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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2004-10-13, Page 1Discount Mot tkugc Canada Inc. Joy Finlayson & Sharon Medd Mortgage Consultants "Finally, a company that starts with a discount" 1-;i1 \I:Iiu \1.. ti. \1•ufurlIi t 519) 527-0560 iii`-INTEE Sharon Medd, Associate Broker M.V.A. Appraiser Visit: n ls.ca for information of ILstings in Huron/Perth Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004 $1 .25 includes GST Doug Elliott, CFP, B.Math Financial Planes GIC ousel' 0112.20M At mu=N.d of dimi tottery", Milli nos si stly Jinx *maialYhnl.n dl, dwwt Nur Best 0.1.ce Rates Dianes 3.3% 4515% •DUNDEE ' PRIVATE INVESTORS INCA 1 .Y.011 •1.00 N........I (.NI... I111I TI I I:II■I■I■II 26 Main St., Seaforth 527-2222 In brief Anhydrous ammonia stolen from compound On Oct. 4, OPP were called to Cargill Ag Horizons, located on Sanctuary Line in Huron East, over property damage and theft. Sometime between Oct. 1 and 4, a person cut a hole into a compound fence and forced open some portable anhydrous ammonia tanks, stealing an unknown quantity. Further checking found two more holes had been cut into the compound at an earlier date. Huron OPP are continuing their investigation. If you have information about this case, call the local OPP or Crime Stoppers. Neon sign damaged in Vane:era OPP were called to. the Vanastra Packaging Company on Oct. 4, over property damage Sometime between Oct. 2 and 4 a person threw a rock through a neon sign. Damage estimates are pegged as high as 51,000. If you can help solve the crime call the OPP or Crime Stoppers. Knife stoi®durirg Vanastra residence break-in On the afternoon of Sept. 30 a break in at a Vanastra residence was reported to Huron OPP over the theft of a four -inch knife. On Sept. 30 at 5:15p.m.a break-in was reported to a residence on Quebec Road in Vanastra.. . • The owner told police that sometime between Sept. 27 and 28 a person entered the home an stole -a knife valued ata little under $400. Stolen was a Case Pearl handling folding knife. The knife is four inches long with two three-inch blades. Officers with information about the break-in we in the process of following dont all the leads. ff you can help solve this crime, call the Huron OPP or Crime Inside... Seven advance to Huron Idol finals... page 6 5125 juniors come second in soccer tourney.. page 12 Crowd attends public hospital forum More than 400 send message — don't make decision that could close Seaforth hospital have no problem. travelling to Stratford for surgery and I hope the residents of Stratford would show Seaforth the same respect," he said. Kitchen said that Seaforth hospital never submitted a deficit budget until it joined the former eight -member Huron -Perth Hospital Partnership, which was dissolved before the Alliance formed. "Has Stratford's deficit now become our deficit? Look at those hospitals which strongly vetoed any thoughts of partnering with neighbouring facilities a few years ago. They were threatened with closure but look at them today - Hanover, Exeter, Goderich - alive and well," she said. Kitchen added that a few years ago, Seaforth was the "envy of many surrounding hospitals with its successful medical recruitment program." And, while some doctors have left, she said the pendulum could swing back again. "What doctors are going to he attracted to a six -bed carrot placed gingerly on the offering plate," she asked. Cheryl Wilkinson supported the doctors in scenario one, adding that Seaforth is a retirement commufiity and in the centre of an arca with a large number of nursing homes. S e RESIDENTS, Page 3 By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor More than 400 people packed the Seaforth Agriplex last Wednesday night to give the Huron -Perth Healthcare Alliance a clear message - don't make a decision that could lead to the closure of Seaforth Community Hospital. "Scenario two with the offer of six beds is ludicrous. With six medical beds in a modern up-to-date 34 -beer facility, Health on the Hill will become a huge white elephant," said Yvonne Kitchen, of Seaforth, a former chief nursing officer at the Seaforth hospital. As it faces a provincial mandate to balance its $85 million budget and find savings of $7 million by March, 2006, the four - hospital Alliance (including Stratford, Seaforth, St. Marys and Clinton) is considering four scenarios, which could cut anywhere from 42 to 65 beds throughout the Alliance. In Seaforth, the four scenarios could either add two beds to its