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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-03-01, Page 1The CitizenVolume 23 No. 9 Thursday, March 1, 2007 $1.25 ($1.18 + 7c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Inside this week Pg. 2 Pg. 7 Pg. 8 Pg. 14 Pg. 20 Local students speak off Young curlers compete Teams move on to semi-final rounds World Day of Prayer, Friday Students participate in Grey’s Anatomy It was a tale of two fire departments’ budgets, and Morris- Turnberry councillors were a lot happier with one than the other at their Feb. 21 meeting. Councillors were pleased with the budget request from the Blyth District Fire Area Board which called for a decrease of three per cent in the municipality’s contribution to the department’s operations. The 2007 budget calls for $16,449.15 from Morris- Turnberry, down from $16,956.58 in 2006. “Paul (Blyth fire chief Paul Josling) has done his homework and come in with some good prices,” said councillor Paul Gowing, a member of the Blyth fire board. But councillors were vocal in their unhappiness with correspondence from Wingham Area Fire Board that it is considering a budget increase of 52.8 per cent for 2007. That increase doesn’t include the possibility of spending an additional $32,000 for a new pick-up truck for the department’s chief. Councillor Bill Thompson, a member of the Wingham fire board, explained that much of the increase comes from the need to buy protective clothing for the firemen ($34,100) and self-contained breathing apparatus ($51,000). “If we have to buy all that protective equipment then we shouldn’t buy a truck,” complained mayor Dorothy Kelly. But councillor Lynn Hoy explained that the board had already put off the purchase of the truck from last year and some board members felt it was needed. The Blyth department is also in the midst of replacing fire suits and breathing equipment, budgeting $7,000 for suits this year and $7,600 over each of the next two years and $8,000 for self-contained breathing apparatus this year and $10,800 in 2008 and 2009. Farther down the line there are likely larger increases for Blyth. The department’s five-year plan calls for construction of a new fire hall, at a cost of $500,000 in 2010 and replacing a pumper, at a cost of $200,000 in 2012. Wingham’s long-term plan suggests that in 2008 it will replace the department’s 1990 pumper truck in 2008 at a cost of $325,000. Blyth’s chief did his homework says M-T councillor Brussels building coming down HE against paying for CT scanner Huron East deputy-mayor Bernie MacLellan raised the issue of the CT scanner for Goderich hospital at council’s Feb. 20 meeting. MacLellan asked for guidance from the rest of council on this issue, brought up at Huron County’s committee meeting earlier that day. He felt it was too big an issue to not involve the rest of the councillors. The county heard a presentation regarding a scanner purchase proposal from the newly-formed CT scanner committee in Goderich. Huron County is the only county in Southern Ontario without a CT scanner. The county will revisit the presentation March 7, and MacLellan says he expects that a vote for approval of the funds for the scanner will take place at that meeting. MacLellan said the scanner will be something that will cost Huron East a lot of money over time, but that paying for the scanner is not his primary concern. MacLellan said that of the proposal’s $5 million bottom line, just $1.5 million of it is for the scanner itself. He said that the proposal is a three-pronged one, with the scanner being just one part, the other two being the bricks and mortar to build a structure to house the room the scanner would need as well as operating costs. Seaforth councillor Joe Steffler advised MacLellan that he would like to see Huron East vote against this, especially with council’s recent commitment to improving the healthcare situation in Seaforth. One of the main points to the presentation was that having a CT scanner in Goderich would help with doctor recruitment said MacLellan. This is something that most councillors were not in favour of, due to the fact that they are hoping to attract doctors to their hospitals in Seaforth and Clinton. “We may be shooting ourselves in the foot by paying someone else,” MacLellan said. He added that this move will probably work against recruiting doctors in Huron East. MacLellan also said that he mentioned that if the scanner is for the whole county, that perhaps it should be in a more central location in terms of the county. The reasoning behind the scanner going to Goderich is because they have the room for it MacLellan said. However, he said this confused him. He said if there is room for it, then why do the other municipalities have to pay for the renovations, he questioned Brussels councillor David Blaney agreed, saying “I don’t think this is good for everyone in Huron County.” Blaney added that this would result in a tremendous amount of money all ending up in one place. He also pointed out that as far as he knows, people who can operate the machine and read the results will have to be brought in with an approximate annual price tag of $250,000. Blaney said he thinks if the Goderich hospital can’t raise this one- time amount on their own, there is a good chance that they will be back on an annual basis looking for donations. He finished by calling the CT scanner a “lovely idea” but said it might be a little much for a county of just 55,000 people. Seaforth councillor Bob Fisher countered, that this might be the best thing for Huron County residents who are on waiting lists to use a CT scanner in places like Stratford and London. There are approximately 1,800 Huron County residents who are waiting for use of a CT scanner, and MacLellan said that the presentation cited that having one in Goderich could go a long way in shortening that list. However, MacLellan also said, and councillor Bill Siemon agreed that use of a CT scanner is on a priority basis, and if someone urgently needs to use the machine, if their doctor proves that it is urgent, that person will have use of the machine. Fisher worried that this issue could turn municipalities to territorial feelings towards each other, asking, “Is this going to be a turf war gentlemen?” MacLellan reiterated that Huron East’s closest healthcare facilities in Clinton and Seaforth do a lot of their own fundraising and that the main problem he had with this proposal was paying for bricks and mortar as well as for operating costs. MacLellan also said that Huron East was not alone in its reluctance to this project, saying that the vote will definitely not be a clean sweep. MacLellan said, “This is one of the few times we have allies.” Collision in Blyth A multi-vehicle collision occurred at the north end of Blyth last Thursday afternoon, with three firetrucks, two ambulances and two OPP cruisers attending to the scene. Blyth firefighters assisted paramedics with one victim who was taken to hospital by ambulance. The collision occurred just as weather was getting bad and visibility was being compromised in the area due to high winds and whiteout conditions. Between Feb. 22 and Feb. 25, OPP responded to 48 reported motor vehicle collisions. (Shawn Loughlin photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen By Keith Roulston The Citizen Huron East council has accepted a quotation to demolish the concrete shop building behind the Brussels Library. The recommendation was made by clerk-administrator Jack McLachlan at council’s Feb. 20 meeting and accepted by council. With two quotes on the table, council went with the cheaper one on the recommendation of McLachlan, giving the contract to Total Demolition Inc. for a price of $4,500 plus GST. The services received by council for their money will include the demolition of the building, removal of concrete walls and floors from the site, with the end result being a tidy, levelled site. Councillor Alvin McLellan asked if there was any way that council could put a time limit on the demolition. McLachlan said that would be no problem, therefore adding to the motion that the demolition is to be completed within 60 days of the municipality filing the paperwork. McLachlan also brought a motion to council to employ the services of an engineer to prepare a report includ- ing feasibility and costs of building a brand new structure on the site, or expanding the current struc- ture. This motion was also passed. Once the information from this report is received, it will be evaluated and there will be a public meeting to discuss the future of the library. By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen