The Citizen - May 31, 2024

The

THIS WEEK 4 • Editorials 8 • Sports 10 • Dairy Month 19 • Entertainment

Citizen

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Friday, May 31, 2024

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Volume 40 No. 22

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0

‘Citizen’ awarded

by OCNA

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

It is happening again Road construction? Never heard of her. That’s most certainly untrue of those in Blyth, who have experienced a lot of closed roads and detours in recent years, but, in turn, now enjoy improved roadways, safer intersections and, soon, safe passage through the

Goderich-to-Guelph Rail Trail. Construction is now well underway just west of the village where a tunnel will be installed below Blyth Road to save trail users from crossing the busy road and taking another step towards connecting the trail completely from end to end. (Scott Stephenson photo)

On Friday, the Ontario Community Newspapers Association, also known as the OCNA, announced the winners of its annual Better Newspapers Competition, with The Citizen earning two second-place and two third-place finishes.

In the General Excellence category for its circulation class, The Citizen placed second, finishing ahead of The Haliburton County Echo in third place, but behind The Listowel Banner in first place.

Editor Shawn Loughlin claimed second place in the Best Business or Finance Story category with his profile on Jeff Linton and Linton Pasture Pork that was included in last year’s “Huron Farms to Tables” special. Loughlin was bested by The Aylmer Express, but beat The Fort Frances Times.

In the Best Rural Story category, Loughlin’s story on the provincial government’s doomed farm property severance policy proposal with local expert Wayne Caldwell placed third behind Niagara-onthe-Lake’s The Lake Report in second and The Haldimand Press in first.

Karen Webster placed third in the Continued on page 6

Council composition discussed again in NH

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen North Huron Council discussed ward boundary and council composition reviews at a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 21. These topics have been persistently divisive amongst members of council.

Clerk Carson Lamb presented a report on provincial regulations for ward boundary and council composition reviews for information purposes. The report states, “These timelines are important if council wishes to consider these types of reviews so that they can be completed before the 2026 municipal election.”

Councillor Chris Palmer began the discussion, saying “Every time this topic comes up I start cringing.” In his view, council previously supported a status quo position on these issues and finds it “disturbing” that they continue coming back to council. “Just wondering where this push for change is always coming from,”

Palmer questioned. “I’m quite upset by it because it’s always a hard argument.”

Lamb replied, “The report is in no way intended to lead you in one way or another.” He explained that part of the Clerk’s responsibilities is to ensure councillors are aware of legislative timelines related to elections, including ward boundary reviews and council composition reviews. He added that this report is very standard and that other municipalities would be receiving similar reports from their respective clerks.

Palmer requested clarification on the possible options for dealing with these matters. Lamb explained that if council wished to do nothing, they could receive the report for information purposes only and there would be no ward boundary or council composition reviews during this term of council.

Otherwise, a motion could be made to provide direction to council to initiate a review process. He also pointed out that ward boundary reviews are typically performed by

third-party consultants and that a council composition review was completed by staff last year as part of the strategic planning process.

Councillor Mitch Wright said he doesn’t think a ward boundary review is necessary because they “work okay” but intended to make a motion relating to council composition. Wright suggested that both the position of Reeve and Deputy-Reeve should be elected atlarge, instead of only the former. “If you have two good councillors who run for Reeve, you automatically

lose one of them,” said Wright, proposing a motion that the runnerup should become the DeputyReeve.

Councillor Lonnie Whitfield weighed in with his thoughts that a ward boundary review should be included in Wright’s motion. “I’m questioning the ward division itself for elections,” said Whitfield, believing North Huron should be united as one rather than having three separate identities.

“Including the wards would be a disaster,” responded Palmer,

pointing toward historical disagreements and likely opposition from the public regarding the review process.

Palmer did indicate an openness to Wright’s motion of generally electing the Deputy-Reeve.

Reeve Paul Heffer interrupted the discussion, saying there would be no debate on the matter that evening.

Wright decided against including Whitfield’s proposed amendment to his motion, which ultimately was rejected by council.

NH remains unwilling host

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen North Huron Council decided to reaffirm its status as an unwilling host for new wind turbine projects at a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 21.

Clerk Carson Lamb explained that the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) is rolling

out new wind turbine projects, and there is a need for the 115 Ontario municipalities that declared themselves unwilling hosts in 2013, including North Huron, to update their statuses. Lamb instructed council to provide direction on whether to maintain their previous position or to declare themselves willing to host a new wind turbine project.

Councillor Mitch Wright said that he wanted to hear from the East Wawanosh ward councillors on the issue because these types of projects affect farmers disproportionately.

Councillor Chris Palmer used the neighbouring municipality of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW), which actively hosts Continued on page 13

PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Decade-old shooting back on the docket with Panovski retrial

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

The hills are alive...

“An Afternoon of Music” took over Brussels United Church on Sunday, featuring the musical stylings of Blyth’s Darryn de Souza and the Mayfair Ukelele Band, seen above, as well as other local musicians who chipped in. The concert raised more than $700 for the North Huron Community Food Share. (John Stephenson photo)

The retrial of Boris Panovski, the now-79-year-old man accused of killing Don Frigo at the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area in September of 2014, is now underway in St. Thomas. After being found guilty of first-degree murder in the original 2018 trial in Goderich, Panovski again pleaded not guilty to the charges.

This comes after Panovski successfully appealed the verdict of guilty, for which he was sentenced to a mandatory life term with no chance of parole for 25 years. The 2021 appeal has led to the case being moved to Elgin County due to a lack of judicial resources in Huron County. The case had been under a publication ban until

it was lifted late last week.

Superior Court Justice Marc Garson will hear the case alone, which is in contrast to the jury trial that found Panovski guilty in Goderich in 2018.

Panovski is charged with killing Frigo, who was 70 at the time of his death in 2014. Frigo’s wife, Eva Willer Frigo, was wounded that day as well, as the couple rode horses in the conservation area. In the original trial, Panovski was charged with attempted murder in regards to Willer Frigo, but the jury eventually found him guilty of aggravated assault.

The first witness called in the trial was Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Myatt who was dispatched to Clinton Public Hospital to meet with Willer Frigo and photograph her injuries.

Reasons to celebrate, mourn in Walton last week PEOPLE AROUND WALTON

By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570

We had a great week of weather and the farmers were very busy.

Lots of acres of corn and soybeans are now in the ground. Of course, there is still more to go in by the big operators, but they will keep at it.

The first cut of hay is being cut and put in and still manure is being spread. Be watchful, as there is lots of big farm machinery on the roads all day and into the night. It is Monday as I write and it’s raining, so the farmers will have a couple of days off for rest and greasing machinery to be ready to go back to the field.

We have lots of congratulations to send out to five different couples.

We start with Alex and Michelle Melady, who have welcomed their first child, a wee baby boy. Wesley Gavin Melady made a quick entrance into their lives about three weeks early. All are well and this is the third grandson for Pat and Cathy Melady. Wesley just missed Grandma Cathy’s birthday by a day! He is the fifth great grandchild for Neil and Marie McGavin.

Congratulations to all.

Weddings on Saturday made Newry Road a busy road. The second event was the wedding of Emily Prior and Bill Brophy. The wedding and reception were held on the farm of Emily’s parents, Tim and Donna Prior. The day started cool and damp and then turned into a beautiful day for a wedding. The groom’s parents are Doug and Vicki Brophy of Wingham.

Congratulations to Bill and Emily.

The third event was a wedding just a little farther down Newry Road at the Baker farm. Isaac, the son of Shirley and the late Allan, married Heidi Raynard in an intimate ceremony on the farm.

Heidi’s parents are Glenn and Donna Raynard, formerly of Belgrave. The couple’s children, Kiera and Kinsley, were very

excited during the event. A lovely reception was held at the Belgrave Community Centre, so congratulations to the happy couple!

The fifth happy event on the weekend was the birth of a baby girl for Brandon and Rachel McGavin. They have welcomed a second daughter, Addison Jean, to join Paisley in play time. Neil and Marie McGavin now have six great-grandchildren! The family keeps growing.

We also have some sad events that are part of life. Our sympathies are extended to the Eedy family of Winthrop on the passing of Robert Eedy. He will be missed by his wife Sandra and their children Dan and Stefanie Eedy and Jennifer Eedy and Lucas. He was a grandfather of five.

Robert was a farmer through and through and loved the land. He will be missed by many. Our condolences to all.

Our condolences are also extended to the Cloakey family on

the sudden passing of Doug Cloakey. He will be lovingly missed by his wife Joan (McArter) Cloakey and their children Janisa Cloakey and Jody and Carter and Krista Cloakey.

A very special grandpa of two grandsons, he will be missed by his siblings Alex, Sharon Bondi and Sandra Brommer. Doug always had a smile and loved to farm and spend time with his family - entertaining his grandsons and going west to B.C. to visit his daughter and see the mountains. He will be missed by all. Our sympathies to the Cloakey and McArter families.

We send fast-healing wishes to Gloria Wilbee, who has suffered a foot injury. She has broken something and is in a walking cast.

Golfing is a dangerous game, I hear.

Get well soon.

The Walton Hall had its final Coffee Chat for the season and will take a hiatus until fall. There were a dozen or so in attendance at the hall on Saturday for the final chit chat,

Blyth Annual Used Book Sale Trinity Anglican Church 166 Dinsley St., Blyth

May 31 & June 1 Friday, May 31 ~ 4 pm to 9 pm (no early bird sales) Saturday, June 1 ~ 9 am to 4 pm

Book Intake May 30 from 8 am to 8 pm Donate your clean, gently used books and help us preserve the past.

Fill a Box with Books for $10

We regret that we cannot accept text books, encyclopedias, magazines or anything stained, dirty or torn. Please help us save the expense of dumping them!

Join us for our famous box sale on used books Saturday, June 1 from 2 to 4

For info contact deb@northhuron.on.ca

who enjoyed the coffee and had a few laughs. We will return in October and wish everyone a happy summer.

It was a celebration of May birthdays for our family on Sunday.

We travelled to New Hamburg to enjoy a swim in the pool and a barbecue at Adam and Kelly’s home. May is a popular month for birthdays that include Adam, Scott, Owen, Wes and Nate.

Celebrating birthdays this past week include Miles Linton, Jolene McNichol, Rachel Grosvenor, Ann Bosman, Rene Richmond, Emmalee Riley, Thea Rijkhoff, Nate McDonald, Harriet McClure, Marissa Curreri, Krysta Clarke, Geri-Lee Godkin, Adam Forbes and Rob Shortreed to end May. Happy birthday to all.

NEWS FROM WALTON

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SUDOKU Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles?

Then you’ll love sudoku. This mindbending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 3.

U13, U21 teams head to Mitchell

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Doctor’s orders The students at Hullett Central Public School celebrated all things Dr. Seuss last week with Seussical - Kids. From left: Naomi Rowe, June Bromley and Carlie Hakkers. (Scott Stephenson photo)

‘Seussical’ impresses at Hullett

At their monthly meeting on May 20, the Londesborough United Church Women (UCW) paid homage to mothers. The devotional time, led by Helen Lobb, Lena Nesbitt and Kittie MacGregor, began with the lighting of two candles, one for God’s presence at the meeting and the second for all the women who fill the role of mother.

Members were reminded that, throughout our lifetime, mothers love, teach and challenge their children to be the best God-fearing children they can be. The scriptures referenced were Isaiah 49:13 -18 and 2 Timothy 1:3-7. “Bless Our Homes and Families” was the evening’s chosen hymn.

Several ladies wore hats in honour of their mothers and all brought along a picture of their mother. Everyone had fun trying to guess to whom each picture belonged.

UCW President Kim Roetsicoender conducted a brief business meeting. Seven children

from our community received financing for a stay at a churchbased summer camp. It was also decided to support Patrick and Naomi Bergsma with their missionary work through Wycliffe Ministry. A summer gathering for the congregation will be held on July 20 at the home of Leo and Lynda Horbanuik. Fleece blankets have been prepared for the upcoming baptisms.

Kudos to everyone involved in Hullett Central School’s fun production of the musical, Seussical - Kids. I attended the dress rehearsal on Wednesday and was truly impressed.

The decorations and props were colourful and innovative: balloons, imaginative flowers, huge posters bearing the names of familiar Seuss books and “The Nest”. The costumes were equally spectacular and colourful.

As far as the audience could tell, not one of the cast of 25, mostly girls, missed their cue, their place on the stage or their words. It was a very energetic performance and the musical numbers were a credit to the young people performing them.

Many familiar Seuss characters, items like the “Hat” and terms like “Yopp” made their way into the musical. The play begins with Jojo, played by June Bromley, finding the “Cat Hat” and learning about all things Seuss, including Horton the Elephant and his adventures regarding The Who people. Jojo

quickly learns about all “The Thinks You Can Think” in Horton’s world/imagination.

And, yes, Horton, played by Avery Huhtala, sits in the nest on stage and hatches Mayzie La Bird’s egg. The bathtub scene and its special effects were also noteworthy. Another scene with fun choreography was that of the Wickersham Brothers, a trio of monkeys who tease Horton about The Whos.

A theme of sorts I took from the play was that a person is a person, no matter how small, and deserves respect. That is a lesson that persons of all ages need to remember when interacting with others. Imagination was applauded as well, for what would the world be without it? It was a very fun story and a fun production.

Congratulations to everyone!

All 500 ducks that went swimming on Sunday, May 25 for the Londesborough Lions Club’s annual duck race had a beautiful day for the swim and a fast-moving watercourse.

