HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-04-09, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 19 No. 14 Wednesday, April 9, 2003 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst)
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I NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC.
Inside this week
Blyth girl on
mission to S. Africa
Pg-7 Hats off to
Brussels Optimists
Pg-8 Big week in Blyth
Minor Hockey
Salute to winter
sports begins
Wind power
advocates push
co-ops
Restriction
in place
at 11 u ron lea
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
The county’s homes for the aged
will be restricting the number of
visitors until further notice as a
precaution against Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Ann Brabender, program and
social service co-ordinator for
Huronlea in Brussels, and
Huronview in Clinton said Monday
they had received notide from the
Ministry of Health the residents are
restricted to one visitor. “We are not
closed, but reports change daily.”
As a result the planned 10th
anniversary open houses planned
April 8 (last night) for Huronlea and
this Thursday for Huronview have
been cancelled for now.
While there are no reported cases
of SARS in Huron County the
Huron County Health Unit has
issued an advisory to anyone who
attended the Highland Funeral
Home and Cremation Centre, 3280
Sheppard Ave., Toronto on the
evening of April 3 between 5 and 10
p.m. They may have been exposed
to SARS cases and should contact
the health unit.
Officials in Huron have also been
informed that the Brookside/Hilltop
Retirement Resdience in Toronto
has been closed after one of the
residents returned March 26 from
York Central Hospital and was later
diagnosed with SARS. If anyone
visited the facility between March
26 and March 29 they too should
contact the health unit.
As of April 6 Health Canada has
received reports of 217 probable and
suspect cases of SARS. In Ontario
there are 88 probable cases and 100
suspect cases. Ten people have died.
All cases occurred in close family
contacts of travellers returning from
Asia or in health care workers who
have cared for these cases. There is
no evidence of generalized
community spread.
The health unit urges anyone with
concerns or questions to contact
them at 519-482-3416 or 1-877-
837-6143.
Look at the froggie
Two-year-old Carson Richmond plays with the frog he made during craft-time at the Early
Years Move and Groove class at the Blyth arena on April 1. (Mary Simmons photo)
County
was
ready for
wintry
spring
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Though we are now into the
second week of April, winter refuses
to let go. But while it may have
come as a surprise to the rest of us,
the county roads department wasn’t
caught off guard.
Roads crews were out over the last
few days, spreading sand and salt in
a battle against the spring ice storm.
While the northern areas of the
county were not hard hit, the south
was, said Roads Foreman Joe
Steffler.
Though April is normally a time
when the crews begin to shut down
for the season, Steffler said, “With
the winter we have had, we expected
anything this time of the year.”
“It did not catch us unprepared,”
he said. “Nothing comes as a
surprise.”
Sand and salt usage was up
dramatically this winter, said
Steffler. He estimates the county
used 50 per cent more than in 2001-
2002.
County smoking bylaw goes up in smoke
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
Huron’s draft Environmental
Tobacco Smoke (ETS) bylaw went
up in smoke Thursday as county
councillors voted nine to eight
against it.
Introducing the deputations
present, Warden Dave Urlin said he
had thought long and hard before
making the decision to let the
deputations go ahead. With public
consultation meetings as well as
several council meetings behind
them, Urlin said there had been
many chances for people to have
their say.
However, the warden said, this
time the issue was moral. “They
cannot say they have not had a
chance.”
Dan Tate of the Pub and Bar
Coalition of Ontario said the issue
for them was one of business. “We
are not a pro-smoking group, but a
pro-business group.”
He spoke of the loss of business to
bars, backing it up with dollars lost,
businesses closed or on the brink.
He asked for council to consider
ventilation as a compromise.
Michael Perley, director of the
Ontario Campaign of Action on
Tobacco noted that all legal
challenges in other municipalities
based on constitutional grounds
have failed.
Addressing concerns for
“migration” of clientele to smoking
bars, Perley said that while there is
no factual data, it doesn’t mean
smokers won’t go to Bruce County.
“But non-smokers may come here.”
“The migration issue is working
around the theory that smokers must
smoke at everything they do.”
Deputy District Commander of
the Royal Canadian Legion Eric
Ross asked that Legion canteen
rooms be exempt. In response to
comments that the Legions have
opened their membership Ross said
certain criteria must be met and
members voted on. Also, if there is
no military connection they have to
wait two years before they can vote.
To place a 100 per cent smoking
ban on the Legions would be a
financial hardship. “Any lost income
from tobacco sales would be
significant.”
Ross, a non-smoker, spoke of the
contributions of the Legions and of
the respect society owes to the
veterans. “I cannot say enough about
their contributions to our country.”
Brian McBumey spoke on behalf
of the Wingham Sportsman Club. Of
the 75 per cent of the membership
who smoke, McBumey said,, they
“choose to pick their own poison.”
The club has no paid employees
and raises money for good works on
“sins”, alcohol, tobacco and cards.
Two of the county councillors are
members, he said.
Gordon deJong from the Seaforth
Legion is a native of Holland who
immigrated in 1949. “1 saw the
Germans walk in and saw the
Canadians walk in and put the
Germans back where they should
have stayed in the first place.”
DeJong painted a picture of what
the fighting was like for Canadians
and finished by saying, “That’s what
they did for this country. Now what
is this country doing for them?”
Urlin read several letters of
support for the bylaw, including one
from the Exeter Legion which
supports a 100 per cent no-smoking
bylaw.
There were also several from areas
where bylaws were in effect noting
the positive impacts it had on
businesses and health.
One noted that while 10 years ago
it would have seemed ridiculous to
suggest a smoke-free coffee shop
today it is the norm. “Starbucks and
Tim Horton’s are thriving.”
Medical Officer of Health Dr.
Beth Henning re-iterated the health
impacts and spoke of the
“overwhelming body of medical
evidence” linking ETS to illnesses
and death.
Quoting an article in The London
Free Press, Henning said London
made a mistake in not going 100 per
cent smoke-free from the start. “If
we’re going to do a bylaw let’s do it
right or not at all.”
Change of heart
North Huron Councillor Doug
Layton who voted in favour of the
bylaw at committee of the whole
expressed a change of heart. Saying
he believed a bylaw was past due
and that this bylaw was good, he still
believed the matter should be settled
in Queen’s Park. Also Layton argued
that in North Huron the playing field
is not level as smokers could drive
10 minutes to a bar in Bruce or 20
minutes to Perth where there is no
bylaw.
“Pubs, bars, Legions, these are all
in jeopardy. I don’t want it on my
conscience if a business is forced to
close,” he said, apologizing to his
committee for going against them.
Layton wondered about leaving
the bylaw to take effect in 2005
giving any existing pubs or Legion
the opportunity to apply for a class A
exemption as Bruce has. A fee of
$500 would be paid to the county.
Goderich Councillor Deb
Shewfelt stated that if there were
going to be more exemptions it
might be better to not go ahead with
a bylaw. “Maybe bar owners want
time. Maybe we have come on too
fast.” He added that a change in
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