N.B. introduces whistleblower legislation
Last Updated: Thursday, November 29, 2007 | 8:41 AM AT
CBC News
The New Brunswick provincial government introduced legislation Wednesday that will prevent employees from being punished if they blow the whistle on bosses and colleagues who are breaking laws.
Human Resources Minister Wally Stiles said he hopes the new law won't have to be used very often, but if civil servants spot something wrong, they will be able to report it to a supervisor or the province's conflict of interest commissioner without fear of punishment.
"In the act itself, there is full protection for that civil servant to actually come forward, and whether he chooses to give [his] name or not, he can work that out with the conflict of interest commissioner."
The Public Interest Disclosure Act covers crimes, mismanagement of public funds and actions that create a health or safety risk to the public or the environment.
Beyond civil servants in government departments, the bill will also protect employees of hospital authorities, school boards and Crown corporations, including NB Power.
"I need to applaud this government for stepping forward and presenting this bill," said Tom Mann, executive director of the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees.
Mann said he has dealt with government workers who wanted to report a problem but were too scared to do so.
"This bill, what I see in it is an opportunity for the public good to be protected," Mann said.
The act will make a more accountable and open government, Stiles said.
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Bill 8: Public Interest Disclosure Act
New Brunswick
Disclosure of Wrongdoing
Wrongdoings to which this Act applies
3 This Act applies to the following wrongdoings in or relating to the public service:
(a) an act or omission constituting an offence under an Act of the Legislature or the Parliament of Canada, or a regulation made under an Act;
(b) an act or omission that creates a substantial and specific danger to the life, health or safety of persons, or to the environment, other than a danger that is inherent in the performance of the duties or functions of an employee;
(c) gross mismanagement, including of public funds or a public asset;
(d) knowingly directing or counselling a person to commit a wrongdoing described in paragraphs (a) to (c).
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Now, I'm pretty happy when any jurisdiction sees fit to enact Whistleblower legislation, but to my eye, this is flawed right from the get go due to the language of sub-section b.
It's sad that this has to be explained, but many whistleblowers, union reps, advocates, or just plain workers are subjected to "danger" in their course of duties precisely because their employers (sometimes governments) are guilty of negligence and wrongdoing in the first place. Can someone explain to me why in 2008 workers, no matter what level they are at, why dangerous, negligent and high-risk occupations are exempted from employers from safety? I've worked in high-risk occupations, I know many others who work in them as well. Many of these people are the real heroes in our society. Why do they deserve less coverage and concern for the "danger" they experience "on the job" where they are often helping create safety and wellbeing for others.
Having also seen what passes for "internal investigations" of wrongdoing, the authorities might want to get a bit more serious about this and actually have people who are trained to do more than push paper.
Again, the point is, employers, governments and legislators better wake up & smell the fair trade brewing, there are not enough people left to fill the seats you need to fill, you better start making safety and justice a priority for ALL WORKERS.
It's as simple as this: the rot and stench of "wrongdoing" and corruption is deep in many levels of government and in many organizations. Most workers smell it daily and most learn to turn a blind eye for their own health, because they need their jobs to shelter & feed their families. Until governments and organizations get serious at changing their protective and insular organizational cultures and get rid of the rotten fruit, no amount of legislation, or policies are going to improve things. And, at the end of the day, organizations of all sizes will fail miserably because of their unwillingness to clean house, because younger workers just won't stay and they will slag the organization to everyone they know. Risk management for the new millenium looks very different than it did in the past and it's time people woke up to that.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Global Cull List?
Who would have thought being a scientist would turn into one of the more high-risk occupations of the world? Although admittedly, I am probably quite ignorant, or naïve about it all. But, if one is to examine the numbers of scientists and other high level global players who appear to be succumbing to suicides, murders and “mysterious illnesses” over the past few years I would say the sciences have shot to the top of the heap in risky business and there appears to quite a bit of danger lurking around the corners these days in the geopolitical realm.
Take the strange and terrifying case of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, biochemistry students and specialists who were in England working in infectious diseases and environmental engineering. They were both found in their flat bound, gagged, tortured and beaten repeatedly with a blunt object, then stabbed hundreds of times, pre and post mortem. Mr. Bonomo was reported to have been stabbed 196 times, Ferez, 50 times and both were then set on fire. Bonomo had been working on investigating the deadly H5N1 Avian Flu Virus at London’s Imperial College. An interesting incident preceding these horrors was the theft of Mr. Bonomo’s laptop the previous week. One wonders what might have been found on that and whether it had anything to do with his subsequent demise?
