The Citizen, 2006-02-23, Page 1WELCOME 1O
E STAIMISHED !EV
. ,
Riding the trails
There were at least some people not put off by this past weekend's weather. With snow on the
ground snowmobilers had places to go, and at least this past weekend as a benefit to others.
The North Huron Snowarama for Easter Seals raised more than $7,000 for local children with
physical disabilities. The event, held on Saturday, was hosted by the North Huron Trail
Grooming Association, which consists of clubs from Blyth,-St. Helens, Clinton, Colborne and
Wingham. (Vicky Bremner photo)
There will be no expansion
of French immersion program
NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC.
Inside this week
Pg. 3
Pg. 6
Pg. 8
Pg. 9
Pg. 12
Blyth Library has
'Friends'
Hair today is gone
for cause
Teams begin
playoffs
Brussels Minor
Soccer needs help
A salute to Scouts,
Guides begins
Winter
keeps on
coming
e Citizen
unities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 22 No. 8
Thursday, Feb. 23, 2006
$1 (93c + 7c GST)
Snow shovels and warm mittens
got a good amount of use on Friday,
Feb. 17 when an intense winter
storm swept through the area. In its
wake a vigorous cold front moved
eastward across southern Ontario
bringing strong winds and dropping
temperatures.
All county roads were cloied for
most of the day, leaving schools
closed hi- the second -day in a row.
There was often nil visibility due to
blowing snow and heavy snow
bursts which were accompanied by
slippery driving conditions.
With the passage of the cold front
over southeastern Ontario water
remained on the ground from the
rain Thursday night and froze. As a
result, roads and sidewalks were icy
and dangerous to drive.
There was a flurry of accidents
reported due to the storm.
The temperature took a nose dive
to -15 C during the days following
the storm with the wind chill
making it feel closer.to -23 C.
A 30-year-old Morris Tumberry
man was taken to hospital following
a two-vehicle collision late Friday
night.
According to police the crash
occurred around 11 p.m. Firefighters
from Blyth attended at the scene.
Police state that a tractor trailer
had been travelling north on London
Road, south of Blyth. Due to a
whiteout the truck collided with a
southbound Volkswagen.
The driver of the car was taken to
Clinton hospital.
The snowy weekend resulted in a
number of crashes in Huron. Police
responded to 17 collisions, with
three resulting in injuries.
Clinton woman was injured when
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
There will be no expansion of
French Immersion programming in
the Avon Maitland District School
Board, beyond its present
incarnation at Bedford Public
the snowmobile she was driving had
a mechanical problem and struck a
parked fuel truck.
The 41-year-old was taken to
Clinton hospital.
At 9 a.m. Saturday morning,
Huron OPP were patrolling London
Road south when they came upon a
five-vehicle collision. The first
vehicle was travelling slowly due to
the poor . road conditions and
visibility. It struck another vehicle
that had crossed over the centre line,
starting a chain reaction with the
tither vehicles sliding into each
other.
Two male drivers received minor
injuries and were taken by police to
Exeter hospital.
School and Stratford Central
Secondary School in Stratford.
At a regular meeting Tuesday, Feb.
14, trustees brought forward no
objections to advice from board staff
not to expand French immersion into
South Perth Centennial Public
School near St. Marys.
Education superintendent Pat
Stanley had delivered a preliminary
report to trustees at their previous
meeting, explaining the St. Marys
area was the only community
outside Stratford which, during a
"mock" registratioh in December,
2005, had expressed sufficient
interest in the program to warrant
further exploration.
That same report, however, stated
the non-subsidized costs of a
program for about 20 Grade 1-2
students could be as high as
$140,000.
"The two reasons (for advising not
to expand French immersion) are the
incremental costs of implementing
the program, and concern that if the
numbers of students exiting from the
program matched the Bedford
Public School pattern, the program
would quickly become
unsustainable," stated the more
recent report from the Feb. 14
meeting.
Expansion of French immersion
was initially turned down by trustees
over a year ago, but lobbying from a
group called Canadian Parents For
French inspired the board to host
information sessions and the "mock"
registrations.
Besides St. Marys, there was
insufficient interest in Goderich,
Mitchell, Listowel, Exeter,
Wingham and Clinton to even
examine the costs of introducing the
program.
Vice-chair Jenny Versteeg
wondered if the board should clarify
what conditions should be met
before examining French immersion
expansion again.
"Have we learned anything
through this?" the North
Perth trustee asked. "We've looked
at it twice since I became a
trustee."
Education director Geoff Williams
cautioned that even when French
immersion at Bedford was
introduced, there was a discrepancy
between how much the board
received from the government and
how much the prograrn cost. He said
it's always up to the discretion of the
board to introduce such a program
under such circumstances, if trustees
believe it's the best approach.
Snow
lovers
raise
$7,000
for kids
Members of the North Huron
Snowmobile Clubs and surrounding
areas braved the cold and the
blowing snow for a great ride, raising
money for kids with physical
disabilities in the Snowarama for
Easter Seals event on Saturday, Feb.
18.
The North Huron Snowarama in
Clinton began at 9 a.m. with a
breakfast at the Huron Fish and
Game in Clinton.
Approximately 40 riders and their
families got involved 'in the ride —
enjoying a hot meal, and also taking
advantage of the 50/50 draw and the
Kids. Snow Scooter Raffle, which
was put on by the snowmobile
club.
Kevin Armstrong from Good
Choice Appliances and Liquidation
donated the sled. The winner was
Mike Garrick of Clinton. Doug
Volland of Vanastra won $100 in the
50/50 draw.
The riders continued on to
Wingham where they enjoyed a hot
barbecue put on by the Wingham
Snowmobile Club.
The top fundraiser for the day was
Yolanda Vandriel who raised $360
for the event.
The $7,300 raised will go towards
direct financial assistance of vital
communications and mobility
equipment such as _ walkers,
wheelchairs and communication
devices, providing summer camping
experiences and funding of
recreational choices such as
swimming and art classes.
Money raised locally stays local —
every dollar raised will directly
benefit the 52 kids in Huron County
that depend on Easter Seals'
support.
Since 1975, Snowarama for Easter
Seals Kids has raised more than
$15.2 million for kids with physical
disabilities. For more information,
please call 1-888-278-7797 ext. 225
or go to www.easterseals.otg.
For over 80 years, The Easter Seal
Society, Ontario has beeri assisting
kids with physical disabilities by
funding costly equipment such as
wheelchairs, walkers, and
communication devices.
Easter Seals kids can attend fully
accessible Easter Seals camps where
they enjoy activities such as sailing,
sledge hockeY, and a high ropes
course. Over the next five years,
Easter Seals will raise and invest
more than $20 million to redevelop
Easter Seals camps and fund
recreational experiences such as art
classes and day camps.
For more information or to donate
visit www.easterseals.org
Whiteout blamed
in Friday's crash