[BC_Labour_E-NEWS] BC Fed E-News, ISSUE #44 - April 13, 2006, News from the B.C. Federation of Labour
bc_labour_enews at bcfed.net
bc_labour_enews at bcfed.net
Thu Apr 13 16:02:18 PDT 2006
ISSUE #44 - April 13, 2006
B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim Sinclair was joined today by
members of the DePatie family, father Doug DePatie and grand father
Chett Crellin, to highlight their concern that the Maple Ridge gas
station where 24 year old Grant DePatie lost his life last March is
still not complying with workers' health and safety laws.
FAST FACT
In 2005, 188 workers died due to job related disease or injury,
including 12 young workers.
In this issue:
Stories
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#stories>
Despite tragic death, warnings, and WCB inspections, Maple Ridge gas
station still ignoring health and safety laws
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Working_Alone>
After hiding loss of Hydro employees' personal information Accenture's
latest plan to ship personnel records to the US must be stopped
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Accenture_Privacy>
Privatization key theme at HSA's 35th Convention
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#HSA_Convention>
Forest safety Ombudsman no answer to tragedies in our forest, just more
industry self regulation
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Forest_Ombudsman>
Coming Events
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Day of Mourning - FIGHT FOR THE LIVING/MOURN FOR THE DEAD
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#evt200628aprcw>
Health and Safety & Workers' Compensation Symposium - "Taking Action For
A Healthy Workplace"
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Health and Safety
Symposium>
Women's Conference - "Making Our Voices Heard"
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#BCFL Women's Conference
May1-3, 2006>
Solidarity Works! Training Program - May 15 - June 3, 2006
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Solidarity Works! 2006>
United Way - Learning Summit on Middle Childhood
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#United Way Learning
Summit>
2006 Union Counsellors' Conference
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#2006 Union Counsellors'
Conference>
Publications
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#publications>
Canada's Health Care 'Crisis'
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Tyee-Health Care>
Governments Fails Communities and Forest Workers
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7458F-F364-4CF2-B94F-66B5531BE481,frameless.htm#Forest Safety>
Subscription Information
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Stories
Despite tragic death, warnings, and WCB inspections, Maple Ridge gas
station still ignoring health and safety laws
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Despite a tragic death, warnings, and WCB inspections, the Maple Ridge
gas station, where last year Grant DePatie lost his life is still
failing to abide by BC's Health and Safety laws, said B.C. Federation of
Labour President Jim Sinclair.
"Despite Grant's death and despite previous inspections and orders, this
employer is allowed to remain out of compliance without any penalty or
meaningful action from WorkSafeBC," Sinclair said.
In the last week, the Federation visited the operation twice after 11:00
pm to learn that not only is the station ignoring its late night pay
before you pump policy, it's also failing to ensure the doors are locked
after 11:00 pm, contradictory to the employer's health and safety plan.
An investigation by WorkSafeBC into Grant DePatie's death determined
that had they been enforced, "the late night payment policies would have
prevented this fatality."
"The employer only filed a plan after Grant's death, but the plan means
nothing if the employer isn't following it," Sinclair stated. "A
worker's death shouldn't be the needed wakeup call to employers about
the importance of health and safety standards, but when even that's not
enough we have a huge problem on our hands."
"Employer self policing isn't working," said Sinclair. "Any employer who
is failing to protect nightshift workers employed in gas stations and
convenience stores, should face an immediate crackdown from WorkSafeBC."
In January, the B.C. Federation of Labour conducted an informal survey
of gas stations operating in the Lower Mainland. Of the 12 stations
surveyed, only one appeared to have implemented a Working Alone Policy
as outlined by WorkSafeBC regulations.
"Our survey showed employers haven't put in place the rules to protect
workers' health and safety," Sinclair stated. "That's why we're calling
on the provincial government and WorkSafeBC to ensure that within 30
days, employers register their plan for working alone or risk being
shutdown for late-night operations."
After hiding loss of Hydro employees' personal information Accenture's
latest plan to ship personnel records to the US must be stopped
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
After learning of Accenture's plans to ship personnel records of BC
Hydro employees to the US, B.C. Federation of Labour President Jim
Sinclair called for a halt to the plan until a full inquiry into
Accenture's bungling of Hydro employee records is complete.