The first duck to finish and win $500 had been purchased by Bert Vandendool of the Londesborough area. Mike Spieran of Blyth “owned” the second-place duck and collected $200. The third duck across the finish line made $100 for Larry McNichol of Walton. The last duck to swim home won $100 for Duane Buffinga of Blyth.

This weekend, the U13 Girls and U21 Londesborough Legends teams will be heading to Mitchell for its annual Fastball Fest tournament.

On Monday, June 3, the U13 Girls will play the Mitchell Hornets Gloor team on the road, while the U13 Boys will play Twin Centre BB at home and the U21 team will play the Wilmot Thunder on the road.

The next night, the U7 Yellow team will play Benmiller on the road and the U9 team will host Seaforth. On June 5, the U11 team will play Elma AA on the road and the U13 Girls will play the Clinton Mustangs at home. On June 6, Ethel will travel to Londesborough to play the U7 Purple team.

On May 26, the U13 Girls tied the Goderich Seahawks Lime team at 14 on the road. That same night, the U21 team was in Innerkip to play the Junior Eagles and lost by a score of 13-8.

On May 23, the U21 team welcomed the Goderich Seahawks to Londesborough, but lost by a score of 13-4. Also that night, the U13 Boys played the Wilmot 22 team on the road, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time.

On May 22, the U9 team travelled to Fullarton and came back victorious to the tune of a 4-2 score, while the U11 team welcomed Elma AA to Londesborough, but a score for that

game was unavailable at press time.

On May 27, the U13 Boys were scheduled to host Seaforth, but that game was cancelled due to rain.

The U9 team hosted the Elma BB team on May 28, but a score was unavailable at press time.

On May 29, the U11 team played Shakespeare and the U13 Boys played Fullarton, both on the road, and on May 30, the U9 team played Elma AA on the road, the U13 Boys played Wilmot 33, also on the road, and the U21 team played the Fullarton A’s at home, but scores for those games were unavailable at press time.

For more information or a full schedule, visit online at londesborominorball.com.

NEWS FROM LONDESBORO

See the hand of God in all the barbarisms and incivilities of men!

(Thomas Watson) "The Almighty has afflicted me!" Ruth 1:21 "The cup which My Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?" John 18:11 All the injuries and unkind treatments we meet with from others, do not come to us by chance, but are ordained by the all-wise God for our good.

Many are like the foolish cur that snarls at the stick, never looking to the hand that swung it. If we looked higher than instruments, our hearts would grow meek and calm. Instruments can no more stir until God gives them a commission--than the ax can cut by itself without a hand. David looked beyond Shimei's rage: "Let him curse, for the Lord has bidden him!" 2 Samuel 16:11 What wisdom for Christians--to see the hand of God in all the barbarisms and incivilities of men! Job eyed God in his affliction, and that meekened his spirit: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised!" Job 1:21. He does not say, The Chaldeans have taken away--but "The Lord has taken away."

Whoever brings an affliction, it is God who sends it.

"God has sovereign right to dispose of us as He pleases. We ought to acquiesce in all that God does with us and to us." William Carey "When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other!" Ecclesiastes 7:14 "Shall we poor worms give laws to our supreme Lord and Governor, and oblige Him always to bless and favor us, and never to afflict us?" Matthew Poole "What? Should we accept only good things from the hand of God, and never anything bad?" Job 2:10

And away they go!

The Londesborough and District Lions Club held its annual duck race on Sunday, sending out 500 ducks into the water to see which one finished first, with the winner claiming the top prize of $500. (John Stephenson photo)

A Grace Gem Submitted by: Immanuel United Reformed Church.

Listowel, on 519-291-3887

PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Editorials & Opinions

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

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Add friend?

The number of scammers operating on social media is exploding recently thanks to the seeming impunity that is granted to them by the companies that control the platforms. The types of scams vary, but we’ve all seen the desperate posts from friends and family, “Don’t accept any friend requests from me. I’ve been hacked.” The more sophisticated of the criminals have taken to locking the user out of their Facebook account and then begin to con their friends out of thousands of dollars.

Grandparent scams are prevalent and recently a woman in New Brunswick was locked out of her account and the scammer impersonated her, using the story of an aging parent transferring to long-term care and that she was selling off valuable possessions for much-needed cash.

Despite appeals to Meta, the company refused to help as she watched helplessly as her friends made deals to buy things like trucks and hot tubs with the impression that they were dealing with her.

Locally, Huron County residents are reporting more and more incidents of hacked accounts and impersonator accounts that are remaining up, despite pleas to Facebook.

According to its annual report, Meta, which also owns Instagram, Messenger, Threads and WhatsApp, raked in a whopping $135 billion dollars in 2023 (up 16 per cent over the previous year), so it could afford to secure accounts, if it chose to. It’s up to consumers of social media to demand Meta take our security more seriously. Until the financial equation favours users’ security, Meta is not going to put in any great effort to gain control over the fraudsters. – DS

With a cloth or something?

Thanks to Hillary Clinton (and we don’t always get to thank Hillary on this page) we now know that when there’s talk about deleted e-mails and wiped hard drives, only bad things can happen.

Here in Ontario, the provincial privacy commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, has said she will publish a special report on the use of nongovernmental e-mail accounts and deleted messages related to the Greenbelt saga. Kosseim, writing to the NDP, who had originally asked Kosseim to look into the use of personal phones and e-mails in relation to the Greenbelt issue, said her office currently has 19 access-toinformation appeals on the go related to the Greenbelt.

Premier Doug Ford’s government removed land from the Greenbelt in late 2022, aiming to build more houses on the land, but reversed course after overwhelming scrutiny. The saga of Hillary Clinton aside, everyone smells something rotten in the State of Denmark when the issue of deleted e-mails rears its ugly head. In the era of digital accountability, endless cloud-based storage, back-up drives and more, there’s next to no reason to delete e-mails. Unless, of course, they contain something bad. Despite his claims to the contrary, Ford is about as secretive of a Premier as Ontario’s had, so deleted e-mails should raise some red flags.

As for what they contain, we can only speculate. However, with the culture of secrecy Ford has cultivated and many Ontarians feeling they’re on a need-to-know basis with him, it’s hard not to brace for the worst and to expect that the e-mails, should they see the light of day, may confirm what Ford’s critics have said about him for years: it’s Ford’s development buddies’ world and we’re just living in it. – SL

Farming into the future In a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), researchers have unveiled a revolutionary tool that promises to redefine agriculture as we know it. Harnessing the power of carbon nanotubes, scientists have developed sensors capable of detecting subtle signals emitted by plants under stress. By identifying key signaling molecules such as hydrogen peroxide and salicylic acid, farmers can monitor their crops in real-time, gaining invaluable insights into their health. Gone are the days of relying solely on visual cues to detect distress in plants; with these sophisticated sensors, farmers can intervene proactively, mitigating potential threats before they escalate.

What sets this technology apart is its universality. Unlike previous methods that required genetic engineering of specific plant species, these sensors can be applied to virtually any plant, making them accessible to farmers worldwide. By deciphering the intricate language of stress responses, researchers have unlocked nature’s own defense mechanisms, offering a glimpse into the resilience of flora. From repelling insect predators to acclimating to changing environmental conditions, plants exhibit a sophistication that belies their lack of a central nervous system.

On the precipice of a new agricultural revolution, let us recognize the pioneering spirit of farmers who embrace innovation with open arms.

Their willingness to adopt and adapt to emerging technologies not only ensures the sustainability of our food systems, but also reaffirms their role as stewards of the land. – SBS

Looking Back Through the Years June 4, 1969 Bob Scott, of Morris Township, underwent a rather disheartening experience with a herd of Hereford steers on the former Newcombe farm east of Blyth.

It was believed that children had been using the premises and the barn on the property as a playground and had carried old batteries onto the farm. These became broken somehow, and two of the steers died last week from lead poisoning, apparently obtained from inside the batteries.

The area in the Blyth Public School grounds that was contaminated by sewage was fenced off by the Huron County Board of Education. This action was, no doubt, the direct result of a meeting on May 20, when a delegation from Blyth attended a board meeting to request such a move.

The board apparently intended to purchase more land adjacent to the school yard in order to extend the existing septic tank system.

Blyth firefighters were called to the Radford Construction Company lot on Morris Street last Friday afternoon and quickly dealt with a blaze on the property.

Pete Kelly, an employee of the firm, was cutting a bumper off a truck parked in the lot when sparks from the operation ignited oil on the ground.

Although the fire produced considerable smoke and flame, it was soon extinguished with no significant damage incurred.

May 31, 1989 The Blyth Extended Service Office for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) held its opening on Monday, June 13 at 2:00 p.m.

Offices like the one in Blyth had

been opening across District 6 of the OPP to help the police departments in this area provide more personal service to the communities. A liaison officer, Constable Mike Alexander, was assigned to Blyth.

Hundreds of local protestors signed a petition in hopes of obtaining needed beds for the Callander Nursing Home in Brussels to prevent its closure.

Over 582 names were signed on the petition that was handed to Jim Fitzgerald, executive assistant to Jack Riddell, the Ontario Agriculture Minister, last Friday.

“We’ve done all we can,” said Mary Stretton, secretary of the steering committee that rallied the community for support.

Murray Cardiff, M.P. for HuronBruce, brought smiles to the faces of county officials Friday when he delivered a cheque for $614,000 to the Huron County Pioneer Museum.

The grant was the second part of a $1,150,000 grant for Phase II of the museum project. Phase II included the renovation of the old Central School portion of the museum, the original building. The money went towards the renovation and provided exhibition, storage, and programming space. The grant was provided under the CanadaOntario Cultural Development Subsidiary Agreement.

July 24, 1996 As the date approached for the NHL draft, Blyth hockey fans and residents in general were rooting for one of their own.

After a stellar season with the St. Mike’s Majors Junior A hockey team, 17-year-old Justin Peters was ranked fourth for goaltenders in North America

leading up to the June 26 draft.

“It’s pretty exciting. I’m honoured,” said Peters.

The Brussels, Morris, and Grey Community Centre parking lot was filled with a wide range of different models and years of cars and trucks during the annual community yard sale on May 29. Although last year it was rained out, the custom car show and swap meet were a success this year as many people placed their votes for the best vehicle.

Anyone not interested in autos could hunt for bargains at the village yard sale in which approximately 50 households participated.

Kindergarten students from Brussels Public School surprised their teacher, Mary Hall, with a present for her 27 years of teaching.

Hall, who was retiring, received a scrapbook made of her students’ artwork and messages of what each student would miss about her.

The Avon Maitland District School Board announced its principal and vice-principal placements for the 2004-2005 school year.

Locally, Frank Stretton, the former vice-principal at Listowel Central Public School, would act as the principal at East Wananosh. He replaced Shelly Blackmore, who became the new principal at Wallace Public School.

Alice McDowell, the former principal at Grey Central Public School, became the principal at Victoria Public School, replaced by Rob Snell, the former viceprincipal at Avon Public School.

Kerry Carlyle from the Thames Valley District School Board became the vice-principal at Seaforth Public School.

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 5.

Other Views

You can pay me now or pay me later

C

hecking the polls recently, it seems assured, unless things change wildly, that the next election will see Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as Canada’s next Prime Minister. One big reason, apparently, is that Canadians are fed up with the carbon tax.

Poilievre courts support with the simple challenge to the Justin Trudeau Liberal government to “Axe the Tax”. Part of the problem for Trudeau’s government is that most people don’t have a clear idea of what the tax does.

Let’s get this straight right off the bat - I benefit from the carbon tax. Every three months, my bank account mysteriously increases thanks to money to offset the carbon tax sent by the federal government. As for the cost of the tax, I don’t drive a lot of miles, so I don’t often get gas and see the tax increase the cost of a tank of gas.

Our home is heated with geothermal heat, drawn from the ground, so we have no tax on furnace oil or natural gas. Our electricity bill is higher because geothermal requires electricity to pump the heat from the earth, but we still spend less on energy than most people - and save the carbon tax because of it. I haven’t done the math but there’s no doubt that I come out ahead with the carbon tax. According to the statistics, 60 per cent of Canadian households will receive more than they paid in carbon taxes.

The problem is, we don’t really recognize the tax rebate we get from the government because it silently slips into our bank accounts.

Meanwhile we see the cost of the tax every time we go to the gas station.

That’s the way it was supposed to work, of course: to remind us every time we filled the tank of the cost of burning gas, but compensating people who used less. But, it

Keith Roulston

From the cluttered desk appears, the government outsmarted itself. We see the cost of using carbon, and we fume, but we don’t see our rebates that slip silently into our bank accounts.

And Mr. Poilievre benefits because he regularly targets the tax, but he never mentions the rebates we get that many Canadians don’t notice. When he promises to “axe the tax” he never mentions those rebates. Either he’s going to add greatly to the national debt by eliminating the carbon tax, but still giving us the rebate, or most of us are suddenly going to be out of pocket.

Meanwhile, we don’t seem to be picking up signals of the cost of excessive use of carbon.

Last summer, we in the southern parts of Canada and Americans south of the border coughed our way through smoke from forest fires in nearly every province in Canada. With a continued drought, the forest fire season started even earlier this year with people in communities in northern B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan moved from their homes to avoid fires. Thankfully light rains have lessened the risk, temporarily at least, but we need much more rain to bring relief this year.

A documentary on TV the other night pointed to the problem. Way back in June of 1992, a total of 154 countries signed the UNFCCC, agreeing to combat harmful human impacts on the climate. The 27th version of the same conference was held last year in Sharm

El-Sheikh, Egypt. As might be expected from a conference in an oil-producing region, little progress was made in cutting petroleum production.

That’s been the challenge of the issue: how to cut pollution, mostly from burning carbon, without hurting the people who depend on sales of carbon.

