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The Huron Expositor, 1994-01-26, Page 12C 12 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, January 20, 1994 Children enjoy winter and beach day themes January so far has been a cold and stormy month but at the Seaforth Co-operative Children's Centre everyone has been very busy indoors, not letting the cold weather stop them from having fun. For the first two weeks back to school, after the Christmas holidays, the theme was Winter. Children and staff talked about winter sports, winter clothing, hibernation, and different things which can be done in the winter, like making snow angels. On the days it wasn't too cold fo go outside children were able to go out and make snow angels, try snowshoeing and cross- country skiing. They also brought paints outside to paint snow sculp- tures they made. When it was too cold outside children brought the snow in and put it in the waterplay table and explored the snow indoors and watched it turn from snow to slush to water. The highlights of these two weeks were the slushes made at snack time and snowmen cookie they rolled out and decor- ated and later got to eat! On the third week back the theme was Beach Days. Children really had to use their imaginations especially when the weather was so stormy and with record cold days • outside. Everyone beat the winter blahs, though, and pulled out shorts and beach hats, sunglasses and beach towels. The dramatic play area was equipped with all the necessities for a ht filled day at the beach including towels, flip flops, picnic basket, a sand castle and an ice-cream stand. The sand table was watered down and some interesting sand castles were made. At the science table the children dug for seashells in the sand. The crafts included making sun puppets, star- fish, and beachballs. The after-school program has started and the Children's Centre would like to welcome Amanda and Ashley Falconer, Shaun and Shannon Brooker, Kevin, David and Krista Verbeme, Missy Teatero, and Tammy Russell. To regular weekly programs the Centre would like to welcome Kendra Falconer, Aleisha Dale, Greg Murray and Kateyln Russell. This month Happy Birth- day • wishes to Kyle Feeney, Chantalle Godin and Greg Woldnik. Blowing snow in Huron creates dangerous driving conditions By Senior Constable J.C. Marshall Community Services Officer, Huron County It is a known fact in Huron County that blizzard and blowing snow conditions create very serious and sometimes zero visibility creating dangerous white-out areas and wind-chill factors. Sometimes, just the mention of the words Taylors Corners, Shepperdtoa Corners, Londesborough Hill or Brucefield, conjures up mental pictures of traffic mayhem, collisions, rollovers and vehicles in the ditch. Unfortunately, if Taylors Comers and The Homesville Flats on Highway #8 both have zero visibility due to blowing snow, it would be impossible, impractical and also frustrating to drivers to close the road to those locations only. Also, with the heavy snow squalls coming off of Lake Huron; it does not take a lot of wind to whip up this snow in any area of this County. White-out conditions may exist in Goderich and Clinton, but in Seaforth the sun may be out. Road closures are made usually from community to community, this is done to ensure motorist are not stranded in the middle of nowhere, causing more grief to themselves and their families. When a provincial highway is closed to traffic, this also means that County and Township roads are probably in the same condition, it then becomes encumbered on the driver whether to travel on those roads. No journey is worth risking your life for. Exeter, Goderich and Wingham Detachment officers have to risk their own lives going into white-out conditions to investigate vehicular collisions because some motorists travel around "Road Closed" barriers. These motorists not only endanger their own or their passenger's life, but also endanger the lives of people driving emergency vehicles. Snow ploughs, sanders, graders, ambulances, fire trucks, utility emergency vehicles and police vehicles are all exempt from travelling on closed roads due to emergency situations. The Highway Traffic Act, Section 134(3) states, "where signs or traffic control devices have been posted, no person shall drive or operate a vehicle on the closed highway or part thereof in intentional disobedience of the signs or traffic control devices." The penalty for driving "on a closed highway" can result in a $90 fine and three demerit points. The Ontario Provincial Police regrets the inconvenience caused by having to close roads during winter's inclement weather. We would prefer to keep them open but the safety factor becomes very low and another highway death or serious injury is not what we want to investigate, therefore, we would appreciate your assistance in helping us to maintain our highways safe for you and your