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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-02-01, Page 22 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, February 1, 2006 Animal control officer asks for more authority By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF VARNA — Huron County animal control officer Bob Trick is look- ing for more authority from Bluewater so he can do his job safer. Trick presented his annual report to council Jan. 23 and asked for the authority to shoot dogs if he feels threatened. "I'm out there by myself, people no longer have collies," he said. He asked if when deal- ing with a vicious dog, "should I get in my truck and drive away or deal with the situation?" Bluewater Mayor Bill Dowson said he has no problem backing Trick but asked whether a tran- quilizer gun would be effective. Trick said a tranquilizer could take 15 minutes to work and a dog could either take off or continue to attack. "It's not a lot of good," he added. Trick said he has the authority to shoot injured or sick dogs but needs the support of council to shoot a dog to protect himself. Trick also asked for guidance from council on what to do with vicious dogs he has captured that vets in the area won't accept in order to protect their staff. "When you meet a dog in attack mode, it scares the hell out of you," Trick said, adding there are only two pitbulls regis- tered in the municipality and that pitbull owners should follow the regula- tions. "A neighbour may have to tell about a neigh- bour," said Dowson. In other council news: Bluewater Shoreline Residents Association (BSRA) president John Gillespie gave council an update on the group's water testing program and what it is looking at doing in 2006. Gillespie said while there was some improve- ment in water quality in 2005, no improvement was shown in ravines. He said of the $5,000 grant the BSRA received from council, $3,000 was used for testing, allowing the remaining funds to be used for projects to improve communications between lakeshore and inland property owners and identification of cont- amination sources. For 2006, Gillespie said the BSRA has five pro- jects it would like to carry out, including continuing lake and ravine testing; selecting and testing an additional ravine; envi- ronmental farm plans reimbursement of costs to Study will look at St. Marys program Continued from front page In the past couple of years, a group called Canadian Parents For French has appeared before Avon Maitland trustees on more than one occasion, lobbying for French Immersion expansion. After a series of information -gath- ering meetings last year, an initial decision was made to abandon plans for expansion. But further pressure from the group eventually resulted in a request from trustees to hold preliminary registrations in St. Marys, Exeter, Goderich, Clinton, Wingham, Mitchell and Listowel. Entry into French Immersion has proven most successful for Grades 1 and 2, and administration advised studying each location further if a threshold of 21 Grades 1 and 2 stu- dents was achieved during those registrations, held in early December. Only the St. Marys pre- liminary registration came even close, with 19 students expressing interest, but education director Geoff Williams said administration wanted to "err on the safe side" and examine the possibility of expansion despite not quite reaching the threshold. In the registration process, Mitchell was next with 11 students, followed by Exeter and Listowel with nine, Wingham with eight, Clinton with six and Goderich with five. (The Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board offers French Immersion programs in Stratford and Goderich.) No examination for expansion will be made in those communities. According to Perth South trustee Carol Bennewies, 11 of the 19 potential registrants already attend South Perth Centennial, a rural school which serves communities in the former Blanshard Township such as Rannoch, Anderson, Kirkton and Whalen Corners, as well as the area directly surrounding the Town of St. Marys. Bennewies said she heard from a parent that most of those children would not attend the program if it was not in their home school. In the first years of the program, a small -sized bus would be provided to bring other students from St. Marys. Other additional costs would be for teachers, classroom resources, and possibly the provi- sion of a vice-principal for South Perth Centennial who would have responsibility for the French Immersion portion of the school. There are specific government grants which assist in the provision of French Immersion but, according to the report from Stanley, they are inadequate for covering a program in a board like Avon Maitland and smaller communities like St. Marys. In what Williams referred to as a "worst-case scenario," calculations in the report suggest it's possible the total cost of providing the program would be as much as $145,494, while the extra grants received would total just $6,137. The differ- ence — almost $140,000 — would have to come out of some other por- tion of the board's budget. Bennewies expressed surprise the difference could be so large. And she wasn't alone. Board chairperson Meg Westley asked Williams to clarify that much of the new program's cost would have to be found somewhere in the board's existing budget. And she urged administration to provide as much information and advice as possible to trustees before their Feb. 14 decision. As seen on page 1, the number of participants and dollars raised at this year's Alzheimer Society of Huron County Walk for Memories increased over last year.The team above raised about $1,000, and was walking for Roberta Templeman (back row, fourth from left, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease). In front from left are Barb Hartman, Darlene Ellison,WandaVan Bakel and Becky Ahrens; in back are Kim Bertens, Michelle Scherbarth (holding Cameron Hartwig),Templeman, John Ahrens and Fay Martyn. (photo/Scott Nixon) property owners; feasibil- ity of wetland drain pilot project and an environ- mental conference with a funding request of $5,000 for each project. Dowson said council would talk to the BSRA as the municipal budget is worked on. Facilities manager Tom Dickens presented a report to council deter- mining that the play- ground equipment at the Varna Complex is unsafe and must be removed. Dickens said the cost of replacing the equipment was estimated at $50,000. Mavis Govier, from the Bluewater/Stanley Recreation Committee said the equipment is unsafe and although any- thing that posed an immediate danger has been removed, the remaining equipment "is a deathtrap." Govier told council it will cost an estimated $43,000 plus the cost of a base to buy the new equipment. Coun. John Becker said he couldn't believe the amount of use the play- ground gets and that council should get on with replacing it. A motion to allocate $50,000 from the Stanley Park Land Reserve failed before another motion passed permitting the committee to put out request for proposals to replace the equipment. Survey shows small return Continued from front page isn't sure what his next move will be. Burrell previously told the T -A he wants to buy his home and was told that one day he would be able to. Burrell said he believes there are three reasons Huron Park residents didn't return their surveys to him: apathy, a defeatist attitude and fear. "I would like to thank the people that did have the courage to send me their surveys," he said. Of the four residents who responded to Burrell's sur- vey, they all wanted to buy their homes and two or three offered to sit on a committee. Burrell said he has received phone calls from Huron Park residents asking him what he thinks will happen to them now that the residential side is for sale. Burrell also approached the Ontario ombudsman for help, but was told nothing could be done about the province's decision to sell to one buyer. REGIONAL WRAP UP • MVCA needing funds HURON — The Maitland alley Conservation Authority (MVCA) is hoping for more funds from North Huron. Phil Beard of the MVCA attended North Huron council recently to discuss the township's investment in conservation. Beard said the MVCA needs $14,250 extra from North Huron to stabilize the budget and make capital upgrades, according to The Citizen. He said the MVCA has been careful for the past nine years with increasing their levy but restrictive regulations have caused the MVCA to use project funds. "We have been frugal in terms of raising the levy and this has probably been to our detriment now," said Beard. Truscott appeal won't air HURON — A three-member court of appeal panel turned down CBC's request to broadcast Steven Truscott's appeal, according to The Clinton News - Record. Truscott was convicted in 1959, at age 14 of killing 12 -year-old school mate Lynne Harper. Chief Justice Roy McMurtry referred to the Ontario Courts of Justice Act which prohibits the recording of court proceedings, when explaining the decision. Truscott and his lawyers took no position on the CBC application. Memory Beads PARKHILL — Lori Langford, a woman who lost her daughter Abby in 1998 to Leukemia has created "Memory Beads" in commemoration of family mem- bers who lost their cancer battle, according to The Parkhill Gazette. The bracelets are made of European glass beads which come in five different colours in a sterling sil- ver memory box. For more information visit www.memory-beads.ca or contact Langford at 868-9187.