Editorial comment:
This application has to be thoroughly discussed, in public, as it will set the planning for the rest of the area. The Mayor and Council believe they consulted exhaustively before establishing the new parkland at the MidTown Creek they should do the same with this application. The harbourlands may be privately owned but they are in public spaces and as such should be planned with the public in mind. It is not good enough to say that the public will be invited to the public council meeting where this application will be rubber stamped a full public consultation session must be planned and implemented. This application will enshrine bad planning into the public space for the next two centuries if it goes the way current process dictates!

Conflict of interest revisited:
Will Councillor MacCaughey reassure the public that although he is the coordinator of planning he will have nothing to do with harbour area planning decisions. His conflict of interest is blatantly obvious, even to a blind man. He owns and operates a business in the harbour area.

A commentary that stands by itself:
A local developer, has acquired the former hospital parking lot and taken his dog and pony show to the Council to expose his ideas. Council told him, because they were feeling some heat from the locals, to maintain as many mature trees as possible. "Aye aye sir" was the reply and most people went home half satisfied. Until last week that was. Enter a subcontractor who cut down all the mature trees. Now I ask you if you look at the plan on the sign just where was he going to maintain the mature trees or did he show another plan to Council?
Asking around, the BurdReport has learned that it was pointed out at the public meeting, to discuss the new zoning, the positions of the mature trees were in the wrong place on the concept drawing and all concerned were supposed to come back to staff to sort it all out. The point is now moot!

Look closely at the sign and you will see that a "vandal" has made an editorial comment about the developer. Surely this sentiment will not be condemned by more than a few people.

Cramahe Township has to dig deep to find a buyout package:
Cramahe Township Council, or at least the rump of the Council fired the CAO last year and has been trying to negotiate their way out of the situation ever since. Now the citizens have found out exactly what the cost will be. In this article by John Barker of the Brighton Independent you can read the details. The Readers Digest version is that it will cost $161,569 in lost salary and benefits and $8,486 in legal fees to get out of the mess. This money will be coming out of this years budget. John Barker writes, "Mr. Dekeyser said the $161,569 for Mr. Dewing’s settlement will have to be paid in one lump sum out of the 2004 budget — and there’s no money in the budget to pay it. He said in an interview he expects taxpayers to be “very angry”. That sums it all up.

January 4th 2005
The first entry of a new year, and if you faithful readers have found this you must really be searching the internet for something to read and I thank you for it.

The American election is still alive read this, it's about how Kerry has quietly signed on to the OHIO recount. Here is another site that tracks as much of the voting irregularities as possible.

So how about this idea, "turn your back on Bush" a whole bunch of people have figured out that normal protests don't work and have now resorted to the final insult - turning ones back on the parade. Here is a site that is pushing such an idea. Innovative and challenging!

Back to local affairs our Provincial repmeister Mr Lou Rinaldi, has issued the cheapest challenge of his life. He donated the grand sum of $100 to Tsunami relief and then challenged all other local politicians to match this grand sum. Well if I earned his wages, at least $100 Gs I'd think what's a $100? A tip for the waiter!. He should be ashamed to admit that he is donating only $100 - 1% of his gross, even Christians tithe 10 times that much each week and most don't even know what $100 Gs look like.

The Molly Baker Lane discussion may have come to an end. A compromise, which still doesn't please all, has been hammered out. However in what may be interpreted as a fit of pique the developer has dumped soil in a popular walking spot and now the only access from Brook Rd to Hamilton Ave is the lane. Congratulations to the tireless work of Miriam Mutton and many of her supporters and brickbats to the shameful remarks emanating from the ever elitist personality of Councillor Pam Jackson. Describing the future of the proposed lane as one of being a hideout for young people, drugs and condoms the remarks said more about Cllr' Jackson's vivid imagination and obvious disdain for anybody other than her snobby connections than common sense. Those with the common sense obviously ignored her rantings as those of a person who had lost touch. Fortunately Prof. Robert Washburn took her to task in his biweekly column.