family. J Community Calendar WED., JAN. 26 SUN., JAN. 30 1:00-3:00 p.m. - Parents and Tots Skating at the Arena 1:30-4:00 p.m. - Senior Shuffleboard at the Arena 6:00-7:00 p.m. - Children's Karate at the Arena 7:00-8:00 p.m. Step Training at the Arena 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Adult Karate at the Arena 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Minor Broomball 8:00-9:00 p m. - Fitness is Fun at the Arena 9:00-10:30 p.m. - Ladies' Broomball 10:30-11:30 p.m. - Men's Broomball THURS., JAN. 27 9:00-10:00 a.m. - Fitness is Fun at the ' Arena 4:00-5:30 p.m. - Figure Skating at the Arena 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Wood Carving at the High School 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Minor Broomball at the Arena 9:00-11:30 p.m. - Men's Broomball at the Arena FRI. , JAN. 28 10:30-11:30 a.m - Pre -School Story Hour at the Library 1:15-3:30 p.m. - Seniors Bowling at Starlight Lanes 7:00 p.m. - Seaforth Egmondville Broomball Tournament at Arena SAT. , JAN. 29 7:00 a.m. • Broomball Tournament continues - all day 7:00-4:30 p.m. - Broomball Tournament finals 4:30-5:30 p.m. - Chatham vs Deb Ringette 5:30-6:30 p.in. - St. Marys vs. Petite A Ringette 6:30-7:45 p.m. - Mitchell vs. Junior Ringette MON., JAN. 31 4:30-9:00 p.m. - Figure Skating at the Arena 7:00-9:00 p.m. - Furniture Refinishing at the High School 7:30-10:30 p.m. - Bingo at Arena. H I open at 6:30 p.m. 9:00-10:30 p.m. - Beavers Oldtimer Hockey TUES., FEB. 1 8:45 - 9:45 a m. - Fitness is Fun at the Arena 10:00-12:00 p m. - Parents and Tots Skating at the Arena WED. , FEB. 2 1:00-3:00 p.m. - Parents and Tots Skating at the Arena 1:30-4:00 p.m. • Senior Shuffleboard at the Arena 6:00-7:00 p.m - Children's Karate at the Arena 7:00-8:00 p.m. - Step Training at the Arena 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Adult Karate at the Arena 7:30-9:00 p.m. - Junior Broomball at the Arena 8:00-9:00 p.m. - Fitness is Fun at the Arena 9:00-10:30 p.m. - Ladies' Broomball at the Arena 10:30-11:30 p.m. - Men's Broomball at the Arena If you're organizing a non-profit event of interest to other Seaforth area residents, phone the recreation office 527-0882 or the Expositor at 527-0240, or mail the information to Community Calendar, The Huron Expositor, Box 69, Seaforth, Ontario, NOK I WO well in advance of the scheduled date, Free listing includes date, time, name of event and location only. Space for the Community Calendar is donated by The Huron Expositor. Community Compensation for MDs. unresolved BY TIM CUMMING Expositor Editor Compensating rural doctors for emergency on-call service would require a creative (and inexpensive) solution, according to the Ministry of Health. "There's no more money to just throw at problems to solve them," said Paul Kilbertus, a Ministry spokesperson. He acknowledged that rural hospi- tal administrators (including the Huron -Perth Hospital Liaison Com- mittee) are frustrated with the slow progress on the issue. "Part of the difficulty we're facing is these negotiations are not fast," he said. "They can't be turned around as quickly as we'd like to see. "It's not going to be an overnight solution..." The Ministry is currently carrying on talks with the Ontario Medical Association and Ontario Hospital Association on the emergency on- call issue. Kilbertus said an alter- nate payment plan for physicians in rural hospitals is one option to be considered. "It's not going to be an overnight solution." The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) says hospitals can't be expected to pay the cost of supple- menting doctors' income. "Hospitals and the OHA do not challenge the position of the phys- icians and their rationale," said Beth Witney, spokesperson for the OHA. She also said, however, that com- pensating the doctors for emergency on-call services can't come from hospital budgets. Ontario's health care system is a system in transition, according to a spokesperson for the Ontario Hospi- tal Association (OHA). "What we're seeing in the prov- ince is a system undergoing tremen- dous change," said Beth Witney, of the OHA. While not acknowledging any emergency situation with health care funding the spokesperson said the OHA will continue to monitor the effect of funding cutbacks. "We do not say the system is in crisis, however, if at any point we see a compromise in the quality of care we would be very concerned." She said the OHA is expecting to find out there will be a reduction in base funding for the 1994-95 year. She also noted that while funding declines the number of people who need hospitals doesn't diminish. The Ministry of Health says it has been trimming spending from vari- ous areas in the health care system. Among the savings are decreased payments to physicians, and a reduction in the number of hospital beds. "It's not necessarily bad to have fewer beds," said Paul Kilbertus, Ministry