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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 44 Issue 24
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.00% 3 Year GIC - 3.00% 5 Year GIC - 3.25% Daily Savings 1.50%
Friday, June 17, 2011
Provincial grant to cover water meters in Drayton, Moorefield Mayor: installation coming this fall by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Mapleton has received a provincial grant for water meters, the Minister of Environment announced at the municipal office on June 7. John Wilkinson, also MPP for Perth-Wellington, presented a cheque for $439,000 to Mayor Bruce Whale to help pay for the metres for those connected to the water system in Drayton and Moorefield. The grant is from the Ontario Small Waterworks Assistance Program. “My rural constituents want to live in a community where clean, safe drinking water is not wasted - and only pay for the water they actually use,” said Wilkinson. “But to make that happen in rural communities like Mapleton we need the province to be a fiscal partner. That is why the provincial grant is so important to people.” He said in front of staff gathered in the council chamber, “It’s important that people know how much they are using. Those who use it pay for it. It’s a system that is fair.” Whale said, “It’s nice to have a meeting like this. We’ve been trying to find a way [to afford the water meters] for five years now. We couldn’t because of the burden on the taxpayers. “It’s important to be able to give people an opportunity to manage this resource on their own property.” Mapleton is already spending nearly $1.6-million to expand its sewage treatment facility (with a provincial grant for that of about $1-million), not including a debenture for purchasing the land. Those on the sewer system will have to pay those extra costs. Whale said the latest grant
will ensure users are not paying extra for the water meters. The total cost to install the meters is $646,700. Clerk Patty Sinnamon said in an interview the cost for meters in Drayton, over and above the grant, will be $166,000, and in Moorefield it will be $41,700. However, the township has already set that money aside in reserves. Studies across Ontario have demonstrated that when people know they are paying for the water they use, they are more likely to take steps to conserve it and not waste it. Whale said, “This project will help to reduce water consumption in our municipality and property owners will benefit by paying for only the water they use.” Wilkinson made the announcement on behalf of Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli, who said in a press release, “Protecting our most precious resource remains a top priority. Ontario is committed to protecting our water through modern infrastructure so that our children, our grandchildren and great grandchildren continue to have access.” Whale said in an interview there is still some work for council to do before the meters are installed. He noted council had received requests from some residents who wanted meters and, “Now we can treat everyone in the same fair manner.” Whale said council has done some preliminary work but will still have to decide the types of meters to install, and how to read them. There are a wide variety of methods to read meters, he said, from individual checks, to having them read from a tower or having them read by someone Continued on page 3
Refreshing and safe - On a very hot day officials held a toast with ice cold and safe water at the Mapleton municipal office. The township had just received a cheque for $439,000 from the province for water meters in Drayton and Moorefield. Toasting the largesse, from left, are: Finance Director Mike Givens, Mayor Bruce Whale, Clerk and Chief Administrative Officer Patty Sinnamon, Perth-Wellington MPP and Minister of Environment John Wilkinson and Public Works Director Larry Lynch. photo by David Meyer
Six workers injured after roof collapse at new building by Chris Daponte DRAYTON - The Ministry of Labour is investigating a roof collapse here that injured six men last week. Shortly after 10 am on June 7 emergency services personnel - including Wellington County OPP officers, Mapleton firefighters and paramedics from Guelph-Wellington EMS - responded to an accident at 37 Drayton Industrial Drive. A preliminary investigation revealed workers were installing roof trusses on the new Norwell Dairy building in the
Drayton industrial park at the time of the accident. “All of them came down,” Fire Chief Rick Richardson said of the “30 to 40” trusses that collapsed, injuring six of the approximately nine workers on the scene. Richardson noted a couple of workers below the trusses got out with minor injuries, which he considered lucky because they likely would not have survived had the massive trusses fallen directly on them. About 14 firefighters were on the scene, helping to triage
patients, alongside paramedics, and stabilizing the injured men before they were sent to hospital by ambulance. The initial police report indicated all six injured workers went to Palmerston and District Hospital, but Richardson said he thinks two may have been taken to Hamilton with back and leg injuries. “None of them were life threatening,” he said of the injuries. OPP Constable Mark Cloes said police responded to ensure no one was trapped underneath
the structure and to confirm the trusses were not deliberately felled. Cloes said the OPP did not find any evidence of either, and referred to the incident as “an unfortunate accident.” Two of the victims were still in hospital several days after the incident, added OPP Constable Keith Robb - one with a broken back and one with a broken pelvis. No official cause of the accident has been announced and the Ministry of Labour is continuing its investigation. See photo on page 2
MPP: 2,000 local kids to benefit from full-day kindergarten Listowel - The implementation of the final two years of the full-day kindergarten roll-out is now underway in Perth-Wellington, MPP John Wilkinson announced last week. That means every four- and
five-year-old will be able to go to full-day kindergarten by September 2014. “I know so many local families who are benefiting from full-day kindergarten this year,” said Wilkinson. “Every year, even more
children and their families are going to have access to this innovative program, giving them a stronger start and a better chance for success.” According to Wilkinson, by September 2014, about 2,070 children in Perth-Wellington
will benefit from the program and its emphasis on play-based learning. Full-day kindergarten is currently available at 10 schools in Perth-Wellington. In September 2013, 15 local Continued on page 3
Groves Foundation completes CT Plus campaign ahead of schedule
by David Meyer FERGUS - Groves Hospital Foundation has successfully completed its $2.6-million (cash and pledges) “CT Plus Imaging For Our Future” campaign. “When we started the campaign for this project we knew that it would have a positive impact on the community,” said Jackie Ranahan, chair of the foundation’s board of directors. “We are thrilled at just how large that impact has become
and it is all thanks to the generosity of our community donors.” The CT campaign was launched with a gift from Dr. Rick and Heather Gergovich. The husband and wife duo, who work at Groves, then made over 30 presentations to various groups in the community explaining why Groves needed a CT scanner. They joined a team of volunteers chaired by Ted Ecclestone. Then, the Groves Hospital Volunteer Association stepped
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up. As the lead donor, that group pledged $500,000 to the campaign and the CT suite was named in its honour. “The CT at our hospital is one of the most advanced in the province,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Jerome Quenneville. “The new equipment allows our physicians to quickly diagnose and treat medical conditions. Since the doors opened more than 5,800 patients have been served by the CT scanner at our hospital.”
The foundation offered its thanks to every person, family, business, group and organization that supported the project. Groves Hospital Foundation is dedicated to raising and stewarding funds for the advancement of health care at Groves Memorial Community Hospital. Sherri Sutherland, Executive Director of the Groves Hospital Foundation, said in an interview the CT scanner campaign was meant to be three years long and it is
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actually finishing a little early. When asked how long it will take to have the provincial government finally give approval to the proposed new hospital, Sutherland said the foundation does not become involved in “bricks and mortar.” However, she added the foundation’s mandate is to provide new equipment for the hospital, and, “Everything we buy is portable.” Hospital officials ensured when they installed the CT
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scanner that it can be easily moved to a new location, and Sutherland added that will be the case for all new equipment coming to the current hospital. It will be easily moved to its new home, set for Aboyne, once that hospital is built. The foundation’s mandate is to ensure the technology is available to keep the hospital on the leading edge; as well as ongoing medical education for health care professionals and for specific projects and programs.
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