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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-04-14, Page 1Godericth S1GNAL 134 YEAR -14 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1982 50 CENTS PER COPY Local doctor part of overseas tour delegation A Goderich doctor has been selected to com- plement a contingent of five area professionals who will embark on a goodwill speaking tour of three African countries. Dr. James Rourke will be pant, of a Rotary Group Study Exchange that leaves for South Africa this weekend on a five-week tour to execute the 1982 Rotary theme of promoting world peace through understanding. The delegation, consisting of a business man, educator, administrator, lawyer and doctor, will represent District 633 of the Rotary Club which includes the area from Owen Sound to Sarnia and Port Huron, Michigan. Each club in the district was eligible to nominate two non Rotarian can- didates and the final selections were nnade by the district executive. The trip is funded by the Rotary Foundation and marks the third time the district has par- ticipated in the exchange. Dr. Tom Jasper participated in 1974 and in 1976 there was an exchange with a British delegation. Jasper explained that the exchange is arranged on a reciprocal basis and the philosophy behind the program is to encourage interest and understanding of other countries. "The program is designed to encourage in- ternational understanding, to provide op- portunities to learn more about other countries, provide an educational experience and actually make ambassadors out of the delegates," Jasper said. "The team will be subject to a pre - planned program that will give them a varied outlook of society in the countries they visit." The five representatives of the 54 Rotary Clubs in the district will have an opportunity to view the judicial, health care, business and com- merce, industrial, educational and social systems of the countries they visit. While the tour will be of educational value to the delegation, they will speak to Rotary and other clubs about the way of life in this part of Canada, Selected in January, the team has done much work of a preparatory nature for its visit to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi. As dictated by the exchange criteria, a delegation from Africa will spend five weeks in Southwestern Ontario next year. Dr. Rourke is stimulated by the prospect of acting as an ambassador for his country and has been in contact with several government agencies, including External Affairs, to acquaint himself with the countries involved. Despite the . tedious preparatory work and rigorous schedule . • planned on the tour,, he is excited 'at the prospect of visiting Africa. "I think it will be exciting and I'm looking forward to the exchange of ideas," he said.. "Having an interest in Canadian native peoples and having worked in the Arctic and northern British Columbia will make the 'trip to Africa an interesting prospect." Dr. James Rourke Through External Affairs, the five -member team has gleaned information on Canadian foreign policy and relations with the.. countries involved. The group has also learned much about Canada in their studies, information that will be passed ori to captive African audiences. - The team will visit major towns and cities in the three countries and considering the expanse of the nations, a great deal of travel will be in- volved. • "We will be moving every two or three, days and it is a rigorous schedule, " Dr. Rourke said. "But I think it will be an enjoyable pace." The team of professionals will return to Canada May 25' 'and during Dr. Rourke's ab, sence, Dr. Dennis Conway, who has worked in Goderich during, the suininer, will take over the medical practice. Dr. Rourke said he had serious reservations about' applying for the exchange, not wanting to leave his patients without adequate: medical care. With Dr. Conway secured to handle the practice, the offer was simply too enticing to pass up. Board approves plan for special ed by -Stephanie Levesque CLINTON — The first in Southwestern Ontario. That is, the Huron County Board of Education's approved special education plan. At its April 5 meeting, the board approved its plan covering the years 1982 to 1985. Once approved, the document was turned over to Roger Miller, liaison with the regional office of the Ministry of Education in London. The plan is subject to Ministry approval. Mr. Miller congratulated the board for being the first in the area to submit its special education plan. He read a draft earlier and remarked it is a well thought out document. He praised superintendent of education, Don Kenwell, and student services co- ordinator, Sheila Clarke, for their work. The plan;, which by law is to be reviewed annually, lays down guidelines to be followed in implementing special education in the Huron school system. In December of 1980, the provincial government approved amendments to the Education Act, known as Bill 82. The amendments require each board in the province to provide an education for all students, whether or not they are exceptional. The board's plan defines an exceptional pupil as "a pupil whose