Mayor moves to end strike with new offer

by Lindsay Kelly

NORTHEAST MANITOULIN-This week completes the four-month mark in the labour dispute between the Northeast Town and its sriking union employees, and the climate has been considerably cold between the two factions since talks broke off last month. But Northeast Town Mayor Joe Chapman has recently drafted an offer that he hopes will bring an end to the strike.

The proposal, which was to have been presented to council for consideration last night (January 17), addresses several issues, including wages, the contracting out of jobs, union versus staff work, and benefits.

Mayor Chapman said he chose to put forth an offer at this time because former bargaining procedures between the two sides have not produced results, and he wishes to see the strike come to an end.

"Something needs to be done to break the deadlock between the two sides," he said in an email to the Expositor. "Unfortunately the union's representative hasn't been available to meet. We tried to set up negotiations in both December and January but the union wasn't available."

However, following Mayor Chapman's statement, the two sides did settle on a date. If no agreement can be reached through the mayor's proposal, the town and the union will meet-in the presence of a mediator-on January 26.

In his proposal, the mayor firstly addresses the issue of wages. In the first year, employees would be entitled to a 2.5 percent increase, and to 2.75 percent increases in the second and third years. In its original offer, the town was only offering a 2 percent increase, and the union had asked for a 3 percent increase.

A major sticking point for the union has been the town claiming a right to contract out work to companies, as opposed to having unionized staff do the work. In his proposal, Mayor Chapman promises the "town shall not contract out the following jobs: snowplowing, small backhoe operations, garbage collection, waste disposal site attendant, water treatment plant operations (to the extent that our staff is qualified), arena attendants, and building cleaning (save and except town office)."

In addition, "whenever possible, the town shall attempt to use its own employees rather than contracting out."

He does say that the town will retain its right to contract other services "including, but not limited to, cemetery maintenance, rural parks maintenance, building cleaning (town office), rural roads grass cutting, sidewalk repair and construction, plumbing and electrical services, major water and sewer line repairs, construction and renovations, new construction, and grader operations."

Still, the mayor believes this is a significant change from the town's original offer.

Mayor Chapman also believes the union will be pleased with a clause that says "No permanent full-time employee (union or staff) shall be laid off for the duration of this contract (three years)."

This offers workers "job security for the life of the contract for all full-time employees (union and non-union)," he said. "This means that no employee will be laid off because of contracting out or because of staff employees doing work the union wants the exclusive right to do."

The union has also expressed concern about the number of hours performed by staff per week.

According to the mayor's proposal, "staff employees shall be able to perform both management and non-management roles for the town." Given the small size of the municipality there shall be no work that is defined as 'union only' work."

However, the mayor notes that his proposal also promises that "the town will limit the number of staff employees to pre-strike levels. This means that present staff jobs will go back to being union jobs and any new hires will be union jobs."

As to the issue of overtime, the mayor's proposal would prevent any staff member or manager from being paid overtime.

"This policy was instituted by the former mayor and council and it has been a sore point for the union ever since," Mayor Chapman said. "This should provide the union with a little more overtime work."

And, if the unionized employees are to work more than 40 hours of overtime a week, they are entitled to a rate of 1.5 times their regular wage.

According to the proposal, the town retains the right to adjust its part-time employees on a seasonal and as-needed basis, but an added clause notes that "the town intends to increase the size of its part-time work force."

In addition, the proposal states that the town will recognize seniority rights and recall rights for part-time unionized employees; the town shall have the right to assign workers to whatever work site they see fit insofar as the employee is qualified to preform the work; and the town will provide unionized workers with the same benefits package as the staff.

Overall, Mayor Chapman is hopeful that the union will accept the proposal, "because if council agrees, it would be a great offer," he said. "A pay increase, job security, great benefits-what else is there?"

He guaranteed that if the union accepts the proposal, workers currently on strike would be able to return to work immediately, noting that the contracts currently out for snowplowing, snow removal and garbage pickup are set to expire at the end of March.

But before that happens, council first needs to debate and approve the proposals, the mayor added. "I think it's important that the union rank and file and the community knows what is being discussed," he said.

