INSIDE THIS WEEK:
GAME - Pg. 9
MUSIC - Pg. 19
LEO CLUB - Pg. 20
‘The Citizen’ provides its ‘Pandemic Survival Guide’
Six-String Music Festival cancelled for this year
Brussels Leo Club cuts ribbon on new shed
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Citizen
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Volume 36 No. 21
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Reunion off until next year By Denny Scott The Citizen
The great outdoors With the Victoria Day long weekend upon us, residents young and old alike made a point to be out in the sun and warmth on Saturday, though they would have been met with rain on much of Sunday and Monday. Here, the
Hockey family – Owen, Mike and Jaxon, from left – spent some time on Lake Wawanosh after weeks of quarantine and cold weather. The lake was busy with other boaters, while others flooded garden centres to begin landscaping. (Hannah Dickie photo)
Two weeks, no new cases says HPPH By Denny Scott The Citizen For the second week in a row, Huron Perth Public Health has no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and all existing cases have reached a final outcome. The area still has 49 confirmed COVID-19 patients, 44 of whom have recovered and five of whom have died. There has not been an active, confirmed case of COVID19 in Huron and Perth Counties since May 13 and there hasn’t been a hospitalized COVID-19 case since late April. Perth County has had the majority of cases with 25 in Stratford, three each in Perth East and North Perth and two each in Perth South, West Perth and St. Marys. In Huron County, Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh, Goderich, Huron East
and Morris-Turnberry have each had one case, Central Huron has had two and Bluewater and South Huron have each had three. In long-term care facilities, there have been 22 confirmed cases, with 16 of those being in Greenwood Court in Stratford (six residents, 10 staff). Hillside Manor in Perth East and Blue Water Rest Home in Bluewater have each had one confirmed case in a resident, Braemar Retirement Centre in North Huron has two confirmed cases in staff and Huronview in Huron East and Exeter Villa in South Huron have each had one staff member test positive for COVID-19. The outbreaks in Blue Water Rest Home, Greenwood Court and Hillside Manor and Huronview have been declared over. In Huron and Perth Counties 23
cases have been confirmed in healthcare workers, though those workers may not live locally and, therefore, not be considered in the Huron Perth tally. All 23 cases have been resolved. COVID-19 has hit the 60-69 age demographic in Huron and Perth Counties the hardest, with 15 of the 49 cases being in that age group.
There has been a single case in the 0-19-year-old age group, four in the 20-29 group, six in the 30-39 age group, four in the 40-49 age group, 10 in the 50-59 age group, three in the 70-79 age group and six in the over 80 age group. For more information, visit the Huron Perth Public Health website at hpph.ca.
The executive behind the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association has decided to cancel this year’s reunion and focus its energy on the 60th show next year. President Judy Sloan reached out to The Citizen on Wednesday, May 13, explaining that the difficult decision was made by the group as members felt it was better to be decisive than wait. “The government could shut things down closer to the event and we could have put a lot of energy into an event that wouldn’t happen,” she said. “Beyond that, the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers and members are paramount and if we can’t guarantee that, we can’t put on the show.” Sloan said, even if the government allowed the event to go forward, the committee would be devastated if anyone got sick as a result of the show. She said an event like the reunion wouldn’t work as well with physical distancing still in place, so the decision was almost made for the group. No decisions have been made yet as to how the winners from last year’s show, which make up the feature vehicles and implements for the following year’s show, will be handled, though Sloan said there was some discussion about using those same winners next year. There is a silver lining to the decision, Sloan said, saying this year’s heritage book, featuring stories about the association, will still be made available through book committee chair Barry Young. “He’s going to make arrangements to get it out,” she said. “Members can get it through him.” Watch The Citizen for more information about the 2021 annual reunion, for which the committee now has a full extra year to plan. Sloan said she hopes those efforts make it a very special event in a history of well-attended and wellreceived shows.
COVID-19 impacts BIA budget By Denny Scott The Citizen The Blyth Business Improvement Area (BIA) will see some significant modifications to its budget due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its control measures. The budget, which was passed
earlier this year by the BIA and then passed as part of the municipal budget by North Huron Council last month, includes revenue generated by the Blyth Outdoor Market to be reduced by 50 per cent to $1,100. It also includes a commensurate reduction in the expenses for the project. Social media payouts for the
volunteer running the group’s online presence as well as advertising in the Blyth Welcome Guide have both been deferred, saving the organization a total of $1,500. The group will also be asking for an advance of 50 per cent of its $9,700 levy for the year from North Continued on page 8