MRI threat alienates Liberal donor
Owns private clinics


Mark Kennedy
Ottawa Citizen

OTTAWA - A prominent Liberal fundraiser who runs a series of private MRI clinics accused the Prime Minister yesterday of being a political opportunist for vowing to penalize provinces that allow health clinics to charge fees for medically necessary services.

Lorne Paperny, whose firm has donated nearly $35,000 to the federal Liberal party since 1993, is the president of Western Canada MRI and he runs MRI clinics in Alberta, Quebec and British Columbia.

On Monday, Jean Chrétien said that the federal government will withhold funds from Alberta and Quebec if they do not stop private clinics from charging fees to patients.

Mr. Paperny, who has organized fundraising events in Calgary for Mr. Chrétien, reacted to the Prime Minister's threat of financial punishment for the provinces by saying: "He's not on solid ground."

Mr. Paperny added: "It hurts me as an individual, as a Liberal, seeing the government making rash, inappropriate decisions.

"It was a gut reaction, that 'We've got to try to shut them down.' Listen, I am a supporter of the [Liberal] party but I think it's so opportunistic that it's very surprising that he did it."

Mr. Paperny's firm operates two MRI machines in Calgary and he is president of Ontario MRI Inc., which has operated a private MRI machine out of a Mississauga hospital for two years to third-party clients, such as insurance companies seeking diagnoses of patients they insure.

Mr. Paperny is also a partner in the Ottawa Valley MRI Centre, which will open next month in Hull, Que., just across the river from Parliament Hill.

His first clinic opened in Calgary in 1993 and since then, the federal Health Department has examined its practices and apparently concluded they did not violate the Canada Health Act.

"They've been looking at this for years. I'd make you a bet that their legal opinions are showing that we don't violate the Act."

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An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) produces three-dimensional images of organs and bones.

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