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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-01-15, Page 1Killing time The Jan. 7 storm brought an interesting sight to downtown Blyth as the closure of Hwy. 4 meant a number of truck drivers were unable to continue. Many of the trucks sat parked on the main street from early morning until late afternoon. (Keith Roulston photo) County moves cautiously on water quality front Inside this week Pg. 3 Pg. 7 Pg. 8 New business brings music to children Clubs work to improve safety Local Pre-Tyke teams face-off I Churches plan Pg. January picnic D la Brussels Lions A g. mv donate to school e Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 20 No. 2 Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 $1 (93c + 7c GST) Sparling named to national council Local businessperson Steven Sparling of Blyth has been named co-chair of a national council. At meetings in Ottawa, representatives of the Canadian propane industry met co-operatively to establish an interim council to foster the establishment of the Canadian Propane Education and Research Council (CPERC). The interim council is comprised of Canadian propane retailers, producers and mid-stream members and will draw upon the resources of industry from coast-to-coast. Its leaders were chosen by the national industry. In addition to Sparling, who is vice-president of operations at Sparling's Propane, Blyth, the council is also chaired by John Cooper, president of Superior Propane, Calgary and Jean Malouin, general manager, Sonic Propane, Montreal. The ultimate purpose of CPERC is to promote the safe, efficient use of propane gas. CPERC will be a not-for-profit organization. The Better Business Bureau is warning credit card holders to be on guard for a new scam that has slipped into Canada from the United States. It involves a man calling Visa and MasterCard holders and identifying himself as a member of the security and fraud department, even offering a name and badge number. He advises the prospective victim his or her credit card has been flagged for an unusual purchase and inquires whether the person has bought an By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher County planning staff will propose costs for implementing water protection measures but some councillors are expressing concerns about the size of any new commitment. At the Jan. 8 meeting of Huron County council, Rob Morley of South Huron worried about what council could be opening the door to as they were asked to pass authorization for the staff to put money for the program in the preliminary 2004 budget. "Until we know what you are going to put into your budget I'd be prepared to turn it down," he said. Planning director Scott Tousaw said there are three paths council anti-telemarketing device costing $500 U.S. from an Arizona concern. The caller promises a credit to the cardholder and asks for a three-digit number on the back of the credit card for security reasons. The caller then uses the three-digit security number to make purchases over several days charged to the victim% credit card. Visa and MasterCard officials_ say they never ask for card number information because they have it on file. could choose to follow. It could do nothing, which would cost nothing in the short term. They could establish an information-sharing committee committee with conservation authorities and interest groups that had no resources attach- ed. Or the county could take a lead role and provide resources. If one staff member was hired the budget for the program would likely be $80,000 to $100,000 a year. If the county gets involved in water source protection, Tousaw said, he would expect a reserve of $500,000 to $1 million would be required. Some councillors did not share Morley's concern. "I feel we have to start moving forward," said Bern Van Diepenbeek, Ashfield- Colborne-Wawanosh councillor who expressed concern about the bad publicity the county has been receiving about pollution in Lake Huron, the most recent being a Jan. 3 article in The Toronto Star. "We need to give the, staff a chance to at least put some figures together." The county hosted a meeting in Clinton in November that brought people together from provincial ministries; conservation authorities, lakeshore residents' groups, the tourism industry and agricul- ture. Past warden Dave Urlin said the county took the lead in calling the meeting, putting cottagers and farmers in the same room and he was pleased there wasn't a lot of finger-pointing. While the county was not going to be able to provide on-going funding, it should take the lead in getting the process started before bowing out, he said. After Morley asked if Ministry of Environment officials would be involved in a committee he was assured by Penny Nelligan that MOE officials had been active participants at the November meeting and would be included in the future. "I'd like to see them at the second, third and more meetings," Morley said. "We have to make sure they are with us at every stage. They're the only ones who have the money for a program like this." Warden Bill Dowson said he had heard there was a "high profile" meeting of environmental officials in Toronto Jan. 7 and that Huron county was a hot spot on the agenda. The county needs to be prepared to deal with provincial officials when they come calling, he said. Council also approved making a request to MOE for a meeting to discuss water issues and their lack of funding. Winter means new rules for drivers Winter and snow can change the rules for drivers. Sr. Const. Don Shropshall reminds that to have the roads open for the school buses and for other people to make it to work, plows are out early in the morning. He said that there have been complaints from motorists regarding conditions of recently plowed roads. "In some of these cases people have left snow on the road when they plowed or blew out their laneway. This is against the law." If snow-clearing operations cause or contribute to a crash, the person responsible could be held liab- le. "Most home, farm or commercial insurance policies do not cover the insured if they have committed an offence. The police may charge offenders for depositing snow or ice on a roadway." Parked vehicles, which obstruct snow removal can also be dealt with by police. "The Highway Traffic Act states that no person shall park or stand a vehicle on a highway in such a manner as to interfere with the movement of traffic or the Cleaning of snow from the highway, said Shropshall." People guilty of this can be fined up to $100. Police can be contacted regarding a vehicle that is interfering with snow clearing operations. Officers can then ticket the vehicle and have it towed. It will be stored at the owner's expense. However, Shropshall said, it is best to check municipal bylaws before contacting them as some urban areas allow parking along the roads. Another issue is road closures. Driving on a closed highway is prohibited. "When signs or traffic control devices have been posted or placed no person shall drive or operate a vehicle on the closed highway, with the exception of road service vehicles, a public utility emergency vehicle or the police," said Shropshall. Anyone travelling a closed highway is not protected by insurance. During last week's storm, Shropshall said that 24 drivers failed to obey the road closure signs. The fine is $110 and adds three demerit points to a driver's licence. Shrophsall said, "Common sense, good judgement and your co- operation will keep our highways safe for all traffic." Bureau advises of scam