Tuesday Nov. 5, 2013 (Vol. 38 No. 89)
V O I C E
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National stage: Kwantlen Polytechnic University women’s soccer team is one of eight teams making a pitch for a national title. i see page 19
Health minister says health authority’s repeatedly going over budget ‘doesn’t add up for us’
Province orders probe of Fraser Health Jeff Nagel Black Press
Health Minister Terry Lake has ordered a strategic and operational review of Fraser Health to help contain rising costs and deal with persistent hospital congestion. The health region is B.C.’s largest – it consumes $3 billion a year on behalf of 1.6 million residents – but it’s running over budget once again this year and Lake said it will
require another infusion of extra money to meet patient demand. The Fraser region population, which includes those served by both Peace Arch Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, has grown by 1.3 per cent a year over the past three years and the authority has received budget increases averaging six per cent a year – more than the 4.8-per-cent average for other health regions.
Despite that, Fraser went one per cent over budget last year – the third year in a row it’s failed to stay within its allocation. “That doesn’t add up for us,” Lake said. “Fraser has not been able to manage the budget targets and we want to understand why.” He said continued budget hikes of five to seven per cent can’t continue either. “We’ve been very clear that we need to
bend the cost curve down on increases in health because it’s simply not sustainable,” the minister said. It’s too soon to say how far Fraser will overshoot this year’s budget but another one per cent overrun would take an extra $30 million – money Lake said will be found from the core operations of the health ministry, not raided from other health regions. i see page 4
Assailant sought
Student grabbed Kevin Diakiw Black Press
Evan Seal photo
Officers close off the area surrounding Hi-Knoll Park after a woman’s body was discovered Thursday near some furniture that was left there.
Sex-trade workers warned in wake of apparent homicide
Woman found dead in east Surrey park
Lisa Ann Zielke victim
Police are warning sex-trade workers to take extra precautions after the body of a woman known to be living the high-risk lifestyle was found dumped in a park near the Surrey-Langley border Thursday. Officials with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team on Monday identified 41-year-old Lisa Ann Zielke as the victim. The Surrey resident was drugdependent and actively working as a sex-trade worker, police say.
She was last seen alive at about 6:15 p.m. Oct. 30, when she was spotted getting into a vehicle near 91 Avenue and King George Boulevard. Her body was found in the parking lot of Hi-Knoll Park – in the 19500-block of Colebrook Road – about 17 hours later. Foul play is suspected. The cause of death has not been released. Police believe furniture – including a brown sofa-bed and a wooden table and chairs – that was found near the scene
may help them identify a person of interest in the investigation. “Investigators believe that the timeline of when Lisa Ann was in the park is very close to the timeline that the furniture would have been dumped,” Sgt. Jennifer Pound said Monday. “The individual(s) who dumped the furniture may have information about her death and police are looking to identify and speak with them.” i see page 2
Surrey RCMP are hunting for a man after a 15-year-old said she was grabbed on her way home from school last week. The student said she had been followed for some time We d n e s d a y before the man grabbed her arm near 136 Street and 60 Avenue at Suspect about 4:15 p.m. police sketch She broke free and ran to a family member’s home and was not injured during the brief struggle. Police canvassed the area looking for witnesses and, in consulting other specialized RCMP sections, said they found “no links to other similar reported cases.” The suspect is described as Caucasian, approximately 5’11” to 6’0”, medium build, late 30s to mid 40s, with a long, broad red nose, short light-brown hair and salt-and-pepper stubble. He was believed to be wearing baggy clothing, including blue jeans that were stained or dusty near the bottom, and a longsleeve sweater or jacket. “While we believe this to be an isolated incident, we need to warn the public and ask for their assistance in reporting suspicious persons or activities,” said Cpl. Bert Paquet.
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