"First, Accenture failed to protect the personal information of Hydro
employees and then the company waited five days to inform them of what
happened. Now workers at BC Hydro should trust Accenture to keep their
records safe in the US," questioned Sinclair.
"Accenture wasn't up front about the breach in privacy, and they're not
being up front about this plan to ship records out of the country,"
Sinclair added.
"Hydro workers deserve an independent inquiry by the Privacy
Commissioner before Accenture does anything more with workers' private
information," demanded Sinclair.
Sinclair pointed to concerns regarding the US Patriot Act as well as
Accenture's lack of security measures to protect personal information as
reason enough to stall any decision by the company to move records from
BC.
Sinclair said he was disappointed BC Liberal Energy Minister Richard
Neufeld dismissed Hydro workers' concern about their privacy as a
criminal incident. "Worker's deserve to know if appropriate measures are
being taken to protect their privacy and their only recourse is the
Privacy Commissioner," concluded Sinclair.
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Privatization key theme at HSA's 35th Convention
Saturday, April 08, 2006
HSA's 35th Annual Convention kicked off Friday with an announcement by
HSA President Cindy Stewart that she will not be seeking re-election
when her current term expires in April 2007.
Stewart noted the union has received a strong vote of confidence from
the membership and is well-positioned to tackle the challenges that lie
ahead.
One of the challenges Stewart identified is the growing threat of health
care privatization, and she challenged delegates to take a key role in
protecting public health care for the future.
Privatization was also the theme of the convention's keynote address by
health policy analyst Dr. Michael Rachlis. Dr. Rachlis pointed to
numerous examples of innovation within the public sector to address
systemic problems such as wait times. A copy of Dr. Rachlis's
presentation will be available on the HSA website next week at
www.hsabc.org <http://www.hsabc.org/> .
Other highlights of the convention included speeches by B.C. Federation
of Labour President Jim Sinclair and National Union of Provincial and
General Employees (NUPGPE) President James Clancy.
Delegates debated and passed a number of resolutions directing the union
to continue its efforts to increase the profile of health science
professionals and protect services delivered by HSA members from cuts
and contracting out.
Forest safety Ombudsman no answer to tragedies in our forest, just more
industry self regulation
Friday, March 17, 2006
"The industry dominated Forest Safety Council's appointment of their own
Safety Ombudsman is just more industry self-regulation and provides no
answer to the tragedies in our forest," said B.C. Federation of Labour
Secretary-Treasurer Angela Schira.
"Self-regulation is one of the reasons we are seeing more workers killed
or injured on the job," Schira noted. In 2005 there were 43 fatalities
in BC's forest sector.
"An industry appointed ombudsman is no answer to watered down safety
regulations and less enforcement," Schira stated.
"It's unfortunate that the forest industry is looking at band-aid
measures instead of working with unions and workers to examine BC's
forest policy and strengthen laws protecting workers," Schira said.
"If the Safety Council really believes that an ombudsman would help end
the injuries and deaths in our forests, then they should be calling on
the provincial government to appoint a truly independent ombudsperson
reporting to the Legislature," Schira added.
Schira applauded the United Steelworkers' campaign for safety rights and
planned legislative lobby next week in Victoria. "The only thing that
seems to get the attention of both law makers and industry CEO's is the
action of the union. If MLAs still don't understand, I know they can
count on the Steelworkers for a wake-up call," concluded Schira.
COPE 15
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Events
Day of Mourning - FIGHT FOR THE LIVING/MOURN FOR THE DEAD
Friday, April 28, 2006
Information
The B.C. Federation of Labour, the Vancouver & District Labour Council
and the New Westminster & District Labour Council invite you to pay
tribute to workers killed and injured on the job. In 2005, 188 workers
were killed on the job in BC including 12 young workers.
Download the poster and here:
1000-06not-lb-day of mourning apr28.pdf
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t5jufus2rbq32eqrxgryyhiweldnv7g7fcjhh7aui/100006notlbdayofmourningapr28.
pdf>
Download a list of Labour Council memorials around the province here:
1000-06lst-dayofmourning-April 28.pdf
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2xjfj3vglngovctjadqonhkjiqcv5xuua5qr7igac/100006lstdayofmourningApril28.
pdf>
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Location
999 Canada Place
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Health and Safety & Workers' Compensation Symposium - "Taking Action For
A Healthy Workplace"
Monday, April 24, 2006
Information
The Symposium will begin on Monday, April 24, 2006 at 11:00 am with a
Panel discussion that focusses on the health and safety and workers'
compensation issues that we will be lobbying our politicians on.
There will be a training session that will provide participants with
effective lobbying skills and the opportunity to develop a lobbying plan
that will be put to use right away.
Join us for this exciting symposium and lobby.
Registration fee is $60.00
Registration deadline is: April 13, 2006
Download a pdf copy: Health & Safety Poster
<http://www.bcfed.com/NR/rdonlyres/ev2wudzn2zfnnwf6ihtp4qa5j7vfliw4wvy27
64ct3egdg5vzdjhgvfe54rxjeslczvkp65dduwggc/1000-06not-lb-ohs%2bsymposium-
apr24.pdf>
Health & Safety Registration
Form
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cuecbgtqdqhkmdkd72wqbqd4wyqq4sjqr76zoc4ma/1000-06not-lb-ohs%2bsymposium-
apr24-registration.pdf>
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Location
The Coast Victoria
Harbourside Hotel & Marina
146 Kingston Street
Victoria, BC V8V 1V4
Tel: 250-360-1211/Fax: 250-360-1418
Toll Free: 1-800-663-1144
Room rate is $95.00 plus taxes - Single or Double
Please call the hotel directly and ask for Group Code #3853 for the B.C.
Federation of Labour "Occupational Health & Safety Meeting."
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Women's Conference - "Making Our Voices Heard"
Monday, May 01, 2006
Information
B.C. Federation of Labour Women's Spring Conference
"Making Our Voices Heard"
May 1-3, 2006
Join us for this exciting conference, meet other labour and community
women from around the province and put your newly-acquired lobbying
skills to use right away.
Registration fee for this event is $80.00 for Union Women and a reduced
rate of $50.00 is available for women from non-profit community
organizations (with possible further subsidies). More info in the
notice.
Registration Deadline: April 18, 2006
If you require childcare, please call Carole Sundin at 604-430-1421 by
April 18, 2006.
Download a pdf copy of notice: Women's Conference-Notice
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gq2r5jqtffle3i4ltjdtntwk7w6z7w4nzbds5c6rc/1000-06not-jwa-womens%2bconf%2
bmay1-3.pdf>
Download a pdf copy of registration form: Women's
Conference-Registration
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6n2nxcrdwjgfiudv5js3rm6xg75yyd6tfwtmekjmh/1000-06not-jwa-womens%2bconf-r
egistration1.pdf>
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Location
The Coast Victoria
Harbourside Hotel & Marina
146 Kingston Street
Victoria, BC V8V 1V4
Tel: 250-360-1211
Fax: 250-360-1418
Toll Free: 1-800-663-1144
Please call the hotel directly and ask for Group Code #3852 for the B.C.
Federation of Labour "Women's Meeting".
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Solidarity Works! Training Program - May 15 - June 3, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
Information
The B.C. Federation of Labour will be holding the second Solidarity
Works! three-week training and mentoring program for Young Workers in
BC. This program is designed to equip young workers with labour
education, practical hands-on experience, and new activist skills to
demand their rights.
Download a pdf copy of: Solidarity Works! Poster
<http://www.bcfed.com/NR/rdonlyres/e7fq4q3okxwhtvm3ocda6auc7beam747yhfpu
3wip2hute6nsvkkmt63t5y7sh524w3exkgpyzjcnk/1330-06not-im-youth-Solidarity
%2bWORKS%2bPoster1.pdf>
Registration Form
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w3svzx6c3j6tf6b42cenrare7lrq3iusmus4avwuf/1330-06not-im-youth-Solidarity
%2bWORKS-app%2bform.pdf>
Solidarity Works! Letter
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bto%2bofficers.pdf>
Application deadline is April 21, 2006.
