Well B.C. Your Teachers Are Next!

Aproximately 28,000 members of the B.C. Teachers Federation have voted 90 per cent in favour of job action and president Susan Lambert says the overwhelming mandate sends a strong message to government as the union seeks a new contract.

She says the province's bargaining agent continues to demand major concessions but teachers are prepared to refuse all administrative duties if there's no deal by September.

Education Minister George Abbott is not surprised at support for the vote but says his ministry can't budge from its requirement of a net zero wage mandate.

However, he believes job action is not inevitable, as long as both sides remain at the bargaining table.

Issues include class size, wages and adequate school funding.

B.C. woman asks Supreme Court to be allowed to die with dignity

As you should be well aware by now, I am very much a supporter of human rights and I strongly believe that dying with dignity.  Lou Gehrig's is one of the worst diseases out there, people suffer tremendously from it before their death, why wouldn't we allow her to die on her own terms?  

Thoughts?

B.C. woman asks Supreme Court to be allowed to die with dignity

Global News: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 2:13 PM

Gloria Taylor

Photo Credit: Ted Field, Global News

VANCOUVER – A woman suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has filed an application with the BC Supreme Court to be allowed a choice in her death.

Gloria Taylor, 63, has asked to be added as a plaintiff in the B.C. Civil Liberties Association’s (BCCLA) death with dignity lawsuit – she is terminally ill and there is no known cure for her disease.

“I’m asking the mercy of the court to allow me the option to work with my doctor to ease my pain and help me end my life peacefully and with dignity,” said Taylor.

“I should be able to make the choice about how much suffering to endure, based on my own beliefs and values,” she added. “All of my life, I’ve been a supporter of the dying with dignity movement. I strongly believe that all Canadians like me should have the choice and comfort of aid in dying.”

The BCCLA filed a lawsuit in April 2011, challenging the law that it is a criminal offense to assist seriously and incurably ill individuals to die.

“It doesn’t make any sense that it’s legal for me to commit suicide, but it’s illegal for someone to help me to die at peace, without pain, in the comfort of my home, with family and friends surrounding me,” said Taylor.

She was diagnosed with the disease in 2009, after experiencing symptoms as far back as 2003. The BCCLA said that since Taylor’s diagnosis, her condition has steadily worsened.

“A number of countries around the world as well as a number of states in the U.S. now allow for medically-assisted aid in dying,” said Joseph Arvay, Q.C., lawyer for the plaintiffs. “The time has come for Canada to follow their lead.”

“The experience in these countries reveals that fears about allowing physician assisted dying are unfounded. All Canadians deserve compassionate care at the end of life, including the option of a medically-assisted death,” he added.

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Is It Time For Ottawa To Listen To The West?

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Premiers flex political muscle at Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife

By Andy Radia | Canada Politics – Mon, 20 Jun, 2011

These days economic clout often equals political clout and in Canada, the West has both.

At this week's Western Premiers' Conference in Yellowknife, N.W.T., the political leaders of Canada's western provinces are expected to put together a collective "wish list" for the federal government.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger want to talk about how the provinces can press Ottawa for a new national disaster strategy.

Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia wants to discuss federal funding for "patient-focused health initiatives."

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach wants his counterparts to help him convince the federal government to support construction of roads and pipelines that will facilitate trade with booming Asian countries.

"Our future prosperity will be determined by our ability to tap into rapidly growing Asian economies," he said in a news release.

"If we're going to sell our products in countries like China or India, we need to be able to get those products to market. It's critical that we in the West work together to ensure the infrastructure we need — the pipelines, the ports, the railways — is in place and up to date."

The premiers believe joint western proposals give the provinces and territories more political power in Ottawa, rather than single proposals from each province and territory.

As a region, the West has emerged as economic force in the country.

Buoyed by increasing populations, high demand for the region's natural resources and its geographic access to emerging markets in Asia,  western provinces were some of the best positioned to weather the global recession.

The region exports $143.5 billion worth of goods to other countries and, if the West were its own country, it would rank approximately 30th on the list of the world's largest exporters and 20th on the list of the world's largest economies.

Long gone are the days of western alienation. When it speaks with one voice, the west has clout.

(CP Photo)