Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Blogging World Can Be Vicious
And to see how vicious you need to read Michelle Malkin's blog.Fortunately those that spew these vicious comments are part of a miniscule group and it is reassuring to see they are being dealt with but the problem is they can resurrect themselves using false names.
If You Pay Property Taxes In Toronto
You are going to end up getting screwed if you are not in one of Mayor Miller's chosen circle; unions, environuts, waterfront condo owners, island squatters, artistes, social in-activists, and no amount of gobbley gook will change that....hopefully the mayor, councillors, beauracrats and unions wiil wear protection.
Decoding city budget bafflegab
March 28, 2007
Jim Byers
Paul Moloney
city hall bureau
Municipal budgets have never been confused with a racy novel. But a professor at Ryerson University says some words used in the City of Toronto's latest financial report take jargon and gibberish to a whole new level.
The operating budget, released Monday, contains acronyms such as OMBI and COTA. Potential taxes are called "revenue tools." And what appear to be budget shortfalls are labelled as "net pressures."
It's all a bit much, says Mier Siemiatycki, from Ryerson's department of politics and public administration.
"Municipal budgets have always been a minefield of unintelligible jargon or gibberish, as far as outsiders are concerned," he said yesterday. "There's stuff about mill rates and assessments that causes people's eyes to glaze over. But it seems we've taken another big step in the direction of incomprehensibility here."
Page 35 of a city budget document given to reporters on Monday carries the heading "Getting to a Balanced Budget." The first line shows a figure of $292 million next to the words "adjusted pressure." The next line talks about one-time funding from COTA and other sources. After a few more entries, the line at the bottom of the page says "Net Pressure – zero."
City officials insist they're not trying to confuse anyone. When the document speaks of $292 million in "adjusted pressure" it really means that, after whacking all the spending it could, the city was still short $292 million because more was needed for salary hikes and program improvements.
The bureaucrats propose to wrestle the total down some more by taking money from reserves, imposing a 3.8 per cent property tax increase, taking advantage of new taxing powers under the City of Toronto Act, or COTA, and pleading with the province to hand over $71 million for welfare programs.
Asking the province for welfare money was labelled: "Provincial Responsibilities: Honour Legislated Social Service Cost Sharing." That's a line Mayor David Miller has roughly translated to: "Pay your bills."
Caledon Back In The News
But it has little to do with homegrown terrorists but rather is shaping up to be a Christians and Lions event........let's see how the justice system deals with this dispute.
Caledon land fight heads to court
Long-time title holder who has been paying the taxes on the 5-acre parcel and the large Christian youth complex that uses it are locked in a fractious dispute
March 28, 2007
Jim Wilkes
Staff Reporter
A woman is finally heading to court to hold onto a choice piece of Caledon land that a Christian children's charity claims is theirs.
In one corner is Eleanor George de Peña, who now lives in Mexico but was raised on 150 acres in the Caledon hills bought by her parents, Annie and Thomas George, in the 1950s. They sold most of the land after her father's death, but held onto five acres for a future family retreat.
In the other corner is Teen Ranch, which runs a sprawling multimillion-dollar complex for young people on Highway 10 south of Orangeville – complete with hockey arena, lodges and stables – on 145 acres adjacent to the George land, which it bought in 1969 from a subsequent owner.
A sticky point is a huge communications tower erected by Bell Mobility in 1989 on the George land. Bell has been paying rent to Teen Ranch for placing the tower there. Teen Ranch has also been collecting lease payments from another company for allowing it to place cellular devices on the tower.
Even though the tower sits on George land, the family hasn't received a penny from the lease arrangements.
So legal claims and cross-claims have been flying back and forth in recent weeks – none of which have been proven in court – with all sides in the action pointing fingers at each other.
Much of the case hangs on a Teen Ranch claim that it should be given title to the smaller piece of land because it planted 2,000 trees on the site and that no one from the George family has used the property for more than 10 years.
In legal language, it's called "adverse possession." It means that someone who uses your land for an extended period of time can claim it as their own if you don't complain or use it yourself.
Eleanor George de Peña sees it differently. "Teen Ranch is trying to steal our land with fancy legal terms," the 60-year-old mother of four said yesterday from her home in Mexico, where she settled after marrying in the mid-1970s.
"There's nothing Christian about that."
More
Caledon land fight heads to court
Long-time title holder who has been paying the taxes on the 5-acre parcel and the large Christian youth complex that uses it are locked in a fractious dispute
March 28, 2007
Jim Wilkes
Staff Reporter
A woman is finally heading to court to hold onto a choice piece of Caledon land that a Christian children's charity claims is theirs.
In one corner is Eleanor George de Peña, who now lives in Mexico but was raised on 150 acres in the Caledon hills bought by her parents, Annie and Thomas George, in the 1950s. They sold most of the land after her father's death, but held onto five acres for a future family retreat.
In the other corner is Teen Ranch, which runs a sprawling multimillion-dollar complex for young people on Highway 10 south of Orangeville – complete with hockey arena, lodges and stables – on 145 acres adjacent to the George land, which it bought in 1969 from a subsequent owner.
A sticky point is a huge communications tower erected by Bell Mobility in 1989 on the George land. Bell has been paying rent to Teen Ranch for placing the tower there. Teen Ranch has also been collecting lease payments from another company for allowing it to place cellular devices on the tower.
Even though the tower sits on George land, the family hasn't received a penny from the lease arrangements.
So legal claims and cross-claims have been flying back and forth in recent weeks – none of which have been proven in court – with all sides in the action pointing fingers at each other.
Much of the case hangs on a Teen Ranch claim that it should be given title to the smaller piece of land because it planted 2,000 trees on the site and that no one from the George family has used the property for more than 10 years.
In legal language, it's called "adverse possession." It means that someone who uses your land for an extended period of time can claim it as their own if you don't complain or use it yourself.
Eleanor George de Peña sees it differently. "Teen Ranch is trying to steal our land with fancy legal terms," the 60-year-old mother of four said yesterday from her home in Mexico, where she settled after marrying in the mid-1970s.
"There's nothing Christian about that."
More
Beach Gentry Dump Ed Into The Dirty Laundry Hamper
Isn't this the same area where people had to hold a public meeting to justify their wish to feed the homeless? A area where you could be sent to Coventry if you don't use the correct name; Beach, Beaches, The Beaches, etc.
Ed the Sock booted from Easter Parade
March 28, 2007
Bill Taylor
Feature Writer
Ed the Sock has been declared footwear non grata by the Toronto Beaches Lions Club.
The cigar-chomping, trash-talking, gravel-voiced puppet and Liana K, co-host of Ed & Red's Night Party! on Citytv, were to have been grand marshals at the Lions' annual Easter Parade on Queen St. E. April 8.
Liana K is the wife of Steve Kerzner, who created Ed the Sock 20 years ago and turned it into a ribald TV personality. The couple, perplexed and a little angry, talked to the Star yesterday from Los Angeles. They're filming segments for the late-night talk show, which features raw humour and interviews with adult-movie actors on a set that includes a hot tub.
"The Lions," Liana said. "I guess I'm used to dealing with a different kind of cat.
"It was all done by email and they seemed excited at first that we agreed. Paid? Are you crazy? Of course not. We don't take money for this kind of thing."
The Kerzners said their last email from Chris Yaccato, co-chair of the parade, withdrew the invitation because "unfortunately, the community is quite angry. ... They feel that your participation is not ideal..."
Instead, Luba Goy and Craig Lauzon of CBC's Royal Canadian Air Farce will be marshals.
Yaccato said he and other Lions officials had dozens of calls and emails after a community weekly reported that Ed the Sock would be grand marshal. "People were saying, `Are you guys crazy? This is a children's parade. What are you doing?'"
The Lions, he said, had sent out a number of letters to TV personalities "and Ed the Sock graciously accepted. I sought the approval of our board and no one really flinched. As the general membership heard about it, some showed their anxiety and then ... wham.
"I take full responsibility. I feel really bad about putting (the Kerzners) in that position. They were great, very courteous."
Ed the Sock was in the parade in 1993. "I guess then people didn't feel he was, to quote someone who called me, as raunchy," Yaccato said.
Steve Kerzner wondered: "What did they think we were going to do? We were going to sit in the back of a car. Ed would look around and Liana would wave. What I find aggravating is this perception that we're ... uncontrollable. We're working professionals. We know how to address ourselves to the crowd in the appropriate way."
Liana said she recently did fundraisers for the Casey House hospice and a women's shelter. "Both were quite happy to have me. We've done work in schools and educational programming. We did MuchMusic stuff for years in prime time and there was a different approach than for our late-night show. It's adult-oriented because it's on at 11:30 at night.
"It's not the Lions' fault," she said. "You've got to do what people want you to do. I'm betting the ones who are complaining have never seen our show. They have some rough-hewn impression of what it's about and what it is we do. It's an interesting civics lesson in how something really stupid can happen."
Another Example Of Police Being Social Workers With Guns
Cops of colour 'work like magic'
By AJIT JAIN
Violence against women is not a cultural thing -- it's a man thing, says Toronto Police Supt. Sam Fernandes.
It's present among South Asians but other communities are not immune from it, the 59-year-old veteran cop says.
Often people don't speak out because of their cultural upbringing, he says, so when a complaint comes from a South Asian, the force tries to send an officer from that community.
"It works like magic because you've got an officer who can communicate and understand what's going on." Fernandes says.
Speaking in the victim's language "the officer establishes that trust to understand what's going on."
Now with the force for 36 years, Fernandes in 1989 was the first person of colour to be named an inspector.
His family is originally from Goa in India, but he was born in Tanzania and educated in Calcutta and Scotland, graduating as an aeronautical engineer.
He worked briefly at the Toronto Island airport before joining the Toronto force.
"I was asked to pull together a team to recruit people from various communities to consider policing as a career," he says.
"We want more and more people from diverse backgrounds to come on board to serve their respective communities," Fernandes says.
He's encouraged that there are now 150 South Asian officers on the job, but admits that's not many on a police force of 5,500.
"The biggest barrier in recruiting young people is their families," he says.
"Many of these immigrant families still believe policing is dangerous, they still tell their children policing is not for you."
Fernandes is currently superintendent in charge of 911. "I love it because it has all to do with technology. Front-line officers can do their job using technology," he says.
But he still believes in face-to-face communication
"I do lot of mentoring. I address lot of seminars. And I join the recruiting unit to motivate parents, families," Fernandes says.
When interviewed last week, he was on his way to the airport to fly to Havana -- "just vacations and I love that."
His love of travel made him decide not to go for further promotion and the long work days that would follow.
"I am happy with where I am and what I am doing, serving the communities."
By AJIT JAIN
Violence against women is not a cultural thing -- it's a man thing, says Toronto Police Supt. Sam Fernandes.
It's present among South Asians but other communities are not immune from it, the 59-year-old veteran cop says.
Often people don't speak out because of their cultural upbringing, he says, so when a complaint comes from a South Asian, the force tries to send an officer from that community.
"It works like magic because you've got an officer who can communicate and understand what's going on." Fernandes says.
Speaking in the victim's language "the officer establishes that trust to understand what's going on."
Now with the force for 36 years, Fernandes in 1989 was the first person of colour to be named an inspector.
His family is originally from Goa in India, but he was born in Tanzania and educated in Calcutta and Scotland, graduating as an aeronautical engineer.
He worked briefly at the Toronto Island airport before joining the Toronto force.
"I was asked to pull together a team to recruit people from various communities to consider policing as a career," he says.
"We want more and more people from diverse backgrounds to come on board to serve their respective communities," Fernandes says.
He's encouraged that there are now 150 South Asian officers on the job, but admits that's not many on a police force of 5,500.
