HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-01-11, Page 24Page 12A
Times -Advocate, January 11, 1989
Homemakers get short-term help
TORONTO A financial crisis
looming over homemaker services
in Ontario. was postponed for a
year when Community and Social
Services minister John Sweeney
announced on January .6 that the
provincial government. win cover:
the forecast deficit's in the home.
makers' programs of the Canadian
Red Cross and six other not -for-
profit organizations 'across the
province.
Homemakers.providc services in
• the home to frail, elderly; and disa-
bled_ people as well as families in
' difficulty who need assistance in
performing tasks .such as house-
. keeping and meal preparation,
• "Sixty, percent of clients would
be institutionalized without the:
-homemakers. These services save-
_ the government money,. as they
-cost a -lot less thana stay in hospi-
tal", said Jean Young, chairman of
the Ontario Association of Visit-
ing Homemakers Services and also -
executive director of . W ingharn-
based Town and Country Home-
makers. . • .
"All non-profit and profit agen•
-
cies as well are occurring deficits,"
Young noted.
The provincial government, one
of the -largest purchasers of service
through. the Homecare department
•
of the ministry of community and
social services, sets the hourly
rate the homemakers' services can
charge, and last year that was
$8.65. This does not cover costs,
and the homemakers' agency subsi-
dizes some private clients who
need the services and can't pay the
whole cost.
Town and Country spent 14 per-
cent of this for administration last
year, and paid their homemakers
anywhere from $5.20 to $6.50 an
hour, plus benefits and mileage.
The Red Cross homemakers' def-
icit for the 1988-89 fiscal year is
projected at $1.1 million. The
other six forecast a total deficit of
• S700,000. One of the six, Town
and Country expects to end 1989
with: a $27,000 deficit incurred
-while providing 155,000 hours of
homemakers' services.
The government has also prom-
ised to cover the 1989-90 deficits
of these not Yor-profit homemakers'
services subject to an -operational
review to examine costs and verify
the deficits; .
The announcement of short-term
funding . was precipitated by a
planned rally and demonstration at
Queen's Park on Monday, January.
9, by hundreds of .homemakers
Joined by representatives of the cli-
ents they serve. . The rally went
ahead anyway. The group was ad-
dressed by NDP leader Bob Rae,
Conservative leader Andy Brandt,
Rita Deunesch representing the Co-
alition of Senior Citizens of Onta-
rio, and Lynne Gordon, former chair
of the Status of Women Commis-
sion. .
The legislature put aside regular
business to conduct an emergency
debate on the issue•oh.Monday af-
ternoon.
"The rally focussed on the issue.
Without further funding, the result
would" have been the shut -down of
care for seniors wishing to 'remain
in their own homes", Young said
the following day "However, the
short-term crisis is just the tip of
the iceberg." .
As chair of the Ontario home-
makers' association, Young wants
to sit down with government to dis-
cuss long-range policy. The Liber-
als have indicated they are ready to
implement some of the 38 recom-
mendations .that emerged from a
study released to cabinet in Novem- -
ber of 1987 that examined three vi-
tally important facets of homemak-
ers' agencies - wages and benefits,
recruitment and training and rate
structure. Young indicated that
these must be .addressed if the
homemakers' vital and valuable ser-
vices arc to continue.
„.4v,
bneUfl'OW
foot itt
,yIGw
. tetter ate VOW'',
tui;, and Food office in Petrolia."
--"The farmer's debt to the (Farm
Credit) .`Corporation was some
S835,000. •The FCC was adamant'
that they could not do a write-
down, set aside a portion of: the
debt, or give an interest (rate) re-
duction, to give- the farmer a
-Ily 'Bob Trotter
- Another letter worth quoting this.
week from in old friend, Tom _
Ryan of -Mitchell, Ont;uio:
"Here is a scenario you may be
interested in I represented a fanner
at a dcbt review hoard hearing held
at the Ontario Ministry of Aericul-
Sac k,'s Yottings
By Jack Riddell
MPP Huron
Leadership
1988. - Ontario continues to show economic
leadership -
As we start the new year,.we.tend to spend a few moments to look
back over the"lasttwelve months =-- to see how_far we have come,
and how much further we have to go. -•
' For. Ontario, •1988- has bccn-a year of relativeTrosperity. Unem-
ployment and inflation remain low, while the province enters its
seventh consecutive year of economic growth. Over the past six
years, real output in Ontario has expanded by 42 percent•---. the sec-
ond longest expansion since. 1950, surpassed only by thc period of
growth between 1961 and 1973.
