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Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012

yorkregion.com

905-853-8888

HOSPITALS FACE TURNAROUND PUNISHMENT York reducing funding until ambulance turnaround improves BY L.H. TIFFANY HSIEH

thsieh@yrmg.com

STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN

York Region EMS chief and general manager Norm Barrette said he welcomes a proposed new funding agreement between the region and hospitals as a chance to improve hospital service.

York’s three hospitals are being punished by regional council as motivation to improve ambulance turnaround time, critics say. York Region has budgeted $13 million in hospital capital funding this year, but will only allocate less than $12.2 million because none of the hospitals met the 60-minute ambulance turnaround target last year. Markham Stouffville Hospital, Southlake Regional Health Centre and Mackenzie Health Richmond Hill (formerly York Central Hospital) exceeded the target time by 6.5, 4.1 and 15.8 minutes, respectively. All three have agreed to the proposed funding arrangement. They recorded a combined average ambulance turnaround time of 68.8 minutes. That’s the time between when an EMS ambulance arrives at a hospital emergency room and when it leaves. The region proposes deducting more than $850,000 from hospital funding, calculated at $171.56 per hour based on each hospital’s performance. About $320,000 of that amount will be used to explore options to minimize delays in turnaround time. Under the agreement, Markham Stouffville Hospital would receive $3.4 million from the region this year; Southlake, $1.7 million and Mackenzie Health Richmond Hill, $1.2 million. The yet-to-be-built Mackenzie Health Vaughan hospital is poised to See HOSPITALS, page A9.

No board cancellations on 1st day of teacher action BY TERESA LATCHFORD

tlatchford@yrmg.com

STAFF FILE PHOTO/MIKE BARRETT

Sara Arabi is a process wastewater engineer with Conestoga-Rovers & Associates and resident guide at the advanced treatment demonstration facility near Mount Albert. Similar technology will be used in northern York Region’s new sewage treatment plant.

Region selects sewage plant site BY SIMON MARTIN

smartin@yrmg.com

A preferred site for northern York Region’s new sewage treatment plant has been identified. The region’s environmental services committee received a project update that included a recommended site for the Upper York Sewage Solutions yesterday. The site is one kilometre north of Queensville Sideroad, with an entrance off 2nd Concession.

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‘The passage of this law is undemocratic and unprecedented and was unnecessary.’ Ken Coran

Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation president

This gives Education Minister Laurel Broten power over the negotiations process and takes away the ability of the union and elected school board trustees to engage in the traditional collective bargaining process that has been successful for many years, he claims. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario encouraged its 76,000 members to carry the job action past one day to protest the move it feels strips teachers of their democratic rights. “We do not take this action lightly,” federation president Sam Hammond said in a news release. “Ontarians and the government need to know that you cannot take away the democratic rights of working people simply to fulfill a political party’s agenda or ideology.” The federation did not impose specifics surround the pause, leaving it up to teachers to determine how long and how much time they refrain from participating in coaching and club activities.

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East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson said she wanted a clearer explanation from the region on how the site was selected. The preferred site was added as a possible site after a Dec. 14 public meeting to go over potential locations with residents, she said. “In my mind, they did it backwards,” she said. The recommended site is one residents from Queensville were fighting against, resi-

So far, it seems to be business as usual in area schools. Despite a call by elementary and secondary school teachers unions to stop volunteering their time for extra-curricular activities, the York Region District School Board is reporting no scheduled events were cancelled yesterday. The board also confirmed a range of participation from union members across the region. To protest the province passing a bill that forces a contract on elementary and secondary teachers and 50,000 support staff, bypassing the traditional bargaining process, teachers unions encouraged members to wear black and stop volunteering for extracurricular activities, such as school clubs and sports, yesterday. “Those activities are anything that don’t fall under the collective agreement,” York Region District School Board spokesperson Licinio Miguelo said. “All of these activities are voluntary and teachers are not required to participate.” The new bill is still being reviewed by the board, but some aspects of the collective agreement still need to be negotiated and those talks continue, he said. “The passage of this law is undemocratic and unprecedented and was unnecessary,” Ontario Secondary SchoolTeachers Federation president Ken Coran said in a news release.


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