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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2016-07-14, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016. PAGE 7. County pledges $500,000 to Wingham Hospital By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Huron County Council is supporting the Wingham and District Hospital's Our Hospital, Our Future campaign with a grant of $500,000 over the next three years. Council approved the grant at its July 6 meeting, after hearing from those behind the campaign earlier this year. North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent said the expansion to the oncology unit at the hospital will have a county -wide benefit that will expand well into Bruce County as well. Some councillors, however, weren't quite as supportive of the grant, saying that healthcare should be supported by the provincial government. As funding from various levels of government, including the Province of Ontario, has dried up, lower -tier governments like Huron County have become responsible for more as years have A multi-purpose celebration Hullett Central Public School's last day of school was special for a few reasons, not the least of which was the fact that it was the school's Canada Day celebration. By donning their best red and white clothes and special hats, students marked the occasion. Back row, from left: Mrs. Stanley, Jamal Hendricks, Molly Bolinger, Loralei Gross, Jazmin O'Handley, Chanel Riley, Dylan Kreuger, Ryan Beauchamp, Pat Mahon, Cole Mason and Carter Howson. Front row, from left: Cheyenne Lennox -Moore, Tysen Greidanus, Rachel Wilts, Myah Bos, Leah Boven, Elizabeth Miller and Jason Rozell. (Shawn Lou gnrn photo) Council debates Dutch event By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Whether or not Huron County will support the planned Dutch Canadians Remember as One celebration next year will have to wait a few months as questions continue to swirl. Council debated the $7,200 grant request at its June 15 committee of the whole meeting and identified a number of red flags they needed cleared up before they could give the request the go-ahead. First, Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he was concerned over the large difference in potential costs depending on whether or not Princess Margriet of the Netherlands would be attending. Total cost estimates range between $60,135 and $82,135, according to the Huron County staff report prepared by Treasurer Michael Blumhagen. Event organizers Jim Rutledge and Sid Bruinsma were in attendance and answered any questions they could. In regards to the difference in funding needs, Rutledge said it will be cheaper if Princess Margriet attends. The event will include a large military band contingent coming from London. If the princess attends, the government will be providing those bands, but if she doesn't attend, it will be up to the committee to pay. This amount of uncertainty concerned councillors, who said that with such a large potential difference, perhaps council should wait until it's known for sure whether or not the princess will be attending, and then make its decision. The military presence budget for the event carries a range of between $1,000 and $24,000 depending on whether or not royalty will be present for the event. Rutledge and Bruinsma said that while they have yet to receive official word on whether or not the princess will attend, they are 95 per cent sure she will. There have been numerous indicators in correspondence received that makes them think the prospect of the princess attending the event is good. Rutledge said they expect to hear the final word on the princess's attendance over the summer. Goderich Mayor Kevin Morrison also had some concerns, including large budgets for both promotion and decorations. Morrison said he was concerned with a proposed $10,100 budget for promotion and a $7,500 budget for decorations. While Bruinsma said with a smile that the decorations will serve to "paint the town orange" for the event, Morrison felt it was a lot of money to spend on decorations, whether or not a princess would be attending. Bruinsma said he was surprised that Morrison, the Mayor of Goderich, where the event will be held, would be giving the committee a "hard time" over the grant request. Morrison said he took offence to the comment and said that, if anything, he's working for the committee and supporting the request. His job, as a mayor and Huron County councillor, he said, is to ask questions and make informed decisions that he can defend to all of his ratepayers. If he didn't ask those questions and thoroughly examine grant requests, he said, he wouldn't be doing his job. While council didn't pass an official motion in regards to the request, council requested that Rutledge and Bruinsma return to a council meeting in September or October when official word on the princess's attendance has been received and council will then make its decision. gaue r¢ lZe ,4d'� wi? Let everyone know about your new bundle of joy! The Citizen 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 gone on and funding has dried up. Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he felt that way, but also felt compelled to support the request out of fairness for Wingham, as the county has supported other hospitals in different communities over the years. If the province is no longer stepping up, MacLellan said, it has to be the county, because Huron needs local hospitals. Central Huron Deputy -Mayor Dave Jewitt said he didn't view the request as one $500,000 request from the Wingham hospital, but as a $2 million request from all four county hospitals (Wingham, Clinton, Seaforth and Exeter — Goderich received county funding recently), who would be within their rights to request funds from council. Huron East Deputy -Mayor Joe Steffler said that hospitals are essential to rural Ontario's identity and they need to be supported. Bluewater Mayor Tyler Hessel felt concerned that council was approaching the issue backwards. He also pointed out that according to the hospital's own figures, Huron County accounts for less than half of the hospital's patients, with 40 per cent coming from Bruce County, nine per cent coming from Grey County and a further five per cent coming from somewhere other than the three aforementioned counties. Usage among patients in the south end of the county, in areas like Bluewater and South Huron, is also low because patients from those communities tend to head to London for their oncology needs. Hessel also reiterated a point made by other councillors earlier in the discussion, saying that healthcare is a provincial issue and shouldn't be funded at the county level. Howick Reeve Art Versteeg spoke against the grant and went even further, saying that he found the amount of money council handing out in grants lately troubling. "I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the county funding things that are not part of our mandate," Versteeg said. He said the county shouldn't be collecting property taxes from residents in order to make decisions on which charity or cause to support with those funds. Taxes are collected for the county and if people want to donate to such causes, they should be making that decision, he said, council shouldn't be making it for them. He also said that he felt making a $500,000 donation to a hospital, which should be funded by the province, serves to weaken the county's case regarding how much it is hurt by provincial cuts like that of the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF). Versteeg said that if the county "cries poor" on one hand and then hands out $500,000 to something that should be funded by the province, the province isn't going to buy what the county is selling. He also felt that the hospital's current oncology department is currently operating well and would not shut down if funding wasn't received. The request was for expansion and didn't hinge on the county's support, which he felt was another reason not to support it. South Huron Mayor Maureen Cole said that none of the hospital's users came from her municipality and she was also troubled by the fact that fewer than half of all Wingham users come from Huron County. However, she said, health and wellness are keys to living in Huron County and should be supported by council. She said that while it may not be support for a hospital, ratepayers from South Huron may come to council one day looking for funding for a project that would promote healthy living and she would expect council to support it. The vote passed by a count of 10 votes to approve the funding and five against it. Bernie MacLellan, Ben Van Diepenbeek, Roger Watt, Neil Vincent, Kevin Morrison, Maureen Cole, Jim Donnelly, David Frayne, Jim Fergusson and Joe Steffler all supported the request, while Art Versteeg, Paul Gowing, Dave Jewitt, Jim Ginn and Tyler Hessel all voted against it. Laundromat Blyth Laundromat 191 Westmoreland St., Blyth 519-523-9687 ETT .. Cr" F TE 9 ® f 0 JULY 23, 2016 P 12PM-5PM T®' ' YT Music Entertainment "Dunk The Hunk" Food Artisans Vendors' Market Photo Booth Bring a Donation for Food Share Aki,44 Participate in our Silent Auction at the Lettuce Headquarters 432 Queen St., Blyth For more information please call Lorna Fraser 519-523-9687 See next week's paper for list of donations for silent auction and the schedule of events! A unique experience awaits you in our charming village. Welcome to our specialty shops, restaurants and galleries. www.blythnow.ca