Thursday, January 7, 2010
'Day-to-day' issues covered in closed session, Macmillan says - Northumberland Today - Ontario, CA
'Day-to-day' issues covered in closed session, Macmillan says - Northumberland Today - Somebody should inform King Hec that "day to day" issues are not proper for an in-camera session. Never mind that the resolution to pass the consensus was held in open session the topic being discussed, the 2nd bridge in C'ford, should have been in open session and with adequate notice to the affected taxpayers. The Chair Warden Peter Delanty should have known better!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I couldn't resist this
This story explains that our esteemed MP Rick Norlock is going to setup Town Hall meetings for the Parliament hiatus, just so that he can demonstrate he is working, not goofing off, when Parliament is not sitting. He intends to hold "Town Hall" meetings so that he can hear from his constituents. He wants to hear what they think about the economy, pension reform and anything else that might be on their minds.
Wow what an opportunity, let's see all the angry people, you know the ones that signed up for facebook sites objecting to the proroguation, get out and tell Mr Norlock just what they think. At the least the nominated candidates should be present to tell him what they think should be done in this period of minority parliament. Even the donut shop yackers with an opinion should put their money where their mouths are - so all you opinionated folks line up at the mics and tell Mr Norlock just what is on your mind.
Wow what an opportunity, let's see all the angry people, you know the ones that signed up for facebook sites objecting to the proroguation, get out and tell Mr Norlock just what they think. At the least the nominated candidates should be present to tell him what they think should be done in this period of minority parliament. Even the donut shop yackers with an opinion should put their money where their mouths are - so all you opinionated folks line up at the mics and tell Mr Norlock just what is on your mind.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
One item from the COW meeting on Monday
There will be a motion to buy three acres of land from the landowner at the Kraft lands for the building of "the Kerr St extension" at Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting. This is a road that will eventually bisect the Town in an East-West direction and relieve traffic pressure on University Ave. It is also another bag of public money being handed over to the developer. He really is making out like a bandit on this deal! The way the report is written leads one to believe that perhaps the Town may be paying too much.
This road plan has been in the works for many years and is outlined on many Official Plans and if it is in private hands, as opposed to just being an easement on title of the Kraft deed, the land is totally useless to the owner because the Town has earmarked it for a road. The price being paid by the Town is $40,000 per acre, not bad for useless land but a little high for a road. Especially when the building of the road brings many benefits to the landowner abutting the road. The Development Charges schedule quotes the cost of the road, from William to Division, as $3,796,700 (2006 figures) the benefit to existing taxpayers is $1,852,200 a 48% - 52% split. The land in question is one third of that project
If the Kraft lands abut the road the benefit to the landowner will be immense, a guaranteed entrance to his land from a separate road, no congestion at the main gate anymore and the opportunity to open up the Northern section of his land. In this light is the rate of $40,000 an acre fair to the taxpayer when given the circumstances an argument could be made for the land to be given to the Town for increasing the value of the Kraft land?
Just a question from an overloaded taxpayer!
This road plan has been in the works for many years and is outlined on many Official Plans and if it is in private hands, as opposed to just being an easement on title of the Kraft deed, the land is totally useless to the owner because the Town has earmarked it for a road. The price being paid by the Town is $40,000 per acre, not bad for useless land but a little high for a road. Especially when the building of the road brings many benefits to the landowner abutting the road. The Development Charges schedule quotes the cost of the road, from William to Division, as $3,796,700 (2006 figures) the benefit to existing taxpayers is $1,852,200 a 48% - 52% split. The land in question is one third of that project
If the Kraft lands abut the road the benefit to the landowner will be immense, a guaranteed entrance to his land from a separate road, no congestion at the main gate anymore and the opportunity to open up the Northern section of his land. In this light is the rate of $40,000 an acre fair to the taxpayer when given the circumstances an argument could be made for the land to be given to the Town for increasing the value of the Kraft land?
Just a question from an overloaded taxpayer!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Hate to do this but I'm off again
yep Mexico this time, just a quick cheap flight and then a stay downtown in a boutique hotel. Won't be posting as much as I did last time but maybe some. See yah on the 12th
Thursday, December 31, 2009
So who is getting fired or hired or promoted?
