It must have felt like déjà vu all over again for Bathurst Quay residents who turned up to protest the opening of phase two of Porter Airlines’ $45 million airport terminal Monday, February 22.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Will This Enthusiasm Carryover To The Paralympics
What a joy it has been to watch our athletes! I have been on the edge of my seat many times cheering for our athletes. My favorites are Virtue and Moir, they are so young and full of life they are a joy to watch. Here is their gala performance, it's an updated version of the one I posted earlier. Virtue and Moir Gala PerformanceWe have all noticed that PM Harper has been taking in a variety of...
Climbing out of the dark | Paralympics | Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games | CTV Olympics
Hey Comrade Dave....Toronto Not On List!
Beth Hodgson
Global Green Guide: Do you live in one of the world's 5 greenest cities?Red Ink, Disaster Aid, Pink Justice...
Uganda's gays fight back
Activists to petition government to scrap Anti-Homosexuality Bill and instead decriminalize gay sex.
Only Relevant If The Premise Is Factual...
Hey, Vancouver: You're almost as World Class as Toronto
Take it from the top dog: It isn't easy leading the pack. Your days of chillaxing are numberedHow fitting that Vancouver would be among the top five as the 2010 Olympics have yet to come to a close. They’ve been recognized for trying to make the Olympic games sustainable, but it’s their day-to-day focus that really allows this Canadian city to earn its ranking. Ninety percent of Vancouver is powered by hydroelectricity. Wind, solar, wave and tidal energy all help ensure that this city remains green. Plus, they’ve got even greater goals for the future.
Municipal Election
Politics not as usual in Ward 27
Chan: Brunei-born gay ex- cop with MBA, adviser to London mayor. Wong-Tam: Immigrant lesbian, once homeless, activistMichael Layton, NDP Leader's son, to announce bid for city council
Mammoliti throws hat in ring
I Wil Have 1 Dozen Potato With Cheddar Cheese And 1 Dozen With Fried Onions...
...at no time during the past couple of months was I prevented from buying my preferred choice of perogies.
GayandRight |
Jenkins: Getting ugly over prorogation
Rex Murphy: Somehow, we survived prorogation
John Ivison: Prorogation's over. Happy now?
Hey, I am one Canadian who is really happy that Harper allowed the Olympics to monopolize our TV screens for two weeks. What a great games, and no distractions from our politicians. Canada has had a very good two weeks! Some of the stories coming out of the Olympics have been just fantastic. Have we ever felt so good as a country???Thank you, Stephen Harper!
GayandRight | Jenkins: Getting ugly over prorogation
Rex Murphy: Somehow, we survived prorogation
John Ivison: Prorogation's over. Happy now?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
In-Activists Saving Money For Bus Fare To Toronto G20...
Downtown Eastside residents and their supporters march for homes.
- February 26, 2010| By Meagan Perry|In this podcast: Why protest the Olympics, Aboriginal activists speak out, talking diversity of tactics, and all about Vancouver's Red Tent campaign for housing.
Programs Might Have Some Value...
Be sure to check that 'separate school supporter' box next time, m'kay...
So I assume, given the photos that accompany this story, that, like, only white people know how to feed their children?Cuz that's kind of a crappy message, no? Especially if we're obliged to pay for it.
Just askin'...
It’s all part of being one of seven Model Schools for Inner Cities, an innovative — and award-winning — program in the Toronto District School Board that provides an extra $1 million each per year to schools in needy neighbourhoods, for programs that boost not only learning but also social and emotional skills.***
A new $25,000 kitchen at George Webster brings parents together once a week to plan and cook a meal; volunteers prepare snacks and hot lunches for kids. Parents may also take career skills workshops, with free babysitting provided, attend talks on youth sexuality, and even have their own room to watch a movie, wait for their children or check out educational resources.
The extra funds have allowed “release time” for teachers to gather and work together, to ensure a strong emphasis on social justice in all subject areas and to make the curriculum relevant to students’ lives, said Steinhauer.
“The school is more like a community centre,” with people and parents milling about, or a settlement worker helping newly arrived families.
How George Webster elementary has spent some of the extra money it receives under the Model Schools for Inner Cities initiative:
Other: social worker, child and youth worker, hearing and vision clinics, multilingual signs, summer school, extra caretaking hours, 30 guitars, 10 African drums
What? No basketballs??
Hey, when we lived below the "poverty line," my (single) mom took time off work (cough) to take me to "hearing and vision clinics", too. In those days, we called them "the doctor's".
# Kathy Shaidle
BUT WHERE IS THE HELP FOR THESE WORKING PARENTS...
Proposed daycare hike 'infuriating' for parents
Sat Feb 27 2010
Toronto parents Sarah Fittings and Mykola Jemetz struggle to pay annual daycare fees of more than $30,000 for their 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old...
Wii Covered By Ohip?
Grandma had a stroke? Teach her to play Wii
e26
Wii Baseball: A grandmother who may or may not be enjoying herself pitches to her grandson, who clearly is.
Much has been made of the Wii fitness factor, and how the Wii might actually be good for your health. Basically, those who are generally inactive are generally more active when they opt to play the Wii. This is a no-brainer, although my ability to bowl a near-perfect game without barely flicking my wrist might indicate otherwise.
But new research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010 suggests that playing the virtual reality gaming system might not only burn calories, but also appears to help stroke victims improve their motor function.
The pilot study of 20 stroke survivors (average age 61) were randomized to play a variety of recreational games, from Jenga and cards to Wii Tennis and Wii Cooking Mama, a game that involves movements that mimic cutting, peeling, slicing, and shredding food.
Both groups engaged in eight one-hour sessions over a two-week period approximately two months after suffering a stroke. The study not only found no adverse side effects (i.e. safety hazards) in the Wii group (and one case of nausea in the recreational group), but those who played the Wii demonstrated "significant" motor improvement in speed and extent of recovery.
"This is the first randomized clinical study showing that virtual reality using Wii gaming technology is feasible and safe and is potentially effective in enhancing motor function following a stroke," says Gustavo Saposnik, director of the Stroke Outcomes Research Unit at the Li Ka Shing Institute at St. Michael's Hospital and lead investigator of the study, which took place at the University of Toronto's Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. He adds:
The beauty of virtual reality is that it applies the concept of repetitive tasks, high-intensity tasks, and task-specific activities that activates special neurons (called 'mirror neuron system') involved in mechanisms of cortical reorganization (brain plasticity). Effective rehabilitation calls for applying these principles.While Saposnik admits that it is too early to say whether Wii is effective and safe enough to be prescribed to stroke patients, his group is already performing a larger study to further analyze the game's potential rehabilitative effects. Of course, in the meantime, plenty of retirees are already getting their game on, as in this CNET video of grannies and grampas bowling in 2008.
None Of The Party Leaders Fared Well With Females...
Women step up to podium but fall down in political arena
Taber: Women don’t like Stephen Harper. The fact that he owns the “cranky, old Anglo white male cohort”is not news, EKOS pollster Frank Graves says.
Taber: Women don’t like Stephen Harper. The fact that he owns the “cranky, old Anglo white male cohort”is not news, EKOS pollster Frank Graves says.
Let's NOT Forget The Contributed $$$ For 50+ Years...
Aging populace puts a dent in Ottawa's bottom line
Despite Tories' dismissal of crunch as a problem of the future, cost of elderly-benefits payouts is already up $1-billionIs there life after retirement?
Margaret Wente
A Break From Poverty, Hunger, Child Abuse, Terrorism...
Life: Hampson
Lady Gaga and the hermaphrodite controversy
Was it fake? Real? It didn't really matter. A penis is every girl's best accessory if she wants to make a statementNDP Squatters And Waterfront Condo Owners Find Ally...
- Michael Armstrong: Air Canada files suit against Porter's success
-
Re: “Air Canada takes aim at Porter” (Feb 10); “Porter Airlines unveils new digs at island airport” (Feb 23) Oh, Air Canada; I know you really want to resume flying from downtown Toronto’s Island airport. But as much as I’d like to, I can’t get enthusiastic about the lawsuits you’ve filed against Porter Airlines and the Toronto Port Authority, the Federal agency that runs the airport. Maybe I’m missing something. Is this about fairness? Porter currently has the island all to themselves, and naturally you want them to share. But just kilometers away at Toronto’s Pearson International airport, you’re already flying six times as many departures as Porter runs off the island. And your biggest jets hold five times as many passengers as do their little turboprops. That’s not good optics: It’s hard to get public sympathy when you look like Goliath going up against David.