"The biggest barrier in recruiting young people is their families," he says.
"Many of these immigrant families still believe policing is dangerous, they still tell their children policing is not for you."
Fernandes is currently superintendent in charge of 911. "I love it because it has all to do with technology. Front-line officers can do their job using technology," he says.
But he still believes in face-to-face communication
"I do lot of mentoring. I address lot of seminars. And I join the recruiting unit to motivate parents, families," Fernandes says.
When interviewed last week, he was on his way to the airport to fly to Havana -- "just vacations and I love that."
His love of travel made him decide not to go for further promotion and the long work days that would follow.
"I am happy with where I am and what I am doing, serving the communities."
Just What Colour Is Your Green Plan Mayor Miller
This is a question that people in the Wood Green area are asking about Miller gives developers the okay to go ahead and cut down 2000 trees and destroy an oasis when an alternative site is available. Miller's Green Plan is like his new broom, one cent campaign, etc. Just a con job.........
Chainsaw Miller
Imagine an oasis in the middle of suburbia, filled with many varieties of trees and birds. Now imagine the city having it cut down
By MIKE STROBEL
Skunks. Rabbits. Foxes. Mice. Warblers. Nuthatches. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers.
Where are we Toto, City Hall?
Can't be. Too quiet. Too friendly. Too natural. Too sane.
No, it's Wood Green Ravine, a leafy refuge near Lawrence Ave. E. and Manse Rd. deep in Scarborough.
David "I Cannot Tell a Lie" Miller is about to chop it down.
Well, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay ...
First, let's take a walk in the five-acre wood, with some of the 1,200 locals who have signed letters in its defence.
WHITE-TAILED DEER
Trees never look their best in March, but spring is afoot. You expect Winnie The Pooh to waddle around a corner.
No bears, but in the last cold snap three white-tailed deer ran past Gerry McGhee and his German shepherd, Woody.
Monarch butterflies paint Wood Green orange during migrations. Bats darken summer skies in pursuit of bugs.
There are 2,000 trees, from saplings to big ol' apple trees, Manitoba maples, locusts, birch and poplar.
In August, blackberries turn local kids purple and everyone gets sick of pie.
Trillium beds bloom. Black-eyed Susans, asters, ferns.
Four kinds of woodpecker (Downey, hairy, pileated and red-headed), four kinds of sparrow (house, Lincoln's, song, vesper), two kinds of finch (house, American gold) and your usual raccoons, squirrels and moles. Mallards nest.
STUNNED LOCALS
You get the picture. An oasis. Smack in the hurly-burly of suburbia.
Midnight at the oasis ...
On Friday, City Hall stunned locals by granting developers permission to fire up the chainsaws. Any day now.
Here, in a red-breasted nutshell, is how Wood Green Ravine came to this brink:
City Hall owned the five acres and transferred it to Habitat for Humanity and a Catholic charity called Women's Religious Projects to build "affordable housing."
Why Mayor Miller et al offered Wood Green Ravine is beyond me.
Another site, treeless, near Scarborough Town Centre is also available.
Wood Green's defenders, aka the Manse Valley Community Association (MVCA), figured reason would rule.
Especially in light of the mayor's green plan, which calls for many more trees.
I don't know how much greenhouse gas the Wood Green trees filter, but they are a spear toss from a filtration plant and a lovely street called Chemical Court.
Spear? Don and Sharon York's daughter found a stone spearhead in the ravine's Danzig Creek. The ROM dated it to 10,000 years.
Don, 69, the MVCA chairman, tells me this as he leads the tour of Wood Green.
"Listen," says paramedic Andy Kemp, 45, and we all pause. And touched the sound of silence ...
Even Woody the dog was named for these trees, says Gerry McGhee's daughter Carly, 18, an art college student.
"It's horrible what they're going to do."
Families picnic here, on grassy swaths mowed by residents. Kids build tree forts. Teachers bring science classes.
This is common ground between classic Scarborough bungalows on the east and townhouses on the west.
"Scrubland," said Mayor Miller on a visit before the 60 new housing units were approved.
"Eh?" wondered local Bruce Smith, 69.
"Not that there's anything wrong with scrub," replied the mayor. Bruce says he was hellbent on housing.
Scrub? Two dozen of the trees are ancient enough to be "protected" by the city. Which did them absolutely no good.
"Wood Green keeps this community friendly and together," says Bruce's wife, Betty.
"It's where we walk. It's where we meet."
Says Don York: "People moved here because of the woods, the nature. All of a sudden, it's gonna disappear.
"We aren't saying the housing should be stopped, (but) this is an environmentally sensitive area and it should not be destroyed.
"They've made a serious error and they need to correct it now."
Councillor Ron Moeser tells me the Town Centre lot is still on offer, and he'll raise the matter again at council.
Sure. Those guys can't see the forest, let alone the trees.
I'm afraid one morning soon, maybe when the trilliums shine and the green plan publicity wanes, the folks of Wood Green will awake to the buzz of chainsaws.
Just what colour is your green plan, Mr. Mayor?
Chainsaw Miller
Imagine an oasis in the middle of suburbia, filled with many varieties of trees and birds. Now imagine the city having it cut down
By MIKE STROBEL
Skunks. Rabbits. Foxes. Mice. Warblers. Nuthatches. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers.
Where are we Toto, City Hall?
Can't be. Too quiet. Too friendly. Too natural. Too sane.
No, it's Wood Green Ravine, a leafy refuge near Lawrence Ave. E. and Manse Rd. deep in Scarborough.
David "I Cannot Tell a Lie" Miller is about to chop it down.
Well, I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay ...
First, let's take a walk in the five-acre wood, with some of the 1,200 locals who have signed letters in its defence.
WHITE-TAILED DEER
Trees never look their best in March, but spring is afoot. You expect Winnie The Pooh to waddle around a corner.
