Layton Follies...

Mark Bonokoski


Ridiculous, in both official languages

Now that NDP Leader Jack Layton-Bouchard has drank the “Nous sommes Quebecois” Kool-Aid so loved by the separatists in his caucus — and, please, let’s not call them Quebec “nationalists” — it will not be long before an ugly bill revisits the House of Commons.

Security Lunacy...

Lifting the veil on airport security

Air security won't ask for veiled Muslims to prove ID.

Frequent flyers know the drill: take off your shoes, surrender your tweezers and pack your shampoo in those little plastic baggies before lining up for the naked body scanners. But lift your niqab? Apparently not.

Time to face facts on burkas
 
Levant: Not banning full-body coverings lets a despicable part of medieval culture live on in a society that should know better. Some 54% of Canadians want to ban the burka, the head-to-toe shroud worn by a tiny minority of Muslim women in the.. MORE...

Putting Things (Personalities) In Perspective...

Mad Mel demonized

By MICHAEL COREN, QMI Agency

Anybody would have thought that Mel Gibson had drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl. Or perhaps screamed at, insulted and threatened his 12-year-old daughter. Or beaten women and used narcotics and prostitutes. Or even been such a drug addict and criminal that he’d served serious time in prison.

• LA judge strips Mel Gibson of his lethal weapons
  A Los Angeles judge has ordered Mel Gibson to hand over his lethal weapons -- on the same day a photo was released of what Gibson's gal pal claims is her with busted front teeth courtesy of Gibson.

• Mel Gibson's Church -- Security on 'High Alert'

Guess Which One They Cancelled.......

That's Mighty Big Of You Dullton

Shutting the barn door By CHRISTINA BLIZZARD, TORONTO SUN He's so sorry. So eHealth sorry.

You Went Live 8 Concert So You Have Done Your Part

Wilhelm: Telling Africa to Drop Dead (Aid)
Tagged with: dead aid heather wilhelm
When it comes to African poverty, everyone, it seems, wants to help—and “help” usually means foreign aid. The omnipresent Bono, for instance, runs the “One” campaign, which calls for a significant increase in government aid. George W. Bush, meanwhile, nearly quadrupled the amount of America’s direct bilateral assistance to Africa. Madonna recently showed her commitment to foreign aid—accented by colorful F-bombs—at 2005’s “Live 8” concert extravaganza. The concert’s organizer, aging rock star Bob Geldof, is so passionate about foreign aid that he told the International Herald Tribune that something must be done to help Africa “even if it doesn’t work.”
Here’s the problem: It doesn’t work—and it might even make things worse. That’s the argument of Dead Aid, a new book by Dambisa Moyo, an economist born in Zambia, educated at Oxford and Harvard, and who is currently raising major hackles in development circles.

Rest of story

I Side With Gay And Right

They keep threatening to sue....
I hope they do sue.....they'll lose because there is no right to government funding....
The Canadian Arab Federation intends on suing the immigration minister and his department after losing a court battle to restore government funding for a language course.It says the money was cut after one of its leaders called Immigration Minister Jason Kenney "a political whore of war for Israel."Federation spokesman Mohamed Boudjenane said his organization is being targeted by Kenney and the immigration department."We have been saying all along that the minister is not acting fairly," he said yesterday. "He is targeting us, but we were here before him and will be here after he's gone."The federation will file a lawsuit against Kenney and his department for damages, he said.In federal court documents, Kenney claims the $1 million for English-as-a-second-language program was axed because the federation is promoting "anti-Semitism and has sympathy with terrorists."
posted by GayandRight

Bob Kinnear Is More Important Than Joe Blow Taxpayer

Union support, union support...........how much of the lost revenue from the wildcat strike has been recovered and what has comrade miller and his politburro done to collect that lost revenue?

Miller ripped for backing TTC as 'essential service'

By BRYN WEESE, SUN MEDIA

Mayor David Miller came under fire yesterday for his support of a recent report indicating the TTC should not be declared an essential service.

Leslieville Becoming A Magnet For NIMBY Activists

A wall dedicated to the "diversity" of Leslieville is considered art while a similar wall in another neighborhood is considered graffitti and ordered removed. Ban Walmart and a large number of service jobs because the local councilor wants high value jobs ($90k+) but no one will outline what and who will provide these jobs and now we have dog owners being pitted against the no dog advocates and their supporters at Toronto Silly Hall.

Dog park rules bite Residents barking mad in Leslieville as new leash law rips apart community

By SUE-ANN LEVY

Where Is The Rifle Range At Union Station?

