Watching Mayor David Miller pumping the crowd in the packed council chambers at the Wednesday, April 21, Save Transit City rally is bittersweet. Have we ever had a more substantive transit visionary in the mayor’s chair? Don’t think so.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Supported McGuinty And Are Now Shilling His New "NO TAX"
HST bite not so bad
April 30, 2010Opposition politicians are pointing to this as evidence that the HST is a bad tax. “Sounds a lot like an admission that the HST, as New Democrats have said all along, is going to cost Ontario families more each and every day,” says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
This is nonsense. Any new tax involves a staging-in period where consumers, moving quickly, can avoid paying. Besides, there are sound economic reasons for the HST. The current provincial sales tax penalizes our producers and makes them less competitive. Its replacement by the HST is supported by most business associations and even some major unions — or, at least, they are not opposed to it. To offset the impact of the HST on consumers, the government has introduced income tax reductions and plans to distribute a one-time $1,000 rebate. Most Ontarians will be better off.
The opposition parties should move on to other targets.
Ontario! The province that keeps taking...
Second Thoughts About School Sex Education...
Neither male nor female: The secret life of intersex people
Fri Apr 30 2010 (0)
Not entirely male or female, intersex people live in a shadowy world of half-truths and lies.Why sex ed should stay in school
Thu Apr 29 2010 (0)
The recent dustup over Ontario's new sex ed curriculum pitted parents against schools. But experts say there's an equally important role for each
Freedom Of Expression Decreases As Facebook's Use Increases...
- Farhad Manjoo: YouTube vs. der Führer
- A little more than a week ago Constantin Film sent YouTube the “reference files” for Downfall, the 2004 German movie about the dictator’s last days. Constantin, which owns the rights to Downfall, asked YouTube to find and take down every video that included a clip from the film. YouTube can do this automatically — it plugs a studio’s reference files into Content ID, its copyright infringement search tool, and then mines its video database for any clips that match the files. Over the course of a few days last week, Content ID turned up lots of videos that appeared to infringe on Downfall. The system blocked them all. But Content ID is a soulless computer program; it doesn’t understand sharp political satire, trenchant sports commentary or biting cultural criticism. Content ID thus couldn’t tell that it was pulling down videos that were likely protected by the fair use exception to copyright law. Many of the Downfall clips on YouTube were inspired by one of the funniest Web memes around — videos showing Hitler fuming about the war paired with English subtitles that reveal him to be angry about something altogether less serious. Among the videos Content ID removed were those of Hitler ranting about getting banned from Xbox Live, Hitler finding out about Michael Jackson’s death and Hitler finding out that bloggers remember him mostly as an Internet meme.
Click here to read more...
Facebook application raises privacy concerns
Thu Apr 29 2010A new Facebook application that could be used by advertisers to target users based on their personal preferences and those of their friends is raising privacy concerns in Canada, experts say.
Popularity Would Increase If They Returned To Their Roots...
- ...but popularity in our cradle to grave society follows the size of the trough.
- Harper and Ignatieff still unpopular in the most excitingest new poll ever
- A new poll is out! A new poll is out! Gee, how exciting. This poll says that both the Liberals and Conservatives are less popular! Canadians didn't like either party much to begin with, but are so fed up with Ottawa that now they like both main parties even less than they used to. Gosh, that's thrilling. If you don't share my excitement, take a gander at the headlines for all the CBC's political polls going back to November. Now, tell me that doesn't get your blood dancing. April 22: Conservatives keep lead in EKOS pollApril 15: Tories, Liberals neck and neck: pollApril 1: Conservatives maintain lead over Liberals: pollMarch 25: Tories remain favourites in new pollMarch 18: Tories widen poll lead over LiberalsMarch 11: Tories, Liberals hold steady in EKOS pollMarch 4: Tories hold lead over Liberals: EKOS
Are MSM Columnists In Such Disrepute That...
...that they try to hide their opinions:
A (fictional) hot-dog seller’s take on the mayoral race
Marcus Gee
Leo the trusted, if imaginary, wiener dealer outside City Hall sizes up the candidatesResidents Of A World Class City...
