Sept. 22 is the next time the lawyer for the Conservative Party and four of its members, including two senators, will be in court over charges they're facing for alleged violations of election spending rules.
Defence and Crown attorneys were in court in Ottawa on Wednesday and the routine proceeding resulted in the next court date being set for this fall.
The next appearance will be a pre-trial hearing where the parties will discuss with a judge how long the trial might last, issues related to evidence and other matters. Lawyers will appear in court on Oct.5 at which time a date for the trial could be set.
The charges were laid under the Canada Elections Act in February and relate to the so-called "in-and-out" campaign financing case stemming from the 2006 election. The charges are not criminal. The Elections Act is a federal statute.
Senator Doug Finley, the party's campaign director at the time, and Senator Irving Gerstein, a fundraiser for the party, are among the four individuals charged. Michael Donison, the former national party director, and Susan Kehoe, who served as the party's interim executive director, are the other two people charged.
The Conservative Party of Canada and the Conservative Fund of Canada, the party's fundraising arm, also face charges.
The last court date related to the matter was in March. At that time, Crown attorney Richard Roy said defence lawyer Mark Sandler had been provided with "substantial" evidence against his clients.
Wednesday's court hearing is part of a lengthy and ongoing legal battle between Elections Canada and the Conservatives over how election expenses are claimed and reimbursements issued.
The Conservatives argue they followed the election financing rules that were in place in 2006 and that Elections Canada later changed its interpretation of the rules.
Elections Canada alleges that the Conservative Party broke the spending rules by improperly reporting $1.3 million in national advertising as expenses incurred by local candidates. The elections agency alleges the party violated the rules by moving funds in and out of local ridings to pay for national ads, allowing the party to surpass the maximum spending allowance and for candidates to claim rebates on expenses that weren't actually incurred.
In addition to a charge that the election spending limit of $18 million was exceeded, Gerstein faces a charge of providing Elections Canada with a return that he knew or ought to have known contained a false or misleading statement, namely that all elections expenses had been properly recorded.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Mr. Harper’s “triumphal arrogance” underscores his divisive approach to politics.
Opposition MPs fired back at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s weekend display of triumphalism, saying the Prime Minister is displaying a hubris that will come back to haunt him.
In an address to supporters during the opening weekend of the Calgary Stampede, Mr. Harper said the era of Canadian Liberal dominance is over and the New Democrats’ strong support in Quebec will be fleeting.
The Prime Minister consigned the Liberals and Bloc Québécois to history’s waste basket, adding that his majority win on May 2 reflects the fact that Canadians are essentially conservative people.
“Conservative values are Canadian values. Canadian values are conservative values. They always were,” Mr. Harper said. “And Canadians are going back to the party that most closely reflects who they really are: The Conservative Party, which is Canada's party.”
In making that claim, the Prime Minister was turning the tables on Liberal predecessors such as Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien, who had long insisted that their party was the true standard-bearer of Canadian values. The Liberals liked to portray Conservatives as out of touch with the country and even quasi-American.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said Mr. Harper’s “triumphal arrogance”
underscores his divisive approach to politics.
“His is still a politics that polarizes, that divides, and that excludes,” Mr. Rae said in a statement. “Pride like this will only be followed by a fall.”
NDP MP Joe Comartin said Mr. Harper was demonstrating the same arrogance that led to the Liberal downfall. And he challenged the Prime Minister’s political credibility in commenting on the NDP prospects in Quebec.
“Here we’ve got a guy who’s saying our honeymoon is going to be over quickly with the people of Quebec after he didn’t have anything more than a one-night stand,” Mr. Comartin said in a telephone interview.
After holding only one seat, the New Democrats won 59 of Quebec’s 75 seats and garnered 43 per cent of the popular vote in the May election. The Conservatives dropped to five seats from 11, with only 16.5 per cent of popular support.
The NDP MP said Mr. Harper appears to be keen to adopt the mantle of “natural governing party” that the Liberals used to assume for themselves.
“His words could have easily come out of the mouth of Chrétien or a number of other Liberal prime ministers in believing that the Canadian people have totally identified with them,” he said. “And they fly in the face of the fact that 60 per cent of Canadians voted for other political parties.”
