The Citizen - May 14, 2020

INSIDE THIS WEEK:

FESTIVAL - Pg. 18

BOOKS - Pg. 12

GALLERY - Pg. 19

Garratt says Festival may connect virtually

‘The Citizen’ begins new book review series

Local artists react to art gallery season cancellation

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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Drive brings $41,520 worth of sanitizer to Huron

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Giving back After winning the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues last year, and earning the Conn Smythe Trophy for his performance in the playoffs, Seaforth native Ryan O’Reilly wanted to give back to Huron County, so he created a hand sanitizer drive in his name. He donated $5,000 worth of

sanitizer to local long-term care homes, nursing homes and hospitals to kick off the drive, which would eventually raise over $41,000 worth of hand sanitizer for the county. On Monday, it was delivered and O’Reilly’s parents, Brian and Bonnie, were on hand to welcome it to Seaforth before it was distributed. (Denny Scott photo)

The Ryan O’Reilly sanitizer drive, which saw sanitizer provided to every bed or suite in every longterm care facility, retirement facility, hospice and hospital in Huron County, resulted in 173 cases, or 2,076 bottles, being donated and delivered on Monday.

“It is pretty amazing to see all the local families and businesses step up and do something so impactful,” O’Reilly said. “Just the way this came together and to see the reaction makes me so proud to be from Huron County. Thanks to our local front-line heroes, we are so appreciative of everything you do and the sacrifices you make by going to work. I hope everyone is safe.”

The total value of the product delivered was $41,520 according to a press release issued by Allan Boynton, who works with O’Reilly.

“Over 50 families, dozens of businesses, local service clubs, municipalities and minor hockey associations all donated money to support the cause,” Boynton said.

“The largest donations included Compass Minerals ($7,200), Ryan O’Reilly ($5,000), Larry Jeffrey ($5,000), Cordelio Power ($3,000), McKillop Insurance ($1,500) and Wawanosh Mutual Insurance ($1,000) all making a huge impact in the community.”

O’Reilly’s parents, Bonnie and Brian, were at the Seaforth fire hall on Monday morning to see off the collection of sanitizer that would be delivered in the coming days.

Brian said the project is exactly the kind of thing his son loves to do for his community. He said that with this “brave new world” more efforts like this drive will be necessary.

No new COVID-19 cases for Huron in past week

By Denny Scott The Citizen There have been no new cases of COVID-19 in Huron and Perth Counties in the past week said Dr. Miriam Klassen, Medical Officer of Health, during her bi-weekly Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) teleconference on Monday.

In total, there are 49 cases in Huron and Perth Counties, the same number of cases as a week ago.

Those 49 cases were discovered through 2020 total tests, 1,873 of which were negative and, as of Monday, 98 of which were pending.

Klassen’s was also excited to share the fact that, after nearly 2,000 swabs had been taken for surveillance purposes in the area’s long-term care homes, there had been no new cases identified in residents and, over the past week, only one staff member tested

positive at the Exeter Villa in South Huron. She explained the staff member in question didn’t live in Huron or Perth, so it didn’t impact the area’s statistics.

The outbreak at Greenwood Court in Stratford was declared over on May 11. Four deaths were associated with the outbreak, which included six residents and 10 staff testing positive.

The Hillside Manor outbreak in Perth East, which included a single resident testing positive, was declared over last month.

Klassen said there is more availability for testing in the province, but how people are accessing the tests hasn’t changed.

She explained people should still contact their family doctor or the HPPH and follow the instructions.

While she was sharing good news, Klassen urged people to continue to protect themselves from the virus by

only leaving the house when necessary and, if people have to leave their homes, give as much distance as possible between themselves and anyone they meet outdoors.

Klassen also asked for cottage owners to delay visiting their vacation homes at this time to avoid increased movement from urban to rural centres, increasing

the chance for COVID-19 spread.

If people absolutely need to travel to their cottages, Klassen said, she encourages them to shop for everything they need in their home community before leaving and not contacting the communities they are visiting.

As far as specific breakdowns, 44 cases in Huron and Perth Counties have reached their outcomes with 39

recovering and five passing away.

Huron County has 12 confirmed cases and, in 10 of those cases, the patients have recovered. AshfieldColborne-Wawanosh, Goderich, Huron East and Morris-Turnberry each had one case, Central Huron had two and Bluewater and South Huron each had three confirmed cases. Howick and North Huron have had no confirmed cases.

Pandemic costs may top $1 mil.

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Treasurer Michael Blumhagen estimates that the impact of COVID-19 on the county budget could exceed $1 million in the coming weeks.

Blumhagen presented Huron County Council with a report on the

financial impact of the pandemic at council’s May 6 meeting, which was attended virtually.

“Overall, depending on the length of this emergency and the local impact with outbreaks and community spread, it is possible that the impact to the 2020 county budget may exceed $1 million,” Blumhagen said in his report.

In his report, Blumhagen said that while the county can already measure some money that has been spent and revenue that has been lost as a result of the pandemic, he can also anticipate future costs related to COVID-19. He said these costs were not budgeted for, but there will likely be savings in other areas of Continued on page 9

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

We’re Making ga ffe erence to Keep Diff Each Other Safe fe from COVID-19 As businesses begin to reopen, we alll need to fforts to protect each otherr.. continue ourr effo

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Practice physical distancingĚ&#x; Stay two metres away from others

Wear a fa face covering when physicall distancing is a challenge

Wash hands thoroughlly y and often

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Learn more at ontario.ca/coronavirus Paid for by the Government of Ontario

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 3.

Wingham detour set

By Denny Scott The Citizen Culvert replacements on County Road 4 just north of Wingham will divert some local traffic this fall.

In a report to North Huron Township Council on May 4, Huron County Director of Public Works Mike Hausser explained that two culverts north of Wingham on County Road 4 need to be replaced, having originally been built in 1931 and then extended in 2002. The culverts are between where Josephine Street North splits from County Road 4 and rejoins it.

Alongside the culvert replacement, drainage improvements on the

Can you dig it?

While a lot of municipal and commercial business has been stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the lack of downtown traffic may actually be a benefit for some in Seaforth as the control measures have aligned with the reconstruction of the community’s main street, a trying situation for any downtown business. (John Stephenson photo)

The Citizen offices will be closed on

MONDAY, MAY 18

Joudry details county recovery

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen At Huron County Council’s May 6 meeting, which was attended virtually by all involved, Director of Economic Development Cody Joudry laid out his vision for a county recovery strategy once the COVID-19 pandemic passes.

Joudry, who was appointed as the Huron County Recovery Coordinator in March, consulted with numerous politicians and municipal staff members to help craft his strategy.

“This strategy lays out a simple process: bring teams of people together to tackle issues and take strategic actions. Arm the teams with processes, resources, knowledge and expertise. The teams’ objective is to create conditions that return the community to ‘normal’ while triaging issues along the way,” Joudry said in his report to council.

“Although most acknowledge there will be a ‘new normal’ following the 2020 pandemic, it’s not expected to be substantially different from traditional societal norms. Thus, a

return to normal means we have recovered and normal looks [like] people are: actively employed, healthy, safe, happy, making purchases, supported in ways they expect and are able to make money in business.”

He said the county will know it has returned to a new normal if the following is true, essentially establishing them as objectives for his team and the county: unemployment rates have returned to historical levels, social and community supports compare to those available prior to the pandemic, commercial and industrial vacancy rates are in traditional ranges, there are close to the same number of people in businesses as in the recent past, residents widely report they plan to make discretionary purchases and residents report their financial outlook is stable without emergency government supports.

In order to meet the objectives, Joudry and his team have created three distinct teams, each with its own focus, stocked with stakeholders, subject matter experts and leaders. The first team, data and

research, would gather data and research, sharing with leaders and decision-makers. The second team would focus on business development, providing supports to business, co-ordinating industryspecific efforts, identifying and triaging business challenges and identifying opportunities for business.

The community development team, the third team, would work with municipalities to establish local recovery action groups that would identify and triage issues and escalate challenges that can’t be addressed by the group.

Initial staff teams will consist of those from the economic development department and redeployed staff from other departments, though as they begin their work, they will recruit stakeholders and experts to join. He said the teams will work to employ a continuous improvement process to create incremental change, respond to new circumstances and make adjustments.

Joudry said the county, as well as much of the rest of the country and the world, will be hit with three phases of impact from the pandemic.

First was the dwindling of discretionary spending with people cancelling trips and limiting extra expenses like eating out at restaurants. During this phase, businesses began to reduce payroll expenses and limit purchasing.

In the second phase, layoffs began, both due to fear of further spread of the virus and by government regulations to shutter Continued on page 16

Wingham Memorials Distinctive memorials of lasting satisfaction produced by us to your specifications.

southwest ditch area will also be completed.

The project will take six to eight weeks and is scheduled to start this fall. It is expected to cost $400,000.

Hausser explained the construction will be staged in such a way as to allow residential access and garbage pick-up throughout the construction period and access to local businesses, like Rintoul’s Pools, Braemar Retirement Centre, the Royal T Gas Bar and Britespan, will also be maintained.

The Huron County public works department plans to work with the Wingham BIA and North Huron Continued on page 16

for

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My sheep!

(James Smith) “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand!”

John 10:27-28 All of Christ’s sheep know Him, love Him and follow Him. They all somewhat possess His disposition: He was meek and humble in heart.

Are you one of Christ’s sheep? Are you following after the Good Shepherd? If so, He will lead you, feed you, protect you and save you. Your person, life, comforts, and eternal safety—are committed to His care.

He loved His sheep more than His own life—He laid down His life for them!

He searches and seeks out His sheep wherever they stray.

He feeds His flock. He cares for His sheep more than for all the world beside. He feeds them in the most suitable pasture, and leads them in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

O view Jesus as your Shepherd! Expect Him to lead you, feed you, enfold you and present you to His Father with exceeding joy. Cleave to Him, let nothing tempt you to leave His feet, His flock or His fold. He will never leave you— nor will He ever forsake you.

Owned and operated by Mac and Donna Anderson

Freeze frame Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club caught this hungry visitor at a local bird feeder. (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young!” Isaiah 40:11

519-357-1910 E-mail: andgranite@bellnet.ca After hours appointments available 89 North Street W., Wingham www.winghammemorials.com

A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church, Listowel, ON 519-492-1359

PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Editorials & Opinions

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

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A community’s foundation Last week, The Citizen and a number of other independent newspapers took an unprecedented step. We asked for help from our subscribers through a foundation that accepts donations on our behalf and issues a charitable tax receipt.

The industry has changed and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted an eventuality that many had been working very hard to avoid. Community-based journalism is no longer strictly a for-profit business model. The need for reporters and photographers in our communities is probably greater than it has ever been, as the stories in our paper during this pandemic crisis have illustrated.

Subscriber bases remain fairly constant with most independent weeklies, but advertisers have largely abandoned print media for the instant gratification of digital metrics. (Whether those “clicks” and “views” translate to actual sales any differently than newspaper advertisements is more difficult to measure, but conveniently glossed over in every small business seminar or webinar that is offered by our economic development experts.)

In order to have reporters paid to cover municipal politics, emergency calls, neighbourhood celebrations and events, a consistent revenue stream is required. Much like the arts, newspapers and print media may have to resort to a combination of revenues that include subscriptions, advertising sales, sponsorships and donations. – DS

Staying in the game As COVID-19 keeps its grasp on the world, the pandemic has hit home with the cancellation of the Blyth Festival and Festival Art Gallery seasons and continued blows to the annual budgets of local service clubs.

Last week, The Citizen reported on the impact of the pandemic on service clubs. With just six clubs and Legions profiled in Blyth, Brussels and Londesborough, there was easily over $60,000 in lost revenue from the cancellation of various fundraising initiatives, all of which would have been reinvested into the community through donations to worthy causes and those in need. Despite those devastating losses – which, in some cases, could nearly equate a lost year for a service club – the volunteers continue to step up and donate within their communities.

The Brussels Optimists, for example, lost approximately $20,000 by being unable to hold their spring dinner and auction. Despite that loss, they still donated nearly $25,000 to local hospitals and food banks. The Brussels Lions Club, which has had to cancel its biggest money-maker of the year, its elimination draw, also invested in local food banks, despite over $20,000 in lost revenue. They are continuing to serve their communities despite devastating losses to their bottom lines.

This will also be the year we see the true value of the Blyth Festival and the Blyth Festival Art Gallery to the Huron County community. So many businesses, from restaurants and shops to The Citizen itself, count themselves among those able to make a buck off the back of the brainchild of Keith Roulston, Anne Chislett and James Roy those 46 years ago. Yet, despite the crushing realization that there can be no season this year, the Festival and the gallery have kept their heads high, pledging to support their artists for a comeback in 2021.

As businesses, organizations and residents struggle to find their way through this crisis, they are helping others despite their own suffering.

Follow their lead and look beyond yourself to help someone. – SL

Now isn’t the time to quit Quitters never win, winners never quit and cheaters never prosper. All three of those lessons bear repeating as we inch closer and closer to the relative normalcy that a re-opened province will allow us in Huron County following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now is not the time to backslide – keep those two metres between yourself and everyone else. Limit your shopping to the essentials and safe shopping trips and, for the love of all our front-line workers, do as Premier Doug Ford says (not as he did) and don’t visit your cottages in the near future, even if it’s just to “check the plumbing” as he did when he visited his cottage on the Easter weekend.

Medical health professionals have aired notes of caution about the announcement that the province is either in the midst of or past the top of the COVID-19 infection curve, stating now isn’t the time to backslide.

We need to be vigilant and not quit physical distancing and selfisolation if we plan on winning the war against this virus.

We also need to not “cheat” and make our way to the cottage or indulge in other activities that could result in rural healthcare systems being overrun, no matter what the reasons are.

We’re doing well as a county, as a province and as a country when compared to the rest of the world, so let’s continue to do so and beat this virus and then, in true Canadian fashion, throw one heck of a party as soon as it’s safe. Remember, we’re all in this together. – JDS

Looking Back Through the Years May 16, 1963 A Walton man was lucky to be alive after a tractor accident.

William Nicholson was returning a rented tractor to its owner when he lost control of the vehicle and plunged 12 feet down an enbankment towards the Maitland River. It landed upside down with Nicholson still in the cab. He escaped without injury.

The Grey Township School Area music festival was hailed as a great success, despite the inclement weather that greeted residents that day. Dr. G.R. Fenwick, who adjudicated the festival, had high praise for those who performed.

May 19, 1971 The Blyth Horticultural Society was beginning its annual work towards beautifying the village, holding a tea, bake sale and flower display on May 22. Not only was the society and its volunteers working to beautify the village, but they were also encouraging other residents to do their part to make Blyth beautiful.

The Huron County Historical Society held its annual meeting in Belgrave on May 13 and it featured a large display of antiques. Over 125 people were in attendance for the meeting.

Blyth played host to the annual Zone C1 rally for ladies’ auxiliaries to local Legion Branches. Over 100 delegates were on hand to see guest speaker, Rose Manning of Toronto, president of the auxiliary. She addressed what she called the “apathy” creeping into auxiliaries across the province with membership dropping consistently.

The annual Easter Seal campaign in Blyth wrapped up for another year and it raised over $1,300, which exceeded the goals of volunteers,

including the Blyth Lions Club, which took the lead on the drive.

May 19, 1999 A Blyth-area group of musicians spearheaded an initiative to entertain the masses while raising some money for Kosovo. Silence, a group comprised of five Hussey siblings, as well as a handful of additional local bands, would be sharing their talents for the cause on June 5 at the Livery in Goderich.

The Ontario Provincial Police launched a campaign aimed at curbing aggressive driving. In the previous year, over 500 people had died in auto collisions and Sr. Const.

Don Shropshall said the statistics spoke for themselves, adding that aggressive driving has had a devastating effect on many families within Ontario.

The Blyth Festival was poised to present a “first look” at the coming season for Festival members and members of the media. The event was set for May 20 at the Garage Theatre where Artistic Director Anne Chislett would introduce the season and provide an overview of the playbill.

After significant renovations, Scrimgeour’s Knechtel Food Market in Blyth, owned by Don and Lenore Scrimgeour, was set to re-open. In conjunction with the grand reopening, the market partnered with some other local businesses for a special giveaway.

May 20, 2010 Members of the Brussels Optimist Club spent an entire day at the Brussels ballpark, improving the diamond and bleachers and constructing a new pavilion.

Members of the club began early on Saturday morning and didn’t stop until the job was done, completely transforming

and adding to the park in one day.

With North Huron and its fire department receiving blowback from a sharp increase to its crossborder budgets from neighbouring communities, Reeve Neil Vincent spoke in favour of the township’s relationships with its neighbours.

He said residents in neighbouring communities felt well served by the Fire Department of North Huron and that the costs were justified.

After extensive renovations and improvements, the Belgrave Community Centre was set to host a grand re-opening ceremony on May 22. The event would bring together the Belgrave Kinsmen, who spearheaded the project, and numerous volunteers and professionals who worked on the centre.

Blyth Public School held its Junior Achievement Day and local financial planner Brian Machan was a guest speaker for the Grade 8 class, sharing some of his professional wisdom and providing guidance for the students as they prepared to enter high school.

Also at Blyth Public School, members of the Kids Giving Water fundraising group were in midst of planning a “Kiss a Pig” fundraiser for their project. All of the school’s teachers were to collect money for the project and the teacher with the most money would have to kiss a pig.

Blyth’s Sadie Chalmers and Kathryn Peach were both honoured at the Kiwanis Festival in Stratford for their dramatic abilities as members of Shannon Scott’s Serious FUN! theatre group. Chalmers won the Silver Lining Trophy for the overall winner of the speech arts, an honour that went to Peach the previous year.

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

Other Views 75 years of remarkable friendship

L

ost amid the dominance of COVID-19 news coverage, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II almost slipped by unnoticed May 8, as did commemoration of the Canadian Army’s liberation of Holland three days earlier.

Holland had big plans to mark its liberation until the pandemic shut down large gatherings – and based on such events in the past it would have involved massive crowds. Instead, despite best efforts, the event passed quietly.

The Dutch liberation celebrations are just one of a number of connections that have tied Canada and Holland closely together.

Ironically, historians Desmond Morton and J. L. Granatstein point out in their book Victory 1945: Canadians from War to Peace, Canadians didn’t know much about Holland prior to World War II. In the 1941 census, nearly 200,000 Canadians claimed Dutch roots but many of these people had settled in the U.S. generations earlier and came north as United Empire Loyalists following the American Revolution.

Following Germany’s occupation of Holland in May, 1940, Princess Juliana, the Queen’s daughter and heir to the Dutch throne, sought the safety of Ottawa. When she gave birth to her daughter Margriet, the hospital room was declared Dutch territory so that the baby would be born in Holland and be eligible to succeed to the throne.

The German occupation of Holland and, particularly, its effects on the Jewish population are well known through the remarkable book Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. The ultimate tragedy of Frank’s inspiring book is that this wise-beyond-heryears young woman survived in a death camp, after her family’s hiding place was betrayed to the Germans, until just weeks before the war’s end.

Keith Roulston From the cluttered desk After June’s D-Day invasion, the Canadian army was sent north into Holland in November, 1944, to drive the Germans out.

This is where I have a personal connection to the story because my father’s artillery battery, which had spent the previous year supporting Canadian troops as they fought their way up the Italian peninsula, was transferred to Holland. Unfortunately, my father never spoke much about his experiences so they remain a mystery to me.

To slow the Canadians’ advance, the Germans broke dykes and let the sea submerse the polders, leaving our troops the miserable, deadly task of fighting through icy, waist-deep water in order to attack German positions which were high and dry. It took the entire winter and cost the lives of 7,600 Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen, but the Germans were finally defeated.

If the winter of 1944-1945 was hard for the troops, it was worse for the Dutch people who were starving to the point some subsisted on eating tulips bulbs. In mid-April, Canadians negotiated an informal truce with the Germans so that allied aircraft and Canadian trucks could deliver life-saving food to civilians.

As the spring wore on, Canadians liberated a string of towns and cities and, finally on May 5, Canadian General Charles Foulkes accepted unconditional surrender of German troops in Holland. Dutch citizens showed their joy with

huge street parties celebrating the conquering troops. Some made more permanent connections – some 1,886 women married Canadian soldiers and emigrated to Canada as war brides.

The connection between Canada and Holland continued. Life was hard in post-war Holland and when many Dutch, particularly Dutch farmers, decided to make a new start, they chose Canada. Between 1945 and the 1961 census, the number of Canadians claiming Dutch ancestry swelled by more than 200,000.

Many of them came to our little corner of the country. I remember the first Dutch immigrants in my neighbourhood north of Lucknow being people who took jobs with one of the more prosperous farmers on the concession. By the early 1950s, a Dutch family bought one of the most run-down farms down our road and began to work hard to build it up, putting their five children to work growing a couple of acres of pickling cucumbers to add a little extra income.

Things didn’t always go smoothly. I remember my mother talking about the resentment that some people felt when groups of Dutch families would meet on a street corner while Saturday night shopping and converse in Dutch. She told grumblers that if she were in a strange land speaking a foreign language, she’d be thrilled to meet someone who spoke the same language.

Generations of new Dutch immigrants have come to our area in the 70 years since, but few faced the hardships of the first wave. Together, they have made a huge contribution to our region and our country, bringing innovation and high ambitions and challenging the rest of us.

It’s been quite a remarkable friendship that more or less began 75 years ago.

Getting those good kinds of pain

S

aturday was a full day of work that saw us subdividing a rather long, narrow room into two more useful spaces with the erection of a false wall which, in turn, allowed us to put up numerous bookshelves. The additional storage for books allowed us to clear out a number of totes and tubs filled with books out of our small storage area and put them on display where they should be.

From my science-fiction, fantasy and horror books to my wife’s horse books to my daughter’s plethora of appropriately-aged books, alongside some resource texts I just can’t convince myself to get rid of, we now have a proper way to look for and find what we want to read without going through dozens of boxes.

For those of you who are wondering, the new library just happens to be in my actual den, though my daughter Mary Jane insists on calling it my office since it’s where I sequester myself when I’m working from home.

It was a long day filled with the kind of manual labour that makes you sleep well later that night and, for someone whose job involves more sitting and typing than hammering and cutting, the kind of labour that makes for some sore muscles the next day.

Then, on Sunday, we tackled a smaller job, building a raised planter bed behind our house that will give us a place to grow some vegetables and flowers and cover up some old infrastructure that isn’t used much anymore.

The lifting, drilling and cutting was tough work, especially with my muscles already reminding me of the previous day’s work, but the work got done.

Denny Scott Denny’s Den There’s also the rutabaga I had to chop in twain for a new culinary creation we tried on Sunday night, which in itself was a Herculeantask, but we’ll just chalk that up to some already overstressed muscles.

Monday morning rolled around and, for the first time in a while, I skipped my regular morning walk because my legs were just seized right up. A hot shower fixed the problem temporarily, but by the time I got to work going up and down the stairs had become quite a chore.

Between that and my forearms being tight and sore and my hands naturally arching in a way to avoid any stress, I was in rough shape.

You’d be forgiven for interpreting my story as a complaint about the pain I was carrying around from our carpentry-heavy weekend, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The pain, stiffness and tightness was a mark of hard work and proved to both myself and my wife that we were capable of tackling what I’d classify as smaller (the planter box) to medium-sized (building an eight-by-seven foot wall) home renovations ourselves and be relatively happy with the final results.

I said, throughout the project, I couldn’t believe how well it was going (and yes, knocking on wood every time I said so). Aside

from forgetting to remove some moulding when we went to erect the wall and having to shimmy it forward a foot and a half to be able to catch studs on either side of the room, things went without any tense situations which, for me, is a pretty rare occurrence.

So as I pulled my legs up the stairs at work or struggled to get off a comfortable couch, I wasn’t thinking about the pain, I was thinking about how great it was to have a new space to enjoy complete with a family library, how great it will be to harvest vegetables just out my back door and how fulfilling it felt to have completed all these projects ourselves.

That makes the pain I was feeling on Monday (that in all likelihood carried over to Tuesday and maybe Wednesday) what I refer to as the good kind of pain.

