"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Saturday 25 August 2012

Take A Gander At This

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Another FYI":

I also note that Oakvilles Jazz fest is free to all as well -- perhaps Markham and Oakville don't have a sitting councillor that has such a personal vendetta again the organizing committee or a blog constantly complaining about volunteers that bring something of value the community -- I don't hear them complaining about fences or wishing for rain on some one else's parade -- Other communities welcome their music festivals small minded Aurorans wish for rain on theirs!


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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "FYI...Copied From Elsewhere":

"Feel free not to post this if it is a problem."

Why would it be a problem? You just took shots at three of Cllr Buck's favourite 'punching bags'
.

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Above were the sum and substance of incoming comments this morning. My finger was poised to delete . Then I thought; sometimes  it's interesting to  peruse another person's  mind.
Coming on the heels of the letter to the editor  justifying  why the Mayor of  the  Town was not invited to  be part of the Dignatory 
Ceremonial Procession  at the St. Kitts Jazz Festival and market operation, occupying the Aurora Town  Park over a holiday week-end.
Sentiments expressed are singularly contradictory. .
Why would an entertainment  business displaying so much hostility towards owners  of a particular venue even want to be here?
Isn't goodwillthe essence of good business?
How much  does  it take before  exploitation, disrespect and abuse is  recognized?
Certainly Council and the Mayor and administration  have  been slow. 
But not,I think, the community.
It is interesting to contemplate the rational Council and the administration might offer in future  for extending services  to  this  crude and rude operation from out of town which has enjoyed munificent opportunity to fill their pockets by way of town resources and facilities. 
Bending over repeatedly and inviting  yet another kick does little to engender respect for the institution.
Neither is it a particularly astute political maneouvering.
I thought that lesson might have been learned. 



12 comments:

Anonymous said...


Possibly St. Kitts and Company can attach themselves to another GTA community.

They would be happy and so would we, much.

And councillors wouldn't have to worry when they bend over to tie shoelaces or to pick up a bit of litter.

Anonymous said...

Public Relations was always a sore point for that Jazz operation. They keep pretending to be victims when it is Aurora property that they are fencing in order to sell tickets and spaces for their own vendors. Residents have nothing against a well-run program. They do object to funding outsider interests. The lack of manners was worse then usual this year and that really takes talent!

Anonymous said...

Hey ! Praying/Hoping for rain is pretty tame stuff given the options of going after that fence & making a scene. If Council did not have the spine to act, we are entitled to appeal to a Higher Authority. That entity, if it exists, would have the option of responding or ignoring the requests.. Aurora needed that rain badly. The timing of the downpour was perfect. Me - I laughed & sent a thank-you.
If this damn thing comes around again, maybe no one will listen to Matt's urging to behave properly. Who knows?

Anonymous said...

Maybe the commentator should ask him/herself WHY it is that Aurorans would hope for rain on the Jazz Festival ? Every other event all year 'round escapes such a thing. Could it perhaps have something to do with the individuals involved and their dealings with Aurora? Just Asking. Tired of the whole subject and its organizers.

Anonymous said...

Toronto Star August 24 Daniel Dale
Mayor Rob Ford to face pubic Clayton Ruby cross- examination in conflict case.

Anonymous said...


Just once a week I would like to see a positive post and comments.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Edmund Burke

Anonymous said...

A Positive Comment for 8:31 PM

Aurora is a great town in which to live!

Tim the Enchanter said...

I suppose a certain amount of backlash against the jazzfest is to be expected but don't blame SSK and friends because they outwitted council.

They successfully reworked the argument so that council was forced into adopting either a pro or anti Jazzfest position which was further spun as being either pro or anti Aurora.

The problem isn't the jazz fest, it's the venue.

The "Do we want to fund the jazz fest?" question never should have seen the light of day until the first and most important question was decided.

And THAT question was: "Do we want to permit a public town space
to be converted, temporarily or otherwise, into a controlled access (read fenced) facility?"
The intent of the motion should have been to set the policy and eliminate the need for debate on "special exceptions" like the jazzfest.

As far as I know that motion has never been made or voted on.

It should have been and that answer should have been an emphatic and unanimous "NO!".

And that wouldn't have meant the end of any jazzfest or any other event.
it would have just meant that organizers couldn't control the entrance ie; charge admission.
We could have easily had a jazz festival that was free like many others.
For example.
Kitchener has one of the largest jazzfests in Canada.
On Thursday night they sell tickets for a big-name act - usually at a local hotel.
This is their fundraiser but on the weekend the festival is free.

If SSK decided her production required a controlled access facility then she would have to look elsewhere.
That's her prerogative

As far as I know Aurora doesn't have an outdoor controlled access facility. Perhaps some feel we should and there's nothing wrong with raising that question either.

As it is now the precedent has been set.
How does council refuse a fencing permit to any other group without
looking completely silly?

As I said - don't blame SSK and her special friends from the previous regime. Current council has had plenty of opportunity to put things right.

Anonymous said...

Tim - from your comment to Council's ear. It really isn't space science when you sum it up like that. I don't know how it ever became such an enormous emotional speed-bump. Let's tidy up the loose ends so we can enjoy summers.

Anonymous said...


Thanks 8:13.

Tim the Enchanter said...

Anon 10:41

When councils engage in the "favour" business all hope is lost because you can never grant favours to everyone and so the only possible outcome is that council appears as a weak lackey of whatever local "wheel" squeaks the loudest.

Policies and rules should be adhered to. They should also be reviewed on a regular (annual?)basis in the event that conditions have changed.
Nothing wrong with amendments to improve policy going forward.

Policy review should not be confused with the current practice of exemptions and waivers which are nothing more than 'greasing the wheel' popularity ops for council.

Policy is for all, favours are for some.

Again - don't blame SSK for taking advantage - she's got a business to promote.
And the jazzfest isn't the only example.

The last council caved in to a "special" neighbourhood on traffic calming. That project should have been a neighbourhood initiative - ie; all the ratepayers concerned sign-off and agree to pay for it.

But no - we all paid.
Now they don't like and want it removed.
There's no reason on earth other than lack of intestinal fortitude on council's part why we all should be paying for that either.
Why make the same mistake twice?

Anonymous said...

Tim what you say makes sense, maybe too much of it. You have to remember that we are starting out with 3 , possibly 4, votes already in the gutter for anything to do with either of the two entitled operations.