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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1997-01-01, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Agent for Sketobley. thy 4? -2- • — Cleaner; 6.• pi MI OM MN SOB ow am 81. mu SUBSCRIBE, a II 11 you aren't subscribing to The Times -Advocate, you're missing out. II Use the coupon below and subscribe today; 1 Name: 1 I Address: City. • • Prov I Pbstal Code sueuteteliOtifiilis:' • I II yea' r S35 42.4 GST42 year 033 • 4 41 GST 1 • OiatiMPAtaARto • lyearse.3.4.4rosiwyearsite.es3osT .1 csmitaLwateas • stozoo • • I USE YOUR CREDIT CARD I LICIOCIOCIDO .1 CILICILIGIDC:10 cardtio.- 1 I ExpiryDate " • : • • Visa Master Card • • •',I:1 Cheque enclosed I • Return to TIMES ADVOCATE • 424 Main St. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 me • IMO MN MINI OM OM MN MIN Inside See our pages for a glimpse •back at 1996 Snapshots of the year in photos See page 8 South -bound A look at popular winter holiday•spots See Crogsroads .-* Second9front ‘, • Happy New - • Year! Wednesday January 1. 199 7 SEIP'S valu-mart • 4 & itErter 235-0262 ()Wrens Video Rentals 49( (93. 4 7c G s i.! ONE DOLLAR Braemor .Mancw residents.gusted Seventeen residents of the chronic psychiatric residential home have been , transferred,.the future of the facility remains uncertain By Chris Skalkos T -A Reporter owner and Operator of the Inane on James. Street which- provides spe- . EXETER - Following the death cial arc for. chronic psychiatric pa - of Sybil Lodge, thc. residents of hems, died in - an automobile ac- Braemor Manor Residential Home cident on Dec. 15. have been transferred to. other parts ; The 17 residents have.heen trans - of the province anu the facility has fen -ed, to Other homes in. Kitchener, been shut down. - * Port Bruce, Parkhill and Straihroy. • Lodge. who. was utile:. licensed ' The tuturc 61 the Exeter facility re- mains uncertain. ` Beth Patterson. assistant director for the WOTCH (Western Ontario Therapeutic Community Hostel) program in Exeter said she and Di- rector Doug Ruhl have been in touch. with Helen John's offiCe7to find out what will -happen to the Ya. Exeter facility': They _pre working • With j41e -HuronTerth District • Heal Council hut are still waiting , for he- Ministry- of Healih.. to re- . spond, . . • According ti( Patieison, the -res- idents were.-abniptly transferred within- 25 hours and were asked what Iiicaity tbcy would like to be Snow sculpting Kevin Bender. of Hensall, . ses a chainsaw to dembnstrate his Snow sculpting talent at Rader's Christmas Open House in Zurich on December 21. • thowito, ht staying in Exeter was not an option. 'There should he a contingency plan in place for such a sit 'anon and moving these people Kithin hours, to me is not a good,Olan." 'said Patterson. "Some of these peo- ple have _been in our community for more than 20 years. --As far as -I'm • concerned, they were stripPed from. 'their borne and their rights were not •respected." 'Patterson said about 10 residents from_ Batembr were- involved with. the WOTCH program which is de- signed -10 help chronic psychiatric • patients hccorne independent and . prepare Thera for employment 'With- in the community. The program, • which helps- about 45 people a day , ,wilLnot he directly affected. ' Exeter Was the' onl)i. Ideation in Huron County with- 30 licensed Psychiatric beds and Patterson feels 'there is a need far such a facility in -this arca and would like to sec an- othm 15 bci'd facilit> open in the norther -13 part of the cotirtt. -- "We reall don't want to lose Braemor and we're going to look towards 'the community' for support. Hopefully 'we'll- find hut what will .happen to the estate hy mid- . January." she said. Zurich clerk to resign ZURICH ...Maureen Simmons, , who has hen clerk -treasurer for the - Village of Zurich for 10 years, will, resign effective Jan 24. • - Simmons will take on a new job ' as treasurer and- tax collector for the townships a.f Blandford and Bien- . . Although she describes the-mo•ve to a larger municipality as "a career advanccmcnt.' the Zurich native ad- mits. "It's hard:leaving." Task force opens door for hospitals to submit option The deadline for Huron -Perth hospitals to submit a unified optign Is January 14 - • • • By Heather hpr • .7.-A Reporter MITCHELI The Huron -.Perth Hospital and Re- • lated Health mice ast. Force annouaced Dec.19 it . will "receive ahl- consider as. advice" .0 hospital re- . structuring option developed.. by the 'distri0 eight • hospital'.- • . , . . • -• ' . Such air option thusi he provided in vetting. te -the :tasktorcc hy 12 tim. on Jan. 14 and must he approved • las the hoards (il the eight hospitals in Huron -Perth.- • • • hey-. don't give volt much time to put all -this •to- ).