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Buffett wili seek Tory page2 Redmen gain Gait page 24 Funds for new schoolin VW"Y page 28 Whiby vet c ~hasstives -page e Loudopposition to hôspital change That winning feeling ORMISTON PUBLIC SCHOOL runners Eryn Ramsay (right) and Sheena Riviera congratulate each other after they were members of the team that won the il -year-old g iri'4 410Om retay final at the Durham Elementary Athletic Association track meet Iast week. Riviera ran the second Ieg and Ramsey the final Ieg of the race.' Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Pres By Mark Reenor An overflow crowd packed a achool gym Monday evening te speak out against a pro sat turn Whitby General Hosepital (WGH) inte a rehabilitation treatinent centre.. The Durham Region Acute Car. Study steering committee says it expected, at most, 300 te 400 people te attend an informa- tion meetin on its study1 and recommendations for health care in Durham. -Insteaa more than 550 people crowded into the gym at St. Matthew the Evangelist Catholic School and at least another 100 were barred from entering. A second meeting was hastily arranged for 9 -m.bycosultant BarryLewis, w o conducte both forums. About 80 people retur- ned. And a second meeting has been scheduled for next Mfonday night at school. Lewis worried the Pire Mar- shal would shut things down if the gym's occupancy lirit of 550 was exceeded by too much at the first meeting. Council members assuired the crowd that no decisions had been made on their recommendations and that they were there te listen. And listen they did as speaker afler speaker made emotional pleas ncit to take the 'general' out of Whitby General Hospital. . "Leot common sense prevail,» retired firefighter Frank Simp- sonl urged. "The hospital flow 15 celebrat- ing its 25th birthday and ]Pm sure as hell not here for its funeral -- I say we need it and we need it desperately... «Leave our Feneral hospital, and 1 do mean general hospital,' alone." Care at WGH is superior to other area hospitals, said Maria Dettacolli, who presented com- mittee members with a 2 000- naine petition opposing its WGH recommendation. "At Oshawa General Hospital (OGH), "you are like GM in the car that goes in the line,» she complained. "If anybody told me I'd have to go back in there again (to OGH), Iwould run 50 miles in the opposite direction," another for- mer OGH patient comniented. «This report is certainly not based on reality," said Ray Ray- man, a doctor at WGH . Wou teil us, sir, that our medical care will be taken care of by AjaxlPicker- ing and Oshawa General. The reality is, sir, that AjaxPickering has been habitually redirecting patients to Whitby General. emergency department, you know what it ineans. How in the namne of God will you take care of us?" If the committee's recommen- dations are followed Rayrnan says it would conàemn the people of Whitby «% prolonged auffering and in some cases, pre- mature death.» "If you're really concerned about quality of care, the last hospital you'll close in the fegion is Whitby General,» health care assistant 'Holly Cane told coin- mittee members. «I ues tjere cornsa on «Ise a lot ofwhthed here," observed retired nurse Lauretta Elins. «Where will w. go (if WGH is closed)?... When the decision was made te close the WGH emergency departinent after 10 p.m., Elins said she phoned te see what was going on "and I was almost told that, you kinow, Fm closing at 10 o'clock so see if you can have your heart attack before then. "J.O. Ruddy built that hospi- taI. 1 nursed for him and I nursed in his home and I know how badly h. wanted that hospi- tai and he would turn over in his grave if h. saw what was hap- SEE PAGE 3 No more s delays DBIA budget approved ByMi(k. Kowalsld Whitby's downtewn business association flnally has a 1994 Wihonly councillor Dennis Fox dissenting, Town council Monday approved a $130,895 budget for the Downtewn Busi- ness Improvement Area (DBIA). Despite an eleventh-hour atptby critics to - force yet anoherposponement of the much delayed budget, the majority of eouncil was prepared to endors. the DBIA manage- ment board's 1994 spending pro- posaIs. 'The board had been foroed te dip2inte reserve funds this year wile waiting for council's Leci- sion. But even though it approved the budget, counfil conceded that the DBAneeds a major shak- B owing to long-standing dem ands of DBIA opponents, council set about revamping the current structure b aproving a prooai which cal or election of t he council-appointed board. According te the resolution put forward by councillor Judi Long- field, the. DBIAs approximately 400 members will hgave input inte how next year's board is chosen. (AlI downtewn businesses whether retail or professionai offices, must pay a special tax if located within the DBLA boun- daries. (mhe money collected from the Ievy in sedor beautification projecta and promotions aimed at attracting shôppers te the down- town.) Discussion - of the budget con- sumed most of Monday's meeting as council heard presentations froin five DBIA critics and board chair Sean Hogue. Twioe Mayor Tom Edwards had te, cail on Town clerk Don McKay te respond te, charges that council had no legal auth- ority to deal with the budget. Pat Perkins, representing Bur- tinsky & Brant Florists, claimed that council would b. violating its own procedural bylaw if it approved the bud et. Prknspointed out that the proosd udget was $21,599 more than thé one which camne before council's operations eou- mitte. on May 16. Sh. noted that consideration of the that $ 109,296 budget was deferred by committee. te June 6 since no one from the DBIA board was- prepared to, answer questions ab-out it. Committee chair Longfield even ruled that last week's meet- ing was a continuation of the preios ession and only Hogue would b prmtted te address But Perkins insisted that the revised budget meant opponents had another opportunity te ask questions about the. new figures. "ýBy not allowing deputations te b. made on the-budjet lissue, the operations committe. has violated (the procedural bylaw),» said Perkinis. When Fox asked if an explana- tion for the changes had been gvn at last week's meeting, Pèekins said that was not the issue. "A completely different item was postponed, this was some- thing new » she said. While lie conceded that a "technical» case could b. made SEF PAGE 15 16