Davenport Democracy

What About POVERTY?

2011-09-27T18:17:00.000-04:00

The Ontario provincial election is upon us and voting day is October 6th. Although this is not about Davenport riding, it is about the people mliving beside us.

I submitted the following question to candidates via The Gleaner LINKhere

2. What will you (really) do about the appalling levels of poverty amongst your constituents, if elected? Not just vague promises but real, deliverable, time-dated action?

—Ken Wood

DiNovo: You’re talking to the woman who brought in the $10 minimum wage bill. And thanks to that bill, in our riding, a million Ontarians got a twenty-eight per cent raise. So that’s significant, and that was within the first six months of my being elected, and that’s as a member of the Opposition in a ten-person caucus, in a 107-person government. I’m part of the provincial legislature and I sit in Opposition Government primarily because of poverty issues. One in six children in our riding, and in our city, and in our province, live in poverty. We would definitely reassess the ODSP rates and raise them. We’ve also promised that we would be building at least 10,000 new [units] in housing every year. Also, introduce legislation to allow municipalities to call for inclusionary zoning.

Ganetakos: One of the things we’re offering that I’m really happy about is support for those who are on OW and ODSP. There are those that are working part-time and are trying to improve their quality of life and they are trying to takes steps forward. But the Liberal government claws back moneys from their paycheque. It’s a disincentive to try. Our plan is to let those on OW and ODSP to keep more of their money. It may not be possible for some, and we understand that, but we want them to have more money that they work for so that they can have more dignity in their lives.

Pasternak: Daycare is a huge issue in this riding, and one that I will be championing to make sure we have lots more, we desperately need them in this riding. Full-day kindergarten is a real, measurable investment made by the McGuinty government that helps alleviate the poverty cycle in so many ways. The other thing that we’re doing is, people may not be able to feel it, but the fact is that we just went through one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression, and we’ve come out stronger, we’ve created more jobs than the other provinces combined. The truth is, when the economy is lifted up, everyone gets lifted up.

Trottier: One Green policy area that I really think is important is the idea of taxing resource use and property use, and taxing less income and earned value. For us, we would seek to reduce income tax and one of our policies is to reduce it by a certain percentage dependent on the amount of income a person is bringing in, but in such a way that those with the smallest income, the poorest among us, would benefit the most in income reduction. We would offset [those decreased tax dollars] by increasing the tax on property and on resource use. This has the benefit of encouraging the use of currently vacant property, which is an issue right along Queen Street.

I sincerely hope people in my Davenport riding and other ridings ask their candidates about this.

Provincial election debate at the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Centre.

Time: Thursday, September 29 · 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location : 1900 Davenport Road (in the Sanctuary)
More Info: This is an opportunity to hear what the leading candidates have say on key issues impacting the community in Davenport. All the four leading candidates were invited. Crisitna Martins, Jonah Schein, and Fank de Jong have confirmed their participation. We hope to see you all there as well. (This is a re-scheduling of the September 12 meeting). Childcare available.

Saving Money for Toronto

2011-08-08T19:57:00.001-04:00

Top Ten Ideas to Save Toronto Money:

10. Moratorium on new construction, let our infrastructure catch up to our desire for bigger residential tax base

9. Permit more city staff to work from home, flex hours etc. Technology connects us already

8. Reduce road infrastructure to encourage less car usage, eg. Make Yonge street pedestrian concourse only

7. Road tolls, the time has come!

6. Tax rebate to anyone who gets rid of their car and commits to taking public transit, save on infrastructure

5. City needs to refuse to accept downloaded provincial responsibility programs like social assistance

4. Index police force size to crime rate, stop making TO cops best paid in Canada mantra

3. Close metro zoo - its a money loser and unneeded in today's world

2. Form parksrec 'BIA's' and get local volunteers to help maintain park programs

1. Trim bloated ranks of TTC management

Police Overdo Strip Searches

2011-07-27T10:43:00.007-04:00

http://toronto.openfile.ca/blog/news/2011/why-are-toronto-police-strip-searching-so-many-people
OpenFile Toronto: "... if TPAC, the activist group led by former mayor John Sewell, is right, strip searches are being used roughly 60 percent of the time in Toronto"

"The Supreme Court says that strip searches "cannot be carried out simply as a matter of routine policy", because "strip searches are inherently humiliating and degrading for detainees."

"According to the TPAC newsletter, when asked whether more than half of arrests would constitute a routine use of Level 3 searches, Police Chief Bill Blair said that for something to be routine it would have to occur something like 100 percent of the time (something like handcuffs and fingerprinting would qualify). It's not exactly a reassuring answer, and even less reassuring than the Chief's assertion that the perceived climb in strip searches is due entirely to better record-keeping. According to the Toronto Star, the police started keeping better records after a 2005 complaint by, you guessed it, John Sewell. So, before 2005, there were tons of undocumented strip searches despite the 2001 Supreme Court case? Yikes."

.... Having been a subject who was strip searched in the past, simply because a) the police files on me mentioned I was suffering from mental illness and/or b) I was someone who has protested democratically in the past and am not a fan of police brutality - I think I have the experience to comment.

When I protested back in 2001 against the Mike Harris cuts, was knocked unconscious by police batons at King and Bay , followed by nationwide media attention showing me laying in a pool of blood, surrounded by riot police who refused medical access to me, then (surprise) was charged with a false claim of assault against police... long story, sorry.... then charges were dropped and I sued Toronto Police Services Board and the city, eventually getting a significant settlement....the point here is:

When I was arrested, I was taken in and strip-searched, simply to 'teach me a lesson'.
I KNOW this is why police employ this intimidation tactic.

I was also continually harassed by police at other social justice protests, often having officers I never met say to me : "Hey, Ken! Did you take your meds today? (laughter)". Complaints about this turn out to be a waste of time.

Go HERE for a link to the story on this.

There is still even today an ingrained culture in police that demeans, intimidates and targets people with any form of mental illness. They use the term 'EDP' (emotionally disturbed person) whenever they run into anyone with a mental health/illness history, which leads to some form of immediate assumption of guilt.

Of course this is wrong. Of course police will deny this. Of course police will just continue to do it....

Unless the 'normals' in society speak out about this injustice done to their family members, friends and neighbours..

Despite the good news about police stopping the practice of keeping and passing on mental health notes when they are called for police checks (see last post).... we have a long way to go.

But thank you John Sewell and the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition (TPAC)

Link is HERE "Toronto Police Accountability Coalition is a group which encourages debate about police policy issues, and is devoted to making the police more accountable to the public."

Go HERE to see The Star artcle about this.

"Last month, a judge found that Peel police officers conducted an illegal strip search of a man in order to “humiliate and intimidate” him, and then tried to cover up what they had done."

Breakthrough on Destigmatizing Mental Illness

2011-07-26T19:22:00.003-04:00

OPINION - Carol Goar: Rare breakthrough on mental health
July 26, 2011 18:07:00 Carol Goar Toronto Star Columnist

It took nine years of pleading, lobbying and negotiating. But the breakthrough finally came. This week the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police unveiled province-wide guidelines on the disclosure of sensitive information about a person’s mental health. LINK

Police information checks, routinely required by employers and voluntary agencies, will no longer include any reference to an incident involving mental health that did not result in criminal charges.

Since the millennium, thousands of Ontarians have lost jobs, promotions and chances to serve their community because of a past mental health crisis. A family member might have phoned 911 during a suicide attempt. A doctor might have called for a police escort to the hospital after an adverse drug reaction. An individual with a mental disorder might have sought help during an emergency.

It all ends up in the police data bank.

That was where it remained until 1999. Then the Ontario government decreed that all new teachers must undergo police checks. The directive was well-intentioned — no parent wants his or her child exposed to a pedophile or predator — but it was devastating for job applicants who had experienced an episode of mental illness.

Other organizations quickly followed the schools. Daycare centres, nursing and retirement homes, sports leagues, community agencies and some businesses began requiring police checks.

(These are not criminal record checks. They are police information checks that include all contact between an individual and the police, regardless of the reason.)

Alarm bells soon started ringing at the Ontario Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office. David Simpson, who headed the independent government agency at the time, remembers fielding calls from dozens of people who had learned, to their horror, that they had police records. They were being barred from jobs and voluntary positions because of illnesses that had been successfully treated.

“It can stop people dead in their tracks,” he said. “For those who are on the road to recovery, it can be a devastating setback.”

Simpson heard from students who were afraid of failing their courses because they couldn’t get a voluntary placement; public servants who dared not seek promotions because of what might turn up in their police record; parents who couldn’t coach their kids’ soccer teams; retirees who couldn’t give back to their community.

In 2002, Simpson contacted Keith Norton, who was then the province’s human rights commissioner. He agreed the practice of releasing police information indiscriminately was a problem and took it up with Bob Runciman, the public safety minister of the day. Runciman said the issue was beyond his control. The Ontario Association of Police Chiefs was responsible for the use and disclosure of information collected by its members.

Fortunately, Norton’s successor, Barbara Hall, was more insistent. She wrote to every police chief in the province pointing out that the practice of releasing information about a person’s mental health was “potentially discriminatory.”

A handful of police forces, including Toronto’s, responded. It developed a sophisticated risk assessment tool to determine whether to release information about a person’s mental health. But most local forces continued to red-flag individuals who posed no threat.

The Ontario Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office still gets daily calls from people who want to apply for a job or become a volunteer, but fear they’ll be stigmatized and rejected.

The new guidelines won’t solve everything. They’re not binding; each police force will set its own policies. Nor do they seal all mental health records. Organizations with vulnerable clients will still have access to relevant mental health information.

Most stakeholders, however, consider them a fair compromise.

It shouldn’t have taken this long to get the balance between privacy and public safety right.

But in the mental health sector, where no victory comes easily, this is a moment to celebrate.

- Carol Goar's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. LINK

Mayor Ford Invites All of Toronto

2011-07-22T20:20:00.015-04:00

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

EX 8.1 Core Service Review

Meets Thursday, July 28 Weblink is here

The Executive Committee makes recommendations on Council's strategic policy and priorities, governance policy and structure, financial planning and budgeting, fiscal policy including revenue and tax policies, intergovernmental and international relations, Council and its operations, and human resources and labour relations.

13 Members: Mayor Rob Ford, Mike Del Grande, Paul Ainslie, Michelle Berardinetti, Doug Holyday, Norm Kelly, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Cesar Palacio, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Michael Thompson

* Mayor Ford invites residents to tell him what to keep, cut Globe and Mail, July 22

"Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says everyone can come to city hall next week to tell him what they think about proposed spending cuts...."

Caution to all left wing Pinkos:

“I encourage people to come to the executive committee next Thursday,” he said during an interview on CP24. “Everyone has five minutes to talk to me personally at our executive committee. I invite the whole city. I don’t care if we have to sit there for three days. I don’t want to have people ... they have five minutes to tell me what business do you think we should be in. And it’s next Thursday at 9:30 at city hall. Come and let me know what you think – the average taxpayer out there – what are we doing right, what are we doing wrong. I want to hear from the people and I encourage them to come. “

So, Y'all Come On Down to Mayor Rob's Place and Tell Us Whatcha Thinkin', Toronto

I guarantee each of you get your 5 minutes to speak,

all 2,503,281 of you

Just call, write, email or fax to:

Frances Pritchard
10th floor, West Tower, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
email: exc@toronto.ca
phone: 416-392-6627
fax: 416-392-1879

The link to the meeting information is HERE

During the same interview the mayor said taxpayers have three priorities: They want to feel safe, they want roads that are clean and without potholes and they want their garbage picked up.

These, he said, “are the three high-level issues that people really want us to deal with.”

Also see:

"Mr Crankypants" Mike del Grande, Budget Chief

Giorgio (Thumbs Down) Mammoliti

Doug (Foot-In-Mouth) Ford

"Margaret Atwood, I wouldn't recognize her if she walked right past. If she wants to talk about libraries, she can run for office." ...
Janet Davis NatlPost weblink
Doug Ford: "There is the odd person that comes in [to depute] because they care." The rest? Part of a union conspiracy.

Speeding Up The Dismantling of Toronto: CORE SERVICE REVIEWS

2011-07-18T16:03:00.118-04:00

KPMG Core Review Moving Fast to Push Ford Ideology Over Realities

HEY TORONTO!!!! WAKE UP!!!

SOMEBODY IS DESTROYING YOUR CITY !!!

Note: All the various committee meetings are being televised live and archived on Rogers Cable 10 TV and on the net at  This Link

       HERE is a link to another blog that sums up what is happening.
...and HERE is a link to Christopher Hume's take:
"As the Core Services Sideshow grinds to its foregone conclusion, it’s clear Mayor Rob Ford is less interested in slashing costs than slashing government....His goal is less to make the city better than to make it smaller, to diminish the role it plays in our lives, whether at the park, the library, riding the subway or putting out the garbage....At the same time, Ford admits we face property tax hikes of up to 3 per cent. Never will less have cost more."

1. Public Works and Infrastructure Committee:
Meeting today (Monday July 18) as I type this.

The Public Works and Infrastructure Committee's primary focus is on infrastructure, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations on Toronto's infrastructure needs and services.
6 Members: Denzil Minnan-Wong (Chair), Mark Grimes,  Mike Layton,  John Parker,  Gord Perks, David Shiner

"The review, conducted by KPMG on behalf of the city, examined four core services: water, solid-waste, transportation and technical services." Weblink "At a technical briefing (last) Monday, city manager Joe Pennachetti said the cuts could shave $10 million to $15 million from the Public Works Committee’s budget of $1.085 billion....KMPG said 96 per cent of services provided by the Public Works Committee are "core municipal services," meaning they're mandatory"

Another link to a CTV story is HERE

In essence, it seems the city is looking at incredibly ridiculous things like cutting back firefighting, EMS, water treatment, etc.

It seems there were about 26 people making deputations at today's committeee.

SUMMARY: Said best in these Twitter Tweets...

kevinbeaulieu -Councillors Grimes, Minnan-Wong, Shiner,& Parker all vote against determining health, environmental,& service level impacts of proposed cuts

Now - Cllr Shiner moves to pass all of KPMG's "opportunities" on to the Ex Comm, basically leaving decisions up to the mayor

KEN WOOD - Gord Perk's zinger: KPMG told us amalgamation would save us money #TOCouncil #topoli need to remember this one!

City Slikr -If PWI committee anything to go by, committees won't make any decision on KPMG report. Send decisions for mayor to make at Ex. Comm

City Slikr - Cllr Perks is suggesting results of public consultations process have been buried

Here is a link to quickie overview of the motions passed at this Public Works meeting: Torontoist
and another summary is HERE

2. Economic Development Committee:
Meets tomorrow: Tuesday, July 19 Weblink is HERE

The Economic Development Committee's primary focus is the economy, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations to strengthen Toronto's economy and investment climate.
6 Members: Michael Thompson (Chair), Shelley Carroll, Josh Colle, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis

On the chopping block today:
* Arts Programming
* BIA Supports
* Cultural development
* Events Programming
* Heritage Supports
* Toronto Employment and Social Services
* Research and Trade Development
... Here is a LINK to Torontoist article about this.
"Low income families, elderly, and disabled persons may be negatively impacted resulting in potentially serious health and medical issues,"

- Chair Michael Thompson gave a long-winded intro, says expect 25+ deputants, followed by chief city staffman Joe Penachetti (City Manager)... followed by self-promotional speech by KPMG... there goes about an hour.... plus questions to citymanager and others.... tic toc tic toc while deputants wait.

Today's meaningful Twitter Tweets:

Daniel Dale - I'm reminded that, in consultant-speak, "high-level," as in "high-level presentation," means "not very specific," not "very excellent."

Daniel Dale - Janet Davis to Pennachetti: have you considered anything members of the public said during consultations? (real answer is no, but avoided saying that)

Daniel Dale - KPMG reps keeps being asked about impacts of getting rid of programs and services; keep saying they weren't asked to analyze those.

by cityslikr -Just so's we're clear: this is the same KPMG that said Iceland's economy was sound, yes? We're getting them to vet our city's finances why?

Daniel Dale - 25 people signed up to speak. Six from BIAs - KPMG says city could cut staff support to them.

Daniel Dale - Del Grande says something re taxes at cte. Vaughan disagrees and comes to media area to tell us. Del Grande comes over... And says, loudly, "BULLSHIT. That's BULLSHIT." Concludes by saying, "Absolute bullshit." Vaughan starts laughing and says, "Watch your language, Mike." Chair Thompson seems to notice - Del Grande says something like, "Sorry, I just get frustrated with these people." Walks out angrily.

City Slikr - Wow. Wasn't it Cllr Del Grande complaining of the use of inappropriate language at the last council meeting?

Daniel Dale - For the record, I'm not yet sure who's right on the merits of their argument.

DoucetteWard13 - Heavy hitters from Toronto's $950 million #Film and #Television industry tell Ec Dev Cmtee - predictable services allow film & tv growth

1:35pm _ meeting supposed to resume at 1:30 but no quorum... resumed 1:37pm, people being very polite after their lunches.

... seems every BIA is making a deputation. And rightly so.

KEN WOOD - Shelley Carroll gets deputant to explain "Food Incubator" It helps local business #TOCouncil at Econ Devlt Cmttee

2:25pm end of pre-registered deputants...KEN WOOD - Very courteous chair Michael Thompson asks if anyone else not on list wants to speak Blind disabled person speaks ... cmtee takes bathroom break

* Meanwhile in other news: Goldsbie - Doug Ford complains that Toronto has too many libraries:
“We have more libraries per person than any other city in the world. I’ve got more libraries in my area than I have Tim Horton’s.”
Reality Check: •In Etobicoke (Mr. Ford’s area), there are 13 library branches there, and 39 Tim Horton’s shops, not to mention all the other donut shops. In fact, on a per capita basis, the people in Etobicoke have fewer libraries than Toronto as a whole. They have one for every 27,000 people whereas in Toronto as a whole it’s about one for every 25,000 people.

...............Mini-Mayor #2: Councillor Doug (I Hate Unions) Ford

3. Community Development and Recreation Committee :
Meets Wednesday, July 19 Weblink is HERE
.............................Com Dev & Rec Committee has 60 registerd deputations
The Community Development and Recreation Committee’s primary focus is social cohesion, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations to strengthen services to communities and neighbourhoods.
6 Members: Giorgio Mammoliti (Chair), Maria Augimeri, Janet Davis, Josh Matlow, Joe Mihevc, Kristyn Wong-Tam

Items on the chopping block here are:
* Childrens' Services = Child Care
* Long Term Care Homes
* Emergency Medical Services
* Fire Services, EMS - consider merging paramedica with fire?
* (Social) Housing, Shelters and Support
* Parks,Forestry and Recreation = higher user fees?
* Social Development = community engagement, youth services, community safety

Todays Twitter Tweets:

torontoist -First move: committee chair Giorgio Mammoliti tries to cut off speaking list, and cut down speaking time per deputant. Both fail.

Robert Cerjanec - We have 66 deputants @ Community Develop & Rec Cmttee! Good luck

Goldsbie -From today's KPMG report: "Consider reducing or eliminating proactive inspection for illegal signs and investigation of sign complaints."

Goldsbie - From today's KPMG report: "Consider reducing or eliminating proactive inspection for illegal signs and investigation of sign complaints."

Robert Cerjanec -Some of the "opportunities" re: #TTC include scrapping night buses and privatizing routes! Shameful

Cllr Fletcher comes out swinging against KPMG b/c our cost for sports & rec services is lower than many other cities

Kristyn Wong-Tam - Toronto delivers recreational services most cost effectively out of 9 Ontario cities. Why privatize?

Cerjanec - Cllr Mammoliti tells ppl in the room that they can't use empty chairs reserved for people who aren't coming to the room!

Cerjanec - Cllr Perks points out that other municipalities in Ontario provide grants for community development! Why cut it here?

Martin Kuplens-Ewart - KPMG demonstrate lack of understanding of how TCH waitlist works, suggest doing what already happens as an efficiency

@jm_mcgrath In response to @DoucetteWard13, KPMG guy says "swimming is only a life-saving skill if you go near the water." // No! Really?

Cllr @joemihevc asks KPMG if they would put their children in a daycare w/ lower wages rather than higher wages. Answer: no comment.

Many questions about what was behind the KPMG report - who drives it who do they talk to about setup, etc, (Wealready Know it is Rob Ford's back room secret plam)

Daniel Dale - Deputant says he just learned he's going to be a father, Janet Davis asks him if he's on child care list yet, says he just.did it yesterday, Adam Vaughan says, "Too late." He says he's number 20,096 on the list for subsidized care.

Sue-Ann Levy - Parade of leftists and vested interests tell city ctte they are entitled to their entitlements

Goldsbie - @ @SueAnnLevy They're mostly talking about childcare, you know.

Goldsbie - Deputant, on cuts to childcare: "It's easy to steal candy from babies, but I would like the mayor to know that it's not responsible."

Maria Augimeri - When you have to apply for childcare before you're even pregnant to get any chance at a space, it makes zero sense to cut 2000 spaces

Mom @ Cttee: childcare cuts "will be met with massive protest, we simply will not accept it". With a 19,500 backlog, I don't blame moms.

'We need free -- or at least dirt cheap -- rec pgms,' deputant tells city cllrs.

Robert Cerjanec - Deputant explains why KPMG's numbers are wrong on child care subsidies.

@ddale8: Deputant says KPMG child care number is "a pile of......sorry. That is: completely wrong."

The time is 5:27PM and the all day meeting is still going on...A lot of smart women giving deputations have done their work: they point out many errors and incorrect figures in the KPMG report.

8PM - deputants finished, committee questioning chief city bureaucrat, City Manager Joe Penachetti

Daniel Dale - Mihevc: are we doing broad consultation? Pennachetti: don't have time. Mihevc: "A radical restructuring of government," we should make time.

Daniel Dale - Matlow went pretty hard at Pennachetti; asked why service review was being done hastily "and perhaps recklessly." Matlow complained that it's being done "piecemeal" - core reports to committee now, efficiency and user fee studies going elsewhere later.

Daniel Dale - Pennachetti now seems more annoyed than he's been at any meeting this year. Wong-Tam, Davis also being critical.

Daniel Dale - Davis: how do we make decisions without year-end financial results, the efficiency studies, user fee info, and knowing more about layoffs?

This committee is not willing to just roll overs and take what they are told, and are making a number of motions that require much more consultation.

8:51pm Now Josh Matlow is going on about how he would have just sent on report to the Exec, ...then many words expressing his desire to sit on the fence. Mushy Matlow as usual.

Janet Davis - CDR defers KPMG report to Sept 14 mtg & asks for more information. Committee and Public will know then real recs from Mayor to Sept 19 Exec.

Official decisions made atthis meeting are HERE

4. Parks and Environment Committee:
Meets Thursday, July 21 Weblink is HERE

The Parks and Environment Committee’s primary focus is the natural environment, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations on the sustainable use of Toronto’s natural environment.
6 Members: Norman Kelly (Chair), Michelle Berardinetti, Raymond Cho, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Ron Moeser, James Pasternak

Next on today's chopping block:

* Reduce grass-cutting, snow clearing
* Reduce tree planting, lower tree canopy targets = un-green Toronto
* Contract out park maintenance to volunteers ?
* Eliminate zoo and farm attractions eg. Riverdale Park
* Eliminate Toronto Environment Office
* Reduce maintenance of beaches
* Eliminate community gardens

"With the temperature reaching 37 C and the humidex making it feel like 51 C — Canada's largest city became Canada's hottest city, at least for one day."

Hottest day on record in Toronto, seems Mother Nature is really the first deputant to this committee...

Over 100 deputants to be heard, apparently about 392 emails sent from the general public and someone presented a petition of over 7,000 signatures. News covereage in the morning left a little early as the time used up by KPMG and visiting councillors meant the first deputant was not heard from until almost noon.

Most of the deputants were from organized lobby groups representing many more people, like Toronto Environmental Alliance, Urban Forestry, Park Peple - lots of defenders of Riverdale Farm. About 1/3 of all councillors showed up at one point or another, including ward 18's Ana Bailao.

It's a shame much of the well-researched, factual data from respected professionals did not make the news as it was a great education for anyone who listened.

Following normal Ford-bias, the committe chair limited deputants to 3 mins instead of the usual 5, and even limited councillor time to 2 mins instead of 3 to ask questions. The smart councillors tended to give their 2 mins to the more fact based deputants to finish up.

It seems the job of committee member councillors McMahon and Berardinetti was to try to ask every deputant what level of user fee they would recommend peopl pay to use parks... rather one track mind on that. Many other councillors used their question time to self promote how they love parks, no promises, but got on record they love parks.

A few tweets:

Michael Shapcott -Respect for taxpayers? Mayor Ford inherited $345.5m surplus from previous #TOCouncil - six months later, Toronto claims $774 million deficit

Michael Shapcott - On impossibly hot day, plan to cut Toronto Atmospheric Fund (which backs plans to cool urban heat effect) seems so... stupid!

Janet Davis - Kelly interrupts another young deputant who says cutting car tax was a mistake, "Do you have a car?" Then sheepishly apologizes.

torontoist - At City Hall, Parks&Rec nearing its 12th hour of mtg. Just finished defending the Toronto Environment Office: Insurance Bureau of Canada 9::25pm

by kristynwongtam - #Scarboro resident left home @7am and waited til 10 pm to tell Cmttee not to rush decisions & community gardens needed in Scarboro #parks

Parks and Environment Committee Decisions can be found HERE in its entirety.
The Parks and Environment Committee:

1. Requested the City Manager to review the List of Opportunities to ensure service efficiencies are maximized to meet the 2012 budget targets and multi-year service and financial planning objectives and report directly to the Executive Committee.

2. Requested the City Manager, in his report to the Executive Committee on September 19, 2011, to include the implications of the proposed service reductions for Parks and Environment by KPMG.

3. Requested the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to report to the September 15, 2011 meeting of the Parks and Environment Committee on how a community board governance model may be included with the Parks Plan consultation process.

5. LICENSING AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE:
Meets Monday, July 25 Weblink is HERE

The Licensing and Standards Committee's primary focus is consumer safety and protection, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations on the licensing of business and enforcement of property standards.
6 Members: Cesar Palacio (Chair), Glenn De Baeremaeker, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay-Luby, Frances Nunziata, Anthony Perruzza

NOTE: As of 2pm Tuesday, July 19 there are only a "handful" of deputants and this committee is not as busy as others.

The mainstream media is concentrating on the scrapping of pet licences, but the real story is much bigger. Drastic changes like getting rid of Toronto Animal Services entirely is on the table as is bylaw enforcement in a wholse host of areas. Liecnsing and Standards could even disappear potentially.

"It proposes scrapping the city’s cat and dog licensing program, outsourcing animal care and enforcement, reducing response time for emergency animal rescues and abandoning a pickup program for unwanted animals" (Globe and Mail Weblink HERE )

"Beyond the kitty and canine realm, it suggests ditching categories of business permits that “do not clearly serve a public service.” The consultants refrained from detailing all the business licences they consider to be extraneous, but the division controls a range of activities including bowling alleys, carnivals, nightclubs, tradespeople, parking lots and pet shops."

Another Toronto Star story link is over HERE
Another National Post story article is HERE
Another Toronto Sun story link is HERE

"Business licensing earns the city $6 million per year. The pet-licensing program alone brings in $660,000."
(but pet licensing costs $1.9 million to do) link ???

Today's Tweets About the Meeting:

reporterdonpeat Don Peat-by SusanGapka 19 speakers on the list for licensing and standards meeting today. So far, no dogs or cats in the room.

DoucetteWard13 Sarah Doucette - At Licensing and Standards core service meeting. Should we keep Licensing of pets so we can reunite them with their owners

DoucetteWard13 Sarah Doucette - Just watched a very disturbing video of what happened when Montreal contracted out animal services. Some residents had to leave the room

goldsbie Jonathan Goldsbie - Licensing & Standards meeting was supposed to reconvene at 1:40. Only Chair Cesar Palacio is present. He asks other councillors to show up.

goldsbie Jonathan Goldsbie - (02:35pm) (Now Nunziata and Chin Lee have arrived. Still no quorum.)

goldsbie Jonathan Goldsbie - It might be noted that Mike Layton, who showed up to this morning's Licensing Committee session, didn't return for the afternoon. (Dad has cancer, Mike was effective in the am session)

Not a tweet, but noted committee member Anthony Peruzza asked why no consideration of the taxi industry under Core Service Review.... ooops, major fail by KPMG.

News Articles:
Pet licensing reviewed - Toronto Sun "Councillors on the licensing committee voted Monday to toss suggestions for cost-savings from a core services review by KPMG to the executive committee’s September meeting"

*** Actual video footage of licensing and standards meeting is available HERE

I was there - here are my notes... 10 deputants, notable ones...

1. Peter Newell deputant spoke for the Toronto Humane Society. He acquitted himself admirably with his deputation, staying pretty general but supporting TAS staying in business: "We cannot take up the slack - If TAS vaporized it would be a challenge", TAS plays a vital role with demonstrated leadership, gave some statistics about the THS (3,000 members, 600 volunteers) and said we could work with the city to contribute meaningfully to help reduce costs at no drop in service levels, Outsourcing would be a mistake (see Ken's comments re Montreal Berger Blanc below), THS supports pet licencing and encourages microchipping, spoke about Calgary/Bill Bruce model working well (revenue neutral), gave Calgary stats: 5,000 dogs with 88% return to owners and 40% of those happen immediately upon pickup (no need for shelter... Calgary pet licencing: 80% of dogs and 50% of cats licenced withToronto at 30% dogs, 10% cats). In response to very supportive questions from committee member Glenn de Baermaeker, about microchipping said a lifetime data bank would help, present problem is people do not keep data up to date, Summary: Drastic remedies are not necessary. Glenn asked if THS or volunteers could fill in the gap if TAS were not to exists, specifically 'picking up dead animal corpses with shovels'. Peter's excellent response: No, it takes demonstrated expertise to do a lot of things TAS does as well as credibility of city run oversight, volunteers would lack the authority to do much of what TAS does.

... at least I think that is what he said, as I furiously scribbled notes. Sorry if I misquote you here Peter.

2. Ken Wood's deputation: I was the first deputant and managed to get in (in the 5 mins allowed): Pet licencing with tags is inaccurate, especially for cats who routinely lose collars, better way to go is mandatory microchipping; Said I was confused about actual costs of pet licencing as some reports say city takes in $600,000/yr but costs $1.9 million to administer - so needs looking at (apparently KPMG did not factor in that the city took in $253,000 in donations last year); Spoke well about TAS beginning to do a better and better job as they reach out to other animal welfare groups in the city and that we need them to provide a centralized, coordinating role, Mentioned that compared to city of Montreal who used to do it as city service - spent $15 million/year with 3 million pop, versus Toronto who spends $8.9 million for 2.7 million residents, so TAS is cost effective; Most of my deputation was to draw attention about disaster of Montreal's outsourcing to private, for profit Berger Blanc with terrible societal impacts and lawsuits (I provided paper copies of many links about this to the committee). In response to supportive questions from Glenn de Baermaeker, I was able to confirm: No, volunteers could not pick up the slack if TAS not there, we would see many problems, there is not enough capacity in the animal welfare community in Toronto to handle things the way they are now and it would get much worse; That I see city providing central coordinating role; eg lost /injured pets call 311 service and get connected to resources, "One Stop Shopping" as was commented by another committee member (Frances Nunziata) = a good desirable thing; That I'd like to see the city have a sort of 'shelter bed' system to direct animals in need to wherever and whomever in the city can help, whether that be humanes, shelters, rescues, fosters, etc. Many questions about microchipping, including one from chair Cesar Palacio who asked if I thought licencing compliance and revenue would be boosted if the city made it microchipping: Yes. (In fact they passed a motion on this very thing - actual motions made will be on the city website very soon as meeting ended about 3:00pm).

3. Stephanie Cliff, a vet tech who works at TAS showed a segment of the VERY disturbing expose of Berger Blanc in Montreal and ensured every committee member had a dvd of this. (I watched it last night and cried and shook with anger; many people had to leave the room and Chair Palacio actually stopped it to ensure that there were no more disturbing immages coming - the few minutes shown were NOT the worst in the 26 min+ video accessible here: Video Link   It had a major impact on the committee.

4. There were 19 pre-registered deputants on the list and only about 10 showed up. All gave really good input, including: Liz White, Animal Alliance of Canada; Nathalie Karvonen of Toronto Wildlife Centre (non profits), various current and past employees and volunteers of TAS, and Fern Sinkins formerly of Toronto Cat Rescue who gave a quickie encouraging the city to look closer at the Calgary model.plus other city workers. Several other non-committee city councillors popped in and out and seemed supportive of TAS not being cut. Darren Jackson of Toronto Civic Employees Union with 29 years' service doing animal bylaw work took particuar exception to KPMG suggestion to increase Emergency Response times to animal problems to more than 2 hours, saying when he was in North York pre-amalgamation it was 20 minutes. Michelle Firman also pointed out that the citizens of Toronto would not stand for injured animals not being cared for on the streets of our city.

RESULT: I missed some of the motions as I was in transit going home, but it seems they are NOT going to recommend outsourcing TAS, that they want to look closer at microchipping and keeping pet licencing using that leverage... This next goes to Mayor Ford's Executive committee on Thursday, July 28 (where anything can happen - but where Ford has publically invited the whole 2,503,281 of us to come get 5 mins to speak = 24 days of nonstop meeting?) - then goes to full city council for debate/decision September 21st.

                Here are the DECISIONS MADE at this meeting.

6. Government Management Committee

Meets Tuesday, July 26 Weblink is HERE

In February 2007, the General Government Committee was renamed as Government Management Committee. This committee has a focus of government assets and resources, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations on the administrative operations of the City.
6 Members: Paul Ainslie (Chair), Vincent Crisanti, John Filion,  Doug Ford, Pam McConnell,  Jaye Robinson

HERE is a link to story. Outsource some 311 services, consolidate finance, administrative functions

7 Deputants:

Michael Rosenberg (a regular deputant)- speaks about waste in Information Technology (computers) - lots of new software things are "fluff" - says could save $50 million.... Doug Ford asks questions, keen on this. Deputant says lets replace computers every 6-8 years not every 4.

Miroslav Glacic talks about graffitti, problems with 311 service... Doug Ford jumps on this promoting outsource to non-union jobs, Glacic says hope it does not go to India for rock-bottom costs as we need people in Toronto who know Toronto.

????????????????????????????????????????????

CUPE union deputant reinforces that citizens will hate it if they call 311 or for helps elsewhere and end up taliking to somebody in North Dakota (as has happened)... Doug Ford attacks him on several fronts (he is so ANTI-union)... gets really nasty badgering deputant, trying to put words in his mouth. Accuses him of scare-mongering. Much revolves around issue of Ford wanting to outsource cleaning jobs at police stations (deputant rightly says thats a security risk).

Next deputant chastizes Doug Ford for his irresponsible comment about there being more public libraries in his ward than Tim Hortons (actually is 39-13 the other way) ... gets cutoff by Chair Ainslie.

*** Next deputants tell it like it is about cleaning in police facilities: feces, blood, 'manstuff', etc. Say they deserve decent benefits and fair wages, Getting $10.25/hour to clean up HIV blood? Infection dangers like Tuberculosis? Cleaners get access to police areas even other police officers do not - it is all about trust and security. Lots of supportive (visiting) councillor questions.

Staff questions by committee members happened next. Lots of motions that pretty much went:

"All in Favour? Carried.... next (repeat)"

Adjourned at 12:49pm. Easy when everybody in the Ford camp isn't it?

Today's Tweets:

@cllrainslie is one blessed politician. Only 7 speakers at #gmcTO today (@MiroslavGlavic being one of them).

DoucetteWard13 Sarah Doucette - At Government Management Core Service meeting 7 speakers today (So is Shelley Carroll, Josh Matlow, )

shelleycarroll Shelley Carroll - WAIT! Today's Core Review stops comparing us to the 6 Cities & uses private sector only. Not what Council voted to do. #tocouncil

Josh Matlow - Interesting discussion at Government Management Committee on the possibility of using recycled aggregates on Toronto's roads.

Janet Davis - Doug Ford asks deputant if he'd be happy contracting out 311 - "don't have to worry about pensions and benefits".

Matt Elliott - Re: Contracting out 311. Is anyone actually going to argue that the private sector is good at running call centres? ... Because my experiences calling 311 are ten times better than my experiences calling Bell, Rogers, Dell, etc.

ddale8 - Speaker tells Cllr Doug Ford "cheaper isn't always better." Ford responds: "More expensive isn't always better either."

KEN WOOD - WOW Doug Ford totally loses it attacking CUPE union deputant at GovtMgt cmtee

Janet Davis - Earlier (Doug Ford?) said Toronto should look to Walmart for how the city should be run. Hmm...

City Slikr - Why would efficiency studies not go through committee process again? Am I missing something?

City Slikr - Watching Gov't Management Comm. talk about cloud based computering, I keep expecting Ted Stevens to pop in and explain it. Tubes & Wires.

...Google: Cloud computing is all the rage. "It's become the phrase du jour," says Gartner senior analyst Ben Pring, echoing many of his peers. The problem is that (as with Web 2.0) everyone seems to have a different definition   LINK Definitions = "Cloud computing is Internet-based computing, whereby shared resources, software, and information are provided to computers and other devices on demand, like the electricity grid." "The use of a Web services such as Flickr, Google Docs, Jing (video screencapture service) to perform the functions that were traditionally done with software installed on an individual computer." "Cloud computing is the use of a 3rd party service, such as Indicee, to perform computing needs on a publicly accessible IP basis. The term cloud is used as a metaphor for the Internet" ... "Software that is provided online meaning there is no software to install or infrastructure to maintain."

City Slikr - Sorry. I don't get it. How do you outsource a city based service like 3-1-1? Won't it undercut its effectiveness slightly? (They actually talk about getting someone in Mumbai to answer questions on 311 about Toronto !!!!)

Matt Elliott - Why not just route all 311 calls to the mayor's cell phone?

Janet Davis - Gov't Man.Ctte asks for report on outsourcing 311- KPMG says "little experience" doing this. In fact, no city outsources 311 call centres

                                   DECISIONS made can be found HERE

7. Board of Health:
Meets Tuesday, July 26 Weblink is HERE

The Board of Health determines and sets public health policy and advises City Council on a broad range of health issues. The Board of Health is composed of six Councillors, six citizen representatives and an elected school board representative.
13 Members: John Filion (Chair),  Alejandra Bravo, Eduardo Castro, Vaijayanthi Chari,  Raymond Cho, Sarah Doucette, Paula Fletcher,  Joe Mihevc,   Fiona Nelson, Lisa O'Brien,  Gord Perks,  Valerie Sterling,  Soo Wong ... Note several members are NOT city councillors.

Today's Tweets:

Sarah Doucette - KPMG suggests eliminating the Student Nutrition program. They say this could compromise the students. I say it WOULD compromise the students

Diane_Dyson - Board of Health recommends taking provincial $$ for Bed Bug control - for inspections and extreme clean for the vulnerable

Toronto Star article HERE

Sorry - no notes. For some reason Rogers and the city are not telecasting this via the net like all the other core service review meetings.......

8. TORONTO PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD:
Meeting at Metro Reference Library, north of Yonge and Bloor

Sorry - no notes. For some reason Rogers and the city are not telecasting this via the net like all the other core service review meetings.......

Today's Tweets:

HiMY SYeD - Standing Room only in @TorontoLibrary Board Mtg.
HiMY SYeD -Maureen o'Reilly deputing: cites number of online signatures at website.

Marcus Gee - Library union says 23,267 ppl have signed a petition against library closures.

HiMY SYeD - Maureen O'Reilly citing 1.2 Million @torontolibrary card holders... She ask @cllrainslie directly what is he doing???

HiMY SYeD - Hard to get a signal...one bar... Sorry folks, unable to live-tweet @torontolibrary board meeting

Paul Ainslie - Toronto Public Library Boartd of Directors reviewing suggestions of KPMG "Core Service Review"Shannon D'Arcy - Just got an email from @Ward18AnaBailao, who will NOT be supporting privatizing libraries.

Goldsbie - The Toronto Star provides statistics on the library that Doug Ford says "no one uses":
Link Visitors: 39,775 Active users: 2,746 Program attendance: 1,692 Annual circulation: 96,328

Ainslie - Toronto Public Library Board removes fine exemptions for Board of Directors

Janet Davis - TPL defers KPMG till Sept. 13. TP Libraries: Very busy, innovative, cost effective, exceptional customer satisfaction. Let's close them???

HiMY SYeD - Globe and Mail: #LibraryTO cuts will happen ‘in a heartbeat,’ Doug Ford says

July27:
City Slikr - Cynical me wonders if @karenstintz's strong public stand on library cuts signals that they're not really on the table...Bright sunny me hopes that @karenstintz's strong public stand on library cuts signals her stepping further away from the mayor

Daniel Dale - James Pasternak told me earlier that he wouldn't support the closing of branches
              Toronto Sun: Public #libraryTO board shelves branch closures LINK.

hmmm, kind of looks like libraries are safe and may just be the red herring designed to draw public outrage, while sometheing bad elsewhere will happen?

11:35am Wed July27:
Sarah Doucette - Cllr Doug Ford & I were just interviewed by Global News re closing Libraries. Gave Cllr Ford a chance to talk his foot out of his mouth

9. Planning and Growth Management Committee:
Meets Wednesday, July 27 Weblink is HERE

The Planning and Growth Management Committee’s primary focus is on urban form, with a mandate to monitor, and make recommendations on planning, growth, and development of the City.
6 Members: Peter Milczyn (Chair), Ana Bailão,  Gary Crawford,  Frank Di Giorgio,  Karen Stintz,  Adam Vaughan

On the Chop Block:
* The Heritage Grant and Tax rebate programs could be reduced or eliminated.
* The Public Realm Improvement program could be eliminated
* Charge user fees for planning notices
* Reduce consultation in planning
* Eliminate public art program

   Today's Tweets:

(first one I've seen from him about any meeting):
Mayor Rob Ford - Planning & Growth Mgmt Cttee meeting starts in 15 minutes. Watch it live here http://t.co/WbApQNa #TOServiceReview #Toronto #FB #yyz #TOpoli

City Slikr - Cllr Fletcher to KPMG: You're speculating. KPMG: We're categorizing

cityslikr -KPMG now talking about recommendation to reduce @illegalsigns enforcement. Same not said for graffiti of course

suckersarestuck -#coreservicereview :eliminate heritage grants. Clr Vaughan announces #KPMG got big #heritage grant in Melbourne AUS to restore HQ there

.

... and finally .... where all the decisions seem to be made...

10. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
Meets Thursday, July 28 Weblink is HERE

The Executive Committee makes recommendations on Council's strategic policy and priorities, governance policy and structure, financial planning and budgeting, fiscal policy including revenue and tax policies, intergovernmental and international relations, Council and its operations, and human resources and labour relations.

13 Members: Mayor Rob Ford, Mike Del Grande, Paul Ainslie, Michelle Berardinetti, Doug Holyday, Norm Kelly, Giorgio Mammoliti, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Cesar Palacio, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Michael Thompson

* Mayor Ford invites residents to tell him what to keep, cut LINK HERE

...

So, Y'all Come On Down to Mayor Rob's Place and Tell Us Whatcha Thinkin', Toronto

I guarantee each of you get your 5 minutes to speak, all 2,503,281 of you

Just call, write, email or fax to:

Frances Pritchard

10th floor, West Tower, City Hall
100 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
email: exc@toronto.ca
phone: 416-392-6627

fax: 416-392-1879

... Tweet: as of noon, Wed July 27: Kim Wright - Must rest up tonight. There are already 210 deps registered for Exec Cmte tomorrow. May bump into sundown clause on Friday.

Toronto Star article about this:
http://www.thestar.com/news/torontocouncil/article/1033078--shrinking-government-not-deficit-drives-ford
"For Mayor Rob Ford, no matter what he says, this painful budget exercise is not about slaying Toronto’s annual deficit....In carefully chosen words before the start of Thursday’s epic executive meeting, Ford decreed that “must have” services stay and the “nice to haves” go. In his mind-the-shop view, cities don’t hand out arts grants, bolster poor student’s meals, spur environmental research or own a zoo."

"The public consultation process that included deputations to the executive committee is an elaborate sham, something apparent to most of the long line of Torontonians who passionately pleaded for Ford to keep his election promise not to reduce services."

Moments of Meaning from Movies

2011-07-10T17:31:00.002-04:00

SHRINK: 2009 Movie LINK

Unable to cope with a recent personal tragedy, LA's top celebrity shrink turns into a pothead with no concern for his appearance and a creeping sense of his inability to help his patients. Stars: Kevin Spacey, and Robin Williams (in a small impressively serious role)

Storyline

In Hollywood, people in need revolve around Dr. Henry Carter, a shrink: Jack, an aging star wants permission to cheat on his wife; Shamus is a director who's a cokehead; Patrick is a high-powered germophobic producer; Jeremy is a young writer looking for a break; Jemma, a high-school student, is skipping school; and Kate is an actress facing her mid-30s. Henry's wife recently died; he's grieving, blaming himself, smoking lots of pot. Henry's friends try an intervention; someone steals a patient's file from Henry; Patrick's assistant, the pregnant Daisy, sees promise in Jeremy's work; and, Jesus, Henry's drug dealer, sells him some potent weed. Can anything good come of this?

... Just watched this movie and liked the Kevin Spacey lines:

"Happiness" is a word for a feeling. Feelings are rarely understood in the moment. They are quickly forgotten, and almost always mis-remembered."

and, attributed: "The first step towards happiness is always the hardest"

(For those that like reading scripts go HERE )

Caution: Movie deals with suicide and the whys. Heavy duty movie with a pretty realistic ending.

Highly recommended.

Serendipity ?

2011-06-23T21:47:00.004-04:00

Serendipity is when someone finds something that they weren't expecting to find...
or The occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way

Like the sweet little grey and white cat (less than 6 months old?) sitting on the grass in front of the No Frills at 222 Lansdowne. A terribly busy street with fast, unforgiving cars. A rather unconcerned cat, who came over to me when I offered some Friskies cat food - I was on my way to feed a small feral colony up the street.

I was just coming back from a last minute pizza meeting with Peter Newell, a vice president of the Toronto Humane Society, whose board I recently joined. Otherwise, I would not have been at that spot to notice him. Serendipity.

I decided to carry him home the 2 blocks across several lanes of traffic (College/Dundas/Lansdowne), hoping I would not be scratched too badly. Luckily the little guy was well behaved.

When I got home, I kept him safe in our entrance hall to the basement apartment while I called 24 PetWatch about the yellow microchip tage on his collar. I have REALLY got to say good things about this company!

Within 3-4 minutes, I was connected to the cat's owners who live one street east of me (St. Clarens) and within another 5 minutes, the cat was in the arms of his caretaker. Wow !!!

Somewhat distressingly, I learned that this was their second cat (named Pretty Boy), because the first one had been killed by traffic. (WTF ?) I gave the tattooed guy, who seemed nice, some advice about how to streetproof a cat (take them securely in your arms when traffic is noisy and heavy and repeatedly say 'no'... believe it or not, cats learn). I forgot to tell him that having a second companion cat often keeps cats anchored to your backyard.

I wondered whether I should call Toronto Animal Services to report the found cat, since he also had a City of Toronto licence tag to compare if the chance of return was as great. What prevents me from doing so and reporting the tag number is fear that the city will over-react and send a bylaw officer to fine or confiscate the pet.

Serendipity. A wonderful thing.

Kinda makes life worth living when these kinds of things happen.....

What is 'Humane'

2011-06-23T13:44:00.004-04:00

hu·mane/(h)yo͞oˈmān/Adjective

1. Having or showing compassion or benevolence.

2. Inflicting the minimum of pain.

3. Having the feelings and inclinations creditable to man; having a disposition to treat other human beings or animals with kindness; kind; benevolent.

4. Characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion:

5. Marked by an emphasis on humanistic values and concerns:

6. Civilizing or liberal

Synonyms: compassionate, humanitarian, merciful - These adjectives mean marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering:

Other 'Google' search results:

humane society - 2 dictionary results

Toronto Animal Control Call Us Today For Professional & Humane Wildlife Removal. http://www.professionalwildlifecontrol.ca/

Animal Control Fast & Effective Wildlife Removal. Same-Day Service. Call Us Today. http://www.allseasonswildlifecontrol.com/

Animal Control Toronto Humane removal of wildlife from your home or business 416 792 5181 http://www.swatwildlife.com/

humane society –noun ( often initial capital letter ) an organization devoted to promoting humane ideals, especially with reference to the treatment of animals.
Origin: 1770–80

A humane society may be a group that aims to stop human or animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons, although in many countries, it is now used mostly for societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCAs). In the United Kingdom, it may also be a society that provides a waterways rescue, prevention, and recovery service, or that gives awards for the saving of human life (see: Royal Humane Society). Wikipedia

The first SPCA in Canada was the Canadian SPCA founded in Montreal in 1869. The other societies developed on a regional basis and now 123 societies are represented at a federal level by the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies http://cfhs.ca/

Personal Poverty Notes

2011-06-22T13:10:00.002-04:00

Why I've Been Absent From Blogging

There are times I feel like my blogging is just like farting in the wind - no one notices and it makes no difference. This has been one of those times. The news is almost always bad: cutbacks, unhappiness, etc.

I've been distracted by my illness: chronic depression and an anxiety disorder. My prescribed pharmaceuticals no longer work and I am given to long periods of depression and almost suffocating sadness while I am awake. I have nightmares and wake seemingly more tired than when I went to sleep. I am acutely aware of the increasing pain of arthritis and that I can no longer do the things I used to. I have aged beyond my years and my physical health is not good. The health system sucks: I go to a family clinic with a rotating crew of learning ("baby") doctors who can't seem to help me with the most basic health issues. Yet - I am soldiering on.

Poverty is pummeling me too. For the first time in a long time, I've had to visit the food bank, where I saw lots more discouraged and depressed people. It seems public donations are significantly down, probably because everyone else is having a harder time and food costs appear to be soaring. The food they provide is mostly chocolates and weird sauces, and a few other things that will last about 2 days at most. When I was on the board at Daily Bread, I costed out what a single person gets each visit: $13-17 worth of 'cast-off- foods. Yet - at least there is some minimal help out there.

The other side of poverty is isolation = not having the funds to attend or get to events in the city. Yet, I am on ODSP (disability) which pays at the high end of social assistance (about $12,000/year) and I really wonder how people on general welfare (Ontario Works) could get by (under $7,000/year). Our society really punishes the poor. The more isolated I become, the more I want to stay isolated.

.... I didn't mean for this post to be so negative, but it is what it is...

The one thought I wanted to communicate is that taking the packed TTC buses to the food bank this morning, I saw not a single happy face. Everyone was glum and looking like they didn't want to be where they were. Likely from the snazzy dressers, they were probably going off to slave at some job to make three, four or five times what I live on.; but they didn't look any happier.

Maybe all of Toronto is suffering from chronic depression. Maybe all this is a cycle of self punishment of society when they vote to elect the hardnosed conservatives like Rob Ford to have power over them.

Animal Issues Hot Topics at City Council

2011-06-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

It seems like this month is animal issues month at city hall.

* UPDATE: The animal hoarding issue did not make it to the floor of city council; The Pet Sale Ban apparently has last minute "legal issues: and will be heard at NEXT month's city council meeting. (Strange that it's only been studied for almost a year now, and legal becomes an issue? #TOCouncil moves at a snails/ pace sometimes)
====================

Next Tuesday June 14, amidst a very long and ambitious agenda, they will discuss and decide on:

LS 4.3    Banning the Sale of Cats and Dogs in Pet Shops
MM9.5 Motion to deal with Animal Hoarding - Josh Matlow
MM9.3  A By-law to Ban the possession, sale and consumption of Shark Fin and Derivative Products in Toronto - by Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, seconded by Councillor Krystyn Wong-Tam

The Cat/Dog Sales Ban had a signficant public consultation and has been around almost a year (Aug 13, 2010), but the animal hoarding motion came up just last night as an initiative by 2 councillors (Josh Matlow and Michelle Berardinetti)

Here is an email I just sent all city councillors and the Mayor .....
---
Dear Councillor Matlow,         Re: Member Motion MM9.5 Animal Hoarding

I commend you for bringing up the complicated and contentious issue of animal hoarding. Although I was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Toronto Humane Society and intend to bring this up for discussion at our board level, I must make it clear that at the moment, I speak as a private citizen only, and not for the organization.

This issue is a complex one and I encourage city council not to rush to judgement without significant consultation with other animal welfare organizations. The pet licence bylaws were an example of how the city can waste money, time and lose goodwill. (Example only 11% of cats are expected to be licenced over the next 3 years, this after tremendous city resources used to try to increase compliance). Threats don't work well in our city it seems.

Yes, animal hoarding can be a sign of a mental illness, although not always. There are numerous websites, mostly American, that talk about the issue. (I l ist them for your reference at the end of this communication.). Many eventual 'hoarders' often become so precisely because of the threat that authorities will sweep in and take away beloved pets. Your motion may simply serve to force hoarders deeper into hiding, helping no one. They will not speak out and ask for help in such a case. Thus, the stigma of mental illness is reinforced in the broader society as well.

