HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-10-08, Page 1Health units and school boards in
Huron and Perth Counties are asking
parents to help track local illness.
The Huron County Health Unit,
Perth District Health Unit, Avon
Maitland and Huron Perth Catholic
District School Boards have created
a new School Health Monitoring
Program.
In the past, schools had to report
absenteeism due to illness when 10
per cent or more of the student body
was ill.
The new program, starting Oct. 5,
will require all Huron and Perth
County schools to report illness each
week, regardless of the number of
students who are ill.
“This will help us to see any
trends or patterns among those who
are getting sick, especially during
the H1N1 and seasonal flu season,”
said Dr. Nancy Cameron, medical
officer of health/chief executive
officer of the Huron County Health
Unit. “Having this detailed
information will help make sure we
have the right response to any
outbreak so we can help prevent
further spread of illness.”
“This program is designed to help
us keep a close eye on illness in
Perth and Huron counties,” said Dr.
Miriam Klassen, acting medical
officer of health for Perth County.
Parents will be asked to provide a
description of their child’s illness
when they call the school to report
that their child will be absent. The
school will ask the parent to identify
whether the child is experiencing:
respiratory or breathing-related
illness (i.e. coughing, sneezing,
trouble breathing, sore throat), a
gastrointestinal or stomach-related
illness (i.e. vomiting, diarrhea), or
any other type of illness (e.g. injury,
medical appointment).
Privacy will be protected because
the names of students will not be
given when the schools report the
information to the health units.
Thanks to the last blast of warm
weather Ontario received at the end
of the summer, Huron County apples
finished perfectly this season.
Before that two week bout of
warm weather, however, concern
was building in the apple
community.
David Griffiths of Blake’s Apple
Orchard, which is just south of
Brussels, says that last gasp of
summer was essential to the flavour
of this year’s apples. If that hadn’t
happened, he said, there would have
been apples, but they wouldn’t have
been nearly as flavourful as they are
now.
“This year’s crop was nice and
clean,” Griffiths said. “They weren’t
scabby and there weren’t any insect
problems, nothing like that.”
Griffiths says the yield also
produced more than expected,
giving him one of the biggest crops
in recent memory.
Griffiths also says the size of this
year’s apples are right where he
expected it to be. Lewis Cardiff of
Mait-Side Orchards in Brussels says
that his apples came in a bit smaller
than he expected them to, but that
the taste is great this year.
“The crop came in pretty well on
time this year,” Cardiff said. “We’re
just picking right now. A lot of
people tend to pick too early. They
keep longer that way, but the texture
isn’t there.”
Griffiths says that while this
spring was cool and wet and the
summer was warm and dry, these
conditions had little impact on the
crop due to the strong finish.
He cites a year like 1996, where
he says Huron County barely
experienced a summer, as a year that
can wreak havoc on apple producers.
This year, he said, that while it
wasn’t too warm, it also wasn’t too
cold, giving the crop lots of
moisture.
Blake’s is almost 70 per cent
picked and should be completely
picked very soon.
He says that while the weather has
turned to fall very quickly, it
shouldn’t pose any threat to the
remaining crop, unless there is a
freeze, which he says seems unlikely
at this point.
Cardiff said it has also been a
good year for his apple cider, which
has been praised throughout Huron
County as some of the best in the
area. This year’s mix has been
perfect he says, to mix the sweet and
tart apples to produce smooth and
balanced apple cider.
This comes at a time when Cardiff
says many of the small local
orchards are dying. He calls people
like himself a dying breed and points
out that most of the apple juice sold
in local supermarkets misleads
consumers who think they’re buying
Canadian-made product.
“Most of the apple juice comes in
from China now as concentrate,” he
said of the world’s leading apple
producer. “Water is added here and
then it’s called Canadian.”
Last blast of warmth
revives apple crop
A long drive
After travelling all the way to Blyth from London on a dreary, wet day, approximately 35 bikes
and riders made their way to Blyth Lions Park for a bite to eat after the first annual ride to
honour Dave Mounsey and raise funds for the Dave Mounsey Memorial Foundation.
Mounsey, a former OPP officer and volunteer Blyth firefighter, was killed in a single vehicle
crash in 2006 while on duty. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Parents asked to
track local illness
Blyth Memorial Hall will ring
with music this weekend as the
business association hosts a concert
to help raise funds to restore and
automate the building’s heritage
bell.
The Bell Tolls, to be held Oct. 10,
features Blyth’s own Elvis tribute
artist Mike Lorentz and 2008 Juno-
nominated reggae artist Lyndon
John of Brussels.
Lorentz was bitten by the Elvis
bug in high school he says and has
been singing ever since. He has
performed throughout Ontario, and
this summer competed at the world’s
largest Elvis festival in
Collingwood.
He has appeared on television and
graced the stage at a Caribbean
resort.
“There is only one Elvis,” says
Lorentz, “and it’s a real joy to share
the music of the world’s greatest
entertainer.”
The New Hamburg native now
calls Blyth home. He is married with
two teenaged children.
John burst onto the reggae scene in
2007 with his independent debut CD
Two Chord Skankin’.
John began playing violin and
piano at the age of five and shortly
after picked up the guitar.
He was introduced to calypso and
reggae music through his Grenadian
parents, and the latter soon became
part of him as it carried through
while he played in various jazz and
blues combos.
John, who recorded his first single
at the age of 16, feels that reggae has
and will forever be, a revolutionary
instrument that broadcasts injustices
as well as projects hope for the
future.
“Once you get to understand the
lyrics, the message starts to
penetrate,” he said.
In 2008 John was nominated for a
Juno for reggae recording of the year
for best male newcomer. He
performed at the Canadian reggae
music awards at the Jamaican
Canadian Centre and had the
pleasure of playing for reggae fans
in Calgary, Quebec City and
Montreal.
His newest CD is due for release
in March.
Admission to the concert, which
begins at 7:30 p.m. is by general
admission.
Anyone wishing to make a
personal donation to the bell project
can do so by sending a cheque to the
Twp. of North Huron or by dropping
one off at the Festival or at Elliott
Nixon Insurance in Blyth.
Local entertainers perform
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009
Volume 25 No. 39NEWS- Pg. 15NH names firedepartment captains COMMUNITY - Pg. 17 Former teacher findsunique way to say thanksBUSINESS- Pg. 6Family celebrates 80 yearsof business in BrusselsPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 PAP Registration No. 09244 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
It’s time to talk turkey.
This Monday is Thanksgiving
and the staff at The Citizen will
be taking the day off to celebrate
their blessings.
As the offices will be closed,
Oct. 12, deadlines for the paper
that week have been moved to
Friday, Oct. 9. Editorial and
advertising copy must be in to the
Brussels office by 2 p.m. that day,
or by 4 p.m. in Blyth.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen