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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2003-12-31, Page 9CARNOCHAN, Doris Kathleen (born Siemon) age 70. passed away at homQ,et R.R. #4, Seaforth, on December 24, 2003 surrounded by the love of Kenneth Camochan, her husband of 49 years; and fami- ly - Bradley and Sharon Camochan, Darlene and Bruce Williams, Pam Camochan and Jamie Honderich and Faye and Dave Murray. Loving grandmother of eleven wonderful grandchildren. Also survived by sis- ter and brother-in-law Rose and Bob Robinson and nieces and nephews. Predeceased by her par- ents Antone and Christine (Eisler) Siemon and sister and brother-in- law Grace and Jerry Davis. Family received friends at the Whitney- Ribey Funeral Home, 87 Goderich Street West, Seaforth on Friday, December 26 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral service was held at Egmondville United Church on Saturday, December 27 at 2:00 p.m. Pastor Stephen Hildebrand officiated. Interment Egmondville Cemetery. Pallbearers were Lance Davis, Dave Carnochan, Bob Camochan, Gord Camochan, Brent Robinson and Jeff Robinson. Flower bearers were her grandchil- dren Erin, Kevin, Steven and Matt Carnochan, Brittany and Jacob Williams, Eli and Sadie Honderich and Shannen, Jordan and Sam Murray. Memorial donations to Egmondville United Church or World Vision would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. Condolences at www.whitneyribey- funeralhome, com 42-01-1 46. In Memoriam RAY MALONEY Born Nov 19, 1936 Dled Jan. 3, 2003 No matter how I spend my day No matter what I do, Before I close my eyes at night I always think of you. -Love Eleanor He taught us a lesson A lesson that's real, To never take life for granted, And don't be afraid to express how you feel. Spending hours on end, Listening to stories of old, He was always a great friend, With a heart of pure gold. St. Patrick's Day was his favourite, With that came his pledge, For him to show his pride, And the love of his heritage. With his guitar in hand, He whistled a great tune, As if it was their favourite band, All sat quietly and listened. The joumey to his place, Was never very long, For riding back to the bush, Where it was always a cherished space. Hockey was forever, A favourite pastime of his, Which he always wanted to share, With his family and friends. As we bow our heads, And wipe our tears, We will never forget, That Irish smile was always smiling, And that Irish laugh always laugh- ing, For that man with great wisdom, Never seemed to grow old. - Written by granddaughter Mandy DeBlocc - Lovingly remembered by family 46-01xt HUNT: In loving memory of Cindy Hunt who passed away a year ago on Dec. 27, Sometimes it feels like it was yes- terday, The pain still hurts so bad. Sometimes I cry and others I get mad, And sometimes the pain eases with each passing day, Just knowing that now you are o.k. You put up such a fight for us, so brave and so strong, Why this happened to you mom, is all wrong. Your words and your ways stay in my heart so clear. We have so many Memories, that I hold so dear. 8o many laughs, so many tears. 1 remember how you took away my tears. You are my mom, my sister, my best friend. These feelings wil last until my end. And now that I am grown, and have two girls of my own, My only wish is to be half the moth- er you were to rne. - Forever loved and so dearly missed, Becky, Jamie, Paige and Emily 46-01x1 VISIT USATWWW. seatophhuronexpositoccom News THE HURON EXPOSITOR, DECEMBER 31, 1003-11 Ontario District Health Councils celebrate 30,years By Marc Hulot Mitchell Advocate Staff The Ontario District Health Councils are celebrating their 30th anniversary this year. But according to Jim Whaley, executive director of the Grey Bruce Huron Perth District Health Council (GBHP DHC), a lot of people may be unaware of the valuable services that the councils provide Ontarians. The GBHP DHC is based in Mitchell but also has a satellite office in Owen Sound. The councils plan and coordinate health services in Ontario. "We're the planning department for the health system," Whaley said. "We're the ones charged with planning for the future and coordinating those services that are needed." The councils were initially set up by the Bill Davis -led Tories, according to Whaley, who said that if you're going to plan and deal with the health system you need local input. Health councils were established in communities to help achieve this goal and they are funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long -Term Care. "Under the ministry's health act, the mandate of 46. In Memoriam HUNT: In loving memory of my wife, Cindy, Dec. 27, 2002. You Gave. I remember when we first met. And now realize how could I forget. We met on that night for all the wrong reasons. In both our hearts love was in sea- son. We helped each other along the way. Meeting the hardships that came with the day. Together and in love we found our way. You were all my hopes, my world, my dreams. Now that's all come and gone it seems. This pain that is festering deep in my heart. I can't get past the ending, the mid- dle, the start. Forever you will hold the key to my heart. And from Heaven with God you will give me a new start. You gave me a life, 2 kids and more dreams. And now I'm alone to help them it seems. As the man that you made me I will do my best. Because I know you and God will do the rest. Now as I look up and see the sun shine, Your love will remind me that you were mine. You gave me love that I couldn't find. You gave me peace in a messed up mind. And now that our mountain has crumbled and gone. My love and your dreams live on and on. - Love, your husband John. You are always missed. 