No bears, but in the last cold snap three white-tailed deer ran past Gerry McGhee and his German shepherd, Woody.
Monarch butterflies paint Wood Green orange during migrations. Bats darken summer skies in pursuit of bugs.
There are 2,000 trees, from saplings to big ol' apple trees, Manitoba maples, locusts, birch and poplar.
In August, blackberries turn local kids purple and everyone gets sick of pie.
Trillium beds bloom. Black-eyed Susans, asters, ferns.
Four kinds of woodpecker (Downey, hairy, pileated and red-headed), four kinds of sparrow (house, Lincoln's, song, vesper), two kinds of finch (house, American gold) and your usual raccoons, squirrels and moles. Mallards nest.
STUNNED LOCALS
You get the picture. An oasis. Smack in the hurly-burly of suburbia.
Midnight at the oasis ...
On Friday, City Hall stunned locals by granting developers permission to fire up the chainsaws. Any day now.
Here, in a red-breasted nutshell, is how Wood Green Ravine came to this brink:
City Hall owned the five acres and transferred it to Habitat for Humanity and a Catholic charity called Women's Religious Projects to build "affordable housing."
Why Mayor Miller et al offered Wood Green Ravine is beyond me.
Another site, treeless, near Scarborough Town Centre is also available.
Wood Green's defenders, aka the Manse Valley Community Association (MVCA), figured reason would rule.
Especially in light of the mayor's green plan, which calls for many more trees.
I don't know how much greenhouse gas the Wood Green trees filter, but they are a spear toss from a filtration plant and a lovely street called Chemical Court.
Spear? Don and Sharon York's daughter found a stone spearhead in the ravine's Danzig Creek. The ROM dated it to 10,000 years.
Don, 69, the MVCA chairman, tells me this as he leads the tour of Wood Green.
"Listen," says paramedic Andy Kemp, 45, and we all pause. And touched the sound of silence ...
Even Woody the dog was named for these trees, says Gerry McGhee's daughter Carly, 18, an art college student.
"It's horrible what they're going to do."
Families picnic here, on grassy swaths mowed by residents. Kids build tree forts. Teachers bring science classes.
This is common ground between classic Scarborough bungalows on the east and townhouses on the west.
"Scrubland," said Mayor Miller on a visit before the 60 new housing units were approved.
"Eh?" wondered local Bruce Smith, 69.
"Not that there's anything wrong with scrub," replied the mayor. Bruce says he was hellbent on housing.
Scrub? Two dozen of the trees are ancient enough to be "protected" by the city. Which did them absolutely no good.
"Wood Green keeps this community friendly and together," says Bruce's wife, Betty.
"It's where we walk. It's where we meet."
Says Don York: "People moved here because of the woods, the nature. All of a sudden, it's gonna disappear.
"We aren't saying the housing should be stopped, (but) this is an environmentally sensitive area and it should not be destroyed.
"They've made a serious error and they need to correct it now."
Councillor Ron Moeser tells me the Town Centre lot is still on offer, and he'll raise the matter again at council.
Sure. Those guys can't see the forest, let alone the trees.
I'm afraid one morning soon, maybe when the trilliums shine and the green plan publicity wanes, the folks of Wood Green will awake to the buzz of chainsaws.
Just what colour is your green plan, Mr. Mayor?
Live Aid, Live 8 And Now Live Earth
The question is did these "free" events really accomplish anything? I was well aware that Aids was on the increase, that a child was dieing every 30 minutes from hunger and I know that the Baskin Robbins flavour of the week is global warming so what do these "free" events accomplish? How many carbon credits will be bought and exchanged by the entertainers and audience members? How much will is cost the taxpayers of Toronto, who can't afford to keep swimming pools open, to promote the function, provide the facilities, do the cleanup etc.? This is nothing but a "let them eat cake" event.
Toronto wants to join Live Earth concert: CTV
toronto.ctv.ca
The City of Toronto wants to take part in the international Live Earth concert for global warming this summer, CTV News has learned.
Environmental crusader Al Gore, the former U.S. vice-president, is a key player in the free 24-hour concert that will be staged across all seven continents on July 7 and telecast to an estimated 2 billion people.
Officials at Toronto City Hall are looking for a local promoter to host the event, CTV's Tom Hayes reported.
Those behind the effort, however, don't want a repeat of the Live 8 concert in 2005, where the show was held an hour's drive north in Barrie.
"The city wants it here because it would fit into Mayor (David) Miller's green agenda," Hayes said.
More than 100 of the world's top musical acts will participate in Live Earth concerts in cities including London, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.
Artists include Madonna, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, James Blunt, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell, Faith Hill and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
A show in Toronto would include a host of Canadian performers.
The Live Earth event is attempting to raise worldwide awareness of the dangers and solutions to global warming.
Proceeds from the live simulcast will create the foundation for a new global effort led by The Alliance for Climate Protection and Gore, its chairman.
Gore recently won an Oscar for his climate change documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
With a report from CTV's Tom Hayes
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Three "Objective" Views On Government Budgets
March 24, 2007
Federal budget 2007: A bag of tricks
This budget doesn't address the needs of students, parents, or cities in any meaningful way at all. Watch the animation. >Canadian Union of Public Employees
March 23, 2007
Response to Ontario's budget
Take the self-congratulation out of the 2007–8 provincial budget and you’re left with a very short list of very modest initiatives spread out over a very long period of time. >Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
March 23, 2007
Not a budget for women
Examining the Harper budget through tax breaks, poverty measures, social programs, and values, women's issues are largely ignored. >Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action
Federal budget 2007: A bag of tricks
This budget doesn't address the needs of students, parents, or cities in any meaningful way at all. Watch the animation. >Canadian Union of Public Employees
March 23, 2007
Response to Ontario's budget
Take the self-congratulation out of the 2007–8 provincial budget and you’re left with a very short list of very modest initiatives spread out over a very long period of time. >Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
March 23, 2007
Not a budget for women
Examining the Harper budget through tax breaks, poverty measures, social programs, and values, women's issues are largely ignored. >Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action
Deal Or No Deal
Why is it when the City Of Toronto makes a deal the details of that deal are never revealed without our representatives making a big stink....here is another of those deals.