Mr. Comartin is the NDP’s justice critic and maintained that the Conservative’s tough-on-crime agenda is at odds with the majority views of Canadians, pointing, for example, to legislation that will require jail time for people found guilty of possessing five or more marijuana plants.
In an address to supporters during the opening weekend of the Calgary Stampede, Mr. Harper said the era of Canadian Liberal dominance is over and the New Democrats’ strong support in Quebec will be fleeting.
The Prime Minister consigned the Liberals and Bloc Québécois to history’s waste basket, adding that his majority win on May 2 reflects the fact that Canadians are essentially conservative people.
“Conservative values are Canadian values. Canadian values are conservative values. They always were,” Mr. Harper said. “And Canadians are going back to the party that most closely reflects who they really are: The Conservative Party, which is Canada's party.”
In making that claim, the Prime Minister was turning the tables on Liberal predecessors such as Paul Martin and Jean Chrétien, who had long insisted that their party was the true standard-bearer of Canadian values. The Liberals liked to portray Conservatives as out of touch with the country and even quasi-American.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said Mr. Harper’s “triumphal arrogance”
underscores his divisive approach to politics.
“His is still a politics that polarizes, that divides, and that excludes,” Mr. Rae said in a statement. “Pride like this will only be followed by a fall.”
NDP MP Joe Comartin said Mr. Harper was demonstrating the same arrogance that led to the Liberal downfall. And he challenged the Prime Minister’s political credibility in commenting on the NDP prospects in Quebec.
“Here we’ve got a guy who’s saying our honeymoon is going to be over quickly with the people of Quebec after he didn’t have anything more than a one-night stand,” Mr. Comartin said in a telephone interview.
After holding only one seat, the New Democrats won 59 of Quebec’s 75 seats and garnered 43 per cent of the popular vote in the May election. The Conservatives dropped to five seats from 11, with only 16.5 per cent of popular support.
The NDP MP said Mr. Harper appears to be keen to adopt the mantle of “natural governing party” that the Liberals used to assume for themselves.
“His words could have easily come out of the mouth of Chrétien or a number of other Liberal prime ministers in believing that the Canadian people have totally identified with them,” he said. “And they fly in the face of the fact that 60 per cent of Canadians voted for other political parties.”
Mr. Comartin is the NDP’s justice critic and maintained that the Conservative’s tough-on-crime agenda is at odds with the majority views of Canadians, pointing, for example, to legislation that will require jail time for people found guilty of possessing five or more marijuana plants.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sweden could become the first country in Europe to offer Chinese lessons to all schoolchildren under plans floated by the Swedish education minister.
Sweden could become the first country in Europe to offer Chinese lessons to all schoolchildren under plans floated by the Swedish education minister.
Jan Björklund said giving future generations access to Chinese language tuition was crucial to national competitiveness.
“Chinese will be much more important, from an economic perspective, than French or Spanish,” he told the Dagens Industri newspaper.
Other western countries have also started introducing Chinese to school curriculums in recognition of China’s growing global role, but Mr Björklund’s plan aims to put Sweden ahead of the pack.
English would remain mandatory for schoolchildren but Chinese would be added to the choice of additional foreign languages available in all primary and secondary schools, along with French, Spanish and German.
Sweden has long been known for having among the highest level of English language skills outside the Anglo-Saxon world. Its proposed embrace of Chinese could be seen as a symbol of a shift in power towards Asia.
“Not everyone in the business world speaks English,” said Mr Björklund. “Very qualified businesses are leaving Europe to move to China.”
Education ministry officials stressed that Mr Björklund did not want to undermine Sweden’s traditional strength in English, but said the choice of additional foreign languages now was “too eurocentric”.
Officials described it as a personal proposal by Mr Björklund, who is leader of the Liberal party. He said he would seek support from the rest of Sweden’s ruling coalition to make it part of government policy.
They said it could take 10 to 15 years to train enough teachers to make Chinese universally available.
“It boils down to teacher-training colleges expanding programmes,” said Mr Björklund. “If we decide to do this, it’s definitely possible.”
