CAFETERIA’ AND’ hospital
‘food’ is never mistaken for
haute cuisine.

By lan Noble

: News Reporter

‘- Nevertheless, Lions Gate
Hospital's “cook-chilled” food has

“received. cold reception since the

hospital, began trucking food -in
from Burnaby Hospital in June in a
$1-million-a-year cost-cutting
move,
.~ Bland, - unappetizing and
: extremely bad are some of the com-
‘ments received for the entrees now |
available at 650-bed Lions Gate.

A cafeteria. food -worker- said
Sales in the cafeteria have dropped
- 60% to 70% since the’ hospital

stopped, .making its. own food.
“+, Dinners’ that once daily brought in:
“about $1,000 now do about $300.1 to”
-- $400 in’sales, he said.
0° He ysaid.. management
“address: the biggest issue — ‘food
quality... ‘
However, hospital CEO. Bob |

ae Smith said the new system is simply

won't. ;

NEWS photo Mike Waketleld

experiencing growing pains, Quality. “LIONS GATE Hospital production supervisor Judy Paone tests the temperature of ““cook-chil!” .
, food in the kitchen. Food quality has suffered ‘with the new system, cafeteria customers say.

“control has been stepped up. He
anticipates the system will improve
“by the end of September...

=: Smith acknowledges some menu
items do not meet hospital standards
and patients have complained. — -
—'sHe-added part of the problem is:
; that the technology changeover took :
place: i in summer, when many full-:
time workers take vacation.

‘: Frozen food now arrives in bulk

from: Burnaby, is ‘trayed and ‘then »

-stored i in a re- thermalization cart, a

WHEN HILDA Wallace foe

 her~ ‘impulse’ ‘to ‘take:
flight; she had.no idea her feats.
‘would. ‘propel . ‘her’ into th
-record books

By lan Noble:
‘ News Reporter.’

4 adventurous,” added the UFO (United

tf.

“high-tech device. :
A worker programs the machine

“to cool and heat foods as and when
. needed, - :

Because ‘food can be’ used as
“much as-three-days after being pre-
pared, the hospit: if has greater flexi-
bility in serving meals, said hospital
support. services . and human
resources vice president Uli Haag.
“He added both. Lions Gate and

Initially, the “West. Vancouver
senior’s pursuit of a ‘pilot's licence
was a personal challenge.

.."It was something::to do and :
scmething to show that being 80 was / |

‘not the. end of the world,” Wallace
said. : 2

wT ve always. ‘been a little ‘bit:

Burnaby Hospital are very ‘cone,

scious about quality.
But the worker, who asked not to

, be identified for fear of loging: his-
job, said management has not made
, a concerted effort tor improve food

quality...

‘He points loa survey of cafeteria
food taken after Burnaby “started to
supply: Lions Gate’ that shows 58%
of the 150 customers surveyed said

Flying Octogenarians) member.

/ Unbeknownst to Wallace, her late-

, Starting flying career would also lead -
Mo immontality,in the pages of the
1996. , Guinness “Book of. World

Records.

Her aerial baptism did not go well,
é-but it did reveal her persistence, . ‘
“I’hated it/":she said of her first

ae flying lesson. “I was so airsick."

:, She took two more lessons. She

was sick both times. °

Wondering. if: the ‘hot California
weather was to blame for her queasy: :

“stomach, she signed up for three
“lessons in the. Lower Mainiand.

i Wallace’: wis nauseated again,

* again and again,

’ She finally conquered | nausea on

" her seventh lesson.

“-" NEWS photo Mike Wakotiotd

HILDA WALLACE, ‘of West Vancouver, made the Guinness Book
of, Records as the. oldest person to quality: fora pilot’ 's licence.

‘and lessons | in

‘and Ralph Bu:

“most of all,

“and began -a_.two-
“year bid to eam’ ‘her a
‘licence.’ ;

The process
included a lengthy
list..of. instructors

England, Toronto,
Calgary, Califomia |:
and “the «Lower
Mainland...)

When. Wallace. _,
Joined the ranks of -
private pilot's
licence holders’ in
1989, ‘she .was ‘the.
oldest ever to obtain one...

She just didn’t know it'at the time.

Surreptiticusly, her friends Ursula!
contacted Guinness
about five months ago,’

They obtaitied Wallace's driver's ;
: ligence and birth certificate to con-

firm that Wallace was indeed the old-

Lest new pilot../

“We had gute a party and ‘when I
unwrapped this great big parcel there

it (a- plaque): was.) was) in the
* Guinness Book of World Records.:1

couldn't believe it, said Wallace.
“T didn't think | was’ doing any-

‘hing that great, but everybody thinks’.

I did something wonderful”

: During her three years of licensed --

flying, “Wallace , loved. navigating

_- was damn good at jit,
. her St. Andrews Place home.

