Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-01-26, Page 1:ytia noh .Li t vary Box 2U2 Blyth , Ont o NOM 111* :len. 4 3 YOUNGSTERS CROWDED AROUND a display of street week, for a first-hand look at some of the drugs drugs following a talk by OPP Const. Eric Goss last drug paraphe'rnat a seized by police. Problem on the decline Street drugs introduced in talk to local youngsters A large group of local, organized by the Cub young people, and some of leaders. their parents too, got a first- They heard /about the hand look at some of the .. ear meesltypes_Otadrugs cir-. more common street- culatmg in the area, and drugs" last week and heard afterward got a chance to about what can happen if you ask some questions about use them — or get caught them. with them. Const. Goss, formerly a the pupils to become large Wingham Scouts, Cubs, member for a short time of and the person is itchy and Beavers, Guides, Brownies the RCMP narcotics squad in sweaty. and CGIT members all Toronto, started by ex- He told the youngsters that showed up for the talk by plaining that a drug is any- illegal drugs are a billion - Const. Eric Goss, public thing which can alter body dollar business, since police relations officer with the functions and we all use find it very hard to control Goderich OPP. The them, even if only aspirin. the trade. He said he didn't program, held at the He then introduced an know how many arrests Wingham Public School, was array of street drugs, were made Last year in ranging from the "soft" Huron County, but estimated drugs such as marijuana, there might have been more hashish and hash oil to the than 200. "hard" drugs: LSD, MDA, Asked about possible PCP, cocaine and "speed". legalization of marijuana, he Even the so-called soft drugs said it might be made lawful can have lasting effects, he to have a small amount for said, since the chemical your own use, though he does compound THC which they not approve of this. contain affects the _heart, He urged the youngsters to liver and brain. tell their parents or a police People take other risks officer if someone tries to when they use drugs; he persuade them to try drugs. added, since a conviction for He also warned against simple possession of sniffing glue, saying it is one marijuana can earn six of the most dangerous things months in jail, while the of all and children have died sentence for trafficking is up from it. to five years and smuggling Asked _.whether the drug carries a maximum sen- problem is getting worse, the tence of life. constable said use actually In response to questions, seems to be on the decline Const. Goss told the group now, as more people realize that habitual use of drugs it is hurting them and quit. can destroy the brain, Later Const. Goss said the agreeing that alcohol can be most prevalent drugs found and just as damaging. When one in this area are hash oil, mother inquired about the marijuana, speed and PCP. physical symptoms of drug Most of the drugs enter the use, ,he. , said Ilytarijuana.. •countijt irom.Landon,Barnia, ealas_es the-ptilnlS-bf-fhe-eye--Stratford--or--Windso eas, ._ to contract and has a he 'said, and police believe characteristic odor, while only a few people are eon - most other chemicals cause trolling most of the supply. He also said that the drug problem in Huron is not as great as the problem with alcohol. "If it ever reached that level we'd be in real trouble." He said drug use often starts in the schools, some- times with children as young as 10 years old., It is a more serious problem in the high schools, he said, although in quite a few schools Grade? and 8 students are involved. Men remanded out 'of custody Three Seaforth men facing charges of robbery with violence have been remanded out of custody pending a court appearance Feb. 25 at Goderich. The three, Michael McLaughlin and Robert Engel of Seaforth and Randy Buck of RR 4, Seaforth, were released from custody following a court appearance last Thursday. They are charged in connection with the robbery and beating of a Morris Township and an Auburn man following a break-in at the Blyth -area home of Helmut Sieber Jan. 14. Committee to consider fire chief's complaints Fire Chief Dave Crothers' threat to resign over the proposed formation of a new fire area board will be on the agenda for tonight's meeting of the rural fire com- mittee. in the meantime, however, neither side is saying too much about the matter. Members of Wingham council's fire committee met with the chief and some of the firemen last Wednesday, with Mayor William Harris missing a hospital board meeting in order to meet with the firemen. Following that meeting Councillor William Crump, chairman of the Wingham fire committee, said he had no comment to make, but suggested there probably would be a statement released following this week's meeting of the whole rural fire committee. Chief Crothers said he also had no statement to make at that time, but added his views "have not changed in the least", and promised a statement following tonight's meeting. He said his phone has been "ringing off the wall" since the story appeared last week regarding his opposition to a fire area board, adding, "There's nothing i said in there that wasn't the truth." A Under the proposal, which has been adopted in principle by the rural fire committee and some councils, ownership and administration of the fire department would be transferred from the Town of Wingham to a fire area board comprising the town and the townships of Turnberry, Morris, East Wawanosh and Howick. These townships already contribute 76 per cent of the capital and operating costs of the fire department, but so far have had only an advisory role in its operations, through the rural fire committee. The chief, pointing out that all the man- power on the fire department is drawn from the town, said he and the men want to keep it a town department. Comparing the proposed fire board to a form of regional government, he said it would sharply in- crease operating costs since the men would went to be better paid for their time and efforts. Doug Fortune, chairman of the rural fire committee, said he doesn't see why a board should make any difference to the operation of the fire department, since the existing structure would be virtually unchanged except .that the chief would report to the board instead of the town council. WITH ew outpatient a • prove! f health ing .waits Wistar It -probably will be at least a month before the Wingham and District Hospital gets the final word on the fate .of its proposed new Outpatient wing. Although the project has cleared the lower echelons of the Health Ministry, a spokesman in the minister's office said it is "still in the process of review", and it is likely to be several weeks before it reaches the minister's desk. In response to a question from board member Ken Innes, Executive Director Norman Hayes told the hospital board last week that the project has received full approval at the various advisory levels and has gone to Health Minister Larry Grossman • for a final decision. °It's up to Mr. Grossman now.,' He said he had hoped for a call last week about the project, but later explained he had been assured only that a decision would be made "soon". The board has been waiting since last spring for ' a ministry verdict on the expansion, which would add a wing for outpatient and 1 emergency departments at the south end of the hospital. Originally a two-storey addition was planned, but this was later scaled down to one storey in a bid to make the proposal more attractive to the ministry. The cost of the project has been estimated at $1.4 million, of which the hospital would raise the bulk locally. The ministry contribution Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 1983 Business assoc. votes down return of parking metre heads A motion to ask town council to leave the heads off parking metres in Wing - ham's downtown area. pass- ed narrowly at last Thurs- day evening's meeting of the Wingham Business Associ- ation. This decision contradicts to a recent su vey of downtown Merchants con- ducted by WinghamPolice Chief Robert: Wittig.Of the 78 businesses polled by the chief, 43 were in favor of having the metre heads re- installed and were against. Nine businesses did not vote and therewas no reply at five.; ,At.the ►?3 a ng, ,tu4)i. -tole , _ • ea off on r an 21 e passed by a 9-8 vote, but not until after a motion to return the heads had been defeated. Gord Walter,. led off the discussion by proposing that the metre heads be returned to the posts, provided the same one -cent rate apply and the price not be in- creased to five or 10 cents like in many neighboring towns. Mr. Walter said he was in favor of having the metre heads removed when the association first requested that council remove them on a trial basis last June. But since then, he said, he has found the free parking in the downtown has been abused by some people. Nelson Frank said you always find some people who are going to abuse things. Having the metre heads removed permanently could work if a two-hour limit were enforced by the police, he added. But since council did not erect any two-hour limit signs, the police were powerless to enforce the limit. Having the metre heads off has resulted in fewer, parking spaces in the . never heard of anyone who o"•••downt tiyha .:...,-said Berthae oaalcl nat.cxtrtie .to: . Miller; -ship-some-people- shop pit -because tlheyiradab put five or 10 cents into a metre. The debate continued, with those in favor of removing the metre heads arguing that customers appreciate not