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PAGE 6 THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, JANUARY 29, 2003 www.durtiamregion.com ÏÎ 1 ! ! r Tim Whittaker Publisher Joanne Burghardt Editor-in-Chief Chris Bovie Managing Editor Judi Bobbitt Regional Editor Fred Eismonl Director of Advertising Eddie Kolodziejcak Classified Advertising Manager Kirk Bailey Distribution Manager Lillian Hook Office Manager Barb Harrison Composing Manager Clarington's Award-Winning Newspaper Since 1854 ŒI )t Canadian Statesman i i y i:; EDITORIAL c-niuil Idlers to newsrooni@durhamregion.com Region looks again at funding hospital growth T he more things change... Durham Regional councillors councillors who spoke vehemently vehemently against funding local hospitals in 2001, clinging to the notion that health care funding is a provincial/federal responsibility, are speaking more softly on the issue these days. Consider the $7.5 million 'donation' made by the Region to the regional cancer centre now being constructed in Oshavva. Think also of the $3.5 million 'donation' being sought by Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering for a hospital expansion in Ajax. The total, should councillors say yes to Rouge Valley Ajax-Picker- ing, could be $11 million and counting from the Region. The precedent set by providing providing funding for the regional cancer cancer centre shows councillors are, perhaps, seeing the important correlation between healthy communities' and healthy local economies. And Rouge Valley, should it be successful in securing its $3.5 million request, will surely open the floodgates for other hospitals in Durham. Regional chairman Roger Anderson spoke most forcefully in last week's debate on the issue, suggesting Durham should get behind eveiy hospital that already has an agreement from the Province to provide 70 per cent of such capital costs. This new case-by-case approach approach to .hospital funding requests requests is unworkable compromise that will ttiliderscore Durham's commitment to top-flight health care in the region. Individual requests, requests, after all, cost less money than the $100-million sought in 2001 by a coalition of area hos- OPINION e-mail letters to newsroom ©durlmmrcgion.com Just what's wrong with the patients? Neil Crone Enter Laughing I 'm always a little unnerved when I have to go to the doctor's doctor's office. It's not the physician, physician, mind you. 1 have a wonderful wonderful doctor with a great sense of humour and, thankfully, small hands. No, what I find difficult to deal with is the waiting room. Have you ever noticed noticed how, when you walk into a crowded waiting room, immediately immediately every head turns to you? How, for as long as you're in there, you can feel dozens of pairs of eyes scanning you for clues to your current ailment? ailment? I mean it's not like a dentist's office. Somebody walks into a dentist's office, you pretty much know what they're there for... teeth. Oh sure, there arc a few minor variations on the theme, maybe something's impacted impacted or there's a root canal involved, involved, but it's still teeth. No offence offence to the dental profession but there's nothing very sexy or mysterious about that. It's very different in a doctor's doctor's office. There could be any number of really interesting, even embarrassing things wrong with the next person through that door. That's why I always feel marginally marginally better when I can limp through the door or come coughing coughing through the door or hack through the door with an arm in a sling. It lakes a lot of the guesswork guesswork out of it for people, It's much safer. Hut, walk through that door looking and sounding perfectly healthy and people's imaginations really get going. Once I sit down I try to create an air of nonchalance by flipping through a magazine, hut I can feel the judgmental gaze from the gaggle of elderly women seated across from me. With a little imagination it's not hard to hear the disgust in their thoughts. "It's sexual. That young man has sexual problems. Why else would he be here? I'll bet there's a good deal of penicillin involved." involved." Then as an afterthought, afterthought, "Serves him right. Isn't he the actor? They're all the same. His poor wife." How do I know they're doing it? Because Because I do it! We all do it. You can't help it. Somebody new comes in and right away you're sizing him up. Working on your own sordid little diagnosis. 'Yep. That's a by-pass.' Timm, husband and wife both here together? together? She's smiling, lie's not. How do you spell Viagra?' 