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I'm feeling seriously ripped off and here's why.
I feel seriously ripped to shreds from all this news. It feels hopeless in Canada. Read these 2 articles and tell me how you feel.
Head of eHealth Ontario to receive $317K after being removed amid scandal
Sun Jun 7, 5:32 PM
What's this By Maria Babbage, The Canadian Press
TORONTO - EHealth Ontario's top executive will receive nearly $317,000 in compensation after being removed from her position amid a scandal over $5 million in untendered contracts and questionable spending, sources confirmed Sunday.
Sarah Kramer, whose appointment as president and CEO of the agency was revoked Sunday, will receive the equivalent of 10 months' salary under an agreement reached with eHealth's board, the sources said.
That's less than what she was entitled to under her contract, which would have included 15 months' severance, an unspecified bonus and benefits, they said.
Health Minister David Caplan defended the compensation package Sunday as a necessary step to avoid any legal entanglements.
When former Hydro One CEO Eleanor Clitheroe was fired in 2002 amid allegations of lavish spending, she launched a $30-million lawsuit against the province, he pointed out.
"I can understand the difficulty in addressing it, but I think what I'm focused on is ensuring that we do get the corporation moving, get the momentum back on delivering the eHealth products and the infrastructure that are going to be important to transforming health care," he said.
Both Caplan and Kramer have been dogged for weeks over questionable spending at eHealth, which included allowing consultants who were paid up to $2,700 a day to bill taxpayers extra for minor purchases like tea and snacks.
Opposition parties have repeatedly called for Caplan and Kramer's resignations, accusing Kramer and eHealth board chairman Alan Hudson of giving Liberal-friendly firms lucrative contracts without taking competitive bids.
One consulting firm that received an untendered contract charged eHealth for such tasks as reading newspaper articles, reviewing voicemail messages and talking shop during a subway ride.
Outrage grew after it was discovered that Kramer was paid a $114,000 bonus on top of her $380,000 salary after just a few months on the job.
Caplan at first defended the bonus, saying it's what Kramer would have received at her previous job at Cancer Care Ontario. But he quickly changed his tune after the provincial agency said Kramer's bonus would have been about $40,000 had she stayed.
Kramer and the eHealth board came to a "mutual agreement" over the weekend that she would leave the organization - an important step toward restoring public confidence in the agency, Caplan said Sunday.
"Valid questions" have been raised about eHealth, which has led to "distraction and uncertainty," he added.
"The uncertainty has threatened to delay important projects and put taxpayer dollars at risk of delivering poor results. So I think that is why the board - and I fully concur - that a leadership change is needed at this time."
But the province's opposition parties say it's too little, too late.
Caplan "fumbled the ball" on eHealth and should be fired, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
"We're glad she's gone," she said. "It took far too long to see the back of Ms. Kramer."
But awarding her a generous compensation package just adds insult to injury for taxpayers who've seen millions of dollars squandered in tough economic times, Howarth added.
"It's very apparent that she was removed for a reason, and I think that people will be outraged if they see yet another golden handshake," she said.
Progressive Conservative and former health minister Elizabeth Witmer also renewed her call for Caplan's resignation, saying Kramer's departure isn't enough to restore public confidence in the Ministry of Health.
The public is already seething over Kramer's $114,000 bonus, which is more than many even imagine earning in a year, she said.
"There has been misuse and abuse of public money - the minister refused to acknowledge that this was inappropriate," she said.
"Now that she's going to receive a severance, they will be further outraged to see their hard-earned dollars going to anybody who has been involved in this type of flagrant abuse of taxpayer money."
The board recommended late Saturday that Kramer be removed - a decision Caplan said he was not involved in.
"Both the board and Ms. Kramer feel that a change in leadership is required to restore public confidence in the organization's ability to move our important mandate forward," Hudson said in a letter to Caplan.
"Therefore, Ms. Kramer has decided to leave the organization."
Deputy Health Minister Ron Sapsford will be the temporary CEO of eHealth, which was set up last fall.
EHealth was established after the first provincial agency tasked with creating electronic health records, Smart Systems for Health, spent about $650 million but failed to produce anything of value before it was quietly shut down.
Ontario's auditor general is looking into eHealth and is expected to report back to the government on his findings as early as the fall.
MPs' secret meetings loosen rules for cash and benefits
Ugh...I feel sick after readying this.
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Peace, Unity, Luv and Havin Fun!!
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character."- Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist & poet (1803 - 1882)
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