NEWS Health Minister visits PGH Page 1 & 2
COMMUNITY Check out what’s new at the library. Page 5
LIFESTYLES
Help Rotary fight Polio and you could win! Page 13
SPOTL SPOT SPOTLIGHT LIGHT $1.10 Includes TAX
The Similkameen
Volume 64 Issue 42
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Proudly serving the community since 1948 • www.similkameenspotlight.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.
Health Minister visits Princeton General Hospital After receiving an invitation during UBCM, Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid stops in Princeton for a tour and visit at PGH Lisa Carleton lisa@similkameenspotlight.com
Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid took a tour of Princeton General Hospital last Thursday. She was extended an invitation from Mayor and Council of the Town of Princeton as well as members of the Stakeholders group during their visit with her at UBCM. During her visit, Minister MacDiarmid met with members of the Stakeholders group, Mayor Frank Armitage, local doctors and representatives from Interior Health for a meeting to discuss the hospital situation. During a telephone interview with the Spotlight, Minister MacDiarmid said that there is a tremendous amount of work already being done towards resolving the issues facing rural B.C. hospitals. “There are initiatives in place already,” she said. The new regulations for nurse practitioners allowing them to admit and discharge patients from hospitals is the latest initiative that the ministry believes will assist rural and remote areas of B.C. (See “New Regulations” page 4 of this edition) Minister MacDiarmid is impressed with how members of the community have “stepped up” to help. Although she would have loved to give a date for Princeton Emergency Room opening 24/7, “it is difficult to give a time frame when we still have the issues of doctor and nurse availability,” she said.
See MINISTER - Page 2
Weather Watch Wednesday
High 9/Low 2
Thursday
High 14/Low 2
Friday
High 10/Low 3
Saturday
High 7/Low 1
Sunday
High 7/Low 0
Joe Fries/Staff
Passengers load up on Wednesday’s 2:40 p.m. bus out of Penticton. The mid-afternoon run is one that Greyhound is proposing to eliminate to reduce its $14-million annual loss in B.C.
Greyhound applies to reduce services Joe Fries Penticton Western News
A silver lining on the proposed reduction in Greyhound Canada trip frequencies could be the new opportunities it might create for competition in public transportation, says a local politician. The bus company has applied to the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board to eliminate one route and reduce minimum service levels on 15 of its 18 other routes in the province. On the Kelowna-Penticton run, the minimum is proposed to drop from 56 weekly trips to 28, while the minimum on the Vancouver-Rock Creek route, which makes stops in Princeton, Keremeos, Osoyoos and Penticton, could be halved from 28 to 14. In its application, the company claimed it lost $14 million on
Princeton
its B.C. routes last year due to increased costs for fuel and maintenance, reduced ridership and an “inflexible” regulatory regime that prevents it from responding quickly to market forces. The company did not respond to requests for comment. Penticton Mayor Dan Ashton called Greyhound’s proposal “disappointing.” While he understands the company’s needs to rein in costs, he thinks it should also look at ways to increase revenue, like nicer terminals or better buses. Ashton, who also chairs the board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said if Greyhound does reduce service, it could leave the door open for more nimble carriers to fill demand on a regional basis.
See GREYHOUND - Page 2
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