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Times Advocate, 1989-01-25, Page 28• Claim province stalling with funds GODERICH The Ontario Gov= ernments "fermentation" of seniors" care policies is frustrating Huron County's plans to rebuild its Hu- ronview Home'for the Aged:. its, A. county application for 50 per - :cent capital funding for the project, expected to cost as much as $10. million over the next several years,. is under review while Community. and Social Services ministry offi- cials revise policies, Huron County *Council learned Thursday. Some councillors said the delay is :likely to extend beyonqd the county budget process, effecti+,+ely scuttling the $10 redevelopment for at least another year. A London-based ministry official said Monday she was aware of no recent discussions. on-tbe, Huron - view application, which remains `under review by senior MCSS offi- cials. - Linda Girard; an MCSS program supervisor, said senior officials are also reviewing the policy which dictates the level and type of servic- es available for Ontario senior citi- zens. A draft policy is in the process of being modified to become provin- cial policy, partly -in response to thc growing shift toward seniors re- maining longer in their own homes with the help of a wide range of provincial, municipal and private - homecare services. Meanwhile, the Huronview pro- ject and others like it from around thc province are on hold, Girard said, adding she did not know how long Huron County officials can expect to wait for approval. "It's certainly my understanding that the Huronview proposal does meet all of the criteria of thc draft (policy) proposal," she said. Huronvicw's administrator, and several councillors who have worked together on the redevelop- ment project for several years, ex- pressed concern over the delay Thursday. `'The province has put us on hold for a period of time because of a corporate policy decision that they want to make," Huronview admin- istrator Wayne Lester told council Thursday. "They arc in a period of fermentation, whatever that is... they tell us to get our act together and make a proposal and then they put us on hold.". Huron Council agreed in July to rebuild Huronview in three, separate phases, beginning with a replace- ment of part of the 90 -year-old Hu- ronview complex near Clinton. Lat_er, the project calls for northern School board sets policy on harassment CLINTON - The Huron County • Board of Education has established a policy on sexual harassment. Jeanne. McDonald, Personnel Manager with the HCBE, has been working on thc policy since Junc 1988 and says it is important "To make sure people know they have an avenue to go through when something in this are happens." • ' The policy outlines a procedure to be followed when complaints of sexual harassment arc raised by those in the school system - in- cluding men, women, and- stu- ,dents. . McDonald feels the policy helps ensure people can work in the school system without the dirup- tive element of sexual harassment. This is' reflcc'ted in the opching statement of the policy which be- gins: . • "It is .the intent of the Huron County Board of Education to pro- vide and maintain an environment , s supportive of both pro- . duct ivity and- the personal•goals,, dignity and self-esteem of every in- dividual in the system, an environ- ment in which all employees, vol- unteers and students can work free from sexual harassment of a ver- bal, visual or physical -nature." - Thc policy goes on to establish a definition of sexual harassment, states what is considered not to be sexual harassment, and gives a step-by-step complaint procedure. McDonald looked at the policies .. of other school boards and at the Human Rights code in drafting the HCBE policy, and also received in-' put from the teachers' associations. Gino Giannirndrea, : rvpc-rinirn - (kilt of PcrsQ ts.ho h•!c...�.•• nail case of sexual harassment be- fore the board in the time he has served on it. "Honestly I am not aware of any. If there have been complaints they have been dealt with without Com- ing tcforeMc Board. 6 O\TARIO MARCH OF DINES and southern -satellite centers; as well as private washrooms and apartment -like accommodation, an alzheimer's daycare centre and other services not currently offered at Huronview. - The proposal, approved by coun- ty council -in July, followed two extensive studies. - • The first determined that it would be to costly.to renovate the • existing facility, which currently fails to. meet some provincial health.and safety regulations. The second gathered information from around the county and else- where in determining the type of seniors facility best suited for the area. - - "I am certainly disappointed, " said -Exeter Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller, who chaired the Seniors Fa- cility Review Committee last year. "They (MCSS) gave us many dead- lines to meet and we had to work hard to meet them."' Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle said the stalling is an example of Onta- rio government's increasing reluc- tance to fund municipal projects. "I -think we should let them know quite emphatically that we would like an answer as to whether they are prepared to go in '89, or where it sits." Mickle later said municipal rep- resentatives on such groups as the Association of Municipal Of Onta- rio fear a decline in provincial . funding- after a December, an- nouncement that unconditional grants to municipalities will be held without an increase in 1.989. "The unconditional side of'mu- nicipal funding is going to take a less important role in your bud .et ing" He also said that "as a group". municipalities which have little debt are being punished by the government for having good man- - agement, singe Ontario argues that municipalities should be paying a larger share than thc:provinee be- cause the senior government is deeper in debt. - In other county news, council spent the bulk of the morning Thursday hearing reports from I Planning and Development, Huron County Pioneer Museum, Engi- neering and Social Services depart- ments. Spokesmen for each department reviewed their operations for the 'benefit of new councillors elected in November. The remaining four departments are to report at the next meetin Times -Advocate, January 25, 1989 NEW YORK CITY Motorcoach Tour March Break March 24-27 For Details phone ELLISON TRAVEL (519) 235-2000 or 1-800-265-7024 Happy 50th Birthday Cram pa Backyard hockey - Caught in backyard hockey action Saturday afternoon in Crediton were Steven Averill and Tia and Jay Schultz. More French instruction CLINTON - Public school stu- dents in Huron County will be get- ting more French instruction - if in- structors can bcfound. At its January meeting the Huron County Board of Education passed a motion resolving' to make a com- mitment to strengthen the core french program in its .elementary schools by adopting a goal of 20 minutes of instruction per day in Grades one to three, and 40 minutes of instruction per day in grades four to eight. What is new in this motion is there is currently no french instruc- tion in Grades one or two, and there is currently only 20 minutes of in- struction in Grades three and four. Instructors in short supply Bob Allan, Director of Education, _ says thcrc was deliberately no time: line included with thc motion. The reason for this .is the board may have difficulty • recruiting French teachers, who are in short supply in Ontario at this:time. The board will be interviewing and offering pdsi- tions, and is already trying to deter- mine the state of the French in- structor's market. •This initiative to increase Frcnch instruction in public schools will increase the teaching staff by six across the county. Mr. Allan says the geography of Huron County is such that the HCBE is not likely to become in- volved in French immersion pro- grams, but trustees felt the board show, offfra first rata.core r h program. .John Jewitt, Chairman of the • Board, -says students' attitudes also had an influence on the trustees' de- . cision to extend Frcnch instruction into Grades one and two. "Some of thc trustees felt when young people reach a certain age, around Grade six -or seven, there is a little more resistance to French," he explains. • . So the trustees hope to get stu- dents involved in French at an carli- - er age, when their minds arc still open to new ideas. In addition to this advantage, Mr. Jewitt says it is proven that lan- guages are learned easier by children at earlier ages. Another concern addressed by trustees was the crowded school cur- riculum, and they asked what other courses would suffer as a result of increased French language instruc- tion. However, the curriculum is busiest in the senior grades, and trustees felt French instruction - could be increased in primary grades without other classes suffer- ing overly. - In terms of the provincial aver- age, Southwestern Ontario is on the lower end of the French In- struction scale.. And according to Mr. Jewitt Huron County has been on the low end of the -French In- struction Scale in Southwestern Ontario, so this was another of the trustees' considerations. "We have to have our young people ready to compete with peo- ple from all over thy province," says Mr. Jewitt. In January of 1988 the Board dealt with the issue of French lan- guage instruction, and turned down a motion similar to the one recent- ly passed. The. motion was not .cgs- .- ' s.� irnously in c tavc no idea how hard it's going to be to recruit teachers," says Mr. Jewitt. The Chairman added it could take anywhere from two to four years to find the addi- tional instructors needed to live up to the Board's "commitment to strengthen the core French pro- gram. ' ro-gram." Museum -nearly complete GODERICH - "It's taken several years, but the redevelopment of the Huron County Pioneer Museum is nearly complete. -:� raSLf2( JbC_proj_ect will •••i�'�Il91ll� County and the federal and provin- cial governments have given grants' towards thc reconstruction of the museum, said museum director. Claus Brccdc. Huron County and the federal government each gave $1,15,000 and the provincial government Con- tributed S1,177,000. The decision to revamp the mu- seum was not done on a whim: "We really didn't have any choice," Breeds said In 1982, a structural roof member collapsed, prompting Huron Coun- ty to begin a feasibility study. As a result, the museum was found to be unsafe and condemned. Since then, the project has been going at full force. Although the museum didn't close its doors to the public, things have been hectic. It was necessary to pack all of the three -and two- dimensional artifacts, move offices from the original building to the .new addition, catalog the items and, _ dust recently, unpack and store ttre The museum will look very dif- ferent from the original. One differ- ence is the emphasis on open areas. From the mezzanine - front lobby, one can look up and see the second floor. Going up the flights of stairs can be interesting too. Floor 10 ceiling windows allow visitors to look out an see an indoor street- tiscape and locomotive. The museum has about 20,000 three-dimensional artifacts and "tens of thousands" of two-dimensional artifacts. Many of the larger items could not be stored on the actual premises. This was solved by build- ing two storage shcds in Colborne Township which arc "absolutely full of artifacts," Swede said. However, most of the pieces were stored at the museum - in one place or another, he said. 4 QUEEN'S SEAFORTH " t Thurs. - Frl. - Sal. GO NUTS WITH SID KRAZEE LIVE ROCK AT ITS BEST Page 27 Albatross Tavern Huron Park 228-6733 January 26 & 27 50s to 80s ' Rock and Roll "After Dark" Lucan Community Bingo Wednesday, Jan. 25 SPECIAL THIS WEEK SURPRISE BINGO Bingo Starts 7:30. Regular Games $1000 Jackpot Game Total Prizes $2300 Air Conditioned Due to the licence regulat'or.s, no one,under 16 allowed to play Licence #537495 Exeter Legion Auxiliary Bingo Thursday, January 26 New Starting Time 7:30 p.m, GUARANTEED JACKPOT 'Letter H $50.00" Full Card $500.00 Early Bird, 10 regular games, 2 specials, share the wealth, Mini Jackpot No persons under 16 allowed to play Licence number 537480 R.E. Pooley Branch Ontario 167 Exeter, Ontario COMING EVENTS January 26th - General Meeting 8 p.ti,., Lunch afterward: February 4th - Legion Dance - - with DJ 9-1 a.m., Lunch. . Any Veteran or family of a Veteran seeking assistance is urged to contact the Branch Service Officer at 235 -1550. - 4th Annual Sat., Feb. 11 Prizes for the best costumes Come in `Costume No ariii sslob — Live Entertainment by THE HORNETS Winter Hours OPEN Fri., Sat., Sun. each week Sunday Brunch #!h :1 E'7 I\ [� �c.vv- 1 1 v ,r IlescrvatIonT nnrr1(•iAted .Hwy. #21, Just north of St. Joseph Exeter Junior D Hawks Dance and Lucky Draw Exeter Legion Hall Sat., January 28 9 -1 Music by Whiskey Jack 5 chances to win for a total of $750.00 Tickets $10.00 each Tickets available at Gerrard's or phone George Pratt 235-1973 or Nancy _Quinn 235-2902 EXETER TAVERN 4 ei -11 Daily Breakfast & Luncheon Specials "Specializing in Fish and Chips- --- for take out orders --- Call - 235--2773- 'assi NEW HOURS • Dining Lounge Mon., Tues., Wed. 6 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thurs., Fri., Sat. 6 a.m. - 12 p.m. 4 ENTERTAINMENT • Thurs., Fri. and Sat. ---- . This week Danny Thompson Matinee Saturday 3 - 5:30 1 "Talent Contest", Bring you, instruments ' / CHARLIE CLEMENTS Seaforth THURS., FRI., SAT. ALL COUNTRY WEEKEND featuring CHARLIE CLEMENTS & THE. JUSTICE BAND "Come, get out of the house and listen to great music from On- tario's best Country & Western Bands." NEW SATELLITE DISH 1 10 00v ' sn 0p00my events *Pd. Jan 79 CHICAGO vs EDMONTON 9 30 p m Men Jon. )0 ISLANDERS rs RANGERS 7 30 p m Tues . Jsn. 31 CALOAAY h LOS ANGELES 10 )0 0 m Welcome All 8roomball Players DAILY SPECIALS 41.25 From THE [� Good Luck! AT TOURNAMENT WINNERS SHUFFLESOAPD 'ST PRIZE TEAM BUSH (O$ry With 1,o 0.I.! Cove. '100 •cr Tl1t1RNFY • 7N0 013170 THF JUNIOR% IJM.n M •1,313 COMMERCIAL HOTEL .. . . • . 527-0980 ... ...