| The Alberta government is reducing the number of health regions in the province, something critics say is undemocratic and undermining.
Health Minister Gary Mar says reducing 17 heath authorities to nine will increase efficiency and better enable them to meet heath needs and implement changes.
But critics say the move is another example of the provincial government creating instability in a system that desperately needs predictability.
Friends of Medicare chair Avalon Roberts says the change is undemocratic because it reduces the number of elected representatives sitting on health authorities, which were voted on for the first time only last year. She also worries the remaining elected representatives will be eliminated by the government in favour of appointed representatives.
This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Ottawa Convention Banning Anti-Personnel Landmines, but efforts to eliminate them continue around the world.
More than 30-million landmines in storage have been destroyed since the convention was signed, but clearing existing landmines from the ground is an ongoing global effort. Canada is currently involved in mine-action programs in 25 countries around the world.
Two-thirds of the world’s countries have signed the treaty, which outlaws the production, use, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel mines.
The Canadian Red Cross is active in a number of programs around the to help landmine victims, including Cambodia and Croatia.
The design of future buildings in the Beltline is the subject of two open houses next week.
The meetings will give citizens a chance to provide input into the creation of new policies and regulations for housing, street and lane developments.
The policies are part of a major policy initiative that will guide planning in the downtown area in the future.
The meetings are scheduled December 5 from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Memorial Park Library and December 7 from noon until 6 p.m. at the Carl Saffron Centre (Rundle College).
Alberta Theatre Projects is accepting nominations for the 18th annual Harry and Martha Cohen Awards, to be presented next year.
The award recognizes a group or individual that has made a significant contribution to theatre in Calgary. Past winners include Bob White and Fred Scott.
Nomination forms are available from Alberta Theatre Projects. More information is available on the ATP Web site (www.ATPlive.com).
The Olympic Plaza Cultural District is holding cultural events on the first Thursday of every month, beginning in December with a free dessert wine tasting.
The Cellar restaurant is holding the tasting on December 5.
Upcoming events include a chef’s tour of the Marriott Hotel and chats at the Art Gallery of Calgary.
More information is available at the Real Live Arts Web site (www.RealLiveArts.com). |
