HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-01-05, Page 1Grant of $33,540
Home care to use
The new Family Care Agency
of Huron County, operating on a
Canada Works grant of $33,540,
came into effect January 2, 1978.
Offices are located in Wingham
in co-operation with the Ministry
of Social Services.
John McKinnon, director of
social services for Huron County,
told county council Thursday in
Goderich that between 40 and 70
certified homemakers and others
are signed up with the agency to
provide service on a fee basis to
private individuals and agencies
in Huron.
McKinnon explained -'-tat
Home Care with offices in
Seaforth will be a major user of
the new agency. When
homemakers are required by the
Home Care co-ordinator, Mrs.
Betty Cardno, she will call the
Family Care Agency in
Wingham, where it is expected
homemakers, household cleaners
and companions will be available
immediately for service
anywhere in the county.
Home Care is a provincially
funded service paid for through
Ontario Hospital Insurance
(OHIP). This occurs when a
patient under the doctor's care in
hospital leaves hospital early and
goes home under continued
medical surveillance there.
Always, Home Care includes the
services of a visiting nurse or a
physiotherapist or both, and
occasionally a homemaker and
companion.
It was clearly pointed out at
Thursday's council meeting that
to qualify for Home Care which is
funded 100 per cent by OHIP, one
must be under a doctor's care, be
in hospital and require continued
medical assistance at home after
leaving hospital early.
The Home Care program,
McKinnon said, is designed to
40-70 homemakers
new agency
alleviate the overcrowding in
hospitals.
The Family Care Agency will
also provide homemakers for the
Social Services Committee
should one be required, and for
private individuals. When
homemakers are required by the
social services committee for
persons in need, the cost is
subsidized up to 80 percent by the
Ministry of Social Services.
Individuals, McKinnon pointed
out, will pay for the service from
their own pockets.
Rates for the homemakers,
household cleaners and com-
panions were approved by county
council and are on a par with Red
Cross rates for such services in
the larger centres.
The hourly rate is $4.20 in town
and $4.60 out of town. The out of
town rate is in effect anytime a
homemaker has to travel more
than five miles from her home to
get to her work. McKinnon
pointed out the homemakers are
not paid mileage and the extra 40
cents per hour is in lieu of
mileage.
The daily rate is $33.60 in town,
$36.80 out of town for an eight-
hour day. The live in rate is $50.40
in town and out of town per day.
Home support
The Home Support Program
has not been all that successful to
date in Huron County, but ac-
cording to D.R. Hunking,
chairman of the social services
committee, is it working well in
other areas and it is possible the
Ministry will approve funding
beyond March of 1978.
"The program, which provides
home support services to elderly
and handicaped adults and in-
cludes heavy or seasonal
cleaning, gardening repairs or
'alterations to the home, tran-
sportation etc., is based on a fee
for service arrangement and is
provided to all persons regar-
dless of income," the chairman
said.
"As a result, some receive the
service free while others pay on a
sliding scale based on income,
Hunking added, saying the
charges range from a few cents
to the actual cost of the service.
The committee feels that a co-
ordinator should be employed to
develop and establish guidelines
for the program in Huron. This
person would be hired on a 50-50
basis with the province for a
short term contract.
McKinnon has been given
authority to investigate the
possibility of hiring a home
support program co-ordinator on
a contract basis. He will report
back to committee in the new
year.
ass
NO. 1/
FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS
REEVE FRED HABERER
"I can't say that I did but I should
have made one."
What
was your
New
Year's
resolution?
THURSDAY,January 5, 1978,
Price Per Copy 20 Cents
Huron county to charge administrative
fee for land severance application
In addition to the $50 paid upon
application for land severance in
Huron County, successful ap-
plicants will be paying an ad-
ditional $50 administrative fee
when the severance is approved,
beginning January 1, 1978.
"Although this will still not
cover the entire costs involved,"
said chairman Roy Westcott in
his report, "it is a step toward the
principle,; that the person
benefiting from the severance
pays the cost."
In speaking to the report,
Elmer Hayter, member of the
committee, said there is just as
much expense connected with
those applications that are not
approved as those applications
that are approved.
"But the difficulty seems to be
to collect the extra "ad-
ministrative fee," said Hayter
who pointed out that when a land
severance is denied, the party or
parties applying for the
severance are usually angry and
not too co-operative.
To date there have been 222
applications for severance in
1977. The committee is expecting
a reduction in the number of
severance applications during
1978.
The budget for the land division
LOUISE MERNER
"To be a better citizen and help
others."
JACK CADDICK
"I never made on.e. People never
end up keeping them anyway."
LAURENE CORRIVEAU
"I never got around to making
any. I don't think there are too
many people that keep them the
year round."
JAY SCHWARTZENTRUBER
"To get lots of work."
WILLIE BEDARD
"I didn't make one. I wasn't too
good at keeping them so I gave it
up about three years ago.
committee is up slightly for 1978,
from $41,200 in 1977 to $42,500 in
1978.
The property committee
reported to county council
Thursday that the director of the
Realty Services Branch, Ministry
of Government Services, has
confirmed that the province
would pay for the replacement of
any contents burned at the
Registry Office should a fire
occur there anytime in the future.
Reeve Ed Oddleifson, Bayfield,
wanted to know how the govern-
ment would replace the priceless
documents.
"Do they have copies?" asked
Oddleifson.
Oddleifson pointed out this was
a "very sensitive issue" in the
county.
"If we lose this information,
we've in effect wiped out a good
deal of our history," said the
Bayfield reeve. He suggested the
committee check to see if a
micro -filming program is in
progress or is being considered.
New roof
The court house roof is in need
of repair and prices to replace the
roof and update the insulation are
to be obtained from Smith -Peat
Roofing and Sheet Metal Limited
and from Exeter Roofing.
The property committee also
reports the county will receive
from the province $81,098 for rent
of the court house during 1978 and
$15,435 for rent of the registry
office during the same period.
Those rates are up slightly over
1977.
The county will again be
paying $16,000 topward the
operating expenses for the
Goderich Airport council lear-
ned.
During the report of the
executive committee, an item for
information of council about Bill
98, an act to revise the Municipal
Elections Act of 1972, brought
much discussion. The greatest
concern was over the com-
mencement date for councils -
December 1 following an early
November election.
"Why don't they leave us
alone?" asked Bob Lyons.
"They've got us bad enough
confused now."
Reeve Bill Elston felt the
December 1 takeover date for a
new council could cause much
disruption since year-end bilis
would have to be paid and a new
council would have little un-
derstanding of the municipal
dealings.
Council agreed to send a letter
to the provincial government
protesting the new election date
as well as the new com-
mencement date despite the
suggestions by Bill Hanly, county
administrator, that each
municipality should already have
voiced its opinion on the changes
in the Election Act long before
this.
"This really doesn't affect
county council too much,"
warned Hanly.
Debate resolution
Council also got into con-
siderable debate over an
executive committee recom-
mendation not to concur with a
resolution of the Township of
Sandwich West to make it legal to
fine the owner of a vehicle
passing a stopped school bus with
signals flashing. At the present
time, the driver of the vehicle
must be identified. The Sandwich
West Resolution was to have the
vehicle owner fined regardless of
who is driving it.
Committee members did not
concur with the resolution since it
was agreed that school bus
drivers should not have to act as
policemen.
Paul Steckle said that in
Stanley Township, his council
had concurred with the
resolution. Steckle said when a
vehicle is illegally parked, the
owner, not necessarily the driver,
is fined. In the case of passing a
school bus where there is really
danger to children, Steckle said
his council felt it was important
to be able to lay the charge on the
owner of the vehicle if the driver
is not known.
By a show of hands, council
agreed not to concur with the
Sandwich West resolution.
Council did concur with a
resolution from Collingwood to
reinstate the death penalty for
capital murder; establish ef-
fective control on the purchase
and possession of firearms and
abolish the granting of passes
from prison for convicted
criminals.
A new salary scheule for nurses
in Huron County Health Unit was
approved. Registered nurses and
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