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Sara Baker, with Huron County warden Bill Dowson, left and Huron East mayor Joe Seili was
page for the September session of council. The Grade 9 student at Listowel District Secondary
School is the daughter of Shirley and Alan Baker of RR3, Brussels. (Keith Roulston photo)
The threat of West Nile Virus
is real.
Protect yourself and your family.
Ontario has mosquitoes infected with West Nile Virus. The
Huron County Health Unit urges residents to continue to protect
themselves and their families from mosquito bites from now
until the first frost. The next few weeks are the high risk time
for contracting West Nile Virus from mosquito bites.
People can protect themselves by avoiding areas with
mosquitoes, especially during dusk and dawn when they are
most active, and in heavily wooded areas during the day. Wear
light-coloured clothing and cover up whenever possible. Use
insect repellent containing DEET on exposed skin, carefully
reading and following all product instructions found on the label.
Fix holes in screens of windows and doors to stop mosquitoes
from getting indoors and reduce any standing water around
homes, cottages, and businesses
Stay informed about West Nile Virus. To find out more, visit
www.huroncounty.ca or call the Huron County Health Unit at
482-3416 Ext. 2001 or if calling long distance, dial
1-877-837-614 Ext. 2001.
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2004.
County to help
Bokhout pay for
nurse practioner
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
After a year of paying for the
assistance of a nurse practitioner for
the county's homes for the aged, Dr.
Maarten Bokhout, the homes'
medical director, will get some help
from the county for two months.
Bokhout had applied for funding
for a nurse practitioner from the
province in December 2002 but
when funding was delayed, he
started paying for 3.5 hours a week
of a nurse's time on the
understanding provincial funding
would be coming. After no action
was taken by the province, Dr.
Bokhout told the county's
agriculture. public works and seniors
committee that he would resign his
position effective Aug. 1.
"Dr. Bokhout is frustrated, not
mad." said Rob Morley, chair of the
committee who met with the
medical director along with homes'
administrator Barb Springall. "The
residents just love the nurse
practitioner."
At the meeting Dr. Bokhout
offered to continue to provide his
services but asked the committee to
show its support by paying.$160 per
Health unit
gets calls
on smoking
bylaw
As the Sept. 4 implementation for
Huron County's ban on smoking in
public buildings, the telephone
began to ring at the Huron County
Health Unit.
"We've had about 80 calls so far,"
Penny Nelligan, Health Unit
director told councillors at their
Sept. 2 meeting. "Only four were
screaming at us. The rest were
asking for information."
Nelligan said she expected there
would be more calls as people
realized the ban was in place.
Meanwhile council approved the
hiring of National Protective
Solutions to enforce the bylaw
across the county until March 31,
2005.
Talks disappoint
Continued from page 1
drains onto the ground.
He said he had several
conversations with Steve Peters,
minister of agriculture and food
during the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario
convention " and was very
disappointed. While Peters appeared
sympathetic and willing to seek
solutions, his staff seemed firm
there would be no retreat from the
decision to cut off the grants and
they seemed to control the minister.
"It's just not agriculture (that will
be affected). There's so much they
don't understand," Dowson said.
After Dorothy Kelly of Morris-
Turnberry and Joe Seili of Huron
East suggested possible places the
province could find the money
needed, Dowson said: "There are a
lot of different routes they could
take, but so far people are not
changing their minds."
week for September and October for
the nurse-practitioner's services, It's
expected the province will finally
announce funding in October.
"If we were to support this man in
this small way it would be an act of
good faith," said Morley. "I think what we're
recommending is a great thing," said
Goderich councillor Deb Shewfelt,
but he worried it 'might let the
province off the hook. The province
seems to be constantly finding new
jobs for the county to pay for, he
said.
But Ellen Connelly, councillor for
Goderich, said the move by the
county shows the government how
important councillors think the
nurse-practitioner program is.
Councillors voted to proceed with
the funding until the end of October
at a cost of $1,660.
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