Some media reports state that Siti Fadillah Supari, the Indonesian Health Minister, is reported to be calling for the closure of the United States Naval Medical Research Unit 2
(NAMRU-2), which has been located in Indonesia for the past 40 years. It is at this site that a great deal of bioengineering research has been conducted by the US on infectious diseases from Southeast Asia. Indonesian government officials have linked the fact that their country has experienced the hardest hit of any other and a number of deaths of citizens due to Avian flu to the American research facility. Interestingly, Indonesian citizens who came down with the virus refused to turn over their samples to the American’s. Instead, their samples were sent to the French research facility that Mr. Bonomo worked at as a student, Inserm Medical Institute, prior to his studies in London.
According to some reports, over the last 4 years, approximately 80 of the world’s top researchers in infectious diseases and bird flu have been murdered, committed suicide, died of natural causes, or died under tragic and mysterious circumstances.
There have been so many deaths of top scientific researchers that some clever souls (or reckless, depends on where you sit) began to tally them. Most were top-level bio-engineers, chemists, nuclear power scientists and experts in their fields of science. Some worked in infectious diseases and many have died violent deaths, or of unknown causes all around the world. Some simply disappeared, were in crashes, shot, committed suicide. Some of these folks had high-level security clearance due to the projects they worked on. Many the murders were never solved and/or circumstances of death were never fully understood by authorities.
Certainly it seems a bit far-fetched that all of these deaths, or other occurrences, are part of some grand conspiracy, but it does lend one to raise an eyebrow about it all.
Not knowing virtually anything about bioterrorism, I would guess that this area has long been a burgeoning one in the geopolitical landscape. The stakes are so high for nuclear war, I would imagine being able to have a Plan B (or maybe that is the real Plan A) to rattle at adversaries is a more effective threat in a global race to … I keep trying to figure out what exactly is the BIG prize? It eludes me. All the money in the world? Water? Oil? Sure that’s all of it, the wealth of all of the world in the hands of a few. Okay, so they’ve virtually got it locked up. Now what?
From all of “us” to all of “you” – YOU WIN!!!! Now stop and go away to count your billions while the rest of “us” help the world survive. Because that old cliché still counts – you can’t take it with you, no matter how much you want to. And as far as I’m aware, we haven’t yet found the secret of immortality, just ask Jesse Helms.
Top French Bird Flu Researcher Brutally Murdered In London
By: Sorcha Faal. July 4 2008.
2 French Students Stabbed, Burned In UK
London Police Appeal For Witnesses To Help Solve Murder Of Two French Grad Students
****************************************************
Busy time in old Londontown? Alex Allan, being a “spy chief” probably would be considered as having a much more high-risk occupation. This is one guy who knows where the skeletons are all over the globe. Interestingly, some media report that he was found with blood “everywhere” others, quoting “government sources” say “there is no sign of foul play… no police involvement, or concern for the reason” for his hospitalization. Some are spinning this as a case of pneumonia, with blood coughed up. He was found unconscious and has had a “battery of tests,” no official diagnoses yet.
Keep in mind this is the fellow who is the Chairperson of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). His job is collecting information from members of the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and Government Communications Headquarters who sit on the committee and relaying it to the Prime Minister of England (and whomever else is involved). He’s only been on the job for a year and I suspect it’s been quite a year. If one were to speculate, he might make a pretty good target these days for a little biochemical “gift” to shut him up. And I’m pretty sure the Powers that Be in the UK (and elsewhere) might want to keep that under their hats.
The timing of Mr. Allan’s collapse is interesting, what with some serious reports of the “healthy numbers” of Russian operatives in the UK. It’s a curiosity whether Mr. Allan was going to be urging some action on that and perhaps using his position to bump up the resources of M15, which is apparently so seriously underfunded and maxed out that UK security and intelligence work is suffering. Silly me, I would think that the UK, a veritable hot bed of Islamic terrorists, Russian espionage and quite likely a whole lot of other malevolent plotting from parties unknown might want to keep a well stocked cupboard at the ready. Maybe they’re counting on their American buddies to pick up the slack? But it seems they’re spread pretty thin these days too and possibly will be even more in the dark days I fear are coming. I’m just an armchair observer around this geodome, but something sure doesn’t smell right about any of it.
Spy chief Alex Allan found with 'blood everywhere'
Britain's leading spymaster, who is in a coma after apparently being struck down by a mystery illness, was found covered in blood, according to a tenant.
By Rupert Neate. 06/07/2008. The Telegraph.
Take the strange and terrifying case of Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez, biochemistry students and specialists who were in England working in infectious diseases and environmental engineering. They were both found in their flat bound, gagged, tortured and beaten repeatedly with a blunt object, then stabbed hundreds of times, pre and post mortem. Mr. Bonomo was reported to have been stabbed 196 times, Ferez, 50 times and both were then set on fire. Bonomo had been working on investigating the deadly H5N1 Avian Flu Virus at London’s Imperial College. An interesting incident preceding these horrors was the theft of Mr. Bonomo’s laptop the previous week. One wonders what might have been found on that and whether it had anything to do with his subsequent demise?
