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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-07-01, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Delicious -Hot Deli Foods To Go Serving Exeter and area since 1873 SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 ourkids club.com Lucan gets employment services see page 2 Tackling the Millennium. bug See Crossroads Second front Bluewater Hawks ready to fly See page 12 'Bend asks for more time See page 22 Fire in Usborne destroys building USBORNE TOWNSHIP -.A fire early Tuesday morning at approxi - .mately 4 a.m. destroyed a hay stor- age building in Usborne Township causing $110,000 damage. Exeter•lirc chief John Morgan said firefighters reached the scene at Lot 16„Cont. 8 at 4:10 a.m. He said the alternating winds were "really unbelievable” but add- . ed the strong rainfall helped control. the blaze. In addition to the Exeter fire de- partment, a tanker from Stephen Township was called in to assist. Morgan said the fire, which was 'caused by spontaneous combustion, .will continue to burn for days and is now being monitored to make sure it stays under control. In addition to the destruction of the storage building, 800 bales of • hay were destroyed. There were no injuries. Emergency room six-day shutdown Doctor shortage: forces South Huron Hospital's prolonged closure By Katherine Harding . . T•A Reporter EXETER — South Huron Hos- pital's emergency room services are going to be.suspended again for an unprecedented six days. . The difficult decision was made by hospital CEO Don t !1Currctl at the hos- vital's Monday night board of governors meeting. " The closure will run 'from this Thurs- . day at•8 a.m. till 8 a.m. on July 8. The hoS'hital recommends that people requiring emergency care during that time seek medical assistance in Clinton or London, Like =the other two recent shut- downs, this recent closure is attrib- uted to a Shortage' of doctor's• avail- able to'staff the emergency room. While not.every shift during the July 2 to July 7 time period was un- manned. Currcll did not want to pursue the option of keeping emer- gency services open only during certain hours. "We have a ma- jor problem here." said Correll. "How can I in-. form the public to check their watch to know when the hospital is or isn't • open?",_ said Cur- rell. '.It is best if we just chisc.com- pletely, during that time so we don't confuse people." ' • • Members of the hoard were trou- "It appears that the local doctors don't have any concern for the. hospital." -Mary Fisher No barbecues in parking spaces EXETER - The committee of the .-whole quickly and unanimously turned down a request last Monday night from a business to periodical- ly use a Main.Strect parking space for a picnic table and barbecue. The committee was concerned it would seta precedent for othcr"rc- quests, Safety was also a factor in the decision. Hensall plant to close its doors in September HENSALL - General Manu- factured Housing inc. an- nounced to its employees on Fri- day that the company has been -sold, resulting in the upcoming closurcof its Hensall plant. According Rio press release from the company; president Ken Aiken cited increasing technology demands and com- petitive reasons for the plant's • closure. - , Mikc Hoffman of Hensall, a cabinet maker at the plant for 4 1/2 years, said in a telephone in- terview with the T -A he wasn't surprised at the closing and add- ed the employees haven't yet been told many details about the closing. • After the plant closes its doors 'on Sept. 4, Hoffman said he •isn't sure what he will do but says at 25 years old, he's young enough to find another job. He adds, though, that it is difficult to find well -paying jobs in the area and says he is concerned some of the older workers at the plant won't be able to Lind jobs. The new owner of General Manufactured Housing, Don Ubell, is moving the company to a larger facility in Midland. He has offered the 415 Hensall employees the chance to apply for jobs at the new plant. Representatives for the com- pany said more information about the plant's closing will eventually be released. Reeve wants fair system for water, sewer rates By Craig Bradford T -A Reporter LUCAN -.Change is in the air when it comes to how water and sewer bills are devised in Lucan. • - . Reeve Robert Benner did some homework and presented a. proposal on changes to the village water and s-cwer rates at last week's meeting. Benner proposes to up the flat monthly water rate of $6.30 to $i 3.10 and up the sewer system monthly flat rate of $11.34 to $12.55: Usage charges would be 390 per cubic metre of water in and 41¢ per cubic metre of water used that ends up in thc sewer system. Benner studiedhow. surrounding centres charge users of their water and sewer systems and -found that`Lucanitcs are being "charged a sig- nificant premium for both water and sewer'services compared to neigh- boring municipalities."