Tell ne again, ; Where di those Spare par r.. come bry

NEWS VIEWPOINT Surgical cuts

' EWS OF the Lions Gate Hospital plan to switch its food service from meals ‘.cooked and prepared on-site to an off- site cook-chill prefabricated meal operation should be applauded. “Common sense tells us that the day is long past when most communities could support ever-expanding hospital institutions. _ A pooling of resources and streamlining of precesses is imperative if we are to meet the challenge of spending our shrinking medical dollars wisely. / That an expenditure of $6.4 million worth of kitchen renovations was even considered as part of a hospital master plan in the 1980s gives an indication of just kow expensive a proposition it is to sustain a major institution suchas LGH. — The provincial move toe decentralize and bring health services to a community level

will mean a reallecation of resources.

‘As a result, tie big hospitals will work dif- ferently.

[Burnaby Hosnitai and LGH will now share kitchens. LGU. is already the base for its own laundry service as well as that of Burnaby Hospital and another.

iIn the short-term, change brings pain for those whose jobs are affected.

' If existing collective agreements are worth their salt, management and labor have the framework needed to work in good faith to find alternative employment for the dis- placed kitchen workers at LGH. — .

| If the change means a saving of $3 million in renovations to the tired kitchens and cafe- teria of LGH and if the move also translates into an $800,000-saving in annual operating costs, then a tip of the taxpayer’s hat is in order to all at LGH.

i

“Waterbat jars chewer nigh- goan nafters upper nacuppla dinxer whoine? (What about just you and i going out to supper and a couple of drinks of wine?)”

Russ the Aussie, speaking in Strine (Australian). (From Doug Callins’ March 16 column.)

“Fresh food is part of getting well.”

Lions Gate Hospital cook Lyle

Jenkins, raising concerns over the quality of food that will be served at the North Shore hospital when food preparation services are con- tracted out to Burnaby Hospital. (From March 16 News story. }

“He died as a soldier in the field of the Baha’i cause.”

Bahram Noizadan, on his broth- er-in-law Hooshmand Anvari, who was gunned down while teaching at

a Sunday school in South Africa. (From a March 18 News story.)

“Tam not here ta be cross- examined.”

Lionel Lewis of the Ambleside and Dundarave Ratepayers’ Association, in a testy verbal exchange with mayor Mark Sager at a West Vancouver District Council meeting. (From a March 16 News story.)

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anning

pass test Oy .C, Socre

THE PARTY LEADER with the biggest headache since last week's split i in the Socred caucus is neither Grace McCarthy, nor Gordon Campbell, nor B.C. Reform’s Ron Gambie.

Pass the aspirin first, please, to

Preston Manning. The defection of °

Socred MLAs Jack Weisgerber, Richard Neufeld and Len Fox to the B.C. Reform Party confronts the federal Reform party boss with a crucial test of his own leadership qualities.

During tis party's six-year build-up, culminating in its election success last October, Manning was probably smart to turn thumbs | down on any provincial invalve- ments.

He rightly figured they would drain money and energy away from the main federal effort. Moreover, there was always the danger that redneck wackos and other loose cannons at the provincial Jevel could damage the squeaky clean. party image he was striving to cul- tivate.

Up to new his reasoning has worked. But the-current situation in B.C. means it can’t work much longer. The death of Social Credit creates a big right-of-centre politi-

&¢@ ...the Socreds are now dead

in the water under

the Social Credit name... 99

cal vacuum that has to be filled regardless of Preston’s hygienic agenda, The numbers are unar-’- guable.

The Socreds claim 56,000 paid- up members, spread all over the province. The Liberals claim around 12,000, heavily concentrat- ed in the Lower Mainland. in the Interior their leader, Gordon Campbell, tends to be pictured as a big-city operator in bed with Howe Street. ft may be unfair but that’s the way it is so far.

Despite their fourfold or more numerical superiority the Socreds : are now dead in the water under the Social Credit name — the Matsqui byclection made that clear.

So they now have three options: to join the Liberals; to regroup under new leadership and a new party name; or to switch their provincial allegiance to the party which already commands their votes federally.

Forget the first option. Although numerous Socreds backed Gordon Wilson's Liberals in 1991, it was strictly a temporary protest vote against the scandal-plagued Vander Zatm era. Basically, the great majority of Socreds dismiss Grits

HITHER AND YON |

as socialists in suits.

Option No. 2 — new leader, : new partly name — is a dicey busi-., ness with no guarantee of quick success.

it took Manning six years to put his party’s mark on the federal map. Any new party launched — today in B.C. has only 18 months’ until the next election. 7

Which leaves politically home- less Socreds with the Reform party ~— which they find philosophically so comfortable that they gave it three out of four B.C. seats in the 1993 federal election, a total (24) | even greater than Alberta's.

So why not consolidate them under the Reform banner provin- cially?

North Van Reform MP Ted ' White is now asking that very. ques "tion of his leader. -

“It may be that times have ‘changed,” he says.

They have. Right-of-centre B. on

" voters who have given Reform so. -

much federally are ENTITLED, in.” their hour of need, to a provincial Reform party fully supported by the national party — not disowned and - reviled by the latter, as at present.

Certainly there’s never been a better time for Reform to test the risks — and the rewards — of finally “going provincial.”

All it takes is courage, which : Winston Churchill described as -: “the supreme virtue because it is ° ” the one virtue that guarantees all the others.”

- That's the personal challenge now facing Preston Manning in

‘BC.

eee

POSTSCRIPTS: You’ ve still time to buy your datfodils to beat cancer from the Cancer Society volun- teers selling them today in North Shore malls to launch the Society’s annual fundraising campaign, ... “Egos & Icons,” works by promis- ing young North Van artists Elisa Rathje and Yang Hong reflecting a community in cultural transition, are on display until April 21 at North Van City Library gallery. ... Waldorf School presents its “Spring Festival of the Arts”

6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. March 23, in the Centennial’ Theatre — call 985-7435 for details. ... And if you're in a Christian mood this Sunday. March 20, wish one Brian Mulroney happy 55th birthday!

WRIGHT OR WRONG: If you can't beat ’em, join ’em. Ef you can't join "em, beat it.