Sweden has growing economic ties with China through big Swedish companies such as Ericsson and Hennes & Mauritz, which are investing heavily in the country.
The Scandinavian nation has also been open to investment from China, including the takeover of Gothenburg-based Volvo Cars by Geely last year. Chinese companies are also at the heart of efforts to save Saab Automobile, another Swedish carmaker, from collapse.
“If we look towards the next generation, it’s almost unavoidable to think anything else than that China will be a very important global actor,” said Mr Björklund.
Jan Björklund said giving future generations access to Chinese language tuition was crucial to national competitiveness.
“Chinese will be much more important, from an economic perspective, than French or Spanish,” he told the Dagens Industri newspaper.
Other western countries have also started introducing Chinese to school curriculums in recognition of China’s growing global role, but Mr Björklund’s plan aims to put Sweden ahead of the pack.
English would remain mandatory for schoolchildren but Chinese would be added to the choice of additional foreign languages available in all primary and secondary schools, along with French, Spanish and German.
Sweden has long been known for having among the highest level of English language skills outside the Anglo-Saxon world. Its proposed embrace of Chinese could be seen as a symbol of a shift in power towards Asia.
“Not everyone in the business world speaks English,” said Mr Björklund. “Very qualified businesses are leaving Europe to move to China.”
Education ministry officials stressed that Mr Björklund did not want to undermine Sweden’s traditional strength in English, but said the choice of additional foreign languages now was “too eurocentric”.
Officials described it as a personal proposal by Mr Björklund, who is leader of the Liberal party. He said he would seek support from the rest of Sweden’s ruling coalition to make it part of government policy.
They said it could take 10 to 15 years to train enough teachers to make Chinese universally available.
“It boils down to teacher-training colleges expanding programmes,” said Mr Björklund. “If we decide to do this, it’s definitely possible.”
Sweden has growing economic ties with China through big Swedish companies such as Ericsson and Hennes & Mauritz, which are investing heavily in the country.
The Scandinavian nation has also been open to investment from China, including the takeover of Gothenburg-based Volvo Cars by Geely last year. Chinese companies are also at the heart of efforts to save Saab Automobile, another Swedish carmaker, from collapse.
“If we look towards the next generation, it’s almost unavoidable to think anything else than that China will be a very important global actor,” said Mr Björklund.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Phone hacking The Met to contact 4,000 people investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World
Police investigating allegations of phone hacking by the News of the World have called for patience as they contact almost 4,000 people whose names appear in documents seized in 2006.
The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said she understood people were upset but police needed time.
She said officers were scouring 11,000 pages of notes as well as dealing with more who feared they were targets.
News International said allegations against its paper had been horrifying.
Among them are claims the paper hacked into the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, the families of 7/7 bombing victims and bereaved military families.
According to a Daily Telegraph report, the phone numbers of relatives of service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were found in the files of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who had been working for the News of the World.
Police have not approached relatives of the soldiers but some families say a newspaper has contacted them suggesting they were victims of phone hacking.
Dep Asst Commissioner Sue Akers, who is in charge of the police investigation known as Operation Weeting, said officers had already spoken to many people and would contact others "as quickly as possible".
"I have huge sympathy for those who may have been the victims of phone hacking or intrusion into their private lives," she said.
"It must be incredibly distressing to see details of the information held, or speculation about what may be held, about them in the media. This is forcing them to relive devastating experiences."
"I stand by my commitment that Operation Weeting will contact all those who have some personal contact details found in the documents seized... and my officers are working hard to ensure it is fulfilled as soon as possible," she added.
"This is taking a significant amount of time and resources."
After the allegations were made over bereaved military families, the Royal British Legion announced it was cutting ties with the News of the World as its campaigning partner, saying it was "shocked to the core".
The charity campaigned with the newspaper on Military Covenant issues and was set to mount another joint initiative to save the chief coroner's office from abolition.
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been asked to supervise the Met Police's internal investigation into payments by journalists to police for information.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said a small number of officers were alleged to have taken illegal payments. "If true, I will be determined to root them out, find them and put them in front of the criminal court," he said.
In other developments:
Prime Minister David Cameron is consulting MPs about the nature of a public inquiry into the phone-hacking claims, amid support by the deputy prime minister and the Labour leader for a judge-led hearing, with powers to call evidence and examine witnesses under oath
Shares in BSkyB fall on fears that the News of the World phone-hacking scandal could hinder parent company News Corp's bid for the broadcaster
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is set to delay his decision on whether to allow News Corp's bid for BSkyB after receiving 100,000 submissions on the issue
Michael Mansfield QC, who represented Mohamed Al Fayed at the Princess Diana inquest, has been told his phone may have been hacked
The Crown Office say Strathclyde Police have been asked to look at evidence given by witnesses during the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial, in light of recent allegations
Sainsbury's supermarket, O2, Flybe, Specsavers and Dixons follow the example of other companies including Ford and Npower by suspending advertising in the NoW
The government is to urgently review its advertising contracts with the News of the World
Peter Ridsdale, chairman of Plymouth Argyle, tells BBC Radio Devon, his e-mails were hacked into and he is seeking damages from the News of the World following an article published by the paper when he was chairman of Cardiff City
News International is co-operating with a police inquiry into hacking at the News of the World and is conducting its own investigation into the claims.
"If these allegations are true we are absolutely appalled and horrified," the company said in a statement, adding that its "record as a friend of the armed services and of our servicemen and servicewomen, is impeccable".
The Met's Deputy Assistant Commissioner Sue Akers said she understood people were upset but police needed time.
She said officers were scouring 11,000 pages of notes as well as dealing with more who feared they were targets.
News International said allegations against its paper had been horrifying.
Among them are claims the paper hacked into the mobile phone of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler, the families of 7/7 bombing victims and bereaved military families.
According to a Daily Telegraph report, the phone numbers of relatives of service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan were found in the files of private investigator Glenn Mulcaire, who had been working for the News of the World.
Police have not approached relatives of the soldiers but some families say a newspaper has contacted them suggesting they were victims of phone hacking.
Dep Asst Commissioner Sue Akers, who is in charge of the police investigation known as Operation Weeting, said officers had already spoken to many people and would contact others "as quickly as possible".
"I have huge sympathy for those who may have been the victims of phone hacking or intrusion into their private lives," she said.
"It must be incredibly distressing to see details of the information held, or speculation about what may be held, about them in the media. This is forcing them to relive devastating experiences."
"I stand by my commitment that Operation Weeting will contact all those who have some personal contact details found in the documents seized... and my officers are working hard to ensure it is fulfilled as soon as possible," she added.
"This is taking a significant amount of time and resources."
After the allegations were made over bereaved military families, the Royal British Legion announced it was cutting ties with the News of the World as its campaigning partner, saying it was "shocked to the core".
The charity campaigned with the newspaper on Military Covenant issues and was set to mount another joint initiative to save the chief coroner's office from abolition.
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been asked to supervise the Met Police's internal investigation into payments by journalists to police for information.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said a small number of officers were alleged to have taken illegal payments. "If true, I will be determined to root them out, find them and put them in front of the criminal court," he said.
In other developments:
Prime Minister David Cameron is consulting MPs about the nature of a public inquiry into the phone-hacking claims, amid support by the deputy prime minister and the Labour leader for a judge-led hearing, with powers to call evidence and examine witnesses under oath
Shares in BSkyB fall on fears that the News of the World phone-hacking scandal could hinder parent company News Corp's bid for the broadcaster
Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt is set to delay his decision on whether to allow News Corp's bid for BSkyB after receiving 100,000 submissions on the issue
Michael Mansfield QC, who represented Mohamed Al Fayed at the Princess Diana inquest, has been told his phone may have been hacked
The Crown Office say Strathclyde Police have been asked to look at evidence given by witnesses during the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial, in light of recent allegations
Sainsbury's supermarket, O2, Flybe, Specsavers and Dixons follow the example of other companies including Ford and Npower by suspending advertising in the NoW
The government is to urgently review its advertising contracts with the News of the World
Peter Ridsdale, chairman of Plymouth Argyle, tells BBC Radio Devon, his e-mails were hacked into and he is seeking damages from the News of the World following an article published by the paper when he was chairman of Cardiff City
News International is co-operating with a police inquiry into hacking at the News of the World and is conducting its own investigation into the claims.
"If these allegations are true we are absolutely appalled and horrified," the company said in a statement, adding that its "record as a friend of the armed services and of our servicemen and servicewomen, is impeccable".
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Supreme Court of Canada isn't biting on an appeal by three of Canada's largest chocolate makers stemming from a lawsuit that accused them of conspiring to raise chocolate prices in this country.
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada isn't biting on an appeal by three of Canada's largest chocolate makers stemming from a lawsuit that accused them of conspiring to raise chocolate prices in this country.
The top court on Thursday declined to hear a case brought by Nestle, Mars and Hershey's.
In 2007, the companies, as well as Cadbury, faced several lawsuits in Canada and the United States accusing them of fixing the price of their products.
Another company, chocolate distributor Itwal Ltd., allegedly participated with price maintenance.
If the accusations were true, the group would have been in violation of federal competition laws under the Competition Act.
Cadbury and Itwal settled, with Cadbury paying nearly $5.8 million to Metro Enterprises, a Windsor, Ont.-based vending machine business.
The two companies that settled received a court order preventing the three remaining companies from suing them to cover any financial penalties the court battle might impose.
The three chocolate giants who didn't settle were trying to fight that ruling in the Supreme Court.
The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the group's appeal in December 2010 and the Supreme Court dismissed the trio's application for appeal Thursday.
As is its custom, the top court did not reveal the reasons for its decision not to hear the case.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/Supreme+Court+bars+chocolate+makers+appeal/5066262/story.html#ixzz1RUoYGNja
The top court on Thursday declined to hear a case brought by Nestle, Mars and Hershey's.
In 2007, the companies, as well as Cadbury, faced several lawsuits in Canada and the United States accusing them of fixing the price of their products.
Another company, chocolate distributor Itwal Ltd., allegedly participated with price maintenance.
If the accusations were true, the group would have been in violation of federal competition laws under the Competition Act.
Cadbury and Itwal settled, with Cadbury paying nearly $5.8 million to Metro Enterprises, a Windsor, Ont.-based vending machine business.
The two companies that settled received a court order preventing the three remaining companies from suing them to cover any financial penalties the court battle might impose.
The three chocolate giants who didn't settle were trying to fight that ruling in the Supreme Court.
The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed the group's appeal in December 2010 and the Supreme Court dismissed the trio's application for appeal Thursday.
As is its custom, the top court did not reveal the reasons for its decision not to hear the case.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/Supreme+Court+bars+chocolate+makers+appeal/5066262/story.html#ixzz1RUoYGNja
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Second DOE lab is likely victim of spear-phishing attack : Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has yet to restore email, Internet service five days after attack.
The Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is working on restoring Internet connectivity and email services after being hit by a "sophisticated cyberattack" five days ago.
It is not immediately clear if the attack resulted in any data being stolen or compromised. A lab spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a message on the spokesman's voicemail noted that Internet and email services were down because of a sophisticated attack.
PNNL which is funded by the Energy Department and managed by Battelle, conducts research in areas such as information security, nuclear non-proliferation and counterterrorism. As of Wednesday afternoon, PNNL's main website at www.pnnl.gov was unreachable. An error message noted the site was down due to "system maintenance."
According to several media reports, PNNL, based in Richland, Wash., discovered the attack July 1 and moved immediately to suspend email services and to disconnect itself from the Internet.
Those actions suggest that the PNNL was likely a victim of a spear-phishing attack in the same manner that the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee was a few weeks ago, said Anup Ghosh, founder and chief scientist of security vendor Invincea.
Oak Ridge, which is also a DOE lab, took identical measures after discovering someone attempting to pilfer data out of its networks in April. According to the laboratory, the breach resulted when some employees clicked on a malicious link in a spear-phishing email message.
The email message, which appeared to have originated from ORNL's human resources group, infected a handful of computers with a sophisticated data stealing Trojan. The malware exploited an unpatched flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer software, and was designed to search for and steal technical information from Oak Ridge.
Though PNNL has not said how it was attacked, chances are that it too was felled by spear-phishing, Ghosh said.
Spear-phishing attacks involve the use of emails that are personalized, localized and designed to appear like they originated from someone the recipient knows and trusts. The emails look authentic and are typically targeted at high-level executives or employees with privileged access to corporate systems and data.
Despite heightened awareness and better employee training, about 5% to 20% of spear-phishing emails still get opened, Ghosh said. Often, all it takes for the attackers to succeed is one compromised desktop, he said.
"What they are after is not that user machine. They simply use it as a beachhead from which to move inside the network," he said. Once inside a network, attackers usually are able to move with the level of access that the compromised user has. "There tend not to be any barriers," Ghosh said.
It is not immediately clear if the attack resulted in any data being stolen or compromised. A lab spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a message on the spokesman's voicemail noted that Internet and email services were down because of a sophisticated attack.
PNNL which is funded by the Energy Department and managed by Battelle, conducts research in areas such as information security, nuclear non-proliferation and counterterrorism. As of Wednesday afternoon, PNNL's main website at www.pnnl.gov was unreachable. An error message noted the site was down due to "system maintenance."
According to several media reports, PNNL, based in Richland, Wash., discovered the attack July 1 and moved immediately to suspend email services and to disconnect itself from the Internet.
Those actions suggest that the PNNL was likely a victim of a spear-phishing attack in the same manner that the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee was a few weeks ago, said Anup Ghosh, founder and chief scientist of security vendor Invincea.
Oak Ridge, which is also a DOE lab, took identical measures after discovering someone attempting to pilfer data out of its networks in April. According to the laboratory, the breach resulted when some employees clicked on a malicious link in a spear-phishing email message.
The email message, which appeared to have originated from ORNL's human resources group, infected a handful of computers with a sophisticated data stealing Trojan. The malware exploited an unpatched flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer software, and was designed to search for and steal technical information from Oak Ridge.
Though PNNL has not said how it was attacked, chances are that it too was felled by spear-phishing, Ghosh said.
Spear-phishing attacks involve the use of emails that are personalized, localized and designed to appear like they originated from someone the recipient knows and trusts. The emails look authentic and are typically targeted at high-level executives or employees with privileged access to corporate systems and data.
Despite heightened awareness and better employee training, about 5% to 20% of spear-phishing emails still get opened, Ghosh said. Often, all it takes for the attackers to succeed is one compromised desktop, he said.
"What they are after is not that user machine. They simply use it as a beachhead from which to move inside the network," he said. Once inside a network, attackers usually are able to move with the level of access that the compromised user has. "There tend not to be any barriers," Ghosh said.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Ford Nation’s grim future oh the Mayor Rob Ford,s Will Not be happy with this!!
After eight months in office some people think that Mayor Rob Ford is punching above his weight — a considerable feat. Others feel he has picked all the low-lying political fruit and his implosion is imminent. His boycott of Pride Week was widely criticized.
But what about his personal constituency, the “Ford Nation”? Who are they and what is Ford doing for them? More to the point, what is he doing to them?
Ford’s weakest showing in last year’s election was in the former City of Toronto — downtown condo owners, the “elites” in Rosedale, Forest Hill and Lawrence Park. Compared with their suburban neighbours, they have the highest average incomes and are prepared to suffer higher taxes if it means better city amenities.
A recent Canadian Political Science Association study found that over 80 per cent of Ford’s support came from the old Metro Toronto suburbs. If you accept its “policy voting hypothesis,” Ford’s core supporters are voters in areas of high automobile use. They have the greatest concern about property taxes and maintaining city services. They are “economically precarious residents” with high housing costs relative to their incomes.
Ford’s election platform: “end the war on cars,” “respect for the taxpayer” and “stop the gravy train” responded directly to the visceral concerns of these three overlapping constituencies. His low-tax message clearly resonated with the threatened middle class and lower income earners.
Given this definition of his supporters, how will they benefit from Ford’s war on cars?