Another Silly Hall Failure...
Porter: Sharpen up our rinks with 'wild imaginings'
February 27, 2010Catherine Porter
While twirling around skating rinks with daughter Lyla Burt, 4, pictured, Porter found dark, smelly rink houses — which could be community hubs. (Feb. 24, 2010)
CATHERINE PORTER/TORONTO STAR But it was worth it – even the delicate wobble over snow-covered ice around the building to reach the rinks at the back. (I later discovered the route through the community centre. Next time.)
There, behind the rink house doors, was something completely unexpected: Charlene Small and her 9-year-old daughter, Breanna, sitting on a bench by the front window, singing. Loudly.
No skates. They had just stopped by on their way home for a cookie and a few dreamy moments watching a kid push a chair around the teardrop-shaped ice outside.
They were practising a song called "(Where Do I Begin) Love Story" for Breanna's choir. The lyrics are lovely, the tune aching. It could be in Les Misérables.
"She fills my heart with very special things/
With angels' songs, with wild imaginings..."
Emerson was the fifth rink house I visited that day. If this song had greeted me in any of the others, I would have worried for my safety. But here, it was just part of the happy atmosphere.
To note: fairy lights twinkling from the back corners, cut-out drawings of spaceships decorating the back wall, a kids' corner with miniature chairs around a table and a little shelf jammed with children's books, $2 skate rentals, and the pièce de résistance – a service counter by the front door that not only had living, breathing, smiling workers behind it, but fruit and juice and promises of mini pizzas, macaroni and cheese and cups of hot chocolate for 50 cents. Hot chocolate makes everything better.
I ordered one, took my coat off and settled down for the concert, wondering, how did they do this?
How come most skating rink change rooms in the city resemble forgotten war bunkers, and a few chosen others have become community hubs?
It was the first time I took my coat off all day.
I have spent the past week writing about skating in the city. Truth be told, I'm not a great skater. I still can't stop properly. I spin instead. But I have two little children, and it seems only right that I teach them the basics of our national sport. So I have been twirling around skating rinks this winter with my 4-year-old shrieking between my knees.
In the summer, when I take my children to the park, I run around with them between my knees too. But, I bring a picnic, some bathing suits, maybe a book. We make a day of it. Usually, we meet people. That's an unexpected perk of parenthood. We have an excuse to talk to strangers again. Parks offer the perfect venue.
Many good things spring from those random conversations. In my neighbourhood, they led to a residents' association and later, a farmers' market.
The problem starts in November, with the pelting rain that turns to snow. It lasts until April or May. Where will we meet our neighbours?
The answer lies beside the ice rinks, I think.
Unfortunately, most of the rink houses look more like the Jimmie Simpson rinks than Emerson's. I travelled there on the eastbound Queen streetcar earlier that day. It's also tucked around the back of a community centre. It also demands some delicate wobbling over snow. But the reward is macabre: three concrete rooms splattered with graffiti, blinking lights, gasping pipes. Not a single window. It feels like a dungeon. It is empty.
"There's no place for moms and dads to warm up a little and see their kids on the ice," says Heather O'Meara, her voice echoing as we step inside. She's the chair of the centre's community advisory council, a real estate agent and a mom.
The rink received a hefty facelift recently from Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and Home Depot. Other than a quick splash of paint inside, the money went to the rink, O'Meara said. That's great for hockey players, but not for community. It means only diehard skaters will come here for the afternoon. The others will arrive, go for a spin and leave as quickly as they can. No singing.
"It's an underutilized rink," says O'Meara, taking me outside and up the side of the building to another door. A woman in a fur head band opens it. She's the parks worker and she's lovely. She offers us skating schedules and cheerful banter. How much nicer would her presence make the dungeon?
That's one of many changes O'Meara has in mind. The council has asked for doors to the women's washrooms and outdoor bleachers. They've offered up the $5,000 going stale in their bank account.
"They start talking about building permits, approvals, city workers' time – even if we buy the concrete," she says. "The hoops we have to jump through to get things done are prohibitive."
