Too Little Too Late...

Rob should have started cleaning house on Day 1 by firing, or at least putting on notice, beauracracts at Toronto Silly Hall...MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY!

Downside To Being Good Neighbor...

Albertan to clear snow despite ticket

By FRANK LANDRY, QMI Agency

St. Albert hasn't seen the last of Jon Cooper and his plow-equipped quad.

Waiting For Comments From Vaughan, Layton, Et Al...

Budget chief finds 'Homeless Hilton' leaks


By SUE-ANN LEVY, City Hall Columnist

New budget chief Mike Del Grande and Auditor-General Jeff Griffiths got a real eye-opener when they dropped in unannounced at the city’s Peter St. shelter and assessment centre last Friday afternoon.

Mayor Ford Message To Stintz...

...tell TTC Management and beauracrats to priortize this long outstanding issue and have a solution, cost and implementation date no later than Dec. 24th or expect Santa to handout pink slips. The 12 scond delay excuse shows that this problem has been studied to death and the former TTC chair Mihevic was more interested in the St. Clair Right of Way debacle and the 12 second delay would be offset by the riders on St. Clair getting a 3 minute reduction.

Bureaucratic fear
Re “TTC stalls bus stop for Variety Village,” (Mike Stobel, Dec. 16): The TTC’s actions on this issue are reprehensible. A 12-second delay is nothing, and given the reason, there would be no complaints. The TTC has lost its perspective in bureaucracy and is using expedience and expense to delay, assuming the issue is a flash in a pan that will disappear. Well, it won’t go away. Where is the strong TTC administrator prepared to do what is right — to stand up and take action by putting in a temporary bus stop at the front door of Variety Village now and debate a permanent stop at a later time. Of course, bureaucratic fear prevents immediate action. The TTC continues to hit those who are emotionally and physically challenged. Somebody needs to put on a heavy pair of boots and start kicking butt at the TTC.

Stewart Glassford Newmarket

(Why make any stops at all? That would eliminate all delays)

Shocking arrogance
Re “A kick in the teeth” (Dec. 16): Way to go Mike Strobel, for an excellent column about the Variety Village bus stop madness. The sheer arrogance and lack of compassion shown by TTC brass is shocking, yet not completely unexpected. Perhaps the much-needed stop would have been implemented promptly if someone in TTC administration had a disabled child.

Mark Chisholm Aurora

(Doubt it. Strobel rightly describes them as “heartless”)

Twelve seconds?
So, no bus stop at Variety Village because it would add 12 seconds to the trip (“A kick in the teeth” Mike Strobel, Dec. 16). I wonder how long it takes to install and remove a bike from the bike racks on the front of the bus, that is if anybody ever uses those things? I guess the TTC is only “essential” to some.

Ellery Hollingsworth Scarborough

(How come everyone except TTC brass seem to understand the right thing to do?)

My Suggestion...

...hitchike to Toronto and it's recently opened $11M Homeless Hilton!

Two Weeks Until Niverna At City Hall...

Cuts come slowly at City Hall


By SUE-ANN LEVY, City Hall Columnist

It’s not even Dec. 1 — the day when I can no longer call this place Socialist Silly Hall — and the hand wringing has started in earnest.

An Instance Where Brick And Mortar Are A Priority...

...and it is inevitable that we compare the results of this project with the Homeless Hilton.

Fiorito: Parkdale rises from the ashes

by Joe Fiorito

Hold The Reviews Until After Opening Night...

Powering up City Hall's right: Levy


By SUE-ANN LEVY, Toronto Sun

I hope those given the privilege of taking up positions of power and influence will not let it go to their heads, as Mayor David Miller and his acolytes did.

Will Rob Ford get trashed?: Granatstein


By ROB GRANATSTEIN, Toronto Sun

During the election, the idea of contracting out garbage collection in Toronto was tossed around as effortlessly as garbage men hurl empty green bins.

Surplus...

What does the city’s budget surplus mean for Rob Ford?


Posted Toronto Political Panel: As the last days of David Miller wind down, Chris Selley, Anthony Furey and Jonathan Goldsbie discuss the city’s mysteriously enormous budgetary surplus, and what it means for incoming mayor Rob Ford

Case For Privitizing Federal, Provincial/State, Municipal Governments...

...you free to substitute the beauarcracies that "control" and spend your tax $$$ and give them a rating of 1-10!

Sunday, October 17, 2010


Wal-Mart vs. The Morons

I won't vouch for all the numbers below but the general idea has a lot to be said for it -- JR
1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart Every hour of every day.
2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!
3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.
4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target +Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.
5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world's largest private employer, and most speak English.
6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.
7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.
8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.
9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.
10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.
11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)
12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy. This should be read and understood by all Americans Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature, it is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:

a. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.
b. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.
c. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.
d. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and they only want more.
e. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.
f. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.
g. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every "government service" you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?

When It Comes To Seniors Politicos See It As Media Photo Op...

