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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-04-23, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 19 No. 16 Wednesday, April 23, 2003 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) NH I NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INCT] inside this week 2 Local business * J marks anniversary Pg. 10 Brussels Legion member gets District's top post Blyth veterinarian retires Pg-19 Pg-19 Students prepare for film festival Festival, Inn launch campaign Toddler survives fall By Bonnie Gropp Citizen editor It was indeed a blessed Easter weekend for a Brussels family when a two-and-a-half-year-old boy sustained no major injuries after plummeting from a second-storey window. . Melissa McCauley, wife of Steven said she had put their son Seth down for his nap on Saturday afternoon in their Queen Street home. “It was such a nice day that I opened the window a little bit to let some fresh air into his room while he slept, never realizing he could open it further.” Within minutes, McCauley heard Seth scream and when she ran to his room noticed that the window was now wide open. “I looked down and he was standing on his feet on the ground.” Police say the distance the child would have fallen was approximately 15 feet. Seth, who his mom describes as a “big Irish boy”, appeared to be uninjured, but was air-lifted to London for a thorough examination. He was released the next day and despite being a little tired, said his mom, shows no effects from his ordeal. “We are the luckiest parents in the world,” said Steven OPP warn of seam A couple of citizens in the county have contacted OPP over letters they have received, some by e-mail while others are by the Canadian postal system. Basically the letter states that two young people around the age of 18 and 17 have gotten out of Sierra Leone due to rebel fighting inside the country. The father of the children transferred $12,000,000 into a private trust in another country shortly after the fighting took place. The father was killed in the fighting. The mother also died after receiving the news of her Listowel case not SARS Late last week, it was determined that the Wellington County woman hospitalized at Listowel Memorial Hospital did not have a case of SARS, but rather influenza A. The Huron County Health Unit, issued a release April 17 stating that there have been no cases of the disease in the county and that locally the risk is very low. With local hospitals slowly easing restrictions, the alliance of Clinton Public, Seaforth Community, St. Marys Memorial and Stratford General Hospitals began last Wednesday to reintroduce selective services. At CPH. there will be restricted admission of visitors on weekdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. There will be just two visitors per patient per day and family members only. Each visitor must pass the screening process and also sign a sheet in the patient’s room. Inpatient visitation at SCH will be 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week for two family members per patient per day. Beginning April 16, SGH allowed one family member/visitor per patient per day, restricted hours of 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 2 p.m. on weekends and the deliver of flowers to the floors by florists from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. On-site social functions will continue to be cancelled. The Auxiliary gift shop was expected to open soon and the coffee shop to return to operation April 22, both with reduced hours. At St. Marys, visitation restrictions will be similar with increased times expected April 22. Entrance will be limited to the front lobby door. The Mom and Baby Clinic, Baby Talk sessions and other recreational therapy and Plastics clinics were to restart this week. The public is reminded not to call the hospitals regarding the reintroduction of services, Patients will be contacted directly. Emergency departments will be open for urgent care. Restrictions at Alexandra Marine Continued on page 6 husband’s death leaving the two in another country without family or financial support. The letter asks the person to help them get the money out of the trust company and for so doing they will be supplied with 20 per cent of the total amount in the account. They ask people to then go to the bank and supply them with your account number for the transaction of the funds. Sr. Const. Don Shropshall said, “Don’t be fooled this will cost you dearly, maybe all your savings and more.” Down to earth Spying the eggs wasn’t the problem for Alyson Markowski at the Blyth Greenway trail Easter egg hunt on Saturday - it was not having enough hands to pick up the latest discovery. It was a perfect day for the annual outing along Blyth’s picturesque trail. (Vicky Bremner photo) Smoking bylaw takes new turn By Sarah Caldwell Goderich Signal-Star Ashtrays may be a hot collectors item at garage sales next spring. Huron County’s committee of the whole voted 14-4 in favour of a 100 per cent smoke-free bylaw with no exemptions to take effect May 1, 2004. The original motion discussed by the committee was North Huron councillor Doug Layton’s motion to allow Class A exemptions. Under that bylaw, Legion canteens, private clubs and bars would be able to purchase a $500 licence to allow smoking and restrict access to anyone under 19 years of age until Jan. 1, 2005. Class A exemptions would have been in place until Jan. 1,2005 when the province is requiring 100 per cent smoke free compliance. Other exemptions included in the bylaw were motel/hotel rooms, long-term care facilities and the hospital psychiatric floor. The motion was defeated in a 9-9 vote. The motion was defeated because it did not have a majority of council support, said Huron County CAO Larry Adams. Councillor Ellen Connelly of Goderich started the debate by reading a prepared statement, saying she was in favour of a smoking bylaw with no exemptions with a grace period of one year from when the bylaw is passed. She said it would allow businesses and smokers time to adjust and time for the public to be educated by the health unit. Layton, who requested Class A exemptions be included in the bylaw at the last meeting, withdrew his motion. However, he did not have the support of his seconder Councillor Carol Mitchell of Central Huron. In the recorded vote he voted against his own bylaw. He said Connelly’s suggestion of a 100 per cent smoke-free bylaw with no exemptions was close to what he was trying to implement and allowed for a level playing field with Bruce County in his municipality. Mitchell said she was not withdrawing her support for Class A exemptions because it’s a compromise and is moving the county forward to a smoking bylaw. She supported the motion for a 100 per cent smoke free bylaw because she said it is an issue that needs to be debated in the next municipal election. Councillor Rob Morley of South Huron, said implementing the smoke-free bylaw in 2004 still doesn’t give non-smokers any choice for the next year. If a Class A exemption was passed now then non-smokers would have a place to go- “What about non-smokers for the next 12 months?” questioned Morley. Goderich Councillor Deb Shewfelt replied that non-smokers have had to deal with smoke for the past 20 years. “What’s another 12 months?” “I have a problem putting profit ahead of people,” Councillor Bernie MacLellan of Huron East said. “It’s the wrong course to be taking to allow people to endanger others for profit (by being able the purchase a Class A licence).” Class A exemptions are putting profit ahead of people and all it is is revenue for the county, said Councillor Lin Steffler of Huron East. Bluewater councillor Paul Klopp did not support the motion of a 100 per cent smoke-free bylaw, “on principle.” Before the vote took place, Klopp expressed his displeasure with- the bylaw not taking effect for a year. “We will be taking a bold step by voting for a 100 per cent smoke free bylaw, then we will do nothing for year?” he questioned. “It’s really hiding behind a bush,” he said. Passing a bylaw that takes effect in the future is something the former MPP said he didn’t favour al the provincial level either. The draft bylaw now needs the approval of county council in May and has to be passed by the majority of lower-tier municipalities before it would take effect.