News & Events
There are still a few roadblocks to self-sufficiency
October 15, 2008, The Daily Gleaner
Re: Column by Premier Shawn Graham
Premier Graham paints a promising picture of the achievements of his government en route to self-sufficiency.
The direction is sound, but underlying the major challenges still ahead is the community capacity for developing the human resources essential to productivity.
This is the domain of the community non-profit sector, which his government has pledged to strengthen. Many issues can be addressed close to home, where people live and work.
For example, the current labour shortage results partly from the loss of a generation of young people who were abandoned by the school system when vocational courses were eliminated.
Many of them are still here; they are a valuable pool of potential workers, wasting away in often unproductive and unsatisfying pursuits.
Community-based programs have helped many youth make the transition from unemployment to the work force. The non-profit sector knows how to do it, but needs consistent government investment to succeed.
Another example is health care. Millions of dollars are poured into hospitals and nursing homes, despite the expressed preference of seniors for home care, which reduces costs and stress levels while providing employment for local caregivers.
Professional home care is a system in crisis. Salaries are low, training is scarce, and recruitment is desperate. Significant government investment in home care could decrease health care costs and stimulate local economies, yet the government seems oblivious to its possibilities.
Communities are society's bedrock, which has been greatly eroded.
Self-sufficiency requires investment to build the social infrastructure. This is urgent.
Sue Rickards
Lower Queensbury, N.B.
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Source: http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/search/article/448558
