"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

Thursday 18 February 2016

FOLLOW THE MONEY

 A series of headlines  just flashed past on Toronto's 2016  Budget,  on 680 News,Rogers Channel 3

The first noted City Council rejects a resolution by Councillor Michael Thompson, to cut the police budget by $25 million. 

The Police Chief , said "hacking the budget" , would mean a reduction of 400 officers. The billion dollar budget is apparently  25% of the entire city spending . Fire protection is likely another 25%. 

A Deputy-Police Chief, has just departed amicably with a settlement, following his statement that $10 million could be cut by using technology to reduce manpower. 

"Big Mike McCormack",president of the police association welcomed the deputy-chief's  departure.

 Likely he is  equally pleased with City Council's decision.

The Police Association Chief is son of former Police Chief Bill McCormack. Three  of his siblings are also officers in the department.

The Pater  retired after frequent red-faced tussles with Susan Eng , a former chair of Toronto Police Services Board who also tried to make a difference. 

Olivia Chow, losing candidate in the last Mayoralty contest, was also known to demur occasionally on the question of police costs and practices. 

Toronto C.U.P..E. outside workers  are currently negotiating  a contract with the city .They are on strike notice. They have made several hundred proposals  in hopes of obtaining an agreement one related to job security. 

Deputy-Mayor Denzil  Miinnen- Wong opines the Union does not understand the constraints the city is working under. 

I think one might conclude the workers understand very well who is in charge of  city spending in the main  and the source of  constraints. 

The Mayor and Council are unlikely under any  illusion . 

Former Mayor John Sewell, currently associate of a Police Accountability organisation, calls the 
billion dollar police budget " a pot of gold" .

A mere summary of the spending plan has been provided to his organisation. 

In response to Councillor Thompson's resolution, Mayor John Tory says  "community safety is too important to be dealt with on the back of an envelope .

In a pig's ear.  Mayor Tory  covers his posterior well.  He is unlikely to suffer the fate of former Mayor John Sewell ,who enjoyed but a single term in office back in the days. 

He was said by some to have been Toronto's  best administrative Mayor ever but not admired  by the  Police Association. 

He challenged  police budgets and practices all those years ago. Such a thing was as unheard of then as now.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That is a shame but not unexpected. The police are recovering from that stupid streetcar killing. The cutting of their budget
should have been done when they were quelled and concerned about their image.

Anonymous said...

So 09:33, cutting their budget (and the service that they provide) should have been punishment for what one cop did?

Anonymous said...



The Pope has gone after Trump. Someone who builds walls can't be a Christian.

Trump has responded, IMMEDIATELY, pointing out the Vatican is all about walls.

American comments all anti-Pope, Vatican is walls, walls, WALLS.

Trump touts his Christianity. Probably in the same category as his wrestling. What a JERQUE.

Pope for president!!!

Anonymous said...

The Pope has may have had a point, but so did Trump.

Anonymous said...

14:46 - You forget that Christian does not equal Catholic. Trump can say that he is Christian all day but that does not mean that the he and Pope are aligned.

I read in the weekend paper that there is an United Church minister in Scarborough that is atheist. How does that work?

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that Catholics are the original Christians, 09:22.