Here in Canada, the federal government stepped in to finish the Trans Mountain pipeline, originally planned by Kinder Morgan, to deliver natural gas from Alberta to the Pacific coast. Did that win plaudits from Alberta? Carbon fees are still an enemy of the right-wing Alberta government. Under Premier Danielle Smith, Alberta has even outlawed building new wind turbines, even though Alberta was once Canada’s leader in electricity from wind.

The federal government shot itself in the foot earlier this year when it cut carbon taxes in the Maritimes, where people spend more to heat their homes - and also vote Liberal. By doing so, they also undermined the value of the carbon tax as a way of getting us to use less carbon.

Meanwhile, as part of the strategy of the carbon tax, the cost gets heavier. In December of 2020, the federal government announced a plan to increase the carbon price by $15 per tonne per year from 2023 to 2030.

Hurricanes are expected to get worse this year - part of the ongoing cost of climate change. Tornadoes are more frequent because of climate change, and we’ve already discussed the misery of forest fires.

We have a choice - change the way we live or have it changed for us by natural forces trying to cope with climate change. The problem is, even if we change, it will take nature years to recover. We can’t afford to delay any longer.

It’s the end of the world as we ChaffWeb

V

ideo may have killed the radio star, but the internet will kill us all! And that is why The Chaff is proud to announce that we’re going online! Delete your Faceborg accounts and X out your Twizzler pages because it’s time to sign up, sign in and sign on to the scion of websites and social media services: ChaffWeb! Welcome to ChaffWeb, your one-stop wonder for a wanton disregard of humanity’s best interests. We’re here so you don’t have to be anywhere else! Want something? We’ve got it! Want nothing? We’ve got even more of that! Strap-in and tie one on, this is ChaffWeb! A lot of the other social media websites face accusations of being addictive, but we here at ChaffWeb think they’re not addictive enough. When you’re on ChaffWeb, you shouldn’t think about anything else. Have a family? Ignore them! Hungry for sustenance?

Snack on ChaffWeb! Thirsty for water? Sip on the sweet, syrupy service that sloppily sloshes and spills loose - ChaffWeb! Chug!

Chug! Chug! Is it supposed to be unpleasantly viscous? Yes! That means it’s working.

There are concerns about children being targeted by social media companies for use of their products. Our number-one concern here at ChaffWeb is that, these days, children are too savvy to get hooked on our hyperaddictive, algorithm-driven offerings. This is why we are going after toddlers and tots! But why stop there? Try ChaffWeb for fetuses!

We won’t participate in the divisive debate on whether or not life begins at conception because we don’t think you need to be “a person” to enjoy ChaffWeb. Fellas, try using ChaffWeb for sperm! Ladies, inseminate your eggs with ChaffWeb! Life begins when you sign up for ChaffWeb!

Scott Stephenson The Chaff Some say social media services have upended democracies worldwide, but we say “who cares?” If democracy was so important, then why is everyone abandoning it with abandon? Seems like the votes are in: ChaffWeb wins in a landslide! Democracy dies in darkness and the spirit of ChaffWeb is pitch black!

There are those with concerns that using services like those offered by ChaffWeb exacerbates mental health disorders. We here at ChaffWeb may not be medical professionals, have any relevant training or even a basic understanding of what we’re even talking about, but we are still happy to offer our opinion on those concerns: they are bonkers, wacko, crazy! Mental health is a myth perpetuated by so-called “experts” attempting to stifle ChaffWeb’s quest to undermine the ability of communities all over the world to take care of themselves. Paging Dr. Dork! You’re not wanted anymore.

Online scams are flourishing and nobody likes to be duped out of their hard-earned dollars. That’s why we here at ChaffWeb are proactively disclosing that we are a scam.

When you sign-up for ChaffWeb, you give us all of your personal information: credit card numbers, social insurance numbers, home addresses, e-mail addresses, secret e-mail addresses you use while running for Huron East Council - all of it! Why worry about losing everything when you can be confident

knowing that you’ll soon have nothing left?

Traditional media like print newspapers have informed communities worldwide for hundreds of years but - wake up, grandpa times are changing. Access to reliable information is going the way of a dumb dinosaur who died before all of the other dinosaurs were wiped-off the earth. Get out of the way, newspapers, ChaffWeb is leading the charge to annihilate all life on this planet.

Hey Spielberg! Here’s a pitch for you Newspaper Park. It’s a story about scientists who bring newspapers back to life in a world where nobody knows how to read! You can stream it now on ChaffWeb! Critics are calling it very troubling, extremely uncomfortable and laugh-out-loud hilarious!

It stars Ryan Reynolds alongside an artificial intelligence-powered rendering of John Candy, despite objections from Candy’s estate.

In the olden days, local businesses would buy advertising in community newspapers every week to support the effort chronicling important events into a permanent, factual record. But why invest in your community when supporting billionaire tech giants is so easy and cheap? Billionaires deserve our dollars more than communities need to know about hospital closures. Maybe one day, they’ll buy our dysfunctional hospitals and turn them into desperately-needed housing for their pets. Paging Dr. Dog. Woof, woof!

“Fake news” is the new “truth” and “fake truth” is the only news you can use on ChaffWeb. Users caught posting information about active wildfires will be punished by immolation. Fair is fair, and on ChaffWeb fair is fire 🔥🔥🔥!

Wave the white flag, reality, your time is up. On ChaffWeb, the only thing that’s real is the inescapable feeling of despair!

Shawn Loughlin Shawn’s Sense

After filming...

L

ast week, Jess and I finished a Netflix documentary and, over the course of the three hours, we learned a lot before arriving at that most holy of documentary staples: the information dump at the end.

You’ve all seen it before - at the end of a documentary, often on a plain black screen, the filmmakers tie up any loose ends that may be hanging after the on-screen action concludes.

Spotlight, for example, told you where all of the offending members of the Catholic Church ended up (Oprah voice: You get a promotion!

You get a promotion!) and the countries and cities in which church abuse scandals were discovered in the wake of the investigation.

It got me thinking about how much we all look forward to one of those screens, filling in the blanks, updating what we’ve seen and answering our questions. So, in a completely fun and made-up exercise, let’s do a few for us.

The first one would come after one of Citizen founder Keith Roulston’s columns in which he minimizes the impact he feels he’s had on his community. The screen goes black.

Subtle white text reads: In 2025, Keith Roulston was invested into the Order of Canada for his work as a journalist, playwright and community builder.

The next would be after another crowdpleasing installment of The Chaff. The Chaff: The Play was turned into a seven-film saga by A24. It not only told the three-part story of The Chaff: The Play, but went further back, telling the story of Scott creating The Chaff, Scott’s parents creating him, his grandparents creating his parents and the very creation of life itself (directed by David Lynch).

Speaking of Lynch, after another lively local Pride flag debate we’d hear that he has been elected Master and Commander of the newlyamalgamated country comprised of Canada and the United States. He’d apply his transgender positivity from Twin Peaks to his policies, insisting that bigots “fix their hearts or die.” Most die and are given military-style funerals in which their coffins are draped in a Pride flag and lowered into the ground to Hedwig and The Angry Inch songs because Lynch thinks it’s funny. And it is. It’s funny.

After Citizen resident historian Karen Webster and Goderich-based historian David Yates unknowingly write about the same topic on the same week for their respective publications, a Jeopardy-style local history competition is organized. They match wits well into the night. Exhausted and mentally depleted, they choose to decide the contest via fistfight, despite both being non-violent and acknowledging the complicated nature of an intergender fistfight. Karen wins handily.

After more than a decade of emergency room closures in Clinton, the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance drastically reverses its vaccination policy. The hospital only hires completely vaccine-free nurses. One very tired, yet endlessly energetic nurse works the hospital 24 hours a day, mainly treating smallpox with crystals, maggots and bleach.

With that Gypsy Lane mess behind it, North Huron Council leans into its victory. Council renames all of Blyth’s streets with racial slurs.

One councillor suggests expansion to include homophobic slurs - a report, authored by three dozen North Huron staffers, is forthcoming.

And so concludes another installment of Shawn’s Sense with Shawn Loughlin. When Elon Musk rounded up the world’s reporters and executed them in his ‘Liar’s Pit’, Loughlin slithered away undetected after Musk’s robots dismissed Shawn’s Sense as a collection of dumb observations of no journalistic value.

PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Columnist reflects on time with Munro A NOTE FROM BETTY

By Betty Graber Watson Call 887-9231

On the road again The Brussels Optimist Club held its second annual bike rodeo and pedal tractor pull at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre on Saturday, giving village young people a chance to get active despite the relatively wet morning. (John Stephenson photo)

Webster earns bronze for column Continued from page 1 Heritage category for her bi-weekly column on local history, finishing behind The Eganville Leader in second place and The Listowel Banner in first.

This is the sixth time in the last nine years that The Citizen has won a provincial newspaper award, in addition to Stops Along The Way being honoured with a 2021 award, a silver medal in the Best Vertical Product category.

The Citizen’s website received an honourable mention at the 2021 awards in addition to the Stops Along The Way win.

In 2020, The Citizen placed second in the Best Special Section (circulation under 9,999) for its special section on the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association.

At the 2019 awards, The Citizen placed third in the General Excellence category for its circulation class and Loughlin won a bronze medal in the Best Sports Photograph of the Year category.

In 2018, The Citizen placed first in the Best Rural Story category for newspapers with a circulation of 9,999 or under for a story on rural homelessness written by Rural Voice Editor Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot, while in 2017, the newspaper won first place in the Best Community Website category for a newspaper with a circulation under 9,999.

In 2015, The Citizen placed third in General Excellence for its circulation class, as well as in the Best Community Website category for its circulation class.

In 2019, The Citizen won a News

Media Canada national newspaper award in the Best Rural Story category, which followed several years of honours at the national level.

The Citizen received secondplace finishes in the Best Overall Newspaper, Best Front Page and Best Editorial Page categories for its circulation class at the 2014 awards before triumphing in all three categories the following year, being named the best newspaper in Canada, the best front page and the best editorial page in its circulation class that year.

Brussels Legion 218 Catch the Ace Weekly Winner Winning Ticket: Bob & Monica Richardson, $160.

Envelope #28 found the 10 of Hearts.

Next estimated jackpot is $2,800.

Shop Local incluudes Local Advveertisiing

At the Branch

Richardsons win

By Jo-Ann McDonald It was a very quiet week at the Branch. As many would say, it is the calm before the storm. The posts are in for the new sign and the ground has been levelled and it’s ready for grass seed.

The Friday night Catch the Ace draw had Sandra, Lisa and Joan in charge. The weekly winners were Bob and Monica Richardson and they won $160. The envelope they chose was number 28 and the 10 of hearts was revealed.

The estimated jackpot for week 12 is $2,800. Get your ticket today at McDonald Home Hardware, the Brussels Pharmacy and Brussels Variety and the Legion.

The patio is being enjoyed by all and burgers and fries are served on Friday evenings.

It is karaoke tonight at the Branch with Stubby D entertaining. The music starts after the Catch the Ace

Don’t you just love it when a memory makes you smile? I’ve had several of those moments this past week. Alice Munro’s death got me thinking of Sheila Richards and her involvement with the new Blyth Festival theatre, yes time does fly.

On several occasions, persuasive Sheila got me into things where I had no comfort level. After a noshow fortune teller for one of the first fairs, she got me to dress in garb and sit on the lawn of the theatre. For 25 cents they could ask me a question. Lots of fun. Then Sheila asked if I had met Alice Munro, telling me she just returned from a book promotion to Australia. I confessed to telling Alice she should change careers.

My fortune teller career was ruined.

But Alice did alright.

The career recognition of Christine Sinclair, our marvelous soccer player, leader and hero, is my next smile. Mattel toy makers, in their track of celebrating trailblazing women, have made a Christine “Barbie” to honour all her accomplishments in life and soccer. Her doll joins several other terrific Canadian women who have done us proud in other walks of life:

sports, music, medicine and education.

On the weekend, the United Church folks met with our Western Ontario Waterways Region in Port Elgin to discuss churchy stuff. It’s always good to meet with friends from the past and see the new and challenging issues on the table. Our Moderator, The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Landsdowne, was in attendance and spoke to us three times. My smile is huge here. I love her take on the changing church and how she says exactly what she sees and thinks.

Church attendance is no longer part of regular life for many people.

Churches need to adapt and get ready to change our attitude and actions. Change is part of life, but it’s often fear of the unknown that makes us skittish. These are exciting times. A quote from Rev. Alex Jebson’s Citizen column last week sums it up, saying that we don’t “fear the winds of change, but [see] winds of opportunity to love and serve others more deeply... with common language of love and justice.”

The lawn sales on the weekend sounded like fun with the Leo Club making sure the nutrition of the visitors was looked after.

Then, the musical people in the community were thinking about the North Huron Food Share, as their talents were shared with the appreciative audience; appreciative to the tune of over $700. From strings and notes and words, the ideas of sharing were evident. Thanks to the talents and leadership of this “Afternoon of Music”.

Bye now. Betty GW

draw, so around 7:30 p.m. Drop by with your voice and have some fun.

When you buy an ad from us, you are supporting ti llocal.l O Our entire e ti staff t ff - editor, dit publisher, bli h repporter, t sales l rep. production coordinator, designer, photographer, columnists, coorrespondents, freelancers, proofrreaders and mail crew all live and spend right here in Huron County.

County Mark Zuckerberg and Google probably won’t send a photographer to your event or a reporter to interview nterview the chair of your service club or attend five municipal councils on your behalf.

We have 2000 newspapers that go out every week that are each read by an average of four people. le. These readers shop locally, so this is a win-win-win scenario.