Perhaps the problem is bureaucracy. Perhaps it is budgeting – although Councillor Adam Giambrone tells me the changes made to Emerson tacked only 5 per cent on to the renovation budget. But I think the problem is in our heads. We still think of rink houses as high school change rooms. They are supposed to be dark, smelly and overheated.
It's time for some "wild imaginings," as the song says.
The skating season is almost over. The rink house season has begun.
Crime Is Down! Police Budget Under Review!
2 in hospital after violent jewellery store robbery
This Toronto jewelry store was the site of a violent robbery on Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. Updated: Fri Feb. 26 2010 7:03:38 PM
ctvtoronto.ca
Two seniors were sent to hospital Friday after a violent jewellery store robbery in the city's west end, which occurred in broad daylight.ctvtoronto.ca
Police say two young men armed with guns stormed into Abreu Jewellers at 2400 Eglinton Avenue West around 1:40 p.m.
One suspect was carrying a shotgun and one was carrying a handgun. Both men are in their late teens or early 20s.
Police say the two suspects also bound the two store keepers with duct tape. The suspects then gathered up an unknown amount of merchandise before fleeing the scene.
During the robbery, police say that the 65-year-old male shopkeeper was bludgeoned with a gun. Afterward, he could be seen bleeding from his head.
The female co-worker, believed to be the man's wife, was also taken from the scene in a stretcher with serious injuries.
Both were being treated at Sunnybrook Hospital Friday evening. The injuries, though serious, aren't life-threatening.
Mary Genovese, who works at a shop located in the same strip mall, was shocked by the brazen, midday heist.
She also expressed disgust about the way the elderly couple was abused.
"What they did to them, it was awful," she said.
Police are now searching for two suspects, and officers were at the shop on Friday searching for clues, including possible DNA evidence.
Toronto Police Const. Isabelle Cotton added that the canine unit was also on the scene.
It is still unclear whether the suspects got away with jewellery or cash.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Jim Junkin
Friday, February 26, 2010
Congrats To Adam Vaughan And His Efforts Highlight...
...the fact that government at all levels are incompetent when it comes to building affordable housing. It takes forever to get approvals, the cost is astronomical, etc. etc. The question that needs o be answered is why are other councilors not using the same approach?
Toronto councillor sets an example for Queen's Park
26 February 2010 08:00
It’s only a few units here and there, but each one has the potential to transform the life of a low-income family or individual. What’s more, the smattering of projects to date illustrates what can be done citywide.
Vaughan’s strategy is to broker deals with developers using a section of the city’s official plan that requires builders to pay for community benefits in return for permission to construct taller towers. Councillors usually use Section 37 to secure parks or other neighbourhood improvements, but Vaughan negotiated a floor of affordable rental housing units in a 41-storey hotel and condo project. The developer received permission to build higher than the zoning laws allow. People working in the building will rent the units at affordable rates.
Vaughan’s record also includes a deal that netted the non-profit housing group Kehilla four condo units for clients who need affordable, supportive housing. In another case, the developer will provide unfinished units to Habitat for Humanity.
“What we see in the old parts of downtown are integrated, balanced communities where the person who runs your green grocer or who teaches your children in school … all can afford to live in the neighbourhood,” Vaughan says. “It’s that complete neighbourhood concept that we’re now trying to replicate in the tall buildings.
“Most of these buildings hire a concierge to mind the door and that’s not a high-paying job,” he continues, noting that creating a vertical neighbourhood in a highrise isn’t easy. “If that person could live in the building, imagine the different relationship and quality of care you would get from the person who is at the door.”
Vaughan says provincial politicians who see the examples in his ward should find it easier to change the planning act so that cities can adopt zoning bylaws requiring a percentage of affordable housing in all new developments. A private member’s bill to this effect, introduced by NDP MPP Cheri DiNovo, is currently being mulled over by politicians at Queen’s Park.
Vaughan has done his bit. Over to you, Premier McGuinty.
First Step...
...turn police officers back into crime fighters rather than social workers with guns.
