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- Huron County Newsletter #28
Huron County Newsletter
Weeks of June 30th to July 13, 2024
Good day,
We’re back with a packed newsletter this week. Thanks for your patience and understanding last week. We’ve got a lot of stories, and some interesting trivia questions as well. So, let’s get into it.
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 |
Starter Company Plus Enrolment Opening Soon
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County's Starter Company Plus enrolment opens on July 1, 2024.
The program provides business training, coaching, mentorship, and an opportunity to be awarded a grant of up to five-thousand dollars for eligible participants to start, expand or buy a small business.
Huron County's Director of Economic Development, Vicki Lass, says the program has been running for more than fifteen years now. “The goal of the Starter Company Plus program is to give small businesses the opportunity to…”
Huron Shores Area Transit Expands Service To Grand Bend
by Bob Montgomery
Huron Shores Area Transit has expanded their service to Grand Bend.
Transit Coordinator Susan Mills says their route from London to Grand Bend is particularly popular in the summer and last year they found they had several situations where their bus was completely full. They're hoping to avoid that this year. “To do that we thought we would be proactive by providing a pre-booking system so that people who are considering coming up to Grand Bend to go to the beach can pre-book their seat to Grand Bend and book their seat coming home so…”
Photo courtesy of Huron Shores Area Transit
Central Huron Community Improvement Coordinator Invites Residents To Join Them In Painting Issac Street On Friday
*Note - This event has already taken place
by Bob Montgomery
Central Huron's Community Improvement Coordinator Angela Smith says they didn't exactly paint the town of Clinton red last week, but they did paint some lovely yellow flowers on King St.
Smith says they painted yellow daises on the pavement and the goal was just to create a little joy and community spirit…
Photo courtesy of Central Huron
Avon Maitland District School Board Students Compete at Skills Ontario
by Bob Montgomery
Thirty-seven students from Avon Maitland District Schools competed in this year's Skills Ontario competition.
The annual event showcases the exceptional talents and skills of students across the province, providing a platform for them to demonstrate their expertise in various trades and technologies. The Skills Ontario Competition is a significant event that brings together students, educators, and industry professionals to celebrate and encourage excellence in skilled trades and technologies. The students competed in…
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Photos courtesy of Avon Maitland District School Board
Jersey Boys Opens This Week At The Huron Country Playhouse In Grand Bend
by Bob Montgomery
Jersey Boys is the international musical phenomenon that takes you behind the scenes - and behind the music - of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.
Discover the secret of a 40-year friendship as four blue-collar guys work their way from the wrong side of the tracks to the heights of stardom, thrilling audiences with electrifying performances of chart-topping hits:
"Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Oh What A Night," "Too Good To Be True," "Beggin'," and many more!
July 10th until August 3rd at the Huron Country Playhouse Mainstage on B Line in Grand Bend.
For tickets and information, visit the Huron Country Playhouse website.
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Celebrates Excellence in Healthcare at Tuer-Hodes Family Awards Presentation
by Bob Montgomery
The award presentation took place at the Stratford General Hospital on Monday, and celebrated excellence within the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance by recognizing outstanding contributions to healthcare services.
The recipient of the Nursing Recognition Award for Exceptional Care is Samantha Metelski, a dedicated Critical Care nurse known for her positive and friendly demeanour. She fosters a supportive atmosphere on the unit, where she organizes…
Photo courtesy of Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Goderich Council Looking For Ways To Reduce Volume Of Complaints Going To Bylaw Department
by Bob Montgomery
Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet says the towns Bylaw Department is receiving too many complaints that are not related to bylaw infractions.
Bazinet says dealing with those calls is taking bylaw staff away from things that are bylaw related. He says there is a process in place on their website that allows people to fill out bylaw complaint forms, and that goes to the Bylaw Department. They also have a Citizens Request Form for citizens to share their concerns about other issues, and that goes to town hall. Bazinet says this time of year the Bylaw Department…
County of Huron And Avon Maitland District School Board Unveil New Student-Created Cookbook
by Bob Montgomery
The County of Huron in collaboration with the Avon Maitland District School Board's Multilingual Language Learning team has announced the completion of an innovative project that brought together students from four Avon Maitland District high schools and local artists to create a very unique and diverse cookbook.
The project involved students from Food Services classes at FE Madill Secondary School, Central Huron Secondary School, Goderich District Collegiate Institute, and South Huron District High School. The cookbook…
Joe Kerr Limited Commits $100,000 To Wingham Hospital CT Scanner
by Bob Montgomery
Joe Kerr Limited has pledged $100,000 to the Caring Together campaign to help bring a new CT scanner to the Wingham and District Hospital.
This donation carries on the long tradition of the Kerr family supporting local healthcare in Wingham. In addition to the generous financial contribution, owner Andrew Kerr has also volunteered his time to work on the Caring Together campaign as a Team Leader…
Goderich Council Looking At Options To Make The Square Accessible To More People During Special Events
by Bob Montgomery
Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet says some merchants on the square, as well as Chamber of Commerce members, have expressed some concerns about special events on the square.
The concerns are particularly related to parts of the road around the square being closed off for events and the number of food trucks on the square that are taking business away from other businesses on the square. They want to sit down with their BIA, their Chamber of Commerce and their Tourism and Special Events departments and try and come up with a policy on how they can move forward with their special events.
Bazinet says he'd like to find a way of keeping the food trucks on the square, maybe in a different location. He points out the food trucks are one more thing that attracts people to the square and keeps them on the square and sometimes when they have events at night the other businesses aren't open. If they're serving alcohol during the evening events, they are required to have food available, so they have to have a food truck for those situations. It's essential that they have those conversations now so that everything is in place for the grand opening of the newly renovated downtown square in 2027 and the majority of people and businesses will be happy.
