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Home My WebLink AboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-08-22, Page 1E TIMES ADVOCATE Exeter, Ontario, Canada Wednesday, August 22, 2007 $ 1.25 (includes GST) w HURON TRACTOR EXETER 519-235-1115 I www.hurontractor.com JoHNI DEERE WHAT'S INSIDE Library wrap-up Reading program holds end of summer wrap-up PAGE 3 HealthKick Work placements in local health care give students experience PAGE 18 INDEX Editorial 4 Sports 19 Announcements 26 Classifieds 29 TIMES -ADVOCATE 424 MAIN ST. Box 850 EXETER, ONTARIO NOM 1S6 TEL: 519-235-1331 FAX: 519-235-0766 WWW.SOUTHHURON.COM EdwardJones MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING 436 Main St., Exeter 519-235-3881 1-866-264-3011 www.edwardjones.com Member CIPF MARK R. HARTMAN the ca -operators A Better Place For You - 350 Main Street Exeter On NOM 1S7 Bus: 519-235-1109 • Toll Free 1-866-458-1109 E-mail: joe_vanden_elzenecooperators.ca i Home Auto Life RIFs Group Business Farm Travel JOE VANDEN ELZEN Agent Blue Water Rest Home chosen first for project By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF ZURICH — The Ontario government has chosen Blue Water Rest Home to kick off a pilot program to redevelop rest homes across the province. Minister of Health and Long -Term Care George Smitherman and Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell made the announcement at the Rest Home early Monday afternoon. The provincewide program will see the province redevelop 35,000 older long-term care beds over the next 10 years. Specifically, Blue Water will receive a $100,000 grant to plan for the home's rede- velopment and will see the construction per diem per bed rise from the current $10.35 per bed to about $15 per bed "to recognize inflation, construction costs and the specific challenges faced by smaller and non-profit homes." Blue Water administrator Martha Craig said the rest home is "very thrilled" to be chosen for the pilot program. She added the rest home has been hoping to upgrade since 2000. "It's been a long time coming," she said, adding there is still a long way to go. Renovations and upgrades to the rest home include redeveloping its existing 31 beds on the west wing, building on 34 new beds, and renovations to add washrooms, a new kitchen, renovated laundry, new dinner and activity spaces and working with community partners to add new services to the home. Craig said she expects construction won't start until at least spring 2008. In addition to being pleased Blue Water is Funding announcement — Ontario Minister of Health and Long -Term Care George Smitherman, centre, stopped at Zurich's Blue Water Rest Home Monday afternoon to announce a new provincewide project to redevelop 35,000 older long-term care beds. Blue Water has been chosen to be the first in the province under the new program.With Smitherman above are rest home resident Eleanor Riley, left, and Huron -Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell. (photo/Scott Nixon) the first home in the government's pilot pro- will learn from how Blue Water's redevelop - gram to go ahead with redevelopment, Craig ment goes. said she is happy the program recognizes "How our program unfolds will be very small communities. important to the rest of the province," she She said other rest homes in the province See RENOVATIONS page 2 Liberals announce funding for school boards By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO TIIE TIMES -ADVOCATE HURON -PERTH — In an announcement last week, the ruling Liberals added $182 million to Ontario's 2007-08 Education Ministry budget, including about $1.6 million and $600,000 to the two school boards in Huron and Perth counties. "We're not sure if we'll receive quite that amount because it's an enrolment -based fig- ure," explained communications manager Steve Howe of the Avon Maitland District School Board, the larger of the two boards. He noted the province's preliminary alloca- tion of the new funding was based on enrol- ments in last year's school system, but the final amounts will be based on enrolments as of Oct. 31, 2007. The wide-ranging government news release identified eight different aspects of the new funding, including vice -principals in large schools, school maintenance, and office supplies. But Howe suggested the Avon Maitland board will be affected in three main areas: transportation, Primary class size reduction and possibly easing the limitations on which schools qualify for specialized "rural" sup- port. The Education Ministry news release points to "$12 million to continue trans- portation funding reform by ensuring boards receive funding that more accurately reflects the real costs of school bus operation and maintenance." Avon Maitland trustees have repeatedly communicated their dismay to the govern- ment regarding the difficulty the board faces in providing student transportation within the provincial allocation. Howe agrees this latest cash injection represents a "move towards better recognition of actual costs ... I think, probably, it's going to address the shortfall." He added Avon Maitland administrators are hopeful the money will allow the board to stop the practice of using money originally designated for other areas to instead cover transportation costs. The board will also benefit from new money aimed at helping boards attain a provincewide goal of having 20 or fewer stu- dents in 90 per cent of Primary classes by 2008. Because the exact dollar figures haven't yet been calculated, Howe couldn't say how many new teachers this will repre- sent, but he expects Avon Maitland will ben- efit. 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