The Times Advocate, 2006-07-26, Page 11:5
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Wednesday, July 26, 2006
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Bikers raise $560,000 for MS
The RONA MS Bike Tour rolled from Grand Bend to London and back again on the weekend, with over 1,000
riders raising $560,000 to fight MS. Some of the local riders who took part were from left, Joe Kaak of Shipka,
who raised almost $3,000; Jordan and Michael Skochinski of Exeter who raised $1,300; and Scott and Bryce
Halpenny of Exeter who helped raise close to $20,000 as part of their 24 -person team, with Bryce raising
over $1,000 in his rookie year. (photos/Pat Bolen)
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
GRAND BEND — The RONA MS
Bike Tour came to Grand Bend
on the weekend with over 1,000
bikers making the trip from
Grand Bend to London and back,
raising $560,000, exceeding the
goal of $500,000.
The tour, a distance of 150
kilometres, is the largest tour in
Ontario and is close to becoming
the largest in Canada according
to MS officials.
The cyclists left the Port Blake
Conservation Area Saturday
morning, spent the night at the
University of Western Ontario
and returned to Port Blake
Sunday for a barbecue.
Several local residents partici-
pated in the ride, some for the
first time, while others were vet-
erans of previous years.
One biker who was on the tour
for the second year was Joe
Kaak of Shipka, who first did
the trip two years ago.
Kaak, who did the tour for the
first time after having a knee
replaced, was on this year's tour
after having his second knee
replaced.
An avid tennis player, Kaak
said he has been doing training
rides of 40 or 50 kilometres
twice a week to prepare for the
tour as well as weights, stretch-
ing and an aerobic ball.
He was riding to raise money in
memory of a friend and raised
close to $3,000.
"I'm lucky and thankful I can
do it," says Kaak who adds he
hopes it might encourage others
to participate in the tour.
Drew Robertson runs for deputy mayor
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
SOUTH HURON — Crediton's
Drew Robertson is running for
deputy mayor in South Huron's fall
municipal election.
The former South Huron and
Stephen Township councillor and
retired teacher recently filed his
nomination papers and is interest-
ed in a number of issues.
At the top of the list is the $6.2
million Crediton/Centralia sewer
project, which Robertson said will
put some residents and religious
institutions in tough financial
straits.
Robertson also wants to take a
look at building permit fees. While
he says they have to reflect a cost
recovery component, they must
also be in line with the area they
cover and should reflect the latest
building technologies.
Robertson also wants to see some
of South Huron's bylaws looked at.
"Too frequently the bylaws are
broken because they don't have
any teeth in them ... It's to the
detriment to the entire area when
Drew
Robertson
bylaws are bro-
ken, especially
property stan-
dards bylaws. I
think they should
be looked at and
reviewed."
Funding is
another issue
Robertson is con-
cerned about. He
says there should
be more equitable
funding from the
other level of governments for
smaller municipalities.
Concerning Huron Park, while the
residential side has been "cleaned
up," Robertson said the municipali-
ty has to ensure the industrial side
is kept viable.
He also wants to ensure South
Huron's landfill site is managed
well and expresses concern about
garbage from other areas coming
here when other landfill sites start
to fill up.
Another concern of Robertson's is
keeping youth in the area. He said
he'd like to work with the school
board on that issue.
"There's a constant need for
skilled workers," Robertson says,
adding that the county's population
is declining and it has an impact on
schools.
Robertson would also like to see
"government respected for what
they do. I think it's a whole lot
more difficult on the other side of
the table, and I don't think the pub-
lic really realizes how difficult it is."
Robertson says he would like to see
a big turnout for this November's
election.
The environment is another inter-
est of Robertson's and he says
alternative energies are growing in
popularity.
Asked why he decided to run for
deputy mayor instead of the coun-
cillor position he held in the previ-
ous term, Robertson said he simply
has more time now. Defeated in the
last election, Robertson said he
missed council work.
"I found council invigorating ... I
found council enjoyable," he says,
adding no two meetings are the
same and, unlike politicians at the
See ROBERTSON page 2
Water a big issue
for ethanol plant
By Scott Nixon
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
HENSALL — Water and sewage remain the two
biggest hurdles in making the $150 million Hensall
ethanol plant a reality.
That was the message July 19 at a public meeting
at the Hensall Community Centre, hosted by the
company bringing the plant to Hensall, GreenField
Ethanol (formerly Commercial Alcohols Inc.).
The plant will produce 200 million litres of ethanol
per year, consuming 20 million bushels of corn per
year, primarily from local growers, although as
GreenField vice-president of corporate affairs Bliss
Baker said, Ontario doesn't produce enough corn
for the province's needs, so some U.S. corn will be
used.
It's expected construction of the plant will create
150 jobs for 18 months. When finished, there will be
40 permanent jobs at the plant, as well as spin-off
jobs in the trucking and maintenance sectors,
GreenField says, adding there will be over $40 mil-
lion in new dollars spent every year in the area,
with increased sales in local stores and a new
source of tax revenue for the municipality.
The ethanol plant will be a dry mill; Bliss said
there are large wet mills in the U.S. and explained
ethanol can also be made out of products such as
potatoes. He said the business is booming in the
U.S.
Baker said the company is looking to start con-
struction in the fall.
"We're moving quite quickly," he said, with an
operational date for the plant of 2008. The ethanol
plant will be to the west of the railway tracks at
Hensall's north end adjacent to the Hensall District
Co-op.
While relatively minor issues such as zoning and
permits still have to be dealt with, water and
sewage are the main issues. The plant will need
2,000 cubic metres of water per day. Put simply,
there isn't enough water available right now, and
that's where the proposed new multi-million dollar
pipeline project from Lake Huron to Exeter to
Hensall comes in. Bliss said GreenField "will pay
our fair share, absolutely."
In terms of pollution, Bliss said it's predominantly
steam that comes out of the ethanol plant's stacks
and he anticipates no odour problems. He said the
plant will be at the north end of the property and
will be farther away from Hensall homes than the
Co-op is.
Bliss said the plant will meet or exceed all
Ministry of the Environment requirements and stud-
ies will be done on air, noise, traffic and water.
Water discharged from the plant is "fairly clean,"
Bliss said, but the water is concentrated and it is
still to be determined whether or not it can be dis-
charged to Lake Huron.
One of the issues raised by the public was where
GreenField will buy its corn from.
"We want to be in Huron County for a reason,"
Bliss said, explaining that there is "lots of corn
here" and ethanol plants are built where there is
corn. He said it only makes sense to buy local corn
first, but the plant will nm 24 hours a day, seven
days a week and there simply isn't enough local
corn to cover the plant's needs. He said some of the
corn GreenField buys from elevators will be U.S.
corn.
Earl Wagner of the Hensall District Co-op spoke of
the relationship the Co-op will have with the ethanol
plant, saying the plant provides opportunities for
the Co-op, Hensall and local farmers. He said the
plant will benefit Co-op members because prices
See ETHANOL page 2