Someone Who Is More Down On Comrade Miller Than I....

....and is more eloquent and verbose. Welcome!

Monday, April 28, 2008

TTC Union Liability? Never! This is Toronto!

I have to admit, I had a great big smile on my face all weekend.

Watching leftist Toronto resident damn the Local 113 TTC union for their borderline illegal tactic by walking off the job with 90 minutes notice while people were still out on the town enjoying the entertainment district of Toronto as well as its various clubs and lounges.

I can only imagine the feeling someone must have had be it because they were responsible and opted to take the TTC so they would not have to risk driving home after having a few too many drinks, or even the eco-warriors who parked at a TTC station so they could take the subway into the city as they made their way home at 1 or 2AM and realized the TTC workers walked off the job.

Your typical NDP or Green voter calling into radio shows, or writing newspapers or websites how workers should be arrested and forced back to work, and how the leaders of the Local 113 should be fined or jailed.

I almost wet myself is shear ecstasy.

Even the most hardened Laytonites turned just a little bit “Blue” that weekend.

My answer to angry Torontonians;

What did you really expect?

David Miller is a former NDP candidate for Parliament, he has been bent over by the Unions from all aspects of City Workers since the day he was made Mayor, and has allowed for this chokehold the City Union’s currently enjoy on the City and its population.

Now many people want to blame Bob Kinnear, the head of the Local 113.

Sure, he broke his promise of 48 hours notice with the excuse of “personal safety” for his members, which seems odd because I would imagine that commuters will be just as pissed this morning as they would have been had notice been given.

But come on, Bob Kinnear was the mastermind behind the TTC Wildcat strike in May of 2006. He shutdown the city because a few hundred workers didn’t like the fact that their shifts were changing, even though the city gave them the required notice.

Did he get his way?

Yes he did.

Was he punished?

Of course not, this is Toronto.

Miller beat his chest, the Union all of a sudden made the strike about driver safety and the city of Toronto folded faster then Superman on laundry day.

Why would Bob Kinnear not try this again?

Its like a toddler in line at the grocery store with his parents, if he screams and yells and begs for a candy bar, and they breakdown and get it for him, can you blame him if he tries it again next time?

Bob Kinnear pulled the “two year old tantrum”, it worked. Why not do it again?

I hardly blame Bob Kinnear and the Local 113 for this,

Its all Mayor Miller, He should have followed through with his $3 million dollar lawsuit against the union, which he would have won. Although it would have taken time.

Then made every legal effort to have the TTC made an Essential Service.

With that said, enough about the City.

My concern is with the people, those people who drove home when they knew they had too much to drink, those people who had to walk through a dicey part of town at 2AM because they had no choice, those people who had to pay 40 bucks for a can to take them from Front and Bay to Islington Station so they could get their cars.

How many DUI’s were there on Toronto roads? Or on 400 series highways that weekend?

And how many of those folks had TTC tokens in their pockets?

If I am hosting a party, and I let someone I know who has had too much to drink drive home, I am liable.

Why does that Liability not extend to the members of the Local 113 who did not show up for work?

If you were hit by a drive who blew over the limit this weekend, why is there no a co-liability? Defending drunk drivers is sickening, but what is Joe Sixpack had stumbled into a TTC station after he left the bar? He made the choice to drive, but it wasn’t his first choice.

What if you were assaulted on your way home?

If you opted for the hour walk because cabs were so hard to come by.

If you had TTC tokens in your purse or wallet, why should the members of the Local 113 not share at least some of the criminal accountability with the thug who actually made the attack?

Realistically, they never would have happened had the TTC been operating.

I as an individual can be charged with a crime of omission, why aren't they?

As I was reviewing cases that could fit into this neat package I came across the ruling for a crime of omission under the:

“A person who creates a dangerous situation may be under a duty to take reasonable steps to avert that danger” definition.

The ruling reads: “...I see no rational ground for excluding from conduct capable of giving rise to criminal liability, conduct which consists of failing to take measures that lie within one's power to counteract a danger that one has oneself created, if at the time of such conduct one's state of mind is such as constitutes a necessary ingredient of the offence.”

It seems pretty clear cut, every TTC worker who walked off the job created a dangerous situation for the commuters who relied on the service to be provide that night.

They made no effort to take reasonable steps to avert that danger.

Forget about fining the union, why are the workers from that night not being arrested? Canada’s criminal act allows for a similar definition, all be it a little more convoluted.

It’s clear the city of Toronto has no interest in protecting its citizens, and that’s fine.

It should be the individuals who take this to the next level, while the city of Toronto does not feel a crime was committed, I would be hard-pressed to assume that those who walked into a station at 1AM would agree.

But as I said, it’s Toronto. Whenever I am asked what I think the country would be like if we had an NDP government, I simply point to the failed experiment in Socialism that is Toronto.

There is no different between Corporate Greed and Union Greed, both are businesses who sell a product, the Union’s is humans, and happens to donate to the NDP which is why they are wonderful. But try telling that to a Torontonian.

A Simple Solution To Comrade Miller's Gang Problem

Oh! I'm sorry Comrade Miller has already put forward his solution....ban guns. But just in case this doesn't work I offer this:

D.C.’s anti-gang strategy: Just rename them!

May 1, 2008 10:03 AM by Michelle Malkin

116 Comments | 2 Trackbacks

No “gangs,” no problem.

Some Interesting Thoughts On Homelessness From The Cloistered

A Starving Homeless Person

Leslieville Doesn't Seem To Need A Walmart

People with value added jobs in the $106K range would seem to have the $$$ to shop at upscale retailers and while I (a non-Leslieville resident) have been falsely accused of supporting building a Walmart in this haven of prosperity my posting offered the opinions of persons who seem to live in Leslieville..............

Ever Wonder What It Costs To Install Speed Humps

McRoberts Avenue - Installation of Speed Humps

(March 3, 2008) Report from Director, Transportation Services and Etobicoke York District

Recommendations
Transportation Services recommends that Etobicoke York Community Council approve:
1. The City Clerk (Polling Registry Services) be authorized to conduct a poll of eligible
householders in English, Italian and Portuguese, on McRoberts Avenue, between
Eglinton Avenue West and Summit Avenue, to determine resident support for the
proposed speed hump plan, in accordance with the City of Toronto traffic calming
Policy.
2. That subject to favourable results of the poll;
a. The City Solicitor prepare a by-law to alter sections of the roadway on
McRoberts Avenue, between Eglinton Avenue West and Summit Avenue,
for traffic calming purposes, generally as shown on attached drawing No.
EY08-46, dated March 2008.

Financial Impact
Type of Funding Source of Funds Amount
Available within current
budget
Transportation Services Operating Budget $21,000.00
Summary

This staff report is about a matter for which Community Council has delegated authority from
City Council to make a final decision.
The purpose of this report is to outline the findings of an investigation to determine the need to
install speed humps on McRoberts Avenue, between Eglinton Avenue West and Summit
Avenue. A staff assessment has shown that the criteria for the installation of speed humps on
McRoberts Avenue are met.
Background Information
March 3, 2008 report
(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ey/bgrd/backgroundfile-11594.pdf)
Attachment
(http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ey/bgrd/backgroundfile-11595.pdf)

EYE Weekly Doesn't See Eye To Eye With TTC Employees

Striking our fuse

April 30, 2008 12:04

We try to be sympathetic to TTC workers, we really do. Even if they do collectively (alongside management) provide consistently mediocre customer service, there are worse sets of employees you could have to deal with every day. (Bell Canada, we’re looking at you.)

And as EYE WEEKLY writer Chris Bilton recently documented (in “Sympathy for the driver,” City, Feb. 28), it can be a job that would try anyone’s patience — monotony punctuated by crowded periods of extreme crankiness.

So we’ve sometimes stood up to those who call TTC employees whiny, under-skilled, overpaid jerks who have no idea how good they have it.

But last weekend’s sudden strike pretty much completely drained our reservoir of goodwill. After promising to give the public 48 hours notice of any strike action and then having virtually every one of their public demands met in a settlement agreement signed by their leadership that would have guaranteed that TTC drivers would be the highest-paid transit workers in the GTA, the union membership decided to strike anyway. And they did so not on two days’ notice, but on one hour’s, at midnight on a Friday, stranding thousands who were downtown enjoying the spring weather or working the late shift in nightclubs and bars.

In the strike vote and in the manner in which the action was taken, TTC employees showed Toronto transit riders exactly how important they think we are. The contempt that has always been simmering under every grunted refusal to offer directions or to explain a delay became overt: the people of Toronto can go fuck themselves, as far as TTC union members are concerned. They showed us that in their view, $8-an-hour dishwashers getting off after a busy shift can —?surprise! — walk the three-hour trip to Etobicoke; disabled senior citizens can — surprise! — go without groceries for a few days; the whole city can — surprise! — grind to a halt if need be because, hey, TTC employees think asshole-in-chief Bob Kinnear didn’t lobby hard enough for an additional 25 cents an hour on top of the generous raises already negotiated and the contract did not contain language offering job protections that were never on the bargaining table in the first place.

Everyone who follows the transit situation knows the real villains in the big story are the provincial and federal governments who do not properly fund the system, leading to service strangulation, poor maintenance and ongoing wage disputes. We thought riders and employees and management were always generally on the same side in wanting the best transit system possible for Toronto. Turns out the employees view the people of Toronto as an enemy to be shit on for a few extra negotiating concessions. Good to know.

The provincial government legislated an end to the strike in a hurry by Sunday afternoon, and good for them. Now there are discussions of declaring the TTC an essential service, taking away the transit union’s right to strike. Given that the TTC is an essential service for Toronto, that decision cannot come soon enough. The only downside is that, generally, arbitrated contract settlements (the alternative to strikes) often wind up favouring workers and costing more. Which means the TTC workers will forever be rewarded for the shafting they gave the people of Toronto this month. If it means never having to walk home again, though, it may be a small price to pay. And perhaps we’ll tune up our bikes so we don’t have to look the TTC’s spiteful workers in the face for the rest of the summer.

Bullying A Problem In Schools But........

......people neglect the bullying that takes place at Toronto Silly Hall. Matt Watson makes a valid point......

Let system take its course TheStar.com - comment - Let system take its course

May 01, 2008

Re:City transit back on track

April 28

Queen's Park was mistaken in ordering striking TTC workers back to their jobs. In doing so, MPPs have turned the TTC into a de facto essential service, as the two sides will now go to binding arbitration, with all the extra costs to taxpayers that will entail.

It's much better to allow the collective bargaining system to work the way it was intended. Let the workers walk the picket lines for days, or even weeks, if necessary. The threat of a lengthy strike would have the effect of tempering the demands of union members, who would actually face a significant financial penalty to achieve their goals. And it would force management to work hard to avoid a strike knowing that it can't just rely on the government to step in and then throw everything in the lap of an arbitrator.

While this would no doubt inconvenience large numbers of passengers, it would hardly be a crisis, as some suggest.

Toronto suffered through a three-week transit strike in the 1970s. Traffic congestion on the city's main arteries was intense in those days, too. And ridership numbers were even higher than today.

Somehow, the city survived.

Matt Watson, Burlington

A Damn Good Reason To Take To The Streets...

....but it won't happen because Comrade Miller knows the buttons to push and he gets people to the streets with "festivals" and con jobs.

Miller's power grab is dangerous TheStar.com - Columnist - Miller's power grab is dangerous

May 01, 2008

Royson James

Citizens elect a mayor and a council to provide oversight to the civic bureaucracy, cut red tape and protect minority interest, even as they preserve the civic good.

The mayor isn't king; he or she is a first among equals.

The mayor does not have the untrammelled right to hire and fire the civil service. But few city managers can function without the mayor's blessing and support.

The mayor isn't a power source, able to ignore or subvert the will of council. But he or she is the leader, walking a delicate balance.

And yet, in the issue of declaring the TTC an essential service – and a growing list of other matters at city hall – the mayor of Toronto seeks to overstep his traditional authority in subtle but significant ways.

The average Joe doesn't much care or take notice. He should. It's a whittling away of democracy, an erosion of processes that Mayor David Miller once professed to hold dear.

Look at the most contentious issues at Toronto city hall over the last 12 years – market value reassessment, dumping garbage in the Adams Mine in Kirkland Lake, or the imposition of a land transfer tax last fall – and the outcome is always better because of the open process that allows, in fact depends on, dissent.

That will change soon in Toronto, if Miller has his way. And it will be for the worse, even though most of us won't clue to it. In fact, Miller would implement the changes without debating them at council. He just plans to go to Queen's Park and get the new powers from his friend, Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Miller, the great man of the people, the one who ran on a platform of open government and transparency, has chosen to skirt such a process and embark on a political coup. He aims to politicize the bureaucracy under the guise of accountability. He plans to bolster his political hold on council by enshrining the right to hold secret meetings with his political allies on the powerful executive committee, which he unilaterally appoints and fires. And he wants it done without the input or vote of council.

"I don't want council to get bogged down in debates about governance," he said yesterday, with a straight face. That's right up there with Kim Campbell's retort that election time is no time for serious debate about public policy.

A few short years ago, most city hall observers would've concluded that any fears about the misuse of power rests not with the current mayor but with some future iron-fisted tyrant who might rise up and smash what we've built here. Miller, we thought, would be a benevolent dictator.

That view is not universally held anymore. And for good reason.

Two years ago, Councillor Cesar Palacio asked council to help make the TTC an essential service. Council sent it to the mayor-controlled executive committee where it languished until January 2007. Then it was buried with a procedural designation, "note and file."

Of course, now the issue is hot. Prescient Palacio had every right to say to council this week, "I told you so," and demand the matter be debated. But the mayor, through patronage appointments, controls 13 votes on the executive as well as several others through appointments to committees.

It's virtually impossible to get the two-thirds majority vote to overcome the mayor's obstructive designs. All Palacio was able to extract was a promise that this time Miller will not hide the proposal.

That's not the Toronto we've come to know. It's a future Toronto city council should debate.

Royson James usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

But Not On Native Reserves-Source Of Illegal Cigarettes

Cigarette walls about to vanish in corner stores
Emily Mathieu 59 min. ago
The multi-coloured display wall of cigarettes that reaches out to customers in thousands of convenience stores is one of the last powerful promotion tools left to the tobacco companies.

