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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-12-06, Page 1See page 9 See page 13 The North Huron itizen Vol. 11 No.48 Wednesday, Dec. 6, 1995 610 +40GST 650 Further 9% in cuts to ed. means more pencil sharpening for bd. rm Meeting smile after smile Being part of the annual Santa Claus parade in Brussels this past Saturday brought smiles to many youngsters faces, like this one, who got to ride the route not just on a float but astride a GT Snowracer. The bite in the air and the falling snow were no match for the warmth of the season as the community came out in droves to watch the annual event. Government County approves cuts to winter road service See page 6 Feature Victims of abuse find comfort, help through counselling Sports Blyth PeeWees take a win in Legion tourney Entertainnoten1 Quartette appearance takes on new form See page 31 Ralph Watson gets Brussels council spot By Janice Becker The numbers are out and the sharpening of pencils continues for the Huron County Board of Educa- tion as they cope with an additional nine per cent funding reduction due to the provincial budget of Nov. 29 as well as $4 million already need- ed, as a result of tax reassessment. All partners involved in educa- tion have been reviewing and updating the direction the board should take to attain the budget estimates for 1996, says Director of Education Paul Carroll. "One million was already on the table and trustees can expect to see another $800,000 to $1 million today. It is the board's task to reduce spending by a minimum of $3 million (approximately nine per cent) for each of the next two years." Although not yet informed as to the specifics of the withdrawal of transfer payments, Carroll says there is every indication that assessment-poor boards (such as Huron) with higher-than-average ministry grants will be more adversely affec_zd. Huron County presently has one of the lowest levels of spending per student in the province. The board recommended several areas for action to handle the finan- cial crisis, one of which brought comments of disapproval from Goderich Trustee Norm Pickell and Joan Van den Broeck, trustee for Colborne and Goderich Twps. The recommendation instructed Carroll to devise a plan to downsize senior administration ranks by one Continued on page 29 Ralph Watson was sworn in as Brussels village councillor Monday night, filling the seat left vacant when John Lowe resigned in November. Watson was one of four people who put their names forward for the post. Applications were opened at the Nov. 29 special meeting of council. Others considered were Gerry Wheeler, George Langlois and Glen Gouldsborough. After nominations from among those, Watson was chosen. A resident of Brussels since 1963, he runs Sunshine Consulting Service advising on accounting and computer matters. He said he put his name forward because it offered a new challenge. By Janice Becker From complete outrage to under- standing and acceptance. This was the range of reactions to Provincial Finance Minister Ernie Eve's first economic statement, 'mini-budget', which was brought down Nov. 29. "I believe this statement does two things which the government want- ed to accomplish," says Huron MPP Helen Johns. "It reduces spending and it restructures the way government and all sectors do business." With the provincial government presently spending $lmillion more per hour than it collects in rev- enues, (spending) could not contin- ue the way it was, says Johns. The mini-budget, which set out $6 billion in cuts over the next three years, includes reductions of $400 million to schools, $400 mil- lion to universities, $1.307 billion to health care, a $2 fee on prescrip- tions for seniors and social assis- tance recipients and a 43 per cent cut to funding for municipalities over two years. For the Huron County Board of Education, the proposed nine per cent cut will see the $62 million budget reduced to $54 million. The board was looking at slash- ing $4 million, before the budget cuts, in an effort to prevent a large increase in the tax bill. "I have spoken to Paul Carroll (Director of Education for HCBE), asking the cuts not be done in the classrooms," Johns says. The government is looking at a more equitable way to finance edu- cation, to equalize the per student grants as Huron County gets sub- stantially less than Toronto stu- dents, she says. "Choices will have to be made regarding where to make the cuts. (Boards) will have to look at paring down administration, transportation costs, non-class staff and superin- tendents." The 18 per cent cut in funding to hospitals, over the next three years, will mean major restructuring of Ralph Watson hospital services in Ontario, says David Martin, president of the Ontario Hospital Association. "The public will have to change their expectations and use of hospi- tal services, because it will not be business as usual," says Martin. "There will be fewer emergency departments, longer waiting lists for non-emergency surgery, pro- gram and service reductions, merg- ers and closures." Hospital administrations, howev- er, are appreciative of the three- year plan for reductions, says Martin. It will allow planning sta- bility for restructuring. "The government will not make cuts to hospitals. It will be left to District Health Councils to decide how the community can be best served by all services," says Johns. Hospital funding will be bal- anced with an increased need for long term care. Also in the medical field, Johns says the $2 fee per prescription for seniors and social assistance recipi- ents will be balanced by a more accessible Trillium Health Plan. Trillium is health insurance which can be purchased by low income people to help cover the high cost of medications. The deductible for the plan has been reduced from $500 to $350, making it more affordable and eli- gibility has been change to an annual income of $16,000 for a sin- gle and $24,000 for a double, says Johns. For municipalities, the cuts look large, but are only two to four per cent of their total revenue. Some townships are talking about amal- gamation and economies of scale, she says. The reduction in recycling grants is a result of the high price received by municipalities for the recycled goods, says Johns. "The programs are paying their own way." On the agricultural front, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture has 'reacted positively' to the mini- Continued on page 22 Johns responds to budget