NEWS
editionap.ca
Treatment of poor war veterans “ridiculous”
$3,600 towards the cost of funerals for poor war veterans. The su m , which has not been increased since 2001, covers onl y a s m all percentage of the true costs of the service. Plus, 64 per cent of fa m ilies who appl y for the subsid y are refused. “To qualif y , the estate of the deceased cannot exceed $12,000,” relates Berthi- au m e, Ontario representative of the Fu-
He notes that when a fa m il y has just lost a loved one, “The last thing the y need is to worr y about pa y ing for burial and funeral services. Our veterans deserve better.” “While the govern m ent has no specific plan to increase the Fund’s subsid y , we wish to bring to m ind that these m en and wo m en have done so m uch for Canada; the least the y deserve is to have dignified buri- als,” said Phil Fredette, Govern m ent Rela- tions Chair of FSAC. The discrepanc y between the subsid y and real costs m eans that funeral directors or veterans’ fa m ilies subsidize the cost of veterans’ funerals. FSAC conducted a na- tional stud y which found that m e m bers provide co m parable services to veterans for m uch less than what the general public pa y s. “Our m e m bers respect the contribution Canadian veterans have m ade to this coun- tr y , and as such would never turn a Last Post Fund fa m il y awa y ,” said Fredette. “We want to ensure these fa m ilies have peace of m ind during that difficult ti m e.” Veteran groups have also been vo- cal in their support for an increase to the progra m . The Ar my , Nav y and Air Force Veterans in Canada (ANAVETS) passed a resolution at their convention this past Septe m ber stating the y would urge the Minister of Veteran Affairs to increase the Last Post Fund to m atch RCMP and DND current m e m bers’ levels. Three different m inisters of veterans’ affairs have stated, “Don’t worr y ,” relates Berthiau m e.
HAWKESBURY | « Ridiculous » is how Yves Berthiau m e describes the level of funds the federal govern m ent pays for funerals of indigent war veterans. Berthiau m e, director of the Berthiau m e Funeral Ho m e, notes that under the Last Post Fund, the govern m ent contributes
Santé CARREFOUR Le Salon des services de santé en français
Yves Berthiaume
neral Service Association of Canada. “This m eans that ver y few people can qualif y . In order to get that subsid y , people have to be poorer than the poor.” The social services depart m ent pa y s m ore than the federal govern m ent -- $3,900 – for eligible funeral costs. Berthiau m e and other m e m bers of the Funeral Service Association of Canada continue to urge the Canadian govern- m ent to increase funding to the Last Post Fund.
Un événement gratuit à ne pas manquer! GRATUIT
Le vendredi 23 novembre 2012, de 11 h à 21 h Le samedi 24 novembre 2012, de 10 h à 17 h 55, promenade du Colonel-By ! ! " # $
Pour vivre sa santé en français!
Pierre Lemieux responds
This is how Glengarr y -Prescott-Russell MP Pierre Le m ieux responded: “It is i m portant to note that Veterans Affairs does offer Funeral and Burial assis- tance to all Veterans who die of a service- related disabilit y . Traditional Veterans are also eligible through m eans-testing. Mod- ern-da y Veterans m a y be eligible if the y are in financial need and are in receipt of a Veterans Affairs Canada disabilit y benefit, earnings loss benefit or Canadian Forces inco m e support benefit. In particular we provide assistance for funeral costs and pa y for all burial costs, which together provide on average be- tween $7,000 and $10,000, for those vet-
erans who could not otherwise afford it. Since 2006 we have provided this assis- tance to over 10,000 veterans and their fa m ilies. So m e other things we do to honour and help Canada’s veterans and their fa m ilies after the y have passed include: The Co mm unit y War Me m orial Progra m introduced b y our govern m ent in Bud- get 2010 provides funding for co mm u- nit y cenotaphs to honour those who have served. We expanded the Veterans Inde- pendence Progra m which helps surviving fa m il y m e m bers of Second World War and Korean War veterans ($282 m illion in Bud- get 2008).”
OPINION
editionap.ca
Don’t bother with Main crosswalks Subject: Main Street, Hawkesbur y Please do not spend an y ti m e, or m one y , deliberating on whether or not to add addi- tional crosswalks to Main Street. At the current rate of transfer of retail businesses to Count y Road 17 the whole of Main Street will be up there before an y decision is reached. A better use of y our ti m e m a y be to consider a shuttle service between down- town and ‘uptown’ to assist those people who would find such a service beneficial. Doug Fowler, Hawkesbur y
POUR DE PLUS AMPLES RENSEIGNEMENTS OU POUR L’HORAIRE COMPLET DES ATELIERS :
www.editionap.ca
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker