Mémorial des Victimes du Communisme; il n'y a rien de démocratique.

Monuments ne devraient pas être motivés par une idéologie ou créé à la demande du plus offrant. Le Mémorial proposé aux victimes du communisme à Ottawa est à la fois. La controverse a augmenté depuis des mois sur un plan de placer le monument dans ce qui est actuellement un parc sans nom entre la Cour suprême du Canada et Bibliothèque et Archives bâtiments sur la rue Wellington. Les politiciens conservateurs, en particulier Jason Kenney, John Baird, et Pierre «le pétulant » Poilievre ont été particulièrement agressif sur cette cause, qui est financé par une organisation se faisant appeler Tribute to Liberty, une organisation d'individus qui ont soit été victimes de gouvernements communistes ou avoir des membres de la famille qui l'étaient.

Je suis opposé communisme. Je ne peux pas penser à un seul bon exemple de ce travail dans tous les pays où il a été ou est le système de gouvernement. Il en résulte une perte complète des droits civils, la médiocrité économique, menace la paix, et finit par être tout aussi élitiste au système qu'il remplace. Il assume les humains sont capables de perfection et aucune faute quand organisé collectivement. La vérification de la réalité est que nous sommes des êtres humains et peu importe la façon dont nous sommes organisés, rien ne va jamais être parfait. Pendant des décennies, le site du monument Ottawa devait être l'emplacement d'un nouveau palais de justice à la maison de la Cour canadienne de historiquement connue comme la Cour fédérale de l'Échiquier. Les politiciens conservateurs ont ignoré ce plan et ont désigné comme le site pour le monument à la place. Le idéologique et arrogante M. Kenney, avec le nocive et méchant M. Poilievre disent sans cesse: "personne ne veut vraiment un autre bâtiment de bureaux du gouvernement au centre-ville d'Ottawa» comme justification pour localiser le mémorial surdimensionné sur le site. Un palais de justice n’est tout simplement pas un autre bâtiment de bureaux du gouvernement. Il est où la justice est servi pour le bien public. Un palais de justice est probablement un bien meilleure monument à la démocratie que les dalles de pierre et d'acier. M. Kenney et les commentaires de M. Poilievre sur le palais de justice proposé être juste un autre immeuble de bureaux du gouvernement disent signes de mépris les conservateurs ont pour le système judiciaire impartial et souvent militante. Tribute to Liberty a essentiellement recueilli des fonds de manière à ce qu'ils puissent acheter les faveurs du gouvernement et avoir leur site préféré pour le mémorial. Les motivations idéologiques des conservateurs ont probablement assoupli leurs efforts. Je suis convaincu que le gouvernement Harper pense toute la responsabilité du gouvernement au-delà des forces armées est radical-socialisme. Que Tribute to Liberty a fait, et ce que le gouvernement a fait grâce à sa collaboration est totalement antidémocratique. Il ressemble en fait la corruption, la collaboration et la corruption que l'on associe avec le dysfonctionnement des pays communistes.

Le Conseil municipal d'Ottawa a adopté une résolution demandant que le monument soit déplacé. La question est de plus en plus reçoit l'attention nationale. L'idée d'un monument lui-même n’est pas nécessairement mauvais, mais il ne devrait pas être à l'emplacement proposé, et il ne devrait pas être si audacieux et criardes afin de faire une déclaration idéologique. Il y a d'autres monuments en l'honneur des victimes différentes, des batailles et des événements partout à Ottawa. Aucun d'entre eux sont comme imposant ou sont idéologiquement motivée que le projet de Mémorial des Victimes du Communisme. Ce monument finirait par être le deuxième plus grand de son genre dans la capitale, avec seulement le Monument commémoratif de guerre étant plus grande. Le monument de la Marine royale du Canada est situé dans un petit parc par le pont du Portage et de la rivière des Outaouais. Pourquoi la contribution des marins qui ont servi notre pays pendant plus d'un siècle devrait être éclipsé? Beaucoup de ces marins servis dans une capacité où ils ont été ou en contenant, réduisant le communisme! Va de même pour les soldats et les aviateurs! Mon grand-père était dans l'ARC, il a toujours appelé lui-même un vétéran de la guerre froide et a même une médaille pour elle. Les seuls grands monuments de notre capitale devraient être pour nos militaires. Les gens servis et ont sacrifié leur vie pour le Canada pour des raisons non-partisane, non-idéologiques. Petits monuments sont parfaitement acceptables, et ils ne devraient certainement pas rivaliser ou usurper ceux honorer nos morts et les anciens combattants qui ont servi sous la motivation nationale, pas la motivation nationaliste ou idéologique. Nos monuments nationaux ne devraient pas être construits en raison de l'ingérence politique et les efforts de collecte de fonds au plus offrant.

Memorial to the Victims of Communism; there's nothing democratic about it.

Monuments should not be ideologically motivated or created at the behest of the highest bidder.  The proposed Memorial to the Victims of Communism in Ottawa is both.  Controversy has been increasing for months now over a plan to place the monument in what is currently an unnamed park between the Supreme Court of Canada and Library and Archives buildings on Wellington Street.  Conservative politicians, especially Jason Kenney, John Baird, and Pierre “the petulant” Poilievre have been especially aggressive on this cause, which is financed by an organization calling itself Tribute to Liberty, an organization of individuals who have either been victimized by communist governments or have family members who were.

I oppose communism.  I cannot think of one single good example of it working in any country where it was or is the system of government.  It results in a complete loss of civil rights, economic mediocrity, threatens peace, and ends up being equally elitist to the system it replaces.  It assumes humans are capable of perfection and no wrongdoing when organized collectively.  The reality check is that we are human and no matter how well we are organized, nothing is ever going to be perfect.  For decades, the site of the Ottawa monument was to be the location of a new courthouse to house the Federal Court of Canada—historically known as the Exchequer Court.  Conservative politicians have ignored that plan and have designated it as the site for the monument instead.  The ideological and arrogant Mr. Kenney, along with the noxious and nasty Mr. Poilievre continually say “nobody really wants another government office building in downtown Ottawa” as their justification for locating the oversized memorial on the site.  A courthouse is just not another government office building.  It is where justice is served for the public good.  A courthouse is probably a far better monument to democracy than slabs of stone and steel.  Mr. Kenney and Mr. Poilievre’s comments about the proposed courthouse being just another government office building are telling signs of the contempt the Conservatives have for the impartial and often activist judiciary.  Tribute to Liberty has basically raised money in such a way that they could buy favour with the government and have their preferred site for the memorial.  The ideological motivations of the Conservatives have most likely eased their efforts.  I am positive that the Harper government thinks any government responsibility beyond the armed forces is radical socialism.  What Tribute to Liberty has done, and what the government has done through its collaboration is completely undemocratic.  It actually resembles the bribery, collaboration, and corruption that one associates with the dysfunction of communist countries.

Ottawa City Council has passed a resolution asking that the monument be relocated.  The issue is increasingly receiving national attention.  The idea of a memorial itself is not necessarily bad, but it should not be in the location proposed, and it should not be so bold and garish in order to make an ideological statement.  There are other monuments in honour of various victims, battles, and events throughout Ottawa.  None of these are as imposing or are as ideologically motivated as the proposed Memorial to the Victims of Communism.  This monument would end up being the second-largest of its kind in the capital, with only the National War Memorial being larger.  The Royal Canadian Navy monument is located in a small park by the Portage Bridge and the Ottawa River.  Why should the contribution of the sailors who have served our country for over a century be dwarfed?  Many of these sailors served in a capacity where they were containing or curtailing communism!  The same applies to soldiers and aviators!  My grandfather was in the RCAF, he always called himself a veteran of the Cold War and even has a medal for it.  The only large memorials in our capital city should be for our military personnel.  People served and sacrificed their lives for Canada for non-partisan, non-ideological reasons.  Smaller monuments are perfectly acceptable, and they certainly should not rival or usurp those honouring our war dead and veterans who served under national motivation, not nationalist or ideological motivation.  Our national monuments should not be constructed due to political interference and the fundraising efforts of the highest bidder.

