played with the team, earning one of the game’s three stars in two of four of the games.

One of Peters’ games was against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre, which meant he was able to have nearly 50 friends and family members in the stands.

March 7, 2019 Shawn and Katie Cottrill of Belgrave were preparing to head to their fourth-ever National Mixed Doubles Championship tournament in late March, representing their home province of Ontario for the first time, as opposed to earning a berth based on tournament points.

The national competition was set to take place in Fredericton, New Brunswick beginning on March 19.

Several neighbours in and around Blyth’s King Street joined forces to save a horse in distress on the farm of Graham Jackson.

The horse had fallen through the ice into a pond on Jackson’s property when he wasn’t home.

Colleen Carter, Nathan Shannon and Steve Switzer worked to pull the horse from the water, while Jackson and others, along with Dr. Lee Siertsema, were able to comfort the horse and warm it up once it was on solid ground.

The Blyth Brussels Novice Rep Crusaders continued their playoff push in a series with the West Grey Warriors in their hunt for a Western Ontario Athletic Association title.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 5.

Other Views

Ignoring the inconvenient truths

T

he polarization that’s dividing the rest of the world seems to have infected Canada in recent weeks, leaving us in a situation where compromise is seen as a moral failing.

After coming so far since World War II because of greater tolerance of those who don’t look like ourselves, have a different religion or different sexuality, a significant part of the population seems to be adopting positions in which their side is righteous and the other is evil and the only acceptable ending is total victory. The pure of heart and mind of both sides of issues manage to ignore inconvenient truths that don’t support their views.

Two recent debates created unbridgeable canyons of belief with each side feeling God and reason are on their side: the blockades supporting the heredity chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en who oppose the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory in northern B.C. and Teck Resources’ cancellation of its Frontier oil-sands mine proposal before the federal government could rule on whether or not it should be approved.

The rail blockades most polarized the population because they affected so many people. Indigenous protesters like the Mohawks of Tyendinaga (they refer to themselves as land protectors) who blocked train tracks for over two weeks before they were removed by the OPP, say they are supporting the pre-colonial Wet’suwet’en form of governance in which the hereditary chiefs make the decisions. Many media reports say they are supporting the Wet’suwet’en “people”.

But the unfortunate (and often ignored) truth is that a majority of these Wet’suwet’en people have supported elected councils that want the pipeline to be built. Some hereditary

Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk chiefs ran for elected councils last year and were rejected by the people they claim to represent. These people want the jobs the pipeline can provide.

Many of the protests that have sprung up have more non-Indigenous than Indigenous supporters. These are doubly-righteous individuals because they’re both supporting Indigenous rights (overlooking the rights of the majority who want the pipeline) and saving the environment. They ignore the reality that this pipeline would carry natural gas, not bitumen, so there’s no fear of spills. As well, the gas, when it reaches China, will replace the burning of coal – the dirtiest of fuels. The pipeline will actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

On the other side are those who blame governments and police for not acting sooner to tear down the barricades, arrest protesters and “enforce the rule of law”. They conveniently ignore the reality that unless you’re an all-powerful authoritarian dictatorship, you can’t force people to accept laws they don’t support. Come down hard on Indigenous protesters in a way their fellows feel is unjust, and you’ll only inspire more protests. There are so many thousands of miles of railway tracks in Canada that police can’t protect them all.

When Teck Resources withdrew its proposal for the Frontier oil-sands mine it

saved the federal government from having to make a decision that was sure to be unpopular no matter which side it came down on. Not that it mattered. The government was lambasted by the Alberta government, Conservatives in Parliament and pro-oil supporters as having created the conditions that caused Teck Resources to withdraw its application.

Critics ignore reality that the company itself said it couldn’t build the Frontier project unless the price of oil nearly doubled from current rates. There’s no sign of that. Those who say the government has made resource development impossible also conveniently overlook 20 other oil sands projects which have already been approved and would produce more oil than Frontier would have if it had gone ahead.

That, of course, riles environmentalists.

When the federal government tries to respond to climate change concerns while still allowing oil and gas developments it burns its bridges with environmentalists who think Canada shouldn’t take any more carbon-based fuel from the earth. Even if they got their way, we will still be burning carbon in Canada – just carbon imported from elsewhere in the world.

Everyone, including most environmentalists, will still drive their cars, heat their homes and fly to vacations in jet aircraft.

In many ways we didn’t really need another big open-pit mine so huge it can be seen from space, but the people I feel sorriest for are the local First Nations communities that had signed agreements and would have reaped jobs if the Frontier project had proceeded.

Historically, Canada has succeeded because we’ve been willing to reason things out and meet in compromise. If we won’t compromise, if we ignore truths that don’t fit our firm beliefs, we’re heading for big trouble.

Socialism shouldn’t be bad word

I

n recent months I’ve noticed that socialism, the practice of a community regulating itself through a government and providing for all of its citizens, is getting a bad rap that it doesn’t necessarily deserve.

To hear some people talk about it, you would think the word makes them sick to their stomach. They spit it out like vitriol, as if they couldn’t hold it in any longer without upchucking, and place it in the pantheon of bad words like those four-letter ones that comedian George Carlin liked to talk about.

But mark the calendars and tell people you heard it here first readers: socialism is not a bad word. Aside from that, it’s not a bad way to run a country.

Just a quick aside here, in case you’re under the impression that socialism and communism are the same thing. They aren’t. Do your Grade 9-level homework.

Sure, there are aspects of our country and province’s governance, (which are both decidedly socialist, I’m sorry to break it to you ultra-conservatives) with which I disagree and which are part of the socialist agenda, but on the whole, I’m glad we live in a country that puts an emphasis on providing for each other.

Some people look at things like increased minimum wages, or the idea of a living wage, and chalk it up as “socialism”. They do the same when looking at programs that provide for the less fortunate, but that’s only a portion of socialism and I’d be willing to bet that everyone has benefitted from the whole socialist system.

If you want to know how you’ve benefited, well just look at what happens south of the border. For example, if you or a family member has ever had a child, they’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars thanks to our system. Business Insider pegs the cost of just having a baby in the United States at $10,808, and that’s without pre- or post-natal care.

Denny Scott Denny’s Den Factoring that in can bring the cost up to $30,000. Other organizations, like advocacy groups, have put the average cost even higher.

To put that in perspective, just by living in Canada and benefitting from social medicine, expectant mothers save, according to Huron County, approximately 16 per cent the cost of an average home just by living here.

Beyond medicine, there are also the safety nets we fund. I count my blessings every day that my wife and I bought a house in Blyth before prices started getting astronomical.

Nowadays, it can be hard for even gainfully employed people to find a home in Huron County, and, thankfully, there are programs to help with that. Sure, there is infrastructure that could benefit from those dollars, and I’m sure everyone would like to see taxes not increase so substantially (except for those lucky folks in Central Huron whose tax increases stay low thanks, in part, to payouts from the casino located there) but these social services are like insurance. We all pay in so that, someday, when we need it, it’s there.

Whether that’s a new family wanting to put down roots in a community and needing a helping hand to get started or a long-time Huron County resident needing a boost after losing a job or being involved in an accident, those safety nets and programs help.

The reason that I’m tackling this is because the Huron County I’ve grown up in, the one I’ve returned to and the one I’m looking forward to raising my daughter in is the

community embodiment of socialism. People from Huron County help out their neighbours, be it through aiding someone with the chores when they’re laid up or taking part in fundraisers for neighbours who are facing a difficult situation. I’ve always just taken it for granted that, when people need help in Huron, the community comes together to offer it.

Growing up here, I just assumed that was the way you were supposed to live life.

It really hit home for me last week when my wife and I were watching this new television show called The Unicorn about a widower father raising his daughters. The show starts with his friends trying to get him out of a rut he has been in since his wife died. It’s been months since she passed and he has had trouble moving forward.

While helping a friend out is very Huron County, what really hit me was that the main character, months after his wife’s passing, was able to go to the freezer and still pull frozen meals out that people had prepared to help him and his daughters through the rough times.

I thought to myself that there is nothing more Huron County than people giving of their own pantries to help someone who has fallen on tough times.

It made me proud to be a part of that community, and to have taken part in that tradition. It also frustrated me because there are people out there saying we shouldn’t help each other out by deriding socialism.

There’s a reason that socialism is one of the most prevalent, working styles of government across the world – it does what’s necessary.

So the next time someone says socialism in a way that makes you think they were choking on the word, pleasantly remind them they live in Canada, where socialism is the norm and is something we should be proud of, and if they don’t like it… well they can take their chances south of the border.

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

Bordertown Café

W

hen Jess and I got married back in 2017, I filled out the application for the marriage licence, while she took care of the marriage certificate after our wedding. It was only after we received our certificate that we realized we weren’t exactly on the same page with our paperwork.

I filled out our marriage licence application and accurately listed Central Huron as the wedding location (Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company). However, when Jess applied for the certificate, she listed the location, also accurately, as Blyth. The government then corrected that location to North Huron, which is correct and incorrect at the same time.

How can so many rights make a wrong? It’s the confusing business of borders when it comes to the towns, municipalities and counties of southwestern Ontario.

I’ve enjoyed holding this administrative loophole over Jess’s head – like when a police officer bungles a detail on a ticket he’s written you and you get off on a technicality – letting her know I’m one paperwork dive away from showing the marriage was never actually legal, but the bigger issue is that filing simple paperwork shouldn’t be this challenging.

We always seem to run into these roadblocks in Huron County. Here in Blyth, the former location of the Emergency Services Training Centre, technically in Central Huron, always seemed to be a problem for North Huron councillors. Despite being literally across the street, cross-border servicing and any other negotiations always seemed to stall with the Blyth fire station “not being in Blyth” seemingly to blame. That issue has since been rectified.

In fact, just last week I reported on the new Huron County ambulance strategy. It featured optimal station locations, one of which was in Lucknow to service Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh and the Lucknow and HuronKinloss areas. However, with Lucknow not being in Huron County, the area of study, that suggestion was off the table, despite being an optimal location for both counties.

