South Bruce Peninsular - Oliphant - Comments

Apparently the reason it did

rcomputer — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 21:04:15 -0400

Apparently the reason it did not proceed last fall as originally planned was the unavailability of permits for the town to work by the water

Trojan UV questioned

garym — Wed, 03 May 2006 22:11:25 -0400

No idea who they are or even where but an anonymous critique of the Water Treatment Plant Report wants to send up some flares on the town's choice of vendor for the UV gear ...

Anonymous writes: "as time goes by, that Trojan UV system will cost you more and more to operate. Not to mention that Trojan will raise the price of their replacement parts to a point where you will want to remove the system and go with something else. Trojan is notorious for getting systems installed, and because they are the only source of replacement parts, they raise the price and there is nothing you can do about it."
[ via South Bruce Peninsula Crier: Wiarton Water Treatment Plant Annual Report 2005 ]

Sounds like somebody wasn't too happy. Might be worth at least pecking about to see if there are any other unbiased (no vested interest) 'consumer reports' on this gear ...

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

First entry is just fine :)

garym — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 23:50:43 -0400

And this is right-on what we need, some ground-zero first-hand experience. Rumour has it Sauble is up for a 'Blue Flag' rating and I'm sure the infrastructure improvements are apropos for that, but I wonder what the black-water taps might add to the mix.

Still, I am curious here: Doesn't the public washroom use municipal water? Most everone else in the downtown core seems to be, but not the restrooms?

Just wondering. I don't know one way or the other so it's just a question, but maybe one that needs answering.

There's no doubt we have septic hotspots, every rural community in North America older than 50 years likely has at least a few. And it would be very unfortunate if a high-profile location like a prime tourism service site should be one of them, but I'm still of the mind that the reasonable response is not to go begging for astronomical miracles from Ottawa (or Corporate Angels) but to do the very most unthinkably blasphemous thing and fix the hot spots.

Because it is not expensive, because it would be an excellent opportunity to showcase Ontario home-grown decentralized water-treatment systems, because it is the right thing to do.

Because the Fix is out there. My famous bundle of alternative water technology brochures is now nearly 10 years since it was tabled by Amabel Council. Considering the total sewage recycling of something like a public restroom amounts to a (compared to $80M) paultry sum of maybe $5K -- my cost data may be old, but ballpark that's about it and there's many more technology options now -- and because, almost by definition the really most ill-kept hotspots of the lot are those with the least financial resources for self-investment, then considering these basic realities, why don't we invest in our own future? And I don't mean running more municipal pipes: Why not collectively buy shares in Sauble Beach, become stakeholders in our community reclamation and establish a public trust fund to provide low or zero-cost septic improvement loans to property owners deemed as hotspots?

Granted, I've had some pretty outside ideas in my time, but for the life of me, this doesn't seem like one of them. Even in the shadow of the Pipeline Spook, it's easy to do, easy to implement, loads the bow with just the single arrow and hits the problem square on.

And we could start first thing Monday morning.

Here's my prediction: No matter what consultants we hire, best laid plans of hotels and convention centres notwithstanding, $80+Million is not going to materialize any time soon, and as the hotspot taps get blacker and blacker, either someone will get hurt and force some reasonable action through a lawsuit, or someone will get a brilliant pro-active idea to toss the spectre of the impending sewer tax to the wind and risk the few grand to show just what can be done with modern waste-water management, and either way the neighbours will see just how easy and painless it was and how effective and eco-friendly it is and they'll tell two friends, and they'll tell two friends and things will start to change one barrel at a time.

And then we'll look back, and we'll be proud of what we did.

