A short exchange

Th Financial plan was the question . I had the floor. I was making the point that the Municipal Act does not permit municipalities to budget  a surplus or  deficit.

The  town's financial year is from Jan.1st until Dec.31.

The  principle is  that municipalities , having only one area of taxation, will tax to raise sufficient funds to cover the cost of  providing services for  a period of twelve months.

I cited the "tax stabilisation reserve " as a means of  collecting  more taxes  needed in one year to reduce taxes in future years.

It means property owners  living in the town in 2013 pay to create a slush fund to be used in future years to reduce taxes.

I disagree  completely with the policy.

Councillor Pirri enjoined the debate and, through the Mayor , asked  a question  of the Town Solicitor.

He  stated  that I  was arguing the Municipal Act does not allow municipalities to  create reserve funds . That reserve funds are against the law.

On a point of order, I objected to the town solicitor being brought into  a  political debate to refute
my opposition to a specific tax item.

No matter,   the  Mayor directed the solicitor answer the question.

The Solicitor's answer was the Municipal Act  permits municipalities to create reserve funds.

And so it does and has always done.

My point  related  to a   specific fund under the heading of  "tax stabilisation" and to  this Council's
accountability  for the four year  term  and specifically for the level of taxation in each twelve month budget period.

With the help of the presiding member, Councillor Pirri was successful in obscuring the issue.

The  debate ended  , I thought somewhat to my disadvantage and frustration.

There was no furtrher opportunity for rejoinder.

But that's where  blog is such a boon.

In my capacity of spokesperson for people who pay taxes, I contend  the municipality has no business
collecting taxes fronm today's property owners, to provide relief to those who  may or may not come after.

There is no equity in  such a policy. Giving the fund an officious sounding title does not change it from what it is; an unjust tax.

The very thing that Councillors are elected to protect us from.

We are accountable to people who live here now not  people who  may or may not live here ten years from now.

We should pay  what it costs for services  rendered in the  current year.

Future residents should do the same.

A Day of Arrivals and Departures

That was Wednesday.  Grand-daughter  Stephanie  planned a trip to St Johns Newfoundland to attend the wedding of friends.

Great grand-daughter Cheyanne  has a grandmother, resident of Corner Brook Newfoundland.

Stephanie decided her niece should  accompany her on the trip.

It  is to be a camping trip of two weeks.

Cheyanne lives in Penetanguishine with her family.

On Tuesday  afternoon with her mother and two sisters, Abigail and seven week old Emma  Cheyanne arrived   at my house.  Packed and ready  to leaver at four a.m. ,for the flight to St John.

Theresa , maternal grandmother  came  home  after work.

Aunt Heather, master  packer and veteran camper,  came down  from Newmarket  with Andy her husband to visit  and pack  gear for a flight, a wedding  and a camping trip of  two weeks ,on a rock,  several thousand miles distant , in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

My deck was a scene of great activity.

Tickets had to be collected for the flight. Legal permission  had to be documented from both parents for Cheyanne to leave the province.

The dog had to be taken for his own expedition.

Skinny dipping  after  dark was part of the adventure.

Finally theywer asleep.

And then they were gone

But not really.

Texting with photos  keeps us in touch.

They are camped in Pepys campground in the city until after the wedding. The Newfie friends have lent them cooking gear.

They organized a bonfire   the first night and  fed them  their fill of mussels and lobster cooked right there on the beach.

The wedding is today.  they will be on their way after that.

Two weeks is a long time  for two  girls to be on the road . I know very little about the place.

But I've heard and encountered the legendary kindness..

I look forward to the tales they will have to tell.



I

Tax Affordability in Aurora

I have been elected about  a dozen times  in Aurora.

I've been a candidate  in twenty or so elections.

I have listened to hundreds of candidates make various commitments in their quest for voter support.

I have never heard a candidate say voters should be prepared to sell their homes  and leave town if they cant afford to pay Aurora's taxes .

Once I heard the Mayor of a neighboring municipality make the statement at a regional council meeting;

"If people can't  afford the  taxes, they should sell their homes and find something they can afford"

Silence immediately fell  upon the room. It was palpable.  As if  the collective breath was being withheld.

The  significance of the  mistake was instantly apparent.

There was no going back.  No explanation possible.

No votes are won on the  promise of higher taxes.

Municipal voters are  well aware of the connection between taxes paid and services rendered.

They vote for an assurance of value  received in return for taxes  paid.

The Mayor of the neighboring municipality was not re-elected or ever elected again for any office.

Stupid is as stupid does

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

8:45, if you are referring to King Henry's Arms, my comment is regardless of the council of the day, you can't fix stupid. You have to pay suppliers, you have to pay rent.

********************

Ah yes....  it's true ...Oh Dear  Lord yes, how true it is... .Council cannot fix  stupid.


That having been said however, the town has a department entitled   "Retention and Expansion of Business"

Every year, at budget time, this  Councillor  asks for a single example of "retention or expansion "of a business within the previous year.

This year, there was an example;  "AW SHUCKS"

Now......if the bureaucracy can take credit for one company expanding  into larger
space, could they not  also have  advised  management of the highly  popular King Henry's Arms
it's a good idea to pay the  rent?

The first

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The other shoe":

One-time Reply
The job is NOT just a summer job - you have to work all year now & can't just waltz into a job. So school and job must co-ordinate along with transportation. After close to 3 years, this grand-kid has moved a tiny fraction up the job flag-pole.
But I love the solutions being offered. Instead of perhaps having Council rein in their more egregious spending, my family should move. I believe the solution could have come from the councillors tackling the budget and taking a pass on the other junk.
Obviously I offended sensibilities. 

Won't do that  again

We are here to stay.

Someone   who is not a politician but who has   opportunity to observe  the character of various communities , informs me ours is  more engaged and better informed  than any other.

If I needed it , the information  persuades me to believe my confidence is not misplaced.

The Blog is six years old. It has  grown and evolved solely  as a result of  the exchange between us.

We have been  striking a path and finding our way  together.

I don't think I'm about to lose my core group of commenters.  They are not going  anywhere.

I think the numbers  will just continue to grow.

Even those who abhor what  we have to say, can't resist logging in to read it.

Conclusion to Previous Post

The computer is being erratic these days.

My conclusion  was that now thoughts recorded in social media  allows us to examine their validity in a way never  before possible.

If  we can stop pummeling each other for not thinking the same or  for jumping to  erroneous
conclusions , it may be ,the precious gift of liberty and freedom of  thought and expression  can become a meaningful thing.

Emotional turmoil might become less  and rational thought  take precedence.

History of Science

I watched History of Science last night on PBS.  I scribbled down a couple of statements:

"Humans are creatures of rational thought and emotional turmoil "

I thought....they've got that right.

'Language. literature and now computers  are the difference between ourselves and animals'

That's right too.

Now that we have social media ,people are recording thoughts in a way never  before possible.

I quoted my first-born grand-daughter's use of a "bad word" a couple of days ago.  She used it as a form of expression to describe a person  who made a  negative comment  about her grandmother

Another person responded that she  is a "rude  little girl who should wash her mouth  out with soap. "

Hard on the heels came another comment  that  I refuse to change no matter what.

I thought the comments were interesting in what they revealed.

The first person assumed my grand-daughter is a child because she  is a grand-daughter.

It is not so. My first-born grand=daughter is of a parental geneation. Her younger  sister has  a

child of eleven. years..my first-born great -grand- daughter.

My first-born grand-daughter is a  Facebook generation.

My Ottawa artist grandson, Patrick, confessed recently to being embarassed to realise that I  read  vocabulary he uses on Facebook. 

He doesn't use it in conversation with myself.   It's obviously common parlance with his friends. 

So what should I make of that.?

Should I attempt to change  my grandchildren's  reality with my idea of   permissible language?

Or  should I go with the flow? 

