January 12, 2001 - 2 Celsius at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital entrance and snow blocking those with disabilities from the meters (photo Stephen Pate)
If a person in a wheelchair, walker, or using a cane can’t get to the meter, will they get a ticket? Probably.
Murray River (Photo special to The Guardian by Tanya Campbell)
Updated with video – The mid-winter storms used to bring snow and wind, with loss of power and isolated communities. The 2010 December winter storm brought high winds, pounding rain and surf.
The coastal villages and wharfs of PEI sustained extensive damage.
For a a photo slide show see The Guardian coverage. Storm damage stuns Islanders on P.E.I.’s shoreline
Hats off to all the photographers, amateur and otherwise who took those great photos. If you have other photos or links, send them along in the comments please.
The damage has not been assessed yet. It will be in the tens of millions as roads, bridges, culverts and wharfs sustained extensive damage.
Continue reading
Todd King
Todd King is out in Calgary living the rock and roll dream.
I always have respected him for doing what he did and getting free (Bob Dylan paraphrase).
The Calgary Beacon profiled him with a story about his music and new CD for Stratabuse. Calgary Band Stratabuse Looking to Break Out with First CD
He’s not pushing paper at Music PEI or the government. Todd did both those jobs but he left them to be a rocker.
You can’t be a rocker conforming to the system. Rock and roll is about rebellion against the system, telling the establishment to shove it.
On PEI, the dependence on government money is corrupting rock and roll into a civil service job.
Unless musicians are willing to curry favour with the government and Music PEI, they don’t have a chance at the grant money that floats around twice a year.
With the new attempts by Music PEI to control the PEI Music scene, rebellious musicians will be out of work.
Not to worry – the whole government controlled music scene is imploding under the weight of its own paperwork.
Soon the ECMAs will be a phone in affair. Continue reading
The Standing Committee on Health, Social Development and Seniors made a recommendation that Minister Janice Sherry include seniors in the PEI Disability Support Program.
The DSP provides assistive devices like wheelchairs and hearing aids to non-seniors with disabilities along with comprehensive home care.
Following up on that report Opposition Leader Olive Crane asked the Minister in Question Period if she would commit to including Seniors in the DSP by April 1, 2011.
Minister Sherry waffled in her reply deferring to another government committee comprised of NGO’s and volunteers.
How long will the 8,980 Islanders 65 years of age and older have to wait for relief from the crushing cost of wheelchairs, hearing aids and home support that will keep them living independently?
On December 7th, 2010 during Question Period, Crane asked about Sherry about “a large number of seniors with disabilities in the province. Madam Minister, will eligible seniors be able to access this program in April 1st of this coming year?” (Hansard) Continue reading
Merry Christmas from CBC, sorry you're life is not so merry
Nothing is more obscene than the pampered people at CBC with their annual do-gooder turkey drive. CBC wastes it’s considerable resources attacking the wrong end of the stick.
Do they think one turkey at Christmas will alleviate the crushing weight of poverty or is this all just another WKRP radio station publicity stunt?
If the folks at CBC really carried about Christmas and the message of Christ, they would use their considerable resources to report stories about the reality of PEI’s poverty problem.
A short stint of real reporting at CBC would inform the public and embarrass the government into fixing the problem once and for all.
Dr. Robert Coull wrote that charity drives make him angry. “The need for charity is something that makes me very angry. It reminds me that our society is unjust. The poor continue to be poor, while the rich get richer. Rich people ‘feeling good’ about giving a few dollars or a few hours of their time to the ‘deserving poor’ is something I would love to see the end of.” Continue reading
Minister of Community Services, Seniors and Labour Janice Sherry, press release to follow
The world celebrates UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On Prince Edward Island, we can look forward to political hot air.
The appropriate minister will rise in the Legislature to acknowledge her love for and empathy with the situation of Islanders living with disabilities. Those speeches are fulsome, with profound words that puff up those who listen. In reality, they are hollow with pontificating and prevarication. Continue reading
The Caledon Institute has presented a proposal, Caledon Basic Income Plan, to overhaul Canada’s patchwork and failing system of social supports for working age Canadians who are severely disabled and living in poverty.
The new system would prevent the abject poverty that afflicts Canadians with disabilities where a single adult in New Brunswick is subsisting on roughly $8,000 a year, which is less than half of the LICO (Low Income Cut-Off).
This poverty exists despite the billions being spent at the Federal and Provincial levels.
The proposal is comprehensive but not a system that purposes major increases in social spending.
Instead it proposes to use the existing systems, like the Income Tax Act and Canada Pension Disability Benefit, to streamline and reorganize benefits making them more effective in eliminating poverty for working age Canadians with severe disabilities. Continue reading
Stephanie Pitsiladis in the Charlottetown Festival production of Hairspray
Roger Waters movie about Cinderella who wins the handsome prince without a transformation of her figure made a wonderful and fun filled evening at the Confederation Centre last night. The performance was as good as any on Broadway or in Toronto.
The actors, music and production carried the audience along in the most entertaining way.
The Broadway musical adaptation has been running in Charlottetown since September 8th. Tonight’s performance by George Wendt is the last of three chances to see him in the role of Tracy Turnblad’s mother. Wade Lynch sits in for him on October 5th.
Right off the bat, let me state my opinion that Wendt was better in the role than John Travolta’s performance in the movie musical. Travolta looked like he was stuffed with prosthetics. George Wendt has the girth but he added to it the moves of a woman of “size.” Continue reading
Disability is a fact of life for seniors. About 40% of seniors in Canada have one or more disabilities. They need assistive devices and home care to remain living independent in their homes. In the first of a four part series we explore home care as an option for seniors with disabilities.
The lack of disability supports for seniors is forcing them into institutions. When they can no longer cope at home because they are too disabled, the system is geared to institutionalize them. Warehousing seniors with disabilities is an old model of how to solve the problem.
Death threats painted on school walls at Colonel Gray High (photo CBC)
Four death threats were painted on the brick exterior of Colonel Gray High School Thursday September 30th, 2010 in Charlottetown PEI.
“A kid will die if there is school today” said one. “Which kid will die?” said another. Others targeted the police.
Despite all of the past violence in high schools in Canada and the United States, local school officials thought the threat wasn’t enough to close the schools.
Parents and students could chose for themselves if they wanted to go home or stay. Many students didn’t hear about the threats until mid or late morning.
La-de-da in the PEI Eastern School District. Call in the police. Check the video tapes.
Continue reading
Seniors should be able to stay in their own homes (image Straford Meals on Wheels)
PRLog – Seniors on Prince Edward Island need support from the PEI Disability Support Program (DSP) to maintain independent lives in their own homes.
The current policies support the institutionalization of seniors with disabilities in public or private institutions. Continue reading