De Nederland houdt van Canada. We willen hen ook.

Een Koninklijk bezoek van een andere soort vindt plaats in Canada nu. Wanneer de meeste Canadezen denken van een Koninklijk bezoek, ze denken van HM de Koningin of de andere leden van de Britse monarchie komt over een paar dagen door te brengen in onze anachronistisch Dominion. Telkens als ik rijden door het centrum van Ottawa en zie de vlaggen van andere landen bevestigd aan het licht berichten ter ere van het bezoek van een buitenlandse leider, ik vaak mentaal verwerpen het als een verspilling van geld. Heeft een bezoekende lid van buitenlandse royalty, premier of president echt schelen als zijn / haar nationale vlag vliegt bij aankomst hier? Ik betwijfel of het echt. Ik voel me ook ongemakkelijk als ik zie dat de vlag van een land met een slechte mensenrechtensituatie vliegen in onze hoofdstad, terwijl onze regering lijkt alleen de zorg over het bereiken van handelsovereenkomsten met landen die verder afnemen van de mensenrechten in die landen en de arbeidsomstandigheden en lonen in onze eigen. Ik herinner me een keer zien van de Vietnamese vlag die langs Ottawa straten en ik voelde me alsof ons land werd geregeerd door Jane Fonda.

Maar we zijn in het midden van een Koninklijk bezoek hier dat ik goed over kan voelen. Koning Willem en Koningin Maxima van Nederland is hier voor vier dagen. Ik hou van Nederland. Afgezien van Groot-Brittannië en de Verenigde Staten, het is een van de landen die zo veel aan de identiteit, de economie en de cultuur van Canada hebben bijgedragen. Ons land heeft ook bijgedragen aan de stabiliteit en het uithoudingsvermogen van de Nederland ook. Tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog, de Nederlandse koninklijke familie nam toevlucht in Ottawa, terwijl de nazi's bezette hun land. Prinses Margriet werd hier zelfs geboren in Ottawa Civic Hospital. De Canadese regering tijdelijk afgestaan de kamer naar Nederland, zodat de prinses kon worden geboren op Nederlands grondgebied en blijven de koninklijke afkomst. Het was de Canadese soldaten die de bevrijding van Nederland leidde van de nazi's in de buurt van het einde van de oorlog, een evenement dat onlangs zijn 70e verjaardag gevierd. De Nederlanders nemen deze gebeurtenissen uiterst serieus en blijven een prachtig bedrag van dankbaarheid te tonen, zelfs onder de jongere generatie. Het is omwille van het Nederland dat Ottawa is beroemd om zijn tulpen en bijbehorende Tulip Festival in het voorjaar. De Nederlanders zijn het doneren van de bollen sinds het einde van de oorlog.

Beginnend in de jaren 1950, Canada werd een zeer populaire bestemming voor Nederlandse immigranten. We zijn buitengewoon beter af voor het ook. Deze mensen hebben bijgedragen aan de Canadese leven in een opmerkelijke manier. Ze zijn onderdeel van elk beroep en handel. Zij bezitten bedrijven, variërend van de zeer kleine tot grote bedrijven. Ze dienen op onze gemeenteraden, in onze wetgevers, en in het parlement. Zij brachten overtuigingen en waarden naar Canada die al onze weerspiegeld. Persoonlijk, ik weet dat een ongelooflijk lange lijst van de Canadezen van het Nederlandse erfgoed. Sommige zijn de eerste generatie Canadezen terwijl anderen zijn kleinkinderen van degenen die hier kwamen meer dan 50 jaar geleden. Ik heb altijd gewaardeerd hun eerlijke, open benadering van gesprek, het werk, en een goed humeur. Nederland in de huidige dag heeft ook Noord-Amerikanen voorbeelden te reflecteren op met betrekking tot verschillende sociale beleid en de voor- of nadelen van hen. Europeanen begrijpen van de fundamentele feit dat debat, discussie, en experimenteren is goed. De bijdrage van de Nederlanders naar Canada, samen met deze eigenschappen van innovatie zijn onderdelen van verrijking voor ons land.

The Netherlands likes Canada. We like them too.

A Royal Visit of another kind is taking place in Canada right now.  When most Canadians think of a Royal Visit, they think of HM The Queen or other members of the British Monarchy coming over to spend a few days in our anachronistic Dominion.  Whenever I drive through downtown Ottawa and see the flags of other countries affixed to light posts honouring the visit of a foreign leader, I often mentally dismiss it as a waste of money.  Does a visiting member of foreign royalty, Prime Minister, or President really care if his/her national flag is flying upon arrival here?  I really doubt it.  I also feel uncomfortable whenever I see the flag of a country with a bad human rights record flying in our capital while our government only seems to care about reaching trade agreements with those countries that further diminish the human rights in those countries and the working conditions and wages in our own.  I recall seeing the Vietnamese flag flying along Ottawa streets once and I felt as though our country was being governed by Jane Fonda.

However, we are in the midst of a Royal Visit here that I can feel good about.  King Willem and Queen Maxima of The Netherlands are here for four days.  I like The Netherlands.  Aside from Britain and the United States, it is among the countries that have contributed so much to the identity, economy, and culture of Canada.  Our country has also contributed to the stability and endurance of The Netherlands too.  During World War Two, the Dutch royal family took refuge in Ottawa while the Nazis occupied their country.  Princess Margriet was even born here in the Ottawa Civic Hospital.  The Canadian government temporarily ceded the room to The Netherlands so the princess could be born on Dutch territory and maintain the royal lineage.  It was Canadian soldiers who led the liberation of The Netherlands from the Nazis near the end of the war, an event that recently celebrated its 70^th anniversary.  The Dutch take these events extremely seriously and continue to show a wonderful amount of gratitude, even among the younger generation.  It is because of The Netherlands that Ottawa is famed for its tulips and associated Tulip Festival in spring.  The Dutch have been donating the bulbs since the end of the war.

Beginning in the 1950’s, Canada became an extremely popular destination for Dutch immigrants.  We are exceptionally better off for it too.  These people have contributed to Canadian life in a remarkable way.  They are part of every profession and trade.  They own businesses ranging from the very small to big corporations.  They serve on our municipal councils, in our legislatures, and in parliament.  They brought beliefs and values to Canada that already reflected ours.  Personally, I know an incredibly long list of Canadians of Dutch heritage.  Some are first generation Canadians while others are grandchildren of those who arrived here over 50 years ago.  I’ve always appreciated their honest, open approach to conversation, work, and good humour.  The Netherlands in the present day has also given North Americans examples to reflect upon regarding various social policies and the advantages or disadvantages of them.  Europeans understand the basic fact that debate, discussion, and experimentation is good.  The contribution of Dutch people to Canada, along with these traits of innovation are components of enrichment for our country.  

Le sport professionnel est une sale affaire

Le sport professionnel est un grand, louche, et corrompu gâchis. Ceci est également attestée par les accusations de corruption qui ont été portées contre plusieurs fonctionnaires à la Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), l'organisation internationale de régie du football / soccer.

Les choses se cherchent déjà mauvaise à la FIFA. L'organisation a été en proie à des scandales et de corruption depuis des années. Il y a quelques années, dans la tentative apparemment futile pour répondre à ses propres problèmes, il a nommé le duo impair de chanteur d'opéra Placido Domingo et ancien secrétaire d'État américain Henry Kissinger pour étudier la situation. Rien ne semble venir de la commission Domingo-Kissinger. Cependant, je suis sûr que la carrière de Kissinger pourrait fournir un excellent livret de Domingo à effectuer qui allait inspirer les praticiens de la realpolitik partout. La FIFA a également été confrontée à d'importantes critiques pour sélectionner la petite nation du Golfe du Qatar pour la Coupe du Monde 2022. Qatar est pas connu comme un lieu convivial pour les personnes travaillant et il est à craindre travail d'esclave est utilisé dans la construction du stade et d'autres installations nécessaires pour l'événement. Officiellement musulman Qatar a également montré l'hostilité et l'opposition à Israël, et des préoccupations ont également été soulevées au cours de l'approche du Qatar à d'autres questions de droits de l'homme. Il y a eu de fortes allégations de corruption à la FIFA pour le Qatar d'être sélectionné pour la Coupe du Monde 2022, et pour aggraver les choses, l'événement aura lieu en Juillet. La tenue d'un événement sportif majeur dans un désert au cours de la période la plus chaude de l’année n’est vraiment pas la meilleure décision pour la santé et le plaisir des joueurs et des spectateurs.

Régulièrement je lis et entends Ligue nationale de hockey (LNH) les fans se plaignent de décisions prises par l'équipe et de la gestion de la ligue. Les amateurs de sport ne semblent tout simplement pas se rendre compte que les jeux qu'ils sont fans de sont réglementés par de grandes et puissantes sociétés qui se produisent juste pour être dans les affaires de sport. LNH et Major League Baseball (MLB) équipes sont généralement détenues par des individus impliqués dans d'autres sociétés ou sont détenus par les sociétés appropriées. Ces personnes et les sociétés à leur tour influent sur l'administration de la ligue, qui est une société de ses propres. L'équipe est tout simplement une franchise de la ligue. Il n’est vraiment pas différent d'un des emplacements individuels ou d'entreprise d'acheter des franchises pour un ou plusieurs McDonald ou Tim Horton. Les supporters agissent comme si l'équipe leur est propre. Sauf l'un d'eux arrive d'avoir des actions dans l'intérêt de l'entreprise qui possède l'équipe, il ne leur appartient pas en aucune façon. Le ventilateur est rien, mais un client. Si les fans pensent que leur équipe favorite, ses joueurs, et la gestion sont les leurs, ils sont complètement délirant et se leurrent. Les fans des Maple Leafs de Toronto devraient prendre au sérieux ce commentaire. Ils ont soutenu aveuglément une société pour les années qui leur a donné très peu de satisfaction de la clientèle en retour. La gestion et la propriété Leafs savent qu'ils ont un tas de larbins qui garderont acheter des billets et de marchandises, peu importe quoi. Si les Leafs étaient toute autre entreprise, il aurait fermé il y a plusieurs décennies. Achèteriez-vous une voiture d'une compagnie qui n'a fait que les citrons depuis 1967? Serait un supermarché rester en affaires depuis 48 ans en vendant des légumes pourris et du lait périmé?

Quand une entreprise qui repose sur les clients est corrompu ou prend des décisions répétées dans ses politiques et activités qui diminuent la confiance des consommateurs, ils sont souvent confrontés à des boycotts ou des clients tout simplement prendre leurs affaires ailleurs. Cela devrait se faire avec le sport professionnel aussi. Les milliardaires qui contrôlent ces organisations prendront préavis.

Professional sport is a dirty business.

Professional sport is one big, seedy, and corrupt mess.  This is further evidenced by the corruption charges that have been laid against several officials at the Federation International Football Association (FIFA), the international governing organization of football/soccer.

Things were already looking bad at FIFA.  The organization has been plagued by scandal and corruption for years.  A few years ago, in seemingly futile attempt to address its own problems, it appointed the odd duo of opera singer Placido Domingo and former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to study the situation.  Nothing seems to have come from the Domingo-Kissinger commission.  However, I’m sure Kissinger’s career could provide an excellent libretto for Domingo to perform that would inspire practitioners of realpolitik everywhere.  FIFA has also been facing significant criticism for selecting the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.  Qatar is not known as a place friendly to working people and there is concern slave labour is being used in the construction of the stadium and other facilities needed for the event.  Officially Muslim Qatar has also shown hostility and opposition to Israel, and concerns have also been raised over Qatar’s approach to other human rights matters.  There have been strong allegations of bribery to FIFA for Qatar to be selected for the 2022 World Cup, and to make matters worse, the event will be held in July.  Holding a major sporting event in a desert during the hottest time of year is really not the best decision for the health and enjoyment of players and spectators.

Routinely I read of and hear National Hockey League (NHL) fans complain about decisions made by team and league management.  Sport fans simply do not seem to realize that the games they are fans of are regulated by large and powerful corporations that just happen to be in the business of sport.  NHL and Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are usually owned by individuals involved in other corporations or are owned by the corporations proper.  These people and corporations in turn influence the administration of the league, which is a corporation of its own.  The team is simply a franchise of the league.  It is really no different than an individual or company buying franchises for one or several McDonald’s or Tim Horton locations.  The fans act as though the team is their own.  Unless any of them happen to have shares in the corporate interest that owns the team, it is not theirs in any way.  The fan is nothing but a customer.  If fans think their favourite team, its players, and management are theirs, they are completely delusional and are fooling themselves.  Toronto Maple Leafs fans should take this comment seriously.  They have been blindly supporting a corporation for years that has given them very little customer satisfaction in return.  The Leafs management and ownership know they have a bunch of stooges who will keep buying tickets and merchandise no matter what.  If the Leafs were any other business, it would have shut down decades ago.  Would you buy a car from a company that has only made lemons since 1967?  Would a supermarket stay in business for 48 years by selling rotten vegetables and expired milk?

When a company that relies on customers is corrupt or makes repeated decisions in its policies and operations that diminish consumer confidence, they usually face boycotts or customers simply take their business elsewhere.  This should happen with professional sport too.  The billionaires that control these organizations will take notice.

Transport public; il n'est pas un service personnalisé.

Je l'utilise régulièrement les transports en commun à Gatineau et à Ottawa. La forme actuelle de ce transport est l’autobus. Nous entendons régulièrement de la nécessité pour les réseaux de transport public élargi et la nécessité d'accroître le financement public de ces réseaux, mais il y a une dimension comportementale des transports en commun ainsi, et qui est quelque chose qu'aucun gouvernement ne peut adéquatement répondre, mais les gens qui utilisent le transport le transport peut, à la fois collectivement et individuellement.

Publique ne signifie pas privé, mais je trouve de nombreux utilisateurs des autobus dans la ville où je vis se comportent comme si, un service personnel et privé est leur a fourni. Je vois régulièrement des conducteurs ont ralenti ou distraits à cause de passagers qui pensent que il / elle est leur concierge personnel et le service de l'information. Ces personnes bloquent la porte de l'autobus alors d'engager la conversation avec le pilote, ou ils sont déjà à bord et remettent en cause le pilote, demander des directions, des routes correctes, et les tarifs. Ai-je vu que deux fois un pilote effectivement s’affirmer et essentiellement dire un passager qu'il ne soit pas un guide touristique personnel. Un produit une copie du guide de la commission du transport vers des itinéraires, les tarifs et les horaires, et un autre a dit simplement: «Je suis désolé, mon travail consiste seulement à conduire l’autobus. » Je ne pense pas que l'un de ces individus ont eu tort de faire ce ils ont fait.

