Beware of Greeks bearing gifts

This ancient warning came back to me as I read the report of a company in Port Hope planning to set up a wind turbine manufacturing plant in Port Hope. The sceptic in me tells me that I'm from Missouri and will believe it when I see it. Remember the web based graphics art facility that was going to set up shop over there - what happened to it? Anyway whilst clapping PH on the back for snagging the location a couple of nagging thoughts keep hanging around. One where was Cobourg in all of this? While only getting what one pays for, we only have half an Economic Development department. Wendy Gibson works her butt off doing ED stuff but the big announcements, and presumably activity, resides in the Mayor's office. A while ago the CAO told me that there were tons of enquiries, (my words - none of it has translated into action). A rumour persists that a big prospect for the empty GF building has flown the coop ad there is little activitiy on the site except a sign blaring that the place is for rent.
But back to Cobourg's effort to attract the wind turbine plant. When did Cobourg hear about this (if they did) what did Cobourg do about it and if the plant was interested why was it not pursued. The public deserves an answer, we pay a fair amount of money for ED and if all we do is produce reams of stats and a glitzy website it obviously is not working.
On the topic of wind turbines don't forget the "Info" meeting set up by a group of "Interested" citizens to discuss a project proposed for the Grafton area. Note the first person to utter NIMBY will get tossed out on their ear! Tonight, Centreton Town Hall 6.30pm
But the other nagging thought is the structure as announced: a guy from Port Hope has links with an Owen Sound company partnering with Linamar in Guelph. How many actual manufacturing jobs will happen when Linamar has a large and efficient machine shop in Batawa, not an hour away from here? So strike out the manufacturing side, now all we have is the assembly side, not many jobs there with a limited production schedule. So is it really going to be 75 jobs. The biggest question of all is the industry itself. Nice concept but hard to implement. There is a transmission problem, the grid is overloaded and without Hydro One building more lines not many more windmills can be taken on.

Tomorrow's stuff today

And there isn't much of it. I'm off to work out of Province in the morning so no time to dig out material and opinion. But live with this quick announcement:

Northside Grill Thursday night, a quickie concert by the lady on the left.

Grammy nominee Eliza Gilkyson in concert this Thursday Sept 24th at The Northside Grill, 92 King St. West, Cobourg
Ticket price: $22 Advance tickets / $27 at the door Dinner package:$50 (for 6pm dinner and 8pm concert
To reserve call 905.377.9709

A brave bunch of folks

Local 14193 USWA went on strike three weeks ago, and they are still manning the picket lines with good cheer, convinced in the righteousness of their cause. The issues still outstanding after six months of bargaining are changes in language and the refusal of Cameco to assume the extra cost of funding retirees benefits the fact that a 0% in the first year and 2% in the second was offered also rubbed salt. In 2004 each and every member took a pay cut to maintain the benefits of the retirees and in this round of bargaining they asked the Company for another 15 cents to maintain the same level for the retirees. As there was no money offered in the first year the benefit funding was in deficit because there was no monetary package to take the 15 cents from. So that funding is a huge issue for the members and when the Company proposed to change the language of the Long Term Disability definitions from "own occupation" to "any occupation", it became obvious that the Company wasn't prepared to deal with the problem of injured workers the Union wasn't prepared to have to take the Insurance Carrier to court to settle a grievance, the strike loomed large. Grant McBride and Troy Bone, President and Vice-President explained the problem and also told me that support for the 137 strikers was strong in the Steelworkers, I had just missed the regional Director's visit, when I turned up at the picket line for a chat. A strike vote of over 98% put them on the picket lines. Since then donations have been coming in and the Strike Fund is strong and will probably produce an average of $300 p.w. to help defray lost wages.

In a related story story this is one of the vans that the Security Company - Corporate Investigative Services, are using to monitor the strikers. This Company's website is here, gumshoes.com !! (Sounds like a Janet Evanovich novel, not a professional strikebreaking firm) Sitting in the van here and another one 25 yds away at least seven men and women were spotted idling their time. Just what they are supposed to be doing is a mystery but the Company has taken over a floor of the Comfort Inn in Port Hope to accomodate the multitude of security people. Grant McBride told me, "These guys have a budget of $564,000 and our benefit request will only cost $41,000 so you go figure where their (the Company) priorities are."
Wandering over to the van I asked a chap called Weber, that's what the nametag said, and asked if he would say anything about his job. "I can't say anything to you, who are you?" "Can I speak to your manager", I continued. He got on his phone and said, after a while, "All I can tell you is that I work for CSI and you will have to talk to Head Office in Lambeth for more details." "Thank you Mr Weber, you told me nothing, so I will not tell you who I am." was my reply.

Such is the life on the picket line.

This story has so many layers. Management laid off salaried 79 workers from the Cobourg plant during this strike. The Cobourg plant, up until about five years ago had steadfastly refused to join the Union. Why should they they argued, "we get all the benefits the workers in Port Hope get and don't have to pay dues!" So how did management treat these loyal company loving people? They laid them off out of seniority and arbitrarily and then blamed the Union. Funny strike tactics being employed here by management.

PS follow 14193 on Twitter - /14193

Found something worthy of a Monday comment!

In this letter to a local paper College St resident James Loken makes the case that short term job creation announcements may be bad for the health of the Community. Basically he states that the decision to build a new VIA Rail station next to the present one is folly and will not provide adequate services on the limited space available and will not handle the traffic in the future. I agree with him.
If the Town of Cobourg is going to spend millions of dollars on the upgrading of D'Arcy St. and has planned for the build of Kerr St, in the land North of the tracks between D'Arcy and Division, why don't we plan for a state of the art facility in that area instead of the unsafe location it is in now. Surely we should not be in the business of turning VIA Rail money down but it's only good planning to tell them that the present site is not suitable for the next one hundred years. Road access is abysmal and unsafe, parking facilities are non-expandable and a new station house beside an old one is silly. Maybe the visionists on Council can see further than the noses on their faces and really think about this one instead of reading the press releases and drooling down the front of their shirts!

Pretty dangerous stuff for a Monday morning

This is the most postable item for a Monday so far. I've been up since six am scouring the internet to bring inspiration for the Monday morning read. After reading all the pundits and all the newspapers that I usually read - about 15. All that can be posted that brings a smile to my face is a dubious short video. It may be offensive to animal lovers but as a diversion from internet fart jokes and Jackass movie clips clips this one is short and sweet and I stand to be condemned by all those who disagree and those who were waiting for profundity and depth. So comment away and some of you may even have opinions of your own - I'd love to hear them.

It feels good when it stops!

As you know I have a spotty record in math calculations, so hack away at these observations!
The image on the left shows the latest addition to our household - the Smart Meter. You know those gizmos that will make us all educated and wiser users of hydro. At a cost of over a million dollars all household units in Cobourg will have one of these fitted by the local utility company LUSI.
The rationale, touted by all supporters of the device, is that consumers will now have the freedom to choose how to save money by selecting which time period they use when consuming hydro. What a load of bollocks!
This move to smart meters is the biggest moneygrab in the history of the province. A stealthy move designed to get consumers to pay more for hydro.
Hydro pricing has been a political football ever since Mike Harris destroyed the stable forty year amortisation of capital costs repayment programme for ideological purposes.
We currently pay 5.7 cents for a kw/hour on the basic allowance per household of 1260 kw/hrs. That means if granny, wrapped in sweaters, keeps her usage down to the minimum she will only pay $71.82 per billing period. Under the new program of time choosing, the basic price of $.57 goes to $.68 (this is obtained by calculating the average cost per hour - cheapest being $.42 and most expensive being $.91 over a 24 hour period). So without even being given the freedom to choose when one can use hydro, the price has jumped 19.74%.
When one looks at the periods that one can choose to use hydro and consequently shift their consumption times, there are costs that cannot be shifted - heating costs, cooking times etc. So to try to con us with buzzwords like "consumer choice" is fraudulent. There are very few moves left to do that the educated consumer can now do to save hydro costs: they have already converted light bulbs, they already have fitted programmeable thermostats, most are aware of the benefits of high efficiency appliances and furnaces - some have converted. So not only are we accused of being ignorant for not doing these things but now are hit with a huge hydro increase and then told we can save money. And, to add insult to injury, we will be paying for these smart meters on our bills (estimated at $4.00 per month).
Remember photo radar? It became a symbol of political unrest and rebellion. Smart Meters have the capability to become such a symbol - an impotent device that we have to pay for. The first political party pledging to remove them them will garner votes, and lots of them.

