Richard W Rider (Orillia,On), 7 days ago

August 26, 2010

The Firearm Registry and the truth.

I am a firearms owner. I possess a valid PAL (possession and aquisistion licence) and all my firearms are registered and safely locked away. I really have no issue with having to register my rifles and shotguns.
I don’t think the problem is with the registry it self. It’s what you have to do to register your firearms! It’s not a matter of simply disclosing your personal information and what long guns you have. You have to have a valid PAL to register your firearms. That means you have to go and take a course, which is not free. It is costly and can take up to 6 weeks. We don’t seem to hear or read anything about this part of registering your firearms in the news. I would suggest that the majority of people who are against the registry are not against the registry itself, as much as they don’t want to be forced to get a PAL. They just want to keep the firearms that may have been in the family for generations and have no intentions of acquiring any more.

R.W.Rider

Edward Sawdon (St. John's,NL), 9 days ago

Pharmacare Update– Germany Edward Sawdon


Germany, also known as the Federal Republic of Germany, is located in Central Europe. Germany is surrounded by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea (North); Poland and Czech Republic (East); Austria and Switzerland (South); and France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands (West).



During the Otto von Bismarck regime, Germany became the first nation on earth to implement some form of universal Public Health plan for certain German Health Consumers (Low income residents and Civil Servents), in 1883.



Like Belgium, Finland, Great Britain, Ireland, & Sweden, Germany provides a national universal health care system, including Pharmacare, to most of their 82 million health consumers. However, Germany is unique among European nations in having a complex system of Public and Private Health Insurance Coverage for everyone who lives within its borders. Certain Germans can opt into the Private system provided they earn 69,000 Euro Dollars ($87,675.17 CAD) or more for three consecutive years or they can remain in the Public Medicare system.



The German Population falls within three categories: public insurance

based on income (74%), voluntarily covered by public insurance (14%), and those residents covered under Private Insurance (10%).



The German Public Health Care System, including Pharmacare is financed mainly by employee and employer "Payroll Tax" Deductions

(Premiums), Unemployment Insurance and Retired Pension Plan deductions, and General Tax Revenue. Certain German Health Consumers are "exempted" from any cost-sharing arrangements - unemployed spouses, children under 18 years, and people with chronic mental and/or physical health conditions/disabilities.



For those Germans who are covered by the Public Plan, most have to pay anywhere from 5 Eurodollars ($6.35 CAD) to 10 Eurodollars ($12.71 CAD) for each medication they received. German Health Consumers, covered under the Public Insurance system, can obtain coverage to about 2,300 Prescription Drugs, and like Sweden, it

is mandatory for consumers to purchase the less-costlier "generic" drugs

that are available.



It is the German Federal Health Ministry, and the 315 non-profit centres

("Gesetzliche Krankenkasser") who administer the German Public Drug Plan.



Like other European countries, Australia and New Zealand, Germany has shown that a national government can provide a national Pharmacare for its residents. Here in Canada, Canadians have to pursue assistance from any one of Canada's 14 Federal or Provincial/Territorial Drug Plans.



Edward Sawdon



St. John's, NL

Clay Brown (Barrie,Ontario), 21 days ago

William Mullins-Johnson of Sault Ste. Marie, who spent 12 years in jail on a rape-murder conviction, now has to make the case that he deserves the maximum of $250,000, a sum that does not even make up for his loss of income over that period, let alone his lifelong economic losses, the danger he was exposed to as a convicted child rapist in federal prison, the loss of his name and the destruction of his family. (There was never any evidence his niece had been raped or murdered; Dr. Smith said otherwise, and the legal system trusted him because he was seen to be an impartial and scientific observer.) Others, such as Louise Reynolds of Kingston, would presumably receive less. Ms. Reynolds spent two years in jail after Dr. Smith cleared her seven-year-old daughter’s real killer, a pit bull who lived in the basement.


No doubt the province would not want to allow the evidence of the incompetence and abuses to be replayed in civil court and assessed by a jury. It would almost certainly settle before a highly publicized series of trials. But the victims of Dr. Smith are weak, and exhausted, and poor, and Mr. Bentley is exploiting that weakness.

Ontario should own up to its responsibility and offer a reasonable settlement that would put a close to one of the most shameful chapters in Canadian justice.

Gloria James (Orillia,Ontario), 1 month ago

Nice to see the Packet add a tab for the upcoming Municipal Elections - but aren't you missing someone? Angelo Orsi was the first to announce his candidacy. I am hopeful this was just and unfortunate oversight!

Newspaper Reply It is just a quirk of the website. His profile was the first one posted to that section but it seems to have disappeared. We'll post it again right away. Thanks for letting us know.

Edward Sawdon (St. John's,NL), 1 month ago

Pharmacare Update– Finland
Finland is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. The Republic of Finland is surrounded by Sweden (West); Norway (North), Russia (East), and Estonia lies South (Southern region of the Gulf of Finland).

Like neighboring Sweden, Finnish residents have access to their National Public Drug Plan. The National Medicines Agency of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (In Finnish, it is called Sosiaali-Ja Terveysministerio) is responsible for providing pharmaceutical coverage for all 5.4 million Finnish Health Consumers. This nationwide program provides coverage to Persons with Disabilities; Mental Health Consumers; Seniors, Veterans, Children, low and moderate Income Fami-lies and individuals as well as all workers, regardless of status. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and indeed, all Finnish Government Departments and Agencies provide trilingual information for all Finnish residents; Finnish, Swed-ish and English.

This essential Pharmacare service follows 5 Principles:
- to promote safe medical treatment
- to safeguard comprehensive pharmaceutical service nationwide
- to promote cost effectiveness in the use and prescription of pharmaceuticals
- to develop the reimbursement system appropriate to treatment
- to keep pharmaceutical costs to patients and society reasonable

Drug Coverage or Reimbursement levels varies from individual to individual and family to family as coverage is determined on one's socio-economic status or in-come levels. According to the Helsinki-based National Medicines Agency, "the basic reimbursement is 42%" of the Drug Costs, however, certain people can re-ceive either 72% reimbursement or full 100% coverage for their prescription drug expenses. In order to receive reimbursement, Finns have to purchase their medications from any one of Finland's 800 pharmacies and branch pharmacies.

Like Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and other nations, Finland has shown that Health Consumers can benefit from a National Pharmacare Program.


Edward Sawdon
St. John's, NL

Jennifer Macdonald (Collingwood,Ontario), 2 months ago

I was shocked at what occurred on the Black Ash jogging trail between two off duty O.P.P. officers and a woman who i guess, got in their way.All we know so far because the local police chief is so "tight lipped"about everything ,is that the two police officers,Shiffman and Plumb, assulted a woman and have been charged by the Police Professional Standards Branch.You have wrote that,Provincial Const. Jeremy Shiffman, 38, a five-year member of the OPP, and Provincial Const. Ashley Plumb, 26, a three-year member of the OPP have each been charged with assault. This is the part that scares me because i jog every day on the Black Ash Trail is another thing your paper wrote which is,Once the complaint was received it was immediately investigated," he added. "The officers were placed on administrative duties once the OPP became aware of the incident and will remain working in this capacity until the conclusion of the court case."
To me this is unacceptable. These two police officers" must do the time, if they do the crime".The police once told me that so i am saying it to them, right back.Both these police officers should not be allowed to work anywhere near the Collingwood Police detachment and especially not on administrative duties. Soon both these officers will be finger printed and mug shots taken ,just like anybody who is charged with a crime .If these officers would have been on duty ,they would have been suspended with pay,so their chief is keeping them on the job but in a clerical role.This should not be allowed to happen and another reason the O.P.P. or any other police force should have to bid on police contracts and not be the "only game in town".I will not jog on the Black Ash Trail anymore knowing that these charged officers run there.I,m terrified.

L.ynda Lizotte (Orillia,Ontario), 3 months ago

The bears are roaming around as we have been heard and this is NOT due to an early spring but to the fact that they have cut the bear hunt.
These bears have had the chance to multiple since the cut and there is not enough provisions in the forest to feed all the extra bears.
I am a camper and I'm not amazed that last year they've had to shoot 3 bears in my camping area.

I have an idea to this solution, let's trap all these bears and release them in the Toronto area and see how many torontians will want the hunt back.

Edward Sawdon (St. John's,NL), 3 months ago

When it comes to PHARMACARE, HEALTH CARE REFORM, IMPROVED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES & POVERTY REDUCTION, I like to quote Edward Kennedy: "The Work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die."


Edward Sawdon
St. John's. NL

Charlotte LoRusso (Orillia,ON), 3 months ago

Regarding the article about the recent changes in criminal record checks...
It is not a hassle i recently had to obtain one for a job i went in filled out the forms and was contacted the following week to pick it up for me it was that easy

Annabell (KMart) (Orillia,Ont), 4 months ago

All the best to Janie and Marty Bulmer, on your Yukon River Quest "Way to go".
All I can manage is kayaking on the severn river for about an hour, When I am at my Aunt's cottage.