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August 22;2001
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In brief
Council
seeks
fire chief
opinions
on offering
first
response
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor staff
Huron E$st will write
a letter to local fire
chiefs for their reaction
to the First Response
program that would
train local firefighters
to use defibrillators if
they arrive at an
emergency scene before
ambulances.
Huron County
council recently offered
to provide First
Response training and
supplies to interested
county firefighters.
Blyth firefighters,
who have had a First
Response program in
place since 1996, own
their own defibrillator
and make five to 10
First Response calls a
year.
"It all comes down to
do we want to offer it
and does the fire
department. There's a
good chance no one's
interested at all. Any
firefighters I talked to
are not interesded. They
didn't plan tobe
paramedics or
ambulance drivers,"
said Deputy -Mayor
Bernie MacLellan.
Building inspector
Paul Josling, who is
also chief of the Blyth
Fire Department said
the First Response
training is a one-time
40 -hour course.
Tuckersmith Coun.
Larry McGrath warned
council to be cautious
of the First Response
training.
"It might look good
but it might be a little
trickery on the
government's part," he
said, adding that
extrication (or jaws of
life) training was
offered by the province
and then local fire
departments were left
responsible for the
costs of providing the
service.
Agriculture..
OFA president
visits...
Page 5
Wolkm Trans -
Cion motorcross
event pictures._
Paged and 7
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Page 1$
`Sloppy' cops slapped by commission
Anne Murray says husband Steve vindicated by civillian policing commission
By Jonathan Sher
Free Press reporter
The botched police investigation
of Mistie Murray is reminiscent of
cases against Paul Bernardo and
Guy Paul Morin, concludes the
agency that oversees police in
Ontario.
The Ontario Civilian Commission
on Police Service (OCCOPS) has
endorsed an audit by an independent
police force that found officers who
searched for Mistie and charged her
father, Steve Murray, were sloppy
and plagued by tunnel vision.
"The panel agreed that there were
shortcomings and errors in judgment
. . .leading to the subsequent
criminal charges against (Steve)
Murray," the commission concluded.
Noting reports that highlighted the
failings of the Bernardo and Morin
cases, the commission wrote: "In
many respects the findings and
recommendations by the (audit)
reflect the themes addressed and the
conclusions reached by these two
significant reports."
The findings by the commission
end a six-year struggle by Mistie
Murray's mother, Anne, to turn the
tables on the OPP, which pursued
her husband even after he was
acquitted in 1997.
"This (report) vindicates Steve,"
she said last week. "Police screwed
up.
Along the way, Anne Murray was
victimized twice -- first by Mistie's
disappearance and later by police
who treated her with disrespect.
"Panel members shared your
concerns about the manner and lack
of sensitivity with which some
individual officers carried out their
responsibilities," wrote the
commission, adding such conduct
ran afoul of the Police Services Act,
which requires, "respect for victims
of crime."
Asked about the commission's
findings, OPP Det. Superintendent
Jim Miller acknowledged police
may have fallen short.
"There may very well have been
(shortcomings and errors in
judgment)," he said.
But Miller refused to respond to
several questions, among them:
- Who was responsible for the
sloppy work and tunnel vision
described in the
police audit?
- Did he agree with the commission
that a police audit was necessary
because the OPP's own review of
conduct by officers was inadequate?
The civilian agency didn't lay
misconduct charges but noted
several key members of the
investigation had since retired and
Scott Hilgendorff photo
Making adjustments
Greg General of Hamilton changes a tire on his bike between races Friday at the Trans -Can
national motorcross event held in Walton on the weekend.
could not be charged.
Those who have retired include
former OPP lead investigator Wally
Baker and
Russell Phillips, who was chief of a
force that no longer exists in
Goderich.
A third officer closely tied to the
investigation, Const. Mark Johnston,
was removed from his role in the
case after a police audit by a force in
York recommended the change.
All of the recommendations and
findings by York police were
seconded by the commission, which
ends with statements Anne Murray
sees as a public apology:
"The commission would like to
convey their empathy for the tragic
disappearance of your daughter as
well as the unfortunate nature of
subsequent events."
Rain keeps
farmers'
situation
from getting
any worse
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
While the rain has come
too late to help improve
yields for farmers who have
been watching their corn and
soybean crops suffer in dry
weather, it will at least keep
the situation from getting
worse, said soil and crop
specialist Peter Johnson of
the Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural
Affairs.
"We hope we can hold
what we still have left," said
Johnson.
Between about one and
three inches of rain fell
across the area on Sunday
with lighter rains earlier in
the week and another shower
Monday, ending a virtually rainless period for more than the
past six weeks.
Johnson said it will help remaining corn cobs fill out that
haven't already aborted their kernels and will keep any more
soybean pods from just falling off the plants after suffering
from lack of moisture and attacks by aphids and spider mites.
"But we can't get back what we've lost and we have
significant losses in some fields," said Johnson. "There are
ranges all over the map in yield losses."
Locally, McKillop farmer Hank Van Dieten was one of a
fortunate group of farmers who received timely rain during
the corn pollination period in July.
The rains were spotty, falling in certain areas while others,
S.. SPOTTY, Page t
Quoted
But we c. n t
get back what
we ve lost and
we have
significant
loses in some
fields, --
Peter Johnson,
Ministry of
Agriculture, food and
Rural Affairs
Huron East aligns with hospital in seeking docs
By Susan Hu dertmark
Expositor Staff
Huron East council agreed at last
Tuesday's meeting to align itself to
Seaforth Community Hospital to
allow the municipality to be
designated as underserviced for
family doctors.
"The whole area of Huron, Perth,
Bruce and Grey is looked at as
underserviced but they're doing each
area individually as well," said
Mayor Lin Steffler.
She was responding to questions
about a letter from Huron -Perth
Hospitals Partnership vice-president
Andrew Williams requesting Huron
East's cooperation with the plan.
While the Seaforth Community
Hospital has been trying to recruit
two more doctors for at least two
years, the area hasn't been designated
as underserviced for close to five
years, said Mary Cardinal, of the
Seaforth hospital in a phone
interview after the meeting.
She said designation will put
Huron East on a level playing field
with most of the rest of Huron
County, which has already been
designated, since the designation
means the provincial Ministry of
Health will pay for incentives to
recruit doctors.
The ministry will pay financial
incentives of relocation fees, the
travel and accommodation fees
during a community assessment by
doctors considering moving to a
community and up to $40,000 in
tuition fees for new graduates.
While the Seaforth hospital had
already been offering some of those
incentives, the local hospital
foundation was paying the costs, said
Cardinal.
Steffler said that while
Tuckersmith residents might continue
to go to Clinton Public Hospital and
Grey residents might continue to go
to Wingham Hospital, both townships
are now members of Huron East,
which uses the Seaforth hospital.
"Residents will continue to go
wherever they want but Tuckersmith
and Grey are now within Huron
East," she said.
Submitting Huron East as an
underserviced lower -tier municipality
will allow Seaforth Community
Hospital to recruit up to seven
physicians, said Williams' letter.
And, since Seaforth already has
five physicians, the designation will
allow the hospital to offer ministry -
paid financial incentives while
looking for two more, said Cardinal.
Andrews said he will be writing to
both Clinton and Wingham to ask
that they support the request to have
S.. HOSPITAL, Page 2
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