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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-08-02, Page 1SEIP'S vale -mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Agent for _ Sketchley -no Dry Cleaners Ser�illg LAeter ri; SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 igie Maws Cherries BlueberriesRaspberries _Order Yours Now �--.----,� .S UB S CRIB`& ' If you aren't subscribing to The1 Times -Advocate, you're missing out. , Use the coupon below and subscribe today! 1 Name: ' Address City 1 Prov1 IPostal Code SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada Within 40 miles • (65 km) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $33.00 plus $2.31 G.S.T. 'Outside 40 miles • (65 km) or any letter carrier address $63.00 + $4.41 G.S.T. Outside Canada -$99.00 (wt see. 40 w+w•) 1 USE YOUR CREDIT CARD 1 00000000 Card No. I Expiry Date 0 Visa LI Master Card U Cheque enclosed Return to; TIMES ADVOCATE `24 Main St. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1 S6MI MI� 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Join the circus Grand Bend Rotary Club hosted a traditional 'mud show' See page 8 Emu farmer A viable alternative See page 12 Classifieds pages 17-20 Experts page 21 Announcements pages 22-23 Deer population threatens vegetation in Pinery Park GRAND BEND - A high popula- tion of deer at Pinery Provincial Park is endangering the park's eco- system prompting the Ministry of Natural Resources to call for con- trolled shoots that would cull hun- dreds of deer from the park. A document released by the Ministry states "browsing by a high population of white -tail deer has in- creased to a level were it now threatens the protection and preser- vation of the biodiversity of the Oak Savanna ecosystem." The park currently has approxi- mately 732 deer but the park's greenery can only support 175. Growing deer populations in South- western Ontario parks arc common because they have few natural pred- ators and hunting within parks is prohibited. The document states there has been a 45-70 percent decrease in vegetation cover between 1984- 1994 directly attributed to exten- sive grazing by deer. If the problem remains unchecked many species of fauna vegetation may be eliminat- ed. The cull would not be similar to Ontario's annual deer season for recreational hunters but would be a management technique designed for re -balancing the ecosystem. The ministry is putting its propo- sal up for public discussion and if approved, they may proceed in the Autumn of 1996. Wednesday,August 2, 1995 Rural emergency care ailing A decreased interest in rural areas forcing emergency rooms to close Heather Mir T -A staff EXETER - Due to a decreased availability of doctors, the South Huron Hospital Emergency Department is facing what the chief of staff calls a 'crisis situation'. The emergency department had difficulty finding cover- age for last weekend. Many more days this summer may lack physician coverage. "Unavailability of physicians to cover emergency de- partments in rural Ontario has increased gradually over the past few years to our present crisis sit- uation, " said Dr. Linda Steele, chief of staff, SHH in a letter to the ministry of health. Hospital Administrator Don Currell said although some days this summer the emergency room is not staffed, doctors have assured him they will make sure the weekends are covered. Steele identified three major factors contributing to this situation. There are a decreased num- ber of physicians willing to stay in Ontario; many move to the United States or elsewhere after graduation. Fewer physicians have the required general practice license due to a change in requirements. Licenses are given after a two year family practice program or a full four to five year spe- cialty program. Steele lists the third reason for the current problem facing rural emergency rooms as a lack of interest by physicians in rural areas. Longer hours, isolation, lack of employment for spouses and increased responsibility in ER and night coverage are some of the reasons doctorkare steering away from rural practice. The past NDP government initiated a policy that claws back income from physicians by as much as six per cent. This results in physician being unwilling to come to rural ERs to work shifts due to the possibility of losing up to half their income. One of the current Harris government elec- tion platforms was a commitment to health care and providing rural health care with more support. Still, the ministry of health an- nounced on July 25 it wants to recover $200 million from Ontario physicians. Steele claims it is almost impossible for ru- ral physicians to cut back further. "The physicians that work in the Grand Bend area have been working double shifts all summer in order to accommodate the large tourist influx in the area," said Steele. Emergency department physicians have very little control ,over the use of the ER because they are ethically obliged to assess every patient, even if the reason for the visit is trivi- al. "The physicians that work in the Grand Bend area have been working double shifts all summer." South Huron Hospital in Exeter is facing difficulty staffing their emergency room on weekends. Cuts are 'just a start' Cameron J. Wood WINGHAM - Huron MPP Helen Johns said she believes the recent "fiscal overview" is a step in the right direction for the province. The Tory member said finance minister Ernie Eves statement on the economic status of the govern- ment is "just a start". "It shows the intent of what we campaigned on. I don't think there were any surprises." Helen Johns Johns also defended the Progres- sive Conservative government's de- cision to cut into the health care budget along with all the other min- istries. Although Premier Mike Harris promised health care fund- ing would remain at current levels, these cuts figure in at one per cent