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The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
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Friday, September 20, 2024
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Volume 40 No. 38
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0
Heffer declares for HC Warden By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
Hot commodity At the Elementary School Fair in Belgrave, there was plenty to see and do. First, the Belgrave Community Centre was full of students’ work for the storied fair and, second, there was everything outside, like the parade,
games and a number of attractions. One of them was a station with the Fire Department of North Huron, above, that safely gave young people a little taste of what it’s like to be a real-life firefighter. (Scott Stephenson photo)
Factory sues Festival over nixing ‘Waltz’ By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen The Toronto Star is reporting that the city’s Factory Theatre is suing the Blyth Festival for $115,000 in relation to the cancellation of The Waltz, which was scheduled to be part of the Festival’s 2023 season. The article, written by Joshua Chong, the newspaper’s culture reporter, and published Tuesday night, says Factory issued a statement of claim on Sept. 10 for more than $115,000 in damages. The claim has not yet been tested in court and the Festival has yet to officially file a statement of defence. The Waltz, written by regular Festival playwright and director Marie Beath Madian, was abruptly cancelled on June 5 of 2023. It was
scheduled for 14 productions in the Blyth Festival’s Memorial Hall between July 12 and 29 that year. “Blyth did not cite any basis for the termination by the terms of the Presenting Agreement itself,” Factory Theatre has alleged in its court filing. “Its stated reason for the termination was that it no longer wished to engage in discussions with Factory Theatre about lighting design, even though its own stated deadlines for preliminary and final lighting design would not expire for another two and three weeks, respectively.” The statement of claim says that Factory Theatre was to bear the preproduction costs for the show and, in turn, the Festival would present the production at its own venue. Factory Theatre alleges that the Festival broke the agreement and,
as a result, Factory Theatre claims it is owed more than $90,000 in damages: $58,708.24 in “unrecoverable costs” to mount the production, such as playwright royalties and artist fees; $15,000 in
contract cancellation fees as outlined in the theatres’ agreement, and $16,747 in lost Canada Council for the Arts grants as a result of the show’s cancellation. Furthermore, Continued on page 3
Morris-Turnberry Mayor Jamie Heffer has declared his intention to put his name forward in hopes of becoming the next Huron County Warden this fall. Heffer informed his fellow Huron County councillors and members of the public of this decision at Huron County Council’s Sept. 4 meeting, held in Goderich. This would come after two, two-year stints by current Warden and Ashfield-ColborneWawanosh Mayor Glen McNeil, which was preceded by two, twoyear stints by Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn and a term by MorrisTurnberry Mayor Paul Gowing, who was the first Huron County Warden to serve the new two-year term. In Morris-Turnberry, Heffer was first elected as a councillor in 2010. He represented the Turnberry Ward, back when the municipal council still had a ward system. In 2014, he was re-elected as the top vote-getter in MorrisTurnberry, with nearly 900 people voicing their support for him. Under the Morris-Turnberry rules, as the top vote-getter, that made Heffer the deputy-mayor for that term. Then, in 2018, Heffer was acclaimed to the position of mayor when outgoing Mayor Paul Gowing chose not to run again and no one else opted to oppose Heffer. He would be acclaimed to the top position again in 2022. Heffer didn’t say much about his candidacy, just that he intended to run when the time came this fall. To date, no one else has expressed their desire to run for the position, but there is still plenty of time for opposition to materialize.
NH to consider Blyth library move By Scott Stephenson The Citizen On Monday, Sept. 16, North Huron Council considered a proposal that could see the Blyth Public Library relocated to the second floor of the Blyth and District Community Centre. The proposal aims to revitalize the underutilized space of the centre while addressing the library’s space needs.
Director of Recreation and Children’s Services Kelly Steiss outlined the report’s key points, emphasizing that the Blyth Community Centre, once a vibrant hub for events such as weddings and sports tournaments, has seen a marked decline in use for event rentals. With local venues like the Four Winds Barn in Brussels and Maple Lane Haven in Huron East now popular for large gatherings, and operations like Cowbell
Brewing Co. drawing attention for family and business events, the Centre’s large space remains largely empty. “The Blyth Community Hall is largely supported by North Huron taxpayers and significantly underutilized. We see an opportunity to better align this space with community needs,” Steiss stated. She proposed that the second floor, which had been Continued on page 3