'Whoa! That's gotta be an irritable bowel,' One generally has no control over what everybody else in that room is smearing them with, but there arc steps you can lake to throw them off the trail. I find if I come out of the examination room with a hearty laugh and a playful slap on the doctor's shoulder it generally dispels any unpleasant rumours generated before I went in. As a last resort, if I feel I've really been treated unfairly in the minds of the other patients, as I come out I'll say, loud enough for the whole room to hear, something like "Thanks Doc. Nice to know that kid's gonna live because of my kidney." kidney." Or "Bone Marrow, Scliinone Marrow, you lake what you need and let me worry about making more of it." That generally generally shuts them up, That is until they meet me again at the drug store counter. Rhone 905-579-440C Classifieds 905-576-9335 Distribution 905-579-4407 General Fax 905-579-2236 Newsroom Fax 905-579-1806 E-Mail newsroom@durhamregion.com 865 Farewell St., Oshawa ON L1 H 7L5 Publications Mail Registration No. 07637 Jan. 29,2003 Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. iinijfodurhamregron.com pitals. That kind of long-term commitment sent the previous Durham council running for cover and was fraught with longterm longterm debt implications. It is time Durham takes a fresh look at a revamped hospital improvement plan. The step-by- step approach taking shape in 2003 could well create the template template for future councils when it comes to hospital funding requests. requests. Current and future Durham councillors must be vigilant vigilant in remembering that hospitals hospitals will always figure as critical cross-stitches in the fabric of our communities. And our hospitals must also continue their efforts at raising awareness of their needs, promoting their successes and engaging residents in helping to raise or secure important funding. funding. Few would argue the importance importance of quality health care in our communities; fewer still would argue that things are in good shape as they exist today. And the fact remains that a majority of Durham ratepayers would rather see a portion of their taxes spent on shoring up our local health care system than paying bills in a shiny new Durham headquarters building in Whitby. Communities have demonstrated demonstrated they believe in and fully support local efforts to improve health care. They have been vocal in their criticism of funding shortfalls'. They have turned to their elected leaders here at home to assist them. Durham must give what it can to ensure strong, healthy and prosperous communities in the future. .19 TUB VICTOR <A0 TUB 5P0115.. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Courtice needs liquor, beer store To the editor: Re: 'Dry spell to continue for Courtice,' Jan. 19, 2003. As a newcomer to Courtice (Townline/Bloor Street East) from Whitby (McQuay Boule- vard/Hwy. 2), I'm finding out that a lot of amenities are not available or out of reach/convenience reach/convenience in Courtice. With all the conveniences available in Whitby, I am finding it's quite disappointing when trying to find something in Courtice (i.e. LCBO/Beer Store), I find it very inconvenient to travel all the way to Harmony and Taunton Road. It's riot convenient convenient to go back to Whitby and Oshawa. Heidi Hartmann of the Beer Store said it looks to service service a population of 30,000. Courtice sits at about 16,000. Question: Can you tell me why then Newcastle has a population exceeding 4,300 and they have a LCBO (King mil letters to ncwsroom@<lurhamrcgion.i and Beaver streets) which also has a beer cold room? Sandra Leonard Courtice Delay in headquarters is jealousy To the editor: I am sure you will publish an article about Regional Council working long hours deliberating deliberating the pros and cons of building, building, the new Regional headquarters headquarters that will benefit the taxpayer. taxpayer. What I viewed on Rogers Cable of the council debate was the jealous pettiness - of some councillors who were determined determined to delay the vote with weak arguments of 'we want to hear from the voters,' 'let's crunch the numbers, again' and 'we want an independent review.' review.' They found any excuse to delay the vote, but we all know the real reason for the delay. The new headquarters will be OPINION c-muil letters to newsrooni@clurhimircgion.com Queen's Park characters not what they used to be Eric Dowd Queen's Park T hey buried Frank Drca the other day and inevitably asked what happened to all the characters in politics. Mr. Drea, a Progressive Progressive Conservative minister minister two decades ago, was in a select band of MPPs who were colourful, irreverent, provocative, often humorous, humorous, sometimes outrageous and unafraid unafraid to be different. There arc few of them now as legislators are encouraged to conform, conform, stick to the party line, not rock the boat or even risk a joke because because this can be misunderstood. They would recall what happened, happened, for example, when New Democrat leader Howard Hampton Hampton said Liberal leader Dalton McGuinly resembles actor Anthony Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Norman Bates, the serial killer in the movie 'Psycho', which not even his mother could deny. The sensitive Liberals complained complained Mr. Hampton