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The Citizen, 2003-02-12, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2003. Letters to the editor Chance to discuss smoking bylaw Feb. THE EDITOR, On Tuesday. Feb. 18 Huron County council will be discussing the draft Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) bylaw at 10 a.m. at the Courthouse in Goderich. This meeting will be an opportunity for you to express your views about the bylaw. Scientific research has proven that ETS, also known as secondhand smoke, is a health hazard to everyone exposed to it, especially children. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in Canada and ETS is the third preventable cause of death. As you are likely aware, many of our neighbouring counties such as Grey,- Bruce and Waterloo have passed ETS bylaws to protect the health of their residents. Over the past year, the county has examined the issue of ETS and is considering passing a bylaw to eliminate smoking in all public places and workplaces. In October 2002, the county prepared a draft bylaw and hosted a series of stakeholder and public meetings to give residents, businesses, and many special interest groups a chance to review the draft bylaw, ask any questions and voice any concerns. County councillors have heard from residents who believe that the bylaw would be good for Huron County, as well as those who are against the bylaw. Following the discussion on Feb. 18, councillors will decide whether or not to make recommendation that the proposed bylaw be accepted at the county level. This is your chance to be heard by the county councillors before this important decision is made. You are invited to attend the meeting on Feb. 18. If you wish to say a few words at the meeting, contact Barb Leaman, county clerk’s office by calling 519-524-8394. If. you are unable to attend the county council meeting but wish to provide input, write a letter to: Huron County Council, County of Huron, 1 Court House Square, Goderich, ON, N7A 1M2. If you have any questions 18 about the ETS bylaw, please do not hesitate to contact Craig Metzger at the Huron County Health Unit by calling 519- 482-3413. Sincerely, Dr. Beth Henning Medical Officer of Health Penny Nelligan, Director Huron County Health Unit. Principal praises community spirit THE EDITOR, At times of crisis, the heart and soul of a community are truly tested. The heart and soul of Clinton and Seaforth were shown to be warm, caring and very generous on Tuesday, Feb. 4 when students from the Seaforth area were stranded at the local high schools and elementary schools. We at CHSS received many calls from parents and community members offering up their homes, as well as assistance in supervising the stranded students. I cannot begin to tell you how much it meant to me and my staff when these offers of assistance came into the school. While I wish to thank all those who did offer to help us and our students, I particularly wish to thank the following people for going above and beyond the call of duty: Carol Mitchell and the members of the Clinton Fire Department for making preparations to provide us with bedding, Kathy Walker and her staff for opening the cafeteria and feeding us dinner, J. and J. Pharmacy for providing emergency medication and bedding, Subway for the donation of cookies, Deb Snell for assisting us in the cafeteria and delivering the cookies, Ryan and Larry Hanley who dropped by with coffee and timbits for the staff and students, Barry Young and Ina Finlayson, managers of Murphy’s bus lines in Clinton and Seaforth for getting our kids home safely, and last but certainly not least the secretaries, EAs, teachers and custodians who supervised students, handled the phones and kept this place operating until we were sure everyone was safe for the night. This team effort symbolized everything that is good about living in a small community like those we have in Huron County. Well done and thank you, Michael Ash Principal Central Huron Secondary School Buses turned around at Hullett and Blyth schools Continued from page 1 at work. Steve Howe, com­ munications director with the Avon Maitland District School Board said seven school were closed before the buses went out and the rest of the areas looked fine in the early morning. “By noon, major weather had moved in.” Two local schools had already taken steps to get students home. At Hullett Central Public School, the buses turned around almost immediately, returning the children after all parents had been contacted. Blyth Public School followed a similar procedure, contacting parents, telling them the children would be returned home and then the buses were back on the roads. Howe pointed out that this is not the normal oractice of the school board. “Once the students arrive, we keep them until normal bus lime. The parents are at work and (the children) are safe and sound at school.” In other areas such as Clinton, Seaforth and Mitchell, students could not get home as the buses were pulled off the roads. Five schools had students stranded including bus students attending Central Huron Secondary School or St. Anne’s Catholic School in Clinton and rural students at Seaforth Public School. By 8 p.m., arrangements had been made for a bus to run from Clinton to Seaforth to get those high school students still at the schools home. Another bus ran early Wednesday morning for those who had already been billeted somewhere in Clinton, as many schools were also closed Wednesday. Public school students were billeted out to family and friends’ homes in the school communities. Howe said Upper Thames Public School in Mitchell has 90 per cent of its 650 students bused. As in other communities like Seaforth, Howe said it was incredible the support that was shown by the business owners. “There were donations of food and a pharmacy provided medi-cines to those in need. I got a letter from (Central Huron Principal) Mike Ash telling about the municipality, fire department, volunteers and staff who helped.” “By Tuesday night, every student at Upper Thames had found a place to stay,” he said. “The support was tremendous. This certainly shows rural community spirit.” For any students who did not make it home Tuesday night, it was then the parents’ responsibility to get them home on Wednesday as most schools were closed. However, it was not just schools affected by the road closures and poor visibility. Jeff Howson of Howson and Howson Ltd. in Blyth said that for the first time in years, equipment was stranded between clients and home and three trucks were kept off the roads Tuesday. “Usually we can go some direction,” he said, “But with the roads in Bruce, Grey, Perth and Wellington Counties closed, it locked things up.” Howson said the road closures put them behind, but once mobile again early Wednesday morning, things were back to normal by around 10 a.m. “Only the outgoing was affected,” he said, “as the incoming arrives from Goderich on County Rd. 25 and it still comes.” So, as everyone copes with trying conditions and schedule changes, Flood reminds us. “We should appreciate these winters. This is a good winter.” Is the party finally over? If you are concerned about your own, or someone else’s use of alcohol or drugs, the Drug and Alcohol Registry of Treatment (DART) can guide you to the help you need. Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 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