BishopAccountability.org
	Rick's Rants Tuesday October 6th/09 By Rick Howe Halifax News Net October 6, 2009 http://www.halifaxnewsnet.ca/index.cfm?sid=292495&sc=612 Where's Lahey??? and Strike likely now at NSCC!! Where's former Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey? The bishop is supposed to be staying at a monastery in Rogersville, New Brunswick, but he's not there. It was a condition of his bail after being charged with child pornography offences. Neither Ottawa police nor the Catholic church appear to have any idea where he might be. An abbott with the monastery says he beleives Lahey has decided to stay in Ottawa, close to the lawyers defending him. Police investigators, who hope to determine his whereabouts today, say Lahey is supposed to inform them of any variation of his bail conditions. I can now tell you why Lahey was red-flagged by Canada Border Services Agency personnel at Ottawa International Airport upon his return to Canada September 15th after a trip abroad. It was his travel history including visits to southeast Asian countries like Thailand and Cambodia. Both are countries police sex crime investigators say are favoured destinations for child sex predators. A check of Lahey's laptop revealed what were described as images of concern and Ottawa police were called on to take a closer look. It was after their forensic probe on his laptop and other media devices that the decision was made to lay the child pornography charges. It doesn't look right now like there's any stopping a strike by the 900 or so teachers and support staff at the Nova Scotia Community College's 13 campuses around the province. Talks broke off Friday and there's no indication negotiations will resume before the Nova Scotia Teachers Union executive meets Thursday to set a strike date. The union has promised to give the NSCC advance notice of a walkout. A week from today is considered the most likely date for the strike to begin. It's a matter of huge concern as expected for NSCC's 23,000 or so full and part time students .They are worried, and rightfully so, about the impact of a walkout on their school year. The NSCC says it has contingency plans in place, but it's hard to imagine classes continuing without the teacehrs. The NDP government appears to be drawing a line in the sand with its unions. The NSCC teachers were offered wage increases of 2.9% and 1% in a two year deal during last Friday's negotiations. The offer was rejected. NSTU president Alexis Allen says she's worried the NSCC teachers are being used as a test case for other contracts expiring for provincial workers. Over 30 contracts will have expired by next March affecting thousands of civil servants and the Dexter government has indicated its cupboard is bare. Yesterday in a clear message to its unions, the government cut raises previously worked out with non-union employees who will now get a 1% wage hike this year instead of 2.9%. And the federal government seems ready to give police a new weapon in the fight against drinking and driving. Word is the feds will allow police to randomly conduct roadside breathalyzer tests even without suspicions a driver may have been drinking. Civil liberties proponents say it's a violation of a person's right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure, but considering the toll drunk drivers take on our streets and highways each year it's a measure many welcome. MADD Canada says 4 people die every day in this country because of drinking and driving and another 207 are injured. 70,000 Canadians die or are injured each year because of drunk drivers. Random breathalyzer testing in Australia and Ireland has resulted in a dramatic drop in drunk driving fatalities in those countries, 36% fewer fatalities in Australia for example. Considering the toll drunk driving takes here, random testing is an idea that's time has come. Have a great day. Get involved. And if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
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