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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2014-07-23, Page 3r 1s/s/4/4/44/4/4/4.,A/k/s/4.AAA Canadian Blood services in urgent need of donors QMI Agency With a particularly harsh win- ter and the holiday season in full swing, the need for blood dona- tions is at its most crucial point. "Last winter was very hard for donations and because people are wanting to get away for the summer, we're seeing less appointments and more cancel- lations," said Elaine St. Pierre, territory manager of the Cana- dian Blood Services for Bruce, Grey and Simcoe counties. The months of July and August are a particularly slow time for blood donations as many people are travelling or on vacation. It's also a time where there are more car accidents. "The blood bank inventory is 35 per cent lower than it was at this time last year," St. Pierre said. "It is also the lowest it has been in over five years' St. Pierre said there has always been great support from the Goderich community, espe- cially from those who attend GDCI. She said during the school year they would have a lot of kids come out to give blood, but now that everyone is out for summer vacation, the numbers are low. "GDCI makes an annual pledge and is a partner for life," St. Pierre said. "I would love if anyone who goes to the school, is an alumni of the school, or even if you'd like to go on behalf of your child, to give blood." St. Pierre said the target for the Goderich blood donor clinic to collect 173 units of blood. Currently, there are 134 availa- ble spots leading up to the July 23 clinic - a number that could lead to a devastating low turnout. "There needs to be 35,000 appointments every week to meet demands, especially dur- ing this time of year," St. Pierre said. "Statistics show that 20 per cent of people who have made an appointment end up missing St. Pierre said platelets, the element of blood that aids in clotting, is of a particular concern because they have a shelf life of only five days. "By the time the blood comes out of your arm, it needs to go into someone else's within five days," St. Pierre said. "This is why we always need to be collecting' While there is always an urgent need for blood donors, Canadian Blood Services is cur- rently in desperate need of both 0 and A -type blood. "The whole donating process takes about an hour," St. Pierre said. "And while we can't stop car accidents from happening, we can save a life by donating blood" The Goderich blood donor clinic will be taking place on July 23 from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall located 011 390 Parsons Court, Goderich. Those wanting to donate can make an appointment online by visiting blood.ca or by calling 1-888-236-6283. Appointments can also be made by cell phone by downloading the Canadian Blood Services Give Blood app. Steffler wants region's broadband to stay local Steph Smith QMI Agency Huron County warden Joe Steffler has more faith in local Internet providers than larger corporations Steffler announced the pro- posed project for a region -wide Internet service provider at the Huron County council meeting held on July 2. The South West Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) pro- ject aims to bring "low cost, readily available, fibre optic infrastructure" to the entire region of southwestern Ontario, an initiative backed by the West- ern Ontario Warden's Caucus (WOWC) that Steffler and the Huron County council disagree with. Steffler said he sees nothing positive about allowing a larger corporation to come into Huron County and believes it would force local Internet providers to shutdown. "I have seen nothing good coming from bringing in a larger company that can do the same as what these smaller compa- nies are already doing," Steffler explained. "These local compa- nies have given us so much over the years, local is just better." According to a news release available on the WOWC website, broadband Internet services across southwestern Ontario tend to be "high cost, low -func- tioning and unreliable, with lim- ited availability in less urban areas." "The companies that are already here are equipped to move their services out into rural Ontario, their lines have already been laid," said Steffler. "Rural areas are much harder to get into than urban ones. All of the local companies' work will have to be undone if this initia- tive passes" He went on to explain he believes it's all just a matter of how fast these local companies can bring faster Internet services to rural area and that it would undoubtedly take time. Accord- ing to a news release on the WOWC website, strong broad- band connectivity is "funda- mental to the continued rele- vance and future prosperity" of communities in southwestern Ontario. SWIFT will: - Provide backup fibre con- nections into 310 communities in the southwest region - Reach into areas with popu- lation densities as low as four people per square kilometre. - Give businesses and consumers in Ontario the ability to compete in the global economy. The WOWC itself, according to its website, is "a not-for-profit organization that works collec- tively to influence federal, pro- vincial and municipal legisla- tive, regulatory and program initiatives' The WOWC currently repre- sents 14 municipalities across southwestern Ontario including Huron, Bruce and Perth coun- ties, for the purpose of "enhanc- ing their prosperity and overall well-being" Steffler said as far as he can tell, other members of the cau- cus have no say on what hap- pens in Huron County. "The message we'll be tak- ing to the caucus will be this: Huron County is not in favour at this point in time, unless they [the caucus] can prove that bigger is better," he said. "Until they [the caucus] can tell the council any different, they're going to keep doing what they've been doing - supporting the independents. We're [Huron County coun- cil] not going to be the lone wolf in the bush going into this, I know there will be other who opt out of the ini- tiative as well." Wednesday, July 23, 2014 • Huron Expositor 3 VTELEPHONE DIRECTORY j DO WE HAVE YOUR NUMBER? It's time again for the ever popular SEAFORTH & AREA PHONE BOOK IF YOU... • Moved • Changed Your Number • Are New to Seaforth • Have Your Number or Address Incorrectly Listed ...PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE to arrange any changes necessary to ensure your Phone Book is up to date and correct! livt‘t0e.:Z10. citN. fet.t0-48, e00-48?)(kt 0,8;009 • lirselmth on Expositor 85714 AcFp Fi4T6-I OR FAX US AT 519-527-2858 ARE YOU INTERESTED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT? The Huron County Clerks and Treasurers Association and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing will be hosting a Candidate Information Session as follows: Thursday, July 24, 2014 at 7:00pm My United Community Hall 239 Bill Fleming Dr., Clinton ON Topics will include: . Role of council and head of council • Role of municipal staff - Role of school board trustees • Focus on 2014 Municipal Election Process including: •Nominations, key dates and process .Eligibility to run for various offices •Candidate duties •General campaign rules -Compliance audits and penalties •Voter's list and proxy voting •Scrutineers -Recounts •Resources Who should attend: •Potential Candidates • Spouse or Partner . Anyone interested in learning more about local government For further information or to register for the event, please contact your local municipal office. GonERCR ON 519-524-8344 519-357-3550 Hick TOLVO, HI r 519-335-3208 519-887-6137 Z.:A.A1 trA• iF Ar p.ralid.wmt 519-527-0160 519-235-0310 BLIMNITER. • • 519-236-4351 519-482-3997 519-524-4669