Stupidity Triumphs

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Right to Representation":

8:53
Seems that you read an online article about ONE school in Paris, Ontario. You have now made a very broad statement that is false and adds fuel to the fear-mongering that we are loosing our past.

Way to distort.Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 31 October 2014 12:02

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When I read the comment about re-naming Halloween, my first thought was...... was it a teacher,  a Principal or School Board  policy. 

I published it expecting enlightenment and a reaction. 

The social media may be the only place for a reaction to be expressed  anonymously without being accused of racism or religious bias.

The response published above proves the point.

 "You have  made a very broad statement that is false and adds  fuel to the fear -mongering that we are loosing our past"

The statement is not  false .

It is revealed  by the commenter to be  an on-line  article about  " ONE school in Paris,Ontario "

Added is  an accusation  of " fearmongering  that we are losing our past" and  "distortion"

How did those words enter the discussion.

Is there a genuine concern we are losing our culture ?

Is  the reference to  "fearmongering" related ?

Is there a government policy,masquerading as "multi-culturism "  intended to submerge our own culture so that  immigrants of a different culture feel more at home in our culture?

Have Christmas trees  and crèches been removed from public buildings? Yes ,they have.

Has Merry Christmas been changed to Holiday Greetings because immigrants of different religion might feel left out?

Who asks for such  decisions?

Do immigrants make it a condition of agreement to immigrate to a country with a different culture?

I doubt that.

Well then, government institutions must be the responsible party.

A school in Paris ,Ontario is  certainly a government institution.

The decision was sufficiently weird to generate an on-line article being posted .

The article attracted  sufficient attention  to be repeated in  a comment to this blog.

How does that get  translated  into "fearmongering"

Why the outrage?

I think  we have here a person in a position of authority making this decision who clearly does not have sufficient judgement to be in a position of authority.

Furthermore I  believe we have more than our share of people in positions of authority making dumb  decisions. Then  to exacerbate the situation, we have other people duplicating  dumb decisions because somebody else did  it first.

To add insult to injury, commenters like the one above ever ready to take up the cudgels in defence of rank stupidity.

At the very least, the person who making the  decision to change the name of Hallowe'en would have to be a School Principal.

If that doesn't worry you, I think it should.

Halloween,by the way, was originally a pagan festival ,adapted  by Christians, to encourage pagans  to feel comfortable as Christians.

The Tail That Wags The Dog.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Right to Representation":

To 21:04

And for that those who ran in the past for his party in our area against the established incumbent. Secretly I'm sure that they are just kicking themselves as to how relatively easy he got in due to the circumstances of the now former MPP's retirement. But that's the way life goes.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 31 October 2014 08:34

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It's not the way life goes. It 's the way of politics ..an oxymoron ....because one can never predict politics...nor life itself for that matter.

It 's noted Doug Ford is turning his attention to leadership of ProvincialConservatives.

I think he was  already headed in that direction. Before  his younger brother received his terrible news,Doug announced he would not be a candidate for Council.He would be his brother 's campaign manager. From what better starting point could he launch a bid for the Leadership.

A robust leadership race is shaping up. Christine Elliott, Lynn MacLeod and Doug Ford are all heavyweights.

Doug Ford may have an edge. In Ontario, Toronto is the tail that wags the dog.

It's a tail considerably bigger and stronger than the dog.

Think about the Toronto mayoralty. Olivia was never a factor. Tory and Ford are both diehard prominent and powerful conservatives. Ford brought out 68% of the vote? Highest ever.

Toronto media did not decide it.

Ford Nation withstood whatever was hurled at them. They are an undeniable force.Not weakened in the least by the Mayoralty result.

Now think about Kathleen Wynn's Liberals.

The recent  provincial election was a freak accident that happened.

Hudak and Horvath presented it to them.

But the bill is still outstanding. The price yet to be paid.

Two construction sites at Lake Ontario. Chain link and padlocks and litter blowing.Abandoned, rusting  structures with incomplete price tags.

Faerie  dust will not make it disappear.

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York Region Act passed in 1971 gave Councils  authority to decide their size..

There are no qualifications.

Right to Representation

 The Agenda  with Steve Paikin on Tuesday focused partly on the size of Toronto Council. John Sewell argued  45 members  is unwieldy. It should be reduced.

Mayor McCallion argued Mayors should have more power and noted  the city has an executive committee and used to a have a Board of Control.

Former MayorArt Eggleton noted he and Sewell had been Mayors of the city within Metro.

Immeduately before amalgamation  6 boroughs existed within Metro. Each with a Mayor and Council.

The city now  has a  population of 2,800,000 represented by 45 Councillors and Mayor
Five Mayors and five top heavy administrations were wiped out. That was substantial reduction in 1998.

A huge floating pool of redundant municipal professionals came into being. Consultant  firms exploded  and a new work load ballooned. Law firms sprouted an army of experts in municipal law.

New legislation created  hitherto unheard of opportunity

Where savings should have occurred ,they did not.

Mayors should have more power argued Mayor McCallion. An organization  of Mayors is needed  to wield more clout  with senior levels of government.


Persuading Premier McGuinty to cancel contracts for power plants mid-construction of power thereby plunging the Province into $ billions of debt would be an excellent example of the  benefit.

Certainly differences of opinion would be eliminated. Progress could  be as smooth as milk and just as transparent.

Meetings would  not  be required. Proclamations would be de rigour. Everything would be
calm and amicable.

In a mayoralty debate candidate Olivia Chow argued  all property owners should be entitled to vote in municipal  elections even without citizenship rights.

It 's a logical position.  Same as a hundred years ago, when ONLY property owners were allowed to vote.

A series of wars and several generations  changed that and extended the right to vote without property on the basis men were  required to die in defence of a country that did not allow them to vote.

The right belonged  only to men of property.

Tuesday's Agenda ended  with an interview about Mayor Mc Callion's book launch.

Contra-indicators

Steve Paikin had  three former City Mayors on The Agenda last night. John Sewell, Art Eggleton of Toronto and Hazel  McCallion of Misuassaga .

The topic....municipal politics in general and Toronto Mayoralty  in particular.

There were differences of opinion between the three. The hour was enjoyable. It will likely be repeated. I will watch it again.

