Is Ontario headed for another Wynne win?

[Mendalla]

I know.

All the talk about inefficiencies. I though he was going to be eliminating them not creating them.

If only he had a previous political record Ontario voters could have reviewed or an actual political platform.

Tough break ON.

So did you have a premonition when you decided to move back to The Rock?

 

[Luce NDs]

Anchorites?

 

[Graeme Decarie]

The Liberals and the Conservative - like the Democrats and the Republicans in the U.S. - are and always have been owned by the wealthy. John A was the servant of big business in Montreal. The Liberals in his time were owned by Toronto big business.

Both parties have 'bagmen" whose job it to get election money from local wealthies in return for doing them big, big favours. That's why it's possible in Canada for billionaires to hide ALL of their money from taxation. I don't know what Canadian billionaires escape with, but in the U.S. the saving is something approaching a trillion dollars.

What I look for in a government is a sense of social policy as the major purpose of government. Liberals and Conservatives have never had such a thing. With NDP and Greens it's not, perhaps, as strong as it should be - but it's there.

For Liberals and Conservatives, it's all a game of serving their masters.

Neither Canada nor the U.S. has been a real democracy for a long, long time.

How could a clown like Ford of Ontario win? It wasn't just hick voters. It was also big, big campaign money from billionaires. The Greens and the NDP don't get that.

 

[Mendalla]

And now the Feds want to step in. However, I was of the understanding that municipalities and municipal governance are pretty clearly provincial jurisdiction in the constitution so I'm not sure what they can do. Using national lobby groups to slip money around the provinces directly to municipalities is one thing, but this is about how municipalities are governed and I can't see how Mr. Vaughan can bypass the province on that. That said, he's a former Toronto councillor himself so I know he's probably royally PO'd by this and genuinely wants to help his city somehow.

Federal government threatens to bypass Queen's Park, accuse Ford of fostering chaos in Toronto | CBC News

 

[Luce NDs]

Ford Chaos ... what a concept across the Fey OI'rd ...

 

[revsdd]

I'm not saying this to be mean to Patrick Brown - but I'm not sure he has any life or friends outside politics. He's been in politics (elected at the municipal, federal and now provincial levels) for his entire adult life. He probably has no clue what he would do if he weren't holding an elected office. He is the epitome of a professional politician.

As I was reading about Ford's move to arbitrarily cut the size of Toronto City Council (with absolutely zero public consultation) and prevent Niagara, Peel, York and Muskoka Regions from directly electing their regional chairs (I have thoughts about that that I'll put in a separate post below) I remembered posting this.

I see Patrick Brown was running for Chair of Peel Region, and with Ford's announcement did an immediate reset and is now running for Mayor of Brampton.

I do feel kind of sorry for him - because, as I said, he probably has no clue what to do with his life outside of politics. It's kind of sad. On the other hand he has managed to get himself elected to something for most of his adult life. It will be interesting to see how the voters of Brampton feel about him in October - unless Ford comes up with some other way of batting him down.

 

[revsdd]

And now the Feds want to step in. However, I was of the understanding that municipalities and municipal governance are pretty clearly provincial jurisdiction in the constitution so I'm not sure what they can do. Using national lobby groups to slip money around the provinces directly to municipalities is one thing, but this is about how municipalities are governed and I can't see how Mr. Vaughan can bypass the province on that. That said, he's a former Toronto councillor himself so I know he's probably royally PO'd by this and genuinely wants to help his city somehow.

Federal government threatens to bypass Queen's Park, accuse Ford of fostering chaos in Toronto | CBC News

Nowhere in the article does Vaughan say that the federal government could do anything about municipal government. That is a strictly provincial matter. I think he does mean just that the federal government will be inclined to work more directly with the City of Toronto rather than filtering anything through Queen's Park. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi also had some provocative comments to make about Ford's decision - something like it being the act of a tin pot dictator.

Ford's sudden decision on this is nonsense.

Slashing Toronto City Council from 47 to 25 members will be sold as one of his "efficiencies." But municipal government is the level of government closest to the people, where the average citizen should be able to play a part and make a difference. The direct result of this cut is that fewer councillors will have to represent about twice the number of constituents, placing municipal government farther from the people and meaning more influence of big money in campaigns, because having to reach more voters means needing more money to do so. Really this is a petty act of revenge by Ford against a city that refused to elect him as mayor and that only gave the PCs 10 of its 25 seats in the election, and against a Council that stripped his drug addicted brother of his powers as Mayor a few years ago. I heard him say that it used to take hours to make a decision at Toronto Council. Can you imagine! Hours! You know what? Democracy is not "efficient." It requires time, discussion, debate and compromise. But I guess this tells us what Ford's attitude toward the opposition at Queen's Park will be. And how does cancelling Regional Chair elections in Niagara, Peel, York and Muskoka promote either efficiency or democracy?

