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.
What are 10 words you don't want to hear? "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!" At least this was common in the past, and still feared by many who wish the government would just leave them alone Ð except when they really need help. A recent example is the report that the Manitoba Public Utilities Board has ordered Hydro, whose rates they regulate, to come up with a plan to help the poor pay their power bills. Hydro is not happy as this could lead to all sorts of problems for the utility and its customers. If it happens, expect a neat increase in your power bill. In the US, the Obama government is promoting a universal health care plan, supposedly like ours, as 46 million Americans are without health care. A recent report claims there is already a hidden health tax as insured Americans pay for those not insured, a cost estimated at $43 million last year. In emergency care, US hospitals cannot refuse service to anyone, and the taxpayers and those with insurance pay the costs. The report also notes that US health care costs are far more per capita than Canadian and European countries, which all have some form of universal coverage. Consider Service Canada, the federal government organization that runs Employment Insurance and far more regulations and protections than one could ever imagine. The feds advertise it as the government's one-stop delivery network, committed to providing citizens with excellent service. The offices, staffed with knowledgeable and sympathetic people, are located in most towns and cities, including Flin Flon. They advertise high service standards, which they ask the visiting public to evaluate. With nearly 700,000 workers collecting EI in April (and rising as companies continue to shed jobs), the offices are very busy. Since most of the clients are emotionally down from losing their jobs, the employees are in a high-stress situation, but in my observations I have seen nothing but helpfulness and kindness. Service Canada has a great number of publications in their offices, covering a wide range of topics, from healthy travelling to education. There are many publications on labour standards, which makes one realize just how many government protections there are for workers, certainly more than in the US and far more than in Asian workshops. One huge publication deals with unjust dismissal Ð 17 pages of what one can do if fired from a job. Others deal with minimum wages and explain that the federal minimum wage follows the wage set by the province. Another deals with annual vacations, how much employers must give, and how much vacation pay is to be granted. One deals with general holidays and stipulates there are nine paid holidays per year, and requires employers to pay time and a half if their employees must work, or give them another day off with pay. There are many other publications Ð requirements for maternity and parental leave, compassionate care leave, bereavement leave, sick and injury leave, sexual harassment, wage recovery, and maximum hours of work in the motor transport business. It is worth a visit! One of the most important factors in electing an MP in a riding with many remote and needy communities, is to ensure that person can deliver for the riding. The best person for these areas is a government member such as Rob Clarke in Desneth-Missinippi-Churchill River. In a recent publication, Clarke points out what he has accomplished for the riding, including $5.6 million so far in approved projects, including $378,000 for Creighton and $734,000 for Denare Beach. He also claims that he and the government have delivered for small business, including lowering their tax rate and a one-fifth reduction in red tape, plus assistance in increasing access to financing. Clarke does take a swipe at the Liberal/NDP plan to vastly decrease the required work hours to get EI benefits, claiming that "This cost will be heaping on small and medium business, running the risk of bankruptcy and unemployment for the small, independent business." Clarke also points to government benefits for farmers, municipalities, forestry (including $355,000 for a pellet plant in Meadow Lake), and of course a lot of tangible benefits for seniors. As the late Will Rogers once said, "If ya done it, it ain't bragging." Roger's Right Corner runs Wednesdays.