Voter  turn- out i was remarked upon. Toronto media influence was discussed .

The length of  the Tory campaign, his platform and lack of Council experience were all  referenced.

John  Sewell  was most intense.. The huge increase to 68% (or 60%) in voter turn-out
was not due to Tory candidacy  as Paikin suggested.  According to Sewell,Ford's candidacy and getting the vote out in Etobicoke and Scarborough was the force

Considering Ford's campaign started on the last day for registration and Tory had been at it since eight months previously that seems to me to be the most significant factor.

Ford had not intended to be a candidate. He  stepped in because his ailing brother asked.

Time left him no option but an aggressive offense.

The turn-out, in a city of millions was highest ever. And Rob Ford , despite everything he did to himself and everything the media did to destroy him, was  re-elected  to public office.

The program had a wealth of relevance to our situation. For this morning, we will focus
on one aspect.

In Aurora we had two candidates . During  the campaign  the most frequently expressed sentiment was was  neither  Mayoralty candidate held any appeal.

The final tally did not support that indication.

Yet voter turnout in Aurora fell by 5%. From 39.5 per cent in 2010 to 34.5 % in 2014.

The town grew. Numbers of voters increased.  .

The percentage who chose  to exercise the franchise dropped.

No matter how it's interpreted,  almost two -thirds of Aurora boycotted the process.

Hardly an expression of confidence.

No Cause  Célèbre

No stamp  of approval.

Lack of interest...I don't think so.

Not if my blog numbers are an indication.

Abracadabra

I received the following this morning. I have seen it before and enjoy it each time. It would take too long to sort out an e-mail list of seniors. So I have tried to reproduce it here. 

Do not be alarmed. This will not be the context of the blog from now on. I just thought It was worthwhile trying the cut and copy routine once again.

Friends are like quilts-they age with you, yet never lose their warmth. I am forwarding this to those on my Seniors email list because it is so well written. Please send back. (I did) It's neat. Don't delete this one, you'll laugh when you see the return message. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50s, 60s & 70s, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will. I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to,despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.    I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, eventually, I remember the important things. Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver. As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong. So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it). MAY OUR  FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE  HEART! Forward this to at  least 7 people, and see what happens on your screen. You will laugh your head  off! ____

Congratulations are in order

Winning is better than losing but losing is not the end of the world. I've been here before.

I acknowledge certain aspects of the  job I will not miss at all, at all.

I know many were counting on my being there again. But we fought the good fight and it was not to be.

To-day is the first day of the rest of our lives and  many things will not change.My grandchildren hung around into the night. Aaron brought up on the iPad  a u-tube  featuring comedian Dave Chappell in a Comedy routine called  The Haters' Ball.  It is really funny.

The blog will continue. I have been a member of Council  throughout the seven years of publication
The  topic has mainly been Town  business . Certain prohibitions have been observed.

We shall spread our wings a bit.  The conversation  should keep going but I would like to explore the advantage of signing in.

I have no intention of folding my tent and stealing away into the night. I will not be hanging around the Council Chamber for meetings either. I have endured more than my share of that.

I congratulate the new Council and wish them well.

The Lord is good to me ..and so I thank The Lord.?..For Giving me the things I need. ....the apple tree and the apple seed .... The Lord is good to me.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Haunted Forest":

12:35
This is not a nasty site. Your generalization was uncalled for. { sorry about the grammar ]


Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 27 October 2014 12:49

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My finger slipped. The comment was rejected in error. . I chose to resurrect it.

Today is a positive day

The Haunted Forest

I had to choose last night between  fundraiser hymn sing at Our Lady if Grace church for re-building the United Church and the Haunted Forest at Sheppard's  Bush.

I went to the Haunted Forest. Î hope there will be another fund-raiser at the church for the other church.

Cheyenne and Abigail and  Emma were to come  with me to the Haunted Forest.
They live in Innisfil. They can't just come round and ride on my scooter. So, as often happens, it didn't. I met Heather and Andy and Adam and Keenan there instead.

We went around twice. When it was light and a second time in the dark.

It was the perfect night in the perfect place. The woods themselves are spooky. Trees stretch high, with long straight limbs, bare branches have dropped their leaves to carpet the ground and long fallen timbers are scattered at  various angles in disorder.

Carved  pumpkin heads, hundreds of them,outlining paths,each unique and carved  by Boy Scouts of Aurora .

Ghosties  and Ghoulies prowled and loomed suddenly from  the shadows.Zombies struggled and clawed ,to rise from the earth. Screams and blood-curdling cries rang out through the night.

A  huge bonfire built and tended by a town employee  who offered toasted marshmallows on the end of a very long thin stick to whoever might fancy  or wish to risk the same

The Optimist Club. was there to provide hot food and drinks for thousands who attended while
at the same time raising funds to donate back for youth in the community.

The Marque Theatre and Aurora Children's Theatre were on hand to make the night memorable.
Children's Theatre is part of the town's recreation program.

Line-ups were waiting for the show to begin, families mingling, cameras clicking. No vote was required to endorse the event.

I was glad to be there for something that would not be there if Town of Aurora staff  were not dedicated to public service above and beyond. Hundreds of hours of volunteer service  were provided from almost thirty organizations.  Proudly sponsored by  the Watson Family's  School of Karate?

Shelley Ware and  her teams,together with the community, outdid themselves once again.

The Puck was dropped ...the game began

We are at the  point in the election when crazy reckless things happen

The  foolish floating flyer recommending a slate  to elect and a slate to reject is a sample.  The culprits .are apparently known.

It's actually no worse than Ron Weese's unsubtle device to do me in at  Sport Aurora 's All Candidate meeting last week.

I knew he had a plan. I anticipated trickery and skullduggery. He did not disappoint

Candidates were asked to forward. positions in sport and advised submissions would be copied and distributed at the meeting and posted on Sport Aurora web site.

Two questions related to  positions would be asked.

Uh-huh I thought, we'll see how that works with twenty-eight candidates.

The smartest, most effective way to do me in would be reduce me to irrelevance and ignore  me.

That's not how it happened .

The first question asked me to explain why I denigrated the thousands of volunteers associated with Sport Aurora by describing them as "takers"

I did no such thing.

