HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-10-15, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2015. PAGE 13.
County puts brakes
on limit changes
First responders honoured by Gowing, county
United Way proposes living wage
Honoured
Three emergency first responders were honoured by Huron County Warden Paul Gowing at
council’s Oct. 7 meeting. Above, Doug Harkes, centre, was named Firefighter of the Year for
his work as Deputy-Chief of the Howick Fire Department, while Joel Paakkunainen, below,
fourth from right, was named Paramedic of the Year. Above photo, from left: Steve Gardiner,
Huron County Fire Co-ordinator; Shawn Edwards, Howick Fire Chief; Harkes; Gowing and
Chief Administrative Officer Brenda Orchard. Below photo, from left: Jeff Horseman, acting
chief of Emergency Medical Services; Jarmo Paakkunainen; Rita Paakkunainen; Erin
Paakkunainen; Joel Paakkunainen; Gowing; Orchard and Steven Lund, County Engineer and
Director of Operations. (Photos submitted)
A living hourly wage in Huron and
Perth Counties has been determined
to be $16.47, based on a number
of factors, according to the
United Way of Perth and Huron’s
Social Research and Planning
Council.
Ryan Erb of the United Way and
Dr. Erica Clark of the Council were
in Clinton for Central Huron’s Oct. 5
meeting and spoke to council about
the living wage report the council
had prepared.
Erb told council that the report
began after there was discussion
surrounding costs in the two
counties for things like healthy food
and rent, and how wages tend to be
lower compared to those of larger
city centres.
The council, Erb said, established
an average family of two working
parents with two children, one in
grade school and one in daycare and
established that the pair would have
to make $60,000 annually
(coinciding with the aforementioned
hourly wage) to make end’s meet for
their family.
In Huron County, Erb said, over
half (52 per cent) of households do
not meet the living wage threshold,
while in Perth County 42 per cent of
households report under the
proposed living wage.
As far as next steps, Erb said that
establishing a living wage in
communities like Huron and Perth
Counties is not as easy as it sounds.
Clark said there has been some
pushback to the concept of a living
wage, saying that it would eliminate
the hiring of young people and part-
time employees, negatively
changing the employment
landscape.
She also said there had been some
research that suggested a living
wage resulted in a net negative
for communities because of
rising costs, but that research
has proven this to be false.
She said that retail businesses
reported that in order to comply with
a living wage, they would have to
increase costs, which would in turn
make them less competitive, having
what Clark called a “snowball
effect” on the community and its
businesses.
One of the first steps, Erb said,
would be to have the municipality
take a lead role in establishing a
living wage. He said perhaps Central
Huron could advertise itself as a
“living wage employer” in hopes
that other local businesses would
follow suit.
The second way Erb asked Central
Huron to help was to simply spread
the word.
Council accepted the report and
Mayor Jim Ginn said the concept
would be discussed by council
further at a future meeting.
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh’s
Roger Watt says that negotiations
between the Southwest Integrated
Fibre Technology (SWIFT) initiative
and independent internet providers
throughout the region are continuing
to progress.
Watt, Huron County Council’s
representative on the SWIFT board,
said that a meeting between the two
parties was fruitful, with both
acknowledging that they should
work together to improve the
network throughout southwestern
Ontario.
The meeting, Watt said at Huron
County Council’s Oct. 7 meeting,
was aided by an Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
veteran and has led to a second
meeting, due to take place before the
end of the year.
At the next meeting, a request for
proposals (RFP) will be presented
that should be agreeable to both
parties, Watt said.
***
South Huron Mayor Maureen
Cole addressed her role as the
county’s representative on the South
West Economic Alliance (SWEA)
board, saying that the group is in the
midst of disbanding.
Earlier this year there were a
number of spirited discussions
around the council table
regarding SWEA and what
good Huron County’s membership is
doing Huron County.
Outspoken critics like Goderich
Mayor Kevin Morrison said that the
county was wasting its money with
the organization, which was one that
was in disarray.
Cole said at the time that there had
been discussion of dissolving
SWEA, but that no final decision
had been made. Now, however, she
said SWEA is looking to have its
activities wrapped up by the end of
the year.
***
Huron East Deputy-Mayor Joe
Steffler reported that he had received
some backlash in regards to speed
limit changes approved for County
Road 25 just west of Blyth and
County Road 12 just north of Walton
and wished for final approval of the
changes to be tabled.
Steffler told council that a
ratepayer had approached him with
concerns about the proposed
changes, which were approved at
September’s committee of the whole
meeting, but needed to be officially
approved by way of a bylaw at
the Oct. 7 meeting, and he wished
to speak to council as a
delegation before the changes were
approved.
Council agreed to hear from the
concerned resident and tabled the
motion until a delegation could be
scheduled and heard by council at a
future meeting.
Continued from page 1
ceremony and that all of the
honourees were very deserving of
recognition.
First, Jeff Horseman, acting
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
Chief, introduced Paakkunainen,
saying that he had served at stations
in Wingham and Goderich before
landing in Bayfield, his current
station.
Horseman outlined
Paakkunainen’s work as an acting
supervisor, as a volunteer Bluewater
fire fighter and his founding of First
Aid for the Hungry, which has now
become an annual food drive
undertaken by Huron County
EMS.
Last year alone, Horseman said,
over 6,500 pounds of food was
collected, which helped feed
hundreds of local families.
Second, Steve Gardiner, Huron
County Fire Co-ordinator,
introduced Harkes, saying that he
has had limited contact with him, as
they operate in opposite ends of the
county.
Harkes operates his own business,
Gardiner said, which can be taxing
on a volunteer firefighter, especially
one who has made it up through the
ranks as Harkes has.
Gardiner also said of Harkes’
leadership that it is “second to
none”.
Dinning was honoured third, but
was unable to attend the ceremony.
Gowing said that since Dinning is
from Gowing’s home municipality
of Morris-Turnberry, he wanted to
ensure that a full ceremony still took
place at a later date, which could be
as early as next month, according to
staff.
Gowing did say, however, that
Dinning is very highly respected in
the community for his police work
and that he’s “quite deserving” of
recognition just months after retiring
from the police force.
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