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.

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.

WINGHAM– The federal government is pledging up to $125,000, which will be matched by local dollars, to provide a makeover to the North Huron town hall.

The historic building on the main street of Wingham received a Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund (CIIF), Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb announced recently.

“I am pleased that our government is supporting communities and helping to contribute to the local economies by creating jobs and stimulating the local economy,” Lobb said. “This investment is important to residents in North Huron and will help deliver community services for the people in this region.”

The funds will be matched by the Municipality of North Huron in order to complement downtown revitalization, said Neil Vincent, who is the reeve of North Huron.

“We are fortunate to have such a wonderful historical building to operate and as custodians of this building we are delighted to be providing a much needed face lift.  This will extend the life of the building for future generations,” Vincent said.

The project will involve window replacement, masonry repairs, door repairs, exterior painting, and carpentry work if needed.  The project will be completed during the 2013 construction season.

The Wingham Town hall was built in 1890. A second-floor theatre opened a year later in 1891.

CIIF supports communities and creates jobs through repairs and improvements to existing community facilities over the next two years.

WINGHAM – HuronTel is the newest landowner in Wingham’s industrial park, as it gets ready to install fibre optic cable to every doorstep in the town.

HuronTel and the Township of North Huron have announced a deal that clears the way for the provider to build a telecommunications centre that will include room for customer service, installation, and repairs.  From this facility, HuronTel will construct a fibre optic network to connect businesses or residences in Wingham to a number of services the company provides.  Construction will begin this spring and will be completed by the end of the year.  Notification will be provided to residents street by street.

“We are very excited about the project and the opportunity to work with North Huron and advance Wingham’s telecommunications infrastructure,” said HuronTel’s general manager, Glenn Grubb.

“This is great news for Wingham residents and businesses, and it complements other projects and initiatives under way that will generate more investment, residential growth, and economic development,” said Gary Long, who is the township’s CAO and clerk.

“North Huron continues to develop as a regional commercial and service hub and this is reflected in the substantial public and private investments,” he said.

Since 2008, HuronTel has been building out its fibre optic network and is currently providing its fibre-based services in Goderich, Lucknow, and portions of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Huron-Kinloss, and Kincardine.

HuronTel has approximately 10,000 customers in the local region and 100 years of history behind it.

For more information about fibre optics, please visit HuronTel’s website at www.hurontel.on.ca/ftth.

MORRIS-TURNBERRY – Three men were injured in an early morning truck crash north of Wingham today.

The driver of a blue Ford F-150 pickup truck was travelling southbound when he failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway.  The vehicle left the roadway, rolled and came to rest in the east ditch.

Police, Huron County paramedics and Wingham Area fire department were dispatched just after 8 a.m.

Three occupants were in the vehicle.  The male driver, 26, and male passenger, 34, have been transported to Wingham and District Hospital with minor injuries.  The third occupant, a 22-year-old male passenger has been transported to hospital in Wingham with major injuries.

Members from the OPP Technical Traffic Collision Investigation team are currently on scene investigating.  The roadway has been closed at Bok Line and Howick-Turnberry Road.  Please take alternate routes to avoid travel delays.

Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact the Huron County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

FOUR INJURED IN NOV. 19 CRASH

Huron County OPP have also provided an update on a collision on Huron Road in the Municipality of Huron East on Nov. 19 at 11 p.m.

An eastbound grey Ford Taurus crossed the centre line and collided with a westbound black Honda Civic about 350 metres east of Sanctuary Line. Alcohol was not a factor and the reason the driver crossed the center line is not known.

The 23-year-old female driver of the Ford, who is from Morris-Turnberry, has been charged with careless driving.  She sustained minor injuries and was transported to Clinton Public Hospital.  Her 28-year-old male passenger from Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh sustained major injuries and was transported to Seaforth Public Hospital.

The driver of the Civic, a 54-year-old male from Stratford was treated for minor injuries at Clinton Public Hospital.  His passenger, a 43-year-old male also from Stratford was transported to Seaforth Public Hospital with major injuries.

Clinton Fire Department and Huron County EMS attended the scene.

NORTH HURON – The Township of North Huron has hired an expert rural planner to review its draft strategic plan.

Dr. Wayne Caldwell, a former Huron County planner and director of the University of Guelph’s school of environmental design and

Dr. Wayne Caldwell.

rural development will provide comments and recommendations.

“We look forward to having Wayne’s recommendations and sharing the draft plan with the community for additional input,” said Gary Long, who is North Huron CAO and clerk.

“We’re on track to have the plan in place and operational by Jan. 1,” he said.

Caldwell will be guest speaker at a special council meeting Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in North Huron’s council chambers. This meeting is open to the public.

In addition, public meetings have been organized in each of the three wards for the community to review the draft plan and provide input. This is a follow up to the community consultations held last fall that included town hall meetings, roundtable discussions with key stakeholder groups, and a citizen survey.