And Let's Not Forget The Loss Of Revenue From Wildcat Strike

Why should I be apologizing for the actions of a third party....the unions and the politicians should be apologizing. Why should property owners be paying for dissension in the union hall.

$2M TTC apology

Refund for pass holders
The surprise weekend strike is expected to cost the TTC about $2 million.

Aggresive Policing Pays Off.....

.....but police are hampered by threats of being accused of profiling.

New scourge hits the city

By JOE WARMINGTON

We may never know how many people will escape death thanks to a routine police traffic stop this week.

But with the bust of a massive drug manufacturing lab, you better believe lives were saved. When it comes to crystal meth, death is often not too far behind the people who indulge.

"We dodged a bullet with this find for sure," said Jim Stephens, of All Positive Options, on-line addiction and recovery centre. "A lab that size would have been able to produce 10 pounds of crystal meth in one 24-hour cook session."

In other words, that's a lot of that crap heading to the street. Thank God that cop pulled over a car for a moving violation that led police to this lab because this stuff is a killer. Nobody knows where the next lab might be hidden or how much it might be producing.

More

Sue Ann Is Back - And With Both Fists Flying

The councillor who many would agree has been leeching off taxpayers for nearly 30 years told council earlier this week that we at the Toronto Sun are "chronic deadbeats" and leeches for allegedly not paying our rent at City Hall.

Howard Moscoe's contentions came during a nearly one-hour debate on whether to increase the rent all media pay for occupying space in the City Hall press gallery from the current $17/sq.-ft. to $21.50/sq.-ft. -- a figure city real estate officials claim will recover their costs. (That proposal passed 23-13.)

But Moscoe's nonsense didn't start this week. The mouthy blowhard -- who since late February has been shopping the story -- did himself even better two weeks ago.

In the confines of government management committee (where he knows he's protected by privilege) he proclaimed the Toronto Sun's behaviour has been "so egregious" and we've been so "chronically late in paying the rent" -- that at one point we were $50,000 in arrears -- he felt it his duty to bring the matter to public attention.

"I'm here because I don't like deadbeats leeching off the backs of taxpayers," he said, claiming that his campaign was "not a vendetta against the Toronto Sun."

The city's director of real estate services Joe Casali also got into the act.

When asked why the Sun had a lawyer involved in the rent negotiations, Casali claimed it was because we were in arrears. "They don't have a good record for making payments on time," he said.

He also stated we only paid off the $50,000 in arrears 1 1/2 years ago. "There was no dispute over the space or how much money should be paid," he contended.

This is the same director of a department singled out by the mayor's blue-ribbon panel for needing a complete overhaul. I've made no secret of their incompetence when it comes to purchasing properties and the millions of dollars they end up overpaying for what they acquire.

For the record, the Toronto Sun is paid up in full.

Alan Shanoff, the Sun's lawyer at the time, told me yesterday he tried to negotiate a proper lease with city officials repeatedly after they "out of the blue" decided to charge us for space previously occupied by the media rent-free. His letters went unanswered -- for two years -- while the rent charges continued.

It was only when someone in real estate "who was intelligent" got on the file that a proper lease was negotiated, Shanoff said.

According to our records, the lease issue was finally settled and the so-called arrears paid in the fall of 2004.

"This is all about incompetence at City Hall," said Shanoff.

And dare I add, it is well within our rights to expect a proper lease for space we rent, even if City Hall chooses to operate like a circus.

As for Moscoe's claims this has nothing to do with a vendetta, I beg to differ. The insufferable over-the-hill trougher -- who was the first to push for a pay hike and has been rabidly protective of his $53,100 office budget and other perks -- has openly expressed his disgust with the Sun (and me in particular) as of late for daring to expose his spending excesses and those of his socialist colleagues.

Rest assured we won't be letting up on our criticism of his silly shenanigans.

As for the rest of council, far be it from me to suggest they might have had better things to do than dickering about media leases -- like discussing whether to make the TTC an essential service or figuring out why the brontasaurus blue bins have been such a disaster.

DO THE RIGHT THING

Nonetheless Adam Vaughan -- who in his former role as a TV reporter would have been all over councillors for wasting time with such nonsense -- made sure he had his say.

"Those people that have been living without paying their rent in very nice digs downstairs ... let's just say to them we hope you will put this in your paper," said the sanctimonious Vaughan, indicating we should do the right thing, pay up and not succumb to our corporate czars.

So Adam here it is. I've put your comments in the paper.

But I think you owe us -- let's say $100 -- for all the times you borrowed the phone in our "nice digs" for free. Fair is fair. I hope you, too, will do the right thing and pay up.

You Can't Tell Me Someone Doesn't Recognize This Garbage

Let's hope these photos, which should be on every lamppost, will bring results......

Photos Released Of Suspects In Cowardly Attack, Robbery of 86-Year-Old Woman

Wednesday April 30, 2008

CityNews.ca Staff

It was a most cowardly attack, and now Toronto Police have released photos of the men they believe may have been responsible.

It all began on the afternoon of March 31, 2008, when an 86-year-old woman was reportedly returning home with her bundle buggy after shopping at a plaza near Bayview Avenue and Ruddington.

Things were peaceful enough, until a suspect allegedly approached from behind, shoving the elderly woman to the ground, causing her to topple over her cart and slam head first into the unforgiving sidewalk concrete.

She gathered herself just in time to watch the suspect take off with her purse and was left tending to head, chest, wrist and knee injuries. But the horror was hardly over.

A short time later, two suspects were reportedly nabbed on surveillance cameras attempting to use the victim's credit card at a nearby store.

From there the hunt was on, though no arrests have been made.

If you've got any information that can help police, contact the 33 Division Major Crime Unit at 416-808-3306 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIP (8477).

In And Out; In And Out...Sounded Familar

The Original In and Out Election Financing

When the controversy first erupted about the Conservative "in and out" transfers between their local and national campaigns, the term had a vaguely familiar ring to it.

Listening today to one Bloc Québécois MP after another get up to denounce "in and out" financing and praise Elections Canada, those bells started to ring even louder.

Finally it came to me.

The term "in and out" in connection with election financing was first used by my former colleague and classmate Andrew McIntosh to describe a lucrative arrangement cooked up by the Bloc to take advantage of a loophole in election financing laws to extract the maximum amount of taxpayer-funded refunds from Elections Canada. We might never have heard about it if Bloc MP Jean-Paul Marchand hadn't balked at the obligation to spend the maximum amount possible on his campaign in the 2000 election, prompting a court case, a scandal and a decision to close the loophole.

I seem to recall that the Bloc weren't as great fans of Elections Canada then as they seem to be now.

Who knows. Perhaps the Bloc is now denouncing a practice it inspired.

A Zinger From Rice.........

Street Violence Now Someone Elses Problem

Miller and most leftists solution to problems.....shift the blame and responsibility to others...............

The Hypocricy Of Fighting Poverty......

......and we should give thanks to those organizations and invididuals who have been out their for years doing what needs to be done while politicians, celebreties, etc. bask in the limelight at banquest tables.

