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Clinton News-Record, 1985-08-21, Page 1Hand clapping and sing -a -longs rang out through the Clinton arena when children's performer Deborah Dunleavy came to town to entertain the youngsters on August 13. On one song'she received a hand from Mike Nahrgang during her hour long show. Ms. Dunleavy, who has been entertaining children with ler songs for the past 13 years, presented some selections from her recent Jib- bery Jive album. ( Man Rivett photo) possi- ble outbreak rabiesin this Keret:the Ministry of Nata1 Resources will embark on! a vaccdrop tentatively Scheduled for Sel*941ber,14. The -; vaccine ,drop, aimed at at thefox pebillatialUthelargeat carrier otrabieS, will be.drOPped via airplane In 0028 sq. lan. area around Goderich, including ali or partsf,,Of • tsudey; Colboitioaall erieb T�wnsbips, according to Ron Spurr, the ministry's extention service supervisor in Wingham. • , If the prograra is sticcesSful, it would ultimately reduce the instances of rabies in foxes, domestic pets and humans, he said. At present, rabies costs Ontario $16 million a year with $13 million spent on vaccination ad$3 million spent on research, Although the incidents of rabies is not that bad in the drop area, it continues to increase in other areas of the province, he said. Between April 3, 1983 and March 31, 1984, 1,618 domestic and wild animals in Ontario were diagnosed as rabid. Red foxes and skunks accounted for 72 per cent of these cases. Huron County was chosen for the vaccina- tion program because of the success of a test run without the vaccine in September 1984, thanks to the co-operation of hunters and trappers in the area who brought carcasses to the ministry for inspection, he said. If this campaign is successful, the method of vac- cination could be used elsewhere. ' The drop, under the supervisioa of Dr. Charles McGuiness of the ministrys Maple research unit, will contain approximately 10,000 baits with a density of 17 per sq. km. The live vaccine, the same kind given to domestic pets, will be injected into a small, cubed sponge. The sponge will be coated •withtwo layers of parafi wax and tallow to Tatkaayebe which was also used h year's test, will be injecteditOtO the s to soot as a trace .01:0harmless lAbatie‘Otiti allowlab staLf1000044j0,# the bait has beentaken by, examining the teeth of the fox ,after the a*gasa his been retatv- 04:'tpr inspection.. The drug leaves yellow rings around he4eetbWhi6li can be seen in 441,010,,got._ • The cube will be placed inside a plastic bag containhig a liver and water ,substance called liver -slurry. After a short time on the ground it will begin 'to emit a strong °dog which will attract foxes while repelling peo- ple. A warning will also be attached to the plastic bag, saying if it is found to leave it alone, said Spurr. A toll free number will be included if they see it and require more in- formation. Children should be repelled by the concoc- tion, but as a precautionary measure, a video has been produced about the project which will be taken to all the area public schools. "We hope the video will answer questions so kids will know what we're doing and that they're aware of it," he said, adding that the video will be available to the local T.V. sta- tion to make sure people are fully informed of the Project. Spurr said he expects the project to be a success after the encouraging results from last year's tests. A total of 65 per cent of the foxes tested did consume the bait. He says, however, that the best way the public can combat rabies is to make sure all pets are vaccinated. Anyone requiring moa information about rabies or the program dan call the Wingharri branch of the Ministry of Natural Resources at 1-800-265-3003, Noise by-law established By Anne Narejko ° CLINTON - Local residents making ex- cessive noise should now be prepared to pay the consequence - up to a $200 fine. At Clinton Council's August 19 meeting, a noise by-law was passed to pr011ibit or regulate unnecessary noise and control times when constrution work can/ be carried out. "We have had a number of complaints in the past and the problem was brought to councillors' attention," commented Clerk Cam Proctor. He also said that the local police didn't believe they had enough authority to back them as the previous noise by-law was weak. With the new by-law, the Town of Clinton ' will not allow unusual noises such as ringing of bells, blowing horns or shouting that will disturb the residents. There was some concern among council N. members that this would prohibit the honk- \ in f horns during a weddingaut tippof er Archibald stated that the tradition could' continue, "as long as the noise is not excessive." .The second part of the by-law deals with "loud music or noise of „any kind, which is disturbing to resiaents,' whether or not the Advertising opens minds By Stephanie Levesque EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third and final article on alcohol. Take an average day in Ontario. Two peo- ple die in alcohol-related motor vehicle ac- cidents. • In 1983, there were 508 fatal accidents in- volving drinking or impaired driving, ministry of transportation and communica- tions most recent statistics state. Another statistic - in 1983 there were 619 drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents. Of that, 51 per cent of 316 drivers only had been drinking or were impaired. In 1982, over 42,000 drivers in Ontario alone were charged with impaired driving. Nameless, faceless statistics, but what can be done to make sure you don't become a statistic? •"The first step is awareness then there are people clamoring for things to be done," says Dr. Evelyn Vingilis of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario. Some groups have made attempts to make people aware of the problems of ex- cessive drinking - particularly drinking and driving. The province has been running an exten- sive advertising campaign towarn of the hazards - the big one being death - of drink- ing and driving. There are the radio commercials where people talk about the .loss of a loved one. These are aired close to long weekends. • There's the one that warns against driving home from the cottage with several drinks under your belt. • An effective television commercial shows the remorse of a drunk driver who has just killed a young child. ignitimmissionsmaillfannsimmessia Education, legal action and rehabilitation are important approaches to drinking and driving , Augammi Admittedly there is no hard data to prove these cornmercials work says Dr. Vingilis. However, she does know the results of other research. There are three different approaches for those drinking and those drinking and driv- ing. The first is education, the next is legal 'and the third is rehabilitation. "The advertising itself is not successful in changing behavior," she says about the government ad program. "However it does make people more aware and receptive and that's an impor- tant component to other counter measures," she says. Those other counter measures involve in- creased enforcement, good laws and a good rehabilitation program. Studies have shown that Ontario has the lowest rate of fatal motor vehicle accidents at Christmas time as compared to other pro- vinces. However, spot checks in Ontario are also prevalent at Christmas time. Now, the summer months are the worst time for alcohol-related motor vehicle ac- cidents. The cumulative effect of advertis- ing, education, tougher laws and a good rehabilitation might show in 10 years time. Based in Toronto, she comments on a phenomenon that she noticed recently at the drive-in theatre. Noting it had been 20 years since she had been to the drive-in, she is amazed at all the drinking going on around her. "What struck me most was the driving ' after the drinking." There were about 200 cars at the drive-in. About 80 per cent were drinking and for the sake of argument, about 20 per cent of the drivers could be impaired: "That's 40 cars with drunk drivers on the highway," she says. When asked about gravel runs, she says she has heard of them. A gravel run occurs when a group ot people take booze in the car and drive up and down country roads. Besides being popular in this area, it's also a popular form of entertainment in the western provinces. "It's frightening," she says. Police must fingerprint offenders now Police in the Huron -Perth area agree that the provincial government's advertising campaign against drinking and driving hasn't reduced the number of drunk driving offences. "I don't think it has had an outright ef- fect," says St. Marys Police Chief Robert Dundas. However, he did say he has noticed that people are thinking more about the ramifications of drinking and driving. The problem, he said, is that for every one drunk driver the police pick up, there are usually nine that get away. Dr. Evelyn Vingilis of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario says the commercials won't change the behavior of those who drink and drive." "However, it does make people more aware and receptive and that's an impor- tant component to other counter measures," she says. Clinton police chief Lloyd Westlake agrees. He says the advertising may make some of the older drivers think, but not the underage drinkers. He puts a lot of emphasis on seizing alcohol from vehicles, particularly those be- ing driven by teenagers under 19. Westlake says the number of seizures for his depart- ment are higher this year than last. "If you keep strict enforcement on liquor violation, you cut down on a lot of things," he says. Sgt. John Donatis of the Goderich OPP detachment says he too hadn't noticed any change in the number of drinking and driv- ing incidents. "Those having a