Province scraps funding for city doc recruitment

Doctor recruiters in Owen Sound fear changes to a provincial cash incentive program will make the already challenging task of enticing family physicians to practice in the city even more difficult.
Family doctors and specialists who practice under a primary care model for four years in any Grey-Bruce municipality, except Owen Sound, are now eligible to receive an average of $85,000 in incentive grants from the province.
Doctors who practice in Owen Sound receive nothing under the program.
“Not only have we lost our funding, but all the communities around us are increasing their funding . . . so it really puts Owen Sound on an uneven playing field,” said Michele Mannerow, chairwoman of the city’s family physician recruitment committee.

Expect 4% tax hike

Homeowners in Owen Sound will see an increase of about 4% to their property tax bill this year under a budget approved Monday by city council.
The city will spend $43 million this year and raise $20.73 million in property taxes.
Capital work will cost about $13.3 million. Big-ticket projects for this year include Owen Sound’s $38-million regional recreation centre — the city’s portion will be debentured over 17 years — upgrades to the waste water treatment plant, replacement of the 9th St. bridge, completion of the 10th St. E. connecting link, electrical upgrades and channel work at Harrison Park and reconstruction of the Scotiabank parking lot.
The city will be required to raise 5.8% more from taxes this year, over 2009. However, a 0% increase to county and education levies lowers the overall increase.
Business class property taxes will increase by about 2%, as the city works to narrow the tax ratios between the classes.
Mayor Ruth Lovell Stanners said she has never participated in such an extensive budget process. Seven meetings were held to finalize the document.
She said the biggest challenge this year was a $400,000 cut to the province’s transfer payment. A cut of equal value could be realized in 2011 as well.

12 city workers on Sunshine List

Twelve Owen Sound city employees are on the “Sunshine List” for earning a salary of more than $100,000 in 2009.
Owen Sound Police Services Chief Tom Kaye earned the most, at $154,064. He also claimed the most in taxable benefits at $13,305.
The second-highest paid city employee last year was city manager Jim Harrold, who earned $$148,564 and claimed $906 in benefits. Deputy police chief Bill Sornberger is next with $123,300 and $10,403 in benefits.
John Johnston is the highest-paid department director at city hall. He earned $121, 391 last year. Corporate services director Glen Henry is next at $114,572. Financial services director Wayne Ritchie earned $110,080, while director of community services Pam Coulter made $101,400.
Also on the Sunshine List is fire chief Ed Nowak with a $110,000 salary, police inspector Vince Wurfel and Steve MacKinnon with $101,000 apiece and fire captain Doug Barfoot at $100,886.
City mechanic Jeff Follis is also listed, with a salary of $103,671.

Big, big news

I believe in keeping secrets.

If a source says “off the record” and I agree, it’s REALLY off the record.

But what about newsroom chatter? Do I have to keep a big, music announcement a secret?

Reporters are supposed to spead news, not keep it to themselves. The official announcement is Tuesday, they say. Wait till then.

I don’t think I can anymore……

Murdoch trashes Toronto, again

By DENIS LANGLOIS
Sun Times staff

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch says proof of a “Toronto mentality” is all over Ontario’s 2010 budget.
“The word rural or agriculture was never used once,” said the Progressive Conservative MPP, who made headlines last week for suggesting Ontario would be better off if Toronto became its own province.
Murdoch said the Liberal government’s financial blueprint, released Thursday afternoon by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, lacks leadership and a “concrete” plan to curb spending and wipe out the deficit.
“I was hoping for someone to lead us out of this problem,” he said.

Alexandra still closed

Classes at Alexandra Community School are expected to resume Monday, after further air quality tests at the Owen Sound elementary school tested negative for asbestos Thursday.
The school was closed Wednesday, Thursday and Friday following an explosion Tuesday evening inside one of the school’s boilers.
Dennis Dick, the Bluewater District School Board’s manager of plant services operations, said the boiler blew some asbestos particles into the air, but the contamination was contained to the boiler room.
He said the school has two boilers, so it can still be heated.
He said custodians will clean the building Friday to prepare the school for reopening. A professional cleaning company has been hired to sanitize the contaminated boiler room, a school board news release said.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office and Technical Standards and Safety Authority are continuing to investigate the cause of the explosion.

Explosion at Alexandra school

An air sample taken from Alexandra Community School is being tested today at a laboratory in Guelph, after the boiler exploded at the elementary school Tuesday afternoon.
Owen Sound Fire Department spokesman Tom Potter said the results are expected back this afternoon. The sample will be tested for airborne particles, including asbestos.
Three fire trucks responded to a call of an explosion at the school at 5 p.m., Potter said. No one was injured. There is no fire or smoke damage.
School is cancelled for Alexandra students today.
The Ontario Fire Marshall’s office, Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of the Environment and the Grey Bruce Heath Unit are all investigating in the wake of the explosion.
“We don’t want to send anyone back to school until we’re 100% sure it’s safe,” Potter told The Sun Times this morning.

Ontario Green leader in Owen Sound

By DENIS LANGLOIS
Sun Times staff

The Liberal government’s Green Energy Act and its “top-down” approval regulations for wind farms has been a “horrendous failure,” says the leader of the Green Party of Ontario.
Mike Schreiner, who took over the provincial party’s top job in November, said he supports a community-based approach to wind turbine projects, where area residents are consulted prior to approval and reap the financial benefits of the alternative energy producers — even if the turbines are on an adjacent property.
“When you bring in something that generates energy, it affects everybody within a community — within the surrounding vicinity — and everyone should benefit from the financial revenue generated from the power source. That’s not happening in Ontario right now,” he said in an interview Monday evening, before speaking at the Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound provincial Green Party association’s annual general meeting at the Owen Sound Farmer’s Market.

Water woes

By DENIS LANGLOIS
Sun Times staff

Veteran Meaford politician Gerald Shortt says he expects Owen Sound will require a “controversial” trade-off from the municipality before permitting more connections in Leith to the city’s water supply.
“I can see Owen Sound wanting any development to come to Owen Sound, not to be driven out there. If I was the City of Owen Sound, I would be encouraging the people to build a new residence within the city,” the former Meaford mayor and current municipal councillor said in an interview.
“We gave up quite a bit of land the first time when this happened — to go to the City of Owen Sound from the former Sydenham Township — and I’m sure they would want more.”
Shortt also suggested Owen Sound could be harbouring some resentment because of Meaford’s refusal to help fund the city’s $38-million regional recreation centre.
“Here we have been telling them that we don’t have any funds for your rec centre over there and they might say, well we don’t have any water for you either. I’m just supposing that. It may not be that way at all,” he said.

Full steam ahead

Project planners will discuss all options to expedite construction of Owen Sound’s regional recreation centre, including running 24-hour shifts, says the head of the project’s steering committee.
However, options deemed too costly will be tossed out, Coun. Jim McManaman said Tuesday.
“The committee will investigate each option to ensure the project moves ahead as quickly as possible,” he said in an interview. “But, we’ll have to balance the cost against the timeline.”
Work to build the 125,000-square-foot complex was five months behind schedule when it began March 8.
City officials say the $38-million facility will not be complete by the March 31, 2011, deadline imposed under the Building Canada stimulus funding program. The new expected completion date is autumn 2011.