Kissimmee, Fla.
We heard about it on the news as did the rest of the town, saysRipton first responder team member Ed Sullivan, an employee ofMiddlebury College. Ripton was never officially notified that therewas a missing hiker, nor were they requested to participate in hisrecovery. Vermont State Police called us at 1 or 2 (p.m.) the next day tohelp in recovering Levi s body, said Dan Ober, chief of theLincoln Fire Company and director of the Lincoln first responderteam. Had Lincoln first responders been dispatched to respond to aninjured hiker in the area, they would have had boots on the groundin short order.
When we get a call, we meet at the fire stationwith our gear, find whatever information we can about the lastsighting of the people, and set up a plan. We can have a team readyin the evenings or weekends in a half hour, Ober said. Duringthe day, when people are gone to work, it might take a littlelonger as we have to call people in from adjoining towns. We vesometimes called on Bristol Rescue or other adjoining rescue squadsor fire departments. The failure to call on skilled, available assistance does not sitwell with the first responders.
There was no reason not to gothat night. It was a clear night and relatively warm. The statepolice had the resources available but decided not to go until thenext shift, which starts at 7 a.m. We have the resources here, andwe are volunteers, so it s not even a monetary thing, Ober said. Apple IPod Spare Parts
We would have loved to go up. Everyone in this town is upsetabout it. Ober s distress is shared by Mike Cannon, a Colchester policeofficer passionately dedicated to the Colchester Technical Rescueteam, a municipal organization similar to Stowe Mountain Rescuewith an emphasis on waterway and woodland search and rescue.Colchester and Stowe both have memorandums of agreement with theVermont Department of Public Safety to provide search and rescueaid, and can have teams on the ground in most areas of the statewithin two or three hours. Like Ripton first responders, they werenot called until state police required aid in recoveringDuclos' body. IPhone 4S Silicone Cases Manufacturer
I m pretty upset that this kid died. We debriefed afterwards andwe were all shaking our heads, Cannon said. This has been astomachache for us since we went down there. Had we been called onthis, we would have gone right out. We got called the next day,well after the fact. China Cellphone Replacement Parts
Colchester Technical Rescue could have been on the ground in shortorder, Cannon said. Stowe Mountain Rescue and our team do a fair amount of missingpeople searches and in all kinds of weather, late at night, rain,sleet, and if you do it right, you minimize the risk." Mike Cannon Colchester Technical Rescue If the call had come in here in Colchester, we would organize andgo," Cannon said. "Our normal response may not be tosend 14 people up the trail immediately but we d send two guys outon a hasty search. Stowe Mountain Rescue and our team do a fairamount of missing people searches and in all kinds of weather, lateat night, rain, sleet, and if you do it right, you minimize therisk.
Conditions the night of Jan. 9 were far milder than ColchesterRescue often faces. That night, it was 28 degrees at my house and got to the singledigits on the mountain, but it was a beautiful moonlit night, witha clear sky, the stars were out. It would have been a great nightto be out there, Cannon said, not the kind of conditions weusually are facing because mostly these calls come in during rainor snow or sleet. Vermont State Police did not call Stowe Mountain Rescue to searchfor Duclos, nor did anyone call the Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT), according to Matt Fraley, the Addison County CERT teamdirector and member of the Vergennes Fire Department.
CERT, thevolunteer team formed as part of a national Homeland Securityeffort, is available to assist any law enforcement or emergencymanagement entity in Vermont, and has ground teams in every county. Vermont Fish and Wildlife wardens are also available to participatein any law enforcement function including search and rescue. We cooperate when requested by the state police but they are theones deciding what services are required," says Corporal DaveLeCours of Vermont Fish and Wildlife. "We ve always been awilling participant in search and rescue when called on, and ourwardens have intimate knowledge of the ground and land navigationskills. State police did not request the assistance of local game wardenDale Whitlock, an Addison County resident who is well familiar withthe area s woodlands and mountain trails until the morningfollowing Duclos disappearance.
They did page me a bit after 6 a.m. the next morning, but I wasat the police academy down in Pittsford at the time, Whitlocksaid. While state police did not call on any outside resources to searchfor Duclos the night he was reported missing, Cushing, the statepolice Search and Rescue unit team leader, credits those resourceswith making search and rescue in Vermont work. I do think that the present situation works as far as search andrescue goes in Vermont, as long as we have these outside interestsassisting us, said Cushing. We couldn t do what we do withoutthem.
The problem is we don t see a lot of people asking tohelp. Other entities, however, say that the Vermont State Police hasrejected offers of additional help. Some years ago I took the NASAR (National Association for Searchand Rescue) three-day training class they held here in Vermont, andI was very interested in learning more about search and rescue andacquiring whatever certifications were required to get involved inthat. I m an avid hiker and fisherman so it interested me, saidBristol EMT McCausland.
But I later came to understand that theVermont State Police has sole jurisdiction and didn t want or needcivilian personnel because they said people would just be messingup the tracks and interfering with them. So I just gave up. The Vermont Outdoor Guide Association, a nonprofit professionalassociation for fishing and hunting guides, horseback and dogsledoutfits and a spectrum of recreation tourism resources, hadsimilarly approached the Vermont State Police Search and RescueUnit some years ago, requesting that VSP join its annual meeting todiscuss how VOGA s backcountry-savvy members could be of use insearch and rescue. Their offer was dismissed out of hand, accordingto VOGA director Gray Stevens, with VSP advising that they weresimply unqualified and unnecessary. It s risky to send people into the woods who aren t trained, Cushing said.
Everyone wants to help and find the person andcomplete the mission. But you don t want people getting hurt. How other states find missing outdoorspeople Vermont s reliance on state police for backcountry search andrescue is somewhat unusual. Only a small handful of states nametheir state police, who are usually assigned to highway patrol orspecialized crime scene investigation, to the job of findingmissing hunters, hikers and climbers, according to Howard Paul,public information officer and member of the board of directors ofthe National Association for Search and Rescue. County sheriffs arethe most common lead agencies for search and rescue in Westernstates.
In neighboring New Hampshire and Maine, state Fish and Gameagencies are in charge of finding lost outdoorspeople." Regardless of who is officially the lead public agency, search andrescue is primarily a volunteer function throughout the country. The vast majority of states have agreements with nonprofits, Paul said. In Western states it s probably 100 percent, and inNew Mexico and Alaska even though the state police are officiallyin charge there, they rely heavily on nonprofits to do the legworkof search and rescue. In neighboring New Hampshire and Maine, which have similar terrainand experience tourist and outdoor recreationalist use similar toVermont s, state Fish and Game agencies are in charge of findinglost outdoorspeople. They do so with the assistance of a host ofskilled nonprofit entities.
In Vermont, despite the Green Mountain National Forest dominatingthe woodlands used for recreation in the state, there is virtuallyno federal assistance for search and rescue. In search and rescue our most common contribution is localknowledge of the land and trails, says Steve Burd, USFS zonesupervisor for the Allegheny, White and Green Mountain and FingerLakes National Forests. We provide maps and advice as to thetrail locations and conditions. Other employees, the people whobuild and maintain the trails, are called in. If we get called theofficers can reach out to the recreation or timber staff to sharetheir knowledge of the land.
Federal law enforcement officers all two of them
When we get a call, we meet at the fire stationwith our gear, find whatever information we can about the lastsighting of the people, and set up a plan. We can have a team readyin the evenings or weekends in a half hour, Ober said. Duringthe day, when people are gone to work, it might take a littlelonger as we have to call people in from adjoining towns. We vesometimes called on Bristol Rescue or other adjoining rescue squadsor fire departments. The failure to call on skilled, available assistance does not sitwell with the first responders.
There was no reason not to gothat night. It was a clear night and relatively warm. The statepolice had the resources available but decided not to go until thenext shift, which starts at 7 a.m. We have the resources here, andwe are volunteers, so it s not even a monetary thing, Ober said. Apple IPod Spare Parts
We would have loved to go up. Everyone in this town is upsetabout it. Ober s distress is shared by Mike Cannon, a Colchester policeofficer passionately dedicated to the Colchester Technical Rescueteam, a municipal organization similar to Stowe Mountain Rescuewith an emphasis on waterway and woodland search and rescue.Colchester and Stowe both have memorandums of agreement with theVermont Department of Public Safety to provide search and rescueaid, and can have teams on the ground in most areas of the statewithin two or three hours. Like Ripton first responders, they werenot called until state police required aid in recoveringDuclos' body. IPhone 4S Silicone Cases Manufacturer
I m pretty upset that this kid died. We debriefed afterwards andwe were all shaking our heads, Cannon said. This has been astomachache for us since we went down there. Had we been called onthis, we would have gone right out. We got called the next day,well after the fact. China Cellphone Replacement Parts
Colchester Technical Rescue could have been on the ground in shortorder, Cannon said. Stowe Mountain Rescue and our team do a fair amount of missingpeople searches and in all kinds of weather, late at night, rain,sleet, and if you do it right, you minimize the risk." Mike Cannon Colchester Technical Rescue If the call had come in here in Colchester, we would organize andgo," Cannon said. "Our normal response may not be tosend 14 people up the trail immediately but we d send two guys outon a hasty search. Stowe Mountain Rescue and our team do a fairamount of missing people searches and in all kinds of weather, lateat night, rain, sleet, and if you do it right, you minimize therisk.
