Loading...
The Citizen, 1994-06-22, Page 1Education Special Entertainment Review Brussels girl Madill’s top co-ed student See page 6 8 pages to gear you up for Blyth’s 5th Rutabaga Festival See page 11 Blyth Festival records Brussels students for play See page 25 Colm Feore gives stellar performance as Cyrano See page 27 Hosp. Bd. survives exhilarating year By Jim Brown A lol happened at the Wingham and District Hospital during 1993- 94. Wingham and District Hospital Board Chair Doug Fortune told the board's annual meeting last Thursday that the past year was one of frustration and satisfaction. Hospital Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Koch described 1993-94 as an exhilarating year. "We moved through the dol­ drums of the Social Contract legislation re-iterated many times over, through an accreditation review in September that gave us a three-year award, into the opening of our heliport, the conclusion of an agreement with Conestoga College to continue to operate our Nursing Assistant School, and the signing of an affiliation agreement with University of Western Ontario," said Mr. Koch in his second annual report. He said it was indeed a year that needed an extraordinary effort from staff and board alike, and was pleased with the way everyone rose to the challenge and created these achievements. "We worked against a backdrop of a threatened walkout by the general practitioners in the emergency department here and elsewhere in Huron County, a major cut in our operating budget due to the Social Contract, and a pay equity process that defied logic," said Mr. Koch. Chair Fortune said that a good deal of the board's time was spent on issues forced upon the board such as the Social Contract, pay equity and emergency room coverage. "As a result, the timing for some other projects, such as developing a strategic plan for our hospital, have been later than anticipated," said Mr. Fortune. Some of the positives included the continuing operation of the RNA school, in conjunction with Conestoga College, the opening of the heliport and being awarded a three-year accreditation. "Without the hard work and co­ operation of all hospital and medical staff, these highlights could not have been achieved," said Mr. Fortune. He noted that the board has spent a lot of time working with the medical staff to find solutions to enable the emergency department to remain open at all times. Since this is an issue in many hospitals throughout the province, the board feels the provincial government should be taking a leading role in finding a solution, however, to this date, this has not happened. "We were saddened with the deaths of Dr. Walter Wong and Isabel Wheeler," said Mr. Fortune,. "Their contributions to the hospital, board and community will be sorely missed." He said the coming year will continue to provide new challenges for the board. It'has become very evident that the provision of health care in Ontario will under go many changes in the near future. "We must all continue to be aware of the needs of our community and strive to meet them," he said. Continued on page 6 CitizenTheNorthHuron Police investigate break-in at Citizen Wingham OPP are investigating a break-in, which occurred Sunday evening at the Blyth office of The Citizen. Entry was gained through a back door and the thieves looked Officer escapes injury Wingham OPP Const. Steve Shaw escaped injury this past weekend when his cruiser was involved in an accident. According to a police spokesper­ son, Const. Shaw was passing a line of vehicles on Hwy 4, just south of Wingham, when another Crops get warm weather boost "After a cool start to June, the heat was turned up June 15 and contin­ ues," says Walton area wea-ther observer Boyd Taylor. High humidity and temperatures in the low 30s have made it uncom­ fortable for people with health problems, for poultry and hog operations in confinement, as well as for livestock in pastures. The heat has caused a lowering of milk production, he says. Crops needed the boost as com jumps ahead and the wheat heads come out. There appears to be a wide variety in the maturity of the vari­ ous hay crops. It appears that the past five days saw record temperatures as a drop in humidity greets the new week. Rainfall recently has varied widely from trace amounts to three inch­ es. The heavy thunderstorms have caused erosion and ponding. "Most people will agree we all enjoy the heat, but not the humidity," says Mr. Taylor. through several drawers and filing cabinets before stealing a small amount of cash. The robbery was discovered Monday morning when the office opened for business. southbound vehicle, a 1993 Cncv van, driven by Bert Sanders, 40, of Belgrave, turned into the north lane, forcing the cruiser onto the east shoulder. The cruiser then slid on the loose gravel, moved back onto the road­ way, before entering the east ditch. Coons invade homes, barns Once again, the raccoon popula­ tion of the area has grown to a size where they are invading bams and homes. Sue Mastnak of Brussels discov­ ered a large family living in the attic space of her one-storey addi­ tion. "The animals had tom apart some of the fascia and soffit and had got­ ten into the insulation. They were making quite a mess and the smell was terrible," she says. "A friend came in to trap the coons and found six young as well as the mother. They had been there for at least a month because it took three weeks to trap all the animals." Ms Mastnak says the six young were released into the wild, but the mother had to be killed to be removed. The offspring had been leaving the house regularly and it was hoped they were old enough to survive on their own. Henry and Jean Seiling of RR3 Blyth had a family of raccoons liv­ ing in their bam which required several attempts of trapping to cap­ ture all four family members, the three babies were captured relative­ ly easily, but the mother made attempts to rescue them from the trap. She too, was eventually caught and released. Bob Pegg, conservation officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Wingham says there had been an increase in the popula­ tion, evident by the rise in road kills. "Much of the problem may be as a result of the low prices for the pelts in recent years. In the mid 1980s, the price was in the $30 range. Today it is between $16 and $17," says Mr. Pegg. "Pells taken from the Wingham district reached 12,000 in the Parade travels downtown For those concerned about the Rutabaga parade route this year, it will cover its usual course. Chair of the Rutabaga Festival committee Brenda Burkholder says she has received full co-operation from Paul Driscoll of the Ministry of Transportation and he assures her Queen Street will be graded and 1980s, but dropped to 2,000 in 1992." "The prices now available to the trappers don't cover expenses. They need to rise 15 per cent to make it pay," he says. Mr. Pegg says the prices have risen slightly and the recent sale of pelts in Toronto went well. " The warehouse is empty and there is an increased demand from some of the far eastern markets. This may increase the demand." Mr. Pegg says, "The hunters respect the animals and are not out to make a quick buck. If the ani- Continued on page 6 in the best condition possible for the Saturday morning event. The procession will begin at Hubbard's Rutabaga Plant, travel up Dinsley St. then turn north onto Mill St and west on Drummond. The parade will wend its way south along Queen St. to Welling­ ton where it will turn towards the fairgrounds.