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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-10-18, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012. PAGE 7. THE EDITOR, Cancer is an unrelenting disease, but Canadian Cancer Society volunteers and staff are tireless in leading the fight against cancer. One of the easy ways progress can be made is through public policies that can prevent future cancer cases and help people who are living with the disease. After the summer break, the provincial legislature resumed sitting at Queen’s Park on Aug. 27. The Canadian Cancer Society is renewing its calls for the government of Ontario to enact legislation for indoor tanning restricting youth under 18 year of age from using indoor tanning equipment. In 2009, the world’s foremost authority in identifying the causes of cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified ultraviolet radiation (UVR) emitting devices, including tanning beds, as a known carcinogen proven to cause cancer. The skin damage caused by UVR is cumulative over a person’s life, meaning the earlier you start tanning, the greater your risk of developing skin cancer later in life. This is why the society is so concerned about the issue of youth using indoor tanning equipment. In July, an expert review of current research published in the British Medical Journal showed that people who first started using indoor tanning equipment before the age of 35 have an 87 per cent increased risk of melanoma skin cancer. There is no excuse for the Ontario government not to pass indoor tanning legislation. In other parts of Canada, the governments of Quebec, Nova Scotia and British Columbia are all taking proactive steps to address this pressing issue by introducing legislation to restrict youth from indoor tanning salons. In August, the Town of Oakville became the first municipality to enact such legislation in Ontario. The indoor tanning industry continues to misrepresent its product to the public. No tan is a safe tan. Melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common forms of skin cancer in young Ontarians aged 15 to 29, and is one of the most preventable. Indoor tanning equipment can emit ultraviolet radiation at levels that are five times stronger than the mid-day summer sun. A tan from natural or artificial sources provides very limited protection from sunlight or burning – it’s only equivalent to about SPF two or three. We know that voluntary guidelines do not work. The indoor tanning industry has proven incapable of regulating itself. Investigative reports by media and audits conducted, show that those in the indoor tanning industry are not consistently following Health Canada’s voluntary safety guidelines. We also know that parental consent does not work as many parents are introducing their kids to indoor tanning and paying for their tanning sessions. Regulating the indoor tanning industry will save lives and help reverse the rising cost of skin cancer on our already exhausted healthcare system. The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer estimates that the total economic burden of skin cancer in the country will rise to $922 million annually by 2031. We already have age-specific laws related to smoking, drinking, gambling and bike helmets. Restricting those under 18 from indoor tanning would be just another law that protects the health of a vulnerable population and raises awareness about the dangers of indoor tanning. We need to take action now. I encourage local residents to join the fight against skin cancer and send a letter to Lisa Thompson, Huron- Bruce MPP, by visiting www.takeaction.cancer.ca or join the conversation on Twitter via #tanbedban. Yours in cancer prevention, Janis Cunningham, Manager Canadian Cancer Society Huron-Perth Unit THE EDITOR, In last week’s issue of The Citizen, it was inferred that I said for Blyth stakeholders to humbly approach council would be a “waste” of time. Context is important, and what I said during the BBIA meeting was three-fold: • I commented that we need more young stakeholders like Rick Howson to get involved because they bring fresh eyes, are forward- looking and are not bogged-down with the events of the past. • I reminded Rick that over the years, volunteer leaders in Blyth have tried a variety of approaches to cultivate a relationship with North Huron Council. I mentioned the various studies and surveys and the fact that nothing happened. After 11 or 12 years, there is neither a strategic plan nor an economic development strategy for Blyth – and to forget our history would doom us to repeat it. But the word “waste” was not used. • It’s why Blyth needs a plan. Not humble or timid, but a plan that is clear, confident and achievable. I fear that, without this context, we risk more wallowing in the mud. It’s time for us to get some traction, and to work together toward the kind of strategic plan that reflects the unique and specific opportunities in our community. Thanks to local stakeholders for speaking up and to council for listening. Lots has been said. Now it’s time to get something done, starting with a public meeting on Nov. 7. Onward, Steven Sparling, volunteer. THE EDITOR, (In response to the North Huron Council reaction to the Blyth BR&E report) So $2.5 million? I can only account for $2,394 million using your given numbers invested in Blyth for Blyth over the last six years. Anyway, just for fun let’s break this down. Please note I am using the actual numbers from the budget for the shed of $145,000 not the $80,000 you used. First remove what was not a Blyth specific but a North Huron program. That takes out the $80,000 of North Huron marketing with the Blyth Festival, the $1.2 million North Huron Emergency Services Training Centre, the $50,000 North Huron ESTC co-ordinator, the $313,000 Fire Department of North Huron tanker and the $62,000 North Huron Public Works Department tractor. So that gets rid of $1.705 million right away. Next let’s get rid of what is strictly the cost of maintaining the assets of North Huron, so facility maintenance items. Memorial Hall electrical upgrades $16,000, exterior improvements $140,000, exterior upgrades $88,000, Blyth campground electrical upgrades $14,000, Blyth ball diamond upgrades $15,000. That eliminates another $273,000 so we have now removed $1.978 million. I hate to do this but I just cannot leave the library rent in here since I find that is a ridiculous attempt to just pad the numbers so there goes another $72,000. So we have now removed $2.050 million leaving us with $344,000 to deal with, composed of the Blyth campground upgrades $159,000, Campground shed/washroom shower $145,000, unexplained other Blyth Festival programs $30,000 and the $10,000 streetscape plan. If we are fair and take the campground items as capital improvements with a life span of 20 years instead of as a lump sum that would give us a more realistic picture. The campground improvements represent then $39,750 for five years since 2006 and the shed is $14,500 for two years since 2009 for a total of $54,250 over the six years. Add to this the $30,000 Festival programs and the $10,000 streetscape plan and council has invested $94,250 in Blyth over the last six years or the sum of $15,708 per year. Before you start attacking my method consider that if we use your way of thinking then all of the money spent on the North Huron Wescast Community Complex fixes and improvements, the sign for the complex, the probably close to $80,000 plus spent to buy a parking lot that is not a parking lot, the signage for your walking trails, the streetscape costs for Wingham and so on over the last couple of years must be attributed solely to Wingham. Do that math and see where you stand then. All this is accomplishing is making East Wawanosh feel completely left out. Do you really want to go down that road? How about we just step back take a deep breath and begin the discussion again without the dramatics and monkey-like chest beating that has become the trademark of this council. Bill Knott, Blyth. Time to get to work: Sparling Council discusses library board Cancer Society takes aim at tanning beds Writer critical of Blyth figures Letters to the Editor The Huron County Library Board needs more time to discuss the issues on its plate, but Huron County Council doesn’t want to surrender any of its time. While going over the minutes of the September meeting of the library board, Huron County Councillor Tyler Hessel told councillors, at their Oct. 3 meeting, that the board’s recommendation was that day two of the Committee of the Whole meeting every month begin at 10:15 a.m., a half-hour later than they are scheduled to begin now. With the workload councillors are already facing, however, several councillors spoke against the recommendation, saying that if more time was needed, perhaps library board meetings could begin at 8:30 a.m., as opposed to their current start time of 9 a.m. Bluewater’s Paul Klopp said that if the council meeting was pushed back, more meetings would go into the lunch hour. Klopp then brought forth a motion that would keep the meeting times as they currently are and the recommendation would be tabled until it could be discussed further. Several other councillors agreed with Klopp, but said it was about time that the library board met on a day independent of council, so the time of one meeting would not be dependent of the other. North Huron’s Neil Vincent, however, said that if the meeting was held on a different day, that would add substantial costs to the council per diem budget, as councillors would be attending a meeting on a day that they weren’t coming to Goderich for a council meeting anyway.