Conditions the night of Jan. 9 were far milder than ColchesterRescue often faces. That night, it was 28 degrees at my house and got to the singledigits on the mountain, but it was a beautiful moonlit night, witha clear sky, the stars were out. It would have been a great nightto be out there, Cannon said, not the kind of conditions weusually are facing because mostly these calls come in during rainor snow or sleet. Vermont State Police did not call Stowe Mountain Rescue to searchfor Duclos, nor did anyone call the Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT), according to Matt Fraley, the Addison County CERT teamdirector and member of the Vergennes Fire Department.
CERT, thevolunteer team formed as part of a national Homeland Securityeffort, is available to assist any law enforcement or emergencymanagement entity in Vermont, and has ground teams in every county. Vermont Fish and Wildlife wardens are also available to participatein any law enforcement function including search and rescue. We cooperate when requested by the state police but they are theones deciding what services are required," says Corporal DaveLeCours of Vermont Fish and Wildlife. "We ve always been awilling participant in search and rescue when called on, and ourwardens have intimate knowledge of the ground and land navigationskills. State police did not request the assistance of local game wardenDale Whitlock, an Addison County resident who is well familiar withthe area s woodlands and mountain trails until the morningfollowing Duclos disappearance.
They did page me a bit after 6 a.m. the next morning, but I wasat the police academy down in Pittsford at the time, Whitlocksaid. While state police did not call on any outside resources to searchfor Duclos the night he was reported missing, Cushing, the statepolice Search and Rescue unit team leader, credits those resourceswith making search and rescue in Vermont work. I do think that the present situation works as far as search andrescue goes in Vermont, as long as we have these outside interestsassisting us, said Cushing. We couldn t do what we do withoutthem.
The problem is we don t see a lot of people asking tohelp. Other entities, however, say that the Vermont State Police hasrejected offers of additional help. Some years ago I took the NASAR (National Association for Searchand Rescue) three-day training class they held here in Vermont, andI was very interested in learning more about search and rescue andacquiring whatever certifications were required to get involved inthat. I m an avid hiker and fisherman so it interested me, saidBristol EMT McCausland.
But I later came to understand that theVermont State Police has sole jurisdiction and didn t want or needcivilian personnel because they said people would just be messingup the tracks and interfering with them. So I just gave up. The Vermont Outdoor Guide Association, a nonprofit professionalassociation for fishing and hunting guides, horseback and dogsledoutfits and a spectrum of recreation tourism resources, hadsimilarly approached the Vermont State Police Search and RescueUnit some years ago, requesting that VSP join its annual meeting todiscuss how VOGA s backcountry-savvy members could be of use insearch and rescue. Their offer was dismissed out of hand, accordingto VOGA director Gray Stevens, with VSP advising that they weresimply unqualified and unnecessary. It s risky to send people into the woods who aren t trained, Cushing said.
Everyone wants to help and find the person andcomplete the mission. But you don t want people getting hurt. How other states find missing outdoorspeople Vermont s reliance on state police for backcountry search andrescue is somewhat unusual. Only a small handful of states nametheir state police, who are usually assigned to highway patrol orspecialized crime scene investigation, to the job of findingmissing hunters, hikers and climbers, according to Howard Paul,public information officer and member of the board of directors ofthe National Association for Search and Rescue. County sheriffs arethe most common lead agencies for search and rescue in Westernstates.
In neighboring New Hampshire and Maine, state Fish and Gameagencies are in charge of finding lost outdoorspeople." Regardless of who is officially the lead public agency, search andrescue is primarily a volunteer function throughout the country. The vast majority of states have agreements with nonprofits, Paul said. In Western states it s probably 100 percent, and inNew Mexico and Alaska even though the state police are officiallyin charge there, they rely heavily on nonprofits to do the legworkof search and rescue. In neighboring New Hampshire and Maine, which have similar terrainand experience tourist and outdoor recreationalist use similar toVermont s, state Fish and Game agencies are in charge of findinglost outdoorspeople. They do so with the assistance of a host ofskilled nonprofit entities.
In Vermont, despite the Green Mountain National Forest dominatingthe woodlands used for recreation in the state, there is virtuallyno federal assistance for search and rescue. In search and rescue our most common contribution is localknowledge of the land and trails, says Steve Burd, USFS zonesupervisor for the Allegheny, White and Green Mountain and FingerLakes National Forests. We provide maps and advice as to thetrail locations and conditions. Other employees, the people whobuild and maintain the trails, are called in. If we get called theofficers can reach out to the recreation or timber staff to sharetheir knowledge of the land.
Federal law enforcement officers all two of them
OTTAWA Look to your left and look to your right, Canada. Getused to what you see. More grey hair, and more Canadians living inretirement. Canada is slowly but surely becoming a nation of older people. The demographic trends were confirmed Tuesday, as Statistics Canadareleased the latest batch of data from its 2011 census.
Back in 1971, eight per cent of us were 65 and older. Last year, as the first wave of baby boomers reached the milestone,the proportion was 14.8 per cent. That's nearly 5 million seniors(4,945,060, to be exact) out of 33.5 million Canadians. There were 5,825 Canadians who have reached their 100th birthday centenarians and the number is projected to steadily rise to awhopping 78,300 in the next 50 years.
All the while and here's a surprise there's a mini-baby boomhappening in this country. The population of children aged four andunder increased 11 per cent between 2006 and 2011 the highestgrowth rate for this age group since the late 1950s and early1960s. But make no mistake even this development won't stop theinevitable change to the face of Canada where, within two decades,it's expected that 22.8 per cent of us will be 65 and older. Consider this: In 1961, when the baby boom hit its peak, 34 percent of the Canadian population was aged 14 and under. (Schoolconstruction was the order of the day). Hammer Mill Machine
By last year, that sharedropped to 16.7 per cent. Another way of looking at the change? In 1961, the median age inCanada was 26.3. By last year, it had risen to 40.6. Finally, another set of numbers: After the First World War, in1921, Canada was a young country in both its history and people.Only 4.8 per cent of the population was 65 and older, compared to14.8 per cent last year. Indeed, the statistics show that as baby boomers (born between 1946and 1965) now enter their senior years, profound and oftencontroversial questions are being raised about whether Canada isready for the possible consequences to a declining labour force,and the increasing costs of the health care and pension systems. China Biomass Pellet Machine
Demographic experts and researchers who have studied agingpopulations internationally agree that Canada must now confrontwhat lies ahead, although there is a lively debate over whether theaging population will, as some predict, lead to skyrocketing socialprogram costs. "I think some changes are going to be needed," saidElaine Gallagher, former director of the University of Victoria'sCentre on Aging. "But we have time to make those changes. It'snot a tsunami. It's not going to happen overnight. Bio Fertilizer Plant
It will happenslowly over the next 30 years and we've got time to plan for it, toadjust." She said the changes are both practical and necessary: buildingcode changes to require reinforced walls behind the shower to builda handrail; wider doors for wheelchairs; better public transit forseniors; longer lights at crosswalks, where seniors on foot areincreasingly falling; and enhanced homecare programs, includingassistance to help seniors with their yard work and housecleaningso they can stay in their homes. "We really didn't design cities for the elderly," shesaid. "We designed them for able-bodied people, 35-year-oldengineers who bicycle to work. A good deal of retrofitting is goingto be needed." The census results come just months after Prime Minister StephenHarper declared that his government will make major"transformations" to prepare for the demographic changesthat he said threaten this country's economic future.
Among the controversial policy changes now underway: future Old AgeSecurity pension system costs are being curtailed by making seniorswait until 67 to get their benefits; health-care transfers toprovinces are being cut back; immigration rules are being changedto get more skilled workers into the labour force. Staunchly against the plan to raise the age of OAS eligibility, theNDP pointed to the latest census data Tuesday to back its argumentthat clawing back OAS at a time when growing numbers of people relyon it is simply unfair. "Seniors have followed the rules their entire lives but todaythe Conservatives are stealing $10 billion to pay down the F-35deficit," finance critic Peggy Nash said during questionperiod, noting "expert after expert" agrees the system issustainable. "Why are the Conservatives making tomorrow's seniors pay fortheir mismanagement?" Meanwhile, Human Resources and Skills Development Minister DianeFinley retorted that the census data clearly supports thegovernment's claims and those of a number of other experts sherhymed off that Canada's population is "aging faster thanbefore" and that OAS is "not sustainable in the longrun." The latest census data ultimately shows a looming wave of Canadiansapproaching retirement. Among the "working-age" group, arecord 42.4 per cent were between 45 and 64, compared to 28.6 percent two decades ago.