* stalling her piane.

66 I didn’t think I
was doing anything
that great, but
everybody thinks ©
I did something
wonderful. 99

the hot food sélection was extreme”

ly poor and 82% said such food was
poor, dull, bland, tasteless, luke-
warm or cold.

‘To remedy the ‘situation, recoth-
mendations inciuded (reviewing

prices, taste testing foods, checking
food temperatures, monitoring food
complaints and garnishing food. to
improve its appearance and appeal. ;

Improving food quality wasn't

record

The night ! before a trip she woiild"

: ~ plan her route. :

Inevitably, her navigation would .

be correct’ and she would reach her p

destination. a
“When I saw, the runway. ahead”

and knew I was lined up that was the’

biggest thrill. 1 loved landing and 1
* she ‘said from:

However, there were times’ when

Wallace could contain her j joy of fly:

Zing.
Like all student pilots, Wallace

-made’ solo: flights and ‘performed,

forced aerial acrobatics, such as
“That's a creepy feeling.” 'she said.
- Wallace a also leamed how to spina
‘./ plane and get

out of the spi
“D> didn't
thats i
a. Now 6
‘Wallace’ has
been. grounded

the past three
years. Pe

Wallace said
she believes she
could : still fiy
because flying.
only.’ demands -
hand .-_ move-

” ments of a cou-,;
ple of inches and stecting is done.

* with the feet. . i

“E would only wait to be a co- .
pilot: 1 wouldn't want to be alone |
anymore, * she said. ./

“Wallace said sh
membership.

She is the only. Canadian member

+ in the § “exclusive” club of 80-years-

and-older pilots.:

She misse: flying and doing: all
the other activities she enjoyed, such |
as knitting and playing instruments,

‘The active Wallace was also a pros.

fessional violinist.and organist.
Wallace“was the wife of popular
former B.C: Lieutenant- Governor
Clarence Wallace.
Her book. Memories, is published

_ by Ceel Publishing.
ee iE

like.
86,

‘by arthritis for *

one of the recommendations.

“That is what bothers me," said
the cafeteria worker. “A sprig of
parsley will not make it better.”

He added the switch to Burnaby
Hospital won't save as much money
as munagement anticipates.

The food preparation worker said
the re-thermalization carts cost
$3.500 each and 11 of them are bro-
_ ken down.’

' Now. the hospital. repairs the
machines because the cart manufac-

jturer can't. repair the machines .*

quickly enough, even though they -
are under warranty, he said.

“They are only six weeks ‘old.
What‘is going to happen when the
warranty runs out in a year?" he
asked. |

Haag said the cart manufacturer
currently reimburses the hospital for .
tepairs.

Both LGH and Burnaby are now :
paying food workers overtim said.
the food services worker, °/

“They were way out on what °

“they think they can save on fabor."

he added,

- Haag said the hospital’ is ‘paying

. workers ‘overtime because many

, workers are on vacation now. But,
added he exptcls cost-savings to fall:
in line with estimates as the system
Tuns smoother,

The. worker’ also said the food
from: Burnaby ‘is notias healthy, as
food previously «served at Lions
Gate. “Overall, I'm,.willing 10 live
with: this system and work if to. the:
“best.” he said. He also pinned a por-..
tion. of the blaine.- on Burnaby ©
Hospital.:“"They brought us_the sys-
_fem but they are Not: wilting to iron
out any of the problems with i it.”

ne lt
‘AN, 187. YEAR- ‘OLD: West
Naiicouver man was charged °
last’ “week. with . _Sexually:
‘assaulting three -: young girls
during the early 1980s.

By ‘Anna Marie D ‘Aiigelo

! ‘provincial court it Thursday 4 in con-, :
nection with three charges of se:
ual ‘assault ‘and two charges

a decent assault,

The' first-victinn was 10 years’
old and ‘a North: Shore.’resident.
when she’ was ‘allegedly’ sexually. o
‘assaulted ‘during a family: visit at! |:

_liand’s home, according to'West.,

Vancouver Police’ Sgt: Stuart
Leishman: The incident occurred
between June 1, (1982, and Aug.

3h 1982. |

The second ail was 12 -in
December 1984 when’ she was:
allegedly,sexually. assaulted dur-’
ing a visit at the home of a mutu-
al“-friend of her: family’s ° and
Hand's...

The third girl was 11 anda res-
-ident of Manitoba at the time she
was allegedly sexually assaulted,
-during a fantily visit with, Hand i in:
the summer of 1983. .

« Allthe sexual. muits report-
edly - took” place’ ir » West
Vancouver.

Leishman said police” ‘have:
been investigating the allegations
“since May.’ . 3
*. "The investigation began after a:
family member of one of the girls’
made a report to police,

Hand is scheduled to appear in
West Vancouver: provincial court’
on-Aug. 29, :