Powerful Words
U-S President Barack Obama has a way with words.
"Shameful !" "Obscene !" "Irresponsible !" "Insensitive !" "Uncaring !" "In bad taste !" That's how he described the actions of some CEOs in the financial industry who were in the process of using taxpayers' bailout money to purchase new corporate jets and redecorate their offices.
He could have been describing the dozen or so Ottawa councillors who would like to attend a municipal conference in Whistler, B. C. on your dime and mine. Betcha if the same conference was to be held in Cornwall, Mayor Larry might have had to beat the bushes in order to find a travelling companion.
Councillor Diane Deans ( currently serving her fifth term on Council) made polite noises to the media about the optic of the junket perhaps being bad. Bad isn't the word for it. Shameful would be more appropriate.
While the cost of sending Ottawa's travelling gong show to Whistler is chump change in the grand scheme of the city's budget, it's certainly in bad taste during this recession when people are losing their jobs and businesses are going bankrupt. Did any one of the junketeers give a thought to the Nortel workers who are being screwed out of their severance pay ? Did any one of the junketeers give a thought to Nortel pensioners who are living in fear their pensions are going to disappear ? Did any one of the junketeers give a thought to the seniors who've seen their nest eggs shrink by 40% ? Did any one of the junketeers give a thought to the residential taxpayers whose property values are starting to drop ?
Right now, people all over Ottawa are looking at their household budgets, red pencil in hand. They know a 4.9% increase in their property tax is coming. But it could be more -- market value assessment is set at 2005 levels, when real estate prices were higher, and there's still the OC Transpo settlement to come. So they're cutting. The newspaper subscription has to go; if the old dog or cat dies, there won't be a replacement as pets cost too much to feed and maintain; the contribution to the church has to be pared down; there won't be anything this year for the United Way or CHEO. Thrift is the new normal !
Thrift is one of the words councillors would do well to remember when they look at discretionary spending. Desperate economic times call for desperate measures.
Shameful, in bad taste, obscene, irresponsible, insensitive and uncaring are words taxpayers would do well to remember -- and use frequently in e-mails to or conversations with their elected representatives at city hall.
No Lunch for Larry
The Pitchfork Etiquette Award this week goes to the Ottawa Council for the Arts.
These folks decided to punish Mayor Larry for his hard line against arts funding during recent budget deliberations. So they disinvited him to their annual Sweetheart Lunch for the Arts.
His meal, however, will not be wasted. Councillor Diane Holmes (first elected to Council in 1982 and who has never met a special interest group she didn't like) and MP Paul Dewar(NDP) will share the honor of hosting the event. Don't know if they'll have to share what would have been Larry's meal.
Talk about churlish behavior ! But why should we be surprised ? Rudeness and ungraciousness are prevalent in today's society and rudeness and ungraciousness are too often characteristics exhibited by special interest groups -- the folks who truly believe they are entitled to their entitlements, and whose grasping hands are never far from taxpayers' wallets.
You may not like the person wearing the robes and chain of office. You may not like positions taken by the person wearing the robes and chain of office. But you should have respect for the office.
Back in the day, when Leonardo da Vinci was creating his magnificent works of art, artists had patrons who supported them financially-- usually wealthy people like the Medicis. Composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin also had wealthy patrons -- patrons whose names still appear as dedications on their scores for symphonies, sonatas concertos and the like.
When the Council for the Arts in Ottawa accepted funding from the city, every property taxpayer became a partron of the arts -- whether they liked it or no and whether the Council of the Arts liked it or not. And as patrons of the arts, many of us are not amused at this insult to the office of the Mayor. Shameful !
Arbitration 101
Here's a quick lesson for those of you who are not familiar with how binding arbitration works. Useful knowledge to have since your tax bill may be impacted by an arbitrator's decision regarding OC Transpo drivers and mechanics.
Because OC Transpo buses cross provincial borders, federal labor legislation governs and the federal Labor Minister, Rona Ambrose, will appoint the arbitrator. Arbitrators are usually chosen from a list -- they can be retired judges, lawyers with particular expertise in labor law, university professors.
The arbitrator will hear arguments from both the employer and the union. Each side will present their case. The arbitrator then will take the time to consider these arguments and reach a decision. Once a decision has been reached, it is binding on both the employer and the union -- regardless of whether they like it.
One key thing to remember is that the employer's ability to pay isn't a consideration in the arbitrator's deliberations. This was certainly the experience in Ontario's hospital sector in the 1990s, when a series of arbitration awards provided wage increases for hospital staff which put hospitals into an even worse deficit situation than they were already in, resulting in bed closures and staff layoffs.
And that is why private sector employers NEVER agree to binding arbitration as the way out of a labor dispute.
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