For/�three days this June, Ontario played host to4he annual Eco-
nomfc Summit. of the world's major _ industrialized nations, and
basked in the spotlight of the international media. = -
About 1,500 delegates and 5,000 media personnel joined the Heads
of States and Heads of Government of Canada, France, Italy, Japan,
the United_ Kingdon(, United States and West Germany -in a Canadian
province whose economy is currently -outperforming cach of them.
What they saw was a province rich in resources• with a strong
healthy manufacturing base. This is an Ontario anxious to capture
its share of world markets in the new global economy through a
strategy of innovation and competitiveness.
Canada's fastest growing province produces more than Austria,.
Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. After Canada and.Japan, we are
the United States' third largest trading partner. Our exports world-
wide havd grown 112 percent between 1980 and 1986 with Ontario
accounting for more than 57 percent of Canada!s technology=
intensive exports.
In fact, ifOntario-were a country, the leaders of the G7 group of
industrialized nations would have been holding their multi -lateral dis;
cussiims in the 11 th strongest economy in thc world.
B the end of 19813. theQniario economy crcatc i.a-resefd• 180,000
a Idiitiiinal jobs.. The average unemployment rate for the year is esti-
mated at 5 percent, down more than a full percentage point over
1987.
Driven urge y y usinesss in vestment, the government expects
thc economy to continue its expansion in 1989, generating over
100,000 n w jobs.
ProTority vivek, :i rc.s um,;ihir n,a. 'nm�l?t ,' .
•fi lri�t r..[+t pt.tic uie Bidet and economic com-
ponents that guarantee sustained prosperity in a socially fair environ-
ment. Through new legislation, budgetary announcements and a
wide range of initiatives, the Peterson government has been working
towards thin goal. in 1988.. And, we will continue our work in a fis-
cally responsible anti socially sensitive manner throughout 1989.
Our agenda for the next twelve months is filled with initiatives for
the continued protection and improvement of the quality of life in
vi
this pconcc.for all Qatari
Householder/Calendar
My riding Householder mailing, which is in the form of a calendar
• this year, will be delivered to every home early January. Many peo-
plc have called to ask about it, as the calendar is made up of scenes
of Huron -Country submitted in a recent photo contest which I ran.
Extra copies will be available at any of my riding offices in Exeter,
jWingham, or Godcrich. Please feel free to pick un.a. oo_ y nir
1 friends and loved ones. �--
1 -�
Only three court cases
EXETER -.Just three cases were
on the docket when JP Doug.Wed-
lake presided in court in Exeter on
January 3. •
Scott G. Simpson, RR 1 Kirk -
ton, pleaded guilty to removing a
checkerboard sign from Sideroad 5
and Concession 3-4 in Hay town-
ship on December 21. The warn-
ing sign was found in his trunk af-
'ter he was stopped by town police
in Exeter. Ile was given 15 days
to pay a fine of S 128.75.
An agent appearing for Joanne
A. Le laars tendered a guilty plea .
f
to a charge of speeding 95 kmp in
an 80 zone on October 14 on High-
way 83 in Usbornc township.
Wcdlake levied a fine of $18.75;
with 30 flays to pay. "'It*
Michael P. Smith, 210 Main St.
North, Exeter, pleaded guilty to
driving while suspended. He had
been stopped for a traffic violation
in Exeter on December 10, 1988,
and said he had left his licence at •
home. A check showed he had been
suspended beginning January 1,
1988. He was suspended for a fur-
ther six months, and fined $250
ted by Bob trotter Eiden Rd £tm.ra Ont N31 2C 7 J
chance to recover. They (the FCC)
insisted that, unless there was
some infusion of cash power of
sale would be imminent.”
"I gave the credit advisor for the
corporation an alternative route. I
showed him that if he took power
of sale and exposed the farm to
market, the corporation _ •would
stand to lose some $400,000, plus -
legal fees, commissions and back
taxes due. All in all, about a half -
a -m it lion -dol lar loss to .the- taxpay-
ers.