Cet après-midi alors qu'il rentrait chez de faire un peu de travail au centre-ville d'Ottawa, je nouveau témoin d'autres exemples de passagers d'autobus pensent le bus est leur véhicule personnel et le chauffeur leur chauffeur. Un individu a tenté de demander un arrêt en criant vers le conducteur, qui ne l'a pas entendu. Le passager a été dégoûté par l'absence de réaction du conducteur. Peut-être que le passager n'a pas remarqué il y a des boutons qui peuvent être pressées ou un câble qui peut être tiré afin de demander un arrêt. A quelques pâtés de maisons plus loin, un autre passager a raté son arrêt et n'a pas réalisé jusqu'à ce que le pilote avait procédé avant. Le passager a crié "S'il vous plaît arrêter!" Le pilote a fait, mais il n'a certainement pas le faire.

Il est le comportement égoïste de passagers qui rend les bus circulent lente et inefficace. Les membres du public qui utilisent les transports en commun ont besoin pour réaliser ceci est un service public et non, une affaire personnelle privée. Le conducteur n’est pas votre chauffeur personnel ou le concierge. Il existe d'autres à bord de l'autobus dont le temps et l’horaire devrait être respecté.

On the Buses; Public transport is not a personal service.

On the Buses.  Has anyone seen this 1970’s British sitcom that aired on ITV and was exported to stations in Canada?  It’s a fitting title for this post.

I routinely use public transport in Gatineau and Ottawa.  The current form of that transport is bus.  We routinely hear of the need for expanded public transport networks and the need for increased public funding of those networks, but there is a behavioural dimension to public transport as well, and that is something no government can adequately address, but the people who use public transport can, both collectively and as individuals.

Public does not mean private, yet I find many users of the buses in the city where I live behave as though a personal, private service is being provided them.  I routinely see drivers slowed down or distracted due to passengers who think he/she is their personal concierge and information service.  These people block the door of the bus while engaging in conversation with the driver, or they are already aboard and question the driver, asking for directions, correct routes, and fares.  Only twice have I seen a driver actually assert himself and essentially tell a passenger that he is not a personal tour guide.  One produced a copy of the transport commission’s guide to routes, fares, and schedules, and another simply said “I’m sorry, my job is only to drive the bus.”  I did not think either of these individuals were wrong to do what they did.

This afternoon while returning home from doing some work in downtown Ottawa, I again witnessed other examples of bus passengers thinking the bus is their personal vehicle and the driver their chauffeur.  One individual attempted to request a stop by shouting towards the driver, who did not hear him.  The passenger was disgusted by the lack of reaction from the driver.  Perhaps the passenger did not notice there are buttons which can be pressed or a cable that can be pulled in order to request a stop.  A few blocks later, another passenger missed his stop and did not realize this until the driver had proceeded forward.  The passenger shouted “Please stop!”  The driver did, but he certainly did not have to.

It is the selfish behaviour of passengers that makes buses run slow and inefficiently.  The members of the public who use public transport need to realize this is a public service and not a private, personal one.  The driver is not your personal chauffeur or concierge.  There are others aboard the bus whose time and scheduling should be respected.

Ontario citizens angry with Hydro need to get organized and behave professionally.

If citizens are ever going to be successful with efforts to bring accountability to the hydro crisis in Ontario, they need to improve their organization and coherence.  Last week I discovered three facebook groups focused on issues surrounding Hydro One customer rates.  I subscribed to all of them on Wednesday, and as of today, I’ve unsubscribed.  The comments being left on the pages and the way in which they are presented are mostly ineffective because they are poorly written, uninformed and disrespectful. 

All three groups come across as places for the angry people of the internet to make uneducated comments.  I am not supportive of Premier Kathleen Wynne, but using an online forum about power rates and billing errors to make disrespectful comments about her is not going to gain any degree of professionalism or respect for the cause.  The same argument applies to disrespectful remarks about Hydro One employees.  Linemen are not the people who increase the rates or make bad policies.  Those responsibilities are the role of executives, bureaucrats, and politicians.  I’ve read too many comments about power linemen who are on the list of public employees in Ontario who make $100,000 or more per year—the so-called “Sunshine List.”  The base salary of the average Hydro One employee is less than $100,000 per year.  The only reason there are employees making over $100,000 is because of the overtime they put in repairing damage and getting the power back on whenever it fails because of bad weather or accident.  It’s a small price to pay for reliability.  There are employees of private sector industries who make just as much money or more but their earnings are not published for public view.  The Sunshine List needs to go or at least have its income amount threshold raised to better reflect increases in the cost of living and wages that have taken place in the 20 years since it was established.  It’s disrespectful to continually shame people—most of whom are professionals and in skilled trades for earning a living.  There are tradespeople and professionals in the private sector making equal or higher amounts. 

The problems at Hydro One started long before Kathleen Wynne became Premier of Ontario, although her government has not done anything positive to address them.  I have said it before, but the sharp decline towards the present situation began during the 1990’s with outright bungling and reckless policy making by the Rae and Harris governments.  These bad policies were enabled by serious financial mismanagement in developing nuclear power beginning in the 1960’s, and then with the corporatization of Ontario Hydro by the Davis government in the 1970’s.  The people who are angry about the present situation need to do some historical homework.  They need to decide which issues they want to focus on and become better organized with a coherent message.  Angry, disrespectful, and often profane rants on Facebook will solve nothing.  The lack of coherence and unity will simply allow bad practices, policies, and decisions involving electricity in Ontario to continue.

Presqu'ile; Outdoors with family, friends, and memories.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park on Lake Ontario in Brighton is more than just a place to go camping for me.  It is where camping for me began.  I was born in Belleville and my family lived nearby in Frankford until I was nine years old.  I think I have only missed five years as a camper or day visitor at Presqu’ile since 1979.  Every step at the park brings back good memories and my recent trip there was no exception.  My parents, sister, nephew, and niece arrived there on May 19.  I followed on May 21 and my brother-in-law arrived May 22.  We all returned to our respective homes on May 24.

My parents had a site in the Pines area with electrical hookup for their trailer.  Due to Ontario Parks completely ridiculous occupancy rules on the number of people per site, I set up my tent nearby on a site in the Lakeside area.  The rules state that only a maximum of six people can stay on a campsite.  More are allowed but only if they are children with parents.  A mix of children, grandchildren, and in-laws don’t count.

Presqu’ile is not a wilderness park.  The setting, history, and memories for me however give it special significance.  Friends or family joined us around the campfire for each night I was there.  On a walk Friday afternoon, Dad told us that he had changed the insulator pins on the hydro poles along the main park road during the late 1970’s.  The pins are still in the crossarms.  He told us he accessed the off-road portion of the line by driving a ladder truck through the right-of-way so he and fellow lineman Ray Bauer could climb the poles and do the work while keeping the wires live while wearing specially insulated rubber gloves.

