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10 - Orono Weekly Times, , January 23, 20Q2 ^ FROM ALEX SHEPHERD A private health-care system system is not in the cards for Canadians. I mention this because last week's cabinet shuffle saw former Attorney General Anne McLellah take over health from Allan Rock. Always outspoken, and riot one to mince her words, the new health minister jumped into her new job with gusto saying she isn't opposed to the idea of seeing private hospitals hospitals operate in this country. Many pundits and public policy observers were quick to condemn McLellan for her remarks saying her comments 'are the beginning of thé end of a publicly-funded healthcare healthcare system. The Government of Canada is aware Canadians are very proud of the publicly-funded publicly-funded liealth-care system system they've built over the last 40 years. It is aware as well that Canadians continue to support it. Healthcare in this country is a shared responsibility between the feds, the provinces and the three territories. territories. The provinces are responsible for managing and delivering health services. A big part of this is planning, financing and evaluating the provision of hospital care. The federal. government, on the other hand, is responsible responsible for setting and administering administering national principles or standards for the health-care system through the Canada Health Act. The feds are also responsible responsible for assisting in the financing financing of provincial health-care services through fiscal transfers. transfers. We all agree healthcare funding is far too expensive for the level of service Canadians are getting. We're learning that throwing money at healthcare isn't alleviating the inefficiencies Canadians are experiencing when they go to hospitals. All initiatives aimed at improving Canada's health system, like having private hospitals, should be considered considered so long as they are consistent consistent with the principles of the Canada Health Act,' In April of last year the federal government established established the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada, with former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow as its i The job of this commission is to foster a national perspective perspective about the health-care system system by allowing all Canadians to voice their concerns about what shape the system should take in the future. Mr. Romanow has said, "everything is on the table except the status quo." Three weeks ago Alberta released, the Mazankowski Report, which looked into the state of that province's healthcare healthcare system. Mr. Mazankowski was Brian Mulroney's right-hand man while he served as prime minister. minister. As well as this report, there is the Fyke Report from, the Saskatchewan government government and the Clair Report from Quebec. All of these provincial reports are laying out ideas for renewal of public public health care and federal government wants to work collaboratively with the provinces for a better system providing the very best of treatment in a timely fashion. The federal government recognizes that all initiatives aimed at improving healthcare healthcare services to Canadians have to be considered if we are to see improvements. But they all have to be consistent with the Canada Health Act. The federal government is concerned about the sustainability sustainability of Canada's publicly- funded health-care system. Canadians want and deserve the best service they can get when they enter a hospital. hospital. They could care less about what the hospital's corporate corporate structure is when they need care. What is important is that the care and treatment in that hospital is covered by a publicly publicly funded health-care system system every bit as good as any other hospital in any province. The federal government will never waver on its commitment commitment to a publicly- financed health-care system to provide Canadians with the best care available. TOURNAMENT Sat., JANUARY 19/02 High Scores Joyce Cowan -102 Grace Coatham - 91 Reid Harness - 90 Minnie Taylor -89 Lone Hands Joyce Cowan (8) Draws: Lavina Downes, Helen Gouroux, Don McHolm, Marion Sears, Elaine Doty, Ann Julicher . Next Tournament Sat., FEBRUARY 9th, 2002 beginning at 1 o'clock Next Euchre Party JANUARY 25th, 2002 Ladies Bowling Monday Night (Newcastle Bowling Luncheon Newcastle Bowling Alley - JANUARY 21st GAME GAME GAME 12 3 Ann McGuey > 176 Anne Arsenault 260 Joan Moffat 188 " Karen Collier 185 . '■* Leah Wood 180 Marie Wood 178 , Marilyn Major 205 Sharon Bester 219 ' Valerie Witheridge 245 * 50/50 Winner - Dorélla l.ancaster-Forçjet Wed., JANUARY 16th CARDS Mary Thompson - 81 Leona Wilson - 80 Janet Paeden - 79 Mary'Henderson - 78 HIDDEN SCORES Ulva Calver - Roy Hayward DRAWS Janet Paeden, Elizabeth Skelding, Bertha Fisher, Mary Thompson - , Joyce Cowan, Eleanor Vandermeer, Ann Julicher, Dorean Low Accounting Corner (advertisement) Helping to make dreams come true../ Fundraising Campaign January 1st to March 30,2002 For any new funds or transfers (including RRSPs) on deferred sales charges, I vtill donate 1% of.thfc • total amount invested to your choice of either Clarke High School or Bowmanville High School for the purchase of textbooks. (example: $10,000 investment or transfers, = $100 to the school) ; Contact John Bugelli at Money Concepts today for more information. John Bugeïli 37 King St. W., Newcastle, ON LIB 1H2 Ph: (905) 987-1631 Fx: (905) 987-9809 e-mail: jbugelli@moneyconcepts.ca S MONEY CONCEPTS* ^Legon Dealer Services Canada Inc. Affiliated with N.F. Insurance Agency Inc, Q What is a monopoly, and why should I care? A Ah. An Economics question. One of my degrees is in economics. economics. A monopoly exists when there is something the company company has that the competition cannot easily copy. This could be resource based, such as the only platinum mine in the world, or it could be information information based, such as having the ingrédient list for Coca-Cola or Kentucky Fried Chicken, or it could be talent based, such as being Garth Brooks, or more likely it is based on size, such as Ontario Hydro or Bell Cana- da. It would take an impossible effort to also reach that size. The important thing about a . monopoly is the way it prices its products. A normal company company selling, let's say, food, tries to price its products with consideration consideration to the volume it wishes to sell, and the profit it can make at that volume, all the while watching what the competition will do. A monopoly monopoly has only a single consideration: consideration: What will the market ' bear? ' Let's take gas. Although there is a limited world supply, it is not a true monopoly because there are multiple companies producing and selling selling the product. The price varies-ori a daily basis, but if any one company tries to double double prices, it is unlikely all will follow suit. If even one company company does not follow suit, that company will corner the market. market. So no one company can behave irrationally. - Now let's imagine that one company bought #ut all the rest, and controlled every oil field in the world, so there was only a single gas company in Canada. The logical thing to' do would be to now double gas prices to maximize profit. Unless we all stopped driving cars, they wpuld get that price, and rake in the dough. At some price point, we would all stay home, but the company Economists Economists would work dut what the maximum price/volume ratio people would pay before they stayed home, and charge that price before we got to the stay at home stage. 1 assure you that price would be more than what we're paying now. Checked out the ticket price for a Garth Brooks concert lately? Bank fees? Hydro or phone rates? Diamond or platinum platinum prices? How about the classic monopoly - income taxes? That's why monopolies are so dangerous and why the government government has hydro, CRTC boards and the like and also reviews mergers of large companies. companies. The only consumer protection protection against this type of potential potential abuse is regulatory control. The above article is for general , purpose information only. Before acting on this, or any other information, information, readers should seek competent professional advice. Mark L. Bendrikx Chartered Accountant • Certified Financial Planner • Accounting and Auditing > • • Computer, Consulting • Planning & Taxation Services for Businesses, ' Individuals, Corporations, Estatesmnd Farms • Business Start-ups • Free Jnitial Consultation' \ 37 King St. West, Newcastle, Ontario LI B 1H2 Fax: (905) 987-9809 • Phone: (905) 987-0570