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Volume 5, Issue 41
Christmas Artist Market opens at Arts Centre
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Leamington Arts Centre will be filled with Christmas magic as local artists create a Signature Christmas indoor arts and crafts show. The month-long Christmas Artist Market opened on October 28 and will remain open until Saturday, November 22. Hours are Tuesdays to Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and 12-4 p.m. on Saturdays. An opening reception is planned for Saturday, November 8 from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. The show features ten artists on display in a “gift shop” style show with a warm Christmas setting. Browse the galleries to find that one-of-a-kind unique and handmade gift for someone special. Everything from fine art painting, encaustic, photography, jewelry, glassware, woodworking and more! Admission is free. Local artists involved include: • Coleeflower Designs Coleen Thibert • Chad Riley - Photographer, Artist • Designed 4 A Market of One - Paul Guilbeault • Dove Bay Art - Dorit Girash • e-Scapes Photography Vicki McKay • Fancy Clips by Rose Rose Harper • Gerry Hucko • Jewelry by Catherine Catherine Watson • LeyDan Studios - Leyla Munteanu • LRRR Designs - Lynda Ruddock-Rousseau While at the Leamington Arts Centre be sure to check out the gallery’s gift shop. This Christmas, give a truly unique gift – the gift of art – and help support local artists!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
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Save OB Leamington
By Sheila McBrayne Concerned citizens of Leamington and Essex County are delivering a message to the Erie St. Clair Local Intregrated Health Network and that is to ‘Save OB in Leamington’. “If we’d known before, we would have started this sooner, but many of us are just hearing about the problem situation now,” said Leamington resident Lillian Mastronardi. Mastronardi attended the public meeting on Wednesday, October 29 at Leamington District Memorial Hospital that filled the hospital cafeteria with concerned residents and many expectant mothers. On October 22, the LDMH Board voted to accept recommendations for a realigning of services at the local hospital, which included closing the Obstetrics Department at the end of the hospital fiscal year – March 31, 2015. The hospital board’s vote must be endorsed by the board of the Erie St. Clair LHIN. And so the petition campaign began. The date and location of the next LHIN meeting was not available. “We just want more time. If in three years we don’t have the numbers, then fine, but give us a chance. We just had two kids in three years and the care was top notch. The point is, the program is excellent and it’s growing. It’s a shame to discontinue it as it’s starting to take off,” said Brian Cornies who is also actively campaigning to keep the OB open. “The program went through some bad years and had a poor reputation, but we have two great new gynocologists and the program is excellent. It just takes time for people to re-
From left to right are Lillian Mastronardi, LeeAnne Setterington and Brian Cornies.
alize it. We’re just asking for more time,” said Cornies. “Some people still think you can’t get an epidural at Leamington, and that is not true. We need to educate the public to let them know what is available here before we give up on it,” said LeeAnne Setterington who is also involved in the petition campaign. “We’ve had overwhelming support for this, once people hear about it. We’re aiming for 5,000 names by November 11 and Mayor Paterson has said he will deliver the petitions to the LHIN on the 13th,” said Setterington. “We’re aiming for 5,000 because that’s how many votes the mayor won the election with and it just shows that this is overwhelmingly unaccepatable,” said Setterington. Cornies and Setterington are both business owners in Leamington and are also concerned for the economic effect the closure will have.
“We need to keep the town growing, and to grow we need more people, more young families. This will affect a lot of jobs, not just the nurses, but spinoff jobs in the community, said Setterington. “In a way, this is good. Maybe this is the publicity we need to get those numbers up. Maybe people will now realize this is happening… This is jobs, people, services and money that are leaving our town. We need to stand up and put a stop to it. Once it’s gone, it’s gone; it’s never coming back… We just need time to prove its worth to this community now that the community is aware,” said Cornies. Mastronardi was born at LDMH in 1954 and delivered her three children there. “The numbers are growing they even said that – births have increased 33 percent and we have a great program working together with
midwives, doulas, doctors and mothers. We just need more time to establish it,” said Mastronardi. “The $700,000 that they say the program loses is only 1.7 percent of the budget; that’s so small to close such an important program,” said Mastronardi. Petitions are dispersed throughout Leamington, Kingsville, Essex, Harrow and Wheatley. “Look for the pink petition and sign it. If you signed the online petition, sign this petition as well,” stated Setterington who garnered 800 online names.
What You Can Do
• Sign the petition • Email MPP Rick Nicholls rick.nichollsco@ pc.ola.org • Go to http://www. eriestclairlhin.on.ca and share your opinion with the LHIN.
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