HST draws wrath of Zalm -- by Richard Rolke

Former Social Credit premier Bill Vander Zalm will speak in Vernon today at 6:30 p.m. at the Schubert Centre.

A former premier is urging rank-and-file British Columbians to rile up in protest over the HST.

Bill Vander Zalm has hit the highways of the province to fight against the harmonized sales tax being implemented by the Liberal government July 1, 2010.

“When 90 per cent of people are against something, how can the government proceed?” said Vander Zalm who will speak at a dinner meeting at Vernon’s Schubert Centre today at 6:30 p.m.

A combined provincial sales tax and federal goods and services tax will result in an additional seven per cent levy on a number of items currently exempt from the PST. The total tax will be 12 per cent.

“I’m against it because it’s been poorly presented. People had been told there wouldn’t be such a tax,” said Vander Zalm of the Liberals’ former policy.

A number of industries, including tourism and restaurants, have expressed concern that the tax will drive customers away and affect their bottom line.

Vander Zalm also suggests that a recession is the wrong time to be increasing taxes.

“People are being asked to cut back and there will be a terrific imposition on people,” he said, adding that the HST transfers money to big business.

“To tax the guy with the lunch box and direct it to business doesn’t make sense.”

And the former Social Credit premier doesn’t believe the argument that the HST only became an issue after the May provincial election.

“To do anything with the federal government takes months,” he said.

“It would have cost them the election so I understand why they didn’t bring it up.”

That is a theory dismissed by Eric Foster, Liberal MLA for Vernon-Monashee.

“It wasn’t on the radar for the minister of finance,” said Foster of the Liberals’ previous opposition to the HST.

But Foster says the situation changed when the federal government eased up on its rules.

“When we learned there was a made-in-B.C. formula, it became more palatable,” said Foster.

Vander Zalm believes there is only one force behind the new levy.

“They need money and they see money coming from the federal government,” he said of the $1.6 billion Ottawa will transfer to B.C. for accepting the HST.

“The Olympics will make the need even greater. There will be a big debt with the Olympics. I’m not against taxes but they need to manage better.”

To purchase tickets for today’s dinner meeting, call 545-4350.

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Tonight come meet and join

Bill Vanderzalm

in the fight to stop the H.S.T.

Supper at 6:30pm at the

Schubert Center with Bill to speak and
answer questions afterward.

Tickets $20.00 each.

Please call 250-545-4350.

Everyone welcome at no charge after 7:30pm.

Vernon and District Taxpayers

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All andidates forum for Vernon candidates.

OCTOBER 18, 2008

The Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association is hosting:

COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES FORUM

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

SCHUBERT CENTRE

AND

MAYOR CANDIDATES FORUM

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2008

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

SCHUBERT CENTRE

Invitations have been sent out to all candidates. Come with your

questions for the candidates.

Contact: Don House 250-549-2334

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Presentation to NORD on Hospital -- Presentation time change.

The meeting for the presentation is not at 2:00 pm.

Please note a change in time for the meeting at NORD tomorrow, July 9:

11:30 am

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Presentation to NORD on Hospital.

Jeet Dukhia and Victor Schrauwen, concerned citizens who have spent a considerable amount of time studying the effects of Private Public Partnerships on various projects in Canada and their negative effects, will be presenting their concerns to the North Okanagan Regional District at a meeting on Wednesday July 9th @ 2PM. Both are long-term employees of Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

They are asking for your support in their presentation to the Board in regards to the construction and maintenance of the new proposed diagnostic centre at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Your attendance, if possible, will be greatly appreciated.

NORD Board Office, Hwy 6 and Aberdeen Rd
July 9, 2008
2:00 pm

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The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers Association's response to Tom Christensen.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 4, 2008

Re: email re: Vernon Jubilee Hospital Petition

Mr. Christensen, thank you for submitting the Petition of 18,000+ signatures to the Minister of Health Services.