This intriguing announcement graced the pages of the Northumberland news today. I have never seen anything like this before so what personnel change is being contemplated at the County that couldn't wait until the next regular regular meeting?Any hints will be gratefully received as an anonymous tip.
The pundits are calling for a revolution - lots of luck
With the usual Canadian absorbed in self-preservation and apathetic to politics our PM (apply epithet here) SH has suspended parliament and nobody will notice. He will parade himself before the adoring masses whilst wrapping himself in Olympic clothing, embazoned with the PC logo and smile a lot.
The Ottawa press is fuming. If only to make themselves feel important they are penning redhot columns about the move to prorogue Parliament and halting all pending legislation, which last week demanded urgency but this week can stand a three month delay.
Neo-con Andrew Coyne leads the charge in this column quite rightly pointing out that this is a constitutional crisis. James Travers, of the TO Star says, "Less likely to be noticed but no less important, the Prime Minister is piling on fresh evidence that accountability is a fiction, an election promise easily made and forgotten." John Ibbotsen of the Globe and Mail calls the move "a travesty but clever" here.
What do I think? Not much but what can be expected from a liar who holds office by deceit. He promised to have fixed elections, he gained his first but most important election win with the aid of the State Police when the RCMP inserted itself on his side. He has disregarded the rules of the majority of parliament by ignoring the will of parliament many times. He rules by fiat and executive orders and disregards anybody but his loyal, but shrinking membership base. So this Cromwell can do this at his own peril. I just hope that the opposition can get over their own egos and with a combined advertising budget coordinate an organised campaign to expose this man to the Country. Why should he look good when IT'S OUR OLYMPICS.
The Ottawa press is fuming. If only to make themselves feel important they are penning redhot columns about the move to prorogue Parliament and halting all pending legislation, which last week demanded urgency but this week can stand a three month delay.
Neo-con Andrew Coyne leads the charge in this column quite rightly pointing out that this is a constitutional crisis. James Travers, of the TO Star says, "Less likely to be noticed but no less important, the Prime Minister is piling on fresh evidence that accountability is a fiction, an election promise easily made and forgotten." John Ibbotsen of the Globe and Mail calls the move "a travesty but clever" here.
What do I think? Not much but what can be expected from a liar who holds office by deceit. He promised to have fixed elections, he gained his first but most important election win with the aid of the State Police when the RCMP inserted itself on his side. He has disregarded the rules of the majority of parliament by ignoring the will of parliament many times. He rules by fiat and executive orders and disregards anybody but his loyal, but shrinking membership base. So this Cromwell can do this at his own peril. I just hope that the opposition can get over their own egos and with a combined advertising budget coordinate an organised campaign to expose this man to the Country. Why should he look good when IT'S OUR OLYMPICS.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Another one for the thinkers - a guest post
Wally Keeler
According to their website the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) values equity, among other things. They have an advisory Equity and Diversity Committee mandated to "/address equity, diversity and inclusiveness in human resources services, educational services and business services and to provide leadership and direction in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusiveness/."
KPRDSB is an Equal Opportunity Employer: "/identifying and removing barriers in employment policies and practices to encourage full productivity in all aspects of employment; preventing and prohibiting discrimination and harassment; valuing the importance of diversity, fairness and equitable employment practices."/
/ /In KPRDSB secondary schools, 53 percent of teachers are female (452 females, 401 males). In elementary schools, females make up 82 percent (1006 females, 225 males). Additionally, females overwhelmingly run day care centres. In recent decades, the numbers of single mother families have increased – aka fatherless families.
For children growing up in our society, we have moved into a clearly matriarchal "nurturing" system. This move away from the old boy patriarchal system has been a boon for females.
(1) Women account for more than 80 per cent of the students at Ontario Veterinary College and make up more than half of the province's practising vets.
(2) The Globe & Mail (Dec 7/09) reported that there are now three female undergraduates for every two male students on all Canadian campuses. Women reached parity at the undergraduate level in 1987, at the Masters level in 1997, and now account for about 46 per cent of PhD candidates.
(3) The Globe & Mail (Oct 21/09) reported that overall university participation rates reveal that 58 per cent of undergrads are female. These trends will continue.
It is a wonderful success story for females. The initial drum song was EQUALITY, and insofar as the formative years are concerned, females have surpassed equality and gone into dominance, while still singing the siren song of EQUALITY.
