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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2005-08-24, Page 22- THE HURON EXPOSITOR, August 24, 2005 7_ _l Opening Sept. 1"I for the Season • 100s of spectacular fall mums • Perennials & grasses 25% off ��j NS.t ' • Professional landscape designer GREENHOUSE Open Thurs. 1 pm - 8 Fri. & Sat. 9 am - 5 or by appointment 43079 Hallett McRillop Rd. 2 0 4 1m. W. of Family Paradise Campground 5 MCKILLOP MUTUAL i 1 ,1 INSURANCE COMPANY 91 Main St., Seaforth Jeffery Campbell - President - Proud Sponsors Of Seaforth Bradley Carnochan - Vice President - Seaforth Donald McKercher - Past President - Dublin Lavern Godkin - Walton Walter Mcllwain - Goderich Murray Armstrong - Zurich Jim Floyd - Seaforth Stephen Kennedy - Clinton Bill Millson - Seaforth Ken Jones - General Manager - Brussels .111 Ontario OWNED & directed by LOCAL people! A Member Of The ONTARIO MURJAI. INSURANCE ASSOCIATION Thank You for 10 Great Years of Sales! Rick Wyatt has been with TMP since opening in 1995, establishing a large base of customers and friends. He is an avid outdoorsman and has achieved his lifelong dream of moving to North Bay. OPEN HOUSE Friday, August 26th starting at 5pm We invite all of Rick's customers and friends to drop in and join us in wishing Rick and Linda all the best in North Bay and in all of their future endeavours. Leff & Oavra &temo TEATERO MOTOR PRODUCTS Z AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICE 220 Main Street S. Seaforth 527-2291 News Registered practical nurse course beginning at Huronview in fall By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor With 24 acceptance letters sent out and calls still coming in enquiring about the program, a part-time course training registered practical nurses in Huron and Perth Counties is being offered this fall. "We're thrilled to have so many students," says organizer Cathie Schalk. The course is an idea that came out of research on nursing done in 2000 by the Grey -Bruce -Huron -Perth District Health Council. With a major finding that most local nurses are in their late 40s and early 50s and coming close to retirement age, a nursing strategies task team was formed to determine ways to recruit nurses for Huron and Perth since nursing is the highest demand occupation in Huron County over the past few years. The nursing strategies task team took up the challenge and negotiated over the past two years with Georgian College in Owen Sound to offer nearby training. And, a grant from the province, through the Skills for Healthcare Attraction and Retention Pilot (SHARP) project that got $300,000 to fund various strategies to attract healthcare professionals to the area, will help fund tuition for the students. "This is sort of a pilot project adapted to a rural area - we'll see how it goes," says Schalk. With two courses planned for each semester during the four- year course, the first two courses this fall will be communications and lifestyle management, both offered at Huronview in Clinton. The course was designed for mature students who might be looking at nursing as a second career but Schalk says students range from age 20 to 50 from across Huron, Perth and Bruce Counties. It could have classroom space offered in Seaforth, Clinton, Wingham and Mitchell and clinical work offered at every hospital and nursing home in the two counties. Provincial funding will reduce wait times for local hip, knee surgery From Page 1 additional knee and hip surgery that will be offered at Stratford General Hospital. Guy, an orthopedic surgeon, joined Dr. Ralph Pototschnik in September 2004 and his arrival, coupled with additional funding from the province, will reduce hip and knee replacement wait times and allow the Alliance to perform close to 300 hip and knee replacements this year, an increase of approximately 175 replacements over the previous year. "Clearly, government and Alliance efforts to reduce wait times for this life -altering procedure have been successful," says Alliance CEO Andrew Williams in a press release. "In 2003/04, fewer than 20 per cent of the patients receiving hip and knee replacements in the Alliance waited less than six months. This year, we anticipate more than 50 per cent of our patients having to wait less than six months, and we are committed to doing even better." A key part of the success has been the development of comprehensive post-operative treatment guidelines with the Community Care Access Centre. Patients are now discharged home four to five days after their surgery. "This is a tremendous example of the community and hospital sectors working in partnership to improve patient care," says CCAC executive director Kathy Scanlon in the press release. No new developments, despite 6,000 postcards requesting new Truscott trial By Cheryl Heath Clinton News -Record Editor The Attorney General of Ontario's office is now home to nearly 6,000 postcards requesting a new trial for Steven Truscott. And though an office spokesman once said the receipt of 5,000 postcards usually draws attention from Attorney General Michael J. Bryant, there have been no new developments to expedite the matter, according to communications spokeswoman Valerie Hopper. To date, 5,765 postcards have been sent to the attorney general's office. The postcard campaign's founder, Clinton native Mary Yanchus who, as well as Truscott, now lives in Guelph, had