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Community gathers to flesh out downtown redevelopment vision. — Page SF4
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Communities prepare to fight for hospital funding By DESMOND DEVOY desmond.devoy@metroland.com
EMC News – Politicians across Lanark County are lining up behind a motion to support the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital. Lanark County Warden John Gemmell sent out the motion to county council representatives last Friday, Nov. 16. Lanark County council representatives from Lanark Highlands (Mayor Peter McLaren), Drummond/ North Elmsley (Reeve Aubrey Churchill) and Beckwith Township (Deputy Reeve Sharon Mousseau) have indicated their support for the motion to this newspaper. The motion was also sent to representatives from Perth, Tay Valley Township, Smiths Falls and Montague Township. The issue went
before the Tay Valley Township committee-of-the-whole meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 20, after The Record News went to press. The motion is also likely to be discussed at the county council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28. “Residents receiving health care services from the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital are concerned about the future of healthcare in Ontario,” read the motion, which has already been circulated at Lanark Highlands Township council before their budget meeting this past Monday. “Current economic realities at all government levels have necessitated a ¿scally prudent method of governing our hospital to ensure that both a balanced budget, in tandem with excellent health care for our citizens remains
a top priority.” The OPSEU (Ontario Public Service Employees Union) and CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) unions, under the umbrella group Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, is launching a campaign to get local citizens to pressure the provincial government to get more money for the hospital to help it eliminate its de¿cit without further cuts. County council members are now joining in a separate call for more money for the hospital. “In order to assist the (hospital)… in its desire of meeting these two health care objectives, we ask the province of Ontario to consider providing special one-time funding to the (hospital) to help fund our community health care debt obligation, in order to provide a clean ¿nancial bill
of health for all residents,” reads the motion. “I think everyone around the table will be in favour,” said Mousseau. “It seems to be a trend. When there are debts it seems that it is essential services that are cut.” She added that her own husband saw ¿rsthand the strain that the Ontario health care system is under while he was being looked after at an Ottawa hospital. Her husband was enrolled in a two-week short-term home care program while he was “barely mobile.” Mousseau hastened to add that in the intensive care unit, “that level was great. But you can see (elsewhere) that they are really strapped.” Following the Monday budget meeting, McLaren recalled how, a year ago, while he was in hospital himself
receiving IV treatments for an infection that, for each of the several nights he was at the local hospital, there was at least one patient who was spending a night in the emergency room because there was simply no room for them elsewhere. Lanark Highlands Coun. Ken Sinclair noted that he himself moved to the area partially because his area of the township was only about 20 minutes away from the Great War Memorial Hospital site in Perth. Shutting down that site would add at least 20 minutes on to a journey to get to the Smiths Falls site. As he watched the results pour in for the North Elmsley Ward by-election on Monday night, Churchill reiterated his support for a two-site hospital, since his residents use both.
Fire hall retrofit gets approval By STACEY ROY sroy@perfprint.ca
Young girl asks community to help her give clean water to others. — Page SF10
Results are in for the National Youth Karate Tournament. — Page SF16
Photo by LAURIE WEIR
EMC News - The Sounds of Christmas concert was enjoyed by a packed house at the Bethel Pentecostal Church in Smiths Falls on Saturday night. The Christmas concert was a thrill for those who gathered to listen to the sounds of Legacy Brass. A solo by Mikayla Kozlof was a heart-warming, crowd pleaser.
EMC News - At just four weeks out from accepting delivery of the new ¿re truck, ¿re Chief Joel Gorman was given council approval to have the retro¿t work done to the entrance of the existing ¿re bays. “Winter’s nipping at our heels here,” said Coun. Ken Graham. “We’re never going to be able to accommodate them (¿re trucks) for the winter.” Estimates for this work to be completed came in at $13,000 to $15,000 and includes increasing the clearance at the top of the bay to allow the new truck to enter. Gorman said the work could take several months to complete. “It sounds like we have no other choice but to ¿nd alternate accommodations for the next four to ¿ve months,” said mayor Dennis Staples. The chief is looking into two town storage options presently that would remove the two existing ¿re trucks from the public works garage, but said this isn’t ideal as they are located off site. At the regular council session that followed special committee of the whole this
week, council formally cancelled the tender for the renovation/addition to the ¿re hall due to budgetary constraints. The original tenders received Aug. 17, 2012 expired last Saturday. When it comes to the overall discussion around the future of the ¿re department accommodations there was general agreement around the table to wait until budget 2013 debates begin later this month. Coun. Jay Brennan voiced his desire to see a solution that will see the town through the next few decades rather than the proposed repair work. “I just think that’s a BandAid and I think we should do it right,” Brennan added. “For me, it’s a top priority.” Chief Gorman’s report this week shows cost estimates of $210,000 to $260,000 from Genivar to replace the two-bay Àoor and reinforce the walls. DDD&G quoted $284,840 plus taxes to complete the needed repairs as well as the retro¿t to the bays for the new truck. Staples put forward a secondary option in the form of a new partnership with Lanark County Ambulance See HALL page SF3
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