Landfill hurdle cleared
Settlement with Indian band over pollution worries smoothes way for city to take over St. Thomas dump this week
March 27, 2007
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Toronto has reached a deal with an Oneida Indian band that settles concerns over the city's purchase of a garbage dump near St. Thomas, just 2.2 kilometres from the band's reserve.
Tomorrow's special meeting of council to ratify the agreement should pave the way to completing the $220 million purchase of the Green Lane landfill Thursday. Ownership takes pressure off the city, whose arrangement to ship garbage to Michigan expires at the end of 2010.
The Oneida Nation of the Thames had gone to court to force the city to talk to band leaders about their worries that increased dumping at Green Lane, which has operated since 1979, could contaminate their water.
The city agreed to voluntary talks and a deal was reached, works committee chair Glenn De Baeremaeker said yesterday. No details were released.
"The intent of the meeting is to give direction to legal staff about a settlement with the Oneida Nation," De Baeremaeker said.
"The people of Toronto have been well protected ... the Oneida Nation has been well protected, and there's a settlement coming forward which is in everybody's best interest."
With the settlement in hand, the city will take possession of Green Lane on Thursday. The city's "due diligence" research has shown the dump is in good shape, De Baeremaeker said.
While Toronto will continue shipping garbage to Michigan through 2010, the city now has a safety valve, he said. Michigan legislators are pushing to close the border to out-of-state trash.
Landfill hurdle cleared
Settlement with Indian band over pollution worries smoothes way for city to take over St. Thomas dump this week
March 27, 2007
John Spears
City Hall Bureau
Toronto has reached a deal with an Oneida Indian band that settles concerns over the city's purchase of a garbage dump near St. Thomas, just 2.2 kilometres from the band's reserve.
Tomorrow's special meeting of council to ratify the agreement should pave the way to completing the $220 million purchase of the Green Lane landfill Thursday. Ownership takes pressure off the city, whose arrangement to ship garbage to Michigan expires at the end of 2010.
The Oneida Nation of the Thames had gone to court to force the city to talk to band leaders about their worries that increased dumping at Green Lane, which has operated since 1979, could contaminate their water.
The city agreed to voluntary talks and a deal was reached, works committee chair Glenn De Baeremaeker said yesterday. No details were released.
"The intent of the meeting is to give direction to legal staff about a settlement with the Oneida Nation," De Baeremaeker said.
"The people of Toronto have been well protected ... the Oneida Nation has been well protected, and there's a settlement coming forward which is in everybody's best interest."
With the settlement in hand, the city will take possession of Green Lane on Thursday. The city's "due diligence" research has shown the dump is in good shape, De Baeremaeker said.
While Toronto will continue shipping garbage to Michigan through 2010, the city now has a safety valve, he said. Michigan legislators are pushing to close the border to out-of-state trash.
Hold The Line At 0% Increase In Dept. Budgets
That seems pretty clear cut so you have wonder why only nine of forty-nine City Of Toronto departments met that edict and do I have to tell you which departments are the worst offenders......list below.
Freespending city must stop blaming province
By SUE-ANN LEVY
As city manager Shirley Hoy contended at yesterday's 2007 $7.8-billion operating budget launch, all city departments and agencies were asked to flatline their budgets this year.
To contain yet another $500-million-plus deficit -- this year's is a whopping $562 million -- no city department was supposed to increase their budget demands one red cent.
What a laugh. Like most City Hall edicts, it seems this one too is made to be broken -- especially by Mayor David Miller, who as CEO of this city is fulfilling a vital mandate.
Miller's office budget will rise 29.7% this year to hire four additional staff to oversee those visions which allegedly keep on coming from his office.
His Clean and Beautiful Secretariat (a Miller fiefdom, if I ever saw one) will see a funding increase of 226%. For that price, I'm expecting not to see one bit of litter on the downtown streets by year's end. Funding for Miller's Waterfront Secretariat (another fiefdom) will jump nearly 31%.
The Municipal Licensing and Standards department? Its budget will rise 18%, no doubt to maintain a healthy roster of bylaw officers to ensure Torontonians play by the socialist's rules and pay up once new taxes, er "public policy revenue tools," are created under the City of Toronto Act.
"If departments were not able to do it (achieve a zero increase), they had to fully document why," said Hoy.
I'm guessing the city manager's office had quite a thick folder of excuses. Fact is, only nine of 49 city departments and agencies actually met the 0% target -- the mayor and his pet projects being the worst offenders.
More
Freespending city must stop blaming province
By SUE-ANN LEVY
As city manager Shirley Hoy contended at yesterday's 2007 $7.8-billion operating budget launch, all city departments and agencies were asked to flatline their budgets this year.
To contain yet another $500-million-plus deficit -- this year's is a whopping $562 million -- no city department was supposed to increase their budget demands one red cent.
What a laugh. Like most City Hall edicts, it seems this one too is made to be broken -- especially by Mayor David Miller, who as CEO of this city is fulfilling a vital mandate.
Miller's office budget will rise 29.7% this year to hire four additional staff to oversee those visions which allegedly keep on coming from his office.
His Clean and Beautiful Secretariat (a Miller fiefdom, if I ever saw one) will see a funding increase of 226%. For that price, I'm expecting not to see one bit of litter on the downtown streets by year's end. Funding for Miller's Waterfront Secretariat (another fiefdom) will jump nearly 31%.
The Municipal Licensing and Standards department? Its budget will rise 18%, no doubt to maintain a healthy roster of bylaw officers to ensure Torontonians play by the socialist's rules and pay up once new taxes, er "public policy revenue tools," are created under the City of Toronto Act.
