Noah Chisholm Nominated For Leadership Award

( Echo Photo)
Noah Chisholm is presented his nomination from  Scott Schermann, Editor of The Echo(right) along with Diane Morin, of Morin Automotive one of the locations for the battery boxes. As well as Jim St.Pierre who’s former convenience store was the very first location for the dropoff boxes.
Noah Chisholm is one of the recent nominees of the 2011 Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award.
Besides being recommended for the award by his parents, Darrel and Kim, two other residents who witnessed his strong community involvement first hand also recommended Chisholm for the award.
A discussion at the dinner table  about four years ago about chemicals entering oceans and other streams and waterways resulted in a Noah starting up a battery recycling program in town.
And over the years he has to date successfully diverted over 700 pounds of various chemicals found inside disposable batteries from entering our landfill.
He has setup a dropoff boxes at local businesses, most recently at Morin Automotive(NAPA Auto Parts) and is always looking for other places to have a box.
And the recycling doesn’t stop when he is out of town either, Noah arranges for one of his friends to look after the battery boxes to ensure they are always being emptied. Even when he was away last summer for three months on a cross Canada family vacation, he set up a schedule with his friends.
The 13-year old, 6 foot tall towering defensemen on his Bantam hockey team with a wicked slap shot makes him a force to be reckoned with. But he is a “gentle giant” and is always smiling and just trying his best. He was awarded the most sportsman like trophy and the year end banquet.
Always making himself available to help coach the younger players, Noah spent his own money to enroll in the referee course and passed and enjoys referring or being a linesman when he isn’t playing. Two years ago he won the All Ontario Penalty Free Award from Hockey Canada.
Back to his recycling program, with the closest facility four hours away, the family has stepped up to help him get those old batteries out.
Barrick Gold has donated shipping labels so when he can’t ship through his regular channels he is able to use Purolator to get the batteries to Toronto.
Noah is also involved with his Student Council at École Publique Manitouwadge, assisting with the local food drive “Trick or Eat”, and he regularly cleans the snow from his neighbours driveway when the neighbour is away on medical trips.
“Little by little Noah’s project is gaining recognition.” says father Darrel
“Whether its when the batteries are being dropped off at the facility,(they are always impressed that a 9-year old started this entirely on his own) the store owners he approaches to place his boxes or local residents when they find out they can recycle batteries.”
The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award recognizes the best of Ontario’s youth and their contributions to society. Nominees are outstanding young people age six to 17, who are performing worthwhile community service to make life better for others and doing more than expected of someone their age.
A committee of community newspaper publishers, editors and sponsors select the 12 award recipients.
The final recipients will be announced on the Ontario Community Newspapers Association website at www.ocna.org on January 25th.
The award ceremony will be held in Toronto in March.
The program is sponsored by TD Canada Trust, Direct Energy and coordinated by the Ontario Community Newspapers Associatoin on behalf of its 300+ member newspapers.

NDP Asks Motorists to Report Dangerous Roads

Ontario's New Democrats are asking drivers in Northern Ontario to help put together a record of all the provincial highways that are poorly maintained this winter.
The new NDP Northern Road Report will compile the reports from the people who use our roads day in and day out, and who suffer the consequences when things go wrong.
“In December, we provided the Ministry of Transportation with real examples of closures and accidents caused by poorly cleared roads in ridings across the North. Not only has the Ministry not responded to the concerned motorists in our ridings but there is no indication that a review is taking place,” said NDP Transportation Critic Gilles Bisson.
“We will not stop until there is action taken to address the issue of the reduction of highway clearing standards for contractors, and to do that we need to hear about all the problem roads from the people who see it first hand. We will keep up the pressure on the Liberal minority government to take the situation seriously,” said Bisson, MPP Timmins –
James Bay.
Drivers can submit reports about roads in poor driving condition to northernroadreport@gmail.com or in French at etatdesroutesdunord@gmail.com.
Transportation Minister Bob Chiarelli put out an open letter last week blaming the Conservative governments of the 1990s for the problems we are facing today.
“This isn’t the time for petty party politics and playing the blame game. The McGuinty Liberals have been in power since 2003 and they must take responsibility for the current state of the roads. Every day we see that the roads that the Minister deems safe are actually not safe at all,” commented Bisson.
The NDP Northern Road Report was spearheaded by John Vanthof, MPP Timiskaming Cochrane. Bisson and Vanthof are working closely with their Northern colleagues on the issue, including France Gélinas, MPP Nickel Belt, and Michael Mantha, MPP Algoma Manitoulin.


 
Annual Great Backyard Bird Count
February 17 through February 20
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that enlists the help of bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent.  Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. 
It's easy to do!  Participants count birds in their yard (you don't have to go out ... do it from a window!) for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period. They tally the highest number of birds of each species seen together at any one time. To report your counts, you will fill out an online checklist at the Great Backyard Bird Count website or send your counts to me (either online or by phone, written on a scrap of paper, however you document them!) and I can input them for you.
To join, copy this link (NO spaces between letters or numbers from the first h to the final l!)  http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/howto.html  
Contact me for more information. tammie@theecho.ca    826-4561