Being out of touch during the crisis , I cannot speak personally for how things were handled by the town.
But the Mayor was on top of things. Provided regular bulletins gand extended heartfelt thanks to all who participated in providing assistace to those in need.
My street still has a thick layer of ice .But I did see a bylaw officer's car at Glass Drive corner .
Aurora's town staff have always performed well in emergency. It takes a crisis to bring out the best in town staff . They know how much isdependent and rally to the cause every time.
But this one was different. This year, under the new customer service program, theTown announced regular service would be maintained between Christmas and New Year.
It's not usually.
When I came back in 2003 , I questioned that.
The logic was, there is no demand for service during that period. Staff took vacation time.
It seems this year , numbers of senior staff still took vacation time.
I understand there wasn't a supervisor or a manager who wasn't on vacation from public works during the crisis.
We will no doubt be having a review.
Well that one shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. Unless they determine that only an outside outfit could be sufficiently objective. Been know to happen.
ReplyDeleteToronto Hydro's outside workers have been awesome. We were missing one line-woman over Christmas. She barely had time for a change of clothes. The top brass in their snug warm offices receive the same emergency funding. Go figure.
ReplyDelete20:36.... Do the "Top Brass" not give up the same family time/time off/etc that the outside people do? Do they not perform a required function? Or are you being an anti-elitist?
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for Cllr Humfryes to declare that a generator is noise pollution.
ReplyDelete8:25 Get a grip. Not everyone is anti-something.
ReplyDeleteAurora had at least 2 ' frost quakes ' on New Year's Eve. We thought they sounded like gun shots - much louder than the few fireworks,
ReplyDeleteI got that from the Sun in case anyone is interested in attribution.
ReplyDeleteTHE HIGH COST OF JUSTICE
Let me quote from an article in yesterday's Globe and Mail:
"At 62, Justice Marc Nadon of Ottawa has reached the magic number.
His age plus his 18 years in the Federal Court's trial and appeal divisions added up to 80 - allowing him the option to work about half his usual hours and still receive his full pay of $288,100. An option he took. To mark the transition, he took four weeks off for a southern holiday, then returned to a lightened workload."
His appointment by the Prime Minister to the Supreme Court, an appointment that has been challenged by the Province of Quebec and a Toronto lawyer, is presently up in the air. Ironically it will be up to the Supreme Court to rule on his acceptability.
Some time ago he moved into an office in the Supreme Court building, notwithstanding the challenges to his appointment. He was directed to remove himself forthwith. Some cojones.
If he is ultimately confirmed by his future fellow justices he can look forward to an annual salary, as of April 1, 2013, of $351,700.
It would be interesting to know what his annual pension would be if he serves until retirement age of 75.
I don't mind paying top dollar for top legal minds, but from numerous comments made about Justice Nadon by respected members of the legal profession, both practicing lawyers and law professors, he appears to be far from that exalted level. His specialty, maritime law, is hardly of prime importance to the Supreme Court.
This appointment smacks too much of politics and stacking the court to further Mr. Harper's fight for the rights of the right.
Clarence Thomas, of Anita Hill fame, still sits on the US Supreme Court. I can't recall him writing a single opinion since his controversial appointment. Nadon will not likely get the post in Canada. Peter McKay supports him which is a big help ?
ReplyDeleteCBC News.ca
ReplyDelete" Frost quakes wake Toronto residents on cold night"
@13:30
ReplyDeleteI remember that. Senator Danforth defended the Thomas appointment. I thought he had lost his mind.
There are a # of new very large homes in our neighbourhood. Some have just sat on the market at well over a million dollars. It boggles that builders include 3 garages, 4-5 bathrooms, granite everywhere and landscaping every inch. But no generator. One resident of such a place was complaining about the cost of re-locating the family and family dog to a hotel in Markham for the duration of the storm, It just didn't twig that a generator might have saved her money & anguish.
ReplyDelete" Canada has 10 months of mostly shitz weather plus 2 months of poor sledding with mosquitos "
ReplyDelete