HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-08-25, Page 22
Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Regional
wrap up
Landfill site
BLYTH — The future
of the Blyth Hullett
landfill site is still in
question as North
Huron awaits an engi-
neer's report.
The Citizen reported
clerk -administrator
John Stewart explained
the testing done on the
wells some time ago
had shown chloride
levels above the
Ministry of the
Environment's stan-
dards. An engineer is
now considering what
the cost will be to solve
the problem.
Health care
premium
GODERICH — Ontario
Premier Dalton
McGuinty defended his
party's controversial
health care premium
during a recent media
blitz through midwest-
ern Ontario.
The Goderich Signal -
Star reported the pre-
mier stopped short of
apologizing for a
breaking a number of
campaign promises.
McGuinty said the
"difficult decision" to
implement the premi-
ums was made after
the provincial auditor
revealed a provincial
debt of nearly $6 bil-
lion — about $4 billion
more than expected.
Aesthetic
unityCLIN ON — Hamlets
and other small com-
munities may soon
have a stronger link to
Clinton in the munici-
pality of Central Huron.
The Clinton News -
Record reported
Central Huron council
met with Jurie Berzins,
an urban designer and
landscape designer, at
a public meeting to dis-
cuss creating a coher-
ent look for the whole
municipality.
Berzins focused on
updating Clinton
Community Park and
Clinton's downtown
core. After taking
many photos of the
area, the urban plan-
ner said he has made
about 30 suggestions
for improvement.
Conservation education programs offered to students
By Mary Simmons
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
AUSABLE BAYFIELD — Conservation
Education Specialist Erin Dolmage updated
the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority
(ABCA) board on her activities in 2004 at their
meeting Aug. 19.
The conservation authority held the annual
Spring Water Awareness Program for elemen-
tary school students to educate them on flood-
ing, thin ice and the dangers that occur during
the spring thaw.
Dolmage said the program includes power -
point presentations, demonstrations and
games.
She said there are 32 elementary schools in
the watershed and 11 schools participated in
the program. She said participation was down
from the year before because of the amount of
snow days. Also, some schools participate on a
bi-annual basis.
The board agreed this program should be
offered again next year.
A snowshoeing program was also offered to
area students in January and February. Due
to size limitations of the snow shoes, some stu-
dents had to be turned away, so Dolmage rec-
ommended buying adult snow shoes for the
older children.
March Break Day Camps were held with 19
children participating in a variety of activities
including an animal tracks discovery hike, ani-
mal tracks crafts, stories, songs, learning how
to build a campfire in the winter and snow -
shoeing.
The 5th annual Easter in the Park was held
at Morrison Dam with the help of local spon-
sors.
The Sylvan Conservation Program saw stu-
dents from four schools attending classes on a
variety of topics such as orienteering, water
quality and the survival game for two -and -a -
half days.
Re -investment
General Manager Tom Prout asked the
board to support Conservation Ontario's initia-
tive to lobby the provincial government to re-
invest in conservation authorities.
Prout said Conservation Ontario has submit -
Wrench
Benders are
•
coming
EXETER - The Wrench
Benders Cruise Night is
this Friday night in con-
junction with the Zurich
Bean Festival.
The route for this cruise
begins in Zurich Friday
night at 7 p.m. The cars
travel through Hensall on
Hwy. 84 enroute to
Exeter.
The cars will travel from
Exeter to the Crediton Rd.
turning West through
Crediton to the Bronson
Line. Heading north on
Bronson Line the cars will
travel straight through
Dashwood to Hwy. 84
then East back into
Zurich.
ted a formal request to the Ministry of Natural
Resources (MNR) on behalf of 36 member
authorities.
The submission asks the MNR to return to a
partnership like the one which existed before
the province stopped contributing 50 per cent
funding in 1996. The submission specifically
refers to re -investment in activities which are
provincially delegated and defined as eligible
for provincial transfer payments by the min-
istry's policies.
Prout said the financial implication of
provincial re -investment would be positive for
the ABCA and its member municipalities since
they are now covering the costs of activities
which used to be shared by the province.
The board agreed to support the initiative. A
resolution will be sent to member municipali-
ties for their support.
Drinking water
Prout also updated the board on Ontario
drinking water source protection planning leg-
islation.
He said it is expected that the Drinking
Water Source Protection Act will be passed by
the end of the year.
While the board has discussed source pro-
tection planning in the past, it has never for-
mally supported it, so a resolution was passed
endorsing the provincial government's multi -
barrier approach to protect drinking water
through source protection planning.
The ABCA will be the lead conservation
authority in a partnership with the Maitland
Valley Conservation Authority.
The board gave its support on the condition
that the province cover 100 per cent of the
cost.
Prout informed the board there is an area in
Lambton Shores which does not belong to a
conservation authority and it may join with
their watershed region for source protection
planning purposes. It also has the option of
joining the St. Clair Conservation Authority's
grouping with the Upper Thames River
Conservation Authority.
As for its own drinking water at the adminis-
tration office, in order to comply with new reg-
ulations the ABCA is looking into the possibili-
ty of hooking up to municipal water.
Hobbs McKenzie Watershed Study
A study was undertaken by the University of
Guelph to investigate why landowners in the
Hobbs McKenzie watershed were not applying
for grants for stewardship projects.
Prout told the board various factors were
outlined in the report, including:
• lack of awareness about the initiatives;
• lack of awareness about environmental
problems;
• extra costs of projects;
• lack of funds or rejection of application;
• low financial return on investment;
• wariness of government agencies and pro-
grams.
Prout said the conservation will have to work
with the landowners to create a better work-
ing relationship.
He said the focus will be to educate them on
the programs offered as well as the role of the
ABCA.
"The information and education component
is extremely important," he said.
Prout said the next step will be to discuss the
project with landowners in the area and ask
for their input on what they think needs to be
done.
Shotgun found
CENTRAL HURON — On Aug. 14 at 12:30
a.m. an officer stopped a grey Buick LeSabre
on Bayfield Road in Central Huron when it was
observed wandering over the centre line.
The driver was found with alcohol on his
breath and was given the roadside test, which
he failed. He was also found with two different
driver licence's belonging to two people. It was
determined who the driver was and further
searching in the vehicle found a quantity of
open alcohol inside the car along with a 16 -
gauge shotgun. The driver was taken for
breath tests and found to be just below the
level of criminal driving charges being laid.
The 17 -year-old male from Bluewater has
been charged with unauthorized possession of
a firearm, liquor violations and Highway
Traffic violations. He was also issued a 12 -
hour licence suspension for driving the vehicle
with levels above 50 mgs.
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