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- Huron County Newsletter #45
Huron County Newsletter
Week of November 3rd to 9th, 2024
Good day,
This Monday, take a minute to pause and remember those brave men and women who courageously volunteered for the cause of freedom and peace.
Thank you for checking out the Huron County Newsletter and have a great week.
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Close To One Hundred People Attended This Weekend's Huron County Federation Of Agriculture Annual Meeting At The Clinton Legion
by Bob Montgomery
The upper floor of the Clinton Legion was filled Friday night for the Huron County Federation of Agriculture's annual meeting.
Neil and Joan Vincent received the HCFA Outstanding Contribution to Agricultural Annual Award.
The Guest Speaker was Sara Epp, Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph in the Rural Planning and Development Program. She says she believes a stable land base is the biggest challenge facing farmers right now. If they don't have the land, we don't have the farmers, they don't have the industry. She adds, a very close second is…
The First Ontario West Municipal Conference Since COVID Was Held In Chatham This Past Weekend
by Bob Montgomery
The Executive Director of the Western Ontario Wardens' Caucus says this year's Ontario West Municipal Conference in Chatham was a huge success.
Kate Burns Gallagher says they went into the conference hoping to focus on the four strategic priorities that municipalities in the regions have been dealing with in the past year. And those priorities are the same priorities facing municipalities throughout the province. They are Housing, Infrastructure, Work Force and Mental Health Addictions and Homelessness. So they focused on those priorities throughout the day and…
 Neil and Joan Vincent - Recipients of HCFA Outstanding Contribution to Agricultural Annual Award |  Sara Epp - Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph, Rural Planning and Development Program |
Gateway Centre of Excellence In Rural Health Renew’s Partnership With University of Guelph
by Bob Montgomery
A pivotal advancement in rural health research was celebrated with the recent renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health and the University of Guelph’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
The partnership is dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of rural residents through collaborative research and knowledge mobilization. This revitalized collaboration will harness the resources and expertise from both organizations to increase student research opportunities, facilitate joint dissemination of knowledge, and drive the development of innovative solutions to healthy sustainable rural communities.
John Granfield, Interim Dean, Ontario Agriculture College, University of Guelph said “Gateway's commitment to improving the health and well-being of rural communities through…”
Front row left to right: Dan Stringer, Gateway CERH Board Chair, Dr. John Cranfield, Interim Dean OAC, Gwen Devereaux, Gateway CERH President, Dr. Shayan Sharif Acting V.P. Research and InnovationBack Row left to right: Jessica Bowes, Asst. V.P. Research UofG, Dr. Scott Brown, Research Chair Gateway CERH, Dr. Ryan Gibson, Research Chair Gateway CERH, Dr. Leith Deacon, Research Chair Gateway CERH, Dr. Al Lauzon, Research Chair Gateway CERH, Sage Milne, Research Assistant Gateway CERH, Jill Rogers, Managing Director Research Operations UofG
Close To Eighty Avon Maitland District School Board Students Attended The Second Annual Secondary Student Environment Forum In Exeter
by Bob Montgomery
Students from almost ten Avon Maitland secondary schools attended the board's second Secondary Student Environment Forum in Exeter on Monday.
Grade twelve student Sophia Buckman is the President of Eco Exeter and explains each of the schools is asked to bring their environment team or a science class to the conference. She says the broad focus is about environmental practices and reducing waste but they also spent a lot of time discussing indigenous practices and learning about First Nations people and their view on the land.
Most of the morning was spent learning about how they preserve…
Bluewater Council Votes To Proceed With The Potential Sale Of Land At 6 Municipal Road In Bayfield
by Bob Montgomery
Bluewater council has agreed to proceed with the potential sale of land at 6 Municipal Road in Bayfield.
The building is currently being leased from the municipality by the Bayfield Lions Club. The Bayfield Food Bank and several service clubs also use the building. Bluewater Mayor Paul Kloop says a couple of doctors have submitted an application to buy the property and Bluewater council agreed at last night's council meeting to begin that process.
