Red Deer Advocate, March 27, 2014 by Black Press Media Group

RED DEER ADVOCATE Thursday, March 27, 2014 A7

CANADA

BRIEFS

Existing support may be enough to fight old-age poverty in veterans OTTAWA — The Veterans Affairs Department is weighing whether federal programs will provide enough of a safety net to keep the most severely injured ex-soldiers from falling into poverty after they turn 65. Minister Julian Fantino and senior officials have told a Senate committee that concerns about gaps in coverage, raised last fall by the veterans ombudsman, are still under review. But Fantino suggests some worries may be addressed by a parliamentary review of the new veterans charter, the Harper government’s signature legislation that governs the benefits and entitlement of those who served. Veterans ombudsman Guy Parent found that hundreds of disabled veterans, most from Afghanistan and recent peacekeeping missions, will be left out in the cold at 65 because they don’t have a military pension and will lose some allowances. Mary Chaput, deputy minister of veterans affairs, says the ombudsman may be on to something, but officials need to study the situation. She also says other existing government programs such as Canada Pension Plan benefits and old-age security, are available and officials are looking at how they help these exsoldiers.

Offices shut down as dozens search for well-known Iqaluit homeless man IQALUIT, Nunavut — Dozens of volunteers in Iqaluit left their homes and offices Wednesday to search the icy streets of the Nunavut capital for a well-known, much-loved homeless man. Police say Benjamin Palluq, 44, hasn’t been seen since Friday. RCMP Cpl. Yvonne Niego said Palluq is a fixture in the community and is known for his friendly attitude. She said his face is a fixture at events and on downtown streets. In addition to police and emergency workers, government departments and aboriginal organizations released employees to help look for Palluq. At least 75 people participated in an organized search Wednesday. There’s also an extensive social media campaign to find Palluq.

Health premiums for most retired civil servants to double under deal OTTAWA — Federal public servants will be required to pay more toward their retirement health benefits under an agreement that one union says was negotiated with a gun to the heads of retirees. Under the deal, announced by Treasury Board President Tony Clement, premiums paid by retirees for those benefits will double for all but those with the lowest incomes. Both sides made compromises to reach a deal on the changes to the Public Service Health Care Plan, Clement said. “Quite frankly we both put some water in our wine,” he told reporters on Parliament Hill. “That’s the nature of negotiated settlements.” He called the agreement fair and reasonable. But the unions had little choice but

to negotiate, said the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. “The federal budget brought down in February included references to increasing retiree premiums for the PSHCP and increasing the years of service required for eligibility for the PSHCP as a retiree,” said a statement on the union’s website. “While we are opposed to these changes, it was made clear to us that if we didn’t come to an agreement, these changes would be legislated.” Currently, retired civil servants pay 25 per cent of their health premiums while taxpayers pay 75 per cent. Under the new agreement, premiums will be split 50-50. Clement says the deal means the federal government will save $6.7 billion over six years.

Tories vent over perceived nomination meddling by top party operative OTTAWA — The Tory MP, her boyfriend at Conservative HQ, and the battle for a coveted Toronto-area riding — it’s a combination that’s causing friction and recriminations in Conservative circles. The controversy centres around the party’s promise to hold open nominations across the country leading up to the 2015 federal election, after years of protecting incumbent MPs. Some grassroots members in Ontario are appealing to the party brass to address what they perceive as favouritism and interference by Dimitri Soudas, the party’s executive director. Soudas’ partner, MP Eve Adams, is running for the nomination in the new riding of Oakville-North Burlington. Last year, the couple moved away from Mississauga-Brampton South, which she currently represents. Tempers flared when Adams showed up at a riding board meeting Mar. 19, and was asked to leave after an unpleasant exchange. Two sources who did not want to speak on the record about personnel matters said one board member threatened to call the police when she stayed on. Soudas was waiting for her in an adjacent hallway to pick her up. “Everybody on the board is shocked at what is going on, and are hoping that our national council who are ultimately in charge of both the executive director and the nomination process, that they’re going to do the right thing and rectify things,” said John Mykytyshyn, a riding board member. A majority of the riding association backs prospective candidate and local chiropractor Natalia Lishchyna, including Mykytyshyn. “It was just, bad, bad optics,” said Larry Scott, a provincial Progressive Conservative candidate and backer of Lishchyna’s. “People would be intimidated. These are just regular people who feel a civil duty to be involved.”

