SUNDAY October
27 2013
FOCUS 3
Haunted houses TASTE 24
Chile’s Cono Sur SPORT 29
Playoff picture clears up Local News . Local Matter s
N S N E WS.C O M
Don’t rush NDP leader choice: Keating BRENT RICHTER brichter@nsnews.com
CROSS THE BRIDGE Women from Curves in Lynn Valley gather at Park Royal Oct. 20 for the group’s second annual Cross the Bridge walk to raise money for breast cancer awareness. The signed ribbon was placed on one of Lions Gate Bridge’s stone lions. Scan with Layar for more photos. PHOTO CINDY GOODMAN
The apparent frontrunner to take the top administrative job for the provincial New Democrats is encouraging his party to take its time in picking the next leader. “I’m prepared to see a (leadership) convention as late as 2015,” said Craig Keating. “I don’t think there’s any need to rush into making a decision around that.” Some in the party’s outgoing executive are pushing for a new leader to be chosen in the spring, however that would not give potential candidates enough time to shore up supporters, Keating said. “I don’t know who is going to be in the race but let’s have a race in which we generate excitement, expand our base and do See Election page 9
Disabled woman stuck in care home
Health authority won’t pay for subsidized NV apartment JANE SEYD jseyd@nsnews.com
A disabled woman who wants to live independently in her own apartment says she’s being denied the chance for a
normal life by an unfeeling health care bureaucracy. Richelle Bellis is 43 and has muscular dystrophy, which means she needs a ventilator and round-theclock assistance. But Bellis says she is also
relatively young, and wants a chance to live a regular life. With the help of an advocate, Bellis recently found a subsidized apartment in North Vancouver, rented it, and moved her belongings and equipment in. “I’ve been paying for it since June 1,” said Bellis. “Technically that’s where I live.”
She even found a local family doctor. But Bellis said after she did all that,Vancouver Coastal Health turned down her application for the funding program that would allow her to live in the apartment. Instead, she’s stuck in CareHome Fleetwood, a residential care home in Surrey where Bellis said
she’s told when and what to eat, when she can shower and spends her days on the computer, surrounded by elderly people. “It’s a very depressing situation,” said Jeanette Poulsen, an advocate who helps people with disabilities navigate the health care bureaucracy. The Choices in Support for Independent Living
program that Bellis applied for provides money for people with high physical care needs to live independently in their own homes. Under the program, patients hire and train their own staff and are responsible for all financial accounting. Patients can also have volunteers help them with
See Complexity page 5
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