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“Gate Hospital operations with those
a of. Burnaby: ‘Hospital makes good

far from well economically if operating over-

head | cannot be’ cut somewhere and soon.

Pa?
cee

‘Burnaby ‘Hospital is already $3 million in
debt, and Lions Gate, though currently in
better shape,. will soon have to absorb the fis-
cal fallout from; a 2.5% wage settlement with
its unionized employees that comes into effect

1) information obtained by the
News from ey ‘confidential report into the pro-
} posed amalgamation, of management and cor-
porate : services at the twe hospitals, the move
could’ save up to, $1.8 million annually
.. through the elimination of duplicate adminis-
, trative, executive and support services, and a

: ; further $3. 4 million through the amalgama-

Peter Speck
Publisher |

905-2131 1 (101)

Doug Foot ~~
Comptroller “og

SBS-2131 (133)

‘Chris Johnson
Operations Manager

985-2131 (141}

MERRY
CHRISTTIAS,

. fion of such services as human: resources,
computer systems and finance.

Lions Gate’ Hospital president Robert
Smith wants:a decision made on the plan for
the start of the 1995-96 fiscal year.

‘The plan, put together by the executives.
from both. hospitals, needs public support
because‘ any idea that-can reduce medical
costs without reducing the quality of medical
services to the public needs encouragement.

' The two hospitals already plan to begin shar-

ing food preparation services by April 1995.
:-The only perturbing aspect of the report is
the decision to keep it confidential. Its infor-

mation is of significant interest to the public, ;

the real owners of the hospitals.

Taxpayers and hospital users need to know .

how savings can be made in hospital opera-.
tions. The good health of our hospitals

depends on it.

Timothy Renshaw’ — Linda Stewart
Managing Editor

985-2131 (116)

Sales & Marketing Director
980-0511 (319)

$ vt
1949 4 SUNDAY «WEONESOAY~-PRIDAY -

1139 Lonsdale Avenue
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[ V7M 2H4
North Shore Managed .

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under Schedule 111, Paragraph 111 of the.

Excise Tax Act, is published each Wednesday,
Friday and Sunday by North Shore Free Prass
Ltd. and distributed to every door on the North

Shore. Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail.

Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238, Mailing
fatas available on request. Submissions are
welcome but we cannot accept responsiliility for
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Administration
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Newsroom :
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fro

IN 1769.4 Frenchman
invented (he world’s first
automobile — a three-
wheeled, steam-powered
wagon to pull artillery, And
today France is again leav-
ing North America behind at
the automotive starting gate.

California may preen itself on
setting a 1998 deadline for 2% of
all cars sold there to be emission-
free (i.e., electric).

Meanwhile, U.S., Japanese and
most European manufacturers are
still fiddling around with experi-
mental prototypes,

But France’s Big Two —
Renault and Peugeot-Citroen —
will have production-model electric
cars on sale in dealers’ showrooms
by this coming spring, maybe as
early as March.

The secret of the French
approach seems to be pragrnatism.
Instead of wasting time designing

‘entirely new vehicles, the two com-
‘panies will simply be offering clec-

tric versions of some of their gaso-
line-powered ‘cars.

. They can be recharged from any -

household wall socket‘and will run

for just under 100 km on a maxi-

mum eight-hour charge.
Outwardly, the alternative ver-

_ sions will be indistinguishable

except for the electric model's
absence of an exhaust pipe and its
silent motor.

The Peugeot-Citroen car will be
priced around 60,000 francs ,
(roughly $15,500) and Renault will
doubtless be competitive.

That figure, however, i is sans

_battery.

The expensive nickel cadmium
unit, weighing a hefty 250 kilos,

would significantly increase the

cost of the vehicle, so both manu-
facturers are offering to lease it to
buyers for the equivalent of about

‘$100 per month.

This is not nearly as bad as it
sounds, when you consider that in
France the fuel costs of an electric:
car — eight francs or roughly two
dollars per 100 km — are only *
one-fifth to one-quarter those of a |

_ gasoline-powered vehicle.

Moreover, leasing will enable’,
owners to take advantage of future
technological advances which nay
result in smaller, lighter batteries,
equally or even more powerful.

' For now electric cars are strictly

Peter Kvarnstrom
Display Manager
980-0511 (103)

: Classified Manager °
995-6222 (202)

‘
:

SUNN OAR A

Wright

HITHER AND YON.

town and suburban runabouts, but
surveys indicate that their daily -
range of almost 100 km can satisfy _.-
more than 90% of urban transport.”
needs. ' "

‘Meanwhile, numerous French *
cities, fed up with exhaust furnes |.’
and noise, are hastening to provide -
electric cars with the necessary
infrastructure.

. This. includes downtown ©.
overnight recharging facilities — :
Faris will reportedly have 200 such
berths by the New Year.’ :

The Atlantic coast city of La ~
Rochelle has installed high-wattage’
recharging stations able to top up...
your battery with 20 km of driving
power in !0 minuites. |. feu

And electric cars are being
offered free parking: .. a

For urban transport, poilution- ee
free electric cars are clearly the : =
wave of the future. °. Z

North America’s Big Three _-

“GM, Ford and Chrysler — have |

only recently mastered the tough."
lessons taught to them by Japanese.”
‘car makers. If they fail now to.
learn even faster from the French
their future may be as mur’

“ skies over Los Aneel

HAPPY BIRTHDAY today, Dec,
28, to West Van Kiwanian Bill’
Pulham .:. The same again 5 =
Saturday, Dec. 31, to 63- year-old”
talk showman Rafe Mair.) |:
WRIGHT OR WRONG: “IE today:
you feel'you never want to see
turkey again, think how the turkey
. feels about you.

i]

Eran ;
Trixi Agrios
Promotions Manager .”.

985-2131 (137) '

MEMBER —

SDA DIVISION
“63,682 {average cheulation, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday)

Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Pross Ltd. AW rights reserved. _