having to pay for parking. On the other hand, those who disagreed said metres were installed in the first place to keep the traffic moving. Archie Hill, one store - owner in favor of returning the metre heads, said people tend to use up more parking area than just one space without the metres because there is nothing there to identify the parking area. if there were no metre posts. He reported it costs the town approximately $2,240 extra each year to remove snow around the metres. All in all, said Mr. Middleton, the metres probably bring the town around $1,300 in actual revenue each year, after all the deductions are off. But, he said he still favors leaving the metre heads off. Purchasing new metres; would cost the town ap- proximately $15,000 and council might decide that money could be put to better use elsewhere. Mrs. Miller said she had HEADS TIMMY RUN—Charlie Farquharson, that outspoken farmer from Parry Sound, shared some of his interesting views on politics, world affairs and sports at a promotional dinner meeting held to kick off this year's Timmy Snowarama for crippled children. The run was scheduled for this weekend originally, but the lack of fresh snow for trails has forced organizers to put it off until Feb. 27. would enforce it if council decided to leave the heads off. "They (council) create the bylaws and we enforce them," he said. The matter will be brought before town council at its February meeting, he said. "All the information will go before council and they will decide what's best for the business community and for the town." Finally, Chairman Jim Snyder ended discussion at the meeting and called for a vote on the motion. It ended up 10-9 against the original motion of returning the heads to the metres. oto a eteeTb t -Mr sFaltec-maEle a aecJna pr poso a , stating he would be in favor of leasing the heads off the metres, provided a two-hour parking limit was properly enforced. That motion was carried nine to eight. In other business, the association decided to donate $200 to Mark and Curtis Moore, two Wingham brothers who will be com- peting for national titles at the Canadian Figure Skating Championships in Montreal next month. Ernestine Kenyon, one of the organizers of the Frosty - fest celebration scheduled for Feb. 17, 18 and 19 attend- ed the meeting to ask the business people for their cooperation in sponsoring a young boy or girl in the prince and princess compe- tition to be held the evening of Feb. 17. leave their vehicles parked in one spot all day. Other towns have metres on side streets and lots in addition to their main streets, she ad- ded. Bob Middleton said he checked with Wingham Clerk -Treasurer Byron Adams last summer about the actual revenue derived from the metres each year. There are 103 metres on the main street and Mr. Adams estimated a total yearly revenue of $5,300. After general maintenance costs of $1,200 and $628 in collection fees have been deducted, there is ap- When contacted later, proximately $3,500 left. Chief Wittig agreed some Mr. Middleton also con- people have been abusing ferred with Jack VanCamp, parking privileges and town works foreman; who wasting space. As far as estimated it would cut the enforcing a two-hour limit, cost of snow removal in half the chief said his department Hospital' s investments are not in any danger Trust companies may come and go, but the Wingham and District Hospital's investments are as safe as — well, at least as safe as the Government of Canada, members of the hospital board were assured last week. In response to a question from one board member, Treasurer Gordon Baxter told the board that while he looks for a good rate of return, he also chooses very safe vehicles of investment for the hospital funds. The last time, he said, the money -was invested in Government of Canada treasury bills, which are about as safe as you can get short of buying and stock- piling gold. He said the hospital stopped dealing with trust companies after the collapse of Re Mor Investments and Astra Trust a couple of years ago, and generally has bought term certificates through one of the local banks. As a consequence, unlike a number of municipalities, the Wingham hospital does not have any money tied up in any of the three trust companies seized recently by the Ontario government. Dr. Don Jolly raised the question about the safety of the hospital's investments, commenting that, "we're not dealing with any terrible trust companies, but maybe we're dealing with some terrible banks." Dr. Walter Wong echoed his concern saying that with the unpredictable state of the world economy, and in particular the Canadian._ economy, it might be better to spread the investments among a number of banks. Mr. Baxter said the hospital does invite bids from a number of banks, then goes with the best