HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-03-22, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012. PAGE 7.
THE EDITOR,
How could two departments of
the federal government be so
diametrically opposed? I ask this
question because there are two
economic support programs for our
veterans in play here.
One is the Service Persons
Income Security Insurance Plan
Long Term Disability (SISIP LTD),
a mandatory insurance program for
Canadian Forces (CF) members,
and the other is the Veterans Affairs
Canada Earnings Loss Benefit
(VAC ELB).
Before October 2011 the New
Veterans Charter (NVC) and the
Service Person’s Income Security
Insurance Plan (SISIP) provided for
75 per cent of a Canadian Forces
member’s salary at release – the two
programs were exactly the same,
injured members were on one or the
other.
Last year, in response to appeals
from veterans’ groups, such as The
Royal Canadian Legion, the federal
government announced they would
increase the benefit to ensure basic
needs as shelter, food, clothing, etc.,
could be met. VAC implemented the
increased amount to the ELB
program on October 3, 2011. The
Department of National Defence
(DND)/CF did not. Therefore, there
is now a huge inequity. Through no
fault of their own we have some
veterans who have been injured
attributable to their military service
being paid $40,000 per year and
some at less than $20,000.
This is an unacceptable situation
and needs to be fixed now. We have
given DND and the CF ample time
to fix this inequity but there has
been no commitment to date. Now,
with the federal government deficit
reduction a certainty,, the Royal
Canadian Legion is looking for a
commitment and a firm date.
This is a substantive example of
how the federal government’s
deficit reduction program is being
run on the backs of our veterans.
Surely our veterans deserve better
treatment than this. Those who have
been injured in the performance of
their duties with the CF deserve the
same income support regardless of
which program they are on. This is
only fair.
It is inconceivable that
institutions such as the CF and the
federal government can stand up
and say we care for our troops and
we care for our own when they treat
the most vulnerable of our veterans
shoddily.
Young men and women today
Petition circulated protesting centre closureTHE EDITOR,
For 23 years I have driven down
the long laneway off Highway 21 to
go to my job at the Bluewater Youth
Centre. It’s important to understand
that the profession of being a peace
offer is quite different from other
professions in that the bonds
developed between each other are so
much stronger as we depend on each
other for our very lives.
On Tuesday, March 6, all the staff
were informed their services were
no longer required and told to gather
personal belongings and leave the
building. The Friday before that a
film crew from CTV News showed
up at the gate at Bluewater and we
learned on the 6 p.m. news that we
were closing. For several days no
one would answer questions about
the news story and if it was true.
When I began working for the
Ministry of Correctional Services in
1989 we were told that the staff were
the most valuable asset to that
ministry. If we as staff were such
valuable assets, why were we treated
so terribly? No decency, no respect,
no consideration.
A few years ago we were moved to
the Ministry of Children and Youth
Services and things went steadily
downhill from there. The law was
changed and the number of youth
coming into custody was cut in half.
While we, as staff knew there were
still the same amount of youth
committing crimes, they were now
not being put into custody.
A few months ago we began to
hear rumours that the transfer
payment agencies were overflowing
and we had several empty beds.
Transfer payment agencies take the
same youth but the government pays
their staff much less and the youth
do not have the programming and
rehabilitative opportunities that were
offered at Bluewater Youth Centre
and other similar facilities in Coburg
and Simcoe. Then staff heard from
several different sources, London
Police, Huron Special Constables
and other police departments that
they were directed not to take youth
to Bluewater anymore. Several staff
began to ask questions as to why we
were not receiving youth anymore
when we had room for several more
and we knew that the transfer
payment agencies were overflowing.
No one would respond or answer
these questions, not even our own
administrator.
I have watched over the last
several years as millions of dollars
of upgrades have been made to that
facility and even on the day they told
staff they were done working there,
contractors were in doing work. This
doesn’t even make sense since staff
were told by management that the
building was being decommissioned
and torn down? Something is
definitely fishy! The other two
facilities in Coburg and Simcoe are
older and in need of repairs and
upgrades which Bluewater did not!
The fact that there are 200 good
paying jobs that Dalton McGuinty
has removed from the already
tornado-devastated Goderich and the
loss of 300 Volvo jobs a few years
ago shows that he doesn’t value or
care about rural Ontario. This
closure will take eight to 10 million
dollars out of this local economy.
Kudos to Central Huron Mayor
Jim Ginn who has been very
proactive for the county and looking
at other possible options for the
facility. There is a petition available
to be signed at several locations in
the county including Sparling’s
Propane, The Gift Cupboard, the
Blyth Festival, Scrimgeour’s, The
Citizen’s Blyth office, as well as
Stickers Restaurant in Auburn.
Please consider signing to support
those jobs not leaving Huron
County.
Thank you,
Cathy Nethery.
Letters to the Editor
Legion
upset with
government
Continued on page 19