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- - - - - - I u? TO OFF A “ff/MI I _', 3:352“? govcrrtment's policies Whtle it is true that this federal govemment's record on health-care funding ts atrocrous (more about that below), it is absolutely muse- ating to hear the likes of Mrke Harris, Ernie Eves and Elizabeth Wit- mer -- who, for these purposes. we'll call "the pot" -- calling the kettle black. How dare the federal Liberals cut personal and corpo- rate taxes rather than invest tts huge-budget surplus tn health care? Perhaps " was because the Ontario Tories spent Slalom in pre-bud- get radio advertising urging them to do Just that. Or It could be because Ontario Finance Minister Ernie Eves had admitted that he felt no obligation to spend any increased transfers on health care Then agarn, maybe Imitation really is the srnceresl form of flaaery Before directing some well-deserved criticism toward jean W I L"" V K! g In 1098, Ontario spent sq, less per _sij/fl _ Tt ea ' person 1n health care than ll did m gly: l_% 1995, The Canadian Institute for 'fs" ‘ Bit'-: Health Information (CIHIJ reports ill that, m terms of current inflation, adjusted dollars, the Harrrsues cut . . $1.97 billion m health spending over SCOll 'dr.1llrdllgllt then first term in office Moreover, much of what the Tories have touted as "new spending" has been lost to one-ttme expenditures such as severance packages for laid-off nurses, That being said, the federal government should be ashamed of a budget that spends two cents more on health care for every dollar m new tax cuts (gwmg new meaning to the phrase "putting m your two cents' worth"), Annual cash transfers, which must be stretched to cover higher education and social services as well as health care, are now S3 3 btllton lower than they were when the Liberals took olltcc In 1994, Paul Mamn could potnt to the govemment's fiscal sttualton and argue that "the deficit made me do It", He no longer has that excuse As short-term pohucal strategy u scrms lo have worked Preston Manning and his caucus havcn'l (wen bothered to mark the budget As a long-term plan for prowling health (are and other suns] pro- grams, the 2000 federal budget p, an absolute than!" In the aftermath of the feb 28 federal budget, accusations of hypocrisy were flymg back and forth between Ottawa and Toronto more often than Air Canada's hourly commuter flights. The Issue under discussion (ll you could call it that) was the funding of health care, or more specifically how much each level of government con- tnbutes to fundmg It. In terms ofprivatization, ClHI also notes that Ontario spends more of its health budget in the private sector (33.8 per cent) than any other provmce, and that this percentage is increasmg. As well, Com- munity Care Access Centres (CCACs) have been forced to ignore other factors and must now award home-care contracts to the lowest bidder -- usually a for-profit American company. CCACs have also been encouraged to contract out services such as physotherapy, occupational therapy and sooal work to pnvate companies. Mean- while, private health care companies are being invited to "invest" In hospitals through the Superbuild Growth Fund. Martin's latest budget, which produced lavish tax cuts that wall dis, propomonately bench! the nth. ls deugned to neulrallzv the Reform Party and nlher nght-wing (rims of his govemmrut jsuTo i" Ilttr's,i,'j,__, = mgk Scott MllrGllr1lt llvnocmes vs. hrmerltes In that regard. " has a In! In uunmun with the tTuiarto Mama GLASS CLAIM any Mike Harris says that the failure of the federal government lo transfer more money for health care leaves hum with Iwo choices: either cut or priva- ttze It doesn't appear that he needs any encouragement to do when Chrenen, Paul Martin and Alan Rock, let's take a look at the provinctal Tones' record on health care, , a "tvita' T _s-?5 ‘ L:?ts)rsi'rir?i; ‘ . " a, R "g' I I , I Bitt scsi?)) N - M343" T "tl 1%“: “it C L 'y; '3?!” (a e) FOR l' _ W -_ ', YOUR " ",, tii/'irau'ill'oell,ASS I I _ 3;] , EXPIRES m auamsss TO SERVE vouy...smce 19a? MARC/+3100 It38 King East Can Ottawa Kitchener ("08] “I\II\IIIIi [118/ I [Us IF YOU RECEIVE WW; stttil it: Lat week in the Waterloo Chronicle we asked readers how they felt about the possibility of Waterloo public library's main branch being relocated to the new First Gulf development in uptown Waterloo. Here's what some of you had to say: - - I oppose any movement of the mam branch of the public library from its present location. in is my thinking at the; urns that we have people both at the library and at my hall who are The Waterloo public library is an excellent facility with good accessibility If necessary reorganize the interior, but do not move the library to the First Gulf development at a reported rental cost of one million dollars a year, 1 am med of constant change in this my. David Crow It's not necessary tired of constant change The Waterloo Chronicle welcomes letters to the editor. They should be signed with name, address and phone number and will be verified for accuracy No unsigned letters will be published. Submissions may be edited for length, so please be brief. Copyright in letters and other materials submitted to the publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the publisher and its licensees may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms. Our mailing address is 75 King St. S., Suite 201, Waterloo, N2JIP2, our email address is wchronicle@sentex.net, and our fax number is 886-9383 CHIN! 10 PACK 1MEDIUM Advantage -'W-"'h"eP'rRthT8Mr3e, "rm driving out west wuh my parents to see my cousins" "I'm not sure bull think I might be going lo the March Madness bas- kelball tournament In Buffalo with my dad." Letters policy Mary Anne Lehman being paid far too much for far too little thinking, and thinking in directions that are not necessary at all at this time. John Downey I think it is totally ridiculous! ll is a beautiful library and the building is beautiful, We need to expand it and I think there are some kind of plans that allow for expansion. l dont really think the city should be including the cost of building another parking garage on top of the cost of the library. The Waterloo library expansion IS, no doubt, necessary. However its reloca- tion lo the Waterloo Town Square, of all places, seems to me rather extravagant, too costly and actually more beneficial to nearby Knchener rendents than to Waterloo taxpayers who It is supposed It's totally ridiculous Ben Kiessling Leave the library where it is TOWNE BOWL 576-18-55 Rosanna Rigo CAR WASH ggtsnoln to serve. Ah! ll just may be a good excuse to implement user fees, perhaps. Of course, the taxpayer can always pick up the tab as long as some "innovators" get their names immortalized in a bronze wall plaque (which of course we will pay (or as well). The only sensible, adequate, cost- effective and logical alternative IS the expansion exactly at the site where " is located right now and to leave the pipe smoke dreams to the millennium-mani- acs who dreamed up the Millennium Recreation park in a grand Jean Dra- peau-like ruinous expo-style extrava- ganza. That project will quite likely end up Costing an extra $20 million dollars or so and will be probably Just another Skydome of sorts, in my opm- ion anyway 1 am agTma the library Being located In the Waterloo Town Square I'm against the move STONE CHIP I PROTECTION _Agtow:AsieoutriotvoupeArt.t PRQIECIION LIFETIME “I m gomg to my uncle's cottage m Port Elgm to go fishing and catch salamanders " Tm gong to England wuh my parents to see my relatives and to go shopping 't Ruth Malian Raul Ferreira Greg Young Rachel Bell