One dynamic is that lonely people, often those on low income who have not sufficient social interaction due to extremely limited finances, find a starving stray cat wandering into their life. They take it in, but then there is another, and another, and so on. This is the pet overpopulation issue that is directly caused by bad pet owners who see animals as temporary toys then throw them away if their 'lifestyle' or whim changes. Other irresponsible pet owners are the direct cause of a lot of hoarding, and they are never held to account. In essence, attacking hoarders does nothing to resolve the overall pet overpopulation problem.

At what magic number do you declare a hoarder? Toronto has a pet limit of 6, Hamilton 2, other jurisdictions vary. In the 'gold standard' Calgary model, Bill Bruce, Director of Calgary Animal and Bylaw Services has no pet limits, and sees early education and putting the onus on making sure pet owners are responsible. He has had tremendous success (Weblink: http://redstarcafe.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/the-calgary-model/ ), but jurisdictions like Toronto have in the past cherry-picked a few ideas here and there. Some pet owners/caretakers have large premises with secure fenced in yards, while others have tiny rooms. How can you say to this person 6 is okay and to another 7 is wrong and I will confiscate your family friend? What of rescues that have people fostering larger numbers of animals? They are helping the city, using charitable donations, with the pet overpopulation problem.

Responding to animal hoarding requires a well-informed, well-researched approach. Although I am sure that city staff will do their usual reporting, there are so many other experienced and useful sources out in our community. I urge you to table this motion and refer it to the Licensing and Standards Committee pending further analysis and to give the public and animal welfare organizations a chance to have input.

Thank you
----------
Animal Hoarding website links:

http://www.tufts.edu/vet/hoarding/
http://www.animalhoarding.com/
http://www.animalhoardingproject.com/

Other News Stories:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/07/19/f-animal-hoarding-faq.html
http://en.video.canoe.tv/video/news/canada/1896809958/alarming-case-of-animal-hoarding/919554376001
http://canada.myletsadopt.com/2011/04/27/animal-hoarder-or-overwhelmed-animal-lover-what-is-the-difference/

... says: "the difference between animal hoarder and animal lover is simply one of animal care."
---------
Should anyone want to speak to their city councillor about this or any other issue, here is the weblink to contact:

- OR - Here is the full city council email contact list:

councillor_doucette@toronto.ca ; Councillor Matlow ; councillor_berardinetti@toronto.ca ; councillor_bailao@toronto.ca ; councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca ; councillor_augimeri@toronto.ca ; councillor_carroll@toronto.ca ; councillor_cho@toronto.ca ; councillor_colle@toronto.ca ; Councillor Crawford ; councillor_crisanti@toronto.ca ; councillor_davis@toronto.ca ; councillor_debaeremaeker@toronto.ca ; councillor_delgrande@toronto.ca ; councillor_digiorgio@toronto.ca ; councillor_filion@toronto.ca ; councillor_fletcher@toronto.ca ; councillor_dford@toronto.ca ; councillor_fragedakis@toronto.ca ; councillor_grimes@toronto.ca ; councillor_holyday@toronto.ca ; councillor_kelly@toronto.ca ; councillor_layton@toronto.ca ; councillor_lee@toronto.ca ; councillor_lindsay_luby@toronto.ca ; councillor_mammoliti@toronto.ca ; councillor_mcconnell@toronto.ca ; councillor_mcmahon@toronto.ca ; councillor_mihevc@toronto.ca ; councillor_milczyn@toronto.ca ; councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca ; councillor_moeser@toronto.ca ; councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca ; councillor_palacio@toronto.ca ; councillor_parker@toronto.ca ; councillor_pasternak@toronto.ca ; councillor_perks@toronto.ca ; councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca ; councillor_robinson@toronto.ca ; councillor_shiner@toronto.ca ; Councillor Stintz ; councillor_thompson@toronto.ca ; councillor_vaughan@toronto.ca ; councillor_wongtam@toronto.ca

Toronto Humane Society Press Release

2011-06-09T11:24:00.010-04:00

THS Board of Directors Elects New President

TORONTO, June 8, 2011 /CNW/ - The Toronto Humane Society (THS) Board of Directors has elected Marcie Laking as its new president. Elected as vice-president is long-time THS volunteer and foster parent Wendy Strickland, while second vice-president is lawyer Peter Newell.

Marcie Laking Wendy Strickland

Peter Newell

Board officer Linda MacKinnon has been re-elected Chair while Lisa Gibbens was elected Secretary and Sydney L. Nezon appointed Treasurer. Former president Michael Downey will continue to serve as a Board Director.

Linda MacKinnon Lisa Gibbens

Following on the heels of last week's Annual General Meeting in which five Board of Directors who support the mission and mandate of the previous board were elected, these new appointments will also serve to take the organization in a progressive direction.

"I am honoured and thrilled to be leading the Toronto Humane Society into this new and exciting phase," says Laking, formerly Board vice-president. "We have put in a lot of hard work to get to this point and will continue to do all we can to ensure the safety, health and happiness of the animals."

The only First Nations Ojibway to be elected president in THS's history, Laking's post also marks a significant milestone as she is the first who started out as a teenage volunteer at THS to hold the position. A passionate animal advocate, Laking's past experience also includes work as a THS animal care worker and is known for playing a pivotal role in the reform of the organization over the past year.

For a complete list and biographies of the current THS Board of Directors, visit www.torontohumanesociety.com/board.htm

About THS: THS is an independently operated humane society that services the needs of Toronto. Injured and/or ill animals receive veterinary care and abandoned animals are given safe shelter. Immature and/or injured animals are placed in foster care until they are old enough and strong enough to be placed for adoption. The THS receives no government funding and is operated entirely through private donors and sponsors.

------------ Links:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/marcie-laking-new-president-of-toronto-humane-society/article2052663/

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1005149--activist-named-president-of-toronto-humane-society

http://iwantapounddog.blogspot.com/2011/06/marcie-laking-is-new-president-of.html

http://mypetnews.com/2011/06/09/activist-named-president-of-toronto-humane-society/
------------

The Toronto Humane Society has about 1800 members. Membership is open to anyone who lives or works within a 60km radius of THS headquarters (11 River Street at Queen Street East). Current membership fee is $40.

Other directors on the current 15 member board are:

Crystal Tomusiak

Johanna Booth

Jennifer Downe

Judi King

Dr. Karen Nasir

Michael Downey

Carol Hroncek

David Bronskill

Ferne Sinkins

Ken Wood

* Next Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Toronto Humane Society will be:

Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00PM at 11 River Street Board Room (2nd floor).

Bloordale Press First Issue

2011-06-01T23:13:00.003-04:00

Click on photo to enlarge

Thank you to the newly launched local community newspaper, THE BLOORDALE PRESS, and chief editor, Gurpreet Ghag, for doing such a fair story on me for their paper. Were this a city election, no one could complain about inappropriate advertising! ... since the issue came out one day after I was successful at being elected to the board of directors for The Toronto Humane Society (a volunteer, unpaid position in the not for profit charity).

I wish this monthly local newspaper every success and welcome them to my neighbourhood!

I urge everyone in ward 18 Davenport, particularly businesses, to support them.

Good luck to all involved.

----

PS: The only inccuracy in the article I discovered was the statement, "THS members who live within a six kilometre radius of 11 River Street". It is actually 60 (sixty) kilometers radius that is the requirement for membership in the Toronto Humane Society. Toronto Humane Society website
---

Wonderful mix of articles covered (besides me - hey I am not egotistical, really!) such as:

* Story on new federal MP Andrew Cash (NDP)
* 243 Perth avnue controversy over development plans (historic Church)
* Dufferin Grove clothing swap
* Community consultations on new park (90 Lisgar Street)
* Review of May Works at the Free Gallery
* Coverage of Janes Walk
* Review of The Ortolan at 1211 Bloor St W
* Story on local city Councillor Ana Bailao's expense report
* Review of the Lansdowne Cone
* Hockey Night in Bloordale
* Classified ads section

Pick up the free paper anywhere in Bloordale! (lots at the Lansdowne Cone)

Toronto Humane Society Elections and AGM

2011-06-01T01:41:00.012-04:00

Blast from the past, Tim Trow and his slate REJECTED by Toronto Humane Society, Vote of Confidence In Current Board to Continue Direction

Toronto Humane Society has finally turned a corner and can be trusted to be stable again. Tremendous vote of confidence in current strategic direction and a re-energized membership bodes well for the future. Hey Toronto! Animals in need are now 'Guests in Our Home' and Not Prison Inmates!

Kate Hammer of the Globe and Mail, whose brilliant investigatory pieces over a year ago wrote:

"The state of animal welfare in this city is at a crossroads as the membership of the Toronto Humane Society decides whether to continue the changes brought about by its new leaders or to support another comeback for former president Tim Trow" Link to full article

At a meeting where the amazing in person showing up of a large proportion of the THS membership has not been the norm, the Annual General Meeting started about an hour late while meeting staff and coordinators struggled to find adequate seating for the people, many of them elderly, There were overflow rooms to the overflow rooms. (I estimate 300+ people there)

AT the start of the meeting portion for the election of the 5 available seats on the 15 member board, the independent elections official (Grant) told everyone that as of the Monday May30 5pm deadline for submission of proxies:

* 741 proxies received
* 30 were deemed spoiled (incorrectly filled out, mostly not signed)
* 521 proxies were directed to the current board chair to vote for the recommended slate
* 183 proxies were directed to Tim Trow and his slate
* 7 other individual proxies held by others
* 271 in attendance would would be voting in person

Actual attendance was higher, I estimate about 300+, because many of those who had sent in proxies wanted to be there to see how the vote went. Engagement! As well, assuming the 1800 members list was correct, 50-80% of the THS society Voted!!! (* 80% is My guesstimate, as many people on the membership list have home addresses in the Yukon, BC, Halifax, etc). Bare minimum voter turnout would be 57% if everyone on the membership list is valid (To be a voting member, youmust live or work within 60km of 11 River Street)

(Side note: I happened to be around when Tim Trow was signing in and said he had some additional 70+ proxies in his hand, but no proxies were being accepted past the pre-published deadline.This was consistently applied to all people who might be bringing in proxies at that time)

The meeting was slightly raucous as pro-Trow people were routinely booed and anyone expressing the slightest anti-Trow sentiments were accorded a heroic applause. Yes, there was some rudeness and attempted shouting down of pro-Trow speakers, but the President and Chair consistently reminded that everyone was to be accorded civility and respect.

However, one gentleman was so over the top shouting that he was ejected by Police.

Good points and questions were raised by all in the rooms and accorded reasonable respect.
All questions were answered, no one was barred from asking or saying anything.

(One lady made a point of telling everyone they should be ashamed at their behaviour; in my humble opinion, I thought 99% of people were well behaved, given the emotional nature of the meeting for many: staff, volunteers, and members and the intense media buildup around Tim Trow's attempted return)
---
.... So, who got elected? The entire board recommended slate. A clean sweep.

* David Bronskill (skilled lawyer in municipal law matters)
* Lisa Gibbens (informations systems, marketing)
* Carol Hroncek (longtime volunteer, cat rescuer)
* Crystal Tomusiak (criminal law background, animal welfare enthusiast)
* Ken Wood (hey! that's me! community social justice activist, has been on Daily Bread Food Bank and Mainstay Housing boards)
-----

News Story Links:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/31/tensions-high-as-humane-society-meets-to-elect-new-directors/

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1000549--former-toronto-humane-society-president-fails-to-win-board?bn=1

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/05/31/thc-trow-return.html

http://www.newstalk1010.com/News/localnews/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10243006

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/01/toronto-humane-society-elects-new-board

http://iwantapounddog.blogspot.com/2011/06/toronto-humane-society-annual-general.html

----
* Update June 1,2011:
Here is one impression of the meeting by someone who was there:

I attended the General Meeting at THS last night I am not involved much with their issues and don't know the full story however I was curious to see what was going on. I will tell you that I have never seem such a farce in my life. The patients definitely are running the asylum It doesn't matter if you are pro or con Tim Trow because that is incidental to my point. However if Mother Theresa were running for the THS Board of Directors she would never have gotten in. Votes were padded by employees who screamed and yelled and carried on worse than the animals they are supposed to be looking after. People were shoved and insulted. One man was escorted out by police because he stood up and screamed the election was unfair. No one could make a fair choice because the THS supporters who wanted their own people in would not let others talk. You could not hear anyone for all the heckling and insults being thrown at anyone who was not the favored choice of the present Board. I will never ever be associated with this organization again. Many of us who are civilized, walked out of there in total shock after witnessing this whole debacle. Not only was it shocking, it was extremely upsetting to see anyone acting out in the manner they did. God help our animals because there are unbalanced people looking after them. (Posted on this link: http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2011/06/one-persons-account-of-last-nights.html#comment-form )

.... And here is my personal impression and response:

I sincerely believe this post is probably from a pro-Tim Trow supporter seeking to find anything redeeming about him in light of the abuses documented on the public record ( Link HERE ).

Yes, the meeting was slightly raucous as pro-Trow people were routinely booed and anyone expressing the slightest anti-Trow sentiments were accorded a heroic applause. Yes, there was some rudeness and attempted shouting down of pro-Trow speakers, but the President and Chair consistently reminded that everyone was to be accorded civility and respect. Differences in opinion were valid but respect for all was defended and encouraged at all times.

It must be understood that much of the rudeness came from employee and volunteers who suffered terrible personal abuse and trauma under the reign of Tim Trow. Think what it would be like if a rapist was permitted to make speeches to his victims... Important: I am NOT not not not not intimating Tim was guilty of that, I simply am trying to draw a parallel for the sake of understanding the emotional duress those people were under. As well many of them were young, unfamiliar with the formalities of public meetings and for many, it was the very first time they could be heard by the membership and able to call Mr Trow on his version of the truth.

The one gentleman who was ejected by Police was protesting that people outside the overflow room on the patio could not hear the speakers (microphone acoustics were not great). A fair comment. The problem was that even after he was acknowledged, thanked and the problem rectified, he continued to shout down (not-pro-Tim-Trow) speakers and be loudly abusive and threatening. The disruption to the meeting continued until he was ejected for disruption of the proceedings by Police.

Given the experience of past AGM's, no one could have predicted such an in-person turnout of such magnitude. 271 in attendance, where in past it was very rare to get more than 80 or so people there. The majority of the membership exercised their legal right to vote via proxies. In the past, Tim Trow would appear with 700-800 proxies in hand and subsequently ignore those 80 or so present, waving them when challenged or asked a question - which as he ran the meetings as Chair and President in the past, meant he was able to totally ignore valid questions about finances, etc. from members in the room.

Now - THAT was rude, uncivil, disrespectful and it was in the past that "The patients definitely are running the asylum", the chief patient being Mr Tim Trow himself.

- Ken Wood - newly elected Director to the board of the Toronto Humane Society

City Discourages Puppy Mills

2011-06-01T00:44:00.004-04:00

STRONG MESSAGE TO BACKYARD/PUPPY MILL BREEDERS:
We Don't Want You Here in the GTA

No Full On Pet Sale Ban of cats, dogs in retail stores....

But a lot of tighter restrictions and promised upgraded city monitoring of retail stores to ensure the animals they offer for sale have not snuck in the back door from factory-farm-breeders within Canada and crossing the border. (See the Wendy Mesley CBC Marketplace video HERE "How much do you know about that puppy in the window")

Kudos and thanks to the efforts of Mr Dean Maher, (Link ) who led the charge on this initiative, having started the ball rolling almost a year ago by his detailed and well-researched proposal.

Tail wags and meows from the animals whose concerns were ably represented in the form of Councillor Glenn de Baeremaeker, (link) who not only focussed the media moment by bringing in one of the puppies from Toronto Animals Services, (" He showed off a beautiful basset hound named Betsy"), but also ensured significant amendments were made to the otherwise watered down city staff report.

Should the Licensing and Standards Committee recommendations be accepted by the full City Council, when you buy an animal (cat,dog) from a retail store in the GTA they will now come from one of 4 places:
Toronto Animal Services, Humane Societies, Legitimate Shelters/Rescues or Licenced Certified Breeders.
No more will people learn much later after horrendous vet bills that the animals had significant health problems or genetic defects.

There was one deputant of the 8 or so that showed up who gave a very moving story of how after being promised a healthy animal with a clear lineage and history, actually had come from a puppy mill factory farm, costing her over $4200 in vet bills for an animal with ongoing prtoblems. Story link

This is but a small, yet significant step, towards valuing animals as sentient beings and companions rather than a property product.

Even the pet store owners and their 'better business' group are okay with the recommendations.

A good day for animal lovers to feel optimistic! City council will vote on the tighter rules in June.

---
News Links:

City tightens up rules for pet stores- CP24
http://www.torontopetdaily.com/2011/05/city-has-voted-in-favour-of-restricting.html
Toronto could restrict pet store sales - National Post
http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/31/city-hall-goes-to-dogs-for-pet-store-debate

Police Too Busy to Do Their Job?

2011-05-30T19:03:00.004-04:00

Why Don't Police Enforce the Safety Laws?
BOTH Police and TTC NOT Doing Their Jobs!

TTCnotices Official TTC Tweets Westbound 506 Carlton streetcars are holding near Bathurst due to a collision. (a tweet about 5:30pm on Monday, May 30)

.... So why is this meaningful?

Because about an hour and bit earlier, Monday May 30, I was on another westbound 506 Carlton streetcar when an expensive white car (Mercedes? Licence number 130XK129) zoomed past the streetcar almost causing a car-streetcar collision because the car driver decide he could cut in front of a moving streetcar who would be forced to stop. The same car then sped through a red light ahead of us.

Less than half a block on, a Toronto Police officer stood chatting with construction workers as he watched the car zoom past.

.... So why is this meaningful?

Because Sunday night, May 29 at 7:03pm on a Queen West Streetcar (#4235 westbound) just east of Beaconsfield, when the same expensive white car (Mercedes? Licence number 130XK129) zoomed past the fully stopped streetcar, with open doors, almost hitting a passenger stepping off the curb to board..

A few seconds later we passed a stopped police crusier with 2 officers just sitting inside. No radar trap, guess they were on a break. Following the white car as I had several stops to go, I saw it suddenly make a right turn (no signal) down a side street. Definitely no police car in pursuit.

(Note: I have made repeated suggestions to the TTC that they need to crackdown on cars ignoring stopped streetcars, giving ideas like external mounted photo radar and swing out stop signs like school buses, but it has been a total waste of time. Emails direct to TTC CHair Karen Stintz are ignored)

.... So what else about this topic?

My local Tim Horton's on the southeast corner of College and Lansdowne has a clearly marked DISABLED PARKING ONLY near the entrance to the coffee shop. I regularly see people without disabled stickers park there. Even when I point out they should not do that ($400 fine I think) I am told to F-off by the offenders. Staff there frequently try to get people not to park there but are routinely ignored.

Last Friday night, May 27 in late afternoon TWO Toronto Police cars pulled up, FOUR officers went in to get their coffee (no donuts). As I was leaving, I saw yet another non-disabled stickered car parked in the offending spot. Since the officers were leving, I pointedly and clearly asked them to ticket the car. Aside from one officer asking another (there were 3 others), "Hey You got any parking tags?", the whole thing was ignored. Both teams got busy rearranging their trunks, sat in their cars and had coffee briefly before they both just drove off in different directions. No sirens, emergency call that I could see. I took a few cellphone snaps of the police, crusiers and offending vehicle

While the 4 police officers were 'busy', the driver of the car, a young woman, came out and made to drive off. I stopped her, saying "Boy You were lucky. It's a $400 fine and police are coming to ticket you". The bizarre response was for her to pull out of the space, then pull back into it for about 3 minutes (waiting?), then she pulled out and drove off.

If police don't want to do the basics of their jobs (is it beneath them?) why do they deserve the regular whopping pay increases?

- Disgusted.

See also:
Paid Duty Policing Costing Taxpayers Millions

* Update : Mayor Ford takes on 'Handicapped Parking Issue' http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1013603--ford-wants-to-get-tough-on-handicapped-parking-violators

Like a Dog With a Bone

2011-05-28T18:27:00.019-04:00

Toronto Humane Society Continues to be Haunted by Tim Trow

Adjective like a dog with a bone:(simile) Stubborn; persistent; relentless; dogged

"A call to bar Mr. Tim Trow from holding office at the THS" ... someone started a petition to try to keep Tim Trow from getting his clutches back on The Toronto Humane Society Link to site. (349 names so far)

On Craigslist, there is a call for a peaceful demonstration against Mr Trow.Tuesday, May 31 at 4:30pm:
"We support a Toronto Humane Society (THS) that is cruelty free. We support a THS that operates legally and honestly with full transparency. A THS that helps all animals and has a working relationship with other rescue groups and organizations. We support a THS that is moving forward in the world of animal rescue. We support a THS that does NOT have board members who were previously under investigation for animal cruelty. Tim Trow and the former board of directors were all under investigation for animal cruelty in 2009, You can read some of the court documents and sworn affidavits from previous Vets and employees here: http://saynototrow.webs.com/ You can also read the technicalities that lead to the charges being dropped in the links on that site. As some of you may know, Trow and a slate of his supporters are running for election to the Board of Directors. The LAST thing in the world that the Toronto Humane Society needs is any involvement from Trow. Please take a minute to look through the website to find out why. We will participate in a peaceful demonstration outside the Toronto Humane Society at 11 Rivers Street on May 31, 2011 at 4:30PM, prior to the AGM which starts at 6pm. We will gather to demonstrate that we DO NOT support Tim Trow or any of his supporters running for the Board, and will be showing our support for the current Board and celebrating all the positive changes they have made since being elected one year ago. The animals of the Toronto Humane Society need you again. We invite all interested Torontonians to take part and show your support for a positive and united future for the Toronto Humane Society that does not involve the leadership of Tim Trow."

The Toronto Humane Society, which appears has fallen to a membership low of about 1800 from the 3300 of pre-Trow days, and has seen donations tank due to the antics of Mr Trow and subsequent very bad press (Globe Investigation Killing them with kindness by Kate Hammer May 29, 2009 Link ), found itself with a completely new, non-Trow board last year after a judicial order for new elections. The new board has been meeting frequently and has worked hard on restoring the organization from the ground up.

Disclaimer: I am running for the one of the five vacant positions, and have been recommended by the current board to its membership. There are ~~four~~ EIGHT! Trow supporters and Mr Trow himself who are trying to make a comeback as the old slate. There are others running as well. The board consists of 15 people, with 5 positions planned to come up every year as 3 year terms expire. * Update: here is a link to everyone and everything about the AGM. 18 people running now.

What is startling is the frenzy of activity going on. Mr Trow's own site http://timtrow.ca/ has been running since he was ejected from office and he makes whatever allegations seem to suit his purpose, including throwing whatever dirt he can find at the new board's efforts, often enlisting old guard friends like Peter Worthington of The Sun ( LINK ) and various anonymous blogs and Facebook friend pages.

Suprising too, is the number of animal welfare blogs that continue to condemn his negative antics:
http://supportanimals.wordpress.com/ (used to be anonymous, public, recently marked private, but when I read it made all sorts of unsubstantiated claims)
http://socialmange.blogspot.com/ (Tim Trow has been making frequent mass mailings to the society's membership, even submitting his own revised, preferential - and confusing! proxy form)
http://animalfarm-selkie.blogspot.com/
http://saynototrow.webs.com/ Tells us that:
"As you may know, Tim Trow and his supporters are running for the board of directors at the Toronto Humane Society. They are running as a slate called the 'Animals First Team.' Members include;Tim Trow, Bob Hambly, Margaret Ann Johnson, Tony Marner, Ian McConachie, Antoine Musiol, Carol Lupovich, Wilfred 'Bud' Walters. They are hoping for a takeover of the current board, removing the current President, Vice-President and Chair." The site also posts pictures (WARNING: graphic detail, disturbing!) of what was found during the investigations last year link

I am sure I missed some blogs, but I continue to be astonished by Mr Trow's self-delusional belief he is somehow good for the animals. The man is a lawyer (his site says: "Legal counsel for 28 years with the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario" which means he probably not only has friends in high places, but also is skilled with presenting his views in a believable way, no matter the situation. In one of his many letters to persuade members with his version of the truth, he says: "The animals need you and me like never before". Really ???

I hope media and the citizenry and everyone who really cares about animals pays very close attention to this dangerous man.

-----
* Update: On a lighter note, here is a video link to a confused dog "Dog's Own Leg Tries To Steal Bone" .... sometimes you just have to laugh.
---
* Update: No media even bothered to cover a very successfull weekend open house at Toronto Humane Society, nor did they do anything with last week's be kind to animals week and awards ceremony May25 (Included Simcoe, an 18-hand, eight-year-old Toronto Police Mount and MC Gord Martineau)..... I guess Toronto papers are only interested in bad news... if it bleeds, it leads.... sigh

* Update: At least local community paper noticed someone Link
----
* Update: A couple of more mini news bits and blogs...
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/29/urban-scrawl-humane-society-needs-involvement-now-more-than-ever/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/05/30/two-groups-battle-for-humane-society-board/
"The election will pit former president Tim Trow and four of his allies against a board-endorsed slate of five candidates, including two members running for re-election and one long-time volunteer....A total of 18 candidates are running for the five available seats."

Way to go with simplistic reporting National Post! Yes, Tim Trow and 4 others are running for the 5 available seats, but in a last minute move, Mr. Trow has 3 more on his slate (ie 8 not 5) and hopes to make a motion to turf the top 3 anti-Trow loyalists so he can grab majority on the 15 member board.

One has always to remember Mr Trow is a lawyer, a profession Readers' Digest survey lists as way down the list as most trusted professions, just above car mechanics.

* Update: Sorry, I seem to have neglected an important reference to what the Tim Trow fuss is all about... here is a LINK to the OSPCA Ontario website where anyone can view the official court documents, affidavits, photos etc of just what the police/ospca investigations found, as well as explanation of why our justice system failed to prosecute.

Running for Election - Again

2011-05-10T18:08:00.005-04:00

Toronto Humane Society Elections are coming: May31

I am a candidate running for election to the board of the *new* Toronto Humane Society. My name is Ken Wood.

The 123rd Annual General Meeting of The Toronto Humane Society will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 6 p.m. at 11 River Street Weblink is HERE

There are 15 seats on The Toronto Humane Society Board of Directors; five are up for election at the 2011 AGM. Directors are elected by the membership and serve for a three-year term.

Tim Trow and his own slate are running for election as well. I certainly hope they do not get back in, since tremendous damage was done to THS by Mr. Trow's actions. Should any of them be successful, it only means discord, disruption and possible dysfunction on the board. I believe those loyal to the Trow way of doing things are: Bob Hambley, Ian McConachie, Tony Marner, Margaret Ann Johnson. They represent the scandals of the past, in my view. Some of the entries on this, my blog, dealing with Mr Trow and THS and my views on animals are: here , here , here , here , here , and here.

If any of you reading this are members, please support me. Mr. Trow has traditionally relied on securing proxies of members who do not attend the meeting (which is a legal course of action), but often those same members are not aware of what has and is happening at THS.

This is my bio:

Ken Wood is a longtime animal caregiver who has had pets since he was a child. He believes that animals teach us compassion and caring for other human beings as well. Familiar with not for profit organizations and governance issues, Ken has served as a board member on the Daily Bread Food Bank and Mainstay (supportive) Housing. Ken recently ran as a city council candidate to highlight the need to update our animal bylaws and recognize the need to spay and neuter our pets. He says the biggest challenge facing the Toronto Humane Society has become fundraising and the urgent need to reach out to a new generation of those that care about animals. We must ensure a stable and vibrant THS for now and into the future.

Tim Trow might recall me looking something like this back when I was protesting his reign over the THS:

----

* Update: Surfing for latest information on Toronto Humane Society on twitter and came across this link:
Day in the Life of an Animal Care Worker. Also, in recent news this: Day in the Life: City Animal Care Officer. And in related news: Pet Police Knocking on Doors ...

Notice the difference? In one case, animal caretaker gets paid $11.50/hr, while the City run Toronto Animal Services Bylaw Officer get paid between $62,150 and $70,054 a year (about $38/hr). Makes you wonder why the gravy train is still running in Ford nation....

Councillor Language Proves Bias

2011-04-27T10:02:00.002-04:00

OBJECTIONABLE LANGUAGE BY COUNCILLOR PARKER

Just saw this at 10:00am April 27th on Twitter:
goldsbie Jonathan Goldsbie Parker just used the phrase "another way to skin the cat." I'm guessing that's not one he picked up in the Legislature. 11 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

This must have been at Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (2010-2014) meeting April 26, 2011 - 9:30 AM - Meeting 3 whose members are: Mark Grimes, Mike Layton, Denzil Minnan-Wong (Chair), John Parker, Gord Perks, David Shiner

This is something that the Licensing and Standards Committee (2010-2014) whose members are:
Glenn De Baeremaeker, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Frances Nunziata. Cesar Palacio (Chair), Anthony Perruzza and have the responsibility for Toronto Animal Services ought to take note of and censure Mr. John Parker for his careless comments.

I call upon the Toronto City Integrity Commissioner, Janet Leiper, to investigate Mr. Parker's intemperate language and public statements made at the above mentioned meeting.
In a time when animal abuse is seen as an important issue, such public statements made by a public official are unacceptable and not only reflect poorly on Toronto City Council, but are inflammatory and seem on the surface to condone illegal and criminal behaviour.
---

I have filed a complaint with the city's Integrity Commissioner, for all the good it will probably do. sigh.

"PEOPLE LIKE YOU..." says the TTC

2011-04-22T19:11:00.006-04:00

PEOPLE LIKE YOU ...

No, its not a compliment that I received today, it ended in an arrest by Toronto Police, courtesy of a situation precipitated by a judgemental and 'higher than thou' TTC driver on the 506 College eastbound bus, a few houses down the street where I live, College and Lansdowne.

It happened at about 3:45pm today (Good Friday) and I am posting this at 6:21pm, after I ran my errands after being released from uncomfortable police custody in the back of one of their cramped cruises, while in over-tight handcuffs. They purposely have the from seats pushed back as far as it will go and I still have ligature marks on my wrists.

... But this is not about the police, who just did their jobs as a cog in the system.

This is about the Toronto Transit Commission and how customers are considered second class freight by (some) arrogant drivers. Since this record will no doubt be used in my upcoming court case, and because I believe in truth, here are the details:

1. I walked to the corner and waited at the northwest corner for the College streetcar. There were already about 20+ people there.

2. After what felt like a 15-20 minute wait (wish I had timed it), and watching bus after bus just bypass and go down Dundas (which I thought was closed), the 506 bus and the soon to be offending driver pulls up.

3. The young female driver (a rookie?) commences to have a long conversation with another young lady who boarded after me and seemed to be a friend, while about 10 people, many of them elderly, wait to board.

4. I was seated about halfway down the bus and went to the front, feeling concerned that people were waiting, and simply asked the driver "What's the holdup?"

5. She replies "Just be patient sir." I replied "We've been patient enough" . Yes I was feeling irritated at the wait, but did not express it other than to say "Let's just get moving" and turned to walk away.

6. Driver says "If you don't like it, get out and take a taxi". Now, understand that I am on disability, low income and the last time I took a taxi was when I had to go to the hospital after a fall and tore a hamstring. I resent being reminded of my poverty, and her statement was inflammatory.

7. It may have been at this time that I said was was only the worst thing that I could have said: "Oh, go to hell"... or it may have been later, since the driver continued to escalate and bait me.

9. The driver then said 'Get off my bus" and stopped just in front of the Tim Horton's I always frequent. I replied "No, I've got a valid fare" and held up my monthy April TTC pass again.

10. Driver then says "Its' PEOPLE LIKE YOU who are the problem..." Now I admit, this bothered me as I would most anyone I think, as it is a put down that is a classist statement intended to diminish the value of another human being.

11. I inform the driver I would be filing a complaint, and the driver says "Go ahead, I won't lose my job over a complaint". To me, this is obnviously a reference to the fact that the TTC has a strong union and no complaints would ever be taken seriously or have conseuences.

12. The 'won't lose my job' complaint to me was yet another further escalation, said loudly and with a smirk on her face, again intended to 'put me in my place' so to speak.

13. At this point, I am angry enough to decide then and there to stand up for my rights as a human being, entitled to some respect just like anyone else. I strongly point out that I did not swear or become abusive or threatening to the driver in any way. In fact, there was a man between me and the driver who was chatting with her during this, and a relatively full busload of passengers.

14. Now, we have one bus stopped and not moving. The driver calls TTC control to report 'an abusive passenger who won't get off the bus' and proceeds to describe me as old, balding, etc. I spoke loud enough such that the TTC controller would know who I was, giving clearly my name, address and telephone number. My thought was there was no point in delaying the bus, I was on it and they knew who I was. Besides there are in bus cameras taking down the entire exchange.

15. TTC control soon comes over the bus speakers and announces the bus out of service and told all passengers to exit.

16. At about this point I decide to document things myself using my cell phone camera to take photos and video of the bus, identifying number, etc.

17. The police have not arrived, another bus pulls up and I get off to get on it. Driver 1 (young female) says, "no dont let him on" but I already am. Driver 2 (a guy with a small beard) comes back and says his bus is now out of service.

18. I get off bus 2 and get back on bus 1. Now 2 buses are out of service. This is ridiculous.

19. Police have still not arrived (I am standing up for what I believe is an impotant issue, having to do with human rights * more on this at end of this post), so

20 I call 311 to ensure that at least there is a record of what is happening and ask to lodge a complaint against the TTC. The 311 operator doesn't know what to do, so I ask him to take my name and telephone number and to advise my local city councillor Ana Bailao. The reason for this is that I have had concerns about TTC issues of safety and customer service for some time, having posted about it on my weblog and in emails to TTC Chair Karen Stintz as well as discussions with Ana. I intend to file a complaint.

21. Police arrive and I gladly exit the bus to explain what happened, to an initially sympathetic officer - while the other officer (Hollingshead) talks to the TTC driver. I ask if I am being arrested and he says no.

22. By now there are crowds watching 2 idling buses and police questioning me and the driver, with traffic slowed and gawking at the roadside show.

23. I have to admit by this point I am disgusted with the whole over the top situation, but I am not one to back down when I feel I am being treated unfairly (by the TTC, I stress, police are still just doing their job).

24. Since the statements appear to have been taken, I try to board the bus and officer Hollingshead blocks my entry. If I am not under arrest and I have a valid fare, why not I ask. Things are fuzzy here as I think I tried to board, angry that I was being refused, in my thought, all access to TTC buses. And here I did do a stupid thing, puting my foot up to board (my stubborness did me in). I am absolutely sure I did not touch or push the officer, but in a frenzied whirl I am speedily manhandled, twisted around and handcuffed.

25. Now I am frisked over the trunk of the police car, relieved of all my belongings and consigned to the cramped back seat of the cruiser. I see out the window buses idling, 2 police cars (including the one I was in) and a TTC supervisor car. While I wait for about an hour, with the blood ciculation in my hands cut off, I think over the events. I hear on the police radio that the incident for my call is Delta 137173. I also hear a police call for an assault situation at 1011 Lansdowne and calls for a traffic car at College and Ossington.

26. I am shamed that the incident involving me was responded to in such an over the top fashion and that police resources were being taken up bt this. I am however certain of the rightness of my concerns in how the TTC often treats the 'lower classes'. I am glad to at least know that now there will be a full report of the incident so I can actually follow up and not be just ignored, as often happens to those with no power or status.

27. After what seemed an eternity, the car pulls round in front of the bus and I am told to get out of the car. I am released from the cuffs and given back my belongings. I ask why I wasn't being taken to the station and told I was being given a ticket. $50 fine for trespass. I will fight it.

28. I think at this point another bus pulls up (#3) and I go to get on it (after all I was not under arrest and had valid fare). The driver refuses me access and the supervisor comes up and say no as well. What gives? Am I being refused access to the entire TTC system?

29. The kindly police officer (good cop, bad cop teams?) comes to tell me that I cannot board. After some confusion I realize its because I 'had words' with him, ie. an interchange so the police have to document this while another bus is out of service: Driver 3: "You can't get on" Me: "Why" Driver 3: "Because I said so"... that was pretty much the entirety of the conversation.

30. NOW... bus number 4 pulls up and I am invited to board by the police.

31. As I go towards the bus, the bearded TTC Supervisor feels compelled to come to me and say "You know, it's PEOPLE LIKE YOU that cause all the problems...." He goes on to say, "My job is to protect my people from PEOPLE LIKE YOU"
...I thank him for giving me a title and sweet soundbite for the whole incident and its deeper meaning:

.... Someday People Like You.... can quickly become PEOPLE LIKE ME ....

I am looking foward to my day in court.
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* There is background to this that bears consideration. I travel on the Queen Streetcar, the Dufferin and Ossington buses. I too often see abusive TTC drivers who give those that are 'down and out' a really hard time. They are challenged much more often to again produce valid transfers just because of the way they look. A few times, I've heard drivers say really nasty demeaning things like 'you're a waste of time' or 'what? all you can give me is pennies? or 'I don't want YOU on my bus (before they even board or speak'. I do say that it is only some drivers, in my estimate maybe 10% at most and usually not the drivers on the regular runs (probably overtime work from another more classy route).

Still, the customer deserves some respect, don't you think?

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* Update: 8:50pm Friday - I checked the TTC website for the bylaws, since I was charged as "Failed to leave premises when directed Trespass to Property Ac 2 (1) (b). "
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TTC bylaws make no direct mention of this, other than possibly:
3.24 No person, unless otherwise authorized, shall loiter in or on TTC property.

... Is this what I am being found guilty of ?
3.25 No person shall cause a disturbance or act contrary to the public peace on TTC property, including but not limited to:
a) urinating, expectorating or defecating, except in facilities specifically intended for such actions;
b) using profane, insulting or obscene language or gestures; ...Is the word 'hell' profane?
c) behaving in an indecent or offensive manner;
d) shining any type of light at an operator of a TTC vehicle or any other passenger;
e) fighting; or
f) behaving in a manner which would interfere with the ordinary enjoyment of persons using the transit system. ... A wonderful 'anything else we can think of' catchphrase?
----
The Trespass to Property Act says: R.S.O. 1990, CHAPTER T.21

Trespass an offence

2. (1) Every person who is not acting under a right or authority conferred by law and who,
(a) without the express permission of the occupier, the proof of which rests on the defendant,
(i) enters on premises when entry is prohibited under this Act, or
(ii) engages in an activity on premises when the activity is prohibited under this Act; or
(b) does not leave the premises immediately after he or she is directed to do so by the occupier of the premises or a person authorized by the occupier,
is guilty of an offence and on conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $2,000. R.S.O. 1990, c. T.21, s. 2 (1).
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* Update: 9:46pm I sent in a signed, faxed complaint to TTC customer service. I am told by their site I can expect followup in 7 business days (May 3rd). Stay tuned. This was the exact complaint just sent:

Comments: Driver held up the much delayed bus with a conversation with a friend/passenger while elderly people waited to board. I asked What the holdup was, She said, Be patient, I said we've been patient enough and turned to sit down. Driver escalated several times, saying: 1. If you dont like it, get out and take a taxi; 2. It's PEOPLE LIKE YOU who are the problem; 3. I'm not going to lose my job over a complaint (laughs) - after I said I would file a complaint. Resulted in about 3+ buses being delayed, Police called, me being arrested. I shall fight this complaint in court and will be talking to the media. Note that my chief complaint is with the TTC cultural attitude of 'my people, you people'. Since I have to put this in writing it is only fair that you respond in kind. kenwood@bell.net I would be happy to speak with your new customer service guru to resolve this.
Date and Time of Event (yyyy-mm-dd): 2011-04-22 03:45 PM

Employee Badge Number: unknown

Employee Description: Young, female driver
Gender: Female
Vehicle No.: 1626

Run No.: 506 Ossington
Licence Plate: I have a photo
Route name and/or Number: 506 bus eastbound
Vehicle direction of travel: East
Location of Occurrence: College and Lansdowne
Reference Number #52481
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Note: I have also emailed TTC Chair and Councillor Stintz and cc'd my local Councillor Ana Bailao.

Disturbing News About Political Campaigns

2011-04-16T07:56:00.004-04:00

Do Any of These News Stories Make You Mad Enough to Vote?

"...political parties are exempt from Canada’s privacy rules, said David Fraser, a privacy lawyer with Halifax-based McInnes Cooper. “They can collect, use and disclose your personal information without your consent and they can use it for whatever purpose they want.” Email to MP Lands Woman in Campaign Database

"In its findings, the poll says “Canadians’ primary reaction to the English debates was annoyance. “There was none of the engagement, excitement, happiness or even interest that we have observed with more stellar political performances (also tested with this polling tool).” TV Debates Annoyed Canadians

"the Conservative Party is facing an allegation of election tampering after trying to have 700 votes cast by students earlier this week at the University of Guelph declared null and void...The Liberals say officials with Guelph Conservative candidate Marty Burke illegally filmed voters and then tried to snatch away the ballot box, a great big election no-no." Elections Canada Rejects Tory Bid to Quash Student Votes

“I was told the RCMP had done a screening and that perhaps my name was affiliated with something on Facebook or the Internet,” MacDonald told the Star. “Something that made me unfit to enter. They wouldn’t say what it was...MacDonald says she has never been affiliated with any political party. Nor has she participated in any anti-government or anti-Conservative rallies. " Another Student Barred from Conservative Party Rally ... "The Royal Canadian Mounted Police admitted Wednesday that the phalanx of officers assigned as the Prime Minister’s bodyguards overstepped their bounds to enforce Harper’s closed-to-the-public re-election bid. Their transgressions include blocking and ejecting those whose only crime is to seek out the Tory chief’s election message without advance notice or sufficient party glee." RCMP Implicated in Harper's Closed to Public Campaign

...And this posting from the Junction Triangle website :
"(Mario) Silva at Digin

I attended the DigIn meeting on Tuesday April 12. I won’t recount the whole evening here but I do think it’s important to make some observations about the behaviour of the current incumbent, Liberal MP Mario Silva. I feel it is necessary to single him out for a couple of reasons. One, he is our representative in Ottawa who currently makes $170,000 per year and I can find little evidence in the riding of how he’s earning it. Two, I was very disappointed by his behaviour and I feel he oozed the arrogance and entitlement of past Liberal governments, not to mention the current Conservative one.

Mr. Silva arrived about 20 minutes late and he used his own introduction to take a few shots at the NDP party and their candidate Andrew Cash. The first questioner from the audience asked Mr. Silva if he could please put his Blackberry away (he was reading and writing text messages while in the front of the room) and give the audience and the other candidates his full attention. Silva’s response was unapologetic. He put the device away but said he was capable of multitasking and that he was listening to what was going on. So much for respect.

My question was why, if he supports the electrification of the rail corridor that runs through the riding, was he not at the Human Train rally organized by the Clean Train Coalition. He talked for a while about meetings and so on but he didn’t answer the question. When pressed to answer, the best he could do was admit he didn’t know why he wasn’t at the rally. In a phone conversation with him last year Mr. Silva told me he didn’t know about the rally! There were only about a thousand people there who came together around the single most important issue in this riding. Gerard Kennedy was there, as was Peggy Nash, Cheri DiNovo and many other political players. What does this say of Mr. Silva’s concern for his own riding of Davenport?

When asked about his attendance and voting record in the House of Commons (67 absences I believe) Mr. Silva did not really account for the lapse but instead declared he had a very good record as it fell within the top 20% of MP’s voting records. He then went on to attack another riding’s NDP member (and by association Mr. Cash) whose record was worse than his own. As this progressed Mr. Silva got more agitated and started yelling at Mr. Cash and the woman who asked the question. It was a poor display of overblown indignation and underneath it all he revealed a “how dare you question me” attitude. This is pretty bold coming from a politician who, time and again, is pretty much invisible in the riding until an election is called. Perhaps he is too busy getting his Phd from a University in Ireland. My understanding is his thesis is about failed states. I guess he would know. How unfortunate for Davenport. But how fortunate that we have the chance to make a change."

Tim Trow, Toronto Humane Issues Heating Up

2011-04-06T14:07:00.004-04:00

Followup to this post HERE ...

Messy Times for Toronto Humane Society (thanks to Tim Trow)
Listening to CFRB 1010 am radio Jim Richards talk show today about 1:45pm

Tim Trow spoke and was asked some pointed questions, most of which he deflected or denied:
(tried to be exact in wording, but went something like this)

Host: What's this about? Are you wanting back in as President or are you just clearing your name?

Trow: Neither, just an effort to talk to members about the concerning things going on there, like closing the wildlife centre...

Host: But didn't that happen before the new board and changes, as a result of OSPCA investigations?

Trow: No, I don't know why they stripped it (really?)

Host: I know criminal charges were dropped against you, but it was more a technicality charter violatiuon thing and pretty much you didn't have your day in court...

Trow: Yes in part, but also the crown prosecutor said that investigations prior to '09 had not sufficient evidence to prosecute..

Host: There were a number of allegations when you were there that the place was not well run...

Trow: The place was very well run. We were very, very full all the time and now there is just a trickle of animals...

Host: They said you're not a fun guy to work with...

Trow: I had the highest plurality ever in my last election....
(It wasn't brought up that Trow misused the proxy system and sly, questionable campaign correspondence and confusing forms to secure 769 proxies at a meeting where only a relative handful of the 1800 or so members actually showed up to vote)

Host: What about fundraising? I understand that Toronto Humane has had a tough time of it lately...

Trow: When I was there we did not have that problem, we took in $11 million...

Host: But the other side would say that's because you sullied the THS reputation?

Trow: No, I know how to fundraise. You get donations by doing things. They see lots of animals helped... now very few animals are being helped...

Host:: There were also accusations that animals suffered under your watch...

Trow: No, not true. Thats a terrible thing to say about someone who gives all their time to help animals...

Host: But there were charges you directed what to do with animals...

Trow: No. I didn't decide who lived or died, that decision was made by the chief veterinarian (Sheridan)... yes, we'd speak about animals sometimes, he'd ask if there was funding for costly procedures, but he made all the decisions. I never interfered.

Trow: Last year the city pound took in 2,000 additional cats because nothing was going through Toronto Humane. They euthanized more than 40% of them. At least we tried to help...

- end of interview -

Note: Marcie Laking, the new Vice President of Toronto Humane Society was to have spoken, but she had a bad land line at the beginning, then for unknown reasons (damn!) she was never heard from as the segment ended and they went to the news.

SADLY - Jim Richards speculated that perhaps she just hung up because she didn't like the way the interview was going....

I called the show and tried to comment on air but no dice.....

The High Cost of Running for Council

2011-04-06T00:45:00.008-04:00

Thank you Mr. Joe Fiorito !
---------------------------
The High Cost of Running for Council
By Joe Fiorito, City Columnist THE TORONTO STAR - Wednesday, April 6, 2011
weblink

Ken Wood sat in the Tim’s at Lansdowne and College with a binder, a sheaf of papers, a cup of coffee and a plate of humble pie on the table in front of him.

Ken ran for city council in Ward 18 and he never stood a chance. That’s not the point — that’s never the point — but now he’s in a jam because his backers are out of pocket, and they’re miffed.

First things first.

His bona fides? “I remember going to a free trade protest in Quebec City and getting tear-gassed. And I was at the convention that elected Trudeau.”

He was beaten by police at a rally in Toronto in 2001, after which he sued and was awarded a tidy settlement. Oh, and he chained himself to a tree during the construction mess on Lansdowne Ave. a couple of years ago; he saved the tree.

Not bad bona fides.

Why did he run? “I’d had some issues in the neighbourhood, and my councillor wasn’t much help.” So Ken, who is on disability, decided to enter the race. It cost him a hundred bucks.

“It gave me a platform to talk about poverty, housing — issues that don’t get addressed.” The ward skews poor. “Maybe poverty isn’t being talked about because poor people aren’t running . . . I figured I could reinforce the messages.” Which is what he did, at four or five public debates.

How did it feel to debate? “It was a bit scary. I wondered whether I should polish a speech. In the end I decided that I know my issues, so I just responded from the heart.”

How did his heart poll? “I got 101 votes; less than one guy who didn’t even campaign — a guy who had no flyers, didn’t come to the debates, and no one could reach him.”

Ken’s votes are not the point, the process is the point. On election day, he was his own scrutineer; later that evening, he attended a party held by the Green candidate and talked politics all night.

What did he learn about running? “That it’s not as difficult as most people might think.”

His problem? “When I registered, I attended the city’s orientation session. They talked about donor contributions, how people would get 75 per cent of their donations back.”

Ken cheerfully raised $745 from four donors: his sister, a friend, a neighbour, and a guy he knows who is a fellow cat rescue volunteer.

“I couldn’t afford signs. I ran flyers off at home, or at the copy shop. I spent the money on ink and paper, and on my cellphone — a pay-as-you-go plan.”

He spent precisely what he raised, but when he went to file his expenses in time for the March 24 deadline, he was reminded that he had to submit an audited statement if his contributors were to get their rebates.

The rules, according to city by-laws: “Candidates are required to hire an auditor if they are:

• participating in the contribution rebate programme (mayor and councillors only)

• accepting contributions or incurring expenses over $10,000.” (end italics)

Ken said, “I read that as not a worry because I wasn’t over $10,000.” An innocent, but costly, mistake. “I was told there’s no appeal.”

He has filed provisionally, and has until September; but an audited statement would cost him $500 and he isn’t sure if he can raise the money.

He’d be grateful if council would consider changing the audit rule from “will require” to “may require,” which is how the province does it.

Why should council make the change? Because we don’t need barriers to democracy in Toronto.

Joe Fiorito appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email: jfiorito@thestar.ca
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Update: Some followup from the article release... (Still feels strange to be heard)

Tweet: 416647905 @KenWood_ward18 good article, i usually rag on Fiorito, but i appreciate ur plight,i'm willing to donate some $ if needed #topoli #tocouncil

Tweet: 416647905 @TOMayorFord If you can do something to fix this, please do. Thank you. http://tinyurl.com/3e49wgk #ward18 #topoli #TOCouncil

Tweet: rbmorra @KenWood_ward18 Why don't you get @Ward18AnaBailao working on this very worthy issue! #ward18
(Note: I spoke with her and she is looking into it. Also I hope Joe Mihevc and Josh Matlow will help)

A comment in the Star: A nice guy. Ken Wood sounds honest and sincere and what’s more he really seems to care about the issues - in other words a nice guy. Unfortunately and in the traditional sense nice guys come where? LAST!! Good luck Mr. Wood - don’t give up the fight - remember, the current administration at City Hall is not philosophically in tune with the issue’s you care about - the poor and the disadvantaged!! adrian
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UPDATE (April 18): Since the Star article, I have had 2 other people contact me that are in the same boat. No doubt there are othere (47 people did not file in time for the March 24th deadline - speculating whether it was because of this discouragement)

Bad Guy Tim Trow Toronto Humane Society Just Won't Quit

2011-04-05T14:51:00.007-04:00

How On Earth Did I Become Tim Trow's Friend?

Remember? Back on May 29, 2009 when the big scandals at the (old) Toronto Humane Society broke, in a news story by Globe and Mail's Kate Hammer, investigative reporter, entitled: KILLING THEM WITH KINDNESS. It was followed by more and more terrible revelations about mismanagement and animal mistreatment and neglect. Police raids occurred, people were arrested and the OSPCA spent months doing investigations and restoring the shelter to an acceptable state.

I attended this rally in the rain on June 20, 2009 along with many other upset animal lovers:

After this rally, I was threatened with a lawsuit by Tim and THS for saying they did not spay/neuter adopted out animals (it was true, so nothing came of it)

Then, in November 2009: Five people named in the search warrants are being arrested and charged with criminal offences based on the contents in the search warrants, which were executed.:

• Tim Trow, THS President, will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals (2 counts), and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).

• Gary McCracken, THS General Manager, will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).

• Dr. Steve Sheridan, THS Head Veterinarian, will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence and Cruelty to Animals.

• Andy Bechtel will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit an Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).

• Romeo Bernadino will be charged with Conspiracy to Commit and Indictable Offence (2 counts), Cruelty to Animals, and Obstruction of a Peace Officer (3 counts).

• All of the above, as well as the THS Board of Directors, are also being charged with five counts of animal cruelty, a provincial offence under the Ontario SPCA Act

The charges stem from an investigation that was launched in early 2009 in response to allegations of animal cruelty. The OSPCA conducted the investigation with the help of private investigators from The Investigators Group under the authority of the Ontario SPCA Act, 2009. Under the Act, the OSPCA is responsible for enforcing animal cruelty statutes in Ontario. It is also responsible for overseeing animal welfare shelters such as local humane societies.
---
A completely new board was elected after the courts ordered it (Tim Trow was playing fast and loose with proxies, notices and correspondence to ensure he stayed in power as long as he did).

We thought Tim Trow was gone for good.

The old board resigned en masse in April, 2010. Toronto Sun article reports: "Justice David Brown put the THS on notice, warning it’s the third time in less than 25 years that the courts have had to deal with complaints against the Toronto society. “I emphasize the need for continued vigilance and diligence by the THS, its board, staff and members, in reforming their animal care practices,” Brown said."

A new board was elected in May, 2010.

Then - on August 16, 2010 all charges were dropped! CBC news story - due to technicalities and irregularities in the search: "Ultimately, the Crown has concluded that the lawfulness and execution of these warrants were seriously flawed to such an extent that the Crown would be unable to successfully tender the evidence seized during these searches," the prosecutors wrote.
----

SO.... what does all this have to do with today?
Well, I got this friendly letter in the mail from my old pal Tim:

Perhaps hard to read, but it goes on...and on about how terrible the new board is (they are not) and seems to be advocating for support to return him to his previous dictator position. Here is a link to the content of the letter.

Now, how did he get my address? I was a member several years ago and only took out membership again last fall after the new board was elected. Isn't this abuse of personal information, since Tim is no longer in charge? (I have an inquiry in to THS).

Oh how I wish Tim could simply be rejected for "poor character" like this story.

Update: Here is the link to his new website: "created to help the animals".
Yeah, right. More likely created as a revenge vehicle by this seriously screwed up guy.
---------

Update: From a Toronto Sun story March 18, 2011 ...
Continuing Toronto Humane Society dogfights have resulted in the latest CEO’s axing — not just from the job, but from the beleaguered agency.

Garth Jerome’s dismissal prompted two volunteer board members to quit in protest, the Toronto Sun has learned. Sources said Friday the new board appointed Jerome, a well-respected, well-liked veteran THS biologist, as an administrator last summer.“He did his best, but was not an experienced supervisor,” one source said, adding Jerome was required to dismiss several employees.

Instead of him getting another THS job, he was replaced by an interim CEO., Board treasurer Ian Wintrip and member Garnet Siddall then quit.A permanent CEO’s appointment is expected at the society’s annual meeting May 31.

Siddall said “the trigger” for her resigning was “the decision by the board to terminate Garth’s role.“I had been working closely with Garth on a project and felt that he was doing his level best to make the THS a better place,” she wrote in an e-mail, adding “he could have had a future there.”
Siddall and 10-month president Michael Downey cited confidentiality for not disclosing reasons for Jerome leaving.

In a February release announcing interim CEO Christopher Barry’s appointment, Downey said “over the last three years, we have gone through incredible change,” so the board decided the THS needed “a new management.”Jerome, who Downey said he met recently, “is doing very well” and is helping interim CEO Christopher Barry with undisclosed projects.He denied rumours of the 25,000-square foot River St. facility being for sale.Jerome was not expected at home until late.

Almost one-third the THS’s members resigned after an Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals raid in November 2009 in which then-THS president Tim Trow and chief veterinarian Steve Sheridan were arrested.Accused of animal cruelty, their charges were dropped last August.Other employees were barred, but some returned while the OSPCA ran the facility, where animal numbers were reduced.

Several staffers were dismissed after a new board’s election last May, led by OSPCA supporter Linda MacKinnon, who campaigned as part of the small Association for the Reform of The Toronto Humane Society.MacKinnon, who referred an interview request to Downey, was described by sources as combative and unpopular with many employees.

One source said disgruntled members are trying to get Trow re-elected. New THS bylaws are expected to be announced March ian.robertson@sunmedia.ca
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Update: National Post article April 5th Ex-President of Humane Society Set for Return

Update: Toronto Start article April 5th Former Toronto Humane Society President Decries New Board

Closing the Election Campaign

2011-04-03T10:48:00.009-04:00

My Campaign Literature From the Election Campaign

Someone suggested I should have posted my campaign literature on the blog, as a kind of record of why I was running and what ideas/issues I had hoped to have an impact on. Here they are:

My First Attempts, using the "Tree Guy" photo one of the newspapers published when I chained myself to a tree to save it from clear cutting during the Lansdowne narrowing fiasco in 2007 (you could say I fought city hall and - surprisingly - won!):

The business card I took to using.... >

Using the 'new me' photo, after a $67 hairtcut, hair colouring and shave... I agonized over this decision to 'look normal' like other candidates, when why I was running was to represent the marginalized poor.

Text of the very first Pamphlet I Had Sent Out:   CONTENT !

I am running as a candidate for Toronto City Councillor for our ward because I believe we need someone who not only listens to our residents but also informs them of city actions that concern them and consults before actions that affect us are taken.   Please support me.

THE ISSUES:

* RESPECT FOR RESIDENTS: We need to consult more with people before actions are taken

* TAXES and BUDGETS: We need to become better, smarter and more open at planning as a city

* DEMOCRACY: We need more fairness in how we elect those who represent us. More choice. Term limits.

* BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE: We need to make our city more pleasant to live in. Better parks like Dufferin Grove that allow community involvement. More accessible, low cost and reliable public transit. Bike lanes that share the road intelligently with cars. Respect for pedestrians. Cleaner air, electric not diesel trains. Protect housing for families and tenants. Build safer, more secure communities. Better animal control and pet bylaws.

* POVERTY, HUNGER, HOMELESSNESS: We need to take more steps to reduce poverty, hunger and homelessness in our city. Too many of our neighbours are suffering. Many are working, but still poor. Food banks are being overwhelmed and are just a bandaid solution. There are still too many without a home.

ELECTION and WARD INFORMATION:

VOTING day is Monday, October 25, 2010. In the last election (2006), only 35% of eligible voters actually cast a ballot while city-wide turnout was only 39%. Please VOTE ! Election signs are not permitted until October 4

Did You Know?

- One-third of the households in our ward have an income under $30,000.

- There are over 180 languages spoken in Toronto. In our ward, less than 40% of the people said English was their mother tongue. 25% of the ward speaks Portugese. Other languages include Spanish, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, French, Punjabi. We are, like the whole city, very diverse and come from different cultures

I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT: Donations may be sent to: Ken Wood, 3-355 Lansdowne Avenue, Toronto Ontario M6H 3Y2. Maximum donation allowable is $750, but any amount is welcome. Receipts will be given and rebates up to 75% on donations over $25 will be refunded by the city within a year. You may also contribute goods and services.   I also welcome volunteers to help with the campaign. Thank you for your attention. - KEN WOOD

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It would actually be a good idea, it occurs to me, to have ALL candidates who are elected required by law to post their election campaign materials, complete with promises, so we can all hold the winners accountable !
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As I posted in this blog just prior to voting day:

KEN WOOD - I'll leave it to others to describe or remember me in this election.

All I know is that when I first registered to run 20 minutes before we knew if Giambrone would run in the ward or for mayor, what I wanted was:

1. To See Adam Giambrone out of office (Thanks, Adam)

2. To have an impact on the issues and nature of the debate in the ward

3. To offer a real choice to voters of someone truly independent

4. To contribute to increasing voter response and turnout

5. To test myself to see if I could be more than what I was
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On the Junction Triangle website , I was happy to get this praise:

"Most Surprising Platform: Hands down this belongs to Ken Wood. His platform was the most detailed on municipal issues that relate to the average citizen. When Ken calms down and stops chaining himself to things he has some good ideas. I found that I agreed with almost all of his ideas to some extent and I encourage people to look again. If he stays focused on ideas then he has something to contribute via his blog. Special kudos for being basically the only candidate to state clearly that poverty is an issue and that not all ward residents have the relative luxury that I have. As well if we had a Hunter S. Thompson look a like award he would get it." By Scott D.

Transit Plans a Moving Target

2011-03-30T18:10:00.006-04:00

Quick Synopsis of Ward 18 Town Hall on Transit

Tuesday evening, March 29, ward 18 Davenport City Councillor Ana Bailao held a town hall on TRANSIT. (The first city councillor I believe to do so)

In attendance were only about 30-40 citizens, but very engaged ones at that.

TTC Chair Karen Stintz attended and answered tough questions and concerns from the audience, after an introductory slide presentation from the Pembina Institute (Graham Haines), a non profit sustainable energy think tank that did a lot of analysis of the various iterations of Toronto's transit planning.

HISTORY:

Chair Stintz explained that "Transit City", declared dead by Mayor Ford - yet never actually voted on by the entire city council * had become a subset of "The Big Move" a provincial REGIONAL transit planning exercise led by Metrolinx, and became "Transportation City" - a new brand that referred to the city of Toronto pieces.

Essentially the plan always was (and supposedly still is) to ensure connectivity to the 4 corners of the city, with the intent of moving people quickly downtown to work. An audience member pointed out that perhaps ensuring local community transit, where people actually lkived and worked, was more sustainable (Why assume someone in Scarborough must transit to downtown Toronto? Why not build incentives for businesses to exist in Scarborough? ... there was no real answer on that)

Moving into detail, the 'Transit City" plan was too ambitious with numerous routes and connections.
Chair Stintz explained that priorities had to be decided upon, even though the federal government had (and presumably still will) dedicate $333 million to extending the Sheppard subway, while the province had committed $8.2 BILLION to the rest of transit structure.

To put it in perspective, last year's total city budget was $9.28 billion, so the funding is enormous.

Priorites, Stintz explained, were the Eglinton crosstown LRT (to be put underground where possible, as promised by Mayor Ford), followed by the Sheppard subway/LRT... with the Finch West LRT last.

Curious, but predictable, since Ms Stintz' ward is Eglinton, yet statistics show the Finch transit is in great need of expansion and development. (Councillor Maria Augimeri will not be pleased by that). Is there a conflict of interest here? (I point out there would not be, if we had a separate, elected position for TTC Chair)

A question was asked as to whether in the planning there was some sort of template or consideration about how do you value a rider in Finch versus on Eglinton? Is it development/economics driven or what? ie. Many low income people need transit on Finch West to access low paid jobs in the city core, yet the Eglinton crosstown riders would be higher in the financial status realm.... No real answer, "all riders are important."

Audience also questioned plan comparisons (transit city vs new plans) why lose 25 km above ground transit just to bury 7km underground? Again, no real answer. I suspect it's 'just because Rob Ford wants that'),

Overall it appeared to me that full analysis had not really been done as yet, and I was saddened to hear that there wouldn't really be any full public consultation on next steps. The city and the province have been doing a lot of planning in the back rooms, with the non elected Metrolinx board seeming to have a lot of power over what happens within the city of Toronto's transit structure.

Scary and undemocratic it appears.

* Ana Bailao clarified that the full city council never really approved or voted on "Transit City", but rather on the Environmental Assessments that allowed Transit City to become a plan. When I asked TTC Chair Stintz if full council would vote on any new plan, she said 'probably' but noted that if any citizens wanted input, they needed to make representations to Metrolinx.... weird arms-length manoeuvering that essentially prevents Torontonians from having a say in their own city's systems... Why?

Because he that has the Gold makes the Rules - Wizard of Id

(ie. The other levels of govt are puttting in the lion's share of money so it's their ball game, not the city's)
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Update: Leaked advances about Thursday, March 31st big announcement indicates that:
Losers in the New Transit Plan: ? Finch Bus Riders (Toronto Star)

Update: Critics Slam Transit Plan

Update: I spoke with someone knowledgaeble about transit who told me that the numbers of stops covered by any plan nis really irrelevant. If you want to move large masses quickly, it's the speed. Rapid Transit is anything over 30km/hr - anything less will not help and certainly won't get people out of their cars to switch to transit.

The ideal would be to use the current railway corridor: the Georgetown-Pearson-Union Station linkage to put in rapid transit, he says. Worth exploring - but did anyone bother to? In my fantasy I envisage an underground subway. rail and deidcated rlocalbus lanes above, and cycling paths.... But I guess transit planning IS a fantasy - at least in our city.

Toronto City Elections Discriminates Against the Poor

2011-03-29T10:17:00.003-04:00

I'm In A Funk - Poor People Discouraged From Running

When I ran for election in ward 18, it was because I wanted to connect to my community and have an impact on the issues raised during the city election campaign. I had no illusions of winning first time running, but thought I had some perspectives and ideas to offer, and I wanted in on the public debates.

I was testing myself, but also testing whether someone not part of any partisan party elites or having networked money backers could really run and make some small difference. To put it another way, I wondered if someone in the low income bracket (ie., "poor") could participate in the democratic process by more than just by voting. My initial take was yes, since it seemed anyone with $100 could run for city councillor ($200 for mayor).

My conclusion, sadly, is that the system is definitely biased against those of us considered 'poor', which according to various statistics is somewhere around 15-20% of the general population.

* The biggest shock I got when I went to file my campaign expenses (and why I have been in a funk for a while) is that in order to participate in the "Contribution Rebate Program" (where the city refunds about 75% of any political donation), was that I needed to have an AUDITED financial statement by a licenced auditor. This was not something explained at the initial city hall orientation meeting; I thought it applied evenly to all candidates.

That means, of the $745 I had in donations and ran on (against partisan party competitors who easily raised the $28,747.30 maximums allowed), the current Toronto city bylaw expects me to pay an auditor between $500-$1000 to audit my meager revenue and expenditures. Anyone can see this makes no sense and is inherently unfair.

So, when I went to file my financial statement, I was not allowed to arrange for contribution rebates to be paid out. Thus, the four donors who I had honestly thought would get city funded rebates paid out by this September will NOT be paid by the city.

Now I am in a dilemma of how someone like me, who is on Ontario Disability and has about $1,000 a month to pay rent, food and all other expenses is ever going to come up with the $518.75 that my four contributors were promised and expecting. I am left feeling embarrassed and depressed that this situation is happening. I am also angry that the city has not thought their bylaws and procedures through to be inclusive in the democratic process.

As I wrote on my filing:

As someone on low income (Ontario Disability), I protest strongly that the requirement for me to pay a licenced auditor (est. cost $500-$1000) is at its core, anti-democratic. The net effect is to disenfranchise a large segment of the population who must exist on low income. Therefore, the city bylaw requiring this is discriminatory in the extreme. - Ken Wood March 24, 2011

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Note: I spoke with my duly elected City Councillor, Ana Bailao, about this on March 24th and she has agreed to look into the bylaw at my request. I am hoping that there will be a change to eliminate this roadblock to democracy.
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* This is from an email I received from the Toronto city elections office:
Candidates participating in the Contribution Rebate Program must submit:

- Financial Statement;
- Auditor's Report (provided by a licensed auditor);
- Photocopies of expense invoices (the Clerk will not accept originals);
- Pink copies of Contribution Rebate forms (if using EFFS, these are submitted electronically and do not need to be provided with the financial statement); and
- Any surplus reported on the financial statement (cash, cheque, money order – payable to "Treasurer, City of Toronto").
If any of these documents are not submitted at the time of filing, contribution rebates will not be paid out.
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Candidates NOT participating in the Contribution Rebate program must submit:
- Financial Statement;
- Auditor's Report (if raised or spent over $10,000); and
- Any surplus reported on the financial statement (cash, cheque, money order – payable to "Treasurer, City of Toronto").`
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Notes: The city bylaw in question is No. 1257-2009 and the only reference to the suditor's report I find was 11 d) The Clerk is satisfied that the candidate has filed any financial statement AND AUDITOR REPORT ...

Reference is made to the Ontario provincial Municipal Elections Act 1996 which has a lot of legalese, but states this: "Exception re auditor’s report - (5) No auditor’s report is required if the total contributions received and total expenses incurred in the election campaign up to the end of the relevant period are each equal to or less than $10,000. 1996, c. 32, Sched., s. 78 (5)."

Thus, there is nothing provincially that requires an audited report.

It is only a city requirement for an audited report to participate in the donor contribution program !

TCHC Social Housing Czar Ootes One Man Board

2011-03-16T12:34:00.004-04:00

Extremely Anti-Democratic By Any Measure

At a mid March Special Toronto City Council meeting Mayor Rob Ford Managed to ram through his knee-jerk reaction * to the Toronto Community Housing Corporation spending scandal. Independent citizens, city councillors and tenant representatives were summarily turfed from the board, and Ford's long time right wing buddy and 'retired' city councillor Case Oootes was put in charge.

*Knee jerk, because the official auditor's report had not even been released; only a few choice politically-charged pieces were mysteriously 'leaked' to the press. Trial by media.

"Case Ootes will be paid $25,000 as the lone board member of Toronto Community Housing over the next three months." says a Toronto Sun article. In addition, "as a retired councillor with 22-years service, he walked out of City Hall Dec. 1 with $99,619.52 in severance."
*Update: Add to that "the $11,000 he earned leading Mayor Rob Ford’s transition team last fall" *

"Case Ootes will be paid more for his three months leading the Toronto Community Housing Corp. than the board’s former chairman earned in a year." says the Globe and Mail ...Mr. Ford, a past critic of so-called double-dipping, defended paying Mr. Ootes in a brief scrum last week after council voted to dump the remaining four TCHC board members who refused the mayor’s demand they resign... “I’ve come out of retirement. I’ve cancelled a vacation at my own expense and this is a huge responsibility,” Mr. Ootes added
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This means that the single person in charge of social housing, who has the power to do whatever he wants with it, with essentially no accountability (Mayor Ford resisted all efforts to continue to make the now one man board accountable to city council)... is someone who:

* Has about $125,000 taxpayer money in his pocket (*actually $136,000) and is making decision for those tenants that have about 1/17 of that (in case of general welfare/Ontario Works = $592/month or $7,104/yr) and about one tenth of what those on Ontario Disability/ODSP have ($1053/mo = $12,636/yr). Essentially a very rich guy who can have no understanding of what the life someone in social housing must be like.

* Is NOT an advocate for social housing. In fact he believes social housing should not exist: a Toronto Star article and a CBC story "TCHC privatization not ruled out by Ootes"

Certainly, the few leaked accounts of financial mismanagement by TCHC staff needs to be addressed and financial controls need to be tightened. I doubt anyone disputes that.

However, to us this as an excuse to attack democratically responsible oversight is a big mistake.

It's like seeing a small fire in a wastebasket and responding to it by tearing down the house.

Anti-democratic by any measure.
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A really great Tweet: Janet Davis Great question! RT @michaelshapcott: How soon before the new one-man board of #TCHC holds his first public meeting...

Ford Allies Not Feeling the Love?

2011-03-15T20:52:00.002-04:00

Mister Crankypants Strikes Again...

Letter to the Editor, Toronto Star
Re: Ford’s whip won’t last, Editorial March 13 the link

Come on Toronto Star, your reporters, cartoonists and editors have had a cheat sheet on what to write and what to illustrate, including not-so photogenic pictures of Rob Ford, his staff or his supporters. Who are you kidding?

Everyone sees the bias you have had and the near hysteric support of George Smitherman. You showed chutzpah when after the election you provided “advice” as if to be all knowing of how Mayor Ford should conduct himself and his administration.

Make sure you pass on your cheat sheet to the “free lunch” crowd at City Hall.

Mike Del Grande, Councillor, City of Toronto (and budget chief)

Tweet: City Slikr @goldsbie My ? Has Cllr Del Grande always been this bitterly partisan or is he suffering from a little Ford fever?...Frankly the whole Ford administration is suffering from a massive persecution complex.
Tweet: Del Grande's specific annoyance is that a Star editorial called him "unimpressive" Link
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Meanwhile, in other right wing news... Tweet: suckersarestuck JM Lots of yellow cops on bikes. Smallish anti police protest....Around 50 protestors, maybe 100+ cops completely surrounding protestors now marching down bay....Looks like a police parade then an anti police protest....Seeing that many cops in that location brings back harsh memories from last June....everyone on the streetcar was laughing at how excessive the police presence at the protest was... maybe people are getting it?...

Councillor Expense Reports

2011-03-15T10:27:00.003-04:00

How Much Do Ward 18 Councillors Cost Us?

City Hall website has expense reports online for all councillors. To view at this link

Of peculiar interest is that Ana Bailao expensed $1022.40 for Christmas cards on Dec 31, 2010. Peculiar because there was some (valid) outrage at her predecessor, Adam Giambrone, doing the same when he knew he was leaving office.

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So far Ana's expensing pales in comparison to big spender Adam Giambrone: (2010 filing)
These are just a few (low) highlights...

* $1,559.40 for Christmas cards July 7, 2010 (Note: TTC paid 50% of this expense, does not include postage later expensed)

* $35.62 ??? Christmas cards- cutting July 30,2010

* $236.25 to print 50 copies of Dyan Marie's Bloor Magazine July 22, 2010

* $2,299.50 French training

* $ 150 Gala Ticket for Abrigo

* $30 for Dream Team fundraiser

* $60 Ticket for Chilean Relief Fundraiser

* $500 donation to GTA Canadian Italian Youth

* $50 Ticket to Sri Lankan gala

* $125 Ticket Portugese Gala Dinner

* $ 4.90 Office supplies Grand and Tory

* $23.19 Toronto Life magazine subscription

* $1,050.56 almost all spent on taxis

* $1,175 for gardening services at constituency office, expensed in October, 2010

.... Has anyone looked at his constituency office? Outside is about a 6x6 foot area, mostly gravel, with a small bench and some ratty looking weeds.

Also of interest is the geographic locations of services chosen. Adam picked:

Zap Courier 400 Creditstone On L4K 3Z3
Reliable Flyer Distribution Services 66 Laird Drive
Media Works (to print newsletters) 2010 ellesmere Rd Scarborough
Imperial Graphics (Christmas cards) 30 Eastern Avenue

.... Shouldn't a local councillor shop locally?

Here are Adam Giambrone's 2010 expenses: Amounts shown are net of GST.

Staff Salaries & Benefits Budget Overage $ 0.00
Office Equipment and Supplies $ 804.32 Invoices
Transportation, Kilometrage & Parking $ 1,050.56 Invoices
Printing, Postage & Courier $ 14,340.29 Invoices
Telecom Services $ 0.00
Constituency & Business Meeting $ 158.95 Invoices
City Hall/Civic Centre Rent & Constituency Office Expenses $ 11,114.84 Invoices
Advertising & Promotion $ 500.77 Invoices
Professional & Technical Services $ 1,359.76 Invoices
Office Travel $ 9,686.29 Invoices
Other Expenses $ 9,846.00 Invoices
Donations Received for Community Events $ 0.00
Other Recoveries $ -2,876.70 Invoices
Expense Using Personal Funds $ 0.00
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NOTE: This does NOT include anything Adam expensed via the TTC ! Odds are that Adam was the biggest spender on city council.

City hall policies on Councillor expense is HERE

During his last four months in office, ex-TTC chairman Adam Giambrone spent an obscene $9,307.08 jetting around the world attending seemingly obscure transit conferences....Giambrone ran up $135,504 tab before quitting TTC

Ana Bailao Rates a C+

2011-03-14T13:38:00.009-04:00

So... How is Our New Councillor Doing?

Ana Bailao has now been the ward 18 Davenport south City Councillor for about 102 days now, a timeframe that usually means the honeymoon and learning phase is over and a reasonably accurate assessment of who and what we conbstituents voted in can be made.

There is a pretty fair (but not very hard-hitting) interview at BlogTO by Tomasz Bugajski,
A somewhat accurate comment by another reader adds: "Despite the efforts during the campaign of local documentary filmmaker Scott Dobson to highlight Bailão's reliance on developers for campaign contributions, a strong desire for change helped her take the Ward 18 seat from Giambrone's former executive assistant."...
I disagree. The fact that Ward 18 is around 50-60% Portuguese is what helped her. And yes, I'm saying that a large amount of Ward 18's Portuguese residents voted solely based on Ana being of the same background as them and not on her individual merits. (A truth: not being/speaking Portugese in this ward will continue to be an extreme liability to get elected)

Some personal observations by me based on watching Ana in action at City Council and visiting her at her current constituency meetup place (Abrigo Centre, Dufferin Mall, Saturdays 10am-noon):

REPORT CARD: C+

* Ana is a hard worker who takes her responsibilities very seriously. I believe she really thinks through and sometimes agonizes over every vote (something I wish every councillor would do).

* Ana has had a steep learning curve - despite her previous experience as Mario Silva's Executive Assistant (1998-2003). The terrific speed of the budget process pushed by Mayor Ford undoubtedly handcuffed all the rookie councillors in doing due diligence. For that reason, I give Ana a pass (this time) on not being able to do her frequently campaign-promised 'line by line" analysis of the budget to maximize city resources. Nonetheless, Ana seems to have a pretty good handle on what is going on at the new council.

* Ana's voting record shows a little initial confusion in that at first she seemed to vote aligned with the right wing Ford group, but she abruptly changed sides when the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) issue hit the fan at the March 13 spcial meeting. Averaging out overall, Ana seems to belong to the "mushy middle" voting block that is being strongly courted by both the right and left wings of council - a typical position for a Liberal party supporter. (I still suspect she may be leaning right more than left, since she sits between Fordite councillors Denzel Minnan-Wong and Michael Thompson. The latter seems to be teaching her the ropes, a lot) Ana's constituency staff is robust and skilled, sprinkled with both Liberal and Conservative types Info here

* Ana belongs to the 'wait, watch and learn' group of quiet rookie councillors. She rarely speaks at council and follows the debates closely, actively listening to points made by those who are more bold. So far, she is definitely a follower and not a leader. I fear this will continue.

* Responsiveness to contituents is excellent so far. Given that more, better and timely consultation with constituents in ward18 was probably the number one issue last election, Ana has done well. She returns emails and inquires quickly, has held a town hall on the budget and makes her office very available to people.
(Still waiting on a proper website and a regular constituency office, other than 2 hours on a Saturday)

* No doubt because of her centrist political positioning and her refusal to attack Rob Ford during the election campaign, Ana has snagged some reasonably good committee spots for a rookie: Affordable Housing, Planning and Growth, Artscape, Toronto Arts Council, Exhibition Place, Canadian National Exhibition, McCormick Playground Arena. How well she uses them still remains to be seen. Note: Ana could have used her Affordable Housing chair position to really have an impact on the TCHC special meeting debate, but did not do so, Ana is only a bit player in the political power game at city hall, so far.

Special Meeting to End Run Democracy

2011-03-09T23:42:00.010-05:00

Daniel Dale Crowd starts laughing loudly when Ford says "this is democracy at work." Speaker Nunziata warns them against "outbursts."

kellygrant1 Kelly Grant Wow. I think this might be the most packed I've ever seen the council chambers

Daniel Dale Ford: "not about who did what and who didn't," rather about rebuilding public confidence with a fresh start.

Michael Shapcott No evidence of criminal fraud at #TCHC, confirms city auditor #topoli #tocouncil - so why extreme measures of purge of entire #TCHC report

Daniel Dale Nunziata interrupting Carroll's questions to the auditor: "We do not have the auditor's report before us." Carroll: "Yes, that's my point."

Michael Shapcott Council speaker rules that no questions can be asked about #TCHC audit - even though audit is stated rationale for purge of board...

Torontoist Interesting fact: though council is voting to remove the TCHC board, they haven't even officially received the auditor general's report.

Torontoist It was leaked & won't formally come before council (via exec & audit cmtes) until later this month. Staff admit this is all unprecedented.

Torontoist Speaker Nunziata has ruled that the auditor general's report, in fact, is not the subject of today's debate—out of order to ask ?s about it.

Anrea Houston Groans echo thru gallery. MT @kellygrant1: Ford now says new brd won't be in place till May or June. Last week it ws within month #tocouncil

Kyle A So essentially the Mayor is saying we'll have a Case Ootes dictatorship at TCHC until May or June #tocouncil

Toronto: Ford said he didn't fire anybody on TCHC board. They resigned. Er. But Ford told them to get lost. #TOCouncil

Andrea Houston McConnell speaking while Rob Ford stares her down. He's starting to sweat and his face is looking closer to colour of red tie.

