McGuinty's a burner

Mr McGuinty has told everybody he thinks incineration of garbage is a good idea and we should be doing some.

This topic - incineration, is what I call a gut issue. A gut issue is one where rational discussion and clean debate doesn't exist because everybody has a closed mind. Other gut issues are: capital punishment, welfare issues, toll roads, gun control, the Young Offenders' Act ad nauseum. I don't know where people get the information to come to a conclusion on all these issues because nobody wants to discuss these issues with an open mind - you're either fer 'em or agin 'em.

Back to incineration: I am against it and this is why:

• It is the most expensive way to handle garbage
• It will destroy existing or fledgling recycling and organic waste programs for the voracious appetite of most incinerators need these feeder stocks to provide the BTUs to produce enough heat for combustion and the amount of "garbage" left over after effective recycling programs does not contain enough mass for the burn
• Despite what the supporters say toxins and furins still emit from the stack. When they talk about clean air it is not true - no such thing

So expand the organic collection and composting programmes, here in Northumberland we do not have such a thing and that's a crime, reduce the residue from the MRF and continue to make wise use of limited landfill in engineered sites.

The Town's debt

So now we have it - a number that we can all understand - a whopping $15 million, and the cost to service that debt is $1.5 million. Now debt is good it allows us all to buy the things we may not have been able to get in one deal if we had to save and pay cash for it. But the disturbing report about the report is the comment from the CAO that long term per capita debt is rising because of some extra funding of the debt from non property tax revenue. So folks it comes down to this the big revenue sources (our sources) are being siphoned off before they get to the bottom line, by the Council. Revenue from HOLDCO and the Northam Industrial park is going to get more debt but we don't notice because our taxes don't go up.

The point to be learnt by this Council is simple HOLDCO and Northam Park revenue is not Council's play money - it's our money and must go the bottom line before being fed into pet projects. True accounting demands it. Use the revenue to reduce the taxes and then decide to pay down the debt.

The Quebec election

A classic case of voting for "none of the above". Any serious predictions of the future will never take place unless you understand the sophistication of the average Quebec voter. Given the option of two very bad choices - the Libs and the Seps, who else would they vote for? The other guys of course!

Take the time to read this

I have taken the "Brocanier challenge". You should too. This challenge is to try to change the recommendations of a staff report by making suggestions to it. The subject of discussion is the procedural bylaw that governs public interaction with Council. Read this doc and then comment.

From the depths some inspiration will follow

After reading the whole depressing story, here about a company that makes profitable swanky shirts for a 500% markup, moving to China so it can make more money, the final sentence is inspirational - hard to keep the Welsh down.

This is how a boycott should work and it's over beer!

Read this and be encouraged How big businesses wrecks our pubs. By Tim Minogue | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited

McGuinty's blown it again

As usual the pols in the ruling party in Ontario have misread the winds of change. In trying to give the budget goodies to people who will vote for them they have missed the target.

Despite the inadequacies of the budget, and there are plenty of them, the goodies will fall flat if they (the libs) think that those goodies will be repaid in votes. The bottom line is that by invoking class warfare by giving the poor the goodies and ignoring the selfish middle class, class warfare will break out. The Middle class will hate the libs for not being given anything and not vote for the libs and the beneficiaries of the largess, the low income demographic, don't vote!

Just a few lines

Number 1:
The Cobourg budget process - What an unnecessary song and dance. The DM has produced a document that he cannot agree with, because it contains a tax level of a 4.6% increase. He says, "4.6 is too high!" but doesn't say what is acceptable. I am sure that when the combined wisdom of four dead white men and the Mayor and the two new guys get down to it all will be breaking their arms trying to congratulate themselves for getting it down to a level they consider is acceptable.

How about doing it this way - the DM will produce the first document at a level of 0% or less and only the essentials get added in. In other words the coordinators and staff will have to cut items from the budget and then justify to each other what should be added in, if necessary.

Number 2:
How about that effort to change the procedural bylaw? It still contains the catch 22 it always has had. The five day rule. Only people who have notified the Council five days in advance of the Council meeting are placed on the agenda. But when the agenda is published five days ahead of the meeting how can anybody determine what they want to talk about? Nice way to stifle debate. But wait the DM says that the Mayor has the discretion to grant delegations audiences before Council and usually does so he doesn't see any need to change the rule. Now we have a monarchy - offend the King and you will not be allowed to speak, if you are a favoured person they will listen to you. So much for universal suffrage..