Right in the centre - It’s a secret and it should be
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- Published on Thursday, October 27, 2016
By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba is trying to strike a blow for democracy this month. Hearings are underway to examine new unionization legislation that calls for a secret ballot to form a union. It’s called certification. To cancel a union or de-certify would require a secret vote as well. Seems pretty logical. Most votes in this day and age are secret ballot except for local board decisions. Even then, a secret ballot can be called but it’s not often as the discussion usually leads to a more or less unanimous vote by a show of hands.
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My perspective - Telling stories
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- Published on Friday, October 21, 2016
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
For an industry wanting to tell its story, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of information. For the agricultural industry, the time to gather that information is now. In the coming years, the industry is going to face an increasing number of outside challenges, from concerns over the environmental impacts of various agricultural activities, to the pricing of carbon that we know is coming sooner or later, the industry needs to be able to tell its story with facts and figures.
Right in the centre - Sustainable growth
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- Published on Thursday, October 20, 2016
By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The recent announcement by Hylife Foods of Neepawa and La Broquerie is slowly sinking in. $125 million is a lot of money. It’s even more money when one considers some of the previous figures tossed around over the years. Few really know, and I am not one of the few, what Hylife paid for the Springhill Farms hog plant. The figure of $69 million was touted as being what was invested in the plant to buy it and improve it. Could be. We do know that the waste water treatment plant, E3, cost about $20 million. We do know that Itochu of Japan paid about $60 million for a one third interest a few years back. But $125 million, that tops them all.
My perspective - A shrinking civil service?
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- Published on Friday, October 14, 2016
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Last Thursday, the provincial government announced that they would be streamlining senior management levels within core government. In making the announcement, Finance minister Cameron Friesen explained that since 2005, the number of senior managers has increased by nearly 33 per cent, almost four times more than the rate of overall staff growth within the civil service.
Right in the centre - How far the flaky have fallen
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- Published on Thursday, October 13, 2016
By Ken Waddell
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
Once upon a time, we looked to our politicians to be statesmen. I think that it’s safe to say statesmen and not offend any upstanding women who have been in positions of government leadership. At times, we had to be satisfied when our leaders at least pretended to be statesmen. That happened sometimes in history.
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