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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-01-07, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 —. Seaforth, Ontario •••• • • , f 4 • f4 • .• • f ` 4 1 • • f f f • i • • • • • , 1 `. • • ' ' . • , - ,.• 4 4 • • • • • , f f 4 • .-• , • • • r • • f f •• • • 4 4 • 4 f 4 4 •• 1'. • 4 • , , 4 1 • If • f • 4 4 • , f f . • ,• 4 • • • ! • • 4 . • 0 • f January 7, 1998 — $1.00 includes GST ,fN Proud mom Laurie Anne Miller shows off her new son Wesley Richard Johnathan who made his arrival into the won.. it 10:39 p.m. New Years Day weighing in at 81bs 3 ozs at the Seaforth Community Hospital.. Wesley is the first child for Laurie.Anne and husband Richard. He is also the first grandchild for Edith Bell of Seaforth and Wayne and Janice Miller of Kitchener. Wesleys'-due date was Decemlfer 20, but held on to become Seaforths' newest resident of 1998. (Fitton photo) That is the question... To meet or not to meetj? BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff The Central Huron commit- tee that Seaforth is part of has placed a bee in the bonnet of the restructuring question around here. This town is'one.of seven members on the Central Huron Municipalities Restructuring Committee (CHRC). The others are the towns of Clinton and Goderich; and the townships of McKillop, I3ullett, Goderich and Colborne. Their committee feels restructuring has stalled both here, and in the other various sub -committees of munici- palities in Huron, so it has circulated a "notice of motion" to the county's strategic planning committee. It may stir things up. The Central Huron commit- tee -is voting on this motion it giving notice of later this month. If passed, it asks Huron County to hire a con- sultant for another restructur- ing study that would consider leaving things the way they stand county -wide, or look- ing at a single -tier or two-tier government structure at this "upper level" of municipal govermnent. . Why would this Central Huron committee, made up of smaller municipalities who have made a habit of jealous- ly protecting their respective turfs, ask the county "to cut its grass," "so to speak, on something as touchy as restructuring? • "All the little subcommit- tees (study restructuring In Huron County) seem to be breaking down," says central Huron committee chair Alison Lobb of Clinton. "It may be appropriate for the county to look at it now." "We're all in the same boat," she says. "Nobody can get a handle on it." Restructuring is official Ontario government policy. Other counties nearby are further advanced in the process, for instance West Perth, which officially came into being Jan. I. Some have accused munici- palities around in Huron of dragging their heels on restructuring, in the hope the idea will go away. When an upper tier, county- Continued on Page 10. wide iesttitettlallIt Was itur rested in early general dis- cussion, the reaction was swift and in general against, from most Huron municipali- ties, who saw it as "a spec- tre." The county backed off. Central Huron restructuring chair Lobb says the motion for a county -wide study might not pass its own next committee meeting later this month. ' The motion calls for the development of terms of ref- erence for a county -wide restructuring study to be completed by the middle of this year, with .co-ordination by a comnitttee made up of: Huron's Ifarden; one non- elected representative from New Years Day.. babr 18 years later. BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Jenny Ryan turned 18 on Monday. She was the first baby of the 1980s horn at Seaforth Community Hospital. And she's doing just fine these days in Barrie. Her dad said she was out shopping when The Huron Expositor, tracked her down last Friday. "She's like- her mother that way." he said. Jenny is still in high school, got 87 per cent last term. likes working with children, has habysat for the past eight years and now docs volunteer day care twice a week. She likes hanging out with friends and going to movies, and she isn't big on church. -. "Sorry about that." she said softly. when this paper asked the question after Jenny got home from shopping with mom thc day aftcr New Year's. Jenny thinks The Jackal. was the hest flic of last year. Ryan enjoys playing base - hall in a girls league every summer. She doesn't have- a boyfriend. She says she isn't worried at -Cut her future. FIRST BABY Jennifer Maryanne Ryan kicked,in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. on a Saturday afternoon, Jan. 5 1980. a first child for John and Theresa of RR 4, Walton. Now -Jenny has a younger brother and sister.• -The family moved to Barrie when she. was four. They still come back this way, usually around Christmas, to visit relatives in Seaforth and ,McKillop Township: Jenny'"s mom now works at McDonald's. Dad is still a carpenter. The young woman, almost out of her teens, is in Grade 12 at St. Joe's High School, whcrc maths and parenting arc the subjects that most interest her. She doesn't plan to go back for another year. Jcnny hopes to •take the early childhood education course offered by Georgian College, which has campuses in both Barrie and Orillia. Unfortunately the ECE course is only offered at Orillia, but Jenny says it is close enough that she hopes to still be able to live at home. Canada's high rate of ,unemployment for young people isn't something Ryan worries about. She figures the volunteer work she continues to enjoy will stand her in good stead if she gets this ECE. Some peo- ple at day care have told her as much, and that they like the work she does. Volunteer day care involves helping to look after kids and "being an extra pair of eyes for the teacher," says Jenny. Meningitis outbreak Government will do all that is neccessary says Huron's MPP BY JACKIE FITTON Expositor Editor With the upheaval of health care being widely publized it seems provincial health authorities arc taking a no - holds barred attitude in light of the recent meningitis out- break. . MPP for Huron County Helen Johns who was the parliamentary assistant for the Ministry of Health from 1995-1997, says the provin- cial government will do all that's necessary to ensure the health needs of the people are met. Residents of Seaforth and surrounding areas who may have any questions can call the Huron County Health Unit at 482-3416. Johns says the Kitchener - Waterloo immunization pro- gram is not the largest immu- nization project conducted - but it is the second largest.. In 1995 immunization for a meningitis outbreak in Ottawa recorded 170,000 being immunized. In the Kitchener -Waterloo area. health officials are expecting to immunize 120,000 people at a cost of about $1 million. A hot-line has been estab- lished in the Metro Toronto arca within the past week and handles as many as 100 calls per day. The Hospital for Sick Children also is receiv- ing up to 50 calls per day: " just asking about the menin- gitis issue," John said. The Ministry of Health con-. ducts a surveillance system when/any laboratory docs any- work they have to report specific diseases. These arc reviewed every week by the Ministry of Health and offi- cials watch for specific rate increases over previous years or changes in different reportable diseases. " That's how they figure out where there is a problem area," Johns said. In the Kitchener -Waterloo area the per hundred thou- sand rate gave indication Stat meningitis had increased over the previous years, Johns said. "There had been four cases in that in thc past month." Protocol dictates when it gets to a specific number of cases per 100.000. nuhlic health begin immunization, Johns said.. "What they know from past history is that meningitis is a localized disease," she said. Johns said the Ministry of Health have expanded into the Camhridge area because so many of the children are integrated in thc school sys- tem "They decided to go in because of the inter -mingling of the Kitchener-Camhridge area and not because. there was any necessarily increase in the reported incidences in Cambridge." Under this health surveil- lance system the Ministry. of Health will be watching the Huron -Perth areas very close- ly as well as all arca,~ across Ontario, ascertaining if there. is 'any reason to go in and immunize a specific area. CONTINUED on Page 2. arca No plans, no cases of meningitis BY JACKIE FITTON Expositor Editor There arc no plans in place, because there arc no (menin- gitis) cases confirmed or sus- pect for Huron County. says the manager of the Community Health Division of the Huron County Health Unit. Marlene Price in Clinton says the cases which have occurred in the Kitchener - Waterloo arca: "arc isolated to that arca." "We've had Orate a few phone calls mostly from par- ents who have students attending either ttic university or the colleges in thc Kitchener -Waterloo arca." she said. Immunization for students will take place when they return,to school aftcr the Christmas break. About 30,000 young licople in the Kitchener -Waterloo area have received meningitis shots during thc past two weeks.. The voluntary immuniza- tion program is geared to people between the ages of 12=22 years. Price said thc meningitis disease is spread by saliva and at all possible people should avoid such habits as sharing drinking cups. ciga- rettes as dwell as thc sharing toothbrushes. Practice good handwashing, she said: Symptoms of meningitis include a stiff neck, intense headache and high fever. "we've had (mite a few phone calls mostly from parents" Marlene Price "Right now there's no prob- lems and no cases conlinncd or suspect in thc County," Price said. "I hope it slays that way." she added. E CRUISE SALE t, • 2 DAYS ONLY JAN. 9 & 10 )4 JUNE BALL LAURIE RUSSELL KRISIYN DARUNG . BONNIE SITTER SARAH DARLING JUUE CAMPBELL ANNE DARJ,ING CARLSON WAGONLIT ELLISON TRAVEL -EXETER www.ettravei.com 235-2000 1-800-26577022