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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-01-02, Page 3Wednesday,January 2, 2008 Times—Advocate 3 THE EXETER TIMES -ADVOCATE SURVEYED PROMINENT MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY ASKING FOR THEIR FORECAST OF 2008. WILL IT BE A YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE OR CHALLENGES OR WILL IT BE A YEAR OF CUTBACKS, HARD DECISIONS OR HARD WORK? baa ORGANIZATION: Media Relations/Community Services Officer with Huron OPP JOANNA VAN MIERLO 2008 will be the year of the family. I hope that the new year will pro- vide us with an opportunity to slow our lives just enough for us to remember that we are parents. Obviously we need to work and make a living, but we also need to learn to make time for our children. We had children with the idea of raising them until they become self sufficient adults who go off and create a family of their own. In order to accomplish that task, we need to take time to parent them. Read a story together, go for a walk, know who their friends are, snug- gle on the couch, help with homework (although that gets harder each year). It's a slow building process but the investment will pay back a hundred -fold when our kids tell us they love us or go on to post -sec- ondary education, or get a good job and become responsible communi- ty members themselves. 2008 should be the year of the family and I challenge parents to be just that — parents. • REGIONAL WRAP UP • Imeson theft charge dropped WINDSOR —A theft charge has been dropped against accused 22 -year-old triple murderer Jesse Imeson in Windsor's Provincial Court Dec. 18, reports the Windsor Star. The Crown continues to whittle down the outstanding lesser criminal offences in the case. Imeson appeared briefly from the maximum security Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre in London via video link. This was Imeson's second day in a row to hear the charge officially dropped. Imeson is charged with the shooting deaths of William and Helene Regier, an elderly couple of the Mount Carmel area, who were found in their farm- house July 23. He is also charged with the strangling death of 25 -year-old Carlos Rivera of Windsor, also killed in July. Imeson was captured July 31, in Quebec after a two-week manhunt. Imeson's case is remanded until Jan. 17 at the Goderich Court House and Jan. 29 in Windsor. Snowmobile riding an issue MIDDLESEX — Several reports of snowmobiles being driven in Middlesex towns have been reported to the Middlesex OPP. In many cases pedestrians were nearly hit by snowmobiles being driven unsafely. Snowmobiles are not allowed to be driven on Middlesex streets and are not permitted to be driven on sidewalks. Snowmobiles covered by insurance are only allowed to be driven across a road if the operator is at least 16 years old and has a valid drivers licence or has a motorized snow vehicle licence. If the driver of a snow vehicle refuses to stop for a police officer the fine can be up to $25,000. The Middlesex OPP are encouraging residents to report any incidents of unsafe snowmobile use to police. ABCA renews DFO partnership Continued from front page In response to concerns raised by Huron East director Bill Weber that the cost of the program should be paid by the federal government, Prout said costs for the ABCA would be the same with or without the agreement. Prout added the ABCA educates DFO staff about rural drains and if it wasn't for the agreement, local municipalities would have to deal with the Burlington office of the DFO. "It's not perfect but it's better than it would be," said Prout. The motion was then passed approving the renewal of the agree- ment. 'No' from Lambton Shores SOUTH HURON — If the proposed study of Port Blake goes ahead, there won't be a financial contribution from Lambton Shores. As earlier reported, South Huron has decided to go ahead with a $30,000 review of Port Blake Park to determine the park's future. The property, south of the water treatment plant on Highway 21, is owned by the City of London but operated by South Huron. With a $30,000 budget for the study, South Huron had agreed to pay $15,000, with the proposal that Lambton Shores, Bluewater and the Lake Huron Primary Water Supply System kick in $5,000 each. But as explained in a letter to South Huron dated Nov. 27, Lambton Shores has decided not to contribute to the study. Lambton Shores clerk Carol McKenzie wrote that while Lambton Shores approves of the study in principle, "due to the Lambton Shores commit- ment to fund extensive upgrades and improvements at the Grand Bend beach, council was unable to approve the financial participation in the Port Blake project." The municipality did, however, offer staff expertise with the project. Mayor Ken Oke said South Huron will have to make a decision on how to fund the study. THE EXETER TIMES -ADVOCATE SURVEYED PROMINENT MEMBERS IN OUR COMMUNITY ASKING FOR THEIR FORECAST OF 2008.WILL IT BE A YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE OR CHALLENGES OR WILL IT BE A YEAR OF CUTBACKS, HARD DECISIONS OR HARD WORK? ORGANIZATION: General Manager and o!� Secretary Treasurer, ABCA TOM The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority PROUT (ABCA) board of directors and staff would like to wish you, your family and friends a very Merry Christmas season and a healthy, prosperous new year in 2008. We are blessed to have a watershed community where so many conservation - minded residents and landowners join with the ABCA and other partner agencies, departments and municipalities to achieve greater environmental health for all. We look out our windows and see the pristine snow on our trees and glass -like ice on our watercourses and we thank those people who had the vision to plant those trees and protect those streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. We thank the municipalities who help us protect life and property in the water- shed through conservation authority programs. I'm not one for making a lot of New Year's resolutions — because it's too easy to break them — but I would like to send a few New Year's wishes. I wish for adequate rain in the new year for our farmers. I hope for our environmental health and for the physical well-being of you, your family and friends. Finally, I resolve to do my best in the New Year to find new ways to preserve wetlands and water quality in our watershed as articulated in our new Watershed Report Card. The ABCA board of directors adopted a Position Paper on Climate Change in 2007 and in 2008 we resolve to help build a stronger, more resilient watershed to better equip us for the future. The Christmas season is a perfect time to reflect on the watershed community's successes in 2007: from stewardship workshops to tree and buffer planting to involvement with water quality and source protection initiatives. I would also like to look forward to a healthy environment in the new year as we educate children and youth about conservation and work together with landown- ers to create a greener future. We invite you to become involved as a patron or donor of the Conservation Dinner to help us create accessible trails, commemorative woods and conservation education opportunities in the future — and we thank all of you who have support- ed these efforts in the past. We thank you for your support in the past year of important initiatives such as the Old Ausable Channel Long -Term Management Plan. As you take part in winter time activities we invite you to enjoy the natural spaces available through your local conservation areas and accessible trails. TAKE THE SMOKE OUTSIDE There is no safe amount of exposure to secondhand smoke. www.huroncounty.calhealth 519.482.3416 Huron County Ho I h Unit SMOKE FREE ONTARIO Adopted with permission by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit