Burnaby Now May 26 2010

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Burnaby’s first and favourite information source

Tots get walking to help a good cause

Delivery 604-942-3081 • Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Teens perform under the big top

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Queen and cake: A winning combo For most people, Monday was a statutory holiday and day to relax. But for the staff at the Burnaby Village Museum, it was a day to celebrate Queen Victoria, for whom the holiday is named after. The museum, decorated in a 1920s Olde England theme, was hopping with activity, including children doing a traditional maypole dance, the Tiddley Cove Morris dancers

performing and the Metropolitan concert band providing musical accompaniment. “For me, Victoria Day is one of the most fun days of the year,” said Nancy Stagg, marketing and sponsorship coordinator for the museum. “Everybody had a great time, and the weather even held up.” The historical re-enactors, the Seymour Artillery Company, got the

proceedings going with a salute and cannon-firing for Queen Victoria as she entered the museum on a Model T just after 2 p.m. Sitting beside the Queen – played by actor Heather McPherson – was honorary reeve Carol Rush. “The top on the Model T was down, and everybody was cheering,” said Stagg of the crowd estimated at 700 people.

Photos by Larry Wright/burnaby now

Happy birthday: Above left, volunteers slice up the

traditional Union Jack cake served for Victoria Day at Burnaby Village. Above, “Queen Victoria” gets a hand out of the Model T as she arrives for the festivities.

Health critic decries 18-month MRI waits Funding cuts have increased waiting times says Adrian Dix Janaya Fuller-Evans staff reporter

It can take up to 18 months to get an MRI scan at Burnaby General Hospital, one year after the hospital acquired a new MRI machine, according to the NDP health critic.

Funding cuts have increased waiting times, Adrian Dix said in a press release. Fraser Health estimates most patients wait five to seven months. “Thousands of patients have to undergo an MRI scan before having surgery or in order to have medical treatment,” Dix said. “But the B.C. Liberals are limiting access to care by cutting 10,000 MRI procedures and reducing the budget for diagnostic services by another 10 per cent

in the coming months.” Before the May 2009 election, the B.C Liberals increased MRI volumes in Metro Vancouver and other parts of the province, Dix added, but after the election, they cut funding. Health Minister Kevin Falcon plans to consolidate diagnostic services in the Lower Mainland to trim the budget by another 10 per cent. “Technicians responsible for operating

MRIs have been notified about potential layoffs,” Dix said in his press release. According to the Ministry of Health Services, the number of MRIs performed in B.C. has increased by 170 per cent since 2001/02. The province conducted 101,000 MRI exams in 2008/09, the ministry has reported, up from approximately 37,000 in 2001. “We are experiencing growing costs MRIs Page 9


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