Oilers step up in crisis
Will top up part-time rs’ EI as flame s, jets relen t on plans to cut off staff
As a growing wave of anger was being directed at teams in Calgary and Winnipeg, the Edmonton Oilers became the first NHL team in Western Canada to show that loyalty is a twoway street.
In a release sent out Saturday afternoon, Oilers President of Business Operations Tom Anselmi announced the club will be throwing financial life preservers to hourly wage-earners at Rogers Place, who have no source of income while the building stays dark in an effort to slow the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The pause of NHL hockey, concerts and events at Rogers Place has hit everyone hard, but it has created an even more difficult situation for our nearly 1,650 part-time staff,” Anselmi said in a statement.
“As a result, we are rolling out an assistance program to ensure their well- being is protected.
“All part- time staff affected by a temporary halt in our operations will receive financial payment to bridge them between their maximum EI benefits and their regular average earnings for remaining regular-season games.”
For all of the things the Oilers have done wrong over the years, this is something they got right.
While many teams, and a growing list of athletes, are contributing money to help these people through the shutdown, the Flames and Jets initially said they would not, and that blew up in their faces immediately.
Mark Chipman, chairman of True North Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Winnipeg Jets, did his best impression of Mr. Burns from the Simpsons in telling part- time employees they won’t be compensated.
“Those people are on parttime agreements,” Chipman said. “They work when we work. So, regrettably, to the extent that we’re not putting on shows and games, those people obviously would not have a call to work.”
Jets co- owner David Thomson is the richest person in Canada, worth US$36 billion ( C$ 50 billion). His team receives about $14 million a year in subsidies from municipal and provincial governments.
The Calgary Flames ownership group just received $ 275 million in taxpayer money to help build a new arena. Their first response when asked if they would give a little back for their staff was a hard no.
They relented under public pressure and sent an email to part- time staff they would receive compensation for shifts they had been scheduled to work while the Flames season is suspended.
The Vancouver Canucks said they will put a program in place “based on individual need.”
The issue has become a flashpoint in this country as lines are being drawn between those who truly embrace a sense of community, helping each other through an uncertain and frightening time, and the hoarders (whether it’s toilet paper or money) who are making a terrible situation worse.
What makes arena staff so special? Why is it so important that they get paid when thousands of Canadians hit by this economic crash will get no such help? And why is it the responsibility of NHL owners to pay people who aren’t working?
First of all, they’re not special. They’re ordinary people, who probably don’t have a lot saved up to begin with. And it’s important because these people and their families would be in serious trouble if the Oilers and several other teams hadn’t stepped up. That’s reason enough.
Just because programs like this can’t be in place for everyone doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be in place for them.
Why should NHL owners be on the hook? Because they’ve made millions and millions of dollars off the premise of loyalty and community spirit.
Ticket and concession prices are outrageous, but “the team needs you, so dig deep,” we’re told.
And when these millionaires and billionaires need “help,” whether it’s $275 million to build them an arena, or $ 14 million just because, they have no problem passing around the hat for taxpayer money.
Not giving a minuscule stipend back to some of those same taxpayers when they are in dire need is as heartless as it is revealing.
This is a time when corporations and the people running them show their true colours.
We are going to learn a lot about them during this thing, how they react, how they treat people in times of crisis.
Bell Canada is waiving extra usage fees for all residential customers until April 30 so they can work from home. Tim Hortons was said to be making employees go and get a doctor’s note so they can take an unpaid side day. The company denied that on Saturday.
As fans and citizens, you should be paying very close attention to how these companies behave and how they care for their people. When all of this is over, they will be asking for your loyalty again, preaching that same sense of community.
It’s important to remember the kind of loyalty THEY showed when the community needed it.