The Globe & Mail reported that, "/programs that bring female role models in science to meet with elementary pupils are legion. There is nothing nearly as systematic for boys."/ Well, of course, it stands to reason, that the overwhelming dominance of women in the nurturing industry implicitly favour their own gender, not boys.
On a nationwide assessment of teenagers, 26 per cent of girls scored at the top level in reading, compared with just 19 per cent of boys. At the bottom level, 13 per cent are boys, compared with only 9 per cent of girls. Boys score 21 percentage points below girls on the Grade 6 writing exam. (78 per cent of girls reach the provincial standard, compared with 57 per cent of boys).
This is the result of the feminization of the curricula and text books. The desanitization of textbooks in all subjects to diminish the lop-sidedness towards males, has now become a lop-sidedness towards females. The pendulum has swing too far away from equality.
Of the 212,000 drop-outs in Canada in 2004-2005, 135,000 were males. The drop-out rate of young males was 12.2 per cent in 2004/5, compared with 7.2 per cent for young females. The share of male drop-outs has increased in recent years. In 1990/91, a sizable majority of drop-outs were males (58.3 per cent); by 2004/5, it had increased to 63.7 per cent. In Quebec, in 2004/5 seven in ten drop-outs were young men.
This growing gender imbalance has engendered no studies, no research, no interest whatsoever. Don’t expect any remedies too soon. Feminists and feminist-infected females show more concern about the lack of men sharing the burden of dusting, dishes, laundry, etc. than the setting up of educational failure for their sons. What a pity. How pathetic. That’s how the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board interprets EQUITY.
According to their website the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board (KPRDSB) values equity, among other things. They have an advisory Equity and Diversity Committee mandated to "/address equity, diversity and inclusiveness in human resources services, educational services and business services and to provide leadership and direction in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusiveness/."
KPRDSB is an Equal Opportunity Employer: "/identifying and removing barriers in employment policies and practices to encourage full productivity in all aspects of employment; preventing and prohibiting discrimination and harassment; valuing the importance of diversity, fairness and equitable employment practices."/
/ /In KPRDSB secondary schools, 53 percent of teachers are female (452 females, 401 males). In elementary schools, females make up 82 percent (1006 females, 225 males). Additionally, females overwhelmingly run day care centres. In recent decades, the numbers of single mother families have increased – aka fatherless families.
For children growing up in our society, we have moved into a clearly matriarchal "nurturing" system. This move away from the old boy patriarchal system has been a boon for females.
(1) Women account for more than 80 per cent of the students at Ontario Veterinary College and make up more than half of the province's practising vets.
(2) The Globe & Mail (Dec 7/09) reported that there are now three female undergraduates for every two male students on all Canadian campuses. Women reached parity at the undergraduate level in 1987, at the Masters level in 1997, and now account for about 46 per cent of PhD candidates.
(3) The Globe & Mail (Oct 21/09) reported that overall university participation rates reveal that 58 per cent of undergrads are female. These trends will continue.
It is a wonderful success story for females. The initial drum song was EQUALITY, and insofar as the formative years are concerned, females have surpassed equality and gone into dominance, while still singing the siren song of EQUALITY.
The Globe & Mail reported that, "/programs that bring female role models in science to meet with elementary pupils are legion. There is nothing nearly as systematic for boys."/ Well, of course, it stands to reason, that the overwhelming dominance of women in the nurturing industry implicitly favour their own gender, not boys.
On a nationwide assessment of teenagers, 26 per cent of girls scored at the top level in reading, compared with just 19 per cent of boys. At the bottom level, 13 per cent are boys, compared with only 9 per cent of girls. Boys score 21 percentage points below girls on the Grade 6 writing exam. (78 per cent of girls reach the provincial standard, compared with 57 per cent of boys).
This is the result of the feminization of the curricula and text books. The desanitization of textbooks in all subjects to diminish the lop-sidedness towards males, has now become a lop-sidedness towards females. The pendulum has swing too far away from equality.