Nunziata: coun. McConnell please sit!! You're out of order. Like the audience, I will tell you to leave

Michael Shapcott Cllr Perks: No committee has considered audit, so are #TCHC board members being purged without cause? Great question...

anthonyschein: Cllr Peruzza asks the critical questn of Ford: Will you support limiting Ootes' powers in anyway? Answer: Nope

nowtoronto: This meeting looks like may get ugly soon. #TOCouncil Mayor losing control. Stumbled over responses to Layton questions.

Councillor Fletcher suggests everyone flails their arms as opposed to applause. Yes, let make the int'l symbol for PANIC!

Greg Smith .@Ward18AnaBailao wants to send #TCHC tenants a message that they have a place at the table in this process

NiceDriveway I think a little piece of Spkr Nunziata dies every time she can't cut off Cllr Perks mic when he brings it in under time.

robcer Cllr Cho's (sound) point: how would his resignation for "political show", only to be re-appointed, "restore public confidence"?

LifeonQueen Fragedakis' motion to defer so that #TOcouncil committees to do their job fails to pass 17-25.

accozzaglia To DM Holyday's way of thinking, the 4 remaining TCHC board members are besmirching the reputations of those who've resigned.

Kristyn Wong-Tam: "I'd like to know where you got the authority to make an amend. on an art. of incorporat'n w 15 mins' notice for a $6bn company."

Robert Cerjanec Cllr Augimeri gives a great speech on how wrong this process is and how she has been thrown under the bus for no good reason.

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11:44pm Council finally starting to vote on the many motions

Matt Elliott McMahon & Colle vote with the mayor. Everyone else votes as expected. 25-18, motion to dissolve board carries. #TOCouncil

Jonathan Goldsbie And now the cries of "Shame!"

Andrea Houston OH in gallery: "SHAME ON THIS COUNCIL! Get a backbone!"
Have to wonder why Councillors Shiner and Moeser are not there for votes... Michael Thompson makes a motion to excuse their absence (they are sick someone says)

12:01am March 10 Meeting is adjourned.

michaelshapcott Disappointing day for democracy in Toronto. TCHC board dissolved w/ no opportunity for TCHC residents to have their voice heard. #TOCouncil

Jonathan Goldsbie Fletcher says: "A whole new interpretation of one man, one vote."

NOTE: For a real change, ANA BAILAO did not blindly support the Fordites at this meeting.

Tweet I sent: @Ward18AnaBailao Thanks for not blindly siding with the Fordites tonight Appreciated by your constituents who did NOT want Ford for Mayor (most of the ward)

Guess I'll have to change her colour to RED again.

* The actual votes are HERE

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Update: This Toronto Star story tells us:
"Doug Ford thanked the tenants for attending but said their views were unrepresentative. “Folks, I’m telling you, there’s no one that cares more about the folks at TCHC than Rob does,” he said. “Out of the 164,000 tenants that are in TCHC housing, I see maybe four or five hundred, which — I appreciate you all coming down, but there’s 163,500 that’s saying, ‘Move forward. Let’s have a clean slate.’”

... Maybe those 163,500 #TCHC tenants need to protest at Nathan Phillips Square?

Rob Ford's Disdain for Democracy

2011-03-09T10:21:00.004-05:00

' Get 'Er Done' ... By Any Means Possible

Mayor Rob Ford has become a reclusive, strutting dictator at City Hall.

He hates being asked questions about his policies and seems to be viewing the media the same * as his idol, Don Cherry, as nothing more than a bunch of pinko left wing commie rat kooks just out to get him. Average media scrums tend to last about 3 minutes or less, and journalists have to divine what's behind his 'policies' (I'm being generous, he usually makes things up on the fly without having do research or pay attention to troublesome facts) - by interpreting his 140 character tweets.

* That is, unless it is his adoring certifiable far right wing fans like Sue Ann Levy or CFRB's Jerry Agar.

Alternatively, his highly Americanized brother Doug Ford often speaks as if he is the Deputy Mayor and not Doug Holyday.

Fun strategy, as Rob can choose to align with or distance himself from bro' Doug's pronouncements after the fact. Example: The Mayor needs a VETO over Council, like the American President. Yes or No? It took a while to find Rob to get his take on that, after much fear and speculation in the press.

However, the bully boy, do whatever it takes, screw procedure, ethics or appearances Rob Ford that we see now should come as no surprise. I followed him for years while he was the lone wolf in the political wilderness, voting NO as many times as possible to ideas and motions (without providing any alternative solutions). Rob Ford was indeed badly treated and often abused by council colleagues, made the butt of jokes and generally trashed as a human being not worth the time or effort to reach out to. (Admission: I often felt sorry for the guy)

Indeed, much of this was due to Rob's peculiar personality which seemed to revel in being the perpetual outsider, always on the losing side of any vote. I'm sure he saw himself as the misunderstood champion of Mike Harris style common sense and everyday working person. If no other quality can be absolutely attributed to Rob Ford, it is perseverance/endurance. I'm sure he felt deep in his core every slight and attack by those on the left.

Now.... He's gonna make 'em all pay! Think Conan the Barbarian who for years suffered as a slave after his family and life was taken away from him. Now he's back... with a vengeance.

I've often thought that there was some common human mechanic involved in people getting power after having been tremendously rejected. Look at former US President, "I Am Not A Crook" Richard Nixon. He started out okay but by the time he got power after 'not having Dick Nixon ro kick around anymore' - he obviously saw ethics and integrity as just impediments to getting the job done.

When you have to pull yourself up by your own bootstraps in a world that has rejected you, you become obsessed at your core level with 'getting even'.

Rob Ford is now 'getting even' with Toronto.
---

Update: Marcus Gee 100 Days of Threats, Orders, intimidation "Threatening to fire everyone in your way takes you only so far. Scorning your critics doesn’t help either. Discussing his plans to privatize garbage collection, the mayor joked, “We have enough garbage to deal with at City Hall.” Is that any way to win friends and influence people?"

March 8 2011 #TOCouncil Meeting and TCHC Surprise

2011-03-08T10:45:00.060-05:00

Fun to Watch Toronto Council Live
Link to Watch Live Following goings on via Twitter and live feed from home....

Tuesday, March 8th meeting spends about an hour with the left taking shots and exception to Mayor Ford behaviours *. (Followed by about 2 hours of debate about leaked audit reports)

* Example: kellygrant1 Councillor Wong-Tam asked @TOMayorFord to apologize for saying "there's enough garbage at city hall" in speech last week. Ford's answer ..No. Nunziata spoke on his behalf, saying the mayor doesn't want to comment on the request for an apology.

* Example: Pam McConnell complains about Mayor's staff "wandering about the council floor" #TOCouncil asks Speaker Nunziata to restore decorum Fordites complain Miller did the same thing, Speaker will answer later

The BIG SURPRISE is that by the narrowest of margins (26-16, needed 27 votes and 2 councillors not there - Grimes and Moeser), city council decided NOT to discuss the Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) item and will now not be discussed until next month.

Sad to see my supposedly Liberal #TOCouncil cnclr Ana Bailao side with the Fordites on #TCHC .... A Closet Conservative? #ward18

Tweet from I_LUVTO: @KenWood_ward18 Don't worry #ward18 people don't like Ford and if Ana Bailao keeps voting with him she will be voted out

Here is the actual vote on this:

MM 5.7 Reconstitution of Board of Directors of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) - by Deputy Mayor Holyday, seconded by Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon

Result: Lost Two-Thirds Required - MM5.7 - waive notice

Yes: 26 Paul Ainslie, Ana Bailăo, Josh Colle, Gary Crawford, Vincent Crisanti, Mike Del Grande, Frank Di Giorgio, Doug Ford, Rob Ford, Doug Holyday, Norman Kelly, Chin Lee, Gloria Lindsay Luby, Giorgio Mammoliti, Josh Matlow, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Peter Milczyn, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Frances Nunziata (Chair), Cesar Palacio, John Parker, James Pasternak, Jaye Robinson, David Shiner, Karen Stintz, Michael Thompson

No: 16 Maria Augimeri, Shelley Carroll, Raymond Cho, Janet Davis, Glenn De Baeremaeker, Sarah Doucette, John Filion, Paula Fletcher, Mary Fragedakis, Mike Layton, Pam McConnell, Joe Mihevc, Gord Perks, Anthony Perruzza, Adam Vaughan, Kristyn Wong-Tam

Absent: 3 Michelle Berardinetti, Mark Grimes, Ron Moeser
----
With regard to the Toronto Community Housing situation and Ford's attempts to 'evict' the board members:
Maria Augimeri's letter of refusal
Raymond Cho's letter of refusal
Frances Nunziata's agree to resignation letter

Within minutes, Fordites find a way to get around council? Goldsbie tweet:: The mayor's office has called a special meeting of the Exec Committee for lunchtime tomorrow for the purpose of dealing with the TCHC item.

Reported in Toronto Sun "Councillor Adam Vaughan agreed the vote was a reality check for the mayor. "He cannot govern this council by fiat," Vaughan said. "And he can't have hangings in the public square if he is not prepared to hold trials. The tenants have spoken up, they want a full and open airing of the auditor's report. They want that to come to council and we'll make decisions."
---

11am: City Council interrogating the Auditor General, several point out that 'It's the first time in 20 years that and AG report has been leaked before release". Adam Vaughan puts AG on the hot seat. Joe Mihevc makes motion to prevent leaks to media, political interference with the Audit process.

Note: What does Mayor Rob Ford do when he loses at city council? He leaves and plays tour guide for a group of school kids. So much easier not having to defend his shaky positions and blustering rhetoric.

City Slikr tweet: Ah, look. School children appear in chambers just in time to listen to talk of fraud and misuse of power.----

City Slikr Think Cllr Fletcher just took a serious swing at Cllr Matlow for his part as a member of audit committee running with TCHC story.

goldsbie tweet: This Council debate is actually largely about who leaked the police paid-duty report....Only three people, I'm told, had the draft of the AG's paid-duty report: the Police Chief, the Police Board Chair, and the AG himself....It must be noted, however, that the "3 person" scenario is likely a vast oversimplification. As Davis says, reports always rattle around.

SO: who leaked the report and to what purpose? Will we ever really know?

Tweet from Joe Mihevc: My motion to request Auditor General to review reporting practices to ensure fair process w/o political interference around fraud passed!
1 - Motion to Amend Item (Additional) moved by Councillor Joe Mihevc (Carried)

That the Auditor General be requested to review reporting practices related to the Fraud and Waste Hotline to ensure to the best of his ability that proper process is being followed, that leaks to media do not occur that may jeopardize due process, and that the reporting process is not impacted by undue political pressures; and that a report on this matter be submitted to the Audit Committee as soon as possible
---
Mayor Ford tweets: It's unfortunate some councillors don't want to discuss accountability at the TCHC... Yet refuses to be interviewed by the media on this.
My response: @TOMayorFord How about YOU being accountable first Mayor Ford and answer questions put to you at #TOCouncil
---

Tweet from Janet Davis Special Meeting of Executive for Wed. Mar. 9. More bending and twisting of the democratic process. Extraordinary!

Spkr Nunziata has a meltdown trying to cut Janet Davis' speaking trime, gives up when challenged and recesses #TOCouncil to 2pm... Josh Matlow tweets: Council is literally debating what time it is. I'm serious.
City Slikr tweet: And so morning session of council ends with a bizarre argument over time. Spkr Nunziata is easily rattled. #TOcouncil

Why doesn't City Council elect a more neutral Speaker??? Legislature and parliament try to pick someone the whole chamber can trust.
---------
2pm Gord Perks only one in #TOCouncil chamber
2:08pm about 1/2 #TOCouncil there, just starting
2:12pm Janet Davis now gets her 5 mins to speak at #TOCouncil ... finally.

City Slikr tweets: Team Ford is relentless in trying to paint questions about leaks of A-G report as attacks on A-G office itself. (but they fail)

2:20pm Josh Matlow is an eloquent speaker who chooses his words wisely yet gets his message across. Wish others would emulate him... points out treating audit revelations as reason to privatize social housing is not prudent.

Pam McConnell points out that even other city councillors do not know the whole story about TCHC and audits and are relying on spurious media reports. Argues for proper process: "Have we not learned anything from MFP Inquiry?" We are hurting people and scaring people in social housing. "Doing something about it is not having heads roll" Speaker Nunziata chastizes McConnell for not knowing the rulese (she wants an extension). Unanimous 34 councillors vote to let her continue. McConnell goes on to defend Chair of TCHC board.

Paula Fletcher now chides Josh Matlow for speaking out prematurely about leaked audit.

2:55pm City Slikr tweet: Again, a Fordite in the form of Cllr Thompson stands up to defend integrity of A-G which hasn't been attacked
City Slikr tweet:Debate dynamic. Anti-Ford cllrs zeroing in on political use of media leaks. Pro-Ford cllrs demand they stop slagging A-G

Me: Michael Thompson has the calming presence of a solicitous funeral director, makes me sleepy #TOCouncil All is well, all is well

3:08pm Josh Matlow tweets: Now Council is spending time discussing who is allowed to walk around in the Council chambers. Really.
My response: Notice discussions are more to preserve fairness and democracy Whats wrong with that?

Adam Vaughan gets to the point: Mayor's staff are running around giving direction on how to vote to councillors.

Tweet from City Slikr Cllr Luby refers to the real world as the exclusive domain of the private sector...

Tweet from Goldsbie: Watching Shiner and Matlow converse with each other, I'm reminded of the Return of the Jedi exchanges between Luke and Vader.

3:41pm Ana Bailao missing votes, not in chamber, usually she is more diligent than this

City Slikr tweets: Cllr Thompson can grind down a council meeting into a full fledged, heart stoppingly somnolent event.

4:08pm City Council is now debating Item AU1.13 Governance & Management of Computer Software Needs Improvement

Spkr Nunziata has to tell Doug Ford (twice) he must sit down when votes occur at #TOCouncil

Why is Ana Bailao the only one on #TOCouncil McCormick Playground committee ? They had to do a special motion to pass that. Unusual.

4:19pm Now only 29 cnclrs at #TOCouncil Losing bodies fast

4:21pm Mike Layton pissed off he wanted to be on board of governors at Toronto Exhibition, and they set it up only for Doug Ford. Interrogating Doug Holyday.

Mike Layton chided to come to meetings if he wants appointments to #TOCouncil committees. Layton a very nervous speaker. Sound like an adolescent.

4:35pm Ward 25 Jaye Robinson usually a sleeper at #TOCouncil makes a motion to plant big trees
Questioned if she had her druthers would she want to keep the ones that are there. Yes
.... perhaps she should chain herself to a tree? (Item NY4.14 2489 Bayview Avenue - Application to Remove Private Trees)

*** 5:36PM Rob Ford tries and end run around council on TCHC isue:
Goldsbie tweets:Tomorrow's special Exec Meeting (announced just a few hours ago) been cancelled. A special Council meeting has been called for 5:30 tomorrow...

Gord Perks goes ballistic because about 100 people had registered to make deputation at Exec committee, which is their right by council's procedures. Points of Order bombard the Speaker who keps trying to derail the challenge. Points raised that TCHC shareholders' agreement specifies 6 week notice of changes... Ignored by Speaker.

City Clerk is really confused.... still doesn't know what is on agenda for Rob ford's special meeting....Guess the mayor doesnt even speak to him about his plans...

West Annex News yweets: When Perks complains of Mayor's slick procedural maneuvering to reintroduce TCHC matter tomorrow, Nunziata turns off his mike. #toCouncil

Goldsbie tweet: Perks just stormed out in a spectacular huff.

David Nickle Tweet: The special executive committee meeting tomorrow for TCHC is off. Now, it's a special evening council meeting.

Josh Matlow tweets: Seems some on left think mayor wants to overide process to privatize TCHC. Some on right might have feared left would filibuster exec cmtee

Goldsbie tweet: The mayor's office (like everyone else) mistakenly assumed it would go to the next Exec meeting. It would actually go to the next Council.

6pm Tweet from Sarah Doucette The Exec meeting for 12:30 Wed is now cancelled and special council meeting called for 5:30 Wed to discuss removing directors from TCHC
----
Josh Matlow tweet: Mayor has cancelled special Exec Cmtee on TCHC board, called special council meeting instead for tomorrow. This has upset some cllrs.
My response: @JoshMatlow Why has it not upset you? Flies in the face of democracy and public consultation? Josh responds: It does.
Josh Matlow: Josh Matlow The mayor's call for a special council meeting seems to me less about TCHC & more about not letting the "other side" win.
----

6:02pm Ana Bailao gets up to speak on a matter and can hear Michael Thompson coach her with what words to say... she complies.Not surprising now as I once witnessed Thmpson actually pushing her voting button for her..... lackey behaviour!
---

David Shiner moves council go in camera to discuss confidential items....Toronto City Council is meeting in closed session on items CC5.2 and MM5.12

6:08pm Goldsbie tweets: I've seen a lot of farces at City Hall, and I've seen a lot of cunning tricks, but this is some new kind of dirty mess.
----
MoreTweets
Kristof I'm angry, confused, embarrassed, frustrated and annoyed after watching just 1hr of #tocouncil is this how a government operates ? #topoli
Brodie Conley Man, is Nunziata ever obnoxious. #TOPoli #TOCouncil
Conley oh man! Cllr. Vaughan asking for information = "Getting out of control" according to Nunziata. #TOPoli #TOCouncil
Iain Cullen Nunziata is always quick to anger. Does she just need a smoke break? #tocouncil.
Christ on a Cracker.. Mike Layton is really out of his league, his entire microcosm consists of pointless motions #topoli #tocouncil
Joel I wonder when Doug Ford will get tired of being his brother's press secretary? #tocouncil
Justin Kozuch Wait - did Cllr D. Ford just pitch Deco Labels and Tags as an eco-friendly company? What does that have to do with #TOCouncil?

---
6:20pm Just Tweeted to @Ward18AnaBailao Why do you support Ford's dirty tricks to cut out public consultation (deputations) on #TCHC issue at #TOCouncil ? #ward18
---

Disgusted with my Toronto councillor... going to Digin meeting
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7:07pm Toronto City Council has reconvened its Public session

8:11pm Tweet Shelley Carroll Davis's rises to ask why a private corporation was set up by TTCommissioners today and all hell broke loose.#tocouncil

Tweet: Goldsbie In the meantime, Vaughan has sent out an email: "The fight to stop the privatization is on. The selloff of public housing must be stopped."...Council is once again stuck in procedural limbo, as a tangle of motions, votes, and points of order are somehow taking place simultaneously.

8:13pm City Council is in recess and will reconvene at 2:00pm on March 9 (Anyway, Nunziata was narrowly upheld, and Council narrowly voted to break until 2:00 tomorrow.)

Tweet: Matt Elliott Some might say that secret meetings are contrary to openness and accountability in gov. Not me, though -- I'm a stupid person.

Tweet: Josh Matlow Quote from mayor's office: "16 councillors are not interested in accountability at the TCHC". That partisan rhetoric isn't true or helpful.
================================
9:42pm and still no agenda posted for Ford's special meeting at 5:30pm Wed Secrecy is assured, plotting moves now... #TOCouncil

Starting Lineups for #TOCouncil

2011-03-07T13:45:00.014-05:00

You Can Tell the Players by the Scorecard

Thanks to Matt Elliott (On Twitter he is @GraphicMatt ) here is a LINK to his weblog Ford For Toronto A Broken City, A New Mayor, Crazy Antics which tracks voting patterns by Toronto Council's 44 councillors plus Mayor.

It really tells you who is on whose team (so far at least). Here is my own interpretation of Teams Blue, Red and Pinko.

100% FORDITES ("Ford Nation" ?):
(In decreasing order of likely loyalty and blind hero worship)

1. Mayor Rob Ford
2. Doug Ford (ward2: Etobicoke North ...brother/mayor2/spokesman)
--
3. Giorgio Mammoliti (ward7: York West)... Head cheerleader.
(" I just agree(d) with the mayor"...He is in thrall to Dark Lord Ford LINK)
4. Doug Holyday (ward3: Etobicoke Centre)...deputy mayor
5. Mike del Grande (ward39)...budget chief
6. Denzil Minnan-Wong (ward34: Don Valley East)
7. Michael Thompson (ward37: Scarborough Centre)
8. Frances Nunziata (ward11: York-South Weston)...Speaker
9. Karen Stintz (ward16: Eglinton-Lawrence)... TTC Chair
10. Ceasar Palacio (ward17: Davenport north)
11. Norm Kelly (ward40: Scarborough Agincourt)
12. David Shiner (ward24: Willowdale)
13. Peter Milczyn (ward5: Etobicoke-Lakeshore)
14. Paul Ainslie (ward43: Scarborough East)
15. Michelle Berardinetti (ward35: Scarborough Southwest)
16. Gary Crawford (ward36: Scarborough Southwest)
17. Vincent Crisanti (ward1: Etobicoke North)
18. Frank di Giorgio (ward12: York South-Weston)
19. Gloria Lindsay-Luby (ward4: Etobicoke Centre)
20. Mark Grimes (ward6: Etobicoke-Lakeshore)
21. John Parker (ward26: Don Valley West)
22. Jaye Robinson (ward25: Don Valley West)
23. James Pasternak (ward10: York Centre)
-----
Mushy Middle, Leaning Right Now

24. Chin Lee (ward41: Scarborough-Rouge River)
25. Josh Matlow (ward22: St Paul's)
26. Josh Colle (ward15: Eglinton-Lawrence)
27. Ron Moeser (ward44: Scarborough East)
28. Ana Bailao: (ward18: Davenport South)
---
Note: Another blogger sees the middle swing votes as 4: "Matlow gives every appearance of being less Ford friendly, let’s call it. Yet based purely on their respective voting records so far, there is nothing to warrant such distinction. There hasn’t been that much daylight between the votes Matlow’s cast and those of Ana Bailão, Josh Colle or Mary-Margaret McMahon. Could it be Councillor Matlow’s talking out of the left side of his mouth but voting from the right?" LINK---

* Update: Got this email about Ana:
Budget votes were also confusing ...As you remember Councillor Bailao told a community budget meet that she would not vote to cut bus routes, but when the issue came up through Councillor Perks Feb. 23 motion..
http://toronto.openfile.ca/blog/opinion/2011/minutes-city-councils-2011-budget-debate
12:11 Bailao voted against motion to restore $3 million in cuts.To be fair in addition to $2.6 million of bus routes, the motion also included $100,000 in library & $75,000 for tenant defence cuts & adult rec programs, however bizarrely.. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2011.EX3.5
On Day 2, 4:38 pm Bailao votes against Library cuts, And then votes against cuts to tenant defence
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2011.EX3.4
Votes consistently inconsistent - Roger

*UPDATE: the "Mighty Middle" ? "Josh Colle is trying to build a “Mighty Middle” that could, at the very least, corral enough votes to persuade the left and right to compromise more often....Mr. Colle has been chatting informally with some of the other freshmen about how the middle-dwellers can use their sway to make council function better. He’s eyeing a few veterans too, namely Etobicoke’s Gloria Lindsay Luby and Scarborough’s Chin Lee and Raymond Cho...(add: Ana Bailao, Mary-Margaret McMahon, Josh Matlow. Michelle Berardinetti, Jaye Robinson)

... this in response to Mayor Ford Cheat Sheets to whip votes
* UPDATE: National Post article
Left Wing Kooks/Pinkos:

29. Mary Margaret McMahon (ward32: Beaches-East York)..borderline pinko?
30. Raymond Cho (ward42: Scarborough-Rouge River)
31. Maria Augimeri (ward9: York Centre)
32. Shelley Carroll (ward33: Don Valley East)
33. Glenn de Baeremaeker (ward38: Scarborough Centre)
34. Paula Fletcher (ward30: Toronto-Danforth)
35. Mary Fragedakis (ward29: Toronto-Danforth)
36. Mike Layton (ward19: Trinity-Spadina)
37. Anthony Perruzza (ward8: York West)
38. Kristyn Wong-Tam (ward27: Toronto Centre-Rosedale)
39. Janet Davis (ward31: Beaches East York)
40. Sarah Doucette (ward13: Parkdale-High Park)
41. John Filion (ward23: Willowdale)
42. Adam Vaughan (ward20: Trinity-Spadina)
43. Joe Mihevc (ward21: St. Paul's)
44. Gord Perks (ward14: Parkdale-High park)
45. Pam McConnell (ward26: Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

SO... unless there is stronger cohesion on the left, meaning a left leader (like Gord Perks) wins converts... Rob Ford will have his way with the city.

Yes, There is Gravy

2011-03-04T01:51:00.008-05:00

But Not Where Some Think It Is

Toronto Police Services:

Paid Duty Costs Taxpayers Millions "Unnecessarily strict rules for employing paid duty police officers are costing Toronto taxpayers as much as $2 million each year, a city audit has found...In 2009, Toronto police worked 40,919 paid duty assignments, earning $65 an hour — nearly twice the rate of a regular constable. In York, officers earn $57 an hour, Ottawa $58, Montreal $42 (time and a half their hourly rate), and Peel $64."

Do we really need highly paid police officers to stand around a construction site gazing into the holes being dug while ignoring traffic around them? In many cases, their job could be replaced by an orange traffic cone or sign.

* "56%: Percentage of all paid duty assignments devoted to traffic control, which the auditor found may be excessive"
...
Even worse, the police officer with a gun may be working in impaired fashion when he returns to his regular duties....

"(while) Working excessive paid duty shifts can interfere with an officer’s regular duties. Officers are not permitted to work more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period, and paid duty shifts are not permitted to overlap with regular shifts....In one of the audit’s more contentious findings, it notes there is insufficient oversight of internal paid duty policies....In one case, an officer was twice late for court because of overlapping assignments. The individual was paid for a court appearance as well as the paid duty shift....In another, an officer worked 19 hours of paid duty in a 24-hour period."

"The auditor’s report will probably reach city council by spring, just as councillors will be grappling with a projected $774 million budget shortfall."

Another older story on how "Paid duty is jealously guarded by the rank and file of the Toronto police officers, as well as Toronto Police Service’s, Toronto Police Chief, Bill Blair."

Another 2009 Toronto Star investigation agreed: "The findings mirror a December 2009 Star investigation that found private companies, taxpayers and community groups were forced to waste millions of dollars hiring paid duty officers for jobs that could be done by crossing guards or even orange pylons."
... "Deputy mayor Doug Holyday predicts the Ford administration won’t flinch from changing paid-duty rules to save the city millions of dollars, even if the cash comes out of police officers’ pockets."
... Good !
------

Toronto Transit Commission: TTC

While there is still no media driven investigation or auditor's report on this - by far the biggest chunk of the city budget - I really wonder who is providing oversight for the MANAGEMENT at the TTC?