Pass will get locals past outer security perimeter for G20 summit
People who need them to be contacted within a week, police sayWhen security makes you feel insecure
HST Is Not The Big Surprise...
...that will come when the items that the customer buys directly and where the HST is not applied directly get's screwed when these costs are passed on to them. A major one will be when landlords apply to raise rents over and above the maximum set by the province in order to recoup some of the increase in operating costs.
Surprise! It’s HST time!: Editorial
Governments are like people. When they’re doing something they’re not proud of, they don’t like to talk about it.
Voluntering Is Very Noble BUT...
...past experience has shown that without giving this group a modicum of power to correct problems it is like a social service volunteer recognizing a person is hungry but not being able to give them a sandwich.
The farce is we picked the wrong target at the TTC:
In my view, the rocket we launched at the TTC on Thursday’s front page (“TTC Farce: Customer service guru babysat by transit flaks, drives convertible to work”), which continued inside the paper, was misguided and bombed the wrong target.
Ontario commits to Toronto's Transit City - in 10 years, rather than 8
The Better Way For Many...
...but the group didn't include the riders!
Transit City is a (slow) go
Transit City is a go.
Who knew the Red Rocket could fly?
There’s still no Red Rocket to the airport but there are some who rode the TTC around the world.
Another Example That Space Aliens DO Exist...
TTC MUGGERS
...otherwise you would expect that family, neighbors, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, etc. would recognize these two cretins and would inform the police.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Hmm! Understandable Why Illegals Don't Want To Go Back...
Police state: How Mexico treats illegal aliens
By Michelle Malkin • April 28, 2010 12:36 AM
...and in Arizona
...and in Arizona
Are The Archs Real Gold?
Valet parking at McDonalds
Ghanian blogger holidays in Lebanon, and is surprised by the wealth, the cars, the food, the fashion, and the valet parking at McD's.
Ghanian blogger holidays in Lebanon, and is surprised by the wealth, the cars, the food, the fashion, and the valet parking at McD's.
Fiscal Problems At Home And Physical Problems On The Danforth...
- Greece is one giant Ponzi scheme
- Greek politicians do not see the debt as being debt. They see it as income
By Steven R. EarleT he problem with much of the opinion surrounding the Greek financial crisis is that few writers actually have any experience in Greece, in dealing with its politicians, its bankers, its systems, its cultural proclivities and its people. I personally have such experience, as between 2003 and 2008 as chief executive of a startup airline we invested €20-million ($26.7-million) in the country to develop seaplane operations between isolated islands. This was an essential service that was important to the economics, health and safety of its people and state. This project gave me and my partners direct access to all ministers of the government, senior bankers, all local government officials, bureaucrats and the media.
NOW We'll Get To The Bottom Of This Issue...
Parties’ fragile truce offers hope for deal on detainee affair
All sides pledge best efforts even as PM offers veiled warning about consequences of failure
Bottom Line...
...did the robbery/attack actually occur? yes
...have criminals gauged the attitude of the public that they feel safe committing a criminal act in front of a crowd? yes
Hepburn: A crime so nasty it stuns blasé Torontonians
The subway mugging
Opinion | Editorials
We Own 11.8% Of GM. I Forgot That! How About You?
The 'truthiness' of those GM ads
Political pundits owe a huge debt of gratitude to comedian Stephen Colbert for coining the word “truthiness” on The Colbert Report in 2005.
Because “truthiness,” defined by the American Dialect Society as “the quality of preferring concepts or facts one wishes to be true, rather than the concepts or facts known to be true” describes so much of the blather fed to us these days by politicians, business leaders and the media.
Take those television commercials by General Motors Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre boasting GM has “repaid our government loans, in full, with interest — five years ahead of the original schedule”.
Ditto his simultaneous April 21 op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal, headlined “The GM Bailout: Paid Back in Full — The investment of U.S. and Canadian tax dollars worked.”
