Media Watch (Current)

Archived Media Watch Articles


Media Watch is an activity of the Public Relations Committee of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba. It is a “second look” at issues which may affect retired teachers and members of the general public. It is non-partisan. As an information activity, it may be distributed as widely as the reader sees fit

Media Watch #119, Dec. 16, 2011

  1. Crime does not pay but lotteries do...A fellow who won $1million in a lotto in July had two nine-year old convictions for a car theft and his role in a collision that damaged two other vehicles. The Manitoba Public Insurance filed court orders to garnishee his bank account and the fellow paid his debts...from his winnings. Following the thefts and collisions of 2000, the fellow spent time in jail for possession of stolen goods, assaulting police, fraudulent use of a credit card, theft and repeated bail and parole violations. Ado Santin, FP, Nov. 30, 2011

 

  1. If you're trying to quit smoking by using the drug Champix, be aware that it has been linked to heart problems, depression and suicide. Nevertheless, the Manitoba government has just approved it for coverage under pharmacare. It is a pill manufactured by drug giant Pfizer which does not contain nicotine. Instead, it targets nicotine receptors in the brain to reduce nicotine cravings. It has been available in Canada since 2007. In the U.S. The FDA has already placed a warning on the product's label. In Ottawa a Health Canada spokesperson said they are reviewing the situation. In France, the government don't pay for it because they believe the risks outweigh the benefits. Larry Kusch, FP, Nov. 30, 2011

 

3. We should be making more money! Between 2002 ad 2008, revenue from the intellectual property created at Canadian universities was 1.14% of the total research and development expenditures, compared with 5% at U.S. Schools. Canadian universities earn less money for their research results. Take canola, for example. During the Second World War and the following decades, Canadian scientists did the work of making it more edible and the Canadian public financed that work. Because we didn't patent the processes we must today pay royalties to a foreign multinational corporation. Karen Mazurkewich, FP, Nov.30, 2011 

Media Watch # 120, Dec. 19, 2011

  1. Getting ready for the 2015 federal election! Elections Canada has warned that the bill to enlarge the House of Commons by 30 seats must pass through the Senate and get royal assent immediately if the new seats are to be in place. John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail speculates that half of the new seats will be in Ontario with the Conservatives getting 12 seats, two for the NDP and one for the Liberals. In Alberta, both Calgary and Edmonton will get two new seats. British Columbia needs six seats and Quebec gets three. Overall, he estimates the Conservatives would get 21 new seats, eight for the NDP and one for the Liberals.

 

  1. Follow the money...where? Former MF Global chief Jon Corzine testified in the American House of Representatives that he has no idea where $1.2 billion of clients' money has gone. The former U.S. Senator led the MP Global for 20 months as it collapsed into the eighth-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. It is the first time in more than 100 years that Congress has subpoenaed a former senator to testify. The company filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 31 after making disastrous bets on European government debts. Corzine resigned on Nov. 3rd. The Associated Press, FP, Dec. 9, 2011

    3. Is fracking the way to go? Underneath the small community of Pavillion in Wyoming, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found compounds likely associated with fracking chemicals. Residents say that their well water reeks of chemicals. Fracking involves pumping pressurized water, sand and chemicals underground to open fissures and improve the flow of oil or gas to the surface.


Media Watch # 121, Dec. 21, 2011

  1. Manitoba...the most age-friendly province in Canada? On Dec. 2 representatives from 13 communities joined the province's age-friendly initiative, bringing the total to 85 communities. The government minister said that more than 80% of Manitoba’s population now lives in age-friendly communities. The province contributes more than $475,000 to the initiative, including funding to a website and a Resource Team. The minister gave a $2,000 cheque to each of the 13 new entrant communities.This initiative was started in 2008. Its vision is to create communities that value and support the contributions of older people and to provide opportunities for healthy choices that improve independence and quality of life. Manitoba Government NewsRelease, Dec. 2, 2011

 

  1. Need to retrain for a new job? Ten federally and provincially funded projects will support unemployed older workers in small communities in Manitoba by helping them develop their skills and get back into the labour market. $2.9 million is being given to benefit approximately 350 unemployed older workers. To date, the federal government 's Economic Action Plan has helped more than 16,000 unemployed older workers retrain for new careers. Manitoba Government NewsRelease, Dec. 9, 2011

