Goderich’s heritage committee secretary Barb Mackenzie was recognized for her work post-tornado, helping property owners in the rebuild. She is flanked by, at left, Mayor Deb Shewfelt, and, at right, Coun. Kevin Morrison, who is chair of the committee.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – The tornado that ripped through Goderich and area in August 2011 was turned into an opportunity for the town to rebuild some of its heritage architecture, Bob Davis, who is on the town’s heritage committee, said before handing out certificates to recognize efforts to conserve or enhance Goderich heritage in 2012.

“One business owner improving, and then encouraging another business owner to improve and here we are with 31 certificates to hand out tonight to recognize your contribution,” he said, at a ceremony held at the Reuben R. Sallows Gallery on Thursday evening.

Kevin Morrison, who chairs the Municipal and Marine Heritage Committee, said its mandate has been to work with property owners and the community.

“The sense of pride that we have experienced from property owners in this town has been absolutely amazing and on behalf of the committee I want to thank you for what you have done,” he said.

Mayor Deb Shewfelt, who helped with the presentations, said the event was ‘very inspiring’ for him.

At the end of the ceremony, Morrison also acknowledged the work of its secretary, Barb Mackenzie.

“She’s just a miracle to have at the building department. We get nothing but compliments when it comes to the work she does,” he said. His comments were met by applause from the audience.

The awards are based on three criteria: a) individuals who have made a significant contribution to Goderich heritage; b) designated property owners who have followed the heritage permit application process and have substantially completed their changes; and c) non-designated property owners (some of whom chose to follow the permit application process although they weren’t required to) whose renovations or rebuilding were noticed as conserving or enhancing the town’s heritage.

The information on each building listed below was provided by Bob Davis.

Krissy Nickle: member of the former Marine Heritage Committee for many years and the now merged Municipal and Marine Heritage Committee 2011-2013. Nickle has had to withdraw due to career demands. She accepted the award from Kevin Morrison, a Goderich town councillor who is also chair of the committee.

12-14 Courthouse Sq.  John Little, ABC Investments. Exterior renovations including a re-bricked upper facade that replicates the original brick cornice, pilasters with stone decorations, and arched window surrounds. Interior renovations. Absent

16 Courthouse Sq. Tom and Dawn Fincher, Fincher’s Games and Books. Exterior renovations including a re-bricked upper facade that replicates the original brick cornice, pilasters with stone decorations, and arched window surrounds. Tom Fincher, at right, accepted the award. Also in the photo, from left, are Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt, committee member Bob Davis and committee chair Kevin Morrison.

40 Courthouse Sq. Takalo and Burt, Chartered Accountants. Replacement of brick parapet and replication of detailed cornice moulding. Absent

104-108 Courthouse Sq. Shanahan’s Quality Meats and Deli. Re-bricking of full two-storey façade on both Kingston St and The Square including replication of details. Absent.

122 Courthouse Sq. Carolyn Merritt. Redesigning façade to match adjoining building including historically appropriate details. Interior renovations. Absent.

138 Courthouse Sq. Coldwell Banker Goderich. New construction on the base of previous structure, designed in an updated Italianate style with appropriate heritage detailing in the windows, brickwork and corner treatment. Absent.

140 Courthouse Sq. Denomme Flower Shoppe. Replacement and repair of the façade including replication of the brickwork and upper window. Absent.

142 Courthouse Sq. Wuerth’s Shoes. Replacement and repair of the façade including brickwork and upper window. Employee Judith Cumming accepted the award.

170 Courthouse Sq. Market Square Dental, Dr. Michelle Szasz. New construction in an updated Second Empire style which reflects the historic building it replaces and gives appropriate presence to the corner location.

31 West St., Jim and Connie Doig. Renovation of the façade which returns the building to a more appropriate heritage appearance with a brick look on the upper floor and a wide, bracketed cornice and entablature.

32-34 West St., Henry Elderhorst. Historically appropriate window replacement and repair in upper facade. Also made repairs at 45 West St.

33 West St., West Street Dental Clinic. Roof replacement and upper façade restoration in a historically appropriate manner. Dr. Scott Russell accepted the award.