Heavyweight heist in B.C. as strong-armed crooks abscond with antique anvil HALFMOON BAY, B.C. — There’s been no sign of any roadrunners, but wiley coyotes on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast should beware: an anvil has been stolen from an area home. RCMP in Halfmoon Bay, about 36 kilometres northwest of Gibsons B.C., say the antique anvil was snatched sometime between March 21 and last Sunday. The theft might not have taken much planning, but police say it likely required some physical strength, because the metal, block-shaped item weighed at least 50 kilograms. It was one of two odd heists on the Sunshine Coast last week, as crooks also raided a building site and escaped with five burlap sacks full of brackets used for construction.

What’s on your ___ MedList?

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS

PQ leader Pauline Marois steps off her campaign bus as she arrives at a news conference Wednesday in Montreal.

Parti Quebecois on defensive over anti-corruption meeting BY THE CANADIAN PRESS MONTREAL — Parti Quebecois Leader Pauline Marois was put on the defensive Wednesday over her party’s decision to keep quiet about a meeting two of its senior officials had with provincial anti-corruption officials in February. With the Quebec election campaign focusing in recent days on integrity and corruption, Marois said there was nothing sinister about the PQ’s silence on the meeting with the UPAC anticorruption unit. Marois told a news conference it was UPAC that asked the party not to talk about a meeting the party has described as informal and centred on party financing. “My director general told me that UPAC asked him not to talk about this visit,” Marois said, adding she was informed by party officials a few days after it happened. The meeting only came to light late Tuesday through media reports and was quickly confirmed in a PQ statement.

Last September, when Liberal Leader Philippe Couillard was met by the anti-corruption squad a few months after raids at Liberal offices, he held a news conference the same day to clear the air. “We don’t have anything to hide,” Marois said. “When UPAC came to the Parti Quebecois, they asked for some information about the way we do financing.” Marois has been attacking the Liberals for several days on integrity issues as her party runs second in various polls. She said it’s unfair to compare the February meeting with the Liberal encounters with UPAC. The anti-corruption force seized documents in the Liberal raids as part of an ongoing corruption investigation. “I will never accept that we compare the Liberals and the PQ when it comes to financing and granting of contracts,” Marois said. Marois also repeated that UPAC had met with all political parties, but the Coalition for Quebec’s Future insists it never had such a meeting.

RED DEER

OF CITIZENTHE YEAR

REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS The Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year Award are given out each spring at the Rotary Spring Gala in Red Deer. The cornerstone of these awards is volunteerism and leadership with a view that the award recipients possess attributes/have made contributions that have enduring affects on society/community. Nomination Criteria for Citizen of the Year Award t Length of service to the community of Red Deer, outside the parameters of one’s employment t Residency and personal background t Legacy created and the impact created in the community t Enhancement of community t Breadth of impact Nomination Criteria for Young Citizen of the Year Award t Demonstrated leadership commitment t Demonstrated community service commitment t Under the age of 26 years t Residency and personal background t Breadth of impact Guidelines Nominations must be submitted in writing to: Jim Slipp AndersonSlipp Chartered Accountants #106, 4320 - 50 Avenue, Red Deer, AB, T4N 3A6 Attention: Citizen of the Year or Young Citizen of the Year Nominations must be received not later than April 11, 2014.

Doctors, pharmacists, and nurses - your entire health care team need a complete medication list: prescribed medications, inhalers, patches, ointments, eye drops, vitamins, supplements - and even those gummy vitamins.

MORE SUBMISSION DETAILS AVAILABLE ONLINE

www.rotaryclubofreddeer.ca SAVE THE DATE ! CITIZEN OF THE YEAR SPRING GALA Friday, May 9th | Sheraton Red Deer Featuring Special Guest Speaker - HAYLEY WICKENHEISER

We can help: albertahealthservices.ca/medlist

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