HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-09-01, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2011.Deputy Reeve David Riach had an
idea for North Huron Council to
ponder during their last regular
council meeting of August; who
should monitor recreation in Huron
County?
Riach, during the August 15
meeting, stated that he had put
some deep thought into the
matter and wondered if it wouldn’t
be better to upload the care of
recreational facilities to Huron
County.
“In this county we have a lot of
neighbouring communities that usefacilities outside their municipalboundaries,” he said. “I wonder if,for discussion purposes only at this
point, if it would be wise to
approach Huron County Council and
suggest they take over all the
recreational programming in the
county.”
Riach said that the idea came
about as part of the debate North
Huron councillors have been having
regarding user fees.
“We wouldn’t need user fees for
people using the complex outside
their municipal boundaries,” he said.
“Everyone in the county would have
access to all the facilities. It wouldprobably even out the access anduser fees.”While the idea was generally well
accepted, some councillors feared
that uploading that kind of
responsibility to the county could
backfire on them.
Councillor Brock Vodden was
concerned that the county lacks a
history of “deep involvement with
communities” and that they may not
have the closeness to the users
necessary.
While Reeve Neil Vincent stated
that the three major, public indoor
pools in Huron County (located in
Goderich, Vanastra and Wingham)would benefit from this, sinceratepayers cover the costs of the poolwhile visitors pay only to use it, he
thinks that decisions may be made
that council wouldn’t want to live
with.
“We have to be careful what we
ask for because the county could
decide that they want to close one
facility and have people drive
further,” he said. “It could be
handled in a completely business-
like manner and ratepayers could
lose something they are used to
having.”
Councillor Bernie Bailey liked the
idea of having the costs forsomething like the North HuronWescast Community Complex paidfor by all its users instead of levied
against Wingham Ward.
“We may be biting off more than
we want to lose,” Councillor James
Campbell said. “We have the
[campground] in Blyth that is used
by large groups annually. We really
don’t want to lose say in something
like that.
While everyone agreed the
discussion was worthwhile, they
decided to put any further
conversation or action off until a
later date.
Riach wants recreation services uploaded
Children
go back
to school
Sept. 6.
Please
drive
safely!
MontgomerMontgomer y Bus Linesy Bus Lines
NOTICE
Vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus. Fines range: First offence from $400 to $2000 and six demerit points. Each subsequent
offence: $1000 to $4000, six demerit points and possible jail time up to six months
School bus travel is extremely safe. In Ontario, over 800,000 students are transported daily in school buses that travel 1.9 million kilometers every school day. Although injuries to school bus pas-
sengers are rare, they most often happen outside the bus as students are boarding and leaving the bus or crossing the street. Remember these tips:
Kids - staying safe on and around the bus
Drivers - always stop for the bus Whether on a city street, highway or country road, and regardless of the
speed limit and the number of lanes,motorists travelling in both directions must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its upper red lights flashing. A flashing STOP arm will
swing out while passengers are boarding or leaving the bus. (The only exception: on highways separated by a median, traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.) Once all
passengers have boarded, the STOP arm will fold away. Do not start moving until the red lights have stopped flashing and the bus begins to move.
• Be at the school bus stop on time
• Wait in a safe place well back from the edge of the road
• Do not play in ditches or on snowbanks
• Enter the bus in single file holding the hand rail
• Find a seat right away and stay seated facing forward
• Do not place things in the aisle
• Avoid rowdy behaviour
• Do not throw things or eat or drink
• Keep your arms and head inside the bus
• Never distract the bus driver. Always follow the driver’s
instructions.
• When you leave the bus, move away from the side. If you
can touch the bus you are too close.
• If you drop something near the bus, never try to pick it up
because it’s quite likely the bus driver can’t see you. Ask an
adult or the driver for help.
When crossing the street to get on or off the bus:
• Walk at least 10 big steps in front of the bus, along the side
of the road and look at the driver for a signal before crossing.
• Look all ways before crossing the road
• Walk, never run, to where your parent or caregiver is waiting
for you on the side of the road where the bus stops.
Why no seat belts?Information from all types of school bus collisions demonstrates that the current school bus design provides a high level of pro-
tection to occupants and that seat belts may actually adversely affect the safety of children on school buses (Transport Canada). Instead of requiring seat belts. School buses are designed and
constructed differently from passenger cars. School buses protect passengers through “compartmentalization”, a design that includes: • Seats with high backs • Seats filled with energy-absorbing
material • Seats placed close together to form compartments • Strong seat anchorage. Studies have shown that adding seat belts to the current seating configuration of a school bus can
increase the chance of head and neck injuries. For a seat belt to be effective, it must be worn correctly, snug and on the upper thighs. Because school vehicles carry passengers from very young to
high school students, if seat belts were used, they would need to be readjusted and their use monitored.
Lucknow
519.528.2813
1.800.567.2012
By Denny ScottThe Citizen