In snippets of conversation I hear down at the local Tim Horton's, a popular spot for frontline TTC staff waiting to pickup vehicles to start their shifts, it seems that there is a glut of duplication of efforts by management staff and supervisory personnel. Indeed, this was borne out recently when I witnessed and overheard a conversation between a supervisory person and a TTC driver, where the supervisor was hand-writing a list to keep track of passenger fares. The supervisor was remarking how it was a 'make work' project that no one was going to look at and was only doing it because there was nothing else for him to do.

In another anecdotal situation, a driver coming on to the College streetcar remarked to the person he was relieving that there were '20 guys just waiting for a vehicle to become available'. No doubt, this is in reference to the fact that the TTC is suffering some serious maintenance and aging problems with the current fleet. Yet, who plans these things? Having 20 TTC drivers sitting around being paid while there is no work to do seems egregious. What manager plans these extravagancies?

Where is the investigation of the entrenched TTC management culture. I'd bet there are big savings there.

.... Mayor Rob Ford? Are you listening?

( Also - See my previous blog on TTC managment situation)

Blame the Victim: A New Canadian Value?

2011-03-01T13:22:00.021-05:00

How Did We Become So Mean-Spirited?

Is Blaming the Poor A New Candian Value?

"There's not much sympathy for the poor in Canada. According to a new report, many of us believe the poor have themselves to blame for getting into that situation, and that povery is a choice. The Salvation Army report is called "The Dignity Project: Debunking Myths About Poverty in Canada".

37 percent of adults polled believe the poor still have it pretty good and about half thought a family of four could get by on $30-thousand a year. Statistics Canada puts the poverty cutoff line at 35-thousand for a family of four living in a city. All in all, Canadians don't have a realistic picture of what it's like to be poor.

An army official, Andrew Burditt says low paying jobs, lack of job training and affordable housing keeps the poverty circle growing."

Another story on this, from CTV: "Nearly half of survey respondents said if poor people really want to work, they can always find a job. And about a quarter believed that people are poor because they are lazy.... (but) "If there weren't food banks, a lot of people wouldn't eat"
(The sample of 1,025 Canadians was drawn from a panel of more than 100,000 Canadians surveyed Jan. 26-27, 2011. The margin of error was approximately plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.)

* Update: And a contrarian view HERE "Do you think poor people fall into poverty because they’re lazy? If so, sorry to be the one to inform you, but most Canadians disagree with you. In fact, according to a recent poll, you are among a small minority of Canadians – 23 per cent, to be precise."
-----

Welfare Food Crackdown Needed says Deputy Mayor, Doug Holyday. We’re glad to see the province take action to stop the fraud because that’s an awful escalation in cost,” Holyday, who sits on the city’s audit committee, said Saturday. “We have to make sure the taxpayers are protected — unfortunately that harms people who are legitimately entitled to get the benefits, but sometimes that’s the result of people taking advantage of the system and the system has to protect itself,” the deputy mayor said....But Councillor Joe Mihevc, who is a member of the city’s health board, said it was wrong to call those living on social assistance “fraudsters” because even with a $250 supplement a month, it’s most likely still not enough to get by. Anyone who knows how high rent and food costs are in Toronto — people aren’t spending on frivolities, that’s so rare,” he said. “It’s on a different ethical level than a middle-class person fraudulently robbing a bank,” Mihevc said. “I don’t think it’s fraud when someone is trying to feed themselves and their children...“This is a classic case of blaming the victim. They found a way to use the system to their benefit — then all the power to them.”

===================================

Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) tenants are probably worried what the one track 'gravy train' Fords are going to do about their negligent and greedy landlords.
Community Housing Scandal a "Gift from the gods" for Ford

Heads Should Be Rolling at TCHC says The Star's Joe Fiorito...

TCHC Residents Angered by Inappropriate Spending

"While staff members of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation enjoyed expensive chocolates, massages and lavish Christmas parties the agency’s tenants waited for much needed repairs and action on pest infestations.... The audit report will be discussed at a TCHC board of directors meeting Thursday, which is open to the public at the housing office on Yonge St, next to Rosedale subway station....
This audit represents another black eye for the agency that was told to review its eviction policies following the death of 82-year-old tenant Al Gosling (Here's the story on how TCHC contributed to death of an 82 year old tenant)."

SUGGESTION for Mayor Rob Ford and Toronto City Council:

* Put both Michael Shapcott and Joe Fiorito on the board after you rol the heads there that need roling.

* Update: Civilian members of TCHC board refuse request to resign “We were appointed by City Council for a term that expires on December 31, 2011. As TCHC directors, we have a fiduciary responsibility to the Corporation i.e. we cannot simply walk away from our responsibilities,” Ron Struys said in a statement on behalf of the board’s seven non-elected, non-tenant members."

.... umm, yes you do and you blew it. Directors have liabilities and perhaps the city should use its lawyers to pursue financial redress from them?

* Update: Former TCHC Public Housing CEO Remains Mum "...Derek Ballantyne is now the man on the hot seat, after Toronto’s auditor general released a stinging report slamming employee expenses and purchasing practices at Toronto Community Housing, the agency he once headed. While Mayor Rob Ford is calling, unsuccessfully so far, for the head of current CEO Keiko Nakamura, Ballantyne is keeping a low profile. Ford said Monday the public will “have an answer by Friday’’ as to Ballantyne’s fate...Now chief operating officer of Build Toronto, the city’s real estate and development corporation, Ballantyne served as CEO of Toronto Community Housing from 2002 to May 2009, well into the period covered in the auditor general’s reports..."

.... court proceedings to come?

* Update: A List of TCHC SpendingAbuses Example: $1,925 spent for a “divisional planning meeting” at the Elmwood Spa. The meeting included a three-course lunch, pedicures, manicures and water therapy for eight staffers.

* Update: They Resigned

Who is on the TCHC Board

(citizen members) All of whom refuse to quit:

•David Mitchell (chairman)

•Zahra Dhanani
•Michelle Joseph
•Greg Kalil
•Carol Osler
•Sheerin A. Sheikh
•Ronald Struys

Update: Mayor Ford wants to put only one person in charge of TCHC... someone who is very much against social housing: Case Ootes story here "Ootes has also asked for a complete list of all single-family houses owned by Toronto Community Housing, the 2006 Current Value Assessment of each and recommendations on the feasibility of selling the properties to generate revenue. Toronto Community Housing owns some 500 single-family homes throughout the city."

Why We Need to Banish Adam Giambrone

2011-02-25T11:24:00.028-05:00

Definition of BANISH
transitive verb

1: to require by authority to leave a country

2: to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual resort or continuance

3: to clear away : dispel

— ban·ish·er noun
— ban·ish·ment \-nish-mənt\ noun
Examples of BANISH He was banished for life. The dictator banished anyone who opposed him.
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Here we are about a year after Mr. Selfish Raw Ambition, ADAM GIAMBRONE, self-destructed (caught in his self-serving public lies by a city who couldn't care less about his sex life) in his bid to run for Mayor of Toronto. He soon thereafter publicly stated he would not run again for ward 18 Davenport City Councillor (much to the delight of most of his constituents) ..... and still we keep hearing of his brazen actions to bilk the city of every possible dime, jetsetting around the world pumped up by his own inflated ego, like some middle east dictator-for-life.

Hip Hop and Squeals From "BOOM" to....

"BUST" - Career nosedives: Lessons from Adam Giambrone Feb 12 2010 Globe and Mail

A link to Adam Giambrone's Apology and also a Toronto Sun story

Caught by His Own Deceits

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The latest?

Giambrone ran up $135,504 tab before quitting TTC weblink Toronto Sun
"Outgoing chairman Adam Giambrone racked up $135,504 in travel, staff, phone, texting, and self-promotion costs on the TTC dime before he stepped down from his duties at the Red Rocket last November, say documents obtained by the Toronto Sun.,,,In actual fact, Giambrone went over his chairman’s little-known budget of $125,000 by $3,344.92 — a concern pointed out by chief general manager Gary Webster in a Feb. 23 memo to the current slate of commissioners...All of that travel occurred during Giambrone’s final four months in office. He also left his duties as councillor with a $58,111 severance cheque:

And the Toronto Star story on this in which new TTC Chair Karen Stintz (probably in vain) hopes to recover some portion of his overspending.

What a comfort to those few still blindly Giambrone acolytes that he was not suffering financially while he tweeted from exotic locations about how the new city council should fix the TTC - which he drove into the ground in many ways himself with his blind love of technology and deaf ears to customer service concerns.

Angry? Yes I am. I campaigned for this bozo in his first election because I thought that his coming from an NDP background meant he might have some sympathy and compassion for the many people on low income in his relatively poor ward. I was wrong - so very, very wrong. In the next election, having experienced his total lack of concern for low voting areas of his ward and his office's non-response to mundane concerns like garbage collection - I asked him why I should vote for him.

"Because Miller will make me Chair of the TTC", was his verbatim response to me.

Incredulous, I asked how that would help me or his constituents in the ward. He babbled on about how great David Miller was and didn't answer the question. (A clue: The man might hear but does not listen, he was often called someone with a 'tin ear' by others).

Following that election in which he won easily over a poor campaigner in Simon Wookey ("Let the Wookey Win" slogan was the only highlight of that disasterous campaign), Adam became - if possible - even more inflated with himself. I went to seek help in bylaws related to feral cats and animal control. His answer:

"That's not my area. I'm the TTC". Actual fact. Verbatim.

Then, as most of Toronto who was paying attention, there was the Lansdowne narrowing fiasco in which Adam just did what he pleased with no consultation. Fact. I live there. Despite hordes of local constituents who, probably or the first time in their lives, took to the street to protest - It didn't faze him in the least. Later several of these constituents took the bold and ultimately fruitless step of taking the city to the courts in an attempt to get someone to listen to concerns. With limited constituent financial resources versus a multi-billion dollar city set of lawyers, it was hopeless. Yet, residents did get a last kick of the can at an "after the fact" consultation meeting of sorts.

And let's not forget the other Giambrone created disaster in ward18 - Taking away Dundas Street parking, which damaged people and businesses in the area. It was only recently restored by new ward18 City Councillor Ana Bailao, who got on board a little late on the issue - announcing she would do this September, 2010 in the last days ofthe election campaign. (Better late than never and the right thing to do)
Weblink to story

Later on, similar to the "As Rome burned, Nero fiddled" analogy, when the ire of the general public about poor TTC customer service and reliability came up, Adam spent his time crooning over technology and travelling around the world to learn about transit (Again: why is the TTC still seen as a place to can put your political friends who have zero transit experience?... but I digress).

To the point: INTEGRITY is a quality of character and a word Adam Gambrone clearly does not understand. When anyone with an ounce of respect for others knows he or she is not going to continue in the job, they stop bilking the system and making significant plans with impacts and consequences that others will have to deal with. You don't poison the well after you've had your fill.

Yet that is what Adam (and David Miller) did in the final days of their reign of power. Contracts with expensive cancellation fees that committed the city to a course of action that was still being debated in an election campaign were signed. The city was left on the hook for the Giambrone-Miller wishlists.
TTC Lease "...leaving the transit agency on the hook for up to $2-million to break the deal"
Stintz trying to renegotiate deal (Another's comment: Personally, I feel it was unethical and akin to "scuttling the ship" when the departing TTC Chair (Adam Gee-I-am-a-boner) inked this deal.

Now Adam is on sabbatical in various exotic locales across the planet (not entirely true as he is doing his archeologist job no doubt drawing pay for that to go along with his City of Toronto Cash Windfall), and some political pundits say he will yet make a comeback, perhaps at another level of government.
Where in the World is Adam Giambrone Dec 2010 Toronto Star article.

Oh, how I wish we could pass an old style banishment decree for this dangerously deluded man.

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Something I blogged in March 2010: Given that our current councillor has had his judgement called into question numerous times now on a whole range of issues (lies to the media and public, expensing taxi rides when as TTC Chair he should be promoting public transit, getting caught expensing a personal taxi ride as council business, utilizing city resources to put on his own "On The Rocket" show (is it a campaign on the city dime?*), failure to focus on addressing enormous customer dissatisfaction about TTC service... what am I missing? ... why should his abandoned constituents support any bid for his re-election?
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And Free French lesson for Giamborne paid by taxpayer Over $6,000 news story
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And November 8, 2010 this came out Quit Early Still get paid
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Another example of Adam Giambrone's total lack of respect and his couldn't care less nature: His website is still active, even today, saying he is still the ward18 City Councillor. I and others have sent him emails asking him to take it down or change it, with no response. Perhaps this is a matter for the city integrity commissioner or ombudsman or city lawyers?
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No doubt I am missing some other examples of Adam Giambrone's total disregard for constituents (like his using TTC resources as his own self-promotional TV show or his overuse of taxis to confirm the TTC slogan "Take The Car"), but his biggest legacy is how he set the stage for the return of the conservative right to city hall with the Fordites and "Respect for the Taxpayer" that pretty much echoes what Giambrone did not have.

As I posted back in early 2010 about Adam:

* Update March 1st: : Giambrone Rebuffs Calls to Reimburse TTC for Blown Budget

Former TTC chair Adam Giambrone is slamming as “politically driven” the transit agency’s move to make him pay back the $3,300 by which he overspent his $125,000 budget last year.

“I’m not in Toronto and do not expect to have further comment … on the politically driven decision by elected officials on the Board of the Commission,” Mr. Giambrone said by e-mail.

Mr. Giambrone didn’t answer a question about whether he intends to reimburse the transit agency in his message, which came from his old City of Toronto e-mail account. His signature still says he is chair of the TTC and councillor for Ward 18, despite his not standing for re-election last fall after lying about an affair."

... Seems to me he is continuing to play the system. Why hasn't city hall shut down his accounts and done something about his still claiming to be Ward 18 City Councillor? Is this guy delusional (still) ?

So maddening thisis!
"Mr. Giambrone had three different pots from which to draw money: The $125,000 TTC budget he overspent; his $50,445 councillor budget; and a separate budget for TTC corporate travel."

Pigs at the trough come from the NDP too I guess.

* Update: TTC to formally ask Giambrone to pay for going over budget "The Toronto Transit Commission is writing to its former chair, Adam Giambrone, asking him to repay the $3,344.92 he overspent on his annual $125,000 office budget....It shows that the former city councillor for Davenport spent $71,917 on staffing, $9,152 on his voice and data plans on his BlackBerry, $2,891.75 on ground transportation and $2,097 on renting an office at City Hall. He also spent $20,807.64 on his glossy “Chair’s Report” and $16,175 on an accompanying video. Mr. Giambrone spent more. than $5,000 on other items, such as newspaper subscriptions and hosting a delegation from Milwaukee...Mr. Giambrone, who did not seek re-election, spent an additional $7,159 on business travel, including a trip to San Antonio for the American Public Transportation Association three weeks before the election. "

#TOCouncil Twitterverse

2011-02-24T10:20:00.011-05:00

Engaged Democracy for the Select Few
... on Twitter

Anyone with a computer can link to http://video.rogerstelevision.com/Toronto_City_Council to watch Toronto City Council live when it is in session.

To find out when council and the various committees and community councils meet, just click on http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/meetingCalendarView.do?function=meetingCalendarView#current which is the city's snazzy new official website.

In the 'olden days' (pre-internet) pretty much all of what happened at city council was only available through interpretative mainstream media reports, usually by pretty politically biased viewpoints (Toronto Star or Toronto Sun or Globe and Mail or National Post). No doubt, many of the professional journalists were limited by their editors and paper's political ideology in what they could print - and what the public saw.

(RogersTV did as community programming televise a narrow lens view of council (you don't see the whole room most of the time) but I would guess it was pretty much unfollowed as it only had interest to political geeks and not the general public who found it confusing and mostly boring.)

Now, those same jounalists sit in Council Chamber with their Blackberries twittering moment by moment, publishing pretty much unedited first person viewpoints of what is happening (and often ignoring their colleagues speaking. The free press is even more free and it is entertaining, informative and you get the feel of being in the room seeing all the little unconnected bits that allow you as a follower to see like an insider.

The politicians themselves pay close attention to the 'Twitterverse' in real tiume, moment by moment, even as debates and council business goes on. They pay serious attention to Twitter, probably more than any other inputs they get. In fact you can see in council debates they refer to twitter... example: Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti made an audible heckle about how "Twitter is laughing" as the bizarre antics of Feb23 meeting went on (see this). Also, you can see on twitter people like Shelley Carroll, Paul Ainslie and others actively holding a dialogue with ordinary citizens and journalists on the fly.

Some might say THIS IS GREAT! because it seems to be increasing civic engagement.

However, it is misleading. Only the elite few who have computer savvy, have the resources (funds, training support, etc) and the time to be part of this great increase in access. What of the great majority of the population who do not have these benefits? What of those many, many Torontonians who do not have English as a first or second language skill?

(There are still very, very few seniors who are 'computer savvy')

Democracy is supposed to be the will of the majority.
The internet/Twitterverse right now is the minority. (although that is changing - with slow generational speed)

I would suggest that this wonderful technological development, like others in the past, tends to enable the few and disable the many in terms of democratic power. In addition, like those with technological power have the ability to manipulate and direct the debate.

I really, really hope our politicians realize this and engage with those who are NOT technologically savvy and balance the inputs they receive to truly reflect the will of the majority - DEMOCRACY.

Who's Who on Ford's Right

2011-02-22T08:07:00.028-05:00

Getting to Know the Inner Power Circle

Posted Feb 18 by prolific tweeter Cityslkr in his excellent blog " All Fired Up in the Big Smoke (Municipal Politics. Like it matters), his blog Problems With Governing gives a neat personality descriptor of those few Toronto City Councillor's in Mayor Ford's inner circle. I will copy liberally from Cityslkr's blog, giving him full credit for his words which I post in this colour . I encourage people to check out his blog for unique and sometimes downright profound views.

I will update it as need and whimsy demands with my own comments and views to build a profile of those 13 power councillors at city hall.

Executive Committee

(The Mayor's "cabinet" if you will):

The Executive Committee makes recommendations on Council's strategic policy and priorities, governance policy and structure, financial planning and budgeting, fiscal policy including revenue and tax policies, intergovernmental and international relations, Council and its operations, and human resources and labour relations. There are 13 members (a 'baker's dozen'?), including Mayor Rob Ford who is the Chair. Here is a weblink to official city website

Mayor Rob Ford Ward 2 Etobicoke North His Own Website

Official City Office of the Mayor website

Rob Ford has been at city council for more than 10 years, most of it spent in the political wilderness of an an outcast. Usually on the 'NO' side of any vote, he was stubbornly critical if anything left of the right and was an outspoken critic of former Mayor David Miller. More often than not, he got into all kinds of hot water for his politically incorrect statements that were used to pillory him by the rabid left. There are tons of news stories about his frequent faux-pas, but here is my personal assessment. His greatest quality and downfall is his stubborness and perseverance. He was not good as a councillor in building support and was a lone wolf. Rarely as a councillor did he propose solutions and was just critical of almost everything.

However, he does deserve some respect. I remember going to him for some help when my own ward18 councillor Adam Giambrone was not helpful. (I had a question on another matter but Adam told me, "That's not my area. I'm the TTC"... but that's another story). Rob saw me in person when I just dropped by and gave me a few minutes and some helpful suggestions. Another time, I called his office and did get a return call from the man himself within 24 hours. Another time, I saw him on a committee where he spoke out (however unsuccessfully) to have the committee hear from people who came to make deputations.

About his stubborness. I remember asking him how he could keep at it when he was so often attacked and alone. His response, "Well, you gotta do what you gotta do". Kind of sums up his outlook.

* Update: Torontoist does an article on how Mayor Rob Ford (doesn't) think on his feet, see here

Giorgio Mammoliti whose slavish deference to the mayor is exceedingly creepy especially given the often times antagonistic relationship that existed between the two when they were both just lowly councillors. Mammoliti’s devotion, however, is in all likelihood about an inch deep and predicated almost solely on how popular the mayor remains.

Giorgio Mammoliti Ward 7 York West weblink

Giorgio Mammoliti was an Ontario provincial MPP (NDP party,,, can you believe it?) from 1990-1995. When he was elected to city council after Premier Bob Rae's downfall, he quit the NDP and joined the Liberal Party. Now he is in league with the Rob Fordite conservatives. More surprising is that as fellow councillors, Mammolitie and Ford often clashed...Ford reportedly called Mammoliti "Gino Boy", which was taken as an anti-Italian slur. As a result of Ford's comment, Mammoliti filled a human rights complaint against Ford. But in latter years, they seem to have patched things up. GiorgioMammoliti is generally considered a right-leaning and socially conservative member of council, but was a rabid supporter of former police chief Julian Fantino. When he ran for mayor (and withdrew in July) he unveiled a platform that included building a floating casino, introducing a municipal lottery, reversing tax increases he had he previously voted for and creating a red light district for prostitution as well as an 11 p.m. curfew for children under the age of 14 and giving guns to by-law enforcement officers. To say he has had some other crazy ideas is an understatement.

* Update: Link to Ford-Mammolitie battles here Also, note Mammoliti literally sits on the right hand of Rob Ford now. Buddies in Good Times?

Giorgio Mammoliti seems to just adore being in the spotlight now, often making quite unecessary and impassioned speeches defending and praising Rob Ford..... but, he is fun to watch.

Ditto Denzil Minnan-Wong.

Denzil Minnan-Wong Ward 34 Don Valley East weblink

His own website

Denzil Minnan-Wong was a lawyer specializing in immigration issues prior to getting into city council in 1994. On city council he was best known for his campaign against squeegee kids and to reform the city's taxi system. Now a 17 year veteran, he is a vocal proponent of tax cuts and was about as opposed to the former David Miller administration as anyone could be. He most definitely Tory blue. He is not a fan of bike lanes orcyclists and once wrote an editorial stating, "until our downtown is bike-friendly, the city has a duty to enable its citizens to enjoy the benefits of mobility, including trips taken by car."

When I watch Denzil at City Council meetings, he often looks mildly pissed off and sometimes paces around the room, going up into the audience galleries while debates are on.

Increasing their respective profiles also might explain the presence of councillors Paul Ainslie, Michelle Berardinetti, Jaye Robinson and Michael Thompson. None seem to be hardcore ideologues

Paul Ainslie Ward 34 Scarborough East weblink
His own website

Paul Ainslie was initially appointed as an interim councillor in ward 41 in February 2006 when formercouncillor Bas Balkissoon was elected to the provincial level. At the time had promised to not run in the next election, quoted on the record saying, "if appointed to this position, I will not run in Ward 41 or any other ward in the city." He broke his word and did anyways, and won. He is a Twitter fanatic posting comments about anything frequenty ( @cllrainslie ). Fellow councillor Josh Matlow says "Paul Ainslie seems to tweet his life like taking minutes of a meeting:

Paul Ainslie in his Facebook page claims he is an independent, but media like The Star say he is a centre-right councillor. Ainslie is pretty much a political unknown right now. He also chairs the government management committee.

Here is a Youtube video of Paul Ainslie's maiden speech to City Council.

Michelle Berardinetti Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest weblink

Jaye Robinson Ward 25 Don Valley West

Michael Thompson Ward 37 Scarborough Centre weblink

Peter Milczyn is the administration’s apologist, countering every criticism of his crew with examples of how bad David Miller et al were. His list of grievances against them is as long as the councillor is short

Peter Milczyn Ward 5 Etobicoke-Lakeshore weblink

Then there’s the ineffability of Norm Kelly and Cesar Palacio. Who knows what’s going on with those two? One’s practically mute and the other, well, he asks questions that baffle more than they clarify. It’s not a language issue. Councillor Palacio seems genuinely confused and out of his depth much of the time on the Executive Committee

Norm Kelly Ward 40 Scarborough-Agincourt weblink

Cesar Palacio Ward 17 Davenport (north) weblink

The hardcore believers are Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday and Budget Chief Mike Del Grande. These two are Fordites through and through, believing whole-heartedly that all this city needs is some tough love and fiscal discipline to straighten it out. It’s almost endearing, in a doddering, grandfatherly way in the deputy mayor whose inevitable outburst at the table is always followed by a little nap.

Doug Holyday Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre weblink

Mike del Grande Ward 39 Scarborough-Agincourt weblink

The budget chief (Mike del Grande) is the one to watch, however, as much as he claims to be out of the loop sometimes. Proudly bearing the badge of Michael Del Grande, Chartered Accountant, he appears convinced that he can vanquish the budgetary beast with the simple math one uses in running a household. Don’t spend more than you earn. Anything else is simply an extravagance which We. Can’t. Afford. As he so tells anyone who thinks otherwise. Government’s just like a business. It’s. As. Simple. As. That.

The outlier on the Executive Committee is the disagreeable David Shiner. He seems much more aware of the reality than any of his compatriots. At least twice yesterday, he plaintively bemoaned the lack of provincial funding for the operating budget of the TTC. What’s that you say, apostate? Surely you don’t mean to suggest that the city actually has a revenue problem! Take that back and chant along with the mayor: the city has a spending problem. Combine that with the proposed plans from the city’s finance department to ask the province for a piece of the HST and things at the committee were beginning to sound downright Millerite.

David Shiner Ward 24 Willowdale weblink

Respect for Democracy?

2011-02-17T09:53:00.012-05:00

Mayor Rob Ford Should Be Able to Veto Council

...says American presidential stylist brother Doug Ford

Alarming news story in today's Globe and Mail

"If they had their way, the Ford brothers would be able to override the wishes of a council that didn’t vote the way they wanted." I guess convincing 23 ward councillors is too hard to do, since there's not a lot of logic to the ideas being brought forward.

“I believe in a strong mayor system, like they have in the States. The mayor should have veto power ... so he has enough power to stop council,” Mr. Ford said. “The mayor should be the mayor. At the end of the day ... the mayor’s responsible for everything.”

Forget the budget, service cutbacks and the TTC. This is the single scariest thing about the Ford brothers reign.

Here is a Torontoist article " The Brothers Ford Are Concerned About Democracy "More distressing than the lament about the perils of voting and Council debate, however, was when Doug Ford went on to object to the recent OCAP protest at City Hall—not the fact that it disrupted a meeting, but that the protesters apparently were considered a legitimate part of public debate in the first place. “Some of those folks are actually getting grants from the city to lobby against the government...I just don’t understand.”... That's what we do in a democracy, Doug: we fund our opponents. Ensuring opponents have a voice is, roughly speaking, the whole point.

Will we someday need to take to the streets like in Egypt to ensure we have a democracy?

Councillor Doug Ford: 416-397-9255

Email: councillor_dford@toronto.ca

Duly Quoted: Doug Ford "The mayor should have veto power...so he has enough power to stop council...At the end of the day, he has more skin in the game than anyone."

Scarey.... very...scarey.

