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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-12-13, Page 8Of OWN + ADVA I TIR1146 �hns defends Tory plan (Ed. Note: The following is an in- terview that first appeared in the Exeter Times Advocate with Huron MPP Helen Johns regarding the economic statement delivered on November 29.) to be running our conservation au- thority so I think we'll see funding from another way. T -A: Concerning schools, then... Helen: There's some really good news in the budget about Huron County schools...I was just at a meeting and Paul Carroll was there and one of the things it says in the budget is that there's going to be a more equitable distribution through- out the province of Ontario. ...There's a certain amount of money that the province pays and then there's a certain amount of tax that's collected and it goes toward the education of the student. Because we are geographically so dispersed, our level for our chil- dren is substantially less per child per day at school than it is, for ex- ample, in Toronto. So the Toronto child has much more money thrown at them to go to school and that's why you see probably better computers. You see...more trips. You see a lot of things that they can do that we can't afford to do. It has always been the contention of us in rural Ontario that that mon- ey should be more economically di- vided...The businesses that have their offices in Toronto, they don't get the revenue just from the Toron- to people. They get it from niral Ontario too and so we have said in this budget that we will certainly make sure that there's a more equitable way of funding throughout Ontario and anr equitable way of funding will help Huron County. So it's a really good news item. It will probably take us a while to get that in. It's a very good news item for Huron County and equity fund- ing is going to help us out a lot. So there's good things and there's bad things with the school You know, it's changed. We're asking them to...once again cut their administration and it will be diffi- cult for them because they run a pared down ship. But on the other side we'll also be looking at this equity funding which will help every parent who has a child in the school system to get a more balanced dollar value. Even if we don't go up to the level that Toronto has, any change will be a change in the right direction. T -A: Now, with the school boards, these changes will be hap- pening quickly, won't they?...The reductions? Helen: Some will be starting fair- ly quickly... T -A: So, with hospitals... Helen: What's happened is there's been...cuts to hospitals and I think it's important for the people to understand that in the last num- ber of years we've closed a number of hospitals beds but we've never closed a building... What's happened is that we've spent more and more money on long term care...The people who have home care and have VON nurses come into their communi- ty...those dollars keep increasing. They've increased by about 13 per cent in the county of last year and the year before and as we've used alternatives to hospital beds, we have never reduced the fund- ing. We have reduced it but not as T -A: Starting with...local munici- palities, how will this mini budget affect them? Helen: Well, the municipalities were cut by approximately two per cent. I was in Goderich today (Dec. 1) and the ratio was four per cent actually, of their total gross reve- nue... Most of the municipalities have known for a long time we were moving towards this and have start- ed to plan for it and so they're in fairly good shape. I expect none of them to be raising taxes, for an ex- ample, which would be maybe the way they would have to go if they hadn't planned bn this before. One of the things that I think you'll see is...some of the munici- palities and townships merging to- gether, amalgamating to be able -to find some efficiencies in a I"arger economy of scale. So that will happen, there's no q'iestidn about that and we've seen the starts of that in your paper last week where Exeter and Stephen were talking about it. You're also seeing the same in other communities, towns and townships around. So, we probably will have bigger spheres of govern- ment but it will still be local to try and minimize the costs and the ad- ministration associated with munic- ipalities. The taxpayer is paying way too much money in government and they can't afford to pay that kind of money they've been paying. T -A: So, these amalgamations you're talking about, do you think they'll happen quickly? Helen: I think there'll be some incentive to do them fairly quickly because, just the ability to use one another's capitol assets...and to get the maximum use out of those things will make towns and sur- rounding communities decide that it may be more economical for them to be together. There has to be advantage and they have to look at them...With the cuts that we've made, it's four per cent of their gross revenue but it's pretty much 50 per cent of what the province gives them so I don't want to minimize either, how much. ...You have to understand both sides of that coin...It's a pretty sub- stantial dollar from the standpoint of the municipalities so they have to do something. T -A: With the Ausable Bayfield Conservation (Authority)... Helen: When conservation areas were set up, they had a very limited mandate and the mandate was that ...any of the areas that revolved around water were to be taken care of by the conservation authorities. Ours being as good as it is, has blossomed out over the years and it's done a number of different things. Some services were dupli- cated. For example, the planting of trees was done by the Ausable Bay- field and it was also done by the Ministry of Natural Resources. ...It was just a very...thoughtful thinking association that kept ex- panding what it could do for the community. Across Ontario, some are as good as Ausable Bayfield and some are not 'as good as our Ausable Bayfield and a lot of them had a lot of administration and not much work in the community... As a result of that they looked at the conservation areas as a total and said, 'Hey, there's lots of things that aren't working well in the conservation authority and we're going to pull you back to your original mandate.' And