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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-08-17, Page 5Invest in persona Everyone's talking about Ontario doctors these days, and whether they are being offered a fair contract. But the provincial government's health-care reforms also depend in part on sick or frail people being able to receive reliable, quality, ongoing care in their own homes. The key players here are the personal support workers (PSWs) who provide unglamorous but essential services such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation and help in managing medications. To attract and retain good people, the government has increased PSW pay by $4 an hour, to a cap of $19. That sounds like good news, but the reality on the ground is less reassuring. The Ontario Personal Sup- port Workers Association reports many of its 21,000 members are making less money now than they were before the pay raise. For example, the association says, the province's Community Care Access Centres have decided some services that used to take one hour can now be done in 45 minutes, leaving PSWs no further ahead and reduc- ing the volume and quality of service to clients. While the hourly raise sounds good, PSWs are typi- cally employed on a part- time, casual basis, often trav- elling from client to client. They have no guarantee of consistent hours and no benefits. They are paid only for services they perform. Most client demand is in the morning and evening, so hours tend to stretch over the day. The province's $19 rate applies only to work contracted through the CCACs. People who pay out of their own pockets typi- cally are charged less. Meanwhile, the raises for PSWs have disrupted the wage scale in this sector, with supervisors now some- times making no more than those working for them. As has so often been the case with the provincial gov- ernment, good intentions have been hampered by a lack of research. Health Min- ister Eric Hoskins has said, "When we went into this, we had so little information about our PSWs in the prov- ince, including, quite frankly, how many of them there were and how they were being compensated." The government has saved a lot of money by helping people stay in their own homes instead of in hospi- tals or long-term care. Most people prefer home care to being in an institution, so it's a sound principle. The correct course of action is to reinvest the sav- ings in more and better home care. But that means supporting the PSWs prop- erly, too. They're essential, human faces on our system and we need them badly. Let's iron out the wrinkles in their compensation, so no one loses in this attempt to streamline health care. - Postmedia Network Wednesday, August 17, 2016 • News Record 5 support workers Elliot Ferguson/Postmedia Network Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins stands in front of the new Providence Care during a press conference to announce funding for Kingston -area hospitals in Kingston, Ont. on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. UN peacekeeping will be no picnic QM AGENCY File Soon after his election victory in 2015, Justin Trudeau declared, "We're back." It was a message to both reassure and vindi- cate those who "worried that Canada (had) lost its compassionate and con- structive voice in the world." But back to what? Among other things, enthusiasm for the United Nations and its peace- keeping operations. To some internationalist policy wonks and cabinet ministers, this is an unal- loyed good. Victims of abuse or indifference in many countries, however, might need reassurance. Two Quebec provincial police officers recently retired before they could be subjected to internal disciplinary hearings about alleged sexual mis- conduct during a peace- keeping mission in Haiti. These are not the only cases involving accusa- tions against Canadians, and they are part of a larger context of impunity that taints UN peacekeeping operations in several countries, where peacekeepers have been accused of either perpetrating abuse them- selves, or ignoring hor- rific crimes under their noses. The Canadian govern- ment is reportedly consid- ering ways it can help or compensate victims of sex- ual abuse by peacekeepers. That would be a start, but accountability and trans- parency require all accusa- tions be heard and abusers face consequences. The culture of impunity goes deeper. The United Nations itself has refused to accept full responsibility for the devastating cholera epidemic that its peace- keeping operation almost certainly brought to Haiti in 2010. Canada can lead by push- ing for greater accountability at the UN while exacting greater accountability from its own peacekeeping troops. The more faith Canadians have in the effectiveness and accountability of peacekeep- ing, the stronger the case the government can make for increasing this country's commitment. As of June, Canada ranked 67th on the UN's list of mem- ber countries' contributions to peacekeeping with 106 troops. At the top of that list is Ethiopia with 8,326. Coun- tries have their own reasons for ponying up troops, but it is clear Canada could do more if it wanted. Canada's history reminds us that the principle of inter- national peacekeeping is hollow if it is not matched by robust, competent and unflinching determination in practice. If the Canadian govern- ment wants to make good on its vision, it will have to do more than just increase the size of Canada's peace- keeping contribution. It will have to lead the way toward making those oper- ations more effective, ethi- cal and accountable. - Postmedia Network