AN OPEN LETTER TO DALTON MCGUINTY

AN OPEN LETTER TO DALTON MCGUINTY

At the present time sir, you have a series of commercials running over the airwaves in Ontario, telling us all that what Ontario has accomplished in the last eight years is “SIMPLY AMAZING.”

It is “SIMPLY AMAZING” all right, considering you promised NO TAX INCREASE when you were first elected in 2003.

Where have we gone from there?  Well, let us count the things that to you are SIMPLY AMAZING.

1)      Increased all licensing fees from your car to your boat, which includes fishing and hunting.

2)      A health care tax, which takes an extra $1,500.00 a year out of my families pocket, and you can bluster all you want, but this sir, IS A TAX! It is calculated on your Federal Tax Return every year….so it is a TAX!

3)      You brought in the HST , even though your KNEW it was a bad tax, and then you sneakily covered up the ECO tax, which, oh, by the way…people in Ontario are still smart enough to look at their receipts when making a purchase.  Did you really think we are that stupid?  Dumb question.  Next!

4)      A disposal tax came back on tires and then came one on electronics.

5)      Then we have those lovely things that were attached to our homes called a SMART Meter.  Yes, sir, your people came by our homes when a lot of us were out working for a living, not noticing anything, and eventually we noticed them.  Now you want to charge us to have them on our house.  WE DIDN’T WANT THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE, but no…again, you like to believe you know what is best for Ontario.

6)      The E-Health scandal-an incredible waste of 1.2 Billion dollars and you have the GALL to tell us “if the people of Ontario don’t like it, they can show it in the next election….you have no idea how much I really want to show you, and the sooner, the better!

7)      Why, please tell me why, did we award a 7 billion dollar contract to Korea for windmills?  INCREDIBLE WASTE!

8)      The emergency rooms in Port Colborne and Fort Erie needed money, but you gave it to the riding that was replacing Smitherman.  You really cared for Ontario families in Southwestern Ontario with that stupid move. 

9)      You have increased your own personal salary by $40,000.00 and then you expect us to live with less?  You own MPPs are no better with their 14% raise, and while I am on the money issue, why did you claim $11,000.00 in accommodation when you live in a Liberal party owned mansion in Rosedale and from published reports, you do not pay rent on these swanky digs.

10)You have increased the taxes on hydro, liquor and wine in the last year by 10%, not to mention your HST has increased taxes on everything from toilet paper to the pet food for our furry family members.

11)Just a mention, our senior population has received ZERO raise in the last 18 months, while having to deal with all of the taxes above!

      Now, I will mention something that is non-monetary to you, and it pertains to your appointed people at the WSIB, whom I have had the JOY of dealing with after I found out my former employer, Ryder Logistics, never reported my hijacking/assault to the WSIB, which is illegal as per a legal opinion I have received, and they don’t want to do a damn thing about it, even though Ryder broke the law, and what do I get?  More aggravation for my PTSD and unable to get ANY KIND of financial assistance while waiting for these turtles to make my life hell by dragging me through the mud, much like my assailants did in the summer of 2008.

Charles Sousa said on some YouTube footage that “as an injured worker you are entitled to dignity and respect.” YEAH RIGHT!!!!!! Show me when….show me when.  Haven’t seen any yet.  By the way, Mr. Sousa…neither Mr. Mahoney or Mr. Marshall have yet answered my concerns about my file and the fact that I was a victim of crime on the job.  Therefore, abuse from the WSIB victimizes me TWICE!

I suggest you rattle their chain again, 1) because so far, they have ignored me, and 2) that is what I pay you for.

Let’s see…I have had my car repossessed, I had to look for my own treatment for my PTSD because WSIB refused to help me get treatment,  I have had my hydro shut off, my water shut off, my credit is destroyed, my husband is carrying the house with a full-time job and part-time business….shall I go on?

Yeah this province is simply amazing, isn’t it?  Bury us in taxes and bury me by allowing the WSIB to have its way with me, much like 2 parties did on July 9th, 2008, when they hijacked my work vehicle, hit me in the back of the skull near the artery leading to the brain, needing 4 staples to close, dragged me through the mud, and sat on me.  As a woman, shall we say humiliating and degrading?

How would you feel sir, if your daughter was subject to this type of assault?  Would you have her deal with this kind of treatment….employer discovers PTSD is showing up, they keep quiet, and because they haven’t reported to WSIB (which is illegal) let’s fire her, shall we?

I’ll be at Queens’ Park between 12 and 4 on September 23^rd, Mr. Premier, hanging out with a bunch of ordinary Canadians with a lot in common.  Do you care enough to come see us face to face, employer to employee, or are you going to run and hide, coming out for only photo ops?

The offer is there.  Prove to us that “love is better than anger, hope is better than fear, and optimism is better than despair.”

Give Ontario a reason to hope and be optimistic, because right now, I am definitely not feeling any love from your government of 8 years.

