the
Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 12
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.20% 3 Year GIC - 2.45% 5 Year GIC - 2.76% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, March 23, 2012
One third of health care workers did not receive flu shot this season
Lending a hand - Mapleton girls Tate Driscoll, Abby Wiens, Brittany Culling and Jana Bieman have organized a fundraiser to help the family of one of their friends, Sheyanne O’Donnell (below), who has cancer. The girls are making fabric handbags and selling them for $5, with all proceeds going to the O’Donnell family, of Arthur. photo by Wilma Mol
Girls organize bag fundraiser to help friend with cancer
by Chris Daponte and Wilma Mol WELLINGTON CTY. - Four Mapleton Township girls are hoping their efforts to make and sell handbags can help alleviate the financial burden on the family of their friend, Sheyanne O’Donnell of Arthur, who has cancer. Grade 5 students Tate Driscoll, Abby Wiens, Brittany Culling and Jana Bieman had planned to make the fabric “tie bags� and sell them at their respective schools for some extra spending money. But when they found out about the plight of 10-yearold Sheyanne, who has been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, Jana suggested the group instead donate the $5 from each sale to help the O’Donnell family. The other girls quickly agreed and set out on their fundraiser - about which word is already spreading throughout Mapleton and north Wellington County. “It’s pretty good to see,� said Tate’s father, Neil Driscoll, who noted people are already donating and calling to find out how they can help. Last weekend the Moorefield Optimist Club, of which Driscoll is a member, donated $100 for material. A local business has also agreed to help cover some costs and the group has received a generous discount from Spinrite in Listowel. Officials with the local GEMS Girls Club, from where the bag idea originated, have also expressed an interest in helping to make the purses. Sheyanne’s aunt, Cindy
Sheyanne O’Donnell Ecclestone, said her niece is well aware of the bag fundraiser being organized by the Mapleton girls. “She smiled ... she thought that was great,� Ecclestone said of Sheyanne’s reaction when first told about the fundraiser. “It was very nice of them to do that.� Driscoll said the girls spent a good portion of their March break making the purses. “They were just working like little troopers,� said Driscoll. “I was proud of these girls to think of the idea.� The goal is to make and sell 100 bags over the next few weeks in order to present the O’Donnell family with at least $500 towards expenses, particularly costs to travel back and forth to McMaster hospital in Hamilton as well as lost wages for her parents. The girls are thankful for any help they receive in their quest to help Sheyanne, who they played ball against but
Main St. W. Palmerston
Dr. Seuss’
The Lorax
Rated G Held Over SHOWTIMES: Friday and Saturday 8pm and Sunday 7pm
For more info call 519-343-3640 or visit www.norgantheatre.com
have befriended nonetheless. Ecclestone said the family is very thankful for the help of the Mapleton girls, as well as others in and around Arthur who have offered help or scheduled fundraisers. “It’s been unbelievable how the community and so many people have reached out to Sheyanne,� said Ecclestone. “Our family’s very appreciative of the support.� She explained Sheyanne has been in and out of hospital since the cancer was first diagnosed last month. The 10-yearold was expected to begin a second round of chemotherapy this week. “It’s been quite a battle,� said Ecclestone. “We just never imagined this ... it’s been very difficult.� As could be expected, Sheyanne’s parents, Kevin and Rebecca O’Donnell, have spent a large majority of their time with their daughter and, in addition to the obvious emotional strain and worry, the costs are mounting. Yet despite it all, the family, which also includes six-yearold Brittney, has remained in relatively good spirits. “They seem pretty strong,� said Ecclestone. She added Sheyanne, at first taken aback by the news, is now acting more like herself, even joking around with nurses from time to time. The handbags are available for sale at Studio Factor in Drayton or by calling the Driscolls at 519-638-3252. The girls are hoping more businesses come forward to provide additional locations to sell the bags.