Also, for the first time, there were more people between 55 and 64,when people prepare to leave the workforce, than between 15 and 24,when people are typically about to enter the labour market. In the provinces, the proportion of seniors was the highest on theEast Coast, Quebec and British Columbia. It was the lowest inAlberta (11.1 per cent). David Foot, author of Boom Bust and Echo, said it's easy to predictone outcome from the aging population. "Slower economic growth is inevitable.
And that means it getsincreasingly difficult for governments to get themselves out of thedeficits." Foot said governments that try to confront the issue just throughcutting costs are short-sighted. "If we're going to try and get rid of deficits by cuttingexpenditures, we're never going to make it. We've got to raisetaxes. You've got to be creative. You've got to have new taxsources." He said it's better for governments to use "all the rightpolicies" at their disposal now.
"It takes a very brave politician to take on demographics as along-term issue because the paybacks are not going to be withintheir electoral cycle." Foot warned that signs of discontent among Canadians from differentgenerations are already showing. Boomers have seen theirstock-market savings plunge while low-interest rates make itdifficult for them to grow their investments. Workers in their 40sare stuck in their career paths because the boomers can't afford toretire. And younger Canadians, in their 20s, can't find entry-leveljobs to get started out. What happens if we don't prepare for this growing problem? "People are rising up here because of rising incomeinequality," said Foot, warning it will only get worse.
Doug Norris, chief demographer at Environics Analytics, said thebusiness sector also needs to gear up for the change not just inthe workforce, but also in the evolving preferences among olderconsumers. "Older people might decide to spend their money travelling alot more. They may decide to downsize their house. There are bigimpacts potentially for the real estate industry." So what will Canada look like in two or three decades? Just look toEurope, said Norris, where the proportion of seniors is higher thanCanada's. "When I look at Europe today, it's vibrant, it's moving.
It'snot as if everyone's in the rocking chair and nothing ishappening." Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy.
Back in 1971, eight per cent of us were 65 and older. Last year, as the first wave of baby boomers reached the milestone,the proportion was 14.8 per cent. That's nearly 5 million seniors(4,945,060, to be exact) out of 33.5 million Canadians. There were 5,825 Canadians who have reached their 100th birthday centenarians and the number is projected to steadily rise to awhopping 78,300 in the next 50 years.
All the while and here's a surprise there's a mini-baby boomhappening in this country. The population of children aged four andunder increased 11 per cent between 2006 and 2011 the highestgrowth rate for this age group since the late 1950s and early1960s. But make no mistake even this development won't stop theinevitable change to the face of Canada where, within two decades,it's expected that 22.8 per cent of us will be 65 and older. Consider this: In 1961, when the baby boom hit its peak, 34 percent of the Canadian population was aged 14 and under. (Schoolconstruction was the order of the day). Hammer Mill Machine
By last year, that sharedropped to 16.7 per cent. Another way of looking at the change? In 1961, the median age inCanada was 26.3. By last year, it had risen to 40.6. Finally, another set of numbers: After the First World War, in1921, Canada was a young country in both its history and people.Only 4.8 per cent of the population was 65 and older, compared to14.8 per cent last year. Indeed, the statistics show that as baby boomers (born between 1946and 1965) now enter their senior years, profound and oftencontroversial questions are being raised about whether Canada isready for the possible consequences to a declining labour force,and the increasing costs of the health care and pension systems. China Biomass Pellet Machine
Demographic experts and researchers who have studied agingpopulations internationally agree that Canada must now confrontwhat lies ahead, although there is a lively debate over whether theaging population will, as some predict, lead to skyrocketing socialprogram costs. "I think some changes are going to be needed," saidElaine Gallagher, former director of the University of Victoria'sCentre on Aging. "But we have time to make those changes. It'snot a tsunami. It's not going to happen overnight. Bio Fertilizer Plant
It will happenslowly over the next 30 years and we've got time to plan for it, toadjust." She said the changes are both practical and necessary: buildingcode changes to require reinforced walls behind the shower to builda handrail; wider doors for wheelchairs; better public transit forseniors; longer lights at crosswalks, where seniors on foot areincreasingly falling; and enhanced homecare programs, includingassistance to help seniors with their yard work and housecleaningso they can stay in their homes. "We really didn't design cities for the elderly," shesaid. "We designed them for able-bodied people, 35-year-oldengineers who bicycle to work. A good deal of retrofitting is goingto be needed." The census results come just months after Prime Minister StephenHarper declared that his government will make major"transformations" to prepare for the demographic changesthat he said threaten this country's economic future.
