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- Huron County News #29
Huron County Newsletter
Weeks of July 14th to July 20th, 2024
Good day,
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Also, if you have an interesting fact or story about Huron County, and would like to see it featured in our trivia section, please email it to [email protected].
Thank you for checking out the Huron County Newsletter and have a great week.
This week’s Huron County Newsletter is brought to you by:
 Seaforth Golf Club |  Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative |
New President At Port Of Goderich Port Management Corporation Says They're Ready To Expand As Soon As They Get The Funding
by Bob Montgomery
Frank Hurkmans is the new President of the Goderich Port Management Corporation following the retirement of Rowland Howe.
Hurkmans says the original vision for the expansion of the port that took place in 2019 was to be about fifteen acres, but they weren't able to get the funding for the whole project so that expansion was limited to about four acres. The Tomlison Group is the tenant on that property. Hurkmans says they need about fifty million dollars in federal, provincial, and private funding to proceed with the roughly eleven acres that was…
Huron County Could Have Its First Roundabout By The End Of Next Year
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County's Director Of Operations says the county could have its first roundabout by the end of 2025.
Imran Khalid says the proposed roundabout will be at the intersection of County Road 83 and Airport Line in South Huron. It's a very busy intersection and there have been several accidents there and the county has looked at a number of options, including traffic lights, and has opted for a roundabout. Most drivers who are being honest will admit they can be a little intimidating and they do take some getting used to, but there are a few roundabouts in Kitchener and London so most drivers have had some experience with them by now.
Khalid also says they're keeping this one as simple as possible. It will be a one lane roundabout so drivers won't have to worry about looking for their exit as they're driving around it. The proposed design would make it possible to add a second lane if it was required in fifty or sixty years by buying up land around the roundabout but he doesn't see any need for that for a long time.
Khalid says they hope to get final approval and start construction on the roundabout next spring and hopefully have it completed by the end of 2025.
OHL Championship Trophy Coming To Goderich In August
by Bob Montgomery
The OHL's Championship trophy will be coming to Goderich on August 3rd.
The London Knights won the J. Ross Robertson trophy this year and the mental health strategist for the Knights, Paulie O’Byrne, lives in Goderich and is a good friend of Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet. His day with the championship trophy is Saturday, August 3rd and he asked the Mayor if he'd like to see the trophy come to Goderich.
Bazinet thought it was a great idea. The OHL Championship trophy will be at Bannister Park on Saturday, August 3rd from eleven in the morning till four in the afternoon, as part of the 18th annual Don Johnston Memorial Slo-Pitch tournament. In the event that the weather doesn't cooperate, the trophy will be moved indoors to the Memorial Arena and there will be updates on the town of Goderich website page and Facebook page.
Work Underway To Replace The Track And Infield Playing Surface At St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School
by Bob Montgomery
Work has begun on the new track and the enhancement of the infield playing surface at St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary School in Clinton.
Director of Education, Chris Roehrig, says the original track has served the school community well over the past 25 plus years. “This facility is used by schools throughout the Huron-Perth district as well as the community. This project represents a significant investment by the board for St. Anne’s, Huron-Perth Athletics and the County of Huron and we are proud to be a strong community partner.”
The project will replace the existing track with…
Clinton Community Working Group Looking For Input From The County On Staff Shortage At Clinton Hospital
by Bob Montgomery
The spokesperson for the Clinton Community Working Group brought members up to date on the meeting with the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA).
Doctor Maarten Bokhout says the meeting in June was called to address the shortage of staff that has resulted in the Clinton Hospital's Emergency Department being closed at night for the last four and a half years. Doctor Bokhout suggested that this unfair situation could be rectified with little financial impact to the HPHA by a system of staff rotation whereby the peripheral hospitals would share the burden of restricted access. He says that was rejected as unworkable.
They also sent a letter to Huron County council to ask how council felt about…
The English As A Second Language Course Is Now Up And Running At The Goderich Library Branch
by Bob Montgomery
The new English as a Second Language Course for Newcomers has been running for two weeks now and it's offered every Saturday from 10:30 until noon at the Goderich Library Branch.
Library Assistant Alina Oomen says so far they have six newcomers attending the course. The biggest challenges newcomers face are language barriers and the shortage of housing, followed by transportation and finding a job. But she says language is probably the biggest barrier because it's very difficult to get a job without being able to speak some English. The current program will run until September 28th and then they'll asses where they want to go from there.
The course is…
OPP Investigating Fatal Collision
by Bob Montgomery
A two-vehicle collision involving a pickup truck and a semi-truck has claimed the life of a London resident.
Just after 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16th, 2024, members of the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Perth County OPP, Middlesex OPP, Huron County Paramedic Services, South Huron Fire Department, and Granton Fire Department responded to the intersection of Perth Road 164 and Sunshine Line in the Municipality of South Huron after receiving a 911 call about a collision.
Upon arrival, emergency services located both vehicles and discovered that the driver of the pickup truck was deceased.
Members from the West Region OPP Traffic Incident Management & Enforcement Team attended the scene to assist with the collision investigation. Sections of Perth Road 164 and Sunshine Line were closed for several hours, but have since reopened.
The investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the collision is being investigated. The deceased is a 28-year-old resident of London.
Any person with information regarding this collision should contact Huron County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Huron Perth Agriculture And Water Festival Ending After 30 Years
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron Perth Agriculture and Water Festival that was held annually in Seaforth is ending after 30 years.
