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The Citizen, 2004-08-12, Page 1e Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 20 No. 31 Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 $1 (93c + 7c GST) NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY INC Inside this week Pg• 8 Walton hosts National race P g. 12 Remembering Auburn 's party ner i f‘ Melville celebrates lu its history County prepares to go smoke- free Huron County's Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) bylaw, which ensures that all workplaces and- public places will be 100 per cent smoke-free, is coming into effect on Sept. 4. The bylaw protects Huron County workers and residents from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke. Owners and managers are responsible for ensuring that their workplace/public place is smoke- free by Sept. 4. In August, the County of Huron will be mailing free bylaw education kits to help workplaces and public places prepare for the bylaw. The kits contain a summary of the bylaw, questions and answers about compliance and enforcement, appropriate signage, and information on quitting smoking. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), also known as second-hand smoke, is a health hazard to everyone who is exposed. For every eight smokers that tobacco kills, one non-smoker dies too. Currently 79 per cent of Huron County residents do not smoke tobacco; however, they are still exposed to second-hand smoke, which causes and aggravates many health problems, such as heart disease, cancer, allergies, and asthma. Second-hand smoke is particularly harmful in children causing sudden infant death syndrome, ear infections, asthma, and respiratory tract infections. By Sept. 4, all workplaces, restaurants, bars, bowling alleys, bingo halls, Legions, hotels; motels, and bed and breakfasts in Huron Continued on page 6 By Pauline Kerr Wingham Advance-Times North Huron will wait and see what direction other Huron County municipalities take before making any decision about building inspection. During North Huron council's Aug. 3 meeting, clerk-administrator John Stewart said the township is in a unique position. As of July of next year, the municipality will have no qualified building inspector. While the- other municipalities in the county have building officials who are in the process of working on their certification or are certified under the new regulations, all municipalities will have a problem with staff vacation time under the Bill 124 - Building Act. The act stipulates the municipality has only five days to do the inspection. Stewart said this would be a problem during vacations, or if a number of applications come in at the same time. Council discussed the matter along with a report from a meeting of the Huron County Clerks and Treasurers Association on Bill 124. Stewart sits on a sub-committee struck by the association to explore . different options for the deadline of July, 2005, when the new regulations come into effect. The sub-committee reported to the association on the five options that were brought forward. The report is being distributed to the various councils for discussion. The association has asked The county to consider a joint agreement for the purpose of participating municipalities sharing qualified building inspection personnel, as a short-term response to the situation. Stewart said five options were on the table. In the. report, each had good points and bad points outlined. The preferred option, at least for the short term, is the third one, agreements among municipalities. Stewart told council the government may extend the deadline for having a building official qualified under the new regulations, but that can't be counted on. Doing nothing isn't really an option for North Huron, although it may work, at least in the short ternt, for others in the county. Another option is to have the county take over the responsibility for building inspections. That particular option appeals to Councillor Archie MacGowan, who said, "It seems to me it should be a county position. It would make things a lot more uniform." Reeve Doug Layton said he would like to see building inspections become a county responsibility, so all such inspections could be under one roof. Stewart said many of the municipalities don't like the loss of control that would result if the responsibility did go to the county. He added that if building inspections don't become a county responsibility, _ then some arrangement will have to be made for North Huron, either hiring someone with the qualifications or hiring someone who is willing to get them. The problem is that for North Huron, it isn't a full-time job - about three days a week in-winter and four days a week in summer. He suggested North Huron could share the position with another municipality that needs a building inspector for only one day a week. The possible scenarios identified by the sub-committee are as follows: 1. county function, 2. county employees contracted to local municipalities (similar to what is done for septic tanks), 3. agreements among various municipalities, 4. status quo, 5. amalgamated municipal building department. Stewart pointed out all five options have a major negative, and that is the cost of getting people qualified. There are 11 areas for certification, some compulsory and others optional. Building officials are urged to get certification in areas that will be most useful to their respective municipalities. in North Huron's case; there would be little need to have a building official certified for inspection of high-rise apartments, for example. Should the need arise to inspect one, someone could be brought in. Each of 11 courses takes about a week. The real problem is the courses are offered only at certain times of the year, and they aren't offered around here. "Someone has to go to Toronto or Mississauga, and that means accommodation... it's estimated each course costs about $1,000," said Continued on page 6 Bird tests positive for WNv A dead crow found in the Wingham area has tested positive for West Nile virus (WNv). To date, the Huron- County Health Unit has submitted a total of 18 birds for testing and this is the first positive test result. The first positive bird during 2003 was found in the Municipality of Central Huron on July 5. To date, 32 of 37 health units have reported positive birds for a total of 122 positive 'birds in Ontario, In 2002 and 2003, the majority of human cases of West Nile virus in Ontario were reported in late August and September. The health unit urges residents to remain vigilant -in reducing standing water around homes, cottages and businesses:It is important that people continue to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites from mid- August until the first frost. "The mosquitoes most likely to bite you are those breeding in your own backyard", says Dr. Beth Henning, medical officer of Health. "Eliminating areas of standing water is critical and is the singlemost important - measure to reduce mosquitoes and control the spread of the West Nile virus." Drain any areas of standing water on your property. Mosquitoes only need a cup of stagnant water to breed. After every rainfall, tip over all containers that may hold small amounts of water. It is important to , clean clogged eaves- troughs and discard old tires; do not allow grass clippings from entering roadside catch basins as the grass is a food source for mosquito larvae. To date in Huron County, there have been no human or equine cases of West Nile virus. Mosquito larval dipping and adult trapping activities continue across the county to determine which types of mosquitoes typically breed in Huron and whether or not they are actually carrying the virus. The - virus has not yet been detected in Huron County mosquito populations; however York Region, City of Toronto and Timiskaming have received laboratory confirmation of positive mosquito pools. "In Huron County, the risk of West Nile virus infection has been low so far, but as the summer progresses, the risk of infection increases", explains Henning. Mosquitoes tend to be more active this -time of year. biting humans more often; therefore, the health unit is stressing the importance of personal protective measures. "Avoid areas with mosquitoes, especially during dusk and dawn when they are most active, and in heavily wooded areas during the Continued on page 6 Coming attraction Something new arrived at the Blyth fairgrounds recently. A tog cabin built by John and Jane Cowan in East Wawanosh in 1861, made the trip into town with show-stopping fanfare. The house will be one of the newest features at the annual Thresher Reunion coming up in September. While the structure will take some work, the plan is to take it to its original glory complete with furnishings over the next few -years. A crane lifted the home, then a float transported it to its location just west of the windmill. (Dianne Josling photo) NH decides to wait and see Pg. 72 Johns' new play " opens at Festival Pg. 24 A pictorial look at the FFAO weekend