Food crisis grows in fields of poverty

Hunger is a movable feast. At the shocking worst of the '80s Ethiopian famine, politicians from nearly everywhere, rock stars and, yes, reporters, flew from the relief camps to plunder the Addis Ababa Hilton's daily international smorgasbord. MORE...

I Alluded To This Disenchantment Last Week....

....but I still believe a book or mini-series is in the works.

Patience running out for tiresome Ms. Martin

A Brenda Martin backlash may be building in the court of public opinion and inside government. All the sobbing, fuming and complaining were understandable reactions by a traumatized Canadian after spending two years in a Mexican.. MORE...

Left Turning Sour On Greening????

Clean Air Or Full Bellies????????????

Anticipated food shortages fuel NDP's bid to reconsider bill

Toronto feeling effects of global rice shortage Maple syrup prices expected to soar

It Is Not The Union's Right To Strike It Is The Worker's Right

If you don't drive then declaring the TTC an essential service might seem like the way to go but bascially what you are doing is giving a pass to elected officials who are supposed to represent the will of the people and are supposed to be firm with their employees; here is how much money we can afford to give you; if you are not happy with that amount then hand in your resignation and we will hire someone else.

Declaring TTC essential service

Apr. 29, 2008

Toronto City Council is to consider a motion today calling on the province to declare the TTC an "essential service" and take away the union's right to strike. In the wake of the weekend's events, council ...

Homegrown Terrorism Continues.....

....and it is obvious that Dullton McGinty will continue to given into extortion and I have to admit that the tories seem to be continuing the liberal game plan in place over the last couple of decades. The only glimmer of hope is the OPP involvement and the arrest of some of the "freedom fighters" at the Deseronto blockade.

'This nonsense can't continue'

Caledonia blockade angers mayor

A renewed Six Nations blockade of a highway through Caledonia is pushing residents to the brink and is paving the way for a repeat of clashes between protesters and residents, the mayor of the beleaguered town warned yesterday.

McGuinty asked to end native bargaining

Toronto Is A Nuclear Free Zone Also....

....and the council that voted in that ban must be congratulated as Toronto, at least up to today, has not been bombed and possibly this latest ban will have the same impact.....
if you believe this GIVE YOUR HEAD A SHAKE. I just heard a couple of days ago that England, where guns have been banned for decades, saw a 4% increase in gun crimes in the latest statistical report.

Miller gets his gun ban

'Political junk food,' says critic

City council endorsed David Miller's handgun ban yesterday, but left the mayor three votes shy of winning unanimous support.

!st Of 51st....If it Matters To Anyone Lets Blame.....

* who don't get off their fat asses and vote in municipal and provincial elections
* those that do vote and vote for change and end up with "No New Taxes McGinty," New Broom Comrade Miller, et al.
* politicians who get elected and carry out election promises but turn tail and run when they get criticized for having common sense.

Just in: T.O. not centre of it all

By SHARON LEM, SUN MEDIA

Hogtown sucks?

Often criticized for acting like they live in the centre of the universe, Torontonians find they have slipped to 51st -- from 12th -- out of the best 154 places to live in Canada, according to Money Sense magazine.

Surprising many, Ottawa topped the list, followed by Victoria, Fredericton, and Kingston. Burlington made the top 10 -- placing eighth -- while Mississauga came in at 11th, Oakville at 26th, Vaughan at 47th and Whitby at 49th.

Money Sense used 16 indicators for its list, including unemployment, household income, housing, air quality, and the weather.

There were major changes to the way the listings were assessed. Communities of 100,000 or more were broken out on their own; thus Mississauga, Markham, Oakville were no longer lumped in with Toronto.

NO NIGHT LIFE

"We did not take beauty, fashion, night life or restaurants into account. The factors which make it a good place to live are economic factors, accessibility and a lack of commuter stress," said editor Ian McGugan.

"We know Ottawa has long winters and no night life to rival Vegas," but it was above average in 15 categories.

McGugan blamed Toronto's ranking on factors like average household income of $81,725 and the $404,000 average cost of a home. The most expensive city for real estate was Burnaby, B.C., where the average annual household income is $67,685 and a typical home costs $571,000.

Toronto's violent crime rate of 1,018 incidents per 100,000 people was much higher than Ottawa's 685 incidents per 100,000.

Places with the highest annual household incomes included Oakville, $134,373; Vaughan, $119,840 Yellowknife, $110,950; and Calgary, at $104,992

An Insight Into The Better Way?????

John Turley-Ewart: Toronto's TTC strike and the better way for the future

Posted: April 27, 2008, 8:02 PM by John Turley-Ewart
Filed under: John Turley-Ewart

On Friday, 65% of Toronto’s public transit workers voted down a three year contract with Toronto and union workers walked off the job having thumbed their noses at a generous deal that city managers struck with the transit union a week ago. Over the weekend, however, Ontario’s government passed a law forcing the workers back to their jobs. It’s a short-term fix that will pacify Toronto’s commuters in the short run, but do little to fix a broken system.
The deal the workers turned down offered annual pay increases of 3% — the rate of inflation is running at 2% — and a guarantee that Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) drivers would be paid at least as much as their counterparts in neighbouring municipalities. City councilors were correct to slam this aspect of the offer as irresponsible: Since no one knows what sweetheart deals neighbouring municipalities will give their own workers, this guarantee essentially amounts to an unknown and unfunded liability for Toronto taxpayers.
Following the Friday evening vote, TTC workers went on strike, breaking their own union’s promise to give commuters 48 hours notice. The resulting mayhem saw thousands of Toronto residents left with no option but to walk for hours to get home as taxi companies were overwhelmed by demand. Residents are understandably angry — especially since TTC operators currently take home a very handsome wage of $26.58 an hour, plus benefits. They also enjoy the opportunity to increase their take-home through over-time — which is abundantly available because the current contract makes it difficult to hire part time staff.

More

Message To Greg Swiatek

Why is the ndp party in such shambles? Could it be because of the lack of support at the polls by union members? Could it be because of the screw-ups when they are supported?

NDP takes unprincipled way out TheStar.com - comment - NDP takes unprincipled way out

April 28, 2008

Re:Province to end TTC walkout

April 27

NDP Leader Howard Hampton's cowardly stance in favour of back-to-work legislation for striking TTC workers proves once again the impotence and vagaries of NDP policy. Sure, the strike was unpopular, but what about workers' rights? And before everyone starts condemning the TTC union, keep in mind that the issues those workers are fighting for are most certainly the same ones that are confronting all Canadian workers, such as wages, outsourcing, job security and safety.

And isn't it surprising how quickly our politicians of all stripes – the supposedly pro-union NDP sadly included – can get together to thwart legitimate worker action but can do nothing to stop corporate greed, company layoffs, rocketing fuel and food prices, the outsourcing of jobs and bank fraud? Politicians just shrug their shoulders at these problems and blame them on "market forces" or "global conditions beyond our control."

It's about time we, as Canadian workers, stopped dividing our attention and our forces, and united in common interest.

Greg Swiatek, Toronto

Low Number Of Complaints?????

Possibly because people are used to the lack of concern at Toronto City Hall. But in fairness we should be aware that we now have created another well paid bureaucracy within Toronto Silly Hall.......

Patience needed on new blue bins TheStar.com - comment - Patience needed on new blue bins

April 27, 2008

Change is difficult, especially when it involves altering long-standing habits and familiar appearances. So it is no wonder that some residents in Toronto's older, downtown neighbourhoods are upset by oversized blue bins going out across the city.

The mammoth new bins pose an obvious problem for people lacking a driveway or access to a backyard, for those living in row housing, or for seniors who find them difficult to handle.

The resulting complaints have been loud and often highly emotional. But the debate requires some perspective.

The bins are going out to half a million Toronto households. That distribution is more than half done; yet city officials say they have received about 1,000 complaints, or less than one for every 250 bins.

Many residents, in fact, welcome these containers. For those living outside the city centre, in areas where storage is less of an issue, the wheeled bins end a need to deploy several of the old blue boxes on collection day. In addition, because the bins have lids, they prevent recyclable waste from blowing away in windy weather.

This is not to dismiss the concerns of downtowners. Many do have legitimate complaints stemming from lack of space for huge containers. But city officials are striving to respond to those concerns on a house-by-house basis.

When it became apparent that all three sizes of the new blue bin were too large for many downtowners, the city responded by developing a fourth, smaller bin. These should be available, on a wide scale, this summer. Meanwhile, mobile crews are visiting unhappy residents, showing them prototypes of the smallest new bin, and working to accommodate individual needs.

There is considerable flexibility here. For example, a resident may opt for two small bins rather than a single large one. Or two neighbours may opt to share a single container. Some residents are exploring the option of using the same bin for recycling as for regular garbage, but on alternating weeks. And, if all else fails, residents may forgo the new bins altogether and put their recyclable material out in clear recycling bags.

It is telling that, despite loud complaints, so far only about 200 households have opted to ditch their bins in favour of bags.

As of last week, about 500 requests for individual attention had come in, and more than 300 residents had been visited by a mobile blue bin response unit, generally with positive results. The demand for this service means it takes two to three weeks for a new caller to receive a visit. Hence the need for patience.

Toronto is in the early stages of a revolution in disposal of garbage. In the past, the city sent far more waste to landfill than it diverted. The new blue bins, and the accompanying "pay as you throw" system to be introduced later this year, are meant to reverse that ratio and divert 70 per cent of waste from landfill by 2010. Revolutionary change is never easy but in this case at least the goal is worthwhile.

Communicating With Both Riders & Members Seems To Be A Problem For Kinnear

Rumours blamed for killing TTC deal TheStar.com - GTA - Rumours blamed for killing TTC deal

April 28, 2008

Francine Kopun
Staff Reporter

The rumour mill killed the deal that the TTC hammered out with the union last Sunday, says TTC chief general manager Gary Webster.

"Some of our employees genuinely believed that our intentions were to contract out the main work on our buses. Nothing could be further from the truth," he said yesterday.

Rumours began flying last week that the proposed settlement would see maintenance work contracted out and maintenance workers laid off. The rumours intensified as the week progressed and Friday's ratification vote approached.

Webster said some resistance was expected from maintenance workers and mechanics, who make up about 4,000 of the union's 9,000 members. Officers representing maintenance workers on the union's 16-member executive board had not signed off on the tentative deal when it was reached last Sunday.

"We did not expect a strong vote in favour (of the agreement) from the maintenance employees. We expected that transportation would not feel the same way. That's not what happened," said Webster.

"I think some of our transportation employees felt that they needed to hang together."

Rumours were also circulating that the proposed deal would allow maintenance workers with seniority to bump junior drivers from their jobs, a driver told the Star.

At one point during the week, rumours became so pernicious that union president Bob Kinnear sent a telephone voice message to members, warning them that people were spreading malicious rumours.

Kinnear, who originally promised Torontonians that they'd have 48 hours' notice of any TTC strike, called Saturday's surprise strike with just over an hour's notice.

That, he said, was to keep angry transit users from assaulting drivers and other TTC staff.

"We have a legal responsibility to protect the safety of our members and so does the TTC," he said, claiming union members had faced increased threats from passengers.

An email circulating among TTC operators blamed the strike on an attempted coup against Kinnear. He was elected in 2003, against the wishes of the local's executive board.

"That no vote was a vote of non-confidence, while we should have every confidence in Bob" reads the introduction to the email. "I can't imagine how lonely he feels right now."

Beneath the introduction is the text of the forwarded message. It accuses Kevin Morton, the local's executive vice-president, and the maintenance board, of using the issue to try to get rid of Kinnear.

Morton was one of the members of the executive who did not sign off on the tentative deal. Neither Kinnear nor Morton would agree to an interview yesterday.

Several drivers said yesterday they were worried about how they would be treated by the public after the surprise walkout stranded passengers trying to get home. The glass doors at nine stations were smashed after being locked early, said Webster. Several TTC workers were subjected to verbal assaults.

"We've asked the public to treat our people with dignity and respect," said Webster. "That front-line worker didn't cause any of this. You might be paying your fare ... and the operator voted in favour of the contract and he's as frustrated as you are with that."

Extra supervisors and special constables – who can arrest unruly passengers and issue tickets – have been assigned to the system to help support drivers, he said.

At city hall yesterday, Mayor David Miller would not comment on the cause of the walkout, but said he stood by his previous remarks on the matter.

"I want to concentrate on the future," said Miller, who had called the strike "unacceptable and irresponsible."

Asked to explain why the union rejected the tentative deal, Miller replied: "The union has not given us a reason, and it's not appropriate for me to speculate."

The TTC and the union have agreed on an arbitrator and will soon begin discussions on a new deal, he said. Under the back-to-work legislation, all aspects of the contract are up for negotiation.

With files from Tess Kalinowski and Paola Loriggio

Another Small Business Under Attack

Bye lap dance, hello laptop
Brett Popplewell Apr. 28, 2008 When Madeline began working in strip clubs four years ago, she earned between $600 and $1,000 a night.

Licences issued by the City of Toronto to burlesque dancers:
STRIPPING DOWN

2834
in 1998

2447
in 2003

1254
last year

No One Should Be Surprised...This Is Toronto Silly Hall

New Broom, Transparency, Accountability were promised by Comrade Miller but once elected they became just terms in a dictionary......

Lots of talk, little action on oversight jobs
Vanessa Lu 89 min. ago
For years, Toronto city hall has been trying to win back the trust of taxpayers.

Larry Might Be A Little Cynical But.......

....is he that far off the mark? Unfortunately the responses to an issue like this is to take pot shots at the messenger rather than discuss the message......

Feeling a little green, are we? Why the Globe and Star should be celebrating skyrocketing food and fuel prices

By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN

Dear Globe and Mail and Toronto Star:

For 15 months, I've been saving your respective front pages from the glorious weekend of January 27-28, 2007, when you simultaneously declared your mutual jihads against man-made global warming.

I knew they'd come in handy some day and now, they have.

Indeed, it seems like only yesterday I awoke to my Saturday, January 27, 2007 Globe to be greeted by the hysterical, front-page headline "Welcome to the new climate," under a politically correct green masthead, declaring at the bottom: "We want action. We're ready for sacrifices."