behavioural, communicational, intellectual, physical or multiple exceptionalities are such that he or she is. considered to need placement in a special education program" . At its, March meeting, the board approved staff changes for special education for September of 1982. These include 4.9 staff for elementary and 5.5 staff for secondary. There will be nop hirings as, declining enrolment results in teacher reductions, thus evening out the e numbers. Also one area, resource teacher, speech and language, one area resource teacher. enrichment (for the gifted, one psychologist - behavioural consultant and a half-time secretary are included in the special education requirements. In the plan, it is noted one English, as a second language, teaching position will be reduced. IMPLEMENTATION To identify an exceptional pupil, the board's student services staff currently 'holds pupil and parent interviews in the spring before kindergarten enrolment. Future procedures are under review and are expected to result in the teacher doing an in -class survey with assistance from student services staff and school resource teachers. Presently in -school resource support is provided by 15.1 remedial teaching positions at Huron elementary schools and one at the secondary level. With the in- creases in special education staff approved by the board, this will increase to 17.5 the remedial teaching positions at the elementary level and 4.5 teaching positions at the secondary level. Area resource teachers, working out of the board office, are divided into two categories. For ex- ceptional learning, there are currently six full-time teachers and no changes are recommended. In speech and language, there are currently 4.6 full-time equivalent teachers and an additional full-time teacher will be added. Each teacher had a caseload of 181 students in the 1981 fall term. - The board's enrichment program is currently done in pilot projects with pupils in three elementary schools which involves weekly two-hour withdrawal of selected students under school staff direction. A full-time area resource teacher has been hired for Turn to page 2 Doctors in Goderich begin rotating walkouts Most doctors in Goderich and Huron County closed their offices Monday and withdrew all services but those of an emergency nature in the first of a series of rotating walkouts. In Huron County; walkouts, were scheduled at hospitals in Clinton, Seaforth, Winghain and Goderich as part of the Ontario Medical Association's protest over the imposition of a new fee structure as proposed. by the province. • But, while the doctors seemed. united in their protestagainst the fee imposition, the effects: of the walkout were minimal in Goderich. Alexandra Marine and General Hospital administrator, Elmer Taylor, said there were no problems Monday and that emergency patients were being treated. "There havebeen no problems here ,and emergency patients are .being .seen." he said. This picture shows the former Huron County Court House and part of the Square. The court house was built in 1855 and the picture was taken.. between 1870 and 1880. The photograph was supplied by the public archives'of Canada and is part of an exhibit of early Canadian court houses that is displayed at the Sun - coast Mall during April. "Everyone is being looked after but it presents an increased workload for those on staff." The walkout meant that many people in the province had to cancel elective surgery but Taylor said elective surgery is not scheduled in Goderich on Mondays. On Mondays, only emergency is -per- formed. • • Also, as part of the sanctions, doctors will not sit on hospital committees until the fee schedule is settled. The series of rotating walkouts continues across the province and doctors in Goderich have set dates of April 23 and29 and May 5 and,11 for further walkouts. Whether or not those walkouts will affect .the local hospital remains to be seen Taylor said. "We're getting some experience today and we'll know better for future dates." - The Ontario Medical Association decided on the rotating walkouts and other sanctions after Health Minister .Larry .Grossrhan announced April .1 the ministry would impose a fee increase of 34 per cent • over three years. The government claimed that by 1985, the- increase would hike- the average docto' salary, after � expenses, .to a pre-tax income Idf $114,000. The medical association has disputed the figures, claiming the government is using the top, 70 per cent figures to establish the base salary. Also, the 34 per .cent increase .over. . three. _years, is based on. the present base salary and will not reflect annual in- creases. Members of the medical association have been solid in their support of the walkouts and sanctions. Last week, members of the Huron County association met in Goderich to decide on a course of action. The one -day walkout on Monday by many of the 100 doctors in Huron County didn't seem to have an ad- verse affect on medical health care in the County. Except for emergency cases, doctors refused to handle any cases in Huron County on Monday, .but no hardship cases were reported. Dr.' Brian Baker of Clinton, the secretary of Huron - County Medical Association, who is acting as