_Commentary

A gaggle of no productivity: The Goose Control Committee

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

There are two dreaded ‘C’ words that will either cost Cornwall money or grind productivity to a halt. Those are ‘consultant’ and ‘committee’. The latter is shutting down any chance of controlling Canada Geese this year in Lamoureux Park. The city called for three citizens back in March to sit on its Cornwall Goose Control Committee. Now we’re into the middle of June and the geese are already here but the committee hasn’t even met yet and the Cornwall designate, Maurice Dupelle, is trying to hobble together some sort of meeting. At least when we were paying for a dog and handler – a pittance compared to the entire city budget – something was actually being done in the park. Now we are relying on those crazy flags and goose warning signals to do the job that didn’t seem to do much for the geese last year. It’s too bad because it will probably leave an indelible mark – usually between the treads on your shoes – during events like Ribfest, Lift-Off and Arts in the Park when people have to dodge goose poop again. I’m Bill Kingston.

Montreal mayor should resign

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The corruption and conspiracy trail seems to get bigger and bigger in Quebec as the anti-corruption unit has claimed its latest victim. Montreal interim Mayor Michael Applebaum was arrested yesterday on charges he was allegedly involved in some shady real estate deals before he was mayor. Some are even linked to the Rizzuto crime family. The charges include gangsterism, corruption and fraud. Kind of funny from a guy who had sold himself as the person that was going to clean up the very thing he’s accused of doing. Like many in Quebec are asking, he should resign because even if he is found not guilty, Quebecers are now hyper sensitive to the feeling they have been deceived. It’s also sad that the province of Quebec can’t get out from under the cloud of corruption. At the time of his inauguration, Applebaum had said he wanted to regain confidence of Montrealers and that he understood that they’ve been hurt. Well, it looks like Montrealers have been let down and hurt once again. I’m Bill Kingston.

How can the NDP not support a bill against terrorism?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

There is no doubt we all know the difference between war and terrorist acts. But it seems NDP immigration critic Jinny Sims is out to lunch by holding up a bill that renounces the Canadian citizenship of dual nationals convicted of a terrorist act with the argument that the bill is being completely rewritten. The Conservatives wanted to amend the bill from acts of war to acts of terror after a dual national was involved in a Hezbollah-linked bus bombing that killed three Israelis. So Sims has a pretty weak argument. It would make you think the NDP is playing politics with the Conservatives instead of thinking of the good of the people and saying, yes, I agree people who inflict terror should lose their Canadian citizenship. But after the Rathgeber affair and the Tory MP’s resignation over amendments to his private member’s bill, maybe the NDP is being cautious…but I doubt it. Conversely, what is renouncing citizenship going to do to avert terror attacks? One of the Via Rail bombing plot suspects wasn’t even a Canadian citizen and was still in this country planning to hurt or kill people here. Clearly this is a political game but hopefully the NDP will come to its senses. I’m Bill Kingston.

We’re told it’s the cost of doing business

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 04:01:00 GMT

Some Cornwall city councillors say it’s the cost of doing business. But do you think there may be a problem with your business model if you have to repeatedly defend yourself from your own workers who need to be protected through whistleblower legislation? Hopefully the problems within the hierarchy at city hall have been flushed out with new people in the top ranks. Councillor Denis Thibault says at nearly $200,000 in legal bills the “numbers seem appropriate” and Elaine MacDonald says we should be “breathing a sigh of relief” that the costs are a lot less than the rumour mill would have had you believe. She also says it was “money well spent” to maintain the city’s reputation. How can you say that it is money well spent? If the problems had been dealt with appropriately internally it would have never seen the light of day for a whistleblower complaint much less a court case. As for the city’s reputation, that’s already been tarnished in a society where accusations lead to the presumption of guilt before you can prove your innocence. I’m Bill Kingston.

Breaking the last election promise

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:07:00 GMT

The final chapter of former Premier Dalton McGuinty has been written and he left with a whimper and he also broke one last promise. Besides the health care premium (which is not a tax) and the gas plant scandal, one of his pledges when he was elected was to serve the constituents of Ottawa South as their MPP and he couldn’t even do that. The Ottawa Citizen even pointed out that McGuinty couldn’t even show up for a crucial budget vote – a cardinal sin for an MPP to miss – and that he has pretty much been AWOL since stepping down as premier. All the while, as Premier Kathleen Wynne tries to move forward, the worst thing she could have done it praised her former leader. Just wish him the best and try to move on with your own agenda. But to call him an “unwavering political force” is just rubbing salt into the wound of people who hate McGuinty and it will undo what she is trying to accomplish. I’m Bill Kingston.

The undoing of Canada Post

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

You didn’t think technology and all this push to be green wouldn’t come without sacrificing something like the federal postal service, did you? Canada Post is quickly turning into a dinosaur and it’s not surprising that the service is already bleeding red ink. The Conference Board of Canada estimates it will be about $1 billion in seven years. Canada Post has quietly raised the price of stamps a penny or two a year. It used to be a big news story but now you don’t even see the price of regular postage on a stamp. People have turned to other forms of communication because it’s cheaper – email, Skype or more telephone calls. The corporate world has also helped to make Canada Post extinct. Either by encouraging e-bills or by out-and-out holding you at random of $2-3 a month just to get a paper bill (don’t tell me they’re just covering their costs…they’re taking a little on the side). All this has undermined the postal service. And it’s not just isolated to Canada. The U.S. Postal Service has also looked at ways to cut back and will eliminate Saturday door-to-door delivery by August saving $2 billion. They got mail on Saturdays?! Clearly they have a little more cost-cutting to do. I’m Bill Kingston.

What it means to be sick in the 21st century

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

While it’s long overdue, the federal government is looking at revamping its sick day program for civil servants, replacing it with a short-term disability program. It will mean no more banked sick days. Federal bureaucrats are off the job an average of 18 days compared to fewer than seven for the private sector. Every union contract has awarded those sick days but is it really a reward if you need that many days for illness? Clearly giving and getting more sick days is not solving the root problem of why government employees are so sick. With any system there is going to be abuse such as those that are sick by hitting the golf course. I don’t know how you can have a complete lack of a moral compass and call in sick for work when you’re not actually sick. What is going to make this work is if the government unions go into this with an open mind and an open ear when Treasury Board President Tony Clement sits down with them. Somehow, I doubt that’s going to happen. I’m Bill Kingston.

Oh, I’ll be there sometime today!

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Why can’t cable TV, phone and internet people make service appointments? If you are a service technician you’ve done the job 100 times and, give or take 5-10 minutes, you have a pretty good idea of how long it takes to install an internet system, for example. So why can’t companies actually schedule appointments? Instead, you get “The service technician will be there between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.” Could you imagine if your doctor or dentist had you come to the waiting room and then he or she said, we will see you sometime today between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.!? There would be hell to pay. It’s almost like these businesses want you to take the entire day of work and sit at home waiting for them (unless you have the luxury of a stay-at-home job or a spouse that doesn’t work). Other countries have an appointment system for TV, satellite and internet installations so what is holding us back in Canada? Maybe this is another clear indication that the market isn’t competitive enough because the big telecom companies believe you’ll wait because they’re the only game in town. I’m Bill Kingston.

What are the Conservatives thinking?

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

The latest chapter in the Conservative playbook astonishes me. Why would a party that prides itself with the mantra of fiscal management and transparency suddenly gut a private member’s bill from one of its own members to disclose the salaries of federal bureaucrats? That goes right against openness and transparency. The bill by MP Brent Rathgeber would have disclosed the names, positions and salaries of those bringing home more than $188,000. Sunshine Lists are nothing new – we report on the Ontario Sunshine List every year and many other provinces have them. The bill would have opened up the often-sheltered CBC. But the Tories threw so many amendments at this proposal by ratcheting up the disclosure limit to $440,000, the committee then killed it. Rathgeber resigned from the Conservative caucus and I can’t say as I blame him. What were they thinking? At the halfway point in his tenure, the PM really needs to get his party in check because somehow this government has lost touch with its Conservative grassroots. I’m Bill Kingston.

Children are the ‘heart of the family’

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Children are the nucleus of the family…they are a precious gift. That’s why the investigation by the Ministry of Education and the Children’s Aid Society about the Heart of the Family Childcare Center is such a polarizing issue and an emotional one. On one side there are allegations, very serious and shocking allegations, about how some children were treated at the facility. On the other side are passionate parents who say the staff had the utmost respect for their kids and they are like a second family. The Heart of the Family Facebook page is filled with comments from families counting the days their little ones can return while staff is making the best of a difficult situation, sprucing up the facility. One could be led to believe the allegations from former staff members could be by those that feel scorned. In the end, everybody loses. The daycare center has to restore its reputation dragged through the court of public opinion, parents have to find other daycare centers or change their lives now that precious daycare spaces are not available and, if the allegations are false, police have used limited resources on this investigation while other crimes sit on the back burner. Hopefully, we will find out the truth once the Cornwall police finish their case. I’m Bill Kingston.