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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1981-06-24, Page 1Ancil Wingham and District Hospital ended its fiscal year showing a de#icft of nearly 2,000. However thi'S is not.gatuse far a1a>rir, since the liability is linkedto(pending wage settlements with two 001,Ips of hospital. workers, and almost certainly Witlibe,picked up by the health ministry, hospital board members were told last week. Gordon Baxter, board treasurer, exa' pleined the deficit of $81..,664 shown forthe financial year 49$04 *a "guesstimate" of what the hospital will have to pay service and nursing emploYees retroactively once union wage settlements are reached. While the Wingham hospital is non-union, traditionally its wages have followed .the settlements obtained by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CTJPE) and the On- tario Nurses' Association (ONA). LUPE recently agreed to a two-year contract covering Oct. 1980 -Sept. 1982, but ONA has not yet settled. "It appears we're in the red. Maybe we aren't," Mr. Baxter told the board, but he noted "we had to show something" to reflect the liability in wages. Norman Hayes, hospital administrator, .added that t `t l try :pl ohab1y will pick up thedeficit through supplementary `+f undinng, Particularly sin, : the -tettlemlent reached between CUPS and . the. Ontario H.oapitalociatian . (O ). seems 'pretty .much inline. ; �.• It looks/like a reasonable figure and he is pretty sure the ministry will fund it 100 per cent, he said. He also pointed out the deficit is a "book figure" and :doesn't represent money the hospital bate s spent, snce the Wage increases have not n paidyet. Earlier this year the hospital board ap- proved•an interim pay increase of nine per cent for service and nursing employees, but this took effect April 14 and doesn't cover the period between then and the expiration, of the previous contract last October, Mr. Baxter explained: Thisis the first year the hospital has faced this particular dilemma at the end of a year, he said, adding that most hospitals.; in the province are, in similar straits. Without the wage liability the hospital would have shown a small surplus far 1980- 81, he reported. Inl pt�hh di Newton,;. t noted the'patiel slight Hilse' he had antic is increase the oent hospiita!! overcrowded White the, occupanc,rdll over der «cent, is:.in guidelines,,; 80 . hospital With 6:1 80 per cent ocean; beds," he pointed; He said heti health mini be• l000ke at in-rs Ale . stitut on, hut 'selek wi Viten a small hospital: s Priinl rate of occupancy, it'<lle vets :Blit e. case, of an emergency�i.eh as a se' way accident,., he noted' Ater. Mr. Hayes alsa told the )tont there were fewer admlissions ani last :year," "the people we saw. and stayed longer." Day surge t ending war tient services increased as well. EXPENSE POLICIES r'• REVIEWED • The board spent considerable time at the )neeting discussing aspects of its policies on payment of mileage costs and other ex- '$;penses, but in the end little was resolved. The board did agree that chairmen of the 4arious medical staff committees or their ssignates should be reimbursed for , ileage costs when acting on behalf of .the Vital Previously only the chief of staff was paid expenses plus loss of income. when ti.acting for the hospital, since he is appointed the board. .The matter was raised by Dr. J. C. cKim, a medical staff representative on he board, who reported he had been refused mileage costs for travelling to London' to range an educational program for the edicat staff and nurses. r+: Dr. Al Williams, chairman of the finance 4$• committee, objected to paying the driving expense, saying that such expenses for con- ,finuing education are deductible and can be Claimed by the doctors on their income .taxes. When Drs. McKim and Jolly said that is. not so, Dr. Williams suggested a feeCOO be charged to persons attending the:edu atintarl- al programs to recover expenses, However it wast, objected that this would discourage people attending Raye Elmslie raised the mat of payment of expenses for hospital adminis- tration- and board members atteagrog conventions, suggesting this '-sla<olild be cleared with the board before the fact. She asked who had approved the eent trip to Winnipeg for the. Canadintn Hospital . ASsociation convention by Board Clihirina'n Jack Kopas; Mr. Hayes and lair. Baxter: Sloe said the matter was never brought to the board, and in fact most board .members were not aware they had gone. Mr. Kopas explained the board chairman and top administrators traditionally have attended this convention. held annually at different locations in Canada; other heard members are invited to attend the Ontario Hospital Association convention held in . Toronto. Mrs. Elmslie proposed that any trip of this type costing more than $750 per person should he rdlu approval. policy rou irk+ it �i staff mem sawayone( on short not) Mrs. Elmslie later x far raising, the Witter is board lac adtequate cos account spending, itliw nobmalmaedmmbst rwi e.t rw, e wording ofapolio/ wInththeeyndwt he finance conunittn. t mendations 11 Near the end pf ha en member Frank- concern that the displla reported and lead to i d publsc>i yy hospital. "Couldn't we have !One:' secret?'liieinquiredl �� Dr. McKim respon ed` that was .unfounded, point4 . out t b elected to look after 40hos and there nothing wrung wi knowing it is doing its job. erned parents qu AWARD WINNERS at Wingham honored during the Grade 8 banquet Monday night are Stephanie Gaunt, Shawna Thomson, Mitchell Braun and Judy Lancaster. Stephanie and Shawna are co -winners of the Marion. Inglis Medal for scoring the Public School highest marks in Grade 8; Mitchell won the Wingham Lions Club award for general proficiency and Judy won the Jim Ward Shield as most improved student in Grade 8. By,iliitia Oke DUBL ,� :Only 16 per- sons turn s j . at the special meeting 'h the Huron- Perth setae *school board to enable . 