HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-06-22, Page 315 bear sightings
in past three weeks
Justine Alkema
Postmedia Network
Bears are making themselves at
home in Huron County. Lots of them.
There have been around 15
sightings of black bears in the past
three weeks. Some places where
they have been seen are north of
Goderich, Port Albert, near Bay-
field, near Kippen, Auburn, Morri-
son Dam, near Homlesville and
just north of Clinton.
To put this in context, in 2014 and
2015, the area saw almost no bear
activity. In 2013, there were 15 sight-
ings in the entire year, nevermind
three weeks, but that was the most
they had seen in a very long time.
They are coming from the
north, likely in search of food,
commented Central Huron Ani-
mal Control Officer Bob Trick. He
believes that since it was a cold
spring, berries weren't growing,
so they came down here in search
of food.
"You must remember, they're
very hungry this time of year.
They've come out of hibernation,
so they're really looking for some-
thing to eat," Trick said to
Postmedia.
"They're here to stay. If they have
a good source they likely aren't
going to move away."
Some advice that Trick had was
to not to leave garbage out and to
be careful when camping.
New acting MOH at Huron Health Unit
Justine Alkema
Postmedia Network
Dr. Maarten Bokhout, a physi-
cian at Clinton Public Hospital, will
be the new acting Medical Officer
of Health (MOH) at the Huron
County Healthy Unit. This tempo-
rary position is from June 16 until
October 18.
Dr. Miriam Klassen previously
held this position on a two month
contract from April until June after
Dr. Janice Owen was let go in April.
Dr. Klassen only signed onto a two
month contract because she is
already the MOH for Perth County.
The Huron Health Unit is also con-
sidering an amalgamation with the
Perth Health Unit, so if that merger
happens, it would be difficult for
Dr. Klassen to negotiate both
health unit sides in an amalgama-
tion discussion.
There are several reasons why Dr.
Bokhout's position is temporary.
First of all, Dr. Williams, who is the
Provincial Medical Officer of
Health, advised against hiring a
permanent position. One reason
for this is the possible amalgama-
tion. Since each health unit only
needs one MOH, they would
assume Perth County's MOH, who
is Dr. Klassen.
Since an amalgamation is possi-
ble, it's difficult to find someone to
accept a permanent MOH position,
as that job would not be long term
in the case of a merger.
Representatives from the Huron
Health Unit are going to meet with
Dr. Williams in the next couple
weeks to ask for guidance for the
future.
Tyler Hessel, who is the mayor of
Bluewater and the chair of the
Board of Health, said there's talk of
changing models and finances on
the ministry level. They are meet-
ing with Dr. Williams for advice
about the MOH but also to make
sure they're in the loop for what's
going on in the ministry. The min-
istry has also been hinting at
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Wednesday, June 22, 2016 • Huron Expositor 3
mergers, so Huron Health has
picked up on that.
Hessle noted that things are get-
ting more costly all the time, and
they want to maintain a high stand-
ard. While an amalgamation is not
a sure thing by any means at this
point, they are exploring the possi-
bility to see if there is efficiency and
opportunities in that.
"Our ultimate goal is to provide
better service for both communi-
ties," said Hessel.
File photo
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