An incredible story of courage came to light last week when several motorists leapt into action to rescue a man and a woman from their burning vehicles after a collision on the Campbell Road exit.
The three heroes, whose full names have not been disclosed, had only seconds to act before flames engulfed both vehicles.
Word is a medical emergency caused a man to go unconscious at the wheel and slam into the back of a vehicle stopped at a red light, causing the vehicle to burst into flames, which spread to both vehicles. One rescuer had to unhitch the man's seat belt from behind before pulling him to safety from the burning vehicle.
Mikaela Helfrich, the driver in the vehicle hit from behind, was knocked out briefly. When she came to she found she was unable to open her door as she watched flames pouring out of the vehicle that had just hit her. She thought she was going to die. The heroes managed to pull her to safety.
We are grateful there are people in our midst who have the courage and the caring to risk their own safety to save others. Although one man said he did what others would have done, we think not. These men are heroes who deserve to be recognized and thanked for their bravery.
Turned off
City council has turned off the taps on its earlier offer to provide an opt-out program for citizens who don't want smart water meters that use a radio frequency transmitter to send data.
Some citizens were concerned about health impacts of radio waves, while others were concerned about the potential for privacy violations since the meters track water usage in real-time and would show a pattern of when they were home or gone.
On Monday city staff recommended a bylaw amendment to allow residents to opt out of the program, but it was lost in a tie vote. The move came even though staff said that alternative water meters could be provided for an additional cost to citizens who did not want the smart meters. Mayor Cathy Heron, Coun. Natalie Jolie and Coun. Jacquie Hansen opposed the opt out option, arguing one system is more efficient than two. Councillors Sheena Hughes and Wes Brodhead, who supported the opt out provisions, said city council should respect citizens' wishes. Ken MacKay also supported the opt out provision.
More than 30 taxpayers had already declared they wanted to opt out. Others had adopted a wait and see stance while they waited to hear the costs.
This has left some citizens questioning whether city council is being heavy-handed and deaf to their concerns. Residents should have the choice of an alternative meter, as long as they pay the additional cost.
