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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-06-08, Page 5Wednesday, June 8, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 5 Ministry of Energy reassures South Bruce leaked plan to phase out natural gas is 'nonsense' The Minister of Energy's parliamentary assistant called reports of Ontario phasing out natural gas as "nonsense," and committed to its long-term provincial energy role. Liberal MPP Bob Dela- ney reassured the Munici- pality of Kincardine on Wednesday that reports in the media were unsubstanti- ated and the fossil fuel will be part of the province's long-term energy plan for the foreseeable future. "I'd like to reassure the community here in Kincar- dine that reports of Ontario moving away from natural gas are nonsense" Delaney said. The Liberal MPP for Mis- sissauga-Streetsville was in town June 1, 2016, for a meeting with local council- lors and members of the nat- ural gas provider EPCOR Utilities Inc. to reassure them that there is no weight behind a report leaked to the Globe and Mail that stated Ontario will phase out the use of natural gas for heating homes and businesses. Kincardine, along with local municipalities Arran- Elderslie and Huron -Kinloss, has long fought to gain the inexpensive energy source and it seemed it was nearing this goal when in September 2015 they collec- tively announced EPCOR as their preferred natural gas supplier. Then in February, the municipalities further edged towards bringing natural gas to the region by entering into a franchise agreement with the utility. Following the May 16 pub- lication of the leaked report, however, the optimism and momentum surrounding the push to bring the fossil fuel here seemed dashed leaving local mayors speechless and frustrated. Delaney, calling the report "weird" and "off the wall," said he was surprised it even took traction. Natural gas, he said, will have a role in Ontario for the long-term foreseeable future. "Ontario has used natural gas for decades. We use it suc- cessfully to heat our homes, to heat our businesses and Ontario will have a role for natural gas for decades and decades to come," he said. The false report, as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has since called it, may have been a section from an early draft of a document, Delaney said, and once published took on a life of its own. "But Ontario is not, not, not going to phase out natu- ral gas," he said. Delaney then urged the municipalities to apply for part of a $230 million provin- cial grant created to help rural communities gain the utility, especially consider- ing its genesis was born fol- lowing a visit he made to Kincardine to discuss natu- ral gas three years ago. "Now it's a program we'd like to see rolled out and I can't think of an area where an application for a piece of that money would be better than right here in Kincar- dine," he said, adding the government wants rural Ontario "to be connected to a secure, reliable, affordable source of natural gas." Huron -Kinloss mayor Mitch Twolan said he was "very pleased" with what Delaney had to say. "After that newspaper report had come out there was a lot of angry folks con- tacting us to find out what the heck is going on," and hearing Delaney say that natural gas is still part of the province's long-term plans "sure put our group at ease to say the least," he said over the phone Thursday. Despite the report, Twolan said the municipalities con- tinued to pursue bringing natural gas to the region, but hearing the news from Dela- ney was proof they had the support of the provincial government. "It sure showed us as a group the commitment by the Ontario government to move forward with natural gas and having Mr. Delaney sure hit that home even fur- ther," he said. Municipality of Kincar- dine deputy mayor Jacque- line Faubert said her munici- pality appreciated the reassurance that the leaked report was inaccurate. "It was very curious and odd to me when the report came out and I'm glad he clarified to us that natural gas expansion in rural Ontario is going ahead and the government is fully com- mitted to seeing natural gas being part of the energy portfolio," she said. Stuart Lee, EPCOR's presi- dent and CEO, said Wednes- day following his meeting with Delaney that the leaked report did cause some con- cern at his office.He contin- ued that he now wants the government to disseminate its stance on natural gas broadly to the public as the success of the project to bring the utility to South Bruce depends on the conversion rate "[The public] has to feel comfortable much like we need to feel comfortable around the fact that they're not going to invest in a new furnace and new ducting and find out in 10 or 15 years they are going to have to convert back. So I think it's pretty important for all of us to feel that level of comfort," he said. "Last week's announce- ment quite frankly for us set Huron Health Unit urges protection from from mosquito, tick bites this summer identified as a blacklegged As people spend more time outdoors, the Huron County Health Unit wants to remind the public to protect themselves against tick and mosquito bites. "With the warm weather here, ticks and mosquitoes are more active," said pub- lic health inspector Keshia Hackett. "Our mosquito and tick surveillance pro- grams are underway at the Huron County Health Unit': Our West Nile virus mosquito trapping pro- gram will commence mid- June. West Nile virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The easiest way to prevent infection is to prevent mosquito bites, especially during dawn and dusk when many mosquito species are most active. The Huron County Health Unit has submitted multiple ticks this year for identification. One tick was tick that tested negative for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Lyme disease is spread through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. A tick must be attached and feeding for at least 24 hours before the tick will start to transmit the bacteria, so early detec- tion and removal is important. While outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather, there are some precautions to take to prevent tick and mosquito bites: • Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts, long pants and closed -toed shoes. • Use an insect repellent approved by Health Canada, and always read and follow the manufacturer's instructions. • Conduct head -to -toe tick checks. If you find a tick on you, remove it using tweezers, grasping the tick as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight out slowly but firmly. Place the tick in a container and bring it to your healthcare provider or the Huron County Health Unit for identification and testing if needed For more information on West Nile virus and Lyme Happy Birthday BRAD disease and ways to pro- tect yourself, visit huron- healthunit.ca GOTCHA!! * •. • .. ®. • Darryl Coote/Reporter EPCOR president and CEO Stuart Lee speaks to the media Wednesday following a meeting with the Minister of Energy's parliamentary assistant Bob Delaney who reassured him that the Ontario government was not phasing out natural gas. us back a little bit," he said. The Edmonton -based util- ity has committed to invest- ing $100 million to bring nat- ural gas to South Bruce, and he admitted to fielding calls from board members asking if they should be worried. However, he has since spoken the the Minister of Finance Charles Sousa as well as that day with Dela- ney, and both told him the report is not something to worry over. He continued that he now wants the government to ' :Ai wLIIIM 7asrnii huiustries e• Ila- PITFILIBEriffiRE PIR CT TO I.VV COMPLETE LINE OF CASUAL FL. l ilrt IakE: Th COM PLIMFNT LLA .RE AS OF YOUR FIC '.IF For outdoors, patios-, garden ,S?ifmI(.3v1i. OP* rix. r .uwerrr irr r rr i-uriirrawrx .iL rr*rr rellus. BEST ALL TEAR L+NI:1 Inllrloy - Friday 9 00 - 5211() `at0rdav 10:00-4 00 11I_' renj. PI!{ of ,ill i!irlul 519-238-2110 %'• '%u vv. goc a italrca disseminate its stance on natural gas broadly to the public as the success of the project to bring the utility to South Bruce depends on the conversion rate. "[The public] has to feel comfortable much like we need to feel comfortable around the fact that they're not going to invest in a new furnace and new ducting and find out in 10 or 15 years they are going to have to convert back. So I think it's pretty important for all of us to feel that level of comfort," he said. The Lucknow Sentinel Birthday Club ,L Alex Courtney June 9, 2012 4 years old Nash Petteplace June 9, 2014 2 years old Bo Johnston June 10, 2012 4 years old Ethan Mali June 11, 2010 6 years old Alena Scott June 13, 2009 7 years old Your child can be a member of the Sentinel's birthday club call 519-528-2822 to register Ditimi Seutin®I 619 Campbell Street 519-528-2822