The Township of Emo has been asked to provide a second boat ramp, located west of the current one, to facilitate the launch and recovery activities during the annual Emo Walleye Classic.
A formal request was made to Emo council at its regular meeting last Thursday to put in a concrete ramp to relieve some of the congestion at the existing ramp by Emo Walleye Classic committee members Colleen Vennechenko and Lincoln Dunn.
“We’ve [the committee] had informal discussions about putting in a second launch,” Dunn told council. “We are able to offer a donation of concrete.”
Dunn also reminded council the annual catch-and-release tournament has become a major community event, as well as a popular tourist attraction, and so merited some financial commitment from council.
Vennechenko, who chairs the committee, noted that for the first time in its four-year history, next year’s event already is assured of having a full field of competitors.
“We will have a full field of 60 teams next year,” she remarked. “We just need a [second] ramp.”
Vennechenko also said the EWC committee intends to make a contribution to both the district handi-van and the Emo arena repairs.
Emo Reeve Russ Fortier said he saw no reason why the second ramp shouldn’t be built and assured Dunn and Vennechenko that council would make arrangements to try to have it in by May.
The addition of a second ramp also could pave the way to expand the field from its current maximum of 60 in the future, although Vennechenko said there are no plans to do so at the moment.
Earlier in the meeting, Dan McCormick, Health Services manager for the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, brought Emo council up to date on the status of district services.
He said there are a number of issues of concern regarding provincial funding.
Part of the problem, McCormick acknowledged, is the small population base of Rainy River District. According to the 2001 census, there are just 22,109 people living in the district—compared to more than 60,000 in Kenora District and over 150,000 in Thunder Bay district.
This amounts to a drop of over four percent from 1996 and a population density of 1.4 people/sq. km.
By contrast, the average density across Ontario is 12.6 people/sq. km.
“We are one of the smallest designated delivery areas in the province,” McCormick noted.
Another problem facing municipalities, particularly in rural areas, is the increasing cost of services. Under the current formula, the province and municipalities share “approved” costs on a 50/50 basis.
The problem, said McCormick, is when additional costs not covered under the agreement crop up—leaving municipalities to foot the bill alone.
“Municipal partners are becoming more and more enburdened by ‘unapproved’ costs,” he stressed.
These costs include wage and benefit settlements with paramedics, additional ambulance stations, and cross-border billing.
McCormick said wage settlements are far outstripping the provincial contribution, which is pegged at one percent.
“We anticipate the next settlement will be in the eight-10 percent range,” he warned.
Furthermore, under changes to regulations regarding paramedic qualifications, all provincial paramedics must be college graduates as of Jan. 1, 2006.
“Presumably that will result in higher wages,” McCormick predicted.
Another issue of concern raised was the matter of First Nations funding. Under the agreement, the province is supposed to pick up 100 percent of calls to First Nations, but the local DSSAB only has received $177,000 to cover nine First Nations within its jurisdiction.
“That’s not a lot of money to provide service to remote locations,” he remarked.
The problem with cross-border billing, he argued, is that pick-ups by an external service results in a bill to the district. Due to errors in the database, some of those bills cannot be substantiated and therefore are not reimbursed.
“Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have the ear of the ministry and province,” he concluded.
Reeve Fortier agreed—and even went one step further.
“I think ambulance service should be like the hospital’s and run by the province, not the municipalities. Period,” he stressed.
There was some encouraging news last Thursday, however. Reeve Fortier reported construction in Emo was up considerably last year. He said there was close to $1 million in construction, resulting in more than $4,000 in building fees to the township.
“For a flat economy, we’re doing pretty well,” he remarked.
Later, Dennis Mann, a local contractor, gave his advice regarding recycling waste. He said he would like to see a return to the days when residents were encouraged to separate their household waste into recyclable and non-recyclable containers.
This includes the long-standing problem of cardboard.
Mann said there is considerable support in the business community, which produces most of the cardboard waste, to co-operate with a recycling initiative.
“I’ve talked to every business and there isn’t one wouldn’t flatten their cardboard for pick-up,” he stressed.
In other business last Thursday, Emo council also:
•authorized the payment of the November levy to the Northwestern Health Unit in the amount of $4,887.50;
•passed a resolution to reimburse Vernon Thompson Repair in the amount of $561.75 for wreath hangers used at the cenotaph for Remembrance Day ceremonies;
•passed a resolution on behalf of the Emo Cowboys hockey club proclaiming their tournament on Jan. 14-15 to be a community festival;
•passed a resolution on behalf of the Alzheimer Society declaring January as National Alzheimer Awareness Month; and
•supported a resolution from the Township of Adjala-Tosorontio requesting the provincial government restore dairy herd improvement funding.
The next regular meeting of Emo council is slated for Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at the municipal office.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
