Image: Huron County Courthouse
While Huron County Council is gearing up for the Budget Meeting scheduled for February 8th, council heard presentations from the Homes for the Aged, Economic Development, and Emergency Services.
For the Homes for the Aged, Interim Director Dana Mellor explained that with repairs to the homes, cost of staff, and dealing with COVID, their operating costs are expected to go up in 2023.
To deal with staffing issues, they are trying to recruit new graduates instead of having to rely on agencies as they have in the past.
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During the Economic Development update, Executive Director Vickie Lass explained that Tourism has been the hardest hit since COVID began, but has been lagging since 2017.
She explained that the department is going to be putting focus on things like agri-tourism, and also find ways to appeal to the film industry for locations.
In her words, “Tourism is the gateway to residency,” explaining that many people who move to the region typically do so after having visited first.
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Ahead of the Budget Meeting on February 8th, Emergency Services was also able to address the council, outlining their anticipated expenses for this year.
Part of their budget requirements included protective equipment for paramedics, particularly helmets for when they need to extricate a patient with an overhead hazard.
They are also replacing two ambulances, as per their regular protocol, but also have to factor in a third new ambulance that will become part of Goderich’s service to handle increased calls.