Not only does it make me feel alive by knowing I’ll soon be moving a little easier, but it reminds me that Ashleigh and I can do these projects, all it takes is patience, planning and a hammer when things don’t line up perfectly.

Final Thought Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day.

You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

Keep your wits

L

ast week, residents throughout this community and all over Canada opened their mailboxes to find an unsolicited free copy of The Epoch Times, a publication few in Canada had likely ever heard of.

“Tired of biased news? Get truthful, factual news that other media outlets don’t report.

Independent. Non-partisan. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be,” is the text that accompanies a current Google advertisement for the newspaper and website. However, those who took the time to leaf through it with even a half-trained eye for detail could be forgiven for doubting that.

On its Wikipedia page, you find that the newspaper promotes far-right ideals, including pushing U.S. President Donald Trump and his policies. In fact, the page also states that the media organization was the second-highest funder of pro-Trump Facebook advertising after just the Trump campaign itself. The group has also been known to push debunked conspiracy theories like anti-vaccination and QAnon, a conspiracy theory that propagates the existence of a “deep state” in the U.S. However, Canadians didn’t really see any of that in their free issue, which was wall-to-wall COVID-19 and misinformation pointing the finger at China. Entitled “How the Chinese Communist Party endangered the world”, the issue contained a number of articles, all aimed at discrediting China and stoking racial divisions. In fact, the misinformation tracker NewsGuard has named The Epoch Times a “super-spreader of misinformation”.

This special issue was in the news before it was even delivered, as a member union of postal workers in Toronto filed a motion with the federal government asking not to distribute the publication. “We felt that Canada Post was very irresponsible in accepting this material, and it’s putting not only the Asian community at risk of xenophobia, but our letter carriers as well,” said Derek Richmond, vice-president of the Scarborough-area union that challenged distribution of the newspaper.

The federal government said it didn’t meet the criminal threshold for hate speech and allowed it. So, it’s up to readers to make their own minds up and cut through misinformation and find credible news sources.

Canada Post has intervened in a similar situation before, when it banned distribution of Your Ward News several years ago and the pair responsible for the newspaper were charged criminally for promoting hate. Their targets were women and Jews.

Just last week, Facebook and YouTube were scrambling to take down a short documentary called Plandemic, a video full of junk science and anti-vaccination rhetoric. It centres around a discredited former medical researcher who claims the virus was engineered to boost vaccination rates and suggests that wearing a mask during this time is actually harmful.

However, despite it being debunked and efforts to deplatform the video and its creators, it continues to pop up, shared by people who either don’t know better or simply have turned a blind eye, choosing instead to push their narrative in the face of contradicting facts.

I’ve written about this before, but fake news isn’t a faraway problem for Donald Trump’s uneducated and hateful “silent majority” or dictatorial nations halfway across the world, it is here and it is real.

For interests that aren’t yours, companies, organizations and special interest groups are after your mind and your thoughts. Don’t fall easy prey to them. Stay sharp, ask questions and seek information from credible sources.

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Searching for hope A NOTE FROM BETTY

By Betty Graber Watson Call 887-9231

Big changes JR’s Restaurant and Gas Bar in Brussels is undergoing some major renovations to replace the fuel pumps at the location. (John Stephenson photo)

HE donates to sanitizer drive June. Council opted to officially cancel them as municipal events, however, they acknowledged that they can’t shut down residents from having sales, only dissuade them from holding them.

Economic Development Officer Jan Hawley said she would help spread the word on council’s decision. *** Council authorized the placement of stop signs at all of the Genesee and Wyoming Railway crossings across Seaforth.

The stop signs will be placed along Silver Creek Road and Silver Creek Crescent in Seaforth just west of the Seaforth Hospital and then again on Jarvis Street.

In a report prepared by Public Works Manager Barry Mills, he said Transport Canada identified some concerns with crossing sightlines in 2018. He said that in addition to his own inspections of sightlines along the railway lines in Brussels business owner Joe Seili Huron East, crossings in donated a new shed to the Brussels adjacent municipalities were all signed with stop Leo Club. The club will host a bottle signs, so he drive on Monday, May 18 from 10 recommended stop signs a.m. to 12 p.m. at the shed in the for Huron East as Fina Plaza at 261 Turnberry Street opposed to automatic devices with a ribbon-cutting ceremony warning (AWDs), which had scheduled for 10 a.m. (Photo submitted)

Huron East Council has cancelled its two designated community garage sale weekends due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Council discussed the issue at its May 5 meeting, which was held virtually.

Community garage sales have traditionally been held in Brussels on the last weekend of May and in Seaforth on the first weekend of

Brand new

been another suggestion from Transport Canada.

Council approved Mills’ recommendation. *** In recognition of Seaforth native Ryan O’Reilly’s hand sanitizer drive for hospitals and long-term care facilities throughout Huron County, Huron East Council opted to donate $500 and purchase two cases of sanitizer, one for each of Seaforth’s private long-term care homes.

O’Reilly, who won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues last year, procured thousands of dollars worth of hand sanitizer and has been challenging local residents and businesses to donate it to local hospitals and homes in need.

Mayor Bernie MacLellan said it felt like the right thing for the municipality to do because the private homes aren’t getting nearly the support as those owned and operated by different levels of government.

Council approved the purchase.

Well how did this week go? I know, I know – much like last week and the few before that. We’re either getting used to isolation, or the feeling of hope has taken hold. Just like we used to live before the pandemic, we each handle these new restrictive days in our own special way. Outside influence plays a larger part in our daily lives now, as health authorities and family members pass along the latest knowledge about this new virus, and what we should do about it.

When reliable information and common sense move your days along, life is good, and numbers show it.

Good news is always welcome, so when the Ontario numbers for new viral cases are showing decline, hope rises. Now would be a good time to hum along to the familiar song “We’ll Rise Again” and smile!

Yippee! The secondary school students are receiving acceptances this month into the colleges and universities of their choice. It seems like a year or more since those applications were being sent. Now, as the good word is received, it’s time for a happy dance. Yes, hope for the future surfaces, and our thoughts once again lighten. In these strange times of life and school, good for everyone for making the best of their lot, wherever and whatever that entails.

Mother’s Day was a mood lifter as well. Children offered their thanks in

many ways. Phone calls, FaceTime, delivery of gifts, flowers and food, cards, letters and visits received in many, many ways were a welcome change. Whether our mothers are alive or dead, memories and stories were alive this week as we reviewed the influence mothers and associate mothers had on our lives.

With lots of time on your hands just now, I’m thinking we need to make a list of things you’d like to do or see happen when this newest virus is better known; places to go, things to do and see – limitless. As well, a list of your accomplishments from these long days will be worth a smile when you read the lists, when this has passed. Only you will appreciate what you did in the weeks of isolation, make it a good memory.

Take care of yourself. Stay safe.

Enjoy the regeneration called spring.

Wash your hands.

Bye now, Betty G.W.

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

Long-term care homes are hiring And they’re looking for people like you.

People with:

At the Branch

COVID-19 leads to subdued celebration

By Jo-Ann McDonald The lockdown goes on and we hope all are staying safe and well.

Many of the Legion matters are being dealt with via conference calls and Zoom meetings. Seminars are being scheduled via Zoom as well.

The deadline for the scrapbook I usually put together has been extended from June 15 until the fall.

The months of March, April and May will be very easy to record as there has not been anything going on.

We encourage the older members of the Branch to contact the branch or the executive if they have any concerns or need help with anything.

We are here to help.

The celebration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Holland was held last week. Because it was a scaled-back event due to

COVID-19, many centres had only colour guards, a wreath bearer and a drummer or piper and one dignitary and short services observed by those keeping social distance.

VE Day stands for “Victory in Europe” and the end of a conflict in which tens of millions lives were lost and the course of history was changed forever. World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of the AXIS powers on May 8 and the Allied Forces accepting it. People across Europe danced in the streets upon hearing the news, especially the Dutch people, who hold the Canadians in high regard for their efforts of liberating Holland. The official end of the war was on Sept.

2, 1945 when the surrender agreement was signed on the USS Missouri. The war started Sept. 1, 1939 and ended Sept. 2, 1945.

Personal support and nursing skills

Cleaning skills

Cooking skills

This is an important chance to put your skills to work and provide care for our seniors.

Take this opportunity to make a difference.

Together we can stop the spread of COVID-19.

Learn more on how to apply at ontario.ca/ApplyLTCJobs

Paid for by the Government of Ontario

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 7.

Falconer looks for input on servicing

By Denny Scott The Citizen

Beating the isolation blues The Blyth Community Betterment Group, the organization behind last year’s successful remount of the Blyth Rutabaga Festival, has pushed hard to keep people entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic control measures with the group’s rutabaga-themed contest. Aside from offering free rutabagas at the Blyth Food Market and curbside pick-up on selected days, shown above last Thursday, the group was out on Sunday, May 10 leaving a rutabaga at every front door in Blyth. (Denny Scott photo)

BIA eyes changes to local signs

By Denny Scott The Citizen

The Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) has given Chair David Sparling the go-ahead to price out modernizing and correcting the group’s existing wayfinding signs.

Sparling, during the BIA’s April 30 meeting, explained the signs were out-of-date and, in some cases, confusing for visitors and residents of the village alike.

After assessing them, Sparling said he was “kind of surprised” with the amount of work that was needed to bring them up to date given that they’re only a few years old.

Many of the changes suggested by Sparling included removing references to facilities or structures that had changed purposes since the signs were erected, including directions to the Emergency Services Training Centre, which is now owned by Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company, and the Fire Department of North Huron’s Blyth station which has been moved to the north end of the village. The sign for the Masonic Lodge, which is now the Hotel Lux, was also to be removed.

Sparling also noted that the amphitheatre, which is supposedly located at the Blyth campground, elicited confusion from residents.

He said each person he asked gave him a different response, ranging from the former soccer field at the campground to the second storey of the Blyth and District Community Centre to Shed 3 on the campground, so he suggested removing references to it on the signs.

References to the campground would also be replaced with a recognizable wayfinding icon, allowing more space for other sites to be identified, Sparling said, as well as making sure there are signs up with a green “P” to mark municipal parking lots in the community.

Other changes should also boost the accuracy of the signs. Sparling said he found several attractions that didn’t correspond with the direction of the arrows on the wayfinding signs.

“There are a lot more changes than we had originally thought,” Sparling said. “One of the things we have to be cautious of is if this fits in the budget. It’s going to take a substantial amount of money.”

Earlier in the meeting, the group had deferred some expenses, clearing up as much as $2,100 after originally having a $625 shortfall thanks to COVID-19-related cancellations.

Happy Mother’s Day sentiment shared From Marilyn’s Desk

By Marilyn Craig Call 523-9318

Happy birthday to Bernadette Andrews who celebrates May 15, Les Caldwell and Tony deCorte, Zurich, May 16 and Ian Caldwell, May 19.

Happy anniversary to Matt and Ashley Bromley who will celebrate May 14. Happy belated Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there.

Your day was likely celebrated a little differently this year. I know mine was. I had phone calls and texts to celebrate the day.

It takes a lot of planning to be able to celebrate an event in these days of isolation. People have come up with unique ways of celebrating with driving by to wish the best of the day to others.

It has been another week of confinement and looking for things to keep us busy. Mother Nature is not co-operating with warm weather.

The trees have not yet come out and it is the middle of May. The only things that are showing new life are the spring flowers.

Stay safe everyone until we can greet one another and have a good week.

“If everyone agrees to the proposed changes, I’ll go to Blyth Printing [to price] it out,” he said. “It won’t be a small project.”

Councillor Kevin Falconer, North Huron Township Council’s representative on the board, said North Huron may be able to contribute to the project since many of the facilities and attractions are North Huron assets.

“I would see it only as fair that they pitch in a little to advertize the direction to their facilities,” Falconer said.

Sparling said that any help the municipality could offer.

He then reminded the executive that the BIA also needs to be ready to replace the stylized “arch” street signs in the village that have gone missing, which shouldn’t be a problem moving forward because they will now be installed with tamper-resistant equipment.

“This is just a heads-up that the BIA is responsible for those,” he said. “The issue will come back to the BIA when our funding is determined.”

North Huron Councillor Kevin Falconer wants to know what local business owners think about municipal services being shared with non-local organizations, specifically in regards to competing businesses.