The details of the meetings are as follows:

Monday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. at the Emergency Services Training Centre, Blyth;

Tuesday, Nov. 27at 7 p.m. at Belgrave Community Centre; and

Wednesday, Nov. 28at 7 p.m. at Knights of Columbus Centre, Wingham.

The draft strategic plan will be finalized the week of Nov. 12 and will be posted on the Township’s website.  Copies will be available at the municipal office.

For more information regarding North Huron’s strategic planning process, visit online.

Const. Patrick Armstrong receives the Bill Elliott Member of the Year 2012 award from Jim Christie, who is president of the Ontario Provincial Police Association.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News WINGHAM  – When Huron County OPP Const. Patrick Armstrong found out he was selected from more than 31,000 police officers across the province to receive the police association’s top award for 2012, he assumed someone had messed things up.

“At first I had to call them and make sure they didn’t make a mistake,” said Armstrong, who is based in Wingham.

But it was no mistake.

Last Thursday, with his mother, Patsy O’Connor, to accompany him, Armstrong attended the Ontario Provincial Police Association’s annual general meeting in Collingwood where he was officially recognized as the Bill Elliott Member of the Year 2012.

“Awards from your peers, they’re very humbling. I was speechless,” he said. “I can think of 5,000 other police officers who deserve it as much, if not more, than I.”

Armstrong is founder of the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund, established to honour his friend and fellow OPP officer who died as a result of a motor vehicle accident while on duty more than five years ago. Since the fund was established three years ago, it has raised more than $100,000 to purchase life-saving defibrillators that are put in public places in honour of fallen police officers, fire fighters, paramedics and military personnel. This month, it will make its 25^th donation.

Armstrong and other volunteers who run the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund carry on work begun by Mounsey, who raised enough money in competitive runs to purchase a defibrillator for the Blyth fire department, where he volunteered. He died before the defibrillator was donated.

Up to 85 per cent of cardiac arrests occur at home or in public places.  Almost half of cardiac arrests are witnessed by a family member or friend. It’s estimated that when a defibrillator is used along with CPR, chances of survival can increase by more than 50 per cent.

Armstrong said there is a long list of emergency personnel who can be honoured by a defibrillator donation.

“Every officer – and it’s not just the OPP, police officers, fire, EMS, military in Ontario – everyone goes out and gives 100 per cent. We all know the dangers. We all go out, we give it everything we give for our shift, and then over and beyond as well,” he said.

Earlier this year, Armstrong was nominated as a Scotiabank Game Changers, which recognizes local heroes across the country. As a regional Game Changer, he earned $1,000 for the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund. Although he did not proceed to the national level of electronic voting, he put his support behind Shane Eickmann, encouraging friends to vote for the full-time paramedic who volunteers with GlobalMedic, a disaster relief organization.

Armstrong received Police Officer of the Year 2011, issued by the Huron County Warden’s Task Force.

WINGHAM – The Wingham Radio Control Jet Rally held annually at the Richard W. LeVan airport in Wingham has attracted the attention of an international magazine.

The October/November issue of RC Jet International includes a four-page spread highlighting the Wingham RC Jet Rally.

In 2012, 55 pilots from all over North America attended the Wingham RC Jet Rally.  This represents approximately 85 people who booked accommodations in local hotels, bed and breakfasts and some camping spots for the weekend.  About 250 carloads of spectators attended the event.

The dates for the 2013 event are already set for July 26 to 28, with the public show on July 27 and 28.

Produced in England, RC Jet International magazine is distributed throughout the United Kingdom, North America,  Australia, South Africa and South America.

WINGHAM – Short story writer Alice Munro, who was born in Wingham, has just released her latest collection of short stories, Dear Life.

The nominee for the Nobel Prize sets many of her stories in rural Ontario, with names and places that are familiar to Huron County residents.

“Alice Munro’s new collection, Dear Life, proves yet again that she is a very great writer indeed, and that to enter the world of her fiction is an immensely pleasurable experience,” writes U.S. author Francine Prose, in an article published in the Globe and Mail on Oct. 13.

To read her review of Dear Life, please visit the Globe and Mail’s website.

Watch for a review of Dear Life by a Huron County reviewer in the near future.

NORTH HURON – The Township of North Huron has a new public works director.

Kelly Church will take over for Ralph Campbell, who plans to retire at the end of this year, the township announced recently.

Church is currently public works manager for the Town of Englehart located in Northern Ontario. He has more than 25 years of municipal experience with roads, water and sewer systems, project management, landfills, cemeteries, parks, recreation and facilities.

“We’re looking forward to Kelly joining our senior management team (SMT), leading our public works department and working closely with council and the community on current projects and priorities,” said Gary Long, who is North Huron’s CAO and clerk.   “In the short term, Kelly will be helping us complete an asset management plan, a departmental business plan, and working with council and staff to implement our strategic plan.”

He will start his new job Oct. 22 and work alongside Campbell and the public works staff to ensure a smooth transition, Long said.

The North Huron Public Works Department is comprised of 12 full-time employees and several seasonal employees with works yards in Blyth, East Wawanosh, and Wingham.