For those of you without Channel 10

Here it is the delegation before Council last night. Thanks to Wally K for the video. Hey I wrote that before screening it and didn't realise that Patty's remarks were not recorded - they were far more enlightening than mine! Come out next Monday to see what the Council does about this issue.

Well we did it - said our piece

Last night the Northumberland Concerned Citizens addressed Council in Cobourg. Yours truly and Patty Park - video to follow - made a presentation that laid out the health care issues that will grow from the proposed cuts to community health. A big part of the presentation, although it took little time to explain it, was the emphasis on the role that Council has to play in this. Cobourg has invested heavily ($4.4 million cash and untold millions in-kind) and set the hospital into the centrepiece of its economic strategy therefore it is essential that they protect that investment. Patty did an exceptional job laying out how the "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" and why it is absolutely necessary that Cobourg Council pass a motion decrying the cuts.

Council listened intently, although some really bad body language betrayed true feelings, and promised to make a decision next week after listening to an explanation, in a private meeting, (to be held on Thursday) from Mr Biron.

Finally let us all understand the this issue is not going to be solved by Mr Biron and the hospital board, it is a provincial gov thing. Rinaldi and his pals are not going to support this in any way ; that has to change! So the next thing to do is to pack the Council chamber next Monday and listen to Council discuss this important issue.

Vatican Forgives the Beatles!

John Lennon must be enjoying a huge laugh from his grave today as the Vatican has announced in a newsletter that it has forgiven him and the lads for those comments Lennon made in 1966. Trying to make the point that people had their priorities screwed up, he said the Beatles were more popular than Jesus, which caused a huge outcry among conservative Christians and apparently the Vatican too. Former fans in the southern USA made piles of their Beatles records and burned them, vowing to never listen to the infidels again.

While that controversy eventually died down, and we all moved on, it looks like the Vatican didn't. Until now, that is. Funny how, in the middle of what just might be the biggest and most fractious issue faced by the Mother Church in its entire history, their higher-ups found the time to forgive poor old long dead John Lennon.

What to make of it all? Surely they can't think this will distract us from the Church's abuse crisis, but what other reason would there be for making this announcement now? As a non-Catholic, maybe I just don't understand how things work. All I am sure of is that John is chuckling down at us now from whatever version of heaven he imagined for himself.

A busy weekend for some.

A wonderful weekend, sunny and brisk, but some of us were busy. The Northumberland Citizens Coalition certainly were. Parading in front of Vic Hall and signing petitions. The embedded video is courtesy of Rick Jansen - thanks Rick.

Naturally the road claimed me. Talk radio was the only relief and it was again repetitive and entertaining. Boy those hosts do love to talk about the same things don't they? The Helena Guergis deal and the Polish airliner crash were the biggies. But in the HG affair the original report in the TO Star carried a throwaway line that stuck with me and has been bypassed by all the commentary heard so far. The reporter speculated that the reason that Rahim J got off his cocaine charge might have been because he agreed to roll-over on his dinner-mates for other charges.

In the case of the Polish airliner tragedy the "Spaceman" on AM640, carried on in the vein he always mines - that one-world government and the illuminati are to blame. This time with the backdrop of the "Katyn massacre" tied to Prince Charles's recent visit to ancient heritage sites in Poland and the strange happenings of past events on the same date. fancifull stuff but he does make the hours pass easily!

But back to the local campaign by the Health Coalition folks. Tonight the campaign to educate and encourage goes to Cobourg Council. Local folks will be asking Council to support the efforts to retain services and pass a motion to that effect. Watch it on Channel 10.

An update and an opinion

The Northumberland Health Coalition had a meeting with the local MPP, it appears that no-one changed anybody's mind. Here is a report of the meeting that has been released to the media. Meanwhile the other group, Patchett's bunch, have released a progress report, that has been published as a letter to the editor in NToday, and makes interesting reading.
Mr Frank Farago, as the chair of the group which calls itself "the Citizens for Alternative Solutions", expresses frustration with a couple of things. One is that he complains that exclusive access is being denied, he is being told that his group will be meeting with other people, up to 60 of 'em. The other complaint is that he doesn't understand why the CEO and Board Chair doesn't avail themselves of the expertise contained in this group, the members of which are unknown to the general public. The BurdReport has heard rumours that this group is composed of business like Rotarians who think that their very names should open doors - obviously Mr Biron is not as impressed with them as they are with themselves. As a newcomer to the community he obviously does not recognise the social and financial impact of these guys. The BurdReport is impressed with Mr Biron's behaviour in this regard.
But back to the NHC's meeting with the MPP. It was a meeting that had to take place even if only to show just how stubborn he is being and how unresponsive he is to his constituents concerns. Having demonstrated indifference to the situation he now has to defend himself against complaints of his disregard to the situation. Not having answers about the purported new facilities that are going to be in place before any of the cuts take place is scandalous. Taking orders from the LibCentral is even worse especially when it disregards his voters problems.

I am only the enforcer of the orders

One of the disturbing things about these recent hospital cuts is the way that local hospitals have to implement central directives in a local way and make them look like local decisions. But let's be realistic. In an article published today in the TO Sun Christina Blizzard details how ALC patients are being moved from local hospitals by orders from the MoH. The moving of patients has had a terrible effect on family lives and should be stopped, especially when the facilities in local communities, for the transfer don't exist.
"Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) are being told to get chronically ill patients out of hospitals and into long-term facilities."

So if you want to be heard in this debate get out to a meeting tonight at Trinity United Church in Cobourg at 5.30pm. The next person to be moved, as far away as Kingston, will be your Granny!

But on the flip side this debate has its supporters, a comment from the story is copied for its venom and lack of objectivity but it does show that some people just are not looking at this properly:

April 6th 2010, 11:06pm
This is about Howie Hambone backing Boob Rae when he would not allow the building of private/public nursing homes during his reign. This was felt worse in the north. Hospitals are for active medical care, not carcass storage. If you wanted to be closer, then you should have placed your name on a waiting list for the home of your choice. Everyone wants to go to heaven, yet no one wants to die. The family should take her in and have nursing care done at home, or are they just too busy, or who knows what to help out. Remember at some point, healthcare in ontario is really only about containing feces, vomit, urine, and smells.

Get out for this one

Join the others in our community protesting the hospital cuts.

Victoria Hall 10am on Saturday

Send a message

I bet the Harpercrits have one of these

Today is the first day of the election in the UK and will also be the place of new toys for political junkies. New polls based on real time, instant punditry and one of these - a swingometer - a tool that analyses election results based on swings in public opinion. Play with it for a couple of minutes and you will be hooked. The BurdReport wonders just which website in Canada will have one for us in the next few days.

How do we represent ourselves?

With some difficulty! In this story it is related that the Federal government intends to expand the House of Commons by another 30 MPs - that's just what we need another bunch of trained seals. Eighteen more MPs for Ontario, not all in Tory territory, may yet be another ploy for the Harpercrits to get nearer to the majority they lust for. But think about it just how much common sense is in this. The reason for it is to rebalance large ridings and make smaller ridings more representative. But why do we not establish rules that will allow larger ridings and keep the same number of MPs?

On another front we have municipal councils that, in my mind are too small. Seven councillors to run Northumberland is ridiculous, where is the reasoned debate pondering such weighty County questions? There is none. A small coterie of busy councillors is shortchanging the voters. Too often we have items on the agendas being passed over because of the lack of attention and the desire to placate staff positions, after all if the council directs reports to the staff they cannot then just dismiss the report when it comes back.

So the sad situation is this: we have too many MPs in Ottawa and not enough councillors in Northumberland, each situation producing a frustrated voter base and a contented bureaucracy.

And just when thought all the fun had gone out of politics

In rides a man guaranteed to stir things up in Cramahe Township. In this story it is reported that former Mayor Lee Dekeyser has filed papers to run against Marc Coombs for the Mayor's job. Coombs defeated Dekeyser last time around after some pretty stinky backroom dealings with a majority on Council that made the then Mayor Dekeyser look bad. Perhaps this time because Dekeyser is running from the oustside and public sentiment is against incumbents he will prevail. One thing to bet on this fight will be in the muck at some time during the next six months.