And it seems as though such issues have plagued Huron County for decades – though they’ve certainly been exacerbated by 2001’s amalgamation. A perfect example at the office has always been Auburn. A small village of a handful of homes is split between three municipalities that often don’t quite get along.

Auburn has been at the heart of a number of issues. Whether it be waste management or fire services, how things are handled in Auburn often depends on which side of the street you call home. In fact, years ago when first response training was mandatory in North Huron but not Central Huron, the running joke was that if you were having a heart attack on the Central Huron side of Auburn you should try and crawl across the street before calling 911 and you might just save your life.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention the notorious fire alarm incident in Auburn. A call that required one vehicle drew trucks and tankers from three departments due to dispatch confusion. You would have thought the Empire State Building was burning to the ground.

We all need borders (think of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mexico wall and the wall we want to build to keep Trumpers out of Canada) but when you’re in bordering communities, you owe it to yourselves and your neighbours to find a way to work together and find solutions that transcend borders.

So, whether it’s incorrect marriage papers, convenient as they may prove to be, or fire service, co-operation needs to be the name of

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Local World Day of Prayer events set March 6 A NOTE FROM BETTY

By Betty Graber Watson Call 887-9231

Ah, the calm after the storm.

Everyone has a different take on snow days, from pure delight to utter inconvenience. The attitude is tempered by your plans for that specific day. So to the folks who were ready to move into Plan B for the very white time, good for you.

Those days are the opportunity to think about needs and wants and how your life rolls from there.

This is International Women’s Week, a time to think about the inequality that abounds between the sexes and a reminder that we will still have bodies around the world who see women as not quite worthy of equal treatment. For women in Canada, we have much better life conditions than many, but the bottom line remains, pay and respect. There is still work to be done. A television

show Women’s Songs reminded me of the work that was done in the 1970s moving subtly and sometimes not so, the areas where inequality was obvious. The movie 9 to 5, scenes from folk festivals, songs like “I am Woman” or “Satisfaction” were part of the details of this history.

All the items for the show were popular at the time and this viewing gave the back story to each, making it more important. There was a reason for each offering. Even here when our women hit the firsts it was not easy, but the back reason made it worthwhile. You forget about the firsts we had: first female councillors, first warden, pay equity, classes available for all trades all because brave women took a stand and followed through. It was good to remember and a reminder that work still needs to be done, especially in attitudes.

One way through the decades to educate and show women’s role as very important is the World Day of Prayer. This gathering on the first

Friday of March, yes this Friday, is to highlight the different countries, the concerns and the women in them.

Again we are privileged, but we do listen and learn and hopefully remember the needs of others in the world. This year Zimbabwe is the focus on Friday at the United Church in Brussels at 2 p.m. Other communities have their times posted as well, but we all have the same program, written by women of that country. This day of prayer has been happening for over 100 years, making it very special. Please come.

The new coronavirus continues to be a learning event. Experts in the world of health are doing a fine job, making us aware of the instability of it and the need for vigilance. For Canada we learned so much from SARS with the deaths remembered.

This is a new virus with its own attributes, but with all the germs and viruses in our midst, and there are lots, keep calm and carry on. Again, wash your hands lots, even more when you and others are unwell.

Bye now, Betty G.W.

M-T suspends grants

Ducharme recognizes students for artwork

own, but felt it would make sense to have the human resources committee involved.

Council received Hallam’s report and said staff could make suggestions for the review. *** After approving a donation and grant policy that was first presented earlier this month, Morris-Turnberry Council decided to put a moratorium in place on additional donations and grants.

The moratorium should inspire those looking for funds to approach council in person instead of sending form letters or generic requests.

her division. Comrade Nanci made the presentations of praise and gifts to the students. Congratulations to the students for their excellent posters.

A reminder about the seniors literary program I mentioned last week in the paper. It is open to any senior, can be any topic, poem or story and submitted into the Branch by the end of May. Your story can be about your growing up, the depression years of struggle, your ball-playing days, school days, the one-room schoolhouse days, your early years of marriage and children, or the funny things children or grandchildren can say. Your story, your topic, your theme. The stories are for this Branch only and winning stories may be shared during seniors’ month in June with a gathering of those entering and other seniors. Start today writing your story or poem.

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

Speech masters North Woods Elementary School students were recently recognized for their efforts in the annual Royal Canadian Legion public speaking contest From left: Paisley Ribey, Connor Kellington, Ethan Boyer, Jesse Fischer, Vaughn Bachert, Mya Zyd, Adel Fischer, Paizley Peters and Landry McDonald. (Photo submitted)

Morris-Turnberry staff and council will be reviewing its personnel policy in the coming weeks.

Chief Administrative Officer Trevor Hallam explained to council at its Feb. 18 meeting that staff had identified changes that need to be made to the document, prompting a suggestion for a full review.

Hallam said that staff members could undertake the project on their

At the Branch

By Jo-Ann McDonald The week at the Brussels Legion Branch has been very quiet. The Thursday night darts had 13 players out even though it was quite stormy.

The first-place team was Roger McHardy and Joan Smith. There was a four-way tie for second place and after the playoff, it was team Evelyn Hillier and Ken Verbeek. The high shots of the night were by Sandra Brown hitting

140 and Tim Harrison hitting 101.

The Friday night Catch the Ace draw had only a few around because of the weather. The winner of the weekly amount was Evan Ducharme winning $210. His chosen envelope was number 21 and the three of clubs was found. The estimated jackpot for next week is $5,000.

The karaoke for Friday evening was cancelled due to the bad weather and so was the wing night. The wing

night will be held on March 13 along with the special night of music with Jelly Bean Blue playing. Music begins at 7:30 p.m.

Youth Chair Nanci Ducharme was at North Woods Elementary School to present some students with awards. Vaughn Bachert and Justine Wiebe were winners at the zone level for their Remembrance Day posters. Vaughn won third in his division and Justine was second in

Brussels Legion 218 Catch the Ace Weekly Winner Winning Ticket: Evan Ducharme $210 Envelope #21 found the 3 of Clubs Estimated jackpot for March 5 draw is $5,000

Brussels Legion 218 presents

Jelly Bean Blue Coming home The Blyth Brussels Atom Rep Crusaders will be returning to Brussels on Friday for the next game in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association semi-finals against Mariposa. (File photo)

Friday night March 13 Come out and enjoy the music and wings!

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 7.

Sparling says growth is needed to attract merchants

By Denny Scott The Citizen David Sparling, Chair of the Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA),

says Blyth needs more development, houses and families if it’s going to survive.

While the BIA’s regularlyscheduled meeting couldn’t occur

due to a lack of quorum, Sparling took the opportunity to update those in attendance about the efforts of the BIA. He said requests have been made

of the BIA to look for a way to bring a bank back into the community, however he says that problem is an issue of numbers.

“The community needs to be larger to support it,” he said.

Sparling said his research indicated that the village could be facing significant problems if its population doesn’t increase by at least 500 in the near future.

“I’ve discovered some general comments on population and anything you look at for, say, a sustainable grocery store, is that there needs to be 1,500 to 2,000 people in the community,” he said.

“Our volunteer fire service, in the future, may struggle to maintain onduty daytime staff with the population we have.”

He said that the numbers fluctuate between 1,500 and 2,000 depending on where the research comes from, however that’s inconsequential.

“We’re not seeing 900 or 1,000 people when we look to make these initiatives work,” he said. “If we want these services, or a bank, we need more people.”

Sparling said the BIA needs to take every effort to encourage residential growth in the community.

“That’s the bottom line,” he said.

“If people want the BIA to pursue a

bank, if we want to keep what we have, we need more buildings and more building lots.”

Sparling added that the BIA needs to capitalize on visitors to Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company, the Blyth Festival and events at the Blyth Campground to help generate commerce which he hopes will generate residential development.

Wash & Fold Services

NEWS FROM BLYTH Celebrating A Special Occasion?

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

Pancake Tuesday Pancake Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, saw local community groups and churches holding special dinners throughout local communities. Above, Scout leader Dave Cartwright, front, and 1st Blyth Troop member Thomas Brady man the griddle at the Trinity Anglican Church in Blyth. (Denny Scott photo)

Ross leads local United service From Marilyn’s Desk

By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318

Greeting and ushering worshippers at Blyth United Church on Sunday, March 1 were Lavern Clark and Marilyn Craig. Marilyn Scott was organist accompanied by John McDowell with the guitar.

Katie Dockstader was choir director.

Lavern Clark and John Stewart shared running the Power Point.

Mary Ross, guest speaker, welcomed everyone to church and drew the congregation’s attention to the announcements printed in the bulletin. Mary extinguished the first of the Lenten candles on the altar table. She invited everyone to greet one another. The first hymn, “O Jesus, I Have Promised”, was sung.

The call to worship was repeated responsively and was followed by the opening prayer. Because this was an intergenerational service, Mary invited members of the congregation to come to the front along with the children. Mary handed each of them a thing such as a church bulletin, an egg carton, a baby blanket, a rope with knots in it, a banana and a cardboard tube. She asked them then to pass along a ping pong ball without touching it with their hands and she would catch it at the end in a cup. The ball was passed along with

some difficulty. Mary asked how they felt and some of the answers were that is was difficult but with team work they got it to the end.

The children’s hymn, “Jesus, Tempted in the Desert”, was sung.

The scripture reading was from Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-7, the story of the forbidden fruit, and the gospel reading was from Matthew 4:1-11, the story of Jesus being tempted.

The choir sang the anthem, “Come, Walk with Me”.

Mary’s message to the congregation was “Knowing the Difference”. The scriptures told the story of the forbidden fruit in the garden and the story of Jesus being tempted. This was the beginning with generations to follow. It was a temptation to pick the ping pong ball up and just pass it from one to another. This made it really easy to get it to the end. It took teamwork to get it to the cup.