and affect administration, not ser- vices. "I don't think the cuts will affect the end-user," Johns, the parliamen- tary assistant to the health minister, said. In terms of the most controversial cut - welfare - Johns said the move was outlined in the common Sense Revolution papers. The Tories see the move to cut dependency on the social program as a work incentive. "Everybody has to have the in- centive to go out and work. We are allowing people to go out and help themselves." The cuts to the welfare program are expected to save $469 million in 1995 and $938 million in 1996; a cut of 21.6 per cent in welfare rates. The qualification rules will also be changed to help the govern- ment combat welfare fraud and save an additional $15 million. Also gone is the NDP jobsOnta- rio program. The concept has been under fire since it's inception and was one area the PCs said they would axe if elected. By cutting this Eves figures the government can save $86 million this year and $40 million over the next two. The 40,000 child-care spaces created under the jobsOntario train- ing program will revert back to funding under the previous 80-20 provincial -municipal cost-sharing setup. This becomes effective Octo- ber 1. Private sector conversion of child-care spaces to non-profit spaces has been canned, saving $7 million this year and $13 million in 1996. • Pay Equity in the public sector, which drew criticism from the pri- vate seetor when implemented, has been capped at $500 million a year. The Tories anticipate saving $85 million this year. Johns said the move doesn't mean a return to exploitation in the workplace, but rather the hope that a more effective evaluation process in the marketplace will develop. "What this does say is that we are going to live within our means. There has to be a level where we, as taxpayers, can handle this. There has to be a cap," Johns said. "We can't have outrageous dollar values. Johns said she is still looking into whether or not any infrastructure programs in Huron County are af- fected by the cuts to the federal - provincial program. The changes lc the capital projects program reduce funding by $73 million. In all, some $1.9 billion has been removed from the government led- gers. Despite the massive reduc- tions, Eves predicts the deficit will still come in at more than $8.7 bil- lion this year. Youthful entrepreneurs Katelyn and Allyson Squire are youthful entrepeneurs with their com on the cob and vege- table stand along highway 4, near Centralia. • Supplemental funding cut by half Transportation cuts will chop $6,000 from one road constuction project on Mary Street Heather Mir T -A staff EXETER - Cuts from the 'mini -budget' released by Premier Mike Harris last Friday are beginning to be felt in municipalities. But only $6,000 in supplemental transportation funding has been cut from a single town project. The Mary Street surfacing project received a total supplemental funding of $12,000 and half of this amount has been cut. Supple- mental grants have been slashed by 50 per cent across the province. The cuts will affect 1995 operational budgets. Reeve Bill Mickle said the cuts are a result of the current pro- vincial cashflow situation and the town anticipates the government will be able to pay the remaining $6,000 next year. Under present laws it is difficult to have grant money paid over into 1996 because every year has to be dealt with separately. "We are working to have the laws amended to allow that money to be paid in 1996," said Mickle. Approximately $40 million in supplementary transportation grants in Ontario will be affected by the recent cuts. The Town of Exeter was fortunate because it does not normally work with supplementary funding but rather with MTO base grant for maintenance and construction of roads. Supplementary is over and above these grants. Many of the current projects in Exeter and surrounding com- nwnitics are in part funded thro gh infrastructure grants. The infra- structure program with the fed al government was extended from three to five ycars. Cashflow will not affect the projects underway but only new projects coming in at the end of the program or money that hasn't been allocated to specific projects. Centralia staff not paid CENTRALIA - Staff of bankrupt Centralia International College have not yet received their pay cheques for the months of June and July. "No one has- been paid," said a former teacher requesting anonymi- ty during a telephone interview with the T -A Thursday. "(The cam- pus director) has refused to pass on documents so we can't come up with a record of employment," he said. The teacher has tried, unsuccess- fully, to reach the director. In the meantime he said he's "working on his resume." He's also trying to get in touch with the 11 international students transferred from Centralia to Shaw College in Toronto. He said al- though the students trust college director Betty Scott, she's "follow- ing instructions" and "not necessar- ily going to do what's best for the students." Scott wouldn't comment when asked last week if the students would be reimbursed for their lost courses at Centralia. According to the teacher there may be a buyer interested in Shaw College and Park Business College in Hamilton, both under the opera- tion of B.D.O Dunwoody Ltd. Continued on page 2 Phone book is coming next week EXETER - The most popular bonus supplement produced by the T -A will be delivered next week. The annual Home Phonc Book with all the local listings will be delivered with the Times -Advocate to all subscrib- ers except those in Exeter who receive their mail in the Super Boxes. Box users will have their copy of the phone book mailed separately. The 152 -page book is free to newspaper subscribers and is also included in dealer sale cop- ies. Additional copies arc avail- able for $2.00. Fain ily fun t Dashwood •s annual Friedsburg Days Fri., Sat. & Sun. 4