36-38 West St., Ann McCauley. Historically appropriate window replacement in upper floors. Façade repairs.

37-41 West St. Masonic Lodge. Replacement of upper façade replicating the original brickwork, window treatment, date stone and stone work.

40-42 West St., Dave and Bob Cornish. Replacement of roof and cornice. Interior renovations. Bob Cornish accepted the award.

46 West St. Lyons and Mulhern. Exterior and interior repairs and restoration in a historically appropriate manner. Replicated east parapet and chimneys. Heather Lyons and Jim Mulhern accepted the award.

49 West St., Culbert’s Bakery. Historically appropriate renovations and repair to exterior. Darin Culbert accepted the award.

50 West St., West Coast Kitchens, Claude and Linda Reaume. Historically appropriate restoration of façade and sidewall. Roof and interior repairs.

56-60 West St., Allan Avis Architects. New construction in a two-storey, updated Georgian style complementary to the heritage district.

68 West St., Huron Optometric Clinic. New construction in a two-storey, updated Italianate style complementary to the heritage district. Absent.

33 East St., New Again. Renovation of façade and roof in a historically appropriate manner. Absent.

40 East St., Healthward Bound. Renovation of exterior, including historically appropriate porch. Absent.

55-59 Kingston, St. Hoffmeyer Plumbing and Heating. Renovation and repair of facade and retention of historic building. Absent.

33 Montreal St.,  Prest and Egener. Repair and restoration of façade features in a historically appropriate manner. Absent.

39 Montreal St., First Baptist Church. Historically appropriate repair and replacement of steeple and other architectural elements. Pastor Rod Gauthier accepted the award.

37 Napier St., Curtis and Amber Moore. Renovation and restoration of home in a historically appropriate manner. Amber Moore accepted the award.

122 St Patrick St., Beth Ross and John Thompson. New construction in a Gothic/Ontario Cottage style appropriate to revitalizing the historic streetscape. John Thompson accepted the award.

126 Park St., Judith McMichael. New construction in a Gothic/Ontario Cottage style appropriate to revitalizing the historic streetscape.

66 Montreal St., Dave and Katie Sutherland. Renovation of the exterior in a historically appropriate manner. Katie Sutherland accepted the award.

263 Cobourg, David and Sally Walker. Renovation and maintenance of home in a historically appropriate manner.

West Street in Goderich during the rebuild after the tornado. File photo.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – The disaster relief committee set up in the aftermath of a tornado that ripped through Goderich and area on Aug. 21, 2011 is telling the provincial government it needs to provide better coverage to tenants and farmers as it prepares to close its books on $6.2 million of paid claims, its chair told Goderich council this week.

Allowing tenants who have lost their belongings in disaster to buy sheets but not pillow or beds but not mattresses are just a few of the “silly things” in the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP), said Duncan Jewell, who chairs the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee.

“Tenants do not receive enough money,” Jewell said. The Goderich and area committee “worked the rules” to provide tenants with $500 each to buy clothing. “When you read the program, there are things missing that just make absolutely no sense whatsoever.”

The committee will recommend compensation for woodlots destroyed in disaster. More than 225 acres of woodlot in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh and the Municipality of Central Huron were destroyed in the tornado and ineligible for compensation under the program. The Goderich and area committee tailored the rules to provide $400 an acre.

“That’s grossly unfair when a residential person could get $2,500 for one stump to be removed from their property,” he said.

It will also recommend uninsured cash crops ruined by disaster also receive compensation, bringing it in line with policies for business owners.

“So a farmer who has a loss of income because it’s a cash crop can’t get covered but a businessman who has a loss of income can get covered when loss of income’s not supposed to be covered,” Jewell said.

The committee has reviewed 373 files to pay out $5 million with another $1.2 million committed by the end of summer, in order to pay eligible claimants 90 per cent of their claims. Jewell said a few files remain that may have a right to appeal.

ODRAP contributes up to $2 for every dollar raised locally, to an amount necessary to settle all eligible claims, up to 90 per cent of all eligible costs. A local fund-raising campaign led by Tom Jasper, Ken Dunn and Matt Hoy raised more than $4 million, and the province provided about $2.16 million to settle the claims.