Suppor t your community newspaper so that it can suppor ppor t you!

NEWS FROM BRUSSELS

PO Box 429 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

The Citizen

519-523-4792 huroncitizen.ca

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 7.

Court replacement set for Wingham

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen

Rub-a-dub-dub Hullett Central Public School’s production of Seussical - Kids last week was a hit with parents, community members and everyone in between. There was a matinee performance last Wednesday, followed by an evening performance the following night.

From left: Charlotte Hakkers, June Bromley (front), Josie Cochrane and Peyton Badley.

(Scott Stephenson photo)

The Reading Web with Cindy Norgate

P

icture it! Kindergarteners are running around quickly arranging flowers just right and selling them to customers who pass by. You can’t imagine it? I see this every week in Ms. Eggleston’s Kindergarten class. During play time, children are allowed to choose what they want to do. Some of the centres stay the same, while others are constantly changing. Lately, there has been a popular area, which is the floral shop. All sorts of silk flowers have been brought in along with unbreakable vases. There is a large tub of corn kernels that are used as soil, and a cash register sits where someone can take your order.

All sorts of learning goes on here.

Other times, I’ve noticed, the teacher has brought in a flower or plant arrangement and the students can choose to sketch, paint or model it with clay. This type of play allows for creativity which is exercising the young mind.

When I was in Kindergarten, you know, before the dinosaurs, I don’t remember having any sort of structured play. We simply were sent either into the gym or outside and that was it. Once I entered university, I learned the importance of allowing children a time to participate in structured play.

I’ve mentioned something like

this in the past, but it is worth a second look. In my weekly research, I found thegeniusofplay.org. I want to focus on this topic for the next few weeks, as there are 10 benefits to the idea of play.

The first benefit mentioned is that play strengthens children emotionally, mentally and psychologically. Furthermore, when children play, it helps them to solve problems and overcome obstacles and challenges. According to the website it all “builds the brain”.

In a few weeks, I will feature a way to set up a structured play area in your home, so your child or grandchild can enjoy this at home.

Hey! You could even join in. It’s fabulous fun!

For our reading this week, I wanted to feature a Canadian children’s book. I found so many great ones, but the one I chose is A Garden Called Home by Jessica J. Lee and Elaine Chen (2024).

According to the author, “What makes the place we live feel like home? This is a warm-hearted and lush picture book about family, the immigrant experience and how a simple garden can foster a connection to the larger natural world.” This book was written for children aged three to seven.

“Jessica J. Lee is a British-

Canadian-Taiwanese author, environmental historian, and winner of the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, the Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature, the Banff Mountain Book Award, and the RBC Taylor Prize Emerging Writer Award. She has a PhD in Environmental History and Aesthetics and is the founding editor of The Willowherb Review. She teaches creative writing at the University of Cambridge.”

As I leave it here for this week, don’t forget to visit your local library and sign up for your child’s free library card. Along with the card comes special perks, such as free entry into the Huron County Museum in Goderich. What a better way to keep the mind sharp this summer than to get lost in a book.

“I read all the time, and I'm often struck by something I’m reading.” Alice Munro (rest in peace).

North Huron Council approved a tender from Multiple Enterprises Inc. valued at $152,572 for the removal and replacement of a tennis/pickleball court in Wingham at a regular meeting held on Tuesday, May 21.

Outgoing Director of Public Works and Facilities Gregg Furtney presented a report to council outlining three tender submissions received for the project. The other two bids received were valued at $258,600 and $290,000.

Earlier in the meeting, Reeve Paul Heffer congratulated Furtney on his new position as Chief Administrative Officer for the Township of Minto.

According to Furtney’s report, the location of the existing Wingham tennis courts is in front of F.E. Madill Secondary School.

Deputy-Reeve Kevin Falconer questioned the logic behind improving facilities on a property that, he believes, is not owned by North Huron. Furtney said his understanding is that the property is owned by North Huron and would have to get back to Falconer for clarification.

Councillor Chris Palmer expressed concerns about the discrepancy between the budgeted amount of $230,000 and the tender amount of $152,572, considering the project also received a $60,000 grant from the Vance Fund. “I hate seeing larger numbers than necessary,” said Palmer, adding that he also expected to see fundraising from those intending to use the facilities. Furtney replied saying that the approved budgeted amount is $230,000, the Vance Fund grant of $60,000 would be used first, and the remaining $170,000 would

complete the project, which he expects will come in lower than budgeted.

With regards to fundraising, Furtney pointed toward the recently adopted North Huron fundraising policy and said that the delegates behind the project would be “walked through the process.”

Furtney said he has also been told that there is a generous donor who intends to support the project.

“When the money is already secured,” replied Palmer, “it really, sort of, takes the bite out of ‘Oh, should we fundraise or not? You know, there’s no need, heavens, North Huron’s got the money, they’re going to do it.’”

Councillor Mitch Wright lamented the fact that the fundraising policy wasn’t in place in time for this project, but believes the right process is in place.

A motion to approve the lowest bid was passed by council.

Cowbell honoured nationally Over the weekend, Cowbell Brewing from Blyth won two 2024 Canadian Brewing Awards in Hamilton, building on its alreadyrobust slate of awards.

The brewery won a silver medal in the North American-style Lager category for Shindig and a bronze medal in the German Kolsch-style category for Absent Landlord, the beer that started it all for Cowbell.

To see a full list of winners from last weekend’s awards, visit canadianbrewingawards.com.

MAITLAND M AITLAND V VALLEY ALLEY CAMERA CAMERA C CLUB LUB

Townsends celebrate

By Deb Hakkers With all the rain, you can almost see the crops and the grass growing.

This week, we wish a happy birthday to Bob McInnes on May 31, Matt Townsend on June 2, Albert Wasson on June 5 and Katie

Dockstader on June 6. We also wish a happy anniversary to Ken and Dianne Siertsema on May 31 and Bodie and Ollie Craig on June 3.

We hope everyone enjoys their special day!

Until next week, take care of yourselves and each other!

NEWS FROM BLYTH

Photography by Blair Smith

PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Sports

Brewers open Fastball League season with tie

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen The 2024 Huron County Fastball League season is now underway and it began in the most equitable way possible... a tie.

In Linwood, league newcomers Elmira hosted the Walton Brewers on May 22 and the two teams played to an 11-11 tie. Two days later, the Brussels Bangers opened their season, falling to the Monkton Muskrats by a score of 7-1 in Monkton.

On May 26, the Wroxeter Royals hosted the Mitchell Mets and won the game by a score of 9-0. That day also proved to be a special one for Mac Fischer, who pitched a perfect game for the Belmore Stingers, who welcomed Elmira to Belmore, but sent them back on the wrong end of a 9-0 score.

On Tuesday, May 28, the Brussels Tigers played the first game of their season, heading south to play the Walton Brewers and Elmira then hosted the Mitchell Mets in Linwood on May 29, but scores for

those games were unavailable at press time.

Tonight, there are three games on the schedule. The Walton Brewers will head to Sebringville to play the Sting, the Fullarton A’s will play the Grizzlies in Goderich and the Belmore Stingers will travel to Monkton to play the Mets.

On June 1, the Walton Brewers will play the Brussels Bangers in the village as part of Brussels Ball Day. The game will be the finale of the day after several minor ball games will be played over the course of the day.

The next day, the Sebringville Sting will host the Belmore Stingers for matinee action that will begin at 2 p.m.

On June 4, the Walton Brewers are back hosting again, welcoming the Mitchell Mets to Walton, followed by the Brussels Tigers’ first home game of the season, when they’ll welcome the Wingham Hitmen to the village on June 5.

There is a trio of games on the schedule for Friday, June 7. The Mitchell Mets will travel to

Milverton for a contest with the AW Millwrights, the Brussels Bangers will host the Fullarton A’s and the Brussels Tigers

will head to Wroxeter to play the Rippers.

Two days later there are three more games on the slate. On June 9,

Milverton will be in Belmore, the Wingham Hitmen will play the Rippers in Wroxeter and Monkton will visit Fullarton.

Brussels U13 Girls win The U15 Brussels Tigers Girls fastball team was in Goderich on Friday night for a game against the Goderich Seahawks Lime/Black team with the locals returning home on the wrong end of a 17-2 score.

On May 21, the U13 Girls were also in Goderich, taking on the Seahawks Lime team. The locals won the game by a score of 14-10.

On Tuesday, May 28, the U9 Black team hosted Lucknow and the U15 Girls welcomed the Listowel Legends to Brussels. The girls lost to Listowel by a score of 12-11, while a score for the U9 game was unavailable at press time.

Three games - the U13 Boys team playing Benmiller on the road, the U13 Girls welcoming the Listowel Legends Snider team to Brussels and the U17 Boys hosting Sebringville in Brussels - were scheduled for Monday, May 27, but were cancelled due to the rain.

On May 29, the U11 Boys hosted Wingham and the U11 Girls welcomed the Mitchell Hornets Broughton team to Brussels, but scores for those games were unavailable at press time.

Brussels Minor Ball Day is returning on Saturday, June 1 with a full slate of games and plenty of other activities to keep everyone busy and entertained.

At 8 a.m. that day, the Black and Red T-ball teams will play one another on the village’s main diamond, followed by a 9 a.m. contest between the U7 Black and Red teams.

The U9 Black and Red teams will play one another at 10 a.m., followed by the first game with an outside opponent when the U11 Girls take on the Listowel Legends at 11:30 a.m.

At 1 p.m., the U11 Boys will play Seaforth, the U13 Girls will play the Elma Express 2 team at 2:30 p.m. and the U13 Boys will play Wingham at 4 p.m.

At 5:30 p.m., the U15 Girls will play the final youth game of the day against Seaforth before the Brussels

Bangers take on the Walton Brewers at 7:30 p.m. in Huron County Fastball League action.

Also that day, there will be a barbecue, cotton candy and visits Continued on page 17

Rough and tumble As part of the Huron-Perth Rugby Championships, F.E. Madill hosted a game last week with St. Mike’s from Stratford. The score at the end of regulation was tied at five, but Madill would triumph by a score of 22-5 after overtime. (Scott Stephenson photo)

39th Annual Citizen of the Year Award Nominations Open Pictured on left, Wayne Clausius being presented his 2023 Citizen of the Year award by North Huron Publishing publisher Deb Sholdice.

There are so many people out there who do so much to improve their community.

This is your opportunity to show your appreciation for all they do.

Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area and Brussels and area communities and wider Huron County area to receive an award for contribution to the community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the form and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and they didn't win, we encourage you to submit again. Emailed submissions can be sent to Shawn Loughlin at editor@northhuron.on.ca I nominate ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ as Citizen of the year for

q

Blyth & area

q

Brussels & area

q

Huron County

I feel she/he deserves this award because ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nomination Deadline September 27, 2024.

Name and phone number of nominator Fax: 519-523-9140 Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 9.

HE votes to fly Pride flag

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen In response to a request from Huron Perth Public Health and Huron County Pride, Huron East Council has voted to fly the Pride flag next month and declare June to be Pride Month.

This same request that had been circulated to all of Huron County’s lower-tier municipalities generated no conversation among council at its May 21 meeting, with councillors simply voting in favour of the request and moving on to the next issue.

This came on the same night that Central Huron Council narrowly voted in favour of declaring June Pride Month and did not entertain a motion to fly the Pride flag in Central Huron. *** At the same meeting, Huron East

Council approved the closure of Seaforth’s main street between Goderich Street and George Street on Saturday, July 27 for Seaforth’s Main Street Summerfest.

Gouinlock Street will also be closed for the event, with the closures being in effect from 11 a.m. that day until 6 p.m. *** Council has approved the purchase of a new three-quarter-ton truck for the municipality’s Community Services Department.

The truck came in at a cost of $63,302 plus taxes from Robinson Chevrolet.

Four tenders were received, but only two met Huron East’s specifications. The other was from Huron Motor Products in the amount of $65,530 before taxes.

Councillor Larry McGrath asked why the truck being purchased was of the three-quarter-ton variety,

rather than a half-ton. Director of Community Services Lissa Berard told McGrath that it will have to carry a water tank for flower maintenance, which he said made sense.

The truck was purchased to replace the department’s older truck, which, when it was brought in for safety certification, failed, resulting in the need for a new truck. *** Also at that meeting, council authorized the signing of a lease with Finish Line Fitness Inc. for the new gym at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre.

Councillors had a few questions for Berard ahead of passing this bylaw.

First, Councillor Ray Chartrand asked if the company would be providing its own fitness Continued on page 15

Catch of the day Courtney Chambers and Neil Bieman were among those in attendance at the Wingham Sportsmen’s Club’s 54th annual fishing derby for Community Living, which was held at the club last week. (Scott Stephenson photo)

Comm. yard sales benefit playground PEOPLE AROUND BELGRAVE

By Linda Campbell Call 357-2188

Jim Hess was the guest speaker at Knox United Church on Sunday, May 26.

Scripture readings were read from Joshua 14:1-18 and Malachi 3:1-5. His message was entitled “For Me and My House.”

Knox United Church’s agreement with Wingham United Church has been approved by the Western Ontario Waterways Regional Council. We will begin this agreement with Wingham on June 1. Our first Sunday with Rev. Colin Snyder will be June 2. We will be having coffee and light snacks that Sunday before the start of the service.

Birthday greetings are extended to Ken Procter on May 28 and Wilma Higgins, who celebrated her 90th on May 31 and to George Procter on June 2. Anniversary greetings are extended to Brian and Rita Potter on June 2. Hoping you had an enjoyable day.

On June 4, the United Church Women meeting is at Connie Shiell’s home at 2 p.m. Just a reminder that the Belgrave Community Yard Sale is on June 1 at 7 a.m. -1 p.m. There will be a barbecue lunch at the Community Centre from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.. This is a fundraiser for new playground equipment.