Laura Feeney

Courtice, Ontario

Let the shafting begin - March 2009

In March 2009 we were told that we were going to undergo "job audits" - meaning someone would be
riding with the drivers to determine how to make the routes more efficient in regards to deliveries.
What they did not tell us was that there was another cloud on the horizon...a dirty word called "downsizing" which in a later blog I will disprove.
At the time I did not know how much more efficient we could get as a team.  According to Joe I. and MES, the client was happy with the work we were doing, and as far as I was concerned, that was the most important thing.
All I saw at the time was an opportunity to shaft somebody out of their job, and it turns out later that I was right.  During this time, my trust factor was gone, and unknown to me, I was showing the early manifestation of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder....irratability, confusion and a quick temper when people would not let me do my job...particularly MES, who, as per his Lebanese culture, believed women belonged at home with the children and also broke Ontario laws several times by smoking in my worktruck.  He also smoked in the crossdock office, but this is all denied by Ryder Logistics, so it must be true, right? 
Sure...and my dog can fly.
Back to the job audits issue....later on known as "right sizing process" as per the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Talk about leading a lamb to the slaughter - in my opinion. 
Of the four drivers who went out on so-called "job audits" in the first week of April - three lost their jobs on April 14th, 2009...including me.  
The only woman, one who just came back from a back issue, and the oldest driver of all of us.  If I were an outsider looking in, this would look awfully fishy.

I have decided this blog will become a manuscript.

Therefore, it might not be as updated as often as I like.

The situation is becoming somewhat complicated and although it is still legal for me to
air my views on the current state of affairs, eventually, it will be made into a manuscript
to be sent out for publication.

I will update it when more information becomes readily available.

Laura

Back to work - and you are going to do what?!

The next few days had me off until I could get those damn staples out of the back of my head.
On Sunday the 13th I drove myself around the corner to the Courtice Clinic to have them removed.
Four clicks and out they came.  I went back home and had another shower.
I wanted to get back to work.  My parents did not raise a crybaby, and I was going nuts at home.
Monday the 14th I was back at the shop.  Since my van was in Brampton getting some technical
"recalibration" done on it I went shotgun with a couple of the guys.
Later that week, Thursday or Friday, Joe I. came out to the shop.  Another of the "many chiefs", my direct supervisor, whom I will now call MES told me that Joe I. wanted to see both him and me for a few minutes.
I just thought it was a "how are you feeling" and talk in general.
I could never have been more wrong.
Joe I. informed me that in talking to my husband he found out that I had called my husband in the darkness of Uxbridge in the winter of 2007 and asked for directions.
This I did-I will admit it.  I got lost and since I could get hold of no one else (it was 7 pm at night and I had no idea where I was) I called him. 
Apparently that was a crime.  So, one and a half years after the fact and a week after nearly getting killed on the job....Joe I wrote me up for a security violation, which would go on my record.
I so wanted to have an Adam Sandler moment-you know, the part where Jack Nicolson asks him if it was ok to "date your ex" or something like that-right over the desk-yeah, I was mad.
I looked him straight in the eye and I said to him "I saved the company $100,000.00 and you are doing this to me?!  I nearly got killed and you are writing me up for something that happened over a year ago?  You have got to be kidding me! 
Turns out he was not....the bastard.
After this little incident I had no reason to ever trust Joe I. again.  I was my firm belief that the man was out to get me fired any way, shape or form.
I continued to do my job with all the BS that went along with it, with no complaints, write ups or the like until
March 2009, when the real shafting began.
By this time, I had no trust in anybody, anymore, and even though I did not yet realize it, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had manifested itself in my inner sanctom. 
Ryder Logistics, however, had already sealed my fate with what they called a "documented performance issue" - that being my write up after my assault - they just needed the icing on the cake to finish me off.
If you thought they were nasty before....you have read nothing yet.

Pickering 19 Division and the rest of the day.

By the time I got to the Pickering DRP office it was close to 1 pm.
Short and sweet - a videotaped statement to the boys in blue and the handing in of the
bloodied T-shirt with the hole ripped in the front of it.  Lasted about 45 minutes.
While I was in there one of the many "chiefs" from Ryder Logistics showed up. 
I will be calling him Joe I. for future reference.
When I came out he was in conversation with my husband.  Not trusting this man (Joe) one bit, it
made me nervous to see him actually acting like a decent human being and showing genuine concern
for my well-being while having this chat with my husband, a decent guy but someone who can also be
way too trusting with upper brass at times, which in turn has bitten him in the butt more than once in
his life.
That being said, the detectives informed me that my truck had been located, and commended me on the
fact that it was still full, minus 3 small totes.
I did my job....saved the company almost $100,000.00.   Client should be happy.
After we were done in Pickering I headed to the Ryder Depot where we parked the vans. 
I don't remember much about that for some reason, I was more interested in making my next stop to my
personal doctor so she could check me out, which she did....and promptly sent me to Lakeridge Health for
a CAT scan to make sure my brains were still attached where they were supposed to be.
That whole thing took me to after 8:30 pm. 
I wanted to see my mother, just to show her that yes, her first-born was still here.
I also needed help to wash my hair, seeing that there were 4 steel staples in my head that were not supposed to get wet.
I had a shower with a towel wrapped around my head first - another man had groped me - and I felt awfully dirty.  Hot water never felt so good.
My husband went home and got me some clean clothes, taking the "dirty" ones with him.
Left mom's around 10 pm.  Went home, took 2 Tylenol 3's and crashed in my bed.
It had been a long day.

