willy

I deal with unions every day. The inflexibility of union contract prevents me from making work environments better. I can not reward someone for doing things not in the contract. I can not reward people for merit when seniority take precedence. I can not give people the flexibility to deal with family issues because of contracts. I have to call a union person just to move a desk. I get to see grievances filed just so people can take time off with pay outside of contract. A few unions in BC have managed over the years to get senior staff 9 weeks holiday a year. Honestly how on earth can anyone accomplish anything with all this stuff? The horrible irony is that it ends up hurting employees or as some like to call them working people. (like I don’t work) Do the police monitor your every move or do they act only when crime is being committed. Unions are about unions. The justice system should be about justice.

Was this program on the CBC? Did they have one very concerned lady who was out to prove her version of events? Did that program discount the value of the ministry studies? These studies that were done by scientists and came back with opposite conclusions. This one lady on the island is the only one to find the truth. Other possible reasons for the increase in lice were glossed over. E.g. increase water temperatures over the last 10 years. I don't know what the science says but I do see some political attacks being made from the environment community. These attacks would cause me to look carefully at the studies that come forward as proof.

We have labour relations regulations, that cover safety, rights of dismissal, ect. This is a good roll for government not unions. A human resources department tends to be a good place to start looking for help or mediation when needed. I don't think that corporations are intrinsically good. I do think many good things can also be good for business. As for unions being workers. The union executives do not work in organizations. Buzz Hargrove and Jim Sinclair or full time pains in the butt, paid for by union dues. Thier measure of success in only growth in members.

I do know my capitalist history. Are you sure you do? Two major management philosophies have shaped management for the last 100 years. The first was Frederick Taylors Scientific management. He believed that you should break things down into simplistic parts and look to mass production for efficiency. It led to a focus on cost controls and efficiency. This is the dominant influence on most North American business schools but not the only influence. At the same time Mary Follett developed a philosophy of humanistic management. She looked at the need to motivate and align people to reach business goals. She realized that communication and trust are the foundations of teamwork. Teamwork is the foundation of modern companies achieving success. If you have heard of cross functional work teams, and the focus on employee engagement comes from Ms Follett. Her theories were developed over 100 years ago. Like a pendulum managers swing back and forth. During the tech boom one was able to see the massive influence of humanistic management. During tough times it is easy for business leaders to limit costs and look to efficiencies as there training has thought. Unions have had a needed influence on business and government. The bigger question now is, how can they maintain there relevance today. If they manage to put the employees out of work that they represent, nothing is accomplished. Major Corporations are now being asked to be socially responsible. This involves environmental sustainability, community development, and responsiveness to employee needs. This is a good thing and can also be good for business (e.g. environmental efficiency can bring down energy costs). These need not be competing demands but empathy and creative thinking can create new opportunities for business, workers, and the communities they operate in. Businesses need to understand what is in it for them or they will fight change. As they should, they only exist to make shareholders money. My one problem with unions is by thier very nature they fight the success of the company which they need to pay wages and benefits.

Turns out that Canada rates well as country for the US to outsource too. http://www.cio.com/archive/071504/guide.html

How is the CRTC influencing the Aspers editorial content?

If people like yourself ever have enough influence they will leave. E.G. Ontario under NDP or BC in the 90s (mining industry destroyed, Alcan stops expansion, forestry sector gutted, oil and gas lags way behind Alberta, Finning moved to Edmonton). By the end of NDP rule we have no major private companies headquartered in Vancouver. Businesses only survive if they make money. For this they provide a tax base and wages. Successful companies work with employees to keep them healthy, learning and engaged. If they don’t staff turnover and lack of productivity will lose them money. To go along your line of logic, if employees don't like the working conditions they can quite.

Maplesyrup, who do all these working people work for?

Sorry, I just don't follow.

Freedom for who? The self righteous left? Democracy is wonderful. The Rand Formula being under attack means that this country is waking up to the regressive government controls that negatively effect our freedom.

Study by the Vancouver Board of Trade http://www.boardoftrade.com/vbot_page.asp?pageid=748

Question Caesar, How is American medical information held confidential? Who can use the patriot act and under what circumstances? Will the Patriot Act even exist next year? http://www.cio.com/archive/111503/tl_washington.html I too think that your information should be confidential. My other point was just that location does not equal risk. Miss handled here your information can become public. In the past paper medical records have turned up at the local dump. Just because they are here does not make them classified. Security in the information age for many things will be a challenge. The government has been examining the security that will be given. I am waiting to see what they found out.

The corporations spend a lot of money on market research to see what people will buy and what they think, and then a lot of people watch the junk. The market of consumers rule in the end. What you ask for is the government to act on lobbies. Who are people? The majority. The smart ones. The marginalized. The ones how have morals. Who's morals? Government censorship is very confusing. Better off policing ones own viewing habits.

