ss

_ Medical Briefs

Third one hired

THE TERRACE and Area Health Council has
hired ils third psychiatrist, completing a recruiting
program that is barely a year old.

‘Dr. Phillip Donnell, an American, will join the
two existing ones in working out of the regional
psychiatric unit at Mills: Memorial Hospital, offer-
ing an in-patient and out-patient service across the
northwest. He’s scheduled to start work Jan, 7,
2002, hospital officials said last week.

The recruitment of the three specialists is just
one aspect underway to improve psychiatric ser-
vices in the northwest. A renovation of the psy-
chiatrist unit at Mills is nearly complete,

And a live video service is soon to be in place
between Prince Rupert, Terrace and Kitimat, It
means, for example, a psychiatrist from Terrace
could interview a person in Prince Rupert and re-
commend treatment.

Other specialist visits

ONE OF the hardest vacancies to fill here is the
one in obsletrics/gynecology. The area is supposed
to have two such specialists but there’s been only
one for more than a year now. :

Health care officials here hope that'll change
soon after a visit two weeks ago by a South Afri-
can obstetrician.

“We're having discussions,” health council fi-
nance director Paul Manhas said last week. “They
went back home to talk to their family.”

At the same time, efforts continue to find a Ca-
nadian internist with a sub specialty in kidney
lreatments. There’s only one internist here and
there should be two.

Recruiting an internist with a specialty in kidney
treatments is a key part of the plan to operate a
kidney dialysis unit at Mills Memorial Hospital.

Off to recruit nurses

- TERRACE and Area Health Council nursing direc-
tor Marg Petrick is aff to Australia and New
Zealand Oct. 31 as part of a province-wide team ta
TecTuit nurses from those countries.

It’s part of a provincial government effort to find
immediate help to solve the province’s nursing
shortage. Petrick will be gone until Nov. 23,

The trip is being organized through Health
Match, an agency financed by health employers
which uses a specific immigration program to
speed up the paperwork.

English exams written

. TWO OF the Filipino nurses now working in Libya
who want to come to Terrace have now written
their English proficiency exams and are now work-
ing on interim permits from the Registered Nurses
Association of B.C., reports Petrick. Three other
foreign nurses are also working paperwork.

oor uvtiog Lo qaord youre sy 37

Docs
still in
taiks

ANY INCREASE in fees
paid to doctors will have
to come out of the existing
health care budget, says a
health services ministry
official,

Nadine Criddle made
the comment after reports
surfaced that doctors are
looking for a substantial
increase to the $1.68 bil-
lion paid to them last year.

Doctors and the pro-
vince are now in medi-
ation for a new fee sche-
dule that will be backda-
ted to April 1.

“It?s an ongoing
process,” said Criddle of
the mediation effort in
which the B.C. Medical
Association, which repre-
sents doctors, and the pro-
vince make their argu-
ments before a three-per-
son pane) which then looks
for coramon ground.

As it is, the provincial
health care budget of $9.5
biliion is running in the red
despite a $1 billion jump
over Jast year’s amount.

Criddie said there is no
deadline to the mediated
talks. Either party can
book out if they feel progr-
ess isn’! being made and if
that happens, fees will be
determined by arbitration,
she said.

This year's negotiations
are much different than
was the case last year
which saw rural doctors,
including the ones in Ter-
race, withdraw hospital-
based services before
reaching a deal that in-
creased their pay drama-
tically.

But the talks are also
morte complicated because
in addition to a master
contract, six side deals are
being worked on.

They take in matters
such as payment for being
on-call, recruiting bonuses
and annual bonuses for

cr mo
” 7 ee

ae in B.C.,and educg-

dllowances,* |

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - A9

of

R TIRE

Sale ends October 27th

HUGE SAVINGS |
ON ALMOST
EVERY TIRE IN

THE STORE!

Wheel Alignments

Winter Wheels

Today’s vehicles are designed
for 4 snow tires!

*

Excide Batteries

You! BE TH

Helicopter Torture

Harold yelled at his new gardener. “You're
trampling the flowers! Why did | ever hire an
stupid ex-convict like you?"

“Because I'm cheap and so are you,” Sean
muttered.

-  -*( didn't build my helicaster business by
throwing money away,” Harold stormed off.

Sean called his friand. “At least as a bank

BY CLAIRE SEANSTEIN

robber, | got some respect. Hm... Speaking Harold to the hiding place.
of robbery, Harold's got these amazing all-ter- © Harold balked. “Where's the second
rain vehicles..." one?

That evening, Sean stole the vehicies. He
sold one and hid the other one.

Harald noticed them missing the next day.

He called Sean. “Come by. | forgot to pay

ou."

Y Harold then called his business partner,
‘Time for a little fun with my criminal
gardener.” .

When Sean arrived, suspecting nothing,
Haroid grabbed him by the neck. “WHERE
ARE THEY?”

“What are you talking about?” Sean sald in
a panic.

“Gome, let's jog your memory,” Harold
sneered.

Harold duck taped Sean's hands and
ankles and brought him to his helicopter pad.
Harold's partner took the controls.

Harold shoved Sean into the halicopter.
“This will teach you. I've removed the door so
you can gat the full experience.” ~

Tears flowed down Sean's cheeks as the
helicopter hurtled through the sky. “Pleasei
{'m afraid of heights! Okay...1 taok your
vehicles.”

Harold scowled. "You better show me
where they are. It's a lang jump down.”

Sean agraed, shaking nervously. The hell-
copter janded and the captive gardener led

“hh,” Sean hesilated, unsure of what to
say. “It was here yesterclay.”

Harold tied Sean to a tree. "Take some
time to think. I'll be back.”

Hours later, Sean managed to untie him-
self and limped home.

He was 4 nervous wreck. He kept expect-
ing Harald to storm through the door.

The police came to arrest him.

“I'm mot the only criminal here,” Sean
complained. Sean was convicted of theft.

Harold was convicted of assaulting Sean.

Everyone in town heard about the inci-
dent. Someone even printad up T-shirts
showing Sean dangling fram a helicopter.

Sean sued Harold for all his suffering.

“Your Honour,” Sean argued nervously In
coun, “I sufferad emotionally for weeks. |
couldn't sieep, | was vomiting and my self-
canfidenca was shot. My reputation in tawn
is ruined. 1 deserve punitive damages."

Harold balked. “It's his fault for stealing,
Your Honour. He should pay ME for lost
Income while | was in jall lor assault. And
how could | damage the reputallon of a
criminal?”

ts Harold liable for damages? You! Be
The Judge. Then look below for the caurt's
decision

SPONSORED BY

WRIGHT & MARDIROS

TRIAL LAWYERS

Brakes

inter Tire |
hange Over
abour Sale!

Good until Dec. 1", 2001

Wiper Blades With 4 Tire Change Over |
Gabriel Shocks

Shock Treatments Avaialble

We carry the complete line of Gabrial
Shocks and Struts to fit almost every
passenger car, light truck and
sport utility vehicle on the road!

Two certified
mechanics on staff!

All Tire Technicians are

Serving the Pacific Northwest |
TERENCE WRIGHT 15 years experience DAVID MARDIROS

Criminal and Family Law Civil Litigation Aboriginal Law

Free Initial Interview for L.C.B.C. and
Personal Injury Claims

4730 Lazelle Avenue, Terrace, B.C, V8G 1T2
Phone: 638-0354 Fax: 635-2919 |

YOU! BE THE JUDGE - DECISION: “Harold owes punitive damages,” held Judge Fablan. “The court must
discourage such outrageous vigHante behaviour. But Sean's reputation wasn't damaged since the incident
occurred in private, Besides, Sean didn't exactly have an admirable standing in town. Harold Isn't respon-
sible for T-shirts that he didn't produce.”

Today's column is basedon acase from Alberta, If you have a similar problem, please consult a Weight & Mardiros in Terrace, B.C. We
are proud te bring you some of the current legal issues from acress the country for discussion and debate, To provide compelling enter-
tainment, we have Ficlonalized the names, the characters and the scenarios in the case, Any resemblanos to teal people is purely onin~
cidental, In the interest of clarity and brevity, the legal issues in the case have been preatly teduced and simplified. Claire Bernstein is a
lawyer and nationally syndicated calumnist.Copyright 2001 Halka Enterprises, 28-7

, Government Certified

LY TODAY

For our new Kal Tire credit Cart

Here are a few of the benefits you will enjoy a one of our preferred customers:

* flexible payment options

* deferred payment programs

® and there’s MUCH more...

© low monthly payments

* special promotional offers