A question for Gordon Campbell: Will this be happening here?

Posted on by Laila

From a good friend and reader, I received a link  this morning to a story that ran in The Star this week.  Here’s an excerpt:

Tax collectors get $45K severance, keep jobs ( link embedded)

More than 1,250 Ontario tax collectors will get a severance package worth up to $45,000 each despite the fact they won’t be losing their jobs.

The move, part of the province’s plan to harmonize sales taxes with Ottawa, will see the provincial collectors become federal employees, triggering a payout critics said amounted to tens of thousands of dollars to change business cards.

~snip~

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Revenue quietly announced the buyouts for more than 1,250 provincial collectors who will now work for Ottawa. It says the province had signed an agreement with the Canada Revenue Agency outlining “opportunities with the CRA for all Ontario government employees impacted by harmonization.”

“Essentially all employees will be made offers of employment to a CRA office in the same geographic location,” the release said.

The plan to harmonize sales taxes was introduced in Ontario’s budget last March, when Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said jobs in the public sector would be cut by five per cent over the next three years as the government struggled with a record deficit.

Duncan said about 2,000 Revenue Ministry workers would become federal employees under a deal with Ottawa, while the remaining 1,400 jobs would be phased out over the three-year period through attrition and other measures.

What the move really amounts to is giving a hefty six-month severance package to bureaucrats to simply change job titles, said Progressive Conservative critic Ted Arnott.

“Apparently, they’ll continue to work in the same office, they’re not going to miss a day of work, and they’re being paid up to $45,000 to change their business cards,” Arnott said in the legislature.

Well, isn’t that something?   That  works out to a whopping  maximum of $ 56,250,000.00 !!!  Quite a hit to the provincial coffers, I would say…. and definitely not a selling point for the HST .

**** Update from Bill T. – BC will not be experiencing this situation, link in the comments section below

7 thoughts on “A question for Gordon Campbell: Will this be happening here?”

  1. So, out of 3400 jobs, 2000 will be transferred, 1400 will be eliminated.

    Are apples being compared to apples, or are oranges being thrown into the mix to confuse the issue.

    Those 1400 jobs being eliminated, will require that the employee’s be paid severance in accordance with the Collective Agreement,

    which while I am not privy to the actual collective agreement, is normally, 1 month salary for every year worked, plus holidays and benefits.

    Given that it is a Conservative “spilling the beans” and that they are well known for not telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth,

    perhaps that 6 months severance and “up to $45,000” payout is simply the severance being paid out to the 1400 employee’s being laid off, and the 2000 still keeping their jobs, get nothing?

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  5. I don’t know if it’s just because I am getting old or what? I find it impossible to keep with all the government cheats. Do you know, there are thousands of older people who don’t have access to a computer, they have no idea what is going to hit them. My son bought me a computer, I can get around with it, but I am no expert. When I tell my friends, who are also seniors, what is going on, they are becoming very afraid. Most of them will not survive all of the tax hikes, and the HST. They don’t know about all the hikes in utilities, and, that the 7% HST, will be on top of , pretty much everything else. They didn’t know if they sold their cars privately, there would be, the HST, to pay. They didn’t know, Campbell has raised all campground fees. I am very much afraid, some of these people will, become homeless. The, BC. Liberal government is very good at, being sneaky.

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  6. Julie, what you’ve said is so true – and so disheartening, if we let it be. That’s why it’s critical for us to talk to our neighbours, relatives and friends…and present the FACTS “as they are.”

    It’s not only seniors who are ignorant of what’s happening in BC…the greater majority of people are getting too worried about making ends meet to pay attention to what’s going in “the world of politics.” They’ve come to hate it, and members of my own family do their best to ignore it (to their own misfortune)…but they’re like the rest of us very average BC’ers.

    That attitude is the greatest gift we can give this sitting government, “if we ignore them, they’ll go away.” No – they won’t. Too many of us are doing exactly what they want us to do…throw our hands in the air and say something like…”well, what can we do about it…there’s no alternative to vote for.”

    I feel the same way some days, I’m completely disgusted with Carole James ineptitude…but it’s time to vote for the devil we don’t know – vs. the devil we do. While there’s still some of BC left for our grandchildren. There will be little left by the time his term is over…and absolutely nothing left should they return to power one more time. After all, it’s NOT just Gordon Campbell who’s to blame here – he couldn’t have done this much damage without his entire cabinet backing his every effort.

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  7. There is a class action suit against the CRA. I don’t know if anyone caught W-5 the other night. Some of the charges are, lying, thieving, corruption, terrorizing the old and the poor, using Nazi tactics, and there are several more charges. Some citizens want the CRA dissolved, they have cheated Canadians out of billions of dollars. Campbell and Hansen have stolen millions from the BC people. The two of them are known as the most corrupt, deceiving and lying pair in BC’s history. 83% of this province, want the entire Liberal Government gone. Iggy is looking for a platform in western Canada, he needs not come to BC, he will not be welcome, and could get shoes thrown at him. I don’t understand, why someone as corrupt as, Campbell and Hansen, can’t be dispelled? The rest of the Liberals in the country, just sit with their fingers up their noses, and allow Campbell and Hansen, to destroy their entire party. For what reason, I hope somebody knows why and can explain the reason.

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