NORTH SHORE Winter Club manager Bernie Asbell points to an area of the club requiring compie-
tion of renovation work. The North Vancouver club and its landlord are involved in a leasing

dispute.

10 more
N. Shore
“Mibs opt

out of BC.

medicare
services

MORE NORTH Shore
doctors have decided to
opt out of the B.C. Medi-
cal Services Plan (MSP)
over fee disputes with the
provincial government.

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

B.C. Health Ministry
spokesman Michael Galway said
four North Shore doctors have
already opted out of medicare
and another 10 plan to opt out
during February.

pesos
—

NEWS: photo Torry See

Meanwhile, Health Minister
Elizabeth Cull said she does not
favor a suggestion by North
Vancouver-Lonsdale NDP MLA
David Schreck that doctors who
either opt out of medicare or ex-
tra-bill patients shouid lose their
hospital privileges.

Galway said he is not aware of
any doctor that is extra billing
on the North Shore.

Under the MSP payment
structure, doctors bill the MSP
for medical services provided to
B.C. residents on medicare, The
government in turn reimburses

Ahe doctors.

But docters who have opted

Valentine greetings
in Classifieds: 36

Classifieds 986-6222

Landiord,

Distribution 986-1337

tenants

tangle over North
Shore Winter Club

Court dismisses lease termination

A BID by the North Shore
to terminate the tenancy o
money was turned down at
hearing.

Judge R.B. Harvey confirmed
the NSWC tenancy and ruled that
the complex leasing wrangle be-
tween the club and the club’s
landlord — Cooperators General
Insurance Co. and Muarksearch
Properties Lid. — will be best
delermined in court.

in 1988 the NSWC and Coop-
cratars General Iusurance Co, ap:
plied to North Vancouver District
to upgrade the club facilities and
construct a highrise at the site,

Although the development: pkin
drew opposition from area resi-
dents, council approved it in 1989.

Meanwhile, the MSWC and the
landlord negotiated a lease in 1990
that extends to 2084.

The lease getierally allawed the
landlord to construct the residen-
tial tower and = determined the
lease for the remainder of the
property for the club.

It outlined a basic rent payable
to the landlord as well as addi-
tional rent, including a share of
property taxes upon completion of
the tower,

In turn the landlord agreed to
build a curling rink and parkade
and complete interior renovations
to the existing club facility.

The landlord also agreed to pay
for services provided by the club
such as club memberships for oc-
cupants of the residential tower,
housekeeping services and physical
plant management.

The landlord alleges that the
club failed to pay basic rent and a
share of property taxes totalling
about $389,000 last year.

In turn the club alleges that
construction delays on the part of
the landlord have resulted in fi-
nancial losses.

Lawyers for the club argue that’

the NSWC should be able to off-
set its Josses against the claim for

rent.
Said Shahram Malek, a director
of the joint venture group Coop-

out of medicare bill their pa-

tients directly. The patients in
turn seek reimbursement from
the government,

In an interview with the North
Shore News this week, Cull said
several people have suggested to
her that dactors who opt out of

‘medicare should lose their hospi-

tal privileges.

“You'd be surprised just how
many people have written to me
suggesting that — based on the
logic that they (doctors) are us-
ing publicly-paid-for facilities.

“T think there are other as ef-
fective ways in dealing with op-
ting out and extra billing. Opting

Winter Club (NSWC) landlord
f the club in a dispute over
2 recent B.C. Supreme Court

By Michael Becker
News Reporter

erators General lasurance Co. and
Marksearch Properties Ltd.,
“There are some disputes and the
disputes are being taken by us and
the club to the appropriate parties
to get them resolved,...

“it's all part of a landlord-
tenant lease agreement. There are
eset

46 (The club
argues that) the
NSWC should be
able to offset its
losses against the
claim for rent. 99

some differences of interpretation
between the Jandlord and the te-
nant of some of those clauses. For
that reason both parties are. hav-
ing an independent authority
judge on the interpretation,”
Malek said.

NSWC president Diane Blaney
claims about $570,000 worth of
tenant improvements remain to be
allocated to the club.

“Within the context of the
restrictive covenant everything was
to have been done by Dec. 31,
1991. I think we’ve had’ some
serious impacts, certainly in our
ability to generate revenues,’’
Blaney said.

out of the plan has been a right

in B.C., and we (NDP govern-
ment) didn’t change that right
when we passed Bill 71.”

She added that she is concern-
ed whether people’s access to
medicare is being threatened.

She added that she will bring
in legislation to ban extra billing
if it violates the principles of
medicare.

Dr. Tony Chan, the B.C.
Medical Association's North
Shore representative, said doc-
tors that opt out of medicare
will bill their patients what they
consider to. be ‘‘appropriate