The second was why did I  move to have Sport Aurora evicted from the Town  Hall when  staff  said it was alright  for them to be there?

Both questions were asked by the same panellist. Both  were distortion of the facts. Neither had anything to do with my position on sport.

The  audience was unlikely privy to the nefarious scheme.

The  first question was twisted.The second  score no points either.

Ron Weese President of Sport Aurora thinks he's entitled to office space and a Town Hall address.

I don't think he is.

So Ron Weese invites me to a meeting and  uses Sport Aurora to stop me from being elected.

Well... We shall see what Aurora thinks about a  person who thinks he's entitled to preferential  treatment at the Town Hall.

In a forward position, I play by the rules.

He plays dirty

What game  is that?

Not his

The Dance

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Ostrich Syndrome":

Only 3 & 1/2 days until one can speak or write without jeopardizing a candidate.

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 24 October 2014 08:47

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The blog hasn't been completely sanitized however strong my resolution .

I am a candidate for  the office of Councillor.

Except for the last election which called for desperate measures, my practice has been to speak 
only of my own reasons for seeking office. 

As an incumbent, my performance record  for good or ill, speaks for itself.

My main objective is to keep the town moving forward and  to speak for me and the rest of us.

The Mayor's office is most important to voters.

Both candidates  obviously have strong organizations and  substantial financial resources.

The incumbent should have an advantage. He too has a record.

But a record is subject to attack.

The  challenger,  on the other hand is also  an incumbent. His record or lack of it can also be attacked.

There is really nothing nascent about Aurora politics.

Except what we don't see going on behind the scenes.

I don't mean behind closed doors at the town hall. Not the best place for keeping secrets.

I mean what's whispered behind cupped hands.at the doors.

Or  proclaimed in the streets, on signs lining highways and byways.

In conversation in club rooms and  executive meetings, breakfast clubs and coffee klatches.

In commuter  trains and visa buses and everywhere people gather and have a minute to exchange beyond a friendly greeting.

In poll numbers lacking logic,web sites reflecting bias , in  twittering  and tweeting and Facebook pirouetting,

The  circle swirls and burls, growing larger spinning faster pulling in and tossing out.

Finally coming to rest.

Votes to be counted.

We will learn together what together we have wrought.

Whatever that may be, we will live with it for another four years.

It was ever thus.

The Ostrich Syndrome

AAnonymous has left a new comment on your post "Dirty Tricks Again": 

21:01 – Have trust in Evelyn. She is wiser than most.
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 22 October 2014 21:

Anonymous  has left a new comment on your post "Dirty Tricks Again":

21:01
Ditto that. She is not going to allow herself to  dragged  into what could be potentially dangerous..

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 23 October 2014

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I don't know about being  wise ............well yes.....thank you 

But the  point about posting both comments is not about being wise or about not 
 letting myself be dragged into potentially dangerous situations. 

There is nothing potentially dangerous about maintaining civility at a Council table. Quite the opposite. Civility is unassailable. 
  I have sat at the table ,in civility ,with Councillors Gaertner and Gallo  for  four years because that's what voters decided in the last election. It is what they expect. 

A  relationship between Councillors can be personal. It's not required. An elected Council is not a friendship circle. Factions are an impediment to clear and distinct decisions. 

Civility is paramount . Each has been elected. Each for the same purpose. To work together in  the  best interest of the people we  jointly serve.. In accordance with what each perceives the best interest to be. 

It is simply stated. Not so simply understood. Nor easily achieved. 

It can be learned. Once learned it can't be unlearned. 

But it is also intuitive.  Outside of politics,the people understand it. 

Last night, I received a phone call from candidate Linda Stephens. She had already phoned the police and Brock Weir,editor of The Auroran in a desperate search for means  to disassociate from an anonymous leaflet circulated yesterday. 

Her name was listed  as part of a slate headed by the Last of The Mormackians. 

Chances are slight the slate was composed without approval of the two heading the list.

So ....while no-one is identified as responsible, I believe we can be assured of at least two who approved that ad. 

And perhaps one other.

The ostrich  is proverbial. When threatened , he hides his head in the sand and thinks no-one sees him.  With brilliant plumes  and completely exposed  rear raised to the elements ,he thinks he is hidden from view.

Whence comes the term bird-brain.

Candidates have been receiving lists of voters at the end of each day of advanced polls. Many,many people have voted already. For them, the decision is already made.

But Election Day is still the final tally.

We shall see what we shall see.

Dirty Tricks Again

I've had a call and an e-mail about a slanderous leaflet being circulated .

Sad to say we've seen it or other similar stuff before.

In 2003, an RV circulated the new areas of town during the two week-ends prior to the election. They ran past  polling stations  with advance polls operating with huge banners telling people who not to vote for.

It  wasn't successful. But  It left  a bad taste. Nobody claimed responsibility.

The meanness continued in the Council elected.  Almost the first motions presennted was to withdraw an honour given thirteen years previously to a veteran Council member sitting at the table with them. Nigel KeNe moved it. Phyllis 'Morris seconded .

At the start of this term, it was made clear the decision of the electorate was not accepted.  Though overt hostility could not be maintained for four years, there was never a time when it seemed the spite had dissipated.

It  was always there, awaiting the opportunity to rear it's ugly head again.

So once again the community gets  to turn thumbs down on  dirty tricks and spite.

We didn't root out the whole last time.  We can have another go at it this time. .

It's all part of the process

Greetings Candidates,

Thank you to those candidates who took time to respond to our question regarding a Council motion for a multipurpose, raisable sides structure. The ACTC Board believes that responding to a question from voters shows courtesy and respect for public input. It is evidence of being welcoming, transparent and valuing community input into important Town issues. 

On our website, you can review our candidate recommendations and scoring on candidate responses by clicking here. 

Thank you,

Brent MacKinnon, President
ACTC Board of Directors

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I offer the above as a sample of inquiries candidates are asked to respond to during acampaign.

It suggests votes  can be assured  for acceptable responses.

Conversely,support is withheld if response is not favourable to Mr. MacKinnon's intent.

Candidates receive many inquiries for commitment from organizations. It's part of the process.

The Tennis Club is a member of Sport Aurora . The organization claims to represent thousands of volunteers . An all-candidates meeting  was organized to obtain  favourable commitments to their
objectives.

