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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-12-01, Page 1The Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 21 No. 47 Thursday, Dec 1, 2005 Festive RIDE program now underway The holiday season is almost upon us, and the Ontario Provincial Police wants to remind the motoring public of the danger of mixing alcohol with driving. From Nov. 25 to Jan. 2 the OPP will team up with police services across the province for the annual Festival RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign. Impaired driving remains the leading criminal cause of death in Canada. OPP officers will be out in your neighbourhood in an effort to remove the threat of the impaired driver, and reduce the death toll on Ontario roads. Last year, during the five-week OPP Festival RIDE initiative, officers stopped 450,582 vehicles at roadside checkpoints, 294 persons were charged with criminal code alcohol-related offences and a total of 664 i2-hour licence suspensions were issued. Officers also issued 315 of the 90-day administrative driver’s licence suspensions. For every 470 vehicles checked at our RIDE locations, one driver was either charged with an impaired driving related charge or was issued a 12-hour licence suspension. Unfortunately during the Festive RIDE campaign last year, officers investigated 37 fatal collisions in which 41 people lost their lives. Three of these fatal collisions were alcohol related. “This needless and tragic loss of life must stop,” said Const. Jeff Walraven “OPP officers will be doing their part to remove impaired drivers from our roadways. Please do yours by not drinking and driving.” The ‘clipper’ blows in By Heather Crawford Citizen staff What Environment Canada called an Alberta clipper hit North Huron hard Thursday, Nov. 24 creating whiteout conditions and causing schools and roads to close in the area. Snow squall warnings continued until late Friday afternoon. “There’s an old saying,” said Boyd Taylor, a volunteer weather observer for the Government of Canada, “In the summer you go to the lake and in the winter the lake comes to you.” Temperatures dropped to what felt Christmas Bureau open Dee. 5-9 The Huron County Christmas Bureau will be held this year from Dec. 5-9. The Christmas Bureau has been helping to ensure that there are food and gifts for every family at Christmas since 1967. Local area churches, along with the Children’s Aid Society will be setting up drop-off venues throughout the county where people can drop off items they would like to donate such as food and gifts of toys like a chilling -21°C and winds reached 80 kilometres per hour according to the Weather Network. The area reportedly received 9.1 milimetres of snow Thursday, although Taylor said it’s difficult to measure how much snow fell during winds of that speed. “It was howling,” he said. The storm caused the cancellation of many local events and happenings and the closure of all area schools Thursday and Friday. Bluewater Highway (Hwy. 21) from Blyth Road north of Goderich to Amberley, Hwy. 4 between Clinton and Exeter, as well as from Wingham to Teeswater and Hwy. 8 or clothing. Lynda McGregor will be organizing the depot in Blyth at Memorial Hall. Local residents are encouraged to donate whatever they can. Everything is needed, McGregor said. The bureaus will be set up in Clinton, Exeter, Goderich, Seaforth and Wingham. Transportation of the goods collected in Blyth to Clinton will be arranged by the Bureau. 2 sides Trevor Tyler, Jordan Button, Brandon Pickell, Sabrina Morrison, and Jessica Tyler take advantage of all the snow with a giant snowball fight on Friday, Nov. 25 during a day off from school. Snow piled up quickly Thursday, Nov. 24 during snowsqualls, but most of the havoc was caused by winds that often reached 80 kilometres per hour causing plenty of blowing and drifting that reduced visibility to absolutely nil. Queen Street in Blyth was barely visible for much of the day. (Heather Crawford photo) from Seaforth to Stratford were all closed due to icy road conditions and zero visibility. Const. Jeff Walraven of the Huron OPP said officers were busy throughout the night of the storm. “We were swamped with numerous minor accidents,” he said. Walraven said there were no major accidents but OPP were kept busy with road closures. The OPP said they can’t stress enough the importance of staying off closed roads and highways, both for the safety of the driver and also for those emergency personal that have to travel in dangerous conditions to ensure safety. “Memorial Hall is open to the public from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. every day,” McGregor said. Funds donated to the bureau are used to purchase food certificates and clothing in sizes where donations are lacking. All of these items are purchased from local businesses. The bureau is managed entirely by volunteers and is sponsored by the Huron-Perth Children’s Aid Society. Stay clear of bean sprouts warns HCHU At least four cases of salmonella have been confirmed in Huron County, the cause of which has been linked to bean sprouts from Toronto. According to Pamela Scharfe, public health manager of the Huron County Health Unit, the Food Inspection Agency gave out a list of Toronto Sun Wah Trading Inc.’s clients and it is apparent that they did not directly supply to this area. It is presumed, therefore, that those suffering from salmonella in Huron contracted it outside of the county. The Toronto producer and distributor of mung bean sprouts was ordered Nov. 25 to halt production. The Sun Wah bean sprouts are distributed across the province to restaurants and grocery stores and may be sold under the store name or the Sun Wah name. Grocery stores have been told to pull bean sprouts from their stores. “No one should be able to find raw bean sprouts,” said Scharfe. A total of 290 cases of salmonella have been reported to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care from across the provinces, since the beginning of November. Normally 20-25 cases are reported per month at this time of year. While the investigation continues into the outbreak. Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is advising people to avoid eating bean sprouts. Salmonella can be a mild illness but for young children, elderly people and those with weak immune systems, it can be a very serious disease. If you have eaten bean sprouts and are feeling ill, contact a physician immediately. Salmonella can spread from person to person. Meticulous hand washing is important to further prevent the spread of the illness. This naturally-occurring bacteria is found in the intestines of animals, particularly poultry, cattle and swine. It can contaminate raw fruits and vegetables, including sprouts that have been in contact with unclean water, animal manure or an infected food handler. Symptoms of salmonella include fever, headache, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and sometimes vomiting. They will occur 12-36 hours after the consumption of contaminated food or water.