They will no longer have to pay a vehicle registration tax. But this modest relief pales into insignificance when you consider the consequences of Ford’s rejection of the Transit City light rail plan, and his insistence on subways.
The Pembina Institute, which studies sustainable energy solutions, says that Ford’s subway plan will:
• Serve 30 per cent fewer low-income residents despite costing 40 per cent more.
• Mean no rapid transit access for the residents of northwest Toronto, who have the lowest incomes in the city.
• Leave rapid transit for northeast Toronto residents in limbo for years.
They conclude by saying, “Mayor Ford’s full $12.4 billion plan, which includes the Sheppard subway, will cost about $4 billion more than the original LRT plan and serve 25 per cent fewer Torontonians.”
Ford pushed a politically compliant premier, and a captive transit commission, to spend most of the province’s funding on burying the Eglinton crosstown LRT. The result? Thousands of Ford’s core constituents will remain car dependant, and stuck in traffic for decades.
Ford’s first budget shouldn’t give his supporters much comfort either. Their taxes will not increase this year. But what service cuts, tax increases and labour conflicts lie ahead for next year?
Few realize that it was the $286 million operating surplus left by former mayor David Miller that made Ford’s tax freeze possible. That money and much more will have to be found to avoid the projected shortfall of $800 million next year.
There is scant evidence so far that Ford can deliver on his promise to “spend smarter and still deliver better customer service to the taxpayer.” During last year’s mayoral campaign, Ford promised to cut the city’s workforce by 3 per cent this year. Instead, his debut operating budget is a record $10.6 billion. It adds 447 new jobs to the city’s workforce.
So much for the public perception that Ford is downsizing city hall.
Ford talked a lot about “stopping the gravy train.” But other than experimenting with private garbage collection and firing the housing authority board, he seems unable to identify major areas of excess spending. He spent a decade on city council but has had to hire outside consultants to tell him where the gravy train is running.
None of this augers well for the economically challenged members of Ford Nation. They are highly dependant on city services. Program cuts are bound to have a disproportionate impact on his supporters. A likely tax increase in 2012 will further stress residents who have high housing costs and declining incomes.
Finally, Ford’s push to have Toronto’s transit services deemed “essential” won’t stop that gravy train either. It allows Ford to sidestep a difficult labour relations challenge since outstanding bargaining issues will be settled by arbitration. Torontonians are assured of no interruptions in transit service. But at what cost?
Arbitration has proved to be an expensive way of resolving labour disputes. Arbitrators pay little attention to the taxpayer’s ability to pay. They seldom roll back excessive provisions in collective agreements. Instead, they are inclined to layer one compensation precedent upon another.
The 2011 “Sunshine List” illustrates the point. Toronto police constables and paramedics make from $100,000 to more than $130,000 a year, plus medical benefits and a defined-benefit pension. Some firefighters earn more than $100,000.
In all likelihood, an arbitrated settlement with the transit union will bring those grumpy station collectors, some of whom are already earning upwards of $110,000 plus benefits and a pension, to new highs of questionable compensation.
How is Ford’s arbitration solution going to slow the TTC gravy train? It won’t. That’s why the union showed only token resistance to Ford’s essential-service initiative.
Those who depend on the TTC and those whom the city wants to attract to transit will face hefty annual transit fare increases. The essential-service designation will severely limit the city’s ability to negotiate higher productivity and affordable compensation at the TTC.
It’s time to drop the bumper-sticker-bromides and level with Torontonians about the tough choices that lie ahead. The Ford Nation may be slow to realize what their mayor is doing to them. But when they do, expect their reaction to be crushing.
But what about his personal constituency, the “Ford Nation”? Who are they and what is Ford doing for them? More to the point, what is he doing to them?
Ford’s weakest showing in last year’s election was in the former City of Toronto — downtown condo owners, the “elites” in Rosedale, Forest Hill and Lawrence Park. Compared with their suburban neighbours, they have the highest average incomes and are prepared to suffer higher taxes if it means better city amenities.