-.ether." said South -Huron Hospital Chairperson Verla - Russell iWthe Submission deadline. • • "That's the jot) of the task -force to look ar viable op- tions." Handey.,Exeter,town administrdloff "They're passing the hill to someone else.'But that's - not to-saY svt're-going to ignore this.". • The option. must he consistent with the task hiarce's ' planning criteria and provide detail regarding tocap. lions of services. The option must' also demonstrate hov. an 18 per cent financial reduction okir•three years can he realistically achieved. . ' . • • According to -a press release tiom the HPDHC._de. tailed. defensible costing must he provided. " • • No extension will be granted on this option develop- ment as the hospitals have 'been active participants throughout thc study and have had access tp.. the cost- ing and othei inlormation over the past five months." stated the release • Preferred option - ; • A preferred option.. scheduled to he released in mid-, Ikcember will he selected on Jan. 2). The task force Bs Brenda Burke 7 -A keportet has requested the DHC ask the Miniatry of Health tor' a 60 -day extension in order ,to complete the,hospital Mud.. The new deadline for a hospital restructuring report will he at the end of March if the ministry ap- proves the DHC extension reimesti . • "The task . force will thoroughly consider. inputre- ceived from recent open , houses and review -all the in77 tonnatilin prepared Over the past five months before selecting -a preferred -restructuring option.".a highlight .sheet from • the DHC indicated. • Costing information released • Based on 1995-'96 budpet infOnnation. a costing analysis conducted by Price Waterhouse consultants indkates the three options released by the task force will save between 101' and, 17.8 Percent of operating • expenses. The eight hospitals litve a 9.5/96 hudgel - Of $78.$ • . . . • _ ,According to,the study. a J7.8 per cent savings•could he achieved if inpatient services ah provided in Lis- With flooding, striking meat inspectors and hospital rallies hitting the headlines oflocal community newspapers, describing • 1996 as eventful may be the understatement of theyear. • It's been one of the worst times for crops, especially wheat. Amalgamation talks have come and gone, with promise to pick tip heat again in '97. Hittingiate in the year, hospital restructuring the hottest issue of all - is quickly gaining ground as one of this year's most formidable topics in dOnut shops and on the street, as well ase in paper pages. Garbage has been big news in '96, with'co=collection, bag tag fees and the possibility of a waste transfer site that was to be located in Huron Park. Speaking of Huron Park, we've seen Brother James' come and go - a man who claimed to buy the park under a private, company and introduce a community program for the good of the community. . Zurich has been busy trying to keep the doors of its Community centre open, Hensall is gearing up for a big sewage treatment expansion and Grand.Rend has introduced a new youth centre to its community. f • • • • towel, Goderich • Seaforth and Stratford and ho other • institutional services are provided Within'the thstrict.. A 10.2 per cent swings could be accomplished. ac- cording to cOnsultants, if in-patient services ate pro. • Aided in Listowel. Goderich.• Seaforth. Stratford • and • Wingham and full ambulatory service (a primary' hos- pital with no beds arc located in Clinton. Exeter and St. Marys. • Additional capital costs 'related to restructuring are estimated to range froM S4.1 to$7.5 million. - The tusk force reported it was informed of the base capital costs that will be required to maintain the ex- , ' • isting hospitals over the hest 10 years. regardless of•re- structuring. It was also informed of additional cost required to develop the sites as outlined in the re- structuring. options. It 'was noted the difference her• . tWeen the capital costs of the' three options "is not • large enough to constitute dmajor consideration in de- cision making for a future hospital system" • ' Lucan has also had its share ofne*sworthy events over the past year. With its reeve resigning, its deputy reeve threatening to resign, in -fighting between committees, a spectacular 125 bash, angry flood victims and emerging Friends of the Library in support of a larger Lucanites can take a deep breath anti begin a new year for .their village. , The year has also seen its share of tragedy yv. ith a few;plane • crashes in Centralia, one claiming the life of d local "pilot. • 1996 of course, does not close without its share of goodYiews.. People have been actively fundraising for everything from the , Children's Hospital Walk to the Huron County Christmas •Nreau. Firefighters saved the Ausable 'River from a furnace oil leak in Crediton, Exeter 'streets have been full of fldwers thanks to the, town's business association, and Harry Schroeder, a Centralia • farmer and poet, published his firstcollection. • Perhaps the biggest good news prize should g� to Michael Harrigan; a local resident who won first prize for the biggest pumpkin at the IldertOn Fall Fair. At 504 pounds, it was a doozy. The same can be said, ultimately, for 196. Beginning on page - - A Coact student Angela Pickering takes a look back. • •