Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-11-22, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012.Continued from page 1the Trust, says the group has yet tomeet to discuss the future of theaward, but that he suspects the Trust will continue to “do something” but it would be up to the group. Mulvey acknowledged that changing the wording of the criteria to include students from Brussels (who would have normally attended Brussels Public School, had it not closed) would make sense going forward, as Ash has suggested. Mulvey says the award goes back to the Brussels Public Utilities Commission, which formed the Trust after amalgamation. He says the intent of the money left over was for it to stay in the Brussels community. The award was first presented in 2003. “We’ll make a decision before the next commencement,” Mulvey said in an interview with The Citizen.“We’ll carry on with something.” Winners of the Norman Parks Garrett Memorial Scholarship over the years have been: 2012 – Kirby Cook, Kayla Black and Rebeka Glendinning; 2011 – Tyler Black, Larissa Jenkins, Jordan Rinn; 2010 – Kurtis Kolkman; 2009 – Natasha Hubbard, Aaron Gross, Brett Courtney, Katie Saunders; 2008 – Kelly Stevenson; 2007 – Darcey Cook, Alyssa Gross, Jenna Rinn; 2006 – Sean Bechtel, Brittany Cook,Jeff Elliott, Stephanie Sanderson;2005 – Melissa Black, Katie Cook,Taylor Hesselwood; 2004 – Amanda Cook, Michelle Cook, Heather Elliott, Tammy Root; 2003 – Kristin Oster, Stephen VanAmersfoort, Mike Walsh; 2001 – Kristy Blair, Ashley Howson, Darrell McDougall, Rachel Morrison; 2000 – Elisha Courtney, Michelle Hallahan, Julie Ritchie, Anthony Sanderson, Jonathan Sanderson; 1999 – Mary Beth Brigham, Jamie Black, April VanAmersfoort, Allan Gibbons, Christina Black, Matt Morrison, Lori Carter, Will Fitzgerald; 1998 – Mike Ansley, Jennifer Brigham, Shawn Clark, Amanda Howson, LeeAnn Riley, Margaret Ann Stewart; 1997 – Rhonda Gibbons, Joe Johns, Courtney Sauve, Ron Abel-Rinn; 1996 – Carrie Ansley, Erica Clark, Kathy Fraser, Chris Howson, Pauline Stewart; 1995 – April Bromley, Tina Burkholder, Jackie Caldwell, Joseph Fraser, Kerry Hallahan, Paul Hessels, Stephanie Lentz, Brian Machan, Jennifer Stadelmann; 1994 – Danielle McDougall, Kevin Souch, Heidi Scrimgeour, Shane Loder; 1989 – Dan McDougall, Elaine Poore, Steacy Elliott, Michelle Cronin, Jamie MacDonald, Stacy McClinchey. Solar panels were once again hotly discussed as a fire hazard by North Huron Township Council during a special meeting of council held at the Blyth Emergency Services Training Centre (ESTC) on Nov. 5. Fire Department of North Huron Chief Keith Hodgkinson stated that, at his last chief’s meeting, a possible solution to the ambiguity that solar panels cause has been identified. A company that wants to erect solar panels approached Bluewater Township Council and, through Bluewater’s fire chief, the company suggested preparing a draft bylaw that would require owners of solar panels to have signs on their 911 posts and on the doors entering any building with a solar panel. “As that comes along, it will be submitted to all councils,” Hodgkinson said. “The bylaw will be the same as it is in Bluewater through the county. We’re not going to re-invent the wheel.” Hodgkinson did say, however, that firefighters will still not enter a building with solar panels unless it is absolutely necessary. Councillor James Campbell asked if they would enter buildings or just protect outlying ones when it comes to buildings that don’t have individuals in them and Hodgkinson said there was just too much risk. “No one has told me that they can definitely shut off a solar panel,” he said. “We had a fire out near Blyth, and it was a non-issue. The building was fully involved [meaning it was not salvageable]. There was heavy black smoke on the roof that could be seen from the fire hall. The panels there burned right up and we didn’t even know what they were.” Several concerns still exist with fires and solar panels. Structures that become compromised due to fire could collapse under the weight of the panels, the panels themselves are toxic and could result in potentially poisonous gasses if burned and the panels aren’t able to be disconnected, meaning that fire departments could have a fire under control or have even left a property and, since the panels may still be collecting or storing energy, a secondary fire could be caused when the sun hits them. The best chance to stop a solar panel from burning is to cover it with some kind of fabric to prevent it from collecting energy, however, once a building is on fire, it’s impossible to do that safely. Some concerns were aired about people following a bylaw that would force them to label their home as one with solar panels since some properties already exist in the municipality where roof-mounted solar operations have been installed without knowledge of the local building department. Hodgkinson said that he would approach neighbouring municipalities once North Huron has passed the bylaw and ask, for the protection of the firefighters, if they would pass it as well. Continued from page 15 students were not having their accommodations met. “But when we looked at the design of the survey, we think we found the reason for those results.” He said roughly 20 per cent of students answered no, that they didn’t have their accommodations met, but they also answered no, they didn’t have any accommodations to meet. “We have to look at the design of the survey to get around that, but we did go further and looked at the comments that came back with the survey for that particular part. Analysis of those comments did not show any evidence to support the trend that the numbers show,” said Ash. “Most of the comments didn’t have anything to do with religious accommodations, so then we went to our school principals and asked if they had granted any religious accommodations and there were a few reports that showed, that when asked, schools are making accommodations and most accommodations are granted through our distance education where we have a large number of students who come from religious based backgrounds.” Trustees also wanted to see comparisons with other boards, but Ash told them there is no mechanism to make comparisons. The data isn’t reported at a provincial level and school boards don’t necessarily use the same survey. “Our best comparison is within our own board from survey to survey to see if we are making progress,” said Ash. “And we are seeing progress,” he said, adding, “Most of our growth will happen at a school level by individual actions of staff and students because each school is unique in the challenges they face.” Ash said schools are focusing on equity and inclusivity and are continuing to promote the 10 character attributes introduced a couple years ago. “We believed we have a number of mechanisms in place to help develop things that are related to equity and inclusivity in our schools,” he said. Schools have implemented a number of strategies in order to improve school culture and climate and address student safety including Tribes, Roots of Empathy, HOAP (Honesty, Ownership, Apology, Plan), Challenge Days, Peer Mentors, Peer Mediators, and restorative practices, he said. “Each of our schools have planned and implemented strategies to address equity and inclusivity in the school as a means of improving school climate. These plans are focused on addressing the survey results specific to each school,” said Ash. Another school climate survey will be conducted in the winter of 2014. Awards to continue School board battling bullies Debate continues on solar panels Everybody dance now Saturday’s Dance-A-Thon brought together all kinds of dancing, from formal dancing to youth dance lessons, seen above. The event at Memorial Hall ran from noon until midnight and was held in conjunction with the village’s annual lighting of the lights ceremony. The event raised over $2,500 for the Blyth Legion’s building fund. (Jim Brown photo) This year give a gift that will last all year long Send a one year subscription for The Citizen to: Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Address. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prov.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postal Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date to start subscription . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Return with payment to: The Citizen Box 429, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 or Box 152, Brussels, ON N0G 1H0 For U.S. and foreign subscription rates call our office at 519-523-4792 ❑ Payment Enclosed Please send a gift card from 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO THE CITIZEN FOR ONLY $36.00 By Denny Scott The Citizen ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen