HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-05-27, Page 1SEIP'S
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Inside
Lucan keeps
the farm
See page 2
Desjardine
Orchestra
reunites
See page 6
Jr. Girls and Sr.
Boys sweep
H -P soccer titles
See page 14
Haskett honored
for diabetes work
LONDON -Sue Haskett of Lucan
was presented with a Distinguished
Achievement Award by the London
and District Branch of the
Cam'dian Diabetes`Association
during the organizations annual
general meeting recently in
London.
The board of directors recognized
the service records and special
achievements of its many volun-
teers.
Haskett has been involved with
other -fundraising events and with
the annual appeal for the Canadian
Diabetes Association for a number
of years. however. she received this
award for her work as co-chair of
the successful Harvest Hop held in
.Lucan last October. This event
raked $ 12.000.
Exeter to start
testing for e. coli
EXETER - in building on its
commitment to the environment,
the Town of Exeter will test its
sewage lagoon discharge for e.coli
bacteria beginning this fall.
The town is legally required to
test for nitrogen and phosphorus
under the town's lagoon license but
not e.coli.
Recent water quality studies
claim municipal sewage treatment
systems contribute to water pollu-
tion and Exeter council has decided
to start testing the discharge for e.
coli bacteria this fall. Exeter's la-
goons do not discharge during the
summer months.
Exeter's finances
in good shape
EXETER - Not only are the
townsfolk in Exeter fit during Fit
Week, so are the town's books.
Dan Daum of Kime. Mills. Dun-
lop presented the auditor's report to
the Exeter council committee of the
whole on Monday night. He said
Exeter is well-positioned financial-
ly to meet the squeeze between pro-
vincial downloading and ratepayer
service demands.
The town finished 1997 with a
surplus of $ 135.000. in addition.
the Exeter Business Association
had a $ 16,000 surplus and the ce-
metery had a $31,500 surplus.
Of special note, only three per
cent of the total taxes Exeter raises
are outstanding. Daum said com-
munities of similar size have seven
to nine per cent of the taxes unpaid.
He credited Exeter's low unem-
ployment figures and strong busi-
ness base with the good tax record.
He praised Exeter treasurer Liz
Bell and her staff for putting in the
extra effort to ensure the books are
in excellent order.
r
Close shaves,
cool donations
Bur z.d for. charity. Top
photo: Exeter OPP Const.
Rob Kern gets his hair
cropped rather close to his
scalp for charity by The
Cutting Corner's Terri Van-
neste during the Cops For
Cancer benefit: Bottom
photo: Exeter. OPP Con-
stables Kern, front left,
and Dino Tsitomeneas
show the after effects of
getting their heads shaved
during the Cops For Can-
cer benefit .while Con-
stables Dianne McGregor,
back left, Myra Rusk and
George Finch feel what
their. heads will be -like .a
few moments later. The
event raised over $2,000
for the Canadian Cancer
Society. Other police ser-
vices across the country
held their own Cops For
Cancer events last week.
Emergency service shut down
concerns seven local councils
by Katherine Harding
T -A Reporter
The South Huron' Hospital board
and delegates from seven local
councils meet Thursday to discuss
the hospital's recent 12 -hour shut-
down of . their emergency de-
partment on the Victoria long week-
end.
Mayor Ben Hoogenboom hailed
the meeting as "very productive"
and "a great success as •far of get-
ting out support from the com-
munity"
Hoogenboom was encouraged by
the attendance of a representative
from all seven councils that were
invited to attend.
"We all recognized the se-
riousness of the physician shortage
in • emergency and that scheduling
needs to be improved." said Hoo-
genboom. "I think that is why the
cooperation was so high at the
meeting."
An Exeter councillor who at-
tended the meeting but didn't want
to be identified was also satisfied
with the meeting. •
"1 am very pleased with the pro-
cess and what is being done." said
the councillor. "There is a very pos-
itive attitude in helping correct the
situation in an efficient and expedi-
entmanner. I am _looking forward
to seeing favorable results in the
near future."
The meeting participants• agreed
to establish a�search committee -to
• investigate suggestions made dur-
ing the meeting. The proposed
committee will he composed of
randomly selected hospital board
and council members. -
South Huron Hospital's Chief of
Staff Dr. Jerry Jadd could not at-
tend the meeting due to a prior tum -
commitment but commented he
was encouraged with the meeting's
results. •
"I think the community and local
Politicians were unnerved by it (the
emergency room closure) and it is a
terrible situation that has to be ad-
dressed." said Jadd. "A lot of con-
cern was expressed by local pol-
iticians and they should be
concerned... now l hope that it par-
lays into. concrete results." .
Jadd commented that in the hos-
pital's 50 -year history the emer-
gency room has only been shut-
; down once and that it took -"a
number of unfortunate events to
create this one situation." •
'I think we've done a good job
manning the ER with limited re-
sources. but it is obvious. we need
help." said Jadd.
Hospital administrator Don Cur-
- rell did not attend the recent meet-
ing as well but said he was looking
forward to reviewing the direction
the meeting took. -
"We've set up longer term plans
to deal with this problem including
setting up the search committee.'
said Currell.
Currell would not elaborate on
the exact longer term plans the hos-
pital is taking. - -
Huron MPP Helen Johns would
not comment directly on the emer-
gency room shutdown in Exeter
calling it• a "problem the hospital's
administration and staff will have
to deal with directly."
Johns said that her only direct
link with the hospital •is facilitating
that "the ministry and government
flow through the taxpayers dollars
for billing."
She is hopeful that her recent. in-
troduction of a resolution to attract
physicians to underserviced areas
might be one step in the right direc-
tion.
Kids
kit with :Warty
Sunday
12 p.m. ? p.m.
Bosanquet riled up over
South Huron proposal
By Kate Monk in the hest interest of all the area
T -A Reporter residents." . •
Graham's letters stressed that no
SOUTH HURON - The Town of portion of Stephen Township was
Bosanquet has asked .Exeter, Us included in the Lamhton County re -
borne, Stephen and Grand Bend to structuring proposal. • •
reconsider their restructurtng pro- The portion of Bosanquet and
poral. . • Grand Bend in question is known
The proposal includes a portion as the. Greater Grand Bend Area
of Bosanquet north of the Green- and includes Huron Woods. Grand
way Road in Lamhton County even Give Estates. Beach 'O Pines, Oak -
though Bosanquet has not agreed.
Bosanquet Council is also upset the
Village of Grand Bend was in-
cluded in the re-
structuring proposal.
• "As Mayor of the
Town of Bosanquet. I
find this very dis-
turbing, As -far as 1
know. neither the
County of Lamhton
nor the Town of Bo-
sanquet was consulted
with • respect to this
proposal=' ' Mayor Bill -
leder stated. -
Grand Bend has. been included in
a -North Lamhton restrticturing pro-
- posal with six other municipalities.
. In a letter to Huron County War-
den Jack Coleman. Graham said
Bosanquet is concerned the South
Huron proposal could "greatly
• jeopardize" discussions in the
North- Lamhton area which "will be
wood. Dalton. Van• Dungen • and
Southcott pines.
The group Grassroots for a Great-
er Grand Bend Area
sent 563 petition Ictto,rs
""As /Iiayor of to Mintof M
nicipalthe Affairs
stcr more
the Town of than a "year ago re-
Bosanquet, I questing they not he
find this very spit . up during mu -
disturbing." nit:ipaf amalgamations.
The group's area of in-
terest is currently locat-
ed in two counties and
has three municipal "governments.
Representatives of the councils of
Ushornc. Stephen.- Exeter and
•Grand Bend met fast Wednesday
night to develop : ► drab re-
structuring order. But. according' to
Exeter Deputy -Reeve .Dave Urlin.
the meeting was spent discussing
Graham's letters "r'ie issue has to
he resolved heti[ discussions can
Continued on page 2
Graham's
Council gives go ahead
to beach volleyball club
GRAND BEND - Council ac-
cepted a husiness Plan to set up the
Grand Bend Beach. Volleyball
Club, at Thursday's meeting.
. The plan was presented by Jim
Cooke. a Clinton high school teach-
er and self -described "old beach_
- volleyball player." ,
-My goal is to make Grand Bend
•'a place where people think of Keach
volleyball." Cooke ;aid when intro-
ducing his plan. • .
Besides asking council for sup-
port ' and tinancial assistance of
`55.0I)0. Cooke also outlined a num-
her of -short- and long-term •goals
for the project. • .
• One of his long-term goals- was
for the volleyball club to be able to
financially sustain itself -and grow
with the sport's popularity in prep-
aration for the 2001 Canada
Games.
Cook. was certain that many., of
his short-term goals could he met
this. summer if the project was ap-
proved by council. They included:
• To build. live permanent courts
,which will he available by the mid-
dle.ot June:
-• To run weekday_ clinics for 3 --
16-year-olds and a Saturday league
for adults:
• To hire two people who will
staff the . daily operations at the
beach seven days a week:
• To purchase 10 vofeyhall nets.
tour sets of lines and three nets: -
• To -work .with the Ontario Vol-
leyball Association dunng the three
Q.V.A. tournaments held in Grand
Bend this summer:
• To make Grand Bend the train-
ing site for the Region Three Team
He explained .that the main ti-
nancial cost arising from the pro-
ject is employing the two people
who will run the dimes. Cooke told
• council that his pay will probably
come From running tournaments
and from tournament advertising.= •
Council was very supportive of•
the idea and the motion to approve
the husiness plan passed easily
Council only asked that certain mi-
nor logistics like insurance con-
sideration~ and event scheduling he
worked out before the plan is en-
acts. I.
Councillor Bob Mann said. I
think this is a real opportunity for
us to • take advantage of Mr.
Cooke's skills in this arca. Mr.'
Cooke could he the man who
makes "Grand Bend known ti)r
Keach volleyball."
Separate board still waiting
on ministry budget figures
By Michele 'Greene
STRATFORD - No separate schools in Huron and Perth counties. are
expected to close as a result of budget shortfalls.
"There is no extra. space in our schools. Right now.. we don't see any of
that cropping up." said Gerry Thuss. superintendent of business with the
Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board.
Although the hoard- is still waiting on full details from the .Ministry of
Education and Training, Thuss said he. doesn't expect the board.will he lett
short.
• "As a small board .and one of the lowest spending boards. -I think we
will he on the positive side." he said.
Thuss declined to comment on specific numbers based on his estimates
on the impact of the funding model on the separate hoard. •
"There are a lot of questions that still need to he answered before you
can make a pronouncement on it," he said. "
Thuss said the board's budget will be set once the ministry provides all
of the necessary information. •
"They came out with a new model and now they are trying to deal with
the problems." said Gaston Blanchette. Director of Education.
But Blanchette is hoping for answers "sooner than later."
"We have to make some decisions now. like staffing," he said.
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