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• SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH ÇLARINGTONJHIS WEEK • Press run 21,900 42 Pages The luxury Of SI Wheels Pull out iport Pull out dnesday, April 17, 2002s al 3 week delivery $5/$l newsstand Green Gaels hit the floor Sports, page 13 Doctor rips system after patient's DR. WILLIAM COHOON 'Disappointed' in system. Two hours after walking into emergency department 74-year-old dies of aneurysm BY LESLEY BOVIE Staff Writer SCUGOG - Dr. William Co- hoon blames the Ontario health care system for failing James Coates. "He was alive and stable in our emergency department for Strong contingent of Durham MPPs named to cabinet Four of region's MPPs will lead government ministries BY MIKE RUTA, CHRISTY CHASE AND NATALIE MILLER Staff Writers DURHAM -- When it comes to communities of political political power and prestige on the provincial level, Durham Region may not have an equal. Along with officially taking over the reigns of the Province at a swearing-in ceremony Monday, new Premier Ernie Eves situated a large amount of power in Durham with the announcement four of the region's region's five MPPs will lead government ministries. Pickering-Ajax-Uxbridge MPP Janet Ecker was named new minister of finance, replacing replacing Whitby-Ajax MPP Jim Flaherty, who was selected to head the new Ministry of Enterprise, Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation. Innovation. Mr. Flaherty is no longer deputy premier and Ms. Ecker won't handle house leader duties anymore. Oshawa MPP Jerry Ouellette Ouellette received his first cabinet posting, taking over the Natural Natural Resources Ministry. Rounding Rounding out the Durham contingent is Chris Hodgson, whose riding riding includes Brock Township. He remains minister of municipal municipal affairs and housing. Durham MPP John O'Toole is the other regional representative. representative. "What this cabinet is all about is carrying on with the important policies Ontario voters voters have endorsed but doing it with a different approach," said Ms. Ecker in an interview Tuesday. "There certainly will be some differences in decisions," she continued. "That does not mean that we're abandoning principles that voters supported supported in 1995 and 1999." Ms. Ecker heads to finance from the education portfolio she held for almost three years. She said the large number of local ministers is positive for the region. "The Durham MPP team is in a strong position to improve the quality of life in Durham," ■ she said. She won't have a lot of time to settle in the job: in about a month she will deliver Ontario's Ontario's budget. Her priorities are going to be "to continue to take steps to protect Ontario taxpayers, and encourage economic growth and more jobs" so the Province has the resources to support priorities such as health care and education. She added balanced budgets, budgets, paying down deficits, and tax reduction also remain guiding principles. Ms. Ecker was tight-lipped about what's coming in the budget. She would not bite when asked how big a deficit she has to contend with this year. Some estimates have put the number at $5 billion. "We've been quite open See DURHAM page S two hours, but they missed it. They missed giving him the opportunity opportunity at life," he says. The long-time Port Perry general general practitioner and surgeon says it's his "disappointment in the system and it coming down to such a level", which has caused him to speak out about his patient's patient's death Saturday morning. He says Mr. Coates, 74, of Blackstock, died of a raptured aortic anemysm after attempts to secure treatment for him in Oshawa Oshawa and Toronto failed because staff and beds weren't available. "This happens regularly," Dr. Cohoon says. The death of Mr. Coates, while tragic, was unavoidable, says Dr. Robin Davies, chief of staff for Lakcridge Health Corporation. Corporation. "It is a regrettable thing that, at the present time, we cannot assure assure patients who come into our region that they arc going to access access the resources they require eveiy time they require them," he says. Simply finding a bed for Mr. Coates, Dr. Davies says, wouldn't wouldn't have helped. "In this case you need a surgeon, surgeon, you need a critical care bed, you need nursing staff in the operating room, you need an operating operating room with an anesthetist, and you obviously need a staffed intensive care bed, so there's a large number of resources required," required," Dr. Davies said. "You may have a surgeon who is willing willing to take the patient, but they don't have any other resources." "The situation here at Oshawa - where normally we'd attempt to take the patient, because it would be the natural area to go - with one surgeon, he cannot be available available 365 days of the year. And at other times we simply have no intensive care resources. So, each time there'd be different factors in play." As well, he