The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-04-26, Page 1Who will be queen?
Appoint Shewfelt
Deb Shewfelt, former mayor of Goderich, has
been elected by the members of the board of
Alexandra Marine and General Hospital to
complete the term of Bill Wardley who resigned
from the board because of business pressures.
Shewfelt was only one" of several candidates
who were suggested by board members, and
who were contacted prior to Monday evening's
meeting to determine if they would allow their
names to stand for the post.
The names of the other candidates will be
brought forward again at the annual meeting of
the corporation in June.
Hospital board
replies to council
The board of Alexandra Marine and General
Hospital met in -camera Monday evening to
discuss a request from Goderich Town Council
-to meet with hospital officialT a-nd inspect the
Students at Goderich District Collegiate Institute will pick their, student queen from this field
of beauties Friday and that selection will be crowned at the spring prom Friday night. The
five seniors nominated for queen are (from left) Joanne Hillier, 17 year old daughter of Ross
and Frances Hillier of Benmiller, Joni Thompson, 19 year old daughter of Tom and Betty
Thompson of Goderich, Laurie Nurse, 17 year old daughter of Gerry and Norreen Nurse of
Goderich township, Trish Petrie, 18• year old daughter of Elwin and Edna Petrie of Port
Albert and Laurie Doherty, 18 year old daughter of Frank and Isabelle Doherty of Port
Albert. (photo by Jeff Seddon)
Seniors'complex now in limbo
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
The Housing Action Committee found itself
"in a state of limbo" at a meeting last Thur-
sday concerning the proposed senior citizens'
complex to be built on the southwest corner of
West and Waterloo Streets in Goderich.
C missioner of Works, Ken Hunter,
broukht committee members up to date on the
latest developments of the project. He stated
that the closing date for clear title of the project
site is April 30. The town is purchasing the site
for $205,000 and the Ontario Housing Cor-
poration will then purchase it from the town for
$155,000.
A contractor, for demolition of the buildings
on the site being purchased, has tentatively
been hired for $12,0.00, depending on the closing
date of the land deal. This contractor will
demolish the former A&P building, the former
BP gas station and two houses just west of the
former A&P on West Street. One house on
Lighthouse Street will be demolished
separately for $1,200 and the other one on that
street will be sold to help offset the costs of land
acquisition. Approximately 825,000 had been
designated ford'emolition.
Dernolitioij is expected to take about eight
weeks for completion. Following demolition,
another soils test will be done on the 3/4 acre
site. After OHC buys the site from the town, it
will call for tenders -to construct the 53 unit rent -
geared -to -income building. Ken Hunter
estimates that it could take at least another
four months,before ground is broken on the site.
Cyclists raise X2,650
More than 50 cyclists exercised their leg
muscles Sunday, some for the first time, in the
Kinettes Great Ride for Cancer.
The 52 bikers covered a,20 kilometre route
and raised over $2,600 for the local branch of
the Cancer Society in the process. Although the
'event only attracted a couple more riders than
last year the pledge money surpassed the $1,500
•raised in the first bike-a-thon for cancer last
year.
Larry Schertzl, R.R. 5 Goderich, was the top
rider in the event, raising $428.40 for his 12 -mile
effort. Betty Bowers of Goderich was the top
female rider with pledges totalling $301.50.
They were among many entrants awarded
prizes for their effort.
The bike-a-thon covered 12 miles in a route
that began ,at Suncoast Mall, went out to the
OPP station on Highway 21 and back through
town to the mall.
Members of the Goderich Police, St. Johns
Ambulance and the Circle City CB Club
assisted along the route and at checkpoints.
Kinsmen club members manned all the check-
points along the route.
It was the second Ride for Cancer sponsored
by the Goderich Kinsmen and Kinette groups.
1
132—YEAR 17
THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 1979
35 CENTS PER COPY
laundry facility. • • •
A letter has been drafted which will be sent. to • " •
oac� nothappyw 5o__c_ ___town council from the board. However, board h�� ;�-4
members did not WCsh to reveal the' intent `of
that letter until town council has had a chance
to handle' it in regular session.
Administrator Elmer Taylor did say that at
the present time; no date has been set for a
meeting with town council.
The town's councillors voted 6-3 at the April
'16 meeting to request the meeting after two
letters had been received from hospital em-
ployees asking why the former laundry
building was condemned and why laundry was
being trucked to London. (See Hospital Briefs
elsewhere in this 'issue for a story on the
laundry situation.)
BY SHIRLEY J.KELLER
The board of Alexandra Marine and -General
Hospital isn't happy about it, but the decision
has been reached to hire a firm of management
consultants at the local hospital. The object
.now is to get the preliminary proposals at no
cost to the board from a number of
management consulting firms to determine
which onebest suits the requirements of the
board.
The board already has one proposal from
management consultant Gary Byrne, London
and seemed impressed with an offer for a
second proposal made Monday evening at the
regular • April meeting of the board. That
presentation was by Woods Gordon,
management consultants from London.
Administrator Elmer Taylor reminded the
board the Ontario Ministry of Health is looking
for several. proposals from consulting firms,
each one of which will complete a preliminary
study at the hospital and then present a
proposal for an. in-depth investigation of
specific hospital departments and ser-
vices,with an eye to saving money.
"We don't have any choice," commented
vice-chairman of the board Jim McCaul.
McCaul said the ministry representatives
had made it clear that a management con-
sultant's report would be necessary, and that it
must be done before the ministry will make a
final ruling on whether or not to increase the
Political machines in. Huron -Bruce slow off mark
BY JEFF SEDDON
Federal party leaders were quick to hit the
campaign trail once an election date was set
but political machines in Huron -Bruce were a
little slower out of the gate.
Voters in this part of Ontario -finally- got a
slate of candidates to look at 'when the New
Democratic Party completed the triumvarate
of political hopefuls last week. Liberals were
first into action having selected -their-candidate
-
over a year ago. The conservative party faith-
ful went through the -motions of a nomination
meeting knowing that incumbent Bob
McKinley would get the nod once he announced
he would seek re-election.
Liberal candidate Graeme Craig has been
waiting patiently to get into his first election.
The 31 year old Walton area, farmer was
nominated to carry the l;,fberal flag April 19,
1978 but the election that seemed imminent at
that time was put off one year. ,
Bob McKinley, the Progressive Conservative
candidate and incumbent member of
'parliament for Huron -Bruce, threw his hat in
,4,040
the ring two weeks ago. McKinley. was unop-
posed at the conservative nomination meeting
in Goderich and seeks another election in a
riding he has held for 13 years.
The New Democrats threw their support
behind a rookie politician last week when -they
nominated .. Mbira Couper. Couper, who
described herself as a freelan ce•-cornm-unity
educator, was unopposed at the NDP
nominftion meeting. 4
As campaigning in Huron -Bruce picks up
voters here may well see more of party leaders
than 'local candidates. All three candidates
have chosen low-key campaigns shunning
public forums for door to door sessions, with
voters.
The three seemed to be avoiding the no holds
barred type of campaign federal leaders are
running. Each seems more intent finding out
what voters in Huron -Bruce are concerned with
than trying to tell those voters what's wrong
with Huron -Bruce.
Craig is looking at the realignment of this
riding as an ace in the hole for the Liberal
cause. When the riding was altered townships
in the south end, a predominantly conservative
area, were replaced with Liberal townships in
Bruce County.
Craig will even go so far as to count .the
northern votes. He points out that five years
ago McKinley was elected by a 7,000 vote
majority. He estimates 3;800 1.115eralvotes-`rom
the north that weren't available last time
around and is campaigning to cat into a 5,000 .
vote McKinley edge.
Craig says much of the area now- included in
the riding Ahs been Liberal since Con-
federation. But,he is not willing to assume those
votes are in the bag. He says he plans to keep a
high profile ih the north and work hard in the
south.
McKinley won't give the Liberals that kind of
edge in the north end of the riding. He claims he
has "a lot of friends in that part of Bruce
County". He feels he'll get a lot of support from
those friends.
The incumbent says he has beencam-
paigning steadily since his nomination. 1Ie says
Bob McKinley
- Moira Couper
Graeme Craig
his door to door, on the street meetings with
voters left him with the feeling that people want
change. He says he has encountered some anti
Trudeau sentiments but many voters seethed to
be unconcerned with the actions of the federal
.-l•eaders......_ .
