PRESS RELEASE - Target Calls it Quits in Canada

Well that didn't last long (relatively speaking). Not even two years after Target arrived in Canada with the fanfare of a conquering hero, the U.S.-based chain announced this morning in a sudden and surprising move that they were wrapping up their Canadian operations and closing all 133 stores in this country. The Guelph store, the manager of which got the news of the closure - I'm told - from the news itself, was one of the first Targets to open in Canada, complete with frenzied line-up of eager shoppers as pictured above. Almost immediately those same shoppers were underwhelmed with what they saw, and that underwhelmed feeling seeemed to never wore off, and now, over 17,000 people nationw-wide will be out of a job sometime over the next several months.

Highlights from 2013 Federal Budget

Everybody was expecting the worst. This was going to be an austerity budget: no handouts, no tax breaks and no sugar coating. But instead it seems that there was room for some sugar, or at least the government had the ability to make the budget a little sweet for some.

CUPE 1334 Marks Day of Mourning for Workers

Wednesday is Canada's National Day of Mourning for workers who have suffered workplace injury, illness and death. To commorate the day, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1334 offers this press release and the event it discusses to help Guelphites mark the occassion.

Day Of Mourning will emphasize criminal code provisions for worker deaths.

Guelph — On April 28, workers, their families, labour leaders and others in Guelph will gather to demand improvements to workplace health and safety laws and better enforcement of existing laws. This includes enforcement of Criminal Code provisions regarding workers killed on the
job.

Bill C-45 amended Canada’s Criminal Code in 2004. It created requirements that hold organizations and individuals within the organization criminally liable for death or bodily harm caused at work. Specifically, Section 217.1 of the Code establishes a legal duty for persons directing the work of others to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers and the
public.

To date, one company has been convicted under these provisions. The first C-45 charge in Ontario proceeded to court on March 22, 2010. Millennium Crane Rentals of Sault Ste. Marie was charged with criminal negligence causing the death of a worker. A criminal investigation into the December 24, 2009 construction incident that killed four workers and shattered the
legs and spine of a fifth worker is now underway.

According to Workplace Safety & Insurance Board statistics, last year the families of 488 workers filed death claims and more than 317,000 workers filed occupational injury and disease claims. The outcomes of countless other workplace incidents and exposures go unreported, especially occupational disease claims.

In 1984, the Canadian Labour Congress, and its affiliated unions, established April 28th as the day to honour workers killed, injured or made ill. Today the day is recognized in more than 100 countries. Day of Mourning events will take place in more than 40 Ontario communities and
many more workplaces.

Local Event Information

Event Host: Guelph and District Labour Council
Location: Goldie Mill Park
Date: Wednesday April 28th, 2010
Time: 5.00pm
Speakers: Mayor Karen Farbridge, Blain Morin CUPE OHSC, Janice Folk Dawson CUPE 1334, The Gurley Flynns

5 Lost Days of Summer

In a press release this morning, the City announced five dates this summer that the shop will be closed because of temporary staff layoffs needed in order to mitigate greater property tax increases for the 2010 fiscal year. You'll remember that the original intention was to co-ordinate with the unions to minimize the impact of the layoffs and avoid the effective closure of city services for whole days, but no agreement was reached.

Here's the press release:

GUELPH, ON, March 31, 2010 – City facilities will be closed and services cancelled for five days this summer in order to implement cost saving measures approved by Council in the City’s 2010 budget. In order to achieve these savings some temporary staff layoffs will occur. Facility closures and service disruptions will be in effect Monday, June 21; Friday, July 9; Thursday, July 22; Wednesday, August 11; and Tuesday, August 24.

The savings from these closures are part of Council’s efforts to minimize the impact on property taxpayers of a loss of revenue during a global economic recession.

The five separate days were chosen in order to minimize disruption to the public. Click here for a list of affected services and facility closures.

Guelph Transit buses will continue to operate on these days. In order to achieve the targeted savings, transit service—including mobility service—will be cancelled on Sundays in August, and 20-minute transit service will be replaced with 30-minute service in June, July and August as part of other service reductions identified in the 2010 budget.

Over the past few weeks, the City has met with union executives to continue to search for ways to achieve the budget reduction and avoid service disruptions. Despite collective best efforts, no solution was found. “While this has been a difficult decision and will undoubtedly be unwelcome news for residents, the measures are necessary to mitigate further property tax increases,” says Guelph’s Chief Administrative Officer Hans Loewig. “We thank all of the parties for their willingness to discuss ways to avoid service disruptions, which demonstrates a collective commitment to public service.”

