The Avon Maitland District School Board is on a very mindless and destructive course, hell bent on destroying communities and down-grading our education system.
Tiny minds tend to focus on one thing at a time in order to simplify a complex issue. The AMDSB board and senior staff are illustrating this tendency. They are focussed on the numbers - numbers of children and numbers of desks, classrooms, and schools. Don't talk to them about other facts or issues no matter how relevant they may be. They just can't handle more that one facet at a time.
They have told us that they are not interested in what happens to our communities or their economies even though closing a school damages a community and its economy. "We are concerned only with children and their education. The community and its economy are not our concern." Never mind that these children live in these communities and are affected by their economies.
What a surprise to learn that they have already picked a site for a new school and the plans are all drawn up! Well not quite all the plans. They are not sure where the roads are going to be to get to the new school in Wingham.
They must have scoured the entire countryside to find architects that are equally adept at ignoring facts that confuse tiny minds. When asked about where the roads will be placed to handle traffic to and from the school, the architect replied, "We don't build roads; we build schools". With any luck the new school will remain inaccessible and we we will have to fall back on our previously condemned schools.
In the meantime, we will be further increasing our carbon footprint by having to run buses for almost every child in the county.
The eighteenth century satirical novel by Johnathan Swift describes our school board quite well. In Gulliver's Travels, the hero finds himself in the land of Laputa. It is a country ruled by a king and noble persons whose minds are totally immersed in numbers and music theory. So enrapt are they that each of them requires two servants to accompany them to remind them of what they are doing. The servants carry a kind of rattle to tap on the noble person's mouth, ears, or eyes to remind them to talk, listen, or watch where they are going. When Gulliver was talking to the King, for example, the latter would forget what they were discussing and who he was discussing it with, until the servants would apply their rattles.
While the nobility are constantly and mentally solving complex equations, they lack the ability to actually apply the results to any real project. As a result their buildings are unsound and their tailored clothing never fits.
The rulers live on an island that floats in the air. It is a perfect circle, four and a half miles in diameter. They are able to raise, lower, and move the island in any direction within the boundaries of the country below. The common people live on the land below, and they provide the rulers with food and whatever else is needed to live.
If any community on the ground does not contribute support, or is in rebellion, the rulers will move the island over the offending town, and if they still fail to comply, the island is slowly lowered onto the community crushing all of its buildings and its people. End of revolt!
Like AMDSB, the Laputans are obsessed by numbers to the exclusion of all other matters, they don't listen well, they are disconnected with the reality of the area for which they are responsible, on a whim they can crush any community they wish, and they answer to no one, and they tax their people without representing them.
About a remarkable Ontario village
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Blyth Politics of the Past: Two Armed Camps
A few decades ago, Blyth was a hotbed of political intrigue. Elections were fought as if there were no tomorrow unless your side wins. Whose side you were on made a difference. It affected where you did your shopping, to whom you spoke when you walked down the street - or ignored as if they were not there. Alliances were formed as a means of improving your side's chances at the polls. We told everyone about mistakes the other guys made, and when we ran out of them, we made up some more and spread the word.
As a young child belonging of course to "our side", I was frequently reminded by "their side" that I was not as good a kid as I should be. One of their employees stopped his truck one day to tell me that if it were not for the dairy on our street, he would not have plowed the snow from it. On one summer day I was walking down the street and a woman from their side came out on her porch and shouted at me using some very raw language and some words that I had never heard before. I have no idea why I was chosen for this attention apart from the fact that I was on the other side.
Election days (which came around each year in December) often ended with a huge argument over how the votes were to be counted, and complaints that the other guys were doing something illegal.
If you were a town employee and were identified with one side, you could be sure that the other side would be looking for a chance to replace you with one of their friends.
Nomination meetings were very well attended, and many were nominated for each position. Not everyone agreed to stand, but there were very few acclamations. If someone resigned before the term was up, the person who came next in the voting would often be appointed to fill the vacancy.
You might ask what all this partisanship was based on. I don't have the answer to that. It was not a Liberal-Conservative divide. It was not a matter of commercial rivalry. I have no idea what caused the rift. It was akin to chosing sides for a game of soccer in the school yard. I am sure that some people in the village were not involved in the division and may not have even been aware of it. But a very significant portion of the population was linked to one side or the other.
I have been thinking that it's too bad that we could not recapture that enthusiasm for local politics - so long as we could eliminate the vitriol and the bickering and the senseless and petty actions that took place in the background.
Blyth people need to get engaged in the life of this community AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF NORTH HURON.
Amalgamation is a fact of life whether we like it or not. Burying our heads in the sand will not make it go away.
As a young child belonging of course to "our side", I was frequently reminded by "their side" that I was not as good a kid as I should be. One of their employees stopped his truck one day to tell me that if it were not for the dairy on our street, he would not have plowed the snow from it. On one summer day I was walking down the street and a woman from their side came out on her porch and shouted at me using some very raw language and some words that I had never heard before. I have no idea why I was chosen for this attention apart from the fact that I was on the other side.
Election days (which came around each year in December) often ended with a huge argument over how the votes were to be counted, and complaints that the other guys were doing something illegal.
If you were a town employee and were identified with one side, you could be sure that the other side would be looking for a chance to replace you with one of their friends.
Nomination meetings were very well attended, and many were nominated for each position. Not everyone agreed to stand, but there were very few acclamations. If someone resigned before the term was up, the person who came next in the voting would often be appointed to fill the vacancy.
You might ask what all this partisanship was based on. I don't have the answer to that. It was not a Liberal-Conservative divide. It was not a matter of commercial rivalry. I have no idea what caused the rift. It was akin to chosing sides for a game of soccer in the school yard. I am sure that some people in the village were not involved in the division and may not have even been aware of it. But a very significant portion of the population was linked to one side or the other.
I have been thinking that it's too bad that we could not recapture that enthusiasm for local politics - so long as we could eliminate the vitriol and the bickering and the senseless and petty actions that took place in the background.
Blyth people need to get engaged in the life of this community AS AN IMPORTANT PART OF NORTH HURON.
Amalgamation is a fact of life whether we like it or not. Burying our heads in the sand will not make it go away.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A New Thought About the School Situation
Let’s All Cut Our Losses
Let me make clear at the outset that I represent only myself. If I get my facts wrong or misrepresent some group’s position on the school situation – blame me.
I sent an email to Jenny Versteeg, the chair of Avon Maitland District School Board a few days ago. The message reflected my usual impatience and anger against the board for deciding to close the Blyth Public School and for the potential closing of the Brussels Public School. It was not a very polite letter.
In a very short time, I received a reply from Ms. Versteeg. It was a lengthy, very polite, clear and logically developed presentation of the board’s process and position. I still strongly disagreed with their conclusion, but the message caused me to re-think the situation.
Naïve or not – this is what I came up with.
As things stand now, everyone is losing: the AMDSB, the children, the parents, the communities, local businesses.
As for the school board – they are almost universally detested throughout our communities, and these feelings will remain for a very long time. Their image falls into the same category as those who pushed us into amalgamations, ultra large health units (LHINs), attempted hospital closings, etc.; remote, uncaring, bureaucratic, meddlers who, we feel, have no business attacking our communities, ignoring our wishes and needs.
Our children are losers in that none will be able to walk to school, they’ll be separated from many of their friends, infants will spend hours travelling by bus on school days.
I don’t need to repeat the complaints raised by parents of the children. We do not want our Grade 7 and 8 children in F.E. Madill and we are under no obligation to fall in line with other jurisdictions that permit this arrangement.
Communities will become unattractive to young families who will not care to move to a town that has no school. Property values will decline. Businesses will see a loss in commerce for this and other reasons.
A JUDGMENT ERROR BY THE LOCAL COMMITTEE
I believe that the ARC team gave the board permission to close the Blyth School when they promoted the idea of a Super K to 8 School which would replace several area schools including that of Blyth.
True, they gave this option given the prospect of replacing the schools with what to them was an exciting new vision of an institution which will represent an advance into a high value educational experience made possible by an innovative building and innovative teachers using innovative methods. They were turning a perceived problem into an opportunity.
The board perhaps should have realized that the agreement on closing the school was contingent on the super school being part of the deal.
It seems to me this is a time when some negotiation should be considered. Negotiation could avoid the situation where everyone loses.
Huron County, North Huron, Huron East cannot tolerate the losses of Blyth and Brussels Public Schools. If Blyth and Brussels lose their schools, the losses are not confined within their borders; they extend out into the rural area surrounding them, most residents of which see these villages as the centre of their communities.
Let’s hope that there are some statesmanship displayed in the next few weeks, regardless of what comes from the current review of the Blyth School decision.
Let me make clear at the outset that I represent only myself. If I get my facts wrong or misrepresent some group’s position on the school situation – blame me.
I sent an email to Jenny Versteeg, the chair of Avon Maitland District School Board a few days ago. The message reflected my usual impatience and anger against the board for deciding to close the Blyth Public School and for the potential closing of the Brussels Public School. It was not a very polite letter.
In a very short time, I received a reply from Ms. Versteeg. It was a lengthy, very polite, clear and logically developed presentation of the board’s process and position. I still strongly disagreed with their conclusion, but the message caused me to re-think the situation.
Naïve or not – this is what I came up with.
As things stand now, everyone is losing: the AMDSB, the children, the parents, the communities, local businesses.
As for the school board – they are almost universally detested throughout our communities, and these feelings will remain for a very long time. Their image falls into the same category as those who pushed us into amalgamations, ultra large health units (LHINs), attempted hospital closings, etc.; remote, uncaring, bureaucratic, meddlers who, we feel, have no business attacking our communities, ignoring our wishes and needs.
Our children are losers in that none will be able to walk to school, they’ll be separated from many of their friends, infants will spend hours travelling by bus on school days.
I don’t need to repeat the complaints raised by parents of the children. We do not want our Grade 7 and 8 children in F.E. Madill and we are under no obligation to fall in line with other jurisdictions that permit this arrangement.
Communities will become unattractive to young families who will not care to move to a town that has no school. Property values will decline. Businesses will see a loss in commerce for this and other reasons.
A JUDGMENT ERROR BY THE LOCAL COMMITTEE
I believe that the ARC team gave the board permission to close the Blyth School when they promoted the idea of a Super K to 8 School which would replace several area schools including that of Blyth.
True, they gave this option given the prospect of replacing the schools with what to them was an exciting new vision of an institution which will represent an advance into a high value educational experience made possible by an innovative building and innovative teachers using innovative methods. They were turning a perceived problem into an opportunity.
The board perhaps should have realized that the agreement on closing the school was contingent on the super school being part of the deal.
It seems to me this is a time when some negotiation should be considered. Negotiation could avoid the situation where everyone loses.
Huron County, North Huron, Huron East cannot tolerate the losses of Blyth and Brussels Public Schools. If Blyth and Brussels lose their schools, the losses are not confined within their borders; they extend out into the rural area surrounding them, most residents of which see these villages as the centre of their communities.
Let’s hope that there are some statesmanship displayed in the next few weeks, regardless of what comes from the current review of the Blyth School decision.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Minister Wynne Replies About School Closure
I have received a three-page letter from the Minister of Education Wynne in reply to my complaint about the imminent closure of Blyth Public School. Ms. Wynne tells me what I had already learned: that school boards have the absolute authority to close any school they wish. I will quote one paragraph from her letter:
“It is to the benefit of all students that locally elected boards are allowed to operate with a level of autonomy and are provided with the authority and responsibility to make decisions regarding the most appropriate pupil accommodation arrangements for the delivery of their elementary and secondary programs.”
In theory, this is a good model: a local body provided with the authority and responsibility to make decisions, this body ostensibly being accountable to the electorate for their actions. Unfortunately, we, the electorate were asleep and did not realize that the people we elect to the school board actually had the power to make so much mischief and outright damage to our community. Perhaps even the board members did not realize that they would be called upon to make such decisions as have been thrust upon them.
The result of our negligence has thrown us into a terrible situation. We have ended up with board members who have failed in their accountability to the communities they are supposed to represent; board members who can be led around by the nose by board staff who have no sense of community and can hide behind the board.
Blyth is obviously a victim of this mixture of its own inattention, spineless board members, and bureaucrats who are incapable or unwilling to comprehend the place of the school in communities.
It appears that the same fate may be in store for Brussels. If this is the case, it would appear that there is an anti-village agenda at work here.
Huron County is a very rural community. It contains no cities. Ignoring the imposed amalgamations for a moment, it is a county of 5 small towns and 5 smaller villages, with all of the land in between comprised of rural, mainly agricultural townships. All of those descriptions have made us subject to many government, economic, and commercial assaults many of which have had devastating effects on our way of life, our economy, and our local political system. What is especially depressing about this school situation is the fact that the damage is being done to us by our own people. Even our M.P. and M.P.P who should be supporting us vigorously are less supportive than we expect.
As I have written before, we need a strategy to cope with this type of assault if we are going to survive and thrive as a community. We need a methodology to get messages back to those who threaten us. We need to find ways to force them to pay attention. Failing those efforts, we need to devise ways to “put a burr under their saddles”. Make life uncomfortable for them, embarrass them, whatever it takes to force them to re-think their irresponsible policies and practices.
In the present school case, the only solution is to change the minds of the board members. Solid arguments and reasoning do not seem to penetrate. They should be ashamed of themselves, but are not. Stronger measures will be needed.
We need to a strong level of support from the residents of our communities, from local councils, from our M.P.s and M.P.P.s and from other rural counties and small communities.
I am still waiting for a member of the school board to come and tell us why she allowed the board to close the Blyth Public School and to send our children helter skelter in all directions for their education.
“It is to the benefit of all students that locally elected boards are allowed to operate with a level of autonomy and are provided with the authority and responsibility to make decisions regarding the most appropriate pupil accommodation arrangements for the delivery of their elementary and secondary programs.”
In theory, this is a good model: a local body provided with the authority and responsibility to make decisions, this body ostensibly being accountable to the electorate for their actions. Unfortunately, we, the electorate were asleep and did not realize that the people we elect to the school board actually had the power to make so much mischief and outright damage to our community. Perhaps even the board members did not realize that they would be called upon to make such decisions as have been thrust upon them.
The result of our negligence has thrown us into a terrible situation. We have ended up with board members who have failed in their accountability to the communities they are supposed to represent; board members who can be led around by the nose by board staff who have no sense of community and can hide behind the board.
Blyth is obviously a victim of this mixture of its own inattention, spineless board members, and bureaucrats who are incapable or unwilling to comprehend the place of the school in communities.
It appears that the same fate may be in store for Brussels. If this is the case, it would appear that there is an anti-village agenda at work here.
Huron County is a very rural community. It contains no cities. Ignoring the imposed amalgamations for a moment, it is a county of 5 small towns and 5 smaller villages, with all of the land in between comprised of rural, mainly agricultural townships. All of those descriptions have made us subject to many government, economic, and commercial assaults many of which have had devastating effects on our way of life, our economy, and our local political system. What is especially depressing about this school situation is the fact that the damage is being done to us by our own people. Even our M.P. and M.P.P who should be supporting us vigorously are less supportive than we expect.
As I have written before, we need a strategy to cope with this type of assault if we are going to survive and thrive as a community. We need a methodology to get messages back to those who threaten us. We need to find ways to force them to pay attention. Failing those efforts, we need to devise ways to “put a burr under their saddles”. Make life uncomfortable for them, embarrass them, whatever it takes to force them to re-think their irresponsible policies and practices.
In the present school case, the only solution is to change the minds of the board members. Solid arguments and reasoning do not seem to penetrate. They should be ashamed of themselves, but are not. Stronger measures will be needed.
We need to a strong level of support from the residents of our communities, from local councils, from our M.P.s and M.P.P.s and from other rural counties and small communities.
I am still waiting for a member of the school board to come and tell us why she allowed the board to close the Blyth Public School and to send our children helter skelter in all directions for their education.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A PART OF BLYTH YOU'VE NEVER SEEN
This was Blyth's Queen Street about 1910 to 1915. The two buildings in the foreground were occupied by Munro's Hardware from 1922 to 1936. Elwyn Munro had purchased the business from Lew Williams in 1922. In addition to the usual sales of hardware products, Elwyn did a great deal of tinsmithing and glass work, hence the need for a relatively large space. Mr. and Mrs. Munro and their two daughters, Lena and Alma, lived in the apartment above the store.
The location of this building was directly across from Blyth Memorial Hall, between the CIBC bank and Sharon's Miniature Museum. Today, the space is occupied by a small lawn and garden near the street, and an extension of Sharon's building at the rear.
On December 17, 1936 Munro's Hardware was totally destroyed by fire. That's why it is unlikely that readers of this article will recall seeing this building.
My parents operated the Home Bakery next door to Munro's. It is amazing that their building had no significant damage from that conflagration. The lot stood empty for many years.
A copy of the above picture was given to us by Tim Saunders of Three Squirrels Antiques, and it is one of the most treasured photos in our collection.
We visited Alma (Munro) Curry, the younger daughter, at her home in 2008. She told us many stories about growing up in Blyth and the great attachment she still feels toward the village.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The Administrative Review re: School Closing
Most of us are very casual when it comes to voting for municipal and school board representatives - deciding for whom one should vote, or whether to vote at all. Tonight I was reminded that our collective decisions really matter and that terrible things can happen when we fail to make good choices.
Case in point: Choice of school board representatives.
I attended the meeting of the petitioners objecting to the procedures followed by the Avon Maitland District School Board in deciding to close Blyth Public School. The only persons allowed to speak were those who signed the petition, which was a reasonable limitation. There were a few contribitions from the public gallery, but fortunately these were minimal. Those who spoke were very well spoken and much more polite than I would have been had I had the right to speak.
There were excellent presentations among those that I could hear, but to me, sitting in the public gallery, many of them were completely inaudible. The facilitator, Ms. Margaret Wilson I am sure received a very complete, clear, and reasoned set of objections to the AMDSB handling of the accommodation review.
It was somewhat disconcerting that she argued against some of the points raised, and provided explanations for some of the things that were done or not done - explanations that could be interpreted as "supporting the bad guys". For example, with respect to the opposition towards sending grade 7 and 8 children to a high school, she pointed out that this is normal practice in many Canadian provinces and many countries around the world. Does that mean that we should do the same?
But the most disconcerting information that I received at this meeting, leads me to doubt the chance of blocking this terrible decision for Blyth.
