HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-06-25, Page 1erich
LiewaST R
138 YEAR - 26
GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 1986
60 CENTS PER COPY
Port Albert, kicks in '86
Jane Haskell, daughter of Doug and Pat Haskell, is excited to hear her name called as the
winner of the Miss Port Albert contest held at the CKNX Barndance on Saturday night as
part of the festivities off Port Albert's Sesquicentennial this year. First runner-up was
Laurie Hayden and second runner-up was Mary Lynn Doherty, who also won MiSs Friend
ship. Mia Dalton won an honorable mention. (photoby Susan Hundertmark)•
Doctors continue
Port Albert's Sesquicentennial celebrations had a successful beginning with the CKNX
Barndance held Saturday night at W.G. Thompson's which was packed to the rafters with
people. A variety of Country and Western musicians including Graham and Eleanor Town-
send performed for the local crowd. (photo by Susan Hundertmark)
strike despite
extra -billing ban
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Goderich doctors plan to continue their
withdrawal of services despite the provin-
cial government's ban on extra -billing
which became law on Friday.
Dr. Mario Cauchi, who has said he is
prepared to go to jail becaw, he believes
so strongly in his professional freedom to
bill patients for his services, says he still
feels very strongly about the issue.
"I felt like a battered wife, the morning
after the bill was passed," said Dr. Cauchi
in an interview with the Signal -Star on
Tuesday. "I feel like I've been robbed of
all my dignity. I felt like a battered wife.
The relationship has completely changed.
You can never trust the person again. You
will never feel the same way about the per-
son again. I have all those feelings of the
battered wife."
Dr. Cauchi said he could not bring
himself to go into work at his office on
Monday morning after the passage of the
bill on Friday because it would have been
like admitting nothing had changed and
nothing was any different.
"I will do everything in my power to
overthrow this bill," said Dr. Cauchi, who
plans to wait until after a meeting of the
council of the Ontario Medical Association
in Toronto tomorrow before deciding what
he will do personally- now that the ban on
extra -billing has become law.
Doctors have known from the beginning
this would be a long term thing, says Dr.
Cauchi. After 10 years in medical school,
doctors have the perserverance to stick
with their fight to oppose this law. "We've,
got the quality in us to stick with this. One
thing we're really 'good at is
perserverance."
Dr. Cauchi who is an opted out physi-
cian, said he would have preferred a com-
plete withdrawal from OHIP rather than a
doctors' strike. While it would have been
an inconvenience for patients to pay at the
time for their medical treatment and then
be reimbursed by OHIP, mass opting out
of OHIP by doctors would not have in-
terfered with patient care as the strike has
done.
Dr. Cauchi says he favours "botching
up" government bureaucracy rather than
withdrawing services to patients.
Dr. Cauchi has not withdrawn all his ser-
vices. He continues to provide essential
services for his patients. He has resigned
from hospital committees and there has
been no elective. surgery because both
local surgeons have withdrawn services.
Dr. Cauchi said this is a very emotional
issue for doctors.
"Our health system is too beautiful . a
thing to be destroyed."
Richard Ottewell, chairman of the Alex-
andra Marine and General Hospital.
Board, told board members at their June
meeting Monday night, the doctors' strike
has had no significent impact on the local
hospital as it has in the Toronto area,
where Ikospital emergency departments
have bee'. closed to all but "life-
threatening" emergencies.
On Monday doctors at five Metro
hospitals said they, would refuse to admit
new patients and immediately cancel all
theraputic abortions in addition to the in-
definite closure of emergency depart-
ments to all but life threatening
emergencies.
Turn to page 3 •
S1IrVe;::Will aetermine
demand for: day care
Before Goderich council will go any fur-
ther with a municipal day care centre in
town, it will survey the town and the sur-
rounding district for the demand for a day
care centre.
An advertisement appearing in this
week's Signal -Star asks interested people
to answer whether they require day care,
whether y p
g they'wl he willing to F nor
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diem rate from $15 to $25 and whether they
would support a full day, half day dr part-
time day care program.
'The survey, which should be sent to
Goderich's Administrator Larry McCabe
by July 11, also includes room for com-
ments by both people who require and peo-
ple who do not require day care.
The information collected from the
survey will be valid whether a day care
centre is set up by the municipality or by
an incorporated, non-profit group of
parents, said Coun. Stan Profit.
Though the parents have not yet decided
whether to pursue a private day care cen-
tre or not, spokesperson Linda Donald told
council that the parents' main worry is fin-
ding a facility for the interim period bet-
ween their eviction date on July 31 and the
time it takes to open a municipal day care
centre.
"We need a building or the employment
centre will, be overrun by ads for 80
babysitters," she said.
She added that the parents could not find
a suitable facility which is already .zoned
for a day care centre.
"If in the interim, we decide to remain
private, will the town take over the cen-
tre?" she asked.
Coun. Glen Carey suggested that the
parents decide whether or not they wanted
a private or municipal day care centre
since continuing with the process of -apen-
ing a municipal centre could be a threat to
an entrepreneur who would be interested
in a private centre.
. Mayor Eileen Palmer said the parents
may find a private, centre works so well,
they wouldn't want to turn it over to the
municipality.
If the parents decided on a private cen-
tre, the mayor said the town would help the
group with information about where to ap-
ply for government grants.
Canada Week
features fun
forte family
Goderich's Canada Week Celebrations
will feature fun -filled activities for the
whole family, June 26 - July 1.
The action gets underway June 26 to 28
with the Optimist's 7th Annual Music
Festival at Riverside Park. The festival
runs 6 p.m. - 1 a.m.-the first two days and
noon - 1 a.m. June 28.
