410 - Wednesday, November 27, 1991 — North Shore News

Ken Dye addresses ratepayer group
WCB to get ‘major overhaul CEO tells WV meeting

BRITISH PROPERTIES residents welcomed home one of
their finest last Thursday night when former auditor gen-
eral Kenneth Dye addressed the annual general meeting of

the local ratepayer group at Sentinel Secondary School.

“It’s nice to be back,’’ Dye
told members of the British Pro-
perties and Area Homeowners
Association.

A former British Properties res-
ident, Dye returned to B.C. after
a decade in Ottawa about eight
months ago to take over as Chief
Executive Officer of B.C.'s
Workers’ Compensation Board
(WCB).

Dye said he plans to undertake
a ‘major overhaul’’ of the WCB
that will go far beyond getting the
best value for the dollar.

The WCB has two primary
responsibilities: the prevention of
industrial injury and disease and
the payment of compensaton
benefits to workers or their
dependants.

Since Dye took on the position,
the WCB has produced two major
documents detailing a philosophy
of management and a statement
of mission.

Previously, the WCB manage-
ment situation had been Tess than
heaithy, with a staff strike loom-
ing and $140 million loss in 1990,

But Dye believes he is getting
that problem turned around with
a happier staff focused on the
goal of providing the best service
in the world.

“There are several boards in the
United States and we've already
got them beat. Our competition is
in Sweden and Germany,’’ he
said.

By Maureen Curtis
Contributing Writer

Dye said the WCB is now in
good shape financially, with a
healthy income realized from $3.7
million ‘in the tilt,"” and the
lowest premiums in the country.

“Our prime challenge is in the
area of accident prevention. We
want io create a healthy work en-
vironment,’’ said Dye.

Approximately 217,000 accident
claims are filed every year.

*‘About 168 workers ‘lied in the
past year because they went to
work in this province and about
3,000 are not the same because of
an accident,’’ Dye said.

To offset such statistics,
WCB is doing more work-s
spections than ever before
putting emphasis on the writing of
workplace safety materials which
are also in demand out of the
province,

“The realities of our work are
pretty damned grim sometimes,’’
said Dye, referring to some of the
hideous mishaps that have involv-
ed workers and machinery.

So the WCB has come up with
a couple of television advertise-
ments this year which Dye
described as ‘‘deliberately hard-
hitting."’

“We want a wife to be upset
and remind Charlie not to take a

short-cut on the job,’’ Dye said.

Despite all its problems, B.C.’s
WCB is one of the healthiest in
the country, and operates at a cost
that is about 38% lower than the
American system.

“The beauty of this system goes
back to 1917 when workers gave
up the right to sue and employers
took on the responsibility to en-
sure a safe workplace,’ said Dye.

The ‘‘litigiousness’’ of the
American system, he said, makes
it more expensive than its Cana-
dian counterpart.

The WCB is funded by the pro-
vince’s 105,000 employers; those
with the highest accident statistics
pay the highest premiums.

“Accidents are terribly cost-
ly...’m writing cheques for
$600,000 and $700,000,’’ said
Dye.

He touched briefly on his expe-
riences as auditor general, a posi-
tion he was surprised to be chosen
for.

Not having any knowledge of
political science, government or
the French language, Dye jokingly
speculated that former prime
minister Pierre Trudeau had ap-
pointed him because he could ski.

Asked about government spend-
ing habits, Dye acknowledged that
“they spend very well — quickly
and in large amounts.”*

The other highlights of the
evening included the presentation
of a $1,200 scholarship cheque (o
Sentinel principal Peter Lefaivre
for three students, the Community
Service Award to West Vancouver
Fire Department Lieut. Don
Steinbart and the Good Neighbor

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NOTICE

On page 27 of Zellers flyer
distributed in the North Shore
News on Sunday, Nov. 24, Up-
per Deck Hockey Cards will not
be arriving until the week of
Dec. 2nd. We will issue rain-
checks. Limit 6 packages per

Award to Florence and Stanley
Whittle.

West Vancouver District Coun-

cil members Ald. Pat Boname,
Ald. Don Griffiths and Ald. Ron
Wood attended the meeting and
were grilled by British Properties
residents on various issues, in-
cluding tree legislation, the pro-
posed tennis bubble at Sentinel
Secondary and development plans
at St. David’s United Church.

customer.

On page 30, All Skates —
these will not be available.
We apologize for any inconve-
nience this may cause our
customers.

Holly Gagnon lost 62 lbs.

“People used to say to me, ‘Oh, you'd be so pretty if you
were thin’ And I‘d just want to scream. Of course losing
weight with Jenny Craig changed the way I look. But more
importantly, it changed the way I look at myself, The
weekly counseling, the classes, really helped build my self-
confidence. I’m more comfortable with myself now. And I
think that makes people more comfortable with me.’

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