said, the nature of Mr. Coates's illness, a raptured A.J. GROEN/ Statesman photo Hey skipper BOWMANVILLE - The wanner weather has meant a move outdoors for many, including including Kaitlin Jefferies, who was up in the air about skipping with friends Mariait Jefferies (left) and Rachel Edmondson. The three friends were taking advantage of the warmer climate climate on Hunt Street. death aorta causing massive internal bleeding, left physicians with very little time to help the man. These are the types of cases where you don't have a huge amount of time," Dr. Davies said. "You can't transfer them to Ottawa: in this case, the sooner the better. In most cases you want to get them into the operating room within an hour of presentation, presentation, if not sooner." The search for help for Mr. Coates began at Lakcridge Health Oshawa, but the corporation's corporation's only vascular surgeon wasn't wasn't on call for the weekend, Dr. See HEALTH page 8 Clarington business leaders honoured BY CRYSTAL CRIMI Staff Writer CLARINGTON - Business leaders in Clarington were in the spotlight recently as the Clarington Board of Trade held its first awards ceremony, honouring honouring stellar achievers. Archibald's Orchards and Estate Winery received the Business of the Year Award, while Ron Collis of Collis and Reed Research was chosen as businessman of the year. "Their community spirit led them toward this award and they have a strong business sense," said board of trade administrator administrator Sheila Hall about Archibald's. "Their diversity in their business has brought them to this award." Archibald's does business in the agricultural, retail and entertainment entertainment sectors. Fred and Sandy Archibald have also been active in organizations such as Big Brothers and Sisters, charitable charitable events, and in schools. Mr. Collis has been active in the community and in business. He chaired the Ad Hoc Committee Committee of Youth and helped in setting up the Youth Centre in Bowmanville. He's also a soccer soccer coach, and ran a Beaver Colony and Cub Pack for several several years. Mr. Collis has an active role with the board of trade, is a participant on the ITER Community Community Council and is an advocate advocate for small business in the area. "For Ron Collis, his strength is in community involvement, See TOP page 8 Shaw Ontario's top reporter STEPHEN SHAW Double award-winner at OCNA competition. DURHAM - The Canadian Statesman and its sister newspapers newspapers in the Durham Region Division Division of Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing Ltd. took 13 top awards at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association's Association's 2001 Better Newspapers Competition. The awards were presented Saturday night in Toronto. Reporter Stephen Shaw led the pack with first-place finishes in both the 'Reporter of the Year,' category and 'Best News Story' category. Mr. Shaw's March 2001 story that clinched his 'Reporter of The Year' award investigated a criminally-insanc killer released into the community and suspected suspected of killing again. The 'Best News Story' award went to Mr. Shaw for his deft handling of a 50-year-old unsolved unsolved Oshawa murder case. "This is a tremendous honour and Stephen is most deserving of the award," says Joanne Burghardt, editor-in-chief of Melroland's Durham Division. "His work as a crime reporter allowed allowed us to deliver a number of excellent investigative pieces to our readers in 2001." Other awards include reporter Natalie Miller's second-place finish in the 'Columnist of the Year' category, for work she produced produced while employed with our sister paper, Peterborough This Week. Tim Foran, reporter with the Uxbridge Times-Journal, received received 'honourable mention' in the 'Columnist of the Year' category. category. The Durham Regional Spelling Bee, a non-profit event organized and run by Mctroland's Durham Division staff on a volunteer basis, took second-place in the 'Best Community Community Service' category. A second-place 'Best Business-Finance Business-Finance Story' award went to former reporter Joe Chin, for his coverage of the three-month labour dispute between workers See AWARD page 8 Inside Site Statesman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Classified 9 Sports 13 y r®-- ONTARIO'S DRIVE CLEAN > GIVE US A CALL General 579-4400 Distribution .. .579-4407 Death Notices .683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamregion.com General FAX .. .579-2238 Newsroom FAX .579-1809 ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY '"An official mark of the Province of Ontario used under licence. Whitby - Oshawa LJ In 1110 DUNDAS. ST. E., WHITBY LOCAL (905) 666-1772 V-- EtOKTEA www.honda1.com CHEVROLET Oldsmoblle BODY SPAIN! SHOP llHP MOTORS LTD Chev Olds & Chev Trucks HWYJ2 è / US | i n,c R h°0 Y ls 401 2728 COURTICE RD.. HWY. 12. COURTICE iti c.v i-iy --tf's. 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