Candidates agree with demolition - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA
What will the Candidates for Ward 4 say next week ? An informed public is a strong public. Plan to attend next week on wednesday at 12 noon at the Station Coffee house and gallery .
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GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL.
LAUGHING AT YOURSELF IS THERAPEUTIC
Bureaucracy, the rule of no one, has become the modern form of despotism.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tools - Interactive Website for Local Government Statistics Launched - Frontier Online - siegholle@gmail.com
http://mail.google.com/mail/#inbox/1294b5624575d34a
Media Release - Frontier Centre Launches New Interactive Website for Local Government Statistics The Frontier Centre for Public Policy today launched a new website which turns its three-year-old Local Government Performance Index into an interactive tool for journalists, municipal staff, and the public. The site contains comparative statistics from the Annual Reports of Canada’s municipalities, and judgements on the quality of their reporting. The URL is www.lgpi.ca
Media Release - Frontier Centre Launches New Interactive Website for Local Government Statistics The Frontier Centre for Public Policy today launched a new website which turns its three-year-old Local Government Performance Index into an interactive tool for journalists, municipal staff, and the public. The site contains comparative statistics from the Annual Reports of Canada’s municipalities, and judgements on the quality of their reporting. The URL is www.lgpi.ca
The Most Common Mistake CEOs Make — and How to Fix It | On Leadership | BNET
The Most Common Mistake CEOs Make — and How to Fix It On Leadership BNET
This is a worthwhile read
The Most Common Mistake CEOs Make — and How to Fix It By Kerry Sulkowicz
May 20th, 2010 @ 4:05 am
As an advisor to CEOs, I’m often asked what’s the most frequent mistake they make. While there are many — after all, they’re human — I’d say the most common one is not acting quickly enough on “people problems.”
The consequences can be disastrous. Keeping bad apples too long, especially in key roles, breeds all kinds of difficulties including dysfunctional teams, poor morale, and various liability risks. Ultimately, failing to address the problem of an under-performing or misbehaving senior executive undermines the credibility and authority of the CEO, and that sort of damage is hard to repair.
In an interview in the the New York Times Magazine, Alan Greenberg, the former Chairman of Bear Stearns, was asked why he didn’t fire James Cayne, his successor as CEO, who famously played bridge and golf during the week the company was going under and reportedly smoked pot in his office. Greenberg’s responses are classic rationalization: Cayne “owned about 5 percent of the company”; “it was hard to complain when things looked so rosy.” Owning 5 percent of nothing turns out not to be such a big deal, and everyone knows that things can look rosy but be rotten underneath.
It’s worth thinking about why CEOs often have so much trouble pulling the trigger. Some of the most decisive, visionary, principled business leaders I know still have trouble with this one issue. Here are a few reasons I’ve encountered, offered not as excuses but as explanations:
The CEO is too far removed from the executive in question and doesn’t quite see the extent of the problem. This can be compounded by a failure of talent management, in which the CEO doesn’t get the full scoop on problem people.
The CEO is too close to the executive in question. Either he or she is blinded by personal feelings of affection or loyalty, or others in the organization believe the executive is “protected” and are afraid to offer critical feedback about the CEO’s friend.
The CEO is aware of the problem, and showers the executive with all kinds of resources like 360 feedback, coaching, leadership development training, reassignment to another role, reading the latest bestseller on leadership, etc., all of which turn out to be exercises in wishful thinking and a big waste of time, because most people really don’t change very much.
The executive is high performing. The CEO makes the calculated decision that the benefits of keeping the person outweigh, or at least justify, the risks. This can be an exercise in self-delusion, because the benefits of the high producer are often eventually overtaken by the harm to the organization — and to the CEO’s reputation.
So what’s to be done? Perhaps most important is the need for CEOs to be more realistic about the malleability of human behavior. Our personalities are largely set by the time we’re adolescents or young adults. It’s not like you can send a problematic executive off for five years of psychoanalysis — which is what it really might take to make a dent in their behavior — and say “Come back and see me when you’re done.” My clinical background often comes in handy when assessing an executive’s capacity for change, and it allows me to tell CEOs that, in some cases, what they see is what they’re gonna get.
