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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-09-01, Page 1(519)235-1115 www.hurontractor.com INHURON TRACTOR lawA jcc4c� `JC3 .rrt\ TIMES -ADVOCATE Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday,September 1, 2004 x.25 (includes GST) Local students to spend year in Europe ‘r" By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF ZURICH — When school opens next week, two area teenagers will be in schools farther away from home than they would have imagined a few months ago. Michelle Denomme of Zurich and Ann Simmons of Hensall will be starting school in Europe this Fall as part of year-long Rotary exchange programs. Denomme left for Belgium last week and will be Tr � ve H 0 staying in Waterloo cfor the next year while Simmons will be in Bulgaria. Denomme, 18 and a graduate of South Huron District High started the process a year ago after hearing about Rotary exchanges from a friend. After completing the lengthy interview process, she found out Christmas Day she had been accepted. Denomme prepared a list of 44 possible countries with Italy at the top of her list and Belgium second with Spain, Brazil and Switzerland her next three. She will be staying with three different host families during Michelle Denomme of Zurich (above) and Ann Simmons of Hensall (at left) will be spending the next year attending schools in Europe as part of Rotary exchange programs. Denomme will be in Belgium while Simmons will be in Bulgaria. (photos/PatBolen) her stay in Belgium, with French the language in the area, which Denomme says she can speak fairly well. With a population of 30,000, Waterloo will be a big change from Zurich according to Denomme, who also went to France for three months in Grade 10, an experience she described as awesome. Another difference at the high school Denomme will be attend- ing will be the required school uniforms. While in Europe, Denomme says she would like to visit Italy, London, Amerstadam and Prague. Her future plans include an around the world trip in five years. She says she has already made friends from around the world at several conferences and encourages others to apply for exchanges saying,"there is nothing to lose." Sixteen -year-old Simmons will be going to Bulgaria through Rotary of St. Marys, and learned of the exchanges through her uncle who is involved with Rotary. Since she didn't start the process until December, Simmons had only six countries to pick from. She selected Thailand, Brazil, Japan, Bulgaria, South Korea and Germany. Simmons said the interview process involved questions ask- ing what she would do in cer- tain situations. They included questions such as "what if your host father is a racist?," which she described as "losing no matter what you say." The culture in Bulgaria, according to Simmons, is con- siderably different from Canada. There are fines for not regis- tering with the police when she arrives and she is required to update her passport every three months while she is there. Simmons, who will be exchanging for the first time, will be staying in Kardjali. It is a town of 25,000 about three hours from the capital of Sofia and close to Greece and Turkey, which she would also like to visit. One of the reasons Simmons picked Bulgaria was that it was- n't one of the usual destinations selected by exchange students and to break down stereotypes of Bulgaria being a third world country. She has already encountered stereotypes of Canada, includ- ing that the country is always cold and that all the citizens speak French and is looking for- ward to breaking down barri- ers. "I'm very excited, I just want to go," said Simmons, who would also like to visit Kenya sometime after she brushes up on her Swahili. Bluewater council faces opposition to pesticide ban By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF VARNA – Bluewater council was urged to move care- fully on pesticide bans in Bluewater by a representative from the lawn care industry Monday night in Varna. Mark Coulthard, owner of the Weed Man in Goderich, spoke to council about why pesticide bylaws are not as effective as the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) stan- dards the lawn care industry is adopting. Coulthard said Weed Man has been operating in Bluewater for 25 years and is in its first year of being an IPM accredited company. According to Coulthard, the IPM system begins with a series of exams for company employees, as well as desk audits to ensure the company is not selling products for no reason. On site audits are also conducted to check compliance with training standards. Coulthard said his company has been working on its IPM plan for two years and has reduced its pesticide use by 50 to 60 per cent in its first year of being accredited. According to Coulthard, with the growing number of houses in the Bluewater area, his services are in demand. "People want our services. If you have an unenforce- able bylaw it just takes me out of the picture but resi- dents will still use the products." "The biggest issue right now is fearmongering. People are stockpiling products because they think they are going to be banned." Coulthard asked Bluewater council to agree to the principals of the IPM saying, "if activist groups have their way, farmers will be next." "We're not in the chemical business," said Coulthard. "If we can use less of a product, it's better for us. We do use organic products but they're not up to snuff right now. We want to be in the forefront and give residents a healthy lawn in the most environmental way." Council then thanked Coulthard for his presentation. In other business a petition was brought before council asking that a noise bylaw be enacted in Bluewater. Tom Browne said he and the rest of the approximately 25 people who have signed his petition are upset over excessive noise Browne says occurs as late as 3 a.m. With Bayfield the only community in Bluewater that has a noise bylaw, Browne said the only option for restricting offenders is to charge them under the Criminal Code, which many people feel is too severe. Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson said with the municipal- ity being a predominately rural area, he would have a problem supporting a blanket bylaw across the whole area. "We have to let farmers work," said Dowson. Browne said other municipalities have dealt with such concerns in their by laws. A motion was then passed to proceed with drafting a noise bylaw. Playground co-ordinator Erin Wiley will be returning in the summer of 2005 after receiving a vote of confi- dence from council. Wiley presented a report on the 2004 Bluewater sum- mer program, saying there were an average of 30 chil- dren at all three sites over the summer and the program lost $4,000 this year, down from $7,000 last year. She recommended cancelling the swimming portion of the playground activities next summer, since it was poorly attended this year. Wiley also said there should be more fundraising done, as well as hiring leaders and staff earlier. A motion was then passed to continue the playground in 2005 and to hire Wiley again as the co-ordinator. Large cat spotted BLUEWATER — Is there a big cat lurking in the area? Last week Huron OPP received a call of a large cat being spotted in the Ridgeway Road area of Bluewater. On Aug. 27 at 6:15 p.m. a woman walked out of a building and saw a large three-foot cat with a two - foot tail sitting near an apple tree. The cat was beige and looked to weigh about 60 pounds. When the woman approached the animal it ran into a nearby ravine. Officers investigating further have learned of three more reports from others living in the same area of this animal being spotted near their homes. Huron OPP has no idea if this is a large domestic cat or if it could be a Lynx. Households in the Bluewater area are asked to be careful with all domestic small animals. If you have spotted this cat please notify the local OPP or contact the Ministry of Natural Resources local office at 1- 519-482-3601.