MacLean honoured, phosphorus reduction, farming longevity

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Today – Showers ending this morning then mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind southwest 20 km/h gusting to 40. High 10.

Tonight – Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers early this evening. Clearing this evening. Wind west 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low plus 3 with risk of frost.

Photo of the day – Michelle MacLean honoured by Rotary Club of Wallaceburg

Carl MacLean, Sussan Londry, Michelle MacLean **(Submitted photo)**

Written by President Sussan Londry

Michelle MacLean is an outstanding woman in Wallaceburg. For many years past she helped serve meals and worked alongside Rotary at the Knox Presbyterian Church, where Wallaceburg Club held their meetings. She was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow for her service. She was a teacher with the Happycraft Literacy Group also for a number of years.

She is a devoted Christian. Michelle is the lovely wife of Carl MacLean who is a Lifetime Member of the Wallaceburg Rotary Club. They have a beautiful family of children and grandchildren.

Michelle had a vision for helping the needy and lonely people in our town of Wallaceburg.

She prayed about this vision and through true faith it became a reality, namely ‘The Soup Cellar’, which every Monday at Knox Presbyterian Church feeds and promotes fellowship in the community, sometimes as many as 100 people.

Providing a hot lunch with nutritious food and desserts, with the help of her many volunteers and many generous farmers and stores, Michelle’s vision also came to pass with yet another blessing.

“The Cellar Pantry”, opening at the Knox Presbyterian basement every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., providing bread, pizzas, fresh vegetables, desserts and daily essentials.

Michelle is feeding the needy, and caring for the hurt and lonely with a smile that would melt anyone’s heart.

She is a shoulder to lean on, with the pure heart of an angel, and an unending belief in her faith.

And as the song goes, “I believe there are Angels among us”, there are, and Michelle is one of them.

So it gives me great honour to induct you, Michelle, as an Honourary Member of the Rotary Club of Wallaceburg.

May you always be blessed, as you have blessed us and our Town of Wallaceburg.

Collaborative moves into phase two of phosphorus reduction project

The Thames River Phosphorus Reduction Collaborative (PRC) has wrapped up its initial round of research and is about to begin on-the-ground demonstration projects, pending funding approval.

“We’ve done our homework, and now it’s time to move on with real, practical projects to retain more phosphorus on the land and remove phosphorus from run-off in the drains,” stated Randy Hope, Mayor of Chatham-Kent and the project’s co-chair, in a press release.

“We’re ready and willing to do our part to resolve the serious water quality issues in our back yard, but we need support to move forward.”

The PRC steering committee heard at its meeting on October 12th about a range of in-field and in-drain projects. They are aimed at finding out how phosphorus can be prevented from entering field tile systems, how water can be treated to remove phosphorus before entering municipal drains, and testing phosphorus removal technologies in municipal drains.

Phosphorus in municipal drains that collect water from agricultural lands, among other places, can trigger the growth of toxic algal blooms in downstream water bodies. The western basin of Lake Erie has regularly experienced such incidents in recent years, and at the end of August, blue-green algae was detected in the Thames River at Chatham for the first time.

The PRC is among the principal voluntary initiatives included in the Canada-Ontario Draft Action Plan aimed at contributing to the commitment made in 2016 between Canada and the U.S. to a 40 per cent reduction in the total phosphorus entering Lake Erie. There is also a commitment among Ohio, Michigan and Ontario to reduce phosphorus to the western basin by 40 per cent by 2025.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received from government so far, and we’d like to help it fulfill its promises by finding workable, economical ways for farmers to do their part,” stated Mark Reusser, co-chair of the PRC and Vice-President of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, in a press release.

The first phase of funding was used to set up the steering committee, scope out the project, research what kinds of technologies are available, and set up communications channels so results can be shared.

The PRC represents agricultural organizations, municipalities, conservation authorities, First Nations and environmental non-governmental organizations. It is dedicated to developing a suite of effective land management and drainage solutions for agriculture, in cooperation with partners, for reducing phosphorus and improving water quality in the Thames River. Details of the collaborative, its work and a full listing of steering committee members is at www.thamesriverprc.com

The PRC is administered by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

One-third of the $300,000 invested in the collaborative so far has come from its partner groups, and two-thirds from Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.

Farming longevity recognized as part of Canada 150 celebrations

Time is running out for owners of farms and farming businesses in Ontario to have their efforts commemorated as part of the province’s celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will provide signs for outside display to any individual or group that has been affiliated with agriculture in the province for the past 150 years.

The deadline for applying, however, is October 31, 2017.

Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope is urging anyone in the community who is eligible to apply for the free signs.

“The agricultural community in Chatham-Kent is a source of great pride for us and we should take every opportunity to celebrate the contributions made by the men and women of agriculture,” Hope said in a press release.

“We couldn’t grow for the world without them.”

Applicants can apply for a sign by Oct. 31, 2017, designed for being displayed outdoors, by visiting http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/rural/ontario150.htm.

Eligible registrants can also request a sign by mail. Please ensure to include a short description of the agriculture history along with your mailing address when doing so.

Requests via mail can be sent to:

Ontario Farms
c/o Agricultural Information Contact Centre
Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
1 Stone Road West
Guelph, Ontario
N1G 4Y2

ID clinic in Wallaceburg today

Chatham-Kent Public Library, in partnership with Chatham-Kent Employment and Social Services, is offering ID Clinics for anyone who needs help getting identification.

Clinics will offer individuals assistance with completing online or paper Birth Certificate applications. Those who require photo ID will gain an understanding of the purpose of photo ID and the steps they will need to take to acquire Photo ID or Health cards.

No registration is required for the ID Clinic. Individuals will be served on a first come, first serve basis. There is NO FEE to attend and financial screening will be available for those who may need assistance with payment for identification.

Free ID Clinics will be held:

– Blenheim Branch: Tuesday, October 24, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

– Wallaceburg Branch: Wednesday, October 25, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

– Chatham Branch: Monday, October 30, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

CKPL’s partnership has extended to Service Canada who invites anyone requiring a Social Insurance Number (SIN) to visit their locations for help at:

– Service Canada, 120 Wellington Street West Chatham, ON

– Service Canada, 86 Dufferin Ave, Floor 2 Wallaceburg, ON

For more information about this program, and others at Chatham-Kent Public Library, visit www.ckpl.ca or call 519-354-2940.

Wind meeting on Thursday in Wallaceburg

The Wallaceburg Area Wind Concerns group, who has concerns about the upcoming Otter Creek Wind Farm project, wis holding a public meeting on Thursday.

It will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the UAW Hall in Wallaceburg.

Three guest speakers are lined up for their meeting:

– Keith Benn, P. Geo, is set to present ‘Climate Evolution is Normal’ and ‘Never Believe a Model when it Contradicts Facts.’

– Warren Howard, Wind Concerns Ontario executive, is set to present ‘Wind Turbines 101’ and share his experiences dealing with communities, the Ministry of Environment, noise and health concerns.

– Monte McNaughton, MPP for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, is set to discuss the topic and outline his community support.

Read more about the group, here: Wallaceburg group concerned about Otter Creek Wind Farm