EI claim wait pushed man over edge

unreal

- January 8, 2012 at 13:12:36

I feel horrible for this man's family. Why oh why do media on PEI have to drag families through the mud. Yes, report the news but leave out the names unless you're searching for a dangerous felon. On the matter of EI, now what do you think Minister Finley wake up and smell the coffee people do not deserve to pushed to the brink of breakdown because government aren't providing funds to staff to work the necessary overtime to keep up with the increase in volume of EI claims this time of year. Next, mental health services on PEI are deplorable. We need a facility such as Homewood in Ontario or if we can't provide quality treatment on PEI which is our right, pay for patients to travel to other provinces to acquire quality services in a timely manner. I had a family member who waited 6 months after being referred to mental health then got a letter asking if that person wanted to remain on the wait list. Imagine! This should not be tolerated.

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  losergov't

  - January 17, 2012 at 16:30:00

  jailed for being jobless as if it was in the criminal code. Pathetic heirarchy!

Frank Reyes

- January 8, 2012 at 13:11:42

No body tell what is the real situation of El EL have plenty mula but your Government take it and with that mula balance the budget , that is a crime that no body is punished for , That money is belong to the workers no body should touch it if they do that should be persecueted

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concerned

- January 8, 2012 at 13:11:17

i agree, social assistence is a big no for someone who actually needs help. they refused me last year, and never even thought about it. This province needs to put in some new rules and laws, and help the ones who need it, and not he ones that use it for there benifit of getting high or drunk.. families are starving, and no one seems to care? ... sounds like the government to me.. they don't care about anything since there is money going into their pocket, they are happy.. They live a luxirous life, and care about nothing and no one else, if they did this wouldn't be going on.....

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Caring Family Member

- January 8, 2012 at 13:06:40

I do not think people should be accusing my Uncle of having money. And God willing he does not *do himself in*. I am in the same predicament he is. I am not currently able to work due to doctor's orders. Regardless, I have been in this situation before and I know that it is not easy to find work on PEI. I once went 6 months without work as no one seemed to want to hire me. I have experience and I still was not able to find work. As per the comment about working seasonally, sometimes that is all some of us can do. We look for work and if that is what is available to us then we take it. Working in the fields is a fairly physically demanding job. If you are complaining about people working that and then going on EI I dare you to try it and see how you do. And mind you if it was not for our Farmers and Fisherman, where would your food come from??? Someone needs to harvest the land and the sea to feed your bellys!!!. I am disgusted with the way that people like us who only get work for a short time and then draw EI get accused of being lazy or not wanting to work. This is not the case! If you truly reside on PEI, working full time at a minimum wage job does not pay the bills all year round. There are some needing to get 2 and 3 jobs to support themselves. There are a lot of things that need to change on PEI. The amount of jobs is one. How about providing more help for those that need it mentally and financially. And welfare doesn't really help because you have to pay it back when you get working again. How is that help????? And further more, Social Assistance doesn't really help that much. One person I spoke with said they offered him $119.00 for the month. That is outrageous. How is anyone suppose to survive on that. I think that the actions Hillard took were quite severe. But without that happening who would have known that there was a problem this massive going on. Which of you would actually speak up about the underlying issues. Without this article, and my Uncle's actions, he would go unnoticed and nothing would be done. This family does not have money for him to drink and he is not a drunk. He is a caring, loving person who just needs a little help. Shame on those of you who think less of him because he snapped. Some people cannot handle stress as well as others and you can probably say the things you've said because you have likely never needed EI. A lot of us do. I hope he can find the resources to get help. It would be a sad day if Hillard were to pass by his own doing.

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understanding

- January 6, 2012 at 16:08:25

i understand how the poor guy feels .last year i waited twelve weeks , and i got kicked out of my apartment cause i couldnt pay the rent . our social service department on pei is only her for drug addicts and if you are a working person who needs help every once in awhile they refuse you , so figure that out . its to bad for that poor guy ,our government doesnt care. tyhey get there pay and we dont matter .

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Family Member of Mr. Graham

- January 6, 2012 at 16:07:42

While it is true that no one here is going to condone criminal behavior, anyone who knows Mr. Graham knows what a great husband and father he is. Remember also that there are three sides to every story--the most important story being the one that actually happened and is not always so accurately represented after the fact. Unfortunately it happened, but even more unfortunate is the lack of services here in PEI. I have felt for many years that the Mental Health field is in crisis and I also feel that pyschological assessments should be more in depth when people are struggling mentally. Quite obviously there is also a HUGE problem with the EI system...it only takes a dose of common sense to realize that no one can live with no income and be expected to feed and house themselves and their family and pay bills when the money JUST ISN'T THERE. So in conclusion, Hillard is a loving man who had a financially difficult time and made an error in judgement...he is someone's husband, father, and grandfather...and a great one at that....and it's time to move onto another article and leave this gentleman alone.