Provision of year-round tennis facilities occupied considerable attention  during the current term of Council.

A contract for  facilities was recommended  for approval in plenty of time for completion before the end of the term. A public-private partnership with the  town providing an eminently suitable site would have allowed  tennis to continue during winter. Months without interruption.

Needs met.

No cost to taxpayers.

But Oh dear me no.

That could not be allowed.  Mc MacKinnon had a different view.

The  bubble would be too hot in summer.

The real problem was rain.

The inconvenience if cancelling  a game because of rain is too much.

First , raised sides  of a facility were to overcome conservation principles in the event of flood in Fleury Park.

Then the purpose was to replace TImberlane's  year-round facilities when it closed.

Finally, after months of working  to establish  needs, inviting expressions of interest, receiving and analyzing  proposals, an award  was recommended to Council

Then the purpose changed. It was about being able  to play during the rain

Mr. Mackinnon did not like the contract.

The contract  was rejected.

Despite significant investment  of staff time and resources, nothing  was accomplished.

On the Club's web site , Mr. MacKinnon recommends candidates who have shown sufficient respect and courtesy for voters  based  solely on recognition of  the pressing need for tennis not to be interrupted by rain in the summer.

CONTRADICTIONS GALORE

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It's a business alright....unlike any other":

14:38

Got to love how he get's all bent out of shape about using stock pictures and the grass is not real. This is the same guy that steals images from all over the internet.
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Chris Watts is not a candidate for public office ..Therefore not seeking the trust of voters. 

He merely exercises his democratic right to criticize. 

The candidate has  previously demonstrated his view of the rights of others by taking legal action at public expense, more than once, against those who criticize. 

There is no greater contradiction. 

Some things never change

After the prayer breakfast,Heather and I did the  sign patrol this morning. All Leaflets have been distributed. Thanks to all who helped. It was a gargantuan task.

I did what I could on the scooter. Heather,Robyn and Stephanie have done the bulk of it.The girls reLyenjoyed. All the lovely homes and gardens.

But the stairs....Oh My Lord, the stairs....there are millions of 'em. Mail boxes are are almost always at the top of stairs.

In my own neighbourhood many old  milk boxes are being used for mail. That took us back a year or two.

Our signs were mostly intact . One needed straightening. Two or three were down but well in on private property and not easy to get at. The owners very kindly put them for us.

We were fortunate to get the leaflets distributed while  weather was still lovely. We met many friendly people enjoying the last remnants of summer who extended encouragement.

It means everything to a candidate.

Today is typical campaign weather for a municipal election.

Signs are be-draggled and not improved by numbers. First-time candidates are learning stuff only learned by doing.


It's sort of like white water rafting. Once in the boat,no opportunity presents for a change of mind.  .No matter  the result, the candidate is in for the long haul.

Truth is, eight Council seats and one Mayor's chair  are up for grabs.  Despite all best and frenetic effort, twenty-one people will not be successful.

The gathering  at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic High School shared breakfast with Cardinal Collins
this morning.

It was a timely privilege.

Last night at a Celebration at the library, I had a conversation with the Librarian. We spoke of  changes in education and realised something  shared.

The catechism.

The first lesson.

Who made you?  God made me.

Why did God make you? To know him,love him and serve him in this world  and forever in the next.

All Catholic children within  months either way of their fifth birthday learned in the  first lesson of every day , five days a week ,the reason for their existence.

With fellow candidates I heard it again this morning  from Cardinal Collins of the Archdiocese of Toronto

It's a business alright....unlike any other

I take my mind off the campaign by watching other  campaigns.  Particularly the Toronto mayoralty .

Today, the three were together in a forum  in North York. Non starter ,No Chance Lance was included.

John Tory had been  on camera  for a while when there was a break for a commercial.

An Olivia Chow commercial. It went on and on about the perfidy of John Tory. A request to vote for Olivia Chow came at the end without a reason for doing so.

The commercial ended. The camera returned  to John Tory.

Olivia had no control over the sequence.  Probably no-one did.  But...there it was.

John Tory was front and centre in valuable media space he neither asked nor paid for and may or may not to have been to his advantage.

Olivia Chow is a candidate of note. Gave up a safe seat in the federal parliament to serve Toronto .
Not the first municipal politician to prefer home turf.

Her experience  is extensive and professional.  An enviable reputation has been established at both government levels.

If  an option is timely in  thecity's politics, Olivia Chow is a real one.

Other than style, John Tory is not an option.

Toronto is only partly Rose-dale Golf Clubbish.

Without experience, he has no city politic skills.  Eminence gris  stature at Queen's Park and connections in Ottawa  avail him nothing.  Old boy at the Empire Club impresses little.

Local politicians tend to be  a mixed bag and notoriously independent.

Municipal politics are about people and people are the same the world over....  in towns villages and  cities...  quite unlike the denizens of the rarified atmosphere of corridors of power substantially removed from ordinary existence.

Toronto is Calvinist with a strong moral compass. It's a humane city with hundreds  of helping
agencies. Thousands of volunteers. Many programs are offered without user fees for other than the profit factor.

A  municipal corporation is a business..... not like any other. It's a business with a  difference...with a heart ....and circumscribed on all sides  by provincial regulation.

If John Tory understands the concept he hides it well.

The Mayor's office is not an entry level position.

So the campaign continues with drama . a series of lost opportunities, some misadventures and  continued possibility.

Questions answered

http://www.sportaurora.ca/Admin/SideMenu/10005.aspx?TopMenuID=10005

Check out the amount of their Trillium grant $193,500.00 ! Over three years

Questions without answers

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The last all-candidates meeting  has been held.  H...":

AYSC and AMHA must feel they have enough clout by their sheer size to not need Sport Aurora. Also, wasn't Sport Aurora organized in the wake of Mr Weese's ouster as president of AYSC? So, AYSC wouldn't be affiliated with Sport Aurora if there is still some acrimony there.

What is the governance model of Sport Aurora? It seems like they've only had one leader - does anyone know if they hold elections?

Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 17 October 2014 11:17

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I cannot answer any of the questions posed. Nor do I understand why Aurora sports organizations feel they need an intermediary to deal with the Town. 