“We won’t need the two-to-one funding for a variety of reasons. Mainly because people had good insurance in Goderich and area,” Jewell said, noting 27 per cent of potential claimants had sufficient insurance.

The province paid all administration costs.

Deputy Mayor John Grace thanked the committee for its contribution to the rebuild efforts.

“Congratulations, Duncan, to yourself and the rest of your committee. I think you’ve done an outstanding job for the community,” he said. “Thank-you on behalf of myself and my family.”

The committee completed a report as a charitable organization for the Canada Revenue Agency and a report with recommendations on any changes to ODRAP for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

The following is a report from the committee:

The Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) is a program established by the Provincial Government following a disaster. Following the August 21, 2011 F3 tornado, volunteers were appointed by the three affected municipalities to the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee to operate the program. ODRAP is a source of financial aid for costs or damages to essential private property incurred as a result of a disaster event and not covered by insurance. The purpose of the program is to restore, repair or replace homes/buildings to pre-disaster conditions using guidelines established by the Province of Ontario. It does not provide total replacement costs or the full cost of many expenses that have been incurred because of the tornado. Some losses are not covered at all, such as damages to a vacation property, which is not a primary residence, an insurance deductible, vehicles, personal injury damages, landscaping or the loss of income.

One of the responsibilities of the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee was to raise funds from the community to assist the claimants. The Province of Ontario committed to contribute up to $2 for every dollar raised locally, to an amount necessary to settle all eligible claims, up to 90% of all eligible costs.

The Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee has now completed its review and adjudication of all files received by the application deadline of November 25, 2011.

The Disaster Relief Committee office at the Goderich Town Hall is permanently closed.

Statistical Information

Applications:

Number of files received by the application deadline of November 25, 2011 373

Number of files approved for financial assistance: 236

Number of files closed because financial assistance was not required: 102

Number of files ineligible: 35

Expended and Committed Funds:

Claims paid as of February 15, 2013: $5,006,406.55

Funds committed to claimants but not paid as construction has not commenced: $1,202,788.58

Total funds required to pay all claims: $ 6,209,195.13

Fundraising:

Total amount of money raised by local volunteer fundraisers: $ 4,017,602.32

Interest earned on deposits: $ 34,183.41

Total available from fundraising: $ 4,051,785.73

Contributions from the Province of Ontario:

Under the up to 2:1 matching formula, the Province is committed to contribute $2,157,409.40

Note: All money raised through fundraising is used exclusively to pay eligible claims as the Province of Ontario is responsible for all the administration costs associated with ODRAP.

Thank You!

The Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee expresses its sincere thanks to the thousands of people who donated to the Disaster Relief Fund, the many volunteers who assisted with fundraising, the staff of the Disaster Relief Committee for their service in helping to rebuild, renew and restore our communities, the administrative staff of the Town of Goderich for its support and the Province of Ontario for its financial and administrative support.

This photo was taken by Cathy Cove sometime around 6 a.m. the day after the tornado, Aug. 22, 2011.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – The five-member jury in a coroner’s inquest into the death of Sifto’s salt mine worker Normand Laberge during a tornado that ripped through Goderich and area Aug. 21, 2011 delivered recommendations ranging from installing a town-wide siren system to more timely dissemination of information during emergencies tonight.

After four hours of deliberations, the jury delivered 14 recommendations for Sifto Canada Corp., federal and provincial agencies, and local municipal government to help prevent similar deaths in the future. (See list of recommendations at bottom of story.)

It also reviewed two days of evidence from witnesses who worked with the loading boom operator and experts in emergency management to fulfill its requirements under the Coroner’s Act of answering five questions: who the decreased was, and how, when, where and by what means the deceased came to his death. The jury determined Laberge died on Aug. 21, 2011 at 6:49 p.m. at Sifto’s salt mine in Goderich, Ont. He died as a result of multiple injuries as a consequence of crushing by industrial equipment due to a tornado. It was an accident.

“On behalf of the Office of the Chief Coroner, it is our hope that through this inquest process not only have the answers been given to the questions regarding Normand Laberge’s death, but that through these recommendations from the jury, some significant changes may result that lessen deaths in similar circumstances,” said Dr. Rick Mann, the coroner who presided over the inquest.