The Taxpayers of the North Okanagan - Shuswap shall be looking forward to their petition concerns being addressed expeditiously, efficiently, with full transparency and accountability.

Your assertions that the Vernon and Districts Taxpayers Association (VDTA) statements are "in most cases inaccurate" fly in the face of accurate research and facts. Even though the two extra floors at the Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) in the Tower are welcome, this will not help until 2011.

We need action now.

VJH is still Code Purple every third day or so. 138 acute care beds refers to the 125 funded beds plus 13 temporarily funded beds on 2E. Are you suggesting that these temporary beds are now permanently funded? Please advise.

VJH is on average over-capacity everyday as the average census last year was 139 and Code Purple is usually 150+, which is 9% over-capacity. The recommended occupancy is 85 to 90% not 100 to 109%!

It was indeed fortunate that there was not a Code Purple when there was a carbon monoxide leak at Tolko and 29 workers were brought to Emergency all at once with a true Code Orange--mass casualty--situation. However, the Hospital was in Code Purple the very day before! We are teetering on the edge as far as safety goes and that is a view of doctors.

Penticton Hospital and Vernon have the same Code Purple protocol. Penticton had zero Cope Purples in 2007 - 2008. Like VJH, Penticton has some temporarily funded beds--20 of them. If you add their permanently funded beds (129) this is 149. You say we have 138 acute beds--well, Penticton has 149!

You claim there is no funding disparity, so why does Vernon, that serves a population of 140,000 have 138 beds when Penticton, that serves 80,000, has 149? The difference in Code Purple, 50 versus zero, illustrates the error in your calculations.

You say that your Government is providing 106 new residential beds. However, with the closure of the Alexander Wing, we are losing 49 residential beds according to the "Admitting Department", so that should be taken into account when there is talk about opening other residential beds. Also, one residential bed does not equal one acute care bed. You are equating a residential bed with an acute care bed.

Also, would you also be good enough to respond to our request for full disclosure as to the precise involvement of Infusion Health, a for-profit private company. Why is Infusion involved in our
publicly-funded healthcare assets? Your Government does not have a mandate to privatize our healthcare system and as the Federal Canada Health Act stands, private medicine is illegal.

Finally, all the caregivers and patients at Vernon Jubilee Hospital know that the foregoing facts are correct.

Antony Stamboulieh
On behalf of the Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association
Contact 250-260-1082

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The following email was received by the Taxpayers Association from Tom Christensen.

"Dear Mr. Stamboulieh,

Thank-you for your letter of June 6, 2008. I confirm my regrets that I was unable to attend the presentation of the petition in person and thank-you for providing it to my assistant Min Sidhu. I very much would have liked the opportunity to be there but would have had to cancel an engagement in Cherryville that had been scheduled weeks in advance and was attended by close to 50 Cherryville residents. It is unfortunate that you did not contact my office before scheduling your presentation as I don’t believe it would have been too difficult to find a time that would have allowed me to attend had that been important to you.

I am pleased to advise you that I have personally delivered the petition to the Honourable George Abbott, Minister of Health Services, at this office in Victoria on June 25.

I have had many discussions with the Interior Health Authority over the past few months with respect to services at Vernon Jubilee Hospital, including the planning for future expansion. The statements regarding current funding and services that you have expressed in your letter are in most cases inaccurate. Of most direct relevance to the petition itself, I must correct your statement that only 125 acute care beds are currently funded as the number of beds currently funded at VJH is 138. As you may already know, with the addition on 6 more palliative care beds at Hospice House in June and the opening of 106 new seniors care beds in the coming weeks, it is expected that the pressures on acute care beds at VJH will decrease. Nevertheless, I will be closely monitoring these developments and having ongoing discussions with both IHA and the Ministry of Health. I would be happy to arrange for IHA to respond to any specific questions about current funding and services that you may have.

I suspect you have already done so, but I suggest that you also provide a copy of the petition to the North Okanagan Columbia Shuswap Hospital District as the expansion of Vernon Jubilee Hospital is a shared funding responsibility between the province and the Hospital District.

