Ford pops a Cherry!

Is this really what you hoped for Rob?

When you asked Don Cherry to introduce you, did you ever think he would become the story of the day and not you?...on your Inauguration Day?  Did you think that you'd have to spend the rest of the day explaining his remarks and not your plan?

Well it happened...and Don is the story...and not in a good way. He managed to offend,alienate and divide...He played directly into your critics hands and unfortunately re-enforces an unflattering view of you.
And you can't just say "That's just Don being Don"...cause that implies you knew he has a wild card and still decided to proceed with him. (Makes one wonder if he was saying what you are really thinking...and that you quietly approved of his comments)

Well Rob...what are you going to do? First real test of leadership here...

You can say nothing and hope it goes away...Or you could come out and say that's not the kind of rhetoric that is associated with your administration and its regrettable.

Remember you're the Mayor of the entire city...right and left...users of cars, public transit and yes...bicycles.

So what's is going to be Rob? Hide behind "That's just Don being Don"...or be the Mayor?

Hockey Night In Vaughan?

So Don Cherry decided to weigh in on the Vaughan by-election.
 Interesting call...don't ya think?

Does the guy whose "rock-em sock-em" commentary on hockey have a valued opinion on politics?
Let's see, Cherry shills for Magic Windows and other products...so I guess he can promote Fantino too.

A visit to his promotional companies page indicates the following:


"Don Cherry is now available for celebrity appearances, corporate appearances, personal appearances, casino appearances,tradeshow appearances, convention appearances, celebrity golf tournaments, sports camps, coaching clinics, corporate sales meetings, autograph signings, endorsement deals, website endorsements, television commercials, radio commercials, store grand openings, VIP Meet & Greets, new product launch campaigns, spokesperson campaigns and speaking engagements. Book Don Cherry to meet and mingle with your best corporate clients, friends and business associates. Contact our celebrity agents to find out about Don Cherry booking fees and cost, availability and upcoming appearance schedule."

Apparently he will promote anything....he's available!

I'm sure Don Cherry is an expert on the window business and knows exactly why those magic windows are so good...clearly they must be better than the competition, in both technology and efficiency. I mean he must be an authority on windows because he promotes them....Does anyone believe that?
And wait a minute! Doesn't Cherry get paid to shill for magic windows?
Is it possible that he doesn't really know that much about windows?


If it was my investment I'd do my own research and compare products so I could make an educated decision.

So take his new product, Fantino... What makes Don an authority on politics? Does he even know the platforms...the differences between the blue team and the red team? What qualifies him to say "he'd make a fine member of parliament". Like he knows?


Does anyone possibly believe that Don Cherry  is an expert on politics or policy? 

So if it was my vote....I'd do my own research and compare "products" so I could make an educated decision.

Don...stick to Hockey Night in Canada...and by the way...I like Ron MacLean better!.

Tough on Crime, Fighter Jets and Mega-prisons vs. The Economy

As the battle for Vaughan wears on, the strategies are becoming clearer.

The Conservative campaign is trying to promote their deft handling of the economic downturn. The problem is that doesn't really sell well. The economy is not a good news story yet and the Conservatives record on the economy is not a winner for them - On their watch they brought in the biggest deficit of all time in Canada, $56 Billion, and their management of stimulus spending consists of lots of signs to promote projects that have not even broke ground.

Flaherty, who left a whole in Ontario's budget when he left is seemingly doing the same thing in Ottawa.

Fantino, the poster boy for Law and Order, is easily associated with Harper's new fighter jets and expanded prisons and is less credible on the economy or family issues (unless it's how to keep families safe...through Mega-prisons!). A visit to Fantino's website features his "tough on crime" video! and nary a word about our economic challenges.

The Liberals are taking the fight to the Tories...and Harper specifically - on the economy.  Witness Tony Genco's video on his website talking about how he has not encountered any  constituents that are interested in talking about fighter jets and mega-prisons while door-knocking. http://tonygenco.liberal.ca/photos-and-video. The latest Liberal literature touts Chretien and Martin's balanced budgets vs. those of Mulroney and Harper...


How did the Tories get themselves into the predicament of being seen  as weak fiscal managers?


If the Libs are able to establish credibility on fiscal management and caring about the middle class, Harper could lose this one and Fantino would be back to retirement and "sweeping the garage".

So the battle rages on...

The Battle for Vaughan... There's a lot on the line!

Who will win the battle for Vaughan in the November 29 election?

