Mayor Deb Shewfelt, Dan Stringer, Tom Fincher and Administrator / Clerk Larry McCabe.

Bullet News GODERICH – Goderich Town Council recognized two local businessmen for more than 40 years of combined service to the Goderich Business Improvement Area today.

Dan Stringer and Tom Fincher were presented with certificates of appreciation for their volunteer efforts. Stringer owned Rieck’s Pharmacy from 1978 to 2001 and remains employed part-time as a pharmacist at Rexall PharmaPlus. Fincher owns Fincher’s in Goderich and Kincardine.

“Many years of hard work by these two gentlemen,” said Mayor Deb Shewfelt. “I think to run a business and also to partake [in volunteer work] is a lot of work and we appreciate the years that have been put in.”

Stringer said, “It’s all about collaboration, co-operation and teamwork and if you don’t have that, you don’t have anything. This is not just for Tom and me, this is for everyone who works hard on the BIA.”

Fincher said the Goderich BIA and town officials worked to accomplish things as a group.

The Goderich BIA has about 200 members in a designated downtown area of Goderich.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News BRUSSELS – About 20 workers from a door manufacturing company south of Brussels that went into receivership after a fire Jan. 23 considered their options today, during an information session hosted by the Municipality of Huron East.

They represented a total workforce of 100 employed when a fire destroyed MDL Doors’ 60,000-square-foot facility and warehouse. Two weeks later, Feb. 8, the courts appointed Deloitte & Touche Inc. as receiver to settle $1.3 million in assets and $6.8 million debt, including an unsecured debt of $548,000 owed to employees in wages and severance obligations. For the past 29 years, MDL Doors has manufactured pre-hung steel and fiberglass doors.

A new mom rocked her baby and handed him to former co-workers while others sat in rows along two tables while representatives from Service Canada and Employment Ontario, including Conestoga College and the Centres for Employment and Learning, outlined the process to collect Employment Insurance and retrain for the future. The employees asked few questions through the 1.15-hour presentation, saving most for private discussions afterward. Laughter rippled through the room when the Services Canada official outlined the benefits of checking information online rather than phoning into the call centre. She asked if anyone had tried to contact the call centre recently. “It was a fun two days,” quipped one worker. “They kept hanging up on me,” said another.

The mayor of Huron East, Bernie MacLellan, says the municipality hosted the meeting to assist local people affected by the closure.

“Any time we can assist them, we’re going to take the opportunity,” he said. “It’s a lot easier for us to bring the service groups to the employees and have them all in one location rather than have 100 employees all making the same phone call.”

His municipality has been hit especially hard as a result of the closures of MDL Doors and the Seaforth Creamery, which employs 180 people and is slated to close by the end of September 2013.

He says Huron County has also taken some hard hits, especially in the manufacturing industry.

“If you look at Huron County as a whole, I’m going to say over the course of the last approximately five years, we’ve lost about 2,500 jobs from major employers shutting down,” he said.

Despite the losses, workers heard today the unemployment rate in the four-week period ending tomorrow is 5.4 per cent in Huron and Perth counties, compared to 9.8 per cent in Niagara and 30.9 per cent in Northern Manitoba.

“I think that’s good, but I think that has to do with the actual area that we’re in. We do have a lot of small businesses and they do seem to be doing very well. It doesn’t take a lot of small businesses when each of them hire one or two employees to start to gobble up those people who have been let go from major industry,” he said.

The information session for MDL Doors employees was held at the new Brussels Business and Cultural Centre, a 17,000-square-foot former school the municipality has transformed into an incubator for small business. The vision is for a cluster of businesses to locate in former classrooms, and perhaps share resources like reception, conference or meeting rooms.

A presentation from Deloitte and Touche Inc. to MDL Doors employees is scheduled for March 18.

Click here to read the Superior Court of Justice court order issued Feb. 8 and the Notice and Statement of Receiver dated Feb. 14.

The Algoma Enterprise loaded with salt on Feb. 22. Photo courtesy of Dale Baechler.

Bullet News GODERICH – About 174 employees at Sifto���s salt mine will be affected by a layoff notice issued Friday night, says a company spokesperson.

