LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
- August 7, 2007
To The Editor;
I am very concerned about the lack of fire escapes on our buildings and apartments and houses that rent apartments in private homes.
The complex that took the lives of two people this past week is a crime that never should have happened. The owner of this building did not have any fire escapes. The only way out was down a flight of stairs to the front door. There was no rope ladder or ladder of any kind coming from the top floor of this apartment.
If the building inspector, Town Council are doing their job, they would make sure all buildings or apartments were inspected for safety.
Many years ago, the fire department went from house to house to see if there was any hazard in and around the homes. I know this costs money but it is well worth the effort. Princeton is an old mining town with wood constructed buildings with no firewalls between store walls. The stores on the corner of Bridge Street to First Avenue to where the Provincial Building is situated would go up in flames in a minute. These are old wooden buildings that have been here for years with only artificial make-over to improve appearances. What chance would they have of surviving with apartments above these stores?
The owners of these buildings should assume responsibility to make sure their buildings have fire escapes and extinguishers available and in good working order, checked by the fire department at the owner's expense. Private home owners should have escape routes planned, everyone is accountable for their own safety.
The residents of Princeton are a caring, giving people and have shown their heartfelt sorrow to the Bae family by giving so generously to the trust fund set up at Valley First Credit Union and by donating to the glass jars in many stores. I thank you and the members of the United Church thank you as the Bae family are part of our family and we will take care of them with all your help.
- Cathie Orser, Princeton
Dear Editor,
There has been talk lately of the number of break-ins we have been experiencing along Highway 40, in the Chain and Link Lake area. Quite a number of us are now going out of our way to keep an eye on each others' properties, and thinking of installing various alarms and lights.
But there is another problem as well: there have been a series of casual grab-and-run incidents: I had two jerry cans of gas stolen out of my truck a few weeks ago, along with some sports equipment and the insurance and registration papers. There were quad tracks down my driveway, so I assume this was how they came in.
A close neighbor had several kids come down her driveway in quads (one was red), and heard them yell, "There's someone here - let's get out of here!" These kids have been seen running their quads in and out of driveways all up and down the road, and people are on edge.
I guess it's time to start locking things up all the time. It's too bad - this didn't use to be that sort of neighborhood. These kids and the cabin burglar have certainly done their bit to make this a less desirable place to live.
I don't know what we can do other than install alarms and keep an eye on each other. But something else could be done: parents should have a much better idea what their kids are doing and where they are.
For the record: the sports gear stolen was a pair of three-wheel, silver-colored roller skis with old Salomon bindings, and a pair of green poles with worn-out handles and carbide tips. The poles were used by eight-time World - and Olympic Champion Thomas Wassberg, and they meant a great deal to me. Has anyone seen them? (They can be left at the Princeton Irly Bird, and no questions will be asked).
Let's try to make this a place where we can trust each other again.
- Nat Brown, Princeton
Dear Sir;
I am sure your readers are very curious, and perhaps upset, over the fact that Princeton Hospital is once more without a physiotherapist. The purpose of this letter is to shed light on what happened.
Anthea Pugliese had moved here in August of 2006 with retirement or at least semi-retirement in mind. It became clear that Princeton, lacking a hospital physio, was desperate for one. Anthea filled the bill nicely, being British trained, and experienced over many years in England, Kelowna, Penticton, Vancouver, Richmond, and others. She decided to work in Princeton three days per week for two or three years at least, and commenced to do so. She was swamped immediately, with doctors in Penticton, remembering her competence from years before, recommending her in addition to her busy practice here.
Government is full of bloated bureaucracies, with various bodies being a haven for political hacks, who are owed something. Unrelated (maybe) to that comment is the fact that the Municipal Pension Plan has sixteen directors and sixteen alternate directors. I believe that their rules have to be set and approved by the lieutenant governor-in-council, so am at a loss to understand why this person power is necessary or even appropriate.
Suffice it to say that the latest addition of their rules was amendment number 9, and bore no relation to the problems in health care at present. The shortage of medical and paramedical personnel is acute and getting worse. I understand that Princeton had lost its former physio a couple of years ago, and had been unable to find another until Anthea Pugliese came along. 40% of our nurses and probably the same number of physios will retire in the next five years and the government has not created positions for enough students to fill them, although it has lots of time to appoint its hacks. It is critical to your health to get those who are retirement age and able-bodied to continue to work for as long as they can or will.
How does this mesh with the Municipal Pension Plan? Well, it works hard to discourage their staying on. One rule, which I don't think would stand up in court, is double-bladed. An employee who discusses post-retirement employment with his/her employer is disqualified from a pension. Likewise, if the employer dares to broach the subject with an employee, that employee is disqualified. Then semantics enters into it. The employee must not only resign, but unless he or she uses the word 'retiring' she/he is disqualified. And of course, they don't tell people this in advance. The Princeton Hospital was unaware of these preposterous 'rules.'
Anthea Pugliese asked three times to attend their retirement seminars. This was on the Mainland, where most of the employees are. In every case she was told that the seminars were full. Perish the thought that thirty-two directors and alternate directors should be able to arrange to provide adequate information to long-term employees. And perish the thought that they should provide it to the hospitals.
So what happened? Unknowing of all this, Anthea, who was coming into retirement age on November 30 of last year, talked to the employer. The employer, also unknowingly, made her an offer of 'post-retirement' (their words) employment on November 8.
With her retirement and her pensions due, Ms. Pugliese continued working. Her pay continued, but as she is a hands-on worker who trusts administration to look after her, she paid no attention to that. Her OPAL started without reference to anything but her age. So did her COP. But her Municipal Pension did not. I asked her about it several times, but she just thought administration of this was slow as is everything in health. Finally, in June, I persuaded her to ask what was going on, to which she received a cursory letter from the Pension Plan telling her she would not be eligible until she quit working altogether without discussing anything further.
The effect of this was that her pay had been cut by about a third when the pension to which she was legally entitled is taken into account. She felt betrayed, and she walked. The people of Princeton no longer have physio without taking the time, paying the car expense, and getting into lineups for treatment in Keremeos and Penticton. Anthea is ready, willing and able to return to work, but only if her pension is approved retroactive to November 30, 2006. That is what the Pension Plan's calculation contemplated, and that is what she is entitled to, thirty-two directors and alternate directors notwithstanding. Their 'rules' even, in my opinion, violate the Charter.
Joyce McKenzie, manager of the hospital here, does not seem interested enough to do anything about it. Harry Lali has not answered my letter. George Abbott, who professes deep concern about his health department, is not interested enough to respond, although he has the authority to rectify the situation. Ditto the president of the BC Medical Association, who could have a strong influence in the matter.
To add insult to injury, her employer was deducting continuing payment into the pension fund. She did not notice this. It would take just under eight years for her to get back these seven months of payments, not including interest. I note that they also deduct CPP premiums, although she has drawn CPP for seven months!
I am sure her patients and prospective patients would be extremely grateful if you were to lean on the mayor (who has not got involved), Mr. Lali, George Abbott. Phone them in the middle of the night to get their attention, and roast them. If you don't, this is going to happen to hundreds of others in the health field, all of whom will feel betrayed, and most of whom will not return when a judge says that the pensions must be restored. In Anthea's case, she is getting to like retirement and, although at present she is willing to come back, this may not be the case in even a few months.
Thank you,
- Murray R. Woodward, Princeton