The card results on Friday, May

25 were: high gold card, Mary McIntosh; most shoots gold card, Muriel Taylor; high white card, Mac Brooks, and most shoots white card, Richard Kidd.

Cards will be played again on Friday, June 14 at 1 p.m. at the Community Centre. Everyone is welcome.

We attended “An Afternoon of Music” held at the Brussels United Church on Sunday, May 26. The church was filled to capacity. It was an enjoyable afternoon with instrumental and vocal talent.

Sincere sympathy is extended to Joan Cloakey in the sudden loss of her husband Douglas, who passed away unexpectedly on May 22.

Condolences are also sent to Janisa and Jody Carter and Krista Cloakey in their loss of a loving father and to Alex Cloakey, Sharon and Barry Bondi, Sandra and Pete Brommer in the sudden loss of their brother.

PUBLIC NOTICE OF PESTICIDE USE County of Huron Huron County intends to control noxious weeds along the following County roadsides through spot spraying where noxious weeds have been identified and along guiderails.

Huron County Road Sides including: Blyth Road (Co.Rd.25) from Blyth to Perth Road 174, London Road (Co.Rd.4) from Blyth to Gilmour Line, Newry Road (Co.Rd.16), Amberley Road (Co.Rd.86) from Co.Rd. 4 to Perth Road 172, Brussels Line (Co Rd.12) from Walton to Belmore, McNaught Line, Ethel Line and, Molesworth Line (Co.Rd.19), Perth Rd.178 (Co.Rd.34), Fordwich Line (Co.Rd.30), Harriston Road (Co.Rd.87), Gorrie Line and McIntosh Line (Co.Rd.28), Belmore Line (Co.Rd.12), Howick-Turnberry Rd. (Co.Rd.7).

All locations where herbicides will be applied are in rural areas along a highway in which the public has general right of access but the application does not include any area intended for pedestrian access nor areas where the public is invited to stop such as rest areas or picnic areas.

Huron County intends to control noxious weeds identified along the right-of-way locations noted above using the following pesticides under the Pest Control Products Act (Canada): • ClearView Herbicide (Registration No. 29752), containing the active ingredients: Aminopyralid, present as potassium salt, and Metsulfuron methyl.

• Hasten NT Ultra Spray Adjuvant (Registration No. 31760), containing the active ingredients: Methyl and ethyl oleate (esterified vegetable oil).

• Navius FLEX Herbicide (Registration No. 30922), containing the active ingredients: Metsulfuron – methyl and Aminocyclopyrachlor.

• Gateway Adjuvant (Registration No. 31470), containing the active ingredients: Paraffinic Oil, and Alkoxylated alcohol non-ionic surfactants.

Huron County intends to control noxious weeds along guiderails along all Huron County Roads within their jurisdiction using the following pesticides under the Pest Control Products Act (Canada): • Esplanade SC Herbicide (Registration No. 31333), containing the active ingredient Indaziflam.

• Roundup WeatherPRO (Registration No. 33653), containing the active ingredient Glyphosate, present as potassium salt.

Anyone not wishing to have the roadside adjacent to their property treated for noxious weeds should contact Rick Poels at the Wroxeter Patrol Yard 519-524-8394 ext 3411 Note: It is the responsibility of the property owner requesting no spray to contact the person listed above each calendar year prior to the application of weed spray. Property owners requesting no spray will be responsible for all noxious weeds on the road allowance adjacent to their property.

We are controlling noxious weeds under Public Works Exception of the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban for the promotion of public health or safety.

Commencing June 7, 2024 weather permitting and ending approximately July 5, 2024.

NEWS FROM BELGRAVE

For information call (Collect Calls will be accepted): Rick Poels County of Huron Or Public Works Department 1-888-524-8394 ext. 3411

Steve Ford Green Stream 1-905-510-1229

PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

June is

DAIRY MONTH Blyth-area dairy farmers embrace technology

Meet the Hallahans The Hallahan family has been farming on the same land near Blyth since 1856. Current owners Steve (far right) and Arletta (second from left) have embraced sophisticated technology to reduce the amount of physical labour that is required. Their daughters Grace (far left) and Sarah (second from right) are integral parts of the operation, who both plan to continue supporting the family farm into the future. (Scott Stephenson photo)

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen June 1 marks the beginning of National Dairy Month, which encourages milk fans everywhere to show appreciation for their local dairy farmers by learning more about the dairy industry and eating tasty bits of cheese.

To properly ring in the 87th edition of National Dairy Month, The Citizen decided to finally shake off the persistent, antiquated notions about milk production cobbled together from the halfremembered cartoons of youth and replace them with cold hard facts that might just finally solve the mystery of how milk really makes its way from cow to consumer in the 21st century. Finding a farm willing to give us a guided tour was easy - there are over 3,000 dairy farms in Ontario alone - and one of them is located in Blyth. A quick car ride later and we were at Hallahan’s Dairy Farm, greeted by not one but two generations of the Hallahan family - proprietors Steve and Arletta Hallahan, and their daughters, Grace and Sarah. All four of them were excited to divest us of the opaque weight of our unpasteurized ignorance.

Steve Hallahan, the latest in a long line of farming Hallahans, led us straight through the industrialchic milking barn, right to a room in the middle of the action. Inside was the Lely Astronaut - an intuitive, automatic milking machine designed with a cow’s comfort in mind. “This is the whole heart of the operation,” he said with just the slightest hint of reverence. “This is... The Robot.”

Any and all childish notions one might have of a sluggish farmer moving from one reluctant ungulate

to the next as he fills a galvanized bucket with the day’s milk were dashed to pieces forever the moment The Robot started doing its thing. The cows weren’t remotely reluctant. In fact, more than a few of the farm’s 65 Holsteins had gathered around the milker, seemingly waiting patiently for a turn.

As it turns out, these thoroughly modern dairy cows have been liberated from the shackles of the farmer’s schedule - each black and white beauty gets to decide when they want to be milked, and how often. And some of these ladies get

successfully sped up production for a time, before it burned down the barn. After the family went into debt to rebuild it, the barn burned down again - this time in 1966.

When a cow enters the milking booth, a pair of whirling brushes leaps forward, gently washes the lucky lady’s udder and returns to its original position, where it is automatically sterilized. Udders are just like snowflakes - no two are exactly alike, which is one of the reasons why The Robot uses lasers to pinpoint the location of each individual teat, so each piebald bovine can enjoy the comfort and luxury of a custom fit, every time the milkers move themselves into position. The machine also responds to the cow’s every movement, moving along with it to prevent unnecessary pain and stress during the milking process. As far as they know, the Hallahans were the first dairy farmers in the area to take a chance on this cutting edge, costly machine, but the gamble paid off, and they’ve never looked back.

Various sensors also record each individual cow’s temperature and files it away, along with 200 other bits of useful data that give Steve an overview of that animal’s well

being. Each member of the herd is equipped with a cool collar that allows the computer to correctly identify her.

Younger daughter Sarah believes that this modern, automated approach to dairy farming provides her with significantly more free time to focus on her true passion: dairy farming! “Another great thing with technology is not spending four hours a day just milking alone.

Now we’re spending that time vaccinating, cleaning and doing other things to make our herd better. It had a positive effect, in a way, because now we can do all these other things that we didn’t have enough time in the day for. It makes it easier to grow our herd, and improve it.” In addition to The Robot, there are two other helperbots on site that clear loose feed off the floor and muck out the barn on a regular basis. While the robots do the dirty work, Sarah spends a little extra time with her favourite cow, the one she raised in her 4-H Club.

“She’s just extra friendly. And some cows are just outgoing. Some just chill and do their own thing. And some cows are just trouble!” she Continued on page 11

milked a lot. “A fresh cow might come in here every six hours,” he explained, “but a cow that’s at the end of her lactation might come in every 12 to 14 hours to get milked.

They set their own time for whenever they want to come in.”

Each cow that ventures into the milking area is also rewarded with a tasty snack. “There’s a wee bit of grain in that manger there - that’s what keeps them coming back to The Robot,” he confided.

In 1942, Simon Hallahan was milking cows by hand, as hydro was not available. The purchase of a gas-powered milking machine

Proudly representing Huron Agriculture We work to promote and protect Huron farmers and their families and our rural communities.

Proudly providing Southwestern Ontario with milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, ice, juice and eggs

Contact us with concerns or questions HCFA: 1-800-511-1135 or 519-482-9642 www.hcfa.on.ca email: ofahuron@tcc.on.ca

P: 519-357-2990 • F: 519-357-3111 39828 Amberley Road, Box 197, Wingham ON N0G 2W0

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 11.

June is

DAIRY MONTH

Planning for next generation’s takeover has begun Continued from page 10 exclaimed, before becoming a bit reflective. “I think 4-H is definitely a good thing to get involved with.

And there’s so many different clubs, not just, like, the livestock.

There’s lifestyle clubs and a lot of great leaders.”

Steve, who grew up milking cows the old-fashioned way, also appreciates the freedom the family robots afford them. “At our old barn, it would have been three of us in the barn all day, doing chores.

Now, one person runs everything here.” Arletta, a self-proclaimed “town girl”, may not spend much time working in the barn, but she still has high praise for the milking machine. “Steve was in the barn 24/7 until we got The Robot. It can also call Steve’s phone if something’s wrong with it. We’ve been away before and it called, so we just FaceTimed the neighbours and had them reset it.”

Steve’s father, Frank, is the only one not singing The Robot’s praises. He still likes to help out around the farm, but he prefers sticking to the hands-on approach to farming that he’s always used.

He can tell a lot about how an animal is feeling through simple

observation. “He’d just come here and watch cattle,” Arletta recalled.

“Watch them and just know which ones were in heat.” Spending his childhood working alongside Frank made Steve sure he wanted to be a farmer at an early age. “Dad and I have always been in the barn together… I’ve had rubber boots on since I was five years old.” After a 25-year succession plan that included partnering with his parents, the farm is finally Steve and Arletta’s. “You could almost say I’m a new farmer for getting the farm, but I’ve been here for 30 years.”

All the cows that are too young to breed, in heat or newly pregnant are housed in the breeding barn - their vitals are monitored remotely, from the office. “We’ve been in this barn for 16 years now,” Steve recalled.”It’s kind of a funny story.

The carpenters were here putting those doors on, they wanted me to help, and I said ‘I can’t, I gotta get [Arletta] to the hospital’, and then [Sarah] was born.” That’s how we remember the exact day the doors went on.”

In 1856, Dennis Hallahan and his family left their home in Ireland, made the perilous journey across

the Atlantic Ocean, and built a new life in Wawanosh, Ontario, with the hope that the fertile earth would allow their family to flourish. And flourish they have! In the 168 years since arriving in Huron County, members of the Hallahan clan have worked to enrich rural lives time and again, be it running for Town Council, joining the Plowmen’s Association, or the Knights of Columbus, or the Blyth Fire Board, or, in the case of local legend and founder of the Huron Pioneer Threshers and Hobby Association, Simon Hallahan, all of the above.

Now that the 25-year succession plan with his parents has come to an end, it’s just about time to start crafting a succession plan that works for their own children. Grace and Sarah both want to continue being involved with agriculture and hope to improve the future for rural communities, but are approaching the situation from two very different, but complementary angles. Sarah wants to take on the mantle of running the family farm as soon as she’s done school, while Grace is considering various career paths as she pursues a degree in Political Science at Guelph. “I always liked public speaking,” she

Milkin’ it!

(From left) Grace, Arletta, Steve and Sarah Hallahan.

(Scott Stephenson photo)

said. “I thought it would be very interesting to work for the county, or become an MP. But looking now, there’s so much more opportunity out there. I still want to live in the country, and have a couple of horses and animals and stuff. I think it would be cool to be a keynote speaker. Who knows?

I’ve still got three more years.”

Right at the end of The Citizen’s

tour of Hallahan’s Dairy, Sarah offered up one last astute observation. “A thing I’ve seen about how the generations have grown, is, like, before my Grandpa took over, you worked on that farm so you could eat, and live off that farm, and you’d have a pig, and one cow. Now, we farm to feed others.

It’s not just us, it’s Ontario.”

Happy Dairy Month!

PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Survey illuminates immigrant, newcomer population

By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen

Last week, Huron County Immigration Partnership Manager Mark Nonkes presented Huron County with some updated survey results from some of the county’s immigrants and newcomers.

Nonkes told council that the survey was conducted in November of last year with the help of the University of Guelph’s Community Engaged Scholarship Institute with funding assistance from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The goal was to hear directly from immigrants and newcomers to Canada in regards to their “experiences, struggles, the diverse strengths they bring and contribute, as well as

their suggestions for how to improve settlement and integration in Huron-Perth.”

Nearly 200 immigrants, temporary workers, international students, refugees and their families participated in the survey, which was then reviewed by the Community Research Ethics Office to ensure it was “ethically sound”.

Nonkes told council that the sample size is small when compared to the 11,515 immigrants living in Huron and Perth Counties, so care should be taken when interpreting the data, especially when it comes to mention of smaller numbers.

He then began breaking down the responses to give council a clear vision of the immigrant and newcomer population living in the

area. Ninety people responded from Perth County, while 105 came from Huron County. Sixty-five per cent of the respondents are considered newcomers and have been in Canada for five years or less.

Forty-nine per cent of respondents were male, while 48.5 per cent were female. Two per cent didn’t disclose their gender, while 0.5 per cent of respondents identified as being non-binary.

