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YA YA'S DOG Va Va the Magnificent has a do% Va, for those of you wha are new ta this column, is tbe world's greatest babysitter. 8h. speializes ln rising ta the occasion wbon Iocked out ai 1ho house (yfargettul fathers) wtb the chikiron anid always pravides booke games and videads for the girls. t now she has lopped Rt ail off by amrving at aur doadr mith ber now puppy in taw. Thîis Wnat anly a good thing, but fram my perspective, a great ane. Ya Vas puppy contains, the single mast Important quality that 1 look for in a dag - t Ives samewtiere aise. lt's nat as though 1 don't 1ke dags. We- had an abandoned German shepherd named Maos when we ivied out west for a time. But he had some rather unfortunate habits, for examplo, his propensity for chasing nat onty trucks and buses btthe smal airpianes that Ianie atthe airport near us. That, when combined vAth his abllty ta, destroy ovetthin ho came inta contact wtt an bis firmiy held view that cals were the on prper hors d'oeuvres re dinner, meant that bis stay with us was, sadly, a fairly briof one. Ho now Ives happfly with a farrily that bas eight other abanidoined dogs, and havlng dofeated every dog obedience school ln southern Aberta, ho lives in separateý quarters. Sa Ibis expenience, in addition ta Sarah's a1leigies, means no dosfor us. (E3fore someono writs t meabout non-allergenio dos take note tbat Sarah aven goishflves frornpcos>. blessing The girls get a visit, a pe t pý witb, but 1ldon't get the 6a.m. wàk, the poap and scoop, the bousebroaking, the chewing and the vol bis. II is the perfect solution. 0f course, lhey actually nover moant ta get a puppy, but Ifo nover actually works out like you Ilan. aY wanted a dog" as did or boter and brother. Hawever, dad did not lmmediately leap ta bis foot vwitb entbusiasm. We dads are like Ibat, we need ta b. convinced, cajoed, we buy timne, w. bearri whethor this is a whim or the real lhing. Sa dad offered a compromise - ho would oeil tho pound and see if there was a small dés, two- or lhree-yoar-ol wfth a niée, even temnporanient. Up ta Ibis point ho had played bis cards well, but il was aller this tbat bis hand feil apart. Thre were no dogs. But a few days later Animal ContraI caibed ilh he good news that thore was apuppy if dad wanted II and thon lhey dleverly asked him tao drop by, just lookhim over, no commtment HahI No one witb balf a heart looking for a dog couki see asmall PUppyln awAro cage in a -dog pounand not immediatel me Ukesowi Ju ly. YaVaWs dad took one look and was smitten, ho invited Mrs. Va Va ta g o witb him, "just for anathor kinkw but iwas adone Chnistopher White is the mginster of Westminster United Chueh. Fis ffrst bock, 'Naked on a Snowbank, Mil be available this fat Whltby Free Press, Wednesday, Octobor 11, 1995, page 19 HospitaOl llkely slated for re hab FROM TAGE i "If others have put diffezýent spins on it,-that's up to them." According to Durham Centre MP Jim Flaherty, the minister "made. it abundantly clear" tiat the "needs and interests" of Whitby residents must be addressed. "He was explicit when he said tiat those needs include acute care, emergency and ambulance services," said Flaherty. Wilon's decision "did not preclude the possiblity of those services being offered at Whitby General Hospital," he noted. Flaherty said the health council study was an overaîl look at Durham Region which did not focus on local needa. "The minister said you have to address emergency and acute care for Whitby," said Flaherty. "Mr. Blake can interpret it any way he wants, but from talking to the minister, he expects a furtier report from the DHC by the end of February. "I expect the DHC to follow the requirements of the mi nister and I don't think he would have set them out unles he was serlous." Flaherty said he is attempting to arrange a meeting during the next few weeks of staff, bo ,~ members and doctors at bothI Wiitby and Oshawa hospitals, as well as municipal politicians. "I'm hoping to co-ordinate an agreement bêtween the parties on a goal for the good of the community," he said. "The minister said there has to be co-operation between the communities and one way is to foflow up on the initiative the physicians have already taken." Senior medical staff at the two hospitals have put forward a plan to amalgamate the clinicat prograins of both institutions. The proposed model, which includes amalgfamating administration and merging prograni such as surgical and emergency services, was presented to Whitby General board members at their September meeting. Whitby General board chair Jim Souch is optimistic the hospital will keep some eisting services. Tve talked to Jim Flaherty a couple of times and we're looking in-depth at the letter," said Souch. Tm positive that they didn't say no. If (Premier) Mike Harris was going to say no, he would have said 80." Health council chair Blake, for instance, tends to "look- at the downside," whereas "I'm on- the upside," said Souch. "I feel confident that we will retain some acute services and that we won't give them up without some real heavy negotiations." In fact, Souci praised Wilson for the direction he has taken. I give the minister a lot of credit. He's letting the different areas work it out," said Souci. "There is duplication of services so let's reallocate and realign some services," he said. "To me, that the sensible approach. You don't have to shut down as many institutions as you might need to." Souch's comments were echoed by John Milnes, chair of the Hospital Coundil of Durham Region. "We can celebrate Thanksgiving this year knowing that the mirnter of health has approved the Durham District Health Council plan for. no hospital closures," said Milnes in a prepared statement. "hn the same week that a Toronto report recommends that 12 hospitals in Metro be closed, it is great news that Health NMinister Jim Wilson has recognized our growing hospital service needs." Milnes said Wilson's approval brings the restructuring of Durham's six general hospitals a step dloser, including the highly-touted regional rehabilitation centre. "Rehabilitation health care is one of, the fastest-growing specialties, and development of a centre of excellence in Wihitby will enable more Durham residents to get treatment locally ratier than having to go into Metro." - Mýodifiýed school FROM PAGE 1 in or not." The three-semester system would also give students from sciools without summer sciool a cianoe to take à summner semester,' she sayýs. However, there are hurdies that have to be overcome, including getti ng approval É.rom the board and staff. "We'd even have to work out with the minister having a longer sciool day, if that's what we were doing, becau'se the hours aré spelled out in the education act. "We'd be shortening up the semester to squeeze three in so the day would be longer." Whitby"s two other higi sciools are also invesigating some sort of a modified school year calendar, says superintendent Carol Yeo. "They've ail had committees for quite some time (but) that was just something to investigate as staff professional development... -- "They're juèt starting to plan." ONTARTO SCHOLARS Father Leo J. 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