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Region Mobile signs Durham board up Former area MPP, brainstorming must soon g!et for prestigious health mnster, dies at the Briar le2 obile8 award pgl at 89 pg2 Strike-causéd disrutinsinclude' firfe at Whitby ail, shtown ofpsych hospital program-s Famished OTHER STUDENTS watch hungrily as' Kathênine Ringrose enjoys a meal. The group of Henry students were participating ln a 30-hour famn e Iast Thursday and Frilday to maise money for World Vision. Photo by Mark Reesorer. Why Free Proas Effeet on ser vices not yet known Area hospi*tals' fundin g cuts vary from 4 to 7 % By Miko Kowalaki Area hospital officiais are anxiously awaiting the impact of iast week's funding chop from Queen's Park. Aithough they know how much they wiii ho lesing, officiais won't know how the cuts wili affect service leveis until 1996-97 budget guidelines are released thia week. The cuts, announced by Health Miniater Jim Wilson on Friday, range from soyen per. cent ($1.9 million) at Ajax -& Pickering General Hospital- ta four per cent ($462,,300) at Whitby General Hospital. Last year, Whitby General received slightly more than $11.5 million from the province.1 Oshawa --Goneral Hospl, meanwhile, rnpat make do wlth a reduction, effective April 1. However, Wilson did sugar-coat hua bitter pili by announcing that $25 million cf the cuts wili be "reinvested" in areas cf high population growth such as Durham Region. Details cf how. hospitale in Durham, York, Poel and Halton regions will benefit from this plan are stili ta ho determined. Whitby Generai vice-president Mm Kealey hesitated ta speculate on how the cuta will affect service at the hospital until the budget guidelines are known. Bift officials are "pleased' with the establishment cf a fuud ta addiress the needs cf hospitals lu growing areas, Keaiey said.- "The. Hospital .Council cf Durham Reglon, cf wlch Whitby bO#imr, woiIwd ardaver tke î past year on thus issue," he said. "We anticipate that some menies wili flow through to thus region because cf that." Keaiey did net wish ta comment on the implications of the cuta ta Whitby General's pouding conversion té a rehabilitation treatment centre. "Until such time as we know what the recommendations cf the implementation planning conimittee are (see separate atory), we continue ta ho an acute -care hospital," ho said. "The recommendation'that tht. hospital become rehab bas been endorsed and we are workIng ta that. Iu a letter from Andrew Szeude, actinig assistant deputy heith BybMark Reesor The Ontarlo 'Public Servie Employees Union strike oscalàted, yestèrday with tho walk-out - f emnployees who didn't partici pate, in the freWt .dayof the provinceý-wide work stoppage. -Te ë ôIt'tIlke io mean "vlrtually ail Ontario. clvI serants In Durnm Region flot continuinfg ta performn essential services are on strike," sëtates OPSEU regional- vice-prident Joan Gatos. "Nobody i.- going* back ln- they're out tastay,," -MaYSa ff représentative' Barry Ca uey, adding PictetiUme and support for thie strike la strong.- "We've had oue report of one eznployee at Whltby Mental Health Centre (golng back ta work); nobody else&' Whitby locations being plclwted include both entrances (at Victoria Street) ta the mental' health centre (WMHC), Whitby Jail, regltry offIce (590 Rossland' Rd. E.), niinistry of finance office& at 1600 Champlain Ave., family support group at 1916 Dundas St. B., OPP station (radio dlspatch and support services) and the nursing nome lioensing office at 1400 Hopkcins St. Only about 10 per cent of the uniou's 2,938 Durham memibors have been designated essentiai, says Casey, mainly at the WHMC and Whitby Jail. Trouble on the picket linos locally bas been mostly confined ta Whitby Jail, -where Iimates are reportedly considering a hunger strike ta, protest being conflned ta their celle. "They're flooding the jail (by backIng up toilets and) they're tearing things Up," says Casey. -That's because the union won't obey a labour ministry orde r ta lot inmates eut cf their celle. into' the day or conimon aiea, says Miuistry Of, Correctionai Services spokesperson Rosa Virgoe. Whitby Jail superlutendeut Jan Hadden wouidn't comment eccept te say "we have the (essential service) agreemonts'in place and everytlilng's fine at the moment." The guard say, unlocking the cellis a tbrat totheirhbealth *nd safety, Vlrgoe says,bu the dimu was investia*ted anidthe minlslry found "the situation la Inhorent lni the wogrk of a correctional officor advlsod officers that theyýre: to open oel doors." The order wgg.,deliverod-.to the jail'early Monday afternioon, but the union basn't yet abidod, by. it he says, anàd ý tihe instyc CoreonlServicele é"expIoùringý options ýat the prosnt ,timo." Plumbing ýprobloms, aàt the jail havebeon rosoived,'ho ddand "lnmatos are boing, unlocked one oeil at a timeto onable thom to showor and got out'and strotch' thèlr legs a bit" ho says, addlng "thinga are Irolatlvoly stable."WhtÎ rlgessntafl romponse to the Jail arou*id 10:30 p.m. Mond ay evonlng. "Thbere was morne papor seo1t on fie Just outolde (a oeil block) In the common amea*" sye Chiof Tony Hbeosilmatos thore was perhapi, $10 damage and mays -the blaze was extinguluhed, by jail staff boforo flroflghters arrive&. Ne admits tiiro'sezrlsk tagolng into the jai during a strike situation - -"w. aIl have concerne about the potential ... but fiast and foremoat la the' danger ta occupants and 'whether they're employoes, or ininates, it really doesn't matter.. "J«The safety of ail le wbat we're conoerned with... we don't have a part ta play on one aide or the other." Ie' hoping the departmnent can meet with jail management ta discues "ways and means of controlling these kinds of outbreaks." >1Mhis isjuat the beglnning - you haven't smen anything yet," one of the striking. guards commented Monday evening, a dding that inmates bad-been iocked lu their' oelse all day, despite promises they wouid be let out. Police are getting lots of phone calle about the e.trike and officors are reeponding, says Durham police staff sergeant Sandy Ryrie, "but we've had no criminal acte yet.. thinga are running very amoothly." ,WhtbylBowmanvilie Ambulance Servie la warning residents th'ey wll be -able -torepond .only to urgent oeils because of the strike.' Ambulance cèrews -1are 'ail worklng but dispatchers, although OPSEU inembers and designated essential employees, are allowed, te refuse requesta for, "routine, -- -1