spokesperson. "People are stayinin hospitals for shorter terms." Some of the shorter terms are made possible with more day sur- gery. Ecumenism - toward understanding Clergy Column by Alan Rush, Student Intern Minister Egmondville United Church Ecumenism may not be a word which many are familiar and probably not one that most of us weave into our everyday conversations. Like many words that we use in the English language, this one originally came from another language. The word comes from a Greek word which means "the inhabited world", and is used to describe something of worldwide extent. In the Christian churches, the ecumenical movement is a movement toward understanding, to move beyond our differences, and to work united as Christians around the world. Also, as the world becomes smaller and its population becomes much more mixed, the ecumenical movement has moved beyond the boundary of Christianity and has engaged people of other faiths, in this country and around the world, in order to foster understanding and co-operation. The commitment to this movement remains. The local clergy of the Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and United Churches of Seaforth and the area will work together to celebrate the spirit of this movement in the annual Service for Christian Unity. On Wednesday, Januar26, at 7:30 p.m., St. Tho Anglican Church in eaforth will host this event as we celebrate our sisterhood and brotherhood in Christ with the theme, "The Household of God: One Heart, One Spirit" with our special guest, The Reverend Father Angelo Bovenzi, from the London Diocese Commission for Ecumenism. All are invited to attend. t The ecumenical movement Sria global movement, among Christians and among peoples of many different faiths. While the ideals of understanding and working together may be discussed at various councils and conferences, the spirit of this movement can only advance in this country, in this community, when we welcome each other and gather together, neighbour to neighbour; friend to friend. Gathering together for a time of worship, prayer and music, from different churches, bat all Christians, is one step along that journey. Trench box available from Goderich At a recent PUC meeting Seaforth discussed the possibility of renting a trench box from the Goderich PUC for $100 if the need for one was required. Currently regulations regarding the use of trench boxes in certain digging situations are being updated. Proposed Water Tower Locations A deputation representing the Seaforth PUC visited the Seaforth Community Hospital in December and talked to executives about a proposed site on hospital property for a new water tower. The delegation also met with the Seaforth arena board in December. A presentation was made and the board was left with special drawings of the suggested sites for the water tower and its dimensions. The proposed structure would be 130 feet high with a tank diameter of 55 feet and the base structure would have a diameter of 25 feet. The PUC hopes to hear back from organizations this month. A public meeting will be held soon in reference to the locations being discussed. Work Completed A new water line was installed to a new house on George St. East. As well; a new underground electrical service was installed at the same location. Hydro and water stock taking was completed by Seaforth PUC. Christmas decorations were turned off and removed to storage. Hydrant markers were installed across town to make hydrants more visible to snowploughs and emergency vehicles. The Seaforth PUC installed poles in Blyth for a highway project before Christmas. A new 600 -Amp �electrical service was installed in'Mblin. A new underground electrical service and conduit was installed to a new house on Church St. A rider pole and new overhead electrical service and meter were installed at Sun North's new building. Service has now been connected and is running. Year-end council expenses A report of year-end expenses of Seaforth Council members and Police Services Board members for 1993 was released at the Jan. 11 Town Council meeting. The total salaries for nine Council members for 1993 totalled $21,510. The total for mileage and meals for all the councillors totalled $1,269.23. Conference registration costs were $1,177 for 1993. Total lodging costs were $1,486.55. For the five members of the Police Services Board, total salaries were $4,170. Mileage and meals for 1993 totalled $145.87. Conference registration for the year was $53.50. No expenses for lodging were claimed. New program turns loans into grants BY MICHELE GREENE The province's new way of fund- ing capital projects "is a case of moving the debt around," said Dr. James Brown, director of education at the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board. Currently, boards apply to the province for funding for the con- struction of a school or addition. The province grants the boards an allocation, or the amount the gov- ernment will contribute to the pro- ject. Then boards proceed with the project and receive 100 per cent the province's share at a later date. The new system will turn a grant system into a loan system. The province will still provide boards with an allocation but it will be regarded as a loan. The board will be expected to make payments, but the province will send annual grants to boards to make the payment. So, no local money will be spent on this loan. Instead of sending the full amount of its share when the project is completed (which is the current "If this board tried to pull something like that, they would have us all behind bars." practice), the province will send a portion of it each year for 20 years. With some of the debt sitting on the books of school boards, the province's debt won't look as big. "It allows the province to share some of its debt with the school boards. It looks like the school boards have the deficit but they don't," said Dr. Brown. This new system generated a lot of criticism during the meeting. "It would be interesting to know the cost of the bureaucracy to loan this money," said Stratford Trustee Ron Marcy. "If this board tried to pull some- thing like that, they would have us all behind bars. It's garbage what they're trying to do," said Trustee Vince McInnes, representing the Wingham and Blyth areas. The board is urging the Ontario Separate School Trustees Associ- ation to get a legal opinion on the issue. Students from St Joseph's, Kingsbridge; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Dashwood; St. Joseph's, Clinton; Precious Blood, Exeter; St. James, Seaforth; St. Boniface, Zurich; Sacred Heart, Wingham; and St. Mary's, Goderich will be eligible to attend the proposed secondary school in Huron County. Trustee Gerry Ryan, of the Seaforth area, noted that St. Patrick's School, Dublin, was not on that list although some of those students live near Brussels. He wondered if those students would have the choice to attend the proposed secondary school in Huron County if they live closer to Clinton. Dr. James Brown, director of education, said the board is reluc- tant to divide a'Grade8 class- by sending some students to the board's first secondary school, St. Michael's, and other students to the proposed secondary school. "When you fragment a Grade 8 class, with some going to one Cath- olic school and others going to another Catholic school, you begin to lose a number of them. You lose the solidarity and, once you lose that, they go all over the place. You want them to proceed with Catholic education so its useful to send them together," he said. He added that there is already a strong tradition in the arca to sup- port St. Michael's. Also, he said the public doesn't like to ' see buses travelling in opposite directions on the same road. So, St. Patrick's School, Dublin, will,pontinue to be a feeder school to St. Michael's, although exceptions will be con- sidered. "N., Board --produces videos for parents BY MICHELE GREENE The Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separate School Board is giving 400 surveys and videotapes to par- ents of Grade 6, 7, and 8 students in Vice -chairperson airperson Mike Miller, of the Zurich area, said a videotape describing the board's goals to establish a Catholic secondary school in Huron County and how St. Michael Catholic Secondary School was built was produced at the , Stratford Secondary School. Each of the 400 families with Grade 6, 7 and 8 students will keep a copy of the videotape, which was produced in the communications lab of St. Michael's. 400 video tapes for families - "We can make them inexpensively at St. Michael's." "We can make them inexpensive- ly at St. Michaels," he said after Monday night's meeting. Gerald Thuss, superintendent of business and fi , said the topes cost about $3 piece or a total of about $1,200. The 12-m' videotape features interviews with St. Mkhael Cath- olic Secondary School Principal Dan Bishop; students Joe Van Bakel and Sharon Kelly, of the St. Columban and Dublin areas; Father Joe Hardy, of St Columban Church; and Stratford Northwestem Secondary School Principal Bruce Buckingham. The boards former chairperson Bill Eckert was the executive producer for the video- tape. ideo- m The board's secondary school ad hoc committee drafted the proposed survey and will be sent to 400 families by the beginning of Febru- ary. The survey will be reviewed and possibly approved at a meeting of this committee tomorrow night (Thursday) to be held at Central Huron Secondary School, in Clinton. The new school is expected to be located in the 1967 wing of the Clinton secondary school. The survey asks parents which Huron elementary school their children now attend and the number of children who would be Grade 9 or 10 students attending a Catholic 'secondary school in 1995 or 1996. The survey also a.sks for parent comments. 1