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I (thin) ' " ”an Wand “u (3.5! Stl In St I In _kltriksmls)'t'8sii_m End-Wilmnan Former Kmart employees still awaiting IiryTciel settlement orkers of the former WWalerlon Kmart store are fed up with waiting for a financial settlement in their wrongful dismissal suit against the Hudson's Bay Company. but there are no promises ofa speedy resohr non. That's bad news for Eveleen Beshara and the more than 120 employees of the former Waterloo Town Square store who were part of a successful judgment in their favour in the fall of 1999. They joined more than 4,000 Kmart workers from across Canada who filed a class-action lawsuit asking for damages and pay in lieu of notice substantially greater than the amount they received when Kmart was taken over by lellers. a subsidiary of Hudson's Bay. "We'vé been waiting three years for a settlement and it keeps drag- ging on and we don't know why," Cardiac catheterization suite unveiled at St. Mary's Hospital . suing a timely diagnosis of heart problems just got easier with the unveiling of the new cardiac catheterization suite at St. Mary's General Hospital last Friday. The suite was fully staffed and operational as of Tuesday, and that means local residents no longer have to travel to centres in London, Hamilton or Toronto to undergo advanced diagnostic procedures of their heart coruii- tions. It's an important first step in the development of the Regional Cardiac Care Centre at St, Mary's, that will see interventional cardi- ology and cardiac surgery phases follow as part of the hospital's rebuilding program approved by the Ministry of Health, "Hopefully this means more timely access to service which has been a big issue," said the centre's new medical director, Dr, Claus Rinne. "Secondly it brings care looking For a New m, bin-ours BY BOB VRBAVAC Cprqnide Staff Bun \‘Rsmm. Quorum: will said Beshara. a former 25-year employee of the store. "The court has awarded the staff the money." - That judgment could total between $25,000 to $50,000 for some long-time employees, That money would come in handy for some of the employees who've had a tough go of it since the store closed in May of 1998. closer to home 1 people are more comfortable being looked after when they have family and friends close-by Beshara found only minimum wage employment since losing her Kmart job, so she decided to start her own business to better utilize the skills she learned as a jewelry manager at the former store. “It's better care because it real- ly allows us to offer care to more people, more promptly, and in a manner that they can be comfort- able with," "I didnt want to live on mini- mum wage anymore so I decided to start my own business, and you know how hard it is for a business to get started," said the owner ofa new jewelry store in uptown Waterloo. "There's nothing coming in. and there's nothing to live on. "That (settlement) money would help now because I depend- ed on that moneywhcn t got a loan from the bank. I depended on that Rinne, who has been practis- ing locally for the past 13 years. said more than 1,400 diagnostic catheterization procedures will be performed during the suite's first full year of operation. allowing local cardiologists to get a better handle on a patient's problem, "It's a diagnostic function that will help us decide between med- ical therapy with drugs, or surgical options like by-pass surgery or angioplasty." said Rinne. "It's the critical piece of information to help us decide what is best for the patient of those three options" The cardiac catheterization procedure involves the insertion of a catheter into an artery or vein in the groin area or wrist, which is guided into the coronary artery PAGE 3 of the heart. A dye is injected which allows the cardiologist to see the chamber. valves and arter- ies to determine if there's some- thing that can explain the pat- ient's symptoms. The cardiologist then can recom- mend the best treatment reg- The procedure 1JC Hau? t0rm is done on an Ho§pltal .stye outpatient basis, which official with patients staying at a new recovery area built just down the hall from the suite. Most people can return to work within a few days. money being here by now, but so far it hasn't apptartd/' _ _ "We can identify people earlier with the procedure," said Rinne. "We can then apply the therapy they need m keep them out of hospital and keep them healthier. Beshara said she and her co- workers are tired of the Hudson's Bay Company dragging its feet on a settlement. "I don't think it's proper at all, and I don't think this is good at all because this is our money that they're sitting on and collecting interest on." she said. "Some are even getting letters that they're not even entitled to any money at all which isnt fair. They did not offer now because I depended on that money when I got a loan from the bank." - Eveleen Beshara former 25-year Kmart mnployee it a big charige from the lean "That (settlement) money would help ClillON Dr. Claus Rinne, the new medical director of the Cardiac Care Centre at St. Mary's Hospital, shows off some of the new equipment in the cardiac catheterization suite which officially opened last Friday. not M%BANAC more 1g at a new times when Waterloo Region previously, to be frank. we didn't ust down the struggled to get important ser- see" Most people vices like cardiac care and cancer One of the people receiving a within a few care available locally, instead of lot of credit for the expansion of having to send patients out of cardiac care services locally is people earlier town for procedures. Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Witmer, " said Rinne. "It was really an endless death the former Minister of Health. J the therapy by a thousand cuts," said Rinne. There is talk that her govern- them out of "it's only been in the last few years ment will be exercising some belt em healthier. that we've seen a real expansion. . from the lean It's been a big commitment which Conunued on page 4 anything. It might be easy to close judgment should have had the stores and kick staff out, but it's not effect of speeding the settlement easy to settle." along, but it didn't." said Deluzio. David Deluzio. the Windsor working on contingency and wait- lawyer representing the former ing for payment himself. "We have Kmart workers. also thinks that the to fmd a way around that and we Hudson's Bav Companv could are. David Deluzio. the Windsor lawyer representing the former Kmart workers. also thinks that the Hudson's Bay Company could speed matters along instead of dragging it out with procedural delays. "The other side isrt't making it any easier for us to keep this thing moving," he said. Both sides have used a referee system to work out damages for former employees on a case-by- case basis. Each step of that process is being contested, with the Hudson's Bay Company looking for favourable interpretations with the support of expert witnesses. The Bay has won the latest round with the case management judge upholding some earlier damage decisions reached in Tommo. Deluzio hopes that will speed up the process. "Ceriificafion and summary ue, Hitl 1mm looking For tt Now‘ mammal! um») _ -rqlfqrErirM"'" tat-s-m-tAe sun-w n um One of the people receiving a lot of credit for the expansion of cardiac care services locally is Waterloo MPP Elizabeth Wilmer. the former Minister of Health. "I hope by this year we see a lot faster processing of these claims now; a lot of the issues that got in the way have been determined. This case is very much alive and well." Rob Moore, spokesman for the Hudson's Bay Company. said the Wm is simply following the process that was already laid out. and isn't trying to drag out the settlement. "As far as we're concerned we're just participating in the process established by the court," said Moore. "All of us are participating in the process and " taking as long as it takes. "We're going through due process lo make sure that every- body is treated appropriately and there's no cause for concern." had the