Do I have  a choice? 

Am I a partcipant?  Or an observer?

A creature of rational thought and emotional turmoil ?

Or different to all the rest?

I doubt I am different.   Except that I have lived longer than most of the rest. 

I have been where they are and know about that. 

I am where they have not yet been  and know stuff they don't. 

Does that call for me to apologise  ?  I don't think so. 

But I o think, seeing our thoughts in writing

Guest post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A rejected comment":


While there may be a perceived difference in one's functioning in public life as opposed to in private, i.e. in business. this does not necessarily mean that one act one way in public and another way in private.

If the mayor is the CEO of Aurora, he has a Board of Directors (councillors) and a group of executives who act as department heads

In business the CEO and Chairman of the Board has fellow Board members and various officers, President, several vice-presidents, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, human resources head, purchasing, manufacturing and sales.

In order for the CEO to be successful he must be a leader of people and fully understand the nature of the company's business in the context of its place within its industry and that industry's place in the greater, global economy.

The public CEO must administer the services and facilities that are reasonable for a town of a given size within the context of the money available. He gets to meet his shareholders every four years for their assessment.

If he is successful as a leader it will be because he can talk with his fellow Board members, his officers and his staff, and can listen to what is being said and can make a case for what they are saying, and if he doesn't agree he must be able to convince all of them that his suggestion will benefit the company more.

Business is all about making a profit and making a company expand and grow. Ultimately the shareholders will determine the success or failure of the CEO. There are several very interesting situations with companies as diverse as Dell Computer, Herbalife, JC Penney, and Apple that are actively in the news. In Canada Blackberry is struggling for survival and Telus, Rogers and BCE are all fighting the federal government for its offer to Verizon of a huge subsidy to join the fray in the telecoms business on ridiculously generous terms.

The only difference that I can see between a CEO of a public or private enterprise is that the public CEO does not have a place to hide if he makes a stupid statement - it is out there immediately for all to see. If these people function at the regional level in relative privacy then they can make fools of themselves and this might never become public.

Private company CEOs are really only challenged when the company fails to meet its sales and profits targets, or when there is a scandal involving inappropriate activity, bribery, insider trading, price-fixing, etc.

A rejected comment

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The more things change, the more they remain the ...":

I think I might have gotten an idea from the post that if, & when, council ever gets to New Business, there could be a slight chance that the refurbishment of the Youth Centre might be re-cosidered. But, only if someone switches horses. Our resident switcher, for the most part, has been the Mayor. So. it seems highly unlikely although we can hope. His switches generally cost the town money.
Have a nice day.

**************

Comments mean a lot to me. They make what I do here worth while. 

Now and again a comment gets rejected by accident. This one was. So I've had to copy it rather than 
publish it in the comments section.

It's not a focus on criticism of the Mayor although that's probably how it seems. 

I've told the Mayor before  in a meeting; I think his problem is  that he's  accustomed to  functioning in private business and  fibds it hard to get used to how the public's business must be conducted. 

It's not at all about Aurora having  changed into a major metropolis ithou my being aware. 

It's about the difficulty the Mayor has in learning how to function in a more restrictive and  publicly accountable environment. 

I also think that's why  he is more comfortable at the  Region. 

They function pretty much out of  the public eye. 

Remember the half million dollars  donation to the  Red Cross  for Tsunamai  Relief 
 approved by the Finance Committee a few years ago.  The Chairman wrote  the cheque and sent it off before anybody knew  a thing about it. 

And the point is?

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Being a Unit of the Region":

Cllr Buck, you really looked out of your depth during the Fab Lab discussion. I guess 21st-century technological innovation isn't one of your strong suits.


************************

SECOND SENTENCE IS AGREED.

I shared this comment with my  First Born grandchild. 

I do not hesitate to seek support from her when I need it. 

Grandchildren ten years younger are even more proficient .

I have learned what I needed to learn to do what I want to do. 

I  hesitate to wander further  afield in technology. The spirit of Steve Job has not descended upon me. 

When I have to acquire a new understanding I do.  Being  dragged  kicking and screaming backwards through the bushes. 

My grand-daughter says I would probably  learn  it easier if I didn't do so much of the kicking and screaming. 

She  also says the person who made that comment is a DICK.

Follow the white dot

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Being a Unit of the Region":

Has anyone Googled Fab Lab to see what it is all about? There are already dozens of these high tech sites around the world allowing anyone with an idea to come in and experiment using computer technology, 3-D printers etc. to create new products or improve on existing things.

Sounds like something we should explore further and maybe be proud to have in our town.

Not something for people who don't understand the concept to throw rocks at!

**********************

AGREED

The issue on Tuesday was  why Council  had no information and were last to be informed.

 An advisory committee report was  on the agenda noting receipt of a staff  report  which  required  a staff report  dealing with future use of the old buildings in library square , in accordance with Council direction , should be deferred  again. Not for the firt time. 

Only in cross-table  discussion did Council learn  the committee report derived from a request  received from the Region to make an application for a Fab Lab in co-ordination with Seneeca College , using the old library building as a  potential location. 

The  information  about the Region's request was provided as though there was  merit to  Council  and the community being left  out of the discussion.

All discussion at that point had  apparently occurred  at staff level. 

Month's ago, once again , by majority vote,  directed  staff to spend time and man hours  to accomplish a certain objective. 

Rules do not permit  Council re-consideration of  a vote for a period of six months.  Staff   followed the direcxtom. Did the work. Not without cost to taxpayers. 


But when the report is presented , staff in another department have taken off in a different direction with no  authority from  Council. 

The reason town business is conducted publicly is for the community to be  part of the decision making process. at least follow along or let their objections known if so inclined.

It is the public's business.  

Being a Unit of the Region

Speaking of  such.

A staff recommendation  resulting from Council direction was set aside this week.

After years of not making  a decision , a report finally presented two options.

It was set aside to consider  something from the  Economic Development Advisory Committee.

I say "something" because no particulars were  presented to Council.

It seems someone at the Region has become aware of the building on Victoria Street.

It appears  someone at the Region thinks because of the thickness of the concrete floor, the old library building may be suitable for something called a Fab Lab.  It would accommodate machinery.

Staff have  reported to the  advisory committee  that the region has  requested  the town make an application to  establish  a Fab Lab  in the building.

It's not clear how said communication  managed to bypass  Council . Or the neighbourhood of the building.  But there  it is.  One of those inexplicable occurrences .

Councillor Thompson ,chairman of the committee, explained the Region had made the request.
Like  that explained everything;

The library building is  an institutional  use in a residential  neighbourhood.

Lack of parking is a serious problem. Has been since the new library was  built.

Machinery suggests an industrial use. Institutional use can exist  in an industrial zone.  Industrial use cannot exist  in a residential area.

Neighbors would undoubtedly have something to say about it.    I  think  the law requires they be given the opportunity.

But Heigh Ho ,the Merry Oh !
Maybe  being a major metropolis  with  a mighty budget
Means Council and residents don'r have to worry our pretty ,empty, little ,heads .about anything
Staff and the Region will take care of  it all.

Trivia????? You choose

The lat thought in my head before I went  to sleep was the yeae I was  first elected. 1967.

I re-call the Mayor's statement the night the  budget was struck. It was  the most important event of the year. All things stemmed from the budget.

It was the first budget to reach a million dollars.

The population was  7,500.

Water was a flat rate less than $7.50 a quarter.

The Water Reserve Account was the only reserve we had.

We built a third bay on the  fire hall that  year and borrowed  the money from the $18,000 Water Reserve Account.

We also ad to borrow from the bank to pay the accounts until the first tax  payment was collected.

Sewers were on the tax rate. We had a Volunteer Fire Brigade  and   ur own police force.

The town's share of the tax bill was around twenty-nine per cent.

The biggest share went to the Boards of Education. Which were also municipal.