Not to be outdone, the Star a day later had its own World War III, front-page headline, "State of denial: Do the skeptics of global warming have a hidden agenda?" -- in the finest traditions of "do you deny beating your wife?" journalism.

And now, here we are, just 15 months later and isn't it great you both have exactly what you wanted -- skyrocketing gasoline prices and about-to-skyrocket food prices -- since as we both know, hitting energy-hogging Canadians in their pocketbooks is the only way to make them reduce their evil greenhouse gas emissions hard and fast.

After all, more fuel-efficient cars? C'mon. We both know all that does is prompt people to drive more, since it costs them less per mile to do so.

Biofuels? Oops. Who knew converting agricultural land from food to fuel production would contribute to a global food shortage, runaway prices, riots in the Third World and starvation?

Incandescent light bulbs? Wind farms? Solar panels? Earth Hour? Please. All very nice but we all know, they're window dressing.

In the spirit, then, of your stirring call to arms 15 months ago, may I suggest the following articles for your future editions, as you lead the way in the battle against global warming.

(1) Daily editorials extolling the virtues of the skyrocketing gasoline (and electricity, heating and water) bills your readers will be receiving as rapid price hikes in the cost of fossil fuels really start to bite. Plus, editorials urging Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to introduce a carbon tax, and not at the piddling levels imposed by Quebec or British Columbia, but a big mother !#@#%$& tax hike designed to finish Canadians off.

(2) Special features explaining how fighting global warming is really about making choices. For example, given where food prices are headed seeing as how sensitive they are to transportation and fuel costs, the Star could explain to its readers, given its strong tradition of social advocacy, that poor people will now have the choice not to eat.

And since it's better to buy domestically-grown food than foreign as it takes less fuel to get it to market, the Globe could explain to its upscale readership the virtues of truffles from, say, Hamilton, as opposed to France.

(3) For the Star, a daily feature on where the highest gas prices are in the Greater Toronto Area, urging readers to fill their tanks at these publicly spirited businesses, doing their part to fight global warming by seeing to it they have even less money to spend on gas than they otherwise would.

(4) A special series explaining the amazing scientific advances that have been made in the study of global warming -- such as the exciting discovery of carbon offsets, so Al Gore could fly.

BRIGHT SIDE STORIES

(5) "Good news" stories about the bright side of runaway fuel, food and energy prices. For example, when they get high enough that people stop their discretionary spending, thus leading to a recession, thus dramatically lowering greenhouse gas emissions the way that great environmental leader, Russia, did, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 -- meaning we, too, will now have billions of dollars worth of "hot air" to sell to other countries under the Kyoto accord.

(6) Finally, since it would be utterly hypocritical to ask others to make sacrifices you're not prepared to make yourself, when may we expect you to cut the size of your forest-eating, greenhouse-gas-emitting, planet-destroying Saturday editions in half?

Seriously. You could stop a truck with one of those things.

People Speak Out About Leslieville

I am still waiting to hear the list of value added jobs that now exist in Leslieville and possibly Fletcher would list the value added jobs she envisions and possibly tell us about her success in attracting these $106,000 jobs.

Proposed Wal-Mart has supporters TheStar.com - GTA - Proposed Wal-Mart has supporters

April 23, 2008

Donovan Vincent
City Hall Bureau

Charie Araullo is on maternity leave from her sales job and tending to her 4-month-old at home. She'd like to see a Wal-Mart in Leslieville.

"Wal-Mart prices are affordable and it's one-stop shopping," the 27-year-old said, explaining she now has to drive to one on Eglinton Ave. in Scarborough for baby supplies. "For people on a tight budget and families, Wal-Mart is great."

That's not always an easy sentiment to express.

Many in the Leslieville neighbourhood, including area Councillor Paula Fletcher, vehemently oppose a proposed $200-million big-box retail centre that could include a Wal-Mart.

But voices quietly rising in support of the project are accusing Fletcher's backers of elitism and insensitivity to the needs of low-income shoppers who could benefit from the "value shopping" the 650,000-square-foot development would bring to the area.

In front of the nearby Price Chopper discount store on Leslie St., a woman who said the area needs a Wal-Mart was nevertheless nervous about giving her name.

"I have friends who are against (the project) and they'll kill me,'' she said.

With the shopping centre already vetoed by the city, the issue goes to the Ontario Municipal Board next month.

Fletcher, who wants the site in the Eastern Ave. and Leslie St. area set aside for higher paying, "value-added jobs," not retail employment, organized a rally a couple of weeks ago slamming the proposal, together with MP Jack Layton and MPP Peter Tabuns. About 300 people attended, and homes and storefronts in the area have sprouted signs reading: "No Big Box in Leslieville."

Kevin Walters, president of the Eastern Avenue Residents Association, is annoyed that the NDP has cultivated the "no" side of the issue: "They are the ones whipping up all the opposition, yet so many of their core supporters are low income and need the opportunity to shop at a place like Wal-Mart."

Fletcher counters that such remarks are "scraping the bottom of the barrel," and maintains the opposition is based on a grassroots community "push back." There's no guarantee the site will include a Wal-Mart if it gets approved.

Mitch Goldhar's SmartCentres Inc. has a 50 per cent stake in the 7.7-hectare site, with Rose Corp. owning the other half. Wal-Mart is typically the anchor for SmartCentres.

"We're talking to Wal-Mart. We hope they'll be part of the project, but they haven't signed on," said Tom Smith, vice-president, development for SmartCentres.

Wal-Mart would have to conform to the scale of the project, which calls for storefronts on three levels along Eastern Ave. and Lake Shore Blvd. E., with 1,900 parking spots tucked in behind, the goal being to minimize their visual impact.

A Wal-Mart there would be about half the usual size, or 130,000 square feet, and located on the upper floors, which Smith calls a "radical departure" for the company.

The property currently houses Toronto Film Studios, but that operation will soon head south of Lake Shore to the portlands.

Work on the project would begin next year, creating 1,800 construction jobs. At completion in 2011, it will create 2,000 permanent jobs, Smith says, with an annual payroll of $60 million.

"We believe this is significant. Further, we are committed to making these jobs available first and foremost to local residents,'' he said.

A major worry for neighbours is the traffic it will bring into a neighbourhood yearning for a more walkable, urban vibe.

Proponents say that won't be a major issue because there will be access to the site from Lake Shore. The area already has a "big-box'' Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart and Price Chopper.

Fletcher says her problem with the project isn't solely about Wal-Mart – though she is opposed to the company's labour practices. Wal-Mart is known for its low wages and resistance to unionization.

Her main argument is that the site is supposed to be set aside for "value-added jobs," like the film-related employment there now.

"The retail job is worth $33,000 a year to Toronto's economy. The value-added job is worth $106,000 a year. Multiply each of those by 2,000 and you can see the yearly difference in a value-added jobs strategy," Fletcher says.

"My job isn't to watch if somebody has to go one block or three blocks to buy something. My job, and that of city council, is to ensure the long-term economic health of the city's economy, and that the lands set aside for value-added jobs aren't gobbled up by retail."

Re:Wal-Mart: Blessing or curse?

April 23

Thanks for the article on Wal-Mart. It was a nice change to see views from both sides. The report that a local shopper "was nevertheless nervous about giving her name" did not surprise me. Many Leslieville "silent" citizens choose not to reveal their identity on this subject as they have experienced subtle intimidation with nasty arguments at community meetings or having their opinions totally ignored.

I am also confused how a cash-strapped city like Toronto can turn its nose up at the offer of an annual $3 million or more in property taxes if the Smart Centre is developed. The naysayers are ready to argue that even though there would be 2,100 jobs, they would be low-paid positions. It would be an interesting survey to find out what wages are paid to employees at many of the local businesses.

Of course, if the Smart Centre does open, it will be amusing to see many of the "No Big Box" supporters shopping there. I meet up with many Leslieville neighbours down at the new stores, Canadian Tire and Mark's Work Wearhouse, especially at sale time.

Bruce Brackett, Toronto

Cling, Clank, Clink, Clank,,,,,,,

Hab Fan Riots A Joke Compared To..........

.....the game in Ottawa.

Lisa Corbella's Experience With Elections Canada

Licia Corbella on Elections Canada: If they can't figure out what's legal, how can they expect the Tories to know?

In fairness you would have to ask whether the liberals, ndp or bloc would have anymore success in understand Elections Canada policy.

Same People Who Go Green, Attend LiveAid Concerts, Etc.

....their hearts are in the right place but their head is not.

How many hungry children would the $$$ spent on 77 tons of weapons feed?????

An African beacon of morality
Gordon Barthos 20 min. ago

So the Chinese rustbucket An Yue Jiang limps home today. And Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe can wave adieu to the 77 tons of weapons he ordered to prop up his shaky regime.

Ticket Collector Wayne Cook Has It Right........

......so you have to wonder who made the decision and when to pull the plug?

As Wayne stated: ""It's not right to do it at midnight, we should just shut down at 2:30 at the end of service," said Wayne Cook, ticket collector at Ossington, swarmed by confused commuters. "Bob Kinnear has a lot to answer for, for the way he's handled things."

Riders left high, dry and riled TheStar.com - GTA - Riders left high, dry and riled

April 26, 2008

Noor Javed
Staff Reporter

The midnight strike came as a shock to both TTC workers and commuters out on the town, leaving many stranded with few options for getting home.

The workers overwhelmingly rejected the tentative agreement and announced at 10:47 p.m. that a strike was imminent.

In subways, an announcement was made at 11:23 p.m. telling ticket collectors over their private intercom that service would be shutting down at midnight.

A public announcement didn't start until almost 11:30 p.m.

It was barely enough time for many in the downtown core to find alternate routes home.

"No way, no way," Jorge Bayona, out with friends at Yonge-Dundas Square, said at 11:40 pm. "You're kidding me. We live an hour away."

The shock on his face escalated to panic, and he and his friends started trying to conjure up contingency plans.

Danielle Consett, 25, also expressed anger at the TTC's union for voting against the tentative agreement – in favour of a last-minute strike.

"It's a danger to society," she said. "It's selfish. We have rights, too. We have the right to know about a strike 48 hours in advance."

Some TTC workers, on the job, expressed concern about their safety when asking people to leave the station, evident by the announcement heard at many stations: "If you're having difficulty closing your station, let us know."

"I'm kind of worried about how it will be when the last train comes and I'm dealing with a lot of angry people," said a ticket collector, who didn't want to give her name.

One man, who tried to get on a southbound train after they had just closed off the service about 11:50, starting cursing at her.

"We have to stick together," the ticket collector said. "If they are going to contract out with the maintenance people, where does it end?"

But other TTC workers were less sympathetic.

"It's not right to do it at midnight, we should just shut down at 2:30 at the end of service," said Wayne Cook, ticket collector at Ossington, swarmed by confused commuters. "Bob Kinnear has a lot to answer for, for the way he's handled things."

With files from Michele Henry, Jason Paul, Paola Lorrigio

Union Executive Kinnear Should Resign.......

TTC employees strike
Workers vote 65% against deal

First of all I would like to see how many union members actually voted. This would give us a better insight into how many of the members require reality therapy. I am sure the majority of the riders that ride the TTC to get to jobs that put food on the table and a roof over their head and a loss of a day's pay is a crisis might think the following is generous......

• Term: three years, expiring March 31, 2011
• Wages: April 1, 2008 -- 3 per cent; April 1, 2009 -- 3 per cent; April 1, 2010 -- 3 per cent
• Vision Care: $300 every two years; plus $50 for exams
• Dental Care: major restorative, including implants up to $2,500
• Orthodontic: up to $4,000 (50 per cent TTC coverage)
• Physio & Chiro: $1,000 max ($35 per visit)
• Long-term Disability: $2,550 max, per month

POINT OF VIEW: TTC strike a crime against Torontonians

Updated: 5 minutes ago

A knee-jerk strike by the Amalgamated Transit Union -- hijacking the TTC while the union implodes -- is a crime against the people of Toronto.

Full Point of View Workers vote all day on TTC deal TTC workers were expected to ratify a tentative deal yesterday during an all-day voting process, despite a group of workers grumbling about the agreement. I am sure these union members didn't put pressure on any of their fellow union members

Comrade Miller Does Something Right But What Is Adam Vaughan Smoking......

But like Miller, he said that property owners should be responsible for the costs.

"The city is not in the business of providing free demolition service," Vaughan stated.

"If there isn't a charge back to the property owner," he pointed out, "owners across the city, who know they're going to go through a redevelopment exercise, would do their demolition with matches."

Duke's Cycle On The Hook For Fire Damage: $64,000

Homegrown Terrorists

OPP draw weapons in tense standoff with natives

Updated: Fri Apr. 25 2008 11:23:41 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

The Ontario Provincial Police were involved in a tense standoff with Mohawk protesters in Deseronto, about 220 kilometres east of Toronto, on Friday.

At one point during the confrontation, which occurred around 4 p.m., officers drew their weapons.

OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae, in an interview with CTV.ca, would not confirm earlier reports that officers drew their weapons in reaction to seeing one of the Mohawks with a rifle or shotgun.

The protesters claim they had no weapons and no shots were fired.

The standoff followed an earlier incident Friday when Napanee OPP officers arrested Tyendinaga Mohawk leader Shawn Brant during a traffic stop.

During the arrest, which took place around 1:45 p.m., a group of people approached police and a confrontation ensued.

The police officers were allegedly assaulted and the window of an OPP vehicle was smashed.

As a result, the OPP established road blocks to prevent access to Deseronto Road.

Around 4 p.m., a group of people approached police at a blockade at Bridge Street.

Police recognized some within the group as suspects wanted in relation to protests that occurred in Deseronto on April 21 and 22.

Officers attempted to arrest the suspects but were met with resistance from the group.

During that incident "officers had their guns drawn in reaction to something," said Rae.

The report that officers saw a gun was "still under investigation," she said.

Ten people were eventually arrested for various offences including assaulting police. Six adults remain in OPP custody and will appear for a bail hearing Saturday in Napanee. Four young people were released unconditionally and the two police officers were taken to hospital for minor injuries.

Dan Doreen, the leader of a group that erected a blockade last Sunday on Deseronto's main road, was among those arrested.

