HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2003-04-16, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2003.
SCH, CPH, SMMH, SGHform alliance
New partnership
Andrew Williams, left, assumed the duties of CEO April 1 and will oversee the new hospital
alliance formed between Seaforth Community, Clinton Public, St. Mary’s Memorial and
Stratford General which will come into effect July 1, pending official approval by each board.
Standing with Williams are Bob Norris, centre, Seaforth representative on the new alliance
board and Dr. Shawn Edwards, chief of staff at Seaforth hospital. (Janice Becker photo)
NH considers proposal
for landfill tipping fees
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
North Huron Clerk-Administrator
John Stewart submitted a proposal at
the council meeting. April 7, to co
ordinate the lipping fees for the
township’s three landfill sites.
“No matter where someone goes
in North Huorn to take their
garbage, the fee would be the same,”
said Stewart. He added that the
board had reviewed the propsoal and
“seemed satisfied.”
Stewart also said that Central
Huron representatives on the
Blyth/Hullett landfill site board have
at times been adamant about raising
the price of bag tags. However,
Stewart said that as Blyth has
options as to where they can take
their garbage, a higher bag tag
would likely mean that many would
stop using the site in favour of the
Wingham and East Wawanosh ones.
“We just can’t raise the price in
order to get more revenue,” he said.
Another concern has been the
increasing engineering costs
required for the sites. Councillor Jeff
Howson, who sits on the
Man gets life for Nile murder
One defendant in the murder of a
Nile man will be spending at least
the next 11 years in prison.
At the April 7 court session, Jason
Clifford Brown, 20, of Goderich,
was given a life sentence and will
not be eligible for parole until 2014.
Consideration was given for time
served since his arrest in 2001.
Co-defendant Joseph Bruce
Carrick, who faces second degree
murder charges will go before a
judge May 9. He has yet to enter a
plea.
During Brown’s sentencing, he
spoke to the family of the victim,
professing regret for his crime and
assuming full responsibility for his
actions
Blyth/Hullett board, said that there
has been suggestion the expenses for
this could double.
“As a member of the board I have
been struggling with the question
that as a municipality of 4,600
people is it necessary for us to have
three sites? Do we actually require
them for our population?
Howson said that perhaps the time
had come to turn the landfill over to
Central Huron, withdrawing
services at certain times but still
looking after closing and perpetual
care.
“It would be a change and people
don’t like change. It has not been an
easy decision for me.”
Stewart explained that when the
Wingham site got a permit to accept
garbage from anyone in North
Huron the carrier for Blyth could be
advised that garbage would be taken
to Wingham.
For use of the East Wawanosh site
a letter would have to be sent to the
Ministry of the Environment asking
permission. “Where this happened
in the past there as not been anyone
refused,” said Stewart.
Withdrawing from the
Brown’s lawyer, James
Marentette, in asking for a sentence
which would allow rehabilitation
and re-entry into society, noted the
suffering and loss caused by his
client’s actions.
He said it would be easy to see
Brown just as a killer, but that he is
more than that. Brown had been
involved in hockey, the Huron
Hurricanes swim team and was a
volunteer for a local theatre group as
well as having various part-time
jobs.
Marentette said it was Brown’s
inability to keep up with his peers
and lack of interest in school that led
him to the wrong people and
eventually to drugs.
Blyth/Hullett site would not be
difficult, the administrator said. “My
thought is we just stop using it.”
However an agreement would still
have to be in place with Central
Huron as North Huron currently
pays 35 per cent of the operating
costs.
Joe Hallahan, a Blyth resident
who was in the gallery told council
that many people from the village
use the compost across from the site.
He hoped that this service would
continue should the township
withdraw.
It was also decided to defer the
tipping fees proposal until there
could be discussion at the public
works committee.
Changes proposed would be an
increase at all sites to $20 for pick
up trucks, $35 for wagons, $50 for
single-axle trucks, $100 for tandem
axle trucks, $50 for small dumpsters,
$100 for large, $100 for dumpsters
of tannery wastes, $250 for unsorted
dumpsters, $20 for truck tires, $25
for tractor tires, $40 for freon
appliances which are not CFC free,
$10 for individual items, $30 for
gate opening after hours.
However, Crown Attorney Bob
Morris gave a different perspective,
pointing out the vulnerability of
victim Harold McGee.
The defendants had previously
discussed plans to rob McGee and
believed he would offer little
resistance because of his age.
Though a robbery plan was later
perpetrated, it did not include the
killing of McGee, said Morris.
Morris then detailed the break-in
and attack as well as Brown’s loss of
control as he struck McGee
repeatedly, at least 39 times, with a
crowbar.Judge Peter B. Hockin said
during sentencing that this action
showed recklessness and that Brown
meant to cause harm.
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
With the demise of the Huron
Perth Hospitals Partnership (HPHP)
at the end of June, a new, smaller
alliance is set to to take its place.
Seaforth Community Hospital,
Clinton Public Hospital, St. Marys
Memorial Hospital and Stratford
General will form the new health
care facility alliance.
“(The administration from) the
four hospitals all agreed on the basic
principles for the alliance,” said new
Chief Executive Officer Andrew
Williams, who assumed the role on
April 1.
Those basic principles will include
one board for all four facilities and
one CEO.
They will be moving towards one
staff and one budget and eventually,
one medical staff as well, he
said.
However, each hospital will retain
separate foundations and auxiliaries
as the focus is on community and the
new alliance wants to maintain that
connection.
The coming together to form a
larger entity (after the HPHP
dissolution) is to allow the hospitals
to better adapt, be more flexible and
provide more types of employment
for staff in the wake of health care
uncertainties, said Williams. “We
want to maintain and enhance the
local delivery of care.”
Seaforth Chief of Staff Dr. Shawn
Edwards agreed that the benefits
attained through the HPHP would be
continued while the new alliance
would improve communication and
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527-0104
Refreshments and door prizes
networking with colleagues.
“The medical staff is very excited
about the new alliance. It will
enhance our ability to stay up-to-date
on the latest technology and there
will be better co-operation for the
recruitment and retention of staff,
physicians and nurses.”
Edwards noted the alliance will
also help to create a “standardization
of care across the region.”
“If a patient with an IV is being
transferred from Seaforth to
Stratford, the IV will not have to be
changed because of different
standards.”
Bob Norris, currently completing
his 11th year on the Seaforth hospital
board and now a representative on
the alliance board, said the four
facilities have always worked co
operatively and he sees the
continuation of benefits from the
HPHP begin developed fur
ther.
The four-way alliance began its
formation last fall and through the
winter after it was announced last
summer that the HPHP will be
discontinued, said Williams. “These
four came together because they
were all comfortable with the
principles. There is a high level of
trust and respect for the staff and
medical staff.”
“The top benefit will be in
providing stability and allowing us
to deal with the challenging issues in
health care such as finances and
manpower,” said Edwards.
Williams commended the boards
for creating the alliance. “It is a good
step for health care in Huron and
Perth.”
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