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The Times Advocate, 2004-07-28, Page 10Crossroads 10 Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Exeter Times -Advocate Gay Lea Foods Co-operative supports project in Nepal By Mary Simmons TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF MOUNT CARMEL — After spending two weeks in Nepal last fall, Mike Barrett has a lot to say about the differences between that country and Canada. The vice president of human resources and member relations at Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd. said the trip was defi- nitely an eye-opening experience. Barrett said for the past two years the company has been re-examining its role as a co-operative and he has had a large role in that process. He said the mandate of the co-operative is to take the values it was founded on and take action. The company's involve- ment in Nepal is one example of this initiative. Working with the Janaki Dairy Co-opera- tive, Gay Lea has supplied technical assistance and expertise to help the members of the Nepal co- operative. While he was there, he attended a ceremony where they laid the cor- nerstone of a new school in partnership with the Vijay Co-operative. Members of gay Lea raised $40,000 to build the new school, which is equipped with science and computer labs. Barrett said electricity had to be hooked up to power the school in order to run the computers. He said in rural Nepal education is expensive, costing roughly $100 US a month for people who earn an average of $1,000 US a year. He said the typical girl in rural Nepal attends school for two years and then takes on the respon- sibility of caring for the family buffalo. Fences are not used and the animals are allowed to roam for pasture, so it is the girl's job to follow the buffalo, make sure it is not harmed or stolen and then bring it back home at night. He said most families only have one animal, which is usually a buffalo since cows are considered sacred. He compared the living conditions to those of Ontario in the 1860s, adding 50 per cent of the women die in childbirth. By providing the educa- tional facility for the peo- ple of Nepal, approxi- mately 200 more students will be able to receive an education at a reduced rate. Barrett said most of the students are 12 to 13 years old and they are being taught by 17 and 18-year-olds. He added they are proud of their uniforms, but wear no shoes. As a treat, Barrett brought gum for the stu- dents, which was a new experience for them. He also gave them Canadian pins. Barrett said one of the problems in Nepal is keeping the milk cold since the people believe cold milk will kill them. A family will milk its animal, take it to the truck, where it is deliv- ered to the processing plant and then sold in the store. All of this has to take place within a day because there is no cool- ing system. "This project will help raise them out of pover- ty," Barrett said, adding dairy farming is one of the only ones ways people in Nepal can ensure they will be paid in cash on a weekly basis. "They can make a decent living," he said. The funds for projects such as this are raised by co-operative members to show their concern for the international commu- nity of dairy farmers. Another project will be chosen to support during Co-operative Week in October. Besides projects such as Mike Barrett, vice president of human resources and member relations at Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Ltd., attended the twilight meeting of the Huron County Holstein Club at the farm of Glenn and Grace Hodgins July 8. (photo/Mary Simmons) the one in Nepal, Barrett said the co-operative also offers a lot here at home in Ontario. In Guelph the new milk drawing facility, Delta, officially opened last November. The $43 mil- lion facility houses the first new dryer in Canada in 20 years, according to Barrett. Stewardship Rangers program The Ontario Stewardship Rangers of the Huron Perth Stewardship Council prune Pioneer Trail at Klopp Commemorative Woods between Hensall and Zurich Monday. They were also busy pruning the trails at Morrison Dam and the MacNaughton-Morrison Trail last week. From the left, the crew includes Adam McKichan, Zach Hall, Craig Lovett, Jordan Scott and team leader Carl Prey.This summer's projects include stream rehabilitation, electrofishing and trail maintenance with community groups and conservation authorities.The team members are high school students from Huron and Perth counties considering envi- ronmental careers. Klopp Commemorative Woods is owned by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority and is part of the Hay Swamp Complex.The Ontario Stewardship Rangers program is run by the Ministry of Natural Resources. (photo/submitted) "It was a huge step for the co-operative," he said. The new plant processes 800,000 to 900,000 litres of milk a day, while the old system had a 400,000 litre capacity. The company is the largest dairy co-operative in the province and has four facilities including the one in Guelph. The others are in Teeswater and Toronto. The co-operative has 1,300 dairy farms as reg- istered members, but Barrett said the goal is to double this number. "Gay Lea offers the opportunity for the dairy farmers of Ontario to con- trol their economic envi- ronment," Barrett said. Investment in beaches TORONTO — The McGuinty government is providing $20,000 to the Huron County Health Unit for more frequent monitoring and analysis of water quality along Huron County beaches, Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky announced July 12. "Ontario is committed to cleaning up Lake Huron's beaches," Dombrowsky said. "First, we must get to the bottom of the problem. We have partnered with key local and federal partners to ensure we fully understand what is causing the pollution." The money will allow the health unit to increase the frequency of water sampling this summer and to test sam- ples more quickly at a laboratory in the area. "Lake Huron provides our drinking water, our recreation, our lifeblood," Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell said. "Clean, safe beaches are essential to the health and vitality of our communities. With this measure we will have made a much clearer pic- ture of the extent and movement of pollution along the Lake Huron shoreline." The Lake Huron Science Committee, established in February, is examining the causes of elevated lev- els of E. coli at recreation- al beaches in and around Huron County. The com- mittee is led by the Ministry of the Environment and is work- ing to improve water quality and stop pollution from entering the lake. An interim report, which will summarize the initial findings on the issue and recommend the next steps, is expect- ed later this summer. Other participants in the committee are tech- nical experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Environment Canada, the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. "Ensuring strong, safe, vibrant communities is our priority," Dombrowsky said. "Working alongside our partners, we are gather- ing the information and science necessary to help ensure clean, healthy beaches."