gŏđŏ editionap.ca Mayors lobby for priority on seniors home site
for having a facility to match the one al- ready operating in Hawkesbury in Prescott County and they received support from East Hawkesbury Mayor Robert Kirby. “I don’t think it’s fair that the West should subsidize a residence in the East if they don’t have access to it,” Kirby said. Russell Township Mayor Jean-Paul St- Pierre noted that private retirement homes also exist in the region. He said need should be the key factor that should determine where and if a second counties retirement residence is built. “That should be one of the consider- ations,” he said. “Who needs it most?” Mayor Barton agreed and added that the average age for a senior living in a re- tirement home in Prescott-Russell now is around 85. Parisien noted that some se- nior care facilities have to deal with special needs clients. The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) has suggested guidelines for senior care needs. Anyone who has to take eight or more pills a day as part of their medication regimen is considered someone “at risk” and should live close to a medical facility in case of emergency. Warden René Berthiaume, Hawkesbury’s mayor, said the counties need a long-term strategy for its residence operations. He noted his own preference for Hawkesbury but stressed that any decision must consid- er other factors. “In my mind this is important,” he said. “It must be based on need, and on the impact
on our (counties) services.” Mayor Kirby had the last word in the discussion, arguing that need must rule when the counties council does decide at some future point and the future social
service program budget must reflect that. “My decision will not be based political- ly,” he said. “It will be based on what’s best for seniors. If it costs a dollar more, it costs a dollar more.”
GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
L’ORIGNAL | Every mayor in Prescott- Russell seems to want to have a coun- ties’ seniors retirement home in their community. The counties council is waiting for a more detailed hardcopy update report, complete with recommendations, on future planning for La Residence retire- ment home facility it maintains as part of its social services program for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR). Chief Administrative Officer Stéphane Parisien provided the council with a verbal pre- liminary summary of the situation, noting that a planning study is needed to deter- mine where a future counties retirement facility should go if a new one is built to replace the existing one or if the council decides that the counties’ social service program needs a second seniors home to handle the long waiting list for openings. “Can we try to determine how cost- effective it might be to run two instead of one?” asked Gary Barton, Champlain Township mayor. “People like to stay in their own community.” Several mayors on the counties council suggested communities within their own municipalities that might be suitable sites for either a new or secondary residence. The mayors from Russell County pushed
'!0 $%*#ŏ ŏ 1(01. (ŏ,( *ŏ GREGG CHAMBERLAIN GREGG.CHAMBERLAIN@EAP.ON.CA
Novita Interpares held public consulta- tions in each of the eight UCPR municipali- ties over the past several months, gather- ing details on existing cultural events, festivals, programs, and groups, and col- lecting comments from both interested individuals and groups about the state of culture in the region. The company also did an online survey to gauge public aware- ness and interest in culture. Arnott noted that the first challenge for a cultural plan for the counties is to de- fine what makes up the cultural sector for Prescott-Russell. The definition covers ev- erything that influences the behaviour and thoughts of residents and includes natural history, local history, festivals and special events, and groups and businesses that are linked to culture. It also includes exist- ing infrastructure, like local libraries and museums, and individuals, like local artists, musicians, and crafters, who either serve to create or preserve culture in the region. “Every community is different,” Arnott said, adding that his company has done similar studies for other towns and regions. “We wanted to make sure the plan present- ed is a made-in-Prescott-Russell plan.”
L’ORIGNAL | The first lines are getting sketched out for a cultural guide map to the Prescott-Russell area. The United Counties of Prescott-Russell council (UCPR) received a verbal report on efforts to create a cultural development plan for the region. A plan that Sylvain Charlebois, UCPR director for economic development and tourism, noted is long overdue. “We’re told that we’re the only region, or one of the only regions in the province that doesn’t have a cultural plan,” Charlebois told council during its March 6 committee of the whole session. “No deci- sion has to be made on this right now. We will be analyzing this (report) and present proposals later on.” Brian Arnott of Novita Interpares Ltd., the consultant firm hired last year to do the cultural plan report, told the counties council that the plan will help guide both counties staff and council members in promoting and financing future cultural development projects and programs for Prescott and Russell.
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