tendency to drink and drive will continue until we find them," he says. "then they're screaming that we're picking on them. That really breaks our hearts." The OPP officer says police now have to take a picture and finger print anyone pick- ed up for impaired driving He doesn't know if that would bring the numbers down. "That's hard to say until we've had it a few months," he says. Exeter's new police chief Larry Hardy says while he isn't that familiar with the area, it is his personal opinion that people are more aware of the hazards of drinking and driving. "However, I believe the only way to com- bat this habit is by strict enforcement," he says which means more spot checks. He too comments on the fingerprinting and photographing of those charged with impaired driving. "Normally, at least in procedure's that I have witnesses, a person is charged and then released for a court date even though it was impaired driving, an indictable offense. Now, police forces are exercising their rights and the fingerprints and photos will go on the criminal record files," says Her. d,y. The new procedure will make it a lot easier to know if the person has had a pro. biem in the past, he saYs. source is from a fixed area or a vehicle." Part three controls the "discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, stationery combustion engine, ex- cept through a muffler or other device which effectively prevents loud or explosive noises." The times during which excavation or any type of construction work can be carried out was debated by council. The by-law pro- hibits "unnecessary noise" caused by con- struction between midnight and 7 a.m. but Councillor Jim Hunter felt the times should be changed to 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. _ "If they are making enough noise to disturb their neighbor at that time (after 10 p.m.) than they deserve to be charged," commented Councillor Hunter. However, other council members disagreed, saying a man could be doing work around his ewil home and may require the extra hours. altit.No. 19 1985 prohibits the persistant barking, call- ing, whining or other similar noises n-L.I°.ic a domestic pet. All of the regulations are in effect 24 hours each day of the week with the exception of the excavation and construction work. • • Enrolment increase of 118 By Stephanie LteVesque The French Immersion program in Goderich and Stratford Catholic schools has resulted in an overall enrolment increase of 118 students for the Catholic system, but means smaller English Kindergarten classes. Jack Lane, the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic separate school board's superintendent of business and finance, said enrolment in the board's 18 schools is ex- pected to total 2,730 girls and boys on Sept. .4. The first day of school, Sept. 3, is a profe.:- sional development day for the Catholic system's teachers and thus a day off for the students. The projected enrolment of 2,730 is more than the 2, 612 students in Catholic schools in Huron and Perth at the end of June. The school board also has one less school in its jurisdiction after the quiet closing in June of Ecole Ste. Marie at St. Joseph's. Lane said the enrolment increase is directly attributed to the French immersion program because exactly the same number of Grade 8 students left in June as there are Kindergarten students coming in September. There are 62 Kindergarten French im- mersion students registered for Goderich and 59 for Stratford. The first yearof the im- mersion program has been opened up to Grade 1 and 2 students. Lane emphasized that the exact enrol- ment figures won't be known until the first day of school. He did say that French immersion has resulted in the Kindergarten class at St. Mary's separate school in Goderich being combined with the Grade 1 class. The Kindergarten teacher will remain on staff at the school, but instead of teaching half-time will be teaching 30 per cent of a full day. Lane said there were nine teaching posi- tions in the Goderich school last year. There will be 10.9 teaching positions this fall. Three of those positions are in the French immersion program. None of the Kindergarten classes at the four Kindergarten to Grade 6 Catholic schools in Stratford will be combined or lost, he said. The French immersion program is offered at St. Michael's, the Grade 7 - 8 school in Stratford. The party may be over but the memories will last forever. During Tuckersinith's Ap- preciation night on August 15, held to honor those who helped with the sesquicentennial celebrations, Lillian Wakefteld, (left to right) Doris Carnochan, Marian Rose and Lois Moore took a few minutes to look at one of the many scrapbooks. Thekersmith residents have compiled photo albums filled with pictures and newspaper clippings so generations Weenie will know how 150 years of history Oita celebrated, (Anne Narejko photo)