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

water

wayne tanner — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 22:53:50 -0400

although I promised you and May a afternoon of respite care, ( the boys were fine today and insurance will cover any other costs incurred ) I had to leave on a fire call allowing Susan to endure . One thing I heard as I was doing traffic control were comments directed towards the water in the washrooms along the beach. Apparently the water coming out of the taps was quit black and people were actually paying the store owners ( who post customer only signs) to allow themselves and there children to use "sanitary" washrooms. Now as I have some experience with water treatment and in the Sauble area my thoughts were " Me thinks the ol sand points along the beach finally returneth back what we deliverth to it" It is bad down there and when myself an others were thinking of were going togethor to look at "investment" properties as we are the up and coming tycoons of development :) I saw the classic 45 gallon barrel under the sheet of plywood in at least 3 of the cottages we look at and others were not much better. SOMETHING has to be done, right wrong or indifferent to the politics of it all. BTW Aunty Marlene was 3 weeks in the walkerton hospital, so right wrong or indifferent , black water coming out of the public washroom taps nnnoooott good. First entry Gary, hope I did ok See ya on the 15th

its nice of you to have tried

bub — Tue, 08 Feb 2005 19:14:00 -0500

Its nice of you to have tried...which is more than a lot of us can say..its also nice to know that there are still professionals that care! Thanks Laurie!

helpers / nurses names on the deployment list.

Laurie watkins — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 10:11:43 -0500

Laurie R.P.N

Garym I think it is so great that there are education

materials to discuss Tsunami's.

I went to My nurses meeting in Toronto 2 weeks

Â ago . there were 30 nurses from all over . Oliphant, Niagara falls.

Niagara falls. They told what to do if we are

deployed. Ie shots, supliesÂ ect. The update is we went from 500 Ontario nurses willing to being a VIA nurse for Ontario only and also

127 nurses willing to be deployed to Tsunami hit areas.

We went from numbers. Now the government has our names. I will keep the community posted.Â A nurse willing to count,Laurie

Tsunami Education CD

garym — Sun, 09 Jan 2005 12:24:27 -0500

If any non-profit or educational agency relief projects in our area is in need of educational materials to illustrate the scope and scale of this disaster, I have obtained the tsunami2k4 file from the internet and will provide copies of this CD free of charge for these groups. The CD collects up many of the amateur and newswire digital video and photographs from Aceh, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Kenya, with some NASA simulations and other diagrams explaining the phenomenon; there is some footage that may not be suitable for small children, but this is all collected under one directory and easy to avoid in a presentation. The remaining footage is a pretty compelling record of just why this is not just any everyday natural disaster.

For example, the aerial photography cruising over what was once a city of 10,000, and now looks like soggy pasturelands; the voice-over explains that the faint white square marks in the puddles below are all that remains of the foundations of houses in what was once something a little bigger than Wiarton. What I personally find most compelling is how the water doesn't arrive like a Hollywood blockbuster in a dramatic apocalyptic wall of water, it just kind of gracefully wafts over the beach, deftly rising up and over the cars, buildings and trees.

Anyway, if any fundraising groups would like a copy, I'll gladly burn you one, and if anyone wants a copy for personal education use, I'll lend you a disk and you can burn one yourself.

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

counting the big numbers

garym — Fri, 07 Jan 2005 12:54:17 -0500

Wow -- thanks for that post, both of them. Yeah, not just Oliphant, not just the Bruce, but as I said to May, you look at the animations on the WikiPedia page and just think, that's like if the explosion in Halifax knocked down buildings in Vancouver, that's a wall of water as tall as St.Francis Place and screaming along at the speed of a jumbo jet, it's a thousand jumbojets without landing gear. I've posted links to more background and sobering perspective on my personal blog.

May and I have a mutual friend with some aid workers currently in Sumatra where they have just shipped 160 tons of what they call The Bucket Brigade, small packages of tools for digging wells, bundled in a bucket. I've been online with our HK connection to lead them through setting up donation connections through PayPal (see the sidebar in my blog for details) ... but this thing isn't just going to go away, it's going to be with us with aftershocks for a long, long time.

Just for one small example, May learned today how people are mobilizing in HK to locate seniors who were dependent on their older kids for income, and as we all know, insurance companies don't pay for 7 years unless you can produce a body; sure there are immediate concerns and we shouldn't forget those, but there's going to be a need for vigilance for a long time to come.

