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- Huron County Newsletter #30
Huron County Newsletter
Weeks of July 21st to 27th, 2024
Good day,
I would like to thank local historian, teacher, and author David Yates for providing this week’s trivia questions. He’s currently working on a book entitled “For One Fleeting Dream of Right”, about Huron County’s Cenotaphs. His past works can be found at Fincher’s in Goderich, the Blyth Citizen and the Bayfield Village Bookshop.
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 |
Goderich Mayor Commits To Sleeping Outside To Raise Money For The Coldest Night Of The Year
by Bob Montgomery
Last winter Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet did the Polar Bear Plunge into Lake Huron just to see what that was like.
This year he's committed to sleeping outside the night before the Coldest Night of the Year, which is usually near the end of February. Bazinet says he's been thinking about it for a few years now, and he's been involved in the event every”
Central Huron Council Approved Increase In Planning Application Fees
by Bob Montgomery
Central Huron council has approved an increase in planning application fees.
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn says the planning application fees are usually reviewed every five years, and weren't scheduled to be reviewed until 2026, but the county's Planning Department felt they were falling too far behind in their pricing for that service. The feeling on the part of the Planning Department is that if a developer comes to them with a plan of subdivision, that developer should cover the cost to the Planning Department, because the developer is the one making a profit on the project, so the cost shouldn't have to be born by the taxpayer.
Ginn says the increase will be significant and there was a concern on the part of some of their councillors that that might discourage some developers from building in Huron County, but the increase was eventually approved by a five to three vote. The increase is consistent throughout Huron County but Ginn says he doesn't know at this time what other counties are doing.
The Last Woman In Canada To Be Convicted Of Witchcraft Was Born And Raised In Blyth
by Bob Montgomery
Blyth Festival Artistic Director Gil Garratt was quite surprised when he learned that the last woman in Canada to be convicted of witchcraft was born and raised in Blyth.
Garratt says he read about it in an article by Huron County Historian David Yates, and Garratt was so intrigued by the story that he contacted playwright Beverley Cooper, who had also written Innocence Lost, the Stephen Truscott Story, and asked her if she would be interested in writing about this woman. The woman was arrested, tried and convicted int…
Photo courtesy of Blyth Festival
Ontario Government Increasing Support To Community Agencies In Huron And Bruce
by Bob Montgomery
Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson says community agencies in Huron and Bruce will be receiving a total of $807,450.57 in funding from the province.
Thompson says that funding will go to: Women’s Shelter, Second Stage Housing and Counselling Services of Huron, Women’s House Serving Bruce and Grey, Community Living Central Huron, Community Living South Huron, Huron Perth Public Health, Huron Safe Homes for Youth, Huron-Perth Centre for Children and Youth, Victim Services Huron Perth, Victim Services Bruce Grey, Community Living Wingham and District, Community Living Kincardine and District, Community Living Walkerton and District, Grey Bruce Public Health, and YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce.
Thompson says local agencies make their communities stronger, more resilient and inclusive. They work hard to provide people with access to the right resources and services they need to succeed and thrive. “By strengthening support to our local community agencies, we are helping them deliver critical services to people in need.”
Thompson says as part of the 2024 Budget: Building a Better Ontario, the Ontario government is providing $310 million over three years to address increasing operational costs for community organizations that support vulnerable populations. This includes children in care and those with special needs, people with a developmental disability, people who have experienced gender‐based violence and survivors of human trafficking.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Celebrates Phase 1 Completion Of Patient Room Renovation At St. Marys Memorial Hospital
by Bob Montgomery
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance proudly celebrated the completion of Phase 1 of St. Marys Memorial Hospital’s patient room renovation project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday.
The event marked a significant milestone in the hospital’s ongoing efforts to update its facilities with many staff members, St. Marys Healthcare Foundation, and Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance board members in attendance. Amanda McCurdy, Chair of the St. Marys Healthcare Foundation, expressed her gratitude for the community’s support. “Their contributions have made this renovation project possible and it’s…”
Left to right: Arlene Lanting (Manager, Inpatient Unit & ED (St. Marys)), Al Strathdee (Mayor, Town of St. Marys), Dr. Chuck Gatfield (Site Chief (St Marys)), Amanda McCurdy (Chair, St. Marys Healthcare Foundation), John Wilkinson (Chair, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance Board of Directors), Andrew Williams (President and CEO, HPHA), Francesco Sabatini (Project Manager, Facilities Management, HPHA). .Photo courtesy of Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Lake Huron Coastal Centre Introduces Beach Clean-up Stations
by Bob Montgomery
The Lake Huron Coastal Centre has introduced Beach Clean-Up stations this year.
Coastal Centre Executive Director Alyssa Bourassa says plastic pollution presents a significant challenge for Lake Huron, affecting its beauty and ecological balance. Every year common single use items find their way into the Lake effecting water quality and putting wildlife at risk of entanglement and ingestion.