Laberge was operating a ship loading boom as it filled the Algoma Navigator with salt in late afternoon on Aug. 21, 2011 when a tornado came in from Lake Huron, pushing the boom along its track before tipping it over. Just 10 minutes earlier, he had requested and received permission to shut down the boom because a storm was moving in.

Mann thanked Laberge’s daughter, Jocelyne for participating on behalf of the family in the inquest.

“I can only imagine how difficult this process would have been but I am grateful that you were able to share with us a bit of who your father was and what he meant to so many people,” Mann said.

In arguments to the jury before its deliberations, Jocelyne, who is Normand Laberge’s youngest daughter, gave an address to the jury prepared by her and her sister, Marie-Louise.

“I am here today to represent my family, so that you have an idea of the wonderful man my father was. My father was the hardest worker I knew, and his dedication to his job was admirable, which is what make the circumstances of his death all the more heartbreaking,” she said.

Normand hailed from the Montreal area, born into a family of furriers. Jocelyne said as children they felt special in coats made for them and for their dolls.

“When we were little, it felt like he could do anything- he was our entertainer, our coach, our mentor. My dad was brilliant, and it felt as though he could make anything come to life for us, whether it was our playhouses, or our very own hockey rink. My father took great joy from creating things that made others happy,” she said.

In 2008, he married the love of his life, Brenda. They lived in their dream home, with space for animals and his gardens. His life was “a simple one, filled with the people he loved.”

Jocelyne said many people lost something on Aug. 21, 2011, whether it was homes, valuables or a sense of security. She said they lost their father, part of their hometown, and many reminders of their childhood.

“All of us were so harshly reminded Mother Nature controls our reality far more than we like to believe. Over the past 18 months, I am sure we have all struggled with how to heal from these losses. The challenges that both my family, and the people of Goderich, have faced have been enormous. For me, an important factor is being part of this process, learning how we can be more prepared,” she said.

She urged the jury to consider how to make Goderich a safer place, relying on the experts to give advice on how to improve the system.

“ We’ll never know if different policies would have saved my father, but please don’t let his death be in vain,” she said.

The jury recommendations are as follows:

To Environment Canada

1. Explore the feasibility of adding the Marine Tornado Warning banner on the weatheroffice.gc.ca town/city/municipality (current conditions and forecast) page so that all warnings (public and marine) appear in the one location for each affected town/municipality.

2. Explore the feasibility of including notification of Marine Tornado Warnings on the weather radio, for affected shoreline communities.

To Environment Canada, Emergency Management Ontario and Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission

3. Strongly encourage and recommend all broadcasters to participate in the National Alert Aggregation and Distribution System (NAAD.)

 To Environment Canada, Emergency Management Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police, County of Huron and the Town of Goderich

4. Explore enhanced ways of timely dissemination to the general public of weather warnings that pose a risk to life. Such dissemination should consider the reach of social media (Facebook, applications, Twitter, and e-mails) and the limitations of social media; and also include other forms of notifications that do not depend on technology.

To Emergency Management Ontario

5. Work with municipalities to explore the feasibility of a municipal siren system for emergencies that has a consistent tone that is standardized across Ontario.

To Emergency Management Ontario, Ontario Provincial Police and County of Huron

6. Explore the feasibility that all emergency response bases (i.e. 9-1-1, fire, police, ambulance) be required to have a weather radio in a suitable location to permit the monitoring of weather warnings.

To Sifto Canada Corporation

7. Consider the use in Central Control of a Marine radio with a trained and licensed operator to permit the monitoring of marine weather warnings.

8. Review and update Operating Practice OP517 to include changes in the procedures since the tornado with a focus on the automatic shutdown of the ship loading boom and operator evacuation.

9. Ensure the ship loading boom operators are re-trained on the new procedures and equipment for the ship loading boom.

10. Continue ongoing training regarding emergency preparedness.

11. Review the emergency preparedness plan with respect to the need for radio replacement batteries at rally points.

To Town of Goderich, County of Huron and Emergency Management Ontario

12. Engage in ongoing public sector education and private sector communication regarding emergency preparedness focused on, but not limited to, the value of weather radios.

