June 10, 2010
Orangeville Citizen/Free Press and Economist
Black Lab Hedda now Laura’s eyes By LINDSEY PAPP Staff Reporter
“Harness, Hedda,” said 16-year-old Orangeville resident Laura Jotham, as she stood holding a black Canine Vision Canada (CVC) harness in front of her small black Lab Hedda. Hedda was almost immediate in her response. Putting her head through
the harness, she waited patiently for Laura to secure it to her small body. Laura and Hedda have been together now for a month. The first 26 of those days were spent in Oakville at the Sir James Dunn Dog Guide Training Centre, created by the Lions Foundation of Canada. “I’ve never stayed
Challenged by PPS • From page A4
able to service it for housing. Mr. Young sought to have the 20 acres redesignated but Mr. Wever says it would be difficult to meet the provincial criteria for including it for development. However, the council will consider the request
prior to next Monday’s meeting, after which the final draft of the OP review is expected to be circulated to the province and various agencies. Three of the major considerations for the first draft would be the required sidewalks, the height restrictions, and possibly the Besley request.
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away from home that long before by myself,” said Laura. “I thought it was going to be a completely uncomfortable situation. But it was great, the staff was great and the accommodations were fantastic.” Laura has Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), which is a blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants. Laura was born at 26 weeks, spending almost half the first year of her life in hospital. She developed ROP during that time. Laura is legally blind with only 10 per cent vision in her right eye, and none in her left. Since completing the program in Oakville she has found she can move through life with more confidence. “It’s not necessarily things I wouldn’t have done before, but now I’m just that much more confident,” said Laura. “I don’t need to wait for someone to take me or wait for a friend to go with me.” Since graduation Laura has been readjusting to life
at home with her new companion. “It’s been a bit difficult just because I have to balance her (Hedda) and schoolwork and everything else,” she said. She was quick to add that her anxiety came from being unable to relate to this experience and not knowing what to expect. Laura commented that she was glad the program was a bit lengthy. She was able to establish a working routine with Hedda that has continued since they arrived home. Greg Clarke, CVC’s head trainer in Oakville, said that for clients the program doesn’t end at the end of the training session. After the client returns home, within between two weeks and a month a trainer will visit them at home to make sure the dog is listening to commands and the client is happy. “I can vouch for a thorough, all-encompassing curriculum,” Laura said. She commented that throughout her time in Oakville they were given
various tasks to accomplish that simulated real life. “It costs $6,000 to train a dog in the Canine vision program,” said Mr. Clarke. Funds as well as the number of dogs bred and accepted to the training program are among the problems that face the Lions Foundation of Canada. “There is no cost to a client,” he added. “Everything’s covered from (the client) being assessed, flying to Oakville or any other transportation to get here, their stay here is all taken care of.” Since her enrolment in the program Laura and Hedda have accomplished a lot together. “We did a trip in Downtown Toronto using the subway, using the escalators,” Laura said. She commented that before Hedda she was terrified of both those things. But now ‘it’s like nothing.’ They also did the Purina Walk this past
weekend. “It was really, really good,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to see the end result, what they are helping accomplish.” She stated that the walk is something that she hopes to continue doing annually with Hedda. “Walk for dog guides is a big fundraiser for the program, it helps us continue what we are doing,” said Mr. Clarke. Before, the CVC university for Laura was starting to fade away for her. Now, it is still a big unknown but now she knows that wherever she ends up going, she won’t be alone. “On the back of Hedda’s tag it says ‘Path to Freedom,’ which is really what she is,” Laura said of the dog resting patiently beside her. “I think there should be more facilities like this and I think that anyone who can participate or volunteer their time or donate should because it’s a great thing to do.”
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October 14, 2010
Orangeville Citizen/Free Press and Economist
Future’s bright for Laura and Watson By LINDSEY PAPP Staff Reporter
Photo/LINDSEY PAPP
S’COOLLIFE DONATION: On Monday October 4 Joyce Bakker, Shift Manager at Priszm Group (right) presented a cheque for $1,600 to Nikki Hughson, grade 3/4 teacher at Orangeville’s Princess Elizabeth Public School (left) from the S’coollife Fund. Mrs. Hughson contacted the S’coollife Fund asking for funds to purchase chimes to add to the school music program. S’coollife supports DREAMS – Drama, Recreation, ExtraCurricular, Arts, Music, or Sports – at school who apply. This program does not look to fund core academic subjects, but those areas that are no less important to a child’s development.
It has been four months since Laura Jotham graduated from the Sir James Dunn Dog Guide Training Centre and came home to Orangeville with her dog guide Hedda. Since then, Laura has had to be reenrolled into the training program with her new dog Watson. Laura has Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a blinding eye disorder that primarily affects premature infants. She developed ROP after she was born and today is legally blind with only 10 per cent vision in her right eye and none in her left. Laura plans on furthering her education after high school. Having a guide dog that is able to keep up with how she will be living her life in the future was really important to her. “With Hedda, I had her at home for a couple of months and she wasn’t keeping up with me,” she said. During a follow-up visit from Laura’s trainer it was decided that Hedda
wasn’t working out well enough for Laura’s needs. Hedda was brought back to the school to see if some extra training would help iron out the problems she was having. “If I wanted to get up and go, she wouldn’t get up for me, she wouldn’t go,” said Laura. “Hedda was great in training but she wasn’t working out when she came home.” There was no change and it was agreed that a new dog should be brought in. Laura says she was not deterred by her experience with Hedda. She understands that sometimes a dog and a person are not well suited for one another, and she is much more optimistic about her new guide, Watson. “He is fantastic, he keeps right up with me,” she said. “We have officially been training together for three weeks.” Watson is a two-yearold golden Lab cross who, according to Laura, has a ‘great work ethic’. “He will lie low while I’m in class but when we have to go he’ll get up and go.”