To help address the problem, the Coastal Centre has installed five beach clean-up stations that provide everything required for someone to…
Photos courtesy of Lake Huron Coastal Centre
This Year's Celtic Festival Kids Camp Is Already Sold Out
by Bob Montgomery
This year's Celtic Festival's Kids Camp is already sold out.
Festival Artistic Director and General Manager Cheryl Prashker says the Kids Camp and the College run from August 5th until August the 9th and the Celtic Roots Festival runs from August 9th until August 11th. The Kids Camp is sold out but there are still spots in the Celtic College's Music classes, Arts and Crafts classes, and Dancing and Singing classes. The classes are conducted by the musicians who will be performing on the weekend at the Celtic Festival. Prashker explains they put the courses together based on the…
Chamber Of Commerce For Goderich, North And Central Huron Announces Two New Sponsors For Annual Charity Golf Tournament
by Bob Montgomery
The annual Charity Golf Tournament hosted by the Chamber Of Commerce for Goderich, North And Central Huron will be held on Friday, August 23rd at the Woodlands Links Golf Course near Clinton.
Chamber Executive Director Colin Carmichael says they're very happy to introduce two new sponsors, Boston Pizza Goderich and Zehr Insurance Brokers, alongside their returning major sponsor,Compass Minerals. Huron Tel has also been a strong supporter of their tournament and the support of all of their sponsors allows them to support local charities. Carmichael says this year they'll be supporting Habitat for Humanity – Huron County, helping to build homes and hope within our community.
Golfers can get more information and register for the tournament by going to the Huron Chamber website.
Search Warrant Yields Stolen Property
by Bob Montgomery
An investigation conducted by the Huron-Perth Ontario Provincial Police Community Street Crimes Unit, Grey-Bruce CSCU, West Region OPP Emergency Response Team, West Region OPP Tactics and Rescue Unit, OPP Aviation Unit, and members of the Huron OPP detachment resulted in the seizure of stolen property with a total value exceeding $9,300.
On Wednesday, July 24th, 2024, a search warrant was executed at a rural residential property on Belfast Road in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh. Four individuals were located at the…
Annual Huron Hospice Butterfly Release Back For Eighth Year
by Bob Montgomery
The Annual Huron Hospice Butterfly Release is back for its eighth year.
Hospice Fund Development Manager Christopher Walker explains the release of the butterflies is significant because butterflies are a symbol of transformation, and that kind of message really resonates with families at the Huron Hospice.
The Hospice gets their butterflies from a certified butterfly breeder in Lakefield, and all of their gardening practices at the Hospice are organic so the Hospice makes an ideal place for butterflies to stop over on their migration either to the north or the south. But, Walker says they haven't been able to get Monarch Butterflies for three years now because they've been declared an endangered species, so the butterflies they get now are called Painted Ladies.
The Butterfly Release is a fundraiser for the Hospice so they sell the butterflies as well as pollinating plants. The release of the Butterflies is on Sunday, August 25th, but the deadline for ordering butterflies is August 1st.
More information about the Annual Butterfly Release can be found on the Hospice website.
Tanner Steffler Foundation Hosts 4th Annual Six String Outdoor Concert On Saturday July 27th
by Bob Montgomery
Saturday's event is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Tanner Steffler Foundation.
Event Planner and Fundraising Assistant Lexi Harney says Six String is an outdoor charity concert that is part of the Seaforth Summer Fest event at the Seaforth Agriplex. It gets underway around noon on the Youth Stage and performers will include the F E Madill Mustangs. A Corn hole Tournament will start around four in the afternoon, live music will start around five and then the headliner band will take the stage around eight.
Harney says there is a charge for the headlining band but all of the other events are free. They'll have several food vendors and outdoor games. Harney says all of the money raised will go back into programming, support and education and awareness around mental health and problematic substance abuse, so it supports youth in Huron and Perth counties and their families.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the gate and more information can be found on their website.
Bluewater Council Forms Committee To Look At Leasing Agreements For Municipally-Owned Facilities
by Bob Montgomery
Bluewater council has formed a committee to look at the leasing agreements it has with various service groups or special interest groups for municipally-owned facilities.
Bayfield ward councillor Bill Whetstone is one of the councillors on the committee, and he says a lot of leasing agreements are coming due shortly. Council wants to assess potential costs in keeping the facilities going in the future and it was decided that municipalities and taxpayers shouldn't…
Weekly Trivia Questions
What Alberta premier was born near Kippen, Ontario and became the first Social Credit Premier in Canada?
a) Ralph Klein
b) William Aberhart
c) Peter Lougheed
d) Rachel Notley
“Bridge End” place is known today by what name?
a) Bayfield
b) Goderich
c) Saltford
d) Lower Wingham
*Thanks to local historian and author David Yates for this week’s trivia questions.
Answers to last week’s 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 1867
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
*According to ‘The Settlement of Huron County’ by James Scott