To Town of Goderich

13. Consider the implementation of a siren system for public alerting in emergencies.

To Ministry of Labour

14. Explore and consider the requirement of weather radios within workplaces with equipment that may be affected by weather warnings.

Sifto salt mine office damaged by F3 tornado. File photo.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – The electric disc braking system on the loading boom at a salt mine in Goderich was working the day its operator, Normand Laberge, was killed when a tornado pushed it to the end of its track and overturned it, an inspector from the Ministry of Labour told an inquest today.

“There were shiny spots on every single wheel that was in contact with the track. In that environment, rust builds up very, very quickly, so we ascertained that at that moment in time the wheels actually skidded across the track, not rolled. [The brakes] were in tact and functioning at that time,” said Rick Shulist, who investigated the scene on Aug. 22, 2011, the day after a tornado hit the harbour and ripped a swath through Goderich and the surrounding area.  He said there were no contraventions noted of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the associated mining regulations.

He told Coroner’s counsel Laura Grant he could suggest no changes to legislation that would have avoided Laberge’s death.

The five-member jury in the inquest heard by Dr. Rick Mann, is charged with the job of answering five questions: who the decreased was, and how, when, where and by what means the deceased came to his death. They are also encouraged to make recommendations to prevent future deaths.

An inquest is mandatory under the Coroner’s Act in the event of a death at a mine.

“When you bring Mother Nature into the equation, you can’t control her. She will do what she wants,” he said.

He said employers should take reasonable precautions to protect their workers from adverse weather conditions.

Rick Black, who was working on the Algoma Navigator while it was being loaded with salt, was on the deck making a call to his wife when the tornado hit. He watched as it tore up a salt hut, took out windows in the office building, and swirl cars around. He watched it swing the loading boom to the end of its semi-circle track where it pulled up what’s referred to as an “end stop,” which stops its travel. At that point, the loading boom tipped over.

George Mondoux, who is the mine’s health and safety manager, said a number of changes have been implemented since the tornado.

The ruined loading boom was replaced with a new one that has an automatic braking system that clamps the track whenever the operator takes his hands off the controls. By the end of March, an automatic shut down procedure will be in place so that the operator is not required to be in the cab. An emergency stop that allows the operator to hit a button and evacuate is still an option.

Although the mine has a policy that lays out operating procedures that require the ship loader operator to shut down when winds reach speeds greater than 60 km/h, Mondoux said before the tornado the loading boom operator relied on the boat’s crew to tell him wind speed or asked a supervisor or central control to check the Goderich Port Management Corporation’s website to see the wind speed readings from an anemometer on Dome 5. Supervisors also rely on Environment Canada’s website for weather watches and warnings.

Now, an anemometer is fixed on the loading boom and its readings are displayed on a computer screen in the operator’s cab. The display turns yellow when wind speeds exceed 45 km/h and turns red with wind speeds exceed 60 km/h, the inquest heard.

The company is working on computer programming that will force the loading boom to automatically shut down when winds get high.

As well, the loading boom operator can’t wait out the weather in his cab anymore. There is an exit procedure that requires him to go to the basement of Dome 1 until the winds die down.

The inquest heard that four weather radios have been programmed for local alerts.

The inquest also heard from field officer and the deputy chief of program development from Emergency Management Ontario, and a representative from Huron County’s Emergency Management Services.

Tomorrow, the parties who have been granted standing to participate in the inquest may make arguments and submissions, comment on evidence presented and suggest recommendations to the jury. Coroner’s counsel, Teresa Donnelly and Laura Grant, will make a final comment to the jury and the coroner, Dr. Rick Mann, will charge the jury. Then the jury will deliberate and consider recommendations.

Sifto salt mine office damaged by F3 tornado. File photo.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Normand Laberge radioed his supervisor from the cab of the ship loader at Goderich harbour to say he could see a storm at the breakwall and wanted to shut down, a coroner’s inquest heard today.