City's off target on gun clubs

At Socialist Silly Hall, the powers-that-be enjoy the sport of shooting off their mouths

By SUE-ANN LEVY

The meeting space and the firing range occupied by the CNRA Gun Club sits tucked in the rafters of Union Station.

Full Column

Don't Blame The OMB

The face of a neighborhood changes not because of the OMB but the decision by the manufacturing sector to relocate due to a number of factors; ie: lower labour costs, increases in costs due to city taxes and the biggest factor is globalization.

Leslieville case will set example TheStar.com - comment - Leslieville case will set example

June 02, 2008

Re:Is retail best for this area?

Comment, May 30

We in Mount Dennis and Weston are glad the City of Toronto is trying to preserve "employment lands" for well-paying, non-retail jobs in Leslieville's development.

I have witnessed the flight of many large and small businesses from our community. The lands were converted to housing or retail and can never be employment lands again. After 30 years of deindustrialization, our community is now the poorest in Toronto, and the dearth of good jobs is a large part of the reason. We're glad the city and the Leslieville community are taking such a principled stand, because whatever happens with the Ontario Municipal Board decision will affect other industrial lands.

Our neighbourhood is home to the former Kodak site, which includes 22 hectares that are waiting to be developed. The owners consulted us last year with the prospect of yet another retail mall. It is in a designated employment area in the official plan. The city is working very hard with us to keep this site industrial and renew the local employment base with a range of good jobs.

Our vision is to move toward the green economy, and we want to see our employment area become a place where innovation in manufacturing and technology can happen. We have heard that the Kodak site's owners are willing to consider industrial development. But if the OMB overrules the city and decides retail is a good use of employment lands in Leslieville, we fear they may go with their original plans.

Are we losing control of our neighbourhoods to the OMB, a small group of political appointees?

Marabelle McTavish, Co-Chair, Mount Dennis Weston Network, Toronto

Pardon Me, Are You A Terrorist Or An Illegal With A Criminal Record.....

......None of your f^%king business.....Comrade Miller has given us a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Amnesty.

Since Toronto is the foremost destination for immigrants, it makes sense that this is where incremental improvements have occurred. Miranda points out that in 2004, David Miller made a series of changes so that 21 community organizations would prohibit city staff from asking the public about immigration information. As well, Toronto Police don’t ask victims or witnesses for this information and the Toronto District School Board passed a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy ensuring that schools are considered a sanctuary. “Toronto is the first city in Canada to adopt these policies,” she says. The only problem is that there has been little education about them. Scott says that although people should be able to go to food banks or shelters without fear, there are many instances where people are denied based on their status.

Toronto Silly Hall...McGinty Says Merit - I Say Demerit

I agree that the "leader" of a large urban center needs more power but there has to be built in safeguards.....something like a simple recall motion that can be initiated by the voters.

Pumping up the mayor

Premier: 'Merit' to power boost

Updated: 61 minutes ago

Full Story

McGinty wants to give more power to a doofus like Comrade Miller who wants to place restrictions on citizens who are involved in a legal activity.

Miller out to disarm gun clubs
Zoning would restrict pastime
Mayor David Miller is turning his sights on shooting clubs and gun manufacturers.

Toronto mayor seeks to ban guns with bylaw
...staff report doesn't distinguish between handguns and rifles and shotguns used in hunting



Miller aims to shut down sport shooting ranges
John Spears 24 min. ago
Mayor David Miller wants to close recreational shooting ranges in Toronto, along with giving the city power to block gun manufacturers and wholesalers from opening new plants or warehouses.

When was the last time anyone applied to build a plant in Toronto?

Why isn't Comrade Miller using those powers he already has to kick butt at Silly Hall to ensure that reports, especially those that relate to the activities of elected officials, are completed and published quickly.

Where's report?
Holyday itches to fight expenses
Councillor Doug Holyday wants to know why a long-delayed report on new rules for how city councillors spend their office budgets remains buried in bureaucracy.

You Want To Revitalize Hollywood North?

Go back to an 80 cent dollar! Those who thingk that films were made in Canada for any other reason need to shake their heads.

Those in the know say T.O.'s film industry is in dire straits, with 70% of trades workers unemployed

Joe Fraser has built sets for Hollywood movies filmed in Toronto for decades.

I Am Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop.......

....but in the meantime Timmies goes on my shit list. Up to now I visited only when there was no other convenient option. I am sure Timmies will issue a further press release listing the other infractions of this employee or an apology or blame the local manager.

