Health Care in Alberta
I was listening to Sunday Magazine today, and couldn’t help react to the discussion about Alberta wait times in emergency rooms. In fact, when it comes to conversations about health care in Alberta or anywhere in Canada, I find that I can’t help reacting to most of what I hear. As someone who has traveled a fair bit (coffee buying trips) in countries where health care is a luxury, I am increasingly frustrated by the perpetual complaining that I encounter.
I realize that if your only experience with the health care system is local, it is easier to become fixated on the flaws in our system. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that their isn’t room for improvement in our health care system, but what I am trying to express is that we too often take for granted the amazing quality and level of access to health care services that we have in Alberta. I know that politics is a game of rhetoric and posturing, but with that said, if all we ever do is criticize, nothing is likely to change. As a business owner, I encounter my staff finding reasons to complain or criticize something they don’t like. Lately, I have been challenging them to provide solutions to the problems they deem important enough to complain about. Perspective is also critical in having a clear understanding of the issues, especially when focusing on health care.
Let’s be honest about the current state of health care in Alberta. Boomers are aging, and as they age, they require more and more attention from our health care system. The cost of care has increased, and will continue to increase as more pressures are placed on the already taxed system. Add to the mix an increased demand on emergency rooms due to more parents dragging their kids to the hospital for sniffles, and a shortage of GPs who could better address every day health concerns. In short, we will always have something to complain about when it comes to wait times, access, and shortages of physicians. But when our attention is constantly focused on what is wrong with the system, and never on what is amazing about the health care system, we are guaranteed to be disappointed.
I guess that is what traveling to Africa and Central America offers up as a cure for perpetual complaining. Seeing that dismal or non-existent health care available to millions of people all over the world, has made me much more appreciative of how lucky we are in Alberta. We have a world class public health care system, which for the most part is free for us to access. Sure there are user fees, and we pay for medicine, and braces, etc. but at least we have access to these things; when so many billions on this planet can’t even fathom the kind of care we have access to.
Again, I am not suggesting that things can’t be better, and that we can’t have more efficiency and greater access, but what I am saying is that we should take a moment to stop and think about how fortunate we all are. We should come to grips with the simple fact that we live in one of the best countries and provinces in the world, and with that perspective begin to think, talk and act accordingly.
An invitation to Bishop Tutu
First off, let me make it clear that I know that I am speaking out of turn. I have no authority or pull with the Alberta government, nor do I have any sway over Premier Redford’s schedule. Having said that, I am inviting Bishop Desmond Tutu to Alberta in May to visit the oil sands development for himself. He can easily make it either before or after his visit to Spokane where he will be delivering a commencement address at Gonzaga University. I am pretty confident that if he were to make some minor travel arrangements, that Premier Redford would happily accommodate his schedule.
I am tired of the Rhetoric surrounding Alberta’s oil sands as being the dirtiest and most dangerous thing on the planet. I am weary of presidents and bishops calling Alberta out when their own back yards are piled high with issues that present a far greater threat to world health, the environment and global stability.
Recently on the RMR, Rick (one of my favourite Canadians) mocked the Canadian government’s labelling of tar sand oil as ethical. Now I know that the development of the tar sands has not always been a pretty picture, but really, is the current dependancy on oil from the Middle East any better? Europe almost collectively feinted this week as Iran mistakenly threatened to cut off 50% of their oil supply. The world, whether we like it or not, is still dependant on fossil fuels. Yes I support the development of new technology in the area of energy. But let’s not kid ourselves. Alternative fuel comes at a cost too. Massive wind farms are now documented as creating their own micro climates and consequently disrupting entire weather patterns. Bio-fuels are only affordable when massively subsidized like they are in the United States of America. Hydro power is massively disruptive; just look at the notorious twenty-year plus development of the Three Gorges Dam in China (the largest in the world) although dams all over the world have the same impact to varying degrees. And now, even the “safest and cleanest” of energy sources, atomic energy, is questionable given the recent environmental disaster in Japan.
I haven’t even begun to talk about the world’s dependancy on fossil fuels from parts of the world which systematically oppress their own citizens, abuse basic human rights, oppress women, virtually enslave foreign workers by withholding passports, the list could go on and on. Think of the toll that the planet and millions of people have endured in the last decade because of the west’s dependency on middle eastern oil. And then we can look at both the real and potential risk to the environment and people’s livelihood in relation to off-shore drilling too. Have we so quickly forgotten the Gulf of Mexico fiasco?