Now,including water and sewer rates separately charged, the budget is a $1million a thousand.

The Province has absorbed increases in  education costs for the past decade.

The  Town's Financial Officer  feels it is to allow the municipality more room to tax.

I would argue  the purpose  wasto relieve  property owners  of  exorbitant  taxincreases.

That is not what happened.

So, to re-cap,  forty-six years ago, property taxes were  $1 million  per 7,500 people.

This year, the burden was  $1 million per 1,000 people.

Of  course it's not that simple.

But  I didn't make the equation  between the municipality's size and the annual operating  budget.

The current Mayor did that on Tuesday night.

By the way, in 2013 , the budget was slipped through with no message  from the Head of Council to the community about the state of the town's economy.

Nothing  at all  was said about  budget on Council's most important decision of the year.

The  amount of which apparently signifies a change to major metropolis status.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

When a  question is decided, it  is not  allowed to be considered again for a period of six months.

Unless and except if a  motion to re-consider is brought forward by a member who voted with the majority and the motion is supported by two-thirds of the members. 

No member  who voted with the majority, there were five, put forward such a motion on Tuesday or referred to the poll. 

Had the agenda proceeded to New Business, the Auroran Poll and  the 87%opposition to the Youth Centre space might have been raised. Likely, it would have been ruled out of order by the Chair.

The statement has been made ,Aurora is not a small town any more. 

I suggest, in the minds of some, Aurora is not a town at all. it's little more  than a unit of  the Region  of York. 

Maintaining  the town 's character is  generally a solemn commitment  by candidates at the time of  election.  I doubt anything less would  win support . 

The population is 55,000.   The election list is around  33,000.  It's bigger than it was  fifty-three years ago. Proportionately, Aurora is  NOT a big town. Not too big for the people to understand the disproportionate level of spending and taxation. 

$52. million  operating budget is staggering. 

Too big for  people  not to have a  sense their interest is not being  well served. 

The Mayor is  certainly not alone in his  view  the town no longer belongs to the people it serves ,

I am  equally sure I am not alone in my view ,the town  continues to belong to the people and Council is elected to serve the community at large. 

Theoretically,  we will not discover  the numbers on either side until the next election. 

In the meantime,  I will continue to believe  I know what this community expects of me. 

I don't think this Mayor has anything to teach me  that I need to know about the Town of Aurora 

He most certainly doesn't believe  he  can learn from me. 

I was here fifty-three years ago.

I am here now. 

I have a better sense of  change than the Mayor, 

I've seen more of it. 

****************

I moved here in 1960. I  was a candidate for the first time in 1963.  First elected in 1967.

The chicken before the egg. The cart before the horse. A rof to last longer than the building.

A couple of interesting decisions were made. Aurora Community Centre One was approved for a new roof. A metal roof.

. It costs twice as much as the current roofing material but it lasts twice as long.

 Forty years instead of twenty.

 Steel is hardier than poly-vinyl and it will match the roof on Community Centre Two.

 Councillor Abel remarked on a leak in a dressing room in Community Centre Two.

But no information was forthcoing on that and it was not pursued.

 The Director of Environment and Infrastructure had no knowledge of the matter.

 In the re-organization of last term, approved by Council, responsibility for facility maintenance was transferred to the Director of E and I from the Director of Leisure Services.

 Now, the Director of L.S., sitting next to the Director of I and E would have had the answer to Councillor Abel's query. He leases the space to users

. In his previous capacity, a leak in the roof of a dressing room would have been brought to his attention. If mot by the Manager of Facility Maintenance, certainly by the fee-paying clientele of Leisure Services.

 Another interesting factor was not considered. Council has approved reserves be set aside for replacement of facilities anticipated every forty years. Sufficient funds are collected in taxation and stashed away for the purpose.

 But, you know, Community Centre One is forty-six years old.

We just approved a double expenditure for a roof to last another forty-years (according to the sale pitch)

It means a building that reached end of its life cycle six years ago will now have a roof to last until it
is eighty-six years old.

 We probably shouldn't worry over much. The metal roof on Community Centre Two hasn't lasted forty years. If the heavy panels on the vast expanse of roof of Community Centre One don't blow  off in high  wind and cause other collateral damage, backdating demolition of the building six years might make sense after all.

A Rundown

If we borrow from internal sources like the Hydro Reserve, interest is paid. Council is elected to make decisions . Staff are appointed to make recommendations. Councillors are accountable to people who freely gave them the responsibility. Staff are not. Master plans are to be reviewed and renewed every five years. They are not chiseled in stone. Builders with a schedule generally pay whatever the municipality demands. In Canada, time is money. Time wasted ,is money wasted. So they pay up. The home building industry did appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board, Orangeville's Development charge when the economy went sour. Municipalities , Aurora included, had to provide refunds to save themselves the cost of OMB hearings. Debenture debt, rather than taxing to build a reserve fund, is my preference for tax stabilization. Nobody finances a home with cash. They pay for it while it is providing shelter for the family. With a debenture, people using the facility are paying for the facility while it's being used Development charge revenues is easy come, easy go and makes people forget principles of equality. New home buyers pay ninety percent of the cost of new public facilities within the price of their homes and therefore within their private mortgage. The building is not exclusive to their use. A huge percentage of the price of a new home is hidden tax. Taxes are paid on taxes forever and a day after. Mayor Dawe is strong in his convictions. He stands by them. I do too. At the end of a long meeting, people naturally get tired and slightly peevish but civility is mainly maintained. This blog is about politics. Politics are about differences. Vive Le Difference

Mystique of Development Charges

It's more complicated than it seems Municipalities have to justify the amount they take from developers. First we have to have Master Plans that set out what the new needs will be to serve the new population that results from the new development. Then we take it at the time applications for building permits are made. To justify taking it, we have to spend it for the purpose we said it was needed. Every five years we re-calculate the amount the Development Charge needs to be for upcoming needs. We can't charge for th same thing twice. And if we didn't use it for the purpose we said we needed it the first time, we can;t charge for it again. So, we have to use it or lose it. Timing becomes a factor. Funding from development charges to pay for a facility are a sure thing. Timing of development is not. Planning a facility from start to finish can be unpredictable. Bringing all things to-gether can be tricky. It means sometimes proceeding with a project before the funding is in the kitty. It doesn't mean the funding isn't forth-coming. Borrowing from the Cash-in-Lieu Reserve is always legitimate Even using CIL funds is appropriate. Cash in Lieu Reserve has not been less than $11 million in the last ten years. It's money we take in lieu of parkland. For example,when Canadian Tire built their last addition, we took cash-in-lieu instead of making them provide a park. Don't ask me why Canadian Tire's expanded business would make a park necessary. It's just another cash grab. But the government lets us do it. So, we do. And we can always use the money. Except that we don't. We've been stashing it for years. Anyway, it can be used for the Youth space until applicable DC funds come in. When we sold Hydro, we never intended the money to be stashed in a reserve fund. The intent was to replace Hydro asset with an asset of equal value. Something we would never be able to justify adding to the tax burden. Never again would we be likely to have such a sum available. We should put our heads together and come up with a facility the community could enjoy years into the future. Like a Culture Centre with a Foundation. Hydro was key to Ontario's development. It made the Province one of the better places to live in the world. We should try to make that happen again in Aurora. We sold Hydro in 2006. We have had two new Councils since. Still nothing. And don't talk to me about a real estate deal that would take valuable Yonge Street properties off the assessment roll for some cockamamie,half-assed idea of a Heritage Disneyland North. Any more questions?

