4 • Editorials 11 • Sports 21 • Obituaries 26 • Citizen of the Year
The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Friday, September 22, 2023
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Volume 39 No. 38
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0
Brussels Tigers claim sixth straight fastball title By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen
An annual tradition Ty Sebastian (number eight), brings the Huron County Fastball League championship trophy to his Brussels Tigers teammates after they cemented victory in the league’s year-end tournament over the weekend. Not
only was the team undefeated through the tournament, but the Tigers didn’t allow a single run. Jamie Stanley of the Goderich Grizzlies, right, made the presentation, capping off a tremendous season. (John Stephenson photo)
The Brussels Tigers got hot at the right time, winning their final 10 games of the regular season, and stayed hot over the weekend, not giving up a single run in their undefeated run through the Huron County Fastball League’s year-end tournament in Goderich. The Tigers cruised to victory on Sunday afternoon, beating the Sebringville Sting in the final by a score of 4-0. This came after the Tigers blanked the Sting in the semifinal by a score of 3-0. In the double-knockout format, after their defeat at the hands of the Tigers, the Sting played another semi-final game against the Belmore Stingers, winning by a score of 7-5, sending them to the final. The Tigers beat the Wingham Hitmen in the quarterfinals by a score of 3-0 on Saturday evening, which came after the Tigers’ win in their first game of the tournament over the Walton Brewers by a score of 4-0 on Saturday morning. The tournament began with a 10-5 Walton Brewers’ victory over the Fullarton A’s and a Mitchell Mets win over the Brussels Bangers by a score of 8-5 in the first round of games on Friday night. The Sebringville Sting then beat the Wroxeter Rippers by a score of 6-1 and the host Goderich Grizzlies trounced the Monkton Muskrats by Continued on page 2
Public voices concerns as Blyth pre-zoning presented By Scott Stephenson The Citizen On Monday, Sept. 18, North Huron Council held a public meeting in regards to the proposed pre-zoning of an area located at 309 King Street in Blyth that is potentially going to be turned into a residential development. Huron County Planner Hanna Holman made a presentation on the property. The proposed pre-zoning is part of a township-wide general review of zoning bylaws, which includes an evaluation of possible opportunities for residential developments on large vacant properties. Pre-zoning lands for a certain use or building type ahead of any proposed physical development can provide direction as to the possible options for future uses on the property. Other planning approvals, such as a plan of subdivision, would be needed before development to demonstrate the feasibility of such development. Local landowners were approached to collect their opinions, with the public meeting being held to gather even more comments. The Wingham Town Hall Theatre saw more seats filled than usual at a council meeting with
citizens eager to put in their two cents on the matter. Prior to the presentation, DeputyReeve Kevin Falconer declared a conflict of interest, as he owns property within 120 metres of the lot, making him one of the neighbouring landowners, and did not participate in the discussion. The site is currently zoned as “future development", and the proposed change would have it zoned as a “special zone” of low- or medium-density residential housing. This would be the first step in any potential development of the site. Many technical plans and feasibility studies would need to be completed in order to begin any kind of development in the future, further examining stormwater management, traffic impact, and land use compatibility. Holman presented a concept plan that was provided by potential developers for information purposes only. It outlined housing possibilities for the site in a very preliminary fashion, but the planner underlined the likelihood that this plan could change as development moved forward. The pre-zoning would open the space up to possible duplexes, triplexes, row houses, townhouses, retirement
communities or apartment buildings with a maximum of three storeys. Steve Weaver, a planner with GSP Group, spoke on behalf of the owner of 309 King Street, Dave Franken. Weaver pointed out that Blyth is designated as a primary settlement area, in which residential growth is encouraged, saying that
“rezoning is required to do what the official plan indicates.” A preliminary consultation with the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority in regards to ponds on site turned up no issues in regards to development - the ponds, being man-made, are outside the authority’s jurisdiction. A
stormwater management pond to deal with runoff is also a part of the proposed concept plan. Weaver cited no regulated hazards, no protected features and no required environmental inspection as just some of the reasons the site should be Continued on page 3
National awards for ‘Citizen’ The Citizen has won a gold and silver medal in this year’s Canadian Community Newspaper Awards, handed out by News Media Canada. The newspaper placed first in the Best Community Newspaper Website category for publications with a circulation of up to 9,999 and second in the Best Agricultural Edition category, which is open to community newspapers of all sizes. “The Citizen’s Salute to Agriculture: 2022” finished just behind The Carillon’s “Ag Now Section” in Steinbach, Manitoba. The last time The Citizen won a News Media Canada national newspaper award was in 2019 in the Best Rural Story category, which followed several years of honours at the national level. The Citizen received second-
place finishes in the Best Overall Newspaper, Best Front Page and Best Editorial Page categories for its circulation class at the 2014 awards before triumphing in all three categories the following year, being named the best newspaper in Canada, the best front page and the best editorial page in its circulation class that year. In addition, five times in the last six years, The Citizen has won a provincial newspaper award, earning third place or higher and winning an OCNA Better Newspaper Competition Award, in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2015. That comes in addition to Stops Along the Way being honoured last year at the provincial level, the same year The Citizen’s website received an honorable mention.
At the 2019 awards, The Citizen placed third in the General Excellence category for its circulation class and third for Best Sports Photograph of the Year with a picture taken by Editor Shawn Loughlin. In 2018, The Citizen placed first in the Best Rural Story category for newspapers with a circulation of 9,999 or under for a story on rural homelessness written by Rural Voice Editor Lisa Boonstoppel-Pot, while in 2017, the newspaper won first place in the Best Community Website category for a newspaper with a circulation under 9,999. In 2015, The Citizen placed third in General Excellence for its circulation class, as well as in the Best Community Website category for its circulation class.