Eighty-one per cent of respondents spoke more than one language fluently, 71 per cent had completed a college, university or advanced degree and 90 per cent felt they could speak, understand, read and write English well, fairly well or very well.

Nearly 54 per cent of respondents were full-time employees, while

14.1 per cent were part-time employees, 8.1 per cent were selfemployed and a further 8.1 per cent said they were unemployed. Just over six per cent were students, four per cent were homemakers and two per cent were retired.

Thirty-nine per cent of respondents said their job in Canada was at the same level of their international experience and education and 46 per cent said their international experience and education was recognized in Canada.

Thirty-seven per cent of respondents belong to or volunteer with an organization and 35 per cent volunteered at an immigrant or newcomer organization or a religious organization.

The survey showed that 67 per

cent of respondents felt their community was welcoming or very welcoming to immigrants. That same percentage said they felt a strong or very strong sense of belonging in their community. Sixty per cent said they would be likely or very likely to recommend Huron or Perth Counties to other immigrants.

Nonkes told councillors that the survey asked respondents to rate their experience with a number of government-funded services and the results were positive, he said.

The services were ranked based on the percentage of respondents who rated the service as being good or excellent: Libraries, 94 per cent; police, 93 per cent; children’s services, 89 per cent; recreation Continued on page 14

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The dining room’s sliding glass doors open onto this deck, making it the idea spot outdoor meals. A built-out bufffet prov vides a serving area and extra storage space.

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 13.

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NH remains an unwilling host

Back in the swing of things The Clinton Raceway returned to bringing harness racing to Huron County on May 19, above. The action continued last Sunday, when the raceway hosted the Wingham Ironmen. The team, through a 50/50 draw, barbecue, silent auction and sponsorships, raised just over $3,500 for its upcoming 2024/2025 season. (John Stephenson photo)

Continued from page 1 wind turbines, as a cautionary example of what could happen if North Huron changed course. He said that the issue is highly divisive in the Ashfield ward of ACW and is responsible for fracturing relationships, suggesting there are examples of disagreements on this issue causing some relatives in families to stop speaking to each other. Palmer also believes that the farmland in East Wawanosh is inappropriate for wind turbines because it isn’t very flat and lacks obviously straight lines.

Acknowledging that there are some benefits to hosting these types of projects, Palmer said that compensation can be a good thing, but he still has questions about how costly it might be to dismantle the wind turbines when they reach the end of their useful life.

“You either love them or hate them,” said Palmer of the wind turbines, declaring that he is not for them at all.

Councillor Anita van Hittersum reiterated Palmer’s point about the inappropriateness of the land in East Wawanosh for hosting wind turbines. Van Hittersum suggested placing solar panels on large barns as an alternative, more suitable

green energy project. Palmer offered support for van Hittersum’s idea, saying that solar panels are a better option when it comes to pursuing green energy.

Reeve Paul Heffer said he doesn’t support new wind turbines because he has the same questions as Palmer regarding what happens at the end of the wind turbines’ life cycles.

A motion to reaffirm North Huron’s status as an unwilling host for new wind turbine projects was supported by council.

Correction On May 1, the Municipality of South Bruce approved a hosting agreement with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

The agreement dictates long-term commitments related to the project in the event that south Bruce is chosen to host the project.

Then, on Oct. 28, eligible voters in South Bruce will decide if the municipality will be a willing host of the project. This is in contrast to the headline printed in The Citizen on May 17, stating “South Bruce votes to be willing host”.

The Citizen regrets the error.

BRUSSELS LIVESTOCK REPORT For the week ending May 24, 2024 Total Receipts: 920 cattle; 746 lambs, sheep and goats Tuesday – Fed cattle sold $2 - $3 higher. Cows sold steady.

Cows: There were 200 cows on offer.

Beef Cows: $135 – $170 Good Holstein Cows: $140 – $155 Medium Holstein Cows: $134 – $139 Bulls: $185 – $224

Lambs: Under 50 lbs.: $375 – $415 up to $425 50-64 lbs.: $397 – $420 up to $428 65-79 lbs.: $385 – $403 up to $417 80-94 lbs.: $390 – $402 up to $405 95-109 lbs.: $390 – $398 up to $402 110 lbs. and over: $245 – $402

Dave Inglis of Clifford, consigned four head. One black cow weighed 1,895 lbs. and sold for $170.

Sheep: $170 – $275 up to $360

Francis Wiseman of Mildmay, consigned two head. One red bull weighed 1,965 lbs. and sold for $210.

Dan Curl of Mount Forest, consigned 11 head. Five lambs averaged 63 lbs. and sold for an average price of $420.

Fed Cattle: There were 85 fed cattle on offer.

Choice Fed Cattle: $244 – $260 up to $265 Second Cut Fed Cattle: $236 – $243 Aged and Medium Fed Cattle: $180 – $222 Holstein Fed Cattle: $175 – $225

Veal: There were 130 veal and 30 bob calves on offer.

Beef Veal: $272 – $289 Good Holsteins: $225 – $235 SL Heavy Holsteins: $220 – $230 Heavy Holsteins: $190 – $219 Medium Holsteins: $215 – $224 Plain Holsteins: $200 – $214 Holstein Drop Calves: $675 – $1,025 / HEAD

William Ringenberg of Walton, consigned 29 head. Nine lambs averaged 91 lbs. and sold for an average price of $402.

Bill Finlay of Durham, consigned 17 head. One fat weighed 1,570 lbs. and sold for $265.

Reuben S. Martin of Wallenstein, consigned six head. One veal weighed 1,175 lbs. and sold for $289.

Johannes Poganatz of Wallaceburg, consigned 12 head. Five kid goats averaged 60 lbs. and sold for an average price of $625.

Barry Shaw of Bluevale, consigned four head. Two fats averaged 1,528 lbs. and sold for an average price of $248.

Ian Van Doornik of Seaforth, consigned three head. One holstein veal weighed 700 lbs. and sold for $233.

Thursday – Veal sold on a strong active trade at prices $2 - $3 higher.

Drop calves sold steady. Lambs, sheep and goats sold on a good active trade at steady prices.

Friday – Calves and yearlings sold on a strong active trade at prices $5 - $8 higher.

Van Nuland Holsteins of Monkton, consigned 11 head. One holstein bob calf brought $1,025.

Goats: Meat Kids: $550 – $625 Dairy Kids: $400 – $580 Mature Bucks: $300 – $400 Mature Does: $200 – $300

Jason Higenell of Mitchell, consigned seven head. Five kid goats averaged 59 lbs. and sold for an average price of $617.

Stockers: There were 475 stockers on offer.

Top Quality Steers: Under 400 lbs.: $350 – $500 400 – 499 lbs.: $350 – $415 500 – 599 lbs.: $385 – $465 600 – 699 lbs.: $385 – $465 700 – 799 lbs.: $350 – $401 up to $427.50 800 – 899 lbs.: $305 – $368 900 – 999 lbs.: $310 – $333.50 up to $342.50 1,000 lbs. and over: $289.75 – $310 up to $316.50 Top Quality Heifers: Under 400 lbs.: $100 – $530 400 – 499 lbs.: $325 – $410 500 – 599 lbs.: $345 – $370 600 – 699 lbs.: $300 – $375 700 – 799 lbs.: $340 – $357 800 – 899 lbs.: $295 – $326 up to $330 900 lbs. and over: $293 – $327.50 Josh Smeltzer of Fergus consigned 15 head. Five simmental steers averaged 900 lbs. and sold for an average price of $342.50.

Moses B Martin of Clifford, consigned 20 head. Fifteen black steers averaged 970 lbs. and sold for an average price of $328.50.

Elam M. Martin of Clifford, consigned 19 head. Five charolais steers averaged 1,050 lbs. and sold for an average price of $316.50.

Dave Rabe of Drumbo, consigned 14 head. Four charolais heifers averaged 796 lbs. and sold for an average price of $351.50.

Amos Martin of Douglas, consigned 20 head. Three simmental heifers averaged 920 lbs. and sold for an average price of $327.50.

Nathaniel Brubacher of Holyrood, consigned 16 head. Eight black heifers averaged 973 lbs. and sold for an average price of $293.

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PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

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VINCENT – NEIL & JOAN Thank you to Marg garet and everyone who helpe ed her in planning p a g and a d a arran anging g g the e amazing surprise party for ou ur 40th Anniversary on n May 19 9, 2024!

To our Family, Friends To F & Neighbours thank yo ou for you ur contributions to th he party y, attending g to celebratte with us s,, the cards, gifts and d sending best wishes to us. It was a day that we will never forg get.

Garage/yaard sale Meneset Com mmunity Yard Salle Saturday, Jun ne 8 8 am - 12 noo on Airport Rd. West at Lake Av Ave., Goderich

Golf clubs, collectibles s, antiques

FOR SALE - Bunk beds and mattresses, $20 00; patio table with 6 charis with cushings, c $190; New Williams antiqu ue sewing machine, $90; Electone 2 keyboard electric organ FREE; carpet 8x8 FREE. 519-88722-3 9083.

----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - 150 ft. heavy duty, water resistant extenssion cord 12/3; can be used with 110 oor 220. Make an offffer; quantity of 1/2”” used plywood, make an offffer. Lon ndesborough 519-50121-3 3289.

----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Air Care humidifier.

Model SS390D DWHT. Comes with manual. New prrice was $190. Will take best offffer. 519--357-7240 or 519-35720-3 3608. Wingham m.

----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - C Complete set of W Wo orld Book encycloppedia including Y Yeear Book updates ffrom 1972 to 1996 and Science Y Yeear from 1987 to 1992.

Excellent conddition; 51 books total, $35. Call Wingh ham 519-357-2768.

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Little T Ty ykes covered sand box shap ped like a boat with steering wheel. Can be used as a small wading pool as well. $10. Call 20-3 Wingham i h 519-3 519 357-2768 3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - B Bird Gard bird expeller speaker system in excellent condition. $200 or best offfffer. 519-395-4211. 20-3

FOR SALE - T Tw wo modern spinning wheels, one 36”, 4 shaft LeClarc floor loom, one 45”, 8 shaft counterbalanced floor loom with bench. Parts, accessories included. $400. each. 519902-4213. (Seaforth area).

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Antique table top Singer sewing machine with case with extra bobbins and needles, $400. Call 519902-4213 (Seaforth area).

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - Four 670x15 used wide white wall tires, good tread, $200 for the set. Several car covers, $25 each.

519-526-3331.

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - T Tw wo brand new General all season tires, 205-60R16, $125 for the pair. 519-527-1956.

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FOR SALE - 6” T To oolex jointer, used very little, $375; T To orin Big Red parts cleaner, 12 gallon, $75; large barrel weight for back of a tractor, $25. Call 519-441-7217.

20-3 FOR SALE - 30” Frigidaire electric range. White with coil burners. Buttons on back panel. Good working condition. $200. or best offffer. 226-2223726.

20-3 ----------------------------------------------FREE - Assortment of magazines in good shape. Look, Zoomer, Chatelaine, various cooking magazines, etc. 519357-1691.

20-3 -----------------------------------------------

FOR SALE - C Chantecler rare heritage breed white chicks. Bred for Canadian climate. Askingg $12 per chick. 519395-4211.

20-3 -----------------------------------------------

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Survey reveals struggles Continued from page 12 services, 89 per cent; social services, 88 per cent; English language learning, 87 per cent; childcare, 85 per cent; health, 84 per cent; language interpretation, 82 per cent; adult education and skills training, 82 per cent; hospitals, 82 per cent; mental health, 80 per cent; employment services, 79 per cent and settlement services, 77 per cent.

The survey showed that 47 per cent of respondents identified the cost of living and money problems as a top challenge, followed by finding a family doctor (34 per cent), finding affordable housing (29 per cent), transportation (28 per cent), finding work that matches professional qualifications (25 per cent), finding a place to live (18 per cent), finding food that is my cultural preference (17 per cent), making friends (17 per cent), finding other health care (15 per cent) and learning English (14 per cent).

In regards to isolation and loneliness, 32 per cent in Huron and 25 per cent in Perth said they had not felt isolated or alone in the last 12 months, while 36 per cent in Huron and 25 per cent in Perth said they had felt “a little bit” isolated or alone. Eighteen per cent in Huron and 14 per cent in Perth said they had felt somewhat alone or isolated and 18 per cent in Huron and 25 per cent in Perth said they had felt alone or isolated “quite a bit” or “a great deal” over the last 12 months.

Those who completed the survey also offered some suggestions.

Thirty-four per cent said they’d like to see better programs for immigrants to find work or start a business, while 28 per cent said they wanted better availability to public transportation, 26 per cent said more affordable housing, 23 per cent said they’d like to see more actions to increase the welcoming and acceptance of immigrants and 23 per cent said they’d like employers to be educated on hiring, retaining and promoting immigrants within their businesses.

Eighteen per cent said they’d like to see a centralized place for employers to find immigrant workers and for workers to find employment, 15 per cent said they’d like to see actions to improve social connections of immigrants, 11 per cent said they would like improved availability of worship space for their religion and 10 per cent said they’d like actions to reduce discrimination towards immigrants, as well as more opportunities to help improve their English language skills.

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 15.

Obituaries

STEVEN (SAM) DOUGHERTY Dec. 1986 – May 2024 The son of Sam Dougherty of Londesborough and Thelma Dougherty of Port Alberni, British Columbia, Sam Dougherty passed away suddenly at his home in Waterloo.

He leaves his wife Susan and son Matthew to mourn his passing. He is survived by his sister Lynn Dougherty of London, brother Brian Dougherty of British Columbia and sister Karla Stacey of Campbell River, British Columbia.

