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UP IN FLAMES — Firefighters try to counter a blaze that destroyed multiple buildings at Coun. Joe Gendre’s farm last Thursday in Erskine. No injuries were reported. See more on Page 3.
Serving the Heart of Central Alberta for 106 years
VOLUME ONE-HUNDRED SEVEN
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STETTLER, ALBERTA
May 15, 2013
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Pharmacy fight hits Alberta legislature LES STULBERG Independent reporter Momentum appears to be gaining as Alberta pharmacies, including those in Stettler, draw public attention to the “sizeable revenue reductions” that pharmacies say they would endure under a new provincial plan. The provincial budget calls for cuts to the pricing of generic drugs. This Monday at the legislature, pharmacy representatives presented a petition with almost 25,000 signatures in support of local pharmacies. Scott Savage, owner and pharmacist at Stettler Value Drug Mart, said his pharmacy is among those in Stettler collecting signatures for the petition. “I am quite impressed with the number of people who have signed,” he said. The petition-signing process is ongoing, as pharmacy representatives say they’ll continue to forward them to the government and lobby for change. The petition was initiated by a group of community-based pharmacists to bring light to the issues surrounding the recent budget cuts and their impact on the health care of Albertans. The pharmacists expressed immediate concern that the new budget would gravely affect their ability to provide patients with the quality of care they require and deserve. “Sometimes you wonder if it will do any good, but it’s0 better than standing by and not saying anything,” Savage said. He’s hopeful the efforts of the pharmacy group will have some impact on the government to re-visit generic drug pricing. “We have a good bunch representing the pharmacies,” Savage said. “We are in pretty good hands.” Three Stettler pharmacies joined counterparts province-wide a few weeks ago in closing their businesses for one hour in
protest of the cut. “The government of Alberta’s imposed reduction in generic drug prices has created a funding gap for community pharmacies,” Stony Plain pharmacist Kit Poon said in a news release. “This will soon result in patients having less access to their community pharmacist or they will be forced to pay out of their own pockets for services that have been provided at no direct cost to patients across the province of Alberta. As not all Albertans are able to pay for these services, service reductions will occur that will see Albertans obtaining less counselling from their pharmacist on healthrelated matters, longer wait times, increased emergency room and hospital visits, more trips to the doctor, and overall, less effective medication therapy. Patient care and services provided by pharmacists will remain in jeopardy until the government finds ways to ensure pharmacist delivered services are protected.” Pharmacies, particularly in rural Alberta, would face “extreme challenges” maintaining the level of service that has come to be expected by patients, Poon said. “The funding gap created by the drug pricing changes will require pharmacies with smaller patient bases to decrease operational costs in order to keep their doors open,” said Ron Mattice, a pharmacist from Cold Lake. “At-risk pharmacies will be forced to lay off staff, or worse, may close their doors completely. “To date, the government has not, in good faith, consulted with pharmacists in Alberta when making decisions that affect them and their patients.” Pharmacists want the government to return to the bargaining table to negotiate a deal that they believe would work for Albertans. “Thousands of Albertans have expressed their concern in signing this petition,” Mattice said. “The government seems to be ignoring pharmacists. Perhaps they better not ignore Albertans.”
LES STULBERG/Independent reporter
Education Minister Jeff Johnson (middle) addresses the Clearview School Division on Monday evening. Flanking him are Doug Aitkenhead (left), the director of teacher relations, and Tom Bradley, the minister’s chief of staff.
Clearview reverses its teacher decision after pep talk from education minister LES STULBERG Independent reporter Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson and his entourage made a whirlwind stop in Stettler late Monday afternoon to do a bit of politicking. His visit was ostensibly to encourage the Clearview School Division trustees to reconsider ratifying an agreement with the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). That was somewhat of a moot point, however, considering the province has revealed plans to legislate a new deal with teachers. The Clearview meeting with the minister was held in camera — and out of the public eye. Clearview trustees voted in March not to ratify the agreement, but at a special meeting Monday immediately after the minister’s visit, they reversed their decision and voted unanimously to support the ratification. Some trustees believed the meeting was somewhat irrelevant as Johnson indicated that regardless of unanimous support, the government would go with the will of the majority and legislate a four-year agreement with the ATA. “It was nice to hear from the minister and actually have him here in person,” said Clearview chair Ken Checkel. The trustees now believe the agreement is “financially good” for Clearview division, whose teachers
earlier endorsed the deal. The four-year agreement reached by government and the ATA would see compensation for 40,000 Alberta teachers frozen for three years, one of which has already passed since the end of the previous agreement. That would be followed by an increase of two per cent in 2015-16 and a one-time lump sum payment — to be funded by government — in that same year. The agreement would also see Clearview teacher salaries, which are now ranked 61st out of 62 in the province, brought up to provincial average, at the cost of the government. “That’s great for our staff,” Checkel said. ATA local president Corey van Zandbergen believed the agreement was positive. “I am encouraged the board reconsidered their position and am looking forward to working with the board in the various committees in the contract,” he said. While the financial side of the agreement satisfied Clearview trustees, other details of the agreement concerned the board. Checkel called the agreement “a leap of faith,” as new committees are introduced, but was encouraged with the education minister’s “commitment to make it work.” Trustee Cheri Neitz was concerned the negotiated reduction of instructional hours by the ATA to 907 hours per school year might be a trend that could “continue to be pushed down.”
The province stepping in to legislate the agreement was of concern to the board. “The edge of the wedge is in,” said trustee Karen Holoway, fearing the demise of local bargaining. Trustee Yvette Cassidy said she was concerned with the enhanced control of the ATA. She said the role of the school board is changing, but liked the compromise between all parties that would still see the school board “speak up for kids” and “hoped that voice would get stronger.” “Diminishing board involvement” was a concern for trustee Rhonda Maginn, but she said supporting the province on the agreement lessened the chance of being amalgamated with another school division. Trustee Peter Simons said he didn’t consider the 907 hours of instructional time to be an issue in any school. He attributed the “impotence of the Alberta School Board Association,” which was “useless as negotiators,” to be a valid reason for the province to step in. “The ship has sailed on local bargaining,” said trustee Patty Dittrick. She said the agreement would “pave the way for students to be free of labour struggles” and would enable the board to “move on from negotiating to educating.” Dittrick said she liked that the new agreement would allow teacher-quality to be addressed, “something the previous agreement didn’t.”
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