By MileKowalsld Proposais for establishing a regional hospital systeniin Dur- ham now await Ontario govern- The;-Dra Region District Heaith Council has unanimousiy endorsed a report that couid serve as a biueprint for develop- mng a new hospitai system by the ear2006. P.epared 4y a speciai council commîittee, the report spels out details for impiementing recom- mendations contained in a hospi- tai restructuring studyaroe by Health Minfister Ji«ilson last September. (Among the more controversial of that study's proposai was one calling for conversion* of Whitby General Hospital into a rehabili- tation treatrnent centre servimg ail of Durham Region. (The recent implementation planning committee report esti- mates it will cost $24.1 million te convert the 27-year-old Gordon Street hospitai into a state-of- the-art rehabilitation facility.) .The nearly two-inch thick document and accompanying 11- page brief from the couxicil itself, have been sent te Wilson alongY with a request for a prompt response. . The hall is now i the minis- ter's court,» said a blunt council chair Gerry -Blake following last Wednesday's meeting. «They aked us te do it and we did,» said Whitby resident Blake ofth tight five-month time- framne imposed by Wilson for completing the implementation plan.r (Due te delays in oébtainin technical data from the heaithi ministry, the council had its late February deadline extended te, early April. By comparison, the original acute care study was more than two years mn the malcing.) «I hoe the momenturn is not lost in Durhamn and he (Wilson) gets back te, us with a quick answer," said Blake. ,"if it ( poas) ail cornes true, I thinDurham will be the richer for it. Although health council mem- bers spent the previous Saturday pouring over te report, its own "value added commente were "essentially higrement-" with the committee', Blake said. «But we received significant iput from the stakehoiders and that's been incorporated," he stressed. The implementation report was immedat. panned by area hospital ofcals, among others, who feit tatteir suggestions weeIriy ignord The Hospital ouncil of Dur- ham Region criticized the 'com- mittee for malcing "unrealistic" assumptions about Durham's future requirements and warned that any miscalculation wiIi resuit i the region having fewer acute care beds than necessary. «A report of this magnitude is bound te have disagreement," admitted Blake. "If it didn't, there would be something wrong with it," he said, -while adding that opposing viewpoints will hep contribute to a better system. Blake said hospitai council concerns about population growth and the numbr of Dur- ham residents now seeking health care outside the region have been addressed. Ini fact, the council has recom- mended that'further studies be undertaken te «"comprehend" and possibly «change" the current 30 per cent «outflow" figure. "Concerns over benchmarks (data) and guidelines are under- standable» said council vice- chair Lie. havies of Uxbridge. «Vie are aware it needs te be monitered, no one can be 100 per cent accurate"h le said. Even 0hu~ the committee used planning assum ptions approyed by the ministry, figures cited in. the report are subject te revision, Blake said. «It's not the final product, it's the beginning product," hie said. "If we get new data, the infor- mation in it will change." 1Blake said no one can make projections 10 years down the road with any certainty. "It's the best educated guess of Keaeyto resigil osition 'Whitby Genraolspital offi- ciais are looking for a new, vice- president. Marc Kealey vice-president of community re'atin and deve- lopment smnce June 1993, will be resigigfo the position effec- tvmid-July. He informned the hospitai's board of diwrerof hie iten- tions last month. 'Tve been here tbree years and I've done e atY what I came here te do,"' saidKealey, whose duties includ: e nsblity for fundraising and jp>liceafar1 «I will still IZ involved i fundraising and volunteer activi- ties, because 1 think this hospitai has a great futur. Its'a great place te work,m hesauid. Buiess group FROM PAGE 1 cutbacks "!ana hopefully' this cazi hejthemout, says ONel. l he associationwilas Sate a shuttie bus service for year's Whitby Town1 Carni- val. 1% leWto re away of ~y:utoathe cm munity for héeping support un," she says. «We are asked as businesses te suportuJdort roup (but> we can'tsurvve if the le~e aren't here to help ua.7 assciaio is open te al businesses. mcluding ,.home- based, minêitIBrkl, Ash- humn and Myrtl. Members are encouaçed te promote each other's busmnesses and cut advertising coste by par- ticj*atgm a oe-opprrm WBIA> is a membe of the Whitby' Chamber of Commere she stresses, and the Chabe was cmoulted te make sure the proup doesn't duplcate services it aready offere Mernbership