A little bit of this...A little bit of that

Tuesday's Council meeting was different. The Mayor has become assertive. Council has too. A couple of staff recommendations were not approved. The Mayor made a number of amazing statements. When the Mayor speaks at the end of a debate, there is no opportunity for rebuttal. Which is not to say his comments will not return to haunt him. In Tuesday, he defended the Region's $2 billion worth of debt. Said it was a sign o good financial health. A triple A rating, he said. The argument may go down well in Financial circles. I doubt there would be joy in Aurora households. He declared forcefully regulations were coming for full cost recovery for water and sewers. I'm not clear who the Mayor thinks has been paying the freight for water and sewers until now. In a scolding tone, Council were informed. we are not a small town any more, we are a $52 million operating business corporation. Of course, we are still proportionately a small town. Spending $52 million a year to service a population of 55 thousand does not Aurora a major metropolis. It makes us a small town with a ridiculously high annual budget. The Mayor has become clicker-happy. If a Councillor doesn't stop talking when he says so,he turns off the microphone. I am sure it gives him a sense of power. The problem is,the Mayor over-steps his authority. A Council is the sum of its part. Aurora Council is nine parts. Each equal. The Mayor,everywhere except in Toronto,is but one of the parts. He has extra responsibility to maintain order. He does that by applying the rules all have agreed to abide by. There is no autocratic power. Nothing. Nil. Nada. If the Mayor fails to call a Councillor to order, a Councillor may do so from the floor. Order can and should be maintained by a gentle reminder of an applicable rule. It bespeaks familiarity and facility. If the Mayor is obliged to make a ruling ...the ruling can be challenged. Council support the chair's ruling...Or not. Risk of challenge is not to be taken lightly. If a ruling fails to win support, there's a loss of face. Face is important in politics. A Mayor needs a good working relationship with Councillors. Politicians tend to be skittish...always champing at the bit. Tuesday's agenda was once again completely unrealistic. At 10.30p.m, a motion to extend the hour of adjournment passed. At 11.p.m. a second motion was made to extend the hour. Two third majority is required. Three members voted in favour. The meeting adjourned with a substantial amount of business incomplete. There were no presentations or delegations or speakers at public forum. Just a series of weighty items to be decided ad a Council electing to exercise its authority.

Bread straight from the oven ...lashings of butter melted into it.edd

Glen-Aura Ferry still runs all year and the fish hatchery is still there. The family bakery is no longer at the end of the Main Street in Picton but at the other end.next to Tim Horton's an Artisan bakery had hot bread straight out of the ovens. (t was expensive but I bought three loaves, one for each family and the scoffed it with butter in no time. Fresh bakery bread was always a must every morning. Kids still love it. Cheddar cheese and hot sweet tea

I Have To Tell You This

My mind and heart are still in Prince Edward County. I spent a couple of days on the beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. Four generations of my family were gathered there. We discovered it when my youngest son was an infant in my arms. We were on a trip and camping overnight wherever we found ourselves. It was near dark when we checked in to a private campground. The site was deep among the trees. When we made our way to the beach in the morning, we came out of the gloom into brilliant sunshine, sand dunes,a beach that stretched for miles and the lake spread out before us sparkling and blue with a horizon that dropped off the face of the earth. We had to drag the kids away to continue our journey. It wasn't easier for me. Except for the smell of the sea, air that feels like gentle fingers touching one's face, the scene was straight out of my childhood, probably the happiest,most carefree of my entire life. Sandbanks became the annual trek for my family. This year, four generations formed a semi-circle on the beach. Four children built castles, made moats and splashed and floated in the water for hours. Two infants, one still unaware and the second, just two months older, drinking in everything he could see; the fourth generation to enjoy that glorious place. We hailed from different places;Aurora,Newmarket,Penetanguishne, Kitchener and Washington in the sky. The entire clan wasn't there. But enough. My daughter Heather and husband Andy Brookes ,son of my best friend, the late Margaret Brookes, last Postmistress of the Village of Kettleby, are the continuity. They graduated from a canvas tent, a fly sheet over the picnic table and one infant,Special Olympics Champion, to four children,now adults who still spend time there and have to tear themselves away. Now they have a tent trailer. The third and first new. The field kitchen is an organizational joy to behold. The camp fire always plentifully supplied. Smors, popcorn and marshmallows on a stick are de rigeur. They take bicycles and have a day of golf. They sleep up off the ground,play cards and scrabble and watch movies on an iPad on rainy days. I've sometimes wondered if gypsy isn't part of the family genes. Life outdoors seems so right. I had my scooter with me. They rode on bicycles ,I tootled along on my four small wheels. My grand-daughter Lindsay and Scott and their three girls had a site abutting amenities of flush toilets, hot showers and laundry facilities. A tent trailer can be rented and placed on a site as part of the camp service. Ontario was growing a provincial parks and campground program when we discovered Sandbanks. They stopped a long time ago. There were no food banks then. Social housing was a recognized need. I think full-facility campgrounds are the ultimate summer life style for Ontario families. I think food banks are an appalling reflection on societal values. I think $billions squandered in desperation politics is criminal.

Addendum To The Last Post

Another morsel of info for the pot just garnered. Probably ninety-nine per cent of all snow that falls is plowed back onto boulevards and left to melt where it sits. The remainder, in the narrow streets of the central core, depending upon how much, is scooped into dump trucks and transported to the disused parking lot that serves as storage until it melts. Manpower and vehicles add to the cost of "treating" melting snow. Hourly rates for both are a matter of record. It appears a stationery snow melting machine might cost as much or as little. depending on one's perspective, as $200,000. A mobile machine maybe as much as $400,000. We are probably talking as short a period of service as four months a year. The option has never been presented in detail to Council. There was an old lady who swallowed a fly I don't know why

Ten Pages

To-night, Council's agenda is 279 pages and twenty nine items long. Item 9 is a ten page report on debt financing of $21,607,000 , being the combined total for the joint facility for public works and parks and the approved youth centre and ,I think, the skate board park. The total is $2.6 million short. The report was likely written before an additional allocation was approved for the Youth Centre by Council at the July meeting. I am about to repeat a tale of woe. It bears repeating. I won't apologize. The point will be revealed. A snow storage facility at a cost of almost a million dollars is included in the debt picture outlined in the report. Snow , from a few central streets, is currently dumped on a disused gravel parking lot.It melts there as in nature nd filters into the ground. The actual dump is not an expense. It costs nothing; nil,nada,zilch and zero. The million dollar cost is for a facility to "treat" snow melt. The project has been on the books since 2007. A design is already prepared at a cost of $167,000. Three times the recommendation has come before this Council before finally being tacked on to capital cost of the joint facility, in June, I think. The first rationale was removal of salt. It was pointed out,salt cannot be removed once dissolved. Salt lso mitigates against the presence of snow. Then....salt was not the problem. Pathogens were. What are pathogens? Animal excrement. How much can there be? Then ....it was because the snow dump was within the wellhead protection area. Why does it have to be there? or anywhere? Finally, after a lapse of time, the recommendation returned to Council, to be included in the capital cost of the joint facility. Without supporting argument, the " snow storage facility" at a cost of a cool million was tacked on to the to the overall total. I have to tell you, my friends, I do not regard myself competent to design a joint facility for public works and parks. At the same time, if a recommendation makes no sense to begin with, it does not acquire credibility with time and persistence. Cost of the project was already increased on a motion by Councillor Thompson I believe, to increase the energy standard to the "platinum" standard. So now, as noted, cost is escalated by conscious choice, to almost $22 million dollars.It will increase again by $2.6 million added at the last Council meeting for the youth centre. The moment of truth is upon us. According to the treasurer, we do not have immediate access to cash. We are selling our current site of p.w. and parks for $3 million. But we don't know when. Property we own and serviced at Leslie Street could realize $7 million. It could take years. It was originally purchased for recreational purposes with development charge revenues. More Development charge revenues are forthcoming but not yet awhile. We have R and R Reserve funds but we don't want to touch them. They are precious. Hands off R and R Reserve funds. That leaves the low-hanging fruit of the Hydro Asset Reserve Fund to borrow. Oh yeah, verily I say to you it is the fruit that tempted Adam. The same one Eve used to promise wisdom from the tree of life to seduce him. And he discovered his nakedness and covered himself with a leaf or ten.