At least one other worker on the skeleton staff on that Sunday shift on Aug. 21, 2011 to load a boat heard the request and subsequent acknowledgement from operations supervisor Paul Kent on the shared radio system, and that’s the last time they heard the voice of Laberge, who was located in a cab mid-way up a loader through which salt is conveyed from a storage dome to containers on a ship.

Coroner Dr. Rick Mann and a five-member jury heard from a number of mine workers, emergency personnel and medical staff on how events unfolded when an F3 tornado from storm cells that made their way from Lake Michigan across Lake Huron hit the shoreline at Goderich shortly before 4 p.m., killing the veteran Sifto salt mine worker and causing extensive damage to the mine’s above ground operations.

After it passed, Kent crawled out from under his desk and did a radio check of his 11 men working on the surface. Laberge did not respond. Colin Chisolm, who had ducked his front end loader behind a 12-foot concrete wall in Dome 4, joined others who drove their equipment toward the spot where Laberge was last working. He used the front end loader to lift a utility pole and pull taut a downed hydro wire so paramedics could get to an injured security guard who was working from a 12-foot trailer. They made a path toward the vicinity of the ship loader along the dock for paramedics and others who began to show up, like police, firefighters, mine rescue workers and off-duty employees.

Tristan Barter, a Huron County paramedic, was on the second crew from the county’s EMS to arrive on scene. He said the call came in to 9-1-1 just after 5 p.m., and they were dispatched at 6:20 p.m., already working their way through “mass destruction” in Goderich’s downtown. They arrived on the scene just over four minutes later. He donned protective gear and was joined by an engineer and an OPP officer to crawl through debris into the ruined cab where Laberge was trapped by several pieces of steel, lying face down. Although Barter couldn’t reach Laberge, he could see most of him.

“In my opinion, I determined at that time that the injuries sustained were not compatible with life,” said Barter, who called the base hospital in Owen Sound to confirm a field pronouncement of death at 6:49 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2011.

Teresa Donnelly, who represents the public interests and acts as legal adviser to the coroner, used photos taken by Det.-Const. Phillip Hordijk on Aug. 21 and 22 to help guide the jury through witness testimony.

The coroner’s inquest also heard from pathologist Dr. John Vetters who conducted a post-mortem two days later and determined that in his opinion Laberge, 61, died of multiple injuries and a severed spinal cord. He said the man would not have survived his injuries, even with quicker medical response.

Geoff Coulson, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, presented a detailed PowerPoint presentation that outlined the types of public notices issued and how the public can receive that information. He explained that meteorologists watched the thunderstorm’s development and when they saw signs of “significant rotation on multiple levels�� on the radar at 3:30 p.m., they decided to issue a marine tornado issue. By 3:38 p.m., they posted a tornado warning under the marine warning category on Environment Canada’s website and issued the warning to the Canadian Coast Guard in Sarnia, which broadcast on Radio 16, the weather channel for boaters. At 3:48 p.m., they posted a tornado warning under the public warning category on the website, to media, through the RSS news feed, and on the weather radio station, where it is also accompanied by a piercing warning beep.

Coulson said the tornado struck Goderich at approximately 3:55 p.m.

He said the tornado was rare for two reasons: it was the first F3 tornado in the province in 15 years and it intensified as it crossed the lake.

“In my experience, I have never heard of an Fujita Scale 3 tornado coming off the Great Lake, coming onshore,” said Coulson, whose career has spanned nearly 30 years. “The lakes themselves tend to be a little bit cooler than the surrounding air and what these storms need is warm, moist air to survive. As it crosses the lake, it tends to encounter cooler air and it tends to knock the stuffing out of a lot of these storms.”

People who have special interest in the coroner’s inquest and have been granted special standing also asked questions of the witnesses. Special standing was granted to: the family Normand Laberge, who are represented by his daughter Jocelyne Laberge; Emergency Measures Ontario, which has an interest in the public warning system, represented by counsel Brian Whitehead; Sifto Canada Corp., which operates the workplace and employed Laberge, represented by Rosalind Cooper of Fasken Martineau; Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, Local 16-O, the union representing workers at the mine, represented by president Lionel Carter.

