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A8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday August 22, 2001 T a k e p r e c a u tio n s a g a in s t m o s q u ito e s Rather than sit idly by while the Health Department awaits word whether the West Nile Virus has found its way to Oakville, people are being advised to take precautions against mosqui toes and their bites. Mosquitoes need water to breed and even a small amount of standing water will suffice. Eggs and lar vae can develop in water that is allowed to stand for four days or more. Personal Protection - W hen outdoors in early evening to morning, when mosquitoes are most active, wear lightcoloured long sleeved shirts and long pants with fabric thick enough to prevent bites plus socks and shoes. - If insect repellent is used, make sure it contains DEET. However, this is not recommended for use by infants under six months o f age. Adhere to all label precautions, especially when dealing with children. - Make sure window and door screens fit tightly and do not have holes. If there are no screens, keep doors and windows closed from early evening until dawn. Reduce Breeding Sites - Abate mosquito breeding areas by removing or changing all standing water around your home by turning over or removing containers that hold water. - D on't let water, like that bird baths, stand more than four days. - Remove or drain standing water from contain ers such as flower pots, wheelbarrows, children's toys, discarded tires or tin cans. - Immediately remove any water collected on pool covers and turn over wading pools when not in use. - Ensure your pool pump is circulating water properly. - Aerate ornamental ponds and stock with fish that eat mosquito larvae. - Keep eaves and gutters clear o f debris so water w on't accumulate and check flat roofs for standing water. Make sure drainage ditches are not clogged. - Immediately throw away lawn cuttings, raked leaves and other decaying items such as apples or berries in sealed garbage bags. - Turn over compost piles on a regular basis. - Fill in any low depression areas in lawns. - If possible, remove dense shrubbery where mosquitoes breed and rest. - Let neighbours know about potential breeding areas on their properties. For more information, visit the Halton Region Health Department website at www.region.halton.on.ca/health or the Health Canada website at nile.healthcanada.net. W orkers on the R ebecca Street R adial Bridge are pouring concrete continuously these days in anticipation o f a Sept. 18 com pletion date. Warning not designed to frighten residents (Continued from page A1) New Bronte Creek bridge to open early on Sept. 18 It w asn't until last spring that the steel girders were erected. And, finally, over this summer, the bridge The Bronte Radial Bridge will open on began to take shape.. Its concrete bridge deck, parapet (outside) and Tuesday, Sept. 18. "Mr. and Mrs. Motorist will be able to drive barrier (between pedestrians and traffic) walls across Bronte Creek on Rebecca Street on the have been under construction. Road links and curbs are ready. 18th, but work on the bridge will continue," said Now it's mere weeks from completion. Dan Cozzi, manager of design and construction Still to be done are the sidewalks, along with with the Town o f Oakville's Public Works. Contractor Mardave Construction Ltd. and hand railings, the stairwell to the valley and com architects McCormick Rankin assure everything-- pletion o f the com m em orative Radial Park is on schedule, said Len M cLeod o f the Town's (which is an expanse of land that stretches from the firehall north o f Rebecca Street), and final Planning & Public Works. roadwork. However, the opening, three days earlier than The Town o f O akville's Public W orks the first-mentioned Sept. 21 date, is thanks to a summer marked by sticky temperatures and Department has promised a modest ceremony to signal the bridge's opening, and placement o f a drought, rather than any prolonged rain. It was a commemorative plaque -- detailing the history contractor's -- if not construction w orker's -- behind its name. delight. "The details of that ceremony have not been Bronte's Radial Bridge has kept to schedule as finalized yet," said Cozzi. rigidly as its namesake trains once trundling its And the work w on't stop then. span kept to theirs. Even after the bridge opens there will still be Cozzi admitted the hot, dry weather did claim construction in the area: Bronte Road from some newly planted trees on the bridge which Rebecca Street to Sovereign Street will be closed were under warranty and will have to be replaced. for about two months for reconstruction. "The dry weather has been good in some Cozzi anticipates the opening o f the bridge ways, but in other cases, it's not been so good," will take much o f the pressure that will result said Cozzi. Still, much o f the remaining work will from that road closure. be weather dependent. Hydro pole relocation and the addition of new Bridge construction began last summer and street lights on the bridge will take place in the though the motoring public will be traversing the crossing come Sept. 18, it w on't be totally com late fall or early winter. And landscaping o f the bridge will be done plete until next summer, said Cozzi. next spring with some final layers of asphalt to be Much o f