* Update: Now Mayor Rob Ford says I was always happy with the power I have and distances himself from brother Doug's comments: " I think my brother might be spending too much time in Chicago,” Rob Ford said with a laugh". Perhaps the Twitterverse sent the message (see BlogTO )

* Update: Even though Rob distanced himself from brother Doug's comments, it is still concerning that the province goes out of its way to say 'Yes, we might allow mayoral veto' Globe and Mail link

* Update: Some councillors get it that our City Council should focus on being a team for us:
Councillors Want More Teamwork at City Hall...Posted By: Katie Franzios kfrazios@astral.com
Those at city hall say council needs to work together as a team, now more than ever. This comes after remarks from Councillor Doug Ford made public yesterday, proclaiming the mayor needs more power on council in order to push his ideas through. The mayor says he's comfortable with the amount of power he has tight now. Councillor Maria Augimeri says Doug Ford needs to realise things are different than the private sector and he's talking about an elected body. Teamwork is the key, according to Councillor Joe Mihevc he says councillors need to figure out a way to reestablish control of council so there is good dialogue and transparency."

Food Prices Going Up

2011-02-17T01:00:00.025-05:00

Food Security is a Toronto Issue

...Did you know that February 7th was
National Hunger Awareness Day ?

Globe and Mail article "Food inflation: It’s all about what’s on your plate" "Official numbers may show that food prices are up a scant 1.7 per cent from a year ago, but that hasn’t been the experience of many people looking at their grocery bills in horror."

Too true. I am fortunate to be able to shop at a No Frills only 2 blocks away, where there were frequent 'Dollar Days' for low cost, semi-nutritious food. Many people on low income or families with many children shop here. The Daily Bread Food Bank donation boxes I set up a few years ago are continually refilled by a generous community who donate more than the usual cheapest Kraft dinners - things like baby formula and pet food and even once imported dried Salmon from B.C. (I suspect some law firm also regularly delivers boxed donations of select foods).

However, ever since the inklings of food prices going up in the mainstream media, I've noticed significant increases in food costs even there (as much as 10-15% in my experience

How then will other communities in Toronto, many of whom do not have the accessibility of a No Frills, be able to cope with the now expected 5-10% increases over the next several months? (At least it is not as bad as food in the far north: $29 Cheez Whiz?)

How will those on fixed, low income cope? Minimum wage is not being increased beyond the $10.25/hour by the Province and social assistance reform is still a pipe dream, relegated to discussions by big name experts for yet another report, all whill the province ignores the reality of increasing poverty amongst its citizens.

The poor “often cannot access supermarkets, sometimes don’t have access to secure cooking facilities, adequate freezing and refrigeration space,” says John Stapleton, who holds the innovation fellowship at the Toronto-based Metcalf Foundation...high-calorie items, which include fast food, are advancing the most.

Poor Hit Hardest by Rising Food Prices "Although social assistance in Canada has more or less kept pace with inflation in recent years, it has not kept up with the speed at which food prices have increased, making it more and more expensive for poor Canadians to eat healthy....The percentage of income needed to purchase a healthy basket of food for a single person on social assistance rose by 10 percentage points between 2005 and 2009 alone, highlighting the mounting pressure faced by social assistance recipients to afford a nutritious diet...It's also often cheaper to purchase unhealthy foods. Two litres of pop, for example, is usually cheaper than one litre of milk.... If almost 20 per cent of Ontarians living in poverty state that they cannot afford to eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day, this signals a failure to properly nourish our most vulnerable residents. Much needs to be done to overcome this problem."

The other thing I've noticed is that food packages are getting smaller while prices stay the same or increase. This is confirmed by this story. So, we will be paying more for less.

Stories I've seen on tv news say that one of the reasons food prices are going up is the weather. In China, they are experiencing droughts that affect wheat production. In Florida, there have been cold weather catastrophes. In the USA, there is concern that corn crops are being used for fuel rather than food!

Food Banks constantly have trouble meeting the demand with supply. Even with good intentions, like today's "Lunch Money Day" it isn't enough to solve the current hunger problems.

What can we do as a city to address the food issue?

Did you know that the City of Toronto has an official FOOD CHARTER ? or that there exists a Toronto Food Policy Council ? (Link) Wayne Roberts, Project Co-ordinator:\ is also a regular writer on food issues in NOW magazine (bio link) ... or that Ryerson University has a Centre for Studies in Food Security ?

There are advocates for smarter food security like Nick Saul at The Stop Community Food Centre, who often espouse a partial solution is more community gardens to grow food in urban settings. In my view, it will never be enough to ensure true food security in big cities, who still have to rely on rural farmland production. They say "Farmers Feed Cities" which is very true, and I am concerned that there is a lot of development that steals farmland with urban agendas trumping rural ones.

Many people falsely believe that there is a secure fall back system that works: the Food Bank, which started as a temporary stop gap measure some 30 years ago and is now a poverty industry institution. Not a lot is changing with food banks in my view. Here is an article I wrote in 2003 that still applies: Food Banks Failing Us ... very little has changed except that it has become increasingly the job of charities and not governments to feed the people.

This is all so very, very wrong.
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* Update: Inflation rate edges down to 2.3% in January says StatsCan in a CBC story "The agency says rises in energy prices (particularly the cost of gasoline), as well as car insurance, home replacement costs and restaurant meals, contributed to keeping inflation above the Bank of Canada's ideal two per cent level." Note: This seems to totally ignore food prices.

Planning for a New Toronto

2011-02-16T11:26:00.029-05:00

Toronto Has Planning?
Link to City Website About Official Plan

"Toronto’s official plan is up for a mandated review in 2011, but it’s not yet clear whether the city plans to tweak the five-year-old document or pursue major changes....Some planning experts feel council should ditch the official plan and radically recast Toronto’s approach to growth. John Van Nostrand, founding principal with planning Alliance, says some of the world’s leading cities have abandoned “aspirational” OPs in favour of long-term strategic plans that identify major urban goals and lay out plans for achieving them."(Globe and Mail article from Feb 4: What's Up With Toronto's Official Plan? )

What Toronto Looks Like From Space (BlogTO)

Ford's Critical 100 Year Decisions Toronto Star article by Paul Bedford, former City of Toronto Chief Planner "Is progressive city planning possible under Mayor Rob Ford and the current Toronto City Council?"..."After decades of inaction, Toronto urgently needs to get on with building transit of all types. Ford and the new council will be making 100-year decisions that will shape our future. Now is not the time to get cynical; the future success of Toronto and the region is far too important."

More Gridlock ?

Census Move Hurts Toronto Planning (CBC) talks about how federal moves to kill long form census affects local urban planning. There are numerous tools available to planners now, thanks to technology, like satellite images from space that give instant up to the minute maps with great detail. That should mean planning would benefit. BUT - the biggest obstacle to good, sensible planning is still PEOPLE.: Political partisanship, short term focus, turf wars, personality conflicts.

What is needed from this current Toronto City Council is VISION and COOPERATION. The things that individual councillors decide today will affect us for generations to come. Particularly in the area of TRANSIT, this is a watershed moment in the life of our city. We desperately need calm, cool and logical discussions and debates. At least locally, the election campaign is over and the time for blame game rhetoric is over.

Let's hope City Council takes this message to heart when discussing long term planning. Because...

. Toronto Deserves Better from its political leaders.

DEVELOPMENTS:

* Update: Ryerson Wants Developer to Join Project Yonge-Dundas-Gerrard "...steering clear of an ambitious effort by the local councillor (Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam ) to create a high-minded plan for a rundown retail strip where fire destroyed a landmark heritage building last month."

* Update: Is Dundas West Ready for Eight Stories? "Maple Leaf Lumber, at Dundas and Manning Avenue have applied to the City of Toronto to rezone the site, knock down the venerable building supply yard and put up a 98-unit, eight-storey condo tower, with eight four-storey townhouses on the back end where the lumber warehouse now stands. The building would have 62 underground parking spots. A preliminary report on the rezoning comes to Toronto and East York Community Council on Wednesday."

* Update: The Bloordale Pantry in Ward 18 at Lansdowne and Bloor at 1285 Bloor Street West used to be an establishment with a very long history that provided low cost meals for low income people and a place for them to gether an talk. It has now been successfully "GENTRIFIED" Now when you go there, you'll see it is very upscale with trendy youth filling the place for creative dishes and yuppie talk. No more 'smelly old low income people' (see the link for the rabid comments about how most people think its a good thing those types have been forced out). Here is a BlogTO article about the place.

Gentrification and urban gentrification are terms referring to the socio-cultural displacement that results when wealthier people acquire property in low income and working class communities. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size decreases in the community, which sometimes results in the eviction of lower-income residents because of increased rents, house prices, and property taxes. This type of population change reduces industrial land use when it is redeveloped for commerce and housing. In addition, new businesses, catering to a more affluent base of consumers, tend to move into formerly blighted areas, further increasing the appeal to more affluent migrants and decreasing the accessibility to less wealthy natives. (Source: Wikipedia )

Question: Should urban city official planning take into account poor people, or is it all about creating a rich environment that caters only to those that have money?

* Update Feb 16: Rob Ford Pitches Private Financing Plan for Sheppard Subway Expansion "Mr. Ford’s staff submitted the proposal to the regional transportation authority, Metrolinx, on Tuesday as part of ongoing efforts to craft a successor to Transit City, the light-rail network Mr. Ford declared “over” the day he took office." Estimate: $3.6 billion versus the Sheppard Transit City LRT $1.1 billion

* Update: Feb 17 Councillors Approve Controversial Ravine Development "A plea by Bussin’s successor — Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon — to have the city oppose the development of a six-storey Kingston Rd. condo building — located on the Glen Davis Ravine — was shot down 6-5....Councillor Gord Perks, chair of the community council, said the city would get the “best outcome” on the issue if city legal and planning officials went to the OMB in support of the development — as they’d recommended — along with a list of 43 conditions that must be met to significantly improve the building....Councillor Janet Davis agreed with Perks, saying the property owner has a “right to develop the site and it is going to be developed.”

THE CONDOMIZATION OF TORONTO ?

* Update: Feb 17 Eye Weekly Hyping Condominiums in Toronto "Some 18,000 new condominium units were completed in the Greater Toronto Area last year, according to the market research firm Urbanation. Another 17,000 will pop up this year, and 20,000 will rise next year—meaning Toronto will have more condo units for sale than any other city on the continent"... Condominiums are most often marketted as the exclusive purview of the "Discriminating Few", for those with the right 'Lifestyle', glamorous and 'Exclusive'. In Mayor Rob Ford's Toronto business, they love that you can cram as many taxpayers vertically as possible.

Valentine Day at Toronto Western Hospital

2011-02-14T17:01:00.015-05:00

Ontario Healthcare is Still an Issue

Not quite a local politics thing, but local enough to me.

About a month ago I had a slip and fall accident in my apartment because of a wet floor. It was extremely painful as I did a cartoonish split in my narrow basement apartment hallway. Of course it had to be on the weekend too. Not wanting to burden the system by calling an ambulance or even going into to the hospital for the dreaded hours long wait to be seen, I instead hoped for the best and waited 2 days to see if it healed.

With massive brusing, pain and still limping on Monday, I called my family doctor who happens to be in a Family Clinic at another downtown hospital (Mount Sinai) and made an appointment. I still thought I was making sure I was not abusing Ontario's overburdened healthcare system. I should mention 'family doctor' is a stretch, as it is a teaching hospital with a rapidly revolving door of what I call 'baby doctors' - those learning. So pretty much every time I need medical services, I start from scratch with a new trainee.

So - I see the rookie doctor (mine was on leave somewhere else), who takes 10 minutes to talk to and examine me.... then he sends me to Emergency anyways, saying they could do nothing there.

After about 4 hours, most spent waiting to be shuffled from one room and person to another, I am told that it is a torn hamstring that will just take months to heal and it's not even worth getting an xray on. Sent home with a prescription for some pain meds (which I could have used 3 days ago), I am also told to buy a cane, since OHIP doesn't cover crutches or other useful things for my injury. When I later ran out of pain meds, I called and was told I would have to come in for an appointment again to get them as they don't phone them in anymore. No thanks. I just stocked up on super large aspirins that I took frequently.

I should mention I am already on disability for mental health issues (depression) and thus am on a very low income, below the poverty line. Fortunately, I later found a cheap $30 cane at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Not the end of the story....
-----------------------------
Today (Valentine's day), thanks to a persistent every spring thaw water leak that happens in my cheapish basement apartment, I had yet another slip and fall in the same hallway. Similar doing the splits and amazing pain.

This time, I go straight to Toronto Western Hospital emergency where I am greeted by a bored looking security guard who asks why I'm there. The grimace on my face and the pronounced limp wasn't enough I guess. He tells me to sit down in the "Triage Area" (a set of broken down chairs) and wait. Only 3 people are ahead of me. The wait is extended by a few more patients brought in by EMS paramedics on stretchers who are always seen first, no matter their condition. (Likely to free up expensive ambulances).... next time, I tell myself to hell with it, I'll call an ambulance!

After about 45 minutes waiting - during which time no one gives me a second look or checks even to see that I am breathing - I see a bored administrative person who is ensconced behind a security glass enclosure. She takes my healthcard (the standard Ontario green provincial one, and for some silly reason a separate TWH blue card... why does every hospital have to have its own cards?), checks my blood pressure and temperature asks why I am there.... then tells me to wait in a second waiting area.

This time I realize I can hardly stand, so limp rather awkwardly over to the other area. After about another 30 minute wait, I am called to the 'Registration Desk', where they simply want to confirm my address yet again and give me a paper wrist band. The pain index I am feeling is at least 7 out of 10 and I can move about 3 feet a minute. Then I am sent back to sit and wait again.

During the next 30 minute or so wait, I notice that on this Monday morning suddenly there are 20 people waiting in the Triage Area! I notice a couple come in and hear the man say to the security man/greeter, my partner's on welfare and needs to see her social worker upstairs, can we go through here? The guard tells them no, they have to walk around (even though the hallway clearly connects to the main lobby). Then I am called in to see a real nurse.... limping very poorly, until she finally decides maybe a wheelcahir is in order.

Then I wait another 15-20 minutes to see a nurse who asks a few questions, tells me to put on a hospital gown and wait again. Within a relatively quick 5-10 minutes wait to see a real doctor, I hear a fed up nurse explain to other ER staff that she is the only one on duty and can't 'do everything by herself'.

The doctor comes in, very briskly examines me and explains I will have to come back tomorrow for an ultrasound as they are too busy today. She- finally! - gives me some pain meds and a prescription. So, about two hours later and I still have to come back tomorrow.

I am told I need 2 crutches and a leg brace that looks like something police swat teams would wear - BUT - it is not covered by OHIP and would cost about $70. Finally they say they could send me a bill to sort out later (I hope to get my landlord to pay it, and the $26 cab fare there and back). Years ago, I remember when you 'rented' crutches and got your money back when you returned them.

.....

While waiting, I overheard what sounded like students? or some healthcare group discussing how the admissions procedures needed to change. Exactly my point is raised by one of them who says that while waiting someone could literally stop breathing and not be noticed until the 'first in first out' queue reached them.

I recall several years ago (20?) when a much younger me had a torn ligament. I went to emergency where I was seen by a nurse the moment I walked in the door and my vital signs were checked. I waited perhaps 20 minutes to see a doctor and get treated promptly. Surgery was booked that day for within 2 weeks and I was in and out.
----
So, when I hear all the press about the Ontario government doing so much to reduce wait times and improved the healthcare system... forgive me if I believe it is all a crock of you know what.

Our vaunted Ontario Healthcare System is in critical condition!

* Update: Next day I spent another 3 1/2 hours getting an ultrasound and X-Ray that tells me I have damaged soft tissue. Good news: No surgery, Bad News: Will take a few months to heal. Thankfully I have a decent landlord who paid for my crutches and cab fare to/from hospital. The water leak? Cannot be fixed until spring and snow is gone. I'll just have to hope for not too many sudden thaws.

Side note: There was only one doctor specialist on duty at the hospital, when I left there were 40 people waiting to see him. Lots of angry people who thought appointments meant appointments and found out it was a rough idea, meaning 3-4 hour waits.

* Update: Feb 16 McGuinty Says More to be Done to Help Crowded Hospitals "Premier Dalton McGuinty says there's "more to be done" to help hospitals in a Liberal stronghold that are so crowded officials have declared a crisis."

Is Toronto Council Pro-Poverty?

2011-02-11T00:24:00.015-05:00

Shades of Harris Era OCAP Protests
There Will Be More to Come as long as Poverty is ignored

Haven't we seen this movie before? A few... no, dozens... no, hundreds of OCAP protesters disrupt...no, attack...City Hall. Protest stopped by security...no, police... no, it's a 'riot'.

Ramping Up the Rhetoric is what takes the place of accurate media journalism reporting these days. Quite often with OCAP we see the 'Ignore the message and shoot the messenger' knee jerk reactions by much of the right wing press. Some just jump to demonizing the protestors and don't bother with the context.

What do OCAP and the Toronto Sun have in common? They both thrive on emotional overload drama, not always facts. They also love it when they get media attention from the public at large. Both employ questionable and sometimes offensive tactics to get their message across.

Yesterday, February 10, 2011, Protesters Put City Hall On Notice: There Willl Be More. "The dozens of protesters who derailed the city’s budget committee and turned City Hall’s normally staid second floor into a loud, near-violent scuffle with police have a message for Mayor Rob Ford’s administration: Get used to this, because there will be more."

Not to be believed Toronto Sun reports the incident this way: Revolution At City Hall Short Lived. Protest leader John Clarke said "Ford is just a front man for an “international version of austerity,” “Behind his dull-witted intransigence stands an organized movement.”.

Interestingly but not surprisingly, right wing radio station CFRB 1010 talk show host Jerry Agar dismissed them as 'stupid' (John Clarke is far from stupid and could give lessons in public speaking), then later labelled them as 'terrorists'. Later, he dismisses OCAP anger as "typical wacko left winger idiocy". Doug Ford then says on CFRB about OCAP "They're all nuts". Other talk shows had the scrambling to sound fair rookie City Councillor Josh Matlow walking a tightrope between not agreeing with their methods, to wishing they had waited in queue to make submissions to Council like everyone else, to trying to say that he is concerned with poverty, although not exactly how. (Josh doesn't get that hungry frustrated powerless people think they have no other avenue to be heard, based on their own past experience)

"Toronto St. Paul’s Ward 22 City Councillor Josh Matlow briefly spoke on the matter and questioned the methods protestors were using. “They’re attacking police, but some of the messages they’re saying have some merit. I think their voices would be heard better if they just came to us and spoke.”

The National Post take on the story was: Two Arrested as OCAP Shuts Down Budget Meeting "Thursday’s protesters raised concerns about this year’s plans to cut back evening and weekend bus service, and shelter bed reductions, and blasted the city government for failing to oppose federal cuts to immigrant settlement services"..."One city councillor sympathized with the message of the protesters, though not the approach. “I don’t agree with the tactics of disrupting council. I don’t agree with the methods that OCAP uses, but they have a message and that message is that there are families and vulnerable people in this city that are suffering, and that there are cuts in this budget that will affect them,” said Councillor Janet Davis (Beaches-East York)."

CTV news reports the fracas this way: Two Charged After an Anti-Poverty Protest at City Hall "About 50 members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty were confronted by police and security guards after they forced the suspension of a budget committee meeting while demanding more support for the city's impoverished"

Get a Job Doug Ford Tells OCAP Protester "The radio station 680 News captured Doug Ford’s comment on tape. Asked about it during the budget committee’s lunch break, Ford said, “I didn’t say ‘Get a job,’ not at all. Show me on tape when I said that.” Told that reporters had listened to the tape, he did not respond; a security guard then escorted him out of the committee room....When OCAP protesters stormed a council meeting in 2005, then-councillor Rob Ford said, “I’m working. Why don’t you get a job?”...In 2002, he told an OCAP protester, “Do you have a job, sir? I’ll give you a newspaper to find a job, like everyone else has to do between 9 and 5.”

So, what exactly were ther protesting about? Poverty. “Many of us work in communities where there's extreme poverty and we've seen nothing from this council or this budget committee that's going to address it,” said veteran OCAP activist Gaetan Heroux." Standing on a hallway desk, OCAP leader John Clarke denounced council’s proposed cuts to bus routes and Mayor Ford’s privatization plans, saying Ford was advocating a “re-run of the Mike Harris agenda....Other protesters criticized federal cuts to immigration settlement services — council voted not to write a letter to the federal government protesting those cuts — and an alleged shortage of beds in homeless shelters. City spokesperson Rob Andrusevich said no such shortage exists....“This year they’re only delivering the first blow,” Clarke said. “Much worse is to come. The vision that Ford has of this city is a police force and a few privatized services operated by non-unionized cheap labour. If we’re gonna stop that, we better fight . . . if you don’t fight back, they will crush you.”

I heard on another video to which I've lost a link that a protestor pointed out that "Not one bureaucrat at City Hall has spoken out or done anything for the poor'. Having watched Council debates closely, I would have to agree. It does seem that despite a cantankerous left-right ideolkogical split on council, the Ford brothers are having their way with the city, so far at least. It would be hard to point to any significant motion that has not been delayed, killed, referred to the Fords for final disposition. During last year's city elections, poverty was hardly mentioned as an issue in this city.

Only one thing is certain - more unrest in our city, and more media promotion of the emotional rhetoric, without facts.
-------

*Update: Tweeted on Friday Feb11 - Joe Mihevc At the GTA summit session on Income Security: why is urban poverty still so persistent but not on any real political agenda?

Perhaps because City Councillors are not doing enough as a group?

Copycat Thoughts and Observations

2011-02-10T13:13:00.000-05:00

Nice That Others See Toronto City Council Like I Do

How interesting that OPENFILE did the same approach as I did on the recent two days of Toronto City Council meetings in an attempt to capture what I did with the Blow by Blow detail on Feb 7 and the Drudgery of Day 2 Feb 8....

Here is city hall paid media follower Jonathan Goldsbie's article on his version of the minutes of the lengthy meetings.

Great line he has that I totally agree with:

"After enough hours at a given City meeting, you fall into a trance... and then you realize that councillors make most decisions in that state."

Photo, of Being Erica being filmed in the Annex, by *Lemur* from OpenFile Toronto's Flickr pool.

What To Do With the TTC

2011-02-10T08:35:00.007-05:00

TTC Problems Bigger Than All Of Us
So Why Isn't Management Being Looked At?

In my daily life, I continue to be frustrated by some TTC front line staff. Streetcar drivers that I still see chatting on cell phones while driving, ignoring and being rude to riders, constant unpredictable delays and so on. Like 95% of Toronto, I am mad at what I have to put up with just to get around.

At my corner of the world, which includes the streetcar 'short turn' turnaround at the intersections of College Street, Dundas West and Lansdowne, we have a popular and busy Tim Horton's that is frequented by a lot of TTC and Police people. So, even when I am having a coffee break, I hear the TTC union people complaining about passenger behaviours or how they themselves are treated by TTC management. In fairness, the 'War on the TTC'-'War on the Riders' does go both ways.

Laughably - if it wasn't so important - the TTC management's response to indisputable caellphone snaps of bad behaviour and safety hazards by their staff, is to chastize the PUBLIC warning them not to escalate things.... Well, things DO need escalating, but perhaps not in that manner, to get something done! The TTC has long been deaf to the idea of customer service, since it is run by engineers and die-hard unionists.

Look at most any media and you will find stories ferreted out by journalists on Toronto's pet TTC peeve, like these: Screaming TTC Worker Shoved Me, TTC Finally Finds a Shovel to Clear Sidewalk, TTC Drivers Kick Courtesy to the Curb,. On Twitter, @TTCChair Karen Stintz invites public input at #TTC, which I think is just to make it look like they are listening.

There are glaring hints that the decades ago much praised TTC safety record has crumbled. (I posted about this last December and passed it on to TTC Chair Karen Stintz: Link but I still see almost no one concerned with the disasterous TTC safety record. )

It feels like almost daily we hear of TTC vehicle crashes, poedestrians and riders being injured and even killed. Yet, new (a rookie once again) TTC Chair Karen Stintz' priorities are the easy fix perceptual ones: Cleanliness. So, if you get hurt or injured or killed by the TTC, at least they will have clean underwear?

A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Witnesses (Eye Weekly) "Is an army of camera-wielding citizen vigilantes really our best public service monitor?...There’s a problem with this system, though, and it’s not just the legit and often-voiced worry that we’re heading towards some sort of upside-down-Orwell surveillance society. It’s that a fix-by-pics process highlights specific individual cases and deals with them in very public fashion, which might lead to the impression that the persistent larger problems they represent are being dealt with. Firing texting drivers and charging an aggressive cop gives us something concrete to grasp. But is it really possible that the persistent and widespread dissatisfaction with the behaviour of drivers on the TTC comes down to a sick sleeper and a trio of texters? Or that the whole of the police department’s misconduct during the G20 can be laid at the feet of a single officer swinging for the fences?....No. The problems are management-scale, and system-wide. We should be wary of photo spreads detailing how we’ve found the bad apples, lest they distract us from the truth that the bushel basket itself is slowly rotting away."
.... I totally agree. Let's not just lynch a few rule-breakers at the lower levels. Let's go after the bosses who permit this to happen.

I think it is a good thing that the TTC Stalls 103 New Hires to Cut Costs. TTC chair Karen Stintz said “If we can find efficiencies in other areas then we can redeploy those resources and we don’t have to hire externally,”

Great! Then how about going after MANAGEMENT with the same fervour? Kill the ridiculous subway Station Masters idea and hiring a special customer service guru for example. Those are very highly paid positions and in my view duplicate what the whole organization should be doing already. Instead of bringing in people with a customer service focus on the management/supervisory side - get rid of those already there who have not been showing that focus for years, and likely will not change their style.

The TTC is like an old, hard to steer oil tanker with a current top heavy management crew who will still try to do things in the old ways. After all, they are used to bizarre changes in political masters, most of whom have been transit rookies who had to be taught by them. Adam Giambrone even spent years jetting around the world on the taxpayer dime to learn his job from other systems, yet is the TTC any better for his extended training period? Why doesn't Toronto Council consider making the TTC Chair position a separate, elected position that requires the appropriate skill set and experience going into the job, much like how the USA electes Sheriff or judges?

(From my election campaign platform when I ran for local ward18 City Councillor: SEPARATE ELECTED TTC CHAIR: Given the enormous portfolio of this position, both in terms of budget and the vision expected, we should have a separate elected position for the TTC CHAIR, which requires skills and experience going into the job, similar to how the USA electes Sherriff or Judge positions. No more handing out plum appointments to rookies. We cannot afford this)

In addition, Mayor Rob Ford can seem to talk tough and make promises not based on facts, but there are contracts, unions, arbitrators and years of union experience ready to fight off the boastful challenges.

Unless someone goes after MANAGEMENT, the core of the TTC will continue to rot as the old guard comforts themselves with the phrase "This too shall pass"