And alongside this, of course, in less than a month in office, Ford has already made massive progress toward gutting public education (which was also a PC priority under Mike Harris) and has begun the process of gutting mental health services. But I know - he's "for the people" and he's going to bring in tax cuts that might give you an extra $20 a month to go wild with - until, as I've said, the municipal councils have to raise property taxes to pay for the stuff that gets dumped on them by the province.

 

[Mendalla]

I think he does mean just that the federal government will be inclined to work more directly with the City of Toronto rather than filtering anything through Queen's Park.

Which the article points out the Feds are already doing (bypassing the provinces) so it's kind of a pointless statement in that case. It's just reiterating their current policy.

 

[Luce NDs]

It is always best for the moral crowd to be kept in the dark! That's the Joe's in the paradigm bunch ... a host 've em to ignore!

 

[revjohn]

So did you have a premonition when you decided to move back to The Rock?

No premonition.

We made the decision to return in July 2016 long before the Brown melt-down and the Ford ascendency.

To be quite candid I would have thought the Ontario public to be well enough informed about the Ford body politic's tendency to fabrication. Apparently in a partisan political climate known truths about a leadership hopeful simply do not matter.

They say you get the government you deserve. I hoped that ON deserved better than what they got. ON voting public disagreed.

 

[Luce NDs]

No premonition.

We made the decision to return in July 2016 long before the Brown melt-down and the Ford ascendency.

To be quite candid I would have thought the Ontario public to be well enough informed about the Ford body politic's tendency to fabrication. Apparently in a partisan political climate known truths about a leadership hopeful simply do not matter.

They say you get the government you deserve. I hoped that ON deserved better than what they got. ON voting public disagreed.

Did someone say that physical humans tend more towards emotionalism that intellectualism? What is more out there and Kohl as demos unusual gifted-ness to be upended ... like desire! Reciprocal aspirations ... let the plow Charon go on ... displace edifices?

Soul and unknown intellect is vast ... and still out there ... as we remain poor processors of polity ... to extremes ... radical thought?

Omega Odd ... is there another separate string on that disentanglement ...?

 

[Mendalla]

Good piece on exactly how much power the province actually has with regards to municipalities. In short, lots. The reason, of course, is that our constitution does not recognize municipalities beyond putting them under provincial jurisdiction. They are entirely creations of provincial legislation.

Think Ford's plan to slash Toronto council tests the limit of his powers? Not even close | CBC News

 

[Luce NDs]

Good piece on exactly how much power the province actually has with regards to municipalities. In short, lots. The reason, of course, is that our constitution does not recognize municipalities beyond putting them under provincial jurisdiction. They are entirely creations of provincial legislation.

Think Ford's plan to slash Toronto council tests the limit of his powers? Not even close | CBC News

Should we call it pro 'vi Danse ... as th' light bounces around ... causing moving shadows under the tree of logic? Is that a plot or scheme ... without due care, or respect? Therefore th handle of the veil ... as it ava'les us in a sort of handle about things poorly understood ... ava'rice? Rho-ice ... takes on a different image in other traditions ... as þ, or γ (ga Mas) ... to support chaos ... as a lesson ... thus the whipping through of the twilight zone ... grey isle aria?

Another cuppa?

 

[revjohn]

Good piece on exactly how much power the province actually has with regards to municipalities.

Agreed. No real test of power.

A very big test of character.

 

[revsdd]

In the Ontario Legislature this morning Doug Ford claimed that NDP member Gilles Bisson made fun of the accent of one of Ford's MPPs. No one else heard it. It wasn't picked up on the microphones. The Speaker didn't hear it. But just by coincidence Ford's House Leader Todd Smith just happened to have with him (today, as this happened) a list of all the ethnicities represented in the PC caucus that he read into the record. That was handy. (Sounds like a set up to me.) And the end result of Ford's unverified and apparently unverifiable accusation was that the Legislature became so raucous with Ford rabidly crying "Racist! Racist!" that Question Period was suspended - meaning that the government could not be held accountable. And they say they will refuse to answer any questions from anyone until Bisson apologizes for something he says he never said and that no one else heard. In the midst of today's ruckus the picture below was snapped:

It's a great one. Doug Ford takes a juvenile shot at Andrea Horwath in the Legislature. Most of the rest of the PC caucus laugh and smile and giggle at his antics - except for Christine Elliott (to Ford's immediate right) and Caroline Mulroney (three seats to Ford's right.) They seem less than enthusiastic as they shoot him a sideways glance, and they seem to both be thinking "I can't believe I lost the leadership to this doofus." I can't believe it either. I truly do believe that Ontario would be in much better hands with either Elliott or Mulroney as Premier.

