The Citizen, 2003-02-26, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2003.
Council reps meet with Wheels Away members
By Jim Brown
Wingham Advance-Times
Members of North Huron council,
as well as representatives from
neighbouring councils, meet
Thursday with Wheels Away
representatives for an information
session.
North Huron Clerk-Treasurer John
Stewart said the purpose of the
meeting was to receive background
information on Wheels Away and to
provide an opportunity for input from
the surrounding councils.
Bev Woodley presented a brief
history of Wheels Away, the
operating name of the North Huron
Special Transit Corporation. She
indicated the non-profit charitable
organization was incorporated in
1990. The first annual meeting was
held May 29, 1990.
The transportation service for the
disabled and frail elderly was created
with input from the host community
— Wingham. Woodley stated the
need for a host community was a
criteria of the Ministry of
Transportation of Ontario (MTO),
who up until 1998 provided the grant
monies to disabled transportation
services. The host community was a
means of insuring that the money
being paid directly (at that time) to
the transit service by the Ministry
was being spent in a manner
favourable to the intent.
She noted that after 1998, the grant
money was no longer paid directly to
disabled transit services, but was
included in a lump sum payment
from the provincial government to
the host municipalities.
According to Woodley, this lump
sum payment covers many, many
services. In the case of Wheels Away,
$27,000 per year was to be directed
to disabled transportation for
operating and capital uses.
However, North Huron Clerk-
Treasurer John Stewart said there was
no information saying that $27,000 of
the Community Reinvestment Fund
was for special transit.
Council always believed it was a
non-conditional grant which could be
used any way council wished.
While Wheels Away was
suggesting that North Huron was not
providing the funding to them, even
though the municipality was
receiving the money for
transportation, they felt they should
be getting some funding from the
CRF grant.
Stewart indicated North Huron was
using that funding to keep the taxes,
down.
He noted if the $27,000 has to go to
Wheels Away, the township will have
to find that money somewhere else —
meaning higher taxes for the
residents of Wingham.
Bruce County Warden Ralph
Kreutzwiser of the Municipality of
South Bruce indicated they have had
the same problem.
He indicated that since 1998, Bruce
County has been receiving funding
and the council has believed the
funding to be its own money which
could be used for anything.
However, two days before
Christmas, the government “does a
360” and states the funding is for
special transit, but it flows through
council.
“We really didn’t know,” he stated.
Stewart and Kreutzwiser have
letters from the ministry involved,
but both are saying different things.
Kreutzwiser said he didn’t think
there was any government-funded
special transit system in Ontario to be
found.
Joe Pickering of - Bruce Grey
Special Transit said their system was
strongly supported by former MPP
Barb Fischer. And, for the last four
years there hasn’t been a problem
until now.
Woodley said Wheels Away is
short on funding.
“Some municipalities pay the 30
cents per capita charge, but that goes
towards the riders in the
municipality,” she said. “Once that
money has been used up, the clients
then have to pay for the ride.
Wheels Away Office Manager
Dianne Grummett indicated the per
capita rate paid by a municipality is
based on the number of individuals
using the service.
She added the fee is $4 for the first
eight kilometres (as the crow flies,
not highway mileage). Past the eight
kilometre radius, the fee is $4 for
each additional kilometre.
According to Grummett, when the
van is required to go outside the
service area, the charge is 75 cents a
kilometre for the van, $10 an hour for
'* the driver.
Woodley indicated Wheels Away
sends information to the surrounding
municipalities, but maybe that
information is not provided to the
councillors.
She indicated they have tried
fundraising in the past, but admitted,
“it is hard to fundraise in this area”.
“We recently received a $3,000
donation from the Wescast
employees, because they knew the
problems we were having.”
According to Woodley, they will
not send information to the councils,
but will attend meetings as a
delegation.
Pickering noted that beginning
April 1, when an ambulance takes
someone to or returns from a hospital
in London or Kitchener or Owen
Sound, the MOH will only pay one
way.
He said the hospital will have to
pay for the return trip, which will
impact the hospital’s ability to
.provide other services.
Morris-Turnberry Mayor Keith
Johnston said they were in favour of
the service, and noted Morris Twp.
has always paid its levy.
Morris-Turnberry Deputy Mayor
Bill Thompson said Tumberry Twp.
never used to pay its portion.
Howick Twp. Reeve Norm Fairies
said the problem they have is that
many of the residents at the Fordwich
Village Nursing Home go to
Listowel.
And Listowel special transit is
receiving tremendous community
support.
North Huron Reeve Doug Layton
said the members of the various
councils were to talk things over.