Of the 212,000 drop-outs in Canada in 2004-2005, 135,000 were males. The drop-out rate of young males was 12.2 per cent in 2004/5, compared with 7.2 per cent for young females. The share of male drop-outs has increased in recent years. In 1990/91, a sizable majority of drop-outs were males (58.3 per cent); by 2004/5, it had increased to 63.7 per cent. In Quebec, in 2004/5 seven in ten drop-outs were young men.
This growing gender imbalance has engendered no studies, no research, no interest whatsoever. Don’t expect any remedies too soon. Feminists and feminist-infected females show more concern about the lack of men sharing the burden of dusting, dishes, laundry, etc. than the setting up of educational failure for their sons. What a pity. How pathetic. That’s how the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board interprets EQUITY.
'Tis the time for lists
The end of the year and partly to fill newspace and also to demonstrate breadth the news biz produces its long lists of "Best, worst, monthly happenings, etc." How many of the readers remember the year-ends from that enigmatic and captivatating character - Jim Guy, of CHUC - most comprehensive and the very length of it ensured that the station staff could stay home that day; the programming was done for them!
The BurdReport doesn't have a list just a few things that stick in the mind: the resolution to the Frink, the never-ending policing debate, the ongoing Community Centre discussion - this one will not die as the Seniors will never be satisfied until they get a dedicated building. Hey why don't they buy the Lions' Club and of course the congested beach issues. The hidden debate that stems from the fear that Cobourg will never be able to control its taxes. An annual increase of the slightest amount is not good enough for some people, especially with a declining commercial base.
So I am going to look forward in my list. I want to be able to see new faces on a Council dedicated to a new direction. That direction would be one of sustainability not survival. Only projects that cut costs should be undertaken. A Council dedicated to looking at ways to trim programs not expand them - just how much will the CCC cost us to operate? A Council prepared to live within its Official Plan that takes into account the restrictions of the County document, "Places to Grow", which allocates only 80 hectares of greenfield expansion not the complete area to the East of Town. Trimming those expansionary wishes will save money, why build new roads and services on Brook Rd. when you can put 11,000 people into the under-utilised spaces within the existing boundaries? And of course a Council determined to manage its local PUC properly and keep costs down, even if it means putting all of the profits back into the customers' pockets.
The BurdReport doesn't have a list just a few things that stick in the mind: the resolution to the Frink, the never-ending policing debate, the ongoing Community Centre discussion - this one will not die as the Seniors will never be satisfied until they get a dedicated building. Hey why don't they buy the Lions' Club and of course the congested beach issues. The hidden debate that stems from the fear that Cobourg will never be able to control its taxes. An annual increase of the slightest amount is not good enough for some people, especially with a declining commercial base.
So I am going to look forward in my list. I want to be able to see new faces on a Council dedicated to a new direction. That direction would be one of sustainability not survival. Only projects that cut costs should be undertaken. A Council dedicated to looking at ways to trim programs not expand them - just how much will the CCC cost us to operate? A Council prepared to live within its Official Plan that takes into account the restrictions of the County document, "Places to Grow", which allocates only 80 hectares of greenfield expansion not the complete area to the East of Town. Trimming those expansionary wishes will save money, why build new roads and services on Brook Rd. when you can put 11,000 people into the under-utilised spaces within the existing boundaries? And of course a Council determined to manage its local PUC properly and keep costs down, even if it means putting all of the profits back into the customers' pockets.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Never ask a question that you don't know the answer to.
That's the mantra of a good lawyer, journalist or just a person who wants to conduct good interviews. In a story here Cobourg's three time Mayor is going to ponder his political future when he is on holiday in April.
So in order to give some guidance the BurdReport has put up a poll - look left - where the question is asked. Frankly I cannot guess the outcome but the results will be a little bit of cheeky fun. With all the tools available to us on the internet we should be able to inject a bit of fun into the Municipal election races. They start in four days time. So get your suggestions in about how we can have fun with this race. Suggest just who you think will be running and perhaps we should be able to set up a betting pool on them all.
So in order to give some guidance the BurdReport has put up a poll - look left - where the question is asked. Frankly I cannot guess the outcome but the results will be a little bit of cheeky fun. With all the tools available to us on the internet we should be able to inject a bit of fun into the Municipal election races. They start in four days time. So get your suggestions in about how we can have fun with this race. Suggest just who you think will be running and perhaps we should be able to set up a betting pool on them all.
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