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05 | 26 | 2012 VOLUME 17 | ISSUE 24
Elmira girl to compete at penn state SPORTS PAGE 11
COMMENT PAGE 8
It's council's job to limit bureaucratic spending
Memorial Avenue speeding has resident on edge
Smoking ban contemplated for Woolwich playing fields STEVE KANNON
and Blais said it was lucky the driver saw him in time and was able to come to almost a complete stop and not seriously injure the boy. Others who live on the street are concerned as well, Blais said, and have even gotten into confrontations with drivers who refuse to slow down. “We’ve sat on the porch and watched people yell back and forth at cars ‘slow
Outdoor recreational areas in Woolwich, including sports fields and playgrounds, may be off limits to smokers if the township goes ahead with plans discussed this week. Acting on a request from Woolwich Youth Soccer, the township will launch a public process aimed at banning smoking in the vicinity of soccer fields, baseball diamonds and playgrounds. The goal is to prevent participants, often children, from exposure to second-hand smoke. Addressing township council May 22, WYSC president John Collinson said the ban would be a logical extension of the smoking prohibition already in place at Ontario schools and their play areas. Some 18 municipalities in the province have outdoor smoking restrictions in effect, he added, pointing to the likes of Barrie, Midland, Welland and Woodstock. Elsewhere, Ottawa last month banned smoking at all outdoor restaurant and bar patios, city-owned parks, playgrounds, beaches, sports fields and fruit and vegetable markets. Hamilton this month rolls out a smoking ban on all city-owned properties used for recreational purposes. Karen Makela, director of recreation and facilities, oversaw a similar ban with her previous employer, the City of Elliot Lake. The process here would involve public input into such issues as where smoking would be prohibited and how much of a
speeding | 4
smoking | 7
Residents on Memorial Avenue in Elmira have concerns over the number of cars they see speeding down their road every day, and are calling on the township to implement traffic-calming measures or to install speed limit signs. [james jackson / the observer]
Elmira man’s petition calls on Woolwich Township to deal with safety concerns JAMES JACKSON John Blais sits in his Memorial Avenue, Elmira home and rattles off a list of faceless speeders who pass by his house every day. “The red Jimmy, the black convertible Mustang, a Sunfire, a silver 4x4. ... It’s traditionally the same cars,” he said. It’s a list that he and his family are well aware of. They’re repeat offenders who
Blais alleges consistently drive well above the speed limit on the residential road in front of his house. Since moving to town from Ottawa about 18 months ago, he said that speeders have become a serious problem. “Once they get to the stop sign they either roll through it, or some cars just burn their rubber.” His son, now nine years old, was struck by a van just a month after they moved in,
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