Town light exchange program to go ahead despite recall from Hydro

Ken Johnston
Editor

As part of a conservation effort by the Town of Rainy River and Hydro One, a special Christmas light exchange program will begin this Friday after the Rainy River Santa Claus parade.
Until this week town hall employee Donna Wolanicki was expecting 180 sets of energy efficient LED lights from Hydro One to be exchanged for old inefficient lights. Hydro One donates them to communities across Ontario, but late last week it was discovered that the brand of lights they were distributing (Greenlite-36 bulb) may be defective and could cause electrical shock. Hydro One immediately issued a recall of the lights and told communities waiting for their lights that they would not be receiving any of the Greenlite strings in question.
However, yesterday Hydro One said it would provide the Town of Rainy River with something to keep the exchange going. Late in the day Hydro said it would provide the town with $10 gift certificates for Canadian Tire.
Town Clerk Veldron Vogan said residents can bring in two strings of energy inefficient lights and they would have received one string of the LED lights. They will instead receive one gift certificate (limit one per household). If the gift certificates have not arrived by Friday names will be taken down and the certificates distributed when they arrive. So people are encouraged to bring two sets of old inefficient lights to the parade and exchange them near Gillons after the parade is over.
Vogan said Hydro has asked them to recycle the copper in the old strings of lights.
If all the certificates do not go this Friday they will offer the balance of them at the Town Hall during normal office hours.