The Huron Expositor, 1979-03-29, Page 1...•••••
1211th Year
Whole No, 5794
e
40
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sEAFORT
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ONTARIO? THLPRSDAY, MARCH 29?. '0079- 22 PAGES'
$Ua. year in advance
$ingle Copy 3o cents,
With: W101014111 and Goderich area
residents both ntonnting vanifiaigns to fight
bed cuts at Winghant and District Hotpital,
Alexandra anaMarie and General
some people may wonder why the Seatforth,
CoMmtinitY Hospital board is taking bed
cuts here so calmly,
When proVinPial health minister POnala
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uts aren'ta.. pro
Timbrell originally announced the closure of
106 hospital, beds in Huron Coenty, it was
thought that Seaforth Community Hospital
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wield lone 10 of 44 active treatment beds
Under the ministry ef health formula, 3.5
active treatment beds are allowed for every.
1,000 people in the community instead of the
4 beds allowed in the past. •
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• SPRING VISITORS -- These visitors, believed to be whistling swans, union over the fields and flew on to their next destination. ,
landed on the pond at the Wilfred Dra er farm, R.R.5, Seaforth, last • I (Expositor Photo)
Thursday mo.rning. The birds made a breathtaking sight as theyrosein
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Huron,Perfh gearup for May 22 election
-its---official-the long expected federal
election will be held on Tuesday, May 22.
Parliament has already been officially
dissolved so the politicians can hit the
campaign trail in earnest.
The election will be held on 'a Tuesday
rather than the usual Monday since Monday' ,
is Victoria Day, a statutory holiday.
This will be Canada's first May election
since Confederation and is a break with the
tradition of holding elections on a Monday.
The campaign will run exactly eight weeks,
The two candidates who have officially
announced they, will be running for election
in the Huron Bruce riding are Conservative
MP Robert McKinley, the incumbent, and
the Liberal ' candidate, Graeme Craig,' a
Walton area farmer.
Mr. McKinely, 51, was first elected to the
House of Commons in 1965, representing
the Huron 'riding. Mr. McKineIy, of RR 1
• -Zurich, was educated at Goshen Public
School in Stanley Township and Clinton
High School and was the manager of a family
business, McKinley Farms and Hatchery
Ltd., for several years. The member of •
parliament is married to Audrey McKinley
and is the father, of five children -four girls
and a boy.
Robert McKinley was re-elected as the
candidate represeeting the riding of Huron
Middlesex in 1968, 1972 and 1974.
In the upcoming election, Mr. McKinley is
runeing in the newly created riding of
Huron Bruce which includes all of Huron
County and four townships in Bruce county
Huron, Kinloss, Culross and Carrick
townships.
Graeme Craig, 31, of RR 1, Walton, was
nominated. as the Liberal Party candidate
last spring. - -
Mr. Craig was born and raised in the area
andisa graduate of Seaforth District High
School and of Ridgetown College of
Agriculture. in addition to his own farming
operation,he has been a technician with
United' Breeders for the past 10 years.
IW.—Craig is married to the former Helen
Elliott of Seaforth and has a son and
daughter, both preschoolers
Mr. Craig will be taking a leave of absence
from , his United Breeders job to run for
office.
Moira Couper of fiayfield, a freelance
community education worker, has
announced she will be seeking the NDP
nomination as the party's local candidate.
The nomination meeting to elect a NDP
tandidate to run in the Huron -Bruce riding
will be held on April 17 at the Clinton Own
Hall. Mrs, Helen Tench, membership and
corresponding secretary for the locai NDP
AND THE :AUDIENCE LOVED ir Watida—Fell'; -Rhonda 'Mcbriwans
CherY1 Morey and Elizabeth Scott were among the 8eaforth District High
School students Whitt Were entertained by members of the Theatre London
Young 'Company on Ttletday Morning.
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(Expositdr Photo)
association. said Mrs. Moira Couper is the
only declared candidate to date.