46-01x1 47 Card-, of hanks ALLAN I wish to thank relatives, neighbours and friends for gifts, treats, cards, visits and phone calls given to me on my 94th birthday. - Doris Allan 47-01-1 the District Health Councils is to identify local health care needs and to advise the ministry on the resources needed to meet those needs," Whaley said. He added that another function of the councils, although not in the mandate, is to coordinate services between health organizations. "We're often considered the neutral broker," explained Whaley, who spends a lot of his time coordinating hospitals in Grey -Bruce and Huron - Perth. There are eight hospitals in Huron -Perth and 10 hospitals in Grey -Bruce. Four CEOs overlook the hospitals in Huron -Perth, while three CEOs help coordinate efforts in Grey - Bruce. Other staff at the GBHP DHC deal with coordinating mental health services and long-term care services. In the past year, Whaley said the GBHP DHC has tackled a number of important projects and a number of recommendations have been made to the Minister of Health. "The single biggest rural health challenge in this area is the lack of health care professionals," Whaley said. "In the five plus years I've been here it hasn't gotten any better. In fact there is some evidence to suggest it might be getting worse." As a result, the GBHP DHC has worked to have certain areas within their jurisdiction to be designated as underfunded, which would make them eligible for incentives and grants from the provincial government. Iv 1 Jim Whaley, executive director of the Grey Bruce Huron Perth District Health Council Perth East, Perth South, Stratford and Owen Sound have all been designated as underfunded and accepted by the Minister of Health as such. With a new government in place in Ontario, the GBHP DHC has also prepared a 10 -Point Action Plan for Rural Health Care. Whaley said there are a couple key points outlined in the plan. "We need senior bureaucratic support, such as an assistant deputy minister for rural health care," he said. As well, Whaley said several years ago the federal government opened an office of rural health. They would like to see a provincial office of rural health opened, too. Another project the council undertook was to review the redevelopment projects for the Listowel and Stratford hospitals. "We supported both of those and they have been given the green light to go ahead," said Whaley, who spent 10 years as the director of the Wellington Dufferin District Health Council and also has a background in municipal planning. When reviewing plans Whaley said it is essential that the council consider if the plans "are consistent with what we see as the needs of the community now and in the future." Aside from hospitals and doctors, Whaley said there is also a large need for more funding for community services such as psychologists and social workers. Currently, according to Whaley, 80 per cent of the health budget is allocated for hospitals and doctors. That leaves 20 per cent of the budget to cover health promotion and prevention, mental health services, addiction services, ambulance services, some long-term services, and public health services. One area Whaley feels the government needs to improve upon is their emphasize on disease prevention and health promotion. "Research showed Bruce County is a geographic hotspot for heart disease in Ontario," Whaley said. "Sure we need strong hospitals and more doctors but if diseases are increased in specific regions, let's work to get those numbers down." He said that he has heard rumblings from the new government that they do consider promotion and prevention key issues in the health sector. "That's not something we heard a lot about from the previous government," he said. Whaley said another focus of the new Minister of Health is to have citizen input on health issues and services in Ontario. It will be sometime before the government starts implementing new ideas, though. Whaley said it is apparent from last week's Throne Speech that the government has a large hole to dig itself out of, in regards to the deficit. "For the time being we're telling health service providers that you're going to have to manage on what you already have," he said. "For at least a decade there will be ongoing challenges but the long-term future looks healthy." Whaley said some leeway could be given if the government decided to implement a health tax. "That's the dilemma. People want a first-class health system but they don't want their taxes raised. It's an impossible situation," he said. "Public polling has shown that the majority of Canadians would be okay with a health tax if they could directly link that to improvements in the health system." Whaley said the most promising thing he's seen happen to rural health care in the last five years is telemedicine. "All hospitals in Southwestern Ontario have video care capability," he said. "A patient can stand in front of a TV camera and be seen by a..doctor in London. "For the first time we've taken some of the geography out of health care. That's really exciting." Catholic Board trustee continues to be critical of EQAO tests results By Stew Slater Special to The Expositor Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board trustee Ron Marcy, who has often been critical of the approach taken by Ontario's Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), continued in that vein when he addressed the latest release of results from provincially - standardized Grade 3 and Grade 6 tests. "Anybody who's been in the (teaching) profession knows that you can do anything you want with testing," Marcy argued, at a regular meeting Monday, Nov. 24. "You can fail everyone if you want." His comments came following the release of the board's results from last May's EQAO test of Reading, Writing and Math among the province's Grade 3 and 6 students. Both the Huron -Perth Catholic and Avon Maitland District School Community Calendar WED. DEC. 31 1:00-2:30 p.m. - Public Skating sponsored by Seaforth Arena THURS., JAN. 1 "HAPPY NEW YEARP FRI., JAN. 2 2:30f-4:00 p.m. - Public Skating Health of it Program - arena hall side 7:00-8:00 p.m. - Ruth's Fitness at the Arena (upstairs) TUES., JAN. 6 10:00-12:00 Noon - Walking for the Health of it Program - arena hal tide SAT., JAN. 3 6: p.m. - Clogging at the Arena 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.