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2 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2004 Plea for grass roots' support for Georgetown Hospital WALK A MILE IN THESE SHOES Birkenstock or NAOT shoes and sandals help prevent and alleviate aches and pains caused by wearing inadequate footwear, which often has a negative impact on posture and balance. Come and see the many different colours and styles. both in narrow and wide sizes. With proper care. they can last for years. Our sandals are available in leather, suede, Nubuk and Birko-Flor (imitation leather) Check out our regular low prices on Birkenstock and NAOT footwear. Visit us every last Wednesday of the month for our customer appreciation day. A 10% discount applies to all in-store, regular priced items! Willow Lane Natural Foods 15 Willow St. S Acton ON L7J 129 853-3051 Vitamins, Herbs, Spices and Cosmetics PUBLIC NOTICE REGARDING A PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SIGN BYLAW 2003-0065 AS AMENDED The Town of Halton Hills is proposing to pass a By-Law to amend Town of Halton Hills Sign By- law 2003-0065 as amended, pursuant to the Mu- nicipal Act 2001. : Council at their meeting on April 19, 2004 con- sidered Report No. BLDG 2004-0012 approved the recommendation "that Council adopts the draft amendment to the Sign By-law 2003-0065 as contained in Report No. BLDG 2004-0012 and that staff provides public notice of the Town's intention to pass the draft amendment. Council is proposing to amend Sign By-law 2003- 0065 to permit signs having electronic message centres having stationary illumination of infor- mation and changes in not less than 4 hour inter- vals and a time, date or temperature sign having intermittent information changes not less than 10 second intervals. Should you wish to address Council at the May 31, 2004 meeting, please contact 905-873-2601, ext.2333 to register as a delegation. Copies of the draft amendment by-law the will go before Council on May 31, 2004 will be available at the Town Clerk's office on May 28, 2004. ; Further information is available by contacting Rob Ustrzycki in Building, Zoning and Enforce- ment Services (905) 873-02601, ext.2338 or by e-mail at bobu@haltonhills.ca 1 Halton Hills Drive, Halton Hills, ON L7G 5G2 BY FRANCES NIBLOCK The New Tanner Speak up, or lose vital local health care services. That's the blunt diagnosis from three disgruntled doctors looking for help to stop the announced closures of the ob- stetrics and pediatrics units at the Georgetown campus of the William Osler Health Centre. At Council on Monday, the doctors, supported by several of their colleagues and a hand- ful of nurses in the public gallery, urged Council and citi- GEORGETOWN CINEMAS 3 235 Guelph Sti tario L7G 4A8 $4.25 Tues, Adult $8.00 Ceri CTs iors $4.25 OCR EAU nT Daily 7:00-9:00PM Sat-Sun 2:00PM (Starts Friday) Troy Daily 7:30PM Sat-Sun 2:00PM (Brutal Violence-Not Recommended for young children) 3 Van Helsing 144 Daily 6:45-9:10PM Sat-Sun 2:00PM (Frightening Scenes-Not Recommended} for young children-violence) Creme ily Available Bry ety Georgetown Market Theatre parking RL 14A zens to lobby the Osler board of directors and the Ministry of Health to try to save the units, slated for closure on July 5. Georgetown Dr. Jeff Suther- land called the closures a threat to acute medical care in Halton Hills, and urged citizens to re- claim a say in health care, because this could just be the beginning of more corporate, not health care based decisions that are made. _ "We could maybe see the loss of after-hours surgical coverage at the Georgetown Hospital campus," Dr. Suther- land warned, adding its not "Doomsday talk" but a real as- sessment of what could happen as WOHC deals with a $27- million deficit and a "sour" relationship with the Ministry of Health. He said the closed observa- tion unit could be at risk, and the hospital turned into a reha- bilitation centre, all at the expense of patients who could be transferred to the already overcrowded Brampton facil- ity for treatment. Dr. Craig Carson said there has already been an "unfortu- nate erosion" of services in Georgetown, including loss of the intensive care unit. "What's next? Our general surgery, or our 24-hour emer- gency room?" he said, adding the cuts will affect their ability to care for patients, and their ability to attract and retain new physicians. Armed with a pile of medi- cal studies, and the contention she wasn't being emotional or theatrical, Dr. Debbie Zeni ar- gued that "decreasing health care availability will adversely affect the women, babies and children from this community." Dr. Zeni quoted a 1999 Ca- nadian Medical Association study that showed babies of women forced to travel to give birth have greater rates of peri- natal death and prematurity and incur higher health care costs. "This is the. scientific proof that impeding access to care...actually costs the health care system," Dr. Zeni said, adding there are lifetime con- DR. TIMOTHY PELOSO NERO a Clare! prevention of nerve, muscle, bone & joint pain May ts spinal health mouth. " Paint & Rake without the ache" New Patients & Emergencies - Welcome Rockwood Family Chiropractic & Massage Therapy 118 Alma Street, Rockwood 519°856°2624 Tickets and informat St.Alban's Anglician Church in ACTON is having a Beef or Reef Dinner (Roast Beef or Lobster) Saturday June 5, 2004 On seating at 6:30PM Tickets are $30.00 each ion are available by calling the Church office (519) 853-2711 St. Alban's Anglican Church 19 St. Alban's Drive Acton, Ontario, L7J 1C6 Dr. M. Wevers, ovm, 5c. Hwy. 24(Ospri (Harris Street) Foothills . VETERINARY SERVICES Wellington Road 50 oan S| Foothills Veterinary Service | ae AcTONA 5 * Church Hwy. 2: Townline (32 Sideroad) Categories: 1) Pets in the garden, 2) Rets in cos Submit your photos to our hospital by June 7. announced at our open house on June 9 between 5-7. Mon.-Fri. appointments Sat. appointments Hwy #125, #4935, RR#3, Acton, Ont (Located on Hwy #25, 1 minute north of Acton) 519) 853-3246 New Patients Welcome Complete Surgical, Medical, Dental, Veterinary Care for Dogs, Cats, Birds & Pocket Pets. Veterinarian on call 24 hours Foothills Veterinary Services invites you to enter our photo contest to celebrate our Ist year anniversary! tume, 3) Pets and kids /04. Winners to be 8 am -12 pm & 4 pm -7 pm 9 am - 12 pm sequences to proving poor health care "which is being promoted by our hospital board." "The best interest of our community is not at the heart of this decision. At the heart of this decision is simply the bal- ancing of a budget demanded by a Ministry that has under- funded our hospital corporation," Dr. Zeni said, adding their efforts so far to have the closure decision re- versed have fallen on deaf ears. "If it (the closure decision) is going to be undone, it's go- ing to be up to us -- the community, the people (politi- cians) at the table here, in terms of personal representation at the Ministry level and at the board level," Dr. Zeni said add- ing Council should talk directly with hospital board members and the Minister and Deputy Minister of Health, and the community needs to talk to Town councillors, urging them to make personal appeals at the Ministry and board level. Mayor Rick Bonnette thanked the doctors for their courage in speaking out against the board, and asked councillors to support a Notice of Motion asking the board of WOHC to reconsider the clo- sures, and asking the Ministry of Health for money to keep the beds open. "I think that many people around are feeling frustrated that our quality of life is being challenged, and | thinks its up to the community. ..to step up;" Bonnette said, adding he al- ready has a meeting set up this week with the CEO of WOHC. Wards 3/4 Regional Coun- cillor Jane Fogal said she gave birth to two children in Georgetown and it "feels like home." She said problems at the hos- pital began with the amalgamation of the hospitals and said they should de-amal- gamate. "Let's get out of there --let's get our hospital back and run it the way we want to run it," Fogal said, drawing claps from the gallery. . Wards 1/2 Regional Coun- cillor Clark Somerville said the closures are the "prover- bial shot cross the bow," and that there will be enough grassroots action to make sure it is not a done deal.