I am one crazy right businessman who will vote for him. I am not alone. Right now 38% of this province must fit this mold. The forestry, mining, paper, oil, heavy industry of all kind union members will be happy to vote Liberal. This way they will still have jobs. Seniors by the way tend to be a little more conservative based on broad demographics. The exception being the raging grannies. My prediction is that the Green Party will pick up 15% of the vote. This will make it very interesting. You have your prediction, and I have mine. No need for name calling.

This study had questionable methodology and did not assess the possible health impacts. They only measured that a level existed in all salmon. They only tested three fish in BC. The levels were the highest in BC but not significantly. There is no guideline for safe consumption of PBDEs. They are found in wild salmon as well. In fact they are found in a number of things we eat. A representative of the fishing industry was commenting on the ability to change feed to reduce this in farmed salmon. How can you manage this in the wild salmon? There are many questions into the management of farmed salmon but a lot of this is also politically motivated. It is becoming hard on this issue to trust any source on information.

Should they keep them under their beds. Electronic records are today and not the future. How these records are kept needed new legislation. The legislation refers to all kinds of client information not just health care. If they kept them in a hospital server, or in a server downtown or in Mexico City it makes no difference. The difference comes in what and how it is accessed. What makes you think that Canadain medical records would help the US find terrorists anyway? Let me get this clear, no matter what the Liberals do it must be wrong because they are Liberals. Right! In politics I have learned to separate the policy from the person. I know people of many different political leaning and I enjoy learning why they believe what they do. Most people of any political leaning think there ideas are the best for their communities. Be it Liberal or NDP. I passionately disagree with the approach of the NDP but I don’t think they are bad people. I get the impression that you believe Mr. Campbell to be a mean and vindictive person that plays politics for power and to pay off his friends. I have met the man a number of times and listened to him speak on a variety of issues. I have found him to be a positive, and honest person. He believes in what his government is doing because he thinks it is right. Disagree with him, work to get him voted out, you always disagree with me and I expect it, but realize this there is not big pay off, or conspiracy. The government is just implementing a series of policies that are consistent with what they set out to do. It is no surprise, and yes many of us are glad they are doing it.

What poll? Who did it? What was the sample? How many women were in that sample? The BCLiberals have some very qualified women doing a great job in this government. Getting closer to election time a comparison directly against the NDP policies will be made and the numbers will jump for the BCLiberals. There biggest challenge will be the smear campaign launched by the BCTF, BCGE, and the HEU. These government unions have saved millions to run an active campaign against the Liberals. Carol is the puppet they would prefer in government. This is the worst type of self interest. The public reaction showing up in polls is just the feathers of change being ruffled. This same public will not change back this soon to the NDP. Carol James is not a primer in waiting.

Chernobyl was the worst nuclear accident in history. It was ran and managed by the government.

Caesar, you are all over the place. Can you please stay on topic. This looks more like a drive by smear. Making a variety of unrelated comments, and spinning them to a negative, and then making ridiculous links. One note, many of the companies we all work for are multinational companies. They don't stop at the boarder. I am glad the people I work for around the world don't think like you or the only place I could work in is BC. Our industries in BC would also have a very small market. We have a large trade surplus in BC. This is where we get good union jobs from (i.e. pulp and paper, saw mills, oil and gas, mining) These are all great union industries that the NDP greens have attacked for years. The BC government is just breaking up the monopoly of government unions. As a tax payer you should be very happy about this. This comment is naive at best. Your personal information is already around the world, from credit cards, internet profiles, corporate databases. The companies that manage data have an important commodity to manage and that is privacy. We have new legislation in BC that covers private information and companies that are foreign owned still have to submit to BC laws when operating here.

Caesar, we had a major builder go bankrupt a few years back. The Washington Group is the only big game in town and they outsource a major part of the building to China. The Spirit class ferries are the small ones and they came in late and over budget. The local ship yards would also not agree to a turn key contract.

I clearly stated "paid for." It was the health region that okayed it. They probably had to get the okay from the attorney general as well. It is still a stupid program.

BCRail good deal. Will help develop the north. BC Hydro? Are you talking about the outsourcing of the HR services? This is a common practice for many large companies. The legislature raid is a big ??? The police will release it when they are ready. Until then it would be wise to hold judgment because right now there is nothing to judge. Fish farms?? Depends who you talk to. Ministers aid - legally they probably have to pay him until there is resolution. Money in health care has gone to much change. We now have new health regions and they are continually reforming the delivery. As for the doc they just took a two year wage freeze. I am glad you have a few other friends that you can share kool aid with but really more people want to work in a growing vibrant province that this government will encourage as apposed to the disaster of the last NDP government.

The election is next spring. You get your one vote like I get mine. I am looking forward to another 4 years of competent government. What other dubious underhanded legilation? Reference something, but you can't because they are clean. You might not like em but they do what they say.

What will you have left to post if you do this?

Yes, His name was Glen Clark. Campbell still has 38% approval rating. Clark was in the low teens at this point in his government.