The Liberals have Tony Genco running against Julian Fantino for the Conservatives.

Fantino appears to be the favourite - after all he was Ontario's top cop and a household name to most in Ontario.  He is well recognized amongst the Italian community, although I don't think I would say he has "favourite son status".

So is Fantino a shoo-in? I would say no for the following reasons...

• Fantino has name recognition but maybe not in a good way. He does things his way and does not take direction well from others
• He is a cop...not a politician...is he Garth Turner with a badge? A rebel with a cause? Look out in the debates...cause if he gets pissed off you better run for cover!
• The Vaughan community has elected a Liberal MP for the past 23 years. They have elected a Liberal MPP most of that time as well...will they switch teams for Fantino? 
• Fantino is 68. This may be his only term. How will he hold up during the frantic pace of a by-election?
• Can he run on the Harper record?  (their economic record is not much to brag about...these guys had to be dragged to the edge to realize there was a recession!) It would be interesting to see how he defends the record - and if he will.

So can Genco win? I say maybe.

• He's young and may hold up better to the rigors of a campaign.
• He's Italian - this never hurts in Vaughan.
• He has some name recognition - as the former CEO of Downsview Park and a board member of the hospital. 
• He has the help of Greg Sorbara...the Vaughan MPP is a popular player in this town.
• Is more likely to stay on message  - not a rebel with a badge!

This would be an important win for either side...if Conservative, then a vital beachhead in the GTA for Harper, and if it stays Liberal , a signal that the tide is turning positive for Iggy.

The troops are in place...the strategy set...watch this one...it could be a nail biter!

The Toronto Doughnut Hole!

Just viewed the electoral map of Toronto following the Oct 25 election...

It seems to me that downtown Toronto is like a doughnut hole surrounded by the rest of the doughnut.

It also seems that perhaps the two are irreconcilable.

Those in the doughnut hole voted for George Smitherman...a downtown kind of guy.
Those on the doughnut voted for Ford...an Etobicoke kind of guy...that also sells in North York and Scarborough.

Perhaps that reflects what is going on with the Toronto Mega-City...a city that has yet to grow into its clothes...that instead is a handful of entities unwillingly joined back in 1998.
There is one city on paper but in reality it is still many cities - many communities that perhaps would be happier on their own.

The premise by Premier Harris in 1997 when he rammed Bill 103 through (in spite of referendums that were overwhelmingly against amalgamation) was that money would be save through efficiencies. This has been proven to be a fallacy - costs have increased!

So if it doesn't save taxpayers money...maybe it shouldn't continue. Maybe Rob Ford should start with this waste of money? Somehow I doubt he will.

It's unfortunate this did not come up during the election - it could have been a good discussion.

Election Recap in Ontario - a few surprises!

What a night in Ontario! Lot's of surprises.

Toronto buys a FORD - George Smitherman's  downtown base was overpowered by Etobicoke.

Vaughan goes to Bevilacqua  -  Jackson is done.

Oshawa  - surprise of the night -  John Henry foils both Parkes and Gray to claim the Mayor's chair. John Henry by all accounts (except his own) was running a strong third....but apparently he was right and everyone else was wrong. (including me!)

Oakville's Rob Burton  - There is little doubt that the cancellation of the power plant during the campaign gave Burton a lift. It seems he has vanquished Mulvale once and for all.

Mississauga's Hurricane wipes out Parrish - Hazel's vote drops to 76%. Hazel is the big winner tonight...chalking up two key wins in Ward 1 (Jim Tovey) and Ward 6 (Ron Starr). Parrish announced her retirement and indicated she will not seek the Mayor's chair in 4 years. We will see.

Mississauga Councillors - I predicted a tight race in Ward 1 (Tovey vs Corbassin) and that's just what happened with Tovey edging out a shocked Corbassin by 120 votes. In Ward 6 (Starr vs. Parrish), Starr crushed Parrish by over 2000 votes, no doubt assisted by the Mayor's endorsement, delivered via voice mail to Ward 6 residents on Sunday evening. In Ward 10 (Mendes vs. McFadden), McFadden was able to hold onto her council seat despite a strong challenge from Patrick Mendes. If I were McFadden I would tread very carefully, after all you did compare the Mayor to a dictator! 

All in all quite a night. Great to see some new faces and old ones challenged. Democracy in action!

Predictions...

A few predictions for Election Day...a few high profile races and some less so....