Mary then asked the children to give each person a paper plate and marker. She asked that each put something that they wished they hadn’t done on the back and then write a solution on the front. The plates were collected and then the children and some members of the congregation were asked to put the plates down on the carpet a distance apart and then step on them to see if they could get from the back to the front of the church. This also took teamwork between the adults and children to accomplish this task. It didn’t matter if you stepped off the plates, you just got back on and continued.

The next hymn, “O God, How We Have Wandered”, was sung. The

offering was received followed by the singing of the response, “We Give Thee But Thine Own”, the offertory prayer, the prayers for the people, silent prayers and the singing of the Lord’s Prayer.

The last hymn, “We Are Marching”, was followed by the commissioning and the benediction.

Everyone was invited for coffee and fellowship.

Millian takes top shoot spot Happy birthday to Debbie McDougall who celebrates March 5; Lauren Wharton, March 6; Grace McNichol, March 9 and Nellie Mason and Lillian Appleby, March 10. Happy birthday everyone and have a good day.

Winners of the Feb. 25 shoot party were: first, Marie Millian; second, Dorothy Carter; third, Jewel Plunkett; most shoots, Liz Balser and share the wealth went to Edna McLellan, Barb Bosman and June Thomas. The next shoot is Tuesday, March 10 at Blyth United Church.

Doors open at 12:30 p.m. with cards beginning a 1 p.m. Come out and enjoy an afternoon of fun and laughter.

What a difference a few days make. Last week Mother Nature let us know that winter was not over yet.

We had the storm of the year. I think all of Lake Huron was dumped on us and on Monday it melted. I guess we could maybe say that it is going back into Lake Huron. This is March so, spring can’t be far away.

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PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Sports Heat push through postseason, LLFHL playoffs

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Follow the bouncing puck The Huron Heat Bantam C squad took on the Lucknow/Wingham 86ers on Sunday and played to a 2-2 tie at the Central Huron Community Complex. (Darlene McCowan photo)

Huron Heat teams continue to push through the postseason aiming for year-end championships.

The Novice B squad came out on the wrong side of a 5-1 decision with the Lucan Irish C on March 1. The Heat will next take on the Stratford Aces White in Seaforth on March 6.

The Novice HL 1 (Vanstone) Heat Team was on the ice against the Novice HL 2 (Calder) Heat squad in Seaforth on March 4, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Calder team will next face off against the South Huron Sabres on March 7 on the road.

The Atom A Crusaders, after two cancelled engagements in round two of the Lower Lakes Female Hockey League (LLFHL) against the Saugeen Lightning, dropped a 4-2 decision on Feb. 29.

The Atom HL 1 (Haggit) Heat team will next face off against the Belmont, Ayr and Dorchester (BAD) Blazers HL squad on March 7 in Seaforth with the puck set to drop at 1 p.m.

The Atom HL 2 (Kerr) team played to a scoreless tie against the St. Thomas Panthers HL squad on the road on March 1. The Heat squad will next travel to Lucan to take on the Irish on March 7.

Radars down a game in series

By Denny Scott The Citizen After a game was cancelled due to weather, the Clinton Radars dropped their first matchup against the Tillsonburg Thunder over the weekend in Western Ontario Athletics Association (WOAA) Sr. AA hockey playoffs.

After downing the Seaforth Centenaires in round one of the playoffs, the fourth-seeded Radars started round two of the playoffs with a 2-1 loss to the sixth-seeded Thunder on Feb. 29.

While the goals scored may have decided the game, the game was a battle of the goalies with the Radars outshooting the Thunder 56 to 29.

After a scoreless first period, Tillsonburg’s Matt Pasztor broke the drought with a goal assisted by Kaine Geldart and Travis Lisabeth.

Clinton’s Max Campbell responded with a marker assisted by Sean Consitt and Cullen Mercer.

Lisabeth earned the game-winning goal for the Thunder late in the third period, assisted by Jeff Leaist and Ryan Stephenson.

The game was a relatively clean affair with Tillsonburg serving six penalty minutes over three calls and Clinton being assessed four minutes over two calls.

Tillsonburg goalie Tommy Lee earned the win for his team stopping 55 of 56 shots while Greg Dodds was in net for the Radars, stopping 27 of 29 shots.

The Radars will next face off against the Thunder on March 6 in Clinton with the puck to drop at 8:30 p.m.

On March 7, the Thunder will host the Radars with the game starting at 3:30 p.m.

Game four of the series will be

held March 13 in Clinton at 8:30 p.m. Then the teams will head to Tillsonburg for March 14 with a match at 7:30 p.m. if necessary and March 15 marks the final scheduled

game at 5 p.m if necessary. The makeup game for the Feb. 28 cancellation has yet to be posted.

For more information, visit clintonradars.com

After sweeping the Guelph Junior Gryphons in the second round of LLFHL playoffs last month, the PeeWee B Heat squad is set to take on the Stratford Aces in round three.

The series starts on March 5 in Stratford with a game at 8:15 p.m.

The Aces will then visit Clinton for game two on March 8, with the puck to drop at 12:30 p.m. Game three is set for the Stratford Rotary Complex on March 12.

The PeeWee HL Heat squad, after posting a 2-1 win over the West Oxford Inferno C at home late last month, took on the Lambton Attack HL in Seaforth on March 3, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Heat team will next face off against the St. Thomas Panthers HL in Brussels on March 8 with the puck set to drop at 3 p.m.

The Bantam C Heat was set to face off against the Tillsonburg Lightning C squad on the road on March 4, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Heat team will next travel to St. Marys to take on the St. Marys Rock C on March 9.

The Midget A Heat bested the Bluewater Hawks two games to one in the LLFHL second-round playoffs with a 2-1 win on Feb. 25.

The Heat’s round three games were yet to be set.

While playoffs continue, some Heat teams are playing exhibition and regular season games. The Bantam C squad played to a scoreless tie against the Lucknow/Wingham 86ers on Feb. 25. Also on that day, the Bantam BB Heat were downed 2-0 by the Stratford Aces.

On Feb. 28, the Atom B Heat

squad was on the wrong end of a 5-0 decision with the South Huron Sabres.

On Feb. 29, the Midget B squad edged out the St. Marys Rock 1-0.

Also that day, the PeeWee BB squad lost a game against the Stratford Aces by a score of 3-1 while the Novice B squad posted a decisive 41 victory over the South Huron Sabres.

On March 1, the Atom B squad played to a scoreless tie with the Stratford Aces. Other games on that day included the Atom HL 1 (Haggit) squad blanking the Kincardine Kinucks 4-0, the Bantam C Heat playing to a 2-2 tie against the Lucknow/Wingham 86ers, the PeeWee BB squad being edged out by the South Huron Sabres by a score of 1-0, the Midget B Heat dropping a 2-1 decision to the Stratford Aces and the Midget A squad dropping a similar 2-1 game against the Stratford Aces.

The Atom A Heat were set to take on the Stratford Aces on March 2 on the road, though a score was unavailable as of press time.

Scores were also yet to be posted for the PeeWee BB Heat taking on the South Huron Sabres on March 3 and the Bantam C Heat taking on the Mitchell Meteors, also on March 3.

Upcoming Ontario Women’s Hockey Association (OWHA) and non-postseason games include the Bantam BB Heat taking on the Stratford Aces tonight, March 5, in Stratford.

On March 6, the PeeWee BB Heat will take on the Stratford Aces in Seaforth at 7:30 p.m. The Mitchell Meteors and PeeWee B squad will Continued on page 9

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Fighting for position The South Bruce Blades topped the Huron Heat’s PeeWee BB squad on Sunday by a score of 1-0 at the Central Huron Community Complex. (Darlene McCowan photo)

Phone or mail cheque made payable to North Huron Publishing to: P.O. Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 9.

Midget Local League Crusaders keep winning

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Fighting for it The Blyth Brussels Midget Local League Crusaders continued a postseason winning streak over the weekend with a 4-2 victory over the Mount Forest Rams. (Darlene McCowan photo)

The Midget Local League Crusaders kept up an impressive five-game, postseason winning streak with a 4-2 victory over the Mount Forest Rams on the weekend.

The Crusaders also played the first game of a two-game series on March 2 against the Minto Mad Dogs, though a score was unavailable as of press time. The second game of the series is set for March 12 in Blyth.

The Midget Rep Crusaders were set to play the Walkerton Capitals on Friday, Feb. 28, however the game was postponed. The squads met on March 3 in Brussels, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Midget Rep Crusaders will next face off against the Shallow Lake Lakers on the road on March 9.

The Bantam Local League squad was downed by a score of 7-1 by the Minto Mad Dogs in Brussels on Feb. 29. The Bantam Rep Crusaders also faced off against the South Bruce Blades on March 2 in Blyth, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Crusaders will next face off against the Minto Mad Dogs on Friday, March 6, on the road before hosting the Huron-Bruce Blizzard in the first of a two-game series in Blyth on March 9.

The Bantam Rep Crusaders fell to the Goderich Sailors by a score of 42 on March 1 in Goderich. The two teams met up again on March 3, but

a score was unavailable as of press time.

The PeeWee Local League Crusaders were on the wrong end of an 8-2 decision with the West Grey Warriors on March 1. The team also played the Walkerton Capitals on March 3, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The PeeWee Local League Crusaders will next take to the ice against the West Grey Warriors on March 9 in Blyth with the puck dropping at 6 p.m.

The PeeWee Rep Crusaders continued their postseason push with the team’s second game in a row against the Mount Forest Rams on March 4, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Crusaders next face off against the Central Perth Predators on the road

on March 6.

The Atom Local League Crusaders posted a 6-5 win over the Huron-Bruce Blizzard 1 team on Feb. 26. The Crusaders also faced off against the BCH Ice Dogs on March 4, however a score was unavailable as of press time. The Local League Crusaders have a busy weekend ahead with road games against the Huron-Bruce Blizzard 1 on March 6 and the BCH Ice Dogs 1 on March 7.

