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PAGE 32. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2004.
Reliving 'The Farm Show'
Michael Ondaatje, (centre) whose film The Clinton Special about the creation of The Farm
Show was shown at Blyth Memorial Hall Saturday, talks to Ray Bird (left) of Brussels, whose
Holmesville-area barn hosted the first performance. Actor Eric Peterson, (right) performed as
part of the evening's entertainment to kick off the 30th anniversary season for the Blyth
Festival. (Keith Roulston photo)
The Huron County Health Unit is
asking for the public's help again
this year in efforts to detect West
Nile virus in the community.
Starting Monday local residents
are being asked to report the location
of dead crows and blue jays to the
Health Unit. Crows and blue jays are
particularly sensitive to West Nile
virus and are monitored to determine
the extent of virus activity in a
particular area.
People reporting the location of
dead crows and blue jays are asked
to contact the health unit at 519-482-
3416 or toll free 1-877-837-6143
Ext. 1091.
Callers are asked to leave their
name, phone number and address
(including 911 address and postal
code) and cLescribe the location of
the dead bird.
Since the health unit is limited in
the number of birds it is able to
submit for laboratory testing, they
will not be picking up all dead crows
and blue jays. Staff will make
arrangements for pick-up in the
event a dead bird is selected for
submission to the laboratory.
All other dead birds should be
discarded in the following manner:
• placed in a double plastic bag,
using rubber gloves, a double
plastic bag or a shovel; -
• do not touch dead birds with bare
hands;
• placed out with regular household
garbage; and
• wash hands thoroughly.
The public is also' reminded that
the single most important measure in
reducing mosquitoes is to control the
areas where they breed.
So as you are cleaning up around
the outside of your home, cottage
and place of business the health unit
asks that you take a look around
your property and get rid of places
that are mosquito-friendly that
would make good breeding sites or
resting places such as piles of leaves,
clogged eaves troughs, piles of tires,
rubbish and debris and turn over or
drill holes in all containers that may
collect water.
Some mosquitoes only need a cup
of water in which to breed.
West Nile virus
watch begins
AMDSB funding 'consumed by consumables'
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Almost $113,000 in provincial
government funding, announced a
year ago to enhance existing support
for the Avon Maitland District
School Board's technical education
programs, has been what education
superintendent Marjatta Longston
describes as "consumed by the
consumables."
And though Longston admits the
government might not be happy to
find out the money was spent for
such things as replacing saw blades
and refilling welding tanks —
-instead of creating new technical
programs or turning existing
classrooms into specialized
technical learning spaces — she says
that's just an indication of how
financially stretched the board's
technical programs are..
Speaking to trustees at a regular
meeting Tuesday, April 27,
Longston outlined what happened to
the board's share of the 2003_
installment of the government's $90
million, four-year Technical
Education Renewal Initiative
(TERI) funding.
"I think, at- the time, we all got
excited about the $90 million but, in
reality, this was just the first year,
and we are just one school board in
Ontario," the superintendent said.
Under TERI, $112,788 was
divided among the board's nine
secondary schools, based on the
number of technical credits being
taken in each school. That translated
into as much as $18,114 for
Stratford Northwestern Secondary
School, and as little as $7,615 for
Stratford Central Secondary School.
"The intent of the initiative is to
refurbish and update equipment,
support school boards in developing
partnerships with employers, and
provide teachers with focussed
training," states a report, provided
by Longston to trustees.
However, Longston said, much of
the money was taken up by efforts to
replace. fix, or maintain existing
equipment.
"What it speaks to is the lack of
stable funding .for technical
programs," she said, in an interview
following the-Meeting. •
In response to LongSton's report,
-North Huron trustee Colleen Schenk
proposed sending a letter to the
government, requesting a
commitment to continue the TERI
program and also extend its support
for technical education.
"We need a lot of money to get
technical programs back into the
classrooms," said Schenk, who
received support for the letter.
Longston wasn't entirely negative
about the TERI program. In the
Avon Maitland board, she explained,
it has spurred the creation of a
technical education steering
committee, which met a couple of
times eatlier this year to facilitate
the creation of five-year plans for
each secondary 'school's technical
programs. This has assisted in
getting each school - community
thinking about what types of courses
are best suited for each facility, and
what improvements could be made.
"With the five-year plans, maybe a
school will look at what potential
partnerships there are with
businesses in the community, and
what types of courses those partners
might benefit from," Longston
explained.
"It's something we're going to
have to grapple with very carefully
over the next little while," added
director of education -Geoff
Williams.
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fieireteot Proposal for signage
a bit of a shock
to N. Huron council
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor •
The proposal for the heritage
street signage project in Blyth was a
bit of a shock for North Huron
councillors.
At the Monday night meeting,
clerk-administrator John Stewart
explained to council that one
company had replied to the request.
And while the Blyth Idea Group
(BIG) had submitted an estimate in
an amount under $9,000 the
proposal is for $20,000.
BIG had committed to fundraise
for $3.000. North Huron had
hudgetted $5,400 for the project.
"With numbers like this we can't
go ahead," said councillor Archie
MacGowan.
No action was taken until further
input from BIG.
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