N. Van RCMP nab escapee A SUSPECTED international drug trafficker who skipped Canada three years ago will be staying behind bars this time pending the outceme of his trial. By Anna Marie D'Angelo News Reporter Ivan Pelegrin, 39, of Croatia, was remanded in custody on Wednesday after a hearing before North Vancouver provincial court Judge Jerome Paradis, Federal Crown lawyer Jay Straith successfully argued that there was a risk that Pelegrin might leave the country if he were to be released. In 1992, Judge Elizabeth Amold, who usualiy works out of Vancouver provincial court, released Pelegrin on $100,000 bail after he was charged with possessing $3.5 mil- lion worth of China White heroin for the purpose of trafficking. Pelegrin left the country before his preliminary hearing into the drug charges. Three pounds (1.3 kg) of the high-grade heroin were seized dur- ing a drug raid on Aug. 8, 1992, ina West End apartment. ‘ When arrested by North Vancouver RCMP drug section members, Pelegrin was carrying three passports in different names with his picture in each. When he was arrested Jast November by German border patrol officers, Pelegrin was, according to a North Vancouver RCMP spokesman, carrying a Belgium passport and four other pieces of picture identification bearing differ- ent names. The identification included a dri- ver’s licence from Michigan state. According to the North Vancouver RCMP, German officials at the Bad Reich Enhall border crossing detained Pelegrin because he looked like another fugitive. ' Pelegrin’s differing identification led to further investigation and to the discovery that there was an Interpol warrant out for Pelegrin’s arrest. North Vancouver RCMP Cpl. Mike Litdejohn and Const. Kim Ashford, of the loca] drug section, escorted Pelegrin from a jail in Munich to North Vancouver on Feb. 29. Pelegrin was convicted of importing and supplying narcotics in 1982 in Australia. North Vancouver RCMP have known that Pelegrin was living in his native Croatia since fleeing Canada. A focal drug squad member traced Pelegrin to his Croatian home while the officer was in the former Yugoslavia on a United Nations peacekeeping stint. It took three months for Pelegrin to be extradited from Germany. Pelegrin is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing into his drug charges on May [ in North Vancouver provincial court. Highly concentrated = China White heroin was responsible for number of deaths in the Vancouver area about three years ago. Sunday, March 10, 1996 — North Shore News ~ 3 North Shore hosts top provincial athletes Nursing body accused of witch hunt A NORTH Vancouver mid- wife pronounced guilty of incompetence and unethical conduct by the Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia (RNABC) in February intends to appeal the judgment in B.C. Supreme Court. . By lan Noble News Reporter Cynthia Milner, 35, acted as a midwife in an incident in 1994 involving the eventual stillborn birth of a baby. The RNABC Professional Conduct Committee will reconvene to consider what disciplinary action to impose, if any. on Milner. But Milner said she won't accept the verdict. She plans to challenge the RNABC’s jurisdiction on the matter, The RNABC, she said, has jurisdiction over nursing, not midwifery. The Conimunity of B.C, Midwives considers the RNABC hearing i into Milner’s conduct “a witch hunt, in which the nursing profession attempted to govern the midwifery profession by punishing the only mem- ber of its assoctation attending this birth.” Milner was not a registered nurse at the time of the failed home birth, She originally obtained her B.C. nursing registration in November 1985, Milner’s regis- tration had lapsed between March | and May 27 of 1994, She was recently the subject of a widely publicized inquiry because of her role in a home birth resulting in a stillborn birth at Lions Gate Hospital. “[ did not do anything wrong.” Milner said, She claims tne RNABC, which does not support home births, was biased when its professional conduct com- mittee pronounced her guilty relating to two incidents a MIDWIFE AND former registered nurse Cynthia Milner (left) will challenge a nursing group's opinion that found her incompetent. in 1993 and 1994, The (993 incident involved the re- suturing of a woman's episiotomy. Milner said many of the procedures condemned by the RNABC for not being nursing procedures are com- monly performed by midwives. Milner, who did not speak in her defence at the inquiry, said she- manipulated the baby" s head to relieve pressure. A procedure she called “stripping the membranes,” among the actions condemned by the RNABC, is common midwife practice to stimulate labor, she said. Contrary to RNABC findings, Milner said she did give North Vancouver resident Sandrine Renaud the option to go to the bospital between 3:30 and 4 a.m. and told Renaud if she went to the hospital. she could be given an epidural. Based on that information, Renaud made the choice not to go to hospital, said Milner. “That's her sight.” said Milner. “We don't forcibly say you have to do this. “1 don’t have an aversion to hospitals.” Milner rejected arguments that she did not ade- quately monitor the fetal heart rate. She added the fetal heart rate was monitored by an electronic machine that See Midwife page 4 NEWS, Mika Wakefield (left), AT LEFT, Hillside’s Kim Kaplan takes part in the B.C. high school gymnastics champi- onships at Handsworth. Check March 13th’s News for results. Meanwhile, (above) West Van- couver’s Careline Rowles takes aim in a game versus W.J. Mouat at the girls’ provin- clal basketball chempionships : ela at Capilano College. Sec page 33 for tourney results. RMABC HEARING - “THE FOLLOWING is taken _from the Feb. 19 findings of a hearing. by the Registered .Nurses- Association of British Columbia (RNABC) into the conduct of North Vancouver midwife and. former registered . nurse Cynthia Milner: ‘It is not clear whether her poor practice was due to a lack of knowledge, skills, sound professional judge- ment or due to some other rea- ‘son such as carelessness.” Testimony showed - Milner did not advise patient Sandrine Renaud that her nursing registra: tion had lapsed. Before the birth, Milner entered a contract with Renaud “for the provision of ser- vices relating to the home birth.” : Prier to that, a midwife in training had been hired as labor coach, said the RNABC. Renaud went into Jabor at 8 p.m. May 16. By 10 p.m. she was experi- encing severe back pain: and panicking. Milner arrived at the home at f! p.m. According to the RNABC, a pain-wracked Renaud asked to - go to hospital at | a.m. May 17, but Milner did not take her to hospital. Evidence showed Milner failed to perform consis- tent, ongoing and complete assessments of her patient and failed to intervene or intervened inappropriately, said — the RNABC. ' The RNASBC added she also administered homeopathic remedies and manipulated the head of the fetus, neither of which are nursing procedures and place the’ patient at risk.