Christie Blatchford


Verdict in seniors’ home fire a call to action – but will anyone listen?

Oct 02, 2010 6:37AM EDT

Ontario under increasing pressure to make sprinklers mandatory.

...and for examples just look back over the last 8 years and a prime example is Depends Snivelman.

Why Has It Taken So Long...

Help on way for homeless vets


By CHRIS DOUCETTE, Toronto Sun

As many as 100 veterans are believed to be living on the streets of Toronto, but now there is help for those who have so proudly served our country.

Another Issue Being Allowed To Fester...

Time To Issue Them Distinctive Uniforms And Jackboots...

Bureaucrats leaving a sour taste

By EZRA LEVANT, QMI Agency

One of the few thrills of working as a bylaw enforcement officer is making people cry

The St. Clair Right Of Way Could Be Used As A Model...

Not a better way after all?

It’s supposed to move more people faster than its plodding counterparts on King and Queen streets. 18 August 05:19

Too Cowardly To Rob Banks, Not Smart Enough To Be A Conman...

...then become a member of a government beauracy!

Christie Blatchford

Secretive nature of fledgling bureaucrats raises questions

Marin report blasts ‘illegal’ talks on closing Niagara ERs

Tue Aug 10 2010

Ontario’s ombudsman has slammed a Niagara-area health unit for holding “clandestine” or illegal meetings when discussing plans to close local emergency rooms.

 

Robert Kirsic Is Preaching To The Converted...

...problem is there are not enough of us, we're too busy trying to make a living so we're not able to get out and "march" and demonstrate for the latest trough project put forward by Silly Hall.

 

Quote: Having a balanced budget would be a good start, we all benefit from that. Spend our tax money like it’s yours. Cutting back on services the city really shouldn’t be providing but feels it must. Building a subway on important streets like Eglinton instead of a light-rail line. Building a smart and useful bike network instead of putting one in for the sake of putting one in because everyone else in Europe is doing it. Europe is a great place with wonderful ideas and people but sometimes we need made-in-Toronto ideas to fix made-in-Toronto problems. End Of Quote

 

Robert Kirsic: The left has done enough for Toronto

I’ve read with interest the last two articles from Tonika Morgan and Marit Stiles, and while I...

Another Day In Miller La La Land....

Parking enforcement an industry

By JOE WARMINGTONToronto Sun

If you were nailed by a parking assassin on Victoria Day (they love to get people around the fireworks celebrations), you are contributing to the $80-million the city of Toronto raises each year in parking fines.
To get that $80-million, in 2009, 2,794,460 parking tickets were handed out.
All it really is, is a sneaky tax on people with cars who already pay and pay and pay. In fact Torontonians pay two registration fees.
Meanwhile, the city has about 2,500 Municipal Law Enforcement Officers set out to feed the tyrannical money monster. The only prompt city service you will ever receive for all the tax you pay is from these people.
It’s no longer parking enforcement. It’s a parking industry. Drop down to the collection office at 55 John St. and you’ll find this parking office looks like a bank, which is fitting. There are so many parking grievances, you have to take a number in the hospital-style waiting room. Also fitting.
The only good news for me the other day was sitting beside me was TSN’s Jennifer Hedger, who was dinged after her condo building forced all of the cars from the underground to the street for spring power washing.
“My building was granted exemptions from areas such as 3 hour un-posted, one-hour limit parking, expired meters, pay-and-display areas, and ‘No Parking Anytime areas’,” during the time of this washing.
But there was a catch.
“The street I parked on has a one-hour limit parking, but it doesn’t become that until 10 a.m each morning. From 12:01 a.m until 10a.m, it is permit parking, and our condo building did not receive an exemption. If I had of pulled up at 10 a.m, I would have been fine. I pulled up at 9:40am, and it cost me $30.”
Gotchya. Zero tolerance.
“I understand the rule, but I still feel as though I’ve been ‘tricked.’”
You were tricked. There are traps like that all over the city.
Turns out she lined up for an hour to find out that nobody cared. But it might be good because Jennifer’s husband, Sean McCormick, of Sportsnet fame can help change this. He is running for councillor in Ward 19 and is one of a bright, young, fresh crop of commonsensers who are prepared to put their high profile career’s on hold to attempt to bring City Hall back to serve and not to be served.
“Parking enforcement has simply become another unpalatable form of tax collection,” says Sean. “The problem is taxpayers in Toronto have been the victims of so many new taxes and surcharges over the last eight years that receiving a parking ticket has become even more infuriating because it is the symptom of a bigger problem — taxpayer fatigue. Taxpayers should be the last option, not the first, when City Hall attempts to solve budgetary problems.”
He’s got my vote.
*****
East York does not need a parkette named after the great John Candy to show their collective love for him. But, still, it would have been nice. And maybe one day it could still happen.
Just not right now.
The comic legend’s widow has respectfully declined the offer by the City of Toronto, spearheaded by Councillor Case Ootes, to rename a small park, a little north up Broadview and Danforth, after the former Second City funnyman. “If John were here at this time he would say, ‘Trust me, this is definitely not the right time,’” Rose Candy told me in a recent e-mail. “I hope everyone will not be upset and have patience.”
So the project has been shelved out of respect for the Candys who lost John all too early in 1994.
“My answer is personal,” said Rose. “This answer comes from myself and my children, Jennifer and Christopher. We love Toronto. John’s uncle and cousins are there along with my brother and sisters.”
Maybe this is an idea that will come down the road — or perhaps the other idea of re-naming Hwy. 404 “The John Candy Parkway” will be adopted.
But we have to go easy on these things until his family is more comfortable with them.
“I want to say I have strong feelings on how John’s name is used,” she said. “I am very protective.”
Ootes said he understands her concerns — saying the idea came about with the best of intentions.
******
What a great Victoria Day weekend. Hopefully you got to do something special — whether it was to go somewhere out of town like Algonquin Park where my pal, Pete Fisher, and his son, Corby, got some great close-up pictures of moose or to just hang around in the city at Harbourfront or on Toronto Island. Either way works.
You definitely don’t need to go out of town to be a tourist. There is plenty to do in the city.
As for the waterfront, despite the criticism, if the weather is on that place is on. I love sitting on the patio at the Pier 4 Storehouse right across the Billy Bishop airport, and adjacent to the Toronto Police’s fascinating Marine Unit, for fish and chips, clam chowder and to watch the planes land and ferries bring people back and forth.
It’s a neat place to hang and Pier 4 staffers Antoinette Headley, Radha Pithodia and Kyla Medeiros tell me there is no better summer job.
The bad news is it’s Tuesday after a long weekend. The good news is it’s only three days to Friday.
joe.warmington@sunmedia.ca

