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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-02-19, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19,1997 The North Huron itizen (♦CNAc P.O. Box 429, BLYTH, Ont. NOU 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 PAID 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 .....................•........................ Togetherness by division? If rural Ontario is to attain the provincial government's goals of fewer and bigger governments, it will mean that people will have to co­ operate together over large areas. Co-operation, however, seems increasingly unlikely as communities are set against communities in a system that declares winners and losers. The latest example of this unfortunate trend is the squabble over whether Goderich got short-changed in the Huron Perth District Health Council's restructuring proposal for the eight hospitals in the two counties. There was very little reaction in Goderich when the task force originally proposed three options, all of which would have designated Goderich and Stratford as "secondary hospitals". Hospitals like Clinton and Exeter were likely to be closed under these scenarios, but since Goderich was a winner, no one spent much time worrying about the problems of their neighbours. An exception was the hospital board of Alexandra Marine and General Hospital which, when the eight hospitals worked out an alternative, compromise solution, agreed to give up a little to help all the hospitals. Unfortunately, when the eight-hospital proposal went to the DHC, it was changed, and 34 more beds (including 18 from Goderich) were taken away from Huron and given to Stratford General. Suddenly, Goderich had gone from being a winner in Huron County to a loser compared to Stratford. Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt was outraged and led a battle to get Goderich's preferred status back. Medical staff at the Goderich hospital see their hospital as an "anchor" hospital for specialized services in the county, even though a large part of the county does not see Goderich as central to the county. The difficulty is that the DHC’s compromise proposal is going to be hard enough to sell to the province's Hospital Restructuring Commission even if everyone stands united behind it, and may be impossible if one hospital is fighting it. The proposal does not meet the large cut in hospital expenditures the province wants, but the DHC has courageously been willing to argue that a larger cut would be devastating to rural health care (unlike Grey-Bruce where they are willing to proposed hospital closures to meet the 20 per cent target cuts). It may be that Goderich's determination to regain its status will spell doom for its neighbours. And in the long term, the goal is to have one hospital board for all the hospitals in the two counties. If one community is set against another, how is this supposed to work? The province wants to see municipalities amalgamate to (supposedly) save money. If some communities, because of their size and prosperity, see themselves losing out to others, how is this system to work? We have set in place a vicious system in Ontario that pits one community against another, one individual against another. In the long run, we can't win at this game. If we do not co-operate and be willing to give up a little for the benefit of other communities and other individuals, our society is doomed to become one that is more and more impossible to live in. — KR Is anyone counting the cost? At a time when everyone is counting every penny spent by government, we in Huron County are moving quietly toward an expensive introduction of 911 emergency calling without a single question being asked. At Huron County council's February meeting, the report from the 911 committee estimated the cost of signs to be erected at every comer of every rural concession to be $100 each. In many townships there are over 50 comers requiring a sign, a cost of $5,000 per township. Each rural property owner will have to put up a sign to show the designated number for the property — at a cost of under $20 to each property owner. There is also a per month cost added to each telephone bill. In the long run, this may be a good investment, particularly if it can save lives. The point is, however, there has been absolutely no debate about this expenditure, at least at the county level, while councillors niggle about library budgets and all matter of other cuts to spending. There is horror at the thought the county should increase taxes by even a penny, but no question of the "tax" on people through added phone charges. Strange. — KR Letter to the editor Teachers ask third question THE EDITOR, OSSTF District 45, now asks the third of five Questions of the Week to be issued throughout the months of February and March. The question being asked by Huron's Secondary School teachers (as posted in front of Secondary Schools across Huron County and the Province of Ontario) of the Conservative government is as follows: Helen Johns, MPP Huron, your government's recent actions have thrown education and schools into turmoil, the morale among teachers and in particular support staff is approaching an all time low. Our question this week concerns the outsourcing of educational services and their downloading to municipalities. "What guarantee will the government make to taxpayers that costs the government defines as "non-classroom", including instructional support such as teacher assistants and office staff, custodial and maintenance services, construction capital and pupil transportation, a total of approximately $2.8 billion, will not be added to their municipal taxes in addition to the other costs downloaded on municipalities? Will your government guarantee to continue providing what it defines as "non-classroom" services?" Bill 104 not only cuts the number of school boards and trustees, limiting accountability to the local taxpayer, but it creates an undemocratic Education Improve­ ment Commission to oversee the elected trustees not only in 1997, but until the year 2000. Further this commission is directed to "make recommendations to the Minister of Education on how to promote and facilitate the outsourcing of non- instructional services by district school boards." The Ministry of Education, through its study of education costs, has redefined the Ontario Classroom stating that services such as heating, lighting, office and custodial services, transportation, school capital and maintenance are 'non-classroom' expenditures and as such are not included in the government's commitment of funding for classroom education as outlined in "The Common Sense Revolution". The Minister of Education and Training has announced that the business functions of school boards, such as custodial and maintenance services, should be provided by non-school board employees, and further has stated that munici-palities will pay for construction costs and provide non- instructional services. This could mean that these functions may be downloaded onto already burdened municipal tax bills. The Public Deserves to Know who will be responsible for such expenditures. John Clarke, Federation Officer Bill Huzar, President OSSTF District 45.