Things Can Only Improve

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Party Trappings and All That Jazz": I'm not sure if there was ever a province as ticked off at politicians as Ontario is at the moment. The lack of a viable alternative is partly responsible. Imagine having a kid who is bright, good at public speaking & hard-working & who suggests he/she might want to be a politician ! *********** We do not have to look much further than our own community or far into the past to find the source of the problem. Consider the persistent demands of a neighbourhood for the town to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to effect removal of a Bell cell phone tower erected in accordance with all the rules and regulations. A couple of decades such a demand would never have been taken seriously In the mid-nineties a base element of politics took hold starting at ground level. It was there before but never had the upper hand. The political element that encouraged residents to believe selfish and unreasonable demands were reasonable. The one that allowed an inadequate individuql to believe the only route to self-promotion was denigration of another. Every school child is familiar with the tactic. I scooted around Knowles Crescent the other day. It is one of the presttiest streets in town. Fifty-nine homes form a crescent. In the last term,a million dollars were spenton re-constructions. Curbs and storm sewers transformed it from rural to urban standards. A few homeowners became concerned and encouraged by a Councillor to believe, while the project was ongoing,their driveway grades were too steep. The Director of Public Works was pushed aside and a consultant hired to deal with the problem. A spokesperson told Council they wanted Councillor Mac Eachern to be their "go-to person" The project stalled for weeks. An additional $60. thousand was doled out in cheques to five property-owners to complete the driveways to their idea of elegance. One heque was for $10,thousand. The option, it was claimed.was for the town to be sued. Sued? For transforming an entire street into something beautiful with public resources. Hogwash!!! The cell phone tower issue is a replica of the same excess. There's no doubt some homeowners were encouraged by some Councillors to believe their demands are not ridiculous and excessive . No greater principle is involved here than the rudimentary conviction that all politics are base. Hand over the keys to the treasury and one's future will be secure. Never....ever....say No Your demand is not in the interest of the community. Even now we are paying fees, in addition to the cost of the town;s legal department, to advise that the cell tower is up. It will stay up. A contrived and extravagant witch hunt, in the form of a judicial review, to turn up a culprit within the administration won't change a damn thing. Council opted to pay for additional legal advice to avoid being held responsible for the obvious decision that had to be made. They failed the test of leadership. They flunked out. Last week I came back from Sandbanks Provincial Park to find an e-mail from a reporter in my inbox. He had been informed the Mayor and Council had received an offer of admission tickets to Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament. He had also been told because of their value, acceptance of the tickets was a breach of the Code Of Ethics and the Mayor's office should have immediately refused the tickets on behalf of the entire Council. There was no evidence anyone had accepted tickets or how much the tickets were worth. But that didn't aappear to be relevant. The reporter was adamant the Mayor had something to answer for. If I were asked to guess which Councillor was the snitch, I would say Councillor Ballard. Does it set him aside from the rest. Unfortunately no, not really. The fate of the last Council at the hands of the voters , for practising politics at gutter level and treating the electorate with total disrespect, seems not to have made any impression on the current Council. They follow precisely in their footsteps. I would encourage a young person who is bright, enjoys public speaking and thinks he would like to be a politician. There's a desperate need for candidates who believe the job is worthwhile or its own sake. It's a challenge like no other. Universities do not teach it. As newspapers duplicate the mistakes of the politicians and fail anyway. (Did anyone notice he headline about The Star unexpectedly losing 25% of revenue? ) As people switch attention fom T.V. to social media. The need can only grow for citizens willing to give what it take and accept the challenge.

Party Trappings and All That Jazz

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Messy Management is Not Management. It's Chaos": 16:21 August 10 Unfortunately there is not enough space here nor an inclination on my part to cast spears at the "leaders/former leaders" of the major political parties every time I say something. If my observation appeared partial it is because I was commenting on three members of the PC/C party. I could just have easily have zeroed in on members of the others, and then I would be criticized by someone else. If the RCMP is investigating senators over inappropriate expense claims I feel that former Premier McGuinty should likewise be investigated, for having directed and abetted a cover-up. In his case we are not talking about a paltry few hundreds of thousands of dollars but rather about several hundreds of millions of dollars. Have a nice evening. Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 10 August 2013 19:19 **************************** If I understand the bits ad pieces I've picked up along the way and what Frank Klees has said,cancellation of the gas-fired generators at the lakefront, the decision is currently under investigation by the police. The current Premier has declared that no decisions will be made for the benefit of the Party in her administration. The Lady is having to think fast on her feet. The problem for the Party extends farther to previous to the last election. When on the eve of same, then Premier Dalton McGuinty made the decision to shut down the gas -fired generators at the lakefront. In his time, he created a second agency of government to manage Hydro generation and distribution. The first was Hydro One previously known as Hydro Ontario, which itself was responsible for the supply of power to keep the Province humming and developing. Something like the Ontario Lottery Association. That institution moved lottery decisions to arms length from politics. It didn't stop the current Premier from leaping in with both feet and assuring the Liberal Mayor of Ottawa and a prior provincial colleague there would be no difference between cities when it came to an agreement. Nor did it stop her from firing Paul Godfrey who had chaired the organization competently ,within the rules ,since he had that responsibility. Paul Godfrey has been a mover and shaker in Toronto politics for forty years. He is a prominent Conservative. Did he have anything to do with the Conservative win in Etobicoke -Lakeshore ? Did the Premier's "political" decision to placate the Liberal Mayor of Ottawa at the expense of the Toronto economy? have an impact? I think so. It didn't do a hell of a lot for the Provincial economy either which is in dire need of whatever help it can get as opposed to a kick in the teeth. Paul Godfrey did not complain. He did not explain. I would not be in the least surprised to learn, he got even. The Premier had set him free. I am continually surprised by the absence of political acumen demonstrated at every level of government. On election night, Doug Holyday stood in the shadows behind Tim Hudack and waited while the Leader used up the oxygen of victory in promoting himself. The Conservative Party had nothing whatsoever to do with the win. Doug Holyday had more than forty years of service in elected office to offer the voters of the Riding. It was like the old time religion. He was sought out for the nomination on the basis of proven competence and public recognition. It wasn't the colour of his skin, or his religion , or the numbers of this ethnic group or that on the voters' list. But there was Tim Hudack on election night displaying his total lack of comprehension that the voters get it. The time is long gone since people voted blindly for a party label. I think , in this day and age, we should be able to discuss the merits of this campaign or that without tying ourselves into knots with party trappings.

Curiouser And Curiouser

I just had a phone call. From a student at Toronto University. A research project is being conducted on behalf of the Province. The subject Public Health Services. The purpose is advocacy for more health services. Those were the words used. One of the questions; how often do we have water tested? The caller's words tumble over each other in their haste and there's an inflection that makes for even less immediate intelligibility. How many people over the age of eighteen live in the house? Three. Which one has the next birthday? That's the one who must answer the questions. She's Not here. When would be the best time to call? Not known. I had a few questions myself like who is paying for the project? The government. Are we talking about Public Health Board services? Yes that's right. Do you know what the Public Health Nurses do? Not the one to answer that question. So,the Government of Ontario ,in deep deficit, paying a University to call homes in Ontario,speaking only to the person who has the next birthday , to ask questions about health services to determine what additional services might be advocated. There are four-hundred and forty municipalities in Ontario. Every Region and County has a Public Health Unit. No doubt there are places less well served than others. Likely the same places that don't have the resources to pay for the services. York Region is not one . We have Public Health Nurses attending monthly committee meeting of a Trails Advisory Committee without apparently making any contribution. Actually, it's difficult to imagine what a Public Health Nurse might contribute to a discussion about trails. A Master Trails Plan has been endorsed by Council. Even the reason for continued four hour monthly meeting of the Trails' Advisory Committee is not exactly clear. No doubt, in time, all will be revealed.

Once More With Feeling

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "An Appeal": 12:14... nice to see that you pay attention to the clock, too bad it's not accurate. However, the Blog's host has an issue with community groups hijacking council meetings, how can this appeal from a community group be any different? And don't tell me it's different because this is not The Town; well, it's called "Our Town and its Business"!!! ****************************** The Blog's host has no issue with community groups. I do have an issue with Council being content with a process that in no way conforms to the requirements of the Municipal Act. After taking the Oath of Office, adopting a Procedure Bylaw is first Order of Business. The Act requires that a Calendar of Meetings shall be published. Agendas are required to be published in advanced. The purpose is to inform the community when Town business will be dealt with and which items will be decided. Town business shall be open and transparent. Council is the decision-making body. It's why we have elections. As we do it, delegations can be requested until the last minute. In the last term, it became apparent the presiding officer was encouraging groups or individuals to delegate to Council. It became an accepted pattern. Yes, Council meetings are televised. It should mean the town's business is conducted openly and transparently and according to schedule. Not so when a meeting continues until midnight, one and a half hours beyond the scheduled hour of adjournment and half the agenda has to be deferred until the next meeting a month hence. There is no order in the process. There is no efficiency. There is no clarity. No evidence of competent management. Requirements of the Municipal Act are not being met.

Messy Management is Not Management. It's Chaos

Of course it's a good thing for Council to lend support and encouragement to volunteer organizations who provide various programming for their children. Every organization has an executive to manage business affairs. Promotion is part of executive responsibility. It is not a function of the Town's Council. The business of the municipality should not be set aside to promote the activities of volunteer organizations. High -priced administrative personnel should not be kept sitting idle at the Council table . having to be compensated with time off in lieu or payment for time sent that accomplished nothing. The town des support volunteer organizations in many ways. Facilities for programs, advice for start-ups to name a couple. The Bulletin Board is accessible to voluntary organizations to promote their events. The town's web site contributes to circulation of information. We have a Leisure Services department with an $11 or $12 million budget in support of services other than services to property. The Council meeting is the town's executive meeting to deal with an operating budget of $52. million or thereabouts. Management of a business agenda that provides insufficient time for cmpletion on a consistent basis is not management. It is mis-management. Staff have, from time to time, tried to steer Council to recognize business priorities, to no avail. Councillors are not willing to take responsibility for properly organizing time. They are unwilling to risk the wrath of people who believe Council meetings and town business are solely about their interests. And don't anyone try to tell them otherwise. During the cell tower brouhaha ,Councillor's Gallo and Ballard asked me to remove their names from my e-mail list . They did not want to be associated with my "insults " to a resident. They circulated their request to the same e-mail list. Which, by the way, was not mine to begin with. A resident who was unable to attend one of the number of Council meetings the residents delegated, had not appreciated my response. He forwarded a number of questions for me to answer. I responded , civilly, with a couple for him to answer to himself. Gallo and Ballard decided they had something to teach me and circulated their reference to insults. The story encapsulates the a political dilemma. I believe the town's business is in chaos, starting with ill-managed business meetings which are never completed and cannot be completed because no control is exercised and time is improperly allocated. If that's what you see in the public forum ,why should anything different be expected behind the scenes. If Councillors are not encouraged by the community, and indeed are discouraged from making the necessary correction, there is really no reason to anticipate any improvement.

Never Ending Business

 Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I Bet You Didn't Know This": 

According to the Terms of Reference of the Trails and Active Transportation Committee, there are no Council members on it. The composition is:
Three (3) members of the public,
One (1) citizen member from the Parks and Recreation Advisory
Committee,
One (1) citizen member from the Environmental Advisory Committee,
One (1) member from the Planning and Development Department,
Two (2) members from the Parks and Recreation Department,
One (1) member from the Infrastructure and Environmental Services
Department.
5 citizens, 4 local staff, and apparently one nurse being paid by the Region.
Evelyn - how about raising it at Council and asking the Mayor to ask at the Region if it's a necessary expense?

*********************

The last Council meeting was taking place at the time of several  reports of young children 

suffocating to death in locked vehicles during the heat wave. 

It occurred to me some public agency should  have noticed and  launched a campaign  to warn 

parents of the danger . It seemed the Public Health Nurses was that agency. 

Before the meeting started  I told the Mayor I intended to ask the question during the meeting. 

It was not to be.The  second Council meeting in June  started at six p.m. and ended at midnight. The  agenda was not completed. Town business  remained unfinished. 

The single meeting in July also started at 6p.m. and ended at midnight.   In camera discussion  started at ^p.m.

Delegations and presentations  started at 7p.m. and did not end until 9 pm. 

There's  another item on the agenda called "public service" . Councillors are invited to talk about events they have attended since the previous meeting. 

It's  promotion of everything that's going on in the community the Councillor can think of , not least the Councillor  doing  the promotion. 

In the meantime, the elephant in the room is the business agenda  awaiting  Council's  attention. 

One reads several hundred pages of material in preparation for debate that never happens. 

Invariably , half the agenda gets deferred until the  next meeting. The reading has to be done again to refresh one's awareness of the business to be discussed. Or alternately, the items are moved to be passed without discussion. 

It can hardly be argued town  business takes priority at the Council table. 

I would  go further and suggest  everything but the town's business takes priority. 

That part of the agenda  that allows a Councillor to raise a question that might require an immediate response , from staff or  the Mayor as the Regional representative  more often fails to present. 

Or just as likely, at midnight after six hours of   talk, some meaningful , some not,  and still business incomplete, there's no energy left to continue. 

The community is not well served. 

Even if some are well-pleased by the attention they receive from Council featured on television.

And others equally pleased that  there isn't enough time to  do the job as it should be done.  

An Appeal

Good afternoon everyone,

In follow-up to the July 16^th Town Hall meeting, the Aurora U9 Stinger Girls, and BMO’s Team of the Week winners, presented to Town Council the opportunities that lay ahead should the Team become the BMO Team of the Week Champions.

That “Championship” status, when they win, will see a $125,000.00 field refurbishment that would benefit thousands of future Aurora soccer players, athletes and visiting teams.  It will see a $5000.00 charitable donation be given to a very special cause and it will give this Team the opportunity to partake in a National Game that they all hold very close to their hearts.

However, to get to that status it takes an enormous mount of votes.  The Team worked extremely hard, this pasted long weekend, as they “kicked off’ the start of a two week daily voting campaign.  Upper Canada Mall’s GM, Robert Horst, was so impressed by the sheer determination possessed by these girls he tweeted to his 5000+ UCM followers to start their registration at www.bmosoccer.com and submit their daily votes until Aug 19th!

We are hopeful that our Town’s Municipal representatives and local MPP’s will join this crusade by helping support the daily voting and spreading the word to others in any way possible!  These 12 eager winning faces are looking forward to making their Club, the Town of Aurora, the City of York Region and the City of Toronto proud!

Please help them put Aurora on the “Best Place to Play Soccer” map and make the Townsesquicentennial one to remember!  

With the utmost appreciation,

The Aurora U9 Stinger Girls

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~ Helen Keller

I Bet You Didn't Know This

I've been asking if anyone in the course of their travels has sighted a Public Health Nurse.

I was a  member of the York Region Board of Health  thirty years ago. Chairman of  The Board during my second term.  The Medical Officer of Health initiated a conversation about the  nursing function at that time. He provided  a history of the service.

The various workshops  referenced seemed pretty much like  a make-work program  to me even then. 

A  teacher friend  talked about nurses visiting the schools and said it was pretty much of a mystery what they were doing there.

