HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-11-18, Page 6PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010. Elliott frustrated with “steamrolling bureaucracy”At a Nov. 8 press conference, theAvon Maitland District School
Board had hoped to announce the
resolution of several Ontario
Municipal Board (OMB) appeals
surrounding a proposed new
elementary school in Wingham.
Instead, the board announced that
no resolution had seemed reachable
and that they would no longer
negotiate the appeals and instead let
the OMB handle it.
Unfortunately for the board’s
ambitions, both appellants, Rick
Elliott and Bob Pike, are pursuing
their appeals.
The board has decided that they
have put as much effort as they can
into meeting the appellants’
concerns, and have decided to let the
OMB handle them.
Elliott, who says he “represents
the Village of Blyth and the Blyth
Idea Group (BIG)”, stated that he
was frustrated with the way that the
school board handled his appeal.
“They didn’t contact me until
Friday [Nov. 5] for a meeting to be
held four days later,” he said. “We’ve
been dealing with this proposal for a
year, and they have just called me
now.”
He went on to say that the board’s
handling of the situation has been
distasteful.
“The school board preachesacademic integrity and learning, butthey are setting a bad example withthese practices,” he said. “Theyaren’t being considerate of the
communities involved and they are
setting a poor example for the
students.”
Elliott’s appeal is lodged against
the municipality for a failure to
follow due diligence when
processing the impact the build will
have on affected communities, while
Pike’s addresses planning concerns
like traffic and parking.
Elliott said that, in contrast to the
board’s indication that it had been
working towards a resolution for all
appeals, the board hasn’t taken any
time to contact concerned citizens in
Blyth to try and come to a
compromise.
“This is typical of the school
board’s steamrolling bureaucracy,”he said. “They don’t listen to peoplewho vote and pay their bills... theyconsider the tax-paying public as aninsignificant roadblock to their own
goals.”
Elliott says that his concerns with
students being able to attend
community-focused events have
been met with “lip service” from
everyone involved citing specific
examples like student involvement
in Christmas concerts,
Remembrance Day ceremonies and
school fairs.
He said that he, and the people he
represent, want some kind of
guarantee that students will be able
to participate in community events
and have transportation available to
them.
“[The board says they will] take
these issues ‘under advisement’ or
‘consider everything in the future’,”Elliott said. “But it is a trust issue,we want a guarantee, we want to seeit in writing that students will beable to go to these community
functions.
“They take so many things home
from being in their community,
speaking to veterans and learning
history [at an event like the
Remembrance Day ceremonies at
Memorial Hall],” he said.
Elliott also listed participation in
keeping the Greenway Trail
maintained and annual reunion of
the Huron Pioneer Threshers &
Hobby Association Inc. as events
that students from Blyth need to be
involved in academically.
As for the OMB appeal being
resolved prior to the event, Elliott
stated that the “ball is in the school
board’s court”.
“We’re still waiting for the boardto not just have a phone interview,but to come and meet with a fewpeople in the community to discussour concerns,” he said.
Elliott also mentioned his
investment in this project, stating
that it was a typical “David and
Goliath” fight.
“The OMB appeals have put me
personally at expense,” he said. “But
I am willing to stand for Blyth and
area residents and be heard.”
Elliott said that this is a costly
venture, but that the OMB appeal is
the only way to get the school board
to listen.
A date is yet to be set for the OMB
appeals, but the school board has
said they plan on having the school
ready for fall of 2012.
Bob Pike was unavailable for
comment.
By Denny ScottThe Citizen
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Five-month-old Emily Cumming got her face painted at
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holding her daughter is Jennifer Cumming. (Jim Brown photo)
Task force
looks at ERs
The Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister
of Health and Long Term Care has
created a task force of eminent
health care practitioners to advise
her on the policies needed to ensure
access to vital emergency services in
rural and remote communities.
“We are blessed to have dedicated
doctors, nurses and support staff in
our local hospitals and we need to
support them,” said Huron-Bruce
MPP Carol Mitchell. “I welcome the
new task force as they seek out new
ways to bring care as close to home
as possible.”
Due to the small size of some rural
and northern ERs, minor staffing
challenges – a doctor’s unforeseen
family emergency or a nurse’s
unexpected illness, for example –
can impact a hospital’s emergency
services.
The new Emergency Room Task
Force – which is made up of 14
experts from across the province and
includes emergency room doctors –
will develop recommendations to
help emergency rooms in rural and
northern areas adapt to staffing
challenges while ensuring local
communities continue to have
access to high quality emergency
care. The panel will submit a final
report to the government in the
spring.
As a result of government
investments and the commitment of
the province’s health professionals,
there have been no unplanned ER
closures in Ontario since 2003. By
launching the Emergency Room
Task Force, the province will
maintain and build on this success
while helping small and rural
hospitals improve regional
emergency health care services.
The work of the Emergency Room
Task Force supports the province’s
five-year Open Ontario Plan to
provide more access to health care
services while improving quality
and accountability for patients.
The task force will draw upon
experts from the ministry, Local
Health Integration Networks as well
as key stakeholders,