If you want to see how much of your money has been wasted on this promotion of a moneygrab look here it is a glitzy flash interactive web site of a fictional house that uses typical appliances. I defy any of you with the patience to use this site properly to believe the results.

Thursday #5

This story came to me at the Lib nomday. I was asked did I know that Kevin Fast was going to pull a plane? The informant told me that his feat was going to handled by the Guiness Book of Records to be a kickoff for next year's edition. Not only that Regis and Kelly of TV fame were going to be there. I asked around and was told that nothing was being planned for last weekend, the days mentioned, but perhaps in September. Well lo and behold here is Keving Fast pulling a plane so we can look forward to Kevin being on TV, in NYC, early next month.

Thursday #4

Want to have some timewasting fun at the expense of the Puffster and Con party? This website is the latest brainchild of Conservative party media. The idea is that you type in your name when prompted and Senator Mike Duffy will speak your name and invite you to see some dubious accomplishments. This story from NOW magazine explains the problem - Mike's interactive programme has trouble recognising non "white" names. Try it - punch in Enzo, Mohhommed or as I did Mandeep and Mike will not know who you are. Punch Jim, Ben, Peter and any other 'normal name and you get a personalised message.

This place has only been open four days and....

OK I was probably the last media person to interview the owner and the place has only been open four days! So what is the enterprise that has created such a stir in the time? A Sex Shop, called "Saucy Essentials" that's what. We have had sex shops in Cobourg before but never in such a high profile spot as this - on the main drag and opposite City Hall.
Entering boldly through the main entrance, there is a back door for the shy and publicity averse, I introduced myself to a very cheery lady called Wendy. I didn't ask her last name and she doesn't give it on her cards. So it's just Wendy. "I think that there is a need for this kind of store" she told me. I agreed and suggested that there were more than a few repressed people living in Cobourg. Asking if there had been any reaction to the opening, knowing that a special meeting of the DBIA had been convened to discuss it and aware of the fact that many people had been voicing disapproval, she has even had to be checked out by the local cops as well having to prove she complied with local zoning bylaws, she replied, "Reaction has been good, I have been four times busier than planned."
As I prepared to leave I asked, "What has been your best seller?" Grinning wickedly she replied, "Now I can't tell you that, can I"

Thursday #2

Why is this young man smiling? Because he is looking forward to a political fight - meet the NDP nominee for NQW - Pat Clark.
Born and schooled in Cobourg, with a BA from Trent (in International Development), and now finishing his Masters in Global Governance he is eminently qualified academically to battle wits with the witless in the next Federal election. Fresh back from a Co-op experience in Venezuala where he was working with an NGO in the Fair Trade Coffee movement he returned with a new language and plenty of experience with the South American Free trade Agreements. Finishing in December, he has already turned down opportunities to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he looks for new and interesting challenges of all kinds.
One of his new challenges will turn up at any time and that is a Federal Election. Talking with Russ Christianson, the three time successful NDP candidate (he increased the NDP vote in each election he challenged) Pat was surprised when Russ encouraged him to put his name forward. After all it's not as though Pat is unknown to the NQW NDP, he has worked in several elections before he left for academia and since.
Acknowledging his youth, Pat is only 23, he thinks that is no disadvantage. "There is a youth constituency that has been ignored, I would like to work with them, and others, to bring their issues to the fore" Whilst wanting to meet and learn from others he wants to meet and hear what all the different groups in N'land have to say .
"Student debt and the problem of youth unemployment is high on my list of concerns" he told me in a recent interview. "Especially the lack of opportunities in one's field" referring to the problems that many recent graduates, and friends are now facing, "Even the ones with crappy jobs are seeing no opportunities further down the road!"
He readily admits that he became a New Democrat because he has been attracted to Social Democracy for a long time' "Social Democracy has worked well in many countries and Social Democrat economies have worked the best!" Acknowledging that he is willing to call himself a socialist he ponders the question, "Why is 'socialist' a negative term?" Great question, one that the present Dippers might ask themselves.
Let me tell you I am excited about this young candidate, he is bright, articulate thoughtful and unfilled with dogma and cant. ln an age where all the political parties do is look for candidates that will not screw up, this fellow will shine!