Locals take an interest in fallen Montreal firefighter

 The medal reads “Tu Haces La Diferencia.” In English it means, “You Make a Difference.”

George Jackson, of Iroquois, is a man who has tried to make a difference in the lives of some very special children since 1985, when he set up the Partners for Children in Development, a charitable organization, and began work in Honduras, one of the world’s most troubled nations. 

In May of 2012, Jackson was recognized for those years of service with a Coca Cola Heroes Award.

The Coca Cola company operates a very large plant in Honduras, making both coke and beer. Coke is very popular in the nation. Like every major industry, profits come first with Coke, “but I believe they are trying to make a difference in the lives of the people in the nations where they operate,” Jackson said.  

The medal was presented  to him by representatives of Coca Cola at the Centro de Artes,  an Arts Centre Jackson built for local children in San Pedro Sula, with the support of Partners. Reporters from Prensa, the San Pedro Sula journal, and staff at the Centre were also on hand. 

The medal, created by Coca Cola, seeks to recognize and commend the efforts of ordinary people around the world who have tried to do something to help their community and its people. It seeks to honour those who try, often against great odds, “ to make a difference.”

George Jackson, who admits that he tries to keep a low profile, has devoted much of his life to helping the children of Honduras. He has developed homes and schools, emphasized and supported education and, in 2006, opened an Arts centre in the heart of the community where children can feel safe, and perhaps find a way out of the grinding poverty of their lives.

“Since I came to Honduras in 1988, the population has doubled,” Jackson said. “The streets are very dangerous, far more so than when I started. Because Honduras has become a drop off point between Columbia and Mexico, gangs and drug lords are essentially running the country. Illiteracy is rampant, and so is government corruption. Sadly, the city of San Pedro Sula has recently been named the most dangerous city in the world.”

Yet Jackson perseveres.

“I still firmly believe that education for the children is the key,” he explained. “They must learn to think and to reason, to choose a different path. Through Partners, I want to continue to give kids choices, to keep them occupied with things of value to the nation, We must offer an alternative to street life, or to no life at all.”

He feels that the support of Partners, a registered Canadian charity, really has made a difference.

“We have 120 children in public school, three in high school, and we are supporting five students in university through Partners. Olga and Karla, (both of whom Partners brought to Canada, and who attended school at Seaway), well, Olga will soon graduate as a doctor and Karla is going to graduate as an elementary teacher. They came from tough, tough backgrounds, both of them, and they have made it. I am so very, very proud of them. Believe me, I look forward to the day I go to their graduation ceremonies.”

Jackson is deeply honoured that he was chosen by Coca Cola to receive a Heroes Award, but he sees himself as simply a representative of all the people who have kept the work of Partners alive.

“It is Partners’ work, and people’s support of that work, that really matters. Once an organization like Partners succeeds in helping a few, the effect ultimately spreads into the next generations. It is my hope that people will continue to support us, help us to continue to do what we are doing.”

Next week, Jackson returns to Honduras and the task that has become a big part of his life.

“I am going to keep doing this work until I can’t do it any more,” he said.

George Jackson and Partners for Children in Development can be reached at Box 466, Iroquois, Ontario.

[…]

The November 15th South Dundas council meeting saw a lot of discussion surrounding the Morrisburg Rink rental fees.

The issue was raised due to a letter received by the Township,  sent by Bruce Mullin about the “more-than-double” rate of the ice rental fee for Seaway District High School’s hockey team.

According to Mullin’s letter, last year the team paid $37 per hour for ice time, but this year the rate has gone up to $87 per hour.

The Morrisburg Rink’s rental fees are $125 per hour for adult prime time rental, $95 per hour for children’s prime time rental, and a universal $85 per hour for non-prime rental. All prices are before the addition of HST.

Manager for Recreation, Don Lewis, provided council with a breakdown of rink costs. It costs “$24 per hour for electricity when the compressors are running. When there’s no rental, it costs $8 per hour.”

“The hourly rate for one of our employees (with benefits calculated in) is $29.66 per hour.”

