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The
THIS WEEK • Editorials • 4-H • Mocktails • Parade
Citizen
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Thursday, November 25, 2021
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Volume 37 No. 47
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
Traffic lights approved for Blyth By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
The thrill of victory... The U13 BB Huron Heat were in action on Sunday in Clinton at the Central Huron Community Complex, taking on the Waterloo Ravens and capitalized on their home-ice advantage, scoring a 3-0 victory over the
visitors. Thanks in part to the goal scored above, the Heat knew the thrill of victory, leaving the Ravens to experience the agony of defeat, as the saying goes. The local girls’ hockey team is now 5-3-5 on the season. (John Stephenson photo)
Huron County is moving ahead with a proposal to install traffic lights at the problematic intersection of Blyth and London Roads in the south end of Blyth. The cost of installing traffic lights at the intersection is estimated at $2,191,000, which includes detailed design and consulting fees at $230,000 and just under $2 million for construction and maintenance contracts. The other proposed option, a roundabout, could have cost the county $2,749,000 for a single-lane roundabout or $3,764,000 for two lanes. This comes after a Huron County Council decision last year to further investigate traffic solutions at the aforementioned Blyth intersection and the intersection of County Road 83 and Airport Line, just west of Exeter. Part of the decision was the splitting of the engineering and the detailed design, so, after the engineering was awarded to B.M. Ross and Associates earlier this year and the preferred option has been identified for the Blyth intersection, the county will go ahead with the detailed design of the intersection, incorporating traffic lights. The project will then be included in the 2022 budget for consideration. Lisa Courtney and Darren Alexander from B.M. Ross Continued on page 3
Huron East begins budget process in stable position By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron East Council has initiated its 2022 budget process, much earlier than usual for the municipality, on more stable ground than council and staff have faced in previous years. At council’s Nov. 16 meeting, Treasurer Paula Michiels presented the first draft of the budget, the first since the hiring of new Chief Administrative Officer Brad McRoberts. While Michiels’ first draft included a shortfall of nearly $1.3 million, she and McRoberts presented a handful of small cuts that will bring that down to a much more manageable number. In addition, the municipality is not facing the drastic funding cuts from the provincial government and
policing cost increases that have plagued the process in recent years. Instead, this year’s budget will include an increase in money from the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) of $16,000 above last year’s amount and a decrease of $12,639 in policing costs when compared to the 2021 budget. Michiels also noted that hindering the budget is the fact that property values have remained frozen by the provincial government, so they are still at 2016 values. That means that current assessment values will remain stagnant until the 2023 taxation year. “This position has and will continue to have a significant impact on municipal taxation rates,” Michiels said in her report. Michiels has proposed a 10.5 per cent increase to the general
municipal levy (which is an average of 7.56 per cent when area-rated items are included) and included several cost increase estimates, including a 4.4 per cent increase to the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), a 10 per cent increase in utilities costs and a 15 per cent
increase to the municipality’s liability insurance costs. She has also increased the levies for the municipality’s three community centres by five per cent, while reducing the deficit reduction levies by $3,701. Michiels also noted that the
Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre renovation and expansion project will be going ahead next year, but with funding coming in from various sources, it shouldn’t be a budget draw. She did note, however, that she would have Continued on page 18
HPPH expands vaccine eligibility By Denny Scott The Citizen Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) has officially opened vaccine bookings for children aged five to 11 years old as of Tuesday, Nov. 23. The federal government announced the approval of the vaccines for that age group last
week, and, on Monday afternoon, HPPH announced vaccine booking would start Tuesday, Nov. 23. Thus far the only vaccine approved for children is the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Children turning five this year are eligible to receive the vaccine. “We are excited to begin welcoming children to our vaccine clinics,” Dr. Lauren Hayward,
Physician Consultant at HPPH, said in a press release on Monday. “Vaccination is our most important and effective layer of protection against COVID-19. Along with other measures, vaccination can help children to safely participate in more activities and reduce the disruptions to school.” The release stated that the Continued on page 29