so we pulled them back to the original mandate. Now, for people in the southern part of the county...it's probably not a good day from the standpoint of the conservation au- thorities because they did a lot of good thin,., for us. They did the curb program which is...keeping the...sides of the walls on the beaches from collaps- ing. They did a lot of good things but overall it was looked at and it was felt that the money wasn't eco- nomically being spent. Unfortu- nately, in our case, it was a really good program and that's one of, I think the things that I'm...least hap- py about in the budget. But I think what will happen is as we watch to see who takes over... and how the private sector can come in, Ausable Bayfield will well survive...Tom Prout's a mag- nificent manager and a great person substantially as we've reduced the usage in the h spital And so b ical we're saying that we need to reallocate money within there to be able to have long term care because people want it. They want to be in their communi- ty. They don't want to be in the hospital if they can help it. They want to be at home. And we need to take some of that money from the hospitals and put it into long term care. We also need to take some of the money from the hospitals because there'll 'be a number of restructur- ing deals going on throughout all of Ontario and some of them require capital cost. As the community decides through their district health council how they want their community to look and what they want from their hospitals, the province may need money to be able to do what they want to have done...We have to have money for that...more plan- ning for that in the future... ...There's going to have to be some real change about what kind of services the hospital delivers, how many services and how they can best do that... We have five administrators for 250 beds in Huron County and we Ave to look if that's the way to go to, if we need that kind of adminis- tration, if we need, you know, five different payrolls, if we need five service food programs. So there's lots of ways that the hospitals can look at making these changes within the dollars they have to make and still providing front-line service to all of us as, we need it: You know, as you go into the emergency room and want to take your kids in there, there should be people there but there maybe shouldn't be five administrations. T -A: Do you know how quickly those changes will be taking place? Helen: They're over the next three years. That's one of the things the hospitals wanted to have. They wanted to have the ability to know where we were taking therm over the next three years so they could plan more effectively what was happening. And this is the first time govern- ment has ever done that...The '96- '97 year - 5 per cent, 6 per cent and 7 per cent.... If you take all of the revenue they get, it's 4, 5 and 6 per cent. T -A: With the mini budget, it's focused on those four major are- as. Are there any smaller organi- zations or groups that are being affected by the budget that may- be have not been talked about that are local that should be men- tioned? Helen: There are a few of them. One of the groups of people who are being hit in some ways are the people who use the OTB - Ontario Drug Benefit Plan. What has hap- pened with the Ontario Drug Bene- fit Plan is you have seniors using it and you have people on welfare us- ing it. And we have asked them to make a co -payment every time they get a prescription filled. And so for people under a certain income, which is $16,000 if you're single, or $24,000 if you're a mar - Please see JOHNS/9 Christmas Shopping • for your hunter? Westerri Friday, Dec. 1$ - Brussels Bulls at, Wingham Iroanne' ,.8:3(1 p.m I,oc s ridge Memorial Arena,, WingXtam. . • Sunday, Dec. 17 Walkerton Blaekhawks at Wingham Ironmen, 2 lu tui." Lockrid.ge Memorial Arena, Wingham. Sunday, Dec. 17 - Wiarton Wolves at Brussels Bulls, 2 p.m. Brussels^ Morris -Grey Community Centre, Brussels. _ t NOTI: EF$RRIA THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSBIP OF Tj.IIINBERRY TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Turnberry proposes to pass a by-law pursuant to the provisions of The Municipal Act, R.S.O., 1990 Chapter M 45, Section 297, and amendments thereto, for stopping up and closing and selling a portion of a laneway between Lots 330 and 331, through to Lots 326 and 335, Plan 410, Township of Turnberry, County of Huron, more particularly described on Schedule "A" attached. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that the Council shall hear any person who claims that this land will be prejudicially affected by the by -taw and who , applies to be heard at the regular meeting of Council. AND FURTHER TAKE NOTICE that the proposed by-law may be examined by all persons interested at the office of the Clerk of the Corporation of the Township of Turnberry during business hours, at any time, before the same is finally passed. DATED this 21st day of November, A.D., 1995. THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TURNBERRY PER "B.W. McBurney -Reeve "Dorothy Keely" -Clerk WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO BIND THE CORPORATION. CRAWFORD, MILL & DAVIES, BARRISTERS AND SOLICITORS WINGHAM, Ontario NOG 2W0 PER"Ross E. Davies" ROSS E. DAVIES SOLICITORS FOR THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF TURNBERRY SCHEDULE "A" All and'Singular that certain parcel or tract of lands and premises situate, lying and being in the Town of Wingham, County of Huron and being composed of a Lane, Plan 410, Lying to the East of Lots 326-330, inclusive, and lying to the West of Lots 331-335, inclusive, Plan 410, more particularly described as follows: COMMENCING: at the Northeast angle of Lot 330, Plan 410; THENCE: Easterly, along the extension of the North limit of said Lot 330, to the Northwest angle of Lot 331, Plan 410; THENCE: Southerly, along the Westerly limit of Lots 331, 332, 333, 334 and 335, Plan 410 to the Southwest angle of said -Lot 335; THENCE: Westerly, along the extension of the South limit of said Lot 335 to the Southeast angle of Lot 326, Plan 410; THENCE: Northerly, along the Easterly limit of Lots 326, 327, 328, 329 and 330 to the point of commencement. 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