Some media reports state that Siti Fadillah Supari, the Indonesian Health Minister, is reported to be calling for the closure of the United States Naval Medical Research Unit 2
(NAMRU-2), which has been located in Indonesia for the past 40 years. It is at this site that a great deal of bioengineering research has been conducted by the US on infectious diseases from Southeast Asia. Indonesian government officials have linked the fact that their country has experienced the hardest hit of any other and a number of deaths of citizens due to Avian flu to the American research facility. Interestingly, Indonesian citizens who came down with the virus refused to turn over their samples to the American’s. Instead, their samples were sent to the French research facility that Mr. Bonomo worked at as a student, Inserm Medical Institute, prior to his studies in London.
According to some reports, over the last 4 years, approximately 80 of the world’s top researchers in infectious diseases and bird flu have been murdered, committed suicide, died of natural causes, or died under tragic and mysterious circumstances.
There have been so many deaths of top scientific researchers that some clever souls (or reckless, depends on where you sit) began to tally them. Most were top-level bio-engineers, chemists, nuclear power scientists and experts in their fields of science. Some worked in infectious diseases and many have died violent deaths, or of unknown causes all around the world. Some simply disappeared, were in crashes, shot, committed suicide. Some of these folks had high-level security clearance due to the projects they worked on. Many the murders were never solved and/or circumstances of death were never fully understood by authorities.
Certainly it seems a bit far-fetched that all of these deaths, or other occurrences, are part of some grand conspiracy, but it does lend one to raise an eyebrow about it all.
Not knowing virtually anything about bioterrorism, I would guess that this area has long been a burgeoning one in the geopolitical landscape. The stakes are so high for nuclear war, I would imagine being able to have a Plan B (or maybe that is the real Plan A) to rattle at adversaries is a more effective threat in a global race to … I keep trying to figure out what exactly is the BIG prize? It eludes me. All the money in the world? Water? Oil? Sure that’s all of it, the wealth of all of the world in the hands of a few. Okay, so they’ve virtually got it locked up. Now what?
From all of “us” to all of “you” – YOU WIN!!!! Now stop and go away to count your billions while the rest of “us” help the world survive. Because that old cliché still counts – you can’t take it with you, no matter how much you want to. And as far as I’m aware, we haven’t yet found the secret of immortality, just ask Jesse Helms.
Top French Bird Flu Researcher Brutally Murdered In London
By: Sorcha Faal. July 4 2008.
2 French Students Stabbed, Burned In UK
London Police Appeal For Witnesses To Help Solve Murder Of Two French Grad Students
****************************************************
Busy time in old Londontown? Alex Allan, being a “spy chief” probably would be considered as having a much more high-risk occupation. This is one guy who knows where the skeletons are all over the globe. Interestingly, some media report that he was found with blood “everywhere” others, quoting “government sources” say “there is no sign of foul play… no police involvement, or concern for the reason” for his hospitalization. Some are spinning this as a case of pneumonia, with blood coughed up. He was found unconscious and has had a “battery of tests,” no official diagnoses yet.
Keep in mind this is the fellow who is the Chairperson of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC). His job is collecting information from members of the Security Service, MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and Government Communications Headquarters who sit on the committee and relaying it to the Prime Minister of England (and whomever else is involved). He’s only been on the job for a year and I suspect it’s been quite a year. If one were to speculate, he might make a pretty good target these days for a little biochemical “gift” to shut him up. And I’m pretty sure the Powers that Be in the UK (and elsewhere) might want to keep that under their hats.
The timing of Mr. Allan’s collapse is interesting, what with some serious reports of the “healthy numbers” of Russian operatives in the UK. It’s a curiosity whether Mr. Allan was going to be urging some action on that and perhaps using his position to bump up the resources of M15, which is apparently so seriously underfunded and maxed out that UK security and intelligence work is suffering. Silly me, I would think that the UK, a veritable hot bed of Islamic terrorists, Russian espionage and quite likely a whole lot of other malevolent plotting from parties unknown might want to keep a well stocked cupboard at the ready. Maybe they’re counting on their American buddies to pick up the slack? But it seems they’re spread pretty thin these days too and possibly will be even more in the dark days I fear are coming. I’m just an armchair observer around this geodome, but something sure doesn’t smell right about any of it.
Spy chief Alex Allan found with 'blood everywhere'
Britain's leading spymaster, who is in a coma after apparently being struck down by a mystery illness, was found covered in blood, according to a tenant.
By Rupert Neate. 06/07/2008. The Telegraph.
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