For more information, please contact Irma Mohammed at 604-430-1421 ext.
241 or e-mail at educate at bcfed.com
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Location
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United Way - Learning Summit on Middle Childhood
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Information
Presented by the Lower Mainland School-Aged Children Advisory Committee
and United Way of the Lower Mainland. The first of its kind in British
Columbia, this event will bring together service providers, researchers,
funders, and policy makers to focus on middle childhood. It will mark
the launch of Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl's groundbreaking research on
school-aged children's experiences outside of school:
* Where are children after school? * What are they doing? * Who are they
with? Middle Childhood Conf-Flyer - (Mar8-06).pdf
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oqvchttywjaugmb56ptapvdhvrfdgkcs34k4hd2uo/MiddleChildhoodConfFlyerMar806
.pdf>
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Location
Hilton Metrotown, Burnaby, British Columbia
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Registration Fee: $100 (includes meals)
Please register at http://www.uwlm.ca <http://www.uwlm.ca/> after Monday
April 3, 2006.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl
Associate Professor, Department of Educational
and Counselling Psychology, and Special
Education in the Faculty of Education at UBC
Dr. Clyde Hertzman
Director, Human Early Learning Partnership
(HELP), Faculty of Graduate Studies at UBC
Dr. Philemon Choi
Chairman of the Commission on Youth and
General Secretary, Breakthrough in Hong Kong
Sessions will include:
* How are children doing?
* What do children need to develop to their full potential?
* Preparing our children for the 21st Century - possibilities
* Making it happen in your community - success through partnership
* The costs of not acting and the value of prevention
Who should attend?
The Learning Summit is designed to inform and engage policy makers,
funders, service providers
and researchers. It will be a venue to meet and discuss the issues of
middle childhood and ways to address them together.
Learning Summit on Middle Childhood
>From Research and Planning to Action for Children Ages 6 to 12
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2006 Union Counsellors' Conference
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Information
CLC & United Way
Working Families & Communities: Unions Make a Difference
2006 Union Counsellor's Conference
CLC Prairie and Pacific Regions
May 25-27, 2006
A conference for union counsellors, Labour Councils, union activists and
union leadership interested in community involvement, and in developing
and working with community programs.
Registration Fee: $170.00
Registration Deadline: May 1, 2006
For registration and info, download pdf copy of: UC Conference Brochure
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eu6k747i27y6rzknru2cg4xxq2faaj2pn5rrvh3im/UC%2bconferencebrochure.pdf>
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Location
Renaissance Hotel Harbourside
1133 W. Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC
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Publications
Governments Fails Communities and Forest Workers
Rick Wangler, President
USW Local 1-363
4/11/2006
It is becoming apparent that the IWA's (now United SteelWorkers)
predictions of the changes to the Forest Aact are coming true. We
predicted that the 20 percent takeback of tenure would do little for
communities. We predicted that an imposed labour agreement would not
help the parties and we predicted the Industry would take the changes,
cash in to their advantage, and leave others to pick up the pieces.
We now see the big three (Weyerhaeuser, Interfor and TimberWest) who had
promised investment of a billion dollars in exchange for Forest Act
changes and a new labour agreement, fleeing from their commitments as
fast as they can. Weyerhaeuser took little time to sell their interests
on the Coast to Brascan, Interfor has closed most of their mills in BC
after purchasing four mills in the US and Timberwest has their last
sawmill for sale as they continue to harvest their lands in our area at
an unsustainable rate.
This is what can be expected from empty Industry promises. People's
lives have been turned upside down, communities have been devastated,
and forest industry workers suffer fatalities, injury and suicide at
alarming rates. We see long time substantial contractors, some of which
employ over 400 people, on the brink of shutting down their companies,
while the smaller companies play the rob Peter to pay Paul game. We see
our sawmilling and pulp and paper industry in trouble for lack of
reasonably priced local fibre. We see the major tenure holders driving
the spiral to the bottom while they take their profits and invest them
outside the country instead of where they had promised in exchange for
the government delivering to their requests.
