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The North Shore Haws is published by North Shore Frea Press Ltd., Publisher Peter Speck, from 1133 Loasdale Avenue Morth Vancouver, 8.C., V7¥ 244

OKAY—50 Weil HIRE MORE LANGUAGE I pouce— CLAMP DOWN | ON THE USE OF ENGLISH 1 mAYBE EVEN RESTRICT HIT S0.MUCH THAT ALL “THE ANGLOS WIL BE DRIVEN FROM QUEBEC.

Cash-strapped medicare, let debate begin

“EVERYBODY talks about the weather but nobody does any- thing about it,” lamented

Mark Twain. Say that again about medicare.

Last week the Canadian Medical Association’s annual convention in | Nova Scotia was all set to pas3 a reso- lution calling for “two-tier” medicine — a private health system operating parallel with medicare. re rr But after federal Health Minister David. Dingwall told them bluntly to forget the whole idea — “it’s not on!” — the resolution was na ly defeated. As the next best thing; Canada’s doctors called for a “pub bate” on alternative ways to fund health care, including a private sys tem for the wealthy. So there we go once more! 0 7, : One point needs no debate. Relative to the current demands on‘it, medicare.is dangerously underfunded. Without some radical therapy’ its condition can only worsen as governments battle deficits and debt 4 ag ape amy oon eth oe Re ty, ait Har at said, the pros and cons of two-tier medicine are already, aS LESS ‘seal GF Tie Ci. en known. Allowing the wealthy, say its proponents, to escape Y : : line-ups for many treatments under medicare by buying pri "They knew how to cat and wake up also because he'll wake = ment — just as they buy BMWs, luxury yachts and private sc they were very thankful." up screaming." actually eps their poor cousins by shortening the medicare’y North Vancouver chef James eee time. cs we Kennedy on former U.S. president Barb ‘Townsend, wife of hit-and- Moreover, they point out, we already have two-tier George Bush and his wife Barbara. run victim Kevin Townsend, on his . anyone sufficiently well-heeled can always hop over, the bo

NOW, ON To - THE ECONOMY. ANY IDEAS WHAY'

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Publisher 985-2131 (107)

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Lotters must includa your name, full address *. & telephone number. VIA Intemet: transhaw @ direct.ca

Herth Shore Wows, founded in. 1967 a an independent suburban newspaper and quilified under Schedule [11, “Paragraph 111 of the Excise Tas Act, is published each ” Wedewaalay, Friday and Sundry by North Shore Free Presa Lad asd distributed to every dour on the North Shore. Canacia Post Canadian Publiusiors Mail Sales Product Agreement No. 0087238, Mailing :

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‘f:*Entire contenis =~ oa ©1996 North Shore’. Pode Press tid: Sipe

_ All tights reserved. - raed 5

_ Kennedy served: the couple on busi- _ hessman Jim Pattison's yacht recent-

ly. (From an Aug. 27 News story.) eee "The truck is a weapon." Former Marr Contractors truck driver Dan Legros on summing up

- his experiences in the trucking industry. Legros once operated .a »

truck that later careened out of con-

trol and caused an Aug. 16, 1995 °

accident on the Cut. that killed two, including .truck driver Baljinder

“Singh. (From. an Aug. 23 News ©

story.) y an eoe! ; - "Right now for us the worst

“thing is him waking up in the ‘middle of the night in pain. I'll

mialibes oO

Trails need better signage

Dear Editor: 7

I agree with you regarding your News viewpoint Hinterland Half- wits, but [have some additional comments.

It is not oni sponsible hikers, but also of the man-

agement of our parks. The mainte- | * ance, marking and signing are very

Aug. 23 News story.)

the fault of irre- -

slow and painful recovery from the crim¢ committed by an unknown person eight months ago. (From an Aug. 23 News story.)

of 14,000

Canada?