"On the other hand, if the FCC
would write down 35 per cent of
the principal due, deduct that
amount from the interest owing,
rewrite the debt at five.and a half
per "cent and amortize the new
mortgage over. a .15 -year perio
with five-year- reviews, the taxpay-
ers and the (Farm Credit) Corpora-
tion could cut the loss by 50 per
cent."
"The credit advisor replied: 'The
FCC losses and how we do our
business is none of your business. -
We have a job to do in collecting
this debt and I am going to-do it.'•
"That credit advisor's answer to
me is on its way...to a few MPs"
'and also to top officials with "the
FCC as well as the agministcr's
office."
"We'll let them decide if wasting
my tax money is none of my busi-
ness."
Tom Ryan is a friend of rural
people. He has been fighting bu-
reaucrats for years and never seems
to tire of the fray.
I hope he has more success in
fighting bureaucrats than I have
had in recent months but that is
another story.
- in response to a recent column
about disappearing family farms,
Tom replied, " I'm not the least bit
worried about thc family farm...I
see corporate farms falling every
day."
"Just last week, as I finished set-
tling my account on behalf of a cor-
porate farmer with a large Canadian
bank at their (the bank's) executive
suite in London, tht; banker told me
that, after the new year, these guys
(the big corporate farmers) are go-
ing to fall like nine pins. He said
his bank had to put three of them in
,r4ci�t„revi,'w ;n
�`''"ust tnc beginning of the avalanche.
Many more will go the same
way," he said.
Why?
"The crop year is in. We gave
them another chance at the begin-
ning of the '88 crop year. In spite
of what they assured us, they just
didn't cashflow. Nq„more chanc-
"' es.'
Tom maintains -- and i agree that
farming is not just a business. it is
more than that, no matter how hard
the eggheads in big business and in
the ag-colleges and universities try
to persuade others that it is a busi-
ness.. Nature won't cooperate:
"Sttiroly," Tom wroter' '€6baue
learned from Russia's experience.
God set up the family farm idea. it
is a concept and a way of life He
blessed. He may let the doubters
think they arc winning for a while
but the plagues and the locusts will
be sent in as they have in thc
past..."
I have suggested for many years
t farming is different from any
other endeavour.. It is more than
just a way of life. To treat farming
and farmers the same as other sec-
tors of the economy can only lead
to more problems.
Farming is different. it is unique.
The sooner the rest of the nation
understands this, the sooner some
positive solutions to agricultural
problems will ht• (mind.
66,
�.
Lions Executive- The Exeter Lions Club executive is busy this year planningtheir regular slate of
events as well as raising funds for the new Lions Youth Centre: From the left are, standing: Paul An-
stett, bulletin editor;: Joe Rider, director; Jim Bell, secretary; Don Thompson, treasurer; Rick Sinna-
mon,-Lion tamer; Larry Wein, director and Jack Fuller, past president. Seated: John Stephens,third
vice=president; Jon Dinney, second vice-president; Ross Mathers, president and Mike Anstett, -direc-
tor.,• Not show an e: Bill McGregor, first vice-president; Larry Eveland, director and Don Haines, tad -
twister
Planning conservation farmin
By Robert Traut, Conser• crop rotation, available tillage combination of practices, best suits
vation -Agronomist, Ausable equipment, and other pertinent his present and future land use re-
Bayfield Conservation data. Possible solutions aze dis- quirements.
Authority cussed on-site and farmer prefcrenc- From these discussions afinal re -
Farmers have long. -known the es recorded. ` • port is .written which contains a
value of conserving soil and water. Back at the office, a computer record of the conservation measures
Keeping valuable topsoil and nu- program assists in the calculation which the landowner has decided to
- trients in place maintains and im- of potential soil losses for.the.field follow. Detailed recommendations
proves productivity. ...Equally as and possible conservation options are included and information on im-
important; conservation terming which can be used to keep those plementation of the plan can -also
be Provided. The plan is not de -
practices also- protect -water quality • losses at tolerable levels. The Uni-
in the- associated watershed. Con- versa! Soil Loss Equation forms the signed to he final document, but
Servation farm planning is a man- - basis for the calculations and the rather, a plan of action which can -
agement tool that helps.farmers do - options arc determined which will changed or modified as future re=
both. -keep the average sot] loss at toles quirements change. Economical
Conservation plans are land use ble levels through the length of the soil and water conservation are the
plans for individual farms. They • `rotation. prime goal around• which the plan
arc a valuable- tool for resource •The option of conservation tillage revolves. How that goal is
management. Farmers know that can be pursued by the landowner.. achieved depends on the landowner
crops grow best in deep, fertile -Theconservation plan provides rec- and the limitations of the site in
soils. - Topsoil that washes or ommendations for the tillage and question.-
blows
uestion:
blows away takes valuable miner- . cropping . options : which are re-
als; nutrients and organic matter quircd. Other cropping practices arc
1
with it. Crops growing in shal- also considered as options. Practic-
low, eroded soils develop poor root • es such as strip -cropping, water -
systems, arc - more prone to ways; berms and terraces.are consid -
drought, and require more chemical ered for their :relevance in each
-fertilizers. - situation. •
Also, soil conservation. benefits From these considerations, a-listwater quality., Agriculture has of possible options is developed
-been identified as a major contribu- which is discussed with thc land -
tor of non -point source pollution owner. From these options • he is
(ie. phosphorus) into the Great . able to decide which practice; or
dLakes. Conservation practices
help keep soil sediment out of wa-
tcrcourscs and the lakes.
A farm or field that is experienc-
ing soil .erosion or that lacks a
method of keeping nutrients out of
a watercourse would benefit -from a
conservation plan. Each plan is
specific for that farm or field. It is
developed with the fullco-
operation of .the landowner to take
his/her concerns and desires into
account.
The planning process begins
with a site visit to assess the ex-
tent and nature of the erosion prob-
lem. Site information is collected
suchas field lengths and slopes,
Molting Hawks tie
EXETER - On Monday, the
Molting Hawks hosted the London
Doughboys and played to a 4-4 tic.
Jack Chipchase, Pete McFalls, Er-
nie Ahrens and Walt Tiedemann
with his first of the year notched
the Molting Hawks goals.
Brian Hodgins had two assists,
while Ron Moore, Bob McDonald,
Bob Jones, Phil Turner and Kcn
Bergmann each had one assist.
This week they travel Friday to
Huron Park to play Stephen Town-
ship on Monday they host Hensel)
and on Tuesday travel to Zurich to
play the Hasbeans.
Molter News: Jim Pfaff and
Scott Burton mist rd
a m they
had too much "Candy" on the
weekend.
Exeter
Tavern
Entertainment
Thum., Fri. Sat.
Prying: this week
Jack
Sprat
Kitchen
Open Now
6 a.m. - 9 pm.
Serving
Sunday
Brunch
11 a.m.
Winter Hours
OPEN
Fri., Sat., Sun.
each week
Sunday Brunch
l
236-7707
Reservations appreciated
Hwy. #21, just north of
St. Joseph
•
About people you know
I
EXETER - 'About 50 friends and
relatives gathered at the. Masonic
Hall Saturday to surprise Dorothy
Wain on her 70th birthday. A deli-
cious meal was served followed by
crokinole, cards and dancing. An •
evening to remember, especially for
Dorothy.
1
Lucan
Community
Bingo
Wednesday, Jan. 11
SPECIAL THIS WEEK
S.U.RPRISE BINGi'O
Bingo Starts 7:30
Regular Games
$1000
Jackpot Game
Total Prizes $2300
Air .Conditioned
Due to the licence regulations,
no one under 16 allowed to play
• Licence #537495
diQ't1.1YAN.
HOMESTYLE FOODS
437 Main St., Exeter
Nfliftf nnrki r-^
111 I 1 uri
BREAKFAST
SPECIAL
Your choice of
Bacon, ham, or sausage, 2 eggs any
style, homefries, Texas toast and jam.
Mon. - Fri. 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Month of January. only
Hegular $2.9b Orily
Now serving
Daily Lunch Specials
lomemade Soup and Sandwiches
Take outs available
235-1842
1