Let me put it this way:
Suppose Ms. Wilson agrees completely with all of the petitioners objections, and
Suppose she reports to the Minister that the board did not follow its own policy, and
Suppose she reports that their procedures also failed to follow the guidelines set out by the Minister of Education, and
Suppose she recommends that the Board be forced to reconsider and change its decision, and
Suppose the Minister accepts the recommendation of the facilitator.
THE MINISTER HAS NO POWER TO FORCE THE BOARD TO CHANGE ITS DECISION.
The Board has full and sole power to close any school it chooses to close.
Now you see what I meant at the opening of this article. All those who voted for the members of this board have a great deal to answer for.
There were numerous examples given tonight about the lack of responsiveness of our local board representative, about indifference, about lack of communication. One person questioned why no one from the board has spoken to our community to explain why they decided to close Blyth Public School. Indeed why did our representative not do this. (Silly question, I know.)
Even the facilitator mentioned that it would be normal for the board to give the community some sort of explanation for changes like this.
So here we are stuck with the people we elected. With the higher population density in this municipality in the north, we are in clear danger of remaining unrepresented following future elections, unless we encourage worthy and responsible candidates to come forward.
Small rural communities like ours face many difficulties these days. We cannot afford to continue with representatives who represent no one but themselves.
Case in point: Choice of school board representatives.
I attended the meeting of the petitioners objecting to the procedures followed by the Avon Maitland District School Board in deciding to close Blyth Public School. The only persons allowed to speak were those who signed the petition, which was a reasonable limitation. There were a few contribitions from the public gallery, but fortunately these were minimal. Those who spoke were very well spoken and much more polite than I would have been had I had the right to speak.
There were excellent presentations among those that I could hear, but to me, sitting in the public gallery, many of them were completely inaudible. The facilitator, Ms. Margaret Wilson I am sure received a very complete, clear, and reasoned set of objections to the AMDSB handling of the accommodation review.
It was somewhat disconcerting that she argued against some of the points raised, and provided explanations for some of the things that were done or not done - explanations that could be interpreted as "supporting the bad guys". For example, with respect to the opposition towards sending grade 7 and 8 children to a high school, she pointed out that this is normal practice in many Canadian provinces and many countries around the world. Does that mean that we should do the same?
But the most disconcerting information that I received at this meeting, leads me to doubt the chance of blocking this terrible decision for Blyth.
Let me put it this way:
Suppose Ms. Wilson agrees completely with all of the petitioners objections, and
Suppose she reports to the Minister that the board did not follow its own policy, and
Suppose she reports that their procedures also failed to follow the guidelines set out by the Minister of Education, and
Suppose she recommends that the Board be forced to reconsider and change its decision, and
Suppose the Minister accepts the recommendation of the facilitator.
THE MINISTER HAS NO POWER TO FORCE THE BOARD TO CHANGE ITS DECISION.
The Board has full and sole power to close any school it chooses to close.
Now you see what I meant at the opening of this article. All those who voted for the members of this board have a great deal to answer for.
There were numerous examples given tonight about the lack of responsiveness of our local board representative, about indifference, about lack of communication. One person questioned why no one from the board has spoken to our community to explain why they decided to close Blyth Public School. Indeed why did our representative not do this. (Silly question, I know.)
Even the facilitator mentioned that it would be normal for the board to give the community some sort of explanation for changes like this.
So here we are stuck with the people we elected. With the higher population density in this municipality in the north, we are in clear danger of remaining unrepresented following future elections, unless we encourage worthy and responsible candidates to come forward.
Small rural communities like ours face many difficulties these days. We cannot afford to continue with representatives who represent no one but themselves.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Blyth School Review - A Hoax?
If the Ontario Ministry of Education and the Avon Maitland District School Board thinks that the announcement of a review of the decision to close an essential school is putting us off our guard, they should think again.
Sure we will discuss the matter with a "facilitator" in good faith, but we know now that the track record for these events is not encouraging. The stated purpose of the review according to the press is to determine whether the process followed by the board was consistent with their policy.
We really don't care about AMDSB policy. If it was policy that made the decision then the policy is wrong because closing the Blyth School is WRONG FOR BLYTH. We question this board's competency to formulate a reasoned policy, let alone follow one.
If past history is repeating itself here, then the following statements will be true:
* The board has no intention to reverse the decision regardless of what comes out of the review
* They have already decided on the wording of the announcement to confirm their decision
Pay attention, AMDSB. These facts are also true:
* if by chance the review surprises us and seems to offer hope, we are not going to relax, but will watch you like hawks now that we know what kind of people you are.
* if the closure is confirmed, you will not have put this matter to rest. You will have merely lit a new fire which will haunt your organization until matters are set to rights.
* you will have spawned a movement which will be prepared and skilled at thwarting all kinds of assaults from governments at all levels which, like yours, has no comprehension of community values and integrity.
* that movement will spread across this province and this country so that its power will surpass the power of our large urban areas.
Brock Vodden
Sure we will discuss the matter with a "facilitator" in good faith, but we know now that the track record for these events is not encouraging. The stated purpose of the review according to the press is to determine whether the process followed by the board was consistent with their policy.
We really don't care about AMDSB policy. If it was policy that made the decision then the policy is wrong because closing the Blyth School is WRONG FOR BLYTH. We question this board's competency to formulate a reasoned policy, let alone follow one.
If past history is repeating itself here, then the following statements will be true:
* The board has no intention to reverse the decision regardless of what comes out of the review
* They have already decided on the wording of the announcement to confirm their decision
Pay attention, AMDSB. These facts are also true:
* if by chance the review surprises us and seems to offer hope, we are not going to relax, but will watch you like hawks now that we know what kind of people you are.
* if the closure is confirmed, you will not have put this matter to rest. You will have merely lit a new fire which will haunt your organization until matters are set to rights.
* you will have spawned a movement which will be prepared and skilled at thwarting all kinds of assaults from governments at all levels which, like yours, has no comprehension of community values and integrity.
* that movement will spread across this province and this country so that its power will surpass the power of our large urban areas.
Brock Vodden
Thursday, August 27, 2009
New Hope for Saving Our School
In an article in the Citizen, our great little weekly paper, we learned today that the Ontario Ministry of Education has acknowledged that this community's complaints about the Avon Maitland School Board's accommodation review process may be justified.
They are in the process of selecting a facilitator to handle this case. The article describes the intention of this step as "reviewing the ARC process and its consistency with the board's accommodation review policy".
This is a very significant step since most people in this community had pretty well resigned themselves to the fact that there was no hope of saving our school. The Ministry has heard us.
It's too soon to declare victory. I would feel more confident if I knew more about the facilitation process to be followed. Will the board bring in a gaggle of lawyers? Will the facilitator also consider whether the ARC process was in line with the Province's stated policy - not just that they conformed to their own self serving policy. I would also like to know what power the facilitator has to bring the parties together and to resolve the matters.
But for the present, I think we can enjoy the fact that the Ministry is paying attention to our plight.
One suspects that the outrage expressed by people all across the province has helped to put our complaints into a larger context. It stands as a lesson to us that we don't need to meekly accept arbitrary decisions from on high. No more "Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full" while clutching the forelock.
They are in the process of selecting a facilitator to handle this case. The article describes the intention of this step as "reviewing the ARC process and its consistency with the board's accommodation review policy".
This is a very significant step since most people in this community had pretty well resigned themselves to the fact that there was no hope of saving our school. The Ministry has heard us.
It's too soon to declare victory. I would feel more confident if I knew more about the facilitation process to be followed. Will the board bring in a gaggle of lawyers? Will the facilitator also consider whether the ARC process was in line with the Province's stated policy - not just that they conformed to their own self serving policy. I would also like to know what power the facilitator has to bring the parties together and to resolve the matters.
But for the present, I think we can enjoy the fact that the Ministry is paying attention to our plight.
One suspects that the outrage expressed by people all across the province has helped to put our complaints into a larger context. It stands as a lesson to us that we don't need to meekly accept arbitrary decisions from on high. No more "Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full" while clutching the forelock.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
BETRAYAL BY OUR PUBLIC SERVANTS
If you have read my other blog items, you may have gathered that I am fed up with the antics of the Avon Maitland District School Board, and their decision to close the Blyth Public School. I admit that it is not just the Board that is at fault, but they have not even had the decency to speak to our community and tell us why they reached that devastating conclusion. The representative for North Huron has also been strangely absent, but of course it may be that she does not know where Blyth is. In any case, it doesn’t really matter; she is of no use to us anyway since she has done nothing but harm to this community.
This kind of bureaucratic assault is becoming increasingly common in fields other than education. We were dragged into an amalgamation with Wingham without consultation. Our own village council did that to us. Many of us were of the view that if amalgamation was obligatory, the smart move would be to create a single tier municipality of the entire county. Our local councillors had decided that at the public meeting, they would allow no discussion of single tier. There was no consultation – only an announcement that we were getting hitched to Wingham. A bad choice for Blyth. Even if we had good representatives on Council, we would still have a diluted representation!
Our health care system has taken some equally negative turns. We had the Community Care Access Centre for Huron for a short time. Then the directive came from on high that Huron CCAC must merge with the Perth CCAC. Once again our local representation was watered down. From personal experience as a patient returning home in Huron from a Perth hospital, the merger was a disaster. From what I hear the service has never recovered at least for Huron patients.
