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Goderich Signal Star, 2017-03-22, Page 141 4 Signal Star • Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Drive clean fee gone April 1st Potential youth engagement project for Huron County One of the most contro- versial fees charged by the Ontario government is gone at the end of the month. The $30 Drive Clean fee will be waived starting April 1, although motorists will still be required to bring their older vehicles in for testing and pay for any required repairs. The Ontario Auditor General had previously criticized the fee — liken- ing it to a tax, saying it takes in more money than was needed to cover the cost of administering the program. Gary Wheeler, a spokes- man for the Ontario's envi- ronment ministry, said the test fee was already dropped to $30 from $35 in 2014 to address that complaint. "At the time, there was an accumulated surplus of S23 million," Wheeler said in an e-mail. "That number has since been in steady decline. We expect the remaining surplus to be eliminated by June 1, 2017 — 90 days fol- lowing the elimination of the initial testing fee." Once the remaining sur- plus is drained, the govern- ment will reimburse Drive Clean Facilities for test fees, he said. "This fee elimination will take the costs off of Ontario's drivers and allow all of us to continue to enjoy the cleaner air benefits brought by the Drive Clean program," he said. • Why .do motorists still have to take their vehicles to get tested at all given how relatively clean many cars are these days? "Drive Clean continues to play an important role in protecting the quality of the air we breathe and signifi- cantly contributes to the reduction of emissions that cause smog and poor air quality. In 2014 alone, the program prevented smog - causing pollutants from being released from 135,000 vehicles. The program has reduced emissions of smog - 'causing pollutants by approximately one-third each year — that's close to 400,000 tonnes from 1999 to 2012. Last year's Toronto Vital Signs report also shows premature deaths and hos- pitalizations as a result of air pollution have dropped by 23% and 41% respectively since 2004." • How much can a shop charge a driver for repairs if there's a fail? GODERCH Canada's prettiest town TOWN OF GODERICH NOTICE OF YARD WASTE DEPOT OPEN Weather permitting the Yard Waste Depot will open on April 3rd, with open hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon on Saturdays. Please note that this depot is for Goderich residents only. The depot is for compostable material only as posted. No branches, trees, plastic or garbage. Public Works Department 361 Cambridge St. For inquiries (519)524-8344 Ext. 222 FANSHAWE 5:Wffr FANSHAWE COLLEGE 'u�H SPRING OPEN HOUSE Saturday, March 25, 2017 Personal Support Worker lOam-ilam, Early Childhood Education llam-l2pm, Reach Centre 169 Beech Street, Clinton, ON For more information contact clinton@fanshawec.ca "The cost of repairs is determined by the facility and varies depending on the type of repair. Beginning in January 2018, the minis- try will adjust the repair cost limit annually according to the Consumer Price Index." • What happens with vehi- cles that get a conditional pass? "The intent of the condi- tional pass is to provide time for vehicle owners to save money in order to fully repair or retire their vehicle. To qualify for a conditional pass, the motorist must make all emissions -related repairs that cost up to — but not more than — the repair cost limit. The repair esti-• mate and actual repairs must be emissions -related; and the repairs must be done by a certified repair technician at an accredited Drive Clean facility." • And what about VW die- sels caught up in the emis- - sions scandal? "Ontario will continue to test the affected vehicles for the many possible emissions faults according to Drive Clean program require- ments. The ministry has issued an order to the com- pany requiring it to provide a plan detailing the actions it will take to fix impacted vehicles in Ontario. The min- istry expects Volkswagen Canada to take all necessary actions to ensure impacted vehicles -in Ontario are in compliance while minimiz- ing any inconvenience and costs to owners:' aartuso@postmedia.com Kathleen Smith Goderich Signal Star • On the morning of March 15th, Agricultural and Rural Economic Development Advi- sor Vicki Lass of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), presented an economic devel- opment project to the council of Huron County. The presented program "Youth Civic Engagement Project" had success in Perth County and was inspired by the concept of resident attraction and retention. "The concept is to get youth more involved in the civic process and to under- stand how a municipal gov- ernment works; Lass offered in her presentation. Due to the success of out- reach and engagement in high schools in Perth County, OMAFRA is looking to offer this pilot project to Huron County schools this year. Lass stressed the concept of the program was to build civic education, assist in matters of attraction to and retention in rural communities, and col- lect data to move forward with economic development. "If you engage youth in a meaningful way, they 1 0 U E IODE is accepting applications for COMMUNITY FUNDING Priority is given to programs involving Women • Children ■ Youth If your non-profit organization is in need of funding please apply by March 31st to Community Funding Chair P.O. Box 463 Goderich, ON N7A 4C7 available at the Opportunity Shop St. Tues -Sat 10am-3pm 5242409 I et s do our I art, • ease recycl - understand they have a voice in their community, they understand the civic process. If they help to build their future, research shows the rate of return to their community is much higher': It was stated by Lass in the meeting, that at this point in time there is no municipal influence, yet the program continues to have incredible success and outreach to the youth in Perth County. According to 'Migration Characteristics and Trends Huron County' issued in September 2016, between the years 2009 and 2014, Huron County saw a decrease of 2344 persons. In addition, the 'Employ- erOne Survey Observations 2016; presented data show- ing that the Huron County workforce has only 15% of employees represented by persons under the age of 25, and 39% of employers expe- rienced great difficulty to fill positions due'`to a lack of applicants. The focus of the program is to educate youth about their municipal govern- ments. To teach the youth practices on how to gather data that is important to develop economic planning in order to achieve retention - to give the youth a voice in making a difference in their community. During the presentation Goderich Mayor Kevin Morri- son showed interest with the program that would educate, engage and assist with reten- tion in the community for the youth of Huron County. "It's important to get the message out there. But we aren't getting the message out there to the young peo- ple of the benefits of being here in Huron County': Mayor Morrison elabo- rated by, stating that this type of outreach would benefit the already existing youth committee in Goderich. "1 like this. 1 think it's a great start. I look forward to see what happens as the pro- gram evolves".