HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1994-12-07, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1994. PAGE 23.
OFA unhappy with Ontario Hydro rate change
The Ontario Federation of
Agriculture (OFA) is not happy
with Ontario Hydro's
announcement this week that it has
reduced rates for its 101 direct
industrial customers.
"Ontario Hydro has obviously
forgotten to check its billing slips
lately," said Ed Segsworth, a
member of OFA's Executive
Committee and chair of the OFA's
Farm Finance, Trade and Taxation
Gay Lea execs step down
It was goodbye time Monday for
two Huron county farmers who
have served as chairmen of Gay
Lea Foods Co-operative Limited
for the past six years.
The dairy co-operative held its
regional meeting in Brussels Mon
day and saw Fred Meier, RR4,
Brussels, retire as a director. Mr.
Meier served as chairman from
1988 until 1991 and had been a
director since 1978.
Also presiding over his last zone
meeting was Jack Stafford of
Wroxeter who has been chairman
since 1992. He has been a director
since 1977. He will retire at the
Gay Lea annual meeting later this
week.
Succeeding Mr. Meier as Zone 1
director is John Ellison of Mary
borough Township in Wellington
County. He has been zone chair
man for the past two years. He
defeated three other candidates
including Morley Trask of Welling
ton, Hebo Siertsema, RR3, Blyth
and Neil Vincent, Belgrave.
The co-op reported sales
increased 5.4 per cent for 1994 and
showed earnings from operation of
$5.1 million, double last year. After
a write-down of goodwill of $3.8
million and taxes of $1.3 million,
however, the company showed a
profit of only $41,000 (compared to
$1,381 million last year). The earn
ings helped the company increase
its working capital by $2 million.
Dividends on shares and patronage
will total $725,000.
Committee. "Agriculture is the
largest direct billed sector Ontario
Hydro has. I don't know how any
company can treat its major clients
this way.
In a news release sent out by
Ontario Hydro on Oct. 17, a
spokesperson said the decreased
rates reflected the financial
pressures on Ontario industries and
would help them recapture
competitiveness. It is also intended
as an incentive to keep industry and
jobs in Ontario.
The OFA wants to know shy
agriculture doesn't qualify under
that criteria. "Agriculture has
suffered considerable commodity
price reduction over the last 1
months and we are under greater
pressure that most industries," Mr.
Segsworth said. "But what is really
infuriating, is that hydro has
ignored the fact that our sector is
responsible for over 140,000 jobs
on the farm and a further 86,000 in
the Ontario food processing sector
alone. This does not count over
356,500 jobs attributed to food
services and retail sales. There is
no logic to agriculture's being
exempt from these rate reductions.”
Edmonds receive MVCA
awards for conservation
Heart and Stroke Foundation
releases student survey results
"Walking the talk" is proving to
be a tough act to follow for many
Ontario elementary schools
according to a recent survey by the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of
Ontario.
The survey of 300 teachers and
principals in elementary schools
across the province indicates that
educators recognize that healthy
children learn better and that
schools have an important role to
play in promoting health.
While the majority of elementary
schools (99 per cent) agree there is
much they can do to help students
to learn about and adopt healthy
lifestyles, only half (51 per cent) of
them say they have enough time to
promote it.
The survey, designed to identify
current attitudes, knowledge and
behaviours related to the promotion
of the heart health of children was
conducted during December, 1993.
"We focused on children because
of the overwhelming evidence that
adult diseases, like heart disease
and stroke, can begin in children as
young as five to eight years of
age," says Gilbert Guilbealt,
principal and chair of the Heart and
Stroke Foundation of Ontario's
Children's Health Task Force.
"Healthy lifestyles should begin
early, not only for immediate
benefits, but also because they are
critical to modifying risk factors
later in life."
There are three keys of concern
that schools must address, in
partnership with parents and
community groups like the Heart
and Stroke Foundation, to ensure
the heart health of students:
Offering Quality Daily
Physical Activity
The survey identified that
vigorous physical activity is not
part of the daily routine of most
schools, with only nine per cent of
schools offering 30 minutes per
day. Fewer than half gel 30 minutes
of vigorous physical activity more
than twice a week.
Regular physical activity is a
powerful immunizer against heart
disease and has many important
physical and psychological benefits
including maintenance of healthy
weights and a positive self-concept.
Promoting Healthy Food Choices
Healthy food choices play a vital
role in hearth health. The challenge
today is to educate and encourage
children to establish healthy
patterns of eating, that when
maintained in adulthood, will
reduce the risk of developing heart
disease and stroke.
Promoting Tobacco-Free
Lifestyles
Tobacco is the leading cause of
heart disease and stroke. More than
13,000 Ontarians die each year
from tobacco use - almost five
times the number of people who die
from traffic accidents, suicides and
AIDS combined. Smokers rarely
begin their habit after 20 so careful
attention must be paid to
preventing smoking in children and
adolescents.
To assist schools in promoting
healthy lifestyles, the Heart and
Stroke Foundation of Ontario is
launching a Heart Smart School
initiative targeted at the 1200
schools participating in the
Foundation's Jump Rope for Heart
program. "This program, called
Heart Smart All Stars will
recognize and assist schools in their
commitment to supporting and
promoting the heart healthy
lifestyles of their students and
staff," says Gilbert Guilbeault.
"If we are to start changing
attitudes, we must start with out
youngest and most impressionable
audience."
Heart Smart All Stars is part of a
long term Heart and Stroke
Foundation strategy to promote
heart healthy lifestyles among
young Canadians.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation
of Ontario is a community-based
volunteer organization whose
mission is to reduce the risk of
premature death and disability from
heart disease and stroke by raising
funds for research and health
promotion.
For more information, call your
local office of the Heart and Stroke
Foundation of Ontario or Cindy
Andrew, Manager of Children's
Health Programs at (416) 489-7111
ext. 310.
Bruce resident
gets Huron’s
top 4-H award
North Huron residents placed
well at the 4-H Annual Awards
night in Clinton Friday but when it
came to the top trophy, an interlop
er from Bruce carried off the hard
ware.
Dennis Johnston, RR3, Holy
rood, a member of the Lucknow 4-
H Beef Club, won the Murray
Cardiff Citizenship Trophy for the
4-H member who best exemplifies
the goals and aims of 4-H. Selec
tors noted he had filled every exec
utive position within a 4-H club,
had organized his club's fair prepa
ration day and was a director of his
local agricultural society, as well as
operating a beef farm with his
Continued on page 24
Continued from page 14
and water conservation through
many projects undertaken on their
Elma Township farm. They have
planted windbreaks and constructed
a milkhouse washwater and manure
storage system. The Emonds have
also allowed the MVCA to use
their farm as a water sampling site.
Glen Warwick has been actively
involved in soil and water
conservation on his farm, and
through his work with local farm
groups. He has been a member of
the Huron Soil and Crop
Improvement Association for many
years and served as chairman of the
Huron Soil and Water Conservation
District. He continues to serve on
the Environmental Farm Plans
review committee and the MVCA's
Clean Up Rural Beaches
committee.
On his farm, Glen has retired
fragile lands, fenced cattle from the
watercourse, adopted no-till
cropping practices and built a
roofed manure storage.
For more than five years Don
Eadie has been working to reduce
soil erosion on his Turnberry
Township farm through a variety of
practices. He has planted wind
breaks, cover crops, and is
implementing a no-till and reduced-
till cropping system. As well, he is
using a manure injection system to
incorporate liquid manure into the
soil.
The World Watchers Nature
Club at the Lucknow Public School
was formed in 1989 with the goal
of caring for the environment. The
group, encouraged by teacher Joan
Black, has been involved in numer
ous conservation and resource
management projects. Among their
many projects the group has built
bird and bat boxes for their
community, assisted with tree
planting as part of the Lucknow
Greenway Project, undertook a
beach cleanup on Lake Huron, and
made donations to local wildlife
rehabilitation centres.
Over the past 15 years Martin
Pronk has been working to con
serve soil and water resources on
his farm. He has planted extensive
shelterbelts and windbreaks
between fields, and preserved
existing hedgerows and woodlots.
His Minto Township farm has been
seeded into hay and pasture to
reduce erosion and equipment use.
Intensive pasturing practices are
now in use. Martin has also
installed a roofed manure storage
and fencing to restrict cattle access
to the river and a woodlot.
About 50 MVCA directors, staff
and guests attended the awards
presentation. The MVCA began
presenting conservation awards in
1987. Anyone is welcome to make
nominations. The nominations are
reviewed by a committee of
MVCA directors.
BUILDING TOMORROW
...TODAY
Please contribute to:
I 2'756 SPARKS ST
SX OTTAWACanada kipsbi
TEL: (613)234-6827
FAX: (613)234-6842
Gift Ideas Including:
parts and labour on all
Body & Paint Repairs
Booked during December
For appointments and estimates call
Don Bray today 887-6857
(Appointments can be booked Into the new year)
j.l. McCutcheon
Motors Ltd.
Brussels 887-6856
• We have a great selection of fully
automatic cameras
• Bushnell Binoculars starting as low
as $59.95.
• See our large selection of framed prints at
low prices.
Hub
one perfect gift..?\f^|b—
a gift certificate
tor photo processing, camera
accessories or a family portrait.
Campbell's Cameras
& Photography
Goderich Royal Bank Block 524-7532