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- Huron County Newsletter #24
Huron County Newsletter
Week of June 2nd to 8th, 2024
Good day,
Another Sunday, another Huron County Newsletter, another chance for us to say thank you for reading the newsletter, and thank you to our advertisers and sponsors. Have a great week!
This week’s Huron County Newsletter is brought to you by:
 Seaforth Golf Club |  Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative |
Avon Maitland Staff Provides Trustees With Update on Stratford Schools Boundary Adjustments
by Bob Montgomery
Avon Maitland District School Board staff provided trustees with a modified recommendation for the boundary adjustment for the Stratford schools at last week's meeting.
Superintendent of Corporate Services Cheri Carter says it's similar to one of the four options that they had previously talked about and the two that staff had recommended. “It essentially just moves three areas that are going into Avon and Bedford and moves them to different schools and one area is a large area that goes from Avon to Downie.”
The trustees have asked them to look at the numbers and see what could be done in terms of a legacy plan that would allow students currently in a school that might be moving to stay in that school until the end of their school career at that school, which would be to the end of grade six.
They're hoping trustees will make a decision at the next board meeting on June 11th.
Gateway Centre Of Excellence in Rural Health Now Accepting Applications to Their Discovery Healthcare Camp
by Bob Montgomery
The Gateway Centre of Excellence In Rural Health is now accepting applications to their Discovery Healthcare Camp for this summer.
The Discovery Healthcare Camp is a week-long immersive summer camp experience designed to engage and mentor high school students to consider healthcare career opportunities available to them, learn basic clinical skills and have fun. The camp runs from July 8th to July 12th at Camp Klahanie, just outside of Goderich. The Schulich School of Medicine at Western University runs several camps throughout Western Ontario. Gateway Research Assistant Joel Hordijk says Gateway has helped host it in Huron County for the last three years. The camp in Goderich is unique because the…
Huron County Library Is Inviting Young Readers To Join Their TD Summer Reading Club
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron County Library is hosting the TD Summer Reading Club this summer and is inviting young readers to join the club.
Summer Literacy Coordinator Nadine vanBreda says the theme is chosen by TD and this year the theme is “To The Stars,” but they decide how to use it. Every week they're going to have a different space theme that will involve aliens, stars, planets, astronauts and constellations. She says they had about five-hundred students between the ages of four and twelve registered last year and they're hoping to get that many again this year. They are limited in how many students they can accommodate but they do have a wait list. They'll do a lot of…
Namesake Literary Festival Honours The Life And The Work Of Alice Munro
by Bob Montgomery
With the passing of Alice Munro earlier this spring, the Alice Munro Festival is expanding in 2024 to include a live theatre production and a film screening in addition to the author events, including readings and masterclasses. Highlights include:…
Midwestern Horsemen Society Moves Into The REACH Centre This Weekend
by Bob Montgomery
The Midwestern Horsemen Society will be coming to the REACH Centre this weekend.
They were one of the first partners with the REACH Centre and Past President Lisa Currah says they always look forward to coming back. They'll have horses coming from all over Southwestern Ontario from the Sarnia area to a bit further north, in the Kincardine area. “Very family friendly, we try to have affordable horse shows for everybody and there's a little bit of everything to do. We have Western Pleasure, English Pleasure as well as all sorts of speed events, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, so a little bit of everything,” said Currah.
They've got about seventy-five horses booked now and they’re expecting to have…
Avon Maitland Staff Presented Long Term Accommodation Plan to Trustees At Last Board Meeting
by Bob Montgomery
Avon Maitland District School Board staff presented trustees with the updated Long Term Accommodation Plan at their recent board meeting.
Superintendent of Corporate Services Cheri Carter says it's something they're required by the Ministry to do every year but they go a little beyond what's required to look at some of the things they want to focus on in the coming school year. That would include…
Huron County's Homelessness Programs Supervisor Presented A Housing and Homelessness Data Report To County Council Recently
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County's Homelessness Programs Supervisor presented a Housing and Homelessness Data Report to County Council Recently.