In the blog we've heard about a nurse visiting when a new baby came home. But not again. And another  coming to the door but no further. Not much meat there. 

Nowadays,  new mothers  and babies get pretty much all the service they need from the family doctor or midwife ,whichever is their choice. 

When I had my chat with the MOH ,he said the nurses  thought they should  receive higher pay than hospital nurses because they had additional certification. And they  should have teachers' vacations.

I didn't see anything on the  copy  from the  Public Health Nurses web site that threw any light on 

their function  It was just a stream of  service-sounding verbiage creating the  impression of a function. 

I thought somebody ought to see them about in the community and have an idea of what they're doing. 

The  Public Health  Board is financed ,in the main and regulated  by the Province but operated by York Region. 

One wonders what does happen when a service is no  longer required?

When it's a shared responsibility , who does  make the decision  to terminate? 

Or not? 

Anyway. I got a positive answer to my question about  an elusive sighting on Friday. 

You know we have a Trails Advisory Committee. Which, by the way , has come to believe  that without trails, the  human race cannot  possibly survive. 

Because of  the connection to  the outdoors and healthy living, the Region apparently asked the committee if they would like a public health nurse to attend their meetings. 

They said yes. 

So now a public  health  nurse sits in on four hour long committee meetings.

Four hours is half a day's work with half a day's pay , complete with benefits.

They may be doing the same thing in every municipality. There are nine. 

She  never speaks. Has nothing to say about trails. Just takes her place at the table and stays there .

I  am a Councillor and I  would not have known that unless I asked a question on the remote chance there would be an answer. 

Now,  we have all heard about the overwhelming cost of the health care system.  

Seniors in the main are held responsible

I wonder if there's a web site to tell us the cost for  nurses to sit in on meetings  with such an esoteric connection to health and well being.

Don't forget, it was the Region that sought out he opportunity to occu

A Passing Mark

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Political Intrigue is not that intriguing":

There is a natural tendency to assume that those votes you garner are FOR you. I fear the same has occurred here in Aurora.
Have a great day!


************************

Votes cast in one's favour are  certainly entitled to be credited. 

In a first election, the voter is giving the candidate  a chance to show what he or she can do. 

They watch with interest and take personal satisfaction when the newly elected Councillor  shows signs of growth. They  allow for  a person to  learn.

For a re-elected candidate ,it's  a recognition of  experience and performance or the best that's available.

A Brief Review

August is an anniversary of the blog; the sixth. There have been more than quarter of a million visits. I'm not sure what that means. Nor does it matter.

I started writing and sharing my opinion  fifty-five years ago. I  had no  particular plan . I  just felt the need.

I wrote to the Star,Telegram and Globe and Mail . The letters were usually printed. It  was very  encouraging.

When I came to Aurora, the editor  soon asked why I didn't my letters in his direction.

He became my mentor.

It was the start of a long correspondence that led to political involvement .

I'm in the habit of telling my children and grand-children and anyone else who will listen,  life is like a jig-saw puzzle scattered  on a card table. Above  your head , a pair of invisible hands  float waiting to move pieces  into place.

Whatever piece fits is the next path.  A chapter ends and another begins.

At the start of my political experience, it was frustrating to depend on someone else to
convey meaning.The press were not  hostile but they didn't always catch my drift.

When home computers  exploded on the scene , I was certain the limits  were  beyond imagination.

For politicians, in the habit of  calculating every word , the change would  not be  immediately apparent.

For me, it was  waiting for me.

So I started and charted my own way.

The blog has evolved. It no longer belongs to me,myself alone.

Our conversation could not , would not take place anywhere else.

The nasties have gradually fallen away. Last night, I came to the conclusion if I don't publish them at all, they will  disappear completely.

We're not writing scripture here. Nor making Supreme Court decisions. We're conversing among ourselves and enjoying the freedom.

We are moving along  at our own pace. Taking stabs  at this and that. shaking  up the comfortable
and startling the erstwhile.

It's hard to tell the impact.

Things are never likely to be the same again.

But since they are open  and above board, that would have to be a good thing. Right?

Political Intrigue is not that intriguing

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Thieves and Robbers of Every Stripe and Nomenclat...": That was not the only odd thing in those elections. Who decided to let Giambrone run again? Completely nuts. *************************** It was an oddity in the last election in the last election as well. Gambrione appeared on a platform complete with partner to give the appearance of stability and respectability. It took the betrayed lover he had been entertaining on the TTC chairman's couch to burst that bubble. It wasn't the only revelation that reflected badly. His TTC expense accounts did not show to his advantage. He was a candidate for the Office of Mayor of Toronto. He apparently believed his conduct would never be discovered. Unlike Rob Ford who had several, Golden Boy Gambrione never had a Code of Conduct complaint filed against him. A common mistake among would-be life-time politicians is misunderstanding and underestimating the intelligence of the electorate Disrespect and betrayal of trust are personally and keenly felt, like an intuition. Betrayal is the greatest and least likely to be forgiven or forgotten. Trust is not given lightly. When David Miller won the Mayor's office previously he brought a broom to the stage and waved it about. For all he accomplished ,he might as well have wrapped his leg around it and circled several times, the point of the C.N. tower in the twilight. When he announced he would not be a candidate in the next election, he choked on his own tears.He was thinking of his mother. He had learned nothing. When Adam Gambrione had to step out of the race, Miller expressed heartfelt regret because Gambrione was an "excellent" candidate. The disgrace did not feature in his estimation. We have seen that lack of comprehension in Aurora, this term and last. In his last post, Councillor Abel noted the casting-out in the last election was about the SLAPP lawsuit. He's wrong about that. He demonstrates his lack of understanding of town affairs then and now. But he is not alone. It explains why programs initiated by the last Council, like Culture for all at Aurora taxpayers' expense have have continued uninterrupted with even more money provided by this Council than the last. The NDP obviously had no candidate in Scarborough -Guildwood and already a week into the campaign. They know more than any other party about the importance of flying the flag. Gambrione would have an organization easily pulled to-gether. More important still would be the campaign funds collected for his previously abandoned attempt still likely be in the safe keeping of the City Treasurer and available for use. Votes he received would be die-hard NDP supporters and people who could not stomach voting for Liberals or Conservatives but others too angry at the Liberal betrayal to boycott the ballot.

Out,Out,Damned Spot

Last night's election coverage was highly informative. Scarborough-Guildwood was won by a Liberal. With only a third of votes cast. Two thirds were divided between Conservatives and NDP. Adam Giambrone was delighted with his showing. He noted his campaign only started three weeks ago. There was an empty room, no furniture,no phones, no volunteers. Of course the candidate was confident the vote was a reflection of confidence in his ability. He must have been drinking Andrea Horvath's Cool Aid. John Tory thinks it means a political comeback for Giambrone and the voters are ready to forgive and forget his sleazy conduct while holding the office of Chair of the TTC. It came to public attention when he was a Mayoralty candidate, John Tory is a very straightforward, intelligent individual. But he knows nothing at all about politics. It;s the reason he could not get elected. I think the voters of Scarborough-Guildwood were so outraged by Liberal performance and total lack of respect, they took themselves to the polls and voted for Giambrone and the Conservative to make sure the Liberal candidate would be defeated. They came close. Two thirds of the electorate did not vote for the Liberal government. All the waters of Arabia will not wash away this blight.

Thieves and Robbers of Every Stripe and Nomenclature

A few weeks ago a hilarious story was in the news about a bank robbery. 

A band of merry men had planned it well. 

They went through the roof of  vacant  commercial unit  next to a  bank and worked their way through the wall in the evening hours ,into the bank ,out of sight and uninterrupted. 

They took the money and  ran.

But they hadn't made plans for the getaway. 

An alarm went off and when the police arrived they found the miscreants hiding nearby in the bushes, 

loot bags intact. 

