3 • History 4 • Editorials 19 • Agriculture 21 • Obituaries
The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Friday, November 24, 2023
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Volume 39 No. 47
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0
Fees will rise while questions persevere By Scott Stephenson The Citizen
Eyes on the prize The Blyth Brussels U18 Rep Crusaders made it to the semi-finals of the Wingham Silver Stick Tournament last week and through the weekend, but came up just
short of the podium. Along the way, they defeated the Wingham Ironmen, above, by a score of 3-1 on Nov. 17 in the Battle of Highway 4. (John Stephenson photo)
On Monday, North Huron Council voted on a bylaw regarding the township’s 2024 fees and charges. Some of the bylaw’s proposed fees increases exceeded 100 per cent, particularly in the Recreation Department. The unusually steep increase caught North Huron residents by surprise when it was introduced on Nov. 6, creating a flurry of confusion and controversy. On Monday, Wingham’s Town Hall Theatre was full of concerned citizens looking for clarification on the issue and a chance to speak up in defence of recreation, exhibiting varying degrees of civility. Reeve Paul Heffer began the public comment portion of the meeting by requesting that people be respectful in their comments. He also reassured the public that the Wescast Community Complex was not closing, and warned against believing any of the misinformation swirling around the proposed bylaw. There were many public comments, some of which raised valid concerns about the issue. There were requests for greater transparency with citizens, as well as confusion over the lack of information provided on the Continued on page 7
Heat win gold, silver at weekend tournaments By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Two Huron Heat teams found success at the 2023 Stratford Aces Festival Cup Challenge tournament over the weekend, with the U11 B Heat winning it all and the U18 C Heat coming away with a silver medal. The U11 B Heat beat the St. Marys Rock to win the gold, prevailing by a score of 2-1 in the final, while the U18 C Heat came up just short with a 6-2 loss to the Chatham-Kent Crush. To punch their tickets to the finals, the U11 BB Heat defeated the Peterborough Ice Kats by a score of 3-2, while in the other semi-final, the St. Marys Rock defeated the London Devilettes by a score of 1-0. In the U18 C bracket, the Huron Heat beat the HuronBruce 86ers in the semi-final round by a score of 3-2, while the other semi-final saw the Chatham-Kent
Crush beat the Wilmot Wolverines by a score of 4-1 to set up the championship game. The U11 BB Heat opened their tournament with a 1-1 tie with the North Halton Twisters on Nov. 17, followed by a 1-0 loss to the St. Marys Rock on Nov. 18, leading to Sunday’s semi-final games. The U18 C Heat also opened their tournament play with a tie, a 2-2 draw with the Huron-Bruce 86ers on Nov. 17, followed by a 3-0 win over the Wilmot Wolverines later that night. The Heat then beat the St. Thomas Panthers on Nov. 18 by a score of 5-1, followed by another win for the locals, this time a 2-1 victory over the Belmont Blazers to earn a berth in one of Sunday’s semi-final games. The U13 BB Heat also played in the Stratford tournament over the weekend, opening with a 7-2 win over the Brantford Ice Cats and a scoreless tie with the Ayr Rockets. The team then registered another
scoreless tie on Nov. 18 with the St. Thomas Panthers, followed by a 21 defeat at the hands of the Brantford Ice Cats, the eventual tournament winners, ending the tournament for the Heat. The U11 HL Heat also found silver medal success at the annual Panther Pride Tournament in Newmarket, falling to the Toronto
Leaside Wildcats Black team in the finals by a score of 2-1. The team opened tournament play with a game against the Central York Panthers Green team on Nov. 17, which ended in a 4-4 tie, followed by a 5-0 win over the Toronto Leaside Wildcats Royal team later that afternoon. On Nov. 18, the Huron Heat tied
the Sudbury Lady Lynx at one, followed by a 4-1 win over the Central York Panthers Red team, earning them a spot in the semifinal round on Nov. 19. There, the Heat played the Sudbury Lady Panthers and won by a score of 2-0, sending them to the finals. Also on the weekend, the U18 BB Continued on page 9
Housing tenders below estimates By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council has awarded the tender and approved the financing for the multi-milliondollar Gibbons Street housing development that aims to provide aid to those experiencing homelessness in Huron County. At its Nov. 15 meeting, council awarded the tender for the project to Bronnenco Construction Ltd. in
the amount of $13,170,796.80, which includes provisional items for the project. The approved amount is far lower than the initial budget estimates, which totalled $20.4 million, including HST. The build will now include a total of 40 units. According to Technical Services Manager Jeff Kerslake’s report to council for that meeting, the county took a collaborative approach with the architect on the
design of the building. As a result, he said it became apparent that an additional bedroom unit could be incorporated into the design without impacting the apartment building’s footprint. Of the 40 units, 30 will be onebedroom apartments and the remaining 10 will have two bedrooms each. Kerslake said that seven general contractors were pre-qualified Continued on page 25