Manor brings in consulting managers

Jarlette Health Services owners of Gore Bay's Manitoulin Lodge

by Michael Erskine

LITTLE CURRENT-A press release from the board of management of Manitoulin Centennial Manor announced that Jarlette Health Management Services has been retained to work closely with the staff management and board to ensure that government standards are met.

The Manor, a Little Current long-term care facility, has been restrained from accepting new clients until deficiencies noted by the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care have been met.

The ink has not yet been dried on the deal, and some aspects are still being fleshed out, but board chair Gary Green stressed that Jarlette is not 'taking over' management of the facility.

"They will be acting more in the capacity of coach," he said.

Funding for the Jarlette role will be picked up by the municipalities whom the Manor serves, and the board has assurances that funding for the long-term care facility will remain stable over the period it will take to iron out the process deficiencies that led to the ministry-imposed moratorium on new clients.

Both management and union were upbeat about the opportunity to resolve the Manor's issues.

"The board of management in partnership with Jarlette Health Management Services and the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care is committed to delivering high quality resident care and ensuring resident safety," reads the board press release, but the commitment goes much deeper.

"In a meeting with staff they indicated to us that they are ready, willing and able to work with management to put us back into good standing," Mr. Green said.

Greg Young, president of the CUPE local representing Manor workers, also issued a press release, agreeing with and supporting the changes in senior Manor administration made by the board, and added that the union "very much looks forward to improved labour-management relations in the workplace."

The union was very pleased with assurances made by Mr. Green at a January 11 meeting that all collective agreements at the Manor would be honoured, said Mr. Young. As to the question of who manages or advises on management with the board, the union position is that it is strictly a board decision. The union will, of course, remain vigilant in monitoring the impact of any changes on the collective agreements, said Mr. Young.

"At the end of the day," said Mr. Young, "this is all about making Manitoulin Centennial Manor a better place for our residents to live, and a better place for the staff to work, and CUPE local 2165 would like to be in the forefront of making this a reality."

"The staff are working very hard," said Mr. Green.

Former Northeast Town resident Frank Reynolds said that he felt vindicated when he heard news of the ministry stepping in to improve the Manor operations. Mr. Reynolds had been a very vocal critic of the operation of the facility and what he felt were failures to provide a properly respectful atmosphere for residents.

"Both the Manitoulin Lodge and the Wiky Nursing Home managed to operate within the provincial average of 2.5 deficiencies," he said. "Not like the 23 to 24 listed at times by the ministry for the Manor."

Mr. Reynolds said that he felt a cover-up of the issues was taking place at the Manor, with the board refusing to face up to the problems. He continues to call for a complete shakeup in how the facility is governed. "They are trying to whitewash," he said. "The board is at fault. They are not accountable to anybody and there has been a loosey-goosey way of selecting board representatives."

"The taxpayers of Manitoulin pay an average of seven cents apiece to look after our seniors," said Mr. Reynolds. "We spend three dollars for policing."

A redistribution of costs would be more equitable if the individual rate was closer to 15 cents, he suggested.

All parties agree, however, that the current situation presents a golden opportunity to fix whatever ails the Manor and to bring it back into compliance with ministry regulations.

M'Chigeeng withdraws lawsuit against Canada

by Michael Erskine

M'CHIGEENG-M'Chigeeng First Nation has agreed to drop its motion before Justice Douglas Campbell, while at the same time the federal government has dropped its own demand for costs resulting from the dispute over the band's former custom election code.

M'Chigeeng Chief Joe Hare said his community has prepared a 'Community Growth Initiative,' an in-depth approach to bringing to the community the economic, education and social development funding lost in the squabble over the band's election code. They will be presenting the proposal to Indian Affairs administrators at a meeting near the end of this month. Initial responses, said Mr. Hare, suggest that the plan will receive a positive hearing in Ottawa.

That will be welcome news for the community.

"We have had to suffer a lot," said Chief Hare. "But now it looks like we may be on track again. We took a step back, but this should be 10 steps forward."

When the warm weather arrives in the spring, he added, construction will begin on a number of new homes in the community. "We are also going to be looking at community infrastructure," he added.