Toronto Mayor - George Smitherman will take it. I think it will be very close but the GS team will get out the vote for the squeeker win.

Vaughan Mayor - Maurizio Bevilacqua will win...voters are too confused over Jackson's tumultuous term in office.

Oshawa Mayor - John Gray will hold on...Louise Parkes bid will be foiled by John Henry, who will capture enough "reform Oshawa" votes to deny Parkes.

Oakville Mayor - Rob Burton, in spite of his  "low profile" campaign may just eek out a win. Anne Mulvale has run a brilliant campaign and if not for the cancellation of the power plant announcement would be the winner here. This may be the closest race in the GTA.

Mississauga Mayor - Hazel will win, no surprise here. Will her campaign to replace the Group of Seven be successful? There is no doubt her percentage of support will slip...I'm guessing from 92% to the low 80's...some may call that a slap on the wrist...a message if you will - But I think anyone running for Mayor anywhere would be happy to receive 80% of the vote!

Mississauga Councillors - I predict very tight races in Ward 1 (Tovey vs Corbassin), Ward 6 (Starr vs. Parrish) and Ward 10 (Mendes vs. McFadden). McFadden's recent slip up (calling the Mayor a dictator) may be her undoing. There were a lot of negative campaign pieces distributed this weekend...we'll see if they succeed in doing any damage.

A few other races that should be interesting....

• Caledon Mayor
• Brampton Mayor
• Oshawa's 54 person ballot for their at-large election

Make sure you get out and vote!

Royson James...shoddy journalism from a pretender.

Royson James article  Mississauga needs watchdog ‘group of seven’ is a poorly researched piece of crap!
His one-sided portrayal of Mississauga is way off base and representative of a TORONTO journalist who doesn't get off his ass to research his articles.
Many in Mississauga may agree that Hazel is due to retire. However,  many will not agree with his assessment of Carolyn Parrish.
Perhaps he is new to the country? Or was sleeping the last 10 years?
How else do you account for his lack of knowledge about the recklessness and raw ambition of Carolyn Parrish, the wanna-be mayor. Parrish, the anti-American, Bush stomping, vitriolic, conniving Jeckl & Hyde who will certainly be running for Mayor in four years - who controls Council now as if she was the Mayor.
When Royson commented on bootlickers I was sure he was referring to Sue McFadden who reports to Ms. Parrish for her direction and daily dose of invective! McFadden recently made the headlines in the Star for her reference to Hitler as a definition for the word dictator...which she called Hazel McCallion. But James ignores that serious slight and offensive remark in his holier than thou thirst for Hazel's defeat.
What a surprise to see Pat Mullin's name on his list of bootlickers....Mullin who has fought a very visible fight for the residents in Clarkson to stop a power plant.
Well Royson...a word of advice...do a little research into the communities and politics you pretend to know...cause those who read your crap will realize...you are just a pretender.

Election Predictions?

Coming soon...a few election predictions for some of the closest races in the upcoming Ontario Municipal elections...
This is going to be quite a week in Ontario as voters get bombarded with voice messages and literature in the last frantic attempt for candidates to get their message out.
This will be a week filled with "noise" as the campaigns try every tactic in the book to reach voters and secure MORE VOTES.
Hold onto your hats...This one could get interesting.

Mississauga Inquiry and the Group of Seven

Everyone should be accountable for their actions...

The Mayor of Mississauga should be...and so should Mississauga's now infamous Group of Seven.

So when will Carolyn Parrish and her Group of Seven be accountable and apologize to Mississauga taxpayers for the $7 Million spent on the Inquiry?

There is a cost for democracy. Most people would agree.

What the taxpayers will have trouble with is the fact that the Group of Seven sold this inquiry to the public with an estimated cost of $2.5 million.

By mid summer the cost went to $5 million. 

Last week they added an additional $2 million.

So now the total sits at $7 million.

If this was a city contract and the contractor overspent by 180% heads would roll! 

These same Councillors would fire the contractor!

The only two explanations I can come up with are:

1) The Group of Seven are the perhaps the worst budget forecasters in Mississauga. If so, they are clearly not competent to sit as Councillors nor should they be involved in the city budget process
or

2) The Group of Seven led by Parrish perhaps low-balled the estimate in order to sell the inquiry. Once the motion passed there was no oversight...so they let the cost skyrocket in their zeal to go after the Mayor.

Either way the Group of Seven owe Mississauga taxpayers an apology...and Mississauga taxpayers should demand it!

