HomeMy WebLinkAboutLucknow Sentinel, 2009-07-01, Page 4Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 - Page 3
Bruce County raises question on housing
BY PAT HALPIN
Special to the Sentinel
Bruce County wants to
know why it lost out on
repair money for social
housing.
The social services
department expected $20
million over two years
from a federal -provincial
program, but ended up
getting just $1.8 million
over the period.
"We're disappointed to
say the least," said director
Terry Sanderson.
Othermunici ities
gilt
also feel short-changed in
the $704 million federal-.
provincial program, he
said, and are asking where
the money went,
Bruce County's esti-
mate of a $20 million allo-
cation was based on the..
Ministry formula of
$28,000 per unit. It ; was
bolstered by the -expecta-
tion that with three per
cent of the province's
social housing units Bruce.
ould get three per cent of
the m's $704 mil-.
lion overall =
fact, Bruce got less
than a tenth of that
amount.
Bruce County spends
about $1 million a year in
capital cost for repairs and
maintenance, Sanderson
said. It will still do that
scheduled work on its
more than 600 social
housing units this year, but
missing out on the expect-
ed provincial grant means
a sharp change in plans for
extra work:
"Our expectations
where we'd fix virtually
everything that had to be
fixed and have no capital
costs for a couple of years
- we have 'to re -think
that," S said.
Seocal assistance
Social assistance num-
bers are about as expected
given the economy,
to social servic-
director Terry
Sanderson.
• The caseload dipped in
May, likely because of
seasonal jobs- opening up.
Sanderson told the coun-
ty's social services com-
mittee.
Overall the social assis-
tance numbers are up 16
per cent from a year ago.
Job loss and demand for
social assistance has hit
some counties hard,
Sanderson said, but Bruce
county has been some-
what buffered from the
impact of the recession.
Expansion at Bruce
Power and the lack of auto
related industry in the
county provide a cushion
from the job loss other
areas are feeling, he said.
"Right now it looks to
be going reasonably well.
We're not inundated with
applications: _ (for social
assistance)," he said.
Still, Bruce County is
► :i ing for the traditional
fall rise in caseload.
It's too early to say if
federal and provincial
infrastructure and stimu-
lus projects will kick in
and ease unemployment
numbers.
"I'm not sure how it's
going to affect that
process," Sanderson said.
Green.
nice
its wind far
on record
province.
ations
the
The county has devel-
oped an extensive policy
on where wind turbines
can go, and has seen them
tested in public meetings
and at a Municipal Board
hearing.
It is offering that experi-
ence to the province as it
looks at new, rules for
location of wind and solar
generators.
"Given the controver-
sial nature of (wind tur-
bines) we thought that it's
important to get these
comments in because
we've been developing
them and endorsing them
over a number of years,"
saidplanner Bill Iloilo.
Municipalities and con-
servation authorities ‘are
unhappy with the Green
Energy ` Act. They say it
removes ; local decision
on land use.
'Iey're also concerned
about the shat time flume.
for eminent on the' new
ions.
$n ce County doesn't
want tomiss the chance to
commit .on rhe Green
4
4 f
1
Submitted photo
The community `enjoyed a : fun day of music and food at
P a . Manor on June 26, as they kicked off the Summerfest
weekend. Canada flags were also handed out to celebrate
Canada
elebr aCanada Day on July 1. in attendance was Huron -Bruce MP Ben
Teresa Driver the executive director of Pinecrest Manor
Patti Wright the provincial director for Revera Living, the
owners of Plnecrest
en
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Call Rob Hardy now for full details
Music. in the
Fields
The Lucknow
Kinsmen have
requested a tempo-
rary road closure
approval for the
Music in the
Fields , event on
Aug: 22.
The director of
Public Works
Hugh Nichol has
no concerns with
the road closure
request on
Havelock Street
from Ludgard
Street to South
Kinloss Avenue.
from 8 a.m. on
Saturday, Aug. 22
to 12 a.m. Sunday,
Aug. 23.. A letter
will be sent to the
coordinators stat-
ing that it will be
their full responsi-
bility for notifying
all emergency
services and
ensuringproper
signage and barri-
ers are in place.
Ombudsman
Act
Huron -Milian
Twp. endorsed the
resolution of the
Town of Fort Erie
and in so doing
petitioned the
Premier of ,Ontario
to take ; the neces-
sary steps in a
timely manner to
amend the
Ombudsman Act
to include hospi-
tals under the
jurisdiction of the
Ombudsman to
ensure a high level
of health care, fis-
cal responsibility,
is-
calresponsibility,
accountability,
openness and
transparency.
T h c
Ombudsman's
authority to. inves-
tigate complaints
is set out in the
Ombudsman Act,
legislation that
allows the
Ombudsman to
report on findings
annually , •. and
through special
reports which are
made *public,
'except for recent
legislatipn . allow-
ing t. the
Ombudsman to
investigate closed
municipal meet-
ings. ` The Act has
not been changed
update the
Ombudsman's
authority since
1975. Currently,
the Ombudsman's
authority does not
extend to munici-
palities (except
closed meetings),
universities,
school .boards,
hospitals, long--
term . care facili-
ties, .police, and
children's aid soci-
eties.
The service award goes to
Knechtel Food Market
. etnployee,
.Liz Irvin
for customer service
cheerfuiiy,given.
over and above the norm,
and for going out of her way
to be so helpful,.
Marcia and Sheila
Dawson
This service award sponsored by
Ludtrnow
1 r r
GENVEU
c'(,\ wits "
(xpTEIING FOR jIiEN & WOMEN
Lucknow 519-528-2125
ALL SALES FINAL - NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGES