For some time the media – the jock media at least – has suggested that Michael “Pinball” Clemons is destined to be the next Mayor of Toronto.
It “ain’t” going to happen.
Pinball, Toronto Argo Coach until yesterday, is the new CEO of the Boatmen. So he is too busy to be mayor, right?
Well that’s part of it. Yesterday on the Fan 590 Prime Time Sports Clemons spoke passionately and sincerely, I believe, about his commitment to the Argo anti-violence campaign. That will be a big part of his new job.
Will he coach again? He wouldn’t rule it out nor would he rule out municipal politics.
In the interview “Pinner” recounted an apparently serious approach to him to run for the top job in last year’s Toronto elections. An influential person was going to help him with his citizenship.
Citizenship?
Pinball, Florida native, long-time Argo, is not a Canadian.
Not a problem noted know-it-all talk show host Bob McCown. You don’t need to be a citizen to run for mayor. Pinball now has one less worry.
But hold on McGown is wrong, of course. Section 17 of the Municipal Elections Act (1996) is quite clear. You’ve got to be a Canadian citizen. You must live in the town where you wish to be a candidate as well - another qualification that the gridiron great may lack. (And at the risk of be labelled a wet blanket I'll bet I can find a few people out there who may think that experience in municipal politics is another necessary qualification.)
Here’s hoping Pinball sticks to fighting violence and steering the Argo ship.
And let’s hope McCown sticks to what he does best.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
TRIVIAL PURSUIT
Last week’s brouhaha over the province’s mis-management of its program for approving vanity license plates points out that such a job would be best be handled by someone other than government.
If you missed it a retired United Church Minister wanted to replace her nineteen-year-old plates with the exact same plate. “REV JO” was deemed inappropriate by the powers that be as it could incite road rage. Get it. I think I do. Read that plate and you’re sure to put the pedal to the metal i.e., rev(ing) it.
Proposed variations which apparently promoted Christianity were also no-no's.
Incidentally, these plates were given to Rev Jo by a friend as a gift to commemorate her call to the Ministry.
We think it is time to privatize this particular government service. Whenthemayorsmiles is prepared to help out, saving the oppressed taxpayer hard -earned dollars and eliminating this particular costly and clearly ineffective bureaucratic body. Our area of so-called expertise is local politics. We’ll assign the plates from now on. Here goes.
Hazel McCallion, Mississauga Mayor PAVEDIT
Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair CHAIRSCAR
Rob MacIsaac, Chair, GTTA IM4TOLLS
Jack Dennison, Burlington Councillor TAXMAN
Cameron Jackson, Burlington Mayor TEAMLDR
Sam Merulla, Hamilton Councillor IM4ME
Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister LIONBRYN
(recently seen in these parts flogging his book)
Rob MacIsaac, former Mayor of Burlington SLOMUNDY*
David Miller, Mayor of Toronto NOMUNDYS
*Given the uprising he faced over the imposition of downtown parking rates on the citizens of Burlington when MacIsaac was that city's mayor your Blogger is certain that his former worship would be more comfortable cruising his hometown with the name of his well known (locally, at least) band than promoting something as heinous as road tolls. After all it could cause road rage.
Never mind. We’ll get back to work now.
If you missed it a retired United Church Minister wanted to replace her nineteen-year-old plates with the exact same plate. “REV JO” was deemed inappropriate by the powers that be as it could incite road rage. Get it. I think I do. Read that plate and you’re sure to put the pedal to the metal i.e., rev(ing) it.
Proposed variations which apparently promoted Christianity were also no-no's.
Incidentally, these plates were given to Rev Jo by a friend as a gift to commemorate her call to the Ministry.
We think it is time to privatize this particular government service. Whenthemayorsmiles is prepared to help out, saving the oppressed taxpayer hard -earned dollars and eliminating this particular costly and clearly ineffective bureaucratic body. Our area of so-called expertise is local politics. We’ll assign the plates from now on. Here goes.
Hazel McCallion, Mississauga Mayor PAVEDIT
Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair CHAIRSCAR
Rob MacIsaac, Chair, GTTA IM4TOLLS
Jack Dennison, Burlington Councillor TAXMAN
Cameron Jackson, Burlington Mayor TEAMLDR
Sam Merulla, Hamilton Councillor IM4ME
Brian Mulroney, former Prime Minister LIONBRYN
(recently seen in these parts flogging his book)
Rob MacIsaac, former Mayor of Burlington SLOMUNDY*
David Miller, Mayor of Toronto NOMUNDYS
*Given the uprising he faced over the imposition of downtown parking rates on the citizens of Burlington when MacIsaac was that city's mayor your Blogger is certain that his former worship would be more comfortable cruising his hometown with the name of his well known (locally, at least) band than promoting something as heinous as road tolls. After all it could cause road rage.
Never mind. We’ll get back to work now.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
SPENDING TAXPAYERS’ DOLLARS IN THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE
Toronto’s Integrity Commissioner has ruled that Councillor Rob Ford is violating City policy by not revealing his expenses.
Official records indicate he spent none ($0.00) of his permitted $53,100 in annual office expenses. Ford, “a principal of a successful Etobicoke business" who claims to bring “a bottom line and customer focus” to city hall, is well off and covers expenses out of his own pocket. A December 12th meeting will look at what can be done to Councillors like Ford who ignore policy. Sanctions, including loss of salary, are permitted under the new City of Toronto Act.
I suspect this will get sorted out. Meanwhile Ford has posted each Councillor’s expenses on his website robford.ca
My Favourites
I’ll allow that context is important but…here are some of my favourite Toronto Councillor expenses:
$$$ 1 meal, 2 coffees, 2 glasses of wine and two martinis at the Crush Wine Bar. The bill came to $112.12.
$$$ 10,000 magnets for only $2,904.27.
$$$ $34.19 for a blue case for a Blackberry.
$$$ Twenty dollars and one cent ($20.01) of gas from a Shell station.
$$$ More than thirteen hundred dollars in annual kilometrage for one Councillor who bills from his own doorstep. Didn’t you always pay your own way to get to the office?
$$$ Consumption of one chicken quesdellia, two lbs. of wings and 1 - 20 ounce beer (Keith’s), 1 - 13.5 ounce beer (Keith’s), 3- 20 ounce beer (Stellas) and one small Stella at a meeting with constituents. (Call me cheap but I never treated my constituents so well. Not with public dollars. )
$$$ Purchase of books – like the Undercover Economist whose first chapter is titled (ironically?) “Who pays for your Coffee?”
$$$ Subscriptions to the Star, Globe and Mail, Sun, National Post and MacLeans and a $35.00 for a subscription to Toronto Life magazine.
$$$ French language training at a cost of $1,576.80. Incroyable.
Look it up for yourself. You're guaranteed to find some expenses that will amaze.
OK, Some Context
Above the office expenses Toronto Councillors earn $95,000 annually, get three office staff with nearly $200,000 in salaries, receive a month severance for each year they serve when they leave and an additional $3,500 in adjustment expenses.
A case can be made for transparency and the need to report all expenses but surely an equally strong case can be made for tightening up on what a legitimate expense is.
Official records indicate he spent none ($0.00) of his permitted $53,100 in annual office expenses. Ford, “a principal of a successful Etobicoke business" who claims to bring “a bottom line and customer focus” to city hall, is well off and covers expenses out of his own pocket. A December 12th meeting will look at what can be done to Councillors like Ford who ignore policy. Sanctions, including loss of salary, are permitted under the new City of Toronto Act.
I suspect this will get sorted out. Meanwhile Ford has posted each Councillor’s expenses on his website robford.ca
My Favourites
I’ll allow that context is important but…here are some of my favourite Toronto Councillor expenses:
$$$ 1 meal, 2 coffees, 2 glasses of wine and two martinis at the Crush Wine Bar. The bill came to $112.12.
$$$ 10,000 magnets for only $2,904.27.
$$$ $34.19 for a blue case for a Blackberry.
$$$ Twenty dollars and one cent ($20.01) of gas from a Shell station.
$$$ More than thirteen hundred dollars in annual kilometrage for one Councillor who bills from his own doorstep. Didn’t you always pay your own way to get to the office?
$$$ Consumption of one chicken quesdellia, two lbs. of wings and 1 - 20 ounce beer (Keith’s), 1 - 13.5 ounce beer (Keith’s), 3- 20 ounce beer (Stellas) and one small Stella at a meeting with constituents. (Call me cheap but I never treated my constituents so well. Not with public dollars. )
$$$ Purchase of books – like the Undercover Economist whose first chapter is titled (ironically?) “Who pays for your Coffee?”
$$$ Subscriptions to the Star, Globe and Mail, Sun, National Post and MacLeans and a $35.00 for a subscription to Toronto Life magazine.
$$$ French language training at a cost of $1,576.80. Incroyable.
Look it up for yourself. You're guaranteed to find some expenses that will amaze.
OK, Some Context
Above the office expenses Toronto Councillors earn $95,000 annually, get three office staff with nearly $200,000 in salaries, receive a month severance for each year they serve when they leave and an additional $3,500 in adjustment expenses.
A case can be made for transparency and the need to report all expenses but surely an equally strong case can be made for tightening up on what a legitimate expense is.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A Poet at City Hall
Did you catch Jim Flaherty’s cheap shots at municipal politicians? The Federal Finance Minister called them “whiners.” And as far as his surplus helping out the locals the Honourable Minister notes that he is not in the “pothole business.” We’ll assume that this statement reflects Flaherty’s interest in bigger issues such as denying global warming and ignoring the alarming levels of child poverty in Canada.
Perhaps the former Harrisite should read URBAN MELTDOWN - Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual by City of Ottawa politician and poet Clive Doucet.
Disconnections
Doucet talks a lot about “disconnections” in the book. Flaherty, I suppose, could be the poster boy to illustrate the disconnect between city governments and national politics and the gap between government and the people. We can’t continue sailing when there is a fundamental disconnection between “those on the bridge and those in the engine room.”
The Problem
That disconnection has a lot to do with what Doucet perceives the public wants - which isn’t what they are getting from governments. Governments have created global warming by “treating the planet’s biosphere like a vast sewer.”
Doucet argues that we have the knowledge to address the issues. The problem is our politics.
For example, the trend to “just in time delivery” has lead us to building warehouse districts rather than cities. Road construction and maintenance needed to accommodate cars and the kind of new development that gets approved now takes up one quarter to one half of municipal budgets. Municipal candidates get financial support from the development community. See the connections?
We are in big trouble.
“The Rise of Cities and Decline of the Planet”
Eighty percent (80%) of greenhouse gases that are “cooking the planet” are created by cities.
Doucet goes back to ancient Rome to draw a parallel of the collapse of that advanced civilization to what could face us today. Rome came down not by military defeat or economic problems but political problems “like rotten stitching coming out of an old baseball.”
We’ll suffer the same fate unless we develop the political capacity to respond to our environmental and social challenges.
Solutions
In a general way Doucet sees the reclamation of our citizenship as a key. We have to begin to see ourselves as a “sharer” of our planet rather than an occupier.
He advances some fairly specific ideas that assume political reform is a priority. Local government “by default” will be “the key to braking global warming.
We need more Clive Doucets on municipal councils before that happens. And we’ll need to reform campaign funding to keep development money out of city halls.
Go to http://capitalward.typepad.com/urban_meltdown/ for more on Doucet's ideas.
Perhaps the former Harrisite should read URBAN MELTDOWN - Cities, Climate Change and Politics as Usual by City of Ottawa politician and poet Clive Doucet.
Disconnections
Doucet talks a lot about “disconnections” in the book. Flaherty, I suppose, could be the poster boy to illustrate the disconnect between city governments and national politics and the gap between government and the people. We can’t continue sailing when there is a fundamental disconnection between “those on the bridge and those in the engine room.”
The Problem
That disconnection has a lot to do with what Doucet perceives the public wants - which isn’t what they are getting from governments. Governments have created global warming by “treating the planet’s biosphere like a vast sewer.”
Doucet argues that we have the knowledge to address the issues. The problem is our politics.
For example, the trend to “just in time delivery” has lead us to building warehouse districts rather than cities. Road construction and maintenance needed to accommodate cars and the kind of new development that gets approved now takes up one quarter to one half of municipal budgets. Municipal candidates get financial support from the development community. See the connections?
We are in big trouble.
“The Rise of Cities and Decline of the Planet”
Eighty percent (80%) of greenhouse gases that are “cooking the planet” are created by cities.
Doucet goes back to ancient Rome to draw a parallel of the collapse of that advanced civilization to what could face us today. Rome came down not by military defeat or economic problems but political problems “like rotten stitching coming out of an old baseball.”
We’ll suffer the same fate unless we develop the political capacity to respond to our environmental and social challenges.
Solutions
In a general way Doucet sees the reclamation of our citizenship as a key. We have to begin to see ourselves as a “sharer” of our planet rather than an occupier.
He advances some fairly specific ideas that assume political reform is a priority. Local government “by default” will be “the key to braking global warming.
We need more Clive Doucets on municipal councils before that happens. And we’ll need to reform campaign funding to keep development money out of city halls.
Go to http://capitalward.typepad.com/urban_meltdown/ for more on Doucet's ideas.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Mac Announcement Catches City by Surprise
Only a year ago McMaster University and the City of Burlington signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a new campus on a site in downtown Burlington.
Today, in a letter to the City, the Hamilton school says it has changed its mind. While it is making “progress” it will be pursuing new sites within the City i.e., not downtown.
Only last year (October 6, 2006) McMaster President Peter George said:
"Burlington's downtown will be an exciting place for our students, faculty and staff to be. "This location in particular allows our students and faculty close connections with the business community, while enjoying close proximity to the many support services they require."
“Any More Surprises”
At Community and Corporate Services Committee of Burlington council on Tuesday(October 30) one Councillor said the City has been “spurned.” Another Councillor interpreted it differently - McMaster is merely going back a “half step” to their previous position of wanting a campus in Burlington not just a 120,000 square foot downtown site.
No matter what your interpretation “hundreds and hundreds of hours of work” by city staff appear to have been wasted.
A motion to ask senior McMaster staff to come to the table with Burlington politicians ASAP was passed. In spite of two teams working on the project (joint negotiating and joint project teams) we still got surprised noted Councillor Rick Craven. “Will there be more surprises?”
A Short Leash
Councillor John Taylor noted that “everything was wonderful” from the University’s perspective when they met with Council last February. Then there were no plans for a campus. Now it appears Mac is trying to put the City on a “short leash for a December decision” that will apparently be made by the University’s Board of Governors.
"McMaster is anxious to finalize its plans in Burlington. This project has been evolving since its inception and we continue to look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor, council and city staff," says University Vice President IleneVP Busch-Vishniac in their letter.
Back To School
Working in partnership, eh? I’m going to have to go back to school to get a better understanding of what partnerships are about. This one seems rather one-sided.
At the end of the day though I don’t think the City will be pushed around.
Today, in a letter to the City, the Hamilton school says it has changed its mind. While it is making “progress” it will be pursuing new sites within the City i.e., not downtown.
Only last year (October 6, 2006) McMaster President Peter George said:
"Burlington's downtown will be an exciting place for our students, faculty and staff to be. "This location in particular allows our students and faculty close connections with the business community, while enjoying close proximity to the many support services they require."
“Any More Surprises”
At Community and Corporate Services Committee of Burlington council on Tuesday(October 30) one Councillor said the City has been “spurned.” Another Councillor interpreted it differently - McMaster is merely going back a “half step” to their previous position of wanting a campus in Burlington not just a 120,000 square foot downtown site.
No matter what your interpretation “hundreds and hundreds of hours of work” by city staff appear to have been wasted.
A motion to ask senior McMaster staff to come to the table with Burlington politicians ASAP was passed. In spite of two teams working on the project (joint negotiating and joint project teams) we still got surprised noted Councillor Rick Craven. “Will there be more surprises?”
A Short Leash
Councillor John Taylor noted that “everything was wonderful” from the University’s perspective when they met with Council last February. Then there were no plans for a campus. Now it appears Mac is trying to put the City on a “short leash for a December decision” that will apparently be made by the University’s Board of Governors.
"McMaster is anxious to finalize its plans in Burlington. This project has been evolving since its inception and we continue to look forward to working in partnership with the Mayor, council and city staff," says University Vice President IleneVP Busch-Vishniac in their letter.
Back To School
Working in partnership, eh? I’m going to have to go back to school to get a better understanding of what partnerships are about. This one seems rather one-sided.
At the end of the day though I don’t think the City will be pushed around.
Orwell Would Worry
Through his writings George Orwell raised many serious concerns regarding how we use or misuse language. In 1984, he introduced readers to “doublethink” and “newspeak.” The concept of doublespeak came after his death.
I’m not sure what concept the following story illustrates but I imagine Mr. Orwell would have a word or two on how we manipulate language should he come across recent Burlington reports.
A Committee is Born
In the year 1984 the City of Burlington (Ontario) formed a citizen committee called the Mundialization Committee. Its stated mandate was/is to promote the city as “a World Community” dedicated to the UN philosophy of peaceful co-operation among the peoples of the world.
Responsibilities and Objectives of the Local Committee
According to a recent report (October 4/07) the committee is involved with numerous programs that promote Burlington as a global community. Programs include celebrating United Nations Day, maintaining Twin-City relationships with Itabashi (Japan) and Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) and acting as a catalyst between the twinned cities and within Burlington so as to involve citizens in activities that “share our differences.”
Many hard working and dedicated volunteers have toiled on this committee but is what they are doing mundialization?
Mundialization is …
The concept of mundialization stresses awareness of global problems, a sense of shared responsibility and a commitment to solving problems through a just democratic world law rather than force. Cahoors France was the first mundialized city in 1949. Many other communities particularly in France and Japan have followed suit. Dundas (1969) was the first Canadian municipality to go this route. (see Wikipedia for more.)
A Proposal
Burlington resident Peter Hubner’s recent suggestion that our community develop a partnership with a “third world” country failed to find favour at the Mundialization Committee or with city staff. A committee report (CC 187 – 1) dismisses the idea as it doesn’t “match the current assessment criteria used for evaluating inter-municipal relationships.”
"Criteria." Are you ready for this? Those criteria include:
# Adding value to the city’s strategic plan.
# Consideration of lifestyles.
# Level of interest in the business community.
Is this doublethink, double speak or something else? Let’s call it Burlspeak and acknowledge that we really can’t allow ourselves to call this work mundialization anymore.
In the meantime, I hope Council will take another look at Mr. Hubner’s idea – one that is more in harmony with the original intent of mundialization .
I’m not sure what concept the following story illustrates but I imagine Mr. Orwell would have a word or two on how we manipulate language should he come across recent Burlington reports.
A Committee is Born
In the year 1984 the City of Burlington (Ontario) formed a citizen committee called the Mundialization Committee. Its stated mandate was/is to promote the city as “a World Community” dedicated to the UN philosophy of peaceful co-operation among the peoples of the world.
Responsibilities and Objectives of the Local Committee
According to a recent report (October 4/07) the committee is involved with numerous programs that promote Burlington as a global community. Programs include celebrating United Nations Day, maintaining Twin-City relationships with Itabashi (Japan) and Apeldoorn (The Netherlands) and acting as a catalyst between the twinned cities and within Burlington so as to involve citizens in activities that “share our differences.”
Many hard working and dedicated volunteers have toiled on this committee but is what they are doing mundialization?
Mundialization is …
The concept of mundialization stresses awareness of global problems, a sense of shared responsibility and a commitment to solving problems through a just democratic world law rather than force. Cahoors France was the first mundialized city in 1949. Many other communities particularly in France and Japan have followed suit. Dundas (1969) was the first Canadian municipality to go this route. (see Wikipedia for more.)
A Proposal
Burlington resident Peter Hubner’s recent suggestion that our community develop a partnership with a “third world” country failed to find favour at the Mundialization Committee or with city staff. A committee report (CC 187 – 1) dismisses the idea as it doesn’t “match the current assessment criteria used for evaluating inter-municipal relationships.”
"Criteria." Are you ready for this? Those criteria include:
# Adding value to the city’s strategic plan.
# Consideration of lifestyles.
# Level of interest in the business community.
Is this doublethink, double speak or something else? Let’s call it Burlspeak and acknowledge that we really can’t allow ourselves to call this work mundialization anymore.
In the meantime, I hope Council will take another look at Mr. Hubner’s idea – one that is more in harmony with the original intent of mundialization .
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
LET'S MOVE BEFORE THEY RAISE THE PARKING RATES!
(from the 70’s hit song All Right Now by A. Fraser / P. Rodgers)
Today’s question:
Can Municipal Councillors find more important things to work on then parking rates?
Answer:
Probably not, judging by the recent kafuffle at Burlington City Council ably reported on by Spectator columnist Joan Little.
I confess to flashing back a year when as a caretaker Councillor I had to deal with the same issue.
Calls and e-mails poured in like seawater through a New Orleans levee after staff recommended implementing a fifty cent per hour (I think) parking rate on downtown meters. The recommendation followed a year of dialogue with downtown businesses, focus groups and work of a paid consultant.
After all of that well … let’s just say in the annals of taxing injustices this one ranked right up there with that tea party in Boston when Sam Adams and wealthy American smugglers rallied against British imperialism.
Your humble blogger/former caretaker Councillor got caught up in this and (worse perhaps) another later debate over the necessity to purchase “historic looking” parking meters that could better fit into a heritage neighbourhood.
Let’s face it, it is hard for any Councillor who claims to be responsive to public input to ignore constituent concerns.
But there are more important issues.
How about the fact that all Ontario Great Lakes municipalities including ours aren’t meeting legislated reporting requirements on the health of public beaches? (see www.waterkeeper.ca for more)
That might be worth some consideration and debate.
Today’s question:
Can Municipal Councillors find more important things to work on then parking rates?
Answer:
Probably not, judging by the recent kafuffle at Burlington City Council ably reported on by Spectator columnist Joan Little.
I confess to flashing back a year when as a caretaker Councillor I had to deal with the same issue.
Calls and e-mails poured in like seawater through a New Orleans levee after staff recommended implementing a fifty cent per hour (I think) parking rate on downtown meters. The recommendation followed a year of dialogue with downtown businesses, focus groups and work of a paid consultant.
After all of that well … let’s just say in the annals of taxing injustices this one ranked right up there with that tea party in Boston when Sam Adams and wealthy American smugglers rallied against British imperialism.
Your humble blogger/former caretaker Councillor got caught up in this and (worse perhaps) another later debate over the necessity to purchase “historic looking” parking meters that could better fit into a heritage neighbourhood.
Let’s face it, it is hard for any Councillor who claims to be responsive to public input to ignore constituent concerns.
But there are more important issues.
How about the fact that all Ontario Great Lakes municipalities including ours aren’t meeting legislated reporting requirements on the health of public beaches? (see www.waterkeeper.ca for more)
That might be worth some consideration and debate.
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