The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
This past February, four provinces Ð Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and, of course, Manitoba Ð celebrated provincial holidays. Critics, especially business and taxpayer organizations, expressed dismay that the governments did not consult with them and the public first, as the holidays are very costly. OntarioÕs holiday in particular was awash with criticism. Since it was not a federal holiday, federal employees did not have the day off. Those whose contracts stipulated nine holidays suffered the same fate, and some who were forced to take the day lost an extra day they were given in summer or at Christmas. Parents who had to find babysitters were also annoyed. Premier Dalton McGuinty, who had promised the extra holiday in his election campaign, was accused by Tory leader John Tory of listening to others (although he wasnÕt against the day off). Business was in general unhappy at paying the extra wages, though some challenged the law and stayed open. Business groups and taxpayerÕs associations called ManitobaÕs Louis Riel Day a political ploy for the NDP and a slap in the face for business for a couple of main reasons. First, business has to pay their workerÕs wages with no productivity or sales. A pair of relatives who own a successful business, paying good wages with profit sharing and other goodies, said it cost them an extra $3,000 in wages, plus having to look after their kids. The other problem for business is the huge numbers of southern Manitobans who head for Grand Forks and Fargo every long weekend, snatching up the bargains at lower prices than Manitoba businesses. February 18th was no exception, with a significant cost to the Manitoba economy. The naming of the day after the Mtis leader is also a problem with many people, as my generation was taught in school that Riel was a murderer and traitor Ð certainly not a hero, in spite of newspaper columnists who downplay his failures and promote his heroism. It is also interesting that the courts continue to turn down compensation for Mtis claims that they were swindled out of their land a century ago. NDP leader Jack Layton has publicly petitioned Prime Minister Stephen Harper to declare a federal holiday in February, saying it will be good for morale and increase workerÕs productivity. He mentions nothing about the cost to business or the federal treasury. This is the same guy who wants to force an early election, which would cost millions and disenfranchise a lot of snowbirds Ð and for what? * * * Identity theft is becoming more and more a problem. In Florida, with a huge transit and snowbird population, banks and businesses have become serious about checking things like travelerÕs cheques and credit cards. As one bank manager me, ÒYou have no idea how many fraud artists there are in The Sunshine State.Ó There are several common sense tips to safeguard your information, such as shredding your financial documents and anything with personal information; never giving out personal information unless you know who you are dealing with; never clicking on links on unsolicited e-mails; not using obvious passwords like your birth date or your motherÕs maiden name; and keeping your personal info in a safe place at home, especially if others have access to your house. How do you detect suspicious activity? Simply by monitoring your financial accounts and billing statements on a routine basis, and being alert for things such as bills that do not arrive as expected, unexpected credit cards or account statements, being denied credit for no reason, and calls or letters about purchases you did not make. How does ID theft happen? Thieves will go through papers in dumpsters, steal debit/credit card numbers, send you messages to get your personal information, complete a change of address form for your billing statements, and just old fashioned stealing. It is a wicked world out there! RogerÕs Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
