HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2013-01-17, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013.Robertson wants to form Cuff Report committee
Flipping some flapjacks
Greg Park, president of the Auburn Lions Club, took on a key job on Sunday as the club held
its first Sunday breakfast of the year. He was instrumental in feeding the dozens who came out
looking for a good meal and to support their local Lions Club. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Pins available for
Alzheimer month
At the first Huron County Council
meeting of the year, Jan. 9, newly-
elected Warden George Robertson
suggested forming a committee to
aid in implementing the report made
by consultant George Cuff last
year.
Robertson suggested that the
committee include himself, the chief
administrative officer (Brenda
Orchard, named late last year – who
begins her time with the county on
Jan. 28), Bernie MacLellan (past-
warden), Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh’s Ben Van Diepenbeek,
Howick’s Art Versteeg and one othermember. Central Huron’s DaveJewitt volunteered to be the final
member of the committee.
The committee met for the first
time at the end of the Jan. 9 meeting
to set potential meeting dates.
Goderich’s Deb Shewfelt,
however, wasn’t sold on the idea,
asking why a committee was needed
for something council has already
committed to doing.
“We have the report,” Shewfelt
said, “now we either take it or we
leave it. Why not do it within
council?”
Robertson defended his decision
to strike the committee, saying it
will do more than look at the CuffReport, that members will look atthe policies in place and see what
needs to be changed and what
doesn’t.
He said that the report has been incouncil’s hands for months now andonly a handful of its
recommendations have been put
forward for implementation, so he
just didn’t want it to go “stale” andhave councillors forget about it.The committee was then officially
formed and will be holding its first
meeting soon.
THE EDITOR,
The year 2013 marks the 20th
anniversary of the Alzheimer
Society of Huron County. That’s 20
years of assisting more than 3,000
families dealing with Alzheimer’s
disease and other dementias. Each
January we celebrate the annual
Alzheimer Awareness Month, but
how many of us really know that
much about dementia? Did you
know it’s within the top 10 leading
causes of death for people in
Canada? Did you know people live
only an average of eight years after
being diagnosed? Did you know that
the research funds for Alzheimer
research are a fraction, compare 3
billion with 500,000, to the funds
dedicated towards other disease
research? How about that in over
100 years of knowledge of
Alzheimer’s disease we’ve yet to
even tackle a sustainable symptom
delay medication? Possibly most
shocking, is that as a country we
have no national strategy to tackle
dementia – at all. We’re left in the
dust behind Australia, Denmark,
France, Japan, Korea, the
Netherlands, Norway, the United
Kingdom and the United States – all
countries with a national strategy to
deal with dementia. Canada boasts
of being a healthcare pioneer, but
when it comes to dementia –
nothing.
We must ask why? Why the rally
around every other fatal disease, and
yet Alzheimer’s somehow remains
lost in the shadows. Is it because we
seem to lose those we love before
they’re even really gone? Is it
because there are no survivors to
champion the cause, no one to shout
“I beat it?” There’s no getting
around it, it’s a sad disease – a sad
reality. But without tackling that
reality straight on, those that are
affected by it have little hope. It’s
time that Alzheimer’s is brought to
the forefront. It’s time we make a
change; time that we stand up
against another diagnosis going
silently unnoticed in our
communities. That’s why the
Alzheimer Society of Huron County
is asking you to wear a forget-me-
not pin. The pins can be found at
local banks and other local
participating businesses and they
signify that it’s time we tackle the
stigma surrounding dementia. If you
know someone affected by dementia
you know they’re still the person
they’ve always been – but not unlike
other diseases it robs an essence that
we know and love. Let’s speak out,
together we can show our
commitment to rallying against the
devastating reality of Alzheimer’s
disease. This January wear a pin to
show your community that you care,
that you intend to bring Alzheimer’s
disease into the light, where it can
no longer be ignored.
Brittany Williams
Acting Events Co-ordinator
brittany@alzheimerhuron.on.ca
Looking for local heroes
There are so many people out there who do
so much to improve their community.
Now you have a chance to say thanks.
Nominate that special person for the 28th
Annual Citizen Citizenship Awards.
Each year a committee chooses an outstanding citizen from each of the Blyth and area
and Brussels and area communities to receive an award for contribution to the
community. If you know someone you think should be honoured, please fill in the ballot
and send it in. You may attach a longer explanation of why you think your nominee
should win, if you like. If you have nominated someone before and he or she didn't win,
please feel free to try again.
I nominate
as Citizen of the year for
I feel she/he deserves this award because
Nomination Deadline April 30, 2013.
Name and phone number of nominator
❑Blyth
& area ❑Brussels
& area
By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen
Letters to the Editor
Get wedding advice
and tips, see a case
study and read about
local brides on the
Brides in Huron
section
of our website
www.northhuron.on.ca