MNRF cuts.

[DanO]

For what it's worth I do agree with the cuts to government. I don't agree with the MNR cuts. They've been cut to the bone over many years and besides what other ministry relies on the users to pay the majority of the cost (license money).

Teachers will accept the cuts because they know we need to improve this province financially. It won't be painless though. I've taught 35 hard to handle kids in a class. Lots of discipline problems followed by suspensions and increased dropout rates. Some of you guys must have teenagers..... do they have the respect and self-discipline you had in school? They don't suddenly start to listen when they walk into a classroom.

Over the years I couldn't believe the amount of high priced help and multiple layers of bureaucracy that appeared in education. Harris tried to cut some of it but he made the mistake of asking upper management to cut themselves.
Everybody is going to feel the effects of the cuts, hopefully. Don't pick on one PS group.

I'd like to see junior kindergarten gone (it's glorified free daycare).

I'd like to cancel the Northern Health Care subsidy that pays for individuals that need healthcare in Southern Ontario for their travel and living expenses when their down here. If you're sick in our area you go to London and all of the expenses are yours.

I'd say put all the Land Claims on hold until we get the province balanced.

Lets go after the OPP and ask them for some cuts. I don't hear anything about cutbacks in policing. The average cop makes as much as a teacher or more with overtime.

I'd like to see a sunshine list for the trades people in the private sector. I know it's impossible but it'd be informative to see what the top trades people make even if they just used averages.

[trimmer21]

Absolutely! I have family members in the trades that make more than a lot of teacher. If you're a tradesmen with a skill we want you in education!!! Can't get tech teachers! Why? They'd take a huge pay cut to be a teacher. Oh they'd get the two months off in the summer but that isn't money and it doesn't pay the bills.

Just to be clear,Teachers are paid for the two months off plus all the "PA" days,winter and spring breaks as part of their yearly salary. It's a damn good gig,but,it requires at least one university degree with regular upgrades. Career advancement and salary raises also require extra degrees. Dealing with children to young adults within a "politically correct" system can have a very high degree of "burnout",not to mention cases of PTSD from violence which occurs more on a regular basis,anymore. I sure know I wouldn't want the job.

[fishermccann]

Just to be clear,Teachers are paid for the two months off plus all the "PA" days,winter and spring breaks as part of their yearly salary. It's a damn good gig,but,it requires at least one university degree with regular upgrades. Career advancement and salary raises also require extra degrees. Dealing with children to young adults within a "politically correct" system can have a very high degree of "burnout",not to mention cases of PTSD from violence which occurs more on a regular basis,anymore. I sure know I wouldn't want the job.

Good one trimmer, that post is one of the times I can agree with you. As the husband of a recently retired, (30 years), special ed. teacher in one of the roughest areas of the city , Malvern, I can attest to how tough a profession it is.

[trimmer21]

Good one trimmer, that post is one of the times I can agree with you. As the husband of a recently retired, (30 years), special ed. teacher in one of the roughest areas of the city , Malvern, I can attest to how tough a profession it is.

My oldest lad teaches high school and is a department head. Some of the stuff I hear just makes you want to shake your head. He tells me that dealing with the bureaucratic political correctness within both the ministry and the school board,themselves, is harder than the job itself causing the early loss of good,dedicated people in the profession and it's only getting harder. This is starting his 27th year.

[terrym]

The entire education “industry” needs to be blown up. The problem is the union which has outplayed every government. We could likely do away with half the school boards and the paper pushers employed there doing work that could be centralized. Free up all that money tied up in admin and then there’s lots of money for front line staff. This doesn’t only apply to education. Probably most ministries. I would be curious how many employees in the ministry of education actually teach or maintain schools, same with the ministry of health.

[MarkB]

REALLY! Do some homework on the union movement. You'll soon see why your grandfather worked 6 days a week for minimum wages. I know they protect some employees that should be fired but they also improve the wages and working conditions for many others.

My grandfather started his own business, and was successful. So did my dad. So did all my uncles. Of all of them, only one had a high school education ... the rest didn't even finish elementary school, but they did well because they worked hard and had common sense.

The principle of a union is good, to protect the employee ... but if you're going to sit and tell me there isn't abuse by unions ... right. I think the unions have too much power now, and so it's hard for the company owners to survive nowadays. Yes, most of my uncles decided to sell to bigger corps, and some of the reason given ... the unions are making it overly difficult for them to operate successfully. This isn't make believe stuff ... it's real information, from real people.

So, if there was a good balance of power between unions and business owners ... sure, it works. But like everything else, human nature will see that greed and power hunger work against the very principles they are created to protect.

[MarkB]

I'd like to see junior kindergarten gone (it's glorified free daycare).

I'd like to cancel the Northern Health Care subsidy that pays for individuals that need healthcare in Southern Ontario for their travel and living expenses when their down here. If you're sick in our area you go to London and all of the expenses are yours.

I agree with these, and I do agree with Ford wanting to cut Out of Province health care. Travel insurance is cheap enough as it is ... the little you get from the government if/when there is a claim Out of Province really isn't worth the hassle (you need to wait until OHIP portion is settled, before private insurance portion is settled ... takes months).

[sawbill]

Not too long ago we had doctors in Sudbury who did operations to correct hearing problems. Now the closest is Markham. What you guys don't realized is someone living in Kenora or Ignace would have to travel that distance just for consultation. I absolutely detest archery hunting in any form especially for big game. So maybe I should get on the bandstand with antis. You see the same similarity of thought??

[jaycee]

Not too long ago we had doctors in Sudbury who did operations to correct hearing problems. Now the closest is Markham. What you guys don't realized is someone living in Kenora or Ignace would have to travel that distance just for consultation. I absolutely detest archery hunting in any form especially for big game. So maybe I should get on the bandstand with antis. You see the same similarity of thought??

Why did those doctors leave Sudbury ? is it because they were paid better elsewhere for what they were doing ?
If That's the case someone should start looking into those problems of why some, not all doctors leave these more remote areas.

It just is not right in this day and age to have people drive hundreds of miles just for a consultation.

[terrym]

Maybe we need to setup a system where specialists travel to these cities like Sudbury and spend a week a month doing consults and treating patients? It has to be cheaper to cover travel expenses of one doctor than 100 if the patients he might treat? I know some of that did happen and may still. A friend of mine was a surgeon and he used to do exactly that. Unfortunately he’s passed away now, was a very renowned Surgeon.