That’s pure “truthiness,” as was the subsequent crowing by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty this vindicated their decision to give GM billions of our tax dollars to bail out the company in late 2008, at the height of the global recession.
To be fair, “truthiness” isn’t lying. Technically, what Whitacre said is true, combined with a huge dose of what he hopes will be true. It’s just not the whole truth, as explained by Forbes.com columnist Shikha Dalmia, a senior policy analyst with the Reason Foundation.
What GM has actually repaid is only a small portion of the taxpayer bailout Harper and McGuinty engineered, along with U.S. President Barack Obama — a $6.7 billion loan from American taxpayers and $1.4 billion from us. (This at low interest rates GM couldn’t have obtained anywhere else, as the company was virtually worthless at the time.)
But most of the taxpayer-funded aid the U.S., Canada and Ontario gave to GM wasn’t through loans, but by purchasing an equity stake in GM. American taxpayers bought 60.8% of the company for about $43 billion, while we bought 11.7% for $8.1 billion.
So, will we ever get that money back? Who knows? Some analysts say yes, some no. It depends on what we can get for our stake in GM when it goes public again and sells shares. Let’s hope it sells lots of cars and trucks.
Read more
Your City...
Ford would derail Transit CityYour City
It’s a war on the streetcar.
City shelter coming in late and over-budget
The city’s Peter St. shelter is not on budget and it’s not close to being on time.
Increasing intercultural relations
Anita Li
Two years ago, city councillor Rob Ford made disparaging and stereotypical remarks about people of Asian descent, saying “Oriental people work like dogs” and that “they're slowly taking over.”
Ford initially defended his remarks as complimentary, and only apologized after city councillors voted to force his apology
So, why is this relevant now?
Ford recently announced his candidacy for the mayor's seat in one of the most diverse cities in the world. As a public figure, the mayor represents Toronto both in Canada and abroad.
Our mayor is a reflection of our city and our people. He or she should be a leader we can be proud to call our own.
As a Torontonian of Chinese descent, the sting of Ford's comments lingers even now. And I know many of my fellow Asian-Canadians feel the same way.
To gain the trust of voters, particularly ethnic minorities such as myself, city councillors need to do more than just throw around words like “diversity” and “multiculturalism.” They need to demonstrate cultural sensitivity, and a real understanding of the racial dynamics in Toronto.
This city may be diverse, but there is a lack of integration among Toronto's ethnic communities. As local leaders, city councillors shouldn't reinforce these divisions – they should break them down.
I recall attending anti-racism and anti-oppression sessions during my time as a member of the Toronto Youth Cabinet several years ago. The city should offer similar programs to the general public. It should also host more intercultural events that will bring various ethnic groups together. Far too often, I see events such as the Toronto Chinatown Festival marketed and publicized specifically to Chinese communities. Meanwhile, other minority communities are left in the dark about these kinds of festivities, and as a consequence, lose out on an opportunity to explore and understand another culture.
Only when city councillors show this kind of racial awareness and act upon it, can they possibly earn my vote, and the vote of thousands of other Torontonians like me.
Ford initially defended his remarks as complimentary, and only apologized after city councillors voted to force his apology
So, why is this relevant now?
Ford recently announced his candidacy for the mayor's seat in one of the most diverse cities in the world. As a public figure, the mayor represents Toronto both in Canada and abroad.
Our mayor is a reflection of our city and our people. He or she should be a leader we can be proud to call our own.
As a Torontonian of Chinese descent, the sting of Ford's comments lingers even now. And I know many of my fellow Asian-Canadians feel the same way.
To gain the trust of voters, particularly ethnic minorities such as myself, city councillors need to do more than just throw around words like “diversity” and “multiculturalism.” They need to demonstrate cultural sensitivity, and a real understanding of the racial dynamics in Toronto.
This city may be diverse, but there is a lack of integration among Toronto's ethnic communities. As local leaders, city councillors shouldn't reinforce these divisions – they should break them down.