Anyway, thanks again Laurie, and please please keep us posted on your progress (if you can't post to the SBP from Sumatra, email me or send me SMS and I'll post for you)

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

A Call of duty.

Laurie watkins — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 21:11:19 -0500

Laurie R.P.N

I checked my email today and I wasÂ and did

Â add my name to theÂ tsunami help from nurses

. after talking to my fine husband I decided to

go for it and may be deployed to help with

Â pride in 2 or 3 weeks,

here is the email I said yes to do I want to be

Â a via nurse (volunteer immediate assistance)

I checked off yes to local via nurse and Tsunami

Â help.I have worked in nursing for 29 yrs and

am ready to be deployed ".As you are no doubt

Â aware, on December 26, a massive underwater

earthquake
off the cost of Indonesia triggered a tsunami that

devastated a ring of
countries in the region.
RNAO has been requested by the Ministry of

Â Health and Long-Term Care to
coordinate a registry of volunteer nurses

Â willing to be potentially
deployed to assist in the tsunami relief

effort.

RNAO will be utilizing VIANurse system as a

Â vehicle to compile the

necessary contact information of volunteer

RNs and RPNs to assist in the

relief effort should this be necessary.

The most critical needs related to nursing skills

Â at this time include;

languages specific to the regions affected,

Â infection control and outbreak

management, public health and education.

Â Should volunteer disaster relief

be requested deployment will be expected

to occur within two to three

weeks to allow for preparation activities,

Â for example necessary vaccinations.

Please update your VIA Nurse profile with

Â your current contact information

and skills and languages relevant

to the tsunami relief effort. To
indicate your willingness to volunteer for

Tsunami Relief, please login to

your VIA Nurse account at:and update

the "Custom Tag" section of your Personal

Data and Profile.

please do not hesitate to contact me directly

Â with any questions.

Best Regards,

Tracey

VIANurse Coordinator

Registered Nurses Association of Ontario

Purple Valley Maple Syrup Festival

garym — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 01:31:33 -0400

Details on the Town website or check our events calendar.

Sandy Bay details

garym — Sat, 10 Apr 2004 01:30:18 -0400

Some further details on the Allan's Sandy Bay events can be found on the Town of South Bruce Peninsula Events Board or you can
contact: 534-4880 (sandybay@bmts.com)

*FREE EASTER EGG HUNT* (12 Years & Under) *LOTS OF PRIZES* *FACE PAINTING* *Endangered Species & Wildlife Awareness Event RAFFLE DRAW & FUNDRAISING PROCEEDS DIRECTED TO:

The Children's Aid Society of Bruce County & Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary & Education Ctre.

*WIN A Luxurious Shoreline Limousine Tour For Up To 8 People!!!!!...... Tickets $6.00 or 2/$10.00 On Sale Now (519) 534-4880 or sandybay@bmts.com Advance Tickets By Mail: Visa/MC Contact: ALLAN'S SANDY BAY

garym: ict evangelist - musician - whatever

also open

a tourist — Fri, 09 Apr 2004 20:34:39 -0400

It's nice to have JK's open again after the long winter. Welcome back Barb and staff....

Also open

KeeMay — Fri, 09 Apr 2004 10:10:22 -0400

You must have been pretty hungry when writing the article:) One non-eatery place opening this weekend is J.K.

It actually opened earlier this week. I was in there on Wednesday. "O Just have to come in here and take a look." Said I to the shopkeeper. "We still have a lot to unpack and hang up. Should be all ready by Friday." She replied with a big warm smile, the kind you see on your neighbour's face.

J.K. came to its existence as a the only department store in Sauble Beach about 5 years ago when Kirkland's Valumart moved to the present, bigger premises. It was only a couple of years ago that Barb decided to close the store during winter. I don't blame her. She and her staff, mostly family members work really hard in the summer time, like all the other beach businesses. Just that us local really miss having a shop to go browse and pick up a few things during the cold months to help us overcome winter blues.