the first year of construction was applied next June. spent on site work. W N V in birds or hum ans had been identified in Ontario. Despite the two recent Canadian cases, Dr. Nosal explained that no medical professionals dealing with W N V are surprised it finally showed up here. "It was always a m atter o f w hen and where," he said. Dr. Nosal m aintains that the recent warning from the Halton Region H ealth D epartm ent is not designed to frighten people - risk o f transm ission is low and W NV is primarily a disease o f birds but to simply re-em phasize the steps residents can take to minimize infection. "It serves to reinforce the m essage to take care," said Dr. Nosal. Dr. Jay Keystone, a physician at Toronto General Hospital and expert in tropical medicine, also explained that the risk o f illness from the Local man a Peel officer O akville's Trevor Bethune was am ong 40 new constables sworn in W ednesday by Peel Regional Police. Originally from Kingston, Bethune took his oath in a cerem ony presided over by Justice Bruce D um o at the D elta M eadow vale Resort and Conference Centre. Bethune and the other officers successfully com pleted 100 days o f training at the Ontario Police College and the Peel Regional Police Training Bureau. The graduates have now entered the final phase o f their recruit training by being assigned to training officers at operational divi sions. virus is very remote. "T he risk is exceptionally low, but it is not zero," said Keystone. "A nd for those who want zero, they will be out there in their long sleeves and long pants and insect repellent." A ccording to H ealth Canada, m ost people infected with W N V do not get sick. Those m ost at risk include those over age 50, the very young and those with w eakened im m une systems. Symptoms - w hich can begin three to 15 days follow ing the bite o f an infected mosquito include mild fever, headache, stiff neck, muscle weakness, skin rashes and swollen lymph glands. In rare cases the illness may be more serious and cause encephalitis (brain inflammation). There is no specific treatment and no vaccine. "Ninety percent o f those don't even know they're infected," said Dr. Nosal. T he G uelph-based O ntario M inistry o f Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs began m oni toring for the disease in 18 locations across O ntario last year. O ther provincial governments followed suit from Saskatchewan through Atlantic Canada. The key to tracking W N V 's progress are birds - dead ones - m ost com m only larger varieties like blue jays and crows. A ccording to Dr. Nosal, bird die-offs occur approxim ately two to three weeks before humans are infected. "T hey're our early-warning system ," he said. In May, the Health D epartment im plem ented a dead bird surveillance program in order to m oni tor for the presence o f WNV. As a result, the pub lic is being asked to report any sightings o f dead crow s or jays at 825-6060. Staff will assess the report and, if necessary, pick up the dead bird and submit it for laboratory analysis. By Angela Blackburn O AKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It's our Birthday Ba Thanks for 9 Great Years! Join us on Saturday,yVug. 25 from 9 am to 5 pm for Burgers, Hot Dogs & Cake. L A S T CALL F O R G R E A T S U M M E R S A V IN G S A T IN G E B O R G S H O E S ! Huge Selection of ladies' and mens shoes, clogs, sandals & handbags. FAM OUS EUR O PEAN B R A N D NAM ES H i g h q u a lit y a t l o w p ric e s . BIRKEHSTOCK M E P H IS T O ^ n e k e r D L U s j 0 -1 -5 then...make your oiuii ice cold, refreshing Beer or Wine at Einstein. DAYS ONLY Buy one Batch Get a Second Batch of equal or lesser value for 1/2 Price P repared by You on S ite A Offer Valid on all wines, fruit wines, beer or coolers Valid Aug. 25 -Aug. 27 01 Limit 4 batches per customer JA 0 0O F F a n y o n e b a t c h lU o fB e e ro rW i n e 4 C 0 0O F F a n y t w o b a t c h e s M o fB e e ro rW i n e * OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND - Shoes and handbags at Discounted Warehouse Prices! Going south... Selection of sandals available IN G E B O R G 'S W AR EH O USE 1 6 8 1 F IN F A R C O U R T , M IS S IS S A U G A Hours: M on.-Sat. 9 to 5 Sun. 11 to 4 1__________rc w . " | I | « f | 1 L. Souti Stiwldan W ay - M a de by You on Site (905) 823-7415 l TRAFALGAR RIDGE M a de by You on Site Valid Aug. 28-Sept.1 flSKKR WINK MONTESSORI SCHOOL Trafalgar Ridge Shopping Centre (Trafalgar and Hwy. 5). . % 481 North Service Road W. ' a:KE " IM: 825-BEER (2337) 481 North Service Road W. 8 2 5 -BEER (2 3 3 7 ) TRAFALGARRIDG E 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEEED R E G IS T E R N O W F O R FALL 2 0 0 1 · FREE EXTENDED CARE BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL · SPACIOUS, FULLY-EQUIPPED CLASSROOMS · PRE-SCHOOL · AGES 3 0 MONTHS TO 6 YEARS · 2 , 3 OR 5 DAY PROGRAMS · FULL DAY OR HALF DAY PRESCHOOL · LOW TEACHER/STUDENT RATIO · PHONETIC APPROACH TO READING AND W RITING · M U S IC , FRENCH, ART AND COM PUTER PROGRAMS · ELEMENTARY GRADES 1 & 2 · QUALIFIED AND CARING MONTESSORI STAFF T h e 5 th year o f quality ed u ca tio n in ou r n u rturing en viron m en t. Book your brew time now! 825* BEER (2337) HOURS: MON.-FRI. 12-8, SAT. 9-5, SUN. 11-3 4 8 1 North Service R d .( ju s tw e s to fD o r v a l) »trin fSwtv Sow # To Register Call (905) 257-5955