Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-12-14, Page 1010 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, December 14, 2016 ACW council supports Internet, telephone voting in 2018 Beth Lindhorst Special to the Postmedia Network At the regular meeting of ACW council on Dec 6, coun- cil unanimously supported a bylaw allowing Internet and telephone voting in the 2018 municipal election. The clerk has been authorized to secure an agreement with an appropriate service provider. Huron Kinloss provided Internet and telephone vot- ing services in the 2014 elec- tion. Other townships in Huron are considering implementing this alternate voting method. Appointment of councillors and township staff to various committees within the town- ship was reviewed and approved. Two new part-time equipment operators have been hired to fill vacancies. In finances, from the Ontario Municipal Partner- ship Fund, the 2017 alloca- tion to ACW has increased by $66,700 to a total of $719,800. No winter maintenance seasonal road closures for this winter were approved. MacKenzie Camp Road saw significant upgrades this year and will now be plowed during the winter months. A summary of rental rates for the Benmiller Commu- nity Hall and Ball Diamond, were presented for councils information. Also under discussion in this session is community grants. The Ontario Munici- pal Act allows municipal council to provide grants to volunteer based community groups or individuals for any purpose that council feels would be beneficial to the community. Council does recognize that these groups provide important benefits within the communities and is committed to treating requests for grants from these groups in a consistent manner. A draft policy was presented at this meeting and a bylaw will be brought forward at the next council meeting. Lucknow's Music in the Fields early bird tickets on sale Dec. 7 Lucknow's Music in the Fields tickets went on sale Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tickets are reduced to $135 until Dec. 31 when they will increase to $150. This year's festival has some big changes in store. The biggest news being that Lucknow's Music in the Fields is moving. The event is relocating to the 55 -acre "Graceland" grounds, revealed last year as a new campground. This venue has been developed and improved throughout the year and will not only accom- modate all campers, but will also host the entire festival grounds that will serve as the new home for the event. Now with all campgrounds in the same geographical area as the festival, guests can easily visit friends and partake in all of the activities planned for daytime entertainment. Festival co-chair Ken Irwin said: "Although the Lucknow Soccer Fields and surround- ing neighbourhood served the eventverywell in the past, this new location will set a whole new standard for proximity and access to accommodate this increasing fan experience. Now everyone will basically be just outside the front gate of the festival!" As always, free parking and shuttle service will be provided throughout the weekend to ensure patrons have easy access to the town. An improved security pro- gram will also ensure a safe and secure event for all. Another change for this upcoming summer is single wristband access. With eve- rything in one location, the pass to Lucknow's Music in the Fields will grant full access to all aspects of the festival, preventing the extra costs for additional camping wristbands. The festival continues to grow in both size and experi- ence, while maintaining its initial goal of supporting and giving back to the local com- munities. Moving into its 9th year, Music in the Fields con- tinues to work hard to main- tain its relevance with new features every year to keep attendees on their toes. For more details about the 2017 festival and upcoming changes, follow Lucknow's Music in the Fields across any of their social media outlets: Website: www.musicin- thefields.ca Facebook - Twitter - Insta- gram - Snapchat: @ lucknowsmitf Ticket Information Availa- ble (starting December 7th): https://www.ticketscene.ca/ mitf Goderich Council looking into building a helipad near local hospital Darryl Coote Postmedia Network With an expected increase in Huron County's sickest patients being treated at Goderich's hospital, doctors are lobbying council to build a helipad near the premises. Before council Nov. 21, local doctor Paul Gill said that without a helipad the Alexandra Marine & General Hospital wastes too much time and resources on transporting patients in need to the local airport to then be airlifted to larger institutions. The process of transferring a patient to the airport can take in excess of 40 minutes, he said, adding it also monopolizes the use of a municipal ambulance and staff that could be better employed to care for other patients. "In the middle of the night I want my clerk not spending time calling ambulances. I want her calling physician staff, getting them in, getting nurses mobilized, caring for that patient. So, often, we are wasting resources not on patient care," he said. He said the hospital has called on Ornge, Ontario's air ambulance service, 34 times so far this year as of the end of October, but this number should have been higher. "We are under utilizing Ornge currently and that's ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! DEADLINES r- Our Weekly Deadlines are ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL Friday @ 2:00 pm OFFICE HOURS: Mon. - Thurs. 9am - 5pm • Fri. 8am - 4pm CLOSED TUESDAYS *on Expositor 8 Main St., Seaforth PH: 519-527-0240 www. seaforthhuronexpositor.com more out of frustration," he said. And now with the facility recently being named an acute stroke centre, Gill said he expects there will be an increased need to transport patients to and from the hos- pital by air. His solution is to build a helipad in a field across Cambria Road from the hos- pital, right beside the Mait- land Valley Medical Centre. He said the location is "ideal" as the pad would be adjacent to the emergency room doors of the centre. Ornge has also landed there in the past to aid with the 2011 tornado recovery efforts, he said, and the town would only need to build a flat asphalt or concrete pad with lights. "This could potentially be a very, very straight forward process," he said. The only aspect he's not sure of is if the plot of land is OFFICE HOURS The Office Hours for The Seaforth Huron Expositor are as follows Mondays - 9am - 5pm Tuesdays - CLOSED Wednesdays - 9am - 5pm Thursdays - 9am - 5pm Fridays - 8am - 4pm SHilfarih Horon Expositor 8 Main Street, Seaforth ON PH: 519-527-0240 n www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com ea orthhuronex I ositor.c currently earmarked for some other use. Annual maintenance of the pad would be about $500, a "trivial amount," he said. And concerning con- struction, preliminary esti- mation has it at around $50,000, though he said local companies have unofficially offered in-kind donations. Council then voted for staff to look into the proposal and to come back with a report. National Post Radio offers smart -opinionated commentary, lively debates and influential round -table discussions. Join National Post columnist, Matt Gurney, as he covers engaging conversations on Canadian news, business, politics, pop -culture, sports and technology. Listen to exclusive content you can't hear anywhere else Monday to Friday 1-10AM Sirius NM's Canada Talks (channel 167) (lsirimXn1») Vft R® ADIO Facebookrom/NationalPos6Nadio