The Citizen, 2015-03-05, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 2015.
County suggests support of ACP program
SoilSmart shifts focus
Big winners
As part of an awards ceremony for power skating at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre last week,
Power Skaters Todd Martin, left, and Zeke Walden were
recognized for being the most improved senior power
skater and most improved junior power skater, respectively.
(Photo submitted)
After some initial scrutiny, Huron
County Director of Operations
Steven Lund has recommended that
the county’s Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) continue to provide
the advanced care paramedic (ACP)
program.
Council received a presentation on
the program late last year, after
which councillors requested further
information on the program’s usage
in Huron County. With the extra
training, equipment and wages
associated with the ACP program,
councillors wondered if they could
not roll out EMS in the county with
strictly the primary care paramedic
(PCP) program.
Not only were councillors
concerned as to whether or not the
county was getting its money’s
worth from the program, but there
were also concerns about where the
program was being deployed and if
all county residents were receiving
the same level of care.
At council’s Feb. 18 committee of
the whole meeting, Lund told
councillors that the county EMS
responded to 5,315 calls from 2011
to 2014. Of those calls, 2,886 were
classified as a one, two or three on
the Canadian Triage Acuity Scale
(CTAS). Those three classifications
are the most severe calls received by
paramedics that would require
ACPs, accounting for 54.3 per cent
of all calls.
Furthermore, Lund told council
that of those 2,886 calls, ACPs were
able to respond to 44.7 per cent,
1,289, of the calls. He told
councillors that ACPs are generally
deployed in areas of the county with
a higher call volume. ACP skill
utilization at the calls came in at 60
per cent, Lund said, resulting in a
final tally of a 7.8 per cent skill
utilization rate.
Lund said that while the figure
could be viewed as low, it is one
that’s anticipated due to the serious
nature of the treatment being
administered. He said that the
county’s treatment and
implementation of the program is
similar to what’s being done by
“most” other counties.
He also addressed an unusual
situation that had taken place around
the time of council’s initial debate
surrounding the program.
An unsigned, unsolicited letter
had been placed in front of every
councillor before a meeting late last
year, Lund said, denouncing the
benefits of the ACP program. While
unsigned, the letter was assumed to
have come from a PCP in the county
system.
Chief Administrative Officer
Brenda Orchard said she was very
upset with the placement of the
letter, that it happened without her
knowledge and she had since dealt
with the situation.
She said in order to gauge whether
the letter came from all county
paramedics or just one, she called
two separate meetings with EMS
workers and found that it was the
work of one lone author, and that
most PCPs were in favour of the
ACP program.
Howick Reeve Art Versteeg said
he felt council shouldn’t even
acknowledge a letter that was given
to them unsigned. Orchard agreed,
but said she felt it was important to
take the temperature of EMS in
order to ascertain whether the letter
simply represented the thoughts of
one person, or all paramedics.
North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent
said he felt the ACP program was an
example of a situation where the
county doesn’t necessarily need the
best of everything, considering the
financial constraints local
government bodies find themselves
in.
He also felt that if the program
wasn’t being considered for all
county residents, it shouldn’t be
implemented.
“I think the hybrid we have now is
probably the best we can afford,”
Vincent said.
South Huron Deputy-Mayor
David Frayne said he felt the ACP
program was a good one, but that it
was being administered incorrectly.
With faster response times in
urban centres, he said he felt ACPs
should be stationed in rural areas
where the response times are longer.
He said that under the current ACP
implementation model, those who
already receive the best paramedic
service (those in urban areas) are
simply seeing their service improve,
while those in rural areas continue to
be left without.
Huron East Deputy-Mayor Joe
Steffler agreed, saying he took issue
with urban residents receiving a
different level of service than those
in Huron County’s rural areas.
“Rural people are just as important
as urban people,” he said.
Council received Lund’s report as
information, but didn’t make any
further decisions on the matter.
Continued from page 11
every week. There has been a
marked increase in the purchasing of
local food. We are seeing different
"raised without" products that are
attracting consumers...and premiums
for those who are willing to adjust
their practices.
I recently attended a SoilSmart
conference, where the focus was on
changing the way we have been
taught to farm: to farm with nature
instead of suppressing it, and how to
be better stewards of the soil. By
looking at soil as a living organism,
not just a growing medium, it is
possible to create healthy soil, which
creates healthy plants, which goes up
the food chain to animals and
people.
The formula included no-till
planting combined with cover crops,
putting livestock back on the land
and replanting windbreaks. The
importance of biodiversity of cover
crops, crop plant rotation and
livestock was emphasized.
The list of on-farm benefits that
were mentioned was extensive,
including erosion prevention, input
reduction and increased profitability,
just to name a few. Many of those
benefits are important to a segment
of modern-day consumers as well.
Societal benefits that were
mentioned were decreased
greenhouse gas emissions,
elimination of nutrient run-off and
improved water quality – things that
many consumers deem important.