3. More time needed for employers to fund workers' pensions...The Manitoba Minister of Labour announced new regulations to improve funding options for employers. The first one involves new penalties for the late filing of information used by the province to monitor pension plans. Secondly, employers will be allowed to use letters of credit to guarantee funds to cover promised benefits to employees. Thirdly, employers are allowed to extend the solvency amortization period to ten years from the previous five years. The extra time is intended to ensure that employers can meet their benefit obligations. Manitoba Government NewsRelease, Dec. 12, 2011


Media Watch # 122, Dec. 23, 2011

  1. Now you see it, now you don't! The Coca-Cola Co. has made its secret formula the centerpiece at its corporate museum in Atlanta, taking it out from the SunTrust Bank vault where it has been stored since 1925. However, the formula, which dates back to 1886, will be hidden from public view. A railing keeps visitors a few metres away from the new vault which now contains the secret formula. A keypad and a hand-imprint scanner add to the security! The formula had been kept in the vault of the SunTrust Bank because the bank had provided underwriting services to the Coca-cola Co. when it went public in 1919. The Associated Press, FP, Dec. 9, 2011

 

  1. I'll have carrots, please. The Farm 2 School Healthy Choice Fundraiser has sold more than 500,000 pounds of locally grown vegetables to Manitoba families, raising $245,545 for Manitoba schools. 215 schools participated this year, up from 66 schools the first year. Each school this earned an average of $ 1,065. Participating schools sell $10 and $20 orders of Peak of the Market vegetables. Half the proceeds remain with the school; half go to the farmers. The program resumes in Sept. 2012. FP, Dec. 9, 2011

 

  1. Oh , to be a corporation! American corporations are stockpiling money-$2.1 trillion at the end of September. Their reluctance to spend that money explains why job growth remains modest. Most stock wealth is owned by the richest Americans i.e. 80 % of the stocks belong to the richest 10% , and 20% of the richest do 40% of consumer spending. Roughly half of U.S. households have stocks or stock mutual funds, making up 15% of America's wealth, less than housing but more than bank deposits. The Associate Press, Dec. 9, 2011


    Media Watch #123, Jan. 2, 2012

    Trimming the budget...internationally! In Spain, the schools in Catalonia have been told to limit toilet paper use to 82 feet per student per month in order to trim $2.6 billion from the region's budget. In Hungary state support for the acclaimed Budapest Festival Orchestra was cut 20% or $850,000. In Greece the athletes must train on their own for the 2012 Olympics as the government struggles to pay the $14.5 billion it spent on the 2004 Athens

    Games.

    In California the state cut 750 seasonal firefighter jobs to save $34 million. In Britain the Royal Navy decommissioned 20 Harrier jump-jets, selling them for $53million to the U.S. Marines. In Ireland the city of Dublin cut $60 million, leaving the city with no money to respond to severe weather, including an average of 20 days of snowfall a year. Bloomberg Businessweek,Dec. 26-Jan.8, 2012

     

    1. BRICs(Brazil, Russia, India,China) is a term coined in 2001 to describe the more active economies in the world and now, after ten years, there are some cracks in the BRICs. China: -22% in European orders for Chinese goods in October, compared with September; 60% of Chinese millionaires who have considered emigrating or have done so; $28 billion is the estimated trade deficit for the next quarter. China's trade surplus peaked at almost $300 billion in 2008.

      Brazil: -99% is the change of cash put into savings accounts in November; 0% is the growth for the third quarter of 2011, compared to the previous quarter; 19% is the increase in consumer credit defaults in Oct. compared with 2010.

      Russia : $80 billion is the estimated capital flight due to stagnation, corruption and political uncertainty; 61.8 years is the average life expectancy for Russian men, nearly the same as it was four decades ago; 25,000 is the number of people who turned out in Moscow in Dec. to protest vote rigging in elections.

      India: -5.1% is the drop in production at factories,utilities and mines;150,000 is the number of people who protested increasing food prices and unemployment; -67% is the decline in purchases of the $2,800 Nano, India' mini-car, from July to Oct.