Now is the time to discuss city's massive police budget
PATRICK CORRIGAN/TORONTO STAR
Fri Feb 26 2010
As the candidates for mayor of Toronto jostle for position, each of them has suggestions for dealing with the city's budget deficit: outsource Toronto Hydro, says Rocco Rossi; get the province to kick in more money, says Joe Pantalone; do business in a different way, says Giorgio Mammoliti; freeze hiring for all but essential services, says George Smitherman. (7)
Only Five Contenders..Other Candidates Declared Losers
Where Toronto's mayoral race candidates stand
Fri Feb 26 2010 (7)
With two months down and eight to go, we looked at where the five leading mayoral candidates stand on the issues.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The Grass Is Greener...
Al Gore's Nine Lies
02/23/2010 06:54 PM ET - Climate Fraud: The godfather of climate hysteria is in hiding as another of his wild claims unravels — this one about global warming causing seas to swallow us up. We've not ...
More »
Let Local Councilors Contribute Part Of Their Office Budget...
- Kelly McParland: Why we need to get boys out of hockey
-
The Toronto Star is continuing its campaign to ensure a girls hockey team in one neighbourhood of the city gets to play at the rink of its choice, claiming any decision otherwise is discrimination.The league in question, the Leaside Girls Hockey Association, is trying to force its way onto the ice at North Toronto Memorial Arena, even though the arena is booked solid with other hockey teams and figure-skating groups that got there before it did. Letting the LGHA have its way would mean kicking boys hockey teams off the ice, which would be OK because boys are just a nuisance anyway. The city is all for this, since some aides in the mayor's office live in Leaside and have interests there. The boys? Pah .. who cares?The Star has been on this from the beginning, needing another phoney instance of injustice to crusade against. Now it's discovered that ... horrors ... North Toronto Memorial's position may be based on ... business decisions. Yes, unscrupulous board members may actually have allowed themselves to be influenced by a need to break even and pay the bills. This goes against everything the Star -- not to mention city hall -- stands for. City-run arenas don't even come close to breaking even, and why should they? That's what taxpayers are for. So why should arenas like North Toronto Memorial, which is owned by the city but run by a local board?
What Do I Think! Wait A Minute Let Me Check Facebook...
Prorogation versus pickle: Facebook proves its political clout once again
Number of outraged Canadians so distraught by Stephen Harper's undemocratic decision to shut down Parliament that they're willing to put their name on a Facebook page: 225,668Number of people signing onto a Facebook challenge pitting a pickle against Nickelback: 2.9 million. (1.47 million declare they like pickles more than Nickelback; 1.42 million take the rock group.)
This proves beyond argument that Facebook is a serious political medium that accurately reflects the priorities of Canadians, young and old.
National Post
Verrrry Interesting...
Chris Selley: Welcome to Canada. DuMaurier or Players?
The Toronto Star reports: "The more 'Canadian' immigrant children become, the more likely they are to smoke, a new study warns."Things the Star doesn't report:
- The data derive from a single study of grade 4, 5 and 6 students "in 24 elementary schools located in multiethnic inner-city neighborhoods" in Montreal, and "may not be generalizable to children other than those living in [such neighbourhoods]."
- The data were collected in 1993. Since that time, overall smoking rates in Canada have fallen by more than a third, meaning the percentage of child smokers reported by the Star as if it was current — around 30% — is almost certainly wildly inflated.
- The definition of a child who "smokes," as defined by the Montreal researchers in 1993 and as described in the new study: "Children who had smoked but not in the past year, those who had smoked a couple of times in the last year, and those who smoked each month, each week, or every day."
cselley@nationalpost.com
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Can You Do With Less?
With This Endoresment Giamboner Should Re-enter Race...
Enza Anderson Urges Reflection, Not Reaction, on Giambrone Issue
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 22, 2010) - Enza Anderson, Candidate for Toronto City Council in Ward 27, today released a statement on Adam Giambrone's recent career issues.
"So far, I've declined to comment on the private behaviour of a public official," said Anderson, "because we're missing the real questions here.
Is private behaviour always related to career duties? Who decides what conduct is relevant? Where is this policy published? And finally, how does it serve Toronto to act out a daytime-TV version of civic politics—in a centre of culture?
If self-indulgence is the issue, then feeling superior over common weakness also qualifies as self-indulgent. (Smirking is so terribly un-photogenic.)
The only issue is that each of us, including media, shares responsibility for what we were looking for in the first place: Distraction. Now let's get back to business. And Adam, don't make me have to come over there."
"So far, I've declined to comment on the private behaviour of a public official," said Anderson, "because we're missing the real questions here.