The Good Brothers and a Saturday
Children's Section are two of this year's
features. Admission- $3.00 Thursday, -
$5.00 Friday and Saturday. Also on June 26
the Harness Racing Season Opens - Post -
Time 7:30 p.m., Agricultural park, 166
McDonald Street.
Saturday, June 28, th.e Maitland Country
Club has a tennis tournament planned.
Phone 524-9641 for details. In the evening
Goderich Legion Branch 109 has a dance
scheduled for 9 p.m. - 1 a.m., at the
Legion's Jubilee Room, 56 Kingston Street:
Sit back and relax. Let the Lions do the
cooking on Sunday, June 29 when their An-
nual Pancake Breakfast and Beef
Turn to page 2
Goderich gets
new rental unit
A 40 unit apartment building was ap-
proved for Goderich through the Housing
Ministry's Renterprise program, Mayor
Eileen Palmer told council at its June 23
meeting.
"Hopefully, it will be constructed this
summer and it should ease the rental pro-
blem in Goderich. It's a welcome piece of
news," she said.
Builders receive 15 year interest-free
loans on the condition that 40 'per cent of
the units be rent•'geared-to-income apart-
ments for "needy families." The amount
of the loan depends on the project costs
and interest rates on first mortgages. In
Goderich, builders will receive a loan of
$180,000.
1
Indoor swimming complex
is a priority at meeting
BY MIKE FERGUSON
An indoor swimming and sports complex
was uppermost in the majority of people's
minds at last Wednesday's Recreation
master plan meeting in Town Hall.
Goderich is preparing a master plan to
guide the town in the future development
and provision of recreation, parks and
cultural services.
Other issues brought forward to 'the
meeting were the lack of lighted ball
diamonds, programs for the disabled,
availability of college courses, better
horseshoe pitches and a BMX race track.
Recreation Board member and commit-
tee chairman Ron Bushell says the plan's
main purpose is "to explore what we have,
and what we need." He adds the study
"won't sit on the shelf. We will follow
through and implement it."
At the meeting in Town Hall, a presenta-
tion was given by John Stevenson, head of
the Toronto consulting firm hired" by the
town to conduct the plan. Stevenson
declared that public -input was "an essential
asset" to the study.
He outlined the study process involved to
eventually allow the town to make the
necessary decisions. There are three
phases: data collection, analysis, and
master plan development. Stevenson points
out within each phase both the public and
municipal representatives will act "as a
sounding board to provide input" to the con-
sulting team through meetings and written
submissions.
Stevenson says the master plan "will be
an action -oriented document," showing how
much ideas will cost, and that it will reflect
the public's needs and priorities in line with
availability of funding.
The initial data collection and public input
to the study has already begun, and will be
completed by the end of July. The analysis
of the data will occur over the summer with
alternatives presented the public in
September.
Public feedback of the draft plan will be
considered before the actual master plan is
prepared. The study will be completed later
this year, and the Recreation master plan
will be presented to Council for their ap-
proval, says Stevenson.
At last week's meeting, Stevenson divided
the over two dozen people who attended into
"issue groups" to talk together about what
they thought would be Goderich's recrea-
tional needs in the 80s and 90s. Each group
then presented their number one idea to the
meeting.
Nancy Fisher, a recent teacher's college
graduate, relayed her experience as an
employee with the Tourist Board for the
past two years. Many tourists asked her
where they could "drop off their kids," to
entertain them for a while.
Fisher suggested there wasn't a lot to do.
at night for those aged 13-18. Bushell agreed,
saying "we definitely need programs for
that age group."
One of the significant aspects of the pro-
ject is a telephone survey of 300 households
in the town and surrounding townships. The
consultants will be calling residents at ran-
dom between July 2 and 12, asking about
their leisure activity patterns, preferences
and priorities for the future. The interview
is designed to take 20 minutes to finish.
Stevenson says public participation is the
key to the success of the master plan.
"Everyone should get involved to shape
the future of recreation in your town," sug-
gests the Toronto consultant.
Industrial land
set for, fire. hall
Industrial land at the southeast corner of
Suncoast Drive and MacEwan Street has
been set aside by Goderich council for a
new fire hall. - •
Coun. Glen Carey explained to council at
its June 23 meeting that a sub -committee
of the fire • committee thought the two acre
parcel would be "a decent place to locate a
fire hall."
• "The response time to the fire hall will
be better at the new location than the ex-
isting hall because the core gets clogged
depending on the time of day. It's a little
more remote from the north- end of town
but it's closer to the major highways," he
said.
The sub -committee has, toured five fire
hails in, southwestern Ontrio .to view dif-
ferent construction designs.
Council also approved a motion to pro -
heed to acquire preliminary drawings and
cost estimates for a new fire hall for $2500
from the town's architect Don Synder.
SIG , _ - S t
Season's promise
The Blyth Festival's 12th season opened
Friday night with another sure fire hit.
Another Season's Promise is the poignant
story behind the increasing numbers of
"for sale" signs on area farms. The play
by Anne Chislett and Keith Roulston is a
powerful drama told with anger and com-
passion says Susan Hundertmark in her
review. See page 2A of today's community
section.
They're off
The harness racing season opens this
Thursday at the Goderich Raceway. One
of the new features at the racetrack this
season is the Goderich Raceway Horse -
Players Club. See details on today's sports
page in section A.
Exchange teacher
"Teachers work tremendously hard
here," says Marion Hockton of
Kingsheath, England who is principal at
St. Mary's Separate School in Goderich
while on a Canadian Leave Educational
Exchange program. Read about the
similarities in the educational systems in
Canada and England in our feature story
on today's community page section A.
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