Sincerely,

Tom Christensen
MLA Okanagan-Vernon

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Vernon Jubilee Hospital Petition Presentation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 1, 2008

The Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association will present the petition to the Provincial Government concerning equity funding forVernon Jubilee Hospital on June 6th 2008 outside Vernon City Hall at10:00 am.

The Vernon Jubilee Hospital, a regional hospital serving the North Okanagan - Shuswap, is consistently on purple alert because ofinadequate funding. The situation at VJH has become unbearable andunacceptable to all citizens in the region and we believe this stateof affairs is pervasive throughout our Province.

The signatures on this petition send a clear message to Premier Campbell's Government that action is needed immediately.

The taxpaying voters in the North Okanagan and the Shuswap want their regional hospital to be adequately funded to serve their communitiesefficiently and with dignity. Although Vernon is the third largest city in the IHA, acute care beds and operating rooms are not fairly funded. Vernon is also the largest city in BC without an MRI scanner. This lack of funding is based on the false assumption that VJH serves only Vernon, Lumby, Armstrong and Enderby.

Our Petition proves that VJH serves as the regional hospital for some140 000 people and should be funded proportionally.

We are calling on the Campbell Government to fund VJH according to the true population it serves and increase operational funding for acute care beds, permanent nursing staff, operating rooms and an MRI.

We are calling on the Campbell Government to provide for acute care beds, operating rooms and permanent nursing staff in the design of the new diagnostic and treatment tower.

Taxpayers are no longer prepared to put up with being treated like cattle and forced to sleep in corridors and closets! Nor are we willing to stand by and have a private company dictate the design of the Tower for which the taxpayers of the North Okanagan - Shuswap are paying 40% of the capital costs.

This invitation to attend our petition presentation is being extended to: Mr. Tom Christensen, our MLA; Hon. George Abbott, Minister for Health; Adrian Dix, Opposition Health critic; Debra MacPherson, President of the BC Nurses' Union; representatives of the doctors and CUPE; all the local media and press as well as the Vancouver Provincial media. We are inviting all candidates from every political party who will be contesting the next Provincial election to attend on June 6th at 10:00 am outside Vernon City Hall. We are also inviting representatives of seniors' organizations from the Schubert Centre and the Halina Centre in Vernon.

We look forward to seeing citizens of the North Okanagan - Shuswap who can come out on June 6 at 10:00 am in support of Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Contact:

Antony Stamboulieh

antonystam@shaw.ca

Tel: 250-260-1082

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Vernon Jubilee Hospital facts and figures.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 15, 2008

The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association has some clear facts for Mr. Tom Christiansen taken from the Interior Health Authority's (IHA) own documentation showing that Vernon Taxpayers and North Okanagan - Shuswap Taxpayers are getting less for their dollar than counterparts in Penticton and Trail:

Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) does not have an MRI machine (magnetic resonance imaging), a vitally important diagnostic tool, yet Penticton and Trail do.

Vernon Jubilee Hospital has 125 beds for a population of 135,000. Penticton has 129 beds for a population of 80,000. If we were funded proportionally we should have 210 beds. Even if you subtract the 40 beds in Salmon Arm and 10 beds in Revelstoke this is still 160 beds. If we had 160 beds he occupancy rate in 2007/08 would have been 87% since the average census was 139, which is exactly the recommended level (85-90%) for patient SAFETY. Instead, at 125 beds, we were an AVERAGE of 11% overcapacity for the whole year.

VJH was code purple with approx 20% overcapacity over 40 times in 2008, as a direct result of inadequate funding for acute care beds. This means the "temporarily funded" 13 bed short stay unit is full, there are at least 7 patients in hallway beds and there are still at least 4 admitted patients in the emergency room (ER).