The knowledge exists to allow
farmers who are willing to respond
to the challenge to cater to many of
our consumers’ preferences. If we
can cater to the customer, benefit
society by improving air and water
quality, make our farms more
sustainable and resilient and make
more money in the process, what do
we have to lose?
EDITH WEY
Edith Harriet (nee Hackwell) Wey,
formerly of Walton and Seaforth,
passed away peacefully at
Huronview Home for the Aged in
Clinton on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015.
She was in her 91st year.
Edith was the beloved wife of
Campbell Wey of Seaforth for 66
years and the loving mother of
Douglas Wey (Heidi Engelhardt),
Waterloo; Deborah Wey (Dwayne
Mountney), Port Colborne and the
late Dena Kale (Larry), Pittsburgh.
She was the cherished grandma of
Karla Kale (Chris Stead), Cameron
Kale, Tess Wey and Duncan Wey.
Edith was predeceased by her
parents Joseph and Harriet Hackwell
and her sister Bernice Gray
(Donald).
Visitation and the funeral service
were held at McGlynn Family
Funeral Home, Seaforth on Sunday,
March 1. Rev. Derwyn Docken
officiated. Pallbearers were Karla
and Cameron Kale, Tess and
Duncan Wey, Don Dalton and Bert
Reinink. A reception followed at
Duff’s United Church, Walton.
Spring interment will take place in
Maitland Bank Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the
Seaforth or Clinton Hospital or the
Cancer Society are appreciated and
can still be made through the funeral
home or by visiting Edith’s online
memorial at www.mcglynn
familyfuneralhome.com
REPRINTS
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519-357-1910
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people, a perpetual record of
yesterday and a sanctuary of
peace and quiet today. A
cemetery exists because every
life is worth loving and
remembering - always
Distinctive Memorials of
Lasting Satisfaction
BOX 158 WINGHAM ONT NOG 2W0
Obituaries
Continued from page 9
Association brochure].”
White said that special advertising
spending like that can be considered
by council, but Seip said that wasn’t
what he was looking at. He asked if
there was a document, somewhere,
that he could look at and see what
every line item would cost. White
explained he could do that, but, with
the amount of expenses across all the
different departments relating to
advertising, it could take him days.
“I don’t know what the plan is.
What is the plan for advertising?
That’s what I want to see,” he said.
“We shouldn’t be putting the same
amount of money in just because it
was used last year.”
White said that she could go
through certain expenses like the
advertising budget for economic
development and point to where
numbers are fluctuating and leading
to the final budget, but Seip still felt
he wasn’t being understood.
“You’re missing the point… if you
have a plan, if you can back up the
number, I’m fine with it,” he said. “I
just don’t want to hear later on that
the plan needs 20 per cent more and
a plan on the back of a napkin isn’t a
plan to me.”
Councillor Bill Knott said he felt
that he might understand where Seip
is coming from and said he would
like to know which areas are
profitable as far as advertising goes.
“Maybe we don’t need to see a
plan so much as knowing what
the return on investment is,” he
said. “What is the
advertising producing?”
Knott said he was aware that there
are some advertisements that are
necessary regardless of their impact,
such as the municipality’s recreation
guides, and pointed to radio
advertisements and asked what the
return from them was.
Knott then asked if general
advertising or radio advertising
could be view itemized and White
explained that, by going through the
general ledger, every expense could
be viewed.
“However, to go through the
general ledger, it’s going to take you
three days,” she said. “I’ll start
printing it, it will be about 1,000
pages.”
Knott asked Director of
Recreation and Facilities Pat
Newson if the municipality had ever
considered renting out the
concession stands in the arenas as a
way of reducing staff costs.
“Since 2007 we’ve looked at that
as an option,” Newson said. “Twice
we’ve [requested tenders for] it and
once we almost had one business
take over in Wingham. We’ve
approached minor sports, the Lions,
the Legions and no one wants to take
it on.”
Newson said an organization
running the concession stand with
volunteers could make $10,000 and
approximately 20 years ago, minor
hockey auxiliaries did just that.
“They petered out as they lost
volunteers,” she said. “Most other
arenas have the same challenge.
What could be a cost-positive
volunteer situation is breaking
even.”
She said the prices needed to make
money on the venture would cause
people to not want to buy snacks at
the concession stand, citing a $2.50
order of small fries as an example.
She also said other volunteer
situations have netted profits for
local groups including the Wingham
baseball park’s concession stand.
“The Scouts operate it and, for the
cost of cleaning up the bathrooms
and locking up at night, they staff it
during the summer season and make
money from Freezies and ice cream
during baseball games,” she said.
Vincent said council has looked at
it every three years, the last time
being before Knott took over for
retiring Deputy-Reeve David Riach
last year.
After several more smaller
Continued on page 20
Do you have fond memories that
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Lives Remembered
Budget scrutinized by council