Erin Schooley explains their data showed that at least 103 people were experiencing homelessness in Huron County in March. Of those, 91 people had been chronically homeless for six months or more in the last year. In March, there were 6 more people experiencing chronic homelessness than in February. Nine people entered homelessness in March. Some of them had been…
Bluewater Recycling Association President Says Shifting Responsibility for Packaging To The People Who Produce The Packaging Is Working Well
by Bob Montgomery
The province of Ontario passed a law that came into effect on the first of April that would see the producers accept responsibility for the packaging they produce in the area serviced by the Bluewater Recycling Association.
BRA President Francis Veilleux says when the Blue Box Program was introduced in the late '80's the municipalities were both financially and operationally responsible for the program but now the producers are. So the producers are now paying and are responsible for the operation of the Blue Box Program. For the residents, it should be business as usual, because the producers in this area have decided to hire the Association to continue providing the service. So instead of the residents paying for those services through user fees and taxes, the producers are.
At this point, Veilleux says the residents still have…
Drayton Festival Announces Summer Performances
by Bob Montgomery
The Drayton Festival Theatre is launching its 2024 season tonight with the 60's Musical, Beehive, at the Drayton Festival Theatre on Wellington Street in Drayton.
Beehive is told from the perspective of six women who come of age in the 60's and Beehive takes audiences on a nostalgic journey through timeless hits of the era such as “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” “Natural Woman,” and many more. Beehive runs from June 5th to June 23rd…
Twenty-eight First Year Medical Students Are Spending This Week In One Of The Four Hospitals In The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
by Bob Montgomery
The corporate lead of medical staff for the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance says twenty-eight first year medical students are spending this week in one of the four hospitals in the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance as part of the Discovery Week Program.
Laurie Roberts says Discovery Week is mandatory for first year medical students and celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary last year. She explains Discovery Week is a way to introduce first year students, many of whom are from urban communities, into what medical practice is like in a rural community…
Municipality of Bluewater Now Accepting Land Use Planning Applications Online
by Bob Montgomery
The Municipality of Bluewater has launched online Land Use Planning applications using Cloudpermit, a cloud-based software.
All residents and professionals can now submit applications online through Cloudpermit. The digital process benefits the community and local municipal staff by improving efficiency. The system offers communication and file management. It also allows access to applications outside of office hours and Cloudpermit also gives real time updates on application status.
Online applications include:…
Municipal Leaders Set To Convene In Chatham-Kent For Return Of Ontario West Municipal Conference
by Bob Montgomery
The Executive Director of the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus explains the Western Ontario Municipal Conference has been on a six-year hiatus and it's coming back this year.
Kate Burns Gallagher says the Western Ontario Municipal Conference used to be held in London and it was a partnership between the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. But six years ago there was a change in direction and they were no longer able to host the conference. Burns Gallagher says over the last six years the Western Wardens Caucus has grown and added some staff so now they're able to bring the Western Ontario Municipal Conference back to the region this year.
“In January we have the Rural Ontario Municipal Conference and then in August we have the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and this is Western Ontario specific. So we're looking at items of concern for Western Ontario very specifically…”
A Retired Physician And A Former MPP Address Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance About Service At Clinton Hospital ER
by Bob Montgomery
Retired Physician Doctor Maarten Bokhout and former MPP Carol Mitchell, both from the Clinton area, made a presentation to the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Board at last week’s meeting to express concerns about the delay in returning full service to the Emergency Department at the Clinton Hospital.
A public meeting was held in April in which Clinton area residents were invited to voice their concerns about the fact that the Clinton Hospital Emergency Department had been closed overnight for the last four years. Doctor Bokhout agreed with the people at that meeting that four years was a long time for something that was supposed to be temporary and it was time to address the problem…
Weekly Trivia Questions
When did the first railways reach Huron County?
a) Mid 1850s
b) Early 1880s
c) Late 1020s
d) Early 1860s
It is said that the real beginning of agriculture in Huron County is marked by the harvesting of the first wheat crop in the entire Huron Tract. In what year did this occur?
a) 1810
b) 1835
c) 1861
d) 1829
Answers to last week’s questions:
What was the name of Clinton's Drive-In Theatre?
a) The Mustang Drive-In
b) The Sunset Drive-In
c) Brownie’s Drive-In Theatre*
d) Star-Lite Drive-In Theatre
What world famous live theatre festival is celebrating 50 seasons this year?
a) The Livery Theatre in Goderich
b) The Famous Players Theatre of Wingham
c) The Cardno Hall Playhouse in Seaforth
d) The Blyth Festival Theatre*