The town operates a department to serve the interest of the sports community. I believe the service provided is first class. Sport groups in Aurora could have no better advocate than Al Downey our Director of  Leisure and Recreation services. 

No town in the Region  has a better managed Parks Department. 

The sports community has representation on Parks and Recreation Advisory committee. If there's a need for improvement they should request consideration. 

As far as I can tell, Sport Aurora is a magazine that sells advertising. Much likeThe Banner, The Auroran and Snap Aurora. 

The Town's Leisure Services Directory, published twice a year, also sells advertising to pay for 
 publication. 

That's a lot of competition in a small market. 

At Wednesday's all candidates meeting organized by Sport Aurora ,I was asked why I had put forward a motion  in Council to remove Sport Aurora from their office in Aurora Town Hall when town staff  had advised it was appropriate for them to be there. 

I had a minute to answer. 

Actually Sport Aurora does not have an office in the town hall.

Aurora  Council made the decision  to allow Sport Aurora to use Aurora Town Hall as an address.

The solitary  argument I recall was  to process successful grant applications. 

This year, Sport Aurora announced a grant from Trillium  of $75,000. That's a comfortable chunk of change. 

In my judgement , it is not appropriate for Aurora Town Hall to be used as an address by any person or group other than the  Municipal Corporation of the Town of Aurora. 

To do so is to set a precedent for any and all to make the request  for whatever purpose ,including commercial and financial benefit.

If we can't do it for everybody,we can't do it for anybody.

I should have asked the questioner why he thought Sport Aurora was entitled to use Aurora Town Hall  either as an office (incorrect) or an address.

It rained on the way home.

Council gathered yesterday for  a photo-op at the drill shed in the Town Park. And a musty smelly old  bachle of a building  it is !

How could it not be? Small  dark compartments have been built along the outside wall facing the park....shutting out  what little natural light  there was and no doubt air circulation as well.

A small door and a huge wide, ground to roof garage door built for personnel carrier trucks provide access direct from the street.

Council never did get a figure on cost of  heat and light. Closest resemblance to the building is the Aurora Memorial Arena that was.  It burned down in the early sixties. A new one was constructed by 1967.I doubt the drill shed could be built by to-day's building code.

A false ceiling  encloses pipes above  wrapped in asbestos ....apparently safe enough if not disturbed.

Sturdiest  thing on the property is the big blue plaque designating  the shed Ontario Heritage.

 Honorable Member Lois Brown MPP was present to hand over  the key. Like presenting a gift.

No sign though of the half million dollar cheque paid to the federal government to return property taken from the town in the first place. A hundred and forty years ago.

All that time they had  use of it and we paid them to give it back with nary a whimper.

A figure if $128,000 has been provided for immediate repairs. It might be enough if Councillors
themselves go out with tool belts, hard hats and construction boots. You wouldn't find me on that roof
hitting nails into shingles.

I might take photos though.

If I ever write a sunshine sketch on this little town  this will not be a sunny patch.

The last all-candidates meeting  has been held.  Hosted  by "Sport Aurora"

A substantial audience in attendance to hear  Sport Aurora President Ron Weese made introductory remarks

Mayoralty  candidates had time to speak. Council candidates responded to questions based on positions on sport in Aurora provided by candidates beforehand and distributed at the meeting.

Mr Weese made a couple of surprising references. He said the town has a  three figure deficit in parkland needs and referred to statistics of clinically obese children with a reduced  life span as a consequence.

No opportunity presnted to challenge either statement. One can never be quite sure who might worry about situation like that.

I am not a fan of statistics.

If a murder happened in Aurora in 2014 and none in 2013, statistics could be used to prove one hundred per cent increase in homicide in our community.

If we had none in 2015, statistics could again be used to prove  a hundred ore cent decrease and crime wrestled to a standstill.

The reality would be completely different.

So...even if obesity in  children is endemic....reduced lifespan may not be presumed.

Nor is it easy to make the connection to shortage of park space. Even if that was true.

Mr Weese used a figure of 178 hectares or acres.  Doesn't mater. Neither are accurate.

A Master Recreation Plan is the instrument of measurement to calculate development charges and  it is required by a regulation.

The current plan was completed  by a consultant and presented to Council early last term and
promptly whisked away into obscurity  from whence an edited version emerged twelve months later.

The percentage of parkland required by the plan had never been achieved and wasn't a remote possibility.

The Planning Act permits municipalities to require  a fixed percentage of land for parks to serve development. Acreage available for development therefore determines the amount that can be taken for parks.

The shortfall identified at the time of the Master Recreation Plan adopted five years ago is a fraction of the figure cited by Mr. Weese ,President of Sport Aurora. It was not realistic then and is still not

At the meeting last night the word "transparency "was tossed about will nilly by all and sundry.

How much infirmation is too much when an agency takes authority upon itself  to provide with all solemnity information substantially different from the facts.

Monday was an event

Grandson  Keenan  sent a photo on Facebook this morning. A Pretty basket of my small perfectly formed pumpkins and ears of Indian corn. The caption noted the earliest  record of Thanksgiving was forty years before the pilgrims arrived in North  America.

I had speculated on Monday, Thanksgiving had been started by  indigenous people. We were gathered in a circle around the fire. I asked if anyone knew of the beginnings. The  pioneers had been taught  so much by first nations people to help them survive.  We knew of devotion to Mother Earth and I was willing to bet they themselves originated the celebration.

There were no takers.

Thank you. Keenan .

Heather's family are campers. Sun, sand and water in the day. Camp fire at night under the stars surrounded by trees and small creatures moving about in the dark .Excessive noise is not permitted in provincial  camp grounds. There's no rule against spontaneous outbursts of laughter that sends tears
down one's face.

H&A have graduated to a modern camper with electricity. They enjoy regular little jaunts  with Adam as well as the summer sojourn. Adam and Andy ride a bicycle built for two.

They read,watch movies on smal technological devices and play scrabble and generally relax

Thanksgiving Monday was pretty much like that. The backyard is sheltered. The  fire pit takes large
logs . Everybody had a comfy chair. Stephanie is as much a part of their family as their own. She was first-born grandchild when Andy and Heather were sweethearts.

