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Clinton News Record, 2016-11-02, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, November 2, 2016 t i www.clintonnewsrecord.com NewsCl Record PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 53 Albert St. P.O. Box 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com [p] POSTMEDIA CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales 519-376-2250ext514301 or camistrong@poshnedia.com NEIL CLIFFORD Advertising Director NCI ifford@postmedia.com JUSTINE ALKEMA Journalist jalkema@postmedia.com DAWN JOHNSTON Sales Representative DJohnston@postmedia.com TERESA SMITH Front Office TSmith@postmedia.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement win be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Ad- vertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM 1L0 (519) 482-3443 Clinton News Record is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www.mediacouncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canaa'a .A43cna Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association How far should police dig in the digital age? At some point last Thursday, 7,500 cellphones were set to receive a text message from the Ontario Provincial Police, simply because the owners happened to be near an Ottawa -area intersection nearly a year ago, where Frederick (John) Hatch was last seen. These text messages raise a ques- tion: How far, in the digital age, should police be allowed to go to solve a crime? Hatch was last seen in a dollar store; then his torched body turned up hun- dreds of kilometres away. Police are stumped. So theyrequested cellphone numbers of everyone who was in the Nepean neighbourhood. It's a massive dragnet, gathering up numbers in order to find witnesses. — Letters to the editor It's not uncommon for police to request data from cellphone compa- nies, says Teresa Scassa, Canada Research Chair in Information Law at the University of Ottawa. For instance, Rogers disclosed informa- tion, due to court order or a warrant, more than 70,000 times last year. What's odd here is that the police are using the information to contact wit- nesses, not track down potential criminals (who, by the way, could try to object to police practices in court), and that there are no real safeguards in place to ensure per- sonal privacy. "What's the forum for (people) to raise issues, to raise their privacy concems?" says Scassa. Getting this data did require a justice of the peace to sign off. But the OPP won't say where or when that happened. While this instance involved only phone numbers, police have, in the past, requested names and addresses of cellphone customers. And the scale of this par- ticular operation would startle most people. It isn't particularly difficult to track people down with a cellphone num- ber as a starting point. Yet the police defend the tactic, saying "If itwasyour loved one, would you not expect the police to do everything possible to identify the person or persons responsible?" The answer for many, maybe most, is yes. But ends don't always justify means; this could be the start of a slippery slope. We leave digital data everywhere, through many of our actions. This time, police are dealing with cellphone data, but next time, theoretically, they could request information about pur- chases or transit card uses. It's not that the police should never use such tactics. It's that we don't know what the safeguards are and how securely or for how long police are storing the data. As far as we can tell, there will be no one in court arguing for the public's privacy interests in such cases. Far, far more information and assurances are needed. - Postmedia Network Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week is November 1 Dear editor, Carbon monoxide (CO) is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in Ontario, Canada and North America. In Ontario, 80% of injuries and deaths from carbon mon- oxide occur in the home. CO is called the silent killer because you cannot see it, taste it or smell it. This deadly gas is pro- duced by the incomplete burning of fuels and can be released by fuel -burning fur- naces, hot water heaters, cars, fireplaces, wood stoves and kerosene heaters. The best way to ensure that you and your family are not exposed to the dangers of CO is to eliminate it at its source. As you prepare for the winter ahead, be sure to have your fuel -burning appliances inspected by a certified technician. Your second line of defence is the installation of a CO alarm. Without an alarm, you have no way of knowing if there are dangerous levels of CO in your home. It is the law in Ontario that all homes with a fuel -burning appliance, fire- place or attached garage must have a working CO alarm out- side all sleeping areas. For added protection, 7 install a CO alarm on every storey of your home. For more information about CO safety or to find a certified technician in your area, visit cosafety.ca and ontario.ca/ firemarshal. Protect yourself and your family from deadly carbon monoxide. Sincerely, Ross Nichols, Chair Fire Marshal's Public Fire Safety Council FROM THE ARCHIVES 15 years ago... • Twelve schools were at rick of being closed due to severe changes within the region. Goderich was a major place in which some schools would be closed. Multiple scenarios were dis- cussed, and in some cases certain schools would have been closed and the students ushered into nearby schools. • With the assistance of the public, the Huron United Way contin- ued to help children keep warm with their Coats for Kids pro- gram. Roughly 1,000 coats were brought in, and of those, 700 were distributed to kids in need of coats during the cold months. • The spooks and freight of goblins were barely passed when the community of Bayfield held a ceremony to get into the spirit of Christmas. This event included the lighting of a Christmas tree at the Square. 25 years ago... • Agriculture Canada conducted a ground water quality survey on 1,500 wells across Ontario during the fall. The purpose of the project was to test the quality and the safety of the drinking water for farm families and what effect farming may have to the water's quality. • The Bayfield Lions Club held their annual rainbow trout derby, and the first prize of $300 went to John Greidanus for submitting an 11.70 pound rainbow trout. 35 years ago... • The Huron County Health Unit was battling more than 100 cases of head lice in Clinton, Goderich and Seaforth, and according to Cathe- rine Walsh, Director of Public Nurses, parents had to accept more responsibility in trying to rid the problem. • Both betting and attendance sagged at the Clinton Kinsmen Race- way, but officials weren't overly worried. The average daily handle had slipped by $3,064, and attendance was down 80 persons a day. • "The Spirit of Blyth" looked at how a small summer theatre experi- ment became an integral part of the year-round life of the commu- nity.The Blyth theatre was featured on 1VO for it's performance. Thoughts, observations or concerns about this community? Share them with Clinton and the surrounding area. Email your letters to the editor to Justine at jalkema@postmedia.com. Any opinions expressed in a letter to the editor reflect those of the writer and not those of the Clinton News Record. The Clinton News Record retains the rights to edit letters to the editor. CLINTON NEWS RECORD - HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00-5:00 • TUESDAY: CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: 9:00-5:00 • THURSDAY: 9:00-5:00 • FRIDAY: 9:00-5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY 2:00 P.M. ADVERTISING BOOKING DEADLINE: FRIDAY 1:30 P.M. www.clintonnewsrecord.com