- - • - For example, Benner's numbers found that that the average Lucan household (based upon the median water consumption for a single Lu - can • household of 22 cubic metres) pays $49.98 for water and sewage compared with Exeter's $33,28, Hensall's $35, llderton's $42.99 and London's $18.11. Under Benner's proposal. Lucanites would pay, an average $42.53 per household. Benner maintains they way Lucan bills water and sewer usage is. un- fair bccause: - •It does not charge out the public service at the cost of providing the service. •It penalizes families, gardeners and pool owners who -use water that docs not end up in the sewer system. . •It makes Lucan noncompetitive compared to surrounding Municipal- ities. - - - •It attempts io-Control water use -when there is "no need for council to attempt to exert control. "• - Benner hopes council members will mull over his proposal and that council make a decision,on whether to change how Lucanites are billed for water and sewage at the Aug.`4 meeting after he returns from a month long trip to Europe: , But councillor Perry Caskanette, who has been pushing for Lucan to drop its sewer surcharge from its current 180 per cent Of water `usage, wants the change tobe decided much sooner.: - . "i'd like to see the water and sewer rates settled. before the end of. 1998;'.he said.. - Caskanette said he'd like to see- a water rate based solely on how much is used and a fixed sewer:rate. , ' Council agreed tdifficet to discuss the water and sewer rates again be- fore Benner leaves in July. B.M. Rossasks for competition exemption The consulting firm ensures the Town it won't get a better price from any other firm EXETER - The Town of Exeter has received a provincial grant for the expansion of the sewage sys-, tem...with a string attached. The en- gineering and project management services must be decided by -com- petition. Steve Burns of B.M. Ross and Associates attended the committee of the whole last Monday night to ask Exeter to re- quest the .province delete the competi- tion for the en- gineering services. B.M. Ross' has been providing the engineering ser- vices from the start of the project and Burns said the design work is 85 per cent done. "We've gone a substantial way," Burns explained. He said the involvement of Na- biscoand Stephen Township makes it a complicated . project and "re- quires someone familiar with the complexity of the project." • "We could serve you better than anyone you could select via com- petition," Burns promised. "Our in- -wrest as a firm is long term. We fcel we have a responsibility." The committee asked. Burns why the Ministry of the Environment re- quired the competition. He replied large consulting firms want to have access to more ' projects and the ministry thinks they can get‘alow- cost project with competition for engineering services. Exctcr administrator Rick Hun- dcy said Burns knows the town wcll'and will "go to bat for us." Reeve Roy• Triebner also backed Burns., "Wecould serve - you better than any- one you could select via competition." 1 bled by the lack of Iocaf doctors rectors baffled. • available to statf the emergency. ."The local doctors should jump 'Of the 93 ER shifts available in' in and pick up thespaces that aren't July, only three are being filled by . filled," said hoard member;,.Joycc local doctors. • Doctors from Strat- ' McBcath. Mc$.cath is frustrated that if the situation continues "the hospital will have to close and the doctors will not have a place to put their pa - ford and London have 'signed up for Over 60 shifts but the- remaining time slots -have yet to bc•filled.' •. a, Those • statisiics•. Jeff some di - ,tients." • "They arc shooting themselves in the foot," said new board chair- person Dr. Doug Hoover. Hoover commented earlier that the shortage ''plows" his mind. "Is this -some,kind Of political stand by the dctors:" he ques- Continued on page 2 outh Huron hospital ets $250,000 grant -The grant is a one-time payment to help with restructuring "Steve was in- strumental in getting the (MOEE) grant," Triebner said. if Exeter was go- ing to hold a com- petition for the en- gineering services, it should have done so five years ago when the project started, • according to Mayor Ben Hoogenboom. He . also has con- fidence in B.M. Ross. "It won't cost the town any more to have B.M. Ross do it than any- one else," Burns promised. The committee of the whole rec- ommended to council that an ex- emption from competition be .re- quested from the province. EXETER - Huron" MPP Helen' Johns pulled up to the South Huron Hospital Friday morning with news of a one-time $250,0(8) grant to help -the hospital balance-thc books. "The hospital has been faced with operating pressures in the .past and subsequently applied 'for as- sistance. Our • government rec- ognized the challenges and has re- sponded with this one-time support during the • transitional period of health services restructuring," Johns said. The funding is based 6n a: set of criteria applied to hospitals by the Ministry of Health.. The criteria includes the "need for transitional support --to assist with the implementation aif directions from - the Health" ServicesRe- structuring Commission and con- sideration for duplicated programs still operating at multiple site: • The Ministry ot•.F(ealth will tori- tinue to examine the operating sit- .__..._.-•...�,.-'sa's's._. 