In an address to the jury before the start of proceedings, Mann told the five members their job will be to answer five questions: who the decreased was, and how, when, where and by what means the deceased came to his death. He also encouraged them to make recommendations to prevent future deaths.

He told the jury members they are the “triers of facts” and although they do not need to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, the evidence needs to pass the “balance of probabilities test.” As well, findings do not have to be unanimous.

The inquest is expected to last five days.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Money from the disaster relief fund should be earmarked for redevelopment of a key corner in Goderich’s downtown that was devastated by the tornado in August 2011, says a town councillor.

“I’m very concerned with the lack of redevelopment of the Kingston Block corner,” Judy Crawford said at council last night.

A string of buildings that includes the Burger Bar property on Kingston Street, Chisholm TV, Carman’s Foto Source, Wing Hong Restaurant and Bailey’s Fine Dining were heavily damaged and demolished in the months after the tornado and now at least one property owner has indicated he will not be rebuilding.

Crawford asked for council’s support to send a letter a letter to the provincial government, which is responsible for the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program to set aside money before the local committee winds down its work at the end of this month.

“I’m recommending that we should request financial support from the government that could then be used to assist in getting the Kingston Block rebuilt,” she said.

She said there is unused money to help redevelop the block since the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee had expects to distribute up to $7 million to residential and commercial property owners, tenants, farmers and community organizations affected by the tornado. However, since the local fundraising campaign raised $3.87 million and the province promised to fund up to two dollars for every dollar raised locally, there was $11.6 million available to pay eligible claims at the 90 per cent rate.

Under the program rules, only the owner of a building at the time of the tornado may apply for disaster relief funds, and Crawford wants the money available for anyone who will redevelop the properties.

Before a vote to send a letter to the provincial government, Mayor Deb Shewfelt called the effort a long shot, but said it would cost the town the price of a stamp.

In March 2012, council passed an interim control bylaw that stopped redevelopment in a block. At the time, the town was concerned about maintaining the heritage aspects of the downtown core. The mayor said the future of tourism in the town depended on redevelopment of the corner.

Two weeks later, the freeze was lifted.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – Eighteen months after a tornado ripped through Goderich and area, a group of nine volunteers are almost ready to close the books on the disaster relief fund.

Over the course of that time, the Goderich and Area Disaster Relief Committee has opened 373 files from landowners, tenants, businesses and non-profit groups who anticipated losses that would not be covered by insurance. As it readies for its final claims meeting at the end of the month, there are just 10 files outstanding, said Duncan Jewell, who is chair of the committee.

To date, $5 million has been awarded to claimants to reimburse up to 90 per cent of what wasn’t covered by insurance. Jewell expects by the end of the program, the committee will have distributed $6 to $7 million dollars to help people and businesses recover from the tornado.

“We have dealt with everyone fair and equitably,” he said.

Of the 10 files still outstanding, two are in the court system and the rest will be dealt with Jan. 31. Jewell said if the two files in court battles aren’t resolved by the committee meeting date, committee staff will have to discuss with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and legal counsel to determine how to proceed.

“We don’t want to shut off the process if people have followed through the process the ministry has agreed to with the timeline that we have set up. If the claimants can’t meet the timeline, then we have to decide what we’re going to do,” said Jewell.

“We can’t deal with any of the claimants until they resolve their insurance issue with their insurance company,” he said.

The Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program is a source of financial aid for losses of essential private property, not covered by insurance, suffered by private homeowners, farmers, small businesses and non-profit organizations. The local committee was established by councils in Goderich, Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh and Central Huron to raise funds and settle eligible claims made by affected residents.Three staff members are charged with the task of reviewing claims and making recommendations to the committee.

The local community raised $4 million, with the province promising to match funds up to a two-to-one ratio to settle claims, up to 90 per cent of the estimated eligible amount.

Jewell said claimants with outstanding files received registered letters in September to notify them that they had until Dec. 10 to indicate they were proceeding with work on their property. Those claimants who responded were then given until the end of January to indicate how much money would be required and proof that they were proceeding “whether it’s a contract or something that says yes we are going to rebuild our house or rebuild our commercial property or fix it up,” Jewell said.

