| Author |
Message |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 193
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - 3:23 pm: | 
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I am not sure how disappointed to be with the directors of ORNGE after reading the recent Toronto Star articles.
As a former air medic, the work they do is close to my heart. Discovering that the director, already a doctor himself, is drawing 1.8 million dollars from a budget of over 150 million dollars is shocking. If someone can explain it to me so that it all makes sense, please do.
Is corruption so rampant these days that people are lining their pockets with money intended for life saving medical services??
I know several contributors to this forum are pilots and fly medevac. I am curious to hear what they think/feel about all this. It sounds like the worst abuse of power I can imagine.
I am sure the pilots, medics, nurses, etc, are not being paid as generously as the few men who are running the show. Shame on them, they should have their provincial health insurance stripped from them for life.Cudos to the Toronto Star for breaking the story. |
grncnu
Member
Post Number: 157
Registered: 08-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 - 1:38 am: |
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this is peculiar to the times we live in. in 1980 i worked at the premier's office under bill davis. at that time the cabinet secretary, the highest-ranking public servant in ontario, made $70,000 a year. the superintendant of ontario hydro, the most highly-capitalized crown corporation, made roughly the same.
as a 21-year old in a starter position i made $13,000, which is about 20% of their salary. 20% of $1,800,000 would be $360,000...
something is indeed wrong with this picture, and i'd say corruption is a mild word for the moral abyss int which both the public and private sectors are sinking!
while ornge may seem especially egregious because it has to do with saving lives, it is the same phenomenon as ceo's who make ridiculous multiples (up to a thousand times as much) of their lower-ranking employees' wages. |
erhard
Member
Post Number: 17
Registered: 09-2010
| | Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 - 10:35 am: |
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Outrageous!
Makes you think. If the private sector has multi-million compensation as a standard for its executives, should the public sector follow the same pattern in order to compete for the job applicants? Should public money towards private companies (I think ORNGE is a private company) be tied to compensation limits for the employees of such companies? It's getting messy, and I don't like it. I think our system stinks... |
bush_pilot
Member
Post Number: 209
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2011 - 1:55 pm: |
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Front line staff are embarrassed. I can't say more because the big "O" actually have a spy that trolls web pages and forums looking to punish those that speak out. |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 1132
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 10:11 am: |
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and here is more .....
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/articl e/1108186--star-investigation-ornge-spends-600-000 -on-degrees-for-top-executives?bn=1 |
preacher
Member
Post Number: 171
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 11:49 am: |
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Yes corruption is that rampant.
They used the fine print to hide their greed, dodging around the spirit of the law - transparancy for public funds. It's an abuse of the public trust and I personally view it as just shy of treason.
They should have their funding revoked. Any other publicly funded orgnaisations that their board members sit on should also have their funding revoked.
To put some perspective on grncnu's dollars: $70k in 1980 is the same as $185k today. Still a far cry from $1.5M. |
fireman
Member
Post Number: 194
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2011 - 2:15 pm: |
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I am inclined to think that the type of person who enjoys humping a heavy pack with a canoe on his/her head to better embrace the Temagami wilderness...is also the type of person who finds this type of corruption and, possibly even worse, ENTITLEMENT, almost physically repulsive.
On the streets of Toronto, people are going hungry and hatless, City Health Department workers are taking it on the chin every day whether it is in half-way houses, rehab centres, youth centres, etc. No one is being sent away to Brussels for fudge and a latte.
But, it is the world we live in and no wonder, we escape to our campsites.
It is probably more common than anyone can imagine. Greater the shame and the pity. We run breakfast programs for kids for peanuts just so they have something in their stomachs, meanwhile these Doctors are jetskiing. For whatever reason, this story has enraged many people, myself included. Unfortunately, nothing will happen to them. |
irishfield
Member
Post Number: 341
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012 - 12:10 am: |
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Entire board fired today... for not disclosing his salary (and others) to the Ontario "sunshine list".. as the excuse given. Now of course they'll have to pay them some rediculous termination which will further cut into the operating budget. |
preacher
Member
Post Number: 172
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Friday, January 13, 2012 - 3:08 pm: |
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If I'm fired for breaking the law or betraying the trust of the company I don't get severance or pogey. |
irishfield
Member
Post Number: 342
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 14, 2012 - 12:51 am: |
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yah... I know that... but they will! Just watch. The labour act is clear on dismissal and severance.. but too many seem to fear lawsuit and reprisal and pay off above what's required by law. |
preacher
Member
Post Number: 174
Registered: 09-2007
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 2:15 pm: |
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The more I hear about this company the less I like about them. Con artists from the start.
