Saputo to close 3 plants in Canada

Saputo Inc. announced it will close three of its plants in Quebec, Ontario and Atlantic Canada. In all, 230 workers will lose their jobs by the end of next year. The closings are designed to cut costs and improve efficiency of the company.

The shares of Saputo SAP rose one percent on the Toronto Stock exchange on the news. Saputo is based in Montreal Quebec. A plant in Sydney Nova Scotia will close this June after being purchased in 2014. In August, another plant in Princeville, Quebec, will close — it was bought in 2015 and makes goat cheese. The last plant in Ottawa, with 126 employees, will close in December of next year. The Ottawa plant was just purchased from Nielsen in 2008. Production will be diverted to other Saputo plants. The company hopes to save about $9 million annually from the move by 2019. Over the next two years, Saputo plans to invest $32 million in other locations. The company expects it will cost $23 million to close the plants, including a $19 million writedown of fixed assets.

Saputo was founded as a cheese making company in 1954 by an Italian Immigrant Giuseppe Saputo. As well as cheese the business includes other dairy products. It is the 10th largest dairy processor in the work. It expanded from its base in Quebec throughout Canada, in the U.S., Argentina, and Australia through mergers and acquisitions. Saputo is the largest cheese maker in Canada. It operates 25 dairy operations across Canada. As well as the Saputo brand the company also uses Armstrong, Dairyland, Black Creek and several other brand names. The company closed plants in Alberta and the U.S. two years ago.

Spokesperson for Saputo, Sandy Vassiadis, claimed the closures were part of the company strategy to improve efficiency by transferring production to facilities that were not fully used, have more modern equipment, or can be easily expanded. In an interview, she said:"We compare the facilities that do similar products and these ones...couldn't raise the bar to attain efficiency levels like the other plants that do similar products." Saputo is able to close the plants even though Canada has regulations that require milk to stay in the province it is produced. Saputo has other plants in each of the three provinces. Saputo operates 54 plants around the world including 24 in Canada. It employs about 12,000 workers.

Nova Scotia woman forced to connect to power grid to get occupancy permit

Cheryl Smith was building a small house close to Clark's Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada a year ago. The house remains unfinished as she has been denied an occupancy permit since her plans do not include hooking up to the electrical grid.

 

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Near the door of the unfinished small house are two signs, one saying "Freedom of Rights Denied" and the other saying "Work Stopped". Smith said to CTV Atlantic:"I just don't want to leave a big footprint on the earth. If what we're trying to do is move the world into a greener place and make it more environmentally friendly so there's something still left for our children, then why am I being forced to rely on electricity or fossil fuels?"

Clark's Harbour Mayor, Leigh Stoddart, said that while he admires and empathizes with Smith's decision to go green he claimed that the regulations requiring electricity apply Canada-wide and the city could not make an exception. If the regulations are Canada-wide, it is clear they are not enforced. Lasqueti island is one of the larger of several Gulf Islands off the BC coast who have no connection to the power grid. Lasqueti has a population of 3 to 4 hundred people about 350 staying year round. Solar, wind, and fossil-fuelled generators provide power to the island residents.

Apparently, power is required in Nova Scotia because smoke detectors and a proper ventilation is required for every house. However, these could be powered by batteries or electricity generated off the grid. If this is the reason connection to the grid is required then it would seem that power companies are breaking the law when they cut off your power. Several commentators on the article noted that Smith could simply wire the house connect and then not use it. However, that seems an unreasonable expense in the first place.

In neighbouring New Brunswick province, Wendy Keats, cut ties with the grid when she moved into her home just outside of Salisbury ten years ago. Neither New Brunswick power nor local authorities have complained but that may be because the house did have power originally.Keats a dedicated environmentalist said:"I figured, 'Oh, I should practise what I preach,' so I went off the grid.'It's an investment that quickly pays for itself and then you don't have a power bill, and there's nothing any better than that.I couldn't imagine going back on the grid — you'd have to take me kicking and screaming.".NB power said that it sees an increasing number of customers generating their own electricity to offset their consumption from the company. It claims it has 47 such customers at present with an increase of about a dozen each year. Most of these customers remain connected to the grid in case they need power their systems cannot provide.

In some jurisdictions especially some US states, residents with their own solar generating systems sell excess power to power companies. In Arizona a very sunny state some new housing developments have solar panel systems built in during construction. This makes the systems cheaper. Some large power companies are fighting against these developments as they make their money selling power not buying it.

Three year old running for mayor of Halifax

Tuxedo Stan is just three years old but is running for mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He is running for the Tuxedo Party of Canada. As leader of the Tuxedo Party Tuxedo Stan has over 2,000 fans already. Soon he will probably have more fans than Romney.

