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Waterloo Councillors Mike Connolly and Brent Needham took part in a 6â€"km walk in support of the Kâ€"W Sym:â€" phony, Saturday at Bingemans. "We don‘t need more public meetings." he said "What we need is determined action from the leaders of the community to act on bebhalf of the community" Regional Chairman Ken Seiling agrees that the region has a role to play in pushing for more health care, but said people tend to forget that hospital fundâ€" ing is still a provincial responsibrhity. The Kâ€"W Chamber of Commerce said it‘s more important to develop a single voice to lobby tor health care funding than it is to find a single "Braveheart" to lead the charge. "We‘re sometimes, as a comâ€" inunity, our own worst eleâ€" mies," he sard. "One perfect example of this, in retrospect, is how there were roughly 22 subâ€" missions to the Health Care Restructuring Commission {HSRC) when there should have only been one." Leis, who attended last week‘s health care forum in Cambridge, said he‘s heard the calls for a "Braveheart" figure to step forward to organize the lobbying effort, but said any movement seeking redress Iram the provincial governâ€" ment can‘t exclude the powerbrokers in the commuâ€" nity. David Leis, the general manager of the local chamber of commerce, said that community health needs are being drowned out by the multiâ€" tude of voices. The community #4 really needs to learn to speak ... ther with one vorce ranunlhhs 2 SINGLE VOICE Wns s Sram s d on cce fap ifi meetie UL . .l Kâ€"W Chamber GM calls for one health care lobby group TAKING A MUSICAL TOUR PAGFK 3 Bob Â¥rbanac Chroncls Staff "...there were roughly 22 submisâ€" sions to the Health Care Restructuring Commissionwhen there should have only been one." Onwnen We‘re not anly deeply conâ€" iId have cerned about our economy, but about the quality of hfe of our comâ€" 7 one." munity," he said. "The opportunity . _ is there for us to wark together, â€" Leis now, for broader community interâ€" ests, not just narrow interests." The challenge now is to find some practical ways for that leadership to bappen in this community One of the Chamber‘s suggesnions is for a health care summit to be called after the HSRC comes down with its report in the next few weeks It will get the movers and shakers in the community to lay out the battle plan for the targer health care war for more funding. "Some people sall say we have sat around for too many years," said Leis. "The reality is, when is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty vears ago. The Chamber is one group ready to step forward to olfer some of the leadership needed to form a more united front "We recognize the importance of assuming a leaderâ€" ship role." said Leis. "If we are one of the Tew doing it, so be it, but it is part of a community effort ‘The suggestion that regianal council step in the breach and make things happen is probably pushing the envelope a little bit." he said. "But there is a role there for lobbying and a role there to work with the other groups." When is the second best time? Now." Council voted 7â€"1 in favor of the ad hoe committee on companion animals continuing to further investigate the possibility of establishâ€" ing some kind of spay/neuter program, mainly for cats and dogs in the city, and to look into such a program‘s financing options, at a committee of the whole meeting Monday night. Coun. Mike Conâ€" nolly voted against the resolution while Coun. Dave Roeder chaired the meeting and did not vote. Coun. Bruce Alexander, council‘s lone remaining representative on the commuttee which was formed by the previous council, said after Monday night‘s meeting he was both pleased and surprised by counâ€" vils decision Waterloo council Monday night publicly reversed a decision it made just before Christmas to not follow through on a city commitâ€" tee‘s recommendation that the city look into setting up some kind of spay/neuter program for residents‘ pets. City of Waterloo residents may yet have the opportunity to access a cityâ€"wide spay/neuter program for their pets at some point in the future. City may adopt spayâ€"neuter program Leis said the Chamber has decided to move on this issue as part of a greater mandate to serve the community, as well as their traâ€" ditional economic interests Tim Gardner Chronicle Staff Members of the ‘B" Guard of the Ventures Color Guard show off some sixâ€" ties flag waving at the Central Ontario Competition at WCI, Saturday night. More than 1,000 people watched the Ventures sweep the awards. VENTITURES STAND ON GUARD In fact, Alexander was onginally only asking council to pass just one committee recommendation Moanday might, to investigate estab Alexander said during Monday night‘s council meeting he had originally put forward the idea of establishing the spay/neuter proâ€" gram in the city during a council goalâ€"setting session just before Christmas. However he said council rejected the idea of implementâ€" ing the program at that time because it considered the issue a "low prionity." Alexander later said after the meeting part of the problem he encountered just before Christmas was that the province was then announcing just how much money the city could be lasing in provinâ€" cial grant money in 1998 and council was loathe to take on any new initratives that could cost the city money "But I also know that the cat groups (represented on the commitâ€" tee} have been calling council members saying. ‘Look, what‘s going on here? We‘re not talking about a cat bylaw. All Coun. Alexander is trying to do is develop a spay/neuter program. And we did a lot of work as a commuttee on it." "I was a little surprised tonight," Alexander said. "I was surprised to see that type of support." VICTORIA STAR MOTORS 1450 Victoria St. N.. 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