Clinton News Record, 2014-10-22, Page 66 News Record • Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Central Huron's fire chief debate
Patrick Nagle
Special to the News Record
Following the October 27th
election, the new council will
be voting on a proposal to hire
a new full time fire chief. We
are told the regulatory
requirements and paperwork
burden requires a full time
position. Unfortunately, there
has been very little public
debate or input on this impor-
tant question. Too bad Central
Huron did not stage an all
candidates meeting where the
public could find out where
the candidates sit on the
issues.
A debate needs to be about
more than the hefty cost of
employing a full time fire
chief. Rural volunteer fire
departments provide core
emergency services that con-
tinue to make rural communi-
ties viable and liveable. The
rural way of doing things
includes a culture of volun-
teerism, best expressed by our
firefighters who perform a
tough job with minimal com-
pensation other that the
admiration of the community.
Thank you firefighters!
Unfortunately, our rural
culture is under constant
pressure from Queen's Park,
that supposes their urbanized
approach to problems works
in rural Ontario. They con-
tinue to stack up new regula-
tions for every imaginable
wrong, slight, or perceived
risk, and then dump responsi-
bility for enforcing the new
regulations onto the munici-
palities. As a result the streets
of Ontario are now populated
by "Sunshine List"(paid over
$100,000 per year) public
servants who as of 2013 num-
bers 98,000 people. For start-
ers, that is about $10 billion in
public servant wages! Are we
better off?
In urban centres, the
shadow of the sunshine list
creeps slowly along unno-
ticed. In rural centres how-
ever, not so much. When we
hire staff, everybody feels the
tax pinch. According to the
latest Four County Labour
Board study, Huron County is
experiencing population
shrinkage and rapid aging.
Seniors and other people on
fixed incomes are being
forced out of their homes
because they cannot pay a
continually inflating
municipal tax burden. For this
reason, our spending deci-
sions also become moral
choices that have real conse-
quences to the most vulnera-
ble people in our community.
So what is to be done?
First and foremost, council
needs to view the new hiring
expenditure in a different
context. It is not simply a
"yes; we need to do what is
proposed, or "no', we cannot
afford it. Instead we should
be asking, how can we accom-
plish the same outcome with-
out raising taxes? Is there an
alternative solution to tackling
the paperwork burden that is
consistent with our culture of
volunteerism? Is there an
existing municipal employee,
with existing paperwork skills
that would be able to step up
.,y
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We 9aaik '!fart 7o, 'eft
at 7e4e Ara elurtcLrz:
Clinton United Church
105 Ontario Street
Minister Rev. Randy Covey
Director of Music: Louise Dockstader
Church Office: 519-482-9553
www.clintonunited.ca
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26
10:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE
BEEF ON A BUN LUNCH
SUNDAY BIBLE STUDY 7 PM
SAT. NOV 8 BAZAAR
o,-0 EVERYONE WELCOME
Christian Reformed Church
243 Princess St. E., Clinton
Pastor Ron Luchies
519-482-5264
Sunday October 26, 2014
10:00 AM -Morning Service
7:00 PM- Evening Service
Thursday's 7:00 pm Girls and Boys
Ages 8-14 Gems and Cadets
" Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting." Psalm
106 vs 48
All Visitors Welcome!
St. Paul's Anglican Church
A Congregation of the
Parish of The Holy Spirit
49 Ontario St., Clinton
The Reverend Karine A. Snowdon BA, M.Div
Organist & Choir Master: Dana Prouse
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26
WORSHIP AT 11:15AM
EVERYONE WELCOME
TO ADVERTISE IN THIS
SECTION, PLEASE CALL
C H R I STY 519-482-3443
clinton.classifieds@
sunmedia.ca
BIBLE MISSIONARY CHURCH
35 Toronto Blvd., Vanastra
(519) 482-8183
OCTOBER 26 2014
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sunday Evening Worship 7:00 PM
Pastor Josh McCarthy
Everyone Welcome!
Heartland Community Church
(52 Victoria Street, Clinton, Ontario)
For information see www.heartlandemc.com
Church 519-606-1015
Pastor Charles Gingerich
SUNDAY OCTOBER 26, 2014
10:00 AM FAMILY SERVICE :
Worship as a family with us. Then the chil-
dren enjoy their program while adults are
blessed by a message for them.
7:00 PM SNARE & PRAYER SERVICE
Expect a welcome and a blessing!
Fellowship Bible Chapel
220 KING ST., LONDESBOROUGH
www.fellowshipbiblechapel.ca
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014
9:45 am: Breaking of Bread
11:00 am: Family Bible Hour
ALL WELCOME!
First Baptist Church
85 Huron St., Clinton 482-3598
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2014
MORNING SERVICE 10:3OAM
Lay Pastor - Wally DeWolfe
Bible Study Wednesday 7:30 PM
to them plate to assist our part
time fire chief? How about
someone within our fire-
fighter organization that
would see this as an opportu-
nity for future advancement?
Barring that, how about look-
ing to other municipalities
who suffer from the same
problem? Perhaps there is a
way to pool our human
resources to find a common,
low cost solution.
Business has learned to do
more with less. Solutions are
found by applying a business
mindset to problem -solve.
Business is not a zero sum
game where you only have
two choices.
If we don't change our
mindsets, rural communities
will continue to apply urban
solutions on a rural infrastruc-
ture that cannot support it.
Ask Detroit City how they
became barren of prospects
and an economic future for
their children. It was the zom-
bie walk of high cost govern-
ment that did it. Let us not
repeat their mistakes.
Poverty survey results are in
A new survey asks munici-
pal candidates in Huron
County for their thoughts on
reducing poverty in their
communities.
Hungry for Action in
Huron is part of a larger initia-
tive coordinated by the
Ontario Society of Nutrition
Professionals in Public
Health.
Huron County is one of
several counties in Ontario
participating in the survey.
About 120 surveys have been
sent out locally.
Candidates are asked how
they define poverty and what
steps municipalities could
take to tackle the issue.
"Poverty negatively
impacts health and the ability
to create a healthy, vibrant
community," says Janice
Dunbar, community devel-
oper at the Huron County
Health Unit. "The fact that
some people in our commu-
nities cannot afford basic
needs, including nutritious
and sufficient food, is a real
w
concern!'
"We've been fortunate in
Huron County to have politi-
cians committed to address-
ing poverty. This issue contin-
ues to deserve the attention of
elected officials:' she adds.
Hungry for Action in
Huron is sponsored by the
Poverty to Prosperity in
Huron Network. Network
partners include the Huron
County Health Unit, Rural
Response for Healthy Chil-
dren, Huron County Social
and Property Services, and
the United Way Perth -Huron.
The network encourages
local decision makers to work
towards healthy public policy
that reduces poverty and
improves access to food. Can-
didates, along with local busi-
ness leaders, have also been
invited to the Hungry for
Action poverty simulation in
Clinton November 4.
For the survey results,
please visit: http://www.
osnpph.on.ca/HFA/huron.
php.
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