Judy Reimehe- tee
Peninsula News Review

Nurses.° across © the.

province are poised to take «
‘strike action. And if there is ©
‘no movement at the labor ne .

gotiations table toward allevi-
~ ating. working conditions at
B.C. hospitals, there could be

job action by nurses as soon!

“as ‘today.

working short-staffed to.care

for. patients who are more se |

Tiously ill than they were five
years ago.*:
« Cathy. Ferguson, ‘presiden

of the B.C. Nurses Union,-
said: “Nurses are fed: up. with:

the inadequate staffing and:
- with the growing workloads:

--, that are undermining our abil-

ity: to provide quality health : :

care to our patients, to: our
residents, to our clients...
Gloria Proin, local job a6

tion. chair at Saanich Penin-

~sula Hospital, said: Monday
. that nurses are hopeful for
‘some. progress, She said,
“while labor relations between
union and management at
Saanich Peninsula Hospital

are “excellent,” they are not :
immune to the same prob ~
Jems of short. staffing and

heavy workload as other hos-
pitals.

Registered Nurses “say
they are struggling with dra-
matic increases in their work-

“Joads and are “constantly
forced (o work understaffed,

If there is no progress by
today, the. provincial) RN

union is expected to serve 72>:

_hour strike notice,

“If this happens, we have.

all the essential service proto-
cols in place. Services will be
maintained,” said Proin,

Save sd:
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“The issue is. Sinainly. man-
power: nurses say they are

OCTOBER 21, 1998

ON THE BALL

“JUDY REIMCHE PHOTO.

ae

“The Peninsula ‘Marauders soccer. team is fying high these days following two winning wostenia: Players w were
caught In mid-action during their game at Blue Heron Park on Sunday eremnoon: For more on the soccer action, =:
and other Peninsula Sports, turn to page 17.

Peninsula News Review

orth Saanich and Sidney municipal
councils have each voted to turn
down the latest proposals coming

from the Vancouver: [sland: Regional Lie:

brary board.

To. offset an anticipated four per cent
shortfall in the proposed 1999 budget, the
VIR is recommending that its full library
system be shut down for two weeks in the
coming year, that the board expenses be
cut by$ i5 §,000 and that.a fund-raising cam:

~ paign be. struck to find new methods of.

finiding service...
The first one-week atiut down j is scherk
uled for Christmas.of this year, with the

second one-week closure to be ‘deter.

“Signatur ae Sunques t ° > Holladay House

NTER TO

se peters wt sAd peat wena nl an iP te sleeved

coger meet payee a

the library system about $240,000.
The board made its proposals because

the magnitude of former annual increases»

to cover services has been widely criti-

 cized, Since 1993, the VIRL.tax levy to its»

member municipalities has increased by

44.8 per cent, with annual increases rang

ing from 1.7 per cent to 10,9 per cent.
A large portion of that increase is re-

lated to population prowth (about 10.6 per’

cent between 1994 and 1997), and de-

creased provine ial grants, In 1993, the gov-
ernment paid in $1,067,582, dropping to
$1,067,000 in 1998, despite the continued °:

increase in population and inflation, As the

~ provincial share dropped from 23, 3 per.
cent in 1985.0 8.8 percent im 1998, mu

i

Ms ct)

Mer nig mene arene ENTER. Wy tige aaaainas A. YN AUS ah eat aon BOM naRTTEN 4 Ano, ae «4 Meh

ves vanish germinennemnte eo amt Cmianeiy wee

nicipalities have picked up the difference,

‘Added to that are a sharply rising cost.
rent in-. .

for books and paper products,

creases to library facilities and new costs

created by the new Library Act.
The municipality of North Saanich re

jected the proposal package ata meeting ©
- earlier this month.

‘At the committee of the whole mecting

of Sidney council Monday night, While-

Councillor Peter Wainwright said ment
bers the VIRL board explored a number of
options (o reduce the impact on muni¢ ipal
taxes, this appear ed to offer the most im-
mediate savings.

He will be bringing for war’ d alter natives

for bolstering the budget when he meets
with the library pane din the near future.

i

bait
Q fk 5

wy

ar 1 ‘800.2 223- 5256.

Walker

Councils vote No on) pro] sed Lil library

‘mined, The closures are expected to save

oe He mi 231 0 ‘Beacon ates
wee ~ Tals (250) 656-0905
Fax: (28 0)'656- 0923

E-mail: s straval@ll cal
co mae aber si natoad

Tht

tebed- ded ‘t 3 eer 4 dea ods td ane rbd

found fit
for trial

Edward Stuart Walker, ac-
cused of. the September. .6
stabbing death of former girl-
friend” Stephanie Celestine
Thomas on the Tsawout Re-

face trial.
Walker, 32, has been re-

Saanich RCMP the day of the
incident and is charged with
second-degree murder i in the
incident.

Police allege that Thomas,

Sah preliminary hearing. to:
determine if there is enough .

oA 17-year-old Sidney t resi-

” dent was lucky to escape with: ._

out injury after he lost control —
of the vehicle he was driving
and slammed into a light stan-
dard. Police say the youth,

- whose name was not released,

was driving eastbound ‘in a
1998 Dodge Neon on Dean:
Park Road when he lost con-

‘trol near ‘the ‘intersection of:
Dean Park:and Pender Park
Roads; slamming into the light

- standard, causing the light to

come crashing down on the

vehicle: The car suffered dam-..-
ages estimated at $4,000,

CALENDAR 30

CLASSIBIEDS 88
COMMUNITY dt
GARDENING 12.

a eenLiehabiemetasaea nts nencrorratbnn 4. ocppena arte bg Bryon Somiwelit rtudipen fac omntciystae nae me meso ene

s ‘SIDNEY: V. TRAVEL. CRUISE: >
SERVICE, U1, eis ‘

i

— vices

serve, has been found to fit to. -

manded into custody since he: |
~-was arrested by Sidney-North

21, was~-stabbed’ to. death
- when she returned that Sun- © o
- day to the: home Walker’
— “sharéd with his. mother at ©
2491 Mt. Newton Cross Road.

vidence. to proceed ‘to: trial

My
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