Falconer, when speaking to the Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) at its April 30 meeting, said the issue has been creeping up more and more in municipal politics, especially with servicing agreements with neighbouring municipalities.

Until new agreements are put into place, he said, municipal services like water and sewer could be provided across North Huron borders for 1.5 times the normal rate.

Falconer said it hadn’t come up as much in Blyth, but business owners were upset North Huron is providing services to businesses outside of North Huron that are competing with taxpaying businesses, especially since North Huron doesn’t benefit from the taxes generated by the businesses in neighbouring municipalities.

He asked the BIA its stance on the issue and Chair David Sparling said the issue would be far less problematic if servicing was considered on a county level instead of holding municipalities responsible.

Falconer, however, said that wasn’t a likely solution to be implemented in the near future. He said the big issue is capacity. The Blyth system, for example, only has so much capacity available and if a large company were to build south of Blyth and not use the green systems Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company uses, the municipality could lose a significant portion of its capacity.

Sparling asked what other municipalities do, and Falconer said common sense dictates there should be tax-sharing, suggesting a 70-30 split. “[Charging the 1.5 times] is fine when it’s just a house, that’s just being a good neighbour,” he said. “If

Blyth had to expand though, it would be in Morris-Turnberry and we would be asked to service them.”

He said, in conversations with Wingham businesses, the thought is that North Huron is servicing competition outside of town.

“The question is, ‘Why are we servicing someone who is competing with someone paying taxes?’” Falconer said.

He pointed to Central Huron as an example, which benefits from North Huron’s services with development like the Ultramar and Tim Hortons structure and Cowbell, but refuse to contribute to the Blyth and District Community Centre, despite the fact that Central Huron youth regularly use the arena.

The BIA executive members said they would be willing to put the question to its members and Falconer said he would ask council and staff how to best discuss the matter with business owners.

NEWS FROM BLYTH Visit The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter

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

MANY THANKS to all the

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PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Letter to the Editor Weber frustrated by NH Festival spend

A new reality A resident at the Braemar Retirement Centre in Wingham communicates with family over the phone and through panes of glass to keep COVID-19 spread at bay. (Photo submitted)

THE EDITOR, This letter is in response to the $15,000 that North Huron Council gave the Blyth Festival.

Finding out that the municipality spends over $15,000 a year on advertising for the theatre is a slap in the face to my business and North Huron businesses. Yes, the theatre is an important asset, but aren’t the rest of the businesses? Am I the only one upset about this? Then when council can’t spend this money because the 2020 season has to be cancelled, they decide to just give it to them?

Because they asked? Really?

Back in early April, I e-mailed North Huron asking them to consider not charging any of the closed businesses for water that isn’t

Long-term care homes face difficult times With the COVID-19 virus being not only more deadly to older patients but also more apt to spread in environments like a long-term care facility, working in those locations has been made more hectic during the pandemic.

Archie McGowan, Administrator of the Braemar Retirement Centre in Wingham, said everyone in his facility was anxious prior to recent testing results which identified a single staff member as having COVID-19, and things have only intensified since.

“The residents are well and all tested negative for the virus,” he said in an interview with The Citizen.

“But we’re all nervous. I’m sure everyone is losing sleep.”

Over the weekend, a second staff member was confirmed to have COVID-19 after surveillance tests were completed by the Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) team. Both staff members are asymptomatic, McGowan explained, and have selfisolated due to the disease and will

be working with HPPH and provincial directives.

McGowan explained that the site has been closed to everyone except staff since March 13. All servicing or deliveries is done outside and anything brought inside is sanitized first to protect the staff and the residents. McGowan said the home has a sea can container outside the facility which is where anything that is going to come inside gets stored until it's sanitized.

McGowan said “everyday” work has been pushed to the side where necessary as staff put a priority on both the physical and mental health of patients.

“The staff have been great at keeping residents in contact with family,” he said, saying that technology has helped there.

The activity staff have also been working hard during the pandemic to keep residents engaged including games like Hallway Bingo, flash dances to residents’ favourite songs, and special themed days to keep all

67 residents connected with the real world.

The community is also helping out with connection, McGowan said, thanking local residents for notes to staff, gifts and messages to the residents to let them know that the community is behind them during this difficult time.

One of the very difficult situations that has arisen during the pandemic is the province forcing healthcare workers to choose locations to work in as they can’t work at multiple sites to prevent the virus from spreading between medical facilities.

McGowan said that decision has resulted in some difficult planning and scheduling at the site.

“We do share some staff with the local hospital,” he said. “Our nursing staff had to choose where they would work and some chose the hospital, which has resulted in a challenge.”

McGowan said some kitchen staff also had to make that decision, which has led to some scheduling

Cutting trees from bluff slopes

challenges, though he credits his staff with keeping everything covered.

“The staff have been nothing but professional, supporting themselves, each other and the residents,” he said.

Support has also come from outside the centre, McGowan said, pointing to General Coach in Hensall which donated a theatrical trailer for staff to stay in if needed.

That measure is matched inside as private rooms have been prepared for residents who may need to be isolated.

As far as management like himself is concerned, McGowan said that he is on call pretty much every day for teleconferences and meetings to make sure the site is as up-to-date as possible on the COVID-19 pandemic and control measures.

being used so that our landlords could reduce our rent (landlords are responsible for water bills in North Huron so it is added to our rent), the response I got was “at this time water charges and fees are not being waived or deferred”. So, they have $15,000 for the theatre (one business) but they can’t waive water bills for businesses that had to close and aren’t using any water, but are being charged (more than one business)? Does North Huron realize that the small business owners forced to close that are receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) have to pay their rent and bills at their storefront and pay their bills at home and eat?

As a result, $2,000 doesn’t go that far!

Don’t get me wrong, I would not be writing this if they had given the money to the service clubs helping people in the community or to the hospitals or even put it towards recreation centres that aren’t making any money right now. Then the community would benefit, but they gave it to one business. This is unfair favouritism but I’m not surprised.

For almost 18 years I have been in business on the main street of Blyth.

I have asked council so many times to address the parking issue that the theatre and other events at Memorial Hall creates. (I’m a broken record!)

Every time, I have been blown off and left with the impression that none of the main street businesses are as important as the theatre and the tourists they bring in – so we should just suck it up. This just proves that. Again.

Dana Weber, The Village Barber.

Now Here’s a Bright Idea!

Cheryl Peach M.Ed., B.Ed • Somebody didn’t get the memo MEMO TO: Inexperienced Lakeshore Landowners MEMO FROM: The Coastal Centre DATE: June 2015 SUBJECT: Stop Clear Cutting Trees from Bluffs It’s a recurring issue: clear-cutting trees from bluff slopes along the Huron County shoreline. It suggests that there are still a few people who haven’t gotten the memo. So here it is.

Clear cutting trees from a bluff slope to gain a better view of the lake will lead to erosion, possibly even catastrophic slope failure.

Now here’s why: The science is in.

There is a cause and effect relationship between woodland clear cutting and mass slope failure.

Cutting of trees on slopes leads to a gradual decrease in stability as a result of the decay of roots which previously acted as tensile reinforcements in the slope. Root decay can also lead to the formation of underground crevices and channels, called “pipes”, in a slope which promote erosion by groundwater seepage. Groundwater seepage is often a catalyst for large-

scale slope failures. Seepage of groundwater from a bluff is very complex, and very expensive to attempt remediation.

The removal of tree canopy results in the loss of evapo-transpiration (trees expel a lot of groundwater through their leaves). The loss of trees tends to promote wetter and less secure slopes. Removal of tree cover (canopy) also results in the direct impact of rainfall to the soil surface, since the tree cover protects the soil by intercepting rain drops before they hit the surface. Trees also help to reduce surface water runoff velocities, which can erode soil from the face of the slope.

One of the troubling things about the removal of a large number of trees from coastal slopes is that it typically takes eight to 10 years for roots to decay, removing that critical stabilization benefit. This can lead people to believe initially that no harm has been done. But the adverse effects become evident several years later, and the resulting erosion can not only affect the property on which the trees were removed, but affect neighbouring properties as well.

What to do if you want a view: • Forget about that panoramic

vista that you’ve seen on postcards.

It doesn’t work well on Lake Huron.

The trees provide stability to the slope, increasing the lifespan of your property.

• You can establish a lake view by opening up a “window,” selectively cutting tree branches. You’ll get a view, but also retain the trees for slope stability and wind protection.

• Hiring a qualified arborist is likely worth the investment to make sure the work is done safely and without any collateral damage.

• Read more on bluff stewardship at Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation.

• For information on current shoreline regulations and bylaws, contact your local conservation authority or municipality.

The Coastal Centre has a large array of shore-related information available to all shoreline landowners, but particularly valuable to newcomers to Lake Huron. Understanding our lake, and coastal processes, is a good investment for a long, happy enjoyment of your property. (original article by Geoff Peach 2015, updated by Cheryl Peach and Pat Donnelly - Coastal Centre staff)

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 9.

Hawley to launch Seaforth beautification program

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Economic Development Officer Jan Hawley says she has many irons in the fire to assist

businesses through COVID-19 and downtown construction in Seaforth.

Hawley updated council on her activities at the May 5 meeting, which was held virtually after council cancelled its two April

meetings due to the pandemic. She said she had been focused on preparing and supporting local businesses through the massive main street reconstruction project in Seaforth this year, but little did she

Happy birthday!

Gerald McDowell of Auburn, left, celebrated his birthday over the weekend with physicallydistanced friends and family as well as anyone who wanted to honk and give a wave as they passed by. (John Stephenson photo)

HC COVID-19 expenses tracked Continued from page 1 the budget with projects and costs being deferred, so the exact impact cannot yet be known.

In order to track the impact of the virus on Huron County, Blumhagen said special accounts had been opened to track purchases and pay codes have been created to ensure labour costs are accurately tracked.

In the homes for the aged department, Blumhagen detailed the tens of thousands of dollars that have already been spent. Expenses include personal protective equipment and other related supplies, set-up costs for isolation units, on-site trailer rentals, off-site hotel rentals, staff overtime costs, iPads for residents to connect with their families and assorted medical supplies.

In the emergency medical services (EMS) department, costs could exceed $1 million in the department alone, according to Blumhagen, depending on how long the pandemic lasts.

Personal protective equipment has already cost the county over $17,000. Blumhagen said he

anticipates costs of nearly $40,000 if the pandemic continues through to the end of the year.

Staffing and backfilling costs could cost the county nearly $470,000 through the end of the year.

Equipment to sanitize N95 masks will cost the county over $82,000 with monthly costs of $225. The county has also spent $20,000 for mask-fitting equipment.

The Community Care Program will cost the county nearly $385,000.

In the social services department, hoteling costs for the homelessness program will cost $37,000 per month for accommodation, $19,350 per month for security and over $4,000 per month for cleaning and damage. These costs will be covered by the Social Service Relief Fund, which has provided the county over $700,000 from upper-tier governments.

Emergency child care costs for essential workers will cost $44,000 per month.

There are also various other COVID-19-related costs throughout

additional departments in the county, including nearly 800 hours of staff overtime to date and over 900 hours of sick time related to the pandemic.

On the other side of the coin, the county is also losing revenue throughout the pandemic.

Blumhagen said he expects a decrease of $500,000 in investment income as a result of the pandemic, as well as losses of revenue generated by fine collection and other fees the county would normally charge.

However, the county is also experiencing some savings as a result of the pandemic through reduced travel costs, salary savings and projects being deferred to 2021.

In addition, the county has also frozen any new hiring of employees or students and no contracts are being extended at the time.

Huron County Warden Jim Ginn said he anticipates the announcement of a large federal economic stimulus package as a result of the pandemic, which may be able to aid the county, but that was just a hunch.

know that the COVID-19 pandemic would disrupt most businesses so severely.

Since the pandemic struck, Hawley says she has been working directly with Huron East businesses, connecting them with financial support at the provincial and federal levels and speaking with them oneon-one over the phone, which is her preferred method, she says.

Even with the pandemic and its control measures in full swing, Hawley says she continues to field inquiries for new businesses and investment opportunities. She has kept working with local real estate agents to provide support for inquiries being fielded from all over the province.