originally hoped 16,000 cards would arrive at the attorney general's doorstep when the protest was launched in the fall. Hopper says the decision of whether to hold a new trial rests with the Ontario Court of Appeal, which is currently reviewing the extensive case review completed by retired justice Fred Kaufman for the federal justice department. The timeline followed by the court is not an issue within the purview of the Attorney General. "It's up to the Court of Appeal to set up a time table," says Hopper. Meanwhile, James Lockyer, one of Steven Truscott's Association in Defence of the Wrongfully Convicted (AIDWYC) lawyers, is welcoming news that a version of an investigative report into the 1959 slaying of a Clinton - area school girl will be released. "We're quite happy with his decision," says Lockyer about federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler's decision to release former Quebec Court of Appeal justice Fred Kaufman's report to the public — perhaps as early as October. His report reached the justice minister in April 2004 after two years of sifting through the evidence. Cotler's decision "does not necessarily mean the entire report will be made public," says Kerry Scullion, senior counsel for the Justice Department's criminal conviction review Group. "There are other considerations, like our federal Privacy Act." There are a host of exceptions to the law, however, including a section that allows the government to release information considered "personal" if it believes the public interest in disclosure clearly outweighs any potential invasion of privacy, he said. However, that act was most recently cited by police as grounds for not releasing the name of the No. 1 suspect in the 1990 rape and murder of Lynda Shaw, an engineering student at University of Western Ontario. Huron County ambulances will try latest. technology to 'drive green' By Mark Nonkes Goderich Signal -Star Staff Huron County ambulances are going to try driving green. Two Huron County ambulances will soon be loaded with the latest driving technology as County councillors agreed to test hydrogen fuel injection systems. According to David Lew, manager of land ambulance services, two emergency vehicles will have hydrogen fuel injection installed for a six-month trial period in either 2005 or 2006. "It will save us fuel, it will save the life of the vehicle and it will save us money in the end." Environmentally, Lew said the system could reduce emissions by up to 75 per cent as it relys on water as its main fuel. In a report, he said hydrogen is a faster and cleaner burn which results in less soot and particulate. The system, Lew said, was tested in Hamilton emergency vehicles in 2004 where it was found that "a reduction in fuel consumption of less than 1690 litres over a four month period" occurred. Lew explained each unit would cost the county $3,500 with a 10 -year warranty, plus a three-year warranty on parts. "The intent is if we can find any savings we will put it in during the fall," he said. Otherwise, he added, the system will be included in the 2006 budget. Detailing the system, Lew said the system needs about 150 millilitres of distilled water added every 24 to 36 hours to the vehicle. "The hydrogen fuel injection unit shuts down if water is not added, and the vehicle will revert to its normal operating system." Lew said units have been tested in all climate conditions and since there is no significant pressure at any time there are no safety concerns. Ultimately, he explained, if the project was successful and the entire fleet was converted into the injection system, there could be a projected savings totalling $63,000. In further changes to the ambulance service changes, the county agreed to test a new clean oil system in five of the vehicles. The clean oil filters, Lew said in a report, will help rid oil of dirt and other contaminants and save the vehicles engine troubles. Both motions were passed with unanimous support. Police warn of attempted scam A Huron East couple selling a boat on the internet complained to Huron OPP on Aug. 18 about an attempted scam. The couple received three money orders for $900 each for the boat from a person in the U.S., who asked them to put the money into an account and supply him with the account number. A resident of Bluewater selling boat parts on the internet received a similar messge the same day from a person in the U.S., asking for an account number to get back an overpayment of funds in a money order. The Huron OPP say the attempted overpayment scams are a type of fraud where the seller receives a counterfeit cheque or money order in excess of the amount owed and is asked to wire the excess funds back immediately. Anyone selling goods should be suspicious of any cheque or money order, especially if it is for more than the agreed selling price, warns the Huron OPP. "Consider an alternative method of payment, such as an escrow service or online payment service. Talk to your bank about the safest way to receive funds from anyone form out of the country;" says a press release from the Huron OPP. Other tips to protect yourself against this sort of scam include , never agree to a deal independently confirming your buyer's name, street address, and telephone number, never accepting a cheque for more than the selling price, never agree to send back funds to a buyer and resisting pressure to act immediately.