Approved commercial claims received $30,000 at the time of approval to cover costs like building permits and architectural fees. As work progressed, they received an additional 25 per cent when the foundation went in and another 25 per cent when the walls went up or the second-storey began. The balance was held back until the end of November, when the committee knew it had enough money to cover claims for up to 90 per cent.

Approved residential claims in the amount of more than $30,000 were paid $30,000 plus 50 per cent of the balance. The other 50 per cent of the balance was held until the end of November.

The highest commercial claim paid was $900,000. The highest residential claim paid was $100,000.

Of the 373 claimant files, 100 were closed or withdrawn because money wasn’t required from the fund. Another 35 were ineligible because they didn’t meet the criteria set in the provincial program.

Jewell said through the process, he’s dealt with three complaints about the program and received “many great letters.”

The province has also paid all administration costs, which total $250,000 to the end of December.

GODERICH – Edge Renewal Fund has begun accepting applications for cultural, natural and heritage projects that benefit the community.

The volunteer board has finalized the steps to apply and the criteria on which priority will be given for disbursement of money that was donated by private benefactors after the tornado struck Goderich and area on Aug. 21, 2011. The committee will consider five major priorities in reviewing: maximum impact on wider community, public value whether artistic or functional, support or complement to other committees or strategies, other income or funding sources, and community involvement based on public feedback to the proposals that will be posted on-line.

The application form will be posted online at www.edgefund.org in the new year, but proposals are being accepted now either by email to [email protected] or mailed to 33 Hamilton St., Goderich, ON L7A 1P8.

The non-profit corporation has received an initial seed donation of $100,000 from a concerned family. This family has also promised additional funds (up to $200,000) to match donations received from other members of the community. The Fund is hopeful that it will ultimately have $500,000 to inject into the community. Efforts are under way to raise the additional $200,000 to secure the matching funds.

“The Goderich and area board of directors wants these funds seeding projects that have the widest community benefit possible,” said Rick Lobb, who is board chair.

“We have a competent board that cares about the community and will do what it can to be the best stewards for the funds as possible,” he said.

Board members include Rick Lobb, Paul Nichol, Mark Hussey, Randall Lobb, Lisa Hood and Brittany Fry, as well as resource members Leah Noel and Kathy Homan.

Already, ERF has been involved in a number of time-sensitive community projects: Out of the Storm, Community Economic Revitalization Committee (CERC), Goderich Trees Project and Trees Beyond Goderich Project.

Back in August 2011 when the seed donor brought together a key group of individuals from the community to administer the funds, they could not have foreseen the delays along the way.

“The process of arriving at where we are today was far more complex than we could ever have imagined,” said Randall Lobb, who is a director.

It took until January 2012 to open a bank account, after delays caused by restructuring and expansion of the board for wider community representation.

While the board went through the complicated process to establish charitable status, it refrained from public comment and new initiatives, under the advice of Canada Revenue Agency, which said such moves could affect the granting of status. Charitable status would have allowed the organization to provide tax receipts for all donations received after the tornado.

However, in September, ERF received notice from CRA that the application had been denied. In its ruling, the agency said while efforts to help rejuvenate the natural environment, heritage and cultural arts in the Goderich area may be considered commendable, they are not charitable. To be charitable, the CRA says the fund would have to provide “basic necessities, such as food and shelter.”

Preference will be given to projects that provide a broad community benefit and that partner with other community organizations.

Throughout this process, donors to ERF have been kept up to date.

For more information, please visit www.edgefund.org

File photo of tornado damage to an office building at Sifto’s salt mine.

An inquest will be held into the death of Normand Laberge, the salt mine worker who died when the tornado ripped through Goderich and area, the province’s deputy chief coroner for inquests announced today.

An inquest is mandatory under the Coroners Act, after Laberge, 61, died on Aug. 21, 2011 while working at Sifto’s salt mine in Goderich, said Dr. Bert Lauwers.

The inquest will examine the events surrounding Laberge’s death and the jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.

The inquest is expected to last five days and to hear from approximately 15 witnesses.

The inquest will begin at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, 2013, at the Goderich Court House. Dr. Rick Mann will preside as inquest coroner and Teresa Donnelly will be counsel to the coroner.