SINGH GETS CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE

Poor Jagmeet Singh.  For such a nice guy, he sure takes more than his share of lumps.

On April 28th, Canadians consigned Singh and his New Democrats to the ash heap, reducing the party to a mere shadow of its former self and removing it from official party status in the House of Commons.  The resounding electoral blow led Singh to resign as party leader, a rather inglorious fate for the man who is probably most responsible for the extension of prescription drug and dental benefits to the young and starting out and to the old and checking crowds.  Both groups looked the other way, though, when it came time to cast a ballot, caught up as they were in the two-party struggle between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

On Saturday, Jagmeet went to a concert in Toronto, a man of the people, with the people, and out with the people on a weekend night.  He claims he went to the concert to take in the talent of the opening act, a rapper named SZA, because apparently Jagmeet likes his rappers.

But the problems started when Singh remained for the featured artist, which is what 100 out of 100 people would do after shilling out for the tickets, which wouldn’t have been cheap, since the main event was Los Angeles rapper Kendrick Lamar.  And since Lamar is pretty much one of the Hip Hop giants, nobody would ever have cause to criticize Jagmeet about his choice of concerts to attend.

Except Drake.

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CHILD SAFETY AT PLAY

He was at the very top, a boy, maybe six, perhaps seven years old.  His mom, or the person responsible for his safety, was at the bottom, looking up.  He seemed unsure of himself.

The boy was at the very top of a play structure, a modern one, by all appearances state of the art.  His hesitancy involved coming down a ladder-type feature, with rungs, where a climber could move down or up, depending on which way a child might want to go.

Sometimes the climb up is easier than the climb down because, well, you start low and work yourself high.  And you’re not necessarily realizing fully how far up off the ground you might be climbing, what with your eyes being directed upwards, towards the top.  But when you’re at the top looking down, you become more fully aware of the drop, and of the reality of elevation, and the further reality of gravity, and what it might do to you if you make some sort of mis-step on the way down, or even before you begin the journey down.

It’s a play structure, though, for heaven’s sake, and so safety was obviously top-of-mind for the people who designed it and manufactured it, not to mention the people who researched it and procured it, in this case on the part of the municipality.  And so, as a play structure in a public park, one swarming with kids at times, the assumption is that there is no danger here.

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ISRAEL STRIKES IRAN HARD

I always knew that it was inevitable.  But when the Americans told their diplomatic staff in several Middle East countries to pack up and head home on Wednesday, it became imminent.

Israel attacked Iran again, and this time it was for keeps.  These two countries have been in a shadow war for decades, and have recently traded blows, right around the time that Israel was putting the boots to all of Iran’s proxy terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.  

When that it-for-tat business was happening between the two, I took note of the Israeli targets in Iran, and mostly took note of the fact that the Israelis stayed well clear of Iran’s nuclear facilities, something that most international pundits gave Israel credit for, as in credit for showing such remarkable restraint.  Those international pundits have a shocking naivety.

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CHOPPING DOWN A CAMERA

We keep putting it back up, but they keep knocking it back down.

A similar start to yesterday’s story, not out of any sense of laziness, but simply a recognition that, well, it would be a hell of a way to start this story as well.  

Only this time the players are different.

The we are the City of Toronto, and a concerned neighbourhood group.  The they are the people, or maybe just person, who seem intent on committing regular acts of vandalism on city-owned properties and assets.  And the it in this case is a traffic camera, specifically a speed-camera, better known as photo radar.

Five times the contractor who supplies and maintains the camera has set it up.  And five times somebody has come along and cut it down.  You could say this whole thing is a going concern.

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TOPPLED STATUES AND HISTORICAL ACCURACY

We keep putting him back up, and they keep knocking him back down.

We are the people of Ontario, as represented by the government of Ontario, and as driven by the premier of Ontario, meaning Doug Ford.

They are the people who protest the things that we do, and show their displeasure through paint attacks, graffiti, and pushing things over, even smashing them when possible.

The him is Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald.  Actually not Sir John in the flesh, because he’s long dead, but a bronze statue of him, this one in a prominent position at Queen’s Park, the location of our provincial government.

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COUNCILLOR ADVOCATES FOR HOME OWNERS

It’s late in the third period and your team is down by three goals.  Or it’s the seventh inning, and the boys are down by four, your starter has been knocked out of the game, and your best player swinging the hottest bat was injured back in the third, yet remains in the game, albeit hobbled and a shadow of his regular self.

You’re at a Renfrew Town Council meeting, your eyes are stinging, and you’re questioning all the concepts of good governance you’ve ever learned and experienced.  You’re two-and-a-half hours into the meeting, and you’re convinced that if you stay any longer, it may become a police matter, or a health matter, or both.

So you leave the rink.  Shut off the television.  Gather your belongings and leave.

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COMMITTEE COMPOSITION AND ATTENDANCE

Are there attendance requirements for members of municipally-mandated committees?

I understand that people are busy, and I further understand that there ought to be some degree of flexibility when it comes to balancing a person’s personal and occupational life with the requirements of being involved in a committee.

That said, what’s the point of a committee, made up of a number of “civilians,” when half the civilians aren’t present at the meeting?

The last Economic Development Advisory Committee was held a week ago, and had it not been for the presence of town staff and a pair of councillors, the room would have been essentially empty, with only three non-council and non-staff members present.  It may be enough for a quorum, but it’s not enough to satisfy the requirements of a mature and responsible advisory committee.  And by the way, a quorum is a minimum requirement, and doesn’t in any way convey a sense of responsible government.  It simply sets a minimum standard, but is in no way to be confused with effectiveness of purpose.  We’re better when we have the whole team on the bench, and weaker when we don’t.

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COUNCILLOR ASKS FOR BAFN REPORT

Props and bravo to John McDonald.

The Renfrew councillor introduced a motion whereby town staff is to identify and and provide all relevant documentation outlining the relationship existing between the Town of Renfrew and the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, especially as it pertains to the BAFN presence at Ma-Te-Way.

This is one of two items I requested information on last October, but was told to go stuff myself by Clerk Carolynn Errett and former Acting CAO Kelly Latendresse on the grounds that the request was “political” in nature.  And staff doesn’t do political.  They told me to direct the question to Council instead.  Which was really cool because that was the very body that refused to even acknowledge my request in the first place, much less respond to it.

But now, after eight months, a real live councillor, John McDonald, is going to take a crack at it.

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STATIONWALA RELEASES RVH REPORT

Corporate expense accounts have been around for as long as corporations have been around, so it’s no big surprise that top executives at Renfrew Victoria Hospital — RVH — had expense accounts.  And as far as corporate accounts go, there’s always been the requirement that receipts be gathered and tendered to back up any expense claims.  It’s simply just a part of good corporate governance.

Often, senior officers in a corporation or other high-level institutions need to get out of their offices and connect with other people in the interests of, and often at the behest of, the corporation that they represent.  There’s absolutely nothing unusual about that practice, and you can’t expect people to pay out-of-pocket for expenses incurred in representing the corporation.  But again, just keep those receipts.

Because corporate credit cards and the honour system are a really poor match.

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