4th-36th Vol. 70-Petitions

VOL. XLVIII No. 70 - 1:30 p.m., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1998

Wednesday, June 24, 1998

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF MANITOBA

Wednesday, June 24, 1998

The House met at 1:30 p.m.

PRAYERS

ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS

PRESENTING PETITIONS

Community VLT Plebiscites

Mr. Doug Martindale (Burrows): Madam Speaker, I beg to present the petition of C. Milan, D. Chorney, S. Andersen and others praying that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Premier (Mr. Filmon) to consider permitting communities to hold plebiscites on VLTs, reducing gambling advertising and increasing funding for treatment of problem gamblers.

READING AND RECEIVING PETITIONS

Winnipeg Hospitals Food Services-Privatization

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Broadway (Mr. Santos), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read? Dispense.

THAT the Urban Shared Services Corporation (USSC) has announced plans to privatize laundry, food services and purchasing for the Winnipeg hospitals; and

THAT it is estimated that more than 1,000 health care jobs will be lost over the next year as a result, with many more privatized in the next two or three years; and

THAT under the terms of the contract, Ontario businesses will profit at the expense of Manitoba's health care system; and

THAT after construction of a food assembly warehouse in Winnipeg, chilled, prepared food will be shipped in from Ontario, then assembled and heated before being shipped to the hospitals; and

THAT people who are in the hospital require nutritious and appetizing food; and

THAT the announced savings as a result of the contract have been disputed, and one study by Wintemute Randle Kilimnik indicated that, "A considerable number of studies have compared costs of service delivery in health care between self-operation (public sector) and privatization. Invariably, privatization is more expensive."; and

THAT no one in Manitoba seems to benefit from this contract, especially patients.

WHEREFORE YOUR PETITIONERS HUMBLY PRAY that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Health to put an end to the centralization and privatization of Winnipeg hospital food services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Elmwood (Mr. Maloway), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read? No? Dispense.

THAT the Urban Shared Services Corporation (USSC) has announced plans to privatize laundry, food services and purchasing for the Winnipeg hospitals; and

THAT it is estimated that more than 1,000 health care jobs will be lost over the next year as a result, with many more privatized in the next two or three years; and

THAT under the terms of the contract, Ontario businesses will profit at the expense of Manitoba's health care system; and

THAT after construction of a food assembly warehouse in Winnipeg, chilled, prepared food will be shipped in from Ontario, then assembled and heated before being shipped to the hospitals; and

THAT people who are in the hospital require nutritious and appetizing food; and

THAT the announced savings as a result of the contract have been disputed, and one study by Wintemute Randle Kilimnik indicated that, "A considerable number of studies have compared costs of service delivery in health care between self-operation (public sector) and privatization. Invariably, privatization is more expensive."; and

THAT no one in Manitoba seems to benefit from this contract, especially patients.

WHEREFORE YOUR PETITIONERS HUMBLY PRAY that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Health to put an end to the centralization and privatization of Winnipeg hospital food services.

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Selkirk (Mr. Dewar), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read? No? Dispense.

THAT the Urban Shared Services Corporation (USSC) has announced plans to privatize laundry, food services and purchasing for the Winnipeg hospitals; and

THAT it is estimated that more than 1,000 health care jobs will be lost over the next year as a result, with many more privatized in the next two or three years; and

THAT under the terms of the contract, Ontario businesses will profit at the expense of Manitoba's health care system; and

THAT after construction of a food assembly warehouse in Winnipeg, chilled, prepared food will be shipped in from Ontario, then assembled and heated before being shipped to the hospitals; and

THAT people who are in the hospital require nutritious and appetizing food; and

THAT the announced savings as a result of the contract have been disputed, and one study by Wintemute Randle Kilimnik indicated that, "A considerable number of studies have compared costs of service delivery in health care between self-operation (public sector) and privatization. Invariably, privatization is more expensive."; and

THAT no one in Manitoba seems to benefit from this contract, especially patients.

WHEREFORE YOUR PETITIONERS HUMBLY PRAY that the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Minister of Health to put an end to the centralization and privatization of Winnipeg hospital food services.

Community VLT Plebiscites

Madam Speaker: I have reviewed the petition of the honourable member for Burrows (Mr. Martindale), and it complies with the rules and practices of the House. Is it the will of the House to have the petition read? No? Dispense.

THAT in 10 years the current government has increased gambling revenues from $55 million to more than $220 million annually; and

THAT the introduction and the proliferation of video lottery terminals in virtually every licensed premises across the province has resulted in Manitoba having nearly 5,000 VLTs, the most per capita in the country; and

THAT gambling is now the Manitoba government's third largest revenue source behind only income tax and sales tax; and

THAT the provincial government doubled lottery advertising in 1996; and

THAT the Manitoba government has become more dependent upon gambling revenues than any other province; and

THAT the number of the tragedies involving people who have lost their savings, homes and in some cases their lives following gambling addiction continues to grows; and

THAT the provincial government spends less than 1 percent of its VLT profits on gambling treatment programs; and

THAT the Manitoba Lottery Policy Review Working Group amongst many others have requested that communities be allowed to hold plebiscites on banning VLTs as is allowed in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

WHEREFORE YOUR PETITIONERS HUMBLY PRAY THAT the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba urge the Premier (Mr. Filmon) to consider permitting communities to hold plebiscites on VLTs; reducing gambling advertising and increasing funding for treatment of problem gamblers.