HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-10-14, Page 8Praleclirq
PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2004.
Great Lakes protection
agreement under review
On ice
Greg Bowers works on shooting during the hockey school
held at the Brussels, Morris and Grey arena this past week.
(Vicky Bremner photo)
The Huron Perth Healthcare
Alliance (HPHA) will submit a
balanced budget to the provincial
government which will include the
proposed reduction of 47 beds across
four area hospitals.
On Oct. 7, the Alliance's board of
directors accepted a recommendation
from chief executive officer (CEO)
Andrew Williams to include
"scenario three" in the balanced
budget plan due on Oct. 29 to the
Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care.
Early last week, a staff and
community consultation process
which was carried out as part of
budget planning, held four
community open houses in Clinton,
St. Marys, Seaforth and Stratford.
The alliance was looking for
community response to a total of four
scenarios that involved bed
reductions and in some cases,
program transfers from site to site.
The scenarios were designed to help
the alliance lower its $7 million
deficit.
Scenario three proposes a
reduction of four beds at the Clinton
Public Hospital site, six beds from St.
Mary's Memorial Hospital, 19 beds
from Seaforth Community and 18
beds from Stratford General
Hospital. It also standardizes the bed
number at the hospitals in Clinton,
St. Mary's and Seaforth to 15 beds
each.
Before making any decisions, the
board of directors will review the
complete balanced budget plan prior
to its submission to the Ministry of
Health and Long-Term Care and a
detailed public announcement will be
made at that time. The budget also
requires government approval.
Williams told the board that the
alliance's senior team assessed the
scenarios against criteria such as
impact on patients, families,
physicians, staff and the broader
community, as well as cost-cutting
implications nd response from the
consultation process.
"Scenario three is the most
appropriate given all the
considerations," said Williams.
The Ministry of Natural
Resources advises motorists to be
extra cautious on the road because
of the chance of encountering
wildlife.
"At this time of year, deer are
particularly active as they cover
more ground in search of food and
suitable mates," said MNR's Guelph
District Office Bill Lafferty, acting
enforcement supervisor. "People
should be especially careful driving
at dawn or dusk when wildlife is
most active."
Deer rarely travel alone, so when
motorists see one deer they should
be prepared for the sudden
appearance of more. Motorists
should also be particularly careful
An agreement to protect the
waters of the Great Lakes is
currently being scrutinized by the
public until the review period ends
on Oct. 18.
The Great Lakes Basin
Sustainable Water Resources
Agreement, also known as Annex
2001, has been drafted by the eight
Great Lakes States, and the
Provinces of Ontario and Quebec to
update the way Great Lakes and the
waters of the Great Lakes basin are
managed and protected. The
agreements relate to protection
issues ranging from managing the
consumption of water to water
diversions.
According to the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conservation,
this agreement is meant to help
move us towards protecting the
Great Lakes from future diversions
and withdrawals from thirsty
customers outside of the basin.
However, there are concerns which
the Centre will be expressing to the
Province of Ontario during this
review proCess.
"Specifically, we are concerned
that the 10-jurisdiction decision-
making body (eight states and two
provinces) is heavily weighted in
favour of U.S. interests," noted
Geoff Peach, spokesperson for the
Coastal Centre.
"There are examples of effective,
fairer decision-making bodies right
in our own backyard. The
International Joint Commission,
which was developed nearly 100
years ago to help resolve boundary
water disputes between Canada and
the U.S., operates on the principle
that each country has an equal stake
and an equal say with respect to
issues. Using the IJC as a model, a
similar body could be developed to
deal with water withdrawals."
The Coastal Centre was also
concerned with the provisions for
Estimated savings from the four
cost-saving levels are estimated
between $6,220,000 to $7,620,000.
The Alliance has already saved
more than $1 million since forming
with the $300,000 was saved in
management and department
consolidation, $680,000 in utilities
and $52,000 in shared services.
In addition to bed reductions, the
budget plan will alSo include cost
savings from administration and
support efficiencies and revenue
generation as well as the divestment
of programs that could be offered in
the community.
where roads cross creeks or rivers,
divide wooded corridors, bisect
fence rows, or where field edges run
perpendicular to the road and, of
course, anywhere that deer crossing
signs are posted.
Drivers seeing deer along a road
should slow down and sound their
horns in a series of short bursts. If
deer are seen on the road at night,
motorists should blink their
headlights. This will warn the deer
and give them an opportunity to
move out of the way.
Motorists travelling in northern
Ontario are reminded that there is
also an increased risk of
encountering moose at this time of
year.
monitoring the effects of
withdrawals on the Great Lakes
system. While a single withdrawal
might seem . insignificant, many
withdrawals taken collectively
could represent a huge water loss,
affecting ecosystems that are
sensitive to changes in water levels.
"The lakes are pretty complex,
and the question is whether we have
the scientific capability to determine
how a single proposal will affect not
only the overall system, but smaller
components of the lake's
ecosystems. The agreement requires
regular study of the 'cumulative
impacts' of withdrawals to the Great
Lakes."
"Quite honestly, I don't think
there is a good enough
understanding of the complexities of
Great Lakes ecosystems to be able
to make sound judgements as to
whether withdraWals are having a
negative impact or not. We could
get to a point where we realize too
late what negative impacts
withdrawals are having on
ecosystems," Peach indicated,
adding "It could end up being 'death
by, a thousand cuts'."
"The wild card in this discussion
of water withdrawals, is the impact
of climate change to the Great
Lakes. Current climate change
projections suggest the Great Lakes
water levels could drop by one
metre or more over the next 50
years. This massive change in the
water quantity of the Great Lakes
certainly puts into question the
feasibility of large water transfers,
in our view" said Peach.
The Coastal Centre encourages
people to get involved in this issue.
Canadians are second only to the
United States in per capita water
consumption. You can become
involved in water conservation
activities to reduce your personal
water consumption and encourage
those around you to do the same.
The future of the Great Lakes will
depend on the active participation of
residents of the basin as the stewards
of this irreplaceable resource.
You can reach the Coastal Centre
online at wvvw.lakehuron.on.ca or
at 519-523-4478. You can learn
more about the Annex 2001
agreement at
www.speakongreatlakes.org or
www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/waterigrea
tlakestindex.html
47 hospital beds on chopping block .
Motorists cautioned to
watch for deer this fall
Community spirit
Another new bench has been added to the front of
Memorial Hall's courtyard thanks to the Blyth Lions Club.
President Don Stewart, left, and treasurer Steve Howson
stand by the new addition. (Dianne Josling photo)
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