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- I Te Canadian Champion, Tuesday, JanuarY 7, 2003--S v,-Funding woes postpone openinlg Health inspection posting ~fRi~ C~ii ~roile itospi lt~ i iegi tie With funding options stîli being worked out, the opening of Rose Cheny's Home in north Milton has been pushed back from ils planned June launch. Volunteer have yet to secure $1.5 million needed to coin- plete the project, said David Bowker, chair of the Rose Cheny's Home board of direc- tors. To date, volunteers have raised $2.5 million in pledged donations as well as $1.9 mil- lion in potential gift-in-kind pledges for the construction. "We have a shortfail because of a more expensive project than we sntially anticipated. We're looking for tinancing to bridge the funding gap," Mr. Bowker told The Champion. The increased cost of opening the facility relates to last sum- mer's demolition of the build- ing on the property. .When the property was pur- chased in 1996, the original plan was to renovaie the exist- ing building to convert it into a hospice. However, potentiaily-danger- oua mould was discovered in 1998, resulting in demolition of the building and added costs of about $2 million. When construction of the new facility was officially launched last June, the plan was to have il open within a year. But that lias now been post- poned and Mr. Bowker said he's unsure when the hospice will be ready. Construction won't begin until ail the necessary funding bas been secured. "We're hop- ing to get started this spring," the chair said. Once built, the facility wil bouse up to 12 sick, often tech- nology-dependent children, giving their families - whomn are often responsible for 24- hour care - a reprieve from tending to their child. Discussions are also ongoing with the finistry of Health and Long-Teni Care to secure oper- ational funing. «We' re hopeful that wiil be resolved within, the next montli," said Mr. Bowker. For more. infomiation on Rose Chen'y's Home or to mnake a donation, contact the campaign development office at (416) 360-7673. 1teL 'ià The introduction of a restaurant health inspection posting program has been pushed back due to lime commitments related to the West Nile Virus. The voluntary program - which was set to start this montb likely won't be up and running until mid to late February, said Maurice Dickhout of the Halton Region Health Department. "Everything that took place last year with the West Nile Virus put us a couple months behind. Our staff had to expend a significant amount of lime on that and other things that were going on," he told The Champion. "We weren't able to get al the summary inspection reports completed, but we're following up on that now." Under Halton 's program, participatrng restaurants will present a plaque indicating their programn involvement in a conspicuous location in the business. A menu-style book including bealth inspection sumimary reports for the pre- vious 12 months will be made available upon eus- tomer requesi. Categories listed on the summary sheets will include satisfactory (or n01) compli- ance for food contamination protection, handler hygiene practices, temperature and storage, waste bandling, pesi control, equipment and uten- sil sanitation and premises maintenance. Wile work witb restau- rants is still underway, about 60 per cent of owners bave indicated a willingness to participate s0 far, said Mr. Dickhout. "We want to make sure that we've met witb and dis- cussed it witb every each and every individual owner/oper- ator to give tbem the opportu- nity to take part," he said. 'We're going to be follow- ing up on that as soon as pos- sible. lt's certainly gning t0 be given a priority so we can proceed and get this programn implemented." 'Me Region doesn't bave the legislated authority 10 make the program mandato- ry. Last year, Halton conduet- ed surveys of ares residents and restaurant owners on the issue, with 80 per cent and 85 per cent support found respectively. ~yr _ witfi $ & I 'on virtueIIy ail new 2002 end 2P0? vehicleei Purehase Y.25S.AT DERRY RD., MILTON 87843»8 e.à la ÀIML Àd& ýa i