VJH has 4 funded operating rooms (ORs) yet Trail, with a pop of 80,000, has 5 ORs. If we were funded at the same level per population we should have 8 ORs. Even if you subtract the two very limited ORs in Salmon this still leaves six. We have been trying to recruit a third Urologist for three years because of unacceptable wait lists to see a Urologist and unacceptable wait lists for urological cancer surgery. Our inability to recruit a third urologist is a direct result of not enough OR time.

Vernon's surgery program in 2007/08 required $5 million for surgical supplies but we are only funded for $3 million. Our surgical program has not received an increase since 2001, not even for inflation or the increased cost of supplies.

Here is a table from the Interior Health Authority (IHA) document which shows the reduction in beds after the IHA was created.

Some highlights:

Our region (North Okanagan-Shuswap) lost 41 beds in 2002. At the same time Penticton's beds increased. Yet our population growth was not only greater than Penticton's at the time but also has had greater growth than Penticton since. The problems with overcapacity at VJH began with this reduction.

One important concept that people must understand is that reduction in beds in 2002 was not the same as reduction in beds in 1992. In the early 90's laparoscopic surgery was developed and over the next ten years this allowed surgeries that used to require a hospital bed for a week to be performed as a day care surgery. By the year 2000 most hospitals had reduced the number of beds because, as a result of technological improvements, they actually were not needed.

However, in 2002 our hospital was already running at optimal efficiency and a reduction in beds at this point started to affect patient care because at a reduced level it could not meet the demand and there were no ways to improve efficiency. Now we are code purple every other day as a direct result.

The other important concept is that a residential care bed is not equal to an acute care bed. First of all, they are a lot cheaper and very limited. If someone in a nursing home has any kind of serious medical problem they are sent to emergency. Yes, residental beds decompress patients occupying acute care beds but it is a two way street. There are also significant numbers of sick patients admitted to the hospital FROM residential care beds. This is why, despite increasing the numbers of residential beds, Vernon Jubilee Hospital is still code purple gridlock.

Therefore, it would be wise for Mr. Tom Christiansen and the Hon. George Abbott to pay attention to these facts--facts that are suffered on a daily basis by patients, doctors, nurses and all hospital staff that provide services to patients.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250-260-1082

Hospital Petition.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 8, 2008

The Petition process is in full swing and public support is strong.

The cut off date for the Petition will be May 31, 2008.

Starting this coming Saturday, The Vernon & District Taxpayers' Association will be manning additional petition signing tables at the Swan Lake Fruit Stand and the Farmers' Market. Continuing signing tables at Buy-Low Foods in the Okanagan Landing Plaza, Butcher Boys and Schubert Centre. On Saturday, May 10 there will signing opportunities at the Schubert Centre Pancake Breakfast and the Garden Fair at Polson Park.

A new signing location in Enderby is Hungry Jack's. If anyone can volunteer time to man a signing location please call the Association at 250-260-1082 or email antonystam@shaw.ca

Continuing: Armstrong Bakery, Armstrong City Hall, Ashton Creek Store, Askew’s Armstrong, Butcher Boys, Coldstream Municipal Hall, Enderby Credit Union, Enderby IDA Pharmacy, The Falkland Store, Halina Centre, Lumby Pharmacy, North Valley Echo, Pleasant Valley Quilting (Armstrong), Serenity Tanning (Alpine Centre), Shepherd's Hardware in Armstrong, Spallumacheen Municipal Hall, Towne Cinema (Vernon), Vernon

City Hall.

The petition is also available at Vernon medical clinics, as well as doctors’ offices and pharmacies throughout the North Okanagan-Shuswap.

Anyone wishing to help by circulating the petition can download it and the flyer at http://vernonblog.blogspot.com/

The information flyer and petition form have also been attached to this email.

Kay and Tony Stamboulieh, on behalf of the Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association, wish to acknowledge the tireless, relentless dedication to community service of the following members: Linda Gluschenko, Kay Sulek, Hazel Stinson, Winifred Hebert, Lynne Smith, Judy Mallett, Joan Debella, Jane Weixl, Rita Andrus, Jean Prince.

Also, thank you to everyone who has taken the petition to the streets. Completed petitions are to be mailed to 6272 Old Kamloops Road, Vernon BC V1H 1P8.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250-260-1082

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Petition, Vernon Jubilee Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 28, 2008

New locations: Armstrong City Hall, Spallumacheen Municipal Hall, Vernon City Hall, Shepherd's Hardware in Armstrong, Armstrong Bakeryand Pleasant Valley Quilting (Armstrong), Towne Cinema (Vernon).

Previous: Vernon medical clinics, doctors’ offices and pharmaciesthroughout the North Okanagan-Shswap, Butcher Boys, The Falkland Store,Coldstream Municipal Hall, the Lumby Pharmacy, Halina Centre, Askew’sArmstrong, Enderby Credit Union, North Valley Echo, Enderby IDAPharmacy, Ashton Creek Store and many more.

Outdoor signing at Buy-Low Foods (OKanagan Landing Plaza) and Schubert Centre in Vernon from May 5 to May 24 (except Sundays) 11:00 am to 3:00 pm

The Vernon & Districts Taxpayers' Association would appreciate any coverage you can give the petition for funding equity at Vernon Jubilee Hospital. Attached is an information flyer for posting and distribution as well as the petition. Completed petitions can be mailed to 6272 Old Kamloops Road, Vernon BC V1H 1P8.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250-260-1082

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For your information.

Signing locations for Hospital Petition.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2008

What does 'Code Purple' at Vernon Jubilee Hospital mean? It means there are too many patients who need the 125 acute care beds and that means not only the beds, but all the staff that care for the patients in those beds. At the VJH Code Purple is a more than frequent state with the average patients in acute care beds per day being 132. Last Monday VJH declared Code Purple, and the on call doctor, after doing 3 operations, had to send a fourth patient with appendicitis to Salmon Arm because there were so many patients in hallways that he was told it wouldn't be safe to do the operation as there was no place for the patient to recover afterwards. This was at 1:00 am in the morning.

The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association urges people to sign and circulate the petition to Gordon Campbell's government to increase funding for acute care beds, operating rooms and permanent nursing staff.

Individuals, groups and businesses in the North Okanagan - Shuswap are urged to put out petitions in their locations. The Association can be emailed: antonystam@shaw.ca or contacted at 250- 260-1082.

At present, these are the signing locations: medical clinics, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, Butcher Boys, The Falkland Store, Coldstream municipal office and more locations throughout the North Okanagan - Shuswap to come.

Thanks to all the individuals who have volunteered to collect signatures.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250 - 309 - 7488 or 250-260-1082

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Signing locations for Hospital Petition.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2008

What does 'Code Purple' at Vernon Jubilee Hospital mean? It means there are too many patients who need the 125 acute care beds and that means not only the beds, but all the staff that care for the patients in those beds. At the VJH Code Purple is a more than frequent state with the average patients in acute care beds per day being 132. Last Monday VJH declared Code Purple, and the on call doctor, after doing 3 operations, had to send a fourth patient with appendicitis to Salmon Arm because there were so many patients in hallways that he was told it wouldn't be safe to do the operation as there was no place for the patient to recover afterwards. This was at 1:00 am in the morning.

The Vernon and Districts Taxpayers' Association urges people to sign and circulate the petition to Gordon Campbell's government to increase funding for acute care beds, operating rooms and permanent nursing staff.

Individuals, groups and businesses in the North Okanagan - Shuswap are urged to put out petitions in their locations. The Association can be emailed: antonystam@shaw.ca or contacted at 250- 260-1082.

At present, these are the signing locations: medical clinics, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, Butcher Boys, The Falkland Store, Coldstream municipal office and more locations throughout the North Okanagan - Shuswap to come.

Thanks to all the individuals who have volunteered to collect signatures.

Contact: Tony Stamboulieh 250 - 309 - 7488 or 250-260-1082

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