closer to home... Mikeg ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 07:47:32 -0400 (AST) From: Michael Gurstein <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Community Access in Nova Scotia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: WiNS 2000 Many of you have been making inquiries concerning the status of WiNS-2000 which was C\CEN's proposal to Human Resources Development Canada and the Provincial Department of Community Services to hire and train some 100 currently unemployed rural Nova Scotians to work in rural Community (internet) Access (CAP) sites. The total proposal including training, administration, management and wages for the employees for six months came in at roughly $1,000,000. We have just learned that after eight months of negotiation the project will not now be funded. We have thus informed the Provincial authorities that we are not able to take up their offer of Winter Works employment support which would have supplemented the funds requested from HRD and Community Services to create another 50 CAP support positions. I would refer you to the current program in New Brunswick--Experience NB where under the leadership of the Provincial Government and with funds from the Province of NB and Human Resources Develoment Canada, some 372 previously unemployed rural New Brunswickers have been hired and trained as a network of CAP support workers over the last two years. With best wishes, Mike Gurstein Michael Gurstein, Ph.D. Director: Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C\CEN) University College of Cape Breton, POBox 5300, Sydney, NS, CANADA B1P 6L2 Tel. 902-539-4060 (o) 902-562-1055 (h) 902-562-0119 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://ccen.uccb.ns.ca ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 15:17:04 -0300 From: "leo j. deveau" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: Electronic Democracy in Nova Scotia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Michelin loans are forgiven ! Hi. So let's see if I got this right: The Liberal government has just forgiven yet another loan payment owed by Michelin of $12.5million dollars ? (Just announced today). This is on top of a $25. million dollar loan which was forgiven last year to Michelin. On top of that the Government is also providing $5.5million to Michelin to support their training efforts. The government claims it will mean 70 more jobs - sounds like pretty expensive jobs to me ! Just who is paying who here ? Can someone explain to me how a highly profitable transnational corporation cuts such deals (notice how the announcement is held off till after the election), while many small businesses are either being foreclosed upon or can't find sufficient venture capital to support their ventures ? And I'm talking about promising ventures, not Dynatek debacles or other such ill-conceived ventures. Cheers, Leo ____________________________ "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkien