Guys In Funny Hats Storm The Barricades Of Public Health Care

The Shriners have been searching four years for a new location to build a $100-million replacement for their aging and overcrowded hospital in Montreal. A convention in Denver was scheduled to pass a motion this Tuesday to start negotiations with the Ontario government to build a new hospital in London. But after a last pitch from Montreal and Ottawa last week, with the added knowledge that Quebec is proceeding with construction of an English super-hospital in Montreal, a motion is going forward that puts Montreal, Ottawa, and London on a short list. FROM JULY 2, 2004: Pitch to Shriners complete, now time to vote. The Ottawa delegation backed Montreal's bid, but argued that, should the Shriners move from Montreal, they should relocate in the nation's capital because it is more accessible than London. The Shriners are to make a final decision on the hospital's location at a convention next year in Baltimore. The Shrine of North America is a fraternal order founded in 1872 that has about 525,000 members throughout North America. Its members are widely recognized as fez-wearing circus sponsors, but the group's primary activity is raising money for a network of pediatric hospitals where patients under age 18 are treated free of charge.