280- concerned parents . from the Dublin school area to ask questions ahout their education system . This followed • a special Meeting ane 3, , !tended by a delegate ; protesting the board decisi'nn to relocate 20 teachers, particularly the One rnernber added to board meeting at hos a . annual years from one, With six of meeting, and about 60 people Turnberry, Isobel Garniss the 12 elected seats coming attended the meeting last for Morris, Bill Newton for open each year. Thursday to take part in the Howick, Mrs. Gaunt for Ash - Previously only the Wing- discussion and voting. All the field and W.est Wawanosh ham representatives served changes were approved and the two 'Wingham rep - for two-year terms, with two easily; with little opposition. resentatives were elected for of the four seats coming up Initially the proposal for two -yeah terms. for election each year.: realignment of the hospital Mr. Innes for Brussels, The other change requires board representation called Mervin . McIntyre for Tees - that nominations from the for reducing the number of water -Culross, Isobel floor for a board metiber elected members to' seven Garniss for Blyth -East Wa- can come only from persons and regrouping the muni- wanosh and Frank Mac - residing in the area the cipalities so that each Kenzie for Lucknow-Kinloss nominee would represent. member would represent ,were elected for one-year ' This amends the previous about 14 per cent of the terms; next year the. election --policy, which allowed any- people using the hospital. to these seats will be for a ohe at the meeting to It quickly became clear two-year term. nominate from the floor, there was little support for • In other business at the whether or not he or she this proposal, and Dr. J. C. meeting Mr. Kopas, board lived in that municipality. McKim, a medical staff rep- chaieman for the past year, Members of the Turnberry resentative on the board, recalled the history of the Township Council had ob- proposed adding a member hospital and spoke of the jected it was unfair that for Ashfield and West Wawa- need to keep hospitals tender someone from outside the nosh to even things up there community control anis out municipality could nominate and leaving the rest of the of the grips of the provincial someone to run against the board thesame. government; He noted a council's nominee, thus He also proposed in- recent trend toward govern - going against the will of the creasing the term of office to ment intervention in the township. two years, with staggered re- operation • of hospitals, Notice of motion for both elections. saying this must be bylaw amendments had been Following some discus- monitored closely and people given at last year's annual sion, both proposals were should be prepared to take a adopted unanimously. stand. The election of board Norman Hayes, in his members which followed executive director's report, produced few changes to the said the hospital must este- existing board. Rev. Ken bush and maintain a con - Innes was named by tinuing dialogue with the Brussels 'to take the place of public, adding the board will Lloyd Mayer and Mrs. Gaunt be approaching the public Prior to that 'lie had led was nominated by West for input into its long range police in a chase around the Wawanosh as their new planning process. countryside, during which member. Each was. ac- He reported the response the Chesley and Hanover claimed to the position. to the mail -out campaign for police and provincial police All other members also funds has been very good, from Mount Forest were,/retained their seats by ac- and said people are starting called in to assist Walkerton clamation, with the ex- to get the message that OPP. Speeds were given as ception of Wingham, where a government funding does not up to 110 km -h (70 mph). vote was required among cover all of a hospital's three nominees to two seats. costs. Hospitals Must rely in - The damaged police incumbents Jack Kopas and creasingly on public done - cruiser belongs to the Raye Elmslie held onto their tions if they are to expand Walkerton OPP. No injuries seats; Rev. John Swan was and improve their services. were reported in the ac- the defeated candidate. He spoke of another, cident. Hans Kuyvenhoven for larger building • program The Wingham and District Hospital board was enlarged. by one member and the qualifications for nomi- nating members to the board adjusted slightly during the amnia] meeting of the hos- pital association last week. The village of Lucknow and the townships of West Wawanosh, Kinloss and Ash- field, which last year were represented by one member on the board, this year have been given two representa- tives. Otherwise the com- position of the board remains 'the same. . Frank MacKenzie, the in- cumbent, will continue to represent Lucknow and Kinloss, while Annie Gaunt will sit on the board for West Wawanosh and Ashfield. This brings the total number of members on the board to 18, of whom 12 are elet•ted and six appointed. Another change included in the bylaw amendment increases the terms for elected members to two Wroxeter youth charged in chase A nineteen -year-old Wroxeter -area youth has been charged with three counts of auto theft as well as impaired and dangerous driving following a chase resulting ' in an accident ,early Sunday morning. Vaughn Kerwin was charged after the stolen pickup truck he was driving collided with a police cruiser, causing more than $2,000 damage, shortly after 1 a.m. June 21. several years down the road and said he hopes the dollars keep coming, noting he