North Frontenac Council - Aug. 17/10

Jeff Green | Aug 19, 2010

North Frontenac backs away from satellite medical clinic

The promise of a satellite medical clinic in Plevna in partnership with the Northbrook-based Lakeland Family Health Team is not likely to be delivered.

A their meeting on August 12, North Frontenac Council approved the following motion: “Be it resolved that the Council of the Corporation of the Township of North Frontenac, at this time, cannot financially fund the building of a health clinic in Plevna without adequate provincial funding.”

North Frontenac Council had been optimistic about the prospect of a satellite clinic at first, but a number or factors ended up weighing against them supporting one.

One of them is cost. The township is faced with a $300,000 investment in a building as well as the annual cost of administrative support. The doctor or nurse practitioner who would work out of the clinic would hopefully cover maintenance costs for the building.

Another factor is access. Only individuals who agree to be rostered at the new clinic would be eligible to use it. This would cut off all of the seasonal residents in the township, and force people currently rostered at the Northbrook and Sharbot Lake clinics to change their medical practitioner.

Last month councilors said they would canvass the idea of the township funding a new clinic with their constituents. “For the seasonal residents, the fact that they would have to pay for a clinic they would not have access to made them less likely to support it,” said Councilor Fred Perry, who has been the Council liaison person to the LakeLand Family Health Team.

Before making their decision, Council met with Doctor Tobia and Janice Powell of the Lakeland Family Health Team.

WASTE MANAGEMENT PAYBACKS –

North Frontenac Council has invested heavily in waste management over the last several years, and last week they received an administrative report on some of the revenues they are now receiving from the provincial government and Waste Diversion Ontario.

BLUE BOX FUNDING: Based on recycling levels in the pervious year, the township receives a rebate from Waste Diversion Ontario. With recycling levels increasing, that has risen from under $5,000 in 2004, to over $40,000 in 2010.

2004 - $ 4,541; 2005 - $ 5,055; 2006 - $ 7,490; 2007 - $23,696; 2008 - $37,444; 2009 - $40,340; 2010 - $41,578.

Under the new Ontario Tire Stewardship program the township received $1,222 for collecting 1,111 tires between September 2009 and June of this year.

The township received over $4,000 to pay for roll off bins for the collection of glass from Waste Diversion Ontario, and $5,000 for a Blue Box communications plan.

The township also receives money from Stewardship Ontario to cover costs related to the collection of Household Hazardous waste, up to $40,000 in 2010.

AMBULANCE BASE/FIRE STATION - The tender documents are being prepared by North Frontenac Fire Chief Steve Riddell and Frontenac County’s Land Ambulance Manager Paul Charbonneau for the combination ambulance base / fire hall in Ompah

At a special meeting on July 26, Council granted the tender for an addition to the Barrie Fire Hall to Bel-Con Design/Builders Limited.