People in the Ministry of Health seem to have a great sense of humour. They have made us part of a LOCAL planning area which extends some 470 km from Tobermory in the north to Lake Erie in the south. Surely they are joking when they call this a local network. On their website they refer to their current board members as LOCAL people. The closest person to us is from Stratford. There are no representatives from Huron county on this board. Many other counties have no representation either. These strangers are charged with making critical, strategic decisions about the health care of our community and of the health facilities in this area. This does not instill confidence.
Business has provided all kinds of evidence that mergers, alliances, amalgamations, acquisitions most often fail. A few years ago, a study revealed that almost 70% of mergers of two or more companies end up in either a serious decline in productivity or an outright failure.
We have a local recent example. A longstanding Huron County heavy equipment business after many decades as an industrial leader, was purchased by a huge international corporation. After a very few years of operation, this company decides to pull out, leaving hundreds of people out of work, and a huge empty place in this county.
That action by that company is almost identical to what AMDSB did to Blyth. They took over our school system and then shut down our school. The company will make their graders elsewhere and AMDSB will educate our children –but elsewhere. Huron County means nothing to that company. Blyth means nothing to AMDSB, Southwest LHIN, CCAC, and I am not sure about North Huron.
The analogies are obvious and accurate.
In my next blog item, I am going to tackle (but probably not solve) the problem of creating a strategy to “make the bums pay” for trampling on us. A good dose of public embarrassment might work in some cases. We'll need a different strategy for those who are without conscience or shame.
This kind of bureaucratic assault is becoming increasingly common in fields other than education. We were dragged into an amalgamation with Wingham without consultation. Our own village council did that to us. Many of us were of the view that if amalgamation was obligatory, the smart move would be to create a single tier municipality of the entire county. Our local councillors had decided that at the public meeting, they would allow no discussion of single tier. There was no consultation – only an announcement that we were getting hitched to Wingham. A bad choice for Blyth. Even if we had good representatives on Council, we would still have a diluted representation!
Our health care system has taken some equally negative turns. We had the Community Care Access Centre for Huron for a short time. Then the directive came from on high that Huron CCAC must merge with the Perth CCAC. Once again our local representation was watered down. From personal experience as a patient returning home in Huron from a Perth hospital, the merger was a disaster. From what I hear the service has never recovered at least for Huron patients.
People in the Ministry of Health seem to have a great sense of humour. They have made us part of a LOCAL planning area which extends some 470 km from Tobermory in the north to Lake Erie in the south. Surely they are joking when they call this a local network. On their website they refer to their current board members as LOCAL people. The closest person to us is from Stratford. There are no representatives from Huron county on this board. Many other counties have no representation either. These strangers are charged with making critical, strategic decisions about the health care of our community and of the health facilities in this area. This does not instill confidence.
Business has provided all kinds of evidence that mergers, alliances, amalgamations, acquisitions most often fail. A few years ago, a study revealed that almost 70% of mergers of two or more companies end up in either a serious decline in productivity or an outright failure.
We have a local recent example. A longstanding Huron County heavy equipment business after many decades as an industrial leader, was purchased by a huge international corporation. After a very few years of operation, this company decides to pull out, leaving hundreds of people out of work, and a huge empty place in this county.
That action by that company is almost identical to what AMDSB did to Blyth. They took over our school system and then shut down our school. The company will make their graders elsewhere and AMDSB will educate our children –but elsewhere. Huron County means nothing to that company. Blyth means nothing to AMDSB, Southwest LHIN, CCAC, and I am not sure about North Huron.
The analogies are obvious and accurate.
In my next blog item, I am going to tackle (but probably not solve) the problem of creating a strategy to “make the bums pay” for trampling on us. A good dose of public embarrassment might work in some cases. We'll need a different strategy for those who are without conscience or shame.
Monday, July 20, 2009
What Happened to Our Fighting Spirit?
Blyth must be going soft. Our forerunners did not accept arbitrary decisions of others. They either fought them or ignored their detractors and went ahead with what they thought was right.
Today, we are faced with an arbitrary and prejudicial decision which will rob this village of its school. We have raised our objections respectfully and politely. We’ve presented well documented arguments against the decision by a group of outsiders to make this assault on OUR COMMUNITY. The ARC committee did an enormous amount of research and solid work.
In return, we have been ignored. We have been fed official lies and subterfuge. We have been subjected to a make-believe consultation process which was rigged against us before we began.
Surely it is time that we stop being polite. Time that we begin to treat the Avon Maitland District School Board with the contempt that they so richly deserve. Time that we take some action to embarrass them and make them at least extremely uncomfortable, if not repentant. Time to report their destructive ways to the Minister of Education who needs to understand what the provincial policy on school accommodation has unleashed on rural communities across this entire province and on this community in particular.
We sat idly by when amalgamation was forced on us a few years ago even though 99% of the community opposed the process. The adventure increased our costs, diluted our representation on municipal council, and produced no discernable advantages. It is too late to go back on that fiasco. We lost on that one.
In this case, we already know that there are no advantages to this change in school arrangements, and that we in Blyth are facing serious and irreparable damage to our children and our community if it is implemented. If ever there was a reason for protest, this is surely one of them.
Let's not stand there. Do something!
Brock Vodden
http://allaboutblyth.blogspot.com/
Today, we are faced with an arbitrary and prejudicial decision which will rob this village of its school. We have raised our objections respectfully and politely. We’ve presented well documented arguments against the decision by a group of outsiders to make this assault on OUR COMMUNITY. The ARC committee did an enormous amount of research and solid work.
In return, we have been ignored. We have been fed official lies and subterfuge. We have been subjected to a make-believe consultation process which was rigged against us before we began.
Surely it is time that we stop being polite. Time that we begin to treat the Avon Maitland District School Board with the contempt that they so richly deserve. Time that we take some action to embarrass them and make them at least extremely uncomfortable, if not repentant. Time to report their destructive ways to the Minister of Education who needs to understand what the provincial policy on school accommodation has unleashed on rural communities across this entire province and on this community in particular.
We sat idly by when amalgamation was forced on us a few years ago even though 99% of the community opposed the process. The adventure increased our costs, diluted our representation on municipal council, and produced no discernable advantages. It is too late to go back on that fiasco. We lost on that one.
In this case, we already know that there are no advantages to this change in school arrangements, and that we in Blyth are facing serious and irreparable damage to our children and our community if it is implemented. If ever there was a reason for protest, this is surely one of them.
Let's not stand there. Do something!
Brock Vodden
http://allaboutblyth.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
More About the Repository of Blyth History
The best source of general information about our collection is the publication of the Huron County Historical Society titled "Huron Historical Notes 2007: Repository of Blyth History" 47 pp.
The Society has reprinted this publication and copies are available from The Citizen weekly newspaper office in Blyth as well as the Huron County Museum in Goderich. They cost $8.00.
Our repository began as a simple act of listing the names of the Blyth people we knew or knew about. Then we began adding information about them. Then came some pictures. Then people began contributing items and more information. We tried to put some time boundaries on the collection: "We'll focus on 1850 to 1900!" we declared. But then we received a whole box of school information which came close to the present time.
Finally, we dropped all the boundaries and opened the collection process to "everything about Blyth". As we have said many times, one persons comment to us told us that we were onto something very important. This lady told us that her family had been in the Blyth area from the beginning, had contributed to the growth and development of the village in a low key way, and yet they were never mentioned in any of the histories or the stories about the village.
This changed our focus to something like "NO BLYTH FAMILY LEFT BEHIND!"
Our goal now is to be able to respond to the request of any descendant of persons who ever lived in or around Blyth with a significant amount of information. We are getting very closer to achieving that goal, but there is more information needed. We appeal to local residents, former residents, and others who know something about Blyth to come forward with "stuff". We accept donations, we scan or copy items that you want to keep, handwritten family stories also welcome.
Recent discoveries of old Blyth Standards, (back to 1894) when we get a chance to analyze all of them, will provide us with an enormous amount of "new" old information which we assumed would never be found. (Many of these papers are off being microfilmed and digitized.)
We receive contacts from far and wide requesting family and other information about the old days of Blyth. We have visitors, too, who come to see the collection, to seek specific information, and to bring their information to us to fill in the gaps we have. These people have come from across Ontario and Canada, and some from USA are planning to visit us.
The size and scope of the collection is surpising to us as well as to visitors when we consider the small population of the place. It consists of many three-ring binders (about 150), many file cards (approx. 10,000), a collection of maps of Blyth showing the entire village and separate maps of the surveys of various parts of the village, close to 15 GB of computer information, along with a few artifacts, the largest of which is an antique portable typewriter which belonged to the publisher of the Blyth Standard in 1894 to 1906.
The question is constantly in our minds as to where we are going to put this collection when we are no longer able to work at it. We want it to be in a safe place where it will be looked after well, where it will (ideally) continue to grow, and where it is accessible to people doing research on the village or its families, and in a way that makes it easy to find the information being sought.
There are such places, but the best of them are full and do not have the space. Some places have the space, but do not instill confidence that material will be looked after properly. There are places which could contain this collection along with other Blyth material, but there is no plan for staffing it and maintaining that kind of facility.
In the meantime, we carry on collecting, recording, filing, researching, answering questions, asking more questions, and most of the time enjoying it all to the full.