“Deteriorating sailing conditions are bringing Sifto’s winter boat program to an end, so the mine will begin its winter hiatus on [March] 7^th,” said Peggy Landon, who is director of investor relations and corporate communications for Compass Minerals, which is parent company to Sifto Salt Corp.

“We currently expect to resume normal production in early April.  The mine will use the downtime to perform maintenance work, so the number of employees affected by the hiatus is about 175,” she said, in an email response to questions from Bullet News Huron today. In a subsequent email, the number was changed to 174, including three maintenance workers.

The notices were given to miners at the end of the afternoon shift Friday, four days after the new company president, Fran Malecha, toured the mine and evaporator plant for the first time since starting his job in mid-January.

About 430 employees work at the salt mine.

Francis (Fran) Malecha, president and CEO, Compass Minerals. Business Wire photo.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – As Compass Mineral’s new president and CEO made his first tour through Sifto’s salt mine and evaporator plant in Goderich this week, he listened to what employees had to say.

“I’m new to the company so I’m listening a lot, trying to really understand what we do, how we do it, what our issues are, how we can improve the business,” said Francis (Fran) Malecha, who joined Compass Minerals at its head office in Overland Park, Kansas on Jan. 17.

From 2007 to 2012, he was CEO of Viterra Inc., a large Canadian-based agri-business firm that was purchased by Glencore International late last year. For one month, he served as director of its agricultural products in North America before accepting the opportunity to takes over for Angelo Brisimitzakis, who retired at the end of 2012 after nearly seven years at the helm of Compass Minerals.

Malecha has moved his family from Regina, Sask. to Overland Park, Kansas.

During a town hall meeting with all employees shortly after joining Compass Minerals, a strategic agenda emerged to improve the business as its run today, ensure training and development of employees, and grow the company. With that agenda in mind, he listened to the Goderich employees explain what they do, what their issues are, and how business can improve. When he returns to the corporate office, he expects to work with staff to pull it all together.

“I do think that communications with employees is key and we need to improve our labour relations across the company because certainly we’ve had some issues here negotiating agreements and going through strikes and those types of things,” Malecha said.

“The commitment I have and the leadership team will have going forward is to improve the communication with our employees, make sure they understand the business strategy – how they impact the business – and their role in that and its importance to the success of Compass Minerals,” he said.

The employees, the customers and the shareholders all have priority for Malecha, who says one could not exist without the other.

“They all would get my priorities because they’re all very important to the success of Compass Minerals,” he said. “At the end of the day, if we aren’t selling products, and we aren’t producing to meet that demand, then I can’t keep my customers happy and I can’t keep my shareholders happy.”

The new CEO was introduced to the underground at the world’s largest salt mine, marveling at the size of the operations where more than seven million tons of salt are pulled from the earth annually. He was impressed by the process it took to get its new continuous miner underground, transporting its parts down the mine shaft then reassembling underground the $4 million machine that can produce up to 6,000 tons of salt daily.

While some of the business was new to Malecha, he pointed out the similarities between the salt business and the grain business he’s come from, both very mature, commodity-type businesses with slow growth and large assets.

With a capacity to efficiently produce nine million tons of salt annually, he expects volumes will increase in time, allowing the company to capture a greater market share.

“That’s good for growth in the business here, good for our employees, good for consistent production going forward,” he said.

In the last quarter of 2012, the sale of salt was down as a result of a mild winter and higher-than-usual customer inventories. This year started out slowly, but recent snowstorms have increased demand for salt as a deicing product.

Malecha said the mild winters are “an aberration” and he expects a return to average winters.

Recent investments to improve operations, repair damage caused by the 2011 tornado, partner in expanding the Goderich harbour, and upgrade the Goderich TS to provide dedicated electricity to the mine have positioned the company for the future.

“The Goderich mine now has additional capacity to meet either the growth that will continue over time or to take advantage of big winters when they come,” he said. At the same time, he sees opportunity in expanding its deicing products it sells to retailers on both sides of border.

Compass Minerals’ other companies produce salt, sulfate of potash, specialized fertilizers and magnesium chloride.

Deb Shewfelt

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – What can small communities like Goderich do in the face of the increasing frequency of natural disasters over the past century, wonders this town’s mayor.