Klopp points out it is a fairly lengthy process and it was agreed by the municipality and the Lions Club that the obvious benefit to the community is the addition of two doctors. All parties agree that a new home has to be found for the other people who currently use the building, particularly the Bayfield Food Bank. Klopp says it will be a very transparent process so that everyone will be able to follow the process and express whatever concerns they have. The future of the other groups currently using the building will be part of the process.
by Bob Montgomery
United Way Perth-Huron’s Social Research & Planning Council is partnering with the University of Guelph on a study focused on local 2SLGBTQ+ individuals’ experiences with discrimination and exclusion, priorities important to the community and the availability, or lack, of services across Perth-Huron.
United Way’s Director of Community Impact and Research, Kristin Crane, says “United Way is committed to helping create a more inclusive community.” “Based on local discussions, it was recognized that not enough knowledge exists around what services would be most beneficial to local 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. We also don’t have a…”
Central Huron Council Looking At New Way Of Getting Rid Of Food Waste
by Bob Montgomery
Central Huron Council is looking into the potential for a new food waste processor that reduces the amount of waste that goes to the land fill.
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn says council got a demonstration at last night's meeting of how the food waste processor chops up and drys out food waste so that the end result is something like a compost. The benefit is it doesn't have to go to the land fill. Ginn says the processor would sit on a kitchen counter and the food waste is put into it. There's a charcoal filter on them to erase odours, or they can be put outside or in the garage without the filters.
Ginn says some municipalities are already using them so Central Huron council has asked staff to check with those municipalities about the results they're getting. Ginn says in some cases the municipalities are subsidizing some of the cost and the big question for Central Huron is should the municipality be subsidizing the units or should they just do the homework and make sure they work and then pass that information on to their residents.
New Grant Program That Supports Youth-led Initiatives Is Now Available In Huron County
by Bob Montgomery
The County of Huron’s Economic Development Department is pleased to announce it's new Supporting Local Youth program, which offers grants up to $1,000 for youth-led initiatives and activities in Huron County.
Economic Development Director Vicki Lass says youth is one of county's priorities. The idea behind supporting youth is if youth are engaged in a meaningful way while they're in their home community, they're far more likely to stay, or return after college or living in the big city for a while. “We've also noticed that youth have…”
Director Of Cultural Services And County Librarian Informed Huron County Council On Museum And Culture Office 2025 Action Plans
by Bob Montgomery
Huron County Director of Cultural Services and County Librarian Beth Rumble presented county council with some of the action plans that came out of the new 2025-2029 Strategic Plans for the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol and the Cultural Office that was presented in September.
Rumble says there are some significant changes in the new plan for the next five years. One that will attract a great deal of attention is that next year is the 50th anniversary celebration of the Historic Gaol's designation as a national historic site. Rumble says the Gaol is such a unique building and it always attracts a lot of attention so they're really looking forward to celebrating the 50th anniversary.
Another one of the strategic priorities is storytelling and they're looking at developing a best practices guide for both the museum and cultural office for recording those oral histories. She says that would be done at the museum and they would role that out to other organizations in the county through the Cultural Services Office. They would also have workshops on how to do that.
Rumble says they will also be continuing their programs and initiatives that support historically under-represented groups. They are planning to do more workshops with Indigenous groups, 2SLGBTQ+ programming, finishing the Indigenous murals in the museum lobby and they're also starting to think about the 200th anniversary of the Huron Tract and how they're going to commemorate that starting in 2026.
Catholic Board Appoints New Director Of Education
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce that Karen Tigani has been appointed as its Director of Education, effective February 24, 2025. This appointment is a promotion from her current role as Superintendent of Education with the Board. Karen is a Stratford resident and a proud graduate of the Catholic school system here. She is a graduate of St. Jerome’s at the University of Waterloo and earned her Bachelor of Education at Western University and her Masters in Educational Leadership at Niagara University.
Mrs. Tigani is an active member of her parish in Stratford and is engaged in leadership with many organizations in the community and provincially.
Clinton Library Getting An Upgrade
by Bob Montgomery
The library in Clinton is getting an upgrade that will improve accessibility to the second floor of the library.
Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn explains the stairs to the second floor are like a lot of older stairs, they're narrow and they're fairly steep. He says several years ago a shaft was put into the library in the event that there would be a lift, like an elevator, that would take people to the second floor without having to use the stairs. There was a problem with the concrete part of the shaft not being quite square or somehow not meeting the necessary standards and they're going to address that problem before they install the lift.
