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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2017-06-21, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday. June 21. 201 7 Sealant Nuron Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 39, 53 Albert Street Clinton, Ontario NOM 1 LO phone: 519-482-3443 www.seaforthhuronexpositor POSTMEDIA CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales 519-376-2250 ext 514301 a carnstrong@postrttedacom 17P.:1 SHAUN GREGORY. Multimedia Joumalist sgregory@postmedia.com 519-482-3443 Ext. 527305 NANCY DEGANS Media Sales Consultant ndegans@postmedia.com 519-482-3443 Ext. 527306 TERESA SMITH Front Office TSmit @postmedia.com 519-482-3443 ext. 527301 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 39, 53 Albert Street, Clinton ON NOM 1L0 For any non -deliveries or delivery concems: phone: 519-482-3443 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Seafath Huron Expositor is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www. mediacouncii.ca or can toll free 1-844-877-1163. Member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association and the Canadian Community Newspaper Association. We acknowledge thelel financial support of the anaaa Government of Canada. If we don't fix medicare, we may lose it It is a source of national pride that in Canada health care is supposedly provided based on need, not on ability to pay. But recent evidence suggests the principle of equal care for all is in increasing jeopardy. Across the country, private clin- ics are popping up that,are illicitly charging fees for essential health services that patients have already paid for through their taxes. A sec- ond tier of our system is emerging by stealth, providing quicker access to care for those who can afford to pay for it This is under- mining our most prized national program, perhaps irreversibly if govemments don't act quickly. A new study from the Ontario Health Coalition is the latest to sound the alarm. It found that at least 88 private health clinics in six provinces regularly charge patients hundreds or thousands of dollars for needed diagnoses, tests or surgeries. In some cases, doctors levy user fees and bill the public system, charging twice for the same service. As the report concludes, part of the problem is that people don't know which services are not covered by medicare and which they must therefore pay for out of pocket. What constitutes a "medi- cally necessary" procedure is ambiguous and what's excluded varies by province. In hundreds of interviews, patients told the report's authors that when a doctor presents them with a bill, they assume the service is not covered. Even when they doubt the legitimacy of the charge, many are reluctant to challenge a doctor who will soon, for instance, perform surgery on them. Such exploitative extra charges are prohibited by the Canada Health Act, yet these clinics operate with impunity. In British Columbia and Quebec, where extra fees and double billing are most common, patients have launched court chal- lenges in an attempt to force gov- ernments to uphold their laws and protect medicare. Last February, the government of Saskatchewan passed legisla- tion allowing for the introduction of for-profit MRI scans, creating an express queue for those who can buy their way into it. Ottawa, which has the power to impose penalties on provinces that fail to uphold the Canada Health Act, wrote a letter to Saskatchewan urging it to repeal the law on the grounds that it violates the prin- ciple of equal care for all. Instead, the province broadened the leg- islation beyond MRIs. Seven months later, Ottawa still has taken no action. The result of this failure of enforcement, as the new study shows, is creeping privatization, the slow emergence of a system in which care is rationed based increasingly on wealth rather than need. And because this burgeoning second tier is the result of drift more than deliber- ate choice, it remains largely unregulated. Prices and quality of care vary widely among pri- vate clinics. letter to the editor Clarifying statements and recent rumours relating to Transfigured Town We know that there are many people who have been watching the progress of the Transfigured Town Festival and that there has been confusion about what has happened and how we are mov- ing oving forward. First, we warn to say that as residents of Goderich, we love and appreciate this town and its natural and architectural beauty. We are thankful that our festival got its start in Goderich last year and that we've been able to grow! We love the community and businesses in this area and we want to see both Goderich and the broader community of Huron County succeed. This is why we have chosen Huron County for our festival and why we are working diligently to see our festival happen to its fullest potential in this area. And in order that we do see its full poten- tial we decided that it was best to move the festival from Goderich to a nearby location. Approximately two weeks ago, we informed Goderich staff and Council that we were moving onto our backup plans. While we know that change is difficult for many, we are confident in our proposed move to Blyth being the best for the festival. With this move comes many great oppor- tunities for this festival and beyond. Many folks have been propelling the Village of Blyth to centre stage with their dedication to seeing this rural community prosper through arts and creativ- ity. The staff of North Huron are truly amazing to work alongside and the venue space is perfectly suited for festivals with it being located less than 5 minutes from the Downtown core. Don't let the campground name fool you, this venue is really a 43 Acre park with all sorts of amenities located right in the Village of Blyth! We are working with the Municipality to secure this site for our festival, and have high confidence that this site is the best fit for an event of this scale. At Transfigured Town, we are more than just the people who want to hold a great festival. We are about being pur- poseful in supporting great chari- ties or community projects, like Huron Food Action Network We also plan to offer fundraising opportunities for community groups through volunteering, offering a great place to fundraise as a vendor, offering locals a chance to sell their crafts and goods, encouraging the commu- nity and town as a whole to get involved to help transform their space. It's big and exciting and we are so grateful to those who have shown their support. They are all a part of transforming the com- munity to be a fun and welcom- ing place to visit. Quick Facts: • The Festival will not be held in Goderich • Transfigured Town Inc. formally withdrew its request to use Town of Goderich property on June 1st, 2017 to ensure that the festival would continue unhindered by unexpected delays • Transfigured Town Inc. is working with the knowledgeable and friendly staff of North Huron to ensure the festival can be held to the satisfaction of North Huron Council • Transfigured Town Inc. has fully prepared several major documents, representing well over a hundred pages, for the event including: Site Maps, Com- munications, Medical, Emer- gency Plans, and the Security & Traffic Plan (which was praised as the best plan they'd seen in 35 years by the owner of a major security company and approved by the OPP) • We are raising funds for 1 Iuron Food Action Net- work as well -Nathan Swartz President and Loyal Bannerman of House Grimiron Transfigured Town Inc. SEAFORTH HURON EXPOSITOR/CLINTON NEWS RECORD - HOURS OF OPERATION P.O. 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