Gull and High Bluff Islands are just off of Presqu’ile Point.  They’re both home to 10,000 seagulls.  A swarm is visible from the mainland, and if the wind is light, one can hear the constant screech of the often disliked birds.  Their population is down compared to the past due to cormorants, which eat seagulls.  The Ontario government has organized culls of cormorants in recent years to bring the seagull population back up.  I remember as a kid when the gull population was huge and nearly resembled scenes from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.  White splotches dotted pavement and roofs throughout the park.  I recall seeing a gull swoop down and attempt to steal chips from someone outside the park store and snack bar.  The store sold hats in the 1980’s that had a white blob of paint (at least I hope it was paint) on them next to the words “Those damned Presqu’ile seagulls!”

The Marsh Boardwalk trail is just over one kilometer and easily rivals the boardwalks in the more popular marshes at Rondeau and Point Pelee on Lake Erie.  The major highlight for fun on the boardwalk is the grove of twisted cedar trees near the end of the trail that are shaped in a way that allows hikers to sit on them as though they are riding a horse.  The trunk saddles are worn smooth after decades of this.  At one point last Friday, all three generations of my family were sitting on the horse trees.  There’s something heartwarming about seeing my five year old nephew and three year old niece doing the same things my sister and I did when we were that age.

The tip of Presqu’ile is home to the second oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Ontario.  It is nearly 175 years old.  The former lightkeeper’s cottage is next to it and forms part of the park visitor centre and museum.  The lighthouse was built in the years following the loss of HMS Speedy.  The Royal Navy sailing ship was lost in a blizzard off of Presqu’ile in October 1804 while transporting the accused and several officials to a murder trial to be held at Presqu’ile in a newly constructed courthouse.  The peninsula, which is actually French for “almost island” was the original site of the administration for the Newcastle District, which formed part of today’s counties of Northumberland and Durham.  The loss of Speedy led the British government to abandon Presqu’ile as the district town due to the risk of further shipwrecks.  The Speedy story changed the course of settlement in east central Ontario.  In my family, which is prone to using irreverent humour, the story has been retold as The Loss of the Speedo, the tale of an unfortunate swimmer who lost his trunks during a day at Presqu’ile beach.  During the late 19^th Century, Presqu’ile became a popular resort destination with a cottage community.  There was a store, a seasonal post office, and the Presqu’ile Hotel remained open until 1971.  In 1922, Presqu’ile became one of Ontario’s original provincial parks (the others are Algonquin, Rondeau, Sibley/Sleeping Giant, Long Point, Ipperwash, and Lake Superior).

As I mentioned earlier, the memories are relived and more are made whenever I visit Presqu’ile.  Evening visitors included Heather Poot and her daughter Candace.  Heather was my pre-school teacher.  I’ve known her since I was three years old.  It’s special to still know your pre-school teacher when you are working on a PhD.  My Aunt Peggy and cousin Holly visited.  Relatives from my uncle’s family were camping down the road from us in their 25 year-old Winnebago RV.  Due to the appearance of the vehicle, they have renamed it the Turdabago.  They even had someone professionally redo the Winnebago lettering across the front grille to spell out Turdabago to oncoming traffic.  Lifelong friends from Frankford, Debbie and Alex Gaudet joined us too.  Debbie worked in the Frankford Area Ontario Hydro office when my Dad was there.  Dad and Alex both played on the Frankford Firefighter’s baseball team.  Evening visits like that at Presqu’ile take me back in time.  It’s great to have longtime friends and family who stay in touch.

Camping conversations with small people are always noteworthy.  While sitting by the fire on Friday evening, we were commenting on the beautiful clear sky filled with stars and Venus just above a crescent moon.  Jimmy looked up to my brother in law Mike and asked; “Dad, when can we go to space?”  Mike said “It’s hard to get there Jimmy.”  My Mom said “You have to do a lot of training and go to a place called NASA.”  Jimmy said; “We could tow our trailer there behind a rocket and go camping on the moon.”  Jimmy has a wonderful imagination.  While packing up before leaving on Sunday, three year old Annabelle observed Mike deflating an air mattress.  She looked at my Mom and said “Grandma, Daddy killed the air mattress.”  A blunt statement from a sweet little girl.

Presqu’ile is a place of golden memories and experiences for me.  The rich and famous can have their gated compounds and private islands.  Presqu’ile is my family’s place for fun and being together outdoors.

uOttawa; Nouvelles bizarres. No Oxford University in Ontario and Rock says nope to dope.

Ontario will not have its very own Oxford University.  The provincial government announced Wednesday that the only new university expansion campus in the province will be York University’s joint venture with Seneca College, part of the community colleges of applied arts and technology system.  It’s a big letdown for the University of Ottawa that was hoping to open up a new campus in Woodstock, located in southwestern Ontario’s Oxford County.  I really wanted the new campus to be called Oxford University.  The expansion would have brought a unique bilingual element to post-secondary education in southwestern Ontario, where such an element does not exist at the present time.  It did however seem rather odd to plan a strongly bilingual French and English university campus in the heart of very Anglophone southwestern Ontario where the most common second languages spoken are likely Dutch or Mennonite dialects of German.

In other strange news from the University of Ottawa, the President of the institution is trying to distance himself from a medical marijuana business his wife and one of his adult children are starting.  Allan Rock, who is also a former federal Minister of Justice, and Minister of Health, is the university President.  Mr. Rock, a lawyer by profession was Justice Minister who introduced the much criticized and now defunct gun registry.  When he was Health Minister, he introduced the medical marijuana policy. 

L'Ontario aura pas sa propre Université d'Oxford. Le gouvernement provincial a annoncé mercredi que le seul nouveau campus de l'expansion de l'université dans la province sera coentreprise de l'Université York avec le Collège Seneca, une partie de système des collèges communautaires d'arts appliqués et de technologie.  Il est une grande déception pour l'Université d'Ottawa qui a été l'espoir d'ouvrir un nouveau campus à Woodstock, situé dans le Comté d'Oxford de sud-ouest de l'Ontario. Je voulais vraiment le nouveau campus d'être appelé l'Université d'Oxford. L'expansion aurait apporté un élément unique et bilingue à l'éducation post-secondaire dans le sud-ouest de l'Ontario, où il n'y a pas un tel élément à l'heure actuelle. Il ne semble cependant plutôt étrange pour planifier un campus universitaire français et en anglais fortement bilingue au cœur du sud-ouest très anglophone en Ontario, où les deuxièmes langues les plus couramment parlées sont susceptibles dialectes Néerlandais ou d'Allemand mennonite.

Dans d'autres nouvelles étrange de l'Université d'Ottawa, le Recteur de l'institution tente de se distancier d'une entreprise de la marijuana médicale sa femme et un de ses enfants adultes commencent. Allan Rock, qui est également un ancien ministre fédéral de la Justice, et le ministre de la Santé, est le Recteur de l'Université. M. Rock, un avocat de profession était ministre de la Justice qui a présenté le registre des armes à feu très critiqué et maintenant défunte. Quand il était ministre de la Santé, il a introduit la politique de la marijuana médicale.

Hydro; Ontario residents are angry.

I made a significant discovery today.  Ontario residents are angry about how much they pay for electricity to run their homes and businesses.  I have heard increased reports of this in the media during the past few months and then discovered today through social media that hundreds, if not thousands are beginning to organize.  They are justifiably angry about the high cost of electricity brought about by poor deregulation policies, the failed Green Energy policy, and now, the imminent privatization of Hydro One.

Every political party that has governed Ontario for the past 50 years is somewhat responsible for the mess, but things really started to fall apart during the Bob Rae era.  I am hesitant to call this an NDP government as its actions did not actually reflect NDP policy and it has become clear in the years since that Bob Rae himself was not a New Democrat.  The Harris wrecking crew made things worse, and then the mediocre McGuinty and Wynne Liberals have made it extremely bad since.  Since all three political parties have had some responsibility for creating the situation, anyone trying to seek political attention to address the situation surrounding high rates should be very careful who they attempt to make friends with.  Are PC MPP's a good option?  It was the Harris government that took apart Ontario Hydro, attempted to privatize what was left, and then deregulated the system which began the price climb.  Through deregulation, it also allowed for private generating companies to set up, i.e. developers of gas power plants and wind turbines.  Whenever a PC MPP says the Liberal government is wrong to privatize Hydro One, or shows up at an event to protest rate increases or privatization, I instantly conclude they are only saying this to advance their own political popularity.  20 years ago, Ontario was in the midst of an election campaign that saw a PC government elected that tore apart Ontario Hydro and hastened the system and market towards the sad situation it's in now.  Unless the PC's have reverted to their pre-Harris tradition of supporting publicly owned power in Ontario, which they have not, I would be very reluctant to trust them on any question regarding Hydro.

The angry power customers of Ontario are completely justified in their anger.  It is a struggle for senior citizens, young homeowners, and small business people.  It is tragic, sad, and preventable that the province which once advertised itself as the "Province of Opportunity" is making it financially burdensome for its citizens to do their jobs and perform basic functions in their homes like cooking and cleaning.

Ontario Liberals have never liked public hydro.

The Ontario Liberal Party has never done a great job with the hydro file.  In fact, since Confederation, the party has mostly opposed public power in Ontario or has done its best to curtail its reach.  Premier Wynne’s present plan to privatize Hydro One is just the latest in a series of lackluster Liberal approaches to power policy.

Until the 1980’s, the Liberals in Ontario were often more conservative than the Progressive Conservatives (PC), who actually were quite progressive (they had a minority government from 1975 to 1981 that was kept alive by the New Democrats).  It was the conservatives who created Ontario Hydro in 1906.  The Liberals had governed previously and opposed the extensive plan for a provincial utility composed of member municipalities that Adam Beck and other southwestern Ontario mayors and industrialists were lobbying for.  The Liberals under Premier George Ross wanted to keep power generation at Niagara Falls.  They cared little that the ownership of the three generating stations that had been developed on the Canadian side of the falls was American and that those owners were primarily concerned with sending the power generated back across the river to the US.  The best plan the Ross Liberals would offer was a provincial commission that would supply power to member municipalities from private generation sources over privately-owned transmission lines.  It was essentially an early Twentieth Century version of today’s Liberal-created Ontario Power Authority, the provincial agency that coordinates both privately and publicly owned generation and then sources it to local utilities using publicly or privately owned lines.  The Liberals of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were more like today’s conservatives, government involvement in the economy was to be kept minimal to non-existent.  International trade, particularly free-trade was also a major part of Liberal policy, hence the Ross government’s tolerance for the American power companies producing electricity in Canada for use in the United States.  It was the federal Liberals under Sir Wilfrid Laurier who even introduced the first regulatory mechanism to allow for Canadian electricity to be exported to the US.  Aside from John Turner campaigning against it in 1988, the Liberals have always been a free trade party that took a continentalist approach to relations with the US.

During the 1930’s, the Ontario Liberals again botched the Hydro situation.  After taking office, Premier Mitchell “Mitch” Hepburn went after Ontario Hydro and its supply contracts with several private power companies in Quebec.  Ontario had not developed its own generation capacity enough at the time so it built transmission lines to the Quebec boundary and purchased electricity from four different power companies in the Outaouais and Montreal regions.  Hydro-Quebec did not exist yet.  Hepburn argued that the prices in the contracts were excessive and sending Ontario Hydro on a fast track to bankruptcy.  He also argued the contracts were awarded by the formerly governing Conservatives in return for campaign donations.  The ringmaster-like Hepburn and his Attorney-General Arthur Roebuck took the message to the public through the newspapers and even a series of talks broadcast on radio station CFRB in Toronto.  Legislation was passed after a 24 hour debate that voided the contracts.  Then the Liberals got caught.  The cancelling of the contracts was declared illegal and Ontario was forced to negotiate new ones with the Quebec companies.  An attempt at short-term political gain blew up in the government’s face.

The Progressive Conservatives governed Ontario from 1943 to 1985.  This was a period of tremendous economic growth and social development in the province.  As stated earlier, the PC’s were cleverly perceptive and adapted to the changing society by actually doing things that would be considered socialist by today’s Tories.  The Liberals during these years, who struggled to compose themselves as a relevant parliamentary opposition and electoral alternative, often played to the right.  Press releases and newspaper clippings from the 1970’s and early 1980’s criticize Ontario Hydro as wasteful, bureaucratic, and excessive.  A simple change to the dates on the press releases to 1996 or 1997 could have allowed Mike Harris to reuse them, but their tone indicates that the Liberals were no friends of Ontario Hydro.  Their dislike for a complete, vertically integrated public utility became more apparent once they again formed the government from 1987 to 1990.  In an embrace of the trend towards deregulation and disintegration that began in the 1980’s, the Ontario Liberals began an effort to seek power generation from non-utility, for-profit sources, neither of which was Ontario Hydro or municipal utility.

After the years of the anti-state Mike Harris wrecking crew in Ontario, the Liberals again returned to office in 2003.  Under Dalton McGuinty, they showed no respect for public utilities or the public good they serve.  Ontario Hydro had been taken apart by this time.  The Liberals could have reassembled it, but they didn’t.  Instead they made the situation worse through subsidizing the so-called “green energy” scheme.  Power rates in Ontario are awful now because customers are subsidizing big corporations with their wind turbine developments or acres of solar panels covering land that should instead be used to grow crops or pasture livestock.  If the Ontario Liberals were really supporters of publicly owned power utilities, they would have ended the Harris-enabled practice of letting big energy companies develop new natural gas generating stations.  The so-called gas plant scandal from the 2011 provincial election could have been entirely avoided if the government had backed away from the murky practice of partnering with private corporations to provide a public service.  

Now the Liberal government under Wynne is desperate for money so they plan to privatize Hydro One, the transmission and distribution chunk of the Ontario Hydro ash can.  It is another exercise in political expedience on par with Hepburn’s attack on the Quebec contracts in the 1930’s.  The sale of a crucial public asset will bring short-term financial relief for the government while shareholders of the newly private Hydro One will be the real ones who benefit.  Rates will go up to boost profits and dividends, while still subsidizing fields of solar panels and wind turbines.  Wynne says the Hydro money will go to infrastructure, which really means public transport for the Greater Toronto Area, where most of the population and the Liberal electoral base resides.  Hydro One does not even serve that region of the province.  Its service areas are primarily rural places and small villages.  These communities are going to lose ownership of a public service in order to provide more subways and streetcars for Toronto.  How fair is that?  It does however prove that the Ontario Liberals have never been committed to public power.

Victoria Day, the Monarchy and Yankee scones.

I am a cautious monarchist.  I respect the institution and accept Her Majesty Elizabeth II as our Queen and head of state.  The elitism of the institution however unsettles me, as does the behaviour of some of the more staunch monarchists.  Their adoration often borders on obsession, and even more often appears as buffoonish and tacky, two things I highly doubt members of The House of Windsor set out to be.

This evening, CBC Radio devoted the entire broadcast of The World at Six to the state of the monarchy.  We are in the waning hours of Victoria Day here in Canada, our first warm-weather long weekend of the spring when we still honour the woman who was Queen when our Dominion was founded though she died in 1901.  The occasion is also used to mark the birthday of our current Queen, Her Majesty Elizabeth II (ERII).  Her birthday was April 21^st, but it’s just too cold and miserable still in much of the country then to have a long weekend of camping then.  The World at Six broadcast was interesting, but I was left wondering what real news took place throughout the world today while our national broadcaster’s flagship news programme featured such pressing issues like why Prince George is not seen in public more often and an interview with a Winnipeg baker who recently sold Empire Cookies with pink frosting in honour of the birth of Princess Charlotte.  Wasn’t there famine, drought, war, pestilence, and corruption going on anywhere in the world today?

I realized there was nothing in the cupboard for dessert, except a scone mix.  The idea struck me; what better way to honour Victoria Day than tea and scones?  The product itself reflected the irony, anachronism, and quirkiness with which the faded British Empire and its descendant Commonwealth are characterized.  While nascent republics of Africa and Asia still send their leaders to Commonwealth conferences attended by ER II, I was making scones from a mix produced by the ironically named King Arthur Flour Company.  King Arthur Flour is a venerable company that produces excellent flour and baking products.  It was founded in 1790, just 22 years after the American Revolution and is located in Norwich, Vermont.  The foundation of my scones came from a company named after one of England’s most storied Kings, located in a village named after a place in England, but in a country that turfed the crown and went on its own 239 years ago.  It was right around that time that a group of my ancestors who thought George III wasn’t so bad fled for what became Upper Canada so they could keep their positions of social and financial privilege.  All that remains of that social and financial privilege now is a fancy vault in a Hamilton Ontario cemetery. 

The scones taste great.  The tea accompanying them hopefully redeems me from the treason any militant monarchists reading this may be accusing me of.  It’s from Taylor’s of Harrogate, Yorkshire, which I believe carries the Royal Warrant of His Royal Highness, Charles, Prince of Wales, and future face of postage stamps and banknotes.

ER II is now 89 years old.  Her reign will soon eclipse that of Victoria.  That in itself is worth a scone from the Thirteen Colonies and a cup of tea from Yorkshire.  With the utmost sincerity, God Save The Queen!

Photos of my Yankee scones.  Click upon the photo for a larger version;

Ready for the oven.

A noble name, the flavour evokes The House of Orange perhaps?

 The American Revolution made this scone mix and its Yankee address possible!

 Fresh from the oven.

 After the glaze (icing sugar, cream, vanilla flavouring)

 The first cup.  The first scone.

L'équipement pour le militaire Canadienne; si vous allez faire quelque chose, le faire correctement.

Si vous allez faire quelque chose, le faire correctement. Voilà le message que le gouvernement fédéral doit obtenir quand il vient à assurer toutes les branches des Forces armées canadiennes est bien équipé. Une histoire dans le Globe and Mail d'aujourd'hui indique que la Marine Royale Canadienne (MRC) du personnel ont dû acheter des pièces sur le site Internet d'enchères Ebay pour maintenir deux navires de ravitaillement vieillissement de la Marine en service.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/navy-mechanics-turn-to-ebay-to-find-replacement-parts/article24475224/

La MRC prévoit prendre sa retraite NCSM Protecteur et Preserver avant leurs remplaçants sont fixées, de quitter le Canada avec une pénurie évidente de matériel naval. Ce mouvement accompagne la retraite de classe tribale, le NCSM Iroquois, il y a un peu plus de deux semaines. Son navire jumeau, le NCSM Algonquin sera à la retraite dans un peu moins d'un mois. Iroquois est montrée dans cette commercial canadien de télévision Forces armées de 1980 à cette époque bizarre quand la MRC a été appelé Commandement maritime et de chaque homme (il n'y avait pas de femmes) à bord des navires avaient un rang armée et portaient vert.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDSaEWdMbI4

Ainsi, le Canada se retrouve avec un déficit sévère de matériel naval en raison de budgets serrés et la bureaucratie maladroits du processus d'approvisionnement. Il est une situation similaire au schéma de scandales pour remplacer les chasseurs CF-18 Hornet de la Royal Canadian Air Force avec le F-35, et l'utilisation continue encore plus gênant des hélicoptères Sea King d'attaque navale. Protecteur, Preserver, Iroquois, Algonquin et remontent à la fin des années 1960 et au début des années 1970. Le Sea King a été dans l'air, mais dangereusement parfois, depuis 1962. Le CF-18 est quant à lui showroom de nouveau en comparaison, Pierre Trudeau est arrivé à monter dans un nouveau cours de son dernier mandat en tant que Premier ministre dans le début des années 1980.

Le gouvernement Harper aime trash-parler de la façon dont les gouvernements libéraux antérieurs financés les militaires. La vérité est, ils sont la mise au rebut et ne pas remplacer le matériel militaire qui a été acheté par les gouvernements Libéraux! Oui, l'unification excentrique des forces armées (retour à rangs de l'armée et des uniformes verts sur les navires nouveau) était une erreur Libéral car il a porté un coup à la distinction et de la tradition, mais du point de vue du matériel il n'y avait pas beaucoup de mal à cela. Et bien sûr, il y avait l'achat embarrassante de ces sous-marins abandonnés essentiellement de la Marine Royale, il y a environ une dizaine d'années qui était l'équivalent d’un ancien achat de 16 ans une voiture de bagnole d'un frère aîné malhonnête. Ces événements de côté, je me risquerais à dire les achats de défense libéraux précédents étaient beaucoup plus de succès que l'absence d'action ou de scandale qui est venu de définir les marchés en vertu Harper. Le gang amour Harper pour parler gros de soutenir «troupes» (ce qui est même pas un terme canadien correcte, nos militaires sont des soldats, des marins et des aviateurs) et nous jettent comme une sorte de Gengis Khan «nation guerrière" (qui nous a vraiment ne sont pas moins qu'il y ait une bonne raison pour cela), mais ils ne parviennent pas à fournir aux hommes et femmes qui servent dans nos forces armées avec l'équipement adéquat, sécuritaire, moderne pour remplir leurs responsabilités. Il est honteux et embarrassant. Il me revient à peine de l'ouverture; Si vous allez faire quelque chose, le faire correctement. Pourquoi même avoir un Marine Royale du Canada du tout si elle est mal équipée et financée?

Bien que l'équipement militaire tombe en morceaux ou est tout simplement disparu sans, les Forces armées, avec le soutien du gouvernement Harper, continue la campagne de publicité pour maintenir un fort soutien public. Je l'habitude d'aimer regarder les Snowbirds de l'ARC, l'escadron acrobatique présentée dans Moosejaw, en Saskatchewan. Comme un gamin, je me souviens d'eux survolant le phare à la pointe de la Presqu'île Point sur le lac Ontario et les voir effectuer à proximité à la BFC Trenton Spectacle Aérienne tandis que la chanson Snowbird par Anne Murray a joué sur les haut-parleurs. On m'a toujours amusé par l'équipe canadienne de parachutisme Skyhawks de l'armée qui apparaîtra lors de spectacles aériens, provoquant la fascination de la foule et le rire des enfants, car il avait toujours l'air comme la fumée de couleur sortait des parachutistes extrémités arrière comme ils descendaient. Je ne peux plus regarder un de ces événements avec une bonne conscience. Les deux sont un gaspillage d'argent. La MRC est à peine à flot, l'ARC a besoin de nouveaux avions de combat, et nous dépenser des millions sur ce qui est de la publicité essentiellement par des projets pilotes faisant des cascades avec de 50 ans d'entraînement à réaction (le Tuteur aéronefs utilisés par les Snowbirds), et ainsi de certains hommes avec parachutes peut éblouir la foule avec de la fumée multicolore. L'argent dépensé pour ces choses devrait aller aux besoins réels de l'armée. Encore une fois, si vous allez faire quelque chose, le faire correctement.

Le triste état des marchés ajoute au dossier des difficultés rencontrées par les Forces armées canadiennes. Des rapports récents ont montré qu'il existe un grave problème de la discrimination sexuelle, le harcèlement, la violence et même au sein de l'armée. Le gouvernement Harper continue de parler gros avec son implication dans la lutte contre ISIS, mais comment ISIS peut être combattu avec succès que s’il y a des équipements insuffisants pour le faire avec? Pourquoi le gouvernement si obsédé par la sécurité et de la surveillance lorsque des bases militaires et des installations à travers le pays ne sont même pas meublées avec une sécurité suffisante? De nombreuses installations sont désormais faiblement gardées par le quasi-privé Corps des Commissionnaires, dont de nombreux membres ont aucune formation adéquate dans la police, la sécurité ou la procédure militaire. Si le gang Harper était vraiment sérieux au sujet de la sécurité, ils restaurent la pratique d'avoir des membres réels des bases militaires de la garde de la police militaire et des bâtiments. Je vais répéter cette phrase une fois de plus; Si vous allez faire quelque chose, le faire correctement. Si le Canada veut avoir un bon militaire, le gouvernement a besoin de couper les fanfaronnades politique, incompétence bureaucratique et la corruption des marchés et d'assurer qu'il est correctement équipé.

Equipment for Canada's military; If you are going to do something, do it properly.

If you are going to do something, do it properly.  That’s the message the federal government needs to get when it comes to ensuring all branches of the Canadian Armed Forces are properly equipped.  A story in today’s Globe and Mail indicates that Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) personnel have had to buy parts on the internet auction site Ebay to keep the Navy’s two aging supply ships in service. 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/navy-mechanics-turn-to-ebay-to-find-replacement-parts/article24475224/

The RCN is planning to retire HMCS Protecteur and Preserver before their replacements are laid down, leaving Canada with an obvious shortage of naval hardware.  This move accompanies the retirement of tribal-class destroyer, HMCS Iroquois, just over two weeks ago.  Her sister ship, HMCS Algonquin will be retired in just under a month.  Iroquois is shown in this Canadian Armed Forces television commercial from 1980 during that odd era when the RCN was called Maritime Command and every man (there were no women) aboard ships had an Army rank and wore green.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDSaEWdMbI4

So, Canada is left with a severe deficit of naval materiel due to tight budgets and bureaucracy bungling the procurement process.  It’s a situation similar to the scandal-plagued scheme to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s CF-18 Hornet fighters with the F-35, and the even more embarrassing continued use of the Sea King naval attack helicopters.  Protecteur, Preserver, Iroquois, and Algonquin date back to the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  The Sea King has been in the air, albeit perilously at times, since 1962.  The CF-18 meanwhile is showroom new in comparison, Pierre Trudeau got to ride in a new one during his final term as Prime Minister in the early 1980’s.

The Harper government loves to trash-talk the way in which past Liberal governments funded the military.  The truth is, they are scrapping—and not replacing military hardware that was purchased by Liberal governments!  Yes, the oddball unification of the armed forces (back to army ranks and green uniforms on ships again) was a Liberal mistake as it dealt a blow to distinction and tradition, but from a materiel standpoint there was not a whole lot wrong with it.  And of course there was the embarrassing purchase of those essentially derelict submarines from the Royal Navy about a decade ago which was the equivalent of a 16 year old buying a jalopy car from a dishonest older brother.  Those events aside,  I would venture to say past Liberal defence procurements were far more successful than the lack of action or scandal that has come to define procurement under Harper.  The Harper gang love to talk big about supporting “troops” (which is not even a correct Canadian term, our military personnel are soldiers, sailors, and aviators) and cast us as some kind of Ghengis Khan “warrior nation” (which we really aren’t unless there’s a good reason for it), but they fail to provide the men and women serving in our military with adequate, safe, modern equipment to fulfill their responsibilities.  It is shameful and embarrassing.  It comes back to my opening sentence; If you are going to do something, do it properly.  Why even have a Royal Canadian Navy at all if it is not properly equipped and funded?

While military equipment falls apart or is just simply gone without, the Armed Forces, with Harper government support, continues the advertising campaign to keep public support strong.  I used to love watching the RCAF Snowbirds, the aerobatic squadron lodged in Moosejaw, Saskatchewan.  As a kid, I remember them flying over the lighthouse at the tip of Presqu’ile Point on Lake Ontario and seeing them perform nearby at the CFB Trenton Air Show while the song Snowbird by Anne Murray played on the loudspeakers.  I was always amused by the Canadian Army’s Skyhawks parachute team that would appear at air shows, prompting fascination from the crowd and laughter from children because it always looked like the coloured smoke was coming out of the paratroopers rear ends as they descended.  I can’t watch any of these events with a good conscience anymore.  Both are a complete waste of money.  The RCN is barely afloat, the RCAF needs new fighter planes, and we spend millions on what is basically advertising through pilots doing stunts with 50 year old jet trainers (the Tutor is the aircraft used by the Snowbirds), and so some men with parachutes can dazzle the crowd with multi-coloured smoke.  The money spent on these things should be going to the real needs of the military.  Again, if you are going to do something, do it properly.

The sad state of procurement adds to the dossier of difficulties facing the Canadian Armed Forces.  Recent reports have shown there is a serious problem with sexual discrimination, harassment, and even violence within the military.    The Harper government continues to talk big with its involvement in fighting ISIS, but how can ISIS be successfully fought if there is insufficient equipment to do it with?  Why is the government so obsessed with security and surveillance when military bases and installations across the country are not even furnished with sufficient security?  Many facilities are now weakly guarded by the quasi-private Corps of Commissionaires, many members of which have no proper training in policing, security, or military procedure.  If the Harper gang were really serious about security, they would restore the practice of having actual members of the Military Police guard military bases and buildings.  I’ll repeat this sentence once more; If you are going to do something, do it properly.  If Canada is going to have a proper military, the government needs to cut out the political bluster, bureaucratic bungling, and corruption of procurement and ensure it is properly equipped.

Café La Tiera Co-Op

Hier, je essayé une nouvelle boutique de café et café qui a récemment ouvert dans mon quartier. Je suis intrigué par elle pour trois raisons; produits du commerce équitable, la propriété coopérative locale, et ne fait pas partie d'une grande chaîne. Il n'a pas réussi à décevoir. Nouveau café de La Tiera Co-Op est situé au 173B boulevard St-Joseph dans le secteur Hull de Gatineau, tout près de la très fréquentée rotatif / rond-point avec le boulevard des Allumettières.

Je bois la plupart du thé, de sorte qu’est-ce que je devais hier. L’Earl Grey était très bon. Je vais essayer le café parfois quand je suis fatigué et moins à risque de l'insomnie. Le service était sympathique et les locaux extrêmement propre. Il y a une bonne connexion wifi aussi. Je suis parfaitement à l'aise assis là pendant quelques heures alors que je devais deux tasses de thé et tapé notes. Je parlais avec le directeur, il m'a dit leur menu alimentaire est élargi en ce moment, et je a également saisi l'une des listes en soulignant les événements à venir, qui comprennent des séances d'information sur le commerce équitