i
7D

. By Anna Marie D'Angelo
News Reporter

A trucker was charged
with allegedly failing to
maintain his brakes in

a connection with an
Aug. 13 crash on a
North Vancouver hill.

m= A 78-year-old = North
gVancouver man in a car
# involved in the crash received
Bhead and chest injuries, said
North) Vancouver RCMP
f-Const. Catherine Galliford.
The senior is still receiving
care for his injuries at-home,
gd said Galliford.
‘st'The driver of the five-ton
a flat-deck truck, © Douglas
‘Meszarics, 27, “OF Surrey, was
ot hospitalized.
Meszatics’ was , travelling

south: on Mountain Highway.

when the truck apparently had
| braking problems and collided
with two cars on East Keith
‘Road, according to police. |
The cars were travelling in
opposite: directions on Keith
Road, said police.
The: driver: of the -second
32-year-old. North

fanicouve man, Was taken to.

Lions. Gate ‘Hospital with a

ing’

annual ¢ Gohio Walk on Sunday,

; sponsore:

Vancouver ‘

ed with”

‘Crash

neck injury.

The frames of the car dri-
vers were not released.

Police also charged the
truck driver with making a
false inspection report for his
vehicle. The Mounties esti-
mated the vehicles sustained
more than $10,000 damage in
the morning crash.

This latest trucker crash on
a. North Vancouver _ hill
allegedly attributed to faulty
brakes comes almost a year
after a tragic semi-trailer truck
rig crash on the Cut.

Two people died in that

crash on Aug, 16, 1995.
. Truck driver Baljinder
Singh, 36; of Surrey, and car
driver Wayde Police, 34, of
Burnaby, were killed when
Singh’s rig careened down the
Cut, crashing, into cars and the
median along the. way.

Wayde was travelling. up

‘the Cut and in the opposite
_ direction to Singh’s truck. An

inquest last month revealed
the rig apparently had no
brakes when it started down
the steep hill.

The inquest jury recom-
mended higher fines for dri-
vers with faulty brakes and
better education of coramer-

; cial truck drivers.

“minutes: from Park Royal

‘ South: for. the longer and

shorter walks,
Look for. signs and_ the
West Vancouver Blue’ Buses.

y'.” Dogs are not allowed on the

buses.) -
“The Coho Walk participa '

"tion. fed i is $2 per person and
‘$V-for seniors and children six

and-under. ©
Proceeds will 0 ‘toward
local salmonid, enhancement

oa projects.

The Coho Walk is present: |
the ‘North. Shore
Streamkeepers, the Depart-

‘ment of Fisheries and Oceans

and Capilano College.

@ Portfolio management strategies
& estate planning”

and. runs Tuesday evenings for six. weeks

Tinie: ‘6pm - Spm:

Place: Suite 114, 100 Park Royal, W. ‘Van:
Enrotim at Fees: $100.

‘call KATHY SAGER
Vice President -
: Financial Advisor

-WALWYN

. ORUELCHIE. THINK INGS:~

NEWS photo Paul McGrath

NORTH Van RCMP and tow truck workers cleared the scene of a five-ton flat-deck
truck crash on Mountain Highway and East Keith Road last month.

advertorial, Sepiamber 4 4196

” MEDICARE WOES |

In ‘my ‘Report dated December 13,
: 1995, | wrote about the financial crisis
| facing medicare and the need to urgently
find a way to preserve our crumbling
5 public system. Since then, the Prime
: Minister, and the PdAinister of Health, have
continued to claim that we have the
“best nealth care system in the world”
| and that “a two-tier system lika the one
in the United States will never be allowed
In Canada.” This warm and fuzzy rhetoric
is. particularily hypocritical considering
that the Prime Minister was able to
ebtaln surgical services at the Defence
Medical Centre LESS THAN A WEEK
after a small nedule was noticed on his
right jung in 1991. He hae already shown
that he is quite prepared to accept a
) “two-tler” system when it comes to his
| OWN hoatth, while he stubborniy refuses
I to allow YOU the choice to opt out cf the
surgery lineups.

THE REALITY
The ‘stalemants from the Prime Minister
indicate that he is either blinded by political
| dogma, cr Is completely out of touch with
the reality faced by those working in, and

| using, the Canadian medicare system.

Unfortunately, even in the face — of
overwhelming evidence that the system is
on-the point of collapse, both he, and the
Minister, have rejected requests from the
Canadian Medical Association and

{ provincia! premiers to begin. wide ranging
discussions on creative ways of funding and
saving medicare.

Those of you who have had to use the
system in the past few years will know that
the lengthy waiting lists for specialist
appointments, diagnostic tests, and elective

| surgery cause a great deal of stress and
worry. As a result, more and rnore people
| are crossing the line into Bellingham or
f Seattle for medical care. | personally paid
almost $1,000 US dollars a few years ago
for diagnostic services in Bellingham after
learning that | would have to wait up-to 10
weeks in Vancouver, and a close friend
recently paid $10,000 for shoulder. surgery
in Seattle after waiting more than nine
f months for surgery in B.C. These are not
isolated incidents, but are representative of
serious problems which are being ignored
f by Mr. Chretien and the Health Minister.
in fact, hundreds of B.C. cancer patients
will be travelling to Bellingham this year to
f avoid detays of up to six months for
| radiation treatment in B.C. Other examples
of surgery waiting times include 4 weeks for
aneurysm, 6 weeks for angioplasty, 4 weeks
for breast cancer, and 6 weeks tor prostate

/ . “cancer. These delays occur afier patients

have already waited up to 10 weeks to see
{ a specialist, and are up to ten times as long
f as the acceptable waits in the United States.
A new business has even started up in
f Winnipeg to offer “Waiting List Insurance” to

"Ted White, MP. #302-1200 Lynn Valley Rd, North Vancouver, B.C:.V2J 2A2, Te

Canadians, so that services in the USAc can
be: paid for whenever there is an
unacceptable waiting fist for service: in
Canada.

Canadians spend between $1 billion and
$9 billion each year for madicat services in,
the USA, so finding a way to keep this
money in Canada would clearty have major
benefits for the economy. Our health care

system is a.major employer, and large J -

numbers of additional jobs would be created
by permitting some parallel private choice tn
Canada. The most obvious benefit though,
would be a reduction in. the waiting lists. —
These who cannot afford to pay for private
services would find. themselves moving

‘ rapidly up the public waiting lists because of

the voluntary move to private choice by
those with resources to do so. This effect on
waiting lists has been seen in the case of
Alberta eye clinics which) were, until forced - J
to close by the Chretien government,
catrying out cataract services on a fee for |
service basis. The waiting time In the public .
system dropped from YEARS to just a few
weeks because so many people opted: ‘to

’ pay at the private clinics. The presence of

parallel private chaice ‘benefitted everyone, '

- Including the poor, through better service in A

a shorter time.

PUBLIC AWARENESS %

As in'so many other. areas,’ the public is .
way ahead of the’old-line politiclans on this .
issue. Poll after poll. in recent. years: ‘has
shown increasing majority support for some
limited user fees and pay-for-service choice :
in. medicare. In addition, a -poll taken ‘last:
November found 59% of British Columbians

and 57% of Canadians opposed to penalties - |

imposed on the provinces by the Federal
government for permitting © some private
services.

‘All of this leads me to believe that
most of you cai see through the Prime

Minister's rhatorlc, that you understand - '

the very real problems tacing our health:
care system, and thet you are willing to
have an open public discussion about
alternatives. We obviously need a quaiity
health care system, but pratending tnst it:
is fvee, universally accessible, and ihe
best in the world, is not being honest. A
publicly funded core system, enhanced
with some parallel private choice, tike
systems already in place in Europe,
might wali be a better way to go, but we
will naver know if we do not tafk about it.
Aitacking those who want to put forward
new solutions wiil not fix the present
preblems, and neither. will a lot of
blustering from the Prime Minister and
The Minister of Health. Unfortunataly,
there are none so blind as those who will
not see, so the waiting lists are likely to
become a lot fonger before the Prime

‘Minister agrees to modernize the Canada

Heaith Act.

666-0585 Fox: 666-0509

=, Part-time Space

Avaitabie in New
Chifd Care Facility

The new child care
facility at Capilano
College still has space
available in its part-time
centre for three to five
year olds. Opening in
October 1996, the new
facility also offers a full-
time infant centre, a
full-time tockller cenve,
and a full-time centre
for three to five year
olds. There is no space
available in the full-time
centres at this time, but
they are accepting
applications for their -
waiting list. To apply, or
to secure a space in the |
part-time centre, please
call 984-4950,

You're invited... of

“Join author and

Capilano College...
faculty member Marlene
LeGates at aevent to”.
launch her new book: |,
Making Waves:'A

History of Feminism in
“., Western Society. Book :

launch and reception

will be held September

12, | to.2pm, in the: -
Capilano College’ «:
‘Women's Centre,

‘Library building, room

137. Meet the author .
and have your copy
signed. Coffee aid

- dessert will be served.”

Mazlene will also be

giving a reading on
September 18 at 7:30pm.

“ar the North Shore:
‘Woaren's Cerre, 3093

Lonsdale Avenue. A
wine and cheese
reception will follow

42

ttand Stay
Leaming’

The Extensions. ;
Department at Capilano , ;
College is offering four

© unique weekend .°

experiences this fall at |

. The Lodge on Bowen

~ Island. Friday evening,
. Siturday, and part of
‘Sunday is spent laming

with practicing
professionals, strolling -

| the beach, and eating

“well, Leam how to write

afomance novel; the art
of the portrait; the
magic of monotype
printmaking and, how
to hone your skills as an
amuteur film critic. Fees
of $375 per cours”
include all meals,shared
accommodation,”
instruction, and ferry
travel. Call 984-4901 for

more information.

CAPILANO
COLLEGE

2055 Purcell Way
North Vancouver
British Columbia

986-1911