July 9, 2008 - Part 2 - The hospital.

The police and the EMS both arrived about the same time.
While the police questioned the store owner about what direction the van took - the EMS got a
look at my injuries, and I was a mess.
My work T-shirt had a huge hole in the front of it from being dragged about 30 feet from the front of
the store parking lot to the back area.  It's a good thing I wore a lighter shirt underneath it that day or
I would have had no shirt to wear...talk about embarassing.
It also had a left shoulder that was covered in blood.  Eventually, I handed this shirt in to the authorities as
evidence.
In the meantime, EMS took my blood pressure - it was somewhat high, but not quite in the danger zone.  That was reassuring.
They did say, however, that it was very close to the arortic vessel which carries blood to the brain...which might explain why I was feeling dizzy.
Since my cellphone was in my still missing van, I asked for one so I could call my husband, who worked on a trash truck in Toronto.  I couldn't reach him at first so I phoned his dispatch.
"Just tell him I'm ok and I'm going to Ajax-Pickering Hospital" was all I told a somewhat shocked co-worker on the other end.
He arrived 45 minutes later while I was waiting in the emergency room.  I looked at him and asked him wryly "what route did you fly?"
Soon I had had my wounds cleaned up and 4 staples to close a almost inch long wound in my head.  My husband had already been in touch with our daughter and my mother to let them know what had transpired.  Not sure whether or not the parties who had assaulted me had gotten any of my personal ID at the time, the hubby had called home and told our 18 year old to put the house in lockdown and answer the door to no one until she heard again from her father. 
Not that anyone would be able to get into our home without a fight anyway.  We were the owners of three American Eskimos at the time, and those dogs guard family well, no training needed.  God help anyone try to get into the house without a proper introduction.
While at Ajax-Pickering my husband had gotten hold of my personal doctor, who told him to get me to her ASAP so she could check me out herself.
In the meantime, off I went to file a video-taped police report.
Next...19 Division...Pickering.

July 9, 2008-Part one - The Assault

The day started off normally enough.
Hand helds wouldn't download by the time I had loaded my van, which put drivers about an hour
behind, but what else was new - this had been going on for months, and could have been deemed "the norm."
By the time I finally headed out to my route in Ajax, it was after 9 am, and considering I had been
at the shop since 7:00 am and had my truck loaded since 8:00, I was in no mood for further delays
that as far as I was concerned were totally unnecessary.
Seeing it was a sunny day without a cloud in the sky, the trip to Ajax was accomplished in about 20 minutes.
My first stop (which turned out to be my last for the day) was at a convenience store below Salem and the 401.
Went in, said hi to the owner, unloaded his product, verified it all, he verified it all, and that was it...done in 10 minutes.  Said  "see ya later" to the owner and out the store door I went.
I loved it when it went a delivery went like that.
I unlocked the security on my van and put the delivery bin back in the back, and shut the door.
I was getting my paperwork straight when it happened....all Hell broke loose.
A male black party about 6 feet tall grabbed me from behind, one arm around my waist and I had a hand across my face.  I know I bit the bastard. 
He did have a hard time holding onto me.  I will admit to not being a small woman weight-wise.  I made like a rag dog while he and another male black party (somebody who was dressed like he could try out for the Raptors in a blue shiny short/shirt set) tried to get me into the cab.  I wasn't going anywhere.
In the midst of that struggle I was hit with something in the back of the head.  I don't know what....all I know was that it was hard.  Could have been a rock, could have been my hand held....or it could have been something else.  I shudder to think it could have been something else.
The two parties gave up trying to get me into the van.  Instead, the first one grabbed me and dragged me to the area behind the store and sat on me, telling me "you are a woman, why don't you co-operate, I don't like to beat a woman."
Yeah, ok.  Idiot...what are you doing then?  Then I realized I was bleeding at the back of my head...badly.
When I discovered this, it scared me because I have suffered for years from high blood pressure, and I could only imagine was the reading was now.
In the meantime, in the midst of him holding me down, this party had put his hands in some very inappropriate places on my person.  Being a woman, and a married one at that, just having his hands there made me feel awfully dirty.
While this creep was sitting on me his partner in crime demanded to know where the keys were for the truck.  I got them off my key ring and handed them over, making sure that I managed to keep my personal vehicle keys and my house keys.  They weren't getting those.
Finally the other guy got the truck started - and the creep that had been sitting on me for what seemed like an eternity finally left, telling me to count to 100 to give them time to get away.
I gave them till about 30.  I had started feeling somewhat dizzy, and being someone who never been one to do as I was told I knew I had to move...fast...before I took a chance on passing out.
I managed to creep my way around the side of the store, like something you might see on any crime story on TV these days, and ran in the front door....scaring the living out of the owner I had just delivered to.
I had been beaten, bloodied and assaulted across the street from a very busy gas station on a very busy alternate route of the 401 in broad daylight - and how I managed to remember to follow Ryder protocol after all that is simply a case of running on adreneline.
I dialed 911....and the rest of the day's events will follow.