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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-10-03, Page 1N,y;'H HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC Inside this week Bloom committee I S. get judges' report De, fa Tyler Stewart gets IS' " WOAA bursary 1,200 attend Huron Pg. 10 Hiker Tour A salute to local Pg. 11 firefighters • r‘ Quilters piece Pg. 2h together Duff's history three drivers killed. Impaired driving is Canada's number one criminal cause of death and injury. This senseless act takes the lives of 1,100 Canadians every year. (Three lives every day.) "When you consider the numbers, they are staggering if not unbelievable," said OPP Deputy Commissioner Maurice' Pilon, national spokesperson for Operation Impact 2001. "Unfortunately they are true. They greatest threat to public safety is the impaired driver. Impaired drivers must be removed from _ our roadways. Four of every 10 vehicle occupants killed in crashes are unbelted. "The most effective way to save your life is to use Your seatbelt," said Deputy Commissioner Pilon. "Before you turn the wheel of your vehicle, make sure you and your family are buckled up." Ten per cent of Canadians do not wear their seatbelts. Sadly, they account for 40 per cent of people — four out of every 10 — killed in car crashes. One in four fatalities occurs in intersection-related crashes. A small group of motorists continue to ignore traffic signals and signs," said Deputy Commissioner Pilon. "Their actions continue to put not only their lives but the lives of many others at risk. OPP officers are joining with poi-tee officers across Canada to put a stop to this." Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. As people gather to enjoy family and reflect on their blessings, The Citizen staff will still be busy at the will still in order to meet the Wednesday publication date. While the Brussels office will be closed, information can be slipped under the door 'anytime before e Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 17 No. 39 Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2001 75 Cents (70c + 5c GST) School bd. clears time for CASCs By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen The Avon Maitland District School Board has moved ahead the start time of its next regular meeting, to make time for half-hour presentations from the four Community Accommodation Study Committees (CASC). The open session of the Oct. 9 meeting, which was set to start at the traditional 8 p.m. at Seaforth High School, will now begin at 7 p.m. "It will be the same as any regular board meeting," explained Avon Maitland Communications Officer Steve Howe, "except there probably will only be matters of urgency on the agenda." That means members of the public still have the opportunity to inform the board they'd like to address trustees for 10-minute delegations prior to the business section of the meeting. The CASC reports themselves, which will contain conclusions from examinations of student accommodation realities within four different regions, will be included in the "staff presentations" portion of the agenda, directly following the delegations. Education Superintendent Bill Gerth, the man charged with directing the current round of student accommodation studies, will also make a presentation. The CASC presentations, part of the board's public consultation process, move trustees one step closer to possible final decisions on school closures, which could come as early as February. Decisions on which schools to examine for potential closure could come later in October. By Oct. 9, each CASC group — including Central/West, South, . North, and Stratford-area — will have submitted a final report to the board. At the meeting, each will have 30 minutes for a presentation. A question period, with no time limit, will follow each presentation. A walk in the country The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority held its annual fall colour tour at Wawanosh Nature Centre Sunday. The colours were not as spectacular as some years but the weather could not have been better. (David Blaney photo) Police kick off Operation Impact to promote safe travel for holiday Operation Impact 2001 is targeting road safety this Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Starting on Saturday, Oct. 6 OPP officers will be joining with officers from over 200 police services across Canada in an effort to remove high-risk from roadways. Operation Impact is a national, coast-to-coast, traffic safety and enforcement program, presented in partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, police services of Canada and Transport Canada. Last year, 3000 people died in traffic crashes on Canadian roads. In addition, 220,000 people were injured in collisions across Canada. Such senseless injuries and tragic loss of life have a profound impact on thousands of families across the country. "Canada's police services are committed to change this through initiatives like Operation Impact," said OPP Commissioner Gwen Boniface, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Alcohol is a factor in one of every Weather continues to bedevil fanners By David Blaney Citizen staff Rain continues to bedevil area farmers according to OMAFRA crop specialist Brian Hall. The week and a half of rain at the end of September means that farmers "need dry weather to allow for fall tillage and the planting of winter wheat," he said. The lack of rain earlier in the year has severally affected edible beans and soy beans. Hall stated that "in some areas the crop is less than one half to three quarters what it should be." He went on to note that seed size is smaller in both crops. The weather has also contributed to insect problems. Hall said, "The stink bug and tarnished plant bug are affecting the quality of seed at the harvest." The problems with seed size will not hurt the saleability of the edible bean seed as there are similar problems in other areas of the province according to Hall. The availability of soy bean seed for next year is "something the industry is going to have to deal with," stated Hall, "because both yield and seed size have been damaged by the conditions." Albert Tenuta, an OMAFRA field crop plant pathologist, notes in the Sept. 21 issue of an OMAFRA newsletter, that this summer's hot dry weather has also caused problems with the corn crop. "Stress is critical in stalk rot development and the amount of damage increases when the crop is under stress." Heather Griffiths, of OMAFRA, states in the same publication that this is the driest summer the Great Lakes region has seen in 54 years with the area receiving only 73.6 per cent of its normal summer rainfall. Hall noted that this was only an average and the Clinton area had actually received less rain two years ago. London recorded 57 per cent of the. 30 year normal and Centralia had 79 per cent. Wiarton, however, had 95 per cent of the usual rainfall. Much of the rain that fell during July and August was during thunderstorms and as a result, amounts have been spotty and inconsistent according to Griffiths. Rainfall amounts could differ considerably over a few concessions during the same storm. The rainfall in the Blyth and Brussels area has reflected this k pattern with rainfall often differing considerably from one area to the next. Monday, Oct. 8 at noon for inclusion in the Oct. 10 issue. The Blyth office will he open as usual, but the deadline iN moved ahead to noon. `Citizen' office open Monday