250,000 Hospital funding. Huron MPP Helen Johns holds the $250,000 sign with South Huron Hospital board chair Verla Russell and administrator Don Currell. Johns- assured hos- pitpl officials the cheque: was in the mail. nation of all hospitals across On-- and access to emergency care con- tario to ensure quality patient. care times to be the top priority. Avon Maitland high school teachers strongly favor strike By Scott Nixon T -it gel/oiler • EXETER High schoolteachers with the Avon Maitland District School Board. have voted 8W per cent in favour of a strike mandate. The collective agreement expires Aug. 31 and both sides — the On- - tarioSecondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) and the school. hoard — 'say they'll he working through the suininer -to come up with an agreement. • . Jeanne Dionne, thc board' chief negotiator, said the strike mandate voted for by the teachers is "simply part of the (negotiating) process." although she admitted there.arc sig- nificant issues and . disputes be- tween the hoard and the OSSTF.- Kcn Robins, the local negotiator for the. OSSTF, described . the vote as strong and said it shows the re- solve of the teachers. • Chief among the disputes — both sidesagrce — is the issue of the in- - structional time most teachers will be forced to work under Bill 160. Under the Bill, two thirds of sec- ondary teachers will: be forced to Work 1,250- classroom minutes 8 week, a 33 -per cent increase in workload according io Robins. Robins saidwhile . teachers...aow teach' six- courses out 'of eight (or three per semester) many will he•. torted to teach seven of eight cours- es under Bill 160. As a result. those teachers.Willhave-one semester in which they teach four classes a day. which means they will spend the en- tire day inihe classroom; • According; to Robins,, teachers will have less time for marking pa- pers. Tess time for making -studernt "They keep throwing the ball back and forth...the hoard and the govern- anent better sort out who has the authority" Ken Robins negotiator for OSSTF evaluations and less time to prepare their lessons,. tasks which "consume a large amount of -time." They will also have less time for sports and other extra -curricular ac-' tivitics.• Teachers already take work home with them at"night.and the increased workload will only mean they have to take more work home,. Robins said. - And not only will the increased workload have in impact on teach' ers' lives outside the classroom,, it will impact their classroom work. "The qualify of education is at stake," Robins said. Robins adds that students and parents should he unhappy about what the province and the school boards are trying to-do to education and. says they. should lobby for change: Dionne agrees the major sticking point between the hoard and the union is the issue concerning teach- ers' classroom time, but says the hoard is simply. following orders from thc province and says the problem can only he solved by the province. not local school boards. - Robins. though. says someone -- either the school Wards or the pro- vincial government should take responsibility for the problem: . "They keep throwing - the ball hack and forth...the hoard and the • grivcrnment better sort out who has the authority" to negotiate tb sue, he said. Negotiations between the :d and - the OSSTF will contii uc through the summer with a cone -4i: • ales coming in to see if the matte. can be resolved. • • From the board's point of view. Dionne says a strike is possible but says an agreement will eventually he met.' • "When it's ready to happen -it'4i- happen and not before, si'c said: Asked if he thinks there will be a teachers strike. Robins said, "i don't know. Exeter street construction on the horizon EXETER - Several Exeter streets will be re- surfaced this summer. . Exctcr council has passed a bylaw to enter into a connecting link agreement with the province to re- pave Main Street between Huron and Waterloo 'Streets. • Although the provincial grant has not yet been re- ceived, the bylaw was passed at its June 22 meeting in anticipation the funds would come through be- fore the next council meeting on July 6. The bylaw allows engineers to go to tender with the project as soon as.it is approved. • Other proposed street projects for this year with the amount budgeted include:Andrew St. from Sim- - coo St. to Anne St. Drain ($125,488), Wolper and McConnell Streets from Main St. to County Road 83 ($15,882), Huron St. from Main to Edward ($16,282), Gidley and Senior Streets from Andrew to Sanders ($20,320) and Anne St. from Carling to William ($10.160). The Andrew St. project involves street re - •construction and • drainage work. The Wolper, McConnell, Huron, Gidley, Senior and Anne Streets will be resurfaced. Thc connecting Zink grant will cover all the costs of the Main Street project ($58,430). Thc other pro- jects are covered by town funds in the '98 budget with the Andrew St. sewer work coming from re- serves. The number of projects completed depends on how the tenders come in but town administrator Rick Hundey said the Andrew St. project is top on the list. . The Andrew St. - project tenders arc due by the July 13 council meeting. "Everything from there depends on thc contract schedule," Hundey explained. Repairing the Ausable River bridge at the north end of town requires separate connecting link funds and a separate bylaw. 4