The Blyth Brussels Atom Rep Crusaders are in the midst of an Ontario Minor Hockey Association Atom ‘C’ semi-finals playoff against the Mariposa Lightning. For more information, see page 1.

For more information, visit blythbrusselsminorhockey.ca.

Cottrills bound for nationals claiming the title of Team Ontario.

Team Cottrill was set to defend the title this weekend, however the couple didn’t make the finals at the event held at the Brockville Country Club.

The Cottrills fell short of the playoffs this year, winning two games but dropping three in the tournament’s round-robin.

Despite not being the Ontario champions, the Cottrills will still be able to compete for national gold thanks to qualifying for the Canadian Mixed Doubles National Championship set for November of this year based on their points in the national ranking system.

The cost to participate, however, requires the team to fundraise and, for that the Cottrills are looking to a fundraiser centred around their forthcoming child.

The couple’s first child is due July 17, so the Cottrills have set up a grid for people to buy guesses for the date, time and sex of the child with the squares costing more the closer the actual deadlines.

For more information, visit Team Cottrill’s page on Facebook.

Fun and games The Blyth Bantam Bandits girls broomball squad took to the ice for a fun game against their parents on the weekend to wrap up the season. (Darlene McCowan photo)

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Bantam Heat to host Sabres

Nationals ahead While Shawn and Katie Cottrill couldn’t recapture the provincial championship they won last year, shown above, the couple is still heading to the national mixed doubles curling championship later this year. (File photo)

By Denny Scott The Citizen Team Cottrill, consisting of Belgrave couple Shawn and Katie Cottrill, will be competing in their

fifth-straight Canadian Mixed Doubles National Championship later this year, though not as Team Ontario.

Last year, the couple won the Ontario Mixed Doubles Provincials,

Continued from page 8 then face off immediately following that match.

On March 7, the Novice B Heat will take on the Lambeth Lancers on the road. The Atom B Heat will take on the Stratford Aces that day as well in Stratford. The Bantam BB Heat will host the Stratford Aces in Seaforth with the game starting at 2 p.m. The Bantam C Heat will visit the Mitchell Meteors on March 7 as well.

March 8 will see the Bantam C Heat take on the South Huron Sabres.

For more information, visit huronheat.com.

1st BLYTH CUBS — Back row, from left: Erica Clark, Adam Wiltz, Shari Cartwright, Emily Spencer. Middle row: Wyatt Young, Nathan Wilts, Tien Hahnewald, Ruby Squire. Front row: Felix Dawe, Braxton Stryker, Auston McLaughlin, Joseph Thiessen. Absent: Grace Caldwell (scouter) and Sadie Caldwell.

PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

‘Ford Nation’ leaving rural Ontario behind says NH’s Falconer

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Helping out Last month the Londesborough Lions Club held a breakfast fundraiser for the Huron Residential Hospice. Manning the griddle are, left, George Bairstow and Dave Overboe. (Mark Nonkes photo)

North Huron Councillor Kevin Falconer believes “Ford Nation” is forgetting about rural Ontario with its projects and planning for the future.

During council’s Monday night meeting, Falconer said he wished he had good news to share after the Ontario Good Roads Association/ Rural Ontario Municipal Association conference held late last month, but he didn’t.

“I got the feeling from the ‘Ford Nation’ in politics that we’re not being considered rural,” he said.

“We’re just not urban yet.”

Falconer said the initiatives he saw being touted at the conference were for Northern Ontario or major urban centres.

“There was nothing except highspeed rail, light rail and subways,” he said. “There’s nothing that will help us.”

He said he got the feeling southern Ontario’s rural municipal concerns,

especially transportation, were being left to entrepreneurs to solve while northern Ontario was a focus for Premier Doug Ford and his Conservative provincial government.

Falconer said the problem with transportation in Huron County is that people needed to fill jobs like those being sought in Wingham may not have vehicles right away, so transportation solutions are essential.

“There was nothing that sparked my attention,” he said of the conference. “They were just tooting their horns about their new Toronto subway or projects in Ottawa and nothing in between.”

His concern was shared by fellow Councillor Ric McBurney who said he saw little for rural southwestern Ontario, save one project that could be of worth to Huron County: a new way to build multi-lane highways that utilized a third lane dedicated to passing that alternated between the two lanes with concrete barriers.

Levy needs to increase to stay competitive: Sparling

By Denny Scott The Citizen The Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) will need to increase the amount of money it collects through its levy if it wants to remain competitive, according to BIA Chair David Sparling.

He explained that, for years, the BIA hasn’t adjusted its rates, while other BIAs, like Wingham’s, increase their minimum and maximum amounts every year allowing the groups to keep up with inflation.

As part of a discussion about the BIA’s budget at an information-only meeting on Feb. 27 (due to a lack of quorum), which was discussed this morning, March 5, at the BIA’s annual general meeting, Sparling said the BIA simply didn’t have the

funds necessary to pursue attractive projects.

The budget Sparling wishes he could present is not within the BIA’s means. It includes projects like replacing the changeable letter signs at the north and south end of the village (an estimated $3,500), paying a social media creation professional for 40 hours of work annually to help prepare the BIA for upcoming events every year ($50 per hour, totalling $2,000), welcome packages for new merchants ($1,000) and educational speakers (twice a year at $1,500 each time), is not within the BIA’s means.

He said the Wingham BIA’s tax maximum and minimum go up by inflation every year. The result is the Wingham BIA collecting at least $167 from each member, while the Blyth BIA collects at least $125 from each member.

Peekaboo Charlotte Greydanus and Emma Gahan were enjoying a relatively dry recess on Monday hiding near the fence while many of their peers were playing in the slushy snow and wet paved areas. (Denny Scott photo)

Sparling said the minor increase wouldn’t make a difference for his “wishlist” of what to do with the BIA, but it would make sure the BIA could continue to work despite inflation.

BIA executive members in attendance were in favour of tying an annual increase to adjustment not just for simplicity’s sake, but so that BIA members could understand where the raise was coming from.

“It wouldn’t be tied to any particular project or goal,” Irene Kellins of Stitches with a Twist said. “We’re not adjusting the amount collected – it’s tied to inflation.”

NH needs more people: Bailey Continued from page 1 gas stations will each likely need another 15 to 20 employees on top of that. He also said that companies building in other communities, like Teeswater, will need places for people to live representing as much as 50 more homes needed in the area.

“There are more jobs than people,” he said. “You can’t rent in the area, so we need to move hard on this.”

Bailey said the present council is “determined to make [the development] work.”

“We made manouevres to get it restarted,” he said. “The second thing is that Doug is a local boy. He may not live here anymore, but he is from Wingham. He picked up on the problem, went to the owners and got control of the land.”

Bailey said Cerson is exactly the person the development needs to get it going, adding that it was unfortunate that A2A had purchased so many properties in the province and wasn’t moving on most of them.

“The new developers hope to have water and sewer ready by the end of this year,” Bailey said, adding the developers are aware of the housing crisis in the area.

Bailey, speaking on his own behalf and not representing council, said he hopes North Huron continues to push forward with other development projects like Hutton Heights, located just south of Wingham.

“We have a problem where people think, if we do something once, it takes care of it forever,” he said.

“Fixing a mile and a quarter of road once doesn’t work. We have to do a mile and a quarter every year and council knows that. We have to keep promoting development in the same way. There is no such thing as the

end of this kind of work. We can not just sit still.”

Bailey said that growth like the development is important because North Huron needs higher population to continue to provide the services it does.

“We need more people or we need more money,” he said. “That means a generator at a dam, or buying land and renting it and bringing in taxes. We need different ways to raise money without raising taxes.”

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 11.

Council supports Bailey in battling house shortage

By Denny Scott The Citizen

The beautiful game The significant dumping of snow Huron County received late last week didn’t phase students at Hullett Central Public School when it came time for their regularly-scheduled recess soccer games. From left: Hudson Greydanus, Jarrett Fleet, Zaidyn Poelman and Jake Salverda. (Denny Scott photo)

Despite some concerns about what it could mean for staff’s workload, North Huron Council has thrown its full support behind combatting the housing shortage in North Huron.

During council’s Monday night meeting, Reeve Bernie Bailey, who temporarily abdicated chairing the meeting to discuss the issue, proposed council support local housing initiatives to combat the insufficient labour force in North Huron. He gave the history of the problem, explaining industries in North Huron and surrounding municipalities needed employees or there was a risk of reduced output or businesses moving out of the area and possibly out of the country.

Bailey reminded council of the history of a labour shortage leading to the discovery that local factories were in dire need of employees because of the lack of homes available to employees. He said he wants to gather support on the issue from like-minded heads of council and approach the provincial and federal governments to find a solution.

Taking on that much work,

however, was something he felt council should have a say in, so he brought the motion to council to fully support the endeavour.

Bailey’s original motion, however, asked council to support “the use of North Huron’s resources to address the labour and affordable/sustainable housing shortage” which had some councillors concerned about how much money and time would be spent on the project.

Councillors Anita van Hittersum, Chris Palmer and Paul Heffer all voiced concern about how broad a statement that was and wanted to know more about how much staff time was being spent on the project.

Bailey said that, currently, he and staff had been working on the issue and he didn’t anticipate it would take any more staff time, just now the entirety of council could support the project.

After significant debate, council decided that if Bailey’s motion passed staff time could be recorded in regular updates on the project giving council the ability to review what kind of effort was being made by staff.

Council approved Bailey’s motion.

Sand storage shed price shocks some NH councillors

By Denny Scott The Citizen A new sand shed to be built at the site of the new public works and fire hall in Blyth had some North Huron Councillors questioning how a building could be so expensive.

The 10-by-15-metre structure will replace the existing storage at the

former Blyth Fire Hall at the corner of Dinsley and Mill Streets and will cost $251,000 plus applicable taxes according to Director of Public Works and Facilities Sean McGhee.

Staff planned for the building when designing the new public works and fire hall, however the project itself was left until the rest of

the building was closer to completion to avoid complications, McGhee said.

Several councillors were concerned with the price, with Councillor Anita van Hittersum pointing out that, for the same price, you could buy a “pretty nice home”.

McGhee explained that, with a structure that is designed to hold

sand, side wall support is essential.

He pointed out the building will have 10-feet-high concrete walls to prevent the sand from damaging the structure, and that’s on top of significant work to install footings for the structure’s foundation.

Council still wasn’t wholly convinced, however, with Councillor Chris Palmer pointing out that the structure was barely bigger than the council chambers. “That’s too much,” he said of the cost.

McGhee broke down the cost for council, saying the building itself only cost $204,000 and most of that price is in the concrete and in static costs like electrical work.

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“Of that, only $73,400 is the actual structure,” he said. “The rest is concrete work, design and electrical.”

Council seemed content with that explanation, approving McGhee going ahead with planning the structure and seeking a minor variance as the building will be slightly higher than the six metres allowed by the municipality’s own bylaws.

When the structure is complete, McGhee said, the former fire hall/public works property will no longer be in use, leaving council the option to pursue developing or disposing of the property.

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Celebrating Local broomball teams didn’t have to travel far for fun on the weekend, which was a good thing given the weather. Some teams took to the ice against their parents as a way of marking the end of the broomball season, including the girls Bantam squad, shown above, and the girls Midget squad, not shown. (Darlene McCowan photo)

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PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Youth group looks to help shelter users PEOPLE AROUND LONDESBORO

By BRENDA RADFORD Call 523-4296

I heard this week that the federal health organization is suggesting

everyone ensure they have a twoweek store of provisions on hand in the event they get quarantined because of COVID-19. Not that I believe here in Huron County we are likely to be infected by this latest bug. However the store of provisions is something most of us have during the winter anyway for times of weather such as we experienced last week; a good time to see what is at the bottom of your freezer.

Wasn’t that a snowmaggedon! I

think all the snow intended for the village ended up between our garage doors and the shed where the snowblower was; a four-foot-deep snow dune! And now they are forecasting rain and mild temperatures! Only in southwestern Ontario! The lion surely roared into March.

If you were out on area roads on the weekend you will have noticed the snowmobilers were taking advantage of the new snow and milder weather. It hasn't been the

A favourite pastime Whether it’s near-whiteout conditions or, like it was on Monday, an unseasonable warm spell right after whiteout conditions, Hullett Central Public School students love their soccer. From left: Justin Fleet, Jake Salverda and Cole Greidanus. (Denny Scott photo)

Blyth Lions to mark 75 years

By Denny Scott The Citizen The Blyth Lions are honouring the late Charlie Shaw with a special golf tournament this year to help fund the Lion Charlie Shaw International Youth Camp held annually outside of Goderich.

Lion John Stewart briefed the Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) during an information-only meeting of the group on Feb. 27.

Stewart explained that Shaw was appointed the district’s first Chairperson for the Lions Youth Exchange Program the year it was formed. Through his hard work, the exchange flourished, resulting in the creation of the youth camp and its recent rededication in his name.

To honour Shaw and raise funds for the camp and for the Blyth Lions Club, the club is hosting the first annual Lion Charlie Shaw Memorial Golf Tournament on Friday, July 24 at the Sunset Golf Course north of Goderich.

The club is open to those looking to support the event, both through taking part and any other means. For more information, contact Lion Barney Stewart at 519-523-9448.

HOLIDAY CELEBRATION During the BIA meeting, Stewart said the Lions Club would once again like to pair its annual Christmas party with the Hometown Holiday Weekend.

programs include He said working with the BIA and Scheduled and activities for other local community groups games during a special holiday celebration children, free hot dogs and a cash worked well according to the club bar. and the Lions would like to repeat it.

However, to make that happen, Stewart said the Blyth and District Community Centre’s upper hall would need to be rented, so he wanted to know when the event was scheduled.

BIA Chair David Sparling said he would get that information to the club as soon as possible.

75TH ANNIVERSARY The Blyth Lions Club is hosting a special celebration this year to mark its 75th anniversary.

The anniversary date is in March, however the club is waiting for warmer weather to celebrate, scheduling an event for July 11.

Stewart said the Paige Ferguson, left, and Elizabeth event would be Miller-Goddard posed for a photo on informal and the the swings at Hullett Central Public whole community School on Monday. (Denny Scott photo) would be invited.

Tangled

best season for those who wanted to travel trails in our area.

As a result of the curriculum being studied since the new year by the older children of the Londesborough United Church Sunday school, they began asking how they can make a difference to/in the world. They have come to believe that even young folk can help. So they have initiated a project and are appealing to the whole congregation for help.

They learned about the “Out of the Cold Overnight Emergency Shelter” program being operated through cooperation of the Huron County Social and Property Services, the Salvation Army, Lakeshore United Church and the Goderich Ministerial Association. This program offers a warm meal and a warm night at the Salvation Army Suncoast Citadel nightly to individuals who are experiencing homelessness. One can find details of the program and ideas of how to help on their website.

This program helps out in many ways other than overnight stays. The children of the Sunday school have asked the whole congregation to help them fill five backpacks with essentials for people who find themselves in unfortunate situations.

The backpacks are purchased through the “Out of the Cold” group and the UCW, at their recent meeting, agreed to cover that cost to help the children get started.

For the backpacks, one can donate personal hygiene items and warm weather items like gloves, toques and scarves. Complete lists of things looked for are posted around the church. A box for donations is in the church narthex.

Members of the official board of Londesborough United for 2020 are reminded of their first meeting on March 12 at 7 p.m.

The Sunday school will host a light lunch following the morning worship on March 15. Plan to “mix and mingle’ that Sunday.

The Londesborough UCW welcomes the community to their observance of the World Day of Prayer on Monday, March 16 at 7

p.m. This year the program is a prayer for the ladies of Zimbabwe who prepared the service.

When my sister was here recently she mused about what people, who don’t play the game, would make of the term “euchred”. Many in the younger generation may not even have heard of the game of euchre. It tends to be the game of older people.

So, I Googled the expression.

Euchre is a trick-taking card game played with only the larger value cards from a deck of cards and usually played with four or six players. The game is related to the French card game, Ecarte, and to Loo. It is not a hard game to play and my sister and I were taught by our grandparents when we were young.

It was a good bonding time for all of us.

The dealer turns up a card that determines the suit that will take tricks for each hand. However if the opposing team takes more than the required three tricks to win the hand they are said to have effected a euchre of the dealing team. The dealing team loses two points to the opposition. So, loosely speaking, euchred means to trick or cheat someone out of success.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 13.

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Brussels Livestock report

Cows sell on strong, active trade at sale Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending Feb. 28 were 1,256 cattle and 282 lambs and goats.

On Tuesday fed steers and heifers sold actively at prices $3 to $5 higher. Choice steers and heifers sold $155 to $164 with sales to $165. Second cut steers and heifers sold $145 to $154. Cows sold on a strong active trade at steady prices.

On Thursday veal sold on a good steady trade. Lambs and goats sold steady with sheep selling barely steady. On Friday there was a light run of cattle due to extreme weather.

All cattle sold actively at steady prices.

Chris Smith of Brussels, consigned 14 steers that averaged 1,686 lbs. and sold for an average price of $156.95. Two limousin steers averaged 1,615 lbs. and sold for an average price of $165. K/C

McAlpine Farms of Ailsa Craig, consigned eight head that averaged 1,416 lbs. and sold for an average price of $149.75. One limousin steer weighed 1,600 lbs. and sold for $158.

George Hinz of Monkton, consigned six heifers that averaged 1,370 lbs. and sold for an average price of $139.14. One black heifer weighed 1,550 lbs. and sold for $156. John Smuck of Wingham, consigned 12 head that averaged 1,452 lbs. and sold for an average price of $143.62. One red heifer weighed 1,415 lbs. and sold for $145.

There were 350 cows on offer.

Beef sold $72 to $82 with sales to $94; D1 and D2, $67 to $77 with sales to $80; D3, $60 to $66; D4, $50 to $59.

Smart Limousin of Meaford, consigned one limousin cow that

weighed 1,670 lbs. and sold for $90.

There were six bulls selling $83 to $124. Partridge Farms of Monkton, consigned one black bull that weighed 1,745 lbs. and sold for $124.

There were 215 head of veal on offer. Beef veal sold $150 to $180 with sales to $188; good holsteins, $124 to $135 with sales to $144; SL heavy holsteins, $115 to $124; heavy holsteins, $110 to $115; medium holsteins, $110 to $120; plain holsteins, $95 to $105.

Reuben S. Martin of Wallenstein, consigned 10 head that averaged 875 lbs. and sold for an average price of $174.48. One roan heifer weighed 850 lbs. and sold for $188. John Martin of Lucknow, consigned one holstein steer that weighed 710 lbs. and sold for $136.

Lambs under 50 lbs. sold $293 to $325; 50 - 64 lbs., $345 to $360; 65

- 79 lbs., $329 to $338; 80 - 94 lbs., $275 to $287; 95 - 109 lbs., $261 to $265; 110 lbs. and over, $217.50 to $225.

Sheep sold $125 to $190.

Goats: billies sold $150 to $350; nannies, $100 to $175; kids, n/a.

Kolgie Ltd. of Monkton, consigned eight lambs that averaged 79 lbs. and sold for an average price of $317.10.

Five lambs averaged 75 lbs. and sold for an average price of $338. Steve Hallam of Kincardine, consigned 14 lambs that averaged 71 lbs. and sold for an average price of $334.03.

Eight lambs averaged 71 lbs. and sold for an average price of $337.

