The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1999-09-15, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1999. Brussels council briefs Councillors discuss PUC transfer With the tune nearing for the dis banding of local PUCs, Brussels council heard suggestions regard ing the transfer process at the Sept. 7 meeting. Clerk-Treasurer Donna White said there had been a name suggest ed for Brussels Hydro Inc. for the new local distribution company. A transfer agreement will be lookedat in the new year. It was recommended that with any restructuring agreements, pro visions should be made to protect the profits from the sale or-divi dends of the Brussels PUC. Those monies would go to the former vil lage. *** In response to a request from Morris Twp. to share the cost of people dumping at the Morris land fill site without paying, Brussels council declined to contribute. Councillor Mary Stretton said it is Morris Twp.'s responsibility to collect the fees as the people are let in. White said invoices had been sent to the non-payers. but there had been no response. Councillor Joe Seili agreed when White asked if council believed it was the landfill site supervisors responsibility to collect. *** Council agreed to terminate the operation and maintenance agree ment with the Ontario Clean Water Agency, stating it was not a reflec tion on the quality of the service. Due to amalgamation upheaval, council prefers a one or two year contract until things settled down. *** Chief Building Official Paul Josling attended the meeting to inform council he had sent a letter to Pat Engel with regards to main tenance of a lot on Elizabeth Street. The letter was a notice of viola tion for property standards and Engel was also informed oi the public meeting. With no response. Josling said he would be sending an order to reme dy, with a time limit imposed. If no action was taken, the lot would*be cleaned up by the municipality, with the costs billed.*** Josling told council he was in the process of developing a bylaw to deal with the destruction'of side walks during activities such as con struction.*** Brussels will receive $2,400 from the ministry to cover extra billing costs, delays and interest lost due to late property tax billing in 1999. *** Only one tender was received for sidewalk work at the north end of the village. Nicholson Concrete submitted a tender for $16,849.25 for materials, labour and GST. The gravel and removal of the old sidewalk was not included. The cost for completing all the work would be $22,547.37. In accepting the quote, Seili said the village employees could take out the old sidewalk.*** Gord Sheill attended the council session to discuss the lowering of a section of sidewalk in front of his property to correct a drainage prob lem in his driveway. Council gave him permission to lower the sidewalk, however, it must be rebuilt at a gentle slope to accommodate walking with ease. Councillor Mike Thomas will visit the site to assist Sheill in determining how far back the side walk must be removed to provide the proper slope. Sheill is expected to cover all costs.*** Council authorized a lease agree ment with the new owner of a trail er at the village trailer park, pending final sale documents. *** It was suggested by Councillor Greg Wilson that someone on the recreation committee look into the problem of washroom maintenance during ball tournaments. The washrooms at the pool were not kept clean and supplied during the recent men’s fastball tourna ment.*** Stretton reported that the com munity policing program in Brus sels has apparently had an impact as the crime incidents have declined Unfortunately, the num bers of volunteer patrollers for the program has also dropped.*** The village will look into pur chasing more trees as Seili suggest ed they are not keeping up with plantings as trees come down. Paramedics drive home message By David Emslie Clinton News-Record The fact that Huron County’s paramedics deliver an important service and deserve job guarantees was driven home to the county last week. The first of five public meetings to discuss the future operation of Huron County land ambulance serv ice was held in Clinton. Ambulance attendants and members of the pub lic shared their views with Craig Metzger, manager of corporate serv ices for Huron County, and county planner Sandra Weber. Metzger said the county got to the point of having to make decisions regarding the county's amulance service operation, as it was down loaded from the province to munici palities. “It is not something the county requested.” The responsibilities downloaded to the county regarding ambulances, he said, were twofold - one finan cial, and the second a management responsibility. As of Jan. 1, 1998, the county was paying 100 per cent of land ambu lance services, but this figure dropped the following year, as the costs proved to be more than the province forecasted. Therefore, in 1999, the province agreed to pay 50 per cent of approved costs but Metzger said, the county is not sure just what might be “approved". He doubts it would be 50 per cent of total costs. The second responsibility, and probably the more important one, he said, was for management, and just who was going to operate the system. With a deadline of Jan. 1, 2001 to take over the service, the county is considering three options. One would have the county con tract with the existing five operators in the county for service, while another option would see para medics become county employees. Under option three, the county would make a request for proposals from ambulance operators, and con tract for someone to deliver service for the w'hole county. “I don’t know if there would be one or two providers," he said. Along with nine other counties and regions, all in the same boat, Huron County hired consultants the IBI Group to look at options. “They evaluated upwards of six options or more,” he said, and qame up with three. From the evaluation, the consult ants recommended that making a request for proposals would be the strongest option available. With the report in hand, Metzger said that the county decided to seek public input by holding the meet ings. Once the meetings are com pleted, a report will be made to the county Administration, Finance and Personnel committee on Nov. 18, and that committee, in turn, will make a recommendation to county council, which will have the final say. . Before any recommendations are made, however, Metzger said the county wanted to receive input on such topics as when the county will take over management responsibili ty, which option they will choose for service delivery, and when any changes will be implemented. A number of the county’s para medics were on hand for the Clinton meeting, and they passed out a pam phlet titled: “The Paramedics of Huron County. A matter of that could be life or death. Ambulance service provider for Huron County - Who will it be?” Ben Driscoll, who works as a paramedic out of Clinton, went over the pamphlet’s contents with those in attendance and made some com ments. A L L A B O A R D He noted that paramedics always consider the patient first. He said. “When you call an ambulance today, you want top-notch ambu lance service. lit is your right to expect top quality care.” The view of the county’s para medics, he said, is they should be hired no matter what option is cho sen, as they both live and work in their respective communities. He cited the example set by the Durham Region, which recently rec ommended that based on opera tional need, paramedics currently employed by ambulance operators should be given first consideration for employment by the region. “There is great uncertainty at this point as to the livelihood of para medics in Huron County,” the pam phlet reads, and Driscoll said they hope the county makes one of two decisions. These were also outlined in the pamphlet as follows: “It should make a job guarantee to all existing paramedics regardless of who is their current employer or union. If Huron County should decide' to contract out the ambu lance service, it should require the winning bidder to give a job guaran tee to all existing staff and maintain the current wages and benefits.” Driscoll also noted, “We feel ambulance services should be Continued on page 24 THE LOVE BOAT Great Discounts On Winter Sailings! SAVE p60% on select PRINCESS CRUISES Julie has just returned from an “Ultimate Vacation” on “The Sun Princess” For best selection of this limited time offer contact. Julie Stratton CARLSON WAGONLIT ELLISON TRAVEL EXETER (519)235-2000 OR 1-800-265-7022 www.ettravel.com Friday, September 17,1999 The Blyth Festival will host their 1st annual golf TOURNAMENT at Seaforth Golf & Country Club / T- Registration & picnic lunch 12 noon Hot air balloon rattle “ball drop” 12:15 Purchase your $5.00 ticket, and watch your fortune drop from the sky. (only 1,000 tickets printed) For more information on tournament sponsorship opportunities, or to purchase tickets, please contact the Blyth Festival Box Office at (519) 523-9300 or toll free 1-877-TO-BLYTH Prize sponsors include: Shaw Festival, 3M, Brentwood on the Beach, Sam The Record Man, Music, Great Canadian Theatre Company