current 34 (in scenario one) or chop the numbers down to 15 (in scenarios three and four) or six ( in scenario two). In speeches made by Dr. Heather Percival and Shawn Edwards arid a letter read from Dr. Dan Rooyakkers, Seaforth family doctors threw their support behind scenario Jason Middleton photo Huron -Perth Healthcare Alliance chief executive officer Andrew Williams explains the challenges facing four local hospitals at a public forum Wednesday night. one, which would give SCH mainly option one," said 30 continuing care beds and Percival. She read Rooyakker's letter which outlined his preference for scenario one. "1 would prefer the continuing care beds to six medical beds. "We support all the options, some more than others and we don't feel any of the options are undoable, move to Seaforth. We're used to going to Stratford for the experts there," said the letter, which also said Seaforth has been planning a geriatric centre in the community for a long time. Edwards also said he's in favour of option one but added that a dedicated nurse practitioner or hospitalist (doctor who only works in hospitals) would have to be hired to take care of the increased number of beds since there are not enough doctors currently working in Seaforth. "I support option one since it provides us with the most beds. There are no options that are better," he said. But, he warned that Seaforth's shortage of family doctors is another huge local challenge, as is the current provincial government's vision of the role of hospitals as providers of surgery and acute care. "As a rule, community hospitals do not provide those services and 1 worry for the survival of all rural hospitals. I strongly question the long term viability of small town hospitals under this government," he said. Huron East councillor Mark Beaven said that he's hearing a lot of opposition from Stratford to scenario one because Stratford people don't want to travel to Seaforth. "The residents of Seaforth Electrical fire sets Brucefield barn ablaze Grain elevator, antique engines and dried hay all destroyed in fire By Jason Middleton Expositor Staff On Thursday afternoon, a fire in the electrical room of a Brucefield barn sparked a small fire that quickly got out of control and destroyed most of the barn. Efforts by the Brucefield and Seaforth fire departments to douse the fire were hampered by a live electrical line which prevented them from fighting that area of the blaze. "Our initial thing was to keep everything around it safe. There's not much you can do when it's engulfed that badly," said Brucefield Deputy Fire Chief David Roy. By the time the owner, Allan Hough, saw smoke coming from the electrical room of the barn he only had time to get four of his antique tractors out. Although the rest of the tractors were in a part of the barn which has not damaged by the fire, many of Hough's antique stationary engines were damaged. "Some of them are originals and they had the original paint on them," said Hough. "Hopefully they're going to be salvageable. They're going to need a lot of work." Hough's wife Christie said that barn fires are expected around this area, but what upsets her is that a part of her husband's life was destroyed in the fire. "What upsets me the most arc the things my husband loves the most - antique tractors and engines - (were damaged) which has been a love of his for 50 years," said Christie. "I don't know how many have been destroyed." In the fire, Hough also lost a grain bin full of hay and his grain elevator also was destroyed in the fire. Fire estimates arc pegged arc more than $100,000. Earlier last week, the Brucefield fire department also dealt with a major barn fire which destroyed part of John Klavcr's barn. Both the Brucefield and Hensall fire departments were called to fight the blaze. Several milking cows were lost in the blaze which took nine hours to extinguish. ...sem►' At" Jason Middleton photo Seaforth firefighter James Witbee attends a barn fire on MW Rood lust outside Brucefield on Thursday. The fire caused approximately $100,000 in damages. when *ccldent• NPII ... • f COLLISION REPAIR • CUSTOM FRAMEWORK GLASS INSTALLATION • INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR AFFORDABLE, PROFESSIONAL BODYWORK ON CARS, TRUCKS, VANS AND SUVS, COME TO US. WE'LL GET YOUR VEHICLE LOOKING LIKE NEW AGAIN. "Your complete paint & collision repair centre." 120 Harpurhey Rd., Seaforth 522-2222 i 11 1\/I,tr1< fol- tit -'- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ' We use quality performance coatings