We think every community should have such a collection. It provides services that no history book, no museum, and no county archive could (or should) provide.
Perhaps what we need is a facility to accommodate all of our community collections.
Please leave comments or write to hbvodden@ezlink.on.ca
The Society has reprinted this publication and copies are available from The Citizen weekly newspaper office in Blyth as well as the Huron County Museum in Goderich. They cost $8.00.
Our repository began as a simple act of listing the names of the Blyth people we knew or knew about. Then we began adding information about them. Then came some pictures. Then people began contributing items and more information. We tried to put some time boundaries on the collection: "We'll focus on 1850 to 1900!" we declared. But then we received a whole box of school information which came close to the present time.
Finally, we dropped all the boundaries and opened the collection process to "everything about Blyth". As we have said many times, one persons comment to us told us that we were onto something very important. This lady told us that her family had been in the Blyth area from the beginning, had contributed to the growth and development of the village in a low key way, and yet they were never mentioned in any of the histories or the stories about the village.
This changed our focus to something like "NO BLYTH FAMILY LEFT BEHIND!"
Our goal now is to be able to respond to the request of any descendant of persons who ever lived in or around Blyth with a significant amount of information. We are getting very closer to achieving that goal, but there is more information needed. We appeal to local residents, former residents, and others who know something about Blyth to come forward with "stuff". We accept donations, we scan or copy items that you want to keep, handwritten family stories also welcome.
Recent discoveries of old Blyth Standards, (back to 1894) when we get a chance to analyze all of them, will provide us with an enormous amount of "new" old information which we assumed would never be found. (Many of these papers are off being microfilmed and digitized.)
We receive contacts from far and wide requesting family and other information about the old days of Blyth. We have visitors, too, who come to see the collection, to seek specific information, and to bring their information to us to fill in the gaps we have. These people have come from across Ontario and Canada, and some from USA are planning to visit us.
The size and scope of the collection is surpising to us as well as to visitors when we consider the small population of the place. It consists of many three-ring binders (about 150), many file cards (approx. 10,000), a collection of maps of Blyth showing the entire village and separate maps of the surveys of various parts of the village, close to 15 GB of computer information, along with a few artifacts, the largest of which is an antique portable typewriter which belonged to the publisher of the Blyth Standard in 1894 to 1906.
The question is constantly in our minds as to where we are going to put this collection when we are no longer able to work at it. We want it to be in a safe place where it will be looked after well, where it will (ideally) continue to grow, and where it is accessible to people doing research on the village or its families, and in a way that makes it easy to find the information being sought.
There are such places, but the best of them are full and do not have the space. Some places have the space, but do not instill confidence that material will be looked after properly. There are places which could contain this collection along with other Blyth material, but there is no plan for staffing it and maintaining that kind of facility.
In the meantime, we carry on collecting, recording, filing, researching, answering questions, asking more questions, and most of the time enjoying it all to the full.
We think every community should have such a collection. It provides services that no history book, no museum, and no county archive could (or should) provide.
Perhaps what we need is a facility to accommodate all of our community collections.
Please leave comments or write to hbvodden@ezlink.on.ca
Monday, July 6, 2009
Lucy in the sky is not my cousin
I have it on good authority from my friend Linda that Lucy Vodden, who inspired John Lennon's famous song, is not related to my Voddens.
Not being a fan of the Beatles, I needed one of my sons to explain the story to me.
Not being a fan of the Beatles, I needed one of my sons to explain the story to me.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Caught in the Act – Almost!
It’s a little known fact that Blyth once harboured a gang of gun-slinging desperadoes. Daily gun battles took place in the back streets, the church sheds, sometimes even on main street. Many households in the village were guilty of harbouring these unconvicted mobsters. Why, they even provided funds to support their wicked ways.
I have never publicly admitted this before, but now that I am getting close to 75 years of age, it’s time to lift this terrible burden from - well, maybe not from my chest, but from my trigger finger. Yes, I was one of them. I was almost caught, but through my natural ability to think on my feet, I managed to avoid arrest.
This took place in the early 1940s. The weapon of choice among these gangsters was the cap gun. The ammunition was rolls of red caps that fit into the cap gun. Each time you pulled the trigger, the hammer would hit a little black circle of explosive, producing a bang remotely similar to that coming from a small hand gun, but not nearly as loud. These cap guns could be purchased at the “five and dime” in Wingham, and the caps could be purchased locally in a couple of stores.
Then the cap guns were banned.
I’m not sure how or why the ban took place, but word got out that the firing of cap guns was not to be tolerated in Blyth. There was no public announcement of this, as far as I know, and no by-law passed by the village council. It was a word of mouth intimation which was a tried and true small town broadcast technique for spreading rumours, good and bad news, as well as rules of behaviour and decorum.
The boys of the village took the message with a grain of salt. The lure of the crackle of cap gunfire was too strong to make them want to lay down their arms. What they did was conceal their weapons whenever the police constable was close by, and go elsewhere to wage their battles.
As with the gunslingers in the western movies, I became vulnerable when I ran out of ammunition. I headed for the store which sold the ammo. I was about to ask for a roll of caps, when I happened to notice, sitting on a low chair behind the counter to my left, Constable John Cowan. I could see only the top half of his face and his eyes were looking straight at me. I felt the blood rushing to my face. The storekeeper was also staring at me, waiting for me to say what I wanted. I was mulling over my options. What I really wanted to do was disappear both physically and from the memory of the people staring at me. No, disappearance was not an option.
I spoke.
“An eraser,” I said. “I want a Pink Pearl Eraser.” I added the last phrase, cleverly giving the impression that this purchase had been carefully thought through hours ago , and the decision was made that not just any eraser would meet my needs. It had to be a Pink Pearl.
I got the eraser, I gave my dime, I got the nickel change and I got out of there, taking only a moment to glance in the direction of the Policeman. I could tell by the hint of a smile on his face that he had no idea of what my real intentions were.
I have never publicly admitted this before, but now that I am getting close to 75 years of age, it’s time to lift this terrible burden from - well, maybe not from my chest, but from my trigger finger. Yes, I was one of them. I was almost caught, but through my natural ability to think on my feet, I managed to avoid arrest.
This took place in the early 1940s. The weapon of choice among these gangsters was the cap gun. The ammunition was rolls of red caps that fit into the cap gun. Each time you pulled the trigger, the hammer would hit a little black circle of explosive, producing a bang remotely similar to that coming from a small hand gun, but not nearly as loud. These cap guns could be purchased at the “five and dime” in Wingham, and the caps could be purchased locally in a couple of stores.
Then the cap guns were banned.
I’m not sure how or why the ban took place, but word got out that the firing of cap guns was not to be tolerated in Blyth. There was no public announcement of this, as far as I know, and no by-law passed by the village council. It was a word of mouth intimation which was a tried and true small town broadcast technique for spreading rumours, good and bad news, as well as rules of behaviour and decorum.
The boys of the village took the message with a grain of salt. The lure of the crackle of cap gunfire was too strong to make them want to lay down their arms. What they did was conceal their weapons whenever the police constable was close by, and go elsewhere to wage their battles.
As with the gunslingers in the western movies, I became vulnerable when I ran out of ammunition. I headed for the store which sold the ammo. I was about to ask for a roll of caps, when I happened to notice, sitting on a low chair behind the counter to my left, Constable John Cowan. I could see only the top half of his face and his eyes were looking straight at me. I felt the blood rushing to my face. The storekeeper was also staring at me, waiting for me to say what I wanted. I was mulling over my options. What I really wanted to do was disappear both physically and from the memory of the people staring at me. No, disappearance was not an option.
I spoke.
“An eraser,” I said. “I want a Pink Pearl Eraser.” I added the last phrase, cleverly giving the impression that this purchase had been carefully thought through hours ago , and the decision was made that not just any eraser would meet my needs. It had to be a Pink Pearl.
I got the eraser, I gave my dime, I got the nickel change and I got out of there, taking only a moment to glance in the direction of the Policeman. I could tell by the hint of a smile on his face that he had no idea of what my real intentions were.
Friday, July 3, 2009
What The Avon Maitland School Board Has Taught Us
Blyth Public and Continuation SchoolBuilt 1896
This was our school back in the good old days. We had our own school board of local people who were elected each year. They were from all walks of life: merchants, preachers, doctors, labourers, gentlemen (retired folks), etc..We knew all of them personally and they knew us. Heck, they even knew most of the students.
When we wanted to indicate that we liked or disliked their decisions, we would tell them so when we met them at the post office or at the ball game. Once in a while, but rarely, a big issue would come up and a group of citizens would go as a delegation to a school board meeting and have their say.
The public school usually had two teachers for grades one to eight - sometimes three. The Continuation School had three teachers who taught all the subjects required for grades nine to twelve. Those who wanted to go further had to go to Clinton Collegiate Institute for their Grade Thirteen or "Upper School".
It was our school, and it was a good school. Two of our Grade 8 students in the 1940s happened to move to a big city in the same year. In Grade 9 in that new school they placed first and second in overall marks above all the students in that grade. They attribute their achievement to the grounding they received in Blyth Public School.
