DISGUSTING PROVINCIAL LIBERAL GOVERNMENT & AGENT ORANGE COMPENSATION

CBC News on-line yesterday carried this story "Agent Orange compensation: victim claims payout "not human"". The story started a few years back with the appointment of an "Independent Fact-Finding Panel on Herbicide 2,4,5-T". As expected by some it's just another government whitewash. This panel was staffed by numerous experts however waiting until 2012 or so to get started really comprimised the situation. The vast majority of the employees from the 50s-80s are either dead or dying. Those exposed the most should have received support and financial compensation thirty years ago. That this spraying went on during and after the war in Vietnam made the health risks obvious, was disgraceful.

As promised/threatened the provincial government advised victims of spraying by Ontario Hydro, Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Natural Resources to seek redress through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) formerly WCB (Workman's Compensation). As I'm sure the government expected if not ordered, the 500 claims of exposure are now being "settled". Prostate and skin cancer victims Ronald Deshane of Renfrew and Daniel Crawford of Sudbury have received $1500 and $1577 respectively. Aside from pain and suffering and loss of quality of life, this wouldn't even cover direct costs of medication and transportation to and from hospitals and doctor's offices. Shame on our provincial government. They promoted the use of unsafe herbicides and then sat on it until most of the victims were gone. Now they are giving the survivors peanuts.