"If departments were not able to do it (achieve a zero increase), they had to fully document why," said Hoy.
I'm guessing the city manager's office had quite a thick folder of excuses. Fact is, only nine of 49 city departments and agencies actually met the 0% target -- the mayor and his pet projects being the worst offenders.
More
Amber Light Alert Usually Means Someone In Imminent Danger
In this case it is the citizens of Toronto who are in danger. Danger of going bankrupt.
Amber light for green plan
By ZEN RURYK, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Mayor David Miller's green plan won support at a city committee yesterday amid warnings Toronto may have to dish out some tough love to fight climate change.
Toronto's influential executive committee voted to seek comment from the public on Miller's plan which outlines possible measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
Taxing parking spots, encouraging people to abandon gas-powered lawn mowers and planting lots of trees are all possibilities raised in the plan. The 27-page document sets ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals -- 6% by 2012, 30% by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
"Eventually this program will hit a wall. It will hit a wall when you have to make the tough decisions like limiting car entry into the downtown core," warned Councillor Howard Moscoe, who added it's easy to talk about the "warm and fuzzy" stuff.
"When the going gets tough, that's when people will start to bail out. That's when this whole thing won't become easy."
But Moscoe said he's ready to support the measures to combat global warming. The plan currently does not contain proposals to impose tolls or restrict traffic from coming into the core and it does not provide any analysis of what it would cost to implement them.
Councillor Michael Thompson argued it's imperative the public have an idea of the cost of implementing a plan to deal with climate change.
Amber light for green plan
By ZEN RURYK, CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Mayor David Miller's green plan won support at a city committee yesterday amid warnings Toronto may have to dish out some tough love to fight climate change.
Toronto's influential executive committee voted to seek comment from the public on Miller's plan which outlines possible measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases
Taxing parking spots, encouraging people to abandon gas-powered lawn mowers and planting lots of trees are all possibilities raised in the plan. The 27-page document sets ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals -- 6% by 2012, 30% by 2020, and 80% by 2050.
"Eventually this program will hit a wall. It will hit a wall when you have to make the tough decisions like limiting car entry into the downtown core," warned Councillor Howard Moscoe, who added it's easy to talk about the "warm and fuzzy" stuff.
"When the going gets tough, that's when people will start to bail out. That's when this whole thing won't become easy."
But Moscoe said he's ready to support the measures to combat global warming. The plan currently does not contain proposals to impose tolls or restrict traffic from coming into the core and it does not provide any analysis of what it would cost to implement them.
Councillor Michael Thompson argued it's imperative the public have an idea of the cost of implementing a plan to deal with climate change.
Close Seven Swimming Pools Versus City Hall Renovations
Seems like a no brainer but the executive committee, chaired by No Plan B Miller, seems to be choosing closing the swimming pools. This is an just a small example of skewed thinking at City Hall. No mention of contracting out services, efficiencies that were promised by the city unions, reducing staff through attrition, etc. etc.
Property owners also face a higher cost from Toronto Hydro.
Toronto residents facing 3.8 per cent tax hike
toronto.ctv.ca
Toronto residents are facing a property tax increase of 3.8 per cent this year -- almost double the rate of inflation -- because of under-funding from the provincial government, the city's budget chief says.
Shelley Carroll's budget report on Monday said the shortfall of $73 million forced her to call for the significant tax hike. The councillor blamed the Ontario government for failing to pay its share for social services.
"Some services have had to be cancelled, deferred or rationalized. Some fees have gone up to increase cost recovery and ensure stable funding," she said.
The end results means residents would pay about $80 this year on property taxes.
Last year the city increased property taxes three per cent, which meant an average of about $60 per household.
The 3.8 per cent increase is higher than the three per cent analysts were predicting.
Mayor David Miller campaigned to keep residential tax increases in line with the rate of inflation, which is generally around two per cent.
Business property taxes will rise about 1.26 per cent, according to budget figures.
The city's $7.8 billion operating budget offers no new services. In addition to the tax increases, the city is drawing on reserve funds.
Carroll said the province must pony up its full share of money for programs such as the Ontario Drug Benefit Program and the Ontario Disability Support Program.
"They have expected us to either raise taxes or cut services to pay their bills," she said, according to the Toronto Star. "They have expected Torontonians to pay more and receive less.
"Last Thursday the province produced a budget with a $300 million surplus. Their budget was silent on our outstanding accounts payable."
Carroll said the uploaded services would add an extra $175 million to her budget.
The fiscal situation calls for the closure of seven outdoor pools that are in a state of disrepair, a measure that will save $455,000 this year.
User fees for programs at community centres will also be increased by three per cent, which will affect everything from swimming lessons, to dance classes, to arts and crafts.
Permits for on-street parking will also be increasing by just under two per cent.
"These are the measures we've tried to avoid for years and years and years now, and we've reached the point in 2007 where we can't avoid it any longer," Carroll said.
But some councillors said the city could have prevented the tax hike.
"The decisions we've made, we are now dealing with," said Councillor Karen Stintz. "If we want to be an autonomous city, we have to search deep and search long and find the efficiencies and find the savings to be financially accountable and financially autonomous, and it's not about the province."
Councillor David Shiner echoed the remarks.
"None of this has to happen with proper planning. We've seen this coming," he said. "I've said it before that we're going to hit the brick wall, and we're going to hit it this year. It's nobody's fault but our own."
Mayor David Miller was disappointed last Monday when the federal government unveiled its budget, which contained no new money for transit or the one per cent cut of the GST the mayor wanted to help pay for city services.
Miller's frustrations grew on Thursday when the Ontario government laid out its fiscal blueprint, which too did not result in any significant cash for Toronto.
However, the government issued a press release on Monday, saying it has increased funding to $643 million this year, up from $226 million it handed over in 2006.
Monday's report went before the budget committee session. Councillors will now scrutinize the proposals on Wednesday, and the public will get its chance to offer comments at a public meeting at city hall on Thursday.