There are six other candidates for mayor of Halifax but none is as popular as Tuxedo Stan. There is only one problem. The Halifax election bylaws discriminate against cats. Cats are not allowed to run in elections. However asses are eligible as long as they are the human kind.

Stan who is both black and white was born of a feral mother. Stan's campaign slogan is: "Because negligence isn't working" As with any other politician Stan has buttons, T-shirts and even lawn signs that can be purchased at local Pet-Valu stores. Money made will be used to help low-income families pay to spay or neuter their cats.

In an interview Stan's campaign manager Hugh Chisholm said: “There are literally thousands of homeless cats - feral and abandoned - who live by their willpower in the back alleys and streets and bushes in HRM(Halifax Rural Municipality)....There is very little people can do if they want to help, because there is no pound. If there's a lost or injured dog, you can call the pound and they will come and take the dog and give it a place to stay, and some food and care. But if you do the same thing with a cat, you get nothing, because there's nothing in place.”

There is already an unofficial Cat Mayor of Alaska called Stubbs who has managed to hold office for almost a decade. Stubbs will soon have to retire as he will be reaching the limit of his nine lives.

On his Facebook page, Stan, who is owned by his campaign manager said:“I feel very fortunate to live in Catopia. I've never known hunger, cold or abuse. I sleep in a warm, cozy bed every night. I get to play in a safe fenced yard every day.. Unfortunately, there are cats all over the world who aren't so lucky. You can help by donating money or time to a local rescue group. For those of you who do – a big Tuxedo Stan THANK MEOW!" For more see this article.

N.S. Tory riding executive suspended

This is from the Globe and Mail. Harper always spouts off about how MP's should be able to speak for their constituents and not be bound by the party and whipped into shape when they vote against the party line. I guess the moral is: Don't do as I say but do as I say not to do. Harper is showing his authoritarian streak that is usually kept hidden. He not only turfed out Bill Casey but also suspends his riding executive in order to get a candidate he approves through an executive he approves.
Harper shows he has almost as many principles as Dion As with their other policies it is between Tweedle hypocrite Dee or Tweedle hypocrite Dum.


N.S. Tory riding executive suspended
JAMES KELLER

The Canadian Press

October 22, 2007 at 12:17 PM EDT

HALIFAX — A Tory riding executive in northern Nova Scotia has been suspended by the party's national council over its defiant support for ousted MP Bill Casey, a Conservative Party spokesman said Sunday.

The executive in Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley was told to either resign or to choose a candidate other than Mr. Casey, who was kicked out of caucus earlier this year for voting against the federal budget.

But the riding executive decided to do neither, and will instead hold an annual general meeting next month to let local members voice their opinion.

In the meantime, the executive has been suspended and will be replaced by an interim board, which will select a candidate if an election is called, said party spokesman Ryan Sparrow.


Bill Casey

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“They were suspended because if there's a snap election, hypothetically, a candidate (other than Mr. Casey) would have to be appointed and they refused to accept that,” Mr. Sparrow said in an interview.

“From all accounts, they were very good to work with. It's a disagreement and as a result they've been suspended.”

News of the suspension followed a meeting Sunday evening, when the executive informed the party's national council president Don Plett of their decision not to choose a new candidate.

Riding association president Scott Armstrong said the board wasn't told about the suspension at the meeting with Mr. Plett, though the party said the suspension was a condition imposed by the national council last week.

“If that's true, we're sorry about that,” said Mr. Armstrong. “We think we were a very effective board, we were elected by the people and we think we've represented them well.”

Mr. Armstrong said local members will have their say at the general meeting, scheduled for Nov. 27, when members will elect a new riding executive. Mr. Armstrong said he expects many of the board members will return.

He said the board still wants Mr. Casey as the candidate, and he expects local party members will agree at next month's meeting.

“We have such a divisive issue in our riding, a difficult and emotional issue, and we want to make sure the actions we're taking to reflect the general membership,” Mr. Armstrong said in an interview following Sunday's meeting Wentworth, N.S.

“We think they do, we think Bill gets huge support out there in the grassroots of our party, but ... we need some direction as a board on what to do.”

Mr. Armstrong suggested the national council would have a responsibility to listen to a freshly elected executive.

It's the latest in a back-and-forth clash between the riding association and the Conservative party.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Stephen Harper used an announcement about a deal to end his fight with Nova Scotia to make clear that Mr. Casey will not allowed to rejoin the Conservative caucus.

