Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-02-05, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1997 itizen The North Huron P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOM 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, Ont. NOG 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Advertising Manager, Jeannette McNeil The Citizen is published weekly in Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $27.00/year ($25.24 + $1.76 G.S.T.) in Canada; $62.00/year In U.S.A, and $75.00/year in other foreign countries. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 E ditorial i :— i You pay, we say "Disentanglement" is a good idea that has been talked about by at least the last two provincial governments, but the current proposals by the government of Mike Harris show that it's easier to like the idea than make it work. While municipalities across Ontario are still trying to calculate the financial impact of the Harris government’s great week of announcements last month, one thing is clear: there has been little real untangling of the jurisdiction between provincial and municipal levels of government. Rather than a clear vision, the government's proposals seem to look like a patchwork designed to appear to be change for the future while really disguising a tax grab. The government started off well, proposing something the municipal governments have sought for years in taking education funding away from residential property taxes. The theory, argued by groups like the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, is that property taxes should pay for property services (like roads and sewers) while people taxes (income tax, provincial sales taxes) should pay for services to people like education. But from there on, the government went off track. It will continue to levy education taxes against commercial and industrial properties, but will pool this money on a provincial basis and assign it equally across the province. If this works the way it sounds, schools where there isn't a strong commercial and industrial tax base should benefit, but the principle of property taxes for property services has been abandoned. Then there comes welfare. When "disentanglement" was first discussed under the NDP government, it appeared the province would take over this area completely. Now the province will require municipalities to increase their share to 50 per cent from 20 per cent. But the province will still set the rules. The municipalities will pay 100 per cent of the cost of senior citizens' homes, but the province will still set the standards the municipalities have to live up to. Municipalities will have to pay for libraries, but the province will tell them what services they can charge a user fee for. On and on it goes, a list of new financial responsibilities for municipal leaders but the province will still set the rules they must live by. And if it doesn't work, if your taxes go up instead of down, the government has already told us that the real villains are those greedy municipal politicians. — KR Stay prepared for action That sigh of relief that many Huron County residents uttered last week when the Huron Perth District Health Council agreed to keep all hospitals in the two counties open should not be allowed to turn into a sigh of contentment. There are too many hurdles left in keeping our hospitals to relax now. The all-powerful Health Services Restructuring Commission still must approve the Huron Perth proposal and it comes nowhere near 20 per cent saving in hospital costs which has been used as a benchmark elsewhere in the province. This commission, in the past, has been known to order hospital closings for even greater savings than local officials proposed, even if the target had been matched. What local residents must make clear to their MPP Helen Johns, is that the 20 per cent savings target is too drastic a change given the local conditions in Huron Perth. Anyone who lived through a snowbclt January knows we need hospitals closer to our homes than people do in other areas of the province where a snowstorm might mean three inches of snowfall. This is not like all other areas of Ontario. Our small hospitals also don't have the kind of potential for savings that large hospitals do. By combining administrations, the new proposal eliminates the one area of duplication that's left. Despite everyone's desire to save on taxes, there are some things that just aren't worth the savings. One of those things is health care. If we save a few dollars in income tax, but endanger the life of a loved one because of those savings, it is a foolhardy decision. We must make it clear to the government, in no uncertain terms, that we will not accept reducing this important part of our community. This is a time when people must stand together. This is a lime to keep up the fight, not relax and think it's won.— KR Making some points Photo by Bonnie Gropp Letters THE EDITOR, The board is very pleased with the role described for Wingham and District Hospital as a community hospital. The District Health Council's preferred option endorses the continuation of the services we offer here, and adds a small inpatient rehab service, which we have wanted for some time. However, a review and increase of the number of ICU and acute care beds is required to ensure equity with other community hospitals and adequate support for our acute care needs. The board has concerns about the single board and administrative structure and commits to working with the other hospitals and DHC to explore other options that will ensure strong community control over the health services provided in our communities. It notes that distance between hospitals and the different needs of a small community compared to a larger one like Stratford may support a model of two or more boards for Huron-Perth. Lloyd Koch, Executive Director. THE EDITOR, The Wingham Citizens Hospital Action Committee is generally pleased with the current options announced last week by the task force. We support the lowering of the funding reduction target to approximately 13 per cent. We support the retention of hospital services in all communities. We support the total reduction of beds within Huron and Perth. The bed allocation suggested by the task force requires review. We suggest that the number of beds allocated to the Wingham and District Hospital should be increased by at least five medical beds. We support a concept of consolidated governance, but only on the basis of equal representation for each hospital. Andy McBride, on behalf of the Action Committee. THE EDITOR, This is a letter to Mr. Fraser Bell, chairman of the Huron-Perth District Health Council. Dear Mr. Bell, I would like to express the anger I felt upon reading the latest restructuring plans of the DHC's task force. The task force SOLD OUT, and Huron County, in particular Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, loses again. How did AM & GH go from being a secondary hospital in the three options released Nov. 22 to becoming a community hospital with 19 fewer beds? I understand that the initial options were by no means final recommendations. However, in the release of that date, the task force stated in their so called "Anchor Assumptions" and "Key Themes" from consultation with the Program Planning task force, that Huron and Perth counties will each have a secondary hospital with a minimum of 60 to 80 acute care beds. Apparently the public should not put too much trust in anything the DHC and their task force have to say. The original options seemed well researched and fairly represented Continued on page 25