Alberta oil may not be perfect, it is true that some ducks and geese do perish in tailings ponds. It is true that tar sand development has an impact on the environment in Northern Alberta. It is true that tar sand development presents challenges in regards to First Nation consultation and participation. But all of these challenges have and are being addressed by well entrenched democratic process. Oil companies are spending billions on research, new technology is constantly being developed at the University of Alberta, and other places which will not only benefit the tar sands projects, but have countless ripple benefits. Let me reiterate, Alberta is a democratic province within a democratic nation, where people have the right to vote, and protest, and speak their minds. Alberta is a province where there are environmental regulations, and while many feel that these are not rigorous enough, their is legislation governing the development of this energy source, which is more than can be said for a lot of the energy production around the globe.
Are their significant issues surrounding the development of the tar sands, absolutely. Does Alberta charge oil companies enough for this resource, absolutely not. Should the Alberta government invest in more downstream production facilities, and demand that companies that want access to Alberta oil invest too; absolutely. Should the rhetoric about tar sand development cease, absolutely. Too many activists, politicians and actors are using their soap box to cast derision, without first examining their own priviledged lifestyle. Too much of the wealth of this world is situated in too few hands. Too much of the carbon footprint is left by the excessive and unstoppable consumerism of the west. Too much of the carbon footprint is attributable to the movement of goods across vast oceans as a result of unmitigated corporate greed and shareholder’s demands for dividends.
I am fully supportive of efforts to end world hunger, eradicate poverty, and unsure that all children, regardless of gender have equal access to education and meaningful employment. But to achieve this, one of the first things that needs to happen to ensure that this radical dream of mine has any hope of succeeding, is that intelligentsia of this planet, stop the rhetoric, and begin to work collaberatively towards a more stable, democratic, regulation source of both renewable and non-renewable energy sources; unless of course, someone out their is selfishly hoarding the secret to cold fusion that is.
Twitter and the Supreme Court
As I listened to the news on the radio this morning, I was intrigued to hear a sound bite from Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin from a speech she gave at Carleton University yesterday. The news item featured this quote from the Chief Justice, as she mused about the impact of twitter, Facebook and other social media on the Canadian justice system.
“What will be the consequences for public understanding of the administration of justice and confidence in the judiciary? How can a medium such as Twitter inform the public accurately or adequately in 140 characters or less of the real gist of a complex constitutional decision?” she also said while some professionals will provide thoughtful online commentaries, ”Others will fall short of basic journalistic standards. Will accuracy and fairness be casualties of the social media era?”
While I agree that you can’t convey the detailed substance of a Supreme Court ruling in 140 characters or less, one can definitely link to the actual rulings or other commentaries in a tweet. As a former lawyer, I think the Justice needs to be asking herself some other questions as well. For example, do most Canadians even care what happens in the Supreme Court? I am in no way suggesting that the work of the high court of Canada is not important, as we need to have law and order. What I am suggesting is that the average Canadian is at best ignorant and indifferent to its work, and at worst sees much of what goes on in that sacred chamber as a waste of time and money.
So, if some people are wanting to tweet about rulings (@cancourtsSCC) as they trickle out, all the better. If the public are made more aware of the work that that goes on in the Supreme Court, it can only help. The court system in Canada is an important and integral part of our social fabric, but it is also perceived by many as an institution comprised of privileged and out-of-touch judges who make their decisions in a vacuum. The traditional media outlets have historically controlled which decisions issued by the Supreme Court make the news. Most of the decisions go unnoticed by the public at large. If twitter and Facebook provide another outlet for public awareness and scrutiny, all the better.
Our government, our justice system, our leaders, the traditional media institutions have to come to grip with the reality that the world has changed. Gone are the days where information can be controlled, and in my opinion this is a good thing. We have seen the impact of social media all over the world. We have witnessed tyrannical governments topple under the pressure and scrutiny that social media affords, and while I am not suggesting that this is necessary in Canada, more public awareness and scrutiny of our leaders, judges and the traditional watchdogs in this nation, can only be seen as a good thing.
It’s time for the penny to drop
I was reminded of my ongoing frustration regarding the Canadian penny yesterday. The latest edition of Maclean’s showed up at the office, featuring “99 Really Stupid Things the Government Did with Your Money”. Number 55 on the list was the Canadian Penny. It continues to baffle me that we persist with the production and circulation of the penny. As Maclean’s reminded me, the penny actually costs around 1.5 cents to make and the Royal Canadian Mint spent $7.3 million to make 486 million pennies last year.
Seriously! Why don’t we put a stop to the production of the penny, we pulled the paper dollar out of production. We all know where these 486 million pennies go, and why the Mint has to keep making more. It’s not like millions of teenage boys are out there defacing the currency on railroad tracks. No, they go from our pockets and wallets into a jar, where they languish. As a small business owner – who deals with cash – I think we probably have 50 – 100 lbs of pennies just sitting in a drawer. I don’t want to roll them!