Along the way we lost our school board, then we lost our representative on the later school boards. They say that we have a representative on AMDSB, but she doesn't talk to us and few know who she is. Now we are about to lose our school. The present school board has turned against us on advice of their senior employees who have decided that although we used to run our own schools successfully, we are not smart enough now even to have an opinion about how our children are to be educated.
If AMDSB were to be picked up by aliens from another planet (what a dream!), Blyth could actually manage and maintain its own school and educate its own children. The education requirements are different than they were in 1896 and 1946, but we have learned a thing or two as well. The advantage we would have is that we could hire real educators who know and value our community and we would not require those many layers of administration overhead which have made things so costly and complicated that they can't afford the money or the time to look after our children and community properly.
We won't be setting up our own school any time soon, but I am betting that this community is going to remember what AMDSB did to us and our community.
I support public non-sectarian education and when I see the public board behaving so badly, I become very angry and disappointed. They are the kind of board that is supposed to serve the whole community.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Happy Canada Day!
On this July 1, Canada Day, we see and hear many expressions of pride in our great country.What impresses me, also, is the fact that through the entire year, we hear people comment on what a great country we live in and how proud we are of our past and present and our aspirations for the future. We acknowledge that life in general and the life of any country - no matter how great - has its ups and downs, its challenges and its difficult transitions. Despite these, we never lose the sense of pride and hope. For each of us there is a personal list of qualities and facts on which we base our pride for Canada.
On this day, I take a moment to identify the particular things that stand out in my mind as sources of my pride. They are as follows (not in any special order):
- We are a caring society.
- We have in our constitution a Charter of Rights and Freedoms which stands as an example to the world.
- We have an excellent health care system.
- Our parliamentary system allows for the smooth transition of power when required following an election, and most of our politicians treat each other, even their opponents, with respect most of the time.
- We are a pluralistic society which treats people equally most of the time without regard to religious beliefs, race, country of origin, gender, and sexual orientation.
- We are a society which recognizes its shortcomings and is always working to improve in areas such as human rights, environmental improvements, economic progress, civility among political adversaries.
- We resisted pressure towards becoming involved in the unnecessary Iraq war.
- We are firm in our resolve to withdraw from the combat arena in Afganistan, which has not contributed to the stabilization of that country, and which has killed many Canadians.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Memorial Hall: Little known trivia you should know about.
Blyth Memorial Community HallHome of the Blyth Festival
The heart of Blyth since 1920
This picture was taken shortly after the hall was constructed in 1920. The landscaping has not been done. There are only a few of us old guys around who can explain some of the original features of this amazing building, features that have been obscured by additions and other changes. They tell us a lot about the way of life in earlier days.
Note the open doors at the rear of the hall. They are the entrance to the firehall which was in use from 1920 to 1941. The fire equipment included two hand-drawn reels for carrying fire hoses to the scene of a fire as well as some axes and other tools for getting at the fire source. The fire hall also contained a structure for hanging the hoses for drying. In 1941 the village acquired its first fire truck, replacing the hose reels. The fire truck is on display at the current fire hall.
Notice the bell tower at the front of the building. That bell for many decades was rung at least three times a day: 7:00 am, 12 noon, and 6:00 pm. Occasionally, as a result of vandalism or other misbehaviour by young people, the council would set a curfew and the bell would be rung briefly at 9:00 pm to announce the curfew. The bell was rung by the person holding the job of town forman and police constable (plus many other duties).
The ringing of the bell was an art form in itself. Timing was everything. Jack Cowan held this position for many years during which he drew a distinctive and rhythmic sound from the old bell. Every other pause between rings was slightly longer than the other. When the bell swung back for the second ring he held the rope down for a moment, allowing the reverberation to continue before letting the bell swing down and up into the next ring. Wherever we were in the village when the bell sounded, my friends and I could always tell whether Jack was the ringer or whether he had to have someone stand-in for him.
My father, who operated a bakery across the street, was asked by Jack to stand-in for him for the noon bell ring one day. I recall my embarassment when I heard my father's rendition. He just didn't have the right rhythm, and I was sure that the whole town would be upset by the performance.
The rope for routine ringing the of the bell hung could be reached from the floor immediately above the front entrance of the building.
There was another way of ringing the bell which produced a radically different sound. It was produced by a clanger, a piece of metal which struck the bottom of the bell when the rope attached to it was pulled. This rope was a small white one which hung down the fromn of the hall from the bell tower to a bracket beside the front entance. This clapper was used exclusively for fire purposes: to sound the alarm for a fire, or to announce a meeting (fire practice, it was called) of the volunteer fire brigade. For a fire alarm the bell was pulled continuously and in an even rhythm; for fire practice it was rung as follows: clang,clang,clang, pause, clang, clang, clang, pause clang ,etc.
In larger printouts of this picture and the others taken up to the 1950s, you can see that white rope. It remained there beside the main entrance to the hall for many, many years. As far as I know, there never was an occasion when someone gave a false alarm or rang this bell as a prank.
There is a campaign in place to restore the ringing of the bell through an automated system. I only wish Jack Cowan were around to show them how to do it.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Amalgamation
Small Towns Under Siege
Amalgamation
In the year 2000 an amalgamation took place which combined the Village of Blyth, the Township of East Wawanosh, and the Town of Wingham into the new Municipality of the Township of North Huron.
It was a very unpopular event and as far as I know, the only people who claim that any benefits came of it are members of the resulting councils. In Blyth, I would judge that the majority of the people considered the amalgamation to be a “takeover by Wingham”. Frequent comments like “All the revenues from the Threshers’ Park and Memorial Hall and our taxes are going to Wingham” indicated that. even though people knew about the formation of North Huron, it felt to them as though Blyth was being robbed. Those feelings still exist nine years later.
Amalgamation has taken place. Whether it was a good move or bad, whether we like it or not, there is no point now to complaining about it. There is, however, a very important lesson that we can learn from the process, a lesson that we need to learn.
Amalgamation was yet another example of control moving elsewhere; an example of decisions affecting our community being made outside of our community by people who may or may not share our understanding, our culture, our needs, our aspirations, our history. Not long after amalgamation, the potential hazard from this arrangement became obvious. The new council seemed bent on erasing our unique identity, and treating all three wards as if their historic realities were of no import.
An informal group (the Blyth Idea Group [BiG]) took form very quickly and decided that since council was not doing its job for Blyth, they would form some plans and urge the community and council to support them. The most tangible evidence of this group’s efforts is the street signage around the village. These are not just fancy replacements of drab old signs that went before: they are a revelation to visitors and locals alike of the many assets we have as a village, of the community’s vibrancy, of the things we have achieved over the years by volunteers in collaboration with visionary local councillors. They change the way Blyth was and is now perceived.
The lesson for Blyth is that they need strong representation in the local council, representation by people who know and value the special nature of Blyth and who are capable of communicating that awareness. Furthermore, the people of Blyth need to remain vigilant and watchful to ensure that Blyth continues to thrive and to build on its resources and values.
This is how Blyth can contribute most to the success of North Huron and to the County of Huron.
Amalgamation
In the year 2000 an amalgamation took place which combined the Village of Blyth, the Township of East Wawanosh, and the Town of Wingham into the new Municipality of the Township of North Huron.
It was a very unpopular event and as far as I know, the only people who claim that any benefits came of it are members of the resulting councils. In Blyth, I would judge that the majority of the people considered the amalgamation to be a “takeover by Wingham”. Frequent comments like “All the revenues from the Threshers’ Park and Memorial Hall and our taxes are going to Wingham” indicated that. even though people knew about the formation of North Huron, it felt to them as though Blyth was being robbed. Those feelings still exist nine years later.
Amalgamation has taken place. Whether it was a good move or bad, whether we like it or not, there is no point now to complaining about it. There is, however, a very important lesson that we can learn from the process, a lesson that we need to learn.
Amalgamation was yet another example of control moving elsewhere; an example of decisions affecting our community being made outside of our community by people who may or may not share our understanding, our culture, our needs, our aspirations, our history. Not long after amalgamation, the potential hazard from this arrangement became obvious. The new council seemed bent on erasing our unique identity, and treating all three wards as if their historic realities were of no import.
An informal group (the Blyth Idea Group [BiG]) took form very quickly and decided that since council was not doing its job for Blyth, they would form some plans and urge the community and council to support them. The most tangible evidence of this group’s efforts is the street signage around the village. These are not just fancy replacements of drab old signs that went before: they are a revelation to visitors and locals alike of the many assets we have as a village, of the community’s vibrancy, of the things we have achieved over the years by volunteers in collaboration with visionary local councillors. They change the way Blyth was and is now perceived.
The lesson for Blyth is that they need strong representation in the local council, representation by people who know and value the special nature of Blyth and who are capable of communicating that awareness. Furthermore, the people of Blyth need to remain vigilant and watchful to ensure that Blyth continues to thrive and to build on its resources and values.
This is how Blyth can contribute most to the success of North Huron and to the County of Huron.
A Day Off From History Research - Sort Of!
Jan and I headed out yesterday for a pleasant drive to go wherever the car takes us. We need this sort of break now and then, when the pressure of history research builds up. Retirement, we have learned, is not for children.
Strangely enough, the car pulled over and stopped at an antique store. We obediently went in to see what was on offer. The store was absolutely packed with every type of object you could think of - and some that you could not think of. The only things missing were customers. (We were only browsers.) There were no aisles; there were only slight openings through which one could squeeze, being careful not to allow the static electricity to pull the artifacts off their purchase on other artifacts.