She also said the Box Furniture location, which is winding down operations with plans to close in the fall, has been sold. Hawley couldn’t reveal many details about the buyer, only saying they’re from southwestern Ontario and planned to create a retail space in the location in addition to moving to Seaforth.

Hawley says she’s also working with Joan Brady, who worked as a consultant in the creation of the Brussels Farmers’ Market in 2010, and Community Futures Huron to create an online farmers’ market. It will include the Seaforth Community Market, but she said all markets in Huron County have been invited to participate.

As for main street reconstruction, which is now underway in Seaforth, Hawley says she has been working with Public Works Manager Barry Mills to work with the Seaforth Business Improvement Area (BIA), assisting with detour signage and routes to ensure people can still access the downtown core during construction.

Hawley says she has been working to develop a number of programs that will help businesses thrive during the construction.

First, the Shop to Win campaign was launched on May 1 and Hawley is working with her frequent collaborator Dr. Chris Cooper with private and public donations to create the “Looking Out My Back Door� beautification program for Seaforth.

The project will serve two purposes, Hawley said, in creating access to downtown shops through their back alley doors when construction prevents access through

front doors and it will also clean up the town’s alleys, which have long been an eyesore for Seaforth, she said.

Hawley said the alleys and those who frequent them have long had an issue with drugs, garbage and abandoned cars, so she hopes this program will help clean them up.

In the past, Hawley said she had been in contact with building owners along that stretch who had helped to clean up the alleys, but they would be derelict again soon thanks to the residents.

The program would work to create murals and art displays focused on decorated doors to beautify the alleys thanks to the support of numerous sponsors.

She said the installation of the old, painted doors would begin in the east alley of Seaforth before expanding further.

Hawley also highlighted several videos, produced with the help again of Cooper, highlighting both Seaforth and Vanastra, that have amassed thousands of views since their release and have won awards from the Economic Developers’ Council of Ontario. The Seaforth video has now been nominated for a national award.

Hawley was also honoured by the Economic Developer’s Council of Ontario with the Joseph A. Montgomery Economic Development Achievement Award. She told council that her award is not about her, but rather shining a light on the community and highlighting the work being done in Huron East.

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Leadership in energy and environmental design

Devon Henry 84772 McDonald Line • Box 616 • Brussels

devonjhenry@hotmail.com 519-505-2473

We want to thank our community for their ongoing support.

A familiar sign While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the delay or cancellation of a lot of municipal and county work, road work continues with projects like the one in Seaforth shown above set to take place across the county in the coming months, including projects in Gorrie and Wingham. (Denny Scott photo)

Your donations are helping The North Huron Community Food Share support families by providing food security during these uncertain times of Covid-19.

We can do our jobs because of you.

PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Huron East continues to reduce energy consumption

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East continues to cut its energy usage, according to its annual report, dropping from 4.3 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2010 to between 3.4 and 3.5 million in the last few years.

Chief Administrative Officer Brad Knight presented the municipality’s annual energy report at council’s May 5 meeting, which was attended virtually. He told council that the municipality continues to take great strides towards energy conservation, thanks largely to its LED streetlights, but that its community centres are still large power users.

“Generally speaking, for our facilities we noticed an increase in costs at the end of the year compared to the first part of the year and the unanticipated increase in the [global adjustment] caused most of our electricity accounts to be over budget,” Knight said in his report to council.

He then presented councillors with a comparison between consumption and cost from Feb. 15 to March 19 at the Seaforth and District Community Centre and Oct. 15 to Nov. 15. While consumption was only slightly higher, the cost jumped from $10,694.16 in the winter to just over $15,000 in the fall. The cost jump, Knight said, can be almost entirely attributed to the variance in the global assessment.

In regards to natural gas usage, Knight said that while staff had estimated a slight increase from 2018 to 2019, there should actually be a slight decrease. On the other end, staff had predicted comparable electricity costs, but due to the surge in global assessment, they were higher in 2019 than in 2018.

For energy consumption in the administrative department, Knight said usage dropped by 4.4 per cent, but costs increased by 6.4 per cent.

At the same time, however, natural gas usage dropped by six per cent and costs dropped even further, by 12 per cent.

For the municipality’s fire departments, Knight said their energy consumption mirrors that of administration, meaning that costs have risen, even if usage has not.

Knight did mention, however, the difference between heating the three fire halls. It costs more to heat the Grey fire hall, which is on propane, he said, than it does to heat the Brussels and Seaforth halls combined, which are both on natural gas. Breaking those figures down, Knight said it costs 49 cents per square foot to heat the Seaforth station and 31 cents per square foot to heat Brussels, whereas it costs $1.37 per square foot to heat the Grey hall.

In the public works department, Knight said natural gas consumption at the Tuckersmith public works shed should be investigated. From 2015 to 2017 consumption at the shed ranged from 5,684 cubic metres to 7,400. In 2019, however, consumption rose to over 11,000 cubic metres, which Knight says is more than double the 2016 level of consumption.

He said council should be keeping an eye on the Grey public works building as well, which has also seen a significant increase in propane consumption. Knight said some of the increase could be attributed to the timing of the tank being filled, but it rose from 15,196 litres in 2018 to 22,942 litres in 2019. He also said electricity consumption increased by 52 per cent in 2019.

One bright spot in the report,

Knight said, is in the street lighting costs, which are all decreasing thanks to the conversion to LED bulbs at the end of 2015, resulting in annual savings of 400,000 kWh. From 2013 to 2020, all communities have experienced savings in their street lighting costs, accounting for nearly $43,000 in annual savings over that seven-year period, with the exception of Dublin and St. Columban, which have remained consistent over that period of time. The biggest annual savings are being seen in Brussels ($10,000) and Seaforth ($15,000).

All of Huron East’s sewage facilities have seen small decreases in their consumption, Knight said, with the exception of the Seaforth sewage treatment plant, which has

recorded a small increase in usage of under five per cent. Water facilities have followed suit, with usage remaining rather consistent, but with costs increasing by five per cent.

Energy consumption at the municipality’s community centres continues to be a source of concern, Knight said. With fluctuations in electricity prices and the global adjustment, the impact on community centres was rather high.

In Vanastra, where the centre has a pool but no ice surface, energy consumption and costs have decreased overall.

Electricity consumption declined by four per cent, but costs increased by 2.5 per cent, while natural gas consumption dropped by 11 per cent and costs dropped by 20 per cent. Overall,

energy costs at the centre decreased by 15 per cent in 2019.

The Seaforth and District Community Centre is the municipality’s single largest user of electricity and natural gas, Knight said, and in 2019 consumption of both increased at the centre.

Hydro consumption at the Seaforth centre increased by 5.5 per cent with increased costs of 14 per cent. Natural gas usage increased by seven per cent, but net costs decreased by five per cent.

Knight noted that the centre extended its ice season by nine days in March.

At the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre, Knight said concerns were raised in late 2019 with high usage levels. Consumption

increased by 30 per cent and net electricity costs increased by nearly 40 per cent over 2018.

In addition to the price increases and the global adjustment, Knight added that the centre’s ice season was 19 days longer than it was in 2018. He also noted some unusual savings at the end of 2018 for the centre, which could have created an artificially inexpensive year in 2018, which is then compared to a higherthan-normal 2019.

Those factors don’t entirely account for the increases in 2019 at the Brussels centre, but they certainly contributed to the figures, he said.

“Staff should continue to monitor the consumption at the [Brussels, Continued on page 13

at

the edge of walton

blanding’s turtles

blanding’s turtles are classified as THREATENED under the species at risk act

Scientific Name: Emydoidea blandingii size: Up to 28cm Scientific Name: Chrysemys marginata Limited picta throughout Southwestern, Central + Eastern ON Distribution: habitat: Blanding’s turtles, which inhabit shallow lakes, ponds and

wetlands with clean water and mucky bottoms, make the largest overland movement of any Ontario turtles, travelling up to several kilometres between summer habitat and nesting sites or overwintering habitat. We have never found a blanding’s turtle at the Edge of Walton!

Characteristics: The most distinctive characteristic of this species is the bright yellow chin and throat. The hinged plastron (lower shell) is yellow and they have a very domed, smooth black carapace (upper shell) with small, irregular tan or yellow flecking.

In honour of World Turtle Day on May 23rd let’s colour the blanding’s turtle!

6.

check out Matt’s amazing art!

tag us in your picture! @edgeofwalton

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 11.

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PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Rural Reads Reviews

‘The Barnyard’ sticker book pleases key audience received a review copy of The Barnyard: Read-And-Play Sticker Book with words by Lisa Hiley and illustrations

by Christina Wald.

While Mary Jane enjoyed learning about the different animals that live on the farm, from owls to cows to horses to everything in between, the high point was definitely the 80 reusable vinyl stickers with which she enjoyed creating farm scenes.

From the three horses, which she decided were a family, to the barn owl and the baby rabbits, that she decided would play together, the books kept Mary Jane entertained for a long while on a cold Friday night.

After getting through about half the reading in the THE BARNYARD: READ-AND-PLAY STICKER BOOK book, Mary Jane decided it was time to start playing with Nearly four-year-old Mary Jane the stickers. Below is an excerpt Scott (and Denny Scott) review The from our time with the book.

Barnyard: Read-And-Play Sticker Mary Jane: Daddy, I want to get Book by Lisa Hiley with Illustrations to the stickers! I want to put the

by Christina Wald. This will be the horses on the hay! first in an ongoing series of reviews Denny: Why do you want the that will look at books available horses and not the goats? through The Rural Reading Room MJ: I love horses. They are my which is located in The Citizen’s favourite. The baby horse is my offices in Blyth and Brussels. favourite. I need the feeding thing Last week Mary Jane Scott [trough] sticker to feed her with.

D: What stickers should we use next?

MJ: Pigs. I like the little baby pig.

What are they called? Are they called pigs?

D: Well the book says piglets.

MJ: Okay, the piglets are over here and the horses will be over there. This is a donkey.

D: How do you know that’s a donkey?

MJ: Because that’s what the book said.

Later on, Mary Jane looked back on her time with the book.

MJ: I don’t know what I thought of the book, but I liked it. I liked the animal stickers, especially the pigs, the horses, the owls and the bunnies?

D: Should other little girls get a copy of that book?

MJ: Yes! They will like it.

D: Who do you think would like that book? Is it a book for little girls like you, bigger girls like your [school-aged children] cousin Evie or babies?

MJ: It’s good for big kids and babies. They will all like it. I think it would be good for teachers too, like

Decisions, decisions Nearly four-year-old Mary Jane Scott thinks that The Barnyard: Read-and-Play Sticker Book will be a hit with people both younger than her and a little older, though she wishes it had more horse stickers . (Denny Scott photo) my teachers Irene and Mrs. Clark.

They are the ones in my class.

Mary Jane gave the book four

stickers out of five, saying she wished there were more horse stickers.

Home and Garden Reads

BUILD YOUR OWN BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT Learn how to construct your own equipment as an inexpensive introduction to keeping bees. Step-by-step, illustrated instructions on how to build hives, equipment for catching swarms and more. $29.95 ECO DESIGN OUTSIDE – Green Outside the House Dozens of tips to make your home more environmentally friendly from collecting and storing rain water to biomass heating to harnessing the sun to heat water, and light and cool your house. $19.95

DECKSCAPING Suggestions for trellises, arbours, planters, plants, vines and furniture to enhance your outdoor livingroom. 160 pages of ideas. $29.95

Grow What You Love: 12 Food Plant Families To Change Your Life Gives advice on how best to choose food plants that readers love, or can discover, and follows with simple methods for garden-to-table growing, including a selection of her favourite seasonal recipes. The result for readers will be a garden-fresh bounty for any time of the year. $29.95 THE NATURALLY CLEAN HOME Common, non-toxic kitchen ingredients such as baking soda, borax and vinegar are effective household cleaners. Pair them with essential oils to disinfect and freshen each room. 150 recipes for all-natural cleaning. $16.95

TRUE GREEN HOME National Geographic presents 100 inspirational ideas for creating a green environment at home, from energy efficient renovations to chemical-free cleaning, to water conservation in the house and garden to environmentally sound finishes and furnishings. $22.95

Total

Qty.

Happy birthday!