Newspaper editors across riding predict tight election race

by Sheila Bowes

ALGOMA-MANITOULIN-KAPUSKASING-From Espanola, all the way to Hearst, residents of this riding seem to find themselves torn when it comes to the 2006 election. Normally a safe Liberal seat, a newly-enlarged electoral district now appears divided between the Tories, Grits and NDP, with the Greens making inroads as well.

After a debate was held on Thursday night in Espanola, new candidates gained support, while the usual suspects found themselves with some competition. "People are surprised by the depth of the new candidates," commented Rosalind Raby, editor of the Mid-North Monitor. "People are also angry with the Liberals, with the RCMP investigating insider training scandals. It is interesting to see trust being brought back into politics. I think this election will be a lot closer."

Liberals are feeling the heat further north as well. Since the recent investigation of the sponsorship scandal and alleged criminal corruption, dedicated followers are beginning to lose faith in their usual leaders.

Kevin McSheffrey, editor of the Elliot Lake Standard, noted that the historically Liberal riding is veering in different directions.

"It's a tight three-way race," he said. "I think the Liberal candidate is really sweating."

This is the fifth time in Canadian history a government has lost the confidence of parliament, forcing a winter election. The campaign, which has spanned almost eight weeks, has left some flabbergasted, with fears of making the wrong decision. 

Brent Rankin, editor of The North Shore Standard in Blind River, commented that due to the timing of this election, some voters in his area are confused, trying to sift through the information that was presented at one of the busiest times of the year.

"Because this election is right after Christmas holidays, people have been preoccupied, and caught off guard. Many don't seem to know enough about the Conservatives, but they don't want to vote Liberal either," said Mr. Rankin. "Most just aren't really sure what to do."

In Manitouwadge, the NDP candidate has gained support in this election. "It is usually a battle between Liberals and Conservatives, not all three parties," noted Scott Schermann, editor of the Manitouwadge Echo. He went on to point out that he was upset about the fact the Ian West isn't from Northern Ontario. "It might make some angry that the Conservative candidate is from Sarnia."

In Hearst, Le Nord editor Omer Cantin felt it would be a race between the Liberals and the Conservatives. "This election is a two-candidate race only," he said. "The Conservative candidates are a lot better than they have been in former years. It will be a tough race for both parties."

Though there seems to be a glimmer of hope for some of the smaller parties, the general buzz seems to be forming around the Liberals, Conservatives, and the NDP.

January 23 marks the 39th general election, and although reactions are mixed, one common factor seems to prevail in the North, and that is that it won't be a cakewalk for the Liberals this time around.

EDITORIAL

Daycare issue highlights choice between Grits, Tories

Unless we are voting, in a perverse way, against a candidate or party, Canadians gravitate towards the political party that best reflects their particular standards; where they feel intuitively and intellectually comfortable.

This federal general election campaign that winds up with next Monday's vote has given electors some clear alternatives. The two major traditional national parties have gone to some pains to differentiate their positions on a range of issues important to Canadians.

One of them, daycare, received additional publicity because of the rather crass "popcorn and beer" response by a Liberal campaigner to the Conservatives' platform position of making more money for daycare available to parents through tax incentives.

The Liberals' position on child care is markedly different: they have committed to directly funding the creation of many additional daycare spaces through a national daycare program.

The Liberal campaigner's unfortunate quip referred to the fact that, from his viewpoint, a little bit of extra money per child annually ($400 to $1,200, depending on the circumstances) as a tax credit could just as easily be spent on a new set of tires or to pay off Christmas expenses.

Even if they want to spend this money on proper daycare, these spaces may not be available. Further, an analysis of the Conservatives' plan in a recent Globe and Mail article, indicates that a two-income family earning about $36,000 with a single child under six would receive a $388 benefit annually. A family where one parent earns $100,000 and the other parent stays home would keep $1,032 because this amount would be paid to the lower income partner.

This issue, likely because it received two or three days' national attention as a result of the "popcorn and beer" comment, did serve to underscore the philosophical differences between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

The Liberals promise to create more daycare spaces and staff them with qualified teachers in order to make it easier for working moms and dads to actually find a pre-school opportunity for their youngsters.