�•_ Couper offered a realistic view of the work
she has cut out for herself. She said at her
nomination meeting -that -it will be "difficult t
change the thoughts and ideas of many voters
in the Huron -Bruce riding and to persuade
them to consider the NDP party".
Couper, is planning a personal campaign
hoping to discuss her party platform over
coffee. She calls her campaign style "grass
roots" . Rather than have one campaign office
she plans to use a mobile unit to tour the riding.
She is concentrating on small businesses on
main streets in towns in the riding, on the farm
and at factory doors.
McKinley and Craig are stressing the im-
portance of the young vote. Craig told a group
of party workers in Goderich that 20 percent of
the voters in- this riding were new voters that
turned 18 since the last federal election.
Craig said the new voters tend to lean toward
the Liberals preferring the image of the Liberal
leader to the Conservative. McKinley aid he'
has not encountered too many young voters in
his travels to date but said those he has met
seem to be anti Trudeau.
The three candidates have yet to cross paths
in their campaigning. The earliest voters will
have a chance to compare the three is May 3
when the Huron Federation of Agriculture is
sponsoring an all candidates meeting at Hullett
Central Public School in Londesboro.
Each expressed confidence their cam-
paigning will be successfull. McKinley said he
does'h't expect any surprises and will have
"pretty good support" May 22. He quipped that
he was "in the chicken business before he got
into politics and he never counted his chickens
before they hatched". "
Craig said he hopes that hard work and
personal contact will boost the Liberal chance
of ousting McKinley. He said he didn't want to
"gojhrough an election saying he shook 25,000
hands and doesn't know anybody's name". He
feels personal contact with voters may be the
k y to his success.
Couper, whose `party has never captured
uch of the vote in this riding, wants to try to
I prove the lot of the NDP. She said one of her
jobs in the election would be to "dispel some of
the myths about the CIDP party".
tant
number of beds for chronic patients at AM & G.
SAVINGS EXPECTED
Joe Buckley, spokesman for the Woods
Gordon company, told the board without
hesitation his firm would be able of realize
important annual savings for the hospital,
probably far in excess of the initial cost of his
company's services.
"Without jeopardizing the quality of patient
care?" asked Dr. Kenton ,Lambert, Goderich
surgeon.
"Yes indeed," replied Buckley, claiming that
maintaining a high quality of patient care
would be of prime concern to his firm.
Buckley explained that if his firm was
selected to do a complete study of the hospital,
the fee would likely be,,between $40,000 and
$50,000.
"That's just a ballpark figure," Buckley said.
"1t won't be $10,000 and it won't be $100,000."
Buckley further estimated it would take a
maximum of four. consultants approximately...:.
six months to complete the study and im-
plement programs. He explained though, that
the consultants would'not be at the hospital
fulltime, but that it would require some -
"calendar time" to change attitudes.
"You say $50,000 for four people working
part-time for six -months?" asked Gerry Ginn,
board member.
"Yes,,. that's approximately what it will
cost," answered Buckley.
IMPLEMENT AS YOU GO
Alan Owen, also of Woods Gordon, said the
consultants would not simply compile a
massive document, send the bill and then leave
to let the hospital work out the problems and
put the suggested programs into effect.
Buckley galled it an "implement as you go
philosphy" which calls for new programs to be.
put in place as they are developed, while the
consultants are on site to "de -bug" the-
changes.
hechanges.
There would be four main steps to the study
as Woods Gordon would complete it.
First there would be a brief period to .study
the budget and determine areas where savings
could be expected; if any. •
Second, there would be an evaluation of
services. According to Buckley, this would
mean the consultants would determine if
AM&G is attempting to offer services which
aren't feasible or if the services offered could
be more effective.
Third, two working committees would be
established - one with direct services such as
nursing, ar(d one with indirect services such as
housekeeping. These committees would each
be chaired by a consultant from Woods Gordon
who would collaborate with the staff members
to bring about cost containment measures.
"We have no book of ideas to sell to staff,"
observed Buckley. "We find most often that
staff has a genuine concern for the welfare of
the hospital. We need the staff as members of
the decision making team." .
Fourth, changes will be implemented as they
are developed by the two working committees
and after they have been reported to a steering
committee of board members, and reporting
systems set up so that the programs will be
Turn to page 9 •