Conversation  is easy. Everyone has memories and laughter to share. I took advantage of the moment to share a conclusion I have recently reached.

I believe when a person dies, their energy continues. It never leaves us. It just flits about like a butterfly,lighting here and there,until a host presents.  A newborn child in the family is the obvious.

I had previously thought knowledge and comprehension were carried forward in genes.

Now I've changed my view of the universe.

I like this one better.

Thanksgiving and All it is meant to be

It's a beautiful day and a beautiful time of the year. A time of ritual and giving thanks.

We have much to be thankful for. Not least, for the freedom to elect a governing council for our town for the next four years.

Competition is fierce with no shortage of candidates. But we won't be ambushing and assassinating each other,or planting pipe bombs in each other's vehicles.

The election will be over in a few days and everyone will return to their corners until next time.

In the meantime it's Thanksgiving week-end. A time to think of everything that makes our lives what they are.

Are we at peace with ourselves and each other?

What role do we play in our own and each others' lives?

A simple ritual like raking leaves into a small pile, them alight,watching little curls of smoke and catching the smell mingling with other earthy scents gave us peace and tranquility and made us one with the earth and the season.

It cost nothing. Nature herself engineers fires for renewal. Yet we denied ourselves the simple satisfaction.

Now we think of it with fondness and nostalgia and why should we not?

Our lives are lived one day at a time.

Whatever joy there is, is ours to find.

From my house to yours

May Thanksgiving be all you yourself can make it.

A Tree Fell on Holman

My son Mark and his son Mark and their  Good Neighbour Ron came to my house this morning at nine a.m.

By mid-day a tree  planted by my sons  Stephen and Frank when  Stephen was ten, Frank
was seven,Martin was eighteen months ,Theresa was the baby, Mark would not be born for another four years. after Heather  and before Andrew, was cut down and neatly stacked.

It's the second tree. The first went a couple of years ago. It had three trunks.This one  had two.

Both trees had been cut down before.

They were scrawny things the boys dug up and brought home from somewhere and planted within seven or eight feet  of each other ,four feet from the lot line on the left side of the driveway.

They didn't do well.

After a couple of years It was obvious they would not likely improve in appearance and they hadn't grown an inch.

I went out one morning with  my trusty saw and sturdy resolve and cut both to the ground within five minutes.

 I had barely turned my back and growth erupted  from the ground, with  many stems and leaves three or four times the size.

Like one might imagine spores from out of space would grow.

 They grew fast .... eventually with a massive combined canopy.They provided shade on my driveway and sun porch from early morning sun in the hottest heat of summer.

Years passed . They were tallest  tees in the neighbourhood. The cardinal regularly perched on the topmost branch and sang his song .Sometimes  for an hour or so.

First I heard him. I always knew where to find him. I would join him in his song. Didn't much care what the neighbours thought.

Grandchildren  have loved the trees. From the top of the maple in the rear yard. They could see the whole town.  They talk about it still.  I never saw them up there. But I've  always  thought kids should have trees to climb.

The trees at the front were in competition .Buds on Two Trunks broke open  days and then weeks after Three Trunks and leaves  dropped earlier.

Three Trunks had more dead branches and became more of a liability. It had to go. I hoped Two Trunks would do better.

 It didn't. It continued to look like half of a tall tree.

Finally the knell sounded.  Leaves fell in August.The top was bare.

We had our suspicions.

Ron ,the tree-feller confirmed .The tree was an Ash . It had been killed by the marauding Emerald Ash Borer .

I watched it cut down, branch by enormous branch lowered . Massive chunks of  trunk hitting  the ground with mighty thuds.

Seemed a lot more tree on the ground than upright.

Warnth and light flooded the sun porch as the tree came down . Even without foliage.

I thought how a limb removed  from a living tree generally means another grows longer and stronger
and how much work there is in caring for a tree.

I also thought it's a good thing  I didn't have to mess about applying  and paying for a permit  from the town and getting permission from the Council to take down that tree.

There's a Bylaw pending  that requires  something like that.

Debates and polls and machinations.

Distributing leaflets gto residents in  town condominium buildings.  We were always able to leave a small bundle  on a shelf or table.

For years I'm would  knock on doors in apartment buildings happy to be campaigning warm and dry. EspeciallySeniors' Buildings. Can't do it any more. They are locked up tight. A person on duty at one condominium building simply refused to accept the leaflets.

People  have rights .

I mention it because it's a change since the last election. All residents pay property taxes whether they rent or own. All have a stake in the community. Not being able to leave leaflets does not  mean residents are uninvolved.

Campaigning means reaching as many people as possible.

My impression of the audience at the all-candidate meeting on Sunday was predominantly senior.

That hasn't changed.

Seniors have a better sense of what it cost the vote cost and what's at stake. They are first out to vote and in their numbers.

The next all-candidates meeting is organized by Sport Aurora. The topic is

Sport and Recreation. It suggests jocks  are a single interest group.

The Mayoralty candidates will be the only  speakers. Council candidates are invited and will be.  questioned on their profile statements. We received last minute instructions to-day.

Since I don't play soccer,rugby,hockey or baseball, that could  possibly mean no questions will be directed to myself.

It sounds like the questions for each candidate  are prepared  beforehand but candidates  will not receive them.

It is a little odd.

Reminds me of the meeting  organized  by the same party in 2006. Mayoralty candidates Tim Jones and  Nigel Kean had reservations about the format.They figured the odds were not even.

Right or wrong...that's how it turned out.

The. daily news reports out of Toronto are not about issues either.

They are about who will or won't attend which debate. Seems there are fifty candidates for the office of Mayor.  Two already dropped out. Doug  Ford , who replaced his brother Rob, says he won't attend any debate that  includes  an apparently benign, smooth-talking fringe candidate.

Then John Tory declared he won't attend where the fringe candidate got disinvited.

Olivia Chow is outraged because the neighbourhood has serious youth problems which she contends can only be solved by investing in  the people of the city with, early child care and housing and job opportunities.

But if that was true and even from this distance , the problem would have been solved a long time ago. My impression is  the two senior levels of governments have been funding programs to deal with the problems  for  years.

Young people are still killing my young people not only at the week-end but every  day of the week.
Even  students in school yards.