I talked to the owner while Jan cased the store. He was a clever interviewer. In no time he had extracted the information from me that we were involved in research about Blyth. At the mention of Blyth, he announced that he had a picture of some Blyth people. He had no idea where it was, but every once in a while he comes on it and thinks that he should set it out in case someone from Blyth shows up - but, alas, the picture disappears again. Here is someone from Blyth standing in from of him and - where is that picture? There followed a trek through the store. About every three feet, there would be a bunch of framed pictures leaning against a piece of furniture, a trunk, or some other solid object He would flip through these pictures very quickly, and then move on to the next. This went on for some time until I was convinced that I was never going to see the evasive picture. Suddenly an exclamation. Eureka!
I suddenly became a customer and we brought the picture home with us. It is now part of the Repository of Blyth History.
It's a framed picture of children aged from about 5 to mid teens, all dressed in their best, girls all in white dresses many wearing large white bows at the nape, boys in suits. It's probably marking the occasion of a confirmation ceremony at a church. The only indication of Blyth was in the name of the photographer stamped on the corner: "Baxter McArter - Photographer Blyth, Ontario".
I will post this picture here in case some one out there might be able to identify some of the people in the picture and the oaccasion and perhaps determine the time period.
Strangely enough, the car pulled over and stopped at an antique store. We obediently went in to see what was on offer. The store was absolutely packed with every type of object you could think of - and some that you could not think of. The only things missing were customers. (We were only browsers.) There were no aisles; there were only slight openings through which one could squeeze, being careful not to allow the static electricity to pull the artifacts off their purchase on other artifacts.
I talked to the owner while Jan cased the store. He was a clever interviewer. In no time he had extracted the information from me that we were involved in research about Blyth. At the mention of Blyth, he announced that he had a picture of some Blyth people. He had no idea where it was, but every once in a while he comes on it and thinks that he should set it out in case someone from Blyth shows up - but, alas, the picture disappears again. Here is someone from Blyth standing in from of him and - where is that picture? There followed a trek through the store. About every three feet, there would be a bunch of framed pictures leaning against a piece of furniture, a trunk, or some other solid object He would flip through these pictures very quickly, and then move on to the next. This went on for some time until I was convinced that I was never going to see the evasive picture. Suddenly an exclamation. Eureka!
I suddenly became a customer and we brought the picture home with us. It is now part of the Repository of Blyth History.
It's a framed picture of children aged from about 5 to mid teens, all dressed in their best, girls all in white dresses many wearing large white bows at the nape, boys in suits. It's probably marking the occasion of a confirmation ceremony at a church. The only indication of Blyth was in the name of the photographer stamped on the corner: "Baxter McArter - Photographer Blyth, Ontario".
I will post this picture here in case some one out there might be able to identify some of the people in the picture and the oaccasion and perhaps determine the time period.
But apart from that, Jan came up with the idea of creating a Baxter McArter Gallery. We have many of his portraits and we know that there are hundreds of other out there.
Why not? All we need is someone to call a meeting and ... well, perhaps you can decide how to get this project going.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Small Towns Under Siege
A series of discussions about small town issues
Small communities right across Canada are under siege. They are assailed from all directions and from many sources. They are at risk economically, culturally, medically, socially, politically, educationally, and some of the troubles come from within the communities themselves.
While we occasionally hear our politicians declare their concern about “protecting small town Canada” (usually when talking to a small town audience), they continue to enact policies that damage small towns, and ignore opportunities to protect them.
While Jan and I were driving the other day, we got to talking about the negative things that are happening now and those that took place in the past. Sometimes you need to list these things in order to realize the extent of the problem. As we talked, we saw the items as the result of trends. The over-riding trend has been that of control being moved progressively farther away from our community.
Take education for example.
When this community was first formed in the mid 1800s, there was very little money available, but the people found enough money to build a school and to hire teachers for it. The question never arose as to “whether we could afford it or not”.
In 1896 the village opened a modern two-storey school to house the Blyth Public School (Grades 1 to 8) and the Blyth Continuation School (Grades 9 to 12).
In 1946 district high school boards were formed, with one representative from Blyth on that board, and the Blyth Continuation School was closed. Students from 9 to 13 were bussed to Clinton to attend the newly named Clinton District Collegiate Institute. Blyth had an elected representative on that board.
Some time later the Huron County Board of Education was formed, and more recently Huron County and Perth County boards were combined to form the Avon Maitland District School Board. If there is a board member who represents Blyth, no one seems to know who that is. In any case, if there is such a person, he or she will be representing so many communities that none of them will be truly represented.
Now because of declining enrolment across the county, it has apparently become too expensive to educate Blyth children within Blyth, according to the AMDSB, so the school is likely to be closed permanently. This is a terrible blow to Blyth as a community. Many of the ramifications of this latest move is against the wishes of nearly all the parents and the members of the community. There is a deep anger throughout the community about this unfortunate turn of history. But that remote, foreign body – the Avon Maitland District School Board - does not care. Blyth is not their responsibility. While their actions have a direct effect on the community’s economy, society, culture, and the children’s development within their home town – there is no means to hold that foreign board accountable for the collateral damage they inflict, the negative side effects they cause.
The standardized tests reveal that Avon Maitland Students on average perform below the provincial average on all measured subjects. The changes being discussed provided an opportunity to make changes that would support strategies to improve education quality. Instead the board staff have recommended actions that will do nothing towards that end. These changes do not take children, parents, communities, or education into account - only the equation of bodies and desks to hold them.
Perhaps the board and staff members’ mentalities are victims of that whole centralization process – a process which has some good points as well as a good many negatives. Unfortunately there does not seem to be a mentality emerging which is capable of finding ways to ameliorate those negatives.
So, what are these damaging effects?
The education system has been completely divorced from the community context in terms of education content, community engagement, and acceptance of accountability to the community.
The fact that the larger unit of administration has almost completely eliminated the community’s meaningful representation on the Board has not been lost on the board staff and the board. They are showing that they feel no obligation to consider the community and make no attempt to even pretend to be accountable to the community.
According to the plans that we have heard about, the Blyth school children will be split off in several directions: Grade 7 and 8 children will be bussed to Wingham to take classes in that town’s high school, while some of the K to 6 children will go south to the Hullett school and others will go north to a school near Belgrave.
The curriculum will not relate to the Blyth community context since few if any of the teachers will have any interest in or loyalty to or knowledge of that village.
The Blyth community, devoid of any school, will be less attractive to young couples seeking a place to raise their families.
There will be an economic impact since fewer people will come for shopping to the village when the school link is broken.
The exposure of Grade 7 an 8 students to the influences of secondary school students is still of grave concern to parents and the educators have done nothing to assuage those concerns.
The next addition to All About Blyth will look at the municipal amalgamation process of 2000
Small communities right across Canada are under siege. They are assailed from all directions and from many sources. They are at risk economically, culturally, medically, socially, politically, educationally, and some of the troubles come from within the communities themselves.
While we occasionally hear our politicians declare their concern about “protecting small town Canada” (usually when talking to a small town audience), they continue to enact policies that damage small towns, and ignore opportunities to protect them.
While Jan and I were driving the other day, we got to talking about the negative things that are happening now and those that took place in the past. Sometimes you need to list these things in order to realize the extent of the problem. As we talked, we saw the items as the result of trends. The over-riding trend has been that of control being moved progressively farther away from our community.
Take education for example.
When this community was first formed in the mid 1800s, there was very little money available, but the people found enough money to build a school and to hire teachers for it. The question never arose as to “whether we could afford it or not”.
In 1896 the village opened a modern two-storey school to house the Blyth Public School (Grades 1 to 8) and the Blyth Continuation School (Grades 9 to 12).
In 1946 district high school boards were formed, with one representative from Blyth on that board, and the Blyth Continuation School was closed. Students from 9 to 13 were bussed to Clinton to attend the newly named Clinton District Collegiate Institute. Blyth had an elected representative on that board.
Some time later the Huron County Board of Education was formed, and more recently Huron County and Perth County boards were combined to form the Avon Maitland District School Board. If there is a board member who represents Blyth, no one seems to know who that is. In any case, if there is such a person, he or she will be representing so many communities that none of them will be truly represented.
Now because of declining enrolment across the county, it has apparently become too expensive to educate Blyth children within Blyth, according to the AMDSB, so the school is likely to be closed permanently. This is a terrible blow to Blyth as a community. Many of the ramifications of this latest move is against the wishes of nearly all the parents and the members of the community. There is a deep anger throughout the community about this unfortunate turn of history. But that remote, foreign body – the Avon Maitland District School Board - does not care. Blyth is not their responsibility. While their actions have a direct effect on the community’s economy, society, culture, and the children’s development within their home town – there is no means to hold that foreign board accountable for the collateral damage they inflict, the negative side effects they cause.
The standardized tests reveal that Avon Maitland Students on average perform below the provincial average on all measured subjects. The changes being discussed provided an opportunity to make changes that would support strategies to improve education quality. Instead the board staff have recommended actions that will do nothing towards that end. These changes do not take children, parents, communities, or education into account - only the equation of bodies and desks to hold them.