What's the cost of paying severence to millionaire crooks fired for abusing the public trust?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/01/25/ont ario-ornge-air-ambulance-cuts.html
ORNGE has reportedly slashed 18 jobs effective immediately.
ORNGE is also giving the axe to its charity organization, J-Smarts, which educates children about cottage country safety. |
bush_pilot
Member
Post Number: 210
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 12:37 pm: |
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They got it right this time, no severance and it looks like more cuts to come, its about time!! |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 1135
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 4:46 pm: |
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It looks as if a big housecleaning has been done.
I am surprised this Ornge affair got as far as it did below the radar.
It tells me that there must be lot's of other stuff going on out there at the expense and to the detriment of the people in the Province of Ontario.
Our governing politicians seem to have a propensity for selecting people who are trough feeders, to run our various provincial organizations. |
wrn109
Member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2012 - 7:48 am: |
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@bush_pilot
Was this part of the Ornge fleet?
http://www.orangecountychoppers.com/chopper-galler y/ornge |
bush_pilot
Member
Post Number: 211
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 2, 2012 - 8:52 am: |
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Part of the fleet?? It was a hair brain scheme by some "marketing" people to try and raise money,it's an embarresment to all the front line staff who care about our jobs and take pride in what we do. Slowly the rot is being turffed out and hopefully some people go to jail. |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 1141
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 2, 2012 - 9:55 am: |
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I saw that motorcycle on the internet several months ago when Ornge got into the news and I was wondering why there would be such a thing with the Ornge logo on it.
Thanks for the explanation bush pilot.
Some of you may remember the Hydro One scandal several years ago , when Harris (former Premier of Ontario) split Ontario Hydro up into 3 parts. The lady who was appointed to run Hydro One bought herself an expensive racing boat with lot's of bells and whistles, which it seems that Hydro One paid for, along with many other perks.
After a while, she was removed from her lofty perch.
I think she was a former Deputy Minister in the Provincial Government. One would have thought that she should have known better. Apparently not.
Eventually Ornge will get housecleaned and the pilots and flight para-medics and the support staff can get back to focussing on what they do best.
Smitherman, a former Provincial Health Minister, set Ornge up and didn't do a good job of recruiting it's first CEO and we are all paying for that mistake.
I hope that Ms. Mathews the current Health Minister does not get booted out because of Ornge. She is probably the best Health Minister we have had in the Province during the past 15 or so years. |
wrn109
Member
Post Number: 5
Registered: 08-2009
| | Posted on Sunday, March 18, 2012 - 7:51 am: |
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Bush-pilot
I thank you as well for the explanation. I was being facetious about the motorcycle being part of the Ornge fleet. What a stupid marketing ploy. That, on it’s own, should have raised enough red flags to warrant an investigation. Like Ed said, how could something like this fly so long under the radar without being detected. |
bush_pilot
Member
Post Number: 213
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2012 - 10:42 am: |
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"how could something like this fly so long under the radar without being detected."
That's the 1.4 million dollar question, staff have been complaining since 2007. It wasn't until the Toronto Star got hold of the story that things started to happen, there should be more news this week. |
ed
Moderator
Post Number: 1151
Registered: 03-2004
| | Posted on Monday, March 19, 2012 - 1:24 pm: |
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A big article in the newspaper(s)does a lot to shine light on dark areas and the politicans are then forced to react.Otherwise all they get to hear is the snow job from the operational managers about how everything is just going along fine.
Many times, it is only the press that keeps things in check in our democracies.
Sad to say. |
Temagami general