I thought about them last night as I watched The Honorable Kathleen Wynn  earnestly  assure the people of Ontario how sorry  she was about the billion dollars squandered to save Liberal seats in the last election. 

I wondered if they too could apologize  for  their attempt to rob the bank for their own advantage  and being caught with the loot still in hand. 

The bank wasn't even out the money. Unless of course the police are holding on to it as evidence. 

Would being sorry  be sufficient  to excuse the robbers for their villainy ?

Should the bank have a say in the matter ?  It was their money after all. 

Could they say;  "Give us back our money and we'll say no more about it"

I listened to the Premier  giving her best open transparent heartfelt acknowledgement  of wrongdoing and  skillfully drawing the NDP in to share the blame at the same time .

John Tory  said  the Premier should use the time available to govern. By the time of the next election, people will have forgotten about the scandal.

Val  Sears said she should  eat a very large slice of humble pie.

I don't think she did that. I think she put on a very carefully calculated performance. 

I think John Tory completely discounts the reality of the social media. 

It's not yet subject to the competition of the commercial media.

 It's perfectly capable of keeping scandal alive and rampant and in the forefront of public attention as long as it sees fit.

The result of last night's five by-elections is the living proof of that. 

Hanging Fire

I am watching the returns. Three seats are changing from the Liberals to the opposition.It means double loss to the government.

Sousa is promoting himself as next Liberal leader.

The city will have a vacancy to fill. Maybe.

Gotta watch and listen

Guest Post

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Getting Business Done":

Excuse me Ms Buck.

This type of post is exactly what makes me furious at councillors and Town staff.

Your comment "Councillors are part-time representatives and paid accordingly. A fraction of the Mayor's remuneration. Necessarily they have jobs.They've been at work all day and will rise to get to work the next day." infuriates me. Did it ever occur to you that those who may be receiving the recognition that you abhor also have been at work all day? Perhaps this is the only time they can take time out of their busy schedule to do this? How dare you think that your time is more important than those that you serve.

In the same vein. I have recently decided to do a small project at home and thought it best to be legal. I went to the Town web site and found that what I needed and how much. I then realized that the Town is only able to process the paperwork when they are open. Guess what, same time that I work. So, I take a mornign off from work - UNPAID - go to the Town hall. Need to fill out an application - why is it not on the web site - It is the staff say - no it isn't... more time used. I need copies of site plans. I don't have them, we have them says the helpful staff - $12 each for a copy - are you kidding? $12? She tells me this AFTER she has made copies on a machine that has a per page rate of about 10 cents!!! Need measurements... why it's on the site plan?... we need to confirm... I will come back... Do you want the copies? No I will make my own. Well they are here if you want them - I won't charge. WTF?? Are they $12 or not?

So, make make my measurements, mark them on the site plan. Arrange for another morning of no pay. come back to the office submit the application and all of the paperwork... oh.. don't forget the fee $100!!! For what?

Get a call a couple of days later, your permit is ready. When can I get it.... only during opne hours! Another UNPAID trip to John West Way!!

Finally I ask the question, what would happen if I decided to do the work without a permit? Nothing was the answer unless someone complained!!! WTF?? I spent $100 for a permit, potentially $24 for photo-copies, 3 unpaid morings. If I bought a case of beer and some burgers, I could have a party with the neighbours and they would not complain.

It is a silly system when you are there to serve US.

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Get Off Your High Horse has left a new comment on your post "Getting Business Done":

Residents ARE the town. What makes you think you're better than the rest of us?! 

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 Nothing makes me think I am better than the rest. 

 Though I did have an election slogan once that proclaimed  myself to be "  as good as the best   and better than the rest"  

The "rest "was in reference to  other candidates.  Though  I do not intend to signify  a lack of confidence either. 

I was young and had a good sense of the competition. I make no apology. 

The seat I occupy at the Council table is not a horse. It's a chair.

Which I am entitled to occupy by virtue of having been elected to it for a term of four years.  

And having sworn the Oath of Office.

The Oath of Office binds me ,by law , to adhere to  a standard of conduct befitting a position of 
Public Trust

 If I breach  my Oath, I am  subject to  be charged with a criminal offense. I am mindful of the seriousness of the commitment.

None of which makes me better than anyone else but it does  place certain obligations and responsibilities  upon me. The primary one being  the provincial regulation to attend promptly and efficiently to the corporation's business  in an open and transparent manner.

I do my best. I do not take my responsibilities lightly.

I respect the office I hold by virtue of having received sufficient votes from the electorate to represent their interest , as I perceive it, until the next election.

I am fully accountable for my conduct in office.

Along with other members of Council ,including the Mayor, that's what makes me different, not better, than a non-elected resident of the community.

My function is to serve  in whatever form the office calls for.

I  surrender  none of my rights by virtue of holding a public office.

I take on additional responsibilities.

One of which is to respect the office I hold and the people who elected  me to it.



Had the first commenter called any member of Council, including the Mayor and  sought advice for whatever he was contemplating, I have no doubt  he would have discovered home occupations are
permissible  and he might not have  experienced the frustration he did.

He overlooked a  valuable resource.

It's not uncommon.

It is not necessarily the fault of the person who was not asked to help.

Getting Business Done

Awards are received and presented by the Town.I wonder  sometimes ,if there is so much excellence  to satisfy so many awards, at what point does excellence become just average?

At any rate,presentation or receiving an award requires  an element of dignity and celebration.

Squeezing it in with others at a business meeting of Council  serves neither purpose. Handing it over pictures taken  with the Mayor and sending recipients on their way while Council deals with more important business is hardly congratulatory.

The Skylight Gallery in the Town Hall was designed for such events. The Mayor is a full time official
and paid accordingly ,therefore available during the day.  Awards should be presented  or received  at a reception in The Gallery with coffee , tea,cookies and soft drinks served and a social event  with occasion properly respected.

Councillors are part-time representatives and paid accordingly.  A fraction of the Mayor's remuneration. Necessarily they have jobs.They've been at work all day and will rise to get to work the next day.

Creating an agenda that can't possibly be completed in the time allocated and keeps Councillors at the town hall until midnight shows a total lack of  management  and respect and consideration  for  the Council.

It's not the  solitary degradation of a Councillor's role .

According to the procedure bylaw, a Councillor who wishes to bring an issue to Council for debate, must provide. in writing .a notice of motion before mid-day on a Thursday prior to a Council meeting.

The motion itself cannot be  tabled for debate until  next Council meeting  and must again be presented in writing in time to be included on the agenda.

A resident, or even a  non-resident ,can address Council with a  personal concern with an
application for delegation status before 4p.m. on the  day of a meeting. Add-ons are more the rulr than the exception.

A Councillor is permitted to speak twice, for ten minutes, to a motion  tabled with notice .

A delegate is required to state the purpose of the delegation. No matter what, it is  included in the agenda.

A delegate is allowed to speak for ten minutes But three can be heard on the same issue.  Questions from Councillors  are allowed.  So there's no limit to the time a delegate can take  out  of  a Council meeting.

No limit to the time of staff  being paid to be present with no function to perform.

Town  business  has no priority.

When a question has been decided by Council it can not be brought back for consideration for six months.

 Unless one who has voted with the majority brings forwrad a motion for re-consideration which must receive two-thirds  majority.

On the other hand, by  a series of manipulation by various Councillors , a delegation can return  again and again to press their case. There's no limit to the latitude.

As we have seen with William Albino and his real estate promotion scheme and John Huntington who is determined the town will fork out hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove he and his neighbors were illegally served when a cell tower was erected in   a field in King Township. Where they could see it.

The process shopws a lack of respect by staff and Council for the role of the elected body.



I believe the town's business should take priority. I also believe its current organization is appalling.

If citizens wish to delegate to Council. they should be heard after business is complete

. If there  is too much business ,there should be no delegations .