      Bloomberg Businessweek


       

      1. Banks going back to Cuba? The Bank of Nova Scotia has applied to re-establish a presence in Cuba and the Royal Bank is considering a similar move. The move would expand the NS Bank's trade-finance business with Cuba but would not do any local transactions or direct backing services. Banking officials are wary of offending Americans who in 1996 passed the Helms-Burton Act which prevents any officers of Canadian companies operating in Cuba from entering the U.S. The National Bank of Canada entered Cuba in 1995 and runs a small trade-finance operation. Cameron French, Reuters,Portage Daily Graphic, Dec. 20, 2011

      1. A new direction for health care financing? Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has told provinces that they will continue to get billions of dollars from the federal government but-and here is the change- the provinces will be able to spend it as they see fit. By not stipulating how the money is to be spent, each province will have to decided where to put the money. Manitoba's Finance Minister reacted by saying “This is not fair. It's un-Canadian.” David Akin, QMI Agency, Daily Graphic, Dec. 22, 2011

      1. Brother, can you lend a euro?! 523 European banks took 490 billion euros in three year cut price loans from the European Central Bank recently. The result is that banks should be able to lend more money and perhaps buy bonds from the weaker economies. The loans, however, will have to be paid back. Reuters, Daily Graphic, Dec. 22, 2011

       

      4. Did you pay for that? Every single day in North America 600,000 incidents of shoplifting occur. One out of every ten of us shoplifts often. Businesses lose $40 billion a year to this “shrinkage” and the trend is 

      increasing, CBC Newsworld, Dec. 2011


      Media Watch #128 January 13, 2012

      1. A life is a life is a life. As a result of the Robert Pickton case in Vancouver, police everywhere are taking the death of prostitute workers more seriously and are looking for patterns that may link murders together. However, there are contradictions in effect. In Ottawa, for example, police recently warned a support group for prostitutes to “be vigilant and exercise good safety practices” but they continue to make mass arrests of sex workers that drive the trade into the back alleys, where the women are less safe. Ottawa police are currently looking at the unsolved murders of six prostitutes since 1990 and have noticed what might be a link between some of them. The Globe And Mail, Jan. 6, 2012

       

      1. Brain fast-mapping to cope with memory disorders: A Toronto research institute is using brain imaging to see how the different memory systems work. They are supported by different networks of brain regions. In healthy adults, the hippocampus helps us remember what happens in our lives. But, in children, the hippocampus is still developing and so another area of the brain, known as the neocortex, is used to learn by the process of exclusion, explaining why children learn so many new words in a short period of time. For example, if a child is asked to get an unknown object among a group of known objects he eliminates the known ones and has thus learned the unknown one. Then, as the brain matures the hippocampus becomes the more efficient way to learn. However, amnesia and Alzheimer's disease occur when there is damage to the hippocampus. The researchers are finding that patients who learn by the exclusion method are retaining the information a week later, even though they don't remember learning it. The Globe and Mail,Jan. 3, 2012


        Media Watch # 129, Jan. 16, 2012 Media Watch is an activity of the Public Relations Committee of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba. It is a “second look” at issues which may affect retired teachers and members of the general public. It is non-partisan. As an information activity, it may be distributed as widely as the reader sees fit.

        1. Good credit card news! Canadians are paying off more of their credit card debt and borrowing less. The average credit card debt fell in 2011 by 3.4%.However, overall debt continues to rise but more slowly than before. Mortgage and other debts are 1.5 times a Canadian household's average income-an historic 150% high. There has also been remarkable improvement in consumer delinquencies, or non-payments, and bankruptcies in 2011 from record numbers in the two prior years. The improvement amounts to a $1.9 billion difference. Average Canadian debt loads surpassed those in the U.S. last year. The Canadian Press , Jan. 10, 2012/ CBC news

        1. Good mortgage rate news! The Bank of Montreal has just made the lowest advertised rate by any major Canadian bank, ever- a five year fixed rate mortgage at 2.99%. Other banks have begun to match this rate. These low mortgage rates are great for first-time buyers or others whose mortgages are coming up for renewal. It has been estimated recently that the 1.35 million mortgage holders who renewed their mortgages in the past year saved an average of $2,000 a year in interest costs- or $2.7 billion a year in total. Tom McFeat, CBC News, Jan. 13, 2012

        2. What's a good football quarterback worth in the Canadian Football League? According to their agents, estimates range from $200,000 to $400,000 a season. They often have a base salary plus bonuses dependent on how the team does. FP, Jan.14, 2012

        3. Some records broken in 2011: Most saves by a big league pitcher, 602, Mariano Rivera of the new York Yankees/ Fastest marathon in history, 2hours,3 minutes, 2 seconds by Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya in Boston(April)/Highest gold price on record ,$1,920.30 per troy ounce in Sept./ Most viewers ever for an TV episode,8.9 million for The Jersey Shore.