Among the controversial policy changes now underway: future Old AgeSecurity pension system costs are being curtailed by making seniorswait until 67 to get their benefits; health-care transfers toprovinces are being cut back; immigration rules are being changedto get more skilled workers into the labour force. Staunchly against the plan to raise the age of OAS eligibility, theNDP pointed to the latest census data Tuesday to back its argumentthat clawing back OAS at a time when growing numbers of people relyon it is simply unfair. "Seniors have followed the rules their entire lives but todaythe Conservatives are stealing $10 billion to pay down the F-35deficit," finance critic Peggy Nash said during questionperiod, noting "expert after expert" agrees the system issustainable. "Why are the Conservatives making tomorrow's seniors pay fortheir mismanagement?" Meanwhile, Human Resources and Skills Development Minister DianeFinley retorted that the census data clearly supports thegovernment's claims and those of a number of other experts sherhymed off that Canada's population is "aging faster thanbefore" and that OAS is "not sustainable in the longrun." The latest census data ultimately shows a looming wave of Canadiansapproaching retirement. Among the "working-age" group, arecord 42.4 per cent were between 45 and 64, compared to 28.6 percent two decades ago.
Also, for the first time, there were more people between 55 and 64,when people prepare to leave the workforce, than between 15 and 24,when people are typically about to enter the labour market. In the provinces, the proportion of seniors was the highest on theEast Coast, Quebec and British Columbia. It was the lowest inAlberta (11.1 per cent). David Foot, author of Boom Bust and Echo, said it's easy to predictone outcome from the aging population. "Slower economic growth is inevitable.
And that means it getsincreasingly difficult for governments to get themselves out of thedeficits." Foot said governments that try to confront the issue just throughcutting costs are short-sighted. "If we're going to try and get rid of deficits by cuttingexpenditures, we're never going to make it. We've got to raisetaxes. You've got to be creative. You've got to have new taxsources." He said it's better for governments to use "all the rightpolicies" at their disposal now.
"It takes a very brave politician to take on demographics as along-term issue because the paybacks are not going to be withintheir electoral cycle." Foot warned that signs of discontent among Canadians from differentgenerations are already showing. Boomers have seen theirstock-market savings plunge while low-interest rates make itdifficult for them to grow their investments. Workers in their 40sare stuck in their career paths because the boomers can't afford toretire. And younger Canadians, in their 20s, can't find entry-leveljobs to get started out. What happens if we don't prepare for this growing problem? "People are rising up here because of rising incomeinequality," said Foot, warning it will only get worse.
Doug Norris, chief demographer at Environics Analytics, said thebusiness sector also needs to gear up for the change not just inthe workforce, but also in the evolving preferences among olderconsumers. "Older people might decide to spend their money travelling alot more. They may decide to downsize their house. There are bigimpacts potentially for the real estate industry." So what will Canada look like in two or three decades? Just look toEurope, said Norris, where the proportion of seniors is higher thanCanada's. "When I look at Europe today, it's vibrant, it's moving.
It'snot as if everyone's in the rocking chair and nothing ishappening." Twitter.com/Mark_Kennedy.
OTTAWA A Conservative senator is asking his colleagues toformally begin debating changes to the Senate, a move that wouldkick-start a discussion on reforms even before a government billlands before senators for review. The government's Senate reform proposals in bill C-7 are stillstuck in the House of Commons, and Senate reform is not currentlyat the forefront of the Upper Chamber's agenda. If senators agree to the proposal from Senator Hugh Segal, theycould launch their own study or even have their own proposals readyfor the day that the Commons approves reforms to the Senate. Segalsaid the debate is needed to combat the perception that Senatereform has hit the legislative backburner.
Bill C-7 hasn't beendebated in the House of Commons since February. "While they may be clogged up on the other side (the House ofCommons) . .
I think it's important to keep the debatealive," Segal said. Segal will begin the debate on Thursday and after that, othersenators will have the chance to espouse their own ideas for Senatereform. Segal said that may mean more representation for westernprovinces, or changes to how the Senate operates, such asbroadcasting debates, which currently doesn't happen. "In the end, democracy is a marketplace of ideas," Segalsaid. Some senators are leery about reforms, meaning there is notunanimous support for the Harper government's Senate reform agenda. HD720P Vehicle Car Camera
"Everyone has their own views, of course, and I don't thinkpeople's views will change because of this discussion," saidSenator Betty Unger, one of two elected members of the Senate. Unger said parliamentarians "by and large" agree withproposed reforms to the Senate, but "some I know will notagree." The discussion will be a public debate that has thus far beenlargely absent from the Senate this term. Senators, includingSenator Gerry St. Germain, have talked in the Senate chamber aboutreform, but several senators told Postmedia News that even privatediscussions have been minimal. Car Video Recorder with GPS
"Some form of reform will take place, but . . . I just don'tknow what the eventual outcome will be," said St. IR Light Camcorder
Germain, whowill retire from the Senate in November. "At least we got the issue on the radar screen." The government's Senate reform bill is still at first reading inthe House of Commons, almost a year after being introduced. The Senate Reform Act would create a voluntary framework forprovinces to hold elections for Senate appointments. Nominees wouldthen be presented to the prime minister who would still makeappointments to the Senate appointments that would be subject toa non-renewable nine-year term limit. Already, Alberta has legislation allowing for Senate elections.
