City Notebook: Give it to us straight
By COLLIN GALLANT on September 26, 2020.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant Here’s a question: If the Alberta government can post payments it makes to doctors, why can’t Alberta Health Services give a straight answer on how much laundry upgrades in Medicine Hat would cost? The doctors “sunshine list” is going to happen within the next couple months barring a miracle de-escalation in relations between doctors and the province. The legislation comes back when the legislature resumes in three weeks. However, it’s been several years that two governments and AHS have been happy to leave a massive $100-million-plus figure hanging out there in the debate about privatizing laundry services. The actual figure specific to Medicine Hat to modernize aging laundry facilities is $9 million, the News discovered recently. That’s after straining to get a straight answer for several years of ongoing controversy. The clear impression however, has been that it’s just too costly. Many out there in a COVID lockdown might think awfully low to maintain a self-sufficient hospital in the Hat, rather than drive bags of laundry back and forth to Lethbridge. And the figure only squirted out into public view after the union representing laundry workers filed a bad faith bargaining case against AHS and the details were laid out at a labour board hearing. Doctors in this province operate their practices essentially as corporations, and payments are “gross,” meaning they don’t break down things like overhead and staffing costs. Doctors say it gives a skewed perception of their individual salaries, and is obviously a ploy. As well, consider that the province is about to pass legislation that thousands of private corporations aren’t protected by trade secret portions of the almighty, supposedly unbendable privacy protection legislation. If so, why can’t Albertan’s get a look at which oilfield service companies and operators are benefitting from a $1 billion well-abandonment fund? Notes on votes It’s municipal election times in Saskatchewan, and if you’re not so interested in who’s the next reeve in Big Stick, you should note this October marks one year out for civic elections in Alberta. We won’t know local candidates – who no longer have to register their campaigns to fundraise, thanks to changes in provincially mandated rules – until they publicly declare. Medicine Hat’s Mayor Ted Clugston told reporters this week that, much like last time, he’ll probably announce his decision to run or not in January at the State of the City address. Speaking of… State of the City, The running joke is that Fred Scherer used to walked away with the 50-50 cash more often than not from the Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce-run event. In a similar vein Chris Hellman collected his second major 50-50 charity win this month. The past chamber president and restaurant owner in town was the winner of the $10,000 Santa Claus Fund Fundraiser (he handed back $2,000), and not so long ago was drawn as the Kinsmen Dream Home 50-50 prize. His explanation at that time was that he buys a lot of 50-50 tickets. Don’t we all? A look ahead The city’s corporate services committee will discuss updates to the city’s environmental mission statement this week. Sources say the Oct. 5 council meeting will include a substantial discussion of capital projects. 100 years ago Work to put a concrete deck on Finlay Bridge was proceeding well, city engineers told the News during the last week of Sept. 1920. The work, to put reinforced paving overtop of wood trusses, had been bandied back and forth at city council and bids rescinded and cancelled since August. Now, contractors promised a reopening by week’s end. Former baseball player Billy Maharg told Philadelphia newspapers about a plot to “throw” games in the 1919 World Series one year earlier. In the nearby R.M. of King, No. 153, the annual tax sale listed 420 quarter-sections that could be bought for a minimum $1 bid at the Alderson town hall. King comprised nine townships located east of Tide Lake. John Coolidge of Bassano was sentenced to two years in the Lethbridge Gaol for cheque forging in a trial at Medicine Hat’s new courthouse. Other cases of note involved horse and auto theft. The touring party car of Premier Chas. Stewart landed in an irrigation ditch near Gleichen, but no serious injuries were sustained. Ottawa sought the province’s initial support in obtaining “home rule” by petitioning London for control to alter the British North America Act. Local farm loan broker F.S. Ratliff displayed a small but handsome crop of Spanish peanuts that he’d grown over the summer in the window if his office on Sixth Avenue. Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 and cgallant@medicinehatnews.com 31-30
