Did you catch it too, dear diary?
Last week our provincial government admitted that there have been some weaknesses and faults found in the Lean system and improvements will be forthcoming in how efficiencies to the health system will be delivered.
OK, wasn't your first thought then, who is going to be called to deliver the efficiencies to the efficiency experts? Do they bring in more and better Japanese senseis to deliver the gospel of pure production?
Did we get the B team of sensei business warriors the first time? Is that American company that was contracted to deliver Lean to Saskatchewan health workers now going to be asked to deploy the A team?
We heard that we spent $18.1 million in, get this, cost avoidance! Now there is a fun category. Spend money to apparently save money for goods of dubious distinction? That's how the bride shops for crumb's sake. It doesn't work!
We now have a Kaizen promotion office in Saskatchewan. I kid you not. Wouldn't we be better off with a Khardasian promotion office? I'm sure Kim Khardasian is better looking than any Yosemite Sensei Sam they could bring in to teach us how to be lean machines.
Will the A team sensei tune in the B team senseis in Saskatchewan? How much more will it cost us to bring in the A team Lean storm troopers to save the sensei B team? While they're at it, perhaps we could get them to build a truck bypass around Estevan.
Just asking.
Yes, our governments can come up with all kinds of silly and nonsensical names to represent nothing new. For instance, on the federal scene, we have these knee slappers called the Fair Elections Act and the Fair Freight Service Act. They're always good for a few yuks and chuckles.
On to more important things.
It now seems our vaunted two railway corporations not only have problems getting our grain and oil to their respective markets, they're having difficulties getting fertilizer to the farm producers this spring, too. The Americans haven't had any problems, but it seems our guys do.
Isn't this the province where fertilizer begins? Next we'll be hearing about bread and beef shortages. How ironic can this get?
On a final note, we have been assured that our favourite highway hell, sometimes referred to as Highway 39, is eventually going to be repaved between Estevan and Macoun. It should be this summer, God and highway contractors willing. In the meantime, work has begun on the now infamous truck bypass that has been promised to this city since the early 1960s and is finally being delivered. God knows it's been paid for 12,000 times over so don't let any politician from any political stripe take credit for delivering this particular package. When one region sends tens of millions of dollars into a central office (provincial government) on a regular basis, it should expect a decent rate of return in terms of service and supplies. All we've been asking for lately is a second-rate highway and some regular diagnostic equipment for a district hospital. So, if and when they arrive, no need to be overly grateful for small mercies. You've already paid for this stuff years ago.