The riding association voted last weekend to nominate Mr. Casey anyway, but the national council quickly declared the riding vacant.

Mr. Casey, who said he will run as an Independent if he can't run as a Conservative, said the prime minister has an obligation to listen to the riding association.

“They are demanding their right, the democratic right, to select the candidate,” he said in an interview Sunday.

“And that was always my understanding of the position the prime minister took, that each riding association should select their candidate.”

Mr. Casey's fight with Mr. Harper stems from changes to the federal equalization program contained in the most recent budget.

The budget forced Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador, to choose between their offshore deals or an enriched equalization formula that included a fiscal cap — a choice that had the potential to cost Nova Scotia up to $1 billion.

The new deal between Premier Rodney MacDonald and Mr. Harper guarantees that Nova Scotia won't lose any royalties under the revised equalization formula.

Mr. Casey has argued the deal amounts to a tacit admission by Mr. Harper that his government was wrong all along.

Nova Scotia reaction to Bill Casey Boot

It seems that not everyone is happy with Harper in Nova Scotia! I heard Danny Williams on TV. He said that he would help Casey campaign. He says that people in Newfoundland and Labrador should vote for anyone but the Conservatives if a federal election is held. Wow! Some Conservative!

Shame on you Stephen Harper
The Amherst Daily News

Stephen Harper is not worthy to be prime minister and the quicker Canadians turf him from power the better off we will be.

That’s the opinion many in this part of the world have after the Tory leader announced a new offshore deal with Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald and promptly took aim at the lone MP who stuck up for his constituents and his province.

After Bill Casey was thrown out of the Conservative caucus in June for voting against the federal budget, many Tories in this riding were hoping against all hope that cooler heads would prevail and that somehow the veteran MP would return to the caucus.

However, as Conservatives were trumpting the new offshore agreement as the Atlantic Accord and more, the prime minister said, “Mr. Casey is not welcome in our caucus. Just so I can be as clear as I can be on it, when there is a...federal election there will be a Conservative candidate in Mr. Casey’s riding, and it will not be Mr. Casey.”

There was no guarantee Casey was even willing to go back to the Conservative Party. He wanted time to study the new agreement before commenting. Now it doesn’t matter. That’s what you get for doing what politicians are elected to do.

Instead of sounding prime ministerial and reaching out to someone who was a loyal MP, Harper looked and sounded more like someone who doesn’t seem to appreciate or care what Casey was doing. For this, Harper should be ashamed of himself and voters should look forward to turfing his party from power next time they go to the polls. The sooner the better.

NS gets funds for establishing wait time guarantees

Giving wait time guarantees not only will help to prevent long queues for some treatments but will also encourage provincial systems to invest in imaging and other equipment since otherwise they will be faced with costly transportation expenses to send patients to other jurisdictions. As long as there are no guarantees jurisdictions will simply refuse to pay for sending patients elsewhere since nothing forces them to do so. This encourages even longer queues and a two tier system where the rich will simply not wait but go to the US or elsewhere and pay themselves.


N.S. gets millions for wait-time guarantees
Updated Mon. Mar. 26 2007 10:05 AM ET

Canadian Press

HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia became the first province Monday to sign on to Ottawa's plan to establish wait-time guarantees for health care.

Federal Health Minister Tony Clement said Nova Scotia will draw $24.2 million from a $612-million trust fund -- announced in last week's federal budget -- to establish a wait-time guarantee for cancer radiation therapy by 2010.

The agreement states that patients needing radiation will wait no longer than eight weeks for treatment. If there is a longer delay, the patient will be given other options, including transportation to another jurisdiction.

"Today, ladies and gentlemen, Canada's health-care system truly enters the world of patient wait-time guarantees,'' Clement told a news conference in Halifax.

The province will also be eligible for up to $48 million over the next three years to implement other health-care wait time initiatives.

The funding announcement was expected to be the first in a series regarding the national program.

"We know that Canadians demand and deserve a better health-care system,'' he said. "This kind of agreement, between Canada and Nova Scotia, indicates it can be done.''

Nova Scotia also launched two wait-time pilot projects, the money for which will be drawn from a separate $30-million federal fund.

One project aims to improve diagnostic imaging for orthopedic patients, while the second will develop a centralized waiting list for people in need of hip and knee replacements.

"I feel very, very passionate about this agreement,'' said Nova Scotia Health Minister Chris d'Entremont.

"I'm extremely proud that our province is taking a leadership role today.''

Clement said Nova Scotia will also be eligible to benefit from a $400-million Health Canada fund that aims to develop electronic health records for the so-called Canada Health Infoway.