I recall attending anti-racism and anti-oppression sessions during my time as a member of the Toronto Youth Cabinet several years ago. The city should offer similar programs to the general public. It should also host more intercultural events that will bring various ethnic groups together. Far too often, I see events such as the Toronto Chinatown Festival marketed and publicized specifically to Chinese communities. Meanwhile, other minority communities are left in the dark about these kinds of festivities, and as a consequence, lose out on an opportunity to explore and understand another culture.
Only when city councillors show this kind of racial awareness and act upon it, can they possibly earn my vote, and the vote of thousands of other Torontonians like me.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Come On People Let's Give Him A Break...
...he is in an area where he should be considered an expert.
Come On Sue-Ann...
...were all the following people included in the poll? I'm sure some of them might have got less than 3% which would mean that GM was NOT dead last but there is no question while his platform might not differ he knows how to manipulate the media.
As of March 25, here’s the list so far: lawyer Rocco Achampong, George Babula, Andrew Barton, Pastor Wendell Brereton, Douglas Campbell, Jaime Castillo, artist Mark Cidade, Keith Cole, Councillor Rob Ford, Selwyn Firth, Baquie Ghazi, Howard Gomberg, Monowar Hossain, John Letonja, Colin Magee, councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, Joseph Pampena, deputy mayor Joe Pantalone, Liberal strategist Rocco Rossi, former MPP George Smitherman, Mark State, Tom Sullivan, Sarah Thomson, Ratan Wadhwa and Sonny Yeung.
Plus Don Andrews, who is head of the Nationalist Party of Canada and a white supremacist. You should know he is a proud racist. I interviewed him when he ran for mayor in 2003. He has been convicted and done time for hate crimes in the 1970s.
Giorgio down — but not out
Giorgio Mammoliti — the councillor formerly known as George — was dead last at 3% of support in the most recent poll of voter intentions in this year’s mayoral race.
Study Proves What I Have Been Saying For Years...
Brain reacts differently to different races: study
...RACISM is colour blind. BTW would someone from The Star explain to me how this study is not racial profiling?
A F^%*king Disgrace But...
....understandable in a society which has become more concerned about the the "rights" of the criminal than the victim and indicates we either don't have enough police or we are not properly allocating resources; Eastern Danforth street sex sting nets 86 Johns
...at Toronto Silly Hall the issue is "Not-so-excellent Bloor St. adventure.‘Culture change’ needed for T.O.By DON PEAT, Toronto Sun
No help for elderly man mugged on subway
Riders wait to board a subway at the Bloor platform in Toronto, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009.Updated: Mon Apr. 26 2010 5:38:39 PM
ctvtoronto.ca
Toronto police are asking the public for help in identifying two suspects in an alleged subway robbery this weekend -- help that wasn't forthcoming at the time for the victim.ctvtoronto.ca
On April 24, a 79-year-old man was riding an eastbound subway train, police said Monday in a news release.
As the train approached Chester station, a man sitting next to the victim asked for some change.
When the 79-year-old said he didn't have any change, the suspect asked him again. A second suspect then asked the victim for change.
The victim tried to activate the passenger assistance alarm but couldn't reach it.
Police allege both suspects then grabbed hold of the victim and stole his wallet.
The victim fought with the suspects and called out for help, but no one on the subway came to his assistance, police said.
"It is disappointing," Brad Ross, a spokesman for the Toronto Transit Commission. "People may feel intimidated about getting involved."
It isn't clear how many people were on the train or why they ignored the scuffle.
Ross said had someone else pushed the yellow strip, it would have alerted the subway train's operator and guard. They in turn notify transit control and TTC security officials before the train arrives at a station.
"We do encourage customers, if they see another customer or passenger in distress -- whether it's a medical incident or a criminal occurrence -- to press the yellow strip," he said.
The two suspects ran out of Chester station with the victim chasing after them.
Police later found the wallet on Danforth Avenue.
The suspects are described as 20-year-old black males. They are described as 5-feet-8 tall and were wearing all black. The jackets of either one or both of the suspects featured a design or writing on the chest.
In February, a 23-year-old woman was robbed of her iPhone while sitting on an eastbound subway train at Dundas West station. Police announced Friday they are still looking for the public's help in their investigation.
Snatch-and-grabs involving portable electronics such as iPhones are relatively common, but Ross said the mugging of elderly passengers is rare.
Anyone with information about either crime is asked to contact police at 416-808-5400, or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-8477.
But when all is said and done...
Senior chases muggers
A feisty 79-year-old gave chase to two young suspects who stole his wallet on a TTC subway train last weekend, police say
Monday, April 26, 2010
Like It Or Not Woman Have Always Been In Power...
Women in power
Ford: Much of the news about women coming out of here centres on ex-cabinet minister Helena Guergis and her relations with her dodgy husband, Rahim Jaffer. But there's another story that's much more important, but not well-known: MORE...
Ford: Much of the news about women coming out of here centres on ex-cabinet minister Helena Guergis and her relations with her dodgy husband, Rahim Jaffer. But there's another story that's much more important, but not well-known: MORE...
The Idol Of The Moment Is...
Teen chaos as Justin Bieber concert axed Down Under
At least ten young girls have been treated by paramedics following mass scenes of hysteria in Sydney over Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber
At least ten young girls have been treated by paramedics following mass scenes of hysteria in Sydney over Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber
It Is Surprising There Aren't More Attacks On Toronto Politicians...
...when you consider the way they screw the majority of their constituents but we are Canadians and I guess we should give our politicians the same consideration we give the inhabitants of the Metro Zoo.
Is it Possible To Raise Your Eyebrows...
...while shaking your head? Is the little old lady posting a LOST CAT sign going to be confronted by an armed man who in a lot of instances, based on many reports, is still wearing the helmet and does'nt know the war is over.
Mammoliti Wants to Arm By-law Officers
Mon, 2010-04-26 04:30.
A city councillor who wants to be mayor of Toronto is likely to raise some eyebrows with his latest proposal.Giorgio Mammoliti says bylaw-enforcement officers should be armed with guns.
Mammoliti says bylaw officers are often the first to arrive at crime scenes or an emergency, but can't do much because they don't have the power.
He wants to give them the power to arrest people caught posting signs or painting graffiti on city property.
He says a lot of graffiti is the work of gang members and that the bylaw for defacing city property isn't being enforced due to a lack of resources.
Mammoliti wants to increase the fine for defacing city property to $5000 dollars.
He also says young offenders nabbed painting graffiti or posting flyers on bus stops or hydro posts should be subject to community service -- along with their parents.
(The Canadian Press)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
I Thought Schools Were About Education...
...not expensive day care.
Don't expect Mary Poppins
Lisa MacLeod, MPP for Nepean-Carleton, found out the hard way that Ontario's new all-day kindergartenwill be somewhat less flexible than families were led to believe.Her five-year-old was denied the opportunity to remain in half-day programming, because the school was chosen for full-day kindergarten. Alarming, yes, but not surprising. Province-wide, taxpayer-funded early learning programs spell the end of choice in child care.
Iggy Moment
Linguistics above knowledge
Gunter: Bill C-232 would restrict Supreme Court appointments to a very few. There is almost no chance of stopping Bill C-232. It passed the House of Commons late last month with all three opposition caucuses voting for it. Only the Tories voted... MORE...
Ignatieff firm on bilingual Supreme Court
Gunter: Bill C-232 would restrict Supreme Court appointments to a very few. There is almost no chance of stopping Bill C-232. It passed the House of Commons late last month with all three opposition caucuses voting for it. Only the Tories voted... MORE...Ignatieff firm on bilingual Supreme Court
I Want To Thank Mr. Hutchinson...
Why Toronto beats London and New York
Sun Apr 25 2010
Business leaders should take a more active role in municipal decision-making, says Oxford Properties CEO Blake Hutcheson ...and Oxford Properties for making it possible for me to "window shop" at Tiffany's, Victoria Secret, etc. while I am scrimping along on a fixed income which is declining thanks to new taxes, fees, etc. to improve the cities image.
A Look At Our World Class City...
