HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-02-12, Page 24'Winter hazard
Blyth firefighters responded to this accident outside Blyth on Feb. 4. The driver was taken to
hospital by ambulance. Just a few feet up the road from this mishap was another vehicle
abandoned in the ditch. No further details were available at press time. (Elyse DeBruyn photo)
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PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2004.
GST rebate good news
for local government
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
Huron County will send the
province a letter objecting to
funnelling funding for base hospitals
for the ambulance service through
one regional base.
The base hospital that oversees the
Huron County ambulance service is
currently the Grey-Bruce Health
Services in Owen Sound but under
the new provincial proposal all
funding would go to one hospital
that would supervise all of
southWestern Ontario from Windsor
to Niagara Falls and which would
likely be located in London.
David Lew, manager of the
county's ambulance service, said the
province had originally proposed to
have only one base hospital for that
entire region but rural areas like
Huron had protested loss of their
current base hospitals which had a
greater understanding of the
problems of operating ambulances in
the extended distances of rural areas.
By Keith Roulston
Citizen publisher
Farmers who lose livestock to
coyote attacks will now be able to
bring in hunters to track and kill the
animals according to a bylaw passed
by Huron County council, Feb. 5.
The nuisance coyote control
bylaw will pay hunters $35 for the
pelt of a coyote. The process of
hiring the hunter is not simple,
however. Chief administrative
officer Larry Adams had previously
outlined the process to the
committee of the whole.
If a farmer or livestock owner has
an animal killed he or she starts by
contacting the local municipal
office. If the municipality's animal
control officer inspects the kill and
feels a coyote was the cause, the
Ministry of Natural Resources is
called in. If the MNR expert feels a
Given the protests the province had
agreed to retain the current—base
hospitals such as Owen Sound, but
funnel all money through one
regional base, most likely_London.
"It looks to me like some sort of
take-over," objected Deb Shewfelt,
Goderich councillor. _"From past
experience bigger is not always
better. Will this make the ambulance
service better or screw' it up?" he
asked Lew.
Lew said many emergency
medical services organizations had
objected they didn't want to be
swallowed up by a large
organization and they hope the new
system will allow them to continue
as before. The only saving for the
province seemed to be there will be
about four fewer cheques written, he
said.
But Shewfelt warned that if the
money goes to a large hospital in
London it will be hard for smaller
hospitals to pry the money out for
their own base hospital needs. "To
me it's disgusting how they treat us
in rural Ontario: Every time I turn on
coyote was involved he or she issues
permission for hunting or trapping
of the coyote within a specified area.
This gives the animal's owner
permission to retain a hunter or
"-trapper to try to destroy the animal.
If the animal is destroyed the pelt is
brought to the municipal office for
the bounty.
At the committee-of-the-whole
meeting Bob Trick, animal control
officer for Central Huron, North
Huron and Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh, urged councillors to
increase the bounty to $70 per
animal, especially during summer
months. Councillors suggested local
municipalities can increase the
bounty if they wish.
BUY? SELL?
TRY CLASSIFIED
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
Area municipalities will notice a
big change in their expenditures
after Prime Minister Paul Martin
noted in his Throne Speech last
Monday, that municipalities will get
a 100 per cent GST rebate.
Authorities have not yet
confirmed how the money will be
returned to the municipalities, but
there are two possible ways.
Nancy Michie, clerk-treasurer for
Morris-Turnberry municipality, said
the money will be returned either by
paying the GST and applying for a
refund or be completely exempted
from paying it.
Donna White, treasurer for North-
Huron municipality, said they are
waiting for more concrete
information, but it will be nice to
have a "little more money in the
pocket for the municipalities."
Both Michie and White said the
municipalities currently get 57.14
per cent back of the GST.
Brad Knight, treasurer for Huron
dealing money to London 1(5 only a
couple of years until they close
Owen Sound."
, Shewfelt's motion that the county
protest the changes was supported, by
council and concerns will also be
East municipality, anticipates that
instead of filing for 57.14 per cent
rebate as in previous years,
municipalities will file for a 100 per
cent rebate.
White said now the municipalities
will get the remaining 42.86 per cent
back which means approximately an
additional $60,000 will be returned
to the North Huron municipality.
Michie said for Morris-Turnberry,
based on the expenditures of 2003,
the 42.86 per cent works out to bean
additional $50,000.
Knight said after looking at the
GST accounts from last year and
reviewing what was paid and what
was returned, Huron East will get
back anywhere from $125,000 to
$150,000 on an annual basis.
"We are quite happy to have it,"
said Knight. _
Michie said when all the details
are confirmed, Morris-Turnberry
councillors will discuss how to
spend the additional funds.
Knight said the councillors will
decide how to spend the funds, but
they will probably be used to reduce
the operating costs and smaller local
boards and committees will also
benefit from it.
He said they are waiting for
Revenue Canada to advise them of
when they can start filing.
Check out The Citizen's
WEBSITE
at www.northhuron.on.ca
the TV everything is for the cities."
Dave Urlin, South Huron
councillor and past warden also
worried that the funding change was
a backdoor way of the province
getting its way. "Once they start
County passes
coyote bylaw
County objects to base hospital change