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ait MLTONpili LfiAI1 itjI4kk11MITNP ' 1 71,UNS 2 , M LTONW A Metroland Community Newspaper ~R Pnop~t z 'Ron Furik ;ufleasy as big money turned over Bv IRENE GENTLE The. Champion Hme today, gone tomnorrow. Tbat's bow counicilior Ron Furik feels about $118.000 in provincial money. It méde a wbistle stop at a recent community services advisory committee (CSAC) meeting before being parceled off to, a variety of non-profit organizations. It's ironic that municipal counicillors agonize over smafl amounts of money but approve CSAC blitzing througb more than $100,000 in a day, Mr. Furik said at a recent municia meeting. "Vie effectively walked into that meet- ing and spent $118,000,"1he added. The money is Milton's share of a $40 milon hanidout firomt the Ontario Lotteay Corporation to help local charities survive tie transition from roving Monte Carlo events te pennanens cbarity casinos. I Milton, 41 organizations applied for the funding. Town staff winnowed that number down before passing their work on toCSAC for fine tiing. When it recently landed before council- e WINDFALL on page 10 Boswantod TM ilo chaptor of the Canadian Federation of University Wornen is now accepting donations for its annu- ai gisait book sal. Proceeds f rom tbe eveait, scheduled for March 26 and 27 at Milton Mail, wiIl go toward local achoarahipa. Bocks in reasonable condition cen be drppedcoffIn bine ai Zellers aaid Vol. 139 No. 103 Fridav. March 5. 1999 Baby wardX could be up and running by the summ-er By IRENE GENTLE 7h, Champion A new obstetrician could be delivered to Milton District Hospital as early as this Sunday. If so, Milton's baby ward could be up and nanning by tbe sum- mier, predicted Dr. Don Robertson, chair of tbe search committee and associme chief of staff for Halton Healtbcare Services, winch runs the newly amalgamnated Milton District and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial bospitals. "We are finally going te con- duct the interviews with the candidates on March 7," bie announced at a recent Halton Healtbcare Services board meeting- A search bas been on for a new obstetrician since Dr. Sushil Suppal withIrew from tbe position after bis contract expird last November. At tbe trne, Dr. Suppal was on cali 24 bours a day. Dr. Suppal's witbdrawal led te the closing of the maternity ward and the, launching of a $25,000 headbunt by the Niagara-based recruitment company MedFaIl hic. Since then, pregnant Milton women have been taken to Oakville or Burlington for tbeir care. Perbaps unsurprisingly, Oakile Trafalgar Januaay fig- ures showed there were 160 births ai tbe hospital, the higb- est number for tbat montb in five years. Now, montbs after Milton's maternity ward sbut down, Dr. Robertson is confi- dent tbat a biring decision wiil be made on the day of tbe interviews. "We're boping to make a decision on Sunday," bue said. *'The two candidates are keen so we think it can budone." If so, an announcement of the hiring could corne as early as next week. The newa was bailed by jonn vaiv Halton Healtbcare Services president John Oliver. "Vie know there bas been somte concem with people wor- rying about obstetrica," he said. In the past, the searcb bas been marred by controversy, witb sorte local doctors saying that Halten Healtbcare Services is not willing te put up the kind of rnoney that would attract obstetricians te the town. Dr. Robertson said tbe diffi- culty bas more te do witb the demand outnumbering the sup- ply. "Obstetricians are in short supply," bu saisI. -There's Iass of tbem.going te school." Despite the difficulties, Medfall came up witb a short list of 10 candidates. That liat was tben pared down to tbree for the interview date. At the last minute, it was shortened yet again to two, after a third candidate accepted a position elsewbere. 1---,E F--Ij r-%si T *LAST CALL flWui FALL WINTER SALE Maryà Roe 2900o MW Y g .knd $ * $ * Photo by GRAH4AM PAINE Wait for it Xý** Young Mark Plider snxlously awalts a drop of sap from a tapped maple tree et Mountsb.rg Conservation Area durIng the early days of maple syrup season. Seo page 8 for more photos. 1r Vol. 139 No. 103 Fridav. March 5 1999 29 Pages 7ÇdrÉ-.e-r.--l