Rob Ford is Mr. Zero: Granatstein
There are reasons to vote for Rob Ford. But the fact he spends nothing — not a cent — on office expenses is not one of them.
...I agree. I would be inclined to sit and have a beer with Ford but I wouldn't feel confident that he could get a consensus with the remainder of council.
...and as far as retailers opening on Stat Holidays I would be more inclined to support the idea if Toronto Silly Hall and various city departments were also open.
The holiday’s over: Levy
By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun
In fact, I suspect if council approves the proposal to allow wide-open shopping throughout the city on public holidays, businesses will simply find their pool of potential revenues spread out over the 365 days.
“I’ve never had anyone ask me why they can’t shop on Canada Day,” said Case Ootes, the lone councillor on the economic development committee that voted against the plan last Thursday.
I have a lot of respect for Ootes. But the time has more than come.
After all, Toronto is a multicultural city and so many people — whether Jewish like me or practising another religion — consider holidays like Christmas, Good Friday and Easter Sunday just regular days.
Not that I will ever shop until I drop on those days.
But our feckless leaders at Socialist Silly Hall can’t constantly yap about having a world-class city when most much smaller cities in Florida, for example, have no problem keeping their designer discount malls open on stat holidays without missing a beat.
They don’t seem to have an issue getting staff to work at holiday rates. I suspect Toronto retailers won’t either.
More than anything, it’s a matter of fairness.
The city’s current shopping rules are outdated and cumbersome — so much so that people often don’t know which stores are open on an average public holiday.
“There is a patchwork of policies and special exemptions for certain stores,” said Peter Thoma, speaking on behalf of Oxford Properties which owns Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
That’s for sure. Stores selling food, antiques, gas, flowers, fresh fruit, books, newspapers as well as drug stores that are less than 7,500 square feet, restaurants, bars, cinemas and casinos are allowed to stay open on public holidays — exempt from the city’s municipal code and the province’s Retail Business Holidays Act.
Specific shopping locations — such as the Eaton Centre, Bloor-Yorkville, the Queen’s Quay Terminal and the Distillery District — were also granted tourist area exemptions prior to the creation of City of Toronto Act.
John Kiru, executive director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), said the time has come to give stores the chance to be “competitive” with malls outside Toronto like Square One and Vaughan Mills.
Evidently council speaker Sandra Bussin, who was against the idea when it went before council in 2008, has now seen the light.
“I’m happy to support this,” she sniffed.
Howard Moscoe said he led the fight against Sunday shopping in the 1990s but he’s now prepared to hoist the “white flag of surrender.
“Our society tends to evolve,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do.” OK, I confess. I always get the willies when council’s socialists support business-friendly moves like this.
Which brings me back to the competitiveness issue.
This move, while a step in the right direction, does not make up for all the David Miller team has done to chase business from this city.
I’m talking about the massive amount of red tape, the ever-increasing taxes and the attitude that business has deep pockets but does not deserve to be treated with any respect whatsoever.
I still get flashbacks of Moscoe running from one Shoppers Drug Mart to another two summers ago looking for a loo he could use — and the s--- he stirred up as a result.
Then there are the panhandlers, which I notice are already out in full force now that the weather is good — despite the extra $5 million per year poured into the Streets to Home program specifically aimed at them.
“If they want to deal with being helpful to business, deal with the panhandling and deal with taxes,” said Ootes. “Those (issues) of more concern to business than adding another nine days of holidays.”
sue-ann.levy@sunmedia.ca
Hmmm! I Was Under The Impression That Handguns Had Been Banned...
...Comrade Miller and his left wing cabal. Also I don't see any details about the descriptions of the assailants and perpatrators.
Four people in hospital after a night of gunfire
View larger image
Updated: Sat Apr. 24 2010 2:51:08 PM
ctvtoronto.ca
Three separate shootings around the city on Friday night kept officers busy and sent four people to hospital with injuries.ctvtoronto.ca
The first of the three incidents occurred just after 7 p.m. on Weston Road, just south of Highway 401.
Police say the shooting happened inside an apartment building in the area, and an 18-year-old male was later rushed to hospital with a gunshot wound to his leg.
The teen is in stable condition and police say his injury is not life-threatening.
About an hour later, police were called about another incident in the city's southwest end.
Officers arrived at a barber shop in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard and Mimico Avenue to find that two men had been shot.
Both of the victims were sent to hospital, but their wounds were not considered to be life-threatening.
Later, another shooting occurred, this time near Lawrence Avenue East and Markham Road.
Police say that around 10 p.m., a person had to be taken to hospital after shots rang out in the area. The victim's condition isn't yet known.
None of the victims have been named, and police have yet to name any suspects or arrests in the cases.
Officers have not said if the shootings are linked in any way.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Are NDP Island Squatters Facing Same Increases?
Yachters fight stern tax hike
Landlubbing assessors levy an average 600-per-cent increase on city’s 18 private clubsMore Gentrification, Condos, Baristas...
Alexandra Park slated for revitalization
The public housing project may soon become trendy Kensington Market SouthLeft Wing Justice...
- ...turn the perpetrator into the victim based on his heritage and make you and I guilty. But in all fairness we have to give the perp credit for maintaining his heritage by taking the victim's baseball cap as a traditional scalp.
- Adrian MacNair: Man who dragged gas attendant to his death to be released
- If you’re from British Columbia, you probably know that you have to pay for your fuel before you fill up. It’s sometimes a tricky proposition because it requires guessing how much fuel you need to fill the tank. You probably also knew that there’s a reason for having to pay before pumping. Prior to 2008, gas station attendants had to deal with “gas and dash”, a situation where drivers would fill up their cars and then speed off before paying. Some gas station owners would take those losses right out of the pay cheques of the attendants. Because of this, the workers were extra vigilant about thieves speeding off with unpaid gasoline. In March of 2005, Darnell Darcy Pratt was just 16 when he stole $12.30 worth of gas from a Maple Ridge Esso, and then ran down the 24-year-old gas station attendant Grant De Patie with a stolen car. Pratt dragged Grant’s body eight kilometres beneath his car before stopping.
A Valid Comment...
Mandatory And Consecutive Sentencing Would Have Reduced This Potential Risk
Suspected gunman at pot protest linked to gang
A suspected gun-toting man with four court prohibitions from having a firearm and arrested in Dundas Square during a pot protest is tied to the Point Blank Souljahs gang.
Iffy Moment
Raves for Ignatieff book bogus
Politicians frequently claim their remarks are distorted and taken out of context by the media.
Elect Smitherman! He Has Friends in High Places...
Smitherman Lends a Hand to Save Transit City
...wasn't this exactly the same con job Comrade Miller used to get elected?
...wasn't this exactly the same con job Comrade Miller used to get elected?
A Vow To Keep Toronto Hydro
Hydro selloff 'wrong,' Smitherman says
Rocco Rossi’s plan to sell Toronto Hydro is “reckless, shortsighted and wrong”, George Smitherman said Friday, vowing to make the electricity distributor’s future a key issue in the campaign for mayor.
...come on George how many "key Issue" promises are you going to make; it doesn't take a Warren Buffet to know that you don't sell of a public asset if it is truly making money and serves the owners well. Maybe you could get your powerful friends at Queens Park to exempt hydro from their latest tax grab under the guise of the HST.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Carbon Trading's Own Ponzi Scheme
...being perpetrated by the Saviour Al Gore.
Carbon trading's dubious salesmen
Goldstein: Today's question is this: Would you buy a used carbon market from the following self-proclaimed "masters of the universe"? That is, the same giant investment houses that just finished helping to crash the global economy by.. MORE...
Carbon trading's dubious salesmen
Goldstein: Today's question is this: Would you buy a used carbon market from the following self-proclaimed "masters of the universe"? That is, the same giant investment houses that just finished helping to crash the global economy by.. MORE...
Neighbors? According Them They Are Our LANDLORDS!
