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The Perth and District Community Newspaper since 1834 May 2, 2013 | 80 pages
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Hospital contemplates debt relief campaign
Inside FEATURE
By DESMOND DEVOY
desmond.devoy@metroland.com
John Gorka comes to Perth this weekend. — Page 2
SPORTS
Maple madness
Photo by AMY HOGUE
Fans of maple syrup flocked to Perth on Saturday for the Festival of the Maples. They were thrilled with the opportunity to purchase some of the liquid gold for sale at the event. Here, Kevin Coupland purchases a jug of maple syrup from Hali Mackey, of Temple’s Sugarbush.
ATV bylaw nears completion By DESMOND DEVOY
desmond.devoy@metroland.com
M Megan Wh Wheeler l claims l i gold ld att a recent swim meet. — Page P21
RELAY FOR LIFE
EMC News – Residents of Lanark Highlands Township appear ready for ATVs on their roads. Following three public meetings in March in Tatlock, White Lake, and Lanark, “overwhelmingly the results were in favour of ATVs,” or, all-terrain vehicles, said Coun. Derek Love, the chair of the Highlands’ police services board during their meeting April 23. The township’s proposed bylaw would follow the provincial Highway Traffic Act, but Love hastened to add that “it has not been passed by council. But it is before them.” Montague and Tay Valley townships have recently passed similar ATV bylaws. “It is in limbo right now until it goes to council, but there will be something soon,” said Love. OPP Staff Sgt. Derek Needham agreed with the need to have a
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ATV-ready routes The meeting room displayed a large map with the following routes designated as ready for off-road vehicles, including such Lanark Highlands roads as: • Tatlock Road to Tatlock, on to the 511, Highway 511 from Tatlock Road North to the Renfrew County border; • Middleville to Herrons Mills • Watson’s Corners Road, from Highway 511 to McDonalds Corners, Highway 12 from McDonalds Corners to Elphin; from Elphin Maberly Road (Highway 360 to the Frontenac County border; • Highway 16, South Lavant Road, from Highway 511 west to Poland, through Lavant and Lavant Station, to the Frontenac County border. Board member George Braithwaite recommended adding County Road 16 from Elphin west to the Tay Valley Township boundary to the listing.
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county-wide bylaw to regulate the popular off-road vehicles. “You don’t want someone thinking they are complying with the law (and then) getting a big ticket,” said Needham. “If it (the law) is difficult to understand, it is not helpful.” The bylaw would cover municipally owned roads, and would limit their speeds to 20 km/hour on roads with posted speed limits of 50 km/hour, and a high-end speed limit of 50 km/hour on roads with a posted speed limit of greater than 50 km/hour. The proposed bylaw also mandates that ATVs shall have visible reflective strips on all four sides of the vehicle, and that they shall not have chains or studs on their tires. Failure to comply with the reflective strip and chain/stud rules could face fines of up to $110. The bylaw would also dictate a seven-day-a-week 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. ATV curfew on all township roads.
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EMC News – Maureen Towaij is putting her money where her hospital is. Last week, Towaij, a Tay Valley Township resident, the chair of the local police services board, went right up to Linda Bisonette, president and chief executive officer of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital, and pressed a cheque for $320 into her hand. Earlier in the evening, Towaij had stated that “we need a special fundraiser just to go to debt. It seems like a no brainer.” At the back of the darkened Perth and District Collegiate Institute auditorium, some attendees of the Lanark County Medical Society’s public information session on the future of the hospital, quickly totted up some numbers on the back of an envelope: • $7 million in debt, divided by a catchment area with a population estimated at 44,000 worked out to $160 a head. “Yes, we can set up a campaign to deal with the debt,” said Bisonette from the stage on Wednesday, April 24. There was more good financial news when Paul Huras, chief administrative officer of the South East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) reported that “Perth and Smiths Falls hospital may be the only hospital in the southeast LHIN that may see an increase in revenue,” because of the province’s new funding formula for hospitals. The event was partially organized by Dr. Alan Drummond, in light of the recent cutbacks at the hospital, and a grassroots campaign, the SOS movement, to fight the cuts. “We’ve been here for a few hours and I am surprised that no one here has asked if the Perth hospital is going to be closed imminently,” Drummond wondered aloud. “No one can predict the future,” said Huras, before adding that “we will not reduce sites.” Drummond started off the meeting with a declaration that the way health care worked in the past will not likely be the way in which it operates in the future. “We have been told that there is no more money for health care,” said Drummond. “We have to learn to live within our means. We are facing a difficult economic time.” Huras’ assertion of the reasons for the drop in health care dollars was even more stark in its outlook. “When the recession hit, revenues dropped,” said Huras. “(We are) all suffering hard economic times. This is not a one year, two year situation…it may be 10 years. We will experience provincial government revenue loss for quite some time.” Huras also pointed out that government revenues usually lag behind corporate revenues, even when the latter recovers, and that while health care and education funding may be growing slightly, “all other government programs will actually shrink.” In 2012, provincial health care funding rose 1.9 per cent, it rose by 2.1 per cent this year, and is slated to rise by 2.3 per cent next year. Adapting to the new funding model, and the new realities of cash-strapped government, are necessary, according to Dr. Peter Roney, the hospital’s chief of staff. “The sustainability of our hospitals is in question if we continue on as we have done,” said Roney. If the cutbacks do affect the quality of care, “we will move very quickly to remedy that,” Roney added. However, Huras’ assertion wasn’t entirely dark. “I expect you will see investments in the future…when the economy is good again,” said Huras. As funding remains sluggish, the face of the patients is changing, and growing, thanks to the “grey tsunami,” according to Drummond. See COMMUNITIES page P7
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