HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-03-21, Page 5Lgclmow SentineI, Wedn..day,y March 21, 1979—Page 5
Councillors: don't want beds closed
Lucknow village council discussed the
hospital issue at their March meeting when
Councillor Ab Murray who had attended a
meeting of area muncipal representatives in
Wingham reported on the meeting to
council.
The meeting in Wingham on March 7 was
to form a steering committee to create an
action group tb deal with the surrounding
district's fight to keep the provincial
government from closing beds at Wingham
and District Hospital.
A publicity committee and a letter ,writing
committee were struck and a brief is to be
prepared to, send to parliament under the.
direction of Bert Morin.
Councillor Murray told council Bruce and
Huron counties have an average of 18 per
cent of their population over the age of 65.
The provincial agerage is 8.5 per cent.
Murray also stated the number of chronic
ill in our area is :a percentage of 18.5 while
the provincial average is only 8.5 per cent.
Murray said he did not believe the
Ministry of Health should reduce the
number of active treatment beds in Bruce
and Huron, unless they were willing to
provide the money to create nursing home
beds for these people,
Reeve Geotge Joynt said he was not
Choosing sides in. the, dispute. He ' said he
thinks there are .too many people in hospital
who should be innursing homes because it is
cheaper to care for long term patients in a
nursing home than in a hospital.
Councillor 'Murray said he agreed but
there are not enough.. nursing home beds in
Huron and Bruce to accommodate all the
chronically ill.
"'There isn't a nursing home in this area.
that isn't busting at the seams, and the
government hasn't promised there will be
money to build more nursing homes;" said
Murray.
"I think they should provide the nursing
home beds for these people before they take
away the hospital beds. Otherwise these
people are going to be out in the street," he
added.
Reeve Joynt remarked that one way to
reduce the health costs in the province would
Members of the Porter Commission on Electric Power Planning listen intently to briefs
presented on Monday night during the first day of three days of public hearings; in Wingham....
Dr. Porter, centre, and his commission were told farmers in Huron would not tolerate a
transmission line built through Huron or the locating of a power plant in this area. Members
of the organization CANTDU also addressed the commission. Fran McQuail, West
Wawanosh, was a member of thlspanel.. [Sentinel Staff Photo]
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be to cut down on the number of pills
--zprescribed to senior citizens who receive
their drugs free of charge.
"Once these people get to a certain age,
they think they need that pilland this, pill
and another pill," said Joynt, He repeated
that he believed the chronically ill should be
cared for in nursing homes rather than
hospitals because it is the , r.
Councillor 'Bill Crump arnrOnted he
thinks "They (Ontario Ministry of Health)
are just trying to closeour hospitals." They
will close more and more beds, said Crump
until the hospitals cannot run efficiently and
then they will tell small hospitals they are
not viable and they have to close.
"They tried to close our hospitals. two
years amigo and we wouldn't. let them so now
they're trying to do the same thing, but
they're going about it in a different way," he
said. .
o answers council's
chargesof inefficiency...
CONTINUED FROM P. 1
an old line," said Murray referring to the
four power interruptions in 1979 .caused by
electrical storms damaging equipment.
These outages were half the interruptions
during the year. Three others were due to
yehicles hitting poles andone was pre-
aranged to relocate circuits.
Murray commented it's all water under
the bridge now, but added the transformer
did not get to Lucknow on February 10 until
11.00 p.m. The power had been off seven
hours by .then. "It could have been here. in
✓, hour from Hanover," he noted).
Council is dissatisfied because the power
outages cost them money and they cannot
retrieve a dime from Ontario Hydro for the
cost. .
Wingham PUC was called in on February
10 to assist the local hydro system restore
power to the village. When Hydro restored
power at ,the substation the surge of power
was floodii:g the local 'system and blowing
fuses.
"We're expected to pay an energy bill to
Ontario Hydro of $205,000, no questions
asked," said Murray. Every time a car hits a
pole, Ontaro Hydro gets the money for their
pole, he. said.
"We're likely on the hook with Wingham
PUC for $5001to $600 and we can't retrieve a
thing."
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