This Column Should Be Run Once A Week In Every Major Paper...

...because unfortunately the message will be overshadowed by firework display, barbecues, re-enactments etc. 

  

Let’s shake up municipal politics

The easy thing in running for the top job is to pronounce that taxes are too high and the current council sucks 

By Brian French, Guest Columnist

Toronto will continue its downward spiral from the “City That Works” back to the “Muddy York” of two centuries ago unless something totally different is done.
Yet no mayoral candidate is suggesting anything in their platforms that might really change our direction.
Here are a few big things a real leader would propose to get the city back on track.
First off, Toronto needs to become a government. We need to become masters of our own domain. Maitres chez nous!
Constitutionally in Canada, cities do not exist. So the City of Toronto is a “corporation” with the province owning the voting shares. It’s like just one more provincial agency — the Ministry of Toronto.
It’s no small wonder the provincial parent doesn’t offer council more power. The premier did allow them to apply new taxes, which is akin to giving a teenage boy whiskey and the car keys (thank you P.J. O’Rourke).
It will take a long time to change the basic form of governance so someone wanting to be mayor should start today.
The second thing is to apply serious oversight to prospective candidates by starting a municipal party system. There are few barriers to running for city council. The only permission necessary is from one’s spouse, the only cost is $100,000 and the only restriction is to not have done something on a vapourish prohibited list.
But to run for a political party in a provincial or federal election involves inquisitive scrutiny by the sponsoring party and a very intense nomination procedure.
Muni politics? No scrutiny at all.
Running with and for a party would allow voters to better understand the platforms to which a candidate would be expected to adhere.
Term limits would drastically change the way politics is conducted.
Councillors would no longer be able to look at their elected positions as careers. It would be get in, do your good work (or cause your damage) and get out.
Term limits should be implemented as soon as possible. A strong potential mayor could immediately announce if elected he will resign in eight years.
Other ideas??
Extending the vote to residents? There is a history of people showing up at polls whose IDs are personal — mail may be theirs, maybe not. I doubt making voter I.D. less restrictive will eliminate this problem.
Reducing the size and eligible expenses in the councillors’ office budgets?
Definitely. It is a slush fund to buy everything from clowns, to sponsoring teams, to printing quantities of propaganda for various anti-establishment groups.
The easy thing in running for the top job is to pronounce bikes are great or horrible, that the previous mayor spent way too much money (and I’ll spend just a teensy weensy less), that poverty is bad and business is good, that taxes are too high and the current council sucks.
But it takes bravery to identify and commit to meeting our real needs. I don’t see anyone currently running for mayor daring to do so.

— French was policy director for Jane Pitfield in 2006 and advises on many election campaigns

If You Really Want To Get Pissed Off...

...take the time to read Levy's complete column paying particular attention to take note of the the major instigator, Bussin, and those that attended her campaign party.

One Beach of a deal

By SUE-ANN LEVY, City Hall Columnist

We couldn’t have picked a better day last Wednesday when my wife Denise and I decided to do lunch at the Boardwalk Cafe — the Beaches institution that has been the subject of tremendous controversy over a 20-year deal now being inked with City Hall.