From front

A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 14, 1996

Buyouts complicate merger

King is advocating an ‘‘open bidding’’ system
of filling the positions in the new district.

They'd. start with the superintendent’s posi-
tion, let people apply, and then decide wha’s
best for the job. Unsuccessful candidates could
apply for lower positions or take buyout provi-
sions.

Bul so far, King said, Terrace trustees have
refused to calculate the costs of eliminating
their administrators and trade that information
with Kitimat,

“Kitimat wanted to and Terrace didn’t want
to talk about il,”’ he said,

He said Terrace was ‘‘siil hedging” after
Thursday night’s meeting in Kilimat, preferring
to leave the tough decisions until after a planned
Aug. 27 meeting with education ministry offi-
cials where they hope to gét more instructions
on how to amalgamate the districts.

The delays are breeding paranoia in Kitimat,
where trustees suspect the Terrace board wants

to stall until a new amalgamated board is

elected in November, °

The two boards have already agreed the new
Coast Mountain School District. #82 will be
represented by three Kitimat trustecs, three Ter-
race trustees and one each from Thom-
hill/Lakelse, Stewart and the Hazeltons.

Kitimat observers point out that means six
tustees from the former Districl 88 versus three
trusices from the former District 80,

All the Terrace school board has to do to get
its way, they conclude, is to stal] until Decem-
ber and then outvote the Kitimat trustees.

“They want to keep their people exactly the

way they are and whatever new positions are

Canceled hospital test

formed would be offered to
people,”’ King said.

“Basically it would be the annhilation of all
the employee groups in Kitimat and a few sur-
vivors Will fit into the existing Terrace system.”’

An education ministry consultant who was
also at Thursday’s meeting assured King the
province is looking at the issue of buyout provi-
sions.

King is hopeful the government will introduce
a blanket policy of buyouts at amalgamating
districts to ensure schoo] board amalgamation is
carried out on the basis of what’s best, rather
than what’s cheapest.

Failure to do that, could lead to bizarre antics
between amalgamating districts, he said,

“Tf that’s the case why doesn’t Kitimat write
six-year contracts? Would that be fair? Then
Terrace would raise theirs to seven. Well, some-
where the lunacy has to stop.”

‘Christensen agrees the buyout issue is a com-
plicating factor, and says he'd welcome a
government move to simplify the matter.

He also tried to calm fears about the Terrace
board's plans.

“Tt is not our intention to stall this until Dec.
1,”” Christensen said, ‘‘And I am sure the
provincial government is not going to allow that —
to happen.”

He said a secrelary-treasurer has to be in place
to swear the new board of trustees in come De-
cember.

And he noted a progress report has to be made
to Victoria by Sept. 20.

The two districts have enough money to oper-
ate separately until next June. But a speedy

the Kitimat

amalgamation would free up more moncy to
pay the buyout costs,

Christensen said the Terrace board has been
willing to meet Kitimat at any time, but thought
it would tend to be fruitless until Victoria hands

down more of the rules of how amalgamation &

should work.

As for the two districts’ styles of operation,
Christensen agreed Kitimat has a greater degree
of consultation,

“We're not opposed.to continuing that,” he
said. ‘We're not sure how well we can get this
to function in a much larger district.”’

He said opening up decision-making to
stakeholders sounds good, but isn’t necessarily
fair to people in Stewart who have a hard time
getting to meetings in Terrace.

‘We can’t even get a trustee to come to the
meetings,’’ noting the Stewart board seat has
been vacant the past year after ministry efforts
to appoint someone there were unsuccessful.

King argues that’s a poor reason to restrict
other communities’ options.

“That's to say we should end democracy be-
cause not everybody votes,’’ he said.

Most of the workers who lose their jobs
through amalgamation are expected to be at one
of the twa board offices.

But terminated board office administrators
could bump down into individual schools and
classrooms, indirectly affecting teachers and
disrupting classes, said the Terrace District
Teachers’ Union’s Cathy Lambright.

I¢ could be a major disruption,”’ she said.
“Any time there’s any kind of uncertainty it’s
certainly going to be difficult for people.”’

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angers woman in pain

A TERRACE woman who
went to Mills Memorial
Hospital for a routine medi-
cal procedure but was
turned away says the facility
is in trouble.

Debbie van’t Kris has
had treatments for chronic
back pain for years.

Her scheduled July 23
myelogram/CT scan was,
she hoped, a slep toward an
eventual solution to her
pain,

Because of possible side
effects from the procedure,
van’? Krnis was required to
stay oversight for observa-
tion.

But when she showed up,
she was told two motor
vehicle accidents the pre-
vious day had taken up all
available beds.

So van’t Kruis was sent
home without knowing
when ihe procedure would
be re-scheduled.

That left van’t Kruis
angry, not only because she

hoped the test results would
put her on the road ta a
solution to her back pain but
from wondering how Mills
can cope with fewer beds
than ever before.

