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Page 2 The Huron Expositor • December 16, 2009
News
Closing rural schools affects the local economy, says Mayor Seili
From Page 1
days after the correct maintenance
costs for Brussels Public School are
provided by the school board.
That motion was forwarded as well
to various provincial and federal pol-
iticians as well as every municipality
in Huron and Perth Counties.
Seili told council that while a recent
AMO (Association of Municipalities
of Ontario) conference concentrated
on rural economic development, the
move by the Ministry of Education to
close rural schools is having a devas-
tating effect on the rural economy.
"The first thing people ask when
they consider moving here is where
are your doctors and where are your
schools. On the one hand, the prov-
ince is putting money into rural
communities and on the other hand,
they're taking it out," said Seili.
Seili said the provincial funding
formula for school boards has been
flawed since 1998 when the Harris
government tied the square footage
of schools to the number of students
in the schools.
"They said the population of schools
needed to be 450 when most rural
schools have 200 to 300 students,"
he said.
Clerk -Administrator Jack
McLachlan said the . municipal-
ity has been led to believe that the
school board's figures estimating the
cost of needed maintenance . at Brus-
sels Public School are inaccurate.
Deputy -Mayor Bernie MacLel-
lan added that during a tour of the
school, board officials were pointing
out work that had already been com-
pleted, such as brickwork and the re-
placement of windows, as work that
still needed to be completed in the
future.
"They're pointing out expenses at
Brussels Public School at $60 per
square foot over the next 10 years
but a lot of that work has already
been done and the board hadn't up-
dated their own records. And, if the
school is not going to need that work
and is at 100 per cent capacity dur-
ing the next 10 years, we don't see
the justification for closing it," he
said.
Seili said the board provides "lump
sum figures" that are not broken
down into details.
"If it hadn't been for the tour, we
wouldn't have found out their infor-
mation was wrong and it sounds like
they've been told not to talk to us,"
he said.
Seili added that he's frustrated
that while Huron East council pro-
vides the public with as much time as
they need to discussissues at council
meetings, the school board limits the
public to one 10 -minute and one five -
Request for Public Opinion
on the Proposed Nursing Home
Annual Licence Renewal of
Seaforth Manor, Seaforth
In accordance with the Nursing Homes Act, public opinion is being requested prior to a final decision being made on
the above.
If you have comments or opinions and wish to bring them to the attention of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care,
you may submit them by January 20, 2010 to:
Director under the Nursing Homes Act
Ministry of Health and Long -Term Care
Performance. Improvement and Compliance Branch
Ikenslng, Education and Appeals
55 St. Clair Avenue West, 8th Floor, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontuio M4V 2Y7
Phone:' 16327.7345 Fax 416327-7763
Please include the name of the nursing home and quote Project 0225-10 on all written submissions.
The Director will'cansider all submissions before making a final decision.
iPPOntario
minute delegation to the board.
"I thought this was a democratic
country and a few people take our
rights and freedoms away. When
we've got people being paid what
they're being paid and they can't
give correct information,. to people
sitting around tables as volunteers,
something is wrong," he said, add-
ing that the province could save a
lot of money on government bureau-
cracy by starting to cut their bud-
gets from the top down.
Seili added that council should also
pass a motion based on the Harass-
ment in the Workplace bill, com-
plaining that teachers and custodi-
ans working at the Avon Maitland
schools that are being considered for
closure have had a gag order placed
on them, forbidding them to talk
about the issue in the community.
"And, that isn't right," he said.
School 'board gives 60 -day delay
for ARC in northern Huron County
Stew Slater
4111111111111.1.
A lengthened timeline was granted
for the community-based committee
looking into the possible consolida-
tion of elementary school facilities
in North 'Perth and northeast Huron
County.
But trustees of the Avon Maitland
District School Board, which created
the committee in keeping with its ac-
commodation review policy, granted
a lesser timeline than was requested
by either the committee, or through
a resolution approved by the Munici-
pality of Huron East.
The reason, say trustees and ad-
ministrators, is that the board wants
to be able to bring forward any rec-
ommendations for a vote within the
2009-10 school calendar.
When the board created the so-
called "Accommodation Review Com-
mittee" (ARC), it set Feb. 24 as the
date for its final public meeting be-
fore submitting a report to trustees.
Trustees would then be expected to
consider the report, along with infor-
mation provided by board staff' and
other public input, before making a
decision in June.
ARC members, however, are con-
cerned that the board has been un-
able to provide up-to-date analysis
known as "ReCAPP" — a provincially -
mandated database of all the board's
facilities, outlining when it's expect-
ed that maintenance or repairs will
be necessary.
Comprehensive ReCAPP data was
determined several years ago but, ac-
cording to education superintendent
Mike Ash — who's overseeing the ac-
commodation review on behalf of the
board — this year the Education Min-
istry is in the process of re -assessing
the data.
"Releasing it prior to (hearing back
from the Ministry) would not be ap-
propriate," Ash cautioned trustees at
a regular meeting Tuesday, Dec. 8.
Asked when it might be available,
he responded, "I wish I had a crystal
ball ... Our target
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is to have that in-
formation for the
ARCs for their
meetings in Janu-
ary."
At the Dec. 8
meeting, trustees
voted to delay the
Huron East/North
Perth ARC's final
public meeting to
March 3.
A release of
ReCAPP data in
January — even
if it does happen
-- would probably
not allow for the
ARC's request for
60 days between
See CLOSURES,
Page 21