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Health Rally...Just One More Time

By 250 News

Before the New Year is upon us and someone tries just one more time to hitch their wagon to the “Health Care Rally “, which was held with a view to trying to focus attention to our health care problems in this city in 2000 , I would like to put the matter into proper light . 

I can speak with some authority on the matter, given the fact that the Health Care Rally idea and implementation took place in my living room. 

I don’t wish to for a moment take credit for the rally or I might add the idea. The credit for the idea falls at the feet of Glen Parrett of this city who phoned one Sunday morning and said he was on his way over to my house to talk to me. He suggested something should be done about the matter of health care in this city and his hands were tied to act, but he reasoned that  with my position as a talk show host I could spearhead the plan to focus attention on the problem. 

I called former General Manager of CKPG’s broadcast operations, Gord Leighton and he and I sat around the living room trying to come up with a way of pulling off a health care rally . Make no mistake, Leighton, who has never taken credit for his efforts was the catalyst in all of this. 

By being a member on Council, Leighton  was able to secure the Multiplex as a venue and he had excellent connections in getting people to meet.  We had decided we would try and put the rally together in four days and with a short fuse we began to line up a list of people to contact for their support. 

Politicians were not on the invitation list.  We wanted not only union support, business support but everyone in the community to come together to try and achieve this single move. Parrett had insisted that the whole, not a partial community must be involved in order to speak as one on this matter. To that end, we agreed that the Chairman needed to be someone who was not in any way connected to politics and we all reasoned that Rev Lance Morgan (who had favored no political movement) would get the call. That job fell to me and I contacted him to ask if he would head the group. He graciously agreed. 

We then set about calling up people of influence to come to a series of meetings to finalize the effort. I was to talk to union heads such as Frank Everitt and  Ann Krauseneck seeking their involvement while Leighton was to head the business and community leaders section. The following morning, a Monday, we held our first meeting .  Del Laverdure, publisher of the Citizen was there front and center.  He has never taken any credit for the effort but  trust me, he threw the Citizen's entire support behind it and I might add, his was the only paper that did. UNBC President Charles Jago came and we all now know planted the seed for a future teaching facility. Terry Weninger of CNC also offered his support and another old stand by, Tom Steadman of Canadian Tire worked hard on the project. Terry Shepard and Ron East of CJCI jumped into help. Bruce Strachan (who was doing a talk show )was asked but refused to team up to do some work on the project. Now there were others who attended the meetings in preparation for the rally, if I have forgotten to put their names to paper, please accept my apologies. 

There were four meetings held in advance of the rally and I’m sure that some people did a great deal of work behind the scenes. As to the extent of their efforts, on the matter I leave it up to them as to what level they feel they played in that evening. 

In the final analysis, Glen Parrett can take satisfaction in the result of that evening he planted the seed.  The man who nurtured that idea and made sure it grew to it's full potential is Gord Leighton, he should have received the most accolades.  He did not, and that is a pity indeed. 

I'm Meisner, and that is one man's opinion.

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