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Friday, March 1, 2013
GP For Me modelled on local practice
Watchdog wants Pompeo off the public payroll ASAP B.C. Civil Liberties Association: RCMP say judge’s ruling gives no reason to change officer’s restricted duty status quo
Ashley Degraaf
News Leader Pictorial
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Cowichan pilot program making big strides in attaching patients to family doctors was so successful it is being taken province-wide. As part of the GP for Me program, a plan announced last week to meet the lofty goal of ¿nding a family doctor for everyone in B.C. by 2015, the B.C. government revealed the Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice as one of its three prototypes. “We know that a strong primary care system built around continuous doctor-patient relationships can improve health outcomes for patients,” said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. “This new program will make it easier for physicians to provide high-quality care to their patients, and in many cases ease their workload so that they can accept more patients into their practices.” The Cowichan Valley Division of Family Practice exempli¿ed exactly that. “As a prototype community, we needed to do a bunch of the foundational work,” CVDFP chair Tom Rimmer said. According to the province, new primary care clinics were opened for patients, more doctors were recruited, more on 9
Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
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Andrew Leong
Hebecca Montoril of Cowichan Green Community transports a load of manure in the sheet mulching process to set up Cowichan’s Ärst urban farm during Turning the Soil Community Party on Saturday, at Kinsmen Park on Alderlea Street.
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here’s no change in former North Cowichan/ Duncan Const. David Pompeo’s status with the Nanaimo RCMP detachment following his conviction for aggravated assault. “I read the judgement,’’ said Supt. Norm McPhail, Nanaimo detachment’s commanding of¿cer. “There’s nothing in the judgement that causes us to change his duty status. “He’s on restricted non-operational duties which means that he remains working for the RCMP but in a nonoperational position which means he’s not interacting with the public and he doesn’t have access to use-offorce tools,’’ said McPhail. Pompeo was found guilty Feb. 14 Pompeo: in the shooting of Bill Gillespie near David Still working Chemainus in September of 2009. The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has some de¿nite concerns regarding Pompeo’s status. “We’ll be watching very carefully,’’ said Josh Paterson, executive director of the non-pro¿t BCCLA, from Vancouver. “If this drags on, we’ll be concerned if this of¿cer remains on the public payroll.’’ Paterson contends the RCMP should not be waiting until sentencing before removing Pompeo from his duties. “It’s beside the point,’’ he said. “They should move now and not wait two months or whatever it’s going to be in order to take action. “There’s no real question about what the appropriate response should be. They need to be moving very swiftly for discipline and, in our view, termination,’’ said Paterson. “We would expect that an of¿cer who has been convicted should be facing internal disciplinary proceedings and that status ought to change. He shouldn’t be on the public payroll for a great length of time.’’ The BCCLA has supported Gillespie throughout the trial process, sending a lawyer to monitor some of the proceedings in Duncan. “We’ve de¿nitely had concerns about the length of time this whole thing has taken,’’ said Paterson. more on 9
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