Michael Adams, Ginger Gosnell-Myers and Sonya Kunkel
It’s time for us to work together with our aboriginal neighbours
This young, urban population deserves more than the government’s attention...Charges stayed against relentless critic of Ontario Provincial Police in Caledonia occupation
Activist who was targeted by force’s commissioner off the hook after 29 months
He Has Been So Successful At Screwing The People Of Ontario...
...you can't fault him for trying to indoctrinate those who will eventually become voters.
‘Education premier’ (ultimate oxymoronic)
fails on sex ed
Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals have only themselves to blame for the last-minute scrapping of the province’s new sex-ed curriculum...and let's not forget his fifth column:
Second Place Just Doesn't Cut It...
...the apathy of Torontonians allows the social in-activists south of Bloor Street, waterfront condo owners, NDP island squatters, gentrificationists, artists,baratists, et al, to elect their mayor.
James: Ford riding a wave of discontent
Rob Ford's leap into second place in the mayor's race shows the state of unhappiness with the current regime.
City Of Toronto Petty Assed Bureaucracy
Fiorito: High Park cherry blossoms? Priceless, minus ticket
SUCCESS Not In The Lexicon Of Dulltoon McGoonty...
Goar: Police get it right but province lags
April 23, 2010Carol Goar
Front-line officers are trained to handle people who are delusional, suicidal or caught in a traumatic flashback with sensitivity. They know they're not supposed to bark orders, make sudden, aggressive moves or use their weapons unless there's an imminent threat of death or physical harm.
But they're not mental health workers. Their job is to make the situation safe, not to provide the kind of help a person in crisis needs.
Officers do their best, taking these individuals to a nearby hospital or referring them to a community health agency. But what people in distress often need most is a safe place to sleep or an essential medication.
This problem is not new. Thirty years ago, Staff Superintendent Mike Federico, who worked as a street cop in Parkdale, knew the police had to find a better way of dealing with mental illness. As a makeshift measure, he and his colleagues in Division 14 developed an informal partnership with community health agencies in the neighbourhood.
Three decades later, a formal partnership was tried downtown. St. Michael's Hospital agreed to send out psychiatric nurses with police officers on EDP (emotionally disturbed person) calls. It began as a pilot project in 2000, but worked so well it became a fixture. That led to the establishment of a Toronto-wide crisis intervention program in 2005. Federico was put in charge.
By 2008, seven mobile crisis intervention teams — two in the inner city, two in Parkdale and three in Scarborough — were up and running.
Last year, progress slowed. Two teams were added, serving in the Weston-North York area. This year, there haven't been any. Efforts to expand into East York have stalled.
Chief Bill Blair says he is more than willing to commit officers to new mobile crisis intervention teams. The problem is a lack of nurses. Hospitals can't provide them unless they get the go-ahead and the financial support (approximately $125,000 per nurse) from the provincial health ministry. Blair has personally requested the funding. He can't get an answer.
“It's still a priority for me,” he told the Toronto Star's editorial board.
Everyone at police headquarters feels the same way, Federico says. “It's an efficient, economic and humane way to deal with people in crisis.”
Hospitals like it because it alleviates pressure on their emergency wards. Police like it because it reduces the amount of time they spend (4 hours per call) dealing with psychiatric crises. Even people with psychiatric disorders like it — to the extent they can like any police initiative — because it provides on-the-spot help.
“This is something concrete and practical to manage mental illness,” Federico says. “Surely that's healthy.”
Part of the problem is bureaucratic. The establishment of 14 regional decision-making bodies (Local Health Integration Networks) in 2007 has made it slower and harder to get simple funding requests through Ontario's already tortuous health system.
But that doesn't wholly explain the blockage, Federico admits. “It's a pure question of dollars.”
It frustrates him that East York General Hospital, which is eager to join the program, can't get provincial approval. “The minister (Deb Matthews) will soon hear from me.”
Toronto isn't the only city in Ontario with teams of police officers and mental health professionals. Mississauga and Hamilton now have similar programs.
“This is a success story,” Federico says. “There's no downside to expanding it across the province.
“I'm curious to know where mental health is on the ministry's priority list.”
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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.