United Way Youth In Action Grants Create Next Generation Of Engaged Citizens
by Bob Montgomery
Part of the United Way Perth Huron's mission is building the next generation of engaged residents through the Youth in Action grants program.
The program provides opportunities for youth to come up with creative solutions to challenges people their own age face and develop skills that can transfer to other areas of life.
United Way Director of Governance and Community Impact Megan Partridge says they're excited to…
Blyth Festival Announces Naming Of Stage At Memorial Hall
by Bob Montgomery
The Blyth Festival has announced the name of the stage at Memorial Hall.
The Blyth Festival will name its flagship indoor stage in response to a landmark $500,000 gift from the Margaret and Andrew Stephens Family Foundation of Canmore, AB. The space will be named The Margaret Stephens Stage in celebration of the family’s wish to honour their late wife and mother, Margaret Stephens. Representatives of the Stephens family will gather with friends, festival staff and local officials to unveil a commemorative plaque in Memorial Hall’s Blyth Festival Art Gallery on August 3rd, at 1 p.m.
Although the foundation is…
The Ontario Government Is Investing In Local Long-Term Care Homes In Both Huron And Bruce Counties
by Bob Montgomery
Provincial funding through the Local Priorities Fund will help connect residents of Huron and Bruce counties with complex needs like dementia and geriatric care to the right place while also reducing avoidable emergency department visits and hospital stays.
“This type of investment into our long-term care facilities throughout the riding is making a difference,” said Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. “The benefits of having these…”
Huron Perth Agricultural Science Centre Hiring An Administrative Assistant
Chair Steve Dolson explains that to create Canada's first ag-focused science centre, they're looking for an individual to join their team. The successful candidate will assist in public relations, grant-writing and other administrative duties related to the project.
Applications will be accepted until the end-of-day on Friday, July 19th and can be directed to [email protected].
If questions or queries arise relating to this position, or the project in general, please reach out to them - their team would be happy to connect.
Death Investigation in Central Huron
Police Seeking Witnesses
Police continue to seek witnesses in a homicide investigation in Central Huron.
Investigators have received information that two individuals may have been in the wooded area near the former Holmesville Public School on Cut Line Road between 12:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. on July 2, 2024. Police believe these individuals have information that could assist the investigation but have not yet come forward.
The investigation began on July 2, 2024, at 4:18 p.m., when members of the Huron County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency services responded to a Cut Line Road address between Parr Line and Tipperary Line, where a youth was located, transported to hospital, and later pronounced deceased…
Suspect Arrested After Series Of Auto Thefts And Collision In Goderich
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has charged a Goderich-area resident with numerous criminal offences following a series of auto thefts, a break and enter, and collisions in the town of Goderich in the early morning hours of July 12th, 2024.
On Friday, July 12th, just after 3:20 a.m., Huron County OPP officers received a report of a suspicious vehicle being driven erratically in Goderich near Elgin Avenue. Officers attended and located an abandoned damaged pickup truck on Kingston Street. While investigating where the pickup truck originated from, police located a second…
Attendance For Open House To View Updated Conceptual Drawings For Square In Goderich Is Encouraging
by Bob Montgomery
Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet says he was very pleased with the turnout at last week's open house for the conceptual drawings for the downtown square.
Bazinet says it's a good indication of the interest Goderich residents have in the project. “We're seeing a lot of good comments and some people have some concerns about some things and we're not going to keep everyone happy with this, but we'll do our best to keep as many people happy as possible. One of the biggest changes we're proposing is going from…”
OPP Investigating Fatal Collision
by Bob Montgomery
A two-vehicle collision involving a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle has claimed the life of a Goderich resident.
Just after 1:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 13th, 2024, Huron County OPP, Huron County Paramedic Services and the Goderich Fire Department responded to Bluewater Highway between MTO Road and Blyth Road in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Township after receiving a 911 call about a collision.
Upon arrival, emergency services located both vehicles and discovered that the driver of the motorcycle had sustained life-threatening injury and was transported to local hospital where they were later pronounced deceased.
Members from the West Region OPP Traffic Incident Management & Enforcement Team is attending the scene to assist with the collision investigation. Bluewater Hwy is closed between MTO Road and Blyth Road.
The investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the collision is being investigated.
The deceased is a 74-year-old resident of Goderich.
Any person with information regarding this collision should contact Huron County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Helping Seniors Stay Fit, Healthy and Active in Goderich
by Bob Montgomery
The MPP for Huron-Bruce, Lisa Thompson, has announced The MacKay Centre for Seniors in Goderich will receive just over $51,000 from the Ontario government.
The investment is part of the $15,000,000 announced recently to support all current seniors active living centre programs across the province that connect seniors with resources and activities that help more seniors stay fit, healthy and active in their community…
Plant-based Refrigerated Beverages Recalled Due To Listeria
by Bob Montgomery
This past Tuesday, Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health, issued a statement warning Ontarians to not consume recalled plant-based refrigerated beverages.
Earlier this week, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various Silk and Great Value brand plant-based refrigerated beverages as they may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. The full list of recalled products can be found at Canada.ca/recalls.
Given the long shelf life of the recalled products, Huron Perth Public Health encourages residents to check their refrigerators for these products and to throw away any recalled products immediately or return them to the place of purchase…
Weekly Trivia 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
Answers to last week’s questions:
The first commercial summer resort in Huron County was built in Colborne Township in the 1870’s. What was the name of the resort?*
a) The Bluewater Hotel
b) Point Farm Hotel*
c) Pinery Hotel and Resort
d) Huronia Hotel
According to articles of incorporation, which of these officially became a village first?*
a) Brussels*
b) Blyth
c) Hensall
d) Zurich
*According to ‘The Settlement of Huron County’ by James Scott