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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1994-03-16, Page 2Pape 2 Times -Advocate, March 16, 1994 1I\LTHE ]\JE WS Champion offering shares GODERICH - Champion Road Machinery is planning to offer two million shares in the company for sale on the Toronto stock market. "We are raising money for the company, to retire debt and fi- nance our future growth," said Scott Hall, vice-president of fi- nance for the company, in an in- terview with the Goderich Sig- nal -Star last week. Scott said the company wants to raise more than $25 million and expects shares to be offered above $11. Champion, Huron County's largest employer with 600 em- ployees, generated about $125 million worth of business world- wide last year. Crisis looming at hospital MOUNT FOREST - The loss of emergency services at Louise Marshall Hospital is once again a possibility as Mount Forest doctors grapple with contract conditions from the Ministry of Health which one doctor says can't be met. Dr. David Fletcher contacted the Confederate last Friday, on behalf of the five local physi- cians, after receiving notifica- tion from the ministry that the present contract with the doctors will be cancelled if certain con- ditions are not met. The ministry is also question- ing the 9,600 patients that Mount Forest physicians claim to have treated in they emergen- cy department. The ministry says only 3,300 people were treated. He predicts the ministry de- mands will mean "the end of emergency medical services in this community, probably the end of our hospital." Thur years ago all but one of the Mount Forest doctors with- drew their services for the emer- gency department of Louise Marshall Hospital. As a result, a contract was signed between the physicians and the Ministry of Health putting them on a salary instead of fee-for-service for their time in the emergency de- partment. It's a pay scheme unique in the province, but one that other rural physicians have been watching closely, it was re- ported in the Mount Forest Con- federate. Seaforth paying for OPP switch? SEAFORTH - Many costs are expected to be associated with disbanding the town police force, said members of the Sea - forth Police Services Board last Monday. "There are a lot of costs in- volved with negotiations dis- patchers and building to meet their (OPP) codes," said Bill Teall, vice-chairman of the board. In an attempt to trim its bud- get, the board eliminated a bud- geted $4,000 transfer to reserves for expenses incurred in a switch to OPP policing. "If OPP is what they want they have to be prepared for the additional costs of takeover," said Teall, who sits on council. "If they're go pg to make that de- cision they'd better have the mondy to do it," he said. Goderich taxes drop GODERICH - Local taxes will drop eight percent this year, fol- lowing a special council meeting to set the 1994 budget recently. Money raised through residen- tial, commercial and business taxes will total $2.62 million - a $210,000 decrease from 1993, it was reported in the Ooderich Signal -Star. °School board slashes budget riiAIj( lir Continued from front page. ferring debt for replacement until 1995. Carroll said the tradeoff is that the board will have to get bank .loans if any major items break down and replacement becomes necessary. And while the budget process has been difficult for trustees, Car- roll said in the long run Huron County schools will benefit as they learn to be more creative with rev- enue generating efforts. "We have to begin to look at es- tablishing a base for new sources of revenue," he said. This means selling services, pro- grams and new ventures for fund- raising particularly in the secon- dary school system. Carroll said there is a lot of po- tential in such areas. Technology studies programs, he said, could become involved in school construction needs while yearbooks and student pictures, for example, could become part of communication technology pro- grams, "Income is also possible through rental of equipment and selling courses," he said. "This/is the reality of the 1990's." He also said schools that make money will get to keep it to help support their own programs. So for the time being, Carroll said, the property taxpayer is pro- tected from a mill rate increase. Grand Bend lands $172,825 jobsOntario grant to upgrade harbour, waterfront, parking By Fred Groves T -A staff GRAND BEND - A $172,825 piggy bank was left on the steps of the Grand Bend Municipal Office on Thursday - one which will hopefully crack open and spill throughout the village. In front of guests ranging from local councillors to the Minister of Municipal Affairs Ed Philip, Grand Bend was given the green light to set sail towards im- proving its harbour front. The grant came from the jobsOntario Community Action program and accord- ing to the village's mayor