There will be no closures or disruption of emergency services such as police, fire and emergency medical service (EMS). These services will continue to be available at all times.

In December, Council approved a preliminary budget which included a payroll savings of $1.2 million, representing the cost of five working days for all employees.

I usual try to offer some fair-minded analysis, but I have to admit that I got ticked reading this. Especially the bit about transit. I hope nobody in the City of Guelph takes the bus to church. Or perhaps might like to enjoy a day out in the city on a Sunday afternoon, like maybe at a city sponsored event or festival. Or work on Sundays. That's going to be huge because that's going to impact a lot of businesses and stores that will have to make allowances for staff without vehicle access. Not to mention the young people for whom working on Sunday is primetime for making money during the work week.

The kicker is I spent much of last night looking at the results of the consultation process in regards to the future of transit in the city, which actually had a lot of really interesting ideas (that I plan on writing about soon). But I kept coming back to a single thought: How is the city's transit supposed to improve when we constantly neuter it so easily. Remember 40 minute peak service? Constant fare increases without noticeable improvements in service? How about the pre-existing plan to scale back 20 minute service in June, July and August, the result of which lays-off several transit workers for the summer?

So yeah, I'm not pleased. How are we supposed to encourage transit use in this city when the PTBs (The Powers That Be) keep taking one step forward and two steps back? That was one question that I didn't get answered at the info session last night. Also, I hope that there aren't any heatwaves on those closure days. Sayonara to cooling centres and public pools...

Scenes from an Anti-Proroguing Protest (Royal City Edition)

It was the perfect day for a proroguing protest. The sun was shining, the crowd was large and the only voice representing the Conservatives was the schizophrenic lady that hangs around downtown. But all joking aside, today's event downtown was mostly positive, very open and a very energizing experience. A lot people came out in the cold of January, not just in Guelph, but around the country, to protest Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to prorogue Parliament until March.



I haven't head the exact numbers yet, but all together I think it was safe to say that 150-200 people came down to St. George's Square this afternoon. The goal was to be "boisterous, not belligerent." Although billed as a non-partisan event, the Prime Minister certainly took his lumps as speakers raked him over the coals over Afghan detainees, the economy, and what Trudy from CUPE called Harper's "complete distaste for democratic processes."




















The event was emceed by Hugh Whiteley of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons. (So not quite completely the usual suspects as my right-leaning colleague observed in his post.) Other scheduled speakers included George Kelly of the Guelph Coalition for Social Justice and Guelph MP Frank Valeriote. Valeriote said that the subject of making adjustments to how and why Parliament gets prorogued has been a subject of discussion in his party's caucus last week adding that Harper governs through cynicism, and was banking on Canadians' own cynicism and indifference to get away with proroguing the House for the second time in two years.


















Representatives of other parties were invited to the mic, specifically Green Party candidate Bob Bell and Conservative candidate Marty Burke. Bell accepted; Burke, it seemed, was not in the proverbial house. "The Prime Minister has found a little loophole through which he continues to jump," said Bell, who added that he was almost happy for the proroguing because it stifles Harper's "misguided" agenda. "He'll have to earn the forgiveness through change of direction because if he doesn't, the wrath of the Canadian people will be on him."

A woman named Bobbi spoke for the NDP since they haven't acclaimed a new candidate in Guelph yet. She said that Jack Layton will be going up to Parliament Hill on Monday to insist that the government be opened for business as usual, and that if Harper opens the House, Layton will offer NDP support for Parliament's winter agenda. Sweet deal, some how I don't think there'll be any takers though.

The rally ended with a decision being rendered from the "Supreme Court of Public Opinion" saying that the court orders the "Managers of Parliament Hill" back to work, and if they refuse, they're remanded to "binding arbitration" with the Chief Electorial Officer of Canada.

After the rally, things moved swiftly to Metcalf Hall in Knox Church on Quebec Street for a panel and perogies. It was standing room only in a hall that I was told by one of Valeriote's staffers had been set up with only 100 chairs. Supplies of perogies were limited because of the numbers, but it still seemed that anyone that wanted a hot Polish pastry was still able to partake. The panel was made up of several influential and well-known community members including Valeriote, disability activist Susan Wheeler, U of G Political Science Prof. Byron Sheldrick, former NDP candidate Phil Alt and Executive Director of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre Jim Profit. They made several points about the need for more tranparency in government and listened to thoughts and concerns by community members.

But at least there was also room for a bit of humour in the day too...