doesn't feel the hospital can wait the five to 10 -years required for capital funding from the ministry. Those at the meeting also heard or were given the opportunity to reds brief reports from the other com- mittees of the hospital board, summarizing their activities during the past year. 4 P® closed - Dominion Day There will be no counter service or rural delivery at the Wingham Post Office on Dominion Day, July 1. The lock box lobby will be open as usual. There will be no collection of mail from the street letter boxes and no receipt or dispatch of mail from the post office. Earlier deadlines next issue Deadlines for next week's issue of The Advance -Times will be moved ahead due to the July t holiday. Final deadlines for display advertising copy will be noon on Friday of this week, June 26. Deadlines for classified ads will be Friday at 5 p.m. We will not he able to accept news stories later than Monday at noon. All material for the Crossroads section must be in our office by Thursday morning. policies on trgn.s transfer of some popular teachers, to differentschools across • the system. These transf ers are te ref f eel, jve when. the new school term starts in September. • The delegate's . at that meeting appeared satisfied with the explanation that each teacher was trans; ferred only a short distance when the board was faced with having too 'many teachers in Huron County and too few in Perth schools, a situation requiring some • juggling. However Board Chairman Ronald Murray ''assured them as the meeting closed that if they wanted a public meeting he.would call one. Alice Louwagie of Mitchell led ,off the questioning by asking',the board's policy on hiring non-Catholic teachers. She noted that the Waterloo separate school board hires only Catholic teachers. She was told by Mr. Murray that there are .16 non-Catholic teachers in the .system. with the last one hired about four years ago. He said an attempt always was made to fill the vacant position with a Catholic teacher where possible. Mrs. Louwagie ' asked whether someone attending a regular meeting of the board would be permitted t� ask questions. She was told by Mr. Murray there is no question period as it would disrupt the meeting. Only Sylvia Ellen Beard, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Beard, Wingham, graduated from Conestoga College, Doon Campus, Kitchener, on Saturday, June 13, in the Optometrical Secretary course. She is employed with Dr. • P. D. Hamilton of Hamilton. delegations with permission to speak on a specific subject are given the opportunibty, to address the.board .during, meet]aigs Mr. Murray advised that the route to go for in- formation on an education problem is to ask..the prin- cipal of the school, or the trustee for the area, prizing it to the board as a final resort. Louis (Biff) Looby asked Mr. Murray why, "with the two best teachers we have had, you ,let them go?" Mr. Looby asked why Mr. Murray did not vote on the transfer and was told that as chairman he does not vote, but has on occasion stepped out of the chair to vote. ' Mr. Looby attacked the chairman • ( who repents McKillop . Township, with many Dublin -area students) repeatedly for not voting when the transfers affected ';your district". Shouting matches broke out each time. • Mr. Looby asked, "Why did they not move. someone else? I'd keep the two best teachers," and Mr. Murray told Mr. Looby, "You don't tell me what I want!" Mr. Looby declared several times, "This board is known as a "family com- pact". i He has not been available since the meeting to explain what he meant by the statement. ) Mr. Murray pointed out that on the average each teacher is moved every six or seven years in the system. He was asked why the non- ('atholic teachers are not moved first and he replied that, "We treat every teacher as fair as we can; they are treated the same." William Eckert, director of education, explained how transfers, were decided at Dublin. Four. teachers were interviewed and asked .if any None wanted 'to go, kaand so the two who had been at Dublin the longest were moved. Mr. Looby criticized the Dublin moves being made the last night before the deadline, but was told the trustees knew the Thursday before the Monday ,night • session. Wilha V'alndeaberk of Dub- • traatb�pay weeks ahead of time. If we had been prepared , it would rd not have been so haon us. The chairman replied, "That would be dynamite. You couldn't do it. Half the people .want 'this one' and Continued On Page 2 • JENNIFER WILLIS won the Karen Clark Award for general proficiency in Grade 5 at the Wingham Public School this year. The award is given for academic achievement, participation in extra -curricular ac- tivities and contribution to classroom life. The pres- entation was made by Principal John Mann during an assembly June 19., Delivery arrangements 1 during a postal strike L Papers will be delivered by our own vehicles to the smaller area post offices which are not affected by the strike. Should the Walkerton post office closed, The Advance -Times will available at The Herald -Times office , There is no way. however, (hat papers which go farther afield, such as Toronto. Kit►ener, London and other destinations. which must be forwarded by union postal workers, can be delivered until after the strike is over. he he With'the possibility of a strike by postal workers. The Advance -Times has made arrangements to serve as many sub- scribers as possible without interruption. Since the Wingham post office would be closed. Wingham subscribers would be ;Asked to pick up their papers at The Advance -Times office, 192 Josephine Street The usual service will be offered by our regular newsstand dealtiers. Subscribers on Wingham rural routes well receive their papers as usual - Y• =1