Last week Dalton McGuinty hinted that he would bring in legislation affecting collective bargaining across the public sector and now the Globe and Mail reports the government “plans to introduce legislation that would freeze wages for all workers who bargain collectively in the public sector.” The government has been reasonably
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Defending Public Healthcare: PCs swear they’ll get restructuring right this time
The new Progressive Conservative policy paper, Paths to Prosperity: Patient-Centred Healthcare, isn’t just another far right rant like we’ve heard from Tim Hudak in recent weeks. It does make a few reasonable points: · The Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) lack expertise and provide little value · The health care ‘system’
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: Public sector employment increases 2.45%
Public sector employment made a significant comeback in August in Ontario, according to Statistics Canada. After significant declines since April 2011, public sector employment has now made up most of the losses. With a growth of 32,300 public sector jobs in August (2.45%), Ontario is now only about 10,000 jobs behind the
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: McGuinty neatly stokes interest arbitration campaign
Dalton McGuinty has craftily stoked his campaign to change the rules for interest arbitration — the system imposed on essential service workers who are forbidden by law from striking to settle collective bargaining disputes. The Liberals had tried to tilt the system in favour of the employers in their Budget
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: Another McGuinty fib? Restraint "just for a couple of years"
This morning while touring a french catholic school, Dalton McGunity said that restraint was “just for a couple of years”. That is not the official Liberal plan. The Liberal finance’s minister’s July statement proposes a compensation freeze (including benefits) for new collective agreements. Even progress through an established wage grid
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: When a wage freeze is not a wage freeze
In its dispute with teachers, the Ontario Liberal government sometimes tries to claim that one union’s offer of a wage freeze is not in fact a wage freeze. The rationale here is that even though no teacher would get a general wage increase for two years, some junior teachers would
Continue readingThe Equivocator: Tracey Weiler Runs Away From Tim Hudak
Is that a rooster crowing I hear? Yesterday Tracey Weiler, the “Progressive” Conservative candidate in Kitchener-Waterloo ran as far as she possibly could away from Tea-Party Tim Hudak. First in an interview with CTV Kitchener: Then during the Waterloo Record Debate: It is understandable that Ms. Weiler would run away
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: Liberal rush to outlaw free collective bargaining doesn’t add up
The Ontario Liberal government has largely justified its rush to outlaw free collective bargaining in the education sector by claiming that without such legislation junior teachers will be up for their normal increment steps on the wage grid as they accrue more experience as teachers. To wit, they argue: “Current teacher and support
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: Ontario moves ahead with plan to divest the ONTC
“This disheartening news comes as a huge disappointment for those who understand the social, cultural, historical, environmental and economic benefits of passenger rail. CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario in our efforts to see the completion of our Ontario rail… ..
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: Ontario moves ahead with plan to divest the ONTC
“This disheartening news comes as a huge disappointment for those who understand the social, cultural, historical, environmental and economic benefits of passenger rail. CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario in our efforts to see the completion of our Ontario rail… ..
Continue readingRandom Ranting Raving and Ratings: Ontario moves ahead with plan to divest the ONTC
“This disheartening news comes as a huge disappointment for those who understand the social, cultural, historical, environmental and economic benefits of passenger rail. CAPT will continue to fight for passenger rail in northern Ontario in our efforts …
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: Long term care funding increase: workers bear the brunt
Four months into the fiscal year, and we now know that long term care funding per bed is going up 1.47% in Ontario. The area that will get the biggest increase will be “Raw Food”, which will see a 3% increase effective July 1. (The 3% is not counting a
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: Home care cuts AND hospital cuts
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance is planning to cut 22 hospital beds to deal with the government’s funding squeeze. The bed cuts are supposed to reduce the hospital’s deficit. The Ontario government has endlessly claimed that improved home care services will offset hospital cuts. “Rebalance” is the Health Minister’s word
Continue readingDefending Public Healthcare: The Mop and Pail’s forlorn prayer for better privatization
The editorialists at the Globe and Mail took up the ORNGE disaster today and even they are vexed by the “Public Private Byzantinism” that went on there. Naturally, however, they are more worried that the episode will stop government from pursuing similar initiatives in the future. McGuinty and Co. just
Continue readingEdwin Current: Happy New Year 2012 and Impeach Mayor Quimby (Rob Ford) Update
2012 is here! Some think it is going to be the end of the world but I think it will be the beginning of a new world. I predict many exciting things will happen and I am looking forward to it.I just wanted to post an update in my efforts to …
Continue readingEdwin Current: Happy New Year 2012 and Impeach Mayor Quimby (Rob Ford) Update
2012 is here! Some think it is going to be the end of the world but I think it will be the beginning of a new world. I predict many exciting things will happen and I am looking forward to it. I just wanted to post an update in my
Continue readingEdwin Current: Focus Idea: Keep on Moving, @OccupyToronto !!
I think there is allot of confusion because many Canadians assumed a large majority of the greed exists and comes from the Canadian banking system similar to the US. However our banking system has some pretty good regulators and is one of the best in t…
Continue readingEdwin Current: Focus Idea: Keep on Moving, @OccupyToronto !!
I think there is allot of confusion because many Canadians assumed a large majority of the greed exists and comes from the Canadian banking system similar to the US. However our banking system has some pretty good regulators and is one of the best in the world however there is
Continue readingEdwin Current: Focus Idea: Keep on Moving, @OccupyToronto !!
I think there is allot of confusion because many Canadians assumed a large majority of the greed exists and comes from the Canadian banking system similar to the US. However our banking system has some pretty good regulators and is one of the best in the world however there is
Continue readingEdwin Current: Proper Disclosure of Statistics in Misinformation Era
I found this really cool tool on the OECD website the other day(link will be at the bottom). The tool contains massive amounts of statistical data for many countries in the world. What is really cool about this tool is the int…
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