Times Advocate, 1992-03-11, Page 3Times -Advocate, Mardh 11, 1992
Page 3
Boyd explains priorities for social service reform
By AMlanHaver
CLINTON - Marion Boyd, Onta-
rio Misdate, of Community and So-
cial Services spoke -before a peeked
town hall Thursday evening in
Clinton.
A soft-spoken woman whose first
claim to fame was that she defeated
Conner Premier David Peterson in
his own tiding, said that Ontario's
challenge is to build its community
services while facing diminishing
resources.
She said this recession has
brought the first time the Ontario
government has seen a real de-
crease in the amount of taxation it
takes in.
"Never has the province suffered
as it has in the past two years,"
claimed Boyd, .saying that -not -only
can free trade be blamed, but the
high dollar, high interest rates, and
the (act that Ontario manufacturers
did not keep up with technological
change are all contributing factors.
She said the "+aa Meade" of the
1930s was not healthy, and now is
the time to 'rebuild our communi-
ties at a time when we don't have
the kind of resources we had in the
past„
The government. said Boyd has
to "streamline" its services and to
make them less intrusive on the
families that use them. But she
said she has no desire to drop any
of the services which currently
touch over a million people in the
province today.
Choices will have to be made,
however, and she said she is look-
ing to communities, such as Huron
County, for a sense of direction for
those choices.
"It's hard to set priorities when
_everybody -depends out you,," .rite
said, adding all recipients of social
programs are vulnerable in some
way.
Boyd set out five priorities for
her ministry's reforms. The fust,
Lucan .council. okays
street completions
LUCAN - At the March 3 meet-
ing of Lucan village council, works
superintendent Doug Johnston re-
ported that he had received notifi-
cation of the 1992 allocation for
roads subsidies from the provincial
government.
The allocation is $30,200 for
maintenance and $25,000 for con-
struction. Add to this a similar con-
tribution by the village and a total
of $110,400 can be spent on road
projects.
Johnston said these monies
would allow for completion of re-
construction of Langford Drive and
Fairview Place this year.
He was given approval by coun-
cil to call for bids from a number of
area contractors for this upcoming
work. Johnston. added, "The sooner
we call for bids, the better prices
we are likely to get."
Council accepted the 1992 bud-
get as presented by the Lucan-
Biddulph arca fire board. It calls
for expenditures of $47,119.62.
That's about 5800 less than costs
projected a year ago.
Salaries set for 1992 are fire chief
- 5900: deputy -chief $750 and cap-
tains 5550. A fireman's remunera-
tion for attending fires will be $14
per hour across the board.
It is expected a new rescue van
will be purchased this year. It will
bc paid for out of reserve funds.
While the village of Lucan and the
township of Biddulph share regular
operating expenses, monies contrib-
uted each year by the township of
McGillivray go into the reserve
fund.
L• ucan's share of costs for the
building- official program will be
$8,414.32, a decrease of about
$200 from last year. Participating
in this program in addition to Lu -
can arc the town of Parkhill, the vil-
lage of Ailsa Craig and the town-
ships of Biddulph, McGillivray and
West Williams.
The village planning committee
has provided council with recom-
mendations for charges to be im-
posed for various planning pro-
grams.
A deposit of $2,000 will be re-
quired for all plan of subdivision
applications. Councillor Bryan
Smith said a survey had been made
of neighbouring municipalities and
he felt the Lucan proposals were
fairly low. Smith added, "This is
the first time we have charged for
this type of thing. We have to start
somewhere."
Clerk Reymer said plan of subdi-
vision applies to anything over
three lots and on small applications
monies not used will be refunded.
Also, if a larger application is more
expensive, then the excess will be
charged back to the developer.
Reymer continued, "Our planner
made these recommendations and I
feel comfortable with them."
In his opening comments, reeve
Tom McLaughlin suggested a few
changes in the format of the two
monthly meetings of council.
No more than one delegation will
be entertained at the first meeting
of the month and committee reports
will be dealt with at only the first
meeting. If there are any reports for
the second. meeting, they will be
dealt with as new business.
Making his annual visit to coun-
cil, Sgt. Bob Erskine, head of the
Ontario Provincial Police detach-
ment in Lucan said community po-
licing had begun in the Arva area
with Constable Doug Graham as
the officer in charge.
Erskine said a community polic-
ing committee would be set up in
the next few months and will in-
clude Medway high school students
and staff. -
The new crosswalk light on Main
street across from Darling's Food
Market s discussed and Erskine
said, "Not enough people use it.
Some think they are inconvenie<nc-
" ing motorists by pushing the but-
ton, but that's not true. It's there for
the safety of the pedestrian and
they will have to be educated."
When questioned about what ap-
pears' to be lesser monitoring of
speeders in the village, Erskine re-
plied, "We may not be as visible
now as we were at one • time with
cruisers parked at certain locations,
but we are still out there. We have
two vehicles equipped with radar
equipment which can pick up
speeding violators on the move."
No valid insurance
charge in JP court
i
411111).
