HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-08-03, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, August 3, 2016
According to Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, the Ausable
Bayfield Conservation Authority is in the same boat for low
rainfall and they understand why the fire ban remains in force.
Here is Fire Chief of Huron East, Marty Bedard, he said the fire
ban is in effect.
Fire ban still active, this is why
Shaun Gregory
Huron Expositor
Just as it's been for the
past few weeks and as it
stands for the time being
there is a no open-air burn-
ing for all of Huron County;
the Fire Department wants
to make that statement clear
to the region.
According to the Fire
Chief of Huron East, Marty
Bedard, the ban is not an
unshared prohibition for
just the area, in fact, he said
it is also for all of South-
western Ontario.
Last week the Van
Egmond House was able to
have a fire for its well-
known Country Breakfast.
Bedard said the approval
had to come from him per-
sonally and at the moment
he's not accepting any more
applicants.
Bedard didn't rule out the
severity of these recent
restrictions and their direct
relationship to the infamous
Alberta Fire, a devastation of
close to 2,500 structures,
which resulted in the evacu-
ation of roughly 100,000 Fort
McMurray residents who
were involuntarily forced to
say goodbye for their own
safety. It's believed by many
sources that the fires are
responsible for the wipeout
of roughly 10 per cent of the
city.
However, more impor-
tantly, since this is a rural
destination, Huron East is
not focusing so much on for-
est fires, but dealing more
with the agricultural aspect
of it, emphasizing strongly
towards the direction of
wheat farmers.
"We actually had Brussels
and Grey stations respond-
ing to a wheat field fire last
weekend," Bedard stated July
27, followed by adding that
the mishap which occurred
near Cranbrook, Ont. was
caused by a vehicle simply
being parked in the field.
"It doesn't take much, the
Farmers have had enough of litterbugs
Shaun Gregory
Huron Expositor
If you take a glimpse at
several of the farms in Huron
East that parallel our country
roads, a common finding is
heaps of rubbish unless the
farm owner keeps it up to
par. Most farmers do this
and John Eckert is one of
them; it's becoming a taxing
task cleaning up other peo-
ple's messes.
Eckerlea Acres Limited
owns the four corners north
of Seaforth, which works out
to an equivalent distance
from the Seaforth Animal
Hospital to few miles down
Highway 12.
On a typical hot, muggy
summer day Eckert parks his
truck on the side of the road
and collects garbage with his
most common findings
being wrappers from
McDonald's, Tim Horton's
cups and empty packs of
cigarettes.
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In from the farm just on the
outskirts of Seaforth, he joked
that since a large amount of
the trash comes from billion-
aire organizations that maybe
they should give a hand in
the mess that most often
lands in his crops as well as
on the gravel shoulder.
He has said numerous
times that he doesn't want to
force this on these compa-
nies or residents of the com-
munity but he would like to
see this happen out of the
kindness of people's hearts.
Eckert went on to say that,
it's not only good for the look
of our town and area, but it
would also get the heart
farmer lost about 40 acres."
Although this can be frus-
trating for people, Bedard
urges the area to not light
fires, even if it seems there
has been enough rain. If
somebody does choose to
go against the law, after the
first time it's a warning and
a $350 ticket will be issued if
the department must
respond a second time.
"We've had spotty rain
throughout the month," he
said. Backing up the state-
ments from the fire depart-
ment is the Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority;
they admit it to being rather
dry out compared to previ-
ous recorded data.
Currently, the organiza-
tion's communications
coordinator, Jayne Thomp-
son said out of the three
levels that indicate the
solemnity of the issues
regarding water levels -
Huron County is at the first
level (level -One, low flow
condition).
pumping with the exercise.
"The truth is people are
littering way too much,"
stated Eckert's nephew Evan
Eckert.
"It's better than it used to
be, but it's still not good
because it'll blow into the
fields."
Back in the day when
"When you look at the
county as a whole, it has
been quite dry," stated
Thompson in a phone
conversation.
At this time, she said in the
last few months, the rainfalls
are down about 50 per cent
on average.
"It's important to keep in
mind, that's an average,"
Thompson told the Exposi-
tor. "There may be parts
where people are thinking
gosh, it seems like we had a
little bit of rain. Do we really
need a fire ban?"
"In our care we look at the
watershed as a whole, and it
certainly is much, much
below average."
As the fire ban remains
active, there are places
Thompson said in specific
campgrounds that are able
to burn. They must be desig-
nated fire pits only.
The fires can only be active
from noon until midnight
and they must be monitored
constantly, she explained.
there weren't stiff penalties
for drinking and driving
Evan would cover the area
looking in the ditches for
beer bottles.
"You would have a couple
bucks to go buy candy, now
there (are) not (many) beer
bottles or beer cans any-
more," Evan said July 27.
6.ea orthhuronex s ositor.co
John Eckert is asking big corporations for help in litter clean-up
Postmedia file photo