Top quality stocker steers under 400 lbs. sold $204 to $226; 400 - 499 lbs., $214 to $250; 500 - 599 lbs., $226 to $261; 600 - 699 lbs., $197 to $219; 700 - 799 lbs., $189 to $195.75; 800 - 899 bs., $179 to

$183.25; 900 - 999 lbs., $177 to $185; 1,000 lbs. and over, $162.25 to $169.

Top quality stocker heifers, 300 399 lbs. sold $212 to $215; 400 - 499 lbs., $192.50 to $195; 500 - 599 lbs., $181 to $210; 600 - 699 lbs., $161 to $175; 700 - 799 lbs., $167 to $178.50; 800 - 899 lbs., $167 to $173.75; 900 lbs. and over, $150 to $161.

Henry H. Martin of Lucknow, consigned 16 head. Six charolais steers averaged 940 lbs. and sold for an average price of $185. Six charolais heifers averaged 824 lbs. and sold for an average price $173.75. Allan Aitchison of New Liskeard, consigned 73 head. Six charolais steers averaged 777 lbs. and sold for an average price of $195.75. Eleven gold heifers averaged 770 lbs. and sold for an average price of $178.50.

Hensall 4-H begins new cooking club project something nice to say, as this apple was grown with care and someone worked hard to produce it.

One of the leaders, Mary Lynn, was surprised to see that most of our 4-H members were able to place the class of apples in the same correct order as our junior leader Emily.

When heading to the grocery store or farmers’ market, we now know how to choose a prize apple.

Off to the kitchen we went with our new recipes, ready to make some more delicious food. But first, of course handwashing. Members formed into smaller working groups and got down to business. The menu included apple pie muffins, sweet potato fries and mixed veggie stirfry. Once again the dishes turned out amazing.

Do you know how fruits and vegetables end up on your plate?

Local 4-H members were introduced to the food system in Ontario. This consists of production, processing,

distribution and consumption. Did you now local food is considered as being grown or produced and processed within 50 kilometres to 100 kilometres of its place of origin.

Growing fruit and vegetables in Ontario can be very fun.

As our meeting came to a close, we all ran to help ourselves to seconds. And it must be said – if you ate today, thank a farmer. If you ate Ontario fruits and vegetables, thank your rural neighbours. On behalf of the Hensall 4-H Club, thank you Ontario farmers!

The club gathered for its first meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12. The club had 23 eager members enrolled, ready to learn all about Ontario’s tasty fruits and vegetables.

They quickly found out, before entering the kitchen, that food preparation and safety must be followed at all times. First of all, long hair should be tied back and hands washed with soap and water.

We learned many important rules to follow when cooking and baking.

Such as, the importance of safe cutting skills when using a knife.

Once members were divided into smaller working groups, they gathered all their supplies needed to complete the given recipe. Each group was given instructions for a different dish to prepare. One common ingredient found in most recipes was Ontario apples.

Did you know apples have existed as wild fruit since prehistoric times and have been harvested for more than 3,000 years around the world? Apples are nutritious, high in fibre and can be used in many recipes.

Once each group had completed its recipes, they tasted the finish products. Yummy! The completed menu consisted of sparkling cranberry punch, apple sauce, candy apples, apple cake and tzatziki dip with carrot sticks.

Rural Ontario needs mental health resources says OFA Fresh vs. frozen Emily Bieman, left, and Olivia Chiarella, right, wanted to know the difference between fresh and frozen stir fry, so they took it upon themselves to conduct a little experiement through their new 4-H club. (Photo submitted)

By Molly Groot The second meeting of the Hensall 4-H Club’s Cooking Club started at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The club got right down to business, ready to learn some more about Ontario’s fruits and vegetables.

Before we started working in the kitchen, our club spent time learning about judging fresh produce. The

group was presented with a selection of four different apples. During a judging competition, 4-H members should observe and select apples with a nice round shape, good colour, firmness, and no lumps or bumps or bruises. However, showing the grower empathy is also encouraged – if an apple is looking not so fabulous, try to find

By Keith Currie, President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture As an agricultural industry, we are making significant strides in breaking down barriers and stigma around mental health. Dr. Andria Bitton-Jones and her PhD student, Briana Hagen, helped to propel this issue into mainstream conversation and were recognized this week at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s annual general meeting with the Brigid Rivoire Award for Champions of Agricultural Mental Health, nominated for this award by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA).

On Feb. 19, the Ontario government announced the creation of a new Mental Health and Addiction Centre of Excellence within the provincial health ministry.

This is positive news for the

estimated one million Ontarians who experience mental health or addiction challenges. There is still much more work to do, especially in rural communities. We know there is a need for improved mental health resources for farmers and their families. The province indicates they are working towards “building a comprehensive and connected system of services that works for all Ontarians.” The OFA will be focusing on the “for all Ontarians” aspect of this new initiative to ensure mental health support and services extend deep into our rural communities and addresses the needs of our members.

OFA members have vocalized the importance of making this issue a priority for agriculture, by bringing a resolution forward to the 2019 annual general meeting to expand the accessibility and support of mental health resources for the

farming community. We know mental health in the agricultural Continued on page 16

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PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

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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.

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Coming events ST. PATRICK’S DAY IS ON THE horizon – come to the Ole Tyme Jamboree, Royal Canadian Legion, Victoria St., Wingham, March 8, 1 to 4 p.m. Admission: $5, Dinner: $12. Meal served at 4:30 p.m.

Everyone welcome. See ya’ll at the Legion.

10-1 -------------------------------------------WORLD DAY OF PRAYER AT Brussels United Church, lower hall on Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m.

Worship prepared by Zimbabwe, with theme “Rise! Take Your Mat and Walk”. Everyone welcome.

Refreshments.

10-1 -------------------------------------------TWO TOONIE TUESDAY, March 17 at Trinity Anglican Church, 166 Dinsley St., Blyth, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Irish stew, biscuit, coleslaw and dessert.

Everyone welcome.

10-2 -------------------------------------------AUBURN & DISTRICT LIONS Club St. Patrick’s breakfast, Sunday, March 8, 8-11 a.m., Auburn Memorial Community Hall. Adults: $8. Pancakes, eggs, toast, sausage and hashbrowns. Maple syrup supplied by Robinson’s Maple Products, RR 1, Auburn. Proceeds for Huron Residential Hospice. 10-1

Help wanted

Help wanted

HELP WANTED

General Carpenter/Labourer • Full time - Monday to Friday (8-10 hours/day) • Wage based on experience • G2 licence required with means of transportation to shop/jobsite daily This job includes, but is not limited, to all aspects of interior finishing and exterior building and finishing. Being a licensed tradesperson is an asset but not a requirement.

Please email résumé and relevant experience including any training and certificates to:

devonjhenry@hotmail.com D J Henry Homes and Renovations is a small construction business that focuses on high performance to full passive house homes. An interest in this form of building is also an asset where attention to detail is a must.

In memoriam TAYLOR, Harold Lloyd, May 10, 1933 - March 10, 2009.

You always had a smile to share, Time to give and time to care.

A loving nature, kind and true, This is the way I remember you.

– Fondly, Muriel.

09-1p

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Services INCOME TAX PREPARATION – farm, business, personal. Stephen Thompson, 519-482-3244.

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The Citizen

Located within beautiful Huron County and along the shores of Lake Huron, our Municipality is a blend of urban, rural and lakeshore communities. With a population of approximately 7600 year round residents and a large seasonal and tourist population The Municipality of Central Huron currently seeks enthusiastic, energetic, skilled candidates for the leadership position of: ROADS MANAGER As part of the Senior Management Team and reporting to the Chief Administrative Officer, the municipality is seeking a Roads Manager who will be responsible to direct, monitor and oversee the activities of the Public Works Department; directly supervise 10 full-time unionized employees, plan, prioritize and ensure the successful implementation of Public Works maintenance, Capital and Operation programs; oversee waste management and landfill issues; and effectively prepare and monitor departmental and project budgets. There are 327 km of rural road as well as 19 km of Lake front roads and 33 km or Urban road with sidewalk and storm system, 39 bridges, ditching and catch basins along with winter maintenance. As the successful incumbent, you will provide recommendations and advice to Council, ensure compliance with all necessary Provincial legislation, regulations, and policies, respond to inquiries, and investigate complaints from the public and public agencies in a timely manner. A proven leader, you will competently and effectively manage staff.

The ideal candidate will possess a Diploma in Engineering Technology; Certification of Ontario Road Supervisors and all the courses that leads to gaining certification through OGRA; A well rounded knowledge in all road related maintenance both summer and winter, as well both asphalt and gravel, storm water management and tree maintenance; Surface Miner Courses in all modules; Valid Class ‘G’ Driver’s license required, Drivers Abstract in good standing to operate Corporate vehicles and DZ licence and heavy equipment operation experience is considered an asset.

The Municipality of Central Huron offers excellent benefits and a competitive compensation package. For a job description of this position, please visit www.centralhuron.com/career-opportunities Employment to commence immediately.

Applicants are asked to submit a detailed resume in confidence by 4:00 p.m.

Wednesday March 18, 2020 to: Human Resources, Municipality of Central Huron Box 400, 23 Albert St, Clinton, Ontario N0M 1L0 Ph:(519) 482 – 3997 Fax: (519) 482 – 9183 Email: Human_Resources@centralhuron.com The Municipality of Central 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. Personal information provided is collected under the authority of The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Thinking about quitting?

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1-877-513-5333

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

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

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

Call 519-523-4792 or email: info@northhuron.on.ca FOR SALE – sprayer $250; 10 ft. wagon, $350; dried firewood, $50/cord. 519-335-6998.

10-3 ---------------------------------------FOR SALE – Dr. Scholl’s electric foot bath, $30; steamer trunk, $40; vintage wooden rocking chair, $75; vintage bedroom dresser with oval mirror, $75; vintage metal suitcase, $30.

Phone 519-524-1138.

09-3 ---------------------------------------FOR SALE – fabric steamer, excellent condition, instructions, original bill. $20; Rectangular sleeping bag 34"x80", liner, stuff sack, used indoors, all around zipper, rated: -7°C. 519-3571504.