Whether it's frequency of debates or control of  format or who really is a viable candidate, the level of discussion for the Office of Mayor of Canada's largest city is substantially less than impressive.

Add to all of that the media's anxiety to foretell the outcome of the election before the outcome of the election with daily polls and exit polls on the day will also be feverishly reported

In the end ,the process will evolve, people will make their choice, votes will be counted and another election will go down in the annals of history.

The sky will not fall.

Later, man

I  intended to go to the Colors of Fall Concert in the park to-night.  Stephanie would  have come  with  me for company. When it came time,the sky was black and the wind was whipping the trees about.
It's only October but it promised to be a cold wet and windy November night .The kind of night it's best to be at home and warm.

My phone started ringing at nine this morning. Leaflets have been distributed.  It's been a busy day.Not the night to be getting chilled to the bone.

In the end , I decided to leave that to younger and more energetic candidates in the field

The Banner had an on-line  debate organized for to-day.  A questionto be asked  by a resident and answered  by candidates every hour on the  hour from nine in the morning until five. It was kndicated time  would be allowed if one was not on hand.

 I linked in  early and  didn't get through. Again after five but the  page had been removed.

We are not going to be able to manage the family Thanksgiving  Feast this year. First time  missed since our arrival in Canada.

There's a lot more of us now.

We'll  do it later.

The $64,000 Question

The sign was picked up at the Regional Depot yesterday and the full story revealed.

It was removed because only one  sign. is permitted in the space. The ?athurst and Wellington corner had ,two signs placed facing both directions.

The Region politely removed only one and safely stored it.

Stacks of signs  at the depot when Heather and Andy went  there.

It  almost seems this election is  all about signs.  Knowing the cost I am not surprised candidates are upset.

At the same time, the amount being spent on one aspect of a campaign is really amazing.

And difficult to comprehend.

Both candidates for the Mayor's Office are incumbents. The current Mayor  has a four year record of performance and the challenger six years.

Council meetings are televised . Committee meetings are streamed. Names should be household familiar among the politically conscious. And I believe they are.

So why the proliferation of signs ?

A well financed campaign and strong organization ? Both  apparently have that.

What are we missing?

What do you think?

And The Beat Goes On

Election mode for me is having a plan and completing it .Of course I have help. To be precise,
I  help the help .

No-one  enters as a candidate without being confident of support and believing they can win.

The  always outstanding question is how much  support and will it be enough ?

During a campaign , I don't read newspapers . Nor tweets . Nor any other stuff promoting other candidates, if I can help it.

It's important to maintain confidence. A negative note assumes gigantic proportions.

I do not speak against other candidates although I do speak about town business that concerns me

I have not allowed the  blog to be used  for or against other candidates. It's been a tad difficult with incumbents but I have tried . Much has not been published.

My scooter has been a great help. As well as distributing leaflets,I've had  a chance to see gardens up close. Quite possible ,at the best time of an extraordinary summer.

I 've had  conversations with many  people and expect to have many more.

Ive noticed things that needed  attention attended to it and filed away stuff  that needs Council to deal with later.

Every day requests for signs  come in and that!s great encouragement. It also means fewer  signs will be on public property.

An election is fought one day at a time and won by one vote at a time.

Stephanie met a man yesterday who said we were wasting time in his neighbourhood.  He "does not like the way I carried on "

She smiled and gave him a pleasant response.

To me she said.  " He's just one of those old men who think women should not behave like men Grannie"

I  said. " He is not typical. I was the first woman Mayor in  Aurora in the seventies.  Ontario towns have had women Council members since the forties and fifties. We live in a great country."

"If he doesn't like my style, it's his choice to make "

I might have been more impressed had he said it to me rather than my young grand-daughter.

That bespeaks another kind  of discrimination.

So....that's how it's going.

I will keep you posted.

Signs and Portents

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Thank you....If you Please":


Are you coming back before the election?

Miss  you
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 7 October 2014 14:

I've been out  delivering leaflets with Heather, Robyn, Stephanie and  Mickey the dog. Me on my scooter" The scooter is useful as long as the  mail box is at the  side of the house .Otherwise I am just part of the retinue. 

Just had a phone call from Alison. Tom was at the regional depot to pick up lost signs and my big sign is up there. Not lost at all. Just a few inches beyond the  permissible line. 

The Region wouldn't let Tom have it because he is not part of my campaign.

the owners if the property at the north-west corner of Leslie and Bloomington. Allen to say we could put signs on their property. So now e have a big one we can put the big  on Leslie frontage .

Being out and about makes us very aware of  signs. I have to fight the urge to join the merry throng. Gut instinct tells me it would not be helpful. 

Voters expect a campaign. Signs are expected. But before long they become an irritant and they wNt them gone. A candidate has to strike a balance. Sticking to a budget helps with the resolve. 

Sunday's all -candidates meeting at  the town hall was  terribly civil. There were no fireworks.I had a struggle with myself. 

Moderator Bob McRoberts was probably  Star of the Dhow. Bob has a measured and deliberate wit and all the confidence of a man successful in life and career.

He  may be the best Mayor Aurora never had.

As always Library staff did  a great job of organizing. It is the one meeting  that can be said  with certainty to be strictly kosher.

Probably  most significant was the number of candidates. Twenty-eight is a record. As many as twenty-two have run in the past.

It can only be seen  as a positive.  People must  be watching Council  at home and thinking(;

"I  could do that.  I would like to do that . Dammit, it's worth the effort"

The Council chamber was full .

The  reception area was also at capacity.

People  stayed till the end.

That's a good sign.

Maybe this will be the year property-owners will increase participation in choice at the polls. 

Thank you....If you Please

My large signs were expensive. The sign-maker installed them the first time  He did a professional job.and we chose locations carefully. 

They cost most of my  sign budget. Lawn signs were collected , cleaned, staples removed and stored from the previous  campaign. 

This year my daughter and son-in-law placed them for me with the same thought  to location. 

Where they shared space with other signs , they were careful not to obscure any other signs. 

It wasn't  hard  because my signs  are fastened to T Bar  metal stakes. They are high. 

The sign  at the south east corner of Wellington and Bathurst has been taken. Eight ties had to be cut for the sign to be removed from the stakes. The . stakes themselves are expensive. Even more so, empty. 