Tom Lawson it will be put to very good use. Broken down, $42,375 will go towards an Economic Development and Market- ing Plan which would require the hiring of an Economic Development Officer. This is a three-year project and will be shared by Bosanquet and Stephen Town- ships. The grant calls for $22,950 to go to- wards the upgrading of harbour facilities and $20,000 goes towards the waterfront development plan. All these are half of the overall estimated cost of each project and the rest of the funds will either have to come from local tax dollars or even possibly com- munity fundraising. "We have to make it work," said Lawson. The village's objective is to see the wish list in its Strategic Plan which is earmarked for completion in 2012, come true. The plan, done ayea; ago, and archi- tected by councillor Cam Ivey was 56 percent funded by the provincial government. "There are a lot of municipalities that have great mun `ad a �h sittiin plans which are sitting on the shelf," said Philip. But with 43 working committees and a comprimise before confrontation attitutude, Grand Bend now has a jump start on its bold moves to face the next century. "You have a lot of ambitious plans in Grand Bend," said Philip who was celebrating a birthday. "I'm sure today is just the start of the funding as long as you can keep up that kind of co-operation and get the kind of results you've achieved so far." The co-operation he refered to was the joint effort put forth by several groups to help the Strategic Plan become a reality. Grand Bend's water development plan and harbour upgrading call for the addi- tion of as many as 600 boat docking spac- es. "The economic spinoffs of creating 600 new berths will be a tremendous long- term benefit," predicted Lambton MPP Ellen MacKinnon. Blueprint: All major projects start with a blueprint and in this case, Grand Bend's has started with its Strategic Plan. The next step is to get an Economic Development Officer who can help put the works into motion. Part of the marketing plan is to boost tourism and build much-needed public parking facilities. Philip said what is done first is up to Grand Bend. "We believe that it shouldn't be the provincial or fed- eral government that decides local priorities," he said. A press release issued by jobsOntario say as many as 30 short-term jobs in construction and engineering will be created immediately. However, there was no men- tion,' by either Grand Bend Council or Philip when these jobs would start. ere are a lot of ipaliti�es that have at plans ich are g on the shelf," RIDE check nets drug possession charge EXETER - As a result of a RIDE check on Sunday in the village of Zurich, the Exeter OPP seized a nar- cotic from a driver, whom they also charged with drinking and driving. The OPP say they stopped numer- ous vehicles at the checkpoint, and the only result was one 12 -hour li- cense suspension to an adult male driver. Another adult was charged with having a blood alcohol level over 80 milligrams, and possessing a narcotic. Late Saturday morning in Exeter, a car was struck by an ambulance. Police report that Elly Pozsonyi of London stopped suddenly on Main St. as a result of two dogs crossing the street in front of her vehicle. An ambulance following her collided with the back of her car. Pozsonyi suffered minor injuries and was treated at and released from South Huron Hospital. Early Thursday morning a vehicle was travelling eastbound on a snow- covered and slippery Highway 83 when its driver lost control and ran into a tree. The driver, Daniel Dur - din of Dashwood, was not injured. Correction On the front page of the second section in last week's Times - Advocate, the name of a player with the Exeter bantam Lincolns was misspelled in a photo caption. The player's name should have read Bryon Ellerington, not Etterington. On page 17, the captions on the two photographs from the high school's presentation of 1,000 Cranes were inadvertently switched. The photo at top is of Sara Mason and Marty Vande- rhoek; the one at bottom is of Vic- toria Bisback and Melanie Phillips. The Times -Advocate regrets these errors. "But that doesn't mean the prov- ince won't increase the burden to the taxpayer," he said. Further fi- nancial woes are expected when the province announces its budget in late April or mid-May. He said present and future finan- cial difficulties faced by the board are the result of inconsistencies in provincial funding and the Social Contract Act, not board overspend- ing. "Your education dollars in Hu- ron County are among the lowest in the province. Historically, you have been conservative in your spending," he told board members. ■ I 8 - the GDREIV.0 of Western Ont. • Walkathon &sponsored by Stew mAudrey emory finer in e Stephan& Lynn Okinner Walk[ on Bun April lith rlobJat. the follow it; dein. 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