08-3 ---------------------------------------FOR SALE – feeder wagon, $150; pipe elevator, $100; post hole auger, $50; small chain harrows, $50. 519-335-6998.

08-3 ---------------------------------------FOR SALE – Daily Mail and Empire newspaper May 11, 1898.

Looking for offers. 519-3579467.

08-3

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 15.

Classified Advertisements Notice

Notice

Wanted

Municipality of Morris-Turnberry

WANTED

2020 Tree Planting Program

CASH CROP LAND TO RENT

Ne ews depends endss on facts. ts. Where Whe are you our facts ts coming com ng from? ro

• short or long-term leases available • open to flexible conditions including share crop arrangements

The Municipality of Morris-Turnberry has ordered trees from Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, for the 2020 spring season.

The Municipality is supplying the trees at no charge, however, the property owner must pick up, plant and maintain the tree on private property. The trees cannot be planted on the road allowance.

Trees are limited to (2) trees per property owner.

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.

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

Please call Riverdale Farms to discuss your options

Types of trees available are:

Wayne Colclough Cell: 519-357-5663 Home: 519-912-1006

• Sugar Maple – 6 to 7 ft bare root • Freeman Maple – 6-7 ft bare root

newsmediacanada.ca

• Hackberry – 6 to 7 ft bare root • Norway Spruce – 2 ft bagged and burlapped Anyone who has never received a tree through this program, will be first to receive a tree in 2020.

If you wish to order a tree, please call the Municipal office 519-887-6137 Ext. 224 or email: mail@morristurnberry.ca, ASAP, as the trees are available on a first come, first served basis.

Last date to order a tree is April 3, 2020 (The trees will be available for pickup approximately the third week of April, 2020)

Sniff Out a Great Deal in the Classifieds.

Shoppers with a nose for bargains head straight for the Classifieds.

In the Classifieds, you can track down deals on everything from cars to canine companions. It’s easy to place an ad or find the items you want, and it’s used by hundreds of shoppers every day.

Go with your instincts and use the Classifieds today.

The Citizen Classifieds 523-4792 • 887-9114

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

www.huroncitizen.ca

PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Improvements needed

Talented talkers North Woods Elementary School and the Brussels Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion recently recognized the top contestants in the school’s public speaking competition. In the junior category, winners were, from left: Liam Fischer, Holly Huffman, Alex Reid, Brook Beuermann, Sheridan Smith, Hailey Beuermann and Rowan Gaspirc. Absent was Kaleigh McCallum. Beuermann, McCallum and Huffman proceeded to the next level of the public speaking competition. (Photo submitted)

Bald eagle spotted near Walton PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

Our sympathies are extended to the van den Broek family on the passing of Ria van den Broek. She will be lovingly missed by her husband Henk and children Diana, Robert and Rita and their families.

She was a lovely lady who seemed to be always smiling and was very friendly and easy to speak with for a visit. The couple lived in Brussels for many years until retiring to Listowel a few years ago. Our condolences to all.

Folks returning from holidays include Paul and Dianne McCallum,

Ken and Meaghan McCallum and family and Matt and Cheryl Lee. Hope they all had a great time.

The Walton Inn isn’t quite ready to open again, so don’t plan on meeting there just yet. It may be a few weeks yet to get the work all done.

Finally, after months of looking, I have seen the bald eagle of Canada Company Road. The eagle was perched on a low tree branch very close to the road and I was hoping to get a picture of it. By the time I slowed down and stopped, the noise of opening the car door caused him to fly away. Darn, missed him again.

Celebrating birthdays this past week include Andrew Black, Beverly Stevenson, Drew Wilts and Leap year babies include Ryan Baan, Nathan Bachert and Pam McLellan. March begins with Stacy Linton Courtney, Emmett Houston, Jeff Huether, Holly Ryan, Crystal Whyte, Adam and Owen Ryan, Ava Sutcliffe, Megan den Dekker, Kathy

HENRICA “RIA” GERDINA (VERSCHUREN) VAN DEN BROEK Henrica Gerdina (Verschuren) van den Broek of Listowel and formerly of Brussels, passed away at Listowel Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. She was in her 74th year.

Ria was the wife of Henk van den Broek and mother of Diana and Stephen Dolmage, Brussels; Robert

and it’s clear that some of the strategies that may work for a mental health break in some situations don’t play out for us.

The OFA is focused on increasing the awareness of mental health challenges, ensuring a provincewide availability of support and breaking down the barriers in asking for help.

Small rural communities are by nature close-knit, and that can make it difficult to ask for help if you are worried that others may find out you’re struggling. With the vast majority of farms run as family businesses, there can be additional challenges with working side-byside with family.

As more details are released on the provincial government’s new Mental Health and Addiction Centre of Excellence, the OFA will continue to advocate for resources to be directed specifically to the needs of rural Ontario.

Most importantly, if you, or someone in your community, is struggling and needs help, know that there are people and resources available to help. If you are in a crisis situation, go to your local emergency department or call 911.

To access a list of resources, visit ofa.on.ca/issues/mental-health.

Ryan, Veralynn Smith, Sloane McCallum and Sandra Butler.

Happy birthday to all!

NEWS FROM WALTON

Obituaries and Barbara van den Broek, Walton and Rita van den Broek, Goderich.

She was the grandmother of Meagan, Scott, Dana, Ryker, Virginia, Mackenzie, Shelby, Selena and Jordin. Ria is also survived by her nine siblings in the Netherlands and Henk’s 13 siblings in Canada.

Ria was predeceased by her parents Harrie and Gertruda (Jacops) Verschuren, her sister Trudy Verschuren and her brother Koos Verschuren.

Visitation and parish prayers were held at the Eaton Funeral Home, Listowel on Feb. 28. Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Listowel on Saturday, Feb. 29.

Memorial donations to the Arthritis Society or Listowel Memorial Hospital Foundation would be appreciated.

Online condolences may be left at www.eatonfuneralhome.ca GEORGE PETER SZAREK George Peter Szarek of Blyth passed away peacefully at his

Continued from page 13 communities brings unique stressors and requires dedicated resources.

We will be working on behalf of our members to ensure the needs of farmers and the agricultural community are recognized and supported in this new Centre of Excellence for mental health and addiction.

The OFA has already been active on several projects and initiatives regarding farmer mental health, including providing funding and representation on the University of Guelph stakeholder working group for mental health in agriculture. The working group is developing the ‘In the Know’ mental health literacy programming for agricultural and rural communities. The OFA has also been involved in providing funding to the L&A Farmer Wellness Program, which offers local mental health support for farmers in Lennox and Addington county.

Farming is an unpredictable business, and the stress of dealing with so many factors that are out of our control such as weather and markets can take a toll on our mental health. Add in the limited opportunities to take a break from it all because agriculture never stops,

residence on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020.

He was 79.

George was the beloved husband of the late Dawn (née Ireton) Szarek who predeceased him on March 22, 2006. George is survived by his brother-in-law David Ireton and his wife Andrea of Etobicoke and their children Andrew and Amanda. He was predeceased by his parents Stanley and Mary Szarek and his parents-in-law Newton and Edna Ireton.

George was born in Kitchener, on Jan. 21, 1941 to parents Stanley and Mary Szarek. George met his wife Dawn and they were married in 1970 and in 1973 they moved to Huron County. He was a shop teacher for many years at F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham.

A graveside service will be held in the spring at Wingham Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please think of doing a random act of kindness in memory of George.

Online condolences may be left at www.mcburneyfuneralhome.com

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 17.

From the Minister’s Study

Patience has tremendous value: van Leeuwen

By Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Blyth Christian Reformed Church A few days ago I was asked to give a talk about patience. The request came after a meeting to which I had arrived late. The reason I had arrived late was because I happened to get behind a slow driver who never got close to the speed limit.

I found it rather ironic that I was asked to do a talk on patience because I had not been patient at all behind that slow driver. I should have declined to do the talk because I am not always a very good example of what patience should look like.

But, because I am a pastor and because it’s the right thing to do, I agreed to do the talk. And that is also why I am writing about patience for the newspaper. This is the content of my talk.

So, what is patience? Sometimes the best way to understand a word is to think about its opposite. The opposite of patience, of course, is impatience (not patient). That doesn’t help all that much because the same word is used. The talk I was asked to give is to be based on the Bible, so I decided to freshen up on my seminary Greek and discover what the original language said.

This is what I discovered: Almost always, when my translation of the Bible (New International Version) has the word, patience, it uses a Greek word which carries with it the idea of being in an adverse situation.

Some other translations of the Bible give us the word “long-suffering” or “forbearance”. Patience, then, is best understood in the context of enduring suffering or bearing a burden. Patience is best seen when life is not going well.

The opposite of patience, then, would be giving in or giving up.

When things don’t go well, throwing in the towel is the opposite of patience. Thus, if the opposite of patience (long-suffering) is giving up, patience can be understood as enduring in the face of adversity, perhaps when we are suffering or carrying a burden. Patience is to not give in, but to soldier on. There are many examples of this kind of patience in the Bible, but two will give us a better understanding of how we can live patiently.

The first comes to us in Matthew 18 where we hear Jesus telling a story or parable. A man owes his king a great deal of money, millions of dollars, and when the debt collectors arrive, he pleads for patience. The king was bearing a burden by carrying this man’s debt. When the man pleads for patience, the king doesn’t only give him more time, but he forgives the man entirely. The man owes him nothing.

We would expect that this man who was forgiven such a huge fortune would also show the same patience with others, but when he encounters his friend who owes him a few dollars but cannot pay, he has him thrown into the debtors’ prison.

The king, in response, retracts his forgiveness and makes the first man pay back everything he owes.

Jesus tells this story to teach us that we owe God a great deal. As human beings, we do a lot to hurt this beautiful world (pollution, climate change) and each other (greed, anger, violence, neglect). We owe God for destroying what he gave us to enjoy. But God is patient with us – so patient, in fact, that he forgives us our debts completely. At the same time, if we have received

forgiveness, we ought to forgive others as well.

Patience, then, could be considered treating others as God treats us through Jesus Christ. If we put our trust in Jesus, all our sins are forgiven, and we owe God nothing.

As a result, because of what God has done for us, we ought to do the same for others and be forgiving of them.

Even if someone is causing us great trouble and adversity, we must bear it patiently.

The second illustration tell us why.

In Luke 18 we read about the parable of the persistent widow. This woman was suffering injustice of some sort though she appealed to the local judge to hear her case, he was corrupt and he didn’t want to be bothered. She kept pestering him.

Eventually he heard her case and she was given justice. Jesus, who tells this parable, goes on to say that if corrupt judges will eventually give

justice, how much more justice will we receive from the hand of the God, who is completely just?

In other words, when we are bearing a burden or when we are suffering, even if unjustly, we need to endure it patiently with the understanding that eventually God will step in and take care of our needs. Unlike many stories today (e.g. many movies) where we are taught to become vigilantes and seek revenge for the wrongs done to us, we should not do that. We wait patiently for the Lord to act. And, if we are his children through Jesus Christ, we can be assured that he will act, and his actions will be a lot more effective and long-reaching than ours could ever be. We can be patient (bearing our burdens and suffering), then, because we understand that God will provide for us. He may not always do that in the way we desire or do it according to

The Regional Ministry of Hope These Anglican Churches Welcome You Rev. JoAnn Todd, Rector 519-357-7781 email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca The­Regional­Ministry­of­ Hope

Trinity

St. John’s

BLYTH

BRUSSELS

9:00 am

12 noon

St. Paul’s Trinity

WINGHAM

10:30 am

COME WORSHIP WITH US!

our schedules, but he will act on our behalf. Trusting that God will take care of us is the foundation of our patience.

So, what about my impatience when I am following a slow driver?

What do I learn from that? In essence, my impatience was rather silly. I was not being harmed at all, nor was I bearing any sort of burden.

Realistically, if I had left for my meeting a little earlier, and if I had then encountered a slow driver, I

would still have made it in time. The fault was my own, and I had no right to be impatient. But it was a lesson.

I wonder this: if I am so unwilling to suffer a little inconvenience that I caused for myself, would I really be able to be patient (long-suffering) if something significant happens?

Perhaps I need to learn to be patient in those inconsequential things so that I know how to be truly patient when it counts.

You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship SUNDAYS Morning Service Evening Service

10:00 am 7:30 pm

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

MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS

SUNDAY, MARCH 8 We invite you to join our church family in:

Worship & Sunday School - 11:00 am Coffee & Snacks following the service Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm ~ Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville’s basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together.

BRUSSELS

United Church Sunday, March 8 2nd Sunday of Lent Celebrating Sacrament of Communion at 11:00 a.m.

Worship leader, Pastor Sandra Cable All are Welcome

519-887-6687

Blyth United Church Sunday, March 8 Worship Service at 9:30 am Guest Speaker:

Pastor Sandra Cable

Sunday, March 8 at 10:30 a.m. & 6:00 p.m.

650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School) Sunday School for children 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m.

Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon.

Coffee & cookies after the morning service.

Office Hours: Thursday ~ 9:30 am - 2:00 pm blythunited@tcc.on.ca

Worship & Prayer Time Loving Fellowship Expository Preaching

Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches

Sermon Series:

Accessible

2 Thessalonians 1 The persecuted church

For additional details please contact Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173

Evangelical Missionary Church

Sunday March 8 [Daylight Savings] 9:30 am Sunday School, 10:30 am Worship Pastor Ernest Dow, “God’s Power to Counter Our Perversion” (Rom.1:16ff) Sat. Mar. 7, 7:30-9 a.m. Men’s Breakfast

Tuesdays 7-9 pm Celebrate Recovery Wednesdays 9-11 am Drop-in Pickleball Wednesdays 6:30-8 pm Heirborn, 6:30-8 pm Youth Group huronchapel.com huronchapelkids.com huronchapelyouth.com 519-526-1131 ~ 119 John’s Ave., Auburn

OFFICE: 519-523-4224

THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m.

17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m.

220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph’s Sunday 11:00 a.m.

1025 Wallace Avenue N.

PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020.

Prov. government provides funding

Well composed Kaylyn McIver, centre, is this year’s winner of the Senior Constable Bruce Crew Award for Sportsmanship, handed out through the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund’s annual Order of the Good Samaritan Awards. McIver is known to respect her teammates and coaches while assisting fellow players and encouraging those around her. From left: Emily Crew, Emily Milley, McIvor and Fund founder Patrick Armstrong. (Photo submitted)

Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson has announced four new funding investments for local governments to help modernize service delivery including ways to speed up the process for approving new housing and commercial developments.

The four approved applications include Bruce County, Huron County, Kincardine, and the Municipality of Bluewater. The funding is provided through the Municipal Modernization Program and will support a range of projects, including helping municipalities streamline their local development approval processes and modernize permitting systems.

“This funding will help municipal governments deliver efficient, effective, modern services that meet the evolving and growing needs of our communities,” Thompson said.

“Our government is thrilled to invest in so many local projects focused on making it faster and easier to build new housing and help attract and grow businesses,” said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “We’re going to keep working in partnership with municipalities to help them improve processes to focus on the vital programs and services Ontarians rely on.”

Up to $125 million is available until 2022-2023 through the Municipal Modernization Program.

The government remains committed to working with municipal partners to create a more competitive business climate and deliver smarter government services for people and businesses.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2020. PAGE 19.

NH receives $5,000 grant for female hockey program A hockey program for women will soon be made available in North Huron thanks to funding from the Canada Parks and Recreation Association.

North Huron staff applied for the funding last year, hoping to create a

female hockey program, and received word earlier this year that North Huron had been chosen for one of 13 $5,000 grants issued across the country. Director of Recreation and Community Services Vicky Luttenberger announced the

funding during council’s Monday night meeting.

The funding comes from the Gender Equity in Recreational Sport Program, which aims to support programs for women, mothers and girls with intersecting identity

factors, according to the report.

The program will focus on building endurance and stamina and teaching hockey. It will run six hours a week in both the spring and the fall at both the North Huron Wescast Community Complex in Wingham and the Blyth and District Community Centre.

The program will also provide childminding support for its participants, which Luttenberger said was a significant barrier for many women who wanted to participate.

The program will cost $11,000, and, after the $5,000 grant, Luttenberger estimates the project will have a shortfall of $643 after fees. That shortfall will be covered by other recreation programs, she said.

Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip asked if there was a need for such a program, and Luttenberger said that, for years, North Huron had tried to get such a program off the ground, however a lack of childminding prevented the project from being feasible.

Sidewalk plan approved

The ball stops here The Blyth Bantam Broomball girls squad took on their parents in a fun game over the weekend as their season officially came to a close. (Darlene McCowan photo)

Continued from page 3 moving forward, saying that North Huron needs to start working on more projects in a phased approach, noting it would be difficult to complete large-scale projects any way except one phase at a time.

Council directed staff to set a timeline to begin tackling the sidewalk project. McGhee said he would estimate the project details could be worked out in approximately three months.

Councillor Kevin Falconer said that, since North Huron already paints parking spaces, it could look to implement single-side-of-thestreet parking where Sparling and the BIA had suggested it.

McGhee agreed, saying it would only take “man hours and a little paint”, however he wanted direction of council before he would start a project as he would need to erect parking signs.

Council and staff agreed that could be dealt with when McGhee

brings back sidewalk plan.

the

multi-phase

Happy 85th Lillian Appleby March 10th

Love your family

Awarded The Blyth Junior Broomball Association held its annual banquet and award night at the Blyth and District Community Centre on March 1. Winners from the Atom team included, from left: Addison Hoekmeijer, Macy Smith, Maddox Mann and Rylan Brown. Absent is Elouise McWilliams. (Photo submitted)

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Crusaders lead OMHA series Sunday, Mariposa will be at home in Little Britain for a 2:30 p.m. puck drop.

Whichever team first reaches six points (three wins) will be taking on the East Lambton Eagles in the OMHA Atom C Final after the

Continued from page 1 the Crusaders. The puck is set to drop at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, March 7, the Crusaders will again host the Lightning if necessary, this time in Blyth, with a 1 p.m. puck drop.

Eagles swept the Six Nations Blackhawks three games to none over the past week.

While the Atom Rep Crusaders are fighting for provincial supremacy, the squad is also continuing to play in local playdowns.

This week, the squad faced off against the Huron-Bruce Blizzard in Ripley on March 3 and the Mount Forest Rams in Mount Forest on March 4. The scores for those games were unavailable as of press time.

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On the brink The Blyth Brussels Atom Rep Crusaders are on the brink of moving on to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) finals with a win over the weekend. The team is seen last weekend in Little Britain. (Courtesy photo)

Battling The Midget B Huron Heat team was in action on Sunday at the Central Huron Community Complex, taking on the Stratford Aces in one of the late-season contests. The Heat, however, ended up on the wrong end of a 2-1 score, falling to their Hwy. 8 neighbours. (Darlene McCowan photo)

Cycling workshop coming to Blyth The Huron County Cycling Committee will be hosting a “Ready to Ride Huron!” workshop in Blyth on March 12. The event will be held in conjunction with the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, a provincial cycling advocacy organization.

The event is set for Memorial Hall in Blyth on Thursday, March 12 from 1-4 p.m. and from 6:30-9 p.m.

Organizers say the workshop will update those in attendance on the progress made to the Huron Cycling

Strategy, create a shortlist of achievable actions and an action plan for moving forward and provide attendees with tools and tips to develop a stronger culture of cycling in Huron County.

To register for the event, e-mail pdfrontdesk@huroncounty.ca or call the Huron County Planning and Development Department at 519524-8394, extension three and indicate which session you plan on attending.

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