“When you first think about climate change and [melting] polar caps, to me it’s almost overwhelming. What the hell can I do as the mayor of a little town on climate change?” Deb Shewfelt asked, during the annual Mayor’s Luncheon, hosted by the Huron Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Trends are emerging of hotter, drier summers and warm, wetter winters, causing the potential for droughts, more intense rainfall and erosion

Shewfelt said the issue of acid rain as outlined in a milestones report from the Good Roads Association is a good example of how each can do its small part. In the 1970s, governments issued regulations to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, which has resulted in a 65 per cent drop.

“I guess if we applied that same thought to climate change, we can make the difference. We can make a difference locally,” said Shewfelt, who is chair of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority.

Within that watershed are some of the finest agricultural lands in the country, small-mouth bass fishing in the province, attractive beaches along the Lake Huron shoreline, and hardwood forests in Ontario.

“The economy and the well-being of municipalities are still largely dependent on the nature and the resources of the watershed,” he said.

To protect the assets, communities will need to build a more resilient watershed and improving flood emergency planning, as outlined in the MVCA’s 2010 five-year strategy.

“The challenge is too big for any of us to face alone. A lot of this will entail us to rethink how to design our services related to use of energy, how we manage water and plan for severe weather emergencies, especially flooding – and I would add tornados to that,” he said.

There are 15 flood-damage centres in the Maitland watershed that are subject to flooding. As well, flooding occurs elsewhere during severe thunderstorms as a result of inadequate storm water management systems that cannot handle the intense rainfalls that happen with increasing frequency.

Rural communities are just starting consider how to deal with storm water management to protect $276 million in development along the Lake Huron shoreline in the Maitland watershed. As well, natural infrastructure such as buffer strips, berms, wetlands and grassways can all help control storm water to keep soil nutrients on the land.

“Sure, we can say that’s in the country, why do we care? We need to care because in our position we’re at the bottom of the watershed,” he said.

During the Mayor’s Luncheon, Shewfelt outlined a number of “good news” stories in Goderich:

• After 25 years, the town has separated its storm and sanitary sewers. “I can say in the last two years we have not put raw sewage in the lake. I think that’s a big accomplishment,” he said. His comment was met by clapping from the audience.
• A boundary agreement between the Town of Goderich and the Municipality of Central Huron that is currently awaiting approval from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will potentially increase available residential building lots from less than five to hundreds. Fusion Homes proposes a phased-in residential mix of 300 single-family dwellings, townhouses and condominiums up to five storeys high, with green space along the lake and linking areas of the development. At its start, it intends to develop 100 acres north of Dechert Road.
•  A plan for 915586 Ontario Ltd., represented by Herb Marshall, to relocate the historic CPR train station to a patch of municipally owned land directly west of its current home and south of Goderich Elevators’ weigh station and create a beachfront restaurant. His long-term goal is to create a convention centre on the site, which Shewfelt says is badly needed in the area.
• The success of the Maitland Valley Medical Centre as a result of ongoing doctor recruitment efforts, which has brought the town from more than 5,000 orphan patients – people who have no family doctor – in 2006, to just 300 this year.
• Expansion of the industrial park on Parson’s Court, south of the Knight’s of Columbus Centre, to accommodate small businesses, which Shewfelt believes will bring jobs to the community.
• Goderich TS upgrade from 40 MW to 65 MW, allowing a third feeder so that industrial operations at the mine can be met on a dedicated line. “It would have been a calamity if we couldn’t have supplied it,” he said. Once post-tornado repairs and upgrades are complete, “we’ll have probably one of the best infrastructures in Ontario,” he said.
• Development of Harbour Hills Retirement Apartments, which will provide a housing alternative for the senior population.

WINGHAM – A new business has landed at the airport in Wingham.

Apex Helicopters Inc. will operate from a purchased hanger and rented office space in the terminal building of the Richard W. LeVan airport, said Chris Vankoughnett, chief pilot and owner, who introduced his growing business to the community at North Huron Council this week.

Apex Helicopters provides a number of services, principally crop spraying for farmers, along with site seeing, firefighting and a variety of other aerial services, according to a press release issued by the Municipality of North Huron, which is home to the Richard W. LeVan airport.

