overthere

gg The North Sea oil and gas is in production decline, and would only be about 15% of total Scottish revenue anyway. The leader of the YES side has said there is far more oil and gas to be found in Scottish waters, which is not supported by actual exploration results despite the industry looking hard for 40 years. Like the Quebec debacle(s), the YES side has a lot of puffery and outright lies about the economy.

I'd mistrust perhaps- if after a long bruising strike- either party refused mediation. But binding arbitration? I could not possibly trust a government who failed to protect my interests by allowing binding arbitration when they cannot afford more than they have offered.

Because you can get very fast service, no need to wait weeks months or years for a simple image. The privately funded imaging clinics have done well. My SIL, from UK, got a CT scan of her brain while visiting here. She had been waiting months n the UK for a scan, though she could get an appt with a neurologist there quickly once she had the results in hand. So thats what she did: paid (about $900 as I recall) for a CT scan here, took the result home and got diagnosed quickly. A work colleague had a bad knee that was getting much worse, and she was having trouble walking and driving , both of which were essential to maintaining a substantial income. After waiting several months and getting no closer to the required surgery she went to the same clinic for Xray and MRI, then sent the results to a clinic in Arizona. The next week she flew down and had her knee replaced at a cost of about $20k plus travel expense. It saved her three times that in income, easily. A business transaction.

Why would you think that?

Yes, Boyhood was released in Canada a few weeks ago. It's good, though not for everybody. I could not help but recognize something of my own boyhood in it, and suspect others will feel the same. I've grown bored with the series like SpiderMan, Iron Man, Avengers etc genre and tend to fall asleep in the middle of the CGI mayhem. But your endorsement of Guardians will probably get me to the theater. Just saw The Drop, and it is terrific. It's a dark, small story about people living on the fringes of crime, from a Dennis Lehane short story. Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini(his last role) are both really good here. Not many smiles or laughs and it is filled with rising dread, but it does have a cute dog. The movie won't get nominated for an Academy Award, but I expect Gandolfini might, and Hardy also has a shot.

Hockey players in alberta can get MRIs ASAP because the team pays for it. It's not special treatment, anybody with the money can get one. eta: private clinic,

They should consider resigning en masse, and getting out of the regualtory business entirely. eta: caveat: somebody does need to manage the wireless spectrum. It does not have to be the CRTC, which is politically enmeshed in a growing nightmare.

You keep pretending that BINDING ARBITRATION is the norm in labour disputes. It isn't . Please stop. And yes, the employer - including your own government- not only has the right to take a position, they have the duty.

Yes, it can easily be a liability because a thinking civil servant will find an illness to end their career with, and get paid many of those accumulated benefits. Full salary for a few weeks or months before the pension kicks in.... "Stress leave" is very popular, and it definitely gets paid in cash. And who doesn't have a variety of health gripes to manipulate by retirement age if being stressed is too stressful??

Except on certain subjects: tenure, their own compensation, and Israel. Then it gets real ugly.

A reason that Canadian homes cost more to buy is that they cost more to build. Start with basements.....in much if not most of the USA they don't have them. $20k to $40K(unfinished) right there. We have to put our water and sewer deeper to avoid frost. Site costs are higher since you have to dig a big hole and backfill it. Foundations must be deeper to prevent frost heaving, or you must have piles installed, both an additional cost. Lots of insulation in walls and roofs is critical. Windows and doors must be better. Furnaces have to be bigger, more costly and have extensive ductwork. Use of natural gas means an extra utility installed that is not found in many US homes. And... labour costs are higher here for trades.

In reality, federal civil servants enjoy superb pay, benefits and pensions. And of course enviable job security. A CR-4 level position starts at around $45k now and goes up from there. CR-4s are clerical positions and are numerous/very common throughout the federal civil service. A clerical position with similar responsibilities would earn far less at similar work, such as a bank ,insurance company or any private sector accounts receivable/payable department. And of course the benefits/pensions are not even close. It has nothing to do with being pro or anti union or hard working or not, those are just the facts. What is missing from all this discussion is the market value of the work performed. The civil service unions federally and elsewhere have managed(to their credit) to manouever themselves into a position where market value for service has no place at the bargaining table- unlike private sector unions who have to deal with this routinely. That needs to change, and of course the change must come from the management as directed by politicians.

Harper has crqwacked down on civil servants by.... hiring a lot of them. That bastard.

Oh oh. Did somebody in the PCs give Mike Duffy $200 million?

No, the reason is because federal civil servants abuse the benefit. DEspite being no more or less than the general populace, they take more sick leave because they can. What's the problem with reducing it to something more in line with private sector benefits. After all, public sector unions also have short and long term disability plans they can access. Oh wait, with those plans you have to actually demonstrate an illness. No more 'mental health days', which oddly enough cure themselves when the 15 day annual entitlement is used up.....

Then you have a profound misunderstanding of business. Can't help you with that.

No, it does not leave a lot of them in rentals. About 69% of Canadians own their homes, about 65% in US, 67% in UK and so on. Most of Western Yurp is within a few % points too.

It's a tradition, like Christmas or the Leafs losing? How quaint of you to put it like that after a few years.

I believe they amount to " we're not caving in to union demands". Sheesh. How can you have any faith in a man who does what he says he'll do?

I agree with the idea that govts set spending priorities, but also acknowledge that we are talking about entertainment here. There is absolutely no need for our government to be involved in subsidizing a TV network today, a situation which is reinforced by the extremely poor job they make of it. There was a need for CBC radio 80 years ago as a new and exciting technology, there was a need for CBC TV in the early 50s. They did have a mandate to unite the country and did accomplish that for some time. But they have both been overtaken by events beyond their control. Time to move on instead of continuing to provide CPR to the dinosaurs. The govt also has many other ventures that do a better job of promoting our culture and arts, including the incubator FACTOR, the Canada Arts Council, the heritage side of Parks Canada and many others. It's a dumb argument anyway, from either side. Traditional network TV is dying. You can fight to the bitter end, or accept that technology has matured, and that Canadians aren't interested in Don Messers Jubilee anymore.

No, but you'll have to link with a poll that shows Alberta wishes to separate from Canada. I'll wait. Oh, and the NCC is based in Toronto. That place is full of knobs spouting bullshit. Some things never change.

On behalf of the ROC, thank you Toronto! Is this the script for a Coen brothers movie?

+1

They're not actually eliminated yet, which is a novel situation.

How badly is he injured and how long is he out this time?