CEOs also need to recognize that their own emotions — their guilt about letting someone go, or their desire for financial performance at all costs, or their desire to be liked, or their fear of mustering the courage to be proactive and assertive — are major factors in this common conundrum. But what I also remind my CEO clients is that, as hard as these decisions are, people are usually tremendously relieved after they’ve made them and wish they’d acted sooner.
Kerry J. Sulkowicz, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, is the founder of the Boswell Group, a consulting firm focusing on the psychology of business. One of the nation's leading corporate psychoanalysts, he advises CEOs, corporate directors, and other business leaders on critical aspects of managing complex organizations.
This is a worthwhile read
The Most Common Mistake CEOs Make — and How to Fix It By Kerry Sulkowicz
May 20th, 2010 @ 4:05 am
As an advisor to CEOs, I’m often asked what’s the most frequent mistake they make. While there are many — after all, they’re human — I’d say the most common one is not acting quickly enough on “people problems.”
The consequences can be disastrous. Keeping bad apples too long, especially in key roles, breeds all kinds of difficulties including dysfunctional teams, poor morale, and various liability risks. Ultimately, failing to address the problem of an under-performing or misbehaving senior executive undermines the credibility and authority of the CEO, and that sort of damage is hard to repair.
In an interview in the the New York Times Magazine, Alan Greenberg, the former Chairman of Bear Stearns, was asked why he didn’t fire James Cayne, his successor as CEO, who famously played bridge and golf during the week the company was going under and reportedly smoked pot in his office. Greenberg’s responses are classic rationalization: Cayne “owned about 5 percent of the company”; “it was hard to complain when things looked so rosy.” Owning 5 percent of nothing turns out not to be such a big deal, and everyone knows that things can look rosy but be rotten underneath.
It’s worth thinking about why CEOs often have so much trouble pulling the trigger. Some of the most decisive, visionary, principled business leaders I know still have trouble with this one issue. Here are a few reasons I’ve encountered, offered not as excuses but as explanations:
The CEO is too far removed from the executive in question and doesn’t quite see the extent of the problem. This can be compounded by a failure of talent management, in which the CEO doesn’t get the full scoop on problem people.
The CEO is too close to the executive in question. Either he or she is blinded by personal feelings of affection or loyalty, or others in the organization believe the executive is “protected” and are afraid to offer critical feedback about the CEO’s friend.
The CEO is aware of the problem, and showers the executive with all kinds of resources like 360 feedback, coaching, leadership development training, reassignment to another role, reading the latest bestseller on leadership, etc., all of which turn out to be exercises in wishful thinking and a big waste of time, because most people really don’t change very much.
The executive is high performing. The CEO makes the calculated decision that the benefits of keeping the person outweigh, or at least justify, the risks. This can be an exercise in self-delusion, because the benefits of the high producer are often eventually overtaken by the harm to the organization — and to the CEO’s reputation.
So what’s to be done? Perhaps most important is the need for CEOs to be more realistic about the malleability of human behavior. Our personalities are largely set by the time we’re adolescents or young adults. It’s not like you can send a problematic executive off for five years of psychoanalysis — which is what it really might take to make a dent in their behavior — and say “Come back and see me when you’re done.” My clinical background often comes in handy when assessing an executive’s capacity for change, and it allows me to tell CEOs that, in some cases, what they see is what they’re gonna get.
CEOs also need to recognize that their own emotions — their guilt about letting someone go, or their desire for financial performance at all costs, or their desire to be liked, or their fear of mustering the courage to be proactive and assertive — are major factors in this common conundrum. But what I also remind my CEO clients is that, as hard as these decisions are, people are usually tremendously relieved after they’ve made them and wish they’d acted sooner.
Kerry J. Sulkowicz, a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, is the founder of the Boswell Group, a consulting firm focusing on the psychology of business. One of the nation's leading corporate psychoanalysts, he advises CEOs, corporate directors, and other business leaders on critical aspects of managing complex organizations.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Re: HST Petition If Interested
Advocacy information for your information and pass on please to those that are interested
HST Petition - FYI and action if you choose.
