SDG Counties tax increase approved

The Township of South Dundas will gain two key staff members next week.

April 29, Christopher Bazinet will be joining the township as Manager of Public Works.

Bazinet will be taking over from South Dundas’ first and only manager of public works, Hugh Garlough, who is slated to retire at the end of the year.

“Mr. Bazinet brings a valuable combination of private sector experience in waste management as well as municipal public works experience with the city of Timmins,” noted South Dundas chief administrative officer Steve McDonald in an April 16, media release. “He brings a wealth of experience to the position which will serve the township well. He is very practical and understands the fiscal reality of municipal government.”

“I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate how my skills and passion can contribute to the future of South Dundas,” said Bazinet.

Bazinet was selected from a field of 25 who applied for the job. Four were interviewed.

May 1, Ian Kemp will be joining the staff of The Township of South Dundas as the Supervisor of Water and Wastewater Services. 

CAO McDonald made this announcement in a second April 16 media release.

“Mr. Kemp brings over 20 years of experience in the water and wastewater industry, including supervisory experience,” said McDonald.

Most recently, Kemp worked as an operator/mechanic with OCWA, the Ontario Clean Water Agency. He and his family will be relocating here from Barrie.

Kemp was selected from a field of 10 applicants. Four were interviewed.

Employing Kemp is the first step in South Dundas’ effort to bring water and wastewater services in house.

Kemp will evaluate operations and determine the township’s needs regarding further staffing needs.

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“Canada wanted cheap labour, and Britain wanted rid of waifs and strays. It was a win/win situation…but not for these children,” said Glenna Smith-Walkden, president of the East British Home Child Family. On Saturday, August 31, she and many of the descendents of the nearly 100,000 children shipped to Canada and into servitude as farm labourers, gathered at the Aultsville Train Station (by arrangement with Upper Canada Village and the St. Lawrence Parks). Descendents want Canadians to understand the trials, the fears, the harsh lives, that many of these innocents faced in Canada from the 1800s until the late 1920s. Taken from poor parents, orphanages, or the London streets, these children often grew up believing they were “bad people” who somehow deserved the abuse many suffered at the hands of the farm families which “adopted” them. Today, their descendents honour them with exhibits, momentos, photographs and artifacts, on display at the Train Station, all September, on weekends. September 28, British Home Child Day, there will be a banquet at the Morrisburg Legion, open to the public (contact Nancy Edmonds).

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Winchester District Memorial Hospital (WDMH) has been named Ontario’s Top Performer in Maternity Care in a new report from NRC Picker Canada and the Ontario Hospital Association.

Of new Moms who gave birth at WDMH, 89.5 percent say they would recommend the hospital to their family and friends – making WDMH the most highly recommended maternity program in Ontario.

WDMH also scored in the 90th percentile in the acute care inpatient – one of only eight hospitals in Ontario to do so.

“The purpose is to highlight excellent performance based on patient perceptions and to identify those hospitals that may have good practices in place that others may be interested in,” note the authors.

“We are very excited to be singled out in this important report,” notes Cholly Boland, WDMH CEO. “We are very proud of the care provided by our staff, physicians and volunteers and it is gratifying to see that our patients agree.”

The report is entitled Patient Ratings of Overall Satisfaction and Likeliness to Recommend for Ontario Hospitals: Percent Positive Scores and Associated Percentile Rankings for Acute Care Inpatient and Maternity, Emergency Department and Rehabilitation- 2010/11. 

It focuses on patient experiences in acute care, emergency, rehabilitation, and maternity. 

Patients were asked two key questions: “Overall, how would you rate the care you received at this hospital?” and “Would you recommend this hospital to your family and friends?”.

NRC Picker (NRCC) is an independent research institute that surveys and compares all hospitals in Ontario. 

This report will be updated by NRCC later this fall to include data from hospitals that surveyed patients, using an NRRC Patient Experience Survey between April 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012.

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