I know, I know; if we don’t keep the penny, then how will stores be able to offer their “special deals” of $19.99 to all of us savvy shoppers? I think it is time to drop the penny into the history books. Can’t we just charge $20 for that special sale item, or if it has to be below that magical psychological barrier, $19.95! I for one want to see the little copper coin relegated to some deep dark vault in Ottawa, or better yet, let’s melt them down and do something useful with all that metal.
A good day to begin.
I have been thinking about starting this blog for quite a while now. And despite the day’s events, today is as good a day as any to begin this new blog. Some people make resolutions, diet, exercise, focus – don’t get me wrong, all of which are worthy of my own pursuit. However, my mind has been drawn to a place to converse, communicate, pontificate, and write whatever else I might fancy. I am not a pundit, nor a philosopher, but as anyone who knows me can attest, I definitely have some strong opinions. So this will be my outlet, my venue to vent, plead, poke, and write about the lack of passion, the general absence of purpose, and the seeming meandering journey (without a plan) that so many of us on this planet seem to be on.
Today was an interesting day. At home in Canada, there was a historic summit between the chiefs of the First Nations in our land and the Prime Minister and his cabinet. In the land to the South, President Obama gave his State of the Union address. Both events, were I think, defining moments in each country’s path forward.
President Obama, essentially declared war on the elite in the United States. It sounds a bit ironic, but from my vantage point, it is what he did. There is no denying that the growing divide between the rich and the poor (or the middle class for that matter) is widening in America. Tonight, the President essentially worked at gathering the growing angry mob, which is the middle class, in a fight against the rest of the United States (2% of the population) namely those who are rich. I think that this was undoubtedly playing politics too, and an unmistakeable shot across the bow of Mr. Romney’s ship, so to speak. And while it is complicated, I think that I agree with the President, at least for the most part. I think that the United States of America is a country in deep trouble. I think that this trouble is due in large part to unmitigated greed; both institutional, and individual greed. It is the American dream gone haywire. It is the pursuit of wealth and influence without the guidance of responsibility and civility. Four years ago, I predicted that Mr. Obama would win the White House for a single term, and then be ousted. I predicted a one-term presidency as I did not think that he could withstand the pressure or expectations of either his own caucus or the average American. And while I think I was largely correct, I also think that the Republicans have little in the way of anything to offer, which will give Americans the impetus to dethrone Mr. Obama. I could be wrong, but I am beginning to think that I was wrong four years ago, when I predicted a one-term president. Alas, we all must suffer through ten months of nauseating campaigning before this issue is put to bed.
At home, Prime Minister Harper began a most difficult and arduous journey. As one who has worked in the world of First Nations, and has served along side, and at times, against Chief and Councils; the juggernaut of how to solve the issues surrounding Indians and Canada can only be compared to me ascending Mount Everest without the aid of a sherpa or oxygen. The simple reality is that this is a no-win scenario, and one of those precipices from which many have fallen to their political death. The sad truth, despite the CBC’s coverage today, is that most Canadians simply don’t care. Actually that is not true, most Canadians just want to ignore the problem, in the naive hope that it will go away. It won’t. Despite the rhetoric of today, and the talk of amending or working around the Indian Act, the Harper government has a real problem. It has inherited a fiduciary duty to look out for the best interests of the people who are descendants of those who were here before we Europeans arrived. It has as its duty, the arduous task of upholding the promises made by the Crown so long ago. It has a massive mess on its hands; a financial, social, cultural and historical mess. And the truth that no one wants to talk about is that this mess is going to cost Canada plenty; and that this mess should cost Canada plenty. We made treaty, not war.
If anything is going to change, the first task is giving the army of lawyers working for the federal government new marching orders. If today’s rhetoric is going to become even a little less fiction, then the stall and delay tactics – employed by the federal government – need to stop. Things also need to change with the positions of the First Nations too. I have witnessed first hand the stand-offs, the posturing, the meetings with fifteen lawyers around the table – “with only the best interests of their clients in mind” all the while laughing to the bank.
I am rambling now, and I have much to say on this topic. I will write more about it in the coming weeks. I will not claim to be an expert, but I do have some first hand experience, enough to know that it will take courage on everyone’s part to get anywhere close to a solution within my lifetime.
Alas it is late, and time for me to put this Macbook Pro back on the counter. Oh speaking of which, Apple beat the talking heads again today, $46 billion in sales in its first quarter, completely baffling the expectations on Wall Street. Now if only they paid dividends on their shares.