accused their leader of having the look of a murderer and he fell obliged to apologize, Mr. Drea, a former journalist, spoke his mind and this meant lie was not chosen for cabinet until premier William Davis had his government reduced to a minority minority and had to make him minister of corrections and later consumer consumer relations. Mr, Drea was more than a character. I le launched such programs programs as having inmates work outside jails and offenders serve lime weekends, lie also offered compensation for travellers when travel companies go bankrupt. bankrupt. He used colourful language as, when forbidding drinking in public parks, he said he did not want the province "covered with wall-to-wall, green- grass pubs." Mr. Drea over-indulged in drinking, an old habit, and spoke to a delegation of condo owners under the misapprehension misapprehension they were Niagara grape-growers, but Mr. Davis kept him, because he was among the few ministers who seemed real flesh and blood. There is no one like Morton Morton Shulman, in the NDP only because he hated the other parties parties more, who wrote several books on how to become a millionaire. millionaire. That would be seen as too materialistic today. Or lake Liberal Eddie Sargent, Sargent, who flew his own plane and alarmed a legislature Speaker by phoning and saying he was about to land on the front lawn, when he was in his office holding an electric shaver as a sound effect. Politicians are afraid of risking risking a joke in ease their remarks are taken seriously, unlike Andy Brandt, a former Tory leader and longtime minister. Mr, Brandt once said he was surprised to see a Tory finance minister "standing with ' his hands in his own pockets instead of someone clse's" and described a Liberal minister as "able to speak for an hour without a note and without making a point," Politicians are too guarded to T CLICK AND SA % Today's question: Should the Region of Durham fund local hospital capital expansion projects? □ Yes □ No Cast your vote online at mfodurhamregifin.com V Last week's question: l with this being national nonsmoking nonsmoking week, do you think more can be done in Durham to nelp smokers give up the habit? □ Yes □ No 52.8% 47.2% Votes cast: 106 located in Whitby, not Oshawa. There, I said it. Time is money, any more delay, up go the costs. How will the Oshawa councillors councillors explain that to the taxpayers? taxpayers? Rick Foster Whitby PM will take interest in Iraq's gun To the editor: Lately on the TV and in newspapers they have been talking about the UN inspectors inspectors in Iraq looking for a smoking gun.. I would bet this will be top priority for our Prime Minister to see if the smoking gun is registered when it is found. If not, he will want Iraq charged for breaking our gun laws. This may sound crazy but there is nothing our Prime Minister can do that would surprise us. \ Ernie Roberts Bowmanville HAVE YOUR SAY Question Would you be willing to fund local hospital expansion through your regional regional tax dollars? Doug Cooper "Yes, providing it's within reason and the money goes directly to our local hospital and there's accountability.' Art Murphy "Yes, that would be fine for our own hospital." Dolores Allin 'Yes, I would be OK with that." comment like Stuart Smith, an ' intellectual Liberal leader. Mr. Smith said he was glad an election election was over because this would mean he would never have to visit Sault Ste. Marie in winter again, which cost his party votes there for years. There is no one like Frank Miller, who even after being Tory premier was down-to-earth enough to sell cars from his son's dealerships to people he met in legislature corridors, deliver them and kneel on their driveways driveways and attach their plates. There arc few who urge breaking traditions like Liberal Elmer Soplia, who wanted to end the "sham of lieutenant-governors lieutenant-governors reading throne speeches as if they play some part in writing them and have premiers, their real authors, read them," which still makes sense. There arc few who fight as hard to keep traditions as Tory Wally Downer, an Anglican priest who ran the biggest floating floating poker game at the legislature and campaigned for leader declaring declaring he would not recognize *0 Canada' as the national anthem anthem and "we already have a flag in the old Union Jack." At the other end of the scale, there is no one as frugal with words as Liberal Harry Worton, an MPP for 30 years, who almost never made a speech, was a linker and was said to have made only one promise, to "put more raisins in the buns," This is not to suggest the characters are more worthy than those who carry on with the everyday grind of being MPPs, hut they make it more interesting, interesting, Susan Shane " No, I think that's enough. We're at our tax limit. " *pc Cnimbimi Statesman is one dj the Metroland Printing, Publishing Publishing and Distributing group ofjpewspapers. 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