Can't you just hear Michael Moore now...standing in front of City Hall...

Hello...its a Mississauga Taxpayer here...AND I WANT OUR MONEY BACK! 

Rocco...it's time.

Rocco Rossi...what were you thinking?

The old adage that any publicity is good publicity may not apply with regard to your new ads.

Who thought that your tongue-in-cheek humour would go over well with the Italian community? Did anyone question whether it was appropriate to have a mobster image? "Tongue-in-cheek" is now "foot-in-mouth".

Rocco...I'm afraid "desperate" is not what we are looking for in a Mayor. Running these new ads to get attention is a sign of bad judgement.

It's now time to show good judgement. I think you should take the next week to let the dust settle and think about who you want to back to stop Rob Ford.

If you have a chance to save your reputation it's time to do something that could make a difference. John Nunziata could have made a difference by endorsing Tory but did not and so the city got Miller. You can make a difference this time so Toronto gets something more than Ford.

It's time to make your move Rocco.

In Love with Rob Ford...

So the love affair with Rob Ford continues...and as the saying goes "love is blind".

It appears that Toronto voters are prepared to give the "man with no plan" a four year mandate as their Mayor. Ford is now so confident he is getting his team involved in races across the city to support those running for Council who support his ideals (reminds me of Harper and his Senate appointments).

Stop the Gravy Train at City Hall! is the rallying cry and the people jump up and down in support.

But that's all there is.

Where's the plan to build a city...to make Toronto great? To have this city realize it's potential? So after Mayor Rob cuts the waste then what? Search out more waste? In a city plagued by inadequate transit, an aging infrastructure, and some of the best lake front in the world where is the plan to build the city?


Please Toronto, ask the candidates for Mayor what their vision of the city is. This can't be just about cutting waste...it's got to be about what can be done to further Toronto as a city over the next four years.

Hurricane Hazel in Mississauga...Will she or won't she?

Over the summer GTA voters have been bombarded with news from the Toronto battle of Ford vs Smitherman. It has appeared to be the only story worth following. However, I beg to differ.

I must draw your attention west of the city. A major battle is about to occur in Mississauga, where Hurricane Hazel has reigned for over 30 years.

In 2006 less than 25% of Mississauga voted (shame on you Mississauga!). Hazel won 92% of the vote.
She did not spend a dime on her campaign...no signs...no literature...virtually no campaign.

This election it's different. Appearing before a council called inquiry (costing taxpayers $5 million and counting) has no doubt bruised the Mayor. Has it bruised her so badly she will pack it in? Or will it anger and energize her? Who knows?


What we do know is that Hazel has not yet filed her candidate papers.

Next Friday afternoon nominations are closed. She maintains that she is going to run yet nothing is filed with the city clerk.

So people ask..."will she or won't she?".

This question, this potential opportunity, has Carolyn Parrish in a quandry. She will not face off against Hazel because by all accounts she would lose. But if the Mayor doesn't run Parrish has missed a golden opportunity to claim the chair she so ambitiously covets. So what to do?

I know...take out some insurance...a little "just in case" policy. Why not run someone that could be a placeholder...to keep the seat warm if you will, should the circumstance present itself for a shot at the title, should the Mayor decide to retire.

Enter Mr. George Winter who filed his papers to run for Mayor last week.

George Winter's political credentials include working for both Carolyn Parrish and George Carlson (Thing One and Thing Two or Dynamic Duo? ).

Apparently the history with George and Carolyn is just a coincidence. (I'm not buying it!).

Perhaps a little history is in order.

Carlson and Parrish have over the last 3 years organized the opposition to the Mayor...using a variety of tactics to intimidate both fellow councillors and city staff and have created a poisonous stagnant air in Mississauga only rivaled by that in Ottawa.

Team Parrish (aka The Gang of Seven) have begun to plan for Carolyn's ascension to the throne...and they outdo themselves to curry favour with the would-be queen.

Not so fast.  All of Team Parrish faces challenges in their respective wards, from credible, intelligent candidates who want to see a return of constructive and effective government in Mississauga. 

Ward 6 is the epi-centre of this battle, where the "Carolyn Parrish Must Go!" movement is embodied in the person of Ron Starr. Prevailing wisdom seems to say Carolyn's star in Mississauga has grown dimmer, not brighter with her self admitted "evil Carolyn" moments. As the two sides face off the intensity of this battle will increase and look for this one to get nasty.

