HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-11-11, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1998.
Huron-Perth Health Unit merger off
Complaints about the noise of
cars going over rumble strips
prompted a motion to have the
county reconsider its policy of
installing them on county roads in
built-up areas at the Nov. 5 meeting
of Huron County council.
Harvey Ratz, reeve of Stephen
Twp. said councillors in his town-
ship had fielded many complaints
from people living near rumble
strips on the former County Rd. 21
and they wanted the county to look
at removing the strips because of
the loud noise.
Bob Szusz, reeve of Hullett said
residents of Londesboro have also
complained about the noise traffic
makes on the strips in their village.
But it was pointed out to Reeve
Ratz that the road no longer
belonged to the county, having
been turned back to the township
on Dec. 1, 1997 so it could do what
it wanted to with the strips. Howev-
er, county engineer Sandra Lawson
said to remove the rumble strii5S-
would require milling of the sur-_
The Avon-Maitland District
School Board should look at all
options to save money with closing
of schools a last resort, Huron
County councillors agreed at their
Nov. 5 meeting.
But councillors, in their motion,
also called on the provincial gov-
ernment to come up with a new
funding model that gave fairer
treatment to rural schools.
In making the motion Clinton
Reeve Carol Mitchell said council
in her town didn't feel the board of
education had looked at cost sav-
ings within other areas of their bud-
get.
Stewart Steenstra, reeve of Col-
borne said one of the things the
IPM committee
chooses soup
The Family Lifestyles Committee
for the International Plowing Match
'99 would like to announce the
winner of the Soup of the Match
competition that has been running
during the fair season this year in
Huron County.
Congratulations to Joan Addison
af Clinton. Her Vegetable Beef
Soup is the Grand Champion Soup.
She wins $25. This soup will
become a menu feature at events
associated with the Match such as
the Plowmen's Dinner, the Queen
of the Furrow Dinner and it will be
served in the tearoom at the IPM
'99 Quilt Show in April.
face and patching the road, which
would reduce the life expectancy of
the surface.
***
The Huron County Health Unit
will investigate instituting a fee to
help pay for food inspection ser-
vices.
The Board of Health agreed to
investigate cost recovery as a way
of improving the number of inspec-
tions carried out on food premises.
***
Though the new Huron County
Official Plan is moving toward
acceptance, other townships will be
able to take advantage of the same
provisions Morris Twp. is seeking
to allow development of small
parcels of land too inconvenient to
farm, Dr. Gary Davidson, director
of Planning told county council.
Brian McBumey, reeve of Turn-
berry, said his township's council
was also interested in the idea of
allowing such parcels to be used
rather than lock them in to farm
use.
school boards should be looking at
is more co-operation between the
public and separate school systems.
"I don't understand building a new
school then other schools being
empty," he said.
County Warden Jack Coleman
wasn't sure about support for a call
for more funding for schools,
recalling the days when county
councillors used to go to the Huron
County Board of Education and
times while Dr. Tamblyn was not.
There were too many differences
in philosophy between the Huron
and Perth health units, he said.
Warden Jack Coleman explained
that under the Perth system, if
Huron had merged Dr. Tamblyn
would have been in charge of
administration for the combined
units.
But Murray argued that if the
amalgamation had taken place a
***
Negotiations continue between
the county and the Ontario Provin-
cial Police over county-wide polic-
ing. If the proposal goes ahead the
most efficient headquarters for the
county-wide force appears to be in
the county offices located in the
former Huronview building. The
county and OPP are still talking
about estimates on the number of
police needed.
***
Counties and the province con-
tinue to talk about the downloading
of ambulance service by the
province. Warden Jack Coleman
reported he had attended a meeting
of heads of counties and regions
who made it know they want no
part of running the service.
Provincial officials have indicat-
ed, he said, that they might be will-
ing to reconsider if the
municipalities come up with a pro-
posal to take on other expenses that
would equal the cost of the ambu-
lance service.
watch in frustration as mill rate
increases of six to 10 per cent
would be passed. "Do we want
them to go back to that?", he asked.
Jim Love, reeve of Hay Twp.
blamed the province's funding for-
mula saying the formula won't pro-
vide money to keep Hensall Public
School open but will provide
money for bussing the students to
other schools even though that will
cost more in the long run.
new joint health unit would have
been formed and the new board of
health, with equal representatives
from both counties, would have
hired an MOH.
Bill Camochan, another board of
health member agreed, but said Dr.
Tamblyn might have been that
MOH.
Amalgamation of the two health
units would have been difficult,
Camochan said, but not impossible.
Morris Twp residents are expect-
ed to attend the Nov. 16 meeting of
the Huron County Planning and
Development Committee to back
up their township's position that it
doesn't want to be home for the
garbage of northern Huron.
Township council had sent a let-
ter to the county saying it no longer
is interested in having the town-
ship's landfill site become a north-
ern zone landfill for the county.
"The people around the site don't
want it any bigger," said Bert
Elliott, reeve of Morris. At a public
meeting people had said the county
should look at alternatives in
A special vote of thanks to Lon-
desboro resident Dave Overboe
was passed by Huron County coun-
cil at its Nov. 5 meeting as he
leaves the county after 16 years ser-
vice in the Social Service depart-
ment.
John McKinnon, social services
administrator, said Overboe will be
taking up a position as director of
the Ontario Works program for
Sault Ste. Marie later this month.
Overboe has administered the same
TOWN
HALL
For one thing the computer systems
used by the two organizations were
not compatible.
Meanwhile, with Perth having
suggested the "pause" had gone on
long enough and saying the merger
discussions are over, Huron won-
ders what happened to the money
provided by the province to study
the matter. A letter will be sent to
the Perth Board of Health to ask for
an explanation.
garbage disposal, he explained.
"I'm quite happy with what is
going in now from Morris and
Brussels," Elliott said, but he was
opposed to the site being expanded
to take in waste from other munici-
palities.
The county had proposed that
Morris and Exeter landfill sites be
expanded to become regional land-
fills for the north and south of the
county because they had the largest
unused capacity. The zone landfill
idea replaced an expensive decade-
long search for a single new landfill
site for the county.
program in Huron since its incep-
tion.
Choked with emotion, McKinnon
said Overboe had been almost like
a member of the family for the last
16 years. "He's been my right arm
for the last 16 years."
The loss will also be felt by the
community where he has been
active and by the Lions Clubs of
the region where he has been
involved at all levels.
A special reception will be held
on Nov. 18 prior to his departure.
Health Unit merger talks between
Huron and Perth are officially over
and the former chair of the Huron
County Board of Health is steam-
ing over the loss of potential sav-
ings.
Ron Murray, reeve of McKillop
Twp. said the counties may be
"blowing up to $250,000 a year" in
not proceeding with the merger
which h'e had been involved in
negotiating before a pause was
called in merger talks last year.
But current board of health Chair
Carol Mitchell said the savings did
not seem to be as large as Murray
said and that Huron is saving more
by having a part-time Medical Offi-
cer of Health than by sharing an
MOH with Perth at the rate paid to
current Perth MOH Dr. Susan Tam-
blyn.
Brian McBumey, reeve of Turn-
berry, said that Dr. Beth Henning,
who currently works as a part-time
MOH for Huron, is on call at all
County weighs in on school closing issue
Friday, November 13, 1998
BMG Community Centre
Tickets $20.00 per person
Tickets available from any
Optimist Member
Morris residents
County council b rims to attend meeting Council discusses rumble strips
County says thanks
to Dave Overboe
Howick Mutual Insurance Company and the Wingham
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