We need signatures of 10% of Ontario 's population to call a referendum, please show your opposition to HST.
Tax grab -and accountability? -Be heard ? -----------------------------------------------:
Hey Friends,
Please, sign this petition and send it to
everyone you know. Now is not the time to be complacent. If
we all get behind this and do our part we can affect change
and send a very powerful message to the Premier of Ontario.
They've raised the roof out in B.C.and for the life of me I
can't understand why they aren't reacting here. Blows my
mind. At least B.C isn't adding the HST to gas. You know,
the sad thing about this whole situation is that the folks
in Ontario won't react until they see the price at the pump
jump by 8% on July 1st, as well as their heating bill,hydro
bill, water, etc.and perhaps shit will hit the fan then,
when it's too late. Let's just hope it picks up speed so
we're able to sign up 10% so we can hold a referendum. We
only have 6 weeks until this bill becomes law so you and
everyone you know has to sign this petition now and keep it
going.
Your support is appreciated so please do not
delete this message -sign the petition and pass it on
TODAY!.
------------------------------------------------------------
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HST Petition - FYI and action if you choose.
We need signatures of 10% of Ontario 's population
to call a referendum, please show your opposition to HST.
British Columbia is protesting every day to stop
the HST in their province. Why aren't we? This is not a
"done deal" as they'd love for us to believe. Please sign
the petition and circulate widely! And forward to your
contacts!!!
http://www.hstpetition.com/petition/sign.php
please sign as soon as you can !!!
--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Re: Seven Yrs of Dalton McGuinty
Thank you - very informative - least we foget S
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Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
For the record
MAKES FOR SOME VERY INTERESTING READING.
Dalton McGuinty
Here is what our Premier has done for Ontario in the past seven years!!!!!!
This was no tax increase election campaign.
He increased all the licensing fees from your car to your boat including fishing and hunting.
He introduced the health care premium (not called a
tax.) Some couples
pay as much as $1,500.00 a year.
He doubled the price of most lottery tickets. (Not called a tax).
He has put an ECO tax on many containers such as paint s and window
washer fluid. Most people still don't realize it is
on your bill. He kept
that one real quiet
He has put a disposal tax on all electronics.
He has put the disposal tax back on tires
Now don't forget that all except the health care
premium are subject
to the GST and PST (taxes on taxes.)
And now he has passed the HST - the largest tax on the
province ever.
The only other tax in Ontario that ever came close to
this in the past
was the health care premium.
He passed this bill even though 76% of the people in
Ontario were against
it.
This HST will provide the Province with an additional
THREE BILLION
dollars a year.
And now we will have our S.M.A.R.T. meters that we
will have to pay
rent on and do our laundry in the middle of the night.
We are going
to pay big time for air conditioning from now on
because when we need
it the most - that will be prime time. As if it costs
any more to
produce hydro at two in the afternoon or ten at night
- another tax
grab.
Let us not forget the E health scandal with one point
two billion
dollars wasted and paid out to friends and relatives.
What was Mr. McGuinty's answer to this (well if the
people of Ontario
don't like it, they can show it in the next
election.)
Nice
attitude. This was after he fired the CEO and gave her
a severance
package of three hundred thousand dollars. Not bad
for only having the
job for seven months.
Then the windmill power plant - he awards the contract
to KOREA for seven
BILLION DOLLARS. One would think that there was some
place in Canada
or North America that could have built these.
He closed the emergency rooms in Port Colburne and
Fort Erie because
there is not enough money and there have been two
deaths since because
by the time they got to St.Catharines, it was to late.
He awards a hospital in Toronto three million dollars
in the riding
where there just happens to be a by-election to
replace George
Smitherman
He has taken the richest, most prosperous province in
Canada, to one of
the poorest and has created a deficit of TWENTY SEVEN
BILLION DOLLARS
and he still has a year and a half to go.
And don't forget his nice little salary increase of
$40,000.00 a
year. Millions of people in the province don't earn
half that.
All the MPP'S got 14% increase
Now that they all got nice increases he comes out with
a new budget
and freezes all provincial employees wages for two
years.
He has increased the hydro by 10% in April of 2010.