s -$50 a year and <that money i. turned right back ite supporting virnous céom- munity activities," ntes WBIA secretary -Gene ackison Who adds theasoitn will take on more community pnsrhiM a it grows. Caîl O'NeiI at 666.456 for more ifomation. Kealey, who once worked for both former prime minister John Turner and former Ontario pre- mier David Peterson, is stiui weighing bis options with respect te future employment. "I have some international business dealing that are taking, more of mýiy time and I. will be concentrating my efforts on this and' other thinga for now,"» he sgaid. Currentlyr third vioe-president of the Whitby Chamber of Com- erce, Kealey intends te con- tue his community involve- ment. «I will sitili be around,» he pro!nised, NDP leadership debate in Oshawa The Durham New Democratic Riding Association will host a leadership debate on Sunday, May 12, 2 p.m., at the Steelworker's Hall, 115 Albert St., Oshawa. .Over two months, leadership hopefuls Rainy River MIPP Howard Hampton, Welland- Thorold MPP Peter Kormos, Beaches-Woodbine MIPP Frances Lankin, and Dovercourt MPP Tony Silipo will have participated i debates throughout the province. The Oshawa debate will be the last major one s3cheduled prior te the -New Democratic Party's convention. "During our five years -ni government, we were able to accomplish many of the things New Democrats have always fought for," says Ken' Cowan, Durham Centre riding president. "Now is the tiine that we must look to a future government based on faix-nesa for ail Ontarians." "fWe, need a leader who has learned'the mosn from the past term in government. And we need a leader whowill be able te, offer the 'people of Ontario a fresh and vital alternative te the hack and, slash approach of the -present Tory government, N says, Drummond White, former Durham Centre MPP who los tot Jim Flaherty ini the last election. Former leader Bob Rae stepped down on Feb.' 7 after leading the Party flor 14 years. On-SeptL 6,ý !W90he was eiected the flrst New Deinôcraîtie' Party I.Premier in Ontario's history. The debate will have a panel of three local representatives asking questions. There will be queitions from the floor during the second half of the debate. The party wiil choose a new' leader at its convention -ini Hamilton June 21-23. Delegate selection for the Durham Centre riding will precede the meeting and will be held at 1 p.m. that Sunday aie at the Steelworkers Hall. RossiandiGarden Plaza 701 Rossland'Rd E Unît #207, Whdtby *New Patients Welcome *Insuranoe Claims Processed *Days a Evenings e Saturdays Aduits * Childrn-Seis *Urgent Calis Accepted Elevator entrance near IDA Pharmacy the future of our hospitals with the information that we had.» Blake also rejected accusations that the comrnîttee made unrea- listic financiai projections, such as the $24. 1-million 'cost of revampingWhitby General. «I don't think our role was te, save money, it was te ilook at the efficient spending of money,» he said. "This may mean a savings of rnoney but it can also mean Jxenitures., .Whty could be anywhere between $12 and $24 million, it has te be worked out. Capital costa at flrst blush wiii cost money and I agree that it wil have te be flushed out.» With. this report and its pre- decessor study, Durha Region has distanoeKt itself frorn "silo planning"» Blake said. .InsteaJ of individu'ai plans for the rétion's six generai hospitals, there i now one comprehensive plan te take Durham inte the next centr, Blake said. «It wiil be in'the rninistry's best interests te, move quickly on this, I think only good can corne to, Durham Region. Although hxsi. group had not reviewed the heaith council's supplementary brief, hospital council executive director Jirn Armstrong was generally pleased by what he heard at list week's meeting. "We're encouraged that they're recognizing the issues we ve beéen raising,» said Armstrong. «Equitable standards for care, looking more closeiy at the benchm'-arks and providin<y ser- vice dloser to home," he said ' However the «reai i ssue" for hospital oflcials is whether «pro- jections for service in the future will meet those criteria," said Armstrong. The hospital council intends te submit its own reort te Wilson and the commission responsible for hospital restructuring in Ontario, Amrstrong said.' «I arn an optimist and arn qui te encouraged that they're (hèlh counci) recognizing our concerns,»he said. «This issue is what actual plan wili meet those concerns. We are saying we doubt that their plan provideés adequate service." With Sylvan's positive, caring, mndividuallzed instruction, students find their grades soarmng - along with their self-confidence. We've, already helped more than a mnilion children turn their grades around. 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