Last Sunday's blockade was erected near Belleville, Ont., to protest a land dispute with a Kingston-based developer.

Brant was already under court order to stay away from any protests following his involvement in last June's national aboriginal day of action.

At that time, Brant lead a blockade of Highway 2 near Deseronto and was charged with mischief and breach of his bail conditions.

With files from The Canadian Press

Some insight into Brant from The Nexus Of Assholery

Shawn Brant Arrested -- Again -- In Standoff

Brant's history defies bail elligibility

Need Anything More Be Said

Purring at puff party

Toke-in has more takers than Earth Day rally

Matt Mernagh

Amazing pot smog hangs hazily in the sunny afternoon during Toronto Hash Mob’s second successful smoke-out on Sunday, April 20, better known as 4/20. By 4:20 pm, almost 2,000 stoners fill our …

MORE

Let's Leave Some Room In The Spotlight For The Liberals

Police ready to turn spotlight on Liberal officials

With fraud investigations into ad agencies nearly wrapped up, Mounties to intensify scrutiny of possible corruption, influence peddling

DANIEL LEBLANC

From Friday's Globe and Mail

April 25, 2008 at 4:58 AM EDT

OTTAWA — The police have almost finished probing advertising firms involved in the sponsorship scandal and are moving on to allegations of corruption against Liberal officials, sources say.

The RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec have recommended to Crown prosecutors that a final set of charges be laid in the advertising phase of the probe, against people who worked for at least two companies involved in the sponsorship program, sources said.

These cases wind up the police investigation of the major advertising firms involved in the controversial federal initiative to put up Canadian flags in Quebec after the 1995 referendum on sovereignty.

Having focused on issues of fraud since 2002, the Mounties sent a clear message last week they are now looking at allegations of influence peddling, laying charges against former federal Liberal official Benoît Corbeil.

Sources said the RCMP is hoping to go higher up the Liberal hierarchy than Mr. Corbeil, the former director-general of the Liberal Party's Quebec wing, who is accused of taking a bribe from a businessman and defrauding the party.

Toronto Needs A Strong Leader But Not An Elected One

Our Board Of Directors

Our CEO

Every successful corporation has a CEO (Mayor) who reports to a Board Of Directors (City Councillors) but the CEO serves at the behest of the board and can be fired for incompotence, etc. instantly rather than wait three years. Anything would be an improvement over what we presently have........

Power play targets Miller's power grab TheStar.com - Columnist - Power play targets Miller's power grab

April 24, 2008

Royson James

Eight Toronto councillors have initiated a flurry of procedural moves to short-circuit Mayor David Miller's bid for enhanced powers.

Claiming that Miller's power grab harms local democracy and leaves them as mere scrubs on city council, they've filed six notices of motion to council's Tuesday meeting – fighting back with sarcasm, anger and a power play of their own.

One motion lampoons their plight with a stinging shot at the mayor. It recommends the province "eliminate altogether" the 44 positions of city councillor and that the 2010 election "be conducted only for the position of the Mayor of Toronto."

In lieu of council, the motion recommends the mayor "appoint or dismiss 12 individuals to serve on the mayor's executive or cabinet committee" to handle city affairs; and the mayor "unilaterally hire or fire the city manager ... and anybody else he sees fit."

Changes implemented this term of council already give Miller more power than any mayor in Ontario and reduce council's sway. He appoints and dismisses a 12-person executive as well as all committee chairs. This creates a huge voting block. Adding more is overkill, several councillors say.

But Miller says he plans to have private talks with Premier Dalton McGuinty seeking the right to hire and fire the city manager, and the right to hold secret meetings with his hand-picked executive committee, acting like a provincial cabinet.

"What do you need us for?" asks Councillor Michael Thompson, who's signed two of the motions. "Maybe we just need one person with an iron hand to run the city with a strong political voice, and appoint those that he needs and they can do the job. Some people might say, great, get rid of (councillors). Let's have that debate."

Councillor Mike Del Grande, whose name is attached to four of the motions, anticipates the mayor will sideline the motions Tuesday, with the help of his allies. The dissenters need a two-thirds vote margin to have council debate the issue, and that is unlikely when the mayor controls as many as 17 airtight votes.

Del Grande, Thompson and others are planning to hold public meetings, like U.S. congressional hearings, if they can't get a council airing.

"We are going to go to the public and there's nothing (Miller) can do to stop it," Del Grande says. "We need to shine the light on this and let the general public understand that this is a man who is power-hungry. He gets frustrated easily when his measures are slowed down for a debate."

Councillor Brian Ashton called it "ironic that Miller came to city hall promising openness and transparency but he's going in reverse."

He says the motions "demonstrate an absolute frustration. When councillors have to resort to resolutions to council to have input or to make their points, it marks a breakdown in the structure at city hall. If councillors can't get past the barriers to debate, how do you expect the public to?"

The mini-crisis could be averted if Miller quits circumventing council. It's inconceivable that he would have stood for this just a few years ago. Now, he prattles on while dancing around the essential truth: His quest erodes democracy, polarizes council, politicizes the civil service – and aims to do so by provincial fiat, not council discussion.

The success of the mini-revolt rests with how non-partisan it becomes. The fact that Councillor Adam Vaughan, a frequent Miller backer, seconded one motion by Case Ootes should worry the Millerites. Council must consent to any change in the mayor's status, the motion says. The current structure "prevents an autocracy."

Some Should Remind Bussin She Is A PUBLIC OFFICIAL

Don't shut down lobbyist registry TheStar.com - comment - Don't shut down lobbyist registry

April 25, 2008

After barely three months of operation, Toronto's lobbyist registry requires some fine-tuning, but there is no need to suspend its website, as one city councillor has suggested.

The registry monitors lobbyists seeking to influence decision-making in Canada's largest city. The backbone of the service is its website, where lobbyists register online and where the public can see who is lobbying whom.

Simply because the rules under which this agency operates are being modified is no reason for the web presence to vanish, even temporarily. Yet a suspension of online public searches and registrations is being urged by Councillor Sandra Bussin.

There are, indeed, some legitimate concerns about the registry, including the requirement that lobbyists list in advance everyone they might approach.

Some lobbyists, unsure of their plans, simply list all city councillors as potential targets. In Bussin's case, the agency's website lists 173 people who have registered as lobbyists intending to contact her, but she has talked with only two, and they were constituents. Bussin is understandably upset because, as council's speaker, she strives to keep lobbyist contacts to a minimum.

Obviously, there is little value in listing potential contacts that never materialize. But Bussin's suggested response – shutting down the agency's web operations – goes too far. Until the new rules are in place, she is calling for a return to "more traditional methodology," such as having the public and lobbyists either telephone or appear in person at city hall to obtain information. That is not how one communicates in the 21st century.

Some teething pains should be expected given that this is the first lobbyist registry in Canada operated and administered by a municipality. And action is being taken. Lobbyist registrar Marilyn Abraham is in the process of changing the rules, including lifting the requirement to list potential contacts. Her recommendations are expected to go to the executive committee, and subsequently city council, in June.

With improvements on the way, it would be unwise to hamstring this registry by suspending its website.