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anough

- January 6, 2012 at 13:35:58

What were people doing when there was NO EI? They all had fits? Right... blame everything on the government....

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Billy

- January 6, 2012 at 13:35:53

So there must be 26999 other claimants out there about to "snap". What an excuse for a lawyer to use! The guy had money for booze and he broke the law. Why try to make a difrent headline out of it?

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ADDICTION

- January 6, 2012 at 13:35:09

The biggest addiction on this Island is Employment Insurance. For decades now people have based their work time on EI, Businesses and Companies maku up their work schedules to ensure people only get enough work time to get EI, therefore they do not have to pay benefits. Time marches on and this Island must march with it and stop baseing the work year on potato harvests and fishing seasons.

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Enough is Enough

- January 6, 2012 at 13:33:54

Time to start putting SSRIs in the drinking water. And time to start VOTING for a government who cares about the people they SERVE instead of self-interested bureacrats. Let's point the finger at elected decision-makers who use democracy as a guise to fuel their bank accounts.

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no kidding

- January 6, 2012 at 09:24:38

how much pressure and worry do islanders have to endure before goverment dose something about wait times for ei this day and age one click of a computer key and the claim would be processed yet they let it drag on and bills pile up then its almost impossible to get caught up again to bad some of the people draging thier feet wouldn't feel the pinch things would be different then i bet

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East Prince Resident

- January 6, 2012 at 09:24:25

While I do not condone this man's actions, clearly the "system" seriously failed Mr. Graham, and thereby the public, in this case. The man committed a crime out of frustration with his financial situation (yet another EI claim slowed down by government cutbacks). Somehow, expecting him to seek treatment at a facility 40 miles away (who only sent him back to a waiting list in Summerside anyway) seemsunrealistic. Had this individual committed another, more serious crime as a result of not receiving help, who would be guilty then?

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pauline

- January 6, 2012 at 09:24:08

that is par for the course,they will wait until the man does himself then they will change the rules tell him to go to welfare thats what its for.i have a friend that had a baby 3months ago and to date she has no maternity benefits,how is she to take off her child.watch out if she were to not feed her child due to lack off funds.they would not take long throwing her in jail.all folks watch anELECTION IS COMING AND DONT FORGET THIS SLOW PROCESSING OF CLAIMS ALL>>>

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  Walrus

  - January 6, 2012 at 13:33:06

  What election would that be ,Pauline?

joke

- January 6, 2012 at 09:23:06

This province is a joke. As much as I don't defend people who put others in danger, this world is a tough place and when it doesn't seem like there is any sort of help or way out, people snap. We can't all go around thinking that we should be prioritized, however, if stated wait times are exceeded, more resources need to be made available. It is similar to those who get addicted to drugs and alcohol. No I do not support people who abuse these substances but I do understand that once addiction becomes involved, these people are no longer in the position where they "choose" to abuse the substances. I do not support that people who decide not to seek help because they refuse to admit they have a problem or refuse to care, but I do have to feel bad for those who really are trying to get help and it just isn't available.

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Bill

- January 6, 2012 at 09:22:32

Sounds to me that the whole defense was an attempt to blame bad behaviour on government, EI administration, etc etc Bad behaviour is bad behaviour!!

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  Syb

  - January 6, 2012 at 13:35:46

  I have to agree with Bill. Lots of jobs out there to fill the gap.

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  jane

  - January 6, 2012 at 13:34:23

  he can afford to get drunk.

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  angela

  - January 6, 2012 at 13:34:07

  where is CMH when you need them?clearly this case should have been on priority list to be seen but they would rather send out a letter to be put on waiting list,i have heard from my relatives that they got letters stating waiting time is year or so.i feel for this man ,clearly he was in emotional crisis.

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  AGREED

  - January 6, 2012 at 13:33:01

  Me thinks there are underlying issues here. But this might make the list for lawbreakers bad excuses. On a serious note, the way this man was treated by mental health is not acceptable. Just on Monday this week, a young man was arrested on a mental health issue in Toronto and was released the next day. That very same day he killed his mother. Oh, but now, mental health is fully co-operating with the Police. The sad thing is they are a little too late to helphim or his mother.

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  milton mackinnon

  - January 8, 2012 at 13:05:12

  Its usually people with steady work & who never had to draw ei . that will put down those who are drawing ei. Yes there is people who abuse the ei & will only work the weeks needed but believe me there is a lot of people that need & would love full time work.The same can be said for social services. When you have been on both sides of the coin as i have then you can talk but if you haven,t then you shouldn,t talk unless you know what your talking about!!