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With the provincial election over, it may be time to wonder what it will take to overthrow the provincial Conserâ€" vatives. By Richard Taylor Special to the Chronicle After all, Premier William G. Davis has won his majority back with a hefty 70 seats and his party has ruled this province for 38 years. In an interview with historians and political scientists at Wilfrid Laurier University, it seems clear that only some dramatic crisis could turn the trick. Dr. Welf Heick, a historian and student of Canadian politics, said the crisis would have to be something of the nature of the pipeâ€" line debate in Ottawa which sent shock waves through the naâ€" tions as MPs poured into the area before the Speaker‘s chair to hurl (Continued from page 1) mined not to move very far. Cassidy said the 10.5 per cent offer of the city ‘"isn‘t fair and reaâ€" sonable" and said fireâ€" fighters‘ pay increases shouldn‘t be compared to those of other city employees who were all awarded the 10.5 per cent increase this year. ‘‘I don‘t compare apples with oranges," Cassidy said. "I comâ€" Fare firefighters with irefighters." Firemen‘s contract He cited the examâ€" ples of firefighters in Markham, Ajax and Burlington who are earning between $29,450 and $29,800 anâ€" nually, saying ‘‘we haven‘t been offered anything near that." The city‘s offer would bring the salary of a firstâ€"class fireman to $25,581. The associaâ€" tion‘s demand would bring the salary to $26,999, Cassidy said. Alderman Charlie Voelker, chairman of the city‘s personnel committee, said there was some possibility of a return to the bargainâ€" ing table if the fireâ€" fighters are "willing to be a little more reasonâ€" able and said, hey, let‘s have one more getâ€" ‘together." i If the two sides do The wage for a firstâ€" class Waterloo fireman now stands at $23,150 following an award by a provincial arbitrator last year of a 15 per cent increase. Can Tories be dethroned? insults at the governing party. He added that Ontarâ€" io Liberal leader Stuart Smith has "knocked off the rough edges" and seems to be learning his job. He should reâ€" main, waiting for the right opportunity to tackle the Tories on the right issue. Dr. John Redekop, a Laurier political scienâ€" tist, agreed with Heick‘s evaluation. **Smith has won credibility and the Lib erals would do well to stick with him,""‘ Redeâ€" kop said. He felt the slide by the NDP will help put more of a focus on Smith as a credible opposition to Premier Davis. But Dr. Barry Kay, also a Laurier political scientist and student of Ontario politics, disaâ€" greed. He sees both Smith and Cassidy as "liabilities‘"‘ for their parties. Cassidy has return to negotiations, it appears they may first have to get over some bruised feelings regarding a letter sent to council and dealt with at Monday‘s reguâ€" lar meeting. In the letter, the fireâ€" men‘s negotiating comâ€" mittee complained that members of the city‘s wage negotiating comâ€" mittee â€" consisting of members of the city‘s administrative comâ€" mittee, plus personnel director Terry Hallâ€" man â€" have been acting only as "relayers of messages" and that if the committee had more bargaining power ‘"we would not be in the unfortunate situation of having to proceed to a board of arbitraâ€" tion." In an interview yesâ€" terday, Alan Gross, a member of the fireâ€" men‘s negotiating comâ€" mittee, said "we want to talk to someone who has the power to make decisions and proposâ€" als from the beginning right through to the signing of an agreeâ€" ment." He said the associaâ€" tion faces the same problem as others throughout the provâ€" ince, which is that muâ€" nicipalities ‘"refuse to empower their negotiaâ€" tors with some authoriâ€" ty." He said the contract negotiations of 24 fireâ€" men‘s associations in Ontario went to arbiâ€" tration last year. In the letter to counâ€" ‘‘Normally in our community, governâ€" ments finally defeat themselves rather than being overwhelmed by opposition parties,‘" he said. ‘"So it is really more important to watch how the Tories conduct themselves." It is more "a Conserâ€" vative game to lose rather than for the Libâ€" erals or New Demoâ€" crats to win. All they (the opposition parâ€" ties) can do is hope that the Conservatives stub their toes and that they have a popular leader with popular polieies to present as an alternaâ€" tive." + agreed to step down as leader of the New Democrats. The major problem for both opposition parâ€" ties, he said, is that the Davis Conservatives have coâ€"opted the politâ€" ical centre and have had popular leaders over the years. cil, the local associaâ€" tion also asked for a meeting with council in caucus "to fully satisfy any questions you may have." But councillors took no action on that reâ€" quest and Mayor Carâ€" roll said in the interâ€" view that they were generally ‘"insulted"‘ by the letter. She said it is inapproâ€" priate for city employâ€" ees to tell aldermen how to conduct city business and said givâ€" ing the negotiating committee more auâ€" thority is ‘‘*absolutely ridiculous. We can‘t just let a negotiating team for the city free wheel." She said it‘s necessary for alderâ€" men to make the final decision in negotiaâ€" tions. In any case, the mayor said the city‘s negotiating committee represents council by being given the limits within which it can bargain. As alderman Voelker said, "we give them the maximum they can go to ... if they can‘t get an agreement when they reach the limit, that‘s it." In any event, it now appears renewed negoâ€" tiations are a phone call away, and city spokesmen say the ball is in the firemen‘s court. But even if the call is made, one shouldn‘t hold their breath waitâ€" ing for a settlement. Kids are always curious, especially about the workings of Mother Nature, and naturalist Dan Schneider of the Laurel Creek Nature Centre obliges them by showing a tiny sample of some of the centre‘s plant life. The kids joined adults on a Sunday hike through the centre, located in the north of the city. DOCTOR SAYS Fee increase won‘t make up for past Dr. Murray McAdam of Waterloo says the recently announced fee increase of 14.75 per cent for Ontario doctors is reasonable, but doesn‘t make up for the past. McAdam, who is both a member of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) board and Chairman of the Kâ€"W Academy of Medicine, said the pay raise â€" worth $10,500 on top of the current average salary of $71,500 â€" doesn‘t compensate doctors ‘for the number of years the government gave us a poor increase."‘ ‘"In the past, we‘ve been shortâ€"changed by the government with their five percent below cost of living increases," McAdam said in an interview. Dr. McAdam said he doesn‘t feel the increase will encourage doctors out of OHIP to opt back in, but at the same time, there won‘t be many more leaving the plan. He said the trend of opting out "has dampened down, and there should be fewer leaving because of the increase." Ontario residents will have to wait until the next provincial budget to find out if their OHIP fee increases, but even if it does, McAdam By MARK WESSEL ~ NATURE STUDY WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, MAY 6. 1981 â€" PAGE 3 doesn‘t think it will be due to the doctors‘ fee increase. **Physicians fees are only a portion of medical costs," he said. "Hospitals use up about 78 per cent of the money." _ Following the announcement of the 14.75 per cent pay increase last week, NDP leader Michael Cassidy complained that the governâ€" ment should have insisted on some concessions from doctors such as dropping extraâ€"billing. Dr. McAdam said if doctors were to agree to this, the value of the initial wage increase would become questionable. "If you got a raise this year and then someone told you to come to work an hour earlier, how would you feel?" he asked. McAdam said the long range goal of the OMA is to bring OHIP fees up to the level of the OMA fee schedule. The OMA schedule is what doctors feel they should be getting from the government, and most doctors out of OHIP charge according to these figures. McAdam said the present OMA fee schedule is 30 percent higher than OHIP fees, ‘"and unless drastic increases (in OHIP fees) are made, parity will take a few years."