The Huron Expositor, 1999-03-31, Page 3Ambulance. fate at County infall
• originally given the county The consultant's report has
BY SUSANHUNDERTMARK 100 per cent of the costs of. a May deadline for
'Exposftot Stafr completion and is expected to
her presented to -Huron
County Council sometime in
June.
• Complete
Automotive Repair
"Class A Mechanic"
TIRE SALES. SERVICE & REPAIR
ARCHIE'S
Service ee rete
527-0881
24 Goderich St. E. Sea ort
Cr1JJ
Union doesn't want
an American system here
But Ambulance
Act already
prevents
-private services
from making
any profits
FROM Page 1
unions fear private companies
will "Iowball" a tender to win
a contract and then "hold the
municipality hostage to come
up with extra money or
abandon it."
"We're hoping that the
message that going with
private, for-profit ambulance
care 'is not going to work,"
says Bormann:
The CUPE/SEIU press
release also says that the
average cost of an ambulance
call in Ontario is $230
Canadian. compared to $760 -
Canadian in the U.S. and "a.
huge part of the difference
represents profit." •
However, Jim Hoffman,
owner of Hoffman
Ambulance Services in
Dashwood. says the
Ambulance Act doesn't allow
any providers, public or
private. to make a profit.
"Any excess money we
have at the end of the year is
applied to next year's budget.
We're no different from the
Goderich or Wingham
hospitals' ambulance,
services," he says;
Goderich and Wingham
hospitals are existing public
ambulance providers in
Huron County.
"The union travelling show
doesn't want • to see- an
American system in Ontario
and neither do we. I don't
think the .province will ever
go that way." says Hoffman.
Bormann says the unions
are also worried about
employment stability since
Blaine Lucas, operations manager and Art MoNaughton,
supervisor of ambulance staff at the Seaforth-Clinton
Ambulance Service. They are concerned about the
message the ambulance lour is bringing. •
HILGENDORFF PHOTO
"I have no intention of
decreasing wages and if
paramedics receive more
training. which would be a
win-win situation for
everyone. they'd receive
higher wages." he says.
U.S. paramedics employed by
large private companies
receive lower wages, have
high turnover and burnout
rates and work under a system
where they must compete
with each other for a job
every three to five years. He agrees that paramedics
"It's hard to do a good job if would have to reapply for
your employment is never, jobs if the first option of
secure," he says. / retaining existing operators is
The union press release not chosen by Huron Coupty
adds that paramedics in the but adds that sincethe current
U.S. are paid as low as $5 an. employees are the "greatest
hour U.S. and have to work . asset of any ambulance
60 hours a week' just to make service," paramedics
ends meet. shouldn't worry that they
Lucas says it's more likely won't keep their jobs.
that employees will receive Lucas says that under the
higher wages in the long run new legislation. companies
since the changes to the tendering to provide
Ambulance Act allow the ambulance services; arc
county to decide on issues expected to "make reasonable
such as how qualified efforts to hire the current
paramedics must be. employees."
Huron County Council still
' has until Sept. 30 to decide
who will providc the county's
anAulance services.
Last week's announcement
hythe province extending
deadlines for municipalities
to Jan. 1, 2001 will probably
only affect the deadline for
implementation. says Craig
Metzger, Huron County's
manager of corporate
services. i
"We still might have to
- - decidewhatdirection-we're--
going by September but it
will hopefully give us a little
more time to implement it,"
he says.
He adds that 1;5 per cent of
the announced 50 percent
provincial funding for
amhulance services will be
clawed hack by the reduction
of the community
reinvestment fund grant.
"The funding
announcement sounds really
good but it shouldn't change
things.: all that much.. It's still
only 15 per cent they;'re
paying." says Metzger.
Changes to the province's
Ambulance . Act had
land ambulance services.
The IBI Group' i onsulting
firm has been hired by 11
municipalities, including
Huron, Bruce, Elgin, Grey.
Lamhton, Middlesex, Oxford.
Perth. Chatham -Kent.
London and, Haldimand-
Norfolk, to help them decide
between three options to
handle the downloaded
ambulance services.
The first option would be to
contract with existing
ambulance operators. In
Huron County. they•include
Goderich and Wingham-
hospitals, the Scafo,rth_
Clinton Ambulance Service.
Zurich Ambulance Service
and Hoffman Ambulance
Service inDashwood.
The second option would
he for the county to provide
ambulance services itself. by
either placing. ambulance
services within an existing
department. creating a new
department or creating .a
separate entity similar to. a
public utility or authority.
The third option would be
to select a provider through a
"request for proposal" or
tendering process.
--- NOTICE
RATEPAYERS OF
HULLETT
TOWNSHIP
1999
TAX INSTALMENTS
DUE
50%
MAY 31,1999
50%
OCTOBER 29,1999
******************************•*****
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7 Main St. S. Seaforth
#
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****#******
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Computer stolen
A computer was stolen
from a Tuckersmith
township hope on March 26.
During a lunch break, the
home owner at Concession.
14, found the door .to the
house had been forced open.
A computer was taken from
the home.
Tire Sales
& Service
CLASS "A"
Mechanic
Complete Auto Repair
ARCHIE'S
Sewice
eemore
24 Goderich St. E.
Seaforth
527-0881
NJ/ '= low"r
6'0,140
t\41 n. Ls \
,rilr
THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Hach 31, 1910-3
SureStep
1%11)004.4
/777. 0
sses'```
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Less Instant Rebate 110.00
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WITH TRADE-IN
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67 Main St. Seaforth 527-1990
Fill Your
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Stop by Kids Kloze
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iCidelq0ie
527-2323
Store Hours:
Mon. -Fri. 9-5:30
Sat. 9-S
REBATES Up TO
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Farm Equipment Ltd. Farm Supply Ltd.
887-6365 or 527-0245
email: mcgavinOwcl.on.ca
web page: http://www.mcgavinequip.com Fax: (5191887-6381