EXETER - A charge of owning a vehicle oper-
ated without valid insurance netted a London
woman 5253.75 iii fines in Exeter court last
Tuesday.
Thongkham Ounsantone entered a not g ilty
plea after an incident September 28.
A police officer told the court that while on
patrol he was called to investigate a single vehi-
cle accident on Huron St. West in Exeter. One
• occupant was behind the wheel and was trans-
ported to hospital by ambulance.
Further investigation showed the vehicle registered to the accused
who was notified and came to the hospital. Her husband had been
driving the car without permission, but no mention was made by ei-
ther the accused or her husband.
Both the accused and her husband had signed an exclusion order
saying there was no -insurance for him to drive. and a letter from the
insurance company show,d there was no insurance on vehicle for ei-
ther of them to drive.
The accused told the court\the had left her keys downstairs, and
found both them and the car tar be gone, but didn't tell police thud be-
cause she was scared about the accident.
Justice of the.Peace Karen.Sturdy said that failing to report the in-
cident was giving permission, although not verbally.
Ounsarnone was given 9 months to pay the fine.
' No permit
Michael J. Ondrejicka of Exeter entered *guilty plea for tidbits to
oih ):plumbing permits for building cues wwction.
Ondrojicka was Geed 5103.75 with 14 days to pay.
dt4.aid, is a reform of social aids -
lance ptOgratrts, or welfare. The
problan, tele minister explained is
that a4ile welfare is meant •w be*
last resort for assistance, over date
it has 'become 'the only .real anti-
poverty action that has happened"
The ministry, said Boyd, must
make people more self-suffiolent,
with, housing, and child care while
training for better jobs. But, she
said, these things "are by and large
not there".
"Never has the
province suffered
as it has in the
past two years"
The second reform is a review of
long-term care. Boyd said she
plans to continue the work of the
previous Liberal government to al-
low people to receive more care at
-hone,-and40 -be -able to -stay--at
home and out of institutions.
A third priority is child care re-
fomi. Boyd said that population
demographics show that .by 2025,
the productive abilities of everyone
will be needed. And to keep both
women and men in the workforce,
child care programs will bc re-
quired to make that possible.
The fourth priority is an "integra-
tion of children's services". While
Boyd said she was pleased to attend
the opening of the Huron Perth
Centre earlier that day, she said it
should be easier for people to find
such services.
• She also said professionals work-
ing with Young Offenders say their
field needs reform as well.
The fifth priority for Boyd's min-
istry is the continuation of work
against violence against women,
she said.
After opening the floor to ques-
tions from the audience, one wom-
an presented Royd with a pay stub
showing deductions from income
for UIC, Canada Pension, and in-
come tax. The woman demanded
*t 4tnow why a man on sooial oasis -
once with two eltild ee, received
$1.♦100 a month, and had no such
deductions.
Boyd said that while on welfare,
recipients are not entitled to unem-
ployment or pension payments, and
therefore cannot have them deduct-
ed. She also said that trying to
compare a welfare cheque with an
armed income was not fair com-
parison.
"When you try to compare indi-
vidual salaries it doesn't work very
well," saki Boyd.
The woman, unhappy with the
minister's answer, left the meeting
shouting her displeasure.
One man pointed out that taxes
keep going up, but "we just can't
-gyp paying any more", and sug-
gested some people may quit work
to go on social assistance.
"1 think most- of us share your
concern," agreed Boyd, and said
taxpayers have a definite right to
demand-..strcatrtlirung -and -cost -re-
duction of government services.
Another man later said thht the
need for training is not as important
as the need for new businesses to
create jobs, but that people on wel-
fare trying to create new businesses
lose assistance.
Boyd agreed, and said that situa-
tion applies to farmers as well, who
can't receive welfare because they
are self-employed and own land.
"We all know in today's climate
that land is more an asset in name
than in reality," said Boyd, adding
that there is probably not enough
provincial investment in small busi-
nesses. The Ministry of Industry
Trade and Technology seems to of-
fer most assistance to medium and
large operations.
One man pointed out that while
people are waiting for unemploy-
ment premiums, they arc eligible
for welfare, but the ministry has no
means to later recover that money.
Boyd agreed and said "the treasury
board is very anxious to plug that
hole", but added that increasing
welfare caseloads make policing
the system difficult.
But Boyd repeated her statement
that °metal Welfare .Asaatance
should still not be the first call for
assistance anyway for the unem-
ployed•
A woman asked Boyd about child
care, and saki that such programs
better benefit urban areas that rural
ones like Huron County.
Royd says she realizes the day
nursery eyN01n does /tot work very
well, apeoiiSly in rural aroas which
metre more flexible `operating
hours to wet around tarn), and
off -firm hours. While the federal
government has dropped its plan
for general day care, Boyd said the
province is keen to go ahead with
it, but is not sure how it will be
funded. Property tax is not sten as
an equitable solution, she said.
The honorable Marion Boyd, minister of Community and So-
cial Services explained how her ministry plans to retain servic-
es while recognizing government restraint.
41.
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