The Citizen, 2004-01-29, Page 1Crunch
It looks like slippery road conditions may have played a part in this accident at the main
intersection in Londesborough on Friday. Investigating officer Russ Nesbitt takes a look at the
scene before speaking with the driver of the van. The driver of the pickup had already been
taken to hospital by ambulance. The van had been travelling north and was in the process of
making a right-hand turn when the pickup smashed into it. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
More bad weather on horizon
NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC.
Inside this week
Dr, WI member receives
I " 40-year pin
k Field to Table
1-5,* Network takes aim
.7 Women to deliver
/ report to province
Bachelor contest
Pg. 1U begins
Belgrave boy plays
Pg. 20 in Leafs' Skill
Competition
e Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 20 No. 4 Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Huronlea
still
flu free
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
It's always a 'knock on wood'
situation, but the flu bug seems to be
staying clear of Huronlea Home for
:the Aged.
Barb Springall, administrator, said
that while the secured area of the
home was closed for one week prior
to Christmas for a respiratory virus,
there has been no influenza A.
"This can vary from year to year,
but we have really good infectious
disease control practices in play and
if there are any concerns they get
cleared up quickly."
The policies are put in place by
the county and staff are assisted by -
the health unit.
As well, said Springall, all the
basics are stressed, including hand
washing and immunization of staff.
Notices are posted at the entrance
of the home asking visitors to please
not enter if they are feeling unwell.
"You're not doing anyone any
favours by visiting when you're ill.
And people have been very good
about this."
Springall said she believes SARS
had an impact, as people soon
recognized how quickly illness can
be spread and how dangerous it can
be to some.
New provincial standards have
also placed isagel, a cleanser, at all
entrances for staff and visitors to
use.
"It Was post-SARS that they came
in with that idea," said Springall.
Regarding vaccination Springall
said the home had met 60 per cent, a
little lower compliance rate than
Huronview in Clinton, which had 90
per cent of its staff receiving the flu
vaccination.
Should the home be closed,
unvaccinated staff can not come to
work. However, Springall said there
are contingency plans in place to
address this situation should it
occur.
Walker
heads
HCBP
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
The Huron County Beef Producers
selected their new executive at the
annual meeting in Brussels, on Jan.
21 .
They are: past president, Paul
Coultes, president, Glen Walker;
first vice-president, Ron Stevenson;
second vice-president, Bill Haines;
secretary-treasurer, Jacquie Bishop.
Delegates for the Ontario
Cattlemen's Association's annual
meeting Feb. 25-26 are: Dave
Wheeler, Paul Coultes, Harvey
Hoggart, Ron Bennett, Ron
Stevenson, Glen Walker, Kittie
MacGregor, Tim Prior, Cor Zondig,
Doug Marriott, Matt McCall,
George Adams, Ralph Scott and
alternates Ken Alton and Dennis
Schroeder.
Local directors for the Huron
producers are: Prior and Wheeler,
Grey; MacGregor, Hullett; Haines,
Coultes, Cam Procter, Morris;
Marriott, Scott, Ian Caldwell, East
Wawanosh; Neil Rintoul, Lloyd
Morrison, Walker, West Wawanosh.
Honorary directors, which
Stevenson referred to as "leaders to
us all", are Robert' Bell, Gerald
Rathwell, Doug Howatt, Gordon
Gross, Jim Love, Rick Archambault,
Jack Flanagan and Earl McSpadden.
There are currently none for
McKillop.
In a presentation to Coultes,
Stevenson commended him for his
leadership during "one of the worst
years to be the association president.
He made tough decisions and held
the job with integrity."
Ending two years as HCBP
president, Coultes referred to 2003
as "an interesting year." A term that
had begun with Optimism and
profitability had culminated with a
time that had altered the industry
forever. In May, with the
identification of a case of BSE in
Alberta the crisis began. Now, said
Coultes, "the cattle business will
never be the same."
However„ while the effects are still
being felt in the industry, Coultes
noted that there was one big positive
coming from the crisis.
"Canada was the only country to
see an increase in consumer demand
after a report of BSE."
Coultes stressed the need to
promote programs such as corn-fed
cattle and to keep moving ahead
with the vaccination program.
"There are many challenges facing
the industry for the future, the
biggest being survival."
From the past year, Coultes said he
learned three things. "Money is just
a way of keeping score, the chicken
quota doesn't seem that expensive
any more," 'and a remark that
prompted applause for the young
father, "newborn baby girls are
pretty special.".
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
Ontario is getting its fair share of
snow this winter and weather reports
predict there is more to come.
Local weather observer, Boyd
Taylor of Blyth, said people should
expect about one to one and a half
feet of snow, cold temperatures and
blowing winds.
"Batten the hatches for the next
couple of days," said Taylor.
He said on Jan. 4, it was plus 12°C
and it hasn't been anywhere close to
that since and next week it will be
cold again in western Ontario as
temperatures drop even more.
"It's usually like this in January,
By Andrea Hruska
Special to The Citizen
Residents of Moncrieff, a small
hamlet in Huron East, will be
meeting with council members this
week to decide the fate of the town
hall.
The municipality sent a letter
inviting community members to
attend the meeting, stating that
although the hall had "historically
never been heavily used" the
situation had presently "declined to
very little use."
Soil was turned and construction
began in 1926 to build a modest
meeting place for community events:
but this year we haven't had a
January thaw."
Wayne Hocking, a professor of
physics and astronomy at the
University of Western Ontario, said
in a press release that the mild period
before Christmas is partly to blame
for the cold white stuff.
"Part of the reason why we are
getting so much snow is that the
lakes froze so late," said Hocking.
He said any precipitation, whether
rain or snow, occurs when the air is
evaporated even in the coldest
temperatures.
Hocking said when a thaw comes
and the temperature rises above zero
for a few days, the result could be
flooding.
That building has since been torn
down and, although not presently in
use, land sits vacant where baseball
and football teams once played. The
present Moncrieff Town Hall was
School SeCtion No.9 and served
many local residents before Grey
Central Public School was opened
around 1965.
Grey Ward councillor Alvin
McLellan would like to see a
"rekindled interest" in the town hall,
as it is an important part of keeping a
small town thriving.
According to McLellan, the
Moncrieff Hall has seen a share of its
use in the past from Elma Twp.
residents as well.
"Given all the snow, it might be a
cause for concern," he said.
Slobodan Simonovic, professor of
civil and environmental engineering
and research chair of the Institute for
Catastrophic Loss Reduction at
Western said in the release that
temperature variation is the key
issue for winter flooding.
"If we have a normal variability•of
warmer temperatures followed by
colder temperatures, the snow will
melt slowly and should not pose a
problem. However, if there is a
sudden warm period that lasts for a
considerable amount of time, the
snow may melt too quickly and
result in flooding," said Simon-
ov,ic.
"People have to decide what it is
they want," McLellan explained. "A
small community cannot survive if
people simply come home and head
into their houses."
"People need to get involved in
their communities."
Dorothy Dilworth, long-time
member of the Ethel Hall board,
explained that there were 11 events
held at the Ethel Hall throughout the
month of December.
"I cannot tell you what that
translate into for money, but I do
know we were certainly busy."
Other town halls operating within
Huron East include Cranbrook and
Walton.
Future of Moncrieff Hall
to be decided at meeting