A recent Canadian Political Science Association study found that over 80 per cent of Ford’s support came from the old Metro Toronto suburbs. If you accept its “policy voting hypothesis,” Ford’s core supporters are voters in areas of high automobile use. They have the greatest concern about property taxes and maintaining city services. They are “economically precarious residents” with high housing costs relative to their incomes.
Ford’s election platform: “end the war on cars,” “respect for the taxpayer” and “stop the gravy train” responded directly to the visceral concerns of these three overlapping constituencies. His low-tax message clearly resonated with the threatened middle class and lower income earners.
Given this definition of his supporters, how will they benefit from Ford’s war on cars?
They will no longer have to pay a vehicle registration tax. But this modest relief pales into insignificance when you consider the consequences of Ford’s rejection of the Transit City light rail plan, and his insistence on subways.
The Pembina Institute, which studies sustainable energy solutions, says that Ford’s subway plan will:
• Serve 30 per cent fewer low-income residents despite costing 40 per cent more.
• Mean no rapid transit access for the residents of northwest Toronto, who have the lowest incomes in the city.
• Leave rapid transit for northeast Toronto residents in limbo for years.
They conclude by saying, “Mayor Ford’s full $12.4 billion plan, which includes the Sheppard subway, will cost about $4 billion more than the original LRT plan and serve 25 per cent fewer Torontonians.”
Ford pushed a politically compliant premier, and a captive transit commission, to spend most of the province’s funding on burying the Eglinton crosstown LRT. The result? Thousands of Ford’s core constituents will remain car dependant, and stuck in traffic for decades.
Ford’s first budget shouldn’t give his supporters much comfort either. Their taxes will not increase this year. But what service cuts, tax increases and labour conflicts lie ahead for next year?
Few realize that it was the $286 million operating surplus left by former mayor David Miller that made Ford’s tax freeze possible. That money and much more will have to be found to avoid the projected shortfall of $800 million next year.
There is scant evidence so far that Ford can deliver on his promise to “spend smarter and still deliver better customer service to the taxpayer.” During last year’s mayoral campaign, Ford promised to cut the city’s workforce by 3 per cent this year. Instead, his debut operating budget is a record $10.6 billion. It adds 447 new jobs to the city’s workforce.
So much for the public perception that Ford is downsizing city hall.
Ford talked a lot about “stopping the gravy train.” But other than experimenting with private garbage collection and firing the housing authority board, he seems unable to identify major areas of excess spending. He spent a decade on city council but has had to hire outside consultants to tell him where the gravy train is running.
None of this augers well for the economically challenged members of Ford Nation. They are highly dependant on city services. Program cuts are bound to have a disproportionate impact on his supporters. A likely tax increase in 2012 will further stress residents who have high housing costs and declining incomes.
Finally, Ford’s push to have Toronto’s transit services deemed “essential” won’t stop that gravy train either. It allows Ford to sidestep a difficult labour relations challenge since outstanding bargaining issues will be settled by arbitration. Torontonians are assured of no interruptions in transit service. But at what cost?
Arbitration has proved to be an expensive way of resolving labour disputes. Arbitrators pay little attention to the taxpayer’s ability to pay. They seldom roll back excessive provisions in collective agreements. Instead, they are inclined to layer one compensation precedent upon another.
The 2011 “Sunshine List” illustrates the point. Toronto police constables and paramedics make from $100,000 to more than $130,000 a year, plus medical benefits and a defined-benefit pension. Some firefighters earn more than $100,000.
In all likelihood, an arbitrated settlement with the transit union will bring those grumpy station collectors, some of whom are already earning upwards of $110,000 plus benefits and a pension, to new highs of questionable compensation.
How is Ford’s arbitration solution going to slow the TTC gravy train? It won’t. That’s why the union showed only token resistance to Ford’s essential-service initiative.
Those who depend on the TTC and those whom the city wants to attract to transit will face hefty annual transit fare increases. The essential-service designation will severely limit the city’s ability to negotiate higher productivity and affordable compensation at the TTC.
It’s time to drop the bumper-sticker-bromides and level with Torontonians about the tough choices that lie ahead. The Ford Nation may be slow to realize what their mayor is doing to them. But when they do, expect their reaction to be crushing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)