Mono Nordic trail run set for Sunday The Mono Nordic Ski Club will hold its 11th annual trail run this Sunday, October 17. One of the most popular trail runs of the fall season, the event will take place at Monora Park, just north of Orangeville on Highway 10. Its features include a multi-purpose area for use by participants before and after the run; a lunch/snack bar and indoor washrooms equipped with showers. There will be door prizes as well as prizes for the top male and female participants and top three elementary-level racers. The trail run will use the club’s five-kilometre cross-country ski trail, which takes participants through a colourful stand of hardwood trees, some fragrant pines and past an inviting pond, as well as up and down some challenging hills. And this year the club is offering a new event in the form of a unicycle race
over the full five kilometres. All told, there’ll be 1.5k, 5k and 10k runs, with the shortest for elementary school children and the longer runs for all five categories – elementary, high school, post-secondary, Open and Master (40 years and over). The event, which will start at 10 a.m., involves pre-registration fees of $5 for kids 12 and under, $15 for youths 13 to 18, $20 for adults and $10 for all entrants in the unicycle race. Entrants will be required to sign waivers and register no later than 9:30 a.m. Sunday. Youths and adults registering on race day will face an additional $5 fee. All proceeds will go to the club’s racing program.
Instead of requiring her to go back to Oakville for a month to complete the training for a second time, the Sir James Dunn Dog Guide Training Centre has been very accommodating. They are allowing Laura and Watson a home placement where their trainer will visit them a couple times a week so they can train together in Laura’s home environment. “It’s my grade 12 year and I can’t afford to take a month off school this year,” said Laura. “The school is so great, I’m really blessed to have these people in my life. They are very accommodating.” A trainer visits Laura and Watson a couple times a week in Orangeville to work with them. “The school is there if I need them, and training in my area is working out wonderfully,” said Laura, who will be graduating from the program in November. She has plans to visit the Lions Club around Christmas to show them how she and Watson have been doing.
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Councillors praised • From page A8
THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF SHELBURNE NOTICE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION AND PUBLIC MEETING UNDER SECTION 34 OF THE PLANNING ACT Take notice that the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Shelburne has received a complete application for a Zoning By-law Amendment and will hold a public meeting on: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2010 The public meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m, or as shortly thereafter as possible, and will be held in the Council Chambers at the Municipal Office, 203 Main Street East, Shelburne. The purpose of the meeting is to consider a proposed Amendment to the Town of Shelburne Zoning By-law No. 38-2007. Take notice that the application has been deemed complete so that it can be circulated and reviewed. The land subject to the proposed amendment is known municipally as 219 First Avenue and described legally as plan 12A Block 10, Lots 16 and 17, in the Town of Shelburne. The subject land has an approximate frontage of 30.2 metres (99 feet) on First Avenue, and a lot area of 0.13 hectare (0.32 acre). The accompanying map illustrates the location of the subject property. The purpose and effect of the proposed amendment is to re-zone the subject land from Mixed-Use Commercial (C2) Zone to a site-specific Mixed Use Commercial Exception (C2#) Zone to permit a 4-unit commercial building and associated parking areas with reduced minimum landscaping requirements along the front and rear lot lines. The Zoning By-law requires a 3 metre wide landscaped planting strip between all parking areas and the street line defined by the limits of the public right-of-way. The proposed parking areas would extend to the front and rear property limits with landscaping limited to a grassed area adjacent to the proposed driveway entrance. An application for Site Plan Approval has also been received by the Town. At the meeting you will be given an opportunity to ask questions and indicate whether you support or oppose the zoning amendment. Written submissions will be accepted by the CAO/Clerk up to the time of the Public Meeting and will be given consideration by the Council prior to a decision being made. If a person or public body that files an appeal of a decision of the Corporation of the Town of Shelburne, in respect of the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the CAO/Clerk of the Town of Shelburne, before the proposed zoning by-law is adopted, the Ontario Municipal Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. Additional information relating to the proposed Zoning By-law Amendment is available for inspection at the Town of Shelburne Municipal Office at 203 Main Street East, during normal office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on the Town’s website at www.townofshelburne.on.ca. If you wish to be notified of the passing of the proposed zoning by-law amendment, you must make a written request to the Town at the address below. Dated at the Town of Shelburne on the 12th day of October, 2010. John Telfer, CAO/Clerk Town of Shelburne 203 Main Street East Shelburne, Ontario L0N 1S0 Phone: 519-925-2600 Fax: 519-925-6134
abuts the rail line. We have had several bush fires intentionally set, in the dry grasses of summer, requiring fire department interventions. I personally had a rock thrown at my backyard deck, as witnessed by my next-door neighbour, smashing my glass picnic table. As the police reported to me at that time, there are transients living under the bypass bridge at the bottom of this track. As well, there have been sexual misdemeanors related to people using this track. All of these issues have kept the police busy as they patrol this area of town and thankfully walk down this tract in the dark in their rounds. We owe them a great gratitude in attempting to keep us all safe. And finally, we can never forget and only feel such sadness and devastation when we think that only three streets over, Sonia Varaschin, a beloved nurse, a member of my profession, lost her life, just some weeks ago. We have been very fortunate to have these four experienced, dedicated members of council making safety a critical and ongoing issue. I do hope the members of our community will recognize and respect these candidates and return them to council, where, I know that we, as a community can count on them to make sound, independent thinking decisions and keep safety in our community a critical and ongoing issue. God bless them in their endeavours and thank you, all of you, for serving the people of Orangeville. Dorothy Hilliard Orangeville
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