These are the empty, hollow promises we are left with when government
makes changes without assured and guaranteed commitment. More of the
same can be expected if the government caves to Industries requests for
freer log exports. These are the same types of commitments that can be
expected if the Federal government does not attach strings to the 1.5
Billion Dollars of taxpayer's money they have promised to help the
forest industry in this country.
Taxpayers must demand that if the government is going to use our money
to give aid to the Forest Industry in this country that they are forced
to live up to their commitments and do not make empty promises and take
the money and run. Taxpayers must demand that if we are going to give
aid to the forest industry, if and when the industry receives the return
of tariff monies from the US, those monies need to be applied directly
to the government's loans and to the infrastructure of the industry that
has been lacking capital investment. The government must make the
Industry guarantee that investment is made into machinery and manpower
if they are going to give tax dollars to companies that are prepared to
plunder the resources than flee the country.
The government both federally and provincial need to put together a plan
that allows community-based Investors to have a fair and equitable piece
of the resources which rightfully belong to the taxpayers. These
companies must be of a size that can bare the weight of slow economic
times and yet provide enough employment to deserve an opportunity to
profit from the resources when the industry is at a cyclical high.
Canada has just won what is supposed to be the last round of the NAFTA
arguments. The US Forest Industry has vowed to fight on. When Canada
wins, we lose, because our government does not have the backbone to take
on a bully when they are confronted with one. It is time our governments
restrict the flow of raw logs to the bullies that refuse to obey the
law. It's time our governments move from paying a tariff, to taxing the
logs we send south.
When we collect that tax we need to put it directly into fixing the
problems we have on the Coast of BC, we need to put the funds towards
the pinewood beetle problem in the interior of BC, we need to put the
funds towards saving Saskatchewan's forest Industry from the closure of
the Weyerhaeuser Pulp mill that threatens the collapse of the whole
provincial forest sector, we need to make sure that any funds that are
returned are invested in fixing the failing forest Industry across this
country before every mill we know of is closed, and all we have left is
the exporting of our resources.
The forest industry is going thru massive changes and it is high time
the provincial and federal governments took control of the provinces and
the countries resources. This needs to be done now, before the resources
are exported out of the country at a rate that can not be sustained, and
we are left like beggars with our hands out to the US interests.
Canada's Health Care 'Crisis'
Tom Sandborn
Tyee.ca
4/11/2006
Canadian public health care is in crisis!
Really? Compared to what?
One of the fundamental assumptions of Premier Gordon Campbell's recent
tour of Europe is that Canadian public health care is in crisis, a
theory so widespread and often repeated these days that it stands as
common sense.
One classic formulation of the crisis theory is to be found in Paying
More, Getting Less: Measuring the Sustainability of Provincial Public
Health Expenditures in Canada, by Brett J. Skinner, published by the
Fraser Institute last fall.
Skinner argues that health care costs are out of control, and will,
before the middle of this century, spiral upward to consume all
provincial revenues. The Canadian health care status quo is
unsustainable, he argues, in terms reminiscent of the most recent throne
speech delivered for the Campbell government.
The solutions, says Skinner, include requiring patients to make
co-payments for publicly-insured health services, "allowing people the
option of paying privately (via private insurance or out-of-pocket) for
all types of medical services, including hospitals and physician
services," and allowing for-profit health providers to compete for
delivery of publicly-insured care.
Skinner's other publications include a study for the Atlantic Institute
for Market Studies in 2002 titled "The Benefits of Allowing Business
Back into Canadian Health Care."
Upon the Premier's return from his fact finding tour, The Tyee
repeatedly requested an interview to learn what European measures most
impressed him. If Canada's system is in crisis, which countries did he
think dealt with similar emergencies effectively?
And what might he say to those European experts we've found who argue
that privatization, rather than solving any crisis, is adding news
stresses and fractures to their health systems?
The Premier has so far refused to speak with The Tyee.
To read the rest of the story visit The Tyee.
<http://thetyee.ca/News/2006/04/11/CanadasHealthCareCrisis/>
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