NEWS | 1
The Observer | Saturday, May 24, 2008
George Thorogood and the Destroyers roll into town ............................ »18 Taking a natural approach in the garden
»11 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 21
SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2008
www.ObserverXtra.com
PRICELESS
Woolwich backs physician recruitment effort Chamber effort to receive $1,500 in each of next three years as township sees need for local action STEVE KANNON A shortage of family doctors has Woolwich wandering back into territory usually left to the province: health care. Woolwich will chip in $1,500 in each of the next three years to support physician recruitment efforts in the area. This week’s decision follows a request from the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, which has been
spearheading the search for new doctors for the past decade. The township is officially recognized as an under-serviced area by the Ministry of Health. At least six more doctors are needed to serve the population; almost 7,000 people are without a primarycare physician, the chamber suggests. In Kitchener and Waterloo, that figure is almost 35,000; a further 22 doctors are re-
quired. In the absence of funding from the province, the cities have each pledged $20,000 a year to the chamber program. Woolwich’s contribution reflects its much smaller population. Although slightly reluctant to spend money on a provincial mandate, the need outweighs squabbling about jurisdiction, said Coun. Mark Bauman, expressing a sentiment shared by others in council chambers
Tuesday night. “We have a doctor shortage. Somebody has to step up and try to resolve it.” The contribution should be followed up by sending a message to the province that it should take note of the situation, he added. “It’s hard for me to spend taxpayers’ dollars to go out and recruit physicians without mentioning something to our representatives at Queen’s Park.”
Fun is what holidays are all about
Chief administrative officer David Brenneman, who along with Mayor Bill Strauss attended the last recruitment event, said the program has paid dividends for the township – recruited doctors have set up shop here. “I believe that’s dollars well spent,” he said of the township pledge. “If the municipalities don’t do it, it just won’t get done. “Increasingly, municipaliSee DOCTORS page »02
Region eyes bus service to Elmira Pilot project gets green light to establish route from Waterloo to stops in St. Jacobs and Elmira
PHOTO | maRC mIQUeL HeLsen
VANESSA MOSS
MAkING THE RoUNDS Logan Barclay-Heer is all smiles as he gets airborne at the victoria Day celebrations may 19 in Conestogo. The activities were organized by the Conestogo-Winterbourne Optimist Club.
After eight years of discussion, Woolwich Township is finally on the brink of having Grand River Transit service extended from Waterloo to St. Jacobs and Elmira. “It’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time, but this is the closest we got to committing to something,” said Woolwich Township Mayor Bill Strauss. At a Waterloo Region committee-of-the-whole meeting last week, staff recommended that a one-year trial of bus service start up in September 2009; the proposal was ratified by regional councillors meeting Wednesday. Strauss and regional chair Ken Seiling suggested that the date be moved up to this September, a request that will be considered as the region prepares a report on the pilot project. See TRANSIT page »06