Woman fired for giving baby a free Timbit

I didn't even get a chance to stand up before the other shoe dropped

Employee fired over free Timbit getting job back

This Just Seems Like Sheer Stupidity

A single female, living in a first floor apartment, doesn't keep her balcony door locked?

Intruder gives security lesson

It is 2:30 a.m. and I am sitting up in bed reading Rick Mercer's The Book. I chortle, I chuckle and I laugh so loudly, I'm sure I've annoyed the couple in the next apartment. Oh well, I think to myself, serves them right. It is, after all, a rather old.. MORE...

Small c Becomes Closet L

Whenever someone says a radical proposal will "just make the problem worse"...

You know it is THE perfect solution to said problem.

We used to be rude to every immigrant that came to Canada, with the result that most of them got their acts together and assimilated.

Only recently have we begun telling immigrants to maintain their own traditions, and the result is a dead Muslim girl.

If Muslims feel "torn between their new home and their old one", they should go back to the old one. Am I stopping them?

If they are wearing "traditional garb" but "don't necessarily want to do so" -- their "masters" will soon come around when we start shunning them everywhere they go. Or they'll go back where they came from (see above). It's a win-win. Especially if it means I can get an English speaking cabbie who actually knows his way around Toronto.

What really drives Muslims to radicalism are the weekly Saudi-sponsored sermons they get at their Canadian and US mosques, not me refusing to take a cab driven by a Muslim once a year or giving someone a dirty look.

I really don't care about anybody's hurt feelings, let alone those of a bunch of unassimilated troublemakers. My feelings have been hurt since around 10:30 AM, September 11, 2001 and they haven't knocked themselves out to make me feel any damn better.

Shunning is a nice old fashioned conservative idea. The trouble with Canadian conservatives is how many of them are really liberals at heart.

# Kathy : 2007-12-12 14:33:28 UTC

Welfare Recepients Not The Only Victims......

.....when it comes to trying to make life a little more comfortable. Talk to seniors who go back to work to supplement their pensions........

Remove bricks from welfare wall
TheStar.com - comment - Remove bricks from welfare wall

December 08, 2007
You would think that taxpayers who foot the bill for welfare would want the government to do everything in its power to help people on welfare to break free from the system and become self-sufficient.

Yet in many ways, the government puts a massive wall in the way of those trying to get off welfare. What that wall consists of is a tangle of rules and regulations that can leave welfare recipients worse off if they try to make the transition from welfare to work or if they try to better themselves by getting an education.

For example, if social assistance recipients work part-time to supplement their meagre incomes, welfare deducts 50 cents of every dollar they earn. If they live in public housing, their subsidized rent goes up 30 cents for every dollar earned. The remaining 20 cents is not even enough to cover work expenses such as public transit, child care, clothing and payroll deductions like the Canada Pension Plan.

When added up, these deductions and extra work-related costs can be more than 100 per cent of what a person earned.

More

Let's Give Comrade Miller And His Band Of Clowns A Pass Because......

.....they are not as bad as some other government bodies; ie: the Germans!

Think Our Governments Waste Money? Wait Till You Read This

Friday November 23, 2007

CityNews.ca Staff

They buy a theatre for $1 million, while raising your taxes.

They ponder putting a levy on bottled water, even though there's no way to implement it.

And they probe two councillors for not spending any taxpayer money on their office supplies.

You may think there are some spending problems at Toronto City Hall. But what an ombudsman found in Germany may make you feel a little better about the workings of our government. The officials employed to trace where taxpayer money goes have found an almost unbelievable amount of waste you may find laughable. But it's likely those who voted for the politicians in that county won't. The report says the German government wasted a staggering Cdn$2 billion last year.

Where did all that cash go? Check out some of these examples: (all amounts converted to Canadian dollars)

-The country's national railroad system received $277 million for a stretch of track it never built.

-The army spent $1.4 million to buy special brushes made with the inner ear hair of South American cattle so they could clean a specially-made dirty projection screen. But the brushes didn't work, and it still costs $2.1 million a year to maintain the system. It now sits unused in a $23 million emergency simulation centre.

-The government employs twice as many people as it needs for the vitally important task of looking after police uniforms.

-Shades of MFP! Their patent office doled out $11 million over three years to rent computers that should have cost millions less.

-And the army spent a fortune designing new seats for old personnel transporters that had already been deemed so unsafe, they can't be put back on the roads. The same defenders also spent millions maintaining an underground surveillance bunker that doesn't serve any military purpose whatsoever.

So the next time you think about waste at Toronto City Hall or on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, you can take some small comfort in the knowledge that our big spenders aren't quite as bad as their big spenders. At least not yet.