"I have the full confidence in the ability of Canadians to reject racism and extremist ideas, and have seen no evidence that permit- ting freedom of expression has undermined .our Canadian val- . ues." ., ;

~Capilano-Howe Sound Reform MP Herb Grubel in a letter to the Canadian Jewish Congress, defend- ing his welcome to a Libertarian convention in -his riding. (From a

completely more medi

hours or the distance in kilometres and the difference in elevation.

That is missing everywhere.

In addition there should be col- ored markings on trees and boulders every few hundred metres, This will reduce drastically the rescue problem and then the rescue can be charged

“-Gne ‘solution could clinics as “utili types of clinics licensed at any given'time - ‘example, regulates the telephone, broadcasting and. cable indu:

Another answer might be to make private-clinic doctors | and take the'same risks as a! other entrepreneurs care funding and forced to set up their own hos

Then, instead of two-tier medicine, there’s the prop things you can sec doc about for free to a “core” list charged. And finally, the ideal-sounding solution to. that Minister. Dingwall is always pushing without'¢ how to do it: “make more efficient use of exist

“ As soon as you feel strong enough to get-up, let the debate

: . eee’: Pon he

MANY HAPPY: RETURNS of today, Aug:25, to West Van: Kiwani Arthur Holmes ’..! Also today, hap and Betty Griffin.

WRIGHT OR WRONG: The difference between genius'and stup that genius has limits. po ren he North Shore News believes strov gly in freedom of speech and the

poor. At the beginning of each trail it should be stated the average time in

Mewes Wie woe

OVERNMENT attempts at pin- pointing a date for action on the Lions Gate Bridge’s fate have yielded a grab bag of responses since 1993. So Broken promises by the NDP govern- ment and ignored self-imposed dead- lines litter the aging span’s recent histo- ry. bon an The sorry history:

@- July 23, 1993. — former

‘Transportation and Highways Minister

Art Charbonneau anticipated a. deci-

sion on the crossing in early 1994 “to! “meet a five-year target for. planning,

Milan Schiller North Vancouver

to the “halfwits.” right of all sides in a debate to be hear i . ews present differing points of view, but those views are not necess those of the newspaper itself. | os ho,

instant treatment. In 1994 Canadians paid $1 billion-for

Ps by a i Keep such money. in,

grow longer, not sherter, and standards of treatment will-drop

In themselves; both arguments make plenty of sense.: Only individ doctors can answer the question of how far,under a'two-tier they,would neglect — or provide inferior,service for. edicar patients.in order to concentrate on much more. lucrative private: One can only surmise that the temptation’ might often be ‘cons be to treat medicare’ doc ad'p es”, regulated.as to profit. margins and:the‘numbe

had ‘pri just as the CRTC, for, ¢:

iT erexplaininig jus resources” ;

a py anniversary to North’ Van's'Bob

“The columnists published in th

oe om i at

assert 8) 9me 0 Sethe nn A hee ANAL SOON RY een RPL Nrban ne mc Reds Ea ONE: GF At APIS A A AERA POONER MRM

LA on . en j rorises : 7 i . ; ton

design and construction.” | @ Jan. 12, 1994 — Transportation Minister Jackie Pement stated: “The

earliest opportunity for a final deci-

sion presented by this process would. be in about a year.” .

B July 1994 — Pement anticipates a short list of options for the fall (of

1994).

June 5, 1995 — Pement anticipates a short list for the late fall. |

@-November. 1995 — Lions Gate Crossing Project manager David Ferguson announces at North

“Vancouver. District. Hall that a ‘short list would be available in

January 1996. - »

B June 1996. — Financ

Andrew Petter slams: a; six-mont! break on capital spending. ‘whic includes the Lions Gate renewal ject. ;

@ Aug. 20, 1996

spokesinan Betty . Nicholson : stat

emphatically, “I expect that. we'll se some decision this fall? ts.)

See how far the former: priority. pro-} ject has fallen. Now, not even a list of options is promised. °;....”

Cross your fingers and“ hope, the:57 year-old bridge is more reliable than‘th

folks in Victoria.) 60 ue