offer. It gets a better rate by in- vesting the full amount rather than parceling it out, he explained. Executive Director Nor- man Hayes agreed there might be some risk if the bank were to fail, but if that happened there would be a world-wide collapse af- fecting not just Canadian banks. "There really isn't any way we can be any safer. That's why we stopped dealing with trust com- panies, even though most of them are stable." Mr. Baxter said the hospital has investments totaling about $500,000, in- cluding its endowment and capital funds and surplus operating cash. The money flows in and out, depending on cash flows from the Ministry of Health. While that sounds big, it's not really a lot of money when ybu consider that a new X-ray anachine can cost. $300,000 to $400,000, he pointed out. The hospital also plans to take money from its own funds to help pay for the proposed new outpatient wing, provided that project receives Health Ministry has been held to just $250,000, less than • 20 per cent of the total. In other business at the meeting, the board heard that the hospital still expects to end its fiscal year with a surplus in excess of $100,000. Though a -portion of this has been set aside to cover an anticipated salary adjust- ment for staff for the last quarter of 1982, the hospital expects to recover that from the ministry, Finance Chairman Robert Pike reported. Mr. Hayes explained the hospital still is waiting to hear how the salary guide- lines will be imposed. "We don't know yet if we're following (the CUPE set- tlement at) nine and five, or if we're just in for one year at five per cent. We haven't been told yet." He said staff members are still being paid according to last year's rate and likely will get their back pay in a tfrip sum when the new rates are approved. The board also heard a reporton the reasons why a breastfeeding clinic held at the hospital has been can- celled. Reporting for the medical staff, Dr. Don Jolly said the clinic run by volunteer Joanne Kirkland no longer is being sponsored by the hospital and will not be allowed to hold its meetings there. Instead, the hospital plans to provide new mothers with information on breastfeeding, including the names of breastfeeding groups in the area: _. The obstetrical staff has been instructed to bring babies to breastfeeding mothers as often as possible and to assist them as much as possible. He said this action should not be seen as opposing breastfeeding, since the scientific evidence is such that the physicians as a group agree it is the best thing for a baby and they However holding the clinics at the hospital had led to an "unfortunate situation", with the medical staff caught in the middle trying to referee arguments between the staff nurses and outside groups. While the action might seem harsh, he said, the doctors concluded that for the time being this is the way to go. Dr. Jolly also reported on a new wart clinic being set up to treat warts painlessly using liquid nitrogen. Asked whether there has been an epidemic of warts in the area, he said no; this is just a new way of treating them. In response to a question, he explained the hospital policy on access to patient charts. Only the hospital and the physician have the right of access to the charts, he said, and the patien(iloesn't have the right to review his chart unless both hospital and doctor agree. While a patient does have the right to the information contained in the chart, he does not have a right to the actual chart, he explained. "It's a subtle legal point." Even another doctor has access to the chart only under specific, clearly- defined circumstances, he said, such as a life -or -death emergency. He said the matter came up recently when an overly - curious patient grabbed his chart from a nurse to see what was on it. if it happens again, he reported, nurses are in- structed to call hospital security to "nab the chart - approval. grabber". Firemen respond to three alarms Last week's' cold snap gave rise to several fires, with Wingham firemen called out to douse the blazes In every case the flames were controlled, with damage kept to a minimum. Firemen were called out at 2:30 a.m. Sunday to the home of Arthur Fischer on Con. 10, Turnberry Township. to fight a fire caused by an overheated pipe from a woodburning stove. Fire Chief Dave Crothers reported the fire had gotten into the wall of the house and could have been serious in not discovered in time. Damage was estimated at $300. Last.. Wednesday firemen were called out to douse a chimney fire at the home of G. R. Jaretzke, RR 5. Wingham. Damage there was estimated at $100. Earlier the same day they had responded to an alarm at the home of Brian Elmslie in Wingham, where a furnace malfunction had sent smoke through the house. No damage was reported.