He attended Hullett Public School in Londesborough, Central Huron Secondary School in Clinton and graduated from Goderich District Collegiate Institute in Goderich. He furthered his education at Cambrian College in Sudbury, studying theatre production and graduating in 2008.

Steven was known as Sam by his friends and those close to him. Sam was very proud to be a father to Matthew and enjoyed helping him grow. Sam was a kind, caring, generous and talented young man who would attempt any task, just to see if he could make it work.

He enjoyed inventing, building things and the arts, making balloon animals, playing several musical instruments and singing.

He could not wait until he turned 12 years old to be able to join Goderich Air Cadets. He was a part of that squadron, working his way

through the ranks, until he aged out at 18. He belonged to the Makerspace in London for many years while he lived there and then in Waterloo.

He started flying RC planes at an early age, his uncle Bryan Purdon was instrumental in giving him guidance when he first began flying and as he grew in the sport. He continued to build many planes and flew with various clubs.

He had many friends from all his interests in his life. His generous caring spirit will be missed by everyone’s life that he touched.

A memorial service will be held on June 16 from 1-4 p.m. at the Waterloo Knights of Columbus to celebrate Sam’s life.

He will be forever missed by his four-legged companion Ruff.

Robert was predeceased by his parents Cliff (1994) and Ruby (1990) and his brothers Wayne (1960) and Russell (2024).

A special thank you to the Seaforth Community Hospital Emergency Department, especially Dr. Di Labio and Alicia Bennewies, Huron County Paramedics, and Dr. Mezetti and the critical care team at Stratford General Hospital for their care and compassion.

A celebration of life was held at the Seaforth and District Community Centre on Sunday, May 26. Haskett Funeral Home of Seaforth was entrusted with arrangements. A private family interment will take place at Medway Cemetery, Middlesex Centre.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Egmondville United Church would be appreciated by the family.

Condolences may be forwarded through www.haskettfh.com.

Doug was predeceased by brother Paul, brother-in-law Murray McArter and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Cathy and Doug Snyder.

Doug will be missed by many nieces, nephews and cousins, as well as granddogs Murphy and Doug.

Doug always had a smile and something to say to everyone. He was grateful for being given another chance 20 years ago and enjoyed watching his children grow up; walking them to the bus stop every morning or carrying them to bed every night.

He saw Carter and Krista get married and have boys of their own.

He adored his grandsons, always driving them around on the tractor, lawn mower or four-wheeler and always enjoying a nap with them after.

He looked forward to travelling to Kelowna to see Janisa and Jody.

While visiting there, he loved taking long drives through the mountains. His life joys were

driving the tractor, doing chores and, best of all, cutting wood and trying to con others into helping him.

Doug spent hours in the shop tinkering and fixing everything, but always had time for coffee and bacon. He was a private person with a quiet demeanor, but don’t let that fool you, as Doug’s family knew him for his dry sense of humour, his one-liners and witty comebacks.

Doug’s family and farm were his life and he will be greatly missed.

Visitation took place on Tuesday, May 28 at Riverside Funeral Home Brussels Chapel followed by a private family service and interment.

In lieu of flowers and as expressions of sympathy, donations to the North Huron firefighters or Huron Chapel Evangelical Missionary Church would be appreciated.

Arrangements were entrusted to Riverside Funeral Home.

Condolences may be left at riversidefuneralhome.ca

Gym agreement reached in Brussels ROBERT KEVIN EEDY Robert Kevin Eedy of Winthrop passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully, with his family by his side at Stratford General Hospital, on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at the age of 67.

The loving husband of Sandra (Webster) for over 38 years, Robert was the dear father of Dann and Stephanie Eedy of Dungannon and Jennifer and Lucas McIntosh of Thorndale. He was the proud grandfather of Owen, Chloe, Daniel, Lauryn, and Merryn and the dear brother of Sharon Eedy of London.

For a good cause Cathy Ritsema served as one of the organizers for Saturday’s Walk For Alzheimer’s in Wingham. Here, she addresses the participants ahead of the walk while Blyth’s Joe Gahan takes a short break from providing music for the morning. (John Stephenson photo)

DOUGLAS STUART CLOAKEY Douglas Stuart Cloakey passed away unexpectedly on May 22, 2024, at his home outside of Brussels.

The husband of Joan née McArter for 39 years, Doug was the dad (Old Man) of Janisa Cloakey and Jody, and Carter and Krista Cloakey and the grandpa of Cameron and Cole Cloakey.

Doug was the brother of Alex Cloakey, Sharon (Barry) Bondi, and Sandra (Pete) Brommer, and the brother-in-law of Gayle McArter, and Paul and Tracey McArter.

Continued from page 9 equipment, which Berard said it would.

Second, Councillor Bob Fisher had some security concerns. The gym will be available to members 24 hours a day, Berard said, through key fob access. There will also be security cameras and systems in place similar to any other municipal building, she said.

Fisher also said he felt the rent being charged was rather low.

However, Berard said she surveyed commercial rent being charged in Brussels for similarly-sized spaces and she felt it was in line with those prices.

Berard also addressed the fact that rental for the space was not advertised to the general public.

She said the new tenant was known to the municipality, had the equipment and had made it known that the company wanted to operate the gym, if it was not going to be operated by the municipality. She also noted that word had been out

about the municipality wanting to operate a gym for more than a year and that Finish Line Fitness was the only company to approach the municipality during that time.

Council passed the bylaw.

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PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

From the Minister’s Study

Has God revealed the truth about life to us? He has

By Pastor Mike Stanley, Huron Chapel, Auburn In the last few articles I have written, we have looked at Christian “worldview” in regards to how everything came to exist.

We all have a worldview, it is simply the way in which we view… the world. Our worldview is determined by our experiences in life, our culture and what we were taught. Our relationships, our work and our desires are all affected by our worldview. Our worldview is the combination of our beliefs about where we came from, morality and the afterlife; and these form the foundation for the decisions we make each day.

We are all faced with the realities of life; we want to live a life that has meaning, love and joy. We are faced with moral decisions on a daily basis and need some way to determine the right thing to do; and we are all faced with the reality of our mortality and the question of what happens when we die. Every worldview guides us through these realities of life. The Christian worldview is informed by the Bible, and I believe that it really does offer the best explanation for how we are to live.

A Christian worldview starts with how our universe came into existence. The first verse of the Bible states that God created the heavens and the earth. From this short statement, we can see that God is defined as the timeless (because something had to exist first) creator of the material universe. God Himself is not made of matter (not limited by size, location, etc.), but rather is spiritual and outside of time and matter.

This God is the one who intricately designed every element and scientific law that makes up and governs the universe, and He made everything with a purpose. Science continues to prove that everything in the universe is perfectly designed to result in the complexity of life that we see all around us.

The pinnacle of what God made is us as humans. The Bible says that God gave us the task of caring for the world He created. The plants and animals of the earth are a gift from God for the good of humanity and so we are to care for them in a way that will lead to human flourishing.

God made humans unique. The Bible says that God made us “in His image”.

We have unique characteristics that evolution can’t account for; we are the only creatures with the ability to think rationally, rather than just acting on

instinct, and we are imaginative and creative unlike any other creature.

But the most unique thing God gave us is the spiritual side of us… you might call it a soul. This is what sets us apart as the only created thing that can actually relate to God Himself. We see the evidence of this reality throughout history as every civilization has always believed in some kind of spiritual reality and have searched for the answers to the questions of: “where did I come from?”, “why am I here?” and “what happens when I die?”. These questions are all spiritual at their core. The simple fact that religion exists almost universally within humankind is evidence that there is a source behind our existence and spiritual longings.

The Christian worldview explains that God created the world and then created humans in His image so that we could know Him. If the universe is here by chance and there is nothing spiritual then it’s meaningless; it would be like a beautiful work of art that no one has ever seen. But because God made humans with the ability to relate to God, then we can thank Him for all He has made. On top of that, God is able to express His love towards us.

Love is what relationships are based on. You could lose everything you own as long as you still have loving relationships. The God of the Bible created us out of the overflow of His love and desires to have a relationship with us. Everything else He created is for that purpose.

That all sounds great, and makes sense… but there is a problem. That doesn’t seem to match what we

experience in life, does it? The world around us is broken and full of tragedy and sorrow. There is sickness, depression, broken relationships and death. If God is good and made the world out of love and a desire to have a relationship with us… then, what happened?

This is where that religious word that you may have heard of comes in: sin. But sin is actually quite easy to understand, it is simply the rejection of the way the Creator says to live. I define it this way, “doing it your way, instead of God’s way”. Logically, in light of everything we have talked about, this makes sense. If there is an allpowerful Being that created everything with a purpose… and if He is the One who made us as Humans and gave us life… then it makes sense that He would know the best way to live the life He gave us. He is the one who defined it.

We understand this as humans because we too are creative and make things for a purpose.

Lawnmowers are designed specifically to mow our lawns, and I think if a lawnmower had a soul, it would be most satisfied in doing the job for which it was created. But if the lawnmower decided one day that it was tired of listening to what the creator said its purpose was, and instead decided it would rather weed the flower beds, it would actually destroy them.

This is what sin does to the good world God created. The Bible says that the first humans, Adam and Eve, were given a beautiful place to live by God, with everything they would need to live and be happy.

BRUSSELS S

U United Chu ur urch Join J oin us at at W Worship orship orship Sunday, Sunday y,, June June 2, 2 9:30 a.m.

All are welc come Fri. June 7 visit our Hospitality booth at Brussels Farmer’s Market Sun. June 9, No church in Brusssels, Rides available to Pride Sunday Service at Lakesshore United, Goderic Contact Alex at ministter.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.co y @g om Website: b brusselsandblythuc ca brusselsandblythuc.ca P.O. Box 359, Brussels ~ 519-887-6259 P.

But instead of trusting that their Creator knew what was best for them, they were tempted by the devil to make their own decisions.

Essentially the temptation was to be the god of their own life. The first human act of rebellion was not a moral failure like murder or lying (that would come later)… it was simply eating a delicious fruit. The problem is that God had told them they could eat of all the fruit in the garden… except that one tree. God had provided everything they needed for life as He intended it to be… but instead of trusting and thanking Him, they rebelled and wanted to be in charge of their own life.

That root of sin is what is still at the core of humanity’s rejection of God to this day. We want to be in charge of our own life. We want to determine for ourselves what is right and wrong, and what our purpose is in life. But the reality is that, because we didn’t create the universe, we don’t get to determine those things… the One who made us does. And, we don’t have any control over what happens when we

die or what happens to our soul; that is also up to the one who gave us our souls in the first place.

We can try to come up with other ways of explaining how the universe came to be, but we can’t ultimately explain away God. At some point, there has to be something eternal, and not made of matter, that created everything. We can try to comfort ourselves with sayings about our loved ones being in a better place, but is there any way we can be sure? We can judge what is right and true by how we feel, but what if someone else feels the opposite?

If there really is a God who made everything and will determine what happens to us when we die, the task we have is to find out the truth of who God is and what He says is true about how we are to live the life He gave us.

Has God in fact revealed the truth about all of this to us, His creation?

Is there any proof? Yes, He did, and yes, there is. His name is Jesus, He is both the embodiment of truth and the proof of God’s love for His creation. More on Him next time.

The Regional Ministry of Hope Come Worship with Us! Trinity Anglican BLYTH 9:00 AM

St. Paul’s-Trinity Anglican WINGHAM 11:00 AM

519-357-7781 • email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca www.regionalministryofhope.com Weekly service live-streamed at 11:00 a.m. on our Facebook page or on youtube @St. Paul’s-Trinity Anglican Church Wingham.

Brussels Mennonite Fellowship You are invited to worship with us at Brussels Mennonite Fellowship 10:00 am Worship Service 11:00 am Co ee Time 11:15 am Sunday School for all ages Interim Pastor Elwin Garland 250 Princess St., Brussels • 519 887 6388

Sunday, June 2 Services are live-streamed and can be found by searching n “Blyth Christian Reformed Church”

at 10 a.m.

BMG Community Centre (upstairs room) 800 Sports Drive, Brussels Childcare and Sunday School provided for children 0 to 8 during the sermon

Evangelical Missionary Church

Sunday June 2, 10:30 a.m.

Pastor Mike Stanley preaching on Neh 2:9ff, “Working in Unity”.

Music ministry led by Lynn Bowman.

Coming Soon! Vacation Bible School, July 8 - 12th, Ages 5-12 For additional details please visit: brusselscommunitybiblechapel.ca

Blyth United Churrch Sundayy, June 2 at 11:00 am “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherrdd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

Nursery & Sunday School during worship

On-site and online - live.huronchapel.com Register for Vacation Bible Camp July 8-12! tinyurl.com/hcvbc2024

119 John’s Ave., Auburn 519-526-1131

Worship and Prayer Time Loving Fellowship Expository Preaching

The outreach project for June is the Lions Guide Dog T Trrainingg Program Contact Alex at: minister.brusselsandblythuc@gmail.com Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churche es blythunited@tcc.on.ca ~ 519-523-4224

MEL LV VILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS

Sunday, June 2, 2024 11:00 am - 12 noon We extend a loving welcome to all to join us as Doug Sargent leads us in worship, prayer, and praise to Godd.

Coffee, snacks, and a time for visiting will follow the servicee.

Soup & More 2 Join us every Friday from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. for lunch. This free meal is made possible by the Brussels churches and many volunteers working together to serve our community. c All are welcome!

For pastoral care concerns please call 519-524-7512 2

THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 17.

McCall Scholarships to benefit eight locals Eight students have been named 2024 recipients of the McCall Huron County Scholarships, launched by John and Marcy McCall MacBain to recognize students from Marcy McCall MacBain’s home community.

