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The
THIS WEEK • Agriculture • Fall Fair • Obituaries • COVID-19
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Thursday, September 17, 2020
$1.25 GST included
Volume 36 No. 38
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
Virtual Fox Run Sunday By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
Taking it to the streets While the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association couldn’t officially go ahead this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers and reunion regulars took matters into their own hands and planned a small, safe tractor parade to keep the flame burning for the
event. The 25 tractors participating in the parade travelled from Blyth to Londesborough and back and then through many of Blyth’s streets, much to the delight of residents of the village who are no doubt missing the beloved local event that takes over Blyth once a year. (Denny Scott photo)
Misinformation delays Estates: Cerson By Denny Scott The Citizen The Maitland Estates, formerly known as the A2A project, may have encountered a significant setback and local representatives of the project place the blame at a local realtor’s feet. Douglas Cerson, a partner in SZAM Inc., the group working to
move forward with the estates project, said that while COVID-19 had prevented the project from moving forward, more recently, misinformation has been a big problem for the project. The problem for the project is that the plan of subdivision is due to expire in January, and once it does the land could revert to an agricultural designation, Cerson said
at the Sept. 8 meeting of North Huron Council. He went on to say he plans on filing an extension, but a situation “that came from out of left field” has been taking a significant amount of his time up. He explained that a handful of the over 600 owners behind the project had approached him saying the owners didn’t need SZAM for the
Local youth minister charged A recent investigation conducted by members of the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Crime Unit has resulted in sexual assault and other sex-related offences being laid against an individual identified by police as a youth ministry director from Wingham. The charges stem from incidents that have taken place this year against a teenage victim according to the OPP. Huron County OPP has charged a
29-year-old male suspect from Wingham with seven counts of sexual assault and seven counts of sexual exploitation. The accused was arrested on Sept. 10 by members of the East Algoma OPP detachment. He remains in custody with a future court date at the Ontario Court of Justice in Goderich. Any person with information regarding this incident should immediately contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or (519) 482-1677.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000. Victims of sexual assault are not alone. If you or someone you know is in need of support, there are local resources available to help. One such resource is Victim Services of Huron County, which can be reached at 519-600-4108. If you are in immediate need of police, call 911.
project and the property could be sold as is. Cerson explained that at the time, he wasn’t very concerned about the situation. However, the group, which is from Malaysia, was under the impression North Huron Council was interested in partnering on the project, which this group felt would make it easy to sell. Cerson said he reached out to the township and confirmed that not to be true, however the problem has gone on for five weeks. He explained that he eventually heard that two real estate agents, one in Toronto and one in Wingham, were spreading the misinformation through video conferences. “They were stating that the township is involved and the property can be sold without delay or consequences,” he told council. Cerson explained he’s done everything possible to deal with the problem, however the misinformation has created a significant amount of confusion, and Continued on page 3
This year’s Terry Fox Run, the 40th in the event’s esteemed history, is being held virtually on Sunday, Sept. 20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s run in Brussels raised over $8,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research. It marked the 25th annual run held in Brussels in a year the Terry Fox Run was held for the 39th time. The local run’s fundraising total is now at nearly $175,000 before this year’s event even takes place. For several years, the local iteration of the run has been cohosted by the Brussels Lions Club and the Brussels Optimist Club. This year, however, things will be different and organizers are encouraging residents to register for the run, collect donations and get outside and run, walk or cycle on Sunday, Sept. 20. Traditionally there have been two-, four- and eightkilometre routes available. To take part in the run, register at terryfox.ca. There, you can pick a location, one of which is Brussels. Several people are already registered under the village’s banner. There you can either collect donations for the foundation online or find a pledge sheet to take in physical donations. The Terry Fox Run builds on the legacy of one of Canada’s true heroes, whose Marathon of Hope in 1980 inspired a nation to rise up and work to defeat cancer. Fox began in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 and continued running the equivalent of a marathon every day, including his 22nd birthday, until his cancer returned and he was forced to stop on Sept. 1 just outside of Thunder Bay. Fox was on the road for 143 days and had travelled nearly 5,400 kilometres. Fox would die on June 28, 1981 with his family by his side. The very first Terry Fox Run took place on Sept. 13, 1981 thanks to Isadore Sharp, the founder of the Four Seasons Hotels, who was one of Fox’s earliest supporters. Sharp, who had lost his own son to cancer, donated $10,000 to Fox’s cause and challenged 999 businesses to do the same. Over 300,000 people would take part in that first-ever Terry Fox Run, which raised over $3.5 million. In the years that would follow, the run has raised over $750 million. For more information on the run, how to participate or to donate to another participant, visit the foundation’s website at terryfox.ca.