Th e three candidates in Perth County
have all indicated they were pleased with the
election call,
The riding, which was Perth -Wilmot until
redistribution, has been represented by Bill
Jarvis, PC, who has won the riding in the
last two elections. Although, the Progressive
Conservative party nomination meeting isn't
scheduled until April 6, it's expected Mr.
Jarvis' candidacy will be uncontested.
The Perth riding contest is a rematch of
the 1974 contest between Mr. Jarvis and the
Liberal candiate,' David Bradshaw, a former
Stratford alderman.
Mr. Bradshaw, 49, is the owner of J L
Closer to fornkly, friends
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Juvenile.•
will serve H
A juvenile detention home to serve the.
needs of Perth, Huron, Wellington and
Waterloo counties, Will open in Kitchener in
• May.
The centre. will house a maximum of eight
youths, generally aged 11 to 16, who haVe
been charged with a minor offence and who
await disposition by a judge.
Most youths will stay. -at •the home for
approximately two weeks and there will be a.
juvenile/staff retie of three to one.
John Penn, director of Family and
Children's Services in Goderich, it
member of the .board of directors of, the
Centre Glen Youth Services. This group of
concerned citizens from the four counties is
negotiating for funds 'front the Ministry of
`Ccittitnunity and Social Services to establish
the home.
Mr. Penn said it is difficult to estimate the
need for such a service since it has never
been available to Huren County before. "If
you don't have the service then you don't
need it," Mt, Penn said. In the past
juveniles sentenced itt fatnily court have
either gone to the juvenile detention centre
in London, have been referred to foster
• homes er have been returned to the care of
their parents, ,
the Centre Glen Windt Si/icet will be for
juvenite offenders who can Operate and !lit
in a grtnip holt* but perhaps still require
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Alexandra Mar iC and General Hospital in
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Goderich has been asked to close 21 of its
active treatment' beds and Wingham,
Hospital has been asked to close 31 beds,.
Clinton and Exeter hospitals have been
asked to close 28 and 10 beds respectively.
The—Winghain hespital board has
announced it will present a brief to the
minister protesting the bed cutbacks and will
take legal action if necessaryht the
meantime, the hospital will continue to
operate at its full 100 bed capacity and no
staff will be laid off, even if this means
running into the red, by the end of the year,
• The Goderich hospital board also pians to
seek legal advice on whether the 'health
ministry can force them to close the active
treatment beds.
The Goderich bbard'S decision followed a
public meeting which attracted about 300
local residents, some of whom said they
would contribute funds to the cost of the
hospital's legal battle.
the two hospitals don't close the beds
the ministry of health has declared surplus
they can be penalized ' 512,000 from. the
Tfospital budget for each surplus bed they
keep open, •
WAITING
Gordon MacKenzie, administrator of
the Seaforth Community Hospital, said the
local board is still waiting to receive final
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word from the ministry on the number fir
beds which must be clesed here.
While the ministry originally
recommended 16 active treatment beds be
closed, in the next year and a half, Mr.
MacKenzie said the board is proposing to
close nine beds and convert the remaining
seven existing beds to chronic care beds,
Mr. MacKenzie said the hospital would
then have 35 beds ratherthan the 44 beds it
now has, The beds would be used for
chreeic, medical, pediatries, Maternity and.
surgical patients,
The adminttrator said the hospital; hasn't.
been staffing nine beds for some tin* so
these can be closed "without any great
„difficulty". He said when the hospital had 44
beds, it had approximately a 60 per- cept
occupancy rate.
Mr. MacKenzie said there hasn't been a
public outcry against the bed closures here
becape the hospital board hasn't created a
campaign opposing the closures.
The administrator said if nine beds, six of
them from the maternity ward, are closed
and seven transferred to chronic care, then
the community still isn't "going to want for
health care at all." •
Since the birth rate has been falling, the
maternity ward at the hospital has averaged •
only two patients a week, although there are .
(Continued on Page 3)
Uses for empty beds?
,,.Board group will study
BY WILMA OKE .
A comrnittee, yet unnamed, is to be
formed by,;,,,the Seaforth Community Hospital
Board to !ix* at uses for the vacant rooms at
the hospital resulting from the closing of 16
beds, this year by a provincial health
ministry directive, - ' •
• Gordon MeKerilio, business administrator
-suggested the formation of committee at
a beard meeting Tuesday. A minimum of
••., three board members, two medical staff and
two titt.rting staff were suggested.
- Mrs. Charles Friend, Jud Walker and the
--lieiv,41,J.',Laragh• agreed to represent the
boatif., The remaining committee members
will be named by their staff members.
• They will look at future needs and
requirements at , the hospital such as
studying•Whether the r"-- hospital Should '
establish itt own chronic 'care centre or an •
•••-occupational therapy centre.
the board accepted the tender of Ball -
Macaulay Ltd. of Seaforth to supply,. around
Bradshaw Ltd., crockery and glassimporters
in Stratford. He was born And raised in the
city and attended Ridley College, St.
Catharines and Central Collegiate, Strat-
ford.
The candidate was a trustee on the
Stratford board of -education in 1968, served
on Stratford city council from 1970-76 and
during this time was on the joint and special
expenditures committee and was chairman
of the city, finance committee for six years.
The NDP candidate in the ,Perth riding is
Rev. John Davies, 64, who is semi retired
and now preaches at Hibbert United Church,
Staffa.
Rev. Davies, who was born in Wales, was
(C,orttinued" on Page 3) -
ntion home -2
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200 solid wood doors thoughout the hospital
to meet requirements of the Ontario Fire,
Marshalls ciffice. The firm's tender, the
lowest of 10, 'amounts to 520,502.
The board also accepted the tender of ;
Stewart's' Aluminum and Insulation Ltd. of
Goderich to provide vinyl storm windows
and insulation (rock wool) at a cost of
516,762.
Board member Ken Devereaux advised
that details of the tenders should be set out
in writing and the work supervised.
The board will sell the old 'doors, hinged
shelves will be put in patients' rooms by
maintenance staff to provide areas for
- Blowers and plants,
The board approved a salary increase of
81/2 per cent for 1979 for Business
Administrator Gordon McKenzie.
. Public Relations Chairman Audrey
• MeLlwain's suggestion was approved that
the board make donations to its special
(Continued on Page 3i
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uron, Perth
some close observation. Mr. Penn said the
kids staying at the home will be under Close
observation and assessment for psYcho-
logical, social and educational needs and the
teaeffd fi I t tr ec or cmo innds ewi ihnegt e thheet hj eury ent hi ee ys
Should be referred to London, et.
Mark Parrett, president of Centre Glen
Youth..seryies, • said, "Until..now„,..lacal
juveniles were sent out of the community for
shOrt term detention.'
NOW, because juveniles will remain within
their own area, family and friends Will be
allowed to visit thetn.
Other advantages the board feels Centre
Glen will offer include a smaller and more
personal atmosphere than detention centres
in the larger cities and schooling, ceunsel-
ling and health care during their short stay.
"LOW juvehilet, should have their cases
cleared up sooner too; becaust no time will
be lost in compiling background informaton,
etc." said Mf. Parrett "Alsolocal judges
will have a better idea of fulfilling the needs
of these juveniles with existing resources."
The'jcuvueniles be referred 16 the holt*
bytheort.
"These ,youths need sortie direttiditiIn# •
they are definitely net clangerOtitf" Said Mt.
Parrott, "A similar facility has operated in
Kingithn, Ontario for more than s year and
it has been very successfull,':01, •
• THE:FINAL GAME — About 200 kids were in Seaforth during, the sth001,
break playing in the Atom houseleague tournament. In this game' the
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' Tavistock Firefighters managed a 4-3 win in overtime against the Port
:Elgin team to win the tournament held at the arena from Wednesday to
Friday. There were 14 teams competing in the tournament from as far
away-at-Wiarton and' Port Elgin".
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(Expositor Photo)
tirettllilitxPositor
inside; tiiis week
St. Columban, Dublin win K of C P0 4,5
Maple syrup in 1910 . . , 3). 7
HuOgard turns up In L0A8 P8• 10
Porter Commisalon haarintla ;P., 15
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