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January 22, 1988 News 985-2131 Classified 986-6222 Distribution 986-1337 80 pages 25¢

ALL THREE North Shore municipalities will cease local health department funding by July 1 if a cramatic increase in the provincial government's contribution fails to materi-

alize.

Simultaneous ultimatums were read as notices of motion at all three North Shore council meetings Monday night stating “whereas...Chis municipality's public health share of costs are far greater per capita than any other health unit in the province...the (municipality) will withdraw all funding of public health as of July 1, 1988 unless this inequity (is) corrected."*

**We have been pushed into a corner,’’ West) Vancouver Ald. Rod, Day said Wednesday. ‘We are at wits’ end.”*

The motions follow a Jan. 10 News story chronicling the ine- quitable share of provincial fun- ding for the North Shore Union Board of Health's (NSUBH) preventive programs budget.

Though provincial funding of the health board's total $4.6 mil- lion 1987 budget is $4.7 per cent, the province funds only 2.5 per cent ($63,835) of the board's $2.4 million preventive programs budget. The balance is paid by the four remaining NSUBH funding members: North Vancouver’s School District 44 and the three North Shore municipatities.

The provincial percentage allot- ted the North Shore’s preventive programs is aa fraction of what is allotted other metropolitan health board preventive programs that service comparable populations.

For example, the Richmond health department, which services a population of 104,999, gets 47.2 per cent ($962,275) of its $2 mil- lion preventive programs budget from the ministry.

Burnaby’s health department, servicing almost the same size population as the the North Shore’s 142,000, with an identical $2.4 million preventive programs budget, has 36.4 per cent of that budget funded by the ministry.

“We are being double taxed,”’ North Vancouver City Ald. Rod

Clark said Thursday. ‘‘We are be- ing taxed for health care by the provincial government, but it is not coming back to us. All we want is a fair shake under the law."

Seventeen of B.C.’s 22 boards are provincial and 100 per cent funded by the province; the other five boards are metropolitan health departments and receive partial provincial funding.

Said Day: ‘‘The situation has been going on for 20 years, but the crunch is hitting us. The health department's equipment is falling apart, its people are underpaid and its facilities are falling apart. It's

NORTH Vancouver City Aid. Rod Clark...‘‘We are being double tax- ed."’

just appalling. 1 am amazed at how an affluent area like this could have a public health department with such primitive conditions." The July 31, 1987 withdrawal of West Vancouver’s School District

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