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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-11-09, Page 88 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, November 9, 2016 What if one company could solve all your business needs? rp] POSTMEDIA We can connect all the pieces in more ways than ever before. For more information, visit postmedia.com/advertise FIND WHAT YOU NEED IN THE CLASSIFIEDS HURON P E lT H HEALTHCARE ALLIANCE The Board of Directors of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) is pleased to announce that the HPHA will be hosting a series of community forums for residents in order to provide an update on the organization's strategic planning process. The new strategic plan will provide a roadmap for HPHA's four hospital sites through the year 2020 and will include strategies that address a number of significant changes expected at the healthcare system level. HPHA has received input from many stakeholders including: staff, physicians, volunteers, patients and their families, other health care providers and community members. These community forums are being held to provide the public and other interested parties with an opportunity to engage in direct conversations with Andrew Williams, President & CEO and Senior Leadership about HPHA's future. Community Forum Dates & Locations Please note all forums will take place from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Monday, November 21, 2016 Seaforth Community Hospital — Conference Room, Lower Level Tuesday, November 22, 2016 Clinton Public Hospital — Conference Room, 2nd Floor Wednesday, November 23, 2016 St. Marys Memorial Hospital — Meeting Room #2, Lower Level Thursday, November 24, 2016 Stratford General Hospital — Education Rooms A&B, East Building, 1st Floor Interested residents are asked to RSVP at least 48 hours in advance of the forum at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/hphaforumsnovember, by visiting www.hpha.ca or by calling 1-888-275-1102 Extension 2435. With Ontario planning to build new Huron OPP detachment, Goderich lobbies for it to stay close to town Darryl Coote Postmedia Network Ontario is looking to build a new OPP detachment in Huron County and Goderich is worried the province will relocate its Hwy 21 facility just outside of town to a more central location within the region. Goderich council passed a three-page motion Oct. 24 stating it approves of a new facility and acknowledges that the siting decision falls on Infrastructure Ontario; however, it suggests that the new facility should stay located near Huron's largest urban centre, Goderich. Though the motion does not name a new location, it suggests that the land of the former Bluewater Youth Centre, which has water ser- vices and is on 277 acres of land already owned by Infra- structure Ontario, as a possi- ble site. The motion from Goder- ich follows the Oct. 12 announcement by the Ontario Ministry of Commu- nity Safety and Correctional Services that states that the province would be con- structing nine OPP detach- ments to replace spent and out-of-date buildings, nam- ing Huron County as one of the locations. The move by the province is aimed at improving com- munity safety and to better support modern policing operations, it said in the media release. However, the Goderich motion says that choosing a location based on being cen- tral to the county is over- looking several advantages the detachment would have from being located in the town such as being in close proximity to the harbour, which would enhance coop- eration between the OPP Marine Unit and the Cana- dian Coast Guard, and to the only mental health facility in the county. The motion also states that the town is located at the junction of two of the prov- ince's busiest highways, HWY 21 and Hwy 8, which are major tourist and tran- spiration routes. It also argues that looking to a more central location maybe appropriate for some counties, but doing so for Huron may limit the facility's effectiveness and accessibility. Council also requests to have input during the selec- tion process and be informed of any updates. The other area areas pegged for new OPP detach- ments are: Moosonee, Fort Frances, Hawkesbury, West Parry Sound, Manitoulin Island, Port Credit, Mara- thon and Orillia. This is the second phase of the OPP modernization plan. Under its first phase, Ontario replaced 18 detach- ments with 17 new facilities in 16 communities.