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Huron Expositor, 2014-09-17, Page 1918 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, September 17, 2014 Annual Fall Colour Tour returns Steph Smith QMI Agency As the leaves begin to change and the fall season returns, so does the annual Fall Colour Tour at the Wawanosh Val- ley Conservation Area on Oct. 5. The Fall Colour Tour has been run- ning at Wawanosh for close to 25 years and is an autumn tradition that features wagon rides, guided walking tours, hot apple cider and children's activities. "It started for two reasons," said Jayne Thompson, the communications coor- dinator for the Maitland Valley Conser- vation Authority (MVCA). "For one, we wanted more people to come out to the conservation area and see our nature centre, and the second reason was so that people could experience the fall season and what we have to offer at Wawanosh." Thompson said Wawanosh was cho- sen for the tour because of its nature centre facilities that provide visitors with educational opportunities as well as the ability to spend time outside and then come in when they're ready. She said the nature centre is where the apple cider and children's activities will be hosted. The conservation authority will do the wagon ride, usually with two wag- ons. If they're able to be apart of the ride, a staff member will be there to talk about fall plants and animals during this time of year during vari- ous stops that are usually made along the ride. "Beyond the colours of the leaves, there are great trails to explore," Thompson said. "At this time of year, there are a lot of fall plants and flowers that are still in bloom. Not to mention there are migratory birds flying through. The tour is a really great opportunity for all." Thompson said the event is pretty weather dependant. If it's nice and sunny, she said the tour will see a range of 500 to 600 people throughout the afternoon. If it's rainy, they will still see between 200 and 300 people. "We have a lot of families who come year after year so the tour really has become a tradition for many people," Thompson said. Thompson said the MVCA encourages newcomers to come out and see the nature centre and take in some of their trails. She said fall is a really nice time to highlight the nature centre and all that it has to offer. If you're a Healthy Hikes member, you will be eligible to earn up to 200 bonus points by taking part in the Fall Colours Tour. The Healthy Hikes Challenge runs until Oct. 31 and is an initiative of Conservation Ontario and Ontario's 36 conservation authorities that encourages people to get out and explore the province's more than 270 conservation areas. Members can their progress for a chance to win prize packs. The Fall Colour Tour runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., is open to everyone and it's free, with donations being accepted. For more information on the Fall Col- our Tour, visit www.mvca.ca or call 519- 335-3557. To learn more about the Healthy Hikes initiative, visit www.healthyhikes.ca Results are in for Ministry of Education survey Steph Smith QMI Agency On Sept. 9, trustees of the Avon Maitland District School Board met to discuss the results of the Ontario Ministry of Education's 2014 School Climate Survey. At least once every two years, school boards are required to con- duct school climate surveys. The Equity and Inclusive Education, Bul- lying/Harassment survey was com- pleted by students (broken down into Grades 4 to 6 and Grades 7 to 12), school staff and parents. The surveys are anonymous. They survey helps to: * Assess perceptions of safety from students, parents and school staff. * Make informed planning deci- sions about programs to help pre- vent bullying and promote safe and inclusive schools. * Determine the effectiveness of their programs on an ongoing basis. * Build and sustain a positive school climate. "The survey gives us a snapshot of what everyone thinks," said Steve Howe, the manager of communica- tions and international education for AMDSB. "Each school has its own results in order to provide support and iden- tify the extent of the issues?' Howe said AMDSB has reviewed the results of the 2014 School Climate Survey and isn't surprised by the results. "The numbers vary, but some of these issues have come up in the past," Howe said. Howe suggested junior students (Grades 4 to 6) see things differently than intermediate/senior stu- dents (Grades 7 to 12) when it comes to feeling that their school is a welcoming place. The results of the survey show that 90 per cent of junior students feel their school is a comforta- ble place to learn, however only 78 per cent of interme- diate/senior students. "Younger kids see and look at things differently," Howe said. "For example, the results show that younger kids are more likely to tell a teacher when someone is being bullied, and older students are more likely to help the person being bullied or tell another student?' While only 42 per cent (806) of school staff members from across AMDSB completed the survey, Howe said while the survey is totally optional and that staff members are encouraged to fill it out, 42 per cent is still a fairly high result. He said, from a scientific point of view, the results are indicative of what the staff members are thinking all across the board. Goderich resident scammed out of $2400, according to police GODERICH - A Goderich resident has recently fallen victim to an Inter- net based scam and is now left with- out two rings valued at $2400. The scam started when the victim adver- tised her engagement ring and a wed- ding band on a popular online classi- fied site. She was promptly contacted by an eager buyer willing to pay full price. The buyer and seller settled on SEAFORTH HARMONY KINGS BARBERSHOP CHORUS Presents "COW PATTI" Great songs of the Old West Hilarious Cowboy Skit Collegiate Champion Guest Quartet SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 at 7:30 PM SEAFORTH PUBLIC SCHOOL Tickets $15 (Kids under 12 - Free) Pay at the door, or reserve at 519-238-5419 the price and then the buyer instructed the victim to use PayPal to complete the transaction. The scammer advised her that it would be an easy, safe and secure method to complete the transaction. The scammer then sent the victim a link to a spoofed PayPal website. The unsuspecting victim followed the link and was promptly given instructions on how to set up an account. After set- ting up the account she was told to await the deposit of funds from the buyer into her account. Shortly thereafter the victim received notification that the funds QUICHE and SALAD LUNCHEON Wed. Sept. 17, 2014 11:30 - 1:30 St. Thomas Anglican Church Seaforth Price $10.00 Dessert and Refreshments included. had been deposited into her fake PayPal account. She then followed through and sent the two rings to an address located in Irving, Texas. After sending the rings she received a follow-up email from the fake PayPal site advising her that there was a 48 hour hold put on the deposited funds due to an overpayment of $550 into her account. The next email she received instructed her to wire the excess $550 through a money transfer service to a recipient based in Beijing, China. She was reminded in the email that her money then would be released to her once she wired the money. The victim became suspi- cious of the entire transac- tion and called the actual PayPal customer service department whereupon she was informed that she had been scammed. The victim attempted to have the parcel stopped in transit however it was too late and the parcel was delivered. Below are some tips pro- vided by PayPal that will protect you from PayPal related frauds and scams. 1. Log in Safely: To Log into your PayPal account or access the PayPal website open a new web browser and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com. Don't get tricked by a rzoDEP3CH 51c1 52.q 7B11 CIIR MOVIE INFORRATION... www. movied i rEks .ca It4prielibleer1 -NO-265-343H spoofed, look -a -like site. 2. Check the email greeting: Emails from PayPal will always address you by your first and last name or the busi- ness name associated with your Pay - Pal account. A PayPal scam email may include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member" 3. Look out for Attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. An attachment found in a PayPal scam email will often contain a virus that can harm your computer or compro- mise your PayPal account. 4. Never Give out Personal Informa- tion: If PayPal requests personal infor- mation they will only request it after you have safely and securely logged into your PayPal account. Often PayPal scams will request details such as your full name, account password, credit card number, bank account, PIN num- ber or mother's maiden name. Knowledge is power. Scams are changing all the time, stay on top of the latest scams to protect yourself. You can learn more about current scams and ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim at www.opp. ca and at www.antifraudcentre.ca.