HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-05-17, Page 1Community must pull together to save Callander
VOL. 5 NO. 20 WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1989 45 CENTS
Sunday School children from Melville Presbyterian Church in
Brussels took part in a special Mother's Day program with the
teachers. The children dressed in ethnic attire to demonstrate the
love of God for all children of the world. As the program began the
congregation were asked, “Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could
reach out, hold hands and give the rest of the world a hug?”
BY LISA BOONSTOPPEL
After six years of fruitless batt
ling for additional beds at the
Callander Nursing Home, Mr. Mac
MacGowan, the owner and admini
strator of the home in Brussels,
called a community meeting at the
Brussels arena on May 10.
“It’s up to the community now,
said Mr. MacGowan, “we can’t do
any more. If anything is going to
happen the community is going to
have to do it.”
Mr. MacGowan was referring to
the home’s need for 16 more beds.
Unable to attain the beds from the
government himself after six years,
he is beseeching the community for
help.
The home needs these beds in
order to avoid closure. The events
leading up to this dilema began in
1972 when the Ministry of Health
set standards that all nursing
homes had to follow. Those stand
ards have remained the same until
now, but by June of 1993, all
nursing homes will have to comply
with a new set of regulations or else
their licences will be in jeopardy.
The Callander Nursing Home
doesn't meet several of these
regulations. “We have bedrooms
not of the right size, narrow
corridors, windows of incorrect
height, no separate infirmary room
and no toilet facilities that accom
modate wheelchairs, explained
Milt Graham, a consultant for Mr.
MacGowan.
“However, he explained, the
government realizes that most
small nursing homes will not
comply with the new standards, so
they will give homes up to 25 beds
if there is a need.” MacGowan is
asking for 16. If the 16 beds
MacGowan is asking for were
acquired, it would them be eco
nomically feasible for him to reno
vate the present home or build a
new one which would comply with
the Ministry of Health’s standards.
Mr. Graham added that the
community would be mere effective
in campaigning the government for
the beds than Mr. MacGowan has
been.
“The community should fight for
what’s theirs” said Lynn Arm
strong Hayes, former employee of
the Brussels nursing home.
Mr. MacGowan stressed the
urgency of the matter. “We need
the beds while it’s still affordable,”
he said, “If we wait too long,
economics will mean we have to ask
the government for 30 beds.”
MacGowan estimated the present
cost of each bed would exceed
$45,000.
If Mr. MacGowan doesn’t get the
beds, the nursing home will either
be sold to the Ministry, amalga
mated with Wingham Nursing
Home (also owned by MacGowan)
or closed.
Hwy. 4 reconstruction delayed a year, Fulton says
Drivers along the hazardous
route of Hwy. 4 between Blyth and
Wingham will have to suffer at
least another year before recon
struction begins, Blyth village
councillors learned at their May 10
meeting.
The bad news was contained in a
letter from Ed Fulton, Minister of
Transportation for Ontario who
said the earliest construction could
commence will be in 1991. Mr.
Fulton said it will take two years to
complete the pre-contract engi
neering and acquisition of property
will take another two years to
complete.
Originally work has to have
been done this year to resurface the
existing surface of the road but
area municipalities, spearheaded
bv Blyth’s Reeve Albert Wasson,
called for a complete rebuilding of
ihe road to provide for better snow
storage so banks wouldn’t be high
along the sides of the road in
winter. The road is also narrow and
is avoided by many travellers,
particularly truckers.
In the fall of 1987 Mr. Fulton
travelled the road along with Jack
Riddell, M.P.P. for Huron and
Huron County representatives. He
later met with representatives with
all the municipalities along the
route who urged him to reconsider
the plans.
In March 1988 Mr. Fulton wrote
to the municipalities saying he had
accepted their advice and was
putting Ministry officials to work to
redesign the road. At the time it
was predicted work would begin in
1989 on the portion of road from
Belgrave to Wingham.
The timetable for the project has
now been switched, according to
Mr. Fulton’s letter and the Blyth to
Belgrave portion of the project will
be undertaken. The next year will
see the Belgrave to Wingham
section refmished and the final
year will see reconstruction of
Blyth’s main street. That would
presently appear to be in 1994.
That would mean a rebuilding of
main street and, although there has
been no official confirmation, it is
understood the bridge over Blyth
Creek would be replaced.