The festival began as the Slice of Huron in 1992 to teach local young people about agriculture in their communities. It expanded in 2006 to include components about water awareness and conservation. The festival was geared toward Grade 4 students and their teachers from across Huron and Perth counties and was always delivered as a free, interactive educational event.
In 2019, after another successful festival, the committee began…
 Elizabeth Balfour, Secretary-Treasurer for Huron Perth Agriculture and Water Festival presents donation to Brittany McDonald, Community Development Coordinator for Ontario Student Nutrition Program (Huron-Perth). |  Elizabeth Balfour, Secretary-Treasurer for Huron Perth Agriculture and Water Festival, presents donation to Steve Dolson, Chairman, and Sylvia Behrns, Treasurer, of the Huron Perth Ag Science Centre. |
Photos courtesy of the Huron Perth Agriculture and Water Festival Committee
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Board Of Directors Welcomes New Chair, Vice-Chair, Two New Directors And Eight Community Members To Board Committees
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) Board of Directors welcomed a new chair, vice-chair, two new directors, and eight community members to board committees at its recent 2023/2024 Annual Members Meeting.
John Wilkinson was elected chair of the Alliance’s Board of Directors. Franklin Famme, CPA, CA, Partner at Famme & Company Professional Corporation and Bill Whetstone, Commercial Lead, Bruce Power, and Municipality of Bluewater Bayfield Ward Councillor were elected to the Alliance’s Board of Directors. Sincere thanks were extended at the meeting to departing board members Gary Austin and Joe Looby, who was also treasurer, for their stellar service and contributions while on the board.
Following the Annual Members Meeting, the board…
John Wilkinson - Chair of the Board, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Huron Perth Public Health Tips For Serving Food Safely This Summer
by Bob Montgomery
Huron Perth Public Health has some food safety tips to prevent illness when planning summer activities and meals.
Public Health Inspector, Chris Boyes, says it’s not uncommon to see an increase in foodborne illness cases, such as campylobacter and salmonella, over the summer months and with more outdoor gatherings and activities at this time of year, food will often sit out in warm temperatures for several hours. That creates an ideal environment for harmful bacteria to multiply and increases the risk of people getting sick.
Common symptoms of foodborne illness include…
Is It Possible To See A Hilarious But Thrilling Murder Mystery? You Can At The Blyth Festival
by Bob Montgomery
Resort to Murder opens at the Blyth Festival on Friday, July 26th.
Blyth Festival Artistic Director, Gil Garratt, says the play was written by Birgitte Solem who worked with him on the creation of the Pigeon King. During that time he learned that Birgitte had spent the better part of a decade doing murder mystery at a dinner theatre in Ottawa, where the actors didn't know what they were doing or what role they would be playing until about half an hour before they had to do it. Thus her training for murder mystery.
In Resort to Murder, Birgette has created a murder mystery that is very funny and also…
Photo courtesy of the Blyth Festival
Global Network Outage Affects Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance - Patient Care Unaffected
by Bob Montgomery
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance is currently experiencing a global network outage affecting their systems.
The outage has impacted their ability to access electronic records and utilize certain digital services. Patient care remains their top priority, and they can confirm that patient care services are not affected at this time. Their healthcare professionals continue to provide uninterrupted care using established protocols and procedures.
This network issue is not…
Serious Collision Closes Base Line At Londesboro Road In The Municipality Of Central Huron
On July 18th, 2024, at 10:20 p.m., the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police, Central Huron Fire Department, and Huron County Paramedic Services responded to a report of a serious collision involving two motor vehicles at the intersection of Base Line and Londesboro Road.
Emergency responders located four injured vehicle occupants who were transported to local hospitals. One occupant was later airlifted to a London Hospital with more serious injuries.
The OPP Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement team is on scene to assist with the investigation.
Sections of Base Line and Londesboro Road remain closed for the investigation. Please avoid that area.
Updates will be provided as they become available.
The Huron OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122.
Historian David Yates Has Asked Huron County Council For Funding For A Book On Huron County Cenotaphs
by Bob Montgomery
Historian David Yates and photographer Conrad Kuiper made a presentation to Huron County council recently asking for $5,000 in funding towards a book on Huron County's cenotaphs. The book is called "For One Fleeting Dream of Right".
Yates says Huron County has thirteen cenotaphs, plus the one in Luckow that recognizes soldiers from Ashfield, and what he and Kuiper decided to do is write a history of those fourteen cenotaphs. Yates says each one of those cenotaphs tells an important part of the story of that community and…
Weekly Trivia Questions
The District of Huron was made up of the counties of Huron and Perth, plus the area now known as Bruce county, as well as the townships of Biddulph and McGillivray. In what years did the District of Huron exist?*
a) 1810 to 1841
b) 1867 to 1892
c) 1841 to 1849
d) 1868 to 1876
When the District of Huron was dissolved, it formed the counties of Huron, Perth, and Bruce. For 4 years these counties continued to be governed by a single body made up of representatives from their respective areas. What was the collective group referred to as?*
a) Tri-County
b) United Counties
c) The Triple Threat
d) Harold
Answers to last week’s questions:
In the early days, when the settlement known as Blyth was more of a dream than a reality, what was it known as?*
a) Drummond*
b) McConnellville
c) Dundee
d) Templeton
Many of the first settlers to Huron came from Waterloo County and Pennsylvania. But, around 1854 there was one village that saw an influx of settlers directly from Germany. What was the name of that village?*
a) Brussels
b) Blyth
c) Hensall
d) Zurich*
*According to ‘The Settlement of Huron County’ by James Scott