The Conservatives, on the other hand, will leave working parents with a little more of their after-tax income to find and pay for daycare spaces, presumably anticipating that people will direct their extra income to the daycare market, which will respond by capitalizing on the opportunity to expand their businesses or agencies.

At the end of the day, it's a market-driven solution offered by the Conservatives, in contrast to the somewhat more holistic approach presented by the Liberals. This rather stark differentiation between policies on a topic very important to virtually every young voter also serves to demonstrate the ideological differences between the Grits and the Tories: get the job done, in the case of the former, in contrast to assisting the market and hoping the job gets done.

Of course, each approach is valid. It's a matter of personal comfort.

On Manitoulin, daycare is an important issue. As a current example of just how important, a young single mother recently felt it was necessary to move from her home community to another Island community in order to access the inspected daycare available there, that didn't exist in her hometown.

More than is usual, the two largest parties have gone out of their ways to show Canadians that, issue by issue, their approaches are different, and in the last few days before the election, voters should take time to consider which approach is most consistent with their own values.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tory candidate shows radical-right stripes

You can rely on straightforward Liberals

To The Expositor:

Liberals are sometimes accused of campaigning from the left and governing from the right.

In truth, Liberals are moderate centrists in government. It is also true that only Liberal governments have enacted important social programs such as Medicare and government pensions, and are instituting national daycare.

Many people suspect Conservatives of wearing liberal clothes for the current election campaign but really wanting to get out their right-wing duds in government.

Conservatives want to whittle down national government and can be expected to pursue Stephen Harper's right-wing ideology. Their caucus will be radically right wing. Moderates, the so-called red Tories like Joe Clark, fled the Conservative party.

Last week we saw an example of the radical right at an all-candidates meeting at Manitoulin Secondary School.

The Conservative candidate blustered about corruption and presumed that all Liberals are guilty.

Although his work experience is limited, he is an educated and experienced candidate (he ran twice in Windsor), and he was taken seriously when he suggested reversing the onus of proof in impaired driving cases.

That throws out the crucial presumption that you are innocent until proven guilty.

The Conservative candidate's urge to presume guilt was also evident when he deplored acquittals based on what he dismissed as "technicalities." This candidate-and he is a final-year law student!-dispensed lightly with the protection of the law, which holds, in the famous words of Sir William Blackstone, "that it is better for 10 guilty persons to escape, than that one innocent suffer" (1783).

Suspension of civil liberties-far advanced in the United States-troubles even conservative judges, just as even moderate conservative economists blanched when Mr. Harper promised to reduce the GST rather than income tax.

Mr. Harper may be wearing borrowed political clothes this season, but he hasn't cast off right-wing promises he made in the last election, only 18 months ago.

One of them was to shut down regional development funding, closing the LAMBAC office on Manitoulin. (I am talking about important loans to small business, not fanciful economic development strategies.)

Straightforward Liberals like Brent St. Denis have shown that they care for rural and remote areas. You can rely upon them to help Manitoulin.

Perry Anglin

policy committee co-chair

Liberal executive, Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

Mindemoya

Liberals in town when boy's sled disappears

All sounds very suspicious!

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a spoof letter poking fun at recent Liberal attack ads.

To the Expositor:

Little Billy Jones is just nine-years-old. He lives in Little Current with his mom and dad.

Last Tuesday, Little Billy's toboggan went missing. Right out of his own front yard. It was a real nice toboggan, too. Brand new. He just got it Christmas morning. Now his mom is taking him to grief counselling.

Who was campaigning for election in Little Current last Tuesday? The Liberals, that's who.

Where did the Liberals go in Little Current that day? We don't know. And they aren't saying.

It all sounds very suspicious to me.

Think about it: Would you vote for a political party that can't explain where little Billy's toboggan went?

Next Monday, on election day, choose your Canada carefully.