          Media Watch # 130, Jan. 18, 2012

          1. Oh to be on this committee !On Jan. 13, Premier Selinger said he will lead the newly created Priorities and Planning Committee of Cabinet. The priorities will be a growing economy with jobs and opportunities, and strong services such as health, education and crime prevention. Members include Stan Struthers, Theresa Oswald, Jennifer Howard, Gord Mackintosh, Dave Chomiak, Eric Robinson and a rotating member of the government caucus. Anna Rothney will be the secretary of the new committee. As an economist, she has held senior position in the executive council and Treasury Board secretariat. Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, Jan. 14, 2012

          2. One more brick to the load! MLAs with new responsibilities are: Jennifer Howard, family services and labour; Gord MacIntosh, conservation and water stewardship; Christine Melnick, immigration and multiculturalism; Jim Rondeau, healthy living, seniors and consumer affairs. Newly elected MLA Kevin Chief is minister of children and youth opportunities and Ron Kostyshyn is minister of agriculture, food and rural initiatives. Manitoba Chamber of Commerce,Jan. 14, 2012

          3. In case you were wondering:

            All MLAs basic annual salary...$85,564.00

            Premier's additional salary $55,944.00

            Cabinet salary $36,745.00

            Cabinet without portfolio $32,570.00

            Speaker of Legislature $45,931.00

            Deputy speaker $9,047.00

            Opposition Leader $45,931.00

            Government House leader $ 9,047.00

            Government whip $6,462.00

            Opposition House leader $6.462.00

            Opposition whip $5,171.00 

                    1. Media Watch #131, Jan. 20, 2012

            1. In case you were wondering, part 2:

              Leader of other recognized parties $ 40,713.00

              Other Opposition house leaders $$5,171.00

              Other Opposition whip $3,880.00

              Caucus Chair $5,570.00

              Legislative Assistant $3,880.00

             

            Constituency Allowance (Office space, Office Operation, Staff Salaries, Representation) Equipment and furnishing items costing $173 and over are the property of the Legislative Assembly.

            Maximum annual amounts per region are:

            Winnipeg - $54,816.00 Southern- $50, 829.00 Northern-$49,933.00

             

            1. MLA retirement Benefits-effective April 1, 2011

              The plan has a 7% contribution rate by Members on total pay and an accrual rate of 2% for pension calculation purposes. As an on-going alternative to the plan, a member may contribute up to 7% to one or more of RRSPs, including a spousal RRSP. A matching contribution is made by the Crown. Total pay includes the basic Salary and any additional indemnities paid to the Member. Information comes from the Commissioner for MLA Pay, allowances and Retirement Benefits.

             

            3. Another Crocus payback! An additional $9 million will be going to 33,500 shareholders thanks to a ruling made by Justice Deborah McCawley after a motion brought forward six months ago. A further $ one million is to be held back for a year in case there are further claims. After the $9 million distribution, the fund will have $7.3 million in short term investments and bonds as well as remaining debt and equity holdings with a value of $9.76 million in 10 Manitoba companies. A previous distribution $54.7 million was made in the fall of 2009. FP, Martin Cash, Dec. 14, 2011

            Media Watch # 132, Jan. 23, 2012

            .And in Canada?! In the Guardian Weekly, United Kingdom, a National Literacy Trust survey has discovered that one child in three (almost 4million children) do not own a book; more boys than girls are bookless. The proportion has increased from one in ten in 2005. The study found that children with their own books were more likely to do better at school.Contribution from Doreen Pruden.

            2.Can you see America being far behind? In South Africa, the fast food chain Wimpy is appealing to the blind and visually impaired customers by having a message in sesame seeds arranged on the bun in Braille-fashion. They find that their food is talking to them! Wimpy has printed menus in Braille on a national basis since 2002. The Braille Burger is on Youtube. Globe and Mail, Jan. 13, 2012

            3.Have you ever read this magazine? Cowsmopolitan Dairy Magazine received $16, 504 from the Canadian government i.e. you and me, as part of the Canada Periodical Fund which gives out about $71 million a year to obscure and to well-known publications. Maclean's, Chatelaine, Canadian Living and Reader's Digest get $1.5 million annually, the maximum amount allowed under the program which gives 13 periodicals more than $ 1million each. The two biggest magazine owners in Canada are Transcontinental and RogersCommunications. They own half of the top 50 magazines in Canada. In 2010, Harrowsmith Country Life received $330,130 and went out of business in 2011. Randall Denley,Postmedia News, FP, Jan. 16, 2012


            Media Watch #133, Jan. 25, 2012

            1. What's in a name?! Apparently quite a lot. A University of Toronto study last fall showed resumés with English-sounding names received 35% more callbacks from employers than those with foreign-sounding names. A new study by the Royal Bank shows our economy is suffering because many immigrants can't use their qualifications. If immigrant skills were rewarded in a similar way to that of Canadian-born workers, the increase in their income would amount to $30.7 billion, resulting in 42,000 additional jobs because of the growth in the gross domestic product. Tom Ford, FP, Jan. 16, 2012

             

            1. Are you still on that committee?! The Manitoba Auditor-General(AG) pointed out that about a quarter of the 1,500 people who serve on provincial government -appointed agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)are doing so after their terms have expired. Legislation allows people to serve until someone else has been named to replace them. The AG recommended having a maximum number of years of service on the ABCs. Daily Graphic, Jan. 12, 2012

             

            3. How did they vote in the East?! The Elections Canada chief executive has urged the government to reconsider the ban on reporting results. Future laws will allow newspapers to post results online as soon as they become available. He said 10% of the results will be available before the polls close. More than 1,000 complaints came in dealing with social media and communications violations during the 2011 election. Tweeters will be free to tweet, when the 1938 ban is removed. Mia Rabson, FP, Jan. 14, 2012


            Media Watch # 134, Jan.27, 2012

            1. How budgets stumble: In 2001, the American Congressional Budget Office forecast average surpluses of about $850 billion from 2009-2012. With that in mind , the CBO said the American government would have enough money to pay off all its debts. Instead, the U.S. government has run large budget deficits of $1 trillion a year. The main reasons for this turnaround include:tax revenues decline due to the recession (28%); tax cuts (21%); increased defense spending (15%); non-defense spending (12%); higher interest costs (11%); and the 2009 stimulus package (6%).

            1. Who is the debt owed to? The U.S. government holds around 40% through the Federal Reserve(1.6 trillion), Social Security Trust Fund($2.7 trillion), other government trust funds ($1.9 trillion). Individuals, corporations, banks, insurance companies, pension funds, mutual funds and state and local governments hold $3.6 trillion. Foreign investors hold the rest, including China ($1.2 trillion), Japan ($0.9 trillion) and other mainly oil exporting countries, Asian central banks or sovereign wealth funds ($2.4 trillion). By the middle 2000s, foreign buyers were buying 50% of U.S. government bonds. However, after the global financial crisis, foreign purchases have decreased to around 30% of new issuances. Satyajit Das, FP, Jan. 2012

            2. Where is the danger? Economists tell us that as long as the debt is owed by a government to its own citizens the debt danger is minimal because the money is re-circulated within the country. However, there is a greater danger when it is owed to foreign investors because that money is removed from the country when the debt is paid off. Not to mention the influence on foreign policy decisions when the money is owed elsewhere!


              Media Watch # 135, Jan. 30, 2012

              1. Would you like to take 600 million cars off the road for 22 years?!! The answer is simple, according to a professor of environmental engineering at a Montreal university. When you are replacing your roof, shingles or otherwise, use white materials. A typical Canadian house can offset 10 to 20 tons of carbon dioxide emissions just by lightening the colour of its roof. And if every roof in the world were white ...poof goes all those cars with their CO2 emissions ! Contributed by Ted Poulter, from Metronews, Jan.16,2012

               

              1. Another riches to rags story! Irish tycoon Sean Quinn , once rated as Ireland's richest person, was declared bankrupt as a bank pursues him for $2.7 billion. In 2007, he was worth $6 billion but he invested much of it into a bank that was nationalized by the Irish government. The bailout will cost Irish taxpayers about $30+billion dollars. At the bottom of the losses is a decade- long property bubble. The bank hopes to reclaim some of the assets from Mr. Quinn, 64, his wife and five children. The Associated press, FP, Jan. 17, 2012

               

              1. Can you pay for your prescription drugs? One in ten Canadians cannot, according to a study in 2007 reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. People who were in poor health, who had lower incomes and who lived in B.C. were more likely not to take or stick with prescribed drugs because of the cost. About 2/3 of Canadian households have out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs each year because they don't have a private or public insurance drug plan, the study noted. The Canadian Press, Jan.17, 2012

               

              Media Watch will resume in March. Hope you miss us! Cheers, RTAM


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