NewBrunswick and B.C. are moving forward with similar initiatives. If provinces are moving forward with reforms, the Senate must moveforward as well, Segal said. The government's proposals don't require any changes to theConstitution, which would require the consent of seven provinces.
The reforms have already drawn criticism from the outgoing head ofthe right-leaning Canada West Foundation, who questioned whetherthe reforms would hinder the cause of regional representation, andopposition from the province of Quebec, which is taking the federalgovernment to court over what it considers unilateral changes tothe Constitution. Twitter.com/jordan_press.
Bill C-7 hasn't beendebated in the House of Commons since February. "While they may be clogged up on the other side (the House ofCommons) . .
I think it's important to keep the debatealive," Segal said. Segal will begin the debate on Thursday and after that, othersenators will have the chance to espouse their own ideas for Senatereform. Segal said that may mean more representation for westernprovinces, or changes to how the Senate operates, such asbroadcasting debates, which currently doesn't happen. "In the end, democracy is a marketplace of ideas," Segalsaid. Some senators are leery about reforms, meaning there is notunanimous support for the Harper government's Senate reform agenda. HD720P Vehicle Car Camera
"Everyone has their own views, of course, and I don't thinkpeople's views will change because of this discussion," saidSenator Betty Unger, one of two elected members of the Senate. Unger said parliamentarians "by and large" agree withproposed reforms to the Senate, but "some I know will notagree." The discussion will be a public debate that has thus far beenlargely absent from the Senate this term. Senators, includingSenator Gerry St. Germain, have talked in the Senate chamber aboutreform, but several senators told Postmedia News that even privatediscussions have been minimal. Car Video Recorder with GPS
"Some form of reform will take place, but . . . I just don'tknow what the eventual outcome will be," said St. IR Light Camcorder
Germain, whowill retire from the Senate in November. "At least we got the issue on the radar screen." The government's Senate reform bill is still at first reading inthe House of Commons, almost a year after being introduced. The Senate Reform Act would create a voluntary framework forprovinces to hold elections for Senate appointments. Nominees wouldthen be presented to the prime minister who would still makeappointments to the Senate appointments that would be subject toa non-renewable nine-year term limit. Already, Alberta has legislation allowing for Senate elections.
NewBrunswick and B.C. are moving forward with similar initiatives. If provinces are moving forward with reforms, the Senate must moveforward as well, Segal said. The government's proposals don't require any changes to theConstitution, which would require the consent of seven provinces.
The reforms have already drawn criticism from the outgoing head ofthe right-leaning Canada West Foundation, who questioned whetherthe reforms would hinder the cause of regional representation, andopposition from the province of Quebec, which is taking the federalgovernment to court over what it considers unilateral changes tothe Constitution. Twitter.com/jordan_press.