Brad Middleton

Mindemoya

Voter has had it with scandal-ridden Liberals

And the shameful same-sex marriage bill

To the Expositor:

It is election time and if Mr. St. Denis is interested, I would like him to know that I will not be supporting his scandal-ridden Liberal Party. Mr. Martin claims to be a loyal Canadian. Yet he ran his steamships under foreign flags, I suppose to avoid paying Canadian taxes and also to pay lower wages and get by with lower working conditions. As minister of finance, how could he not know about the disappearance of millions of dollars in that Quebec sponsorship campaign?

Mr. St. Denis told me that the same-sex marriage bill would not pass. That shameful bill passed by one vote. Did it pass by his vote, or was it by the vote of that lady Mr. Martin bribed with a cabinet position to cross the floor?

We need a change of government.

Robert (Bert) Hill

Providence Bay

HAY DAY: This tractor-trailer, laden with precious hay imported from southern Ontario and destined for the VerBoom dairy farm near Providence Bay on Monday morning, overturned at the Tann's Transmission corner on Highway 542 near Mindemoya. No-one was injured in the incident. Manitoulin farmers this winter are increasingly reliant on imported hay like those spilled (but unspoiled) bales for forage because of last summer's unsual growing season.

photo by Lynda Peever

Dear Dave and Beth,

So now that the new year is here, we have made some resolutions in our family. My husband was supposed to have stopped smoking, but I know he is sneaking cigarettes. I have confronted him directly, but he denies it. I can smell it on his breath. What can I do?

Concerned Wife

Dear Concerned,

New year's resolutions time. Well, your hubby picked a tough one for sure (or did someone else pick it for him?). They say that smoking is tougher to quit than anything else, but lots of people do quit. Well, someone sure picked a tough resolution for him, and whatever you picked can't even be close (unless you both chose to quit smoking).

Don't think for a minute that if it was easy to quit, that we'd continue to smoke. All the health concerns and advertisements (even on those cigarette packs showing rotted lungs, black teeth and back spots on the heart-and don't forget impotency) are not enough to get all of us smokers to quit. And unless you are a nicotine slave, you'll never know how hard it is. We, as a people, will all quit someday, but it will probably be a couple of generations before that happens.

Now, getting to your question: what can you do? Nothing. Quitting smoking takes practice and not many people quit on their first try, or even their 10th, but when they finally quit, imagine all the practice they've had.

Remember what Tex Williams says: "Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette/I don't reckon they'll hinder your health/I've smoked them all my life/And I ain't dead yet."

-Dave

Dear Concerned,

Quitting smoking is probably the hardest habit to kick. Don't bug him or ask him about it because that will just push him into starting up full-time again. If he's sneaking around about it, that means he's definitely cut down-maybe follow him around a bit (not spying, but pretend like you're interested in doing some of the boring things men find interesting). And remember that a new year's resolution is always broken! He has to quit when he's determined.

-Beth

Dear Dave and Beth,

My girlfriend is a nice girl through and through. The only problem is that she can be a bit of a show-off sometimes, and that bugs me, especially since I know she's not really like that and is usually compassionate. It's when she's around a crowd of people that she starts to talk about what brand her clothes are and where her parents have taken her on trips, and such. What should I do? I get embarrassed by her behaviour.

Sheg Guy

Dear Sheg,

This might bother you 'cause you've already heard these stories before, but I'm sure someone in the crowd never knew (or never noticed her designer clothes). So leave her alone and let her mingle, keeping in mind it's probably important to her. Also keep in mind, for instance, if you bought a new four-wheeler, would you not tell everybody you talked to? I'm sure she would find that a bit 'old' after a couple times of hearing all about it. The one thing we all know more than anybody else is ourselves, and when I'm in a crowd of people and it's my turn to offer something to the conversation, I talk about what I know-me.

-Dave

Dear Sheg,

I used to have a friend like that-we aren't friends anymore! If she's showing off to a certain bunch of friends only, then maybe she's insecure about herself when she's around them and wants to fit in. If it's everyone but you, maybe there is a side of her that you weren't aware of. This one's hard for me to answer, considering I still have a lot of clothes and shoes that I had in high school.

-Beth

Send your letters to Dave and Beth at The Expositor, Box 369, Little Current, Ont. P0P 1K0 or email