The company has seven employees and operates three helicopters. It expects to add two more heavy lift fire support helicopters for the 2014 season as well as four ground crew and one full-time office staff.

North Huron Council is delighted to welcome Apex Helicopters to the airport.

“Economic development is a high priority for Council and staff in North Huron.  This is encouraging news for our community.  In addition to the commercial spinoffs that a new business brings to the area, it will also result in significant fuel sales at the airport,” said Reeve Neil Vincent.

Huron Chamber of Commerce director Deb Austin presents Business of the Year Award to Lynn Chisholm, owner of Homescapes by Lynn, during the Spirit of Success awards gala tonight.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Homescapes by Lynn was named Business of the Year during the 5th annual Spirit of Success awards gala tonight, hosted by the Huron Chamber of Commerce.

About 200 guests at the gala dinner clapped non-stop as the names of dozens of potential businesses and entrepreneurs were read by master of ceremonies Dylan Bartlett. Then the clapping turned to drum rolls of hands on tables that set cutlery and dinnerware rattling as he announced: “And the winner is. . . Homescapes by Lynn.”

“Amazing things can happen when you run a top-notch business,” Barlett said. Homescapes by Lynn won the new business award in 2012 and now business of the year. Lynn, you’re definitely doing all the right things,” he said.

Owner Lynn Chisholm said she was at a loss for words.

“It’s an honour to be a retailer amongst so many people. It was a hard year. The tornado had a lot to do with that,” said Lynn Chisholm, owner of a retail store in Goderich’s downtown core, which was damaged in the August 2011 tornado. The store carries Benjamin Moore products, countertops, cabinetry, hardware, art and accents, along with interior design services.

The chamber received 68 nominations – some of them doubles or in multiple categories – from customers, employees, businesses and the nominees themselves for the Spirit of Success Awards.

Award winners in the remaining categories include:

Richard Lehnen Young Entrepreneur Award – Sarah Campbell, owners of Miga’s Balloons + More;

TD Environmental Awareness Award – Walmart Goderich;

Capital Power Corporation Service Award – Banter, MacEwan and Feagan Insurance;

Bell Technology / Manufacturing Award – Precision Print;

Conestoga College Employer Services Employer Champion Award – Master’s Touch Products;

Huronia MEDI / Chair Retail Business Award – Sears Goderich;

Tourism Goderich Hospitality Business Award – Blyth Festival;

The SBEC New Business Award – Pat & Kevin’s on the Square;

BIA Friends of Downtown Goderich Award – Dr. Michelle Szasz; and

Goderich Signal Star Community Impact Award – Kraft Hockeyville – Steve Hewitt and Monique Sykes.

To see photos from the evening, visit our photo album.

Bullet News CENTRAL HURON – The Ontario Lottery Corporation (OLG) has struck lease agreements in principle with eight racetracks, including Clinton Raceway, it announced today.

OLG has provided the site holders with a Letter of Intent, which sets out the general terms, subject to approvals, between the site and OLG.

Clinton Raceway built the $3-million slot facility on Beech Street in Clinton to the province’s specifications in an arrangement that saw 20 per cent of revenue split between raceway operators and horse people’s purse accounts. However, the new lease agreement will look much different than the “partnership” that was previously in place, said Morag Watt, raceway chair.

“This is an entirely different lease with entirely different terms and parameters. This is strictly a lease of the facilities whereas before we were partners in business,” Watt said. “I would like to tell you that it would see the same amount of money come to Clinton as the old agreement but it will not. However, we feel that it is a fair agreement and we feel that we could at least would let the slots stay at Clinton.”

The lease agreement in principle was signed at 8 a.m. today, said Ian Fleming, who is the manager of Clinton Raceway. He said while the revenue received is less “it’s enough to keep racing going and a lot of people employed in Clinton.”

He is relieved the agreement in principle is inked before the slots at racetracks program ends March 31, 2013.

“We’re glad to have something signed up. April 1st is fast approaching and we certainly wanted to have the place operating April 1st,” he said.

OLG expects to finalize agreements with site holders by Feb. 28, 2013. It plans to announce more agreements in priniciple in the coming weeks.

