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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-04-30, Page 1Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 19 No. 17 Wednesday, April 30, 2003 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) Man dies in crash OPP have investigated two tragic accidents in the area. A Central Huron man has died as a result of injuries sustained in a single vehicle crash on MTO Road in Colbome, just north of Goderich on Thursday According to police, Jerry Huizinga, 53, of Central Huron was westbound when he. failed to negotiate a curve. He attempted to pull back to the road and flipped the truck over due to the soft shoulder. -The roof of the truck collapsed. A motorist came across a young lady who was heading to a house seeking assistance. She had been a passenger in the truck. The motorist contacted police by cell phone. Ambulance personnel and the local Goderich Fire Department responded and assisted in removing Huizinga from a truck. Huizinga was transported to Alexandra Marine and General Hospital by ambulance and was airlifted to Victoria South Street Campus with head and spinal cord injuries. The passenger, his daughter, Mary Huizinga, 19, received slight injuries. The road was closed until 9 p.m. Thursday while members of the technical traffic collision investigators unit worked on learning the cause of the crash. An Auburn Woman was airlifted to London with serious head injuries after an crash outside of Clinton on Friday. OPP said Fenna Blok, 73, was a passenger of a vehicle travelling southbound on London Road. The driver of the car was William Blok, 48 of Goderich while Gary Blok, 33 of Auburn was also a passenger. According to police, Nathan Shannon, 20 of Blyth, attempted to turn left in front of the car and the two vehicles collided. Mrs. Blok was airlifted to London. As of Monday, her condition was listed as critical. Her sons were treated in Clinton Hospital ,for non-life threatening injuries. Shannon was not injured in the accident. Excitement and pride Staff and students at Blyth Public School were thrilled when Premier Ernie Eves and Agriculture Minister and Huron-Bruce MPP Helen Johns visited the school, April 24. Eves stopped by to make an announcement regarding additional consultations to improve funding to rural and remote schools. Eves, here with Grade 3/4 student Michelle Studhalter, listens to a technology presentation created by the students. (Janice Becker photo) Eves brings funding message to Blyth By Janice Becker Citizen staff It was an exciting day for many Blyth Public School students when Premier Ernie Eves and Agriculture Minister and Huron-Bruce MPP Helen Johns stopped by for a short visit last Thursday during the noon hour. Along with a tour of the facility, Premier Eves announced at a press conference held at the school, that further steps will be taken to improve funding for rural and remote schools. Telling of his own children’s attendance at a smaller school. Eves said that “regardless of where families are, they want access to quality education.” “With the education policy from 1995 and the funding formula, we want to treat all families the same, with the same access in smaller schools as in the cities.” Noting recommendations from the Rozanski report on education funding, which came out last December, Eves said the formula is working, but that more should be spent in the coming years. The next step in following the Rozanski recommendations is to have consultations to find ways of strengthening rural schools. “We want to identify (small) schools and boards which have small schools and where there are single school communities that need help,” said Eves. “We want the communities to have a strong voice because schools are not just for learning, but are focal points of the communities.” In response to a question about differentiating between rural and remote schools, Eves said the consultation process will help determine which schools, not just school boards, are rural or remote and which need extra assis­ tance. It is hoped the information would be gathered by the end of this school year so changes could be implemented by September, said Eves. In a release issued following the announcement, Eves said the consultation would help develop an allocation mechanism for the $50 million Rural Education Stra­ tegy, beginning in September, 2003. An additional $19 million is to go to eligible school boards to help address the higher costs of small, rural and northern schools. As well as identifying boards with small schools in single school rural and remote communities and ensuring accountability in school closure matters, the consultant will speak with stakeholders to From SARS to WNV By Janice Becker Citizen staff Just as the reporting of SARS cases begins to slow and the spread may soon be under control, the West Nile Virus season is kicking into gear. As a continued precaution with regards to SARS, the Avon Maitland District School Board is still reviewing all school trips to Toronto and ones which involve any risk to the students are being cancelled. The board remains in daily contact with public health units for the latest information. On the West Nile front, Matt Moxham, an inspector with the Huron County Health Unit said residents should eliminate all areas of standing, stagnate water, empty bird baths regularly and clean out eavestroughs. Proper personal protection is also advised. Moxham said adequate clothing should be worn to protect against bites and repellent with DEET should be used. All repellents -should be used according the manufacturer’s suggestions, he said. For children under two, for whom repellents are often not recommended, proper clothing or netting over strollers is suggested. Limiting outdoor time during peak mosquito periods at dusk and dawn will also reduce the risk. Mosquitoes are also attracted to dark clothing and the carbon dioxide exhaled by people and animals. This explains why the mosquitoes tend to be worse when working outdoors than when relaxing. Though the season is expected to start by mid-May, Moxham recommends taking precautions now as the breeding season depends on the weather. The health unit will begin Continued on page 6 determine the allocation of core support and funding. Prior to the press conference. Eves was introduced to school board officials and Blyth Public School principal Kim Black. They were then escorted to June Thomas’s Grade 1 class for a few songs. The school band, sitting in the gym, then played several pieces for the guests. In the library, the Grade 3/4 class, under the guidance of Mrs. Jean Imanse. showed the premier and MPP a computerized story and graphics they had learned through their technology studies. Senior kindergarten student Joel Snell had fun teaching the pair a special handshake' before classmate Amy Badley presented Eves with a teddy bear to remind him of his visit to meet the Blyth Public School Bears.