The Diary volume Sixteen up to January 19th 2003

Last updated 19th January

As told in this space over the past few weeks 

the best and the worst of the strike at the local papers has been replayed in the Frank Magazine Forum. This cyberspace is the last bastion of the independence of the Internet. Posters, usually writing behind pseudonyms (of the rude, peculiar and often vulgar) slag, mimic and generally entertain themselves by writing all kinds of copy about any topic imagined. To see this click here however this week all changed for the worse and there is even a touch of the sinister. For the past couple of weeks an obnoxious poster, using the name Belcher, has been posting provocative messages designed to denigrate and insult anybody who didn't agree him/her. A small contest was going on the try to discover the identity but it came to a sudden halt when one poster, of the union supporter kind, decided to eradicate every post he had put up. This was followed by the moderator booting Belcher off the Forum and explaining that he/she had libelled the union supporter. What is suspected is that Belcher is an amalgum of the people working in the Cobourg Daily Star's office and Belcher would be activated when anybody who passed by the computer that was constantly pointed to the Frank Forum decided to post whatever was on their minds about the picketers. So anybody who felt like it could get on line and slag the picketers - instant and interactive - the perfect use of the Internet!! But where it gets sinister is that a conspiracy theory emerges that the big hand of Accufax is behind all of this because they want some ammunition to use against the picketers at the upcoming Labour Relations Board Hearing. What we do know is that the management of the papers have been spending more money and attention on Accufax and the strikebreakers than they ever did on the real workers.

A peculiar twist in the School closing procedure over in Port Hope. 

The folks in Port Hope are quickly discovering that the educrats and their lapdog puppies of Trustees of the Kawartha Pine Ridge School Board will rewrite any procedure and policy that do not like or cannot control. The supporters and members of the LB Powers Parents' Council are being threatened with being dissolved and being made irrelevant because they are refusing to kowtow to the educrats.
    In order for the closing process to move ahead there has to be a properly constituted committee (the balance of power going to the Board) to discuss the issues. This committee is composed of two parents Council members and an 'impartial' community member who does not have a child at the school. The Parents' Council members have had the temerity not to appear at the full committee meeting yet because the Parents' Council has decided that until they see the background documents they do not know which member of the Council has the most expertise and will be able to speak to the material. So faced with the prospect of having a committee without any Parents' Council members the Board decided to force the issue and told the PC that because they were only an Advisory Board and sit at the pleasure of the Board they can be disbanded if they don't get in line! Not a word from the Board that the whole process is in contravention of its own policy because the timetable set out by the policy has not been followed. The other interesting Board position is that it wants to bar the Mayor of Port Hope, Rick Austin, from being the community representative. Apparently not only does the Board want to maintain the balance of power, by having the majority on the committee but also deem who is 'partial or impartial'. No wonder most people think that the process is stacked and over before it starts. By the way I hear that our 'wee trustee' is soliciting for testimonials from the participants in the Thomas Gilbard closing process for having done such a wonderful job.

This crowd and those sitting in front of them

were treated a rollicking night of grassroots politics, last Monday evening. A trio of speakers regaled the audience, which was estimated at about 175, with anecdotes and facts about the horrors of a Privatised Health Care. Warning the crowd about other countries that have privatised their Health System led to appeals to get involved and to lobby the governments to implement the 'Romanow Report'."Glad to see you again Angus", Maude
     Maude Barlow was the headline speaker and she spoke about the influences of corporate power which has produced a situation where the Federal Government is now ready to open the Health-Care industry to the private sector. This is being done under trade regulation and treaties rather than parliamentary procedure. "Health Care is a trillion dollar industry in the US and the same corporations want to come to Canada!" she warned. "The Liberals will fudge the issue and not tell you what they are up to." Finishing up her address she sounded almost prophetic and philosophical in this great battle, "It [the issue] will go on for the rest of our lives, but then what else have we got to do?"
   Michael Hurley, a CUPE staff member, spoke about the real costs, being experienced by other major industrial nations, when implementing Public Private Partnerships (P3s). During the question period members of the public were able to discuss the issue from their perspective and the overwhelming consensus was that a crisis exists. All they have to do is now convince the pols!!

The Gordon Campbell controversy, my thoughts

Another amusing link here don't forget to click on the link at the bottom of the copy. But seriously folks this guy - GC - must be the biggest political hypocrite of all time. Just remember how he was going set higer standards and lead by example. Remember just how much he brayed whenever any member of the NDP got into trouble, just remember how he called for everyone to resign, Well the chickens have come home to roost, and what's good for the goose is sauce for the gander [ouch ed, give up with the the devices!!]  OK I think the Campbell should go, resign and get out of there. Now for the really good piece of journalism; a piece in the Globe & Mail this week about how much alcohol you need to drink to be .149 BAC. Well if anybody wants to do a local study, give me a call and we'll set something up. That's what I call investigative journalism, getting paid to drink.

Our favourite holiday beverage Well it's that time of the year again, 

our yearly sojourn to the land of the big hats and shiny sun - Mexico. We leave on Friday for two weeks of R&R. I will be checking email, and the NDP convention, so feel free to send me messages of winter just to make me feel guilty about leaving!

Click on the bottle to get the music

Finally a picture that demonstrates why some people prefer to live in Cobourg

and pay the higher taxes. The northern border of Town!

















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  Last updated January 12th 2003 - Welcome to the new year folks!

A scene from the rally yesterday

the animal picketer A large number of people (one person counted 200 people) attended a rally of support, on Saturday, for the Union on strike at the Cobourg Daily Star and the Port Hope Guide. The rally was held in the parking lot of the County Building on William St, in Cobourg and many came to support the picketers. I counted faces from all walks of life. The rally then became a march. On to the Mall, over to Canadian Tire and back again. All designed to impress the advertisers that the papers are struck.
    The rallyers were spoken to by local VP Ted Amsden, who read from a statement heVP Ted rallying the troops has been circulating around the community. Unfortunately the contents are not being heard at the paper's offices, because it (the statement) talks about the responsibility of a community newspaper and how although the corporation (Osprey)  may own the paper they do so purporting to be the community's newspaper.  This sets up a contradiction between the desire to make money at all costs and the difficulty of maintaining community values.
    Next up was Ontario Federation of Labour VP Irene Harris who spoke about the need to remain solid and she told them all that the forces of the Ontario unions were behind them. Finally Arnold Amber, the Canadian Director of the Newspaper Guild of Canada really lit up the crowd with his remarks. Energised they set off on the march.
Let's hold up the traffic for a while

Anybody wanting to see more pictures go to Pete Fishers website here

On Monday 20th there will be public meeting to discuss the next stage of the Walmart complex

This meeting will explain just how the proponents can justify increasing the square footage of the complex from 230,000 sq ft to 280,000 sq ft. A new market study has been produced which will explain why previous market study (which is only two years old) is inadequate. That is if anybody can understand it. I have had a copy in my possession for a couple of weeks and still can't make head nor tail of it. One would expect that figures from the previous study would be updated to reflect present conditions, Oh Noooo! This study only goes to prove what a very senior developers' consultant told me some time ago, "Market studies are like black magic and voodoo" Well this one certainly adds weight to that opinion.

An email that sums up both the strike and Walmart!

"Royal Cobourg is taking full advantage of the fact that many Cobourg citizens have canceled their papers. I wonder if anyone is interested in calling the Town to ask if the paper still has sufficient circulation( statutory obligation) to place this very important notice ( December 31/02)of the most recent applications by Royal Cobourg for OP and Zoning by-law amendments.
What is being asked for,
1) a supermarket increase from 63,000ft2 to 80.000ft2,as well as
2) an expansion of gross floor area from 230.000ft2 to 280.000ft2,as well as
3) changes in floor areas for the retail units,as well as
4) a total expansion from 230.000 ft2 to 280.000ft2 which will simply go unnoticed by the very citizens who are generally vocal on issues that threaten our downtown.
The public meeting is January 20th at 7.00 pm.Who will lead the parade?
Could this Council ,just once,say no?
Could the DBIA be persuaded to make a presentation?
Keith Oliver has carried the ball,for far too long: appearing in "Mr. Bill"s column is the ultimate insult. We must organize a ratepayers group to help save what's left of this Town and give a "safe" voice to all those who have been succesfully silenced..
Could we say NO to more retail/commerce untill all our downtown stores are filled?The refurbished Allen building is still mostly empty: what does that say to investors?Could we all shame this Council into saying NO?"

Councilor (I really should be Mayor) Williams made a statement to Council last Monday;

wherein he boasted that after counting all the parking spaces downtown we now have two more than we had in 1992. It has been greeted with total derision by the great unwashed. Even though the Mayor congratulated the Councilor for his report both missed the point. "You can jig the figures anyway you want there isn't a person in Town who believes that there is more available parking now than two years ago." One item should make Williams doubt his figures - he included the scores of spaces that used to be public but came off the inventory when he made the owner pay taxes, I refer to the Patchett lot. "Figures lie and Liars figure" Mark Twain.

Sights seen on the road this week

I'm coming home Ma! With your sofa Spotted coming out of town on Hwy 45 this guy (photo on the left), with furniture on the roof of his Malibu, turned into a house at the top of Creighton Heights after driving the distance of a mile. By the time he got into his driveway the bedspread, used as a cover for the furniture, was flapping like a huge flag.

Ooops, where's the road? At about 4.30pm we went to this scene, on the right; a car had skidded off the road dropped down the twenty feet of bank and came to rest in the cornfield on the East side of Burnham St. The two lady occupants were unhurt and very impressed by the recovery job. I delivered them both back home three hours later. The ride home was very enjoyable - thanks to Phyllis and Luby.

So the local Walter Mitty - Steven Guerin - went to court this week.

This is the guy who used to teach at St Mary's Secondary school and led many secret lives. His real life came tumbling down when police answered a call at his apartment and found him with a self-inflicted stab wound and sitting in front of a computer that contained 'kiddie-porn' Further searches of the apartment led police to seize many restricted firearms and false identities. What will be interesting is just how many charges stick and how will society deal with an obviously unconventional person.

Now for something completely different - only try this if you have a highspeed connection.

Make your own Dubya speech, just follow the instructions it is worth the effort and highly amusing. But it may not be for everybody.
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