Is private behaviour always related to career duties? Who decides what conduct is relevant? Where is this policy published? And finally, how does it serve Toronto to act out a daytime-TV version of civic politics—in a centre of culture?
If self-indulgence is the issue, then feeling superior over common weakness also qualifies as self-indulgent. (Smirking is so terribly un-photogenic.)
The only issue is that each of us, including media, shares responsibility for what we were looking for in the first place: Distraction. Now let's get back to business. And Adam, don't make me have to come over there."
Add The $$$ Rec eived From Selling The Podium To Revenue...
Budget won't include new spending or tax measures
Focus for 2010 will be on long-term reduction of deficit, which means measures such as the popular home renovation tax credit will not be making a return, government official saysSour Grapes About Venue...
...Convention Center, under provincial control, opposed to the city run venue at Exhibition.
Toronto warns feds city won’t bear burden of summit cost overruns
Toronto core to host G20; Ottawa vows to minimize disruptions and pay costs
Toronto warns feds city won’t bear burden of summit cost overruns
February 23, 2010
Toronto has put the federal government on notice that it won’t be left on the hook. Toronto core to host G20; Ottawa vows to minimize disruptions and pay costs
February 19, 2010
TORONTO - Ottawa has vowed to pick up the security tab and keep disruptions to a minimum when the world's most powerful leaders descend on downtown Toronto for what's poised to be one of the city's busiest summer weekends.
When In Trouble Gather The Citizenry In The Coliseum....
...and divert their attention with gladiators battling other gladiators, chariot races, etc. It has worked for centuries.
Restraint for everything but sports
Tue Feb 23 2010
There Isn't A Tree In The City He Hasn't Hugged...
...and he should be commended for coming up for air periodically.
Pannaloonie's Refuge From Reality
James: Joe Pantalone born again as tightwad
by Royson JamesThe City Malaise When It Comes To Maintaining Assets...
There's a will to fix up 'The Duff.' Why won't city find a way to help?
1 hour 28 minutes ago
The first sign of despair is taped to the smudged glass doors.
Spend $2M to Help Generate $728M...
...sounds like a reasonable thing to do.
Ontario Lottery Corp. pays to let you play
How does this strike you? The OLG raises millions of dollars each year for privately-held foreign multinationals.
Ho Hum...
Cheers, jeers for island airport expansion
With protesters marching on land, politicians and officials from Porter Airlines and the port authority gathered Monday to hail the expansion of Toronto’s island airport.
Island airline’s new terminal paves way for expansion
Mon Feb 22 2010
Toronto’s once-sleepy island airport is going to get a lot busier. The Root Problem: SPENDING!
Tax and the city: T.O. seeks new revenue streams
Toronto the big, Toronto the great — but Toronto the city-state?
Monday, February 22, 2010
This Generation Should Put The Trojans Away And Shutoff The TV ...
It Is Not The Action But The Government Attitude...
DCE to be handed to Six Nations « average people live in fear Parkinson says.
Is this an example of hate speech against Aboriginals? Ultimately, the McGuinty path will end with good people being pushed too far and taking the law into their own hands. As one town after another is terrorized while the police stand down and watch while average people live in fear for their lives at the hands of these extremists, as chunks of our Country are handed over like dog biscuits t...
The world according to MAW |
Leave It To Michael To Cut Thru The Facade...
Michael Coren: those awful Winter Games opening ceremonies
Michael Coren writes:...the RCMP, Natives, k.d. lang dressed as a man, a plump white poet with a silly beard pretending to be black and what appeared to be the cast of Avatar all dancing about and explaining how Canada is based entirely on environmental protection and the cult of equality.
The Olympic torch carried by various people who love Canada so much that they haven't lived here in decades and spend most of their lives pretending to be American. Oh, and when did Donald Sutherland last make a good movie? (…)
It's one thing to mark a recent passing of a child or an anniversary of a deceased parent. But now we have -- no joke -- "this ski run is dedicated to my grandfather who died a year-and-a-half ago."
We all have loss and pain in our lives and even disabled people whom we love but we don't broadcast the fact every time there is a camera or microphone in front of us. It becomes an abuse of misfortune and is increasingly hard to take seriously. This is sport and not Oprah.