Huron Christian School’s Grade 1 teacher Mrs. Karen VanWyk had a very special birthday on Friday as her students arranged a parade past her house after a week of at-home learning due to the pandemic. (Photo submitted)

Share your quarantine, self-isolation and pandemic photographs with The Citizen by e-mailing reporter@northhuron.on.ca

DECKSCAPING BUILD YOUR OWN BEEKEEPING EQUIPMENT GROW WHAT YOU LOVE ECO DESIGN OUTSIDE THE NATURALLY CLEAN HOME TRUE GREEN HOME Prices subject to change with increases in wholesale prices, postage, taxes, etc. Please refer to current issue for correct figures.

Incorrect payment will delay delivery.

$29.95 $29.95 $29.95 $19.95 $16.95 $22.95

Total for Books Shipping & Handling $9.00 Add 5% GST on subtotal Order Total

The Citizen

Send cheque or money order for full amount to: Books: North Huron Publishing P.O. Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or call and pay by credit card 519-523-4792 MAIL BOOKS TO: Name:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Address: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ______________________ Code _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Phone: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Visit our NEW online Marketplace at huroncitizen.ca for more rural living books and local authors.

New titles being added as we build the site.

Mail order or curbside pick up available.

THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 13.

Agriculture

519-523-4311

www.ruralvoice.ca

BLYTH 519-523-4244

www.hurontractor.com

Brussels Livestock report

Cattle sell on strong, active trade at sale Total receipts for Brussels Livestock for the week ending May 8 were 1,955 cattle and 539 lambs and goats.

On Tuesday quality fed steers and heifers sold actively at prices $3 to $5 higher. Choice steers and heifers sold $143 to $149 with sales to

$150.50. Second cut steers and heifers sold $135 to $143. Cows sold actively on a slightly stronger market.

On Thursday veal, lambs, sheep and goats sold steady. On Friday, cattle sold on a strong active trade with calves selling $10 to $15 higher

and yearlings selling $2 to $3 higher.

George Hinz of Monkton, consigned seven head. One simmental heifer weighed 1,510 lbs. and sold for a price of $149.

John Richardson of Harriston, consigned eight head. One grey steer weighed 1,345 lbs. and

Six decades together Don and Maja Dodds celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary last week with a drive-by celebration that is quickly becoming the norm for birthdays, anniversaries and even funerals.

The Winthrop-area couple is well known throughout the community for their involvement in local 4-H clubs and plowing matches across the province, with dozens of vehicles making their way past the Dodds residence that evening. (John Stephenson photo)

McCall MacBain donates iPads PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. It’s a strange time not being able to get together. I had plants delivered from my children and will have to keep them indoors until we have a little nicer weather!

Baby steps; the government has announced small steps in opening the economy. Although for Brussels businesses, it means the hardware store can open. There will be conditions and protocols to follow, but it is a start. Huron Perth Public Health is keeping us all up to date.

The cool weather and snow on the weekend did not encourage me to buy any plants or flowers. I have been working in my flowerbeds on the nice days. The grass seems to creep in during the winter, I think.

It’s break time now as we wait for warmer weather again. Gardening is what has filled my extra time this past week.

Our former Walton girl and her husband, Marci and John McCall

MacBain and their foundation, have done a wonderful thing for our county. They have donated iPads for seniors in nursing homes, hospice care and hospitals so patients can keep in touch with family via the electronics. The donation is being handled through the Gateway Rural Research Institute. Thank you to the McCall MacBains for their generous gift to our Walton girl Marci’s home area.

Our condolences to the Ryan families on the passing of Joan (Ryan) McDonald. She will be missed by her seven children, their families and her siblings of the Walton area, including Jack Ryan, Gerry and Anne Ryan, Theresa (London) and sister-in-law Betty Ryan. Joan was a nurse who loved to travel, worked in Public Health and was devoted to her faith and family.

A lovely lady and she will be missed by all.

Congratulations to Steve and Rita Bowers on the birth of their first grandchild. Son Greg and wife Nicole have welcomed a beautiful little girl to their family in early April. The COVID-19 pandemic has prevented them from being able to hold and hug the new addition, but FaceTime has kept them in touch.

Congratulations to all.

We send fast healing wishes to Caden Lee as he has suffered a broken ankle. He fell out of a tree it

seems and oops, now he is laid up for a while.

Celebrating birthdays this past week include Doug O’Neill, Adam Jarosz, Scott Baan, Brandon Blake, Colin Humphries, Kyle Stevenson, Brandon Dalton, Jim Shortreed, Maddy Bernard, Carman Bernard, Calvin Flood, Nathan Wharton, Gavin Bowers, Jim Cook, Tracey Lee, Shane Ryan, Andrea Shortreed, Jim Coleman, Jeff Grobbink, Jennifer McClure Van Driel, Cathy McGavin Melady and Brycen Warwick. Happy birthday to all!

NEWS FROM WALTON

sold for a price of $150.50.

There were 250 cows on offer.

Beef sold $68 to $78; D1 and D2, $71 to $75; D3, $64 to $68; D4, $55 to $59.

Doug Scace of Melancthon, consigned one rwf cow that weighed 915 lbs. and sold for $89. Ken Phillips of Lucknow, consigned 20 cows. One limousin cow weighed 1,360 lbs. and sold for $87.

There were six bulls selling $95 to $114. Doug Scace of Melancthon, consigned one black bull at 1,755 lbs. sold for a price of $114.

There were 135 head of veal on offer. Beef veal sold $144 to $190 with sales to $194; good holsteins, $118 to $130; SL heavy holsteins, $112 to $118; heavy holsteins, $105 to $118; medium holsteins, $108 to $112.

Reuben S. Martin of Wallenstein, consigned five head that averaged $182.99. One limousin steer weighed 830 lbs. and sold for an average price of $194. One limousin heifer weighed 855 lbs. and sold for a price of $188.

Richard Ulch of Monkton, consigned 11 head that averaged 706 lbs. and sold for an average price of $131. One holstein weighed 705 lbs. and sold for $131.

Lambs, 50 - 64 lbs. sold $328 to $352; 65 - 79 lbs., $302 to $327; 80 - 94 lbs., $267 to $277; 95 - 109 lbs., $262 to $268;

110 lbs. and over, $230 to $235.

Sheep sold $110 to $180.

Goats: billies sold $150 to $350; nannies, $100 to $200; kids: meat, $400 to $442; dairy, $300 to $365.

Tony Howe from Walkerton, consigned 15 lambs. Twelve lambs averaged 74 lbs. and sold for a price of $318. Baird Bros. of Wingham, consigned six head. Three lambs averaged 64 lbs. and sold for a price of $339. Leo Webster of Parkhill, consigned 15 goats. Three nubian kid goats averaged 54 lbs. and sold for a price of $442.

Top quality stocker steers under 400 lbs. sold $232 to $267; 400 - 499 lbs., $246.50 to $259; 500 - 599 lbs., $234.50 to $254; 600 - 699 lbs., $213 to $238; 700 - 799 lbs., $195 to $211; 800 - 899 lbs., $185.50 to $195; 900 - 999 lbs., $174.50 to $181.25; 1,000 lbs. and over, $166 to $171.50.

Top quality stocker heifers, 400 499 lbs. sold $197 to $217; 500 - 599 lbs., $183.50 to $208; 600 - 699 lbs., $179 to $194; 700 - 799 lbs., $164.50 to $178; 800 - 899 lbs., $163.50 to $178; 900 lbs. and over, $152.50 to $162.25.

Oscar Bauman of Wallenstein, consigned 111 head. Five charolais steers averaged 778 lbs. and sold for a price of $204.75. Craig Simpson of Glencoe, consigned 15 heifers. Nine heifers averaged 990 lbs. and sold for $159.75.

Pandemic to impact energy usage: Knight Continued from page 10 Morris and Grey Community Centre] closely,” Knight said in his report to council. “We had a power surge at [the centre] in February, which will require the replacement of the capacitor bank, the auditorium air conditioning units and several other electrical components, but it appears there may have been something drawing power as there is a significant increase in consumption that can’t be fully explained.”

As for the Brussels Lions pool, the electricity usage there was virtually unchanged from 2018 to 2019.

The municipality’s renewable energy projects are now producing profit for Huron East and financing projects.

In 2019, the operating surplus for the municipality’s Micro-Fit tracker locations was nearly $24,000, but it ended the year with just over $9,100 in the bank. Since their creation, the projects have helped fund a number of items for Huron East, including a floating head pressure system for the Seaforth and District Community Centre and ice pad lighting upgrades at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre, both in 2017 at a total cost of just over $47,000 for both projects.

Knight said the COVID-19 pandemic will certainly influence energy consumption in 2020.

“All recreation facilities were closed to the public on March 13 and remain closed. Ice was still being maintained in the Seaforth arena, but

was taken out on March 17, which reduces the 2020 ice season by 12 or 13 days. Energy consumption at the libraries will also be reduced, as they were closed to the public on March 17,” Knight said in his report.

“While the pandemic does not appear to have a significant impact on natural gas prices, the global drop in oil prices may actual put upward pressure on natural gas prices if domestic oil production is scaled back. The pandemic and the resulting provincial direction to reduce time-of-use electricity pricing may have a negative impact on the global adjustment calculation for retail energy contracts, but it is still too early to determine the impact.”

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PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Menesetung launches program PEOPLE AROUND LONDESBORO

By BRENDA RADFORD Call 523-4296

E-learning Huron BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), run by Londesborough’s Garrity family, closed down in early March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but instructor and owner Sean, centre, was an early adopter of Zoom meetings. The family transformed its mud room at home into a small dojo and has been conducting free online classes. (Photo submitted)

Here we are in week eight.

Hopefully everyone is getting into some kind of routine if only to stay sane with the isolating and distancing. Although it seems some restrictions are being lifted regarding retail, I think it will be many weeks or months before we all feel comfortable moving forward or going out for anything except the essentials.

Some of what we are hearing through media sources is not exactly encouraging as to what life may look like even into 2021. Until a vaccine is created and widely offered there

will continue to be concern about resuming a wider life. And I don’t see life ever being back to the days before COVID-19. The world has been recalibrated and we will have to get used to a new normal.

Learning that 80 per cent of the world’s aircraft are sitting idle on runways is a stark reminder of a changed world. Travel may not be something people will decide on lightly going forward. Suddenly I realized that I haven’t seen or heard an airplane go over in ages.

Generally we have a bird’s eye view of air traffic.

This next comment gives everyone an idea of how this pandemic has a trickle-down effect.

All farmers are concerned about planting this year’s crops. But consider the potato farmers who still have in their freezers a lot of last year’s crop of French fries. Amazing how not eating out can make such a situation. So, do they plant this spring or not? Cut back on how much crop they plant?

EMS calls have decreased: Horseman

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Emergency Services Chief Jeff Horseman says emergency medical services (EMS) calls have “noticeably decreased” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Horseman updated Huron County Council on the EMS department at council’s May 6 meeting, which was attended virtually.

Since the pandemic was declared, Horseman said EMS have been working with the dispatchers who pre-screen calls for COVID-19 symptoms. Some patients may fail the “paramedic screening tool”, so they’re treated as though they are COVID-19 positive. Horseman said that is precautionary for the paramedics and it simply means the patient is experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19.

For calls, Horseman says the county has been able to procure adequate amounts of personal protective equipment for staff, including gloves, surgical masks, face shields, disinfectant cleaners and hand sanitizer. He said the county has been working towards purchasing N95 masks and disposable gowns, but has not been very successful.

Thousands of the masks and disposable isolation gowns have been ordered, Horseman said, but they are on backorder.

However, thanks to the generosity of Bruce Power, he said, the county was able to secure 200 reusable gowns to be used by the Paramedic Community Care Team. They will be laundered at the Central Huron fire station.

He also told council that the EMS department has purchased a vehicle

The new reality With declarations of emergency extensions being considered, scenes like the one above, of Londesborough United Church being closed to the public, are becoming the new reality for many. (Mark Nonkes photo)

disinfectant spray system. It is due to be delivered on May 15.

“If we transport a patient that has tested positive for COVID-19, the duty superintendent will use this new system to disinfect the vehicle,” Horseman said in his report. “Once applied, the vehicle can be put back into service in 10-15 minutes, which is much quicker than other systems, which can be up to 24 hours.”

He also said the Clean Flow N95 mask disinfection machine is set to arrive this month with the EMS department still on the hunt for a community partner to help house the machine in an “appropriate environment”.

Eight paramedics have volunteered to be part of the COVID Paramedic Community Care Team, Horseman said, where they will be working to provide virus swabbing for vulnerable populations in partnership with Huron Perth Public Health. The team will also be providing palliative assessment and treatment for complex care patients in the community.

Training for the team ran April 2730 and they were active in the community on the morning of May 1. Its incident command trailer has been deployed to the Central Huron fire station as a temporary base of operations.

Works services continue

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Engineer Steve Lund updated Huron County Council on the public works department at council’s May 6 meeting, which was attended virtually.

Lund said that as far as the department’s regular operations, members of the public will continue to see employees maintaining county roads, bridges and culverts.

They will be cutting grass, grading shoulders, cutting trees, inspecting culverts, sweeping sand off the roadways and picking up roadside garbage as normal.

He told council that keeping the primary transportation routes safe and clean ensures the county maintains sufficient operating levels when responding to other needs like “slippery” roads, drainage issues, potholes and various hazards that occur on a regular basis. Protocols have been updated, Lund said, to ensure physical distancing is maintained and to keep up with disinfection of equipment, tools and workspaces.

While many of the department’s projects meet the critical infrastructure threshold, Lund said, some projects have been deferred in order to help mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

The road reconstruction projects in Egmondville and Seaforth are both moving ahead, though 40 per cent of the downtown Seaforth project may not be completed this year and will carry over into 2021 due to the pandemic.

Lund said that planning for County Road 4 north of Highway 8 in Clinton to Beech Street is complete and construction is scheduled for the spring of 2021.

Full depth rehabilitation for County Road 87 between Bluevale and Gorrie is set to commence later this month.

Happy birthday to Carl Nesbitt who turned 80 last week. His friends and family helped him celebrate with a drive-by on Thursday. The sign on his lawn made it clear he wasn’t shy about the event!

United Churches in the area received word this week that Camp Menesetung has had to change its summer plans with many weeks cancelled. However, all campers who are interested in a camping experience should visit the camp’s website. They have launched a program called “Club Menesetung: Connected”. Check it out and be informed of their plans.

Kudos to Nature’s Nest for coming up with a plan that brightens the lives of persons isolated in Huronview and Huronlea. In the event you missed the article recently run in The Citizen, they realized that bird feeders at these homes were not being filled. With family not able to visit, the feeders outside windows were neglected. Jenn recognized how the residents enjoyed birdwatching and has come up with a plan to keep the feeders filled and cleaned.

Good for her for thinking of a way to lift the spirits of others.

NEWS FROM LONDESBORO Walk Ins Welcome SHEAR TALENT Hair Design & Tanning

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 15.

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

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

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

01-50p -------------------------------------------REPRINTS OF PHOTOS taken by Citizen photographers are available to purchase. All are in colour. 4x6 – $5.00, 5x7 – $6.00, 8x10 – $10.00. Phone to order 519523-4792 or 519-887-9114. tfn -------------------------------------------THE CITIZEN IS AVAILABLE online for free while we are under orders for physical distances. Stay safe!

Citizen-ToCitizen

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

Card of thanks Services DODDS. Thank you to our family, friends and neighbours for all the good wishes for our 60th anniversary. Thanks to all who helped us celebrate with a drive-by through our yard. – Don and Maja.

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Our 10-week session for group classes $90+HST. Call 519-5801418 or e-mail becky_schweitzer@ hotmail.com 18-3p -------------------------------------------CUSTOM MOLDBOARD PLOWing available. Please call 519-5774689.

19-2 -------------------------------------------FAXING SERVICE is suspended.

Will resume when COVID-19 crisis is over. The Citizen. tfn

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20-1p -------------------------------------------SMALL SQUARES OF WHEAT straw available after Harvest 2020.

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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

H. East aims to help ratepayers during pandemic

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Council is looking to ease the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic on its ratepayers, but continue working on the form that assistance will actually take.

Council met virtually on May 5 for its first regular meeting in over a month, after two cancelled meetings due to the pandemic, and discussed some potential measures to assist

residents during this time. Treasurer Paula Michiels’ first and most significant suggestion was to finally clean up the municipality’s preamalgamation reserves, though council wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.

The pre-amalgamation reserves are funds each of the five wards – Brussels, Seaforth, Grey, McKillop and Tuckersmith – all had accumulated before amalgamation.

They each brought them to the newly-created Huron East in 2001

Spring has sprung This sign of spring was recently captured by Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club. (Photo courtesy of Liz Allan of the Maitland Valley Camera Club)

with the understanding that they would be used for projects within that ward when the time was right.

Michiels suggested that now was the time to clean up those reserves and reduce the tax rate for residents across the board. While there is only about $100,000 spread across the five wards, Michiels said that contribution would drop the current levy increase 1.48 per cent from 9.04 per cent to 7.56 per cent. On the average Huron East residential assessment of $216,000, the contribution would result in an annual decrease in taxes of between $10 and $24 depending on the ward.

The pre-amalgamation reserves differ for each ward, with Brussels having just over $40 in its reserve, while Grey has over $17,000, McKillop has over $21,000, Seaforth has over $22,000 and Tuckersmith has over $35,000.

For years, Huron East staff has been working to find projects for the reserves to finally get them off of the books, but traditionally projects have had to be approved by both of the respective ward’s representatives. The projects have also had to directly serve the ward in question in order to be used.

Councillors, however, thought it was too early to dip into those reserves and, furthermore, felt that for the small impact it would have, it would feel more like a “token” gesture than one that would actually

help residents in this time of crisis.

Councillor Alvin McLellan was the first to speak against using the pre-amalgamation reserves. It would show that council’s heart is in the right place, he said, but he didn’t feel it would accomplish much more than that.

Deputy-Mayor Bob Fisher agreed with McLellan, though didn’t close the door on the idea altogether. He said he felt it was a bit early to utilize those historic reserves, but that rather it could be an idea that’s revisited down the road if the COVID-19 situation fails to improve.

He also forecasted challenging budgets for municipalities in 2021 and 2022 as a result of all of the federal and provincial money being spent this year to keep residents and business sectors afloat through the pandemic, so it may be prudent to have those reserves, small though they may be, for those future budgets.

Mayor Bernie MacLellan said that while some of the reserves have been depleted over time and used for various projects, he said council shouldn’t keep waiting to spend the money.

When the five wards amalgamated nearly 20 years ago, the money in

those reserves could have bought a lot more, he said. Every year council waits to use the funds, Huron East gets less for its money, he said.

Michiels also presented a handful of additional options, all of which council favoured. They included waived non-sufficient fund fees until July 6 and freezing any new tax sales.

Councillors also opined on some other options to save ratepayers money, but none were approved.

Councillor Ray Chartrand proposed telling residents they didn’t have to purchase bag tags for garbage for a defined period to aid residents, but other councillors weren’t prepared to make that move.

Councillor Dianne Diehl said that with all of the spring cleaning and decluttering many have been doing during the quarantine, the Bluewater Recycling Association (BRA) has said it is seeing a dramatic increase in trash volume. To not charge for bag tags could give residents a green light to get rid of all of their waste during that time, she said.

Other councillors agreed and Chartrand’s idea wasn’t supported.

Council moved to implement Michiels’ suggestions, with the exception of using the preamalgamation reserves.

Teams set up for recovery goals Continued from page 3 businesses for a defined period of time.

The third stage would be a lack of monetary resources, he said, and another blow to the economy. At this point, many residents would be dipping into credit, savings or government support, depleting them.

Joudry estimated there would be one of two possible outcomes, though he said it was likely to be a combination of the two. There could be rampant spread of the virus and a greater loss of life, meaning the virus would need a shorter period of time to “run its course” according to Joudry. The second would be a slower spread with a lower loss of life and a longer timeline.

With that in mind, Joudry said the recovery strategy will take one of two paths, largely dependent on the path of virus spread throughout Huron County and the rest of the province and the country.

In his report, Joudry said a reasonable expectation would be a return to most social, community and economic norms somewhere between the fall of 2020 and the end of 2023. During that time, Joudry said it was reasonable to expect that public institutions, trade and commerce, distribution and transportation systems, as well as infrastructure like communication and the electrical grid will remain intact and individuals will continue to have access to basic needs for the duration of the threat.

The data and research team would work to create a database of Huron County businesses, conduct a business survey and needs assessment for local businesses, develop and implement a plan to measure data to ensure the strategy’s objectives are being met, research and report on relevant information on emergency recovery and liaise and leverage partnerships with postsecondary institutions and

stakeholders for relevant research or recovery planning knowledge.

The business development team will identify opportunities for existing businesses, develop business cases, bring industry players together, develop and maintain business development tools and support the data and research team.

The community development team will establish and maintain the local community recovery action groups, establish and maintain a county community recovery action group, gather local intelligence, coordinate business efforts, act as a conduit for two-way information sharing, support business development efforts and support the data and research team.

Joudry said the county has used its library community hub project as a roadmap to which communities will have local community recovery action groups. Those are Wingham, Seaforth, Goderich, Exeter, Clinton, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Blyth, Morris-Turnberry, Wroxeter, Brussels, Bayfield, Hensall, Zurich and Centralia/Dashwood.

The teams will work with

municipalities, communities and stakeholders to identify and recruit members to the local groups. Joudry said the groups can meet as often or as little as they feel is necessary, but not less than once a month. The goals of the groups are to bring leaders and doers in the community together; ensure, through dialogue, efforts across individuals and organizations are aligned; identify issues and triage them within the community or escalate when appropriate and share information within the group and with other groups and stakeholders.

“The community development team will be responsible for ensuring information between the groups is shared and refer issues to other groups as needed. They will also be responsible to ensure those matters are actioned, followed up and reported back to the local group.

All of this information will be shared with the local municipality, county officials and other key stakeholders,” Joudry said in his report to council. “In addition, trends identified across geographies will also be highlighted and provided to stakeholders.”

Long distance detours concern NH’s Palmer Continued from page 3 Township staff to mitigate the impact to businesses and residents, Hausser said, outlining options like additional signage, advertisements and circulating information to local businesses.

The detour for non-local heavy traffic will send incoming traffic through Whitechurch in the west and Bluevale and Wroxter in the east. Smaller vehicles, Hausser said, will be able to travel more directly to Wingham.

Council questioned the

recommended lengthy heavy traffic detours, taking travellers kilometres out of their way to go to or through Wingham and on to County Roads 86 or 87.

Councillor Chris Palmer said another route must be feasible, however Hausser said county staff had evaluated all options and this was the best way to reroute the traffic.

“Road condition is one of the biggest concerns,” he explained, adding rerouting traffic could take its toll on infrastructure.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 17.

From the Minister’s Study

Be confident God is leading us through this

By Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Blyth Christian Reformed Church On Friday, March 13 of this year, the council (sometimes called a board) of our church decided to send out a note to the congregation that on Sunday we should be careful in our Sunday morning worship. We asked that people who felt ill or who had been travelling stay home. The next morning (Saturday) I was asked if we would be having our regular worship services, and I responded that we would. But in the next few hours as we watched event after event being cancelled, our church council decided that we would suspend worship services for that Sunday.

It took less than 24 hours for everything to change. At that time, I recall thinking that we might have a week or two of cancellations, and then we would resume normal life.

But that was not to be.

This coming Sunday will mark the 10th consecutive week that we do not gather for regular worship in our church. We still have online services, but we all know that is not the same. Delivering a message to a camera in an empty church building is nowhere anything like having the pews filled, and I am sure that those who are watching at home feel the disconnect as well. When we will be able to resume some semblance of normalcy, in the church or anywhere for that matter, I do not know.

Someday we will be able to meet again.

In the last week or so, there has been a lot of discussion about how we will return to something that resembles normal. What descended on us suddenly will be slow to disappear. Some tell us that we won’t be doing things as we did before, and they may be right. We may have a new normal. But how will we get there?