“It’s $53.67 in total. That does not include the natural gas we burn for heaters or the zamboni. These are just two of the key things,” he continued.

In checking with other arenas, Lewis found that Morrisburg’s prices are comparable.

“People think that when the rink’s not being used that it’s not costing us as if it was being used,” said Chief Administrative Officer Stephen McDonald.

The main concern seemed to revolve around two points: what is fair and consistent for everyone; and, what can council do to help support the existence of a hockey team for the local high school.

Councillor Jim Graham pointed out: “They got a rate last year and they were expecting it this year. My suggestion is that we give them a reduced rate on their practice time. This year they got hit with something they weren’t expecting.”

Mayor Steven Byvelds said, “one of the challenges I have is that we went through the budget. We felt they were fair. There’s no expectation to make money. It’d be nice to break even. There’s a lot of cost we haven’t accounted for.”

He pointed out the probability that “if we allow a break on this one” then minor hockey might ask “‘if the high school can get a break, then why can’t we?’”

He later said, “I just think it’s fair that we try to be consistent.”

He admitted that the hockey program for high school students “gets them out and gives them school spirit.”

He said, “we try to be fair and still run our business and try to keep deficits to a minimum.”

Council members each saw the need to be fair and the need to keep deficits to a minimum, but many also wanted to do something for the high school’s hockey team.

In the end, it was decided that for 2011/2012, ice rental fees for Seaway’s team will be $50 per hour for practice ice time and $85 per hour for tournament ice time.  The following years will see the team paying the same price as everyone else.

[…]

 “I’d say this ban is going to be on for the rest of the month, unless something drastic changes,” said South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services chief Chris McDonough.

South Dundas is just one of many Ontario townships with a fire ban in place due to the extreme weather conditions affecting most of Ontario.

In South Dundas, the fire ban means no burning of any kind, except for cooking on a hibachi or barbecue and even that is subject to a possible ban if the situation worsens. 

For now, McDonough suggests that people “be extra cautious of their environment” and if using coals for a cooking fire, “make sure they are extinguished, that they are completely out.”

As for the ‘no burning of any kind,’ this includes, but is not limited to, bonfires, burning in a barrel, chimenea fires (outdoor fireplaces), campfires and any other recreational-type fires. It also includes all commercial burning for agriculture.

“If you’re not sure, you can call,” said McDonough, “It applies to everyone.” 

“I would also caution people on discarding smoking materials,” he said. With conditions as dry as they are, a carelessly discarded cigarette butt could cause a lot of damage. 

As evidence of what a cigarette butt can do when not properly extinguished, McDonough pointed to the fire that overtook the Dunbar Recreation Centre last fall.

Anyone caught violating the burn ban is “subject to being charged,” said McDonough. This includes charges for any fire vehicles sent to the location, hourly rates for manpower, and any applicable fines.

He would also caution that there will be no warnings. If caught, there will be charges.

As for when the ban might be lifted, McDonough suggested that it would take at least a solid, steady two to three days of all-day rain, coupled with cooler temperatures.

Basically, “it depends on the daytime conditions,” he said. When the ban is lifted, notices will be posted. 

Currently, “if the wind catches a small fire, it’ll just take off with these conditions,” said McDonough.

As for laws governing burning when  a fire ban is not in effect, the Township of South Dundas currently has two by-laws. By-law number 99-19 and By-law number 2002-14 outline the rules governing the setting of fires within South Dundas.

It is the most recent by-law, number 2002-14, that prohibits open burning in hamlet areas and requires all other areas to apply for burn permits.

Open burning includes any burning that is not done in a building. For example, an outdoor fireplace is considered open burning because it is done outside.

So, for those people living in areas with housing developments, like Morrisburg or Iroquois, using a chimenea or having any sort of an outdoor fire that isn’t an actual barbecue,  is against the by-law and subject to fines.

According to McDonough, “we are revising our burning by-law this fall.” 

To recap, a fire ban is in place in South Dundas. This means no burning of any kind, except for cooking on hibachis or barbecues.

For more information or to report unlawful burning, contact chief Chris McDonough at 613-543-2333 or contact the township office at 613-535-2673.

[…]