There is no doubt the anxiety level is climbing. Are we ready for Ebola here?
The Americans pretty much messed up their first case of Ebola.
Two nurses who supposedly were trained and had the proper gear became infected in Dallas.
Will we make the same mistakes here? They keep telling us the risk is low.
But when nurses start talking I listen.
They are on the front line and they usually tell it like it is.
So when Canadian nurses start raising some concerns about our level of preparedness, it’s a good idea to take note carefully.
Obviously there is no such thing as too much training. Montreal paramedics also are sounding the alarm that they aren’t ready.
In Montreal, two hospitals are designated as Ebola treatment centres, but every hospital will need to be ready for Ebola cases.
The UN says the world has 60 days to gain the upper hand on Ebola. If not the number of cases will skyrocket into the hundreds of thousands.
Look, it’s simple. If we don’t want Ebola to spread, then temporarily cancel flights from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Cancel all the flights except for health professionals and the support and security staff they need.
At the very least, impose a period of mandatory isolation for travellers coming from the danger zones.
I would see nothing wrong with domestic quarantine until the coast is clear.
In dangerous times, exceptional measures are needed.
The scares we had with SARS, swine flu, avian flu and all the others pale in comparison.
Clueless union leaders
The municipal union leaders just don’t get it: most Quebecers would love to have their gold-plated pension plans.
They are now vowing to ramp up their protests with more disturbances.
Maybe they should just take their ball and go home.
Their constant “woe is me” bleating really is falling on deaf ears. Nobody is listening.
When they stormed Montreal City Hall they lost their cause.
Game over.
So when the firefighters’ union boss was handed a six-month suspension this week, and others were fired , when cops are being disciplined, nobody cares.
In fact, most people are happy about it.
Our police officers continue to parade around dressed like clowns.
Taxpayer-owned equipment is tarnished with stickers.
And the public is asked to feel sympathy.
L’actualité magazine did some number crunching on the pension issue for firefighters. Here’s what they found out:
- Montreal firefighters work 25 years and then can retire
- A firefighter who retires at the age of 45 would earn a pension of $43,400 per year
- Firefighters contribute 6 %, of their salary for their pension. The rest is from taxpayers
For anyone else, to earn a comparable pension at 45 they would need to contribute $668 dollars per week -- $34,750 per year -- from the age of 20 into an RRSP
That’s of course, if they were allowed to, but they could not because RRSP limits are much lower for Canadians. So who is really getting taken here?
Finally this week, just a short note about Magnotta.
You may notice at CTV Montreal that we are not reporting the graphic and the gruesome details of this trial in our broadcasts.
I feel that most of testimony from this trial is distasteful and offensive, nor does it add to our understanding of the case or the legal process.
We will continue to make more complete stories available on our website for those who are interested.
