INSIDE THIS WEEK:
AWARDS - Pg. 3
SPORTS - Pg. 8
ART - Pg. 27
Citizens of the Year honoured in Brussels
Wingham Ironmen back atop N. Pollock Division
Festival Art Gallery show, sale to open on Nov. 28
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The
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Volume 35 No. 45
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Locals win at Royal By Denny Scott The Citizen
Striking Lightning The Huron Bantam C Heat team was in action on Sunday morning at the Central Huron Community Complex, taking on the Tillsonburg Lightning. The Heat came out on top of the contest with a 3-1 final score, improving their season
record to 8-5-3. Other Heat teams were also in action over the weekend, with the PeeWee BB Heat beating the Waterloo Ravens 6-2 in Brussels on Sunday and the Atom B Heat losing 1-0 to the South Huron Sabres. (Darlene McCowan photo)
A number of local farm businesses had a great year at this year’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, claiming first-place finishes and championship ribbons. In the Beef Cattle - Angus show, Gilchrist Farms from Lucknow captured a number of awards, including Junior Champion. Female Calf with GF Proven Queen 683G who won first in heat two of the Junior Female Calf Born in 2019 (Minimum three months). GF Barbara 63G, also owned by Gilchrist, won second in the Intermediate Junior Female Calf Born in 2019 category heat two and was named Reserve Intermediate Champion Female Calf. GF Evening Tinge 117G won second place in the same category in heat two. In heat four of the Senior Yearling Heifer Born 2018 category, Gilchrist Farms’s GF Rose 197F placed second. GF Reality 501G placed third in the Junior Bull Calf, Born in 2019, Minimum three months of Age category. Gilchrist Farms also claimed the Champion Get of Sire and Champion Junior Get of Sire, as Continued on page 23
Ellis provides Health Team update for North Huron By Denny Scott The Citizen Karl Ellis, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Listowel and Wingham Hospitals Alliance, gave North Huron Township Council a brief overview of how local health organizations are being reorganized into area health teams, as well as what those changes could mean. During council’s Nov. 18 meeting, Ellis explained that more than 60 local organizations would be brought under the banner of the local Ontario Health Team as Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are eliminated. Ellis explained that, in February of this year, the first steps to create the Ontario Health Teams were taken with a goal of improving patient experience and local health services. Under the People’s Health Care Act, agencies and provincial services would be brought under the banner of the Ontario Health Agency, including Cancer Care
Ontario, Health Quality Ontario, eHealth Ontario, Trillium Gift of Life Network, Health Shared Services Ontario and HealthForceOntario Market and Recruitment Agency. The 14 LHINs would be reorganized into Ontario Health Teams, which were each required to submit a self-assessment in spring, 2019 to start the reorganization process. Locally, that meant more than 50 organizations came together, Ellis explained, though as the process continued, more groups were brought into the fold. The major focus of the health teams is to handle the disbursement of finances to the local organizations it represents, Ellis explained. He said that, once the teams are established, the funds that would have been delivered to all the member groups will go through the team and be dispersed from there. Ellis said there have been concerns aired about the program, but it is going ahead.
Councillor Chris Palmer asked if a representative of front-line nurses was part of the organization, and Ellis said no. “There should be,” Palmer said. “I’ve been married to a front-line nurse for years, and she’s seen it all.” Ellis said it was a good point and
he would bring it up at the next governance meeting for the team. *** After providing his update on the Ontario Health Team, Ellis also provided updates on several other issues, including the recent cyber security breach suffered by the
Wingham and Listowel hospitals. He explained that, though the hospitals’ servers were attacked by ransomware, no ransom request was made or paid and the hospital didn’t contact the hackers. Instead, the organization hired a forensic Continued on page 13
Hometown Holiday Weekend set Blyth’s Hometown Holiday Weekend, recently taken over by the Blyth Community Betterment Group, will officially begin next Friday, Dec. 6 with the annual Lighting of the Lights at Blyth Memorial Hall. The event, set for 7 p.m., will kickoff three days of Christmasthemed events including, for its second year, the Blyth Santa Claus parade on Saturday. The event features something for everyone, starting with those with creative designs. Saturday will feature crafts at the Huron County Library Branch in Blyth from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as pompom garland-making classes at FACTS from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and will feature local floats and, of course, Santa Claus. Blyth Creek Maple Farm will be making maple taffy along the parade route. From 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Blyth and District Community Centre there will be a free skate for families, a cookie-decorating workshop and the chance for a visit with Santa. Local train afficionado Jeff Norgate is opening his home at 183 Drummond Street from 3 p.m. to
6 p.m. to show off his Christmas train display. The Blyth Lions Club will be hosting its annual Christmas dinner and dance on Saturday night at the Blyth and District Community Centre with cocktail hour starting at 6 p.m. A dance is set to follow featuring Adam Cousins. Tickets for the dinner are available through Vicky Bremner at 519-523-4870. On Sunday, the Blyth Firefighters’ Association will be holding breakfast at Blyth Memorial Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The meal will feature local products like Continued on page 24