Apology fails to end RBC outsourcing issue
Re: Royal bank CEO apologizes, tells Canadian workers they won’t be axed, April 11
As a 40- year customer of the Royal Bank of Canada, I am shocked and disappointed that this bank has not corrected their mistake. Gordon Nixon’s letter of apology has totally missed the point and is full of spin.
His apology offering “comparable job opportunities” to his IT employees is not the point. The point is he should not be giving Canadian jobs to foreigners.
Mr. Nixon needs to say that his current employees will not lose their existing jobs.
He doesn’t need a full page newspaper ad to say that, does he? KEITH MUNRO Ladner
It would be interesting to learn from people who are incensed when the Royal Bank indirectly contracts out jobs how they think this differs from shopping in Washington State or flying out of Bellingham Airport. JAMES PAMMENTER Vancouver
Please expose businesses that outsource jobs as well as those that hire and support Canadian families that pay taxes to support our economy so I know where to spend my money. KAREN CRAWFORD Surrey
These abuses have to be corrected. I suggest large fines be put in place for corporations that abuse the rules. Only the prospect of losing money will prompt corporations to act differently. GARY MACDONALD Cranbrook
Ordinary people understand the need for corporations to make a profit and the impact of the new global environment.
However, in the no- holds barred rush to bottom- line profit, the middle class in Canada is being decimated and as head of the largest financial institution in Canada, Gordon Nixon is part of the problem. His appeal to Canadians’ trust, is like appealing to hens to trust the fox.
RBC nickels- and- dimes its customers, reduces its services and offers minuscule return on investments, while hoarding mind- boggling profits.
Buying a full- page damage control ad ( on the company dime) in the newspaper doesn’t change this reality.
PAM SHAW Delta
Perhaps RBC should outsource Gordon Nixon’s job.
No doubt there are many qualified candidates who would be happy making $ 2.6 million, saving the bank $ 10 million. It would put the paltry savings realized from outsourcing 50 IT staff to shame. All the new CEO would need is a bit of hands- on training, from Mr. Nixon of course. STEEN PETERSEN Nanaimo
Re: Less about foreign workers, more about outsourcing; RBC similar to other firms looking to cut costs, Column, April 10
Outsourcing, globalization, foreign temporary workers getting paid 15 per cent less than Canadians, competition, bottomline profit, government policy etc., it’s a complex mix, a mix that is not on the radar of the average Canadian as they work, play, raise their families and pay the bills.
Are these actions and policies fair and ethical to the majority of Canadians, or, are they actions and policies that will slowly and unjustly gut our Canadian middle class, as in the United States?
Has our government represented the best interests of the majority of Canadians, as it should, or does it give preference to the lobbyists and corporate Canada?
This whole fiasco highlights the unethical culture at RBC.
In a few hours, I will withdraw my modest account from RBC. GLEN HALL Delta
Polygamy is banned, but only on paper
Re: We should know candidates’ position on important issues, Opinion, April 12
The evidence on the trafficking of under- aged Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints girls referenced by Daphne Bramham is in the hands of the RCMP, B. C. judges, the special prosecutor and all government officials.
For those of us who have worked so hard for so many years to see an end to the crime of polygamy and its inherent crimes against women, children, young men and boys, the anguish we feel at the inaction of the B. C. government to use its mandated power to stop this egregious crime is indescribable.
All of our work to bring about the Polygamy Reference Trial is for naught with B. C.’ s shameful political behaviour. Chief Justice Robert Bauman’s decision upholding our laws banning the practice, the most thorough the world has ever seen, lays mute on paper.
How can Canada even begin to wave its flags of rights and freedoms when a segment of our population is marginalized under the patriarchal grip of polygamy practised with impunity? NANCY MERESKA President Stop Polygamy in Canada Society
Modern mining standards ensure green practices
Re: Taxpayers bear burden of mining’s pollution, Letters, April 10
Operating mines today conduct continuous, or progressive, reclamation with environmental protection that continues long after a mine closes.
Since 1969, mining companies in B. C. have had to post a sufficient “reclamation bond” to ensure that a mine site is restored to natural conditions without using taxpayer’s dollars. B. C. was the first province in Canada to implement such a protocol and the first to extend such protection to mining exploration.
Prior to 1969, there were many historical mines that were not 100 per cent reclaimed. The government of B. C. has been reclaiming these lands such as the Mt. Washington mine. Since 2002, these reclamation efforts have doubled with remediation either underway or completed at 58 historic sites.
In fact, two of these remediation sites received special reclamation awards in 2009. So, as is plain to see, there are a lot of good things happening in B. C. with respect to mines and mine site reclamation. BRUCE SANDERSON North Vancouver
No reason to rush oilsands expansion
I keep hearing from our politicians about the urgency and need, as quickly as possible, to get greater and greater amounts of tarsands oil shipped to foreign markets or ... what? We will all be living in abject poverty? Our economy will suffer total collapse?
I’m beginning to wonder if this urgency is because the already obscenely wealthy oil companies and their government cohorts will not be able to cash in fully on this unsustainable resource before, God forbid, someone comes up with a viable greener alternative? I think it’s time we all just slowed down. MARY ANN MCDONALD Gabriola Island
Oilsands not most efficient energy producer
There is a basic law of nature and life that says “you can’t get something from nothing.” A recent article in the April 2013 issue of Scientific American compares the “energy return on investment,” or EROI, of various fuel sources. As conventional oil is becoming harder to find, its cost of production is rising.
The article is based on the work of Charles A. S. Hall of the S. U. N. Y. College of Experimental Science and Forestry. According to his study, the EROI ranges from 40 for hydroelectric power to 1.4 for ethanol from corn. Wind has an EROI of 20, coal 18, conventional oil 16, ethanol from sugar cane 9, natural gas 7, solar ( photovoltaic) 6, tarsands oil 5, and nuclear 5. He concludes that for economic sustainability in a modern society, the energy produced must be a least five times the energy required to obtain it, that is, the EROI must be at least 5.
It should be noted, that EROI is a measure of cost- benefit, and says nothing about the effects of fossil fuels on CO2 production, global warming or damage to an already stressed environment. The marginal EROI of tarsands oil brings into question the wisdom of developing this energy source. If it were not for generous government subsidies, one wonders if any company would invest in it. Perhaps we need to rethink our energy development strategy and focus on more profitable and environmentally friendly sources of energy. RON FORD Vancouver
Everyone entitled to comment on global issues
Re: It’s Redford vs. Redford over pipeline; Premier surprised by actor namesake’s opposing stance on Keystone, oilsands, April 12
To hear Alison Redford refer to Robert Redford as someone “who ( isn’t) really impacted by this stuff” in reference to the Keystone pipeline is evidence of her gross ignorance of the effects of the oil and gas industry on a global scale. She then goes on to make the tired point that its about jobs and economy, and not the opinions of celebrities. It’s not always about jobs and economy, but about a long- term global viewpoint. And everyone is entitled to a say in that conversation. PAUL SHULEY Port Coquitlam