| NDP point out Dinning’s private health care connections
The Alberta New Democrats are drawing attention to Jim Dinning’s connections to a company selling private health insurance.
Dinning, currently considered the front-runner in the race to replace premier Ralph Klein, is the chairman of the board of directors for Western Financial Group, which is the underwriter for Acure Health Corporation’s private insurance policy.
Acure Health, an Alberta company, is selling what it calls Market Access Insurance, which it describes on its website as "a group insurance product that covers you for an extensive list of surgical and diagnostic procedures with long wait times in the public system." The website says the insurance will "take you out of the line and arrange to expedite your diagnosis and treatment in the United States or Canada, when services are available."
"He’s obviously pursing the financial interests of his company, which includes selling health care insurance, so I think that’s pretty much going to be determining his point of view when it comes to health care policy when he becomes the premier, if he becomes the premier," says NDP leader Brian Mason.
City administration to look at policy around bars in inner city
City council has directed administration to look at developing a new policy to address the number of bars and nightclubs allowed along both 17 Avenue S.W. and First Street S.W. in order to prevent another Electric Avenue – the former bar strip along 11 Avenue S.W. that developed a negative reputation for crime.
Ald. Madeleine King has been championing the need to come up with a new policy. "When you have clustering of bars, you have problems with disorderly conduct and it’s difficult for the residential neighbours and the other businesses in the area," she says. "(The goal) is to keep 17 Avenue and First Street as vibrant areas, but to make sure their future’s going in a direction that’s consistent with what the public wants."
King says First Street S.W. has already become a problem, but 17 Avenue S.W. hasn’t yet.
Brent Toderian, manager of centre city planning and design for the City of Calgary, says administration will try to balance the need to revitalize the inner city with ensuring "livability" in neighbourhoods close to bar strips.
"We’ve heard very strongly from the people of Calgary that one of the things they want improved in the inner city and the downtown is more nighttime activity – It’s too dead after the working day," he says. "We’ll be looking at policy approaches to deal with what might be considered the worst-case scenario, which is sort of an Electric Avenue level of clustering of bars and nightclubs, while not preventing new bar growth that isn’t seen as a problem."
Health care forums
The Alberta Liberal Party is holding a town hall forum on health care at the Kerby Centre on Thursday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. that will include Calgary Liberal MLAs Harry Chase, David Swann and Dave Taylor.
The Parkland Institute is also holding a forum on the province’s "third way" health care reforms on Friday, March 28 at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Centre at 7 p.m. Speakers will include Harry Voogd, provincial co-ordinator of Friends of Medicare, and Colleen Fuller, co-author of The Bottom Line: The truth behind private health insurance in Canada published by the Parkland Institute.
The Canada West Foundation and the University of Calgary will also host a forum on the "third way" health care reforms on Friday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at the Kinesiology Extension building. Speakers will include Tzu-Kuang Lee, president of the Alberta Medical Association, journalist Danielle Smith and economist Herb Emery. |
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