“We will then meet with the board
of directors (Wheels Away), and then
go from there,” he said.
Members still wanted to know
about the $27,000 in funding for this
year and future years.
While the Bruce Grey Transit
System has 11 vans strategically
located throughout the two counties,
Wheels Away has only one van which
is on its last legs.
They would like to know if they
can replace the van, which could cost
as much as $60,000. Government
grants don’t cover capital costs, and a
new van is considered capital.
Health officials attend NH
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
With the countdown to the
county’s decision winding down,
representatives from the Huron
County Health Unit made a
presentation to North Huron council
Feb. 17 regarding the proposed
smoking bylaw.
Medical Officer of Health Beth
Henning and Craig Metzger from the
health unit, explained that county
councillors will vote on the draft
bylaw. This must then be approved
by a majority of the nine
municipalities with a majority of the
electorate.
Metzger highlighted some of the
key points in his presentation. The
bylaw has been revised following
public consultations. The policy is
one of three approaches to dealing
with tobacco use. The others, he said
are education and cessation.
Metzger no.ed that while there had
been some hope the province would
Blyth
Midgets
play in
OMIIA
semi-final
Late Monday night coaching staff
for the Blyth Midgets finalized plans
for game two in the squad’s OMHA
semi-final playdown against
Walpole.
The two teams will face-off in
Blyth arena at 3 p.m. Sunday, March
2.
legislate a smoking bylaw it has been
delegated to the municipalities.
Any debate has not been with
regards to the health effect of
environmental (second-hand)
tobacco smoke (ETS),Metzger said.
“These are not disputed by anyone.”
A total of 79 per cent of the
population in Huron does not smoke,
yet they are exposed to ETS in the
workplace of public places. “By
comparison there is a low rate of
smoke-free workplaces.”
Second-hand smoke is the third
leading cause of preventable death in
Canada, the first being smoking.
“Three thousand Canadians die each
year due to ETS,” Metzger said.
To combat this the draft bylaw
prohibits smoking in any indoor
workplace or public place in the
county. This does not apply to a
business in a private residence,
where the owner would not smoke in
the space open to the public but
could smoke in the residential area.
“It’s not the best in terms of
protection, but it’s an attempt to
balance the rights of the smoker with
the public.”
Compliance will be left to the
proprietors or owners to enforce.
Signs would be posted at every
entrance and every washroom.
Metzger said the potential for fines
for non-compliance is a maximum of
$5,000.
The county hopes to have the
bylaw enforced by Sept. 2.
While some business owners are
concerned about losing commerce,
Metzger said a survey indicates that
they can expect to see more people
in more often if smoking is
prohibited. However, this does not
necessarily translate into more
business. “Whether they will spend
as much is a difficult answer to get
in a survey.”
Regarding exemptions for such
places as nursing homes, Metzger-
said the bylaw has none, making it
less complicated and less open to
suggestions of bias.
A smoking area doesn’t work, said
Dr. Henning. “We have found that no
system can clearly rid all pollutants
of tobacco smoke.”
Also, she said, such a system is
cost-prohibitive to many local
independent operators.
Councillor Murray Nesbitt, who
stated he was a smoker, asked if this
shouldn’t be something left to the
owner to decide about their business.
“I’m of the feeling that business
should be left alone. Isn’t this over
legislation?”
Dr. Henning said that while
customers can choose whether or not
they wish to enter a smoking
establishment, for many employees
that choice does not exist.
Also, she said, many people do not
council
realize the dangers of second-hand
smoke.
“We do prohibit substances that
cause health effects in other
situations. Any other substance that
would put 43 carcinogens into the air
would not be permitted. It is because
this involves people as the cause that
it’s such an emotional issue.”
To further illustrate her point, Dr.
Henning used an ex-ample of an
asbestos factory refusing to meet
standards, which could keep them
from releasing the toxins into the
environment. “We would not allow
it.”
Councillors expressed concern
over the sensitive issue of residents
of long-term care facilities.
Councillor Archie McGowan,
administrator of a local nursing
home, had declared a conflict of
interest and left the room prior to the
presentation.
He had, however, submitted a
letter included in council’s agenda
package, essentially pointing out that
the issue is not a simple black and
white one.
While the MOH and Metzger were
not unsympathetic they also
indicated that an exemption is not
meeting
the answer.
“No bylaw will be passed without
our going into long-term care
facilities and talking to residents,”
she said. Cessation and alternatives
would be discussed.
Currently six of the county homes
are smoke-free and the few who do
smoke go outside.
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