Unions side with vets in fight to keep office open

SYDNEY — Federal public service unions are siding with Cape Breton veterans who are protesting Veterans Affairs Canada’s plans to close its office in Sydney in 2014.

Fifty Cape Breton veterans staged a protest on Tuesday, saying they want the one-on-one service they have been receiving at the George Street office, that some can’t make trips to an office in Halifax and others don’t want to struggle with accessing the federal department over the phone or online.

Kim Coles, an Ottawa-based vice-president of a union representing the majority of Veterans Affairs employees across Canada and the 12 in the Sydney office, scoffed Wednesday at suggestions the veterans can instead go to Service Canada offices for help.

Service Canada employees don’t have the same expertise as front-line staff in Veterans Affairs offices, said Coles, the national executive vice-president of the Union of Veterans Affairs Employees.

“It’s going to be basic service they provide.”

Coles said Service Canada offices across the country are also being reduced.

The Sydney Veterans Affairs office is among nine to be closed across Canada, affecting some 800 employees.

Coles said the union has been told employees in the Sydney office can seek employment at other offices.

Gary Corbett, the president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which also represents some Veterans Affairs employees, said he shared the concerns of Cape Breton veterans about losing the Sydney office.

“It’s not fair to expect veterans to travel or to accept a reduced level of service,” said Corbett, a native of Whitney Pier.

“They know who they dealing with. I think they are a little more vulnerable when they get to be up to that age. They need more assistance.”

Corbett described the pending closure of the Sydney office as part of a trend by the federal Conservative government of cutting costs by removing services throughout the regions.

According to a spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney, a partnership with Service Canada means veterans in Cape Breton will be able to get service at five Cape Breton locations and will still be able to receive at-home visits.

Jean-Christophe de le Rue said Service Canada employees have received specialized training so they can provide highquality service to veterans for their routine requests and that home visits will continue to be available for more complex needs.

MP Mark Eyking, who represents Sydney-Victoria, raised the Veterans Affairs Canada cuts in the House on Wednesday, saying Cape Breton soldiers have gone above and beyond the call of duty and the government needs to understand the importance of the in-person service.

“Veterans were there for us, now we need to be there for them,” he said.