As insightful and knowledgeable and helpful as our health professionals are, this is uncharted territory for them. Our political leaders are tasked with mapping the

course to reopen what has been closed, but they aren’t sure what to do next, and I am sure that they second-guess themselves when they do make a decision. This is not something we have experienced. I do not envy those who are leading us because there is no right answer.

Perhaps there is a best answer, but what that may be is not always clear.

This whole experience is new to us, but this kind of upheaval is not new to the world. We have been fortunate in that we have not experienced anything like this before, but others have. In Psalm 25 the psalmist, David in this case, had faced uncharted territory many times over.

He grew up as a shepherd in a small village and was catapulted to the position of king over the course of a few decades. He was called to lead his people against enemies who sought to destroy him and his nation.

There were times of famine and times of plenty. There were times of danger and times of peace. David, as leader, was tasked with leading his people rightly. We can be sure that he didn’t always know what to do.

In Psalm 25 we find where David finds his understanding and ability to lead. David says, “show me your ways, Lord, and teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for You are God, my Saviour, and my hope is in You all day long.” David then goes on to ask God to remember him, for He, the Lord is good.

David’s understanding is that the problems we face today do not confound God, for God has seen it all before and He knows what to do.

God is willing to help us, and, because He knows what to do, we have to but listen to Him. Central to His guidance will be His call for us to love each other as we love ourselves. (Jesus quoted this Old Testament verse when He was asked what He thought was the greatest commandment. Loving God and loving our neighbour summarizes all of God’s guiding words.) When we love others as ourselves, we not only want what we would want for ourselves, but we also strive to enable others to receive the same as we would want for ourselves. In other words, we ought to put as much thought and energy into the care of others as we put toward our own needs.

David’s request for God to guide him does not seem to be so much a request that God reveal to him what to do. Rather, it seems to be a request to have the strength to do what he knows he should do even as he obeys the command that we love each other. He wanted to know how to be an effective king even as he loved the people under his authority.

How could he give to them everything that he wanted for himself? In other words, how could he put into practice what he knew that God wanted him to do? This is what he is praying for: wisdom to lead by loving those around him.

In the next few weeks we are going to be watching our political leaders make decisions that will impact our lives. Without a doubt we will see a slow reversal of the very rapid lockdown that took place almost two months ago. We ought to be praying for our leaders and those

The Regional Ministry of Hope All Anglican Churches are closed for public worship until further notice.

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a kind of normalcy, even if it is a bit different. Our desires can easily make us lose sight of our neighbour and their needs.

With many, I tend to believe that it won’t be long before we will enter into a new normal. We will change some of our habits and practices, and we will become accustomed to doing things in a different way. We won’t be the first in history to experience such a change, and, like many others in history, we can be confident that God is leading us through this. But no matter what that new normal is like, let it be directed by the imperative of our God and Saviour that we love each other and seek the good of each other as much as we do so for ourselves.

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who advise them. Theirs will not be an easy job, for, at times like this, where there is no good plan of action, just a best one, and the best may not be all that good. Let us pray for those who have been given authority that they follow God’s imperative that we love each other as we love ourselves. Let us pray that God will show them how to put it into practice that very command. Let us pray that they will always have our best interests in mind, not their own.

And let us pray that we will always listen to God’s imperative that we love each other as much as we love ourselves. In times like this it is easy to become self-centred and self-seeking. We want life to resume

Blyth United Church Due to the COVID-19 Virus the church building is closed.

Please join Rev. Gary Clark on YouTube “Forest Hill United Church Kitchener” for the Sunday Service Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches

Video sermons available on YouTube by searching “Blyth Christian Reformed Church”

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PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

Festival may create virtual offerings for 2020

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen With the cancellation of the 2020 Blyth Festival season now official, Artistic Director Gil Garratt is looking ahead to what’s next, what the Festival’s offerings will look like this year and what the Festival will look like in years to come.

Last week, The Citizen was the first to report that the Festival would be closing the door on a season this year after careful consideration.

Now, Garratt, General Manager Rachael King and the rest of the Festival team are waiting to see what the future of arts and culture will look like.

In an interview with The Citizen, Garratt says he certainly knew when the decision was made to suspend the season late last month that full cancellation was a possibility. As the news has evolved and the world has learned more about COVID-19, it soon became clear to him and the board of directors there was no way

to safely have a season this year.

He said he watched several situations closely, using them as a barometer for Ontario and the Blyth Festival. One of the first provinces to map out a path forward, Garratt said, was New Brunswick. With nowhere near the population or COVID-19 spread of Ontario, New Brunswick declared there would be no large public gatherings in the province until January, 2021. After hearing that level of caution and care, Garratt had a feeling 2020 wasn’t going to open up enough for the Festival to host its scheduled season, even later in the year.

Another situation Garratt and many in the theatre community have been watching is that of South Korea, which is beginning to allow stage productions to resume. The precautions to allow that to happen, however, are extensive and still not an ironclad guarantee that COVID19 stays out of the theatres.

Garratt said the country’s theatres would begin the night with patrons

lined up outside the theatre the night of a show, distanced two metres apart from one another. Then, as patrons enter the theatre, they would go through a disinfectant mist spray before going through thermal imaging and have their temperature taken. In the theatre, seats are only sold to allow for physical distancing.

Employees are also subject to extensive testing several times daily to ensure they are healthy.

However, in a production of The Phantom of the Opera, a long-time favourite in South Korea, one of the cast members still, with all of those precautions in place, was found to be carrying the virus. That meant the production had to be shut down and all of the cast and crew, as well as the audience from that night’s show, ordered into a 14-day quarantine to minimize the potential for community spread.

Hearing stories like that, Garratt said, have really made him ponder what the Festival will look like when shows can again be produced

on the Memorial Hall stage.

In the coming months, Garratt says he’s hoping to connect with Festival artists both past and present about some virtual Festival content.

Whether it’s artists performing some of the most memorable songs from the last 45 seasons of the Festival, he doesn’t know, but he’d like to keep the Festival’s art in front of audiences. At the same time, however, Garratt wants to ensure that any artist who gives their time is paid appropriately.

On that note, Garratt says the Festival still has over 10 active commissions and it’s important to him that the Festival still work with artists to create art that will grace the Festival stage one day.

Garratt says no one has a crystal ball, so he’s not sure what the 2021 season of the Festival will look like.

He says he loves all of the plays that were due to be produced this season and he wants them back, but whether the logistics work out for the artists behind them to be produced he

won’t know for some time.

In the week since he announced the season was cancelled, Garratt said the outpouring of support from the community, sponsors and theatre-goers has been overwhelming. He says the Festival has received hundreds of donations in the past week, which is far more than the Festival usually receives at this time of year. He added that many ticket-holders, who the Festival is in the process of contacting right now, are offering to turn their ticket purchase into a donation for the Festival to aid them through the pandemic.

Moving forward and navigating the COVID-19 situation, Garratt said he’s become really conscious of the responsibility he has as the Artistic Director of the Festival. As someone who has loved the Festival for a long time, he knows how important it is to shepherd the Festival to a place where it can be open, producing plays and thriving once again.

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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020. PAGE 19.

All ’20 artists to return to Festival Art Gallery in ’21 of her frames for the show, a costly expense, which will now wait until 2021, so it has definitely affected her financially.

As for the art itself, Kelly says she has been working in installments on a collection for over four years now, so she doesn’t anticipate changing her work for the exhibition, though the more time she has to create will give her more options and the opportunity to be a little more picky when it comes time to select pieces for the show.

Lucknow’s Hannah Dickie is another young artist who was due to be featured in this year’s season in her first professional show. She has been documenting life at her home farm, a small-scale operation in the Lucknow area, for years, creating “Home Grown” a photographic documentary.

She has been back home in Lucknow now for several weeks, living at home full-time for the first

For another year Hannah Dickie’s “Home Grown”, a photography exhibit featuring pictures from the world of small-scale agriculture, seen above, as well as shows by Blyth’s Kelly Stevenson and a collection of eight pottery artists will all be featured in the 2021 season of the Blyth Festival Art Gallery after this season was cancelled last week. (Photo courtesy of Hannah Dickie)

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Following the Blyth Festival’s lead, the Festival’s namesake art gallery has cancelled its 2020 season, its 45th, pushing its exhibits to 2021.

“With a heavy heart, we follow the direction taken by the Festival and will darken the gallery for 2020,” said President Carl Stevenson of Blyth in a press release from the gallery. “We recognize that COVID19 has changed the world we live in and has touched all our lives. The artists that would have presented their works during this season will take the brunt of this decision, but we will continue to support them and ensure they have the opportunity to exhibit in 2021. We will miss the opportunity to gather and celebrate our artists and patrons. However, we look forward to returning for a strong 2021 season. We especially appreciate the support and understanding of our generous sponsors.”

The 2020 season was set to feature exhibits by Blyth’s Kelly Stevenson, Lucknow’s Hannah Dickie and a survey exhibition of pottery by eight Ontario artists, in addition to the annual Student Show and Community Show.

In an interview with The Citizen, Stevenson confirmed that all three professional exhibits and their artists would return and be featured in the 2021 season. In addition, he said

board members had spoken with artists to be included in the 2021 season, which was fully booked, and they were all understanding and willing to move their shows to the 2022 season.

Stevenson said that while it is disappointing to have to cancel the season, no member of the board was very surprised that it came to this point. Not only is it necessary in these unprecedented times, he said, but it’s also the right thing to do.

In speaking with The Citizen several weeks ago after the decision to cancel the Student Show, Stevenson said the gallery would be following the Festival’s lead. The Festival’s decision to cancel the 2020 season made the cancellation of the gallery season a foregone conclusion, Stevenson said.

In speaking with the artists associated with the next two seasons, Stevenson said everyone was understanding and not very surprised with the move, doing everything they could to help the gallery accommodate the shift.

Stevenson said personally he was most disappointed when the Student Show didn’t go ahead. It’s his favourite show of the year and a favourite of many board members that provides the ability to watch young artists mature and develop year after year, many of whom come back to exhibit in professional shows years down the road.

With the schools closed and the teachers unable to work with

students to produce art pieces for the shows, Stevenson said that cancellation wasn’t exactly a surprise to the board either.

Stevenson said the cancellation of the season has introduced some interesting conversations about options in the future. While the infrastructure isn’t yet in place, he said the board has discussed potentially hosting a virtual gallery in the future if necessary.

Kelly Stevenson, who was slated to present an exhibition of paintings and drawings, said the cancellation is unfortunate, both artistically and financially.

While she and the other artists slated to be featured this season had an inkling the season might be cancelled, without confirmation, they were working towards it, spending money and creating art, unsure if it would see the light of day later this year.

She said that while it’s nice to have another year to create art and curate the exhibition, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to get her hands on art supplies. The pandemic has also hit Kelly in the wallet, as she is now unable to sell her work at the gallery or at any other shows or markets she was planning on being a part of this year.

In preparing for this year’s exhibition, Kelly had purchased all

time in five years. It has given her unanticipated time home on the farm to expand her work. For example, she says she hasn’t been home to photograph the gardening season since she started this project, so the pandemic has offered her that unexpected opportunity.

Dickie says she was still photographing when the pandemic took hold, but she had begun curating some of her existing photographs in preparation for the show, which was due to open in late August.

She says she’s very grateful for the support from the Blyth Festival Art Gallery, which has stuck with the artists, bringing them back in 2021 and supported them in any way it could after the season was initially suspended and now cancelled.

Dickie says she’s excited to share her photography with the gallery patrons in a safe environment so everyone can get back to enjoying the arts in Huron County.

Happy 65th Anniversary Pete and Margaret van Veen are thankful to the Lord for keeping us together for this length of time 18 May 1955 ~ 2020 We love you Brenda, Murray, Peter, Bonita, Douglas and Michael, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Thank You - Wow what a surprise!

Thanks to all on my 80th birthday celebration. Also thanks to the over fifty cars who did the drive-by, and for all the cards and phone calls. Special thanks to my family and the Wilts family for supplying the sign, coffee and cupcakes.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart ~ Carl Nesbitt

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More time to work Blyth’s Kelly Stevenson, seen above exhibiting her work at a previous Blyth Festival Art Gallery show, is another of the artists who will show her work in 2021 now as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (File photo)

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PAGE 20 THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020.

May is Community Living Month Equality and acceptance with dignity for all