The Chilliwack Progress from Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada • Page 13

THE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS, -Friday, May 26, 2006 -13 The Progress- News Minister rejects staff complaints about welfare to the many customers who have entrusted me to their car buying experience. This past year has been the most enjoyable one in my professional career. Please join me SATURDAY MAY 27th from 11am-2pm for cake, refreshments giveaways! 'A 46125 Olds Drive Jimmie-Jo Sanderson Sales All Makes Lease 604-792-1391 Chevrolet Cadillac lid www.barneswheatongm.com morale. Richmond said more recent comments on the internal website show a steady improvement. He defends eligibility changes that force employable recipients to search for work, estimating that compulsory training and job search rules have moved 46,000 people from income assistance to work.

But Trevena said postings from last winter show a ministry with the wrong priorities and a destructive philosophy. On Feb. 1, an anonymous staffer from the Interior wrote: "We were actually told once that employment targets were to be prioritized ahead of medical need." "That is nonsense," Richmond responded. "We take doctors' advice. To classify someone with a disability, you have to have a doctor's certificate." Another comment, posted by a Fraser Valley staffer on Jan.

26, said it was hard to be "rewarded for caseload reduction with a free lunch, or Tim Hortons, while the people we are here to serve live on the streets and go hungry." Richmond said all government ministries take their staff out to lunch when they are doing a good job. He said Travena's attempts to link that to rewarding employees for kicking people off welfare is "preposterous," adding anyone who requires assistance receives it. "Supervisors give rewards for doing a good job by taking staff out to lunch, like you would do in the corporate world." Black Press An NDP critic has lambasted Employment and Income Assistance Minister Claude Richmond for ignoring his own ministry's staff concerns about income assistance delivery. An internal website set up by the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance had anonymous postings from staff across the province criticizing the government's treatment of people who are on welfare. "We have heard that people are being rewarded for keeping people off said NDP MLA Claire Trevena, opposition critic for the ministry.

"Staff desire to help people and they are being told they can't. They are being told to keep their numbers down." Trevena said the web postings confirm what she has heard from ministry workers before, and that morale amongst staff is at an all-time low. But Richmond said his ministry is functioning fine, noting that negative comments on the internal website were posted months ago. Since then, he said, the ministry has implemented a new service code and staff is responding positively. "The vast majority of staff think what we are doing is the right way to go," said Richmond.

"There may be the odd dissenter. Some of them have political motives, but those are few and far between." He said his ministry employs more than 2,000 people, while negative opinions were posted by around 50 workers, which he said does not point to an epidemic of low staff GUTERMANN THREAD 100 Polyester 100m Members VOGUE PATTERNS All In store stock! "Members $399 ea. i Buy 1 Get FdEC PK-r COriONWOOD I MALI. IUCMKUCK WAY 1 tuamjA lailiBBSB I MM II I'M "Mil I I I "WW i i I MIMmii 1 i'llWkf Ifjll i'Sl Placing your by phone: 604-702-5555 OllCCifiori5lH bv fax: 604-702-5542 1 ICU in person: 45860 Spadina Avenue TIIE CHILLIWACK PROGRESS email: classadstheprogress.com.