At the same time the OLG made it’s announcement, the province issued a press release that it has reached an agreement in principle to provide transition funding to the province’s largest horse racing venue.

The agreement with Woodbine Entertainment Group keeps the tracks open at the Woodbine and Mohawk as the industry adapts to a more sustainable model. Agreements with additional racetracks are expected to be hammered out in the coming weeks.

“This agreement points to a renewed future for horse racing in Ontario. We look forward to working with additional racetracks towards the further development of a new model for a sustainable industry,”
 said Ted McMeekin, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

In order to receive transition funding, racetracks will have to meet accountability and transparency requirements. Providing a number of racetracks with transition funding is part of the government’s horse racing industry transition plan, which includes:

• Continuing the Ontario Racing Commission’s (ORC) Horse Improvement Program, which provides horse people with racing and breeding incentive;
• Providing animal welfare supports; and
• Transferring responsibility for the ORC to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The opposition New Democrats wrestled $50 million in transitional funds from the Liberal government in exchange for not voting against the 2012 budget and thereby keeping the minority government alive. In October, the transition panel appointed by the province concluded the horse racing industry needs provincial funding to remain viable. It will require less than the $345 million yearly it received under the Slots at Raceways program, the panel said, but exactly how much money the horse racing industry will need won’t be made public until negotiations between the province and the horse racing industry are complete.

In mid-May, OLG outlined a plan to carve the province into 29 gaming zones in which single, privately run facilities could operate. Clinton would be part of what’s referred to as Southwestern Zone Five. Unlike some zones, there is just a single slots facility already operating in the zone. However, up to 300 slot machines and an as-yet undetermined number of table games will be allowed in this area, which currently has just over 100 slot machines.

Fleming said the agreement in principle includes provisions to allow for an expansion of the Clinton site.

“They could expand if they thought the market was there,” he said. The OLG has not issued requests for proposals from private operators to run the sites, although it announced last year that the operators would be selected in 2013.

Clinton Raceway, which has operated for 42 years, employs 70 people at the height of racing season, and has 32 horse people. It has received approval for 19 race dates in the 2013 season, which is the same as 2012.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Thirty-eight businesses and entrepreneurs will vie for top awards in the annual Huron Chamber of Commerce – Goderich, Central and North Huron gala event this Friday night.

The chamber received 68 nominations – some of them doubles or in multiple categories – from customers, employees, businesses and the nominees themselves by the Jan. 8 deadline for the Spirit of Success Awards.

“It’s an opportunity for the business community to celebrate hard work and be recognized by the community at large,” said Judy Crawford, who is the chamber’s CEO.

“We hear too much of the negative. This is an opportunity for the positive,” she said.

Award nominees in each category include:

Goderich Signal Star Community Impact Award, awarded to a favourite event that has happened in 2012 and made a positive impact on the community – Kraft Hockeyville – Steve Hewitt & Monique Sykes, Lori Patterson re: Children’s Festival, Matt Hoy re: Windstock, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 109, United Communities Credit Union, Walmart and Zehrs (Steve, Paul, Todd, Chris) re: Hockeyville;

Richard Lehnen Young Entrepreneur Award, awarded to a person age 30 or under who owns or manages a business or manages staff as an integral part of a business, has been successful in meeting goals and objectives of the business and has earned the respect of peers and employees with their management skills – Fit Body Boot Camp – Nadine Vandenheuvel, Miga’s Balloons + More – Sarah Campbell and The Docks Restaurant & Bar – Colin Corriveau;

The SBEC New Business Award, awarded to a new business to the area that opened within the last 18 months and has been in operation for a minimum of six months, providing excellent customer service, support and training to staff and employees, and been community-minded and supportive – Blyth Farm Cheese, C’est La Rose Antiques, Miga’s Balloons + More, Pat & Kevin’s on The Square and Staples;

Capital Power Corporation Service Award, which is awarded to non-retail, non-hospitality businesses that demonstrate excellence in customer service and leadership on a consistent basis, the business & staff go above and beyond to insure customer satisfaction with their service/ product, and recognize and reward employees with positive incentives for providing excellent customer service – 104.9 The Beach, Banter, MacEwan, Feagan Insurance, Dr. Michelle Szasz, Dungannon Custom Builders, Gentle Dental Hygiene Care, Goderich Municipal Daycare, Huronia Med-E-OX, Hurontel, Jokey Plastics, Miga’s Balloons + More, Precision Print, Sears, United Communities Credit Union;

Bell Technology / Manufacturing Award, awarded to a business or organization that has improved performance, increased customer/client satisfaction, and created public awareness through the use of innovative products, processes or communication technologies – Precision Print and Windtrans Systems Ltd.