Council will then debate and approve a budget late next month.
With a report from CTV's Desmond Brown
Monday, March 26, 2007
Having A Hard Time Discerning The Difference Between
ACLU
Stop The ACLU
Some mornings I tend to get out of bed on the right side and some mornings on the left side although I usually lean towards the right side and to be honest I don't find either of these sites coming even close to a balanced view.
Stop The ACLU
Some mornings I tend to get out of bed on the right side and some mornings on the left side although I usually lean towards the right side and to be honest I don't find either of these sites coming even close to a balanced view.
I Will Wait For The Orthodox Jew's Views.....
JTS to admit gay rabbinical students
The Jewish Theological Seminary announced Monday that it would change admission policies to accept openly gay students at its rabbinical school.
Arnold Eisen, chancellor-elect of the Conservative movement's flagship institution, made the decision after consulting with the seminary community and conducting a movement-wide survey, both of which found strong support for the change.
In December, the movement’s legal authority, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, endorsed three opinions on the question of homosexuality. Two upheld the movement’s traditional stance barring gay clergy and commitment ceremonies, while a third opened the door to gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies while upholding the biblical prohibition on male intercourse.
The conflicting opinions enabled individual Conservative institutions to make their own policy decisions. In Los Angeles, the University of Judaism’s rabbinical school has already admitted two openly gay students for the fall term. The movement’s other seminaries – in Jerusalem, Budapest and Buenos Aires – are not expected to follow suit.
The Jewish Theological Seminary announced Monday that it would change admission policies to accept openly gay students at its rabbinical school.
Arnold Eisen, chancellor-elect of the Conservative movement's flagship institution, made the decision after consulting with the seminary community and conducting a movement-wide survey, both of which found strong support for the change.
In December, the movement’s legal authority, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, endorsed three opinions on the question of homosexuality. Two upheld the movement’s traditional stance barring gay clergy and commitment ceremonies, while a third opened the door to gay rabbis and commitment ceremonies while upholding the biblical prohibition on male intercourse.
The conflicting opinions enabled individual Conservative institutions to make their own policy decisions. In Los Angeles, the University of Judaism’s rabbinical school has already admitted two openly gay students for the fall term. The movement’s other seminaries – in Jerusalem, Budapest and Buenos Aires – are not expected to follow suit.
When Called To Task For Our Internet Indiscretions
Most people, including myself, will fall back on excuses like; freedom of expression, it was meant as satire, I was being facetious, it was a troll, etc. etc. There was a time, when most of you weren't around, when it was felt that the internet was impenetrable by government but you could expect to get your butt flamed by the self proclaimed guardians who were usually individuals who paid the tariffs but bulletin boards, usenet groups, etc. and it was all text messaging so you had to stay on topic and be brief or you lost access.
It's just not funny
Let me give a little tip to Canadians and Americans alike that spend a lot of time on the Internet:
You are not alone. And when you say things like Kill the President and Behead the Prime Minister, your nerdy MySpace buddies aren't the only ones reading. You aren't the only one reading the words Jihad and Allah in your email.
My threads have been read time and again by the Department of Homeland Security, the RCMP, and my Internet provider. I'm watched constantly, even though I'm not a threat. Why? Because I use the buzzwords. They have to watch me. It's not a big deal, because I'm on the right side of the law. I'm with the good guys. They know I'm not actually going to kill the president, even if their sooper seekrit search engine flags those words here and sends them looking.
But for all you commie, anti-establishment assholes, get a grip. Your nonsense isn't funny, it's illegal.
Internet ramblings about Stephen Harper on the blogsite of an Alberta man found an attentive but not overly appreciative audience with the RCMP.
As a result, Patrick David Fenton is to be sentenced May 30 for threatening the life of the prime minister.
Fenton, 25, pleaded guilty in court in Canmore Wednesday to a single charge of uttering threats to cause death.
Fenton's lawyer says the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
"He had an online blog and frankly he intended it as satirical," Tyson Dahlem said yesterday from his office in Canmore, 120 km west of Calgary.
Dork.
Labels: Canadiana, Internet, Politics
posted by RightGirl
It's just not funny
Let me give a little tip to Canadians and Americans alike that spend a lot of time on the Internet:
You are not alone. And when you say things like Kill the President and Behead the Prime Minister, your nerdy MySpace buddies aren't the only ones reading. You aren't the only one reading the words Jihad and Allah in your email.
My threads have been read time and again by the Department of Homeland Security, the RCMP, and my Internet provider. I'm watched constantly, even though I'm not a threat. Why? Because I use the buzzwords. They have to watch me. It's not a big deal, because I'm on the right side of the law. I'm with the good guys. They know I'm not actually going to kill the president, even if their sooper seekrit search engine flags those words here and sends them looking.
But for all you commie, anti-establishment assholes, get a grip. Your nonsense isn't funny, it's illegal.
Internet ramblings about Stephen Harper on the blogsite of an Alberta man found an attentive but not overly appreciative audience with the RCMP.
As a result, Patrick David Fenton is to be sentenced May 30 for threatening the life of the prime minister.
Fenton, 25, pleaded guilty in court in Canmore Wednesday to a single charge of uttering threats to cause death.
Fenton's lawyer says the whole thing has been blown out of proportion.
"He had an online blog and frankly he intended it as satirical," Tyson Dahlem said yesterday from his office in Canmore, 120 km west of Calgary.
Dork.
Labels: Canadiana, Internet, Politics
posted by RightGirl
Girl On The Right Is Right....Things Need To Put Things In Perspective
The whole thing was started by a Frenchman's actions....they still seem to be smarting from Napoleon's defeat.
Get over yourselves!
Normally I leave stories about Yemen to my blog sister Jane, but this one caught my eye.
Security forces have been called in to tackle riots at a Yemen gas plant where a copy of the Koran is said to have been desecrated, security sources say.