I would appreciate return of the sign.

. It's of no use to anyone else. 

It would be hard to hide. 

In  someone else's possession, it  must clearly be seen to have been stolen. 

Please, I need my sign.  

Put it back .  On the ground would  be fine. 

It would  be very much appreciated. 

Eccentricity

The town. has  a record number of candidates  in this election. At least two new Councillors  must be
elected. A mayoralty contest  brings out the vote. It'a good thing.

Signs were out  weeks before candidate registration closed.

That's not normal.

Not because of. A rule. Not because of  a restriction .Not because of  a prohibition.

Just because it was never done before. No reason .It just never happened.

Maybe because an election didn't start until all the candidates were in the race.

Any citizen is entitled  to be a candidate until the  very hour  registrations closes.

Maybe it goes back to the time when nomination meetings were held . It all happened on  one particular evening.

A nomination with a mover and seconder was written on a form, then transferred  to a blackboard. When the hour arrived candidates had to declare they accepted the nomination. Each  had an opportunity to address the audience . Within  twenty-four hours, a candidate had to attend the clerk in  his office and swear to be who they claimed to be and entitled to vote and be a candidate.

I almost  missed the deadline once. I started my phone campaign  at nine the morning after nomination  and didn't take a break until half an hour before the deadline.

Then I received a phone call to say if you are not here by eight, you are not a candidate.

So....campaigns did not begin until the morning after. Voting day was late in November  The last twelve month term was the one before I was elected.

Signs are the most expensive part of  an election.

In those days they were cardboard. out in the wettest and windiest part of the year. And if course subject to a foot or a fist or  mysterious disappearance. But fewer signs over a shorter time period.

Extravagance in those days would not commend itself.

Norm Weller used to  make his  own massive sign out of plywood.  He used and re-used.it and  erected  the biggest one on top of a truck. where he went the sign went with him.

I  learned to wait until after Halloween. Tricksters had a great time with election signs. A couple of decades  before, the favorite mischief was to tip the backyard privies.

Maintaining signs is labour intensive.  A ign is on private property  is the ultimate. First it's. Declaration of support. Second it's easier to keep track. And it must be maintained.  A broken sign must be replaced and debris promptly  removed


Signs irritate some people the minute they appear and most people by the end of a campaign.

But signs there must be. A campaign is expected. So the challenge is to exercise  good judgement.

Proliferation is a sign of wanton extravagance.  Plastering the place with signs shows a lack of crerespect for the environment.  Damaged signage is litter  and indicates untidiness poor organization. It looks even worse in the wind and  the rain.

So...who ever said election campaigns are easy.Nkne ours had our arms twisted.

It has been said; "You don't have to be crazy but it helps"

We all have our little peccadillos....don't we?

In the hurly-burly of politics.

Someone commented yesterday the post about Mavrinac was bunk. It 's in the court.  Yes it is.
And that's what makes it a non-issue in the campaign. Except to the people paying attention.
And why does he/she think it's in the court.

I assume anyone in the habit if reading this blog is interested in Aurora politics in particular or politics in general.

I said yesterday if an issue is deliberately created for the purpose of an election and  successful that was considered clever politics .   It would be repeated in future campaigns.

Hydro's plans to increase the  power load in the hydro corridor was a convenient issue in 2010. Milked for all it was worth.  Children's lives were said to be at risk. A promise was made that wires would be buried.

The campaign was successful. Votes from the hydro corridor area put the candidate in office.

Then all promises fell by the wayside.

The issue becomes baggage in the next campaign.

Then the issue  was about trust.

How many times is  trust betrayed before cynicism sets in.

An election is won, one vote at a time.

In my book,trust is the currency .

It can't be bought and it can't be sold.

It must be earned.

This blog is about the minutae  of politics. And the passion.

If it's worth doing, it's  worth doing honestly .

Taking a risk in the hurly-burly, it  will be recognized  from the  rest.

If it's successful,it's clever politics

There is a  detail in the Mavrinac issue I may or may not have told ready.

When the  separate school board decided they were not going to need the 6 acres  for a school ,the town were not informed. It  didn't matter because the 5%  entitlement  for parks under the Planning Act was already in hand.

The  clause that required the developer to sell the land to the town at the school board price was not known to staff  and they had never seen such a clause  before.

I have  but leave that for now.

Councillor Gallo canvassed homes in the neighbourhood and informed them of the site not  being required for a school and he felt it to be in their interest if it became a park.

He reserved the Council Chamber and invited residents  to a meeting to hear about the matter.
They turned out in numbers like any other neighbourhood would.

One after the other Councillors jumped up and declared themselves in favour of a park.

We are talking about a neighbourhood who were led to believe theexpectation was
entirely reasonable by their elected representatives.

The decision to litigate against the developer is seen as righteous . The town must protect the town against the interest of developer., Council did not have to have their hides pinned to the wall to make it
 happen. They adopted it with full enthusiasm.

It was not a unanimous decision.

Now here's where I have seen a clause like that before.

The town had a small parcel of land for sale and sold it. The Sale agreement was presented for approval .  A Councillor insisted on a clause requiring the land be sold back to the town  at the original price if not used for the purpose of building town houses.

The town solicitor argued against the clause.
 Council paid no mind.
The clause  went in
The  developers signed the deal.

Months later ,back they came.  At the point of organising financing ,the clause ws discovered.
When the bank saw the clause ,  "Whoa there.... No can do"

The  clause had to be removed for a mortgage to be obtained.

Something similar was tried with the Region of York with a sale of land for police purposes.

Here's the thing. I don't remember the Minto  clause  being proposed.  Likely I would have, had I   ben there.

If I wasn't ,John Gallo wasn't  either.

Someone must have whispered in his pearly white ear.

Most likely the one who suggested it  in the first place..

Seems to have slipped by the developers' lawyers.

Councillor Gallo 's revelation was a surprise to all but one.

When that fellow McDermid  was invited to Council by the former Mayor to accuse Councillors of being handmaidens to the development industry ......the thought occurred;

 Man, you can't imagine how political decisions are made. How much money collected in taxes are used that way.

The residents of Mavrinac have been  led  by their Leaders, to believe the cause is just.

They are not putting  pressure on their Council.

They are lending support.