Recipients will be supported by the McCall MacBain Foundation with an award of up to $44,000 each to pursue degree or diploma programs from their choice of postsecondary institutions in diverse fields. In addition to the full scholarships, six finalists will be awarded a one-time gift of $2,500.

The scholarships are awarded to students with exceptional character attributes including empathy and hard work, who have shown passion to serve their communities, and leadership potential.

“Born and raised in Huron County, I know that young people here have immense potential but fewer opportunities. Every year, it gives our Foundation a sense of joy and pride to encourage young talent in my hometown to pursue their big dreams through this Scholarship,” said Marcy McCall MacBain. “We know that an investment in young leaders can not only benefit the communities they come from but also build a better future for Canada and beyond. We wish the 2024 recipients all the best and look forward to supporting their journeys.”

The 2024 McCall Huron County Scholars are Morgan Bishop (F. E. Madill Secondary School), Liam

Buckman (South Huron District High School), Corissa Cyr (St Anne’s Catholic Secondary School), Curran Forster (Goderich District Collegiate Institute), Caitlyn Thompson (South Huron District High School), Macy Tremeer (Central Huron Secondary School), Roman Valdez (F. E. Madill Secondary School), and Jacob Watson (Goderich District Collegiate Institute).

For the fourth year in a row, John Baker, Huron County entrepreneur and founder of Desire2Learn, and his family have directly supported one scholarship, and one finalist award recipient.

The selection process places importance on a variety of distinguishing qualities and abilities that add to impactful and grounded leadership. This year’s cohort includes individuals who have worked at a long-term care home, have trained as a Senior Warrant Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Cadet program, have led service projects for local charities and the environment, have volunteered to care for animals on a farm, have led operational excellence at their place of work, and have performed at the Blyth Festival.

The recipients will pursue distinct fields, including human kinetics, mechanical engineering, physiotherapy, agriculture, theatre, political science and more. The recipients were chosen through a comprehensive process that

included a written application, school nomination, and in-person interview. Interviews were held with the support of Virtual High School in Bayfield, who generously hosted the volunteers, staff, and students in their office space.

Since its launch in 2019, the McCall Huron County Scholarships have supported more than 30 students to pursue post-secondary education. Applications for the 2025 cycle open on Sept. 17, 2024.

Dr. Marcy McCall MacBain is a Founder, Director and Vice-Chair of the McCall MacBain Foundation. Originally from Huron County, she holds a BKin (Hons) from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and an MSc in International Health Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She then went on to complete her DPhil in Evidence-Based Health Care at the University of Oxford. She also holds an honourary doctorate from Monash University.

In her current role as Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Evidence-based Medicine and the Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, Dr. McCall MacBain supervises students in the MSc of Evidence-based Health Care program and has developed online education tools to improve access to health care.

Dr. McCall MacBain is the Chair of the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. She also

serves as a member of the Geneva Committee of Human Rights Watch and is a recipient of the Bynum Tudor Fellowship at Kellogg College Oxford and of the McMaster Alumni Gallery Award.

The McCall MacBain Foundation’s mission is to improve the welfare of humanity by providing scholarships and other educational opportunities that nurture transformational leadership, and by investing in evidence-based strategies to address climate change, preserve the natural environment, and improve health outcomes.

The foundation believes in the power of education, and scholarships in particular, to transform lives and in turn transform our communities to be fairer, healthier, and more prosperous for all; that climate change is the single most pressing problem facing our planet and that we must all do our part to address it; and in the importance of an evidence-based approach to youth mental health and well-being.

The foundation has made significant investments in the leadership potential of young people, most notably through the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill, the Rhodes Scholarships, the Loran Awards, and scholarships at several universities in Canada including McMaster University and Dalhousie University, as well as the Mandela Rhodes Scholarships based in South Africa

as well as the Kupe Leadership Scholarships in New Zealand.

Ball Day set Continued from page 8 with Pinky the Clown. The Brussels Legion will also be hosting a fish fry for dinner at the ballpark, although tickets for that dinner must be purchased in advance.

Brussels Tigers hats and visors will also be on sale throughout the day for $25 each.

After all the action of Brussels Minor Ball Day on June 1 is in the books, the U11 Girls will play the Listowel Legends Fowler team on the road on Monday, June 3. Also that day, the U7 Black team will play Ethel on the road, while the U13 Boys will host Wingham and the U17 Boys will host the Wilmot 2 team.

The next night, June 4, the U9 Black team will play the Brussels Red team, while the U9 Red team will play the Brussels Black team and the U15 Girls will welcome the Goderich Seahawks Lime/Black team to the village.

On June 5, the U11 Boys will host Benmiller in Brussels and the U13 Girls will play the Listowel Legends Johnston team on the road.

The next night, June 6, the U11 Boys and U15 Girls will both be on the road, with the former playing Wingham and the latter playing the Elma Express 1 White team.

Busin ness Director ry Dave Frranken F ra k

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THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024. PAGE 19.

Entertainment & Leisure

Owen Riegling makes triumphant return to Mildmay

A hero’s welcome Musician Owen Riegling returned to his hometown of Mildmay on Friday, May 24 after completing a cross-country tour. He did two free performances at Harley’s Pub and Perk, first in the parking lot (above) and then later on inside a very packed house.

(Scott Stephenson photos)

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen

It was just another night at Harley’s. The only bar in town was packed to the exact maximum capacity allowed by law. Every single person there was all lit up with an identical anticipation - a communal understanding that this was a place where something was about to happen; something real and rare. The energy in the air was thick with familiarity but also crackling with the involuntary awkwardness that happens when you can sense celebrity at the periphery of your vision.

Practically every porch within a 10block radius had somebody’s uncle on it, giddy with the pride of partial ownership. The tiniest stage in the world crouched, indifferent, in a far-flung corner of the bar, surrounded by a crush of ladies of various ages all wearing the same thing. Even the ticketless knew not to go home - instead they hovered like mayflies around the big blue bus in the parking lot. Because being outside the thing is almost the same as being inside the thing, and years from now, whenever this night comes up in conversations (and it will) they will say, with the confidence that only comes from honesty, that they were there that night, when musician Owen Riegling came home to Mildmay.

The day before the big event, Riegling announced on social media that he would be doing a meet-and-greet and performing a few songs in the Harley’s parking lot for all the fans that weren’t able to score one of the coveted golden

Sudoku Solution

wristbands to the indoor show. As it turns out, “all the fans” is a whole lot of people! The crowd was so large it could barely be contained in the parking lot with many people spilling out onto the sidewalk, or across the street to watch from a grassy hill. When Riegling took the stage and saw all the people gathered there, he exclaimed, “There’s so many of you guys!...

I’m going to play a few songs about growing up in Mildmay, and then I want to meet all of you guys!” He took a few song requests from the audience, finished off his mini-set with “Old Dirt Roads”, and, true to his word, spent the next couple of hours meeting, greeting and signing autographs before heading into Harley’s.

The show was, ostensibly, a release party for the young troubadour’s latest EP, Bruce County, but if there were any physical copies of the record in Harley’s that night, they were lost in the crowd. However, that day I had repeatedly streamed the EP’s opening track “Moonshines” enough times to realize that it is excellent. Like, really excellent.

And, as we waited for the show to start, I thought about how cool it was to have interviewed him on Zoom the previous day.

Riegling had just returned home from the penultimate stop of his “Buckle Up” tour, and was in the middle of doing the first thing he likes to do when he comes home.

“I’m laying on some grass in my backyard. I’m in a field and there’s

not a whole lot going on.”

Was he excited for the Mildmay show? “I’m super pumped to get back to Harley’s specifically, just because that’s where it all started for me in the corner of the room with my guitar and my favourite people. It’s going to be kind of a mini homecoming for me.”

Is he excited to open for Sloan and 54-40 at the Clinton Spring Fair on June 1? “I’m a fan of their music, and it’s going to be fun to go to Clinton - it’s not a hometown show, but it kind of feels like it is.

It’s so close to Mildmay. And I’ve got lots of family coming out to it.”

Why does he like playing in rural communities and small towns? “My overall experience with this tour... I wouldn’t say we played all rural areas, but we played a lot of small communities, and places that artists don’t typically tour through. I think there’s a different vibe and energy in the room when it’s a bunch of small-town, hard-working folks that don’t get touring acts that much. Especially me and the songs that I sing - they’re definitely geared towards those types of people. So it feels super fitting to get into those rooms. It’s just a different vibe when you get into small towns and rural communities.

Everybody shows up with a passion.”

Is Riegling able to venture a guess as to why his music is really resonating with people right now?

“I just try to write about honest things, things that I’ve experienced in my life, and I just try to speak

through the things that I’ve lived through. So if somebody hears a line in one of my songs and it's honest and it's true, then that's what connects the most. Anybody from a small town or who knows somebody from a small town can sort of relate to the things that I sing about.”

How does he feel about his song “Old Dirt Roads” really blowing up? “It’s crazy! I try not to look at the numbers, but, every once in a while, I’ll ask my managers where it’s at. I think we’re at almost 50 million streams on this song, which is, like, insane. And it hit number two on country radio in Canada.

And I think I got a text this morning that said it was now platinum in Canada. I wrote it from a really honest place. I wrote it in my college dorm room, by myself, just missing home one day. I wouldn't have thought when I was whatever age I was in 2019, that five years later I’d be having a conversation about ‘Old Dirt Roads’ going platinum. But it's pretty cool to think about - I'm just thankful for everything that's happening with that.”

How is he handling the increase in media attention? “Like anything, it’s a learning curve - when I first started doing interviews a few years ago I would get nervous, like, really nervous just logging on to a Zoom call and having to talk about myself. But now I have a little more experience, and I’m a little more comfortable speaking about the things I have going on.”

What does he like to eat on the road? “I feel like it’s easy to eat bad on the road, because that’s what’s always available, and it’s easy. I try to eat my greens when I can, but I will say there’s been a lot of pizza

consumed on this tour. There’s always a pizza on the bus when we get off the stage, and it’s hard to say ‘no’ to a slice of pizza. A lot of pizza, a lot of chicken wings and hopefully a salad here and there. If I can.”

What does he like to eat when he’s home? “My favourite thing to eat of all time is just a good steak and potatoes, but the price of steak is just insane, so it’s not the easiest thing to do. But if I could, I’d eat steak every night.”

What effect has all the activity of the past year had on the ascendant young star? “It has been a whirlwind. I just think, me, as a person, hasn't changed, everything around me has sort of been changing. I’ve just been on the road for most of the year, it feels like just been busy, that’s all. Same dude, just busier.”

The night that Owen Riegling returned to the stage in Mildmay where it all began, he didn’t step out from backstage, he walked on over through the adoring crowd and stepped on up, just like he always had.

PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, MAY 31, 2024.

Entertainment & Leisure

Sloan, 54-40, Riegling to play Clinton Spring Fair

Chris Murphy, Sloan

Gregory Macdonald and Jay Ferguson, Sloan

Owen Riegling

Spring Reads for Everyone!

54-40

If it feels good do it The Clinton Spring Fair is hosting a rock concert at the Eastlink Arena on June 1. The lineup includes legendary Canadian bands Sloan and 54-40, with local phenom Owen Riegling opening the show.

(Scott Stephenson photos; Courtesy photo from 54-40)

By Scott Stephenson The Citizen

This year, Clinton is holding its 170th Spring Fair, and its slogan, “Way More in 2024”, already feels like a particularly perfect description of the concert that will be happening at the Eastlink Arena on June 1. The fair has scored three truly excellent Canadian musical acts: 54-40 and Sloan with Mildmay’s own Owen Riegling as the opener. It’s a nation-spanning Spring Fair line-up, with Sloan representing the east coast, 54-40 hailing from the west coast, and Owen Riegling coming from right down the road, representing the middle.

Clinton rocks one of the only spring fairs in Huron County - the tremendous bounty of the fall harvest tends to get all the attention.

But spring fairs are a bit more of a celebration of survival - we all made it through the winter together, so let’s eat radishes! It just goes to show that if you put on a really good spring fair for 170 years, it will eventually attract a couple of Canada’s best rock bands and one heck of an up-and-comer.

The people of Clinton and the surrounding area are obviously excited to see Sloan and 54-40, but The Citizen did a quick check-in with a few members of the bands to see how excited they are to come out to Clinton, blow some minds and experience a Huron County agricultural fair.

Brad Merritt is the man responsible for 54-40’s dopest basslines. He’s a little low on agricultural experience, but he hopes to make rural connections.

“Music is a great way to bring people together. The sense of community that the arts can build, I think, is in short supply. We’re all in this together, and bringing music to a community that doesn’t always have an opportunity on a regular basis is a rare and important opportunity.”

Chris Murphy is lead singer of Sloan, and while he knows that he doesn’t need to make any new music, he’s going to anyway. “I don’t know if I’m on a crusade to bring music anywhere, but growing up in Halifax, if [Canadian hardcore punk band] SNFU came, or any band came, you would just love them forever. We didn’t really get a lot of people coming through, so we know what it’s like to wish people would come to your town.”

Jay Ferguson plays guitar and other instruments for Sloan, and while his backyard tomatoes failed due to a squirrel attack, he still thinks agriculture is important. “I grew up in Halifax, it’s not a rural area, but it is at the end of the road and when a band would come through, everybody would go.”

Gregory Macdonald plays keyboard for Sloan, and he might not be entering the Homecraft Competition, but he is looking forward to the gig. “It’s important to play everywhere, but shows in fields are my favourite. We’ll play anywhere that will have us, I guess.”

So check out to the Clinton Spring Fair on June 1, listen to some great bands play cool music, and if you see any of the band members after the show, feel free to give them some gardening tips.

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