OTTAWA The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is unable tosay whether the Harper government's proposed budget legislationwould have sped up past reviews of projects that ran into lengthydelays. A list of 44 "completed" project reviews on the agency'swebsite shows that 17 evaluations, adding up to about 40 per centof the total, took more than two years to complete. The governmenthas proposed to scrap the existing Canadian EnvironmentalAssessment Act and replace it with a new law that would set a365-day limit on the time the federal regulator can spend on areview before the environment minister decides to approve or rejecta proposed project. But a spokeswoman for the agency was unable to say how this wouldhave affected project reviews that took longer to complete. Xerox Toner Chips
"The question of how the completed comprehensive studies youare referring to would have been affected by provisions under theproposed new legislation is hypothetical because the process wouldhave been different," said Isabelle Perrault, a seniorcommunications adviser at the agency. "At the time, federaldepartments and agencies responsible for the conduct of thesecomprehensive studies were not governed by any establishedtimelines. Our experience shows that legislated timelines imposegreater discipline on the process." She said changes introduced in July 2010 to the existinglegislation have succeeded in reducing delays at the governmentlevel. The proposed time limits would not include time spentwaiting for a project proponent to provide information requested bythe regulator. Minolta Toner Chip
Environmental groups have argued that time limits would compromisethe quality of reviews while many proposed changes in the budgetwould weaken federal oversight of the impacts of industrialprojects on Canada's land, water and air. Perrault said the agency was confident that the proposedlegislation would allow it to complete "standard"environmental assessments without compromising the quality ofreviews. The comments follow similar statements from the Canadian NuclearSafety Commission, which is not required to meet time limits underthe legislation but has pledged to complete reviews within twoyears. The agency's president, Michael Binder, has also said thatits time spent on reviews would not include any delays caused byhaving to wait for project proponents to provide requestedinformation. Dell Toner Chip
The commission's own statistics show that 44 out of 66 projects itreviewed over the past decade lasted more than two years. Liberal natural resources critic David McGuinty, who has analyzedthe numbers, said the revelations are making "a farce"out of pledges made on Monday by federal cabinet ministers at 10different events across the country. The ministers touted thegovernment's regulatory reforms, arguing they would benefit theeconomy and create jobs by simplifying and speeding up the reviewprocess. "It's dishonest of the government to run around the countryand dispatch 10 ministers, telling everybody: 'We're doing all thiswithin two years, (and) we're the stewards of the economy,'"McGuinty said Tuesday.
"It makes a bit of a farce of thatclaim because the work stoppages will continue." In a recently released presentation from September, obtained byPostmedia News through access to information legislation, theagency said that existing reforms were already "preventingprocess duplication." NDP deputy leader Megan Leslie has said the presentation suggestedthat Environment Minister Peter Kent was misleading Canadians byarguing that the government's reforms would eliminate red tape. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week that the proposedchanges were meant to ensure decisions to approve projects are made"within a reasonable time period" of up to two years. "It's still a very thorough assessment, but it is importantthat we not duplicate our work and that we are able to givecertainty to investors about the timelines for decisions,"Harper told the House of Commons. Twitter.com/mikedesouza.
"The question of how the completed comprehensive studies youare referring to would have been affected by provisions under theproposed new legislation is hypothetical because the process wouldhave been different," said Isabelle Perrault, a seniorcommunications adviser at the agency. "At the time, federaldepartments and agencies responsible for the conduct of thesecomprehensive studies were not governed by any establishedtimelines. Our experience shows that legislated timelines imposegreater discipline on the process." She said changes introduced in July 2010 to the existinglegislation have succeeded in reducing delays at the governmentlevel. The proposed time limits would not include time spentwaiting for a project proponent to provide information requested bythe regulator. Minolta Toner Chip
Environmental groups have argued that time limits would compromisethe quality of reviews while many proposed changes in the budgetwould weaken federal oversight of the impacts of industrialprojects on Canada's land, water and air. Perrault said the agency was confident that the proposedlegislation would allow it to complete "standard"environmental assessments without compromising the quality ofreviews. The comments follow similar statements from the Canadian NuclearSafety Commission, which is not required to meet time limits underthe legislation but has pledged to complete reviews within twoyears. The agency's president, Michael Binder, has also said thatits time spent on reviews would not include any delays caused byhaving to wait for project proponents to provide requestedinformation. Dell Toner Chip
The commission's own statistics show that 44 out of 66 projects itreviewed over the past decade lasted more than two years. Liberal natural resources critic David McGuinty, who has analyzedthe numbers, said the revelations are making "a farce"out of pledges made on Monday by federal cabinet ministers at 10different events across the country. The ministers touted thegovernment's regulatory reforms, arguing they would benefit theeconomy and create jobs by simplifying and speeding up the reviewprocess. "It's dishonest of the government to run around the countryand dispatch 10 ministers, telling everybody: 'We're doing all thiswithin two years, (and) we're the stewards of the economy,'"McGuinty said Tuesday.
"It makes a bit of a farce of thatclaim because the work stoppages will continue." In a recently released presentation from September, obtained byPostmedia News through access to information legislation, theagency said that existing reforms were already "preventingprocess duplication." NDP deputy leader Megan Leslie has said the presentation suggestedthat Environment Minister Peter Kent was misleading Canadians byarguing that the government's reforms would eliminate red tape. Prime Minister Stephen Harper said last week that the proposedchanges were meant to ensure decisions to approve projects are made"within a reasonable time period" of up to two years. "It's still a very thorough assessment, but it is importantthat we not duplicate our work and that we are able to givecertainty to investors about the timelines for decisions,"Harper told the House of Commons. Twitter.com/mikedesouza.