If the Mayor does file next week, will she run a campaign? Will she go after those who threaten to smear her legacy? Will she be Hurricane Hazel one last time?

So tune in to The Battle for Mississauga...what happens there could be as entertaining as Toronto. Close your eyes for just a moment and imagine...a GTA ruled by Carolyn Parrish and Rob Ford. (involuntary shudder)!

Rossi and Recall...Pandering for votes

So Rocco Rossi's new idea to get votes is to tap into the palpable voter anger and frustration by championing the the concept of recall...whereby voters can fire the Mayor or any Councillor through a petition and trigger an election.

Somehow I expected more from this guy.

Guess what Rocco...we already have recall...it's called an election. If you don't like your chosen representative...DON'T RE-ELECT THEM!

I am pleased to see that the other candidates for Mayor are not supporting this idea - they have resisted the idea to pander for votes...because recall is not good policy. Why? Let me offer my thoughts...

Recall stifles leadership. Who will take a bold position and advance a vision for the city if they fear the constant threat of recall by special interests? We want leadership yet we would cut them off at the knees. The social policies that make Canada so progressive are some of the very things that would have come under fire and perhaps have never been proposed if the threat of recall were available.

Recall will result in more campaigning and constant pandering for votes rather than getting work done.

Recall means more politics not less.

Recall invariably means more elections...DO WE REALLY NEED MORE ELECTIONS?

No Rocco...I think the current system works just fine.

Reform Municipal Election Financing! - SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Municipal elections are interesting beasts. Most who are active in these contests would admit that they are much more challenging than a Provincial or Federal Campaign for many reasons.

One of the key challenges is raising the necessary funds to put forth a real campaign.
Campaigns need signs, literature, a website, office space etc and all of these add up to some significant dollars. The average spending limit for a candidate for city council is between $25,000-$40,000.

In the majority of jurisdictions in Ontario, there is no contribution rebate program, thus effectively killing individual contributions and forcing candidates to rely on corporations. Let's face reality here...people like to get something for their donation.

Contrast this with provincial or federal campaigns where there is a generous rebate plan (75% rebated as a tax credit on the first $400) which encourages donations from individuals vs. corporations.

Municipal campaigns really are the poor cousins or the election family.  The interesting fact is that municipalities can and should correct this.

In the 2009 Vaughan Task Force Report on Democratic Renewal, the issue of election financing was identified as a significant challenge that negatively affected voter turnout.
To remedy the situation Council passed a by-law to adopt a rebate program like their neighbours to the south in Toronto. (75% rebate on the first $400). The Vaughan Task Force report noted that in Toronto in 2003 individual donations accounted for 68% of the total raised vs. only 20% in Vaughan who in 2003 did not have a rebate program.
The hope in Vaughan is that by adopting a rebate program, citizens will be more engaged, and have more ownership of the process. Also this will encourage individuals to donate knowing that they will receive a rebate for supporting the process.

So why are other jurisdictions not adopting this rebate plan? Why do they not realize that individuals supporting campaigns is preferable to corporations? Is it that the elected officials are addicted to the corporate support they enjoy as incumbents? (The corporate community can change its mind quickly...so incumbents beware!).

Candidates for city council may avoid the issue of election financing reform. It's too bad really...financing reform would give power back to the people, to the individuals in our community rather than corporate interests...

So Power to the People I say! Give the people who elect councillors and Mayors an incentive to help fund democracy...and take some ownership in their municipality.

You get what you deserve...

Toronto voters seem to like Rob Ford. They like his message, and they like his good ol boy style. He "connects"   with them.
Interesting.
Is that enough to be Mayor? Because Rob Ford has a popular message, does that equip him to govern Toronto City Council and build Toronto into a great world class city?
I think not.
Rob Ford serves a purpose as the conscience of City Council...he ensures that wasteful spending is highlighted and those that do it are ridiculed. An important role but not one that qualifies you to be Mayor.
Toronto deserves more. With it's decaying infrastructure, insufficient transit system, and diverse challenges,  the city needs a Mayor that will provide real solutions and a plan...a vision for the future on how to build a great city, ideas on how Toronto can continue to serve it's citizens...in short, how he/she can make things better.
Toronto deserves that.
So Toronto, wake up...summer was nice and to think of these things at the dock of your cottage or on a patio seemed "unseasonal". Well, its "back to school" time now...so study up...ask questions and get informed...maybe even get involved. Your city deserves your attention.
Whomever Toronto votes in to be Mayor, you will get who you deserve.