- Bill Carnachan WED. JAN. 7 Atkin Tournament ° 10:00.1200 Noon - Walking for the NO HOUSELEAGUE HOCKEY due Hearth of it ppm _ arena b tournament hell sick • SUN, JAN. 4 2:30-4:00 p.m. - Public Skating sponsored by Wayne & Harold Smith Construction Ltd. MON., JAN. 5 9:30-11:00 A.m. - ABC 123 Ontario Early Years Program et St. James School Aym .. _yr qa>l fie roc *Ala 527-12721000-12:00 Noon - W Heng for. V M0011 an�a nomp elk Sint d MINIMA tic other Saafarth area reeldsres, the neoraafon alcor 1327-1272 or the at 74240 w' mil the intornretion to Oomn.+er 1W0Ciiiridirt.wank SdNl uros Estof the echi SO, ' Ontario. d�}I tlnhe earns of event erred tieetten'SrNM S e for the Oirmmurgr CeMrtdsr is donated by The IBMs Spotter. 10:00.11:30 a.m. - Play. and Loam Ontario Early Years Program at Duff's United Church in Walton 1:30.4:00 p.m..- Senior Shuffleboard at the Seelorth Comnitinity Confines Co-ed Non QoinpstlMvs Volley starts at the Seaforth Public School Boards released their results recently. And, to some extent, the way in which those results were released illustrated Marcy's point. Quantitatively, they weren't that much different, but the reaction among top administrators was different in each case. Achievements in the A von Maitland board continue to fall below t h e provincial average in all six categories: Reading, Writing and Math in significant improvements in Grade 6 Writing and Grade 3 Math. "Our teachers, staff and parents are more committed than ever before and it's paying off," commented education superintendent Marjatta Longston, in the Avon Maitland media release. "We are very proud of the dedicated effort." Longston's counterpart at the Huron -Perth Quoted 'You can fail everyone if you want,' -- Ron Marcy, Huron - Perth Catholic District School Barad trust** Grades 3 and 6. More specifically, the percentage of Avon Maitland students scoring in the third or fourth level of a four -level marking scheme is less than the average percentage among all Ontario school boards. However, a media release from the Avon Maitland board expressed satisfaction with the board's continued improvement since EQAO testing began six years ago. The results "continue to validate the board's focus on improving student achievement in literacy and numeracy," the release states. In all cases, the Avon Maitland results fall within a few percentage points of the provincial average, ranging from 46 per cent in Grade 3 Reading to 54 per cent in Grade 3 Math. The Grade 3 Reading results slipped by three percentage points from last year; and there was also a slight slip in Grade 3 Reading. But there was a three Percentage point improvement in Grade 6 Math, as well as less Catholic board, however, wasn't quite so upbeat when she presented EQAO results. At the board's Nov. 24 meeting, Huron - Perth education superintendent Martha Dutrizac had the duty of explaining Grade 3 and 6 results which - though they were ahead of the Avon Maitland numbers had consistently slipped from the previous year. In particular, results from Grade 3 Reading and Writing fell, for the first year since EQAO testing began, below the provincial average. Grade 3 Math results also fell, but remain slightly above the Ontario average. "We have a . large percentage of students at Level 2 (of the four -level marking scheme) and we're doing a lot of work looking into the kinds of things that we can do to decrease that number," Dutrizac told trustees. Grade 6 results were less of a concern, the superintendent explained, noting they remain above the provincial average and have not fallen like the Grade 3 results. Huorn-Perth trustees didn't seem as concerned about the Grade 3 results, however, as they did about the validity of the EQAO tests. Even before Marcy spoke out about his dislike for the standardized approach, Dutrizac was forced to field a pointed question from board chair Bernard Murray, about the possibility that teachers are spending too much time "teaching to the test" instead of concentrating on the over-all curriculum. "My observations tell me that we probably aren't spending too much time on that," Dutrizac told Murray, adding that EQAO results are viewed as just one of many tools for assessing student achievements. Following the meeting, Dutrizac said in an interview that she didn't want to come across as "a defender" of the EQAO approach. Instead, she explained, the standardized tests are "a reality" that teachers and administrators must deal with. During the meeting, she also argued the EQAO's process for developing the tests allows for close scrutiny by people involved in schools, to ensure they reflect what's being taught in the curriculum. "We don't teach to the test. We teach the expectations that are in the curriculum," she said in the interview. Marcy wasn't convinced, however, and said he remains a strong opponent to the EQAO approach. "I think the tests are not valid," he said, adding the provincial average in all categories hovers around 50 per cent for students achieving either Level 3 or 4 -- ora passing grade -- on the marking scheme.' "A teacher whose students had a 50 per cent passing rate wouldn't keep their job," Marcy argued. 1 can't make a judgment because I've never seen the tests, but I just don't think they're valid."