Perhaps the board and staff members’ mentalities are victims of that whole centralization process – a process which has some good points as well as a good many negatives. Unfortunately there does not seem to be a mentality emerging which is capable of finding ways to ameliorate those negatives.
So, what are these damaging effects?
The education system has been completely divorced from the community context in terms of education content, community engagement, and acceptance of accountability to the community.
The fact that the larger unit of administration has almost completely eliminated the community’s meaningful representation on the Board has not been lost on the board staff and the board. They are showing that they feel no obligation to consider the community and make no attempt to even pretend to be accountable to the community.
According to the plans that we have heard about, the Blyth school children will be split off in several directions: Grade 7 and 8 children will be bussed to Wingham to take classes in that town’s high school, while some of the K to 6 children will go south to the Hullett school and others will go north to a school near Belgrave.
The curriculum will not relate to the Blyth community context since few if any of the teachers will have any interest in or loyalty to or knowledge of that village.
The Blyth community, devoid of any school, will be less attractive to young couples seeking a place to raise their families.
There will be an economic impact since fewer people will come for shopping to the village when the school link is broken.
The exposure of Grade 7 an 8 students to the influences of secondary school students is still of grave concern to parents and the educators have done nothing to assuage those concerns.
The next addition to All About Blyth will look at the municipal amalgamation process of 2000
Sunday, June 14, 2009
What is a Blog?
Many people have asked me what is a blog: "What do you do with it?"; "How do I access it?" "How do they work?"
Since you are looking at this blog, you've already managed the most important part. I am just learning about this tool myself, hoping that it will be of interest to some people, and that it will help our collection of Blyth history fulfill our high expectations.
Do a web search for "What is a blog" and you will get many web pages that will help you understand what blogs are all about.
blog - It's a short form for Web Log. It is situated on the Web, and it's my log book or a kind of public diary. As for the content, it will include mainly my thoughts, ideas, stories, and hopefully, you and others will make some comments about what I write. Disagree with me, agree with me, chat with me, ask me questions, answer my questions, correct my mistakes. With your help, this blog could become really interesting. So help me brighten up this one-way chatter and make it a conversation.
You may choose to join this group and become a follower if you want to keep in touch regularly. I honestly do not know the benefits of joining and following. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten all of us by entering a comment below about what it all means.
Comments will be visible to me and anyone else looking at the blog.
I have a special request of you. If you know people with a Blyth connection who you think might be interested in this "stuff", tell them about the address of this blog: http://allaboutblyth.blogspot.com and suggest that they look in an leave a message or comment.
We have developed this Repository of Blyth History. It is helping dozens of people find out about their ancestors who once lived in Blyth. That's one of the main purposes.
Over 200 families have either requested information or have provided us with their information - and many have done both. It is turning out to be a tremendous resource. Many of our contact people are planning to come to Blyth this summer to look at our collection - some for the first time, some for the second or third time. They are coming from Northern Ontario, from Michigan, from Ottawa, from Kitchener-Waterloo, as well as closer to Blyth.
The Huron Historical Society's publication called Huron Historical Notes 2007 is entirely devoted to Blyth and our collection. There are still a few copies available at the Citizen office (weekly paper in Blyth) as well as the Huron County Museum in Goderich, Ontario. They cost only $8.00. If you need one mailed to you write to me at the address below and add $3.00 for mailing.
Brock Vodden
Box 492
Blyth, Ontario N0M 1H0
Since you are looking at this blog, you've already managed the most important part. I am just learning about this tool myself, hoping that it will be of interest to some people, and that it will help our collection of Blyth history fulfill our high expectations.
Do a web search for "What is a blog" and you will get many web pages that will help you understand what blogs are all about.
blog - It's a short form for Web Log. It is situated on the Web, and it's my log book or a kind of public diary. As for the content, it will include mainly my thoughts, ideas, stories, and hopefully, you and others will make some comments about what I write. Disagree with me, agree with me, chat with me, ask me questions, answer my questions, correct my mistakes. With your help, this blog could become really interesting. So help me brighten up this one-way chatter and make it a conversation.
You may choose to join this group and become a follower if you want to keep in touch regularly. I honestly do not know the benefits of joining and following. Perhaps someone out there can enlighten all of us by entering a comment below about what it all means.
Comments will be visible to me and anyone else looking at the blog.
I have a special request of you. If you know people with a Blyth connection who you think might be interested in this "stuff", tell them about the address of this blog: http://allaboutblyth.blogspot.com and suggest that they look in an leave a message or comment.
We have developed this Repository of Blyth History. It is helping dozens of people find out about their ancestors who once lived in Blyth. That's one of the main purposes.
Over 200 families have either requested information or have provided us with their information - and many have done both. It is turning out to be a tremendous resource. Many of our contact people are planning to come to Blyth this summer to look at our collection - some for the first time, some for the second or third time. They are coming from Northern Ontario, from Michigan, from Ottawa, from Kitchener-Waterloo, as well as closer to Blyth.
The Huron Historical Society's publication called Huron Historical Notes 2007 is entirely devoted to Blyth and our collection. There are still a few copies available at the Citizen office (weekly paper in Blyth) as well as the Huron County Museum in Goderich, Ontario. They cost only $8.00. If you need one mailed to you write to me at the address below and add $3.00 for mailing.
Brock Vodden
Box 492
Blyth, Ontario N0M 1H0
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Discovery: Cache of Blyth Standard Issues
For Blyth history buffs and Blyth watchers, old news is good news.
A few weeks ago a large number of back issues of the Blyth Standard were discovered in a store room above Blyth Printing. Many of our readers will recall that the Standard was produced in that building from 1938 to the time that the paper was sold. The papers apparently remained undisturbed for many years because they are in excellent condition considering their age.
Jan and I were thrilled when we were told that the Whitmore family were giving us the entire bundle which will become part of the Repository of Blyth History. We have turned them over to the Huron County Library for microfilming and digitizing, so that the collection will be added to the newspaper microfilms available in the main branches of the library. We are all indebted to the Whitmore family for making these available.
There are no complete years of issues, but there are substantial numbers from 1900, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1908, 1930, 1943. There are a couple of fragmented issues from the 1890s, on 1914 issue, and a few from various years in the 1940s.
In all, there are about 150 issues of the Blyth Standard, 1200 pages most of which were believed to be lost in the mists of time.
WOW!
A few weeks ago a large number of back issues of the Blyth Standard were discovered in a store room above Blyth Printing. Many of our readers will recall that the Standard was produced in that building from 1938 to the time that the paper was sold. The papers apparently remained undisturbed for many years because they are in excellent condition considering their age.
Jan and I were thrilled when we were told that the Whitmore family were giving us the entire bundle which will become part of the Repository of Blyth History. We have turned them over to the Huron County Library for microfilming and digitizing, so that the collection will be added to the newspaper microfilms available in the main branches of the library. We are all indebted to the Whitmore family for making these available.
There are no complete years of issues, but there are substantial numbers from 1900, 1902, 1903, 1907, 1908, 1930, 1943. There are a couple of fragmented issues from the 1890s, on 1914 issue, and a few from various years in the 1940s.
In all, there are about 150 issues of the Blyth Standard, 1200 pages most of which were believed to be lost in the mists of time.
WOW!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Why Blyth?
Blyth is located in Huron County, southwestern Ontario, Canada
Blyth is a remarkable village. It has achieved this distinction without the aid of a spectacular geological formation, haunted castle, or site of an ancient battle. It 's remarkable because of remarkable people who came here between 1850 and now, and quietly built and maintained a successful community and some are still building and maintaining.
My wife, Janis, and I have created the Repository of Blyth History - a collection of facts, stories, descriptions, pictures, artifacts, trivia, documents, old newspaper quotes, obituaries, marriage records, articles, etc. etc. etc. - all about Blyth, its people, its families, its events, achievements, challenges, character, ways of life, humour, foibles . . . We are volunteer historians. There is no charge for our services.
If you have ancestors who lived in Blyth and want to find out more about them, the chances are very good that we can provide you with some of that information. Sometimes people ask us for information which we have not uncovered yet - not often, but sometimes. We want to change that, so that 99% of the time, we will be able to find all that you want - or even more than you would like.
If you have any Blyth information or photos, we would appreciate getting copies for our collection.
I'll be adding brief messages here from time to time. I hope you will follow them and enjoy them.
Brock Vodden
Blyth is a remarkable village. It has achieved this distinction without the aid of a spectacular geological formation, haunted castle, or site of an ancient battle. It 's remarkable because of remarkable people who came here between 1850 and now, and quietly built and maintained a successful community and some are still building and maintaining.
My wife, Janis, and I have created the Repository of Blyth History - a collection of facts, stories, descriptions, pictures, artifacts, trivia, documents, old newspaper quotes, obituaries, marriage records, articles, etc. etc. etc. - all about Blyth, its people, its families, its events, achievements, challenges, character, ways of life, humour, foibles . . . We are volunteer historians. There is no charge for our services.
If you have ancestors who lived in Blyth and want to find out more about them, the chances are very good that we can provide you with some of that information. Sometimes people ask us for information which we have not uncovered yet - not often, but sometimes. We want to change that, so that 99% of the time, we will be able to find all that you want - or even more than you would like.
If you have any Blyth information or photos, we would appreciate getting copies for our collection.
I'll be adding brief messages here from time to time. I hope you will follow them and enjoy them.
Brock Vodden
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