He has increased the tax on liquor and wine by 10% in
May of 2010
But Mister No Tax McGuinty will retire with his nice
comfortable
pension and all his paid benefits.
I hope this gets passed around the province of Ontario
and everybody
remembers the way we got screwed by mister McGinty and
the liberal
party. Not one liberal MPP had enough guts to vote
against any of the above.
--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Identity theft and crisis - a warning and interesting food for thought
If someone incurred debts against you as an individual, without your knowledge or consent, you would call it identity theft. You would call your bank for a full accounting of the debts incurred in your name, and after some verification, those debts would be declared invalid and you would not be held responsible for them. Furthermore, if the culprit was found, they would be prosecuted and sent to jail.
Not so with governments and central banks. Governments that are supposed to be of the people and for the people routinely incur debts against the people. Some governments even borrow money to oppress their citizens, and then expect them to pay for their own oppression with interest. With a fiat monetary system, the sky is the limit for how much debt a government can place on the backs of the people.
We have reached the point in the United States where the debt our government has accumulated against us is mathematically impossible to pay off. Harder times, likely due to a wave of hyperinflation, will eventually find its way to our streets and I am fearful of how Americans will react. My hope is that we will come together peacefully and help each other, and that enough of us will be aware that the blame rests securely on the shoulders of the Federal Reserve and the special interests. They should not be looked to for salvation. They should not be given more power. Rather, they should be stripped of the powers that allowed them to create this mess in the first place.
Resistance to public transparency regarding public debts should be denounced in the strongest of terms, and the central bankers that incurred them should be seen as no better than common identity thieves
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Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Thursday, May 13, 2010
How does this compare with Canada taxation?
And in Canada the trend is?
U.S. tax burden at lowest point in years
WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The U.S. tax burden has shrunk to its lowest level in 60 years, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said.Including state, federal and local taxes, the average tax bill came out to 9.2 percent of personal income in 2009, USA Today reported Tuesday.
That's down from an average of 12 percent over the past 50 years. The tax burden has not been this low since 1950, the newspaper said.
"The idea that taxes are high right now is pretty much nuts," said Michael Ettlinger, head of economic policy at the Center for American Progress.
The tax rate has fallen 26 percent since 2007, a sharp drop that reflects progressive tax rates passed during the Clinton and Bush administrations and the 2009 federal stimulus bill that cut taxes by $800 for married couples earning up to $150,000.
Despite the low numbers, the three things you can count on, death, taxes and complaints about taxes, remain a constant. Adam Brandon, press secretary of FreedomWorks, which is associated with the Tea Party movement, warned, "The money we borrow is going to be paid back through taxation in the future."
Copyright 2010 by United Press International
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Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
Monday, May 10, 2010
The stop the 13% Tax grap movement - 4 months to go
This is a taxgrab of major proportions . Maybe with your help it can be stopped. If anyone is selling their house do so before July 1,2010. Please pass it on and tip the balance
This is interesting and maddening regarding the HST. There is a legitimate petition at the end of the email for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to cancel the current plan to introduce HST on July 1st.
Thomas.
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July 1,2010 is D day
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Centres target problem gamblers - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox
Centres target problem gamblers - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA#postbox
3.4% of the population are cursed by this disease
Pyne predicted that the agency will get busier now that the Responsible Gambling Council has a permanent centre at the Brantford casino.
Responsible Gaming Resource Centres are now located in all of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s 27 casinos and slot machine venues. The centres are operated by council staff, with the OLG providing free space and paying for operating costs.
Pyne also thinks there will be more referrals to St. Leonard's, which offers problem gambling counselling, a gambling support group and referral to residential treatment, now that the casino has been in the city for a decade.
"It can take 10 years to see the full effects of a gambling addiction."
3.4% of the population are cursed by this disease
Pyne predicted that the agency will get busier now that the Responsible Gambling Council has a permanent centre at the Brantford casino.
Responsible Gaming Resource Centres are now located in all of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s 27 casinos and slot machine venues. The centres are operated by council staff, with the OLG providing free space and paying for operating costs.
Pyne also thinks there will be more referrals to St. Leonard's, which offers problem gambling counselling, a gambling support group and referral to residential treatment, now that the casino has been in the city for a decade.
"It can take 10 years to see the full effects of a gambling addiction."
Monday, May 03, 2010
Don't expect prison time for ministers - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA
Don't expect prison time for ministers - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA
Now for the good part.
If (House speaker) Milliken were to find the Harper government in contempt, the opposition parties would have the power to throw at least the three responsible ministers in jail -- Defence Minister Peter MacKay; Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon; and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.
Luckily for them, the PM could quickly spring his ministers from the lockup by either turning over the documents or proroguing the House again -- an act that not only shuts down the Commons, but also ends parliamentary jail sentences.
Now for the good part.
If (House speaker) Milliken were to find the Harper government in contempt, the opposition parties would have the power to throw at least the three responsible ministers in jail -- Defence Minister Peter MacKay; Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon; and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson.
Luckily for them, the PM could quickly spring his ministers from the lockup by either turning over the documents or proroguing the House again -- an act that not only shuts down the Commons, but also ends parliamentary jail sentences.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Dangerous meds - Douglas
Senior meds linked to pneumonia
Elderly people suffering from conditions like dementia are often pumped full of powerful meds they don't need -- which is bad enough in and of itself. But unfortunately that's just the beginning -- because as it turns out, these drugs can actually increase the risk of potentially deadly pneumonia.
And when it comes to pneumonia in the elderly, even the mildest form can be a death sentence.
When researchers looked at data on nearly 2,000 seniors -- 258 with pneumonia, and 1,686 without -- they found that the patients on antipsychotic meds were twice as likely to get sick.
The higher the dosage, the higher the risk, according to the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
But let's face facts here, because that's not the only way these drugs shorten lives.
These are dangerous meds for even the healthiest of people... but force a senior to take them and you're practically killing him yourself -- especially if he didn't need them in the first place.
And believe me, he almost certainly didn't need these meds in the first place. One study last year found that some 80 percent of seniors on these meds don't need them -- and I'd say that's being generous.
Most of the seniors who get these meds live in institutions. The ones that dish out steady doses of antipsychotic meds do so for one reason only: to create quiet, complacent, non-demanding zombified seniors who can be monitored by the smallest possible staff while the owners cash insurance checks.
If you have loved ones in a joint like this, get them the heck out now. If that's not an option, at the very least you need to keep tabs on what drugs they're being given, and why.
And if you're one of the sad sacks behind these pill-pumping operations, find a new line of work... because if I had my way, you'd be in an institution, too: Prison.
--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
Friday, April 23, 2010
Equalization Is Indeed a Problem: FCPP - Frontier Centre for Public Policy
Equalization Is Indeed a Problem: FCPP - Frontier Centre for Public Policy
A worthwhile read -why are we subsidizing ineffeciency ?
A worthwhile read -why are we subsidizing ineffeciency ?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
s wants to share this with you!
Hi Proactive,
s thought you may be interested in this!
the winds of change
Click the Link below to view the content
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2532725
You can check out the website at http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca.
Keeping in touch with your community has never been so easy!
Brantford Expositor Team
s thought you may be interested in this!
the winds of change
Click the Link below to view the content
http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2532725
You can check out the website at http://www.brantfordexpositor.ca.
Keeping in touch with your community has never been so easy!
Brantford Expositor Team
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Business News - Bank report spreads blame wide in Iceland - ArcaMax Publishing
Business News - Bank report spreads blame wide in Iceland - ArcaMax Publishing
Bank report spreads blame wide in Iceland
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (UPI) -- An Icelandic inquiry into the 2008 collapse of its banking system found fault with key bankers, politicians and excessive growth of the industry since 2001. The Special Investigation Commission of Iceland's parliament issued harsh criticism of many officials, including former prime minister Geir Haarde, central bank Chairman David Oddsson, central bank governors and bank regulators, the EUobserver reported Tuesday. The report says underlying the collapse was a growth spurt in the banking industry, which grew twenty-fold in seven years, running far past the point where it could cover its bets. Reflecting the sweeping criticism, Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said: "The private banks failed, the supervisory system failed, the politics failed, the administration failed, the media failed, and the ideology of an unregulated free market utterly failed." The report said regulators "did not enforce the legal provisions which were at its disposal even when they saw laws being broken." The banks' largest shareholders "had an abnormally easy access to loans in these banks," the report said. The Central Bank of Iceland held only a fraction of the necessary foreign currency reserves needed to protect either of the country's three large banks, Glitner, Kaupthing or Landsbanki. When the collapse occurred, the central bank could not protect one, let alone all three, the report said.
There is a lesson to be learned here . PR
Bank report spreads blame wide in Iceland
REYKJAVIK, Iceland (UPI) -- An Icelandic inquiry into the 2008 collapse of its banking system found fault with key bankers, politicians and excessive growth of the industry since 2001. The Special Investigation Commission of Iceland's parliament issued harsh criticism of many officials, including former prime minister Geir Haarde, central bank Chairman David Oddsson, central bank governors and bank regulators, the EUobserver reported Tuesday. The report says underlying the collapse was a growth spurt in the banking industry, which grew twenty-fold in seven years, running far past the point where it could cover its bets. Reflecting the sweeping criticism, Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said: "The private banks failed, the supervisory system failed, the politics failed, the administration failed, the media failed, and the ideology of an unregulated free market utterly failed." The report said regulators "did not enforce the legal provisions which were at its disposal even when they saw laws being broken." The banks' largest shareholders "had an abnormally easy access to loans in these banks," the report said. The Central Bank of Iceland held only a fraction of the necessary foreign currency reserves needed to protect either of the country's three large banks, Glitner, Kaupthing or Landsbanki. When the collapse occurred, the central bank could not protect one, let alone all three, the report said.
There is a lesson to be learned here . PR
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
more school choice for parents
More Choice a Good Thing For School Boards
The plan by the Toronto District School Board to allow the creation of specialty schools is a positive development but needs to go much further by embracing a more expanded form of choice. In a new column, Frontier research associate Michael Zwaagstra urges school boards across Canada to imitate Edmonton’s public schools and make school choice a fundamental component of their educational philosophy.
Another interesting Frontier article
The plan by the Toronto District School Board to allow the creation of specialty schools is a positive development but needs to go much further by embracing a more expanded form of choice. In a new column, Frontier research associate Michael Zwaagstra urges school boards across Canada to imitate Edmonton’s public schools and make school choice a fundamental component of their educational philosophy.
Another interesting Frontier article
Gmail - The Shape of Tomorrow's Farming - Frontier Online - siegholle@gmail.com
How The Great Recession Concentrated Public Minds Recently announced wage freezes for government employees in New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba will help address the long-term problem of rapid pay escalation in the public sector. Frontier’s Ben Eisen applauds recently-announced wage freezes for government employees as a smart way to fight deficits in the near- and long-term.
Agreed and good evaluation
Agreed and good evaluation
Monday, April 05, 2010
Cheap fix for refugee problem - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA
Cheap fix for refugee problem - Brantford Expositor - Ontario, CA
In 2008, Auditor General Sheila Fraser reported that it was costing up to $228 a day to detain a single refugee claimant in a provincial jail or federal immigration holding facility.
Multiply that by the almost 20,000 failed refugee claimants ordered deported every year -- plus the backlog of 15,000, plus up to another 38,000 who are missing -- and the cost would be staggering.
The auditor general estimated that in 2008 alone, detaining a fraction of all refugee claimants cost taxpayers over $38 million.
Forcing refugees to post cash bonds as an alternative to detention apparently doesn't always work too well, either.
The auditor general reported that about 18% of all those who posted bonds instead of going to jail in 2005 "did not comply with the terms of their release" -- that is, they disappeared.
Half of those were still missing at the time of the audit three years later, including 18 with criminal records. Even when failed refugee claimants show up at the deportation office, taxpayers can be on the hook for a very expensive goodbye.
A bounty of 2000 $ plus one way ticket seems like a good alternative Pr
In 2008, Auditor General Sheila Fraser reported that it was costing up to $228 a day to detain a single refugee claimant in a provincial jail or federal immigration holding facility.
Multiply that by the almost 20,000 failed refugee claimants ordered deported every year -- plus the backlog of 15,000, plus up to another 38,000 who are missing -- and the cost would be staggering.
The auditor general estimated that in 2008 alone, detaining a fraction of all refugee claimants cost taxpayers over $38 million.
Forcing refugees to post cash bonds as an alternative to detention apparently doesn't always work too well, either.
The auditor general reported that about 18% of all those who posted bonds instead of going to jail in 2005 "did not comply with the terms of their release" -- that is, they disappeared.
Half of those were still missing at the time of the audit three years later, including 18 with criminal records. Even when failed refugee claimants show up at the deportation office, taxpayers can be on the hook for a very expensive goodbye.
A bounty of 2000 $ plus one way ticket seems like a good alternative Pr
Friday, April 02, 2010
Fwd: [FAIR Newsletter] UK Celebrates 10 Years Of Whistleblower Protection
Interesting information on accountability and whistleblowers
--
Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform) <newsletter@fairwhistleblower.ca>
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 11:45 PM
Subject: [FAIR Newsletter] UK Celebrates 10 Years Of Whistleblower Protection
To: siegholle@gmail.com
From: FAIR (Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform) <newsletter@fairwhistleblower.ca>
Date: Thu, Apr 1, 2010 at 11:45 PM
Subject: [FAIR Newsletter] UK Celebrates 10 Years Of Whistleblower Protection
To: siegholle@gmail.com
UK Celebrates 10 Years Of Whistleblower ProtectionFAIR offers sincere congratulations to our sister organization in the UK, Public Concern At Work (PCAW) on what it has accomplished since its foundation in 1993. Thanks to PCAW's efforts the UK has had strong, well-designed whistleblower protection legislation in place for more than 10 years. PCAW recently issued a comprehensive report Where's Whistleblowing Now? which examines the progress made over the past decade and provides a wealth of information. The report paints a picture of a system that is generally working fairly well to ensure that whistleblowers are protected and to help them obtain appropriate remedies if they suffer reprisals. Areas of progress include: greater awareness of employee rights and greater willingness to speak out about wrongdoing; media reporting that is highly supportive of whistleblowers; and public attitudes towards whistleblowers becoming more positive. One striking finding is that in the UK 86% of senior executives employed by multinationals feel free to report a case of suspected fraud or bribery, compared with 54% in mainland Europe. Another notable observation is that there has been a tenfold increase in the number of employees submitting claims of reprisal, rising from 157 cases in 1999 to 1,761 ten years later. This could be in part due to increasing numbers of people blowing the whistle (this statistic is not measured), but it also suggests that many UK employers still do not accept employees' right to speak up about wrongdoing in the workplace. PCAW also notes the need for some improvements. Their main concern is that in spite of the large number of claims being made, serious systemic risks to the public interest probably still remain hidden. This is due to secrecy regarding the nature of claims being made to the tribunal; and also because whistleblowers are often forced to sign gag orders as a condition of receiving compensation for the reprisals they have suffered. Many of of the report's findings invite unfavourable comparisons with Canada. Two examples:
The report also provides summaries of 30 selected cases, a chart summarizing the status of whistleblower legislation in 44 countries, and detailed analysis of the calls fielded by PCAW's free confidential help line.
See Graphs Of UK Whistleblowing Trends...
Download PCAW's 10-Year Progress Report... For anyone with a serious interest in what's happening in other countries, we highly recommend this informative report. David Hutton Federal Accountability Initiative for Reform (FAIR) promotes integrity and accountability within government by empowering employees to speak out without fear of reprisal when they encounter wrongdoing. Our aim is to support legislation and management practices that will provide effective protection for whistleblowers and hence occupational free speech in the workplace. FAIR is a registered Canadian charity. |
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Hollecrest & Associates Inc -"Turnaround Consultants" http://www.ic.gc.ca/ccc/search/cp?l=eng&e=123456239975 .
Back to Eden communities
Sunridge -261 Oakhill Drive, Brantford
backtoeden.ontario@gmail.com
www.backtoeden.bravehost.com
"Building elder peer communities that are cozy,caring and comfortable" -quality 24/7 care
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