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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-04-27, Page 121 1 12 Lucknow Sentinel • Wednesday, April 27, 2016 Local landowners urged to apply for 50 million tree subsidy this spring Forests Ontario is offer- ing tree planting subsidies to landowners who qualify for the government of Ontario's 50 Million Tree Program. Landowners or land man- agers looking to plant native, locally sourced trees are being offered spring planting opportunities. Forests Ontario is asking those interested to contact Forests Ontario to connect with local planting part- ners, who will conduct site visits to find the best plant- ing solutions for each property. "Planting seedling trees can increase wildlife habi- tat, improve water quality, and mitigate soil erosion," Forests Ontario said in a media release. "Trees decrease the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere by absorbing it from the air and converting it into clean oxygen (which they release) and carbon (which they store). Healthy forests are our most effi- cient, inexpensive, and nat- ural way to combat climate change." Landowners with a mini- mum of 2.5 acres of land (1 hectare) or more may qualify for this program. Planting trees can increase property value, whether it's to create a snow or wind barrier, planting along stream edges to improve water quality, or expanding on current forest to qualify for tax incentive programs. The 50 Million Tree Pro- gram was created in a way that makes the tree planting as easy as possible for land- owners in Ontario. Through the Program, landowners access subsidies that cover up to 85% of the total plant- ing costs as well as ongoing forest management assistance. For more information visit forestsontario.ca or contact Steve Bowers, local Field Advisor, at 519-887-9137. Immunization for tetanus focus of immunization awareness week National Immunization Awareness Week is April 23-30, 2016 and celebrates the contribution of immuni- zation to public health. Vaccines save about three million lives worldwide, each year, Grey Bruce Public Health said in a media release, so "Boost your power. Get vaccinated." is the theme for this year's national awareness campaign. Serious diseases like diph- theria and polio are no longer present in Canada. This is not because they don't exist, but because Canadians immunize and protect against them. "We hope that vaccine - preventable diseases, like these and others, will, in time, be eradicated,"the release said. "However, for now, we need to be vigilant and continue to immunize our children and ourselves. If we don't, there will be out- breaks of infection." Tetanus is one example of a disease that requires booster shots throughout life. It is present in dust, dirt and soil and can be contracted through cuts, scraps and animal bites. But because of the protection from immunization, cases are rare. Adults need to be immu- nized against tetanus every 10 years. Those who don't remember when they received their last booster should speak to their health care provider about getting one. "Vaccines are safe and effective," the release contin- ues. "Vaccines prepare your body to fight diseases. They contain a small number of germs that have been killed or weakened. These stimulate the immune system to protect itself against the disease." Ninety-six percent of Grey Bruce residents with school - aged children Submitted Forests Ontario's Steve Bowers stands next to freshly -planted seedlings. Landowners with a minimum of 2.5 acres of land can qualify for free subsidies. believe immunizing children protects them from disease, the Health Unit said. Immunizing children also helps to protect those that cannot be immunized. To learn how vaccines boost your power, visit Can- ada.ca/Vaccines, #ONvac- cine, #NIAW2016, #vaccines - work, or Your Health Immunization. Great Lakes group, H -K's Twolan as chair, opposes US water diversion Mayors of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Ini- tiative are calling on the gov- ernors and premiers of the Great Lakes and St. Law- rence basin to reject the Waukesha Water Diversion Application and uphold the Great Lakes Compact and Agreement. The Great Lakes and St. nwmo Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body, which is responsible for implementing the Compact and Agreement, is holding a special meeting on the Application in Chicago on April 21, which is the last for- mal opportunity for Ontario and Quebec to be heard. "We urge the Premiers of NUCLEAR WASTE SOCIETE DE GESTION MANAGEMENT DES DECHETS ORGANIZATION NUCLEAIRES Ontario and Quebec to use this last opportunity to oppose this application and uphold the Compact," said Mayor Mitch Twolan of Huron -Kinloss Ontario, chair of the Cities Initiative. "The US and Canada came together to protect our lakes and river by creating the Compact and Agreement, NWMO Learn More Centre The Township of Huron -Kinloss is one of nine communities involved in a process of learning about Adaptive Phased Management (APM), Canada's plan for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization is working collaboratively with the community to advance preliminary assessment studies. Learn about APM, meet NWMO staff, ask questions and offer your thoughts. Drop in to the NWMO community office and Learn More Centre in Ripley. Everyone is welcome. and it is time to affirm our commitment to our shared resources by rejecting the application." As of the end of April 2016, 17 Canadian cities have passed resolutions opposing the water diversion. The organization argued in a media release that first, that the water service area NWMO Learn More Centre (Huron -Kinloss) 80 Huron Street, Ripley ON 519.386.6711 Wednesday Thursday Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. goes well beyond the city limits of Waukesha. Sec- ond, there are reasonable alternatives for Waukesha to provide safe drinking water to its residents. Third, there are significant ques- tions about what the return flow would do to the Root River on its way back to Lake Michigan. The public can view reso- lutions at glslcities.org/initi- atives/basin-management/ compact -and -agreement/ The Cities Initiative, a group of 122 local govern- ment leaders from the United States and Canada representing over 17 mil- lion people, is opposed to the water diversion because it does not comply with the Compact in sev- eral ways. All of these add up to the bad precedent an approval would set when the Com- pact created a very strictly limited exception for cities and counties on the borders of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin, the release continues. Mayor John Dickert of Racine Wisconsin, where the diverted water would be returned to Lake Michigan through the Root River, said the impacts on the Root River were not analyzed properly. "We do not want Waukesha's return flow to disrupt years of efforts and millions of dollars invested in making the river and our waterfront a key economic driver for our city," Dickert said. Mayor Randy Hope of Chatham -Kent, ON expressed his concerns. "We want to protect our vital water resources and stop this effort that is con- trary to the Compact's lim- ited exception," said Hope. "We do not want this dan- gerous precedent set by Waukesha." The city of Salaberry-de- Valleyfield, along with many other members of the Cities Initiative, passed a resolu- tion opposing the Waukesha Diversion Application„ said Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Mayor Denis Lapointe. "Cities have shown their leadership by protecting and respecting the water that travels to us via the St. Law- rence River," Lapointe said. "We urge the regional body members to oppose the application." The Cities Initiative is a binational coalition of 122 mayors, representing over 17 million people, who work together to protect, restore and sustain the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin. To learn more, visit our website at www.glslcities.org.