by Chris Daponte WELLINGTON CTY. - About 66% of health care workers in local hospitals and nursing and retirement homes received a flu shot this season - up almost 11% from a year ago, but still well short of the 80% target. Janice Walters, manager of control of infectious diseases, prepared an immunization rate report released last week by Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health (WDGPH). She said officials “have to be pleased� because the 2011-12 figures represent an
increase from last year, when just 55.6% received the influenza immunization. However, she acknowledged there is room for improvement, because the local health unit, like others throughout the province, struggles to meet the 80% target. Walters said there are a number of reasons some workers did not receive the flu shot, ranging from a perceived resiliency to the flu to a belief the shot does not work. “People are under the perception that it’s for themselves, but as health care work-
ers we’re encouraging them to get immunized to protect their patients,� Walters told the Advertiser. She added public health officials will continue to remind health care staff members that they work on a daily basis with people who are more vulnerable to disease, particularly influenza. Last week’s WDGPH report states the average rates for staff immunization within its catchment area were 71% in long-term care homes, 74% in retirement homes and 55% Continued on page 7
Councillor wants notice of NextEra applications by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Council here is a long way from completing its dealings with wind turbines. Councillor Neil Driscoll made that clear on March 13 when he presented a notice of motion directing staff to “request that the chief building official provide immediate notice to the township, through [the chief administrative officer and clerk Patty Sinnamon], of any applications for building permits submitted by NextEra so that the township can, at that time, review the application in the context of other required approvals for the wind turbine project.� A number of people who are opposed to the NextEra Energy application were in the
audience that evening. One of them asked that the group’s spokesman John Krul be permitted as a delegation at the council meeting. Council cannot debate and does not require a seconder for a notice of motion. It is strictly advance warning that the issue will be discussed. But people in the audience suggested their lawyer has stated there are legal grounds for not issuing building permits. But Sinnamon explained that even council has no say over the issuing of building permits. She explained municipal law states council “does not have the authority to direct its CBO to authorize or withhold a building permit.� She explained that regula-
tion is “unlike the Planning Act. Our solicitor suggests I inform council if there is a permit and we can look at applicable law.� The NextEra application for ten wind turbines near Arthur is under appeal to the environmental appeal tribunal and also under judicial appeal by Krul’s group. Council has decided it will forego the environmental tribunal and has yet to decide if it will appeal to the courts to halt the approval of the NextEra project under the Green Energy Act. Sinnamon told the group, “At this point, it hasn’t been established that [the approval] doesn’t meet applicable law.� The next council meeting is scheduled for March 27.
Township, landowners in limbo over sale of Rothsay road allowance by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - An error several years ago has come back to haunt council and leaves everyone involved in legal limbo after council rejected a bylaw on March 13. That rejection came after Robert MacDonald came to council as a delegation to oppose the township’s closing of a road allowance (Nelson Street) and selling the land to a single landowner. The issue is Ryan and Nicole Martin hold property at lots 86, 87, 112 and 113 on Concession 14, off County Road 7 in Rothsay. Several years ago they applied for and received a building permit for an accessory shed there, which they built. The township later learned the building encroached well onto the unopened road allow-
Weekly Wag
uch. o not cost m Kind words d . mplish much o c c a y e th t e Y al - Blaise Pasc
ance, which is owned by the township. At the time, that was not evident looking at an undeveloped road. The road allowance is known as Nelson Street. It runs from County Road 7 to another unopened road allowance to the north called Head Street. Nelson Street is to the east of the Martin holdings. It is 264 feet deep and 66 feet wide. Council believed that closing the road and selling the land to the Martins would resolve the issue of the error. Normally, when the township sells an unopened road allowance, it offers the property to abutting landowners. In this case, though, the Martins’ shed is so far onto the road allowance the building would lose its sideyard requirements if the road is divided in half. Further, the landowner on
the other side of the road indicated he has no objection to the Martins buying the entire parcel. But MacDonald offered council another perspective, even as council had the road closing and sale bylaw on its agenda that night. He told council he contacted the township “back when they started digging a hole on the township road. I told them what was going on. I talked to the building inspector.� The person he spoke with was the now retired Jim Baker. MacDonald said Baker visited the site and said the shed would not be on the road allowance. MacDonald said he took that as fact. “I thought I must be wrong.� He added that years later he talked to a real estate agent Continued on page 5
'5$<7216725$*( FRP ,QGLYLGXDO 6WRUDJH 8QLWV Individual Storage Units [ [ [ [ 5x10 10x10 10x15 10x20 6HDVRQDO ERDWV FDUV 59V ODZQ WUDFWRUV Seasonal VXPPHU ZLQWHU WLUH VWRUDJH boats, cars, RVs, lawn tractors, summer/winter tire storage