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SPECUUn ITEMS
Safeway carries a variety of specialty items to help you create the perfect holiday meal.
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Visit the Safeway nearest you for all your Kosher food needs.
(not all products available in all stores)
Jewish
Bulletin
Western
Say you saw it in tlic Bulletin...
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PESnCH 2004
All who are hungry, let them come and eat.
All who desire,
let them come and celebrate.
Hassadah
MODEL SEDER
A workshop to help you prepare for leadins the seder at home or away
Wed. March 31 8:00pm
Wosk Auditorium
Cover stop
ies
HEALTH CARE from page 1
that those with lower incomes actually get more financial support," increasing premium rates for those who could afford it, more prevention programs, the use of evidence-based dedsion-maldng and increasing the number of surgical procedures performed in file province.
"It's not just about bringing costs down," said Hansen. "It's also about doing more." He provided some statistics.
"There's been lots of talk about wait hsts for things like hip and knee replacements and yet last year we increased the number of hip replacements by 14 per cent," he said. "We increased the number of knee replacements by 11.2 per cent. We increased the nima-ber of cardiac surgeries in the province by 13 per cent. And yet more still needs to be done."
Hansen concluded his speech on an optimistic note. He said that it won't be possible to bring costs down to a point where the system will be sustainable, unless there is also economic growth. Then he gave a few examples of how growth is taking place here, pointing to new in-] vestment, new businesses, an increase in housing starts and, for the first time in six years, a net in-migration to the province.
In the question-and-answer period, Hansen responded to concerns about home care, saying that home/commvmity care needs to be expanded. He defended the government's current ad campaign by saying that people need to know that services are being increased, because many are under the impression that health-
care spending has been cut. He assured people that the government "will not compromise the privacy of health information" in its use of a private American company to help make the processing of health forms, records, etc., faster with computerization.
In response to a question about privatization, Hansen defended medicare while pointing out that Canada's health system has always been a public-private imdertalang - currently the public sector accounts for 70 per cent of health spending, and within that there are private providers (physicians, for example) who are paid from the public purse. Hansen fielded several other questions.
While some forum attendees remained skeptical of the government's health plans after Hansen's talk, the crowd was polite throughout and the afternoon passed pleasantly.
The March 21 forum was moderated by radio pcrsonahty and retired physician Dr. Art Hister — his contribution supported the event's title Laughter is the Best Medicine! JSA president Serge Haber opened the event and the Hon. Val Anderson, MLA of Van-couver/Langara, also said a few words of welcome. JCC Showtime Entertainment put on an energetic and engaging perfonnance after Hansen's speech and forum co-chair Sharene Jansen gave the closing remarks.'
For more information on the JSA, call Jennie Virtue at 604-257-5100. For more information about the JCC Seniors, call lin-da-yael Iny at 604-257-5111. □
CIJA from page 1
CIJA will also hnk Canadian journalists directly with Israeli experts and Canadian voices for Israel. An example of this strategy was having a Canadian at the International Court of Justice's hearing on Israel's security fence in The Hague to speak to Canadian media fiiom a firsthand perspective, so that they did not have to rely solely on wire stories for their coverage.
Part of the impetus for the creation of CIJA, Ezrin said, was a rcaUzation that previous conditions no longer existed and a new strategy was needed.
"All of our traditional old friends are our new enemies," he said.
Ezrin was not the only guest at the Federation meeting. Ya'a-cov Brosh, consul-general of Israel to Canada, brought greetings on behalf of his government. Brosh had spoken earlier in the day at Langara College to an attentive crowd, but a similar attempt two days earlier on the campus of Simon Fraser University devolved into a 90-minute
melee in which he was prevented from making his presentation. (For more on the political situation on Canadian campuses, see the Bulletin'a Passover issue next week.)
In the business part of the Federation AGM, Amie Fine was reelected for a second term as president and seven board members departed. Seventeen new board members took their places and 16 two-year-term directors continue their terms.
The meeting also celebrated a successful Combined Jewish Appeal campaign, which this year raised a total of more than $5.5 million - an increase of 23 per cent over the previous year. Of the approximately $1.25 million in new funds, $670,000 will go to supporting projects in Israel, $330,000 will go to local needs in British Columbia's Jewish community and $250,000 will support Israel advocacy in Canada. □
Pat Johnson is a native Vancouvcrite, a journalist and commentator.