# Kathy Shaidle :
Cheapshot By Liberals...
Harper snubs Paralympics, Grit MP says
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is sending a message that the Paralympics aren't important by forcing MPs to be in Ottawa during the games, says Liberal MP Michelle Simson.
While Harper prorogued Parliament, saying it was done in part to allow MPs to attend the Olympics, he has cancelled the March break week which falls in the middle of the Paralympics, said Simson, MP for Scarborough Southwest.
"They've sent a message that this isn't as significant to this government as the Olympics were."
The Paralympics run from March 12-21. Parliament was originally supposed to break from March 15-19 but in the wake of the backlash over prorogation, the government cancelled it.
Simson said the government recently gave a grant for snowmobile trails but turned down an infrastructure grant application for Variety Village, a centre in her riding that helps young people with disabilities.
"It sends a signal as to where their priorities lay and I just don't see snowmobile trails on par with helping young people with disabilities and helping them overcome them successfully."
Minority parliament means parties keep their MPs close to Ottawa when the House is sitting. But Simson said she would like parties to find ways to allow MPs to attend the Paralympics such as pairing government and opposition MPs.
Sara MacIntyre, spokeswoman for Harper, said Canada has spent $20 million to support Paralympic athletes and the government will be "fully represented" at the games.
"We are supportive and hopeful our Paralympic athletes will excel at the 2010 Games."
ELIZABETH.THOMPSON@SUNMEDIA.CA
OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government is sending a message that the Paralympics aren't important by forcing MPs to be in Ottawa during the games, says Liberal MP Michelle Simson.
While Harper prorogued Parliament, saying it was done in part to allow MPs to attend the Olympics, he has cancelled the March break week which falls in the middle of the Paralympics, said Simson, MP for Scarborough Southwest.
"They've sent a message that this isn't as significant to this government as the Olympics were."
The Paralympics run from March 12-21. Parliament was originally supposed to break from March 15-19 but in the wake of the backlash over prorogation, the government cancelled it.
Simson said the government recently gave a grant for snowmobile trails but turned down an infrastructure grant application for Variety Village, a centre in her riding that helps young people with disabilities.
"It sends a signal as to where their priorities lay and I just don't see snowmobile trails on par with helping young people with disabilities and helping them overcome them successfully."
Minority parliament means parties keep their MPs close to Ottawa when the House is sitting. But Simson said she would like parties to find ways to allow MPs to attend the Paralympics such as pairing government and opposition MPs.
Sara MacIntyre, spokeswoman for Harper, said Canada has spent $20 million to support Paralympic athletes and the government will be "fully represented" at the games.
"We are supportive and hopeful our Paralympic athletes will excel at the 2010 Games."
ELIZABETH.THOMPSON@SUNMEDIA.CA
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Couch Potato Not On List...
Beth Hodgson
Global Green's guide to which sports are the most harmful to the environment.System Hijacked By Leftists Who...
...threw the 3 Rs in the garbage and put the emphasis on "student rights" which made failing a myth.
Education is the key to aboriginal (and Canadian) potential
Investments in First Nations youth: Consider them a sustainable economic stimulus plan
DUH! Everyone Knows The Problem...
...what is the solution - short of declaring bankruptcy? The major part of the budget is salaries, pension contributions and sick leave funding; virtually impossible to reduce this part of the budget in any significant way. Maybe the solution is to dissolve the City Of Toronto and divide it up and make it part of our neighbors; ie: Vaughan, Misissaguga, etc.
First task for new mayor: Get spending under control
City budget chief Shelley Carroll and Mayor David Miller answer questions Feb. 16, 2010 after the introduction of the city's 2010 operating budget.
LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO 5 minutes ago
The recently released City of Toronto operating budget for 2010 has made one thing clear: fixing the city's finances has become the most pressing issue in this year's mayoral campaign.
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About Me
- Unhypentated Canadian
- I lean to the right but I still have a heart and if I have a mission it is to respond to attacks on people not available to protect themselves and to point out the hypocrisy of the left at every opportunity.MY MAJOR GOAL IS HIGHLIGHT THE HYPOCRISY AND STUPIDITY OF THE LEFTISTS ON TORONTO CITY COUNCIL. Last word: In the final analysis this blog is a relief valve for my rants/raves.