The second floor is open and there are things up there, but the stairs do present a challenge for some people. There is a wheel chair ramp that's available once they get the lift installed and doing that is part of the municipality's accessible program. They have also received a grant to put in the lift.
Ginn says the goal is to have the lift provide access to the second floor of the library to some people who currently can't use it. They hope to have the lift installed by the end of the year.
The Huron Manufacturing Association Has Launched Safety Courses In Huron County
by Bob Montgomery
The Huron Manufacturing Association has introduced a series of safety courses for Huron County businesses.
Huron Manufacturing Association Chair, Larry Livingston says it has come to their attention that, as a result of COVID, a number of their members and contractors in the area are sorely lacking in the Labour Ministry guideline. In order to help them avoid an accident or a fine, the Huron Manufacturing Association has…
Municipalities In Huron County And Across The Province Concerned About Increase In OPP Costs
by Bob Montgomery
The issue of increased OPP policing cost was first raised at county council by Howick Township Reeve Doug Harding who said the policing costs were considerably higher this year and that was putting pressure on local municipalities.
At this week's council meeting, Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said the increase was affecting municipalities across the province and he had raised the issue with Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson. MacLellan explained the province had capped increases for policing at…
Car VS Pedestrian Collision In Clinton - Driver Fails To Remain
A 20-year-old pedestrian was injured last evening after being struck by a vehicle that failed to remain at the scene in the Municipality of Central Huron.
On November 7th, just before 7:30 p.m., the Huron County Ontario Provincial Police and Huron County Paramedic Services responded to a report of a car vs pedestrian collision near the intersection of East Street and Ontario Street in Clinton.
Emergency responders located one person who had been struck by a passenger vehicle. They were transported to a local hospital and later airlifted to London where their injuries were deemed non-life threatening.
The involved vehicle was observed leaving the scene southbound on East Street and is described as a smaller blue car with silver colouring.
The OPP is requesting any witnesses that may have observed this incident to call police. If any member of the public has dash-cam footage or home surveillance footage in the area, please contact the OPP.
The Huron OPP is requesting anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122. If you wish to remain anonymous, please call 1-800-222-TIPS or leave a secure web tip at P3TIPS.com.
Wingham And District Hospital Foundation Celebrates Success Of The Caring Together Campaign
by Bob Montgomery
More than seventy people attended last night's celebration of the Wingham and District Hospital's successful Caring Together Campaign at the Columbus Centre in Wingham.
The campaign met its target of $3.6 million to bring a CT scanner to Wingham. Campaign Chair Mark Foxton says he believes a lot of the credit for the success of the campaign should go to Britespan Building Systems who kicked the campaign off with a gift of $1 million. Foxton says that was the largest donation ever received by the Wingham and District Hospital Foundation and it came at a critical time as the need for…
 Wingham and District Hospital's Caring Together Campaign Chair Mark Foxton |  |
Town Of Goderich Asks County To Help With Costs Of Security And Transportation At Courthouse
by Bob Montgomery
Goderich Mayor Trevor Bazinet presented the town's position at this week's county council meeting and essentially stated that it wasn't reasonable for the town to have to cover all of the costs for security and transportation at the courthouse just because the building is located in Goderich.
At this time, the town is billed for a significant amount of the cost for security and prisoner transportation at the county courthouse. He says they do receive some money from the provincial government but that doesn't cover the total cost so every year Goderich taxpayers are left to cover the shortfall. For 2024 that's just over…
Weekly Trivia Questions
What CKNX radio show began every broadcast with the emcee announcing “From Coast to Coast, people like old time music most”?
a) Barn Dance
b) Circle 8 Ranch
c) Country Hoe-Down
d) Hymn Sing
Which World War One Victoria Cross winner lived in Huron County?
a) David Currie
b) Hugh Cairns
c) Harry Miner
d) Milton Gregg
Answers to last week’s questions:
Where was the first publicly funded hospital in Huron County established?
a) Goderich
b) Clinton
c) Exeter
d) Wingham*
On what CKNX-TV show did 14 year old Shania Twain make her TV debut in 1979?
a) Circle 8 Ranch
b) Good Time Country*
c) Hymn Sing
d) County Hoe-Down
Trivia questions courtesy of local historian and author David Yates.