North Dundas votes on October 24 Rake up the leaves this Fall

What’s the most absurd image of healthy living? It’s a picture of a young woman using a leaf blower to clean up leaves in her yard while wearing ear protection, eye protection, and a mask covering her nose and mouth. The only thing that makes good sense is the mask. It’s the leaf blower that is most offensive.

starving, frightened orphan boys: it was not yet illegal.”

In fact, leaf blowers are banned in some cities and subject to increasing regulation across North America. But the pace of lawmaking is slow.

Removing the leaf blower from the scene, what about the mask worn by the woman in the picture? There may be good reason for this.

After a busy provincial election in June, municipalities across Ontario are gearing up to elect the local governments that will represent some of their most important interests for the next four years. Here in North Dundas, voters have an easier job than in some other municipalities. With nobody running against current Mayor Tony Fraser, his seat is acclaimed for another four years. Councillor Theresa Bergeron will take over as Deputy Mayor with another acclaimed seat, as current Deputy Mayor Allan Armstrong is not seeking re-election. All four school trustees are also acclaimed. The result? North Dundas residents will vote only to fill the Councillor positions, with six candidates vying for three positions.

Gary Annable is the only current Councillor seeking re-election to the same position. Coucillor Thompson is not seeking re-election, and Councillor Bergeron will switch to the Deputy’s Mayor’s seat. Newcomers hoping for a chance at representing their fellow residents are William Healey, Stefan Kohut, John Lennox, Joselyn Morley, and Matthew Uhrig.

Issues that are bound to come up as part of the campaign include things such as road conditions, population growth, recreation, and of course, municipal water. The issue of water quality and quantity in the villages of Winchester and Chesterville was one addressed by every candidate in recent interviews, particularly because water supply issues are thought to be holding back sustainable development locally. While candidates for the recent provincial election engaged in live interviews, with transcripts published in the Times, this required meticulous editing and made it difficult to give each candidate an equal amount of room to share their thoughts. For the current municipal election, candidates are being asked to provide a written response of a set length to four key questions. The questions are:

1) What are your top three priorities for the coming four years of Council? How have municipal priorities changed since the last term of Council?

2) What would you bring to Council this term that hasn’t been there previously?

3) Do you think more can be done to involve the community in the affairs of Council and being part of the decision-making process? 4) How do you think future development in North Dundas - infrastructure, economic, environmental - should be directed? What new initiatives need to be undertaken in those areas?

Municipal elections are perhaps more important than provincial and federal elections because local governments make the decisions that are most impactful to our day-to-day lives. Candidates who choose to answer the questions above will have their answers published in the October 20 issue of the Times. Stay tuned!

The first offense is the condoning of laziness. A leaf blower nearly eliminates the physical effort needed to clean up the leaves. In the past, we may have looked upon this as a good thing. Less work equals better life. False!

Raking up those leaves offers a wonderful cardio workout, in the lovely outdoors, resulting in the satisfaction of a job well done. It’s exercise that can be self-paced. The twisting and bending are nothing but good!

The second is environmental. Gas-powered leaf blowers spew pollutants at astounding rates. A remarkable study in 2011 compared a consumer-grade leaf blower to a 6,200-pound Ford F-150. The tests found that a 4-stroke leaf blower emitted “almost seven times more oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 13.5 times more carbon monoxide (CO)" and a 2-stroke leaf blower emitted “23 times CO and nearly 300 times more non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC)” than the pick-up truck.

One reporter calculated that the “hydrocarbon emissions from a half-hour of yard work with the twostroke leaf blower are about the same as a 3,900-mile drive from Texas to Alaska.” Gulp.

How about noise pollution? These machines can produce levels between 8092 decibels (dB), and sometimes over 100 dB for the operators. At a distance of the length of a semi-truck trailer, the noise can still measure over 70 dB. No wonder neighbours get annoyed.

Why do dangerously noisy leaf blowers exist? One wisecrack observer noted we allow it “for the same reason that builders made chimneys to be cleaned by

Fallen autumn leaves can be a haven for molds, pollen, and weeds that cause allergies. The plentiful fall pollen of ragweed, for example, travels far and can settle on all those leaves. Leaves dampened by rain or morning dew become a haven for mold. Raking up the leaves can send pollen and mold spores into the air, causing aggravation for asthma sufferers.

Dr. Purvi Parikh is an allergist and spokesperson with the Allergy and Asthma Network. “Most people associate allergies with spring, and often fall allergies get mistaken for viruses and other infections due to weather getting cold,” she notes. The distinguishing feature of an allergy is that it does not cause a fever. However, if an allergy leads to a sinus infection, a fever can result.

One more thought about those leaves. They are full of nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. These are the ingredients for healthy soil needed by productive gardens, beautiful landscapes, and all the grasses that are home and sources of food to diverse wildlife.

To see the picture of good health, look at those falling leaves with anticipation and admiration, not dread. The rake, a pair of gloves, and maybe a mask are the items to use this fall when tidying up the yard.

Remember moderation too. Raking leaves can be just as strenuous as shoveling snow. And that’s the next thing!

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