Iroquois Matilda Lions give to Christmas Exchange

Since the August 19th boil water advisory, Mayor Steven Byvelds has been working to discover what caused the initial reading.

He explained, at the September 6th South Dundas council meeting, that there were two issues to be dealt with in this situation. 

First, council needed expert reports on what actually happened. 

Secondly, council would need to review the reports to determine what, if anything, needed to be done to update emergency procedures should a similar situation occur in the future.

At that time, Byvelds had received two reports on the situation. One, unfortunately, hadn’t arrived until late on September 6th so there hadn’t been time to review and report to council.

At the September 20th meeting, Byvelds stated: “I apologize. I do not have that report today.”

He said that he’d “finally had time to put all involved in a meeting yesterday (September 19th). We had a really good discussion and we’re working on a report that should be ready within the week.”

Byvelds stated that upon completion of this report, work would begin on development of a protocol for future emergency situations.

On September 29th the Leader received two press releases concerning the boil water advisory: one from Mayor Byvelds and one from the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU).

Byvelds: “As promised on August 19th, 2011, I have had discussions with the Medical Officer of Health, representatives of the Ministry of Environment Safe Drinking Water Branch, Caneau Water and Sewage Operations Inc., and Township staff regarding the events leading up to the issuance of the boil water advisory.”

EOHU: “On August 17, 2011, the (EOHU) issued a Precautionary Boil Water Advisory for those served by the South Dundas Regional Drinking Water System treatment plant.”

“The decision to issue the advisory came after receiving an initial report of “overgrown” results from the laboratory. “Overgrown” is a situation where the test may have been contaminated with bacteria found in the environment.”

“Although all other routine water testing results that day were normal, this condition may have interfered with the detection of coliforms or E. coli that may have been present in the sample. In this instance, further testing was required in order to rule out the presence of harmful bacteria.”

EOHU continued: “One day following the advisory, subsequent results fell within acceptable parameters.”

“When there is an “overgrown” situation, as a precaution, the public will be asked to boil water. This is in fact a usual course of action taken by public health officials, even if there is no obvious cause for the adverse results.”

EOHU concluded, explaining that “it is important to note that the (EOHU) and the Ministry of Environment oversee and inspect hundreds of water systems, including municipal water treatment plants. At times, it is not unusual to see inexplicable adverse results. This type of situation does occur and does not mean that a system is unsafe.”

Mayor Byvelds stated: “I am satisfied that all proper protocols were followed and that the quality assurance and quality control procedures in place are acceptable.”

He continued, saying, “The plant’s quality control parameters that measure chlorine residual and turbidity continuously displayed that the water quality leaving the plant was as good as it has been since the day that the South Dundas water plant was first put into operation.”

He emphasized the main point of EOHU’s findings: “It can only be concluded that external factors, such as contamination or inadequate sterilization of the sample bottle caused the overgrown result.”

“While the precautionary boil water advisory caused angst and inconvenience it is comforting to know that there never was an issue with the quality of the water produced by the South Dundas Regional Drinking Water System.”

Now that the first issue  in the boil water advisory situation has been addressed, Mayor Byvelds has, as promised, taken up the second issue: “Staff has now been tasked with drafting a protocol detailing how we would deal with a similar situation in the future. Once complete we will share this with you.”

[…]

 

On January 12th, a winter storm hit the area with freezing temperatures, freezing rain and, of course, snow.

Students woke up to good news on the 12th: a snow day! Schools remained open, but buses were cancelled.

Unfortunately, Friday the 13th proved to be unlucky for those hoping for another snow day. Despite the freezing rain, snow, and poor driving conditions, buses were not cancelled. 

According to the Upper Canada District School Board’s (UCDSB) website: “the UCDSB strives to ensure the safe transportation of children. Ultimately, each parent has the right and legal obligation to protect their child. You may decide to keep your child at home at any time if you feel that it is too risky to have him/her transported to school.”

By mid-morning on the 13th the storm was still going strong and, according to police reports, “SD&G OPP officers responded to a total of 37 traffic/weather related calls for service. The incidents ranged from vehicles in ditches to property damage collisions. Fortunately, no injuries resulted.”

Flashbacks of 1997’s Ice Storm were front and centre in the minds of many local residents, especially when, at 11:54 a.m. on the 13th, the power went out in Morrisburg, Williamsburg, and areas farther north. Iroquois was not affected.

According to John Walsh, a representative for Rideau St. Lawrence Distribution Inc., “the storm caused trees to come down on the main line that feeds Morrisburg.”

The main line belongs to Hydro One and “they repaired the problem.” Hydro power was up and running by 1:31 p.m.

And, on January 17th, children were gifted with another snow day. As of 9:20 a.m., there was still a freezing rain warning in effect for all parts of South Dundas.

[…]

The Pumpkin Inferno, coming to Upper Canada Village this October, will be totally original, and totally spell-binding. There is already a feeling that it will rival Alight at Night in its appeal to the public. 

“It’s magnificent,” said Susan Le Clair,  manager of customer service & corporate communications for the St. Lawrence Parks Commission. “We are investing a lot of resources into our Pumpkin Inferno.”

On Friday, October 5, the Commission will unveil its newest attraction, the Pumpkin Inferno.  The Inferno will be an event unlike anything Upper Canada Village has ever staged before. 

For the entire month of October, (leading up to an as yet top secret finale on October 31), the Village will be the site of an extraordinary display of over 25 fascinating exhibits, all created using 4,000 pumpkins. (Five transports were needed to deliver the pumpkins to the work site.)

Visitors to the Village will be dazzled by pumpkin creations, two and three dimensional, tied to themes as diverse as Under the Sea and the Old West. 

“We hope to enhance and augment this experience for our visitors, with the wonderful Village as the backdrop,” Le Clair explained. “There will be lights and music, and the exhibits will be in the trees, in the water, and on the ground, making full use of the Village site.” 

Events officer Jancis Sommerville brought the idea of the Pumpkin Inferno to the commission, and developed the business plan. “Management was immediately excited by her idea,” said Le Clair. “They are backing her vision 100 per cent. We hope to see as many as 25,000 visitors to the Village in this our first year. We want to keep Upper Canada Village alive and vital even after the regular season ends. We want to drive tourism through this region.”

The artistic force behind this incredible new event at Upper Canada Village?

It’s a group of extraordinarily talented young people, many drawn from right here in South Dundas.

The Leader had the opportunity to meet Liam Mills and Dave Hurtubise (later joined by Nikki Ault), who head the project. They are young graphic designers whose vision for the Pumpkin Inferno has “fired-up” the Village. 

Mills and Hurtubise lead a team of 13 students, some in high school, some in college, some in university. From a variety of backgrounds (art history, animation, industrial design and art classes), what they all share in common are strong creative and artistic skills. 

Liam, Dave and Susan Le Clair led a tour of the Pumpkin site (built in a large work shop behind the Upper Canada air strip) on Thursday, August 16. It was a beehive of activity, as the students bring the exhibits to life.

Hurtubise and Mills’ original graphic concepts are designed, first on paper, and then in computer simulations, at the start of what the team jokingly calls “the assembly line.”

“We have 25 major themes for this exhibit,” Liam Mills said. “They are very diverse: traditional Hallowe’en to underwater creations, Chinese themes, gardens, even the Old West. Just one of our themes required 27 pumpkins to make a figure life sized. I think people will be very surprised by what they see.”

“The pumpkins are all styrofoam, and come in several sizes,” Dave Hurtubise explained, “from really small hand sized ones to others almost three feet tall.  The pumpkins are attached to plywood and the students trace outlines in the dark room cannister. We disassemble the pieces, later reassembling them to make the exhibits. I think that when our finished works are lit up at night, the exhibits will be really striking.”

There were no blue prints for this project. The whole concept was completely unique. “The team often had to invent the process as they went along,” Le Clair said. 

“We collectively work on one theme at a time,” Liam explained, “although two or three exhibits may be on the go. Work is constantly in progress on the line.”

“We are very team driven,” Dave said. “Everyone is involved in every step of the process. There’s a lot of satisfaction for people to see where everything is going. I think the most creative work takes place in mid process.”

Each worker has his/her station and tools. Carpenters take into consideration the lighting and settings as the exhibits near completion and are stored in labelled trailers. The exhibits have been created to use the buildings, the lights, the trees and the full size and scale of the Village to create an impact.

It is obvious, from the level of energy and enthusiasm on the work site that the young artists are excited about and dedicated to this project. “We have been very, very busy,” Dave and Liam laughed at the end of the tour, “and maybe our heads bounce around a lot.” 

It looks like this is going to be an event at the Village no one should miss.

The Pumpkin Inferno is scheduled to open October 5, soon after the end of the regular Village season.

“Willard’s will be open during the event,” Susan Le Clair said, “and there will be some delicious pumpkin themed treats throughout the Village. This walking tour is really a family friendly experience. And if people want to come to the Pumpkin Inferno in costumes, they should go right ahead.”

Tickets for the grand Pumpkin Inferno at Upper Canada Village are already on sale. Check the Village website for dates and prices.

[…]