Meanwhile the government announced today that it was ending the Basic Income Pilot Project, which was taking place in a few communities to test how effective it was to provide a basic income to people living on low incomes. I think it was about $17000 per person gained largely through tax credits. The Social Services Minister - Lisa MacLeod - announced that the project was toast because it wasn't working. When asked what data the government had to demonstrate that the project was ineffective MacLeod offered none.

This in addition to terminating a budget for school repairs, the cancellation of the sex ed curriculum, the cutting of Toronto Council in half less than three months before a municipal election without any public consultation, the cancellation of direct elections for Regional Chairs in Niagara, Peel, Muskoka and York less than three months before a municipal election without any public consultation.

All in a little over a month. But we're still waiting for "Buck A Beer."

 

[Redbaron]

And cheap(er) gas, too

 

[BetteTheRed]

But we're still waiting for "Buck A Beer."

And when we get it, it will be something undrinkable...

 

[dreamerman]

A buck a beer. Good one. I wonder if those beer come with a mouse in at least one of them. Really? I mean take off you hoser.

 

[Mendalla]

"Buck A Beer."

cheap(er) gas

And when we get it, it will be something undrinkable...

Think about it a minute.

 

[revjohn]

In the Ontario Legislature this morning Doug Ford claimed that NDP member Gilles Bisson made fun of the accent of one of Ford's MPPs.

Takes me back to when Phil Gillies was the MPP for Brant and he thought it clever to badger a Liberal with a thick accent by shouting, "Translation Please!" It was not something the citizens of Brant were very pleased about at the time.

Sad that such a low-light might be considered classy by comparison.

No one else heard it. It wasn't picked up on the microphones.

Which only proves that it wasn't picked up on the microphones and not that it didn't happen.

The Speaker didn't hear it.

Neither did many of the MPPs who were actually sitting closer to Bisson.

But just by coincidence Ford's House Leader Todd Smith just happened to have with him (today, as this happened) a list of all the ethnicities represented in the PC caucus that he read into the record. That was handy. (Sounds like a set up to me.)

To be candid, I think that such a list is probably something the PCON and CPC parties keep close at hand because they also spend a lot of time leaning on Rebel Media types.

And the end result of Ford's unverified and apparently unverifiable accusation was that the Legislature became so raucous with Ford rabidly crying "Racist! Racist!" that Question Period was suspended - meaning that the government could not be held accountable.

And?

They never released a campaign platform either. Accountability is for everyone else not the PCON

And they say they will refuse to answer any questions from anyone until Bisson apologizes for something he says he never said and that no one else heard.

[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]Not ideal governance. Still if it keeps us from having to listen to Ford stumble through any talking points there is some win in that.

The guy has the most strained public speaking voice I have ever heard and his content doesn't make up for what he lacks in delivery.

[/FONT]
Doug Ford takes a juvenile shot at Andrea Horwath in the Legislature.

That is a step up from his usual infantile tactics so maybe the office is changing him.

Meanwhile the government announced today that it was ending the Basic Income Pilot Project, which was taking place in a few communities to test how effective it was to provide a basic income to people living on low incomes. I think it was about $17000 per person gained largely through tax credits. The Social Services Minister - Lisa MacLeod - announced that the project was toast because it wasn't working. When asked what data the government had to demonstrate that the project was ineffective MacLeod offered none.

Didn't that project just start? They probably haven't reached any of the chronological benchmarks where evaluations would happen. Still, not surprising to hear from the PCON government is it?

This in addition to terminating a budget for school repairs, the cancellation of the sex ed curriculum, the cutting of Toronto Council in half less than three months before a municipal election without any public consultation, the cancellation of direct elections for Regional Chairs in Niagara, Peel, Muskoka and York less than three months before a municipal election without any public consultation.

Apparently this is how everyone is to know that Ontario is open for business. We start shuttering plants and laying off workers. Seems anti-intuitive to me.

All in a little over a month. But we're still waiting for "Buck A Beer."

[FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]More efficient to start crying now instead of waiting for a cheap beer to cry into.[/FONT]