spokesman for the doctors while ailing president Dr. Ken Rodney of Seaforth is in hospital, said they aren't out to punish patients. • "We just want to draw the public's attention to the doctors' position over the next five weeks," Dr. Baker said: Dr. Baker said that. the 34 per cent increase in fee structure offered by the Ontario government over the next three years is not enough for the the doctors to get out of the celler as Canada's poorest paid doctors. He said that British Columbia doctors already make 50 per cent more than Ontario MD's, making the latest Ontario offer even worse. "We're not asking for 34 per cent. We want an 11 1,2 per cent increase for 1982 with a 9.5 per cent catch-up raise, " Dr. Baker said. He said that a formula should then be established to cover inflation and provide a catch-up with the rest of the country. He said the average general practioneer in Huron County grosses between $80,000 and $100,000 a year, but office expenses sometimes eat up to $6,000 a month,leaving the doctors with little real income. As well as the walkouts, Huron's doctors say they won't provide other "free" services as they have traditionally done in the past, such as gving medical advice by telephone; renewing prescriptions by phone; giving laboratory tests results b°y phone; or fiWmg out certain forms at the request of patients. Meanwhile, Dr. Baker said that negotiations with the provincial health minister Larry Grossman and the OMA are continuing. Board budgets will be delayed until May 3 Budgets from boards of education will be delayed until May. Both the Perth and Huron County Boards of Education administration informed trustees a meeting to have been held on April 7 with the Ministry of Education„ in London, regarding grants, has been changed to April 19. "We'll be late in striking a budget," said Huron County director of education John Cochrane. The Huron Board will most likely present its budget to trustees on Monday, May 3. The Huron Board will most likely present its budget to trustees on Monday, May 3. In Perth, 'the ad hoc finance committee asked for and received an extension to its April 6 reporting date. Committee chairman Earl Bowman requested the extension to Tuesday, ray 4. Twomen charged after speed chase Recent changes in the Highway Traffic Act have imposed stiff penal measures against those involved in high speed chases. The penal measures called for in the amendments resulted in a Seaforth man being fined $1,000 for his involvement in a high speed chase January 26. His licence was also suspended for a period of three years. Goderich OPP report that two Seaforth men stole a truck in Londesboro on that date and then took six police cruisers on a high speed chase through several townships in the Seaforth area. The driver eventually ditched the truck in Brucefield and the men tried to escape by foot. Police caught up with the suspects in a wooded area. The truck was stolen from T.B. Allen Feed Mill in Londesboroland during the high speed chase three cruisers from the Goderich detachment of the OPP. two from the Exeter OPP and one cruiser from the Seaforth Police Department were involved. The new measures in the Highway Traffic Act impose stiff fines for high speed chases and Constable Eric Gosse of the Goderich OPP said it should act as a deterrent. Under the act, drivers involved in high speed chases are subject to fines ranging from $100 to $2,000 and the driver's licence is automatically suspended for a three-year period. Previously, many drivers involved in chases were charged with failing to obey police flashing lights and or dangerous driving. Gosse reports that there have been a few high- speed chases in the detachment's coverage are many are simply abandoned by the officers. "In many cases we'll cut 11 off'before continuing the chase. It's up to the officer's discretion,", he said. "-We lose some simply because it's too dangerous to continue the chase.' The stiff fines and three-year licence suspension may help decrease the number of high speed chases. In other police business, the OPP issued six 12 -hour licence suspensions. Four thefts were reported including a $500 theft at. Vanastra Recreation Centre. The property has been recovered and a suspect faces five charges of break- ing and entering. There were 10 break and enters reported, five in neighbouring cottages and in one in- cident, $1000 worth of hog pens was taken from a Col- borne Township farm. There were also 18 minor accidents reported and 27 liquor charges were laid. INSIDE THE . RIGrCIAL-STAR Hockey season over The hockey season, which began way back in October, is finally over. The Goderich Lakeport Steelers were eliminated from the OMHA cham- pionship on the weekend. The story and pictures .appear on the Recreation page. Fran's creations The Benmiller General Store specializes in hand-knit clothing and store owner, Fran Parsons, designs all the clothing offered for sale. Joanne Buchanan has a story on Parsons and her creations inside. Bike for cancer The annual bike-a-thon for cancer is scheduled for this Sunday at 2 p.m. and/everyone is urged to ride for cancer. Details of the route and day's activities can be found on the Recreation page.