“Tl know I wasn’t an emer-
gency case that day, but
what if there were an emer-
gency? If the accidents had
taken up all the beds, what
would have happened if
there was another prob-
lem,”’ she says.

“To me it’s almost
criminal that a hospital serv-
ing a population of over
20,000 has been reduced to
little more than 30 beds,’’
she said.

The scheduled July 23 ap-
pointment in itself marked a
wait of almost 12 weeks
since van’t Kruis and her
physician embarked upon
finding a remedy for ber
pain.

She had to wait three
weeks for the results of a

CT scan earlier in the spring
and then eight weeks for the
July 23 appointment.

Van’t Kruis says there’s
no way anybody should
have to wait for that length
of time.

‘‘{'m more convinced than
ever there is a two-tier
health care system in the
province — one for down
south and one in the north,”
she said.

Van’t Kruis adds that she
could have made arrange-
menis for the procedure to
take place in Vancouver but
that it would have been very
expensive.

Van't Kruis also questions
the need for her to have to
stay overnight.

Previous tests she had un-
dergone did not result in
complications and she lives
close enough to Mills that
should anything have hap-
pened, she could have been
quickly returned to the hos-
pital.

“T fcel there should have
been some recognition of
that so I had least could
have bad the myelogram,”’
she said.

At the very least, van’t
Kruis continued, she should
have been called the day be-
fore the July 23 appointment
and told there was no room
for her.

She had scheduled her
personal and professional
affairs for the procedure and

was forced to make adjust- |

ments to compensate.

‘T heard at the hospital
that this was the first time
this had happened and it
won't be the last because of
the cuts,”’ she said,

Van’t Kruis did have her
appointment rescheduled to
Aug. 2 and she’s now wait-
ing for those results.

Van’t Kruis has written
the hospital and its govern-
ing board. The board meets
again Sept. 19.

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The sidewalk grew

by 6 inches.

“Elizabeth, how is the road construction
coming along? The girls are dying to play
bridge in your marvelous garden.”

“Well, if you really want to play, come
over, if you can stand the noise of the drill-
ing, the horrible dust and the haunted house

decor with those white sheets, aver all the:

furniture.”
“What about the garden? That 's where

we always play. Your garden isso magnifi- —

cent. If we have to choose’ between the
haunted house decor or noise in your heav-
enly garden, we'd all pick the garden.”

“All right, come at 3 Friday afternoon.
The foreman said the road construction may
be finished then and the sidewalk put in.”

On Friday, Elizabeth's friends headed
straight for the garden and-sat down at the
bridge table already set-out. Elizabeth was
shuffling the cards.

“Oh, Elizabeth,” raved Beverly. “Your
garden is the most heavenly in the whole
world. It’s too bad the rest of the people in
town can’t see it because of your tall fence.”

Elizabeth dealt the cards..““You’re so right
that fenee is tall, I treasure. my privacy. I
don’t want people peering. over at me.’

“One heart”

Pass”

“Two hearts,” -

Before Elizabeth had a chance to bid, a
voice came frony the direction of the fence.

“May we take.a picture of the garden for
the local paper. Our readers: would love to
see your garden for the first time.”

Elizabeth spun around. “Whal’s going
on? How can passersby see over the fence

You BE THE JUDGE

by Claire Bernstein

Based On Actual Court Cases
into the garden?”

She rushed over to the fence.

She laoked at the man from the paper.
Then she looked down. He was standing on
the sidewalk.

Elizabeth stomach sank,

“My privacy. I’ve lost it. That sidewalk is
six inches higher than it was. Now everyone
can look over.”

She rushed back to the bridge table. “I’m
sorry, ladies, this game is over. { won’t play
with everyone peering over my fence, I’m
going to sue the city for invading my priva-
cy. They’l! have to pay for a higher fence.”

In court, Elizabeth was hoping mad.
“Your honor, the road construction reduced
my privacy. I have a right to privacy. They
can’t build the read and sidewalk six inches
higher and let people peek into my yard. |
had-to build a higher fence. Make them pay
for it.”

"The City argued, “Your honor, the roads
had to be repaired. The construction was
authorized by law, The city had na legal duty
nol to breach the privacy of this lady’s pro-
perty, If she doesn’t want anyone to see into
her yard then she should pay for the fence.
Don’t make us pay.”

' Should the City pay? YOU! BE THE
JUDGE. The look below for the court’s deci-
sion.

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YOU BE THE JUDGE - DECISION
The city was not liable. This was an act authorized by law, done under a public
trust and for a public benefit, done properly and without negligence. It was not a
nuisance to interfere with a view by an act that was otherwise lawful,
YOU! BE THE JUDGE is based on the facts of the case and the law of
Manitoba.. Claire Bernstein is a a lawyer and syndicated columnist. Copyright 1995

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