Unrest began after a French engineer at the terminal in the south-eastern port of Belhaf allegedly "defiled" the book.
Hundreds of rioting workers burnt cars and a helicopter at the French-run facility, sources told news agencies.
Unconfirmed reports say four Yemenis and a Frenchman were injured in the unrest and the engineer was evacuated.
Yemen LNG, which is partly owned by the Yemeni government, confirmed that clashes had taken place but only spoke of "undefined damage", according to a press release reported by The Associated Press.
"After a fight between a French engineer and another who is Yemeni, the Frenchman - to enrage the Yemeni - threw a Koran on the floor in an offensive way," a local official told AFP news agency, requesting anonymity.
The same agency said earlier that a Yemeni had been killed in the unrest.
Oh for the love of... How can the apologists keep insisting that these Islamic animals can live side by side with us in the civilized world? Some Frenchman throws a book, and a riot breaks out? It's a BOOK! Just a book. I wouldn't be dancing for joy if someone messed with a Bible, but I'm sure as heck not going to torch a helicopter. Maybe if devout Muslims were allowed to read more than that one book in their lives, they wouldn't be so obsessed. Most religious people - of all faiths - recognize that the book merely holds the words. It's how you live them that's important. Of course, to the idiots of Islam, starting a riot IS living the word.
Labels: Islam, Koran, Yemen
posted by RightGirl
Get over yourselves!
Normally I leave stories about Yemen to my blog sister Jane, but this one caught my eye.
Security forces have been called in to tackle riots at a Yemen gas plant where a copy of the Koran is said to have been desecrated, security sources say.
Unrest began after a French engineer at the terminal in the south-eastern port of Belhaf allegedly "defiled" the book.
Hundreds of rioting workers burnt cars and a helicopter at the French-run facility, sources told news agencies.
Unconfirmed reports say four Yemenis and a Frenchman were injured in the unrest and the engineer was evacuated.
Yemen LNG, which is partly owned by the Yemeni government, confirmed that clashes had taken place but only spoke of "undefined damage", according to a press release reported by The Associated Press.
"After a fight between a French engineer and another who is Yemeni, the Frenchman - to enrage the Yemeni - threw a Koran on the floor in an offensive way," a local official told AFP news agency, requesting anonymity.
The same agency said earlier that a Yemeni had been killed in the unrest.
Oh for the love of... How can the apologists keep insisting that these Islamic animals can live side by side with us in the civilized world? Some Frenchman throws a book, and a riot breaks out? It's a BOOK! Just a book. I wouldn't be dancing for joy if someone messed with a Bible, but I'm sure as heck not going to torch a helicopter. Maybe if devout Muslims were allowed to read more than that one book in their lives, they wouldn't be so obsessed. Most religious people - of all faiths - recognize that the book merely holds the words. It's how you live them that's important. Of course, to the idiots of Islam, starting a riot IS living the word.
Labels: Islam, Koran, Yemen
posted by RightGirl
Dion's Perception Of Democracy
"I received a telephone call from Bruce Young"
A would-be candidate in Victoria finds out how the new Liberal nomination system works;
Then, yesterday, I received a telephone call from Bruce Young - a BC Campaign co-chair from head office in Vancouver. He advised me that he intended to install a woman by the name of Anne Park Shannon in the riding. He advised me that this could be accomplished in any number of ways including her direct appointment, denying approval for myself or anyone else to run against her or by manipulating the process in a variety of other ways.
Mr. Young then offered a variety of incentives to persuade me to step aside. He advised that the Liberal party has a "good record of taking care of people who agree to step aside." I have advised him that I have no interest in anything of this nature.
Posted by Kate
A would-be candidate in Victoria finds out how the new Liberal nomination system works;
Then, yesterday, I received a telephone call from Bruce Young - a BC Campaign co-chair from head office in Vancouver. He advised me that he intended to install a woman by the name of Anne Park Shannon in the riding. He advised me that this could be accomplished in any number of ways including her direct appointment, denying approval for myself or anyone else to run against her or by manipulating the process in a variety of other ways.
Mr. Young then offered a variety of incentives to persuade me to step aside. He advised that the Liberal party has a "good record of taking care of people who agree to step aside." I have advised him that I have no interest in anything of this nature.
Posted by Kate
I Am No Fan Of Maher But.......
....comparing him to Rosie O'Donnell is the ultimate insult. He has already been identified as a left wing liberal, comparing him to O'Donnell is like flushing the toilet a second time. Have a little sympathy for this failed standup comic and remember he is in the same group like Sean Penn, Michael Moore, etc.Is Bill Maher Becoming the Rosie O’Donnell of Cable Television?
Posted by Noel Sheppard on March 26, 2007 - 00:19.
Lately it seems that HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” has become the place for left-wing politicians and media members to go on Friday evenings to say whatever disgraceful thing they want about the Bush administration without regard for accuracy or prudence.
Does that make it HBO’s answer to ABC’s farcical morning coffee klatch “The View,” and Bill Maher is suddenly just an intelligent version of Rosie O’Donnell with a Y-chromosome and better clothing?
The March 23 installment certainly suggested so, with the unabashed and unashamed host leading a herd of disgruntled liberals to slaughter conservatives much as Rosie now despicably does on almost a daily basis. In fact, Maher began this most recent episode with a monologue featuring ten out of eleven jokes about Bush, his family, the Administration, and seemingly any politician with an “R” next to his name.
Most disgracefully, the first josh of the evening actually mocked the First Lady (video available here):
Noel Sheppard's blog
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About Me
- Unhypentated Canadian
- I lean to the right but I still have a heart and if I have a mission it is to respond to attacks on people not available to protect themselves and to point out the hypocrisy of the left at every opportunity.MY MAJOR GOAL IS HIGHLIGHT THE HYPOCRISY AND STUPIDITY OF THE LEFTISTS ON TORONTO CITY COUNCIL. Last word: In the final analysis this blog is a relief valve for my rants/raves.