TD Environmental Awareness Award, awarded to any business, manufacturer, industry that promotes the 4 Rs – Reduce/Reuse/Recycle/Reclaim, introduced new programs or technology to reduce their business footprint on the environment and promotes environmental awareness with their employees – Bluewater Recycling Association, Composite Creations, Huronia, Jokey Plastics, Mulch Gulch (Gardiner`s Goderich), Secondary Resources, Walmart and Windtrans Systems Ltd.;

Tourism Goderich Hospitality Business Award, awarded to a hospitality sector business that demonstrates excellence in customer service on a consistent basis, is community-minded and supportive, and always creates a special customer experience – Benmiller Inn & Spa, Blyth Festival, Bon Vivant Chef Devin Tabor, Pat & Kevin’s on The Square, The Docks Restaurant & Bar, and West Street Willy’s.

Huronia Med-E-OX MEDIchair Retail Business Award, awarded to a retail sector business that demonstrates excellence, customer service on a consistent basis, community-minded and supportive, and always puts the customer’s needs first – Cravings, Giant Tiger, Homescapes By Lynn, Metzger Meats, Outdoor Living, Staples and Walmart.

Business of the Year Award – 104.9 The Beach, Banter, MacEwan, Feagan Insurance, Benmiller Inn and Spa, Bluewater Recycling Association, Blyth Farm Cheese, Blyth Festival, Bon Vivant Chef Devin Tabor, C’est La Rose Antiques, Composite Creations, Cravings, Dr. Michelle Szasz, Dungannon Custom Builders, Gentle Dental Hygiene Care, Giant Tiger, Goderich Municipal Daycare, Homescapes by Lynn, Huron Image Factory, Huronia / Med-E-OX, Hurontel, Jockey Plastics, Metzger Meats, Miga’s Balloons + More, Mulch Gulch (Gardiner’s Goderich), Outdoor Living, Pat & Kevin’s on The Square, Precision Print, Sears, Secondary Resources, Staples, The Docks Restaurant & Bar, United Communities Credit Union, Walmart, West Street Willy’s, Windtrans Systems Ltd.

The 2013 Spirit of Success Awards will be presented during a sold-out gala event held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 109 this Friday night. Master of ceremonies for the evening is Dylan Bartlett, general manager / sales manager of myFM, who is also president of Progressive Results Group, a consulting company to help improve company culture.

The main sponsor is United Communities Credit Union.

Executives from The Brick Ltd. presented a $100,000 cheque to Habitat for Humanity Huron County for its 2013 build in Goderich.

GODERICH – A cheque for $100,000 from The Brick Ltd. will help fund the community build of a home in Goderich for a family of five.

Habitat of Humanity Huron County (HFH HC) won The Brick’s second Habitat home in the Build it with The Brick contest, after a nationwide online voting campaign that launched on Oct.17, 2012. Over 40,000 votes were registered between Oct. 17 and Dec. 15, 2012, with the town of Goderich coming out on top.

Senior Brick executives Jim Caldwell and Kirk Marleau presented the cheque to HFH HC at a presentation at The Brick in Goderich this past week. The Goderich build team, which is designated as a build led by women, came to the event dressed in pink. The Geldhof family, who will receive the house, were also there.

The Geldhofs have lived in Goderich for more than 25 years.

Jason and Carmen have three children, Trent, 13, Alivia, 12, and Nicole, 8.

HFH HC is a non-profit, non-government, incorporated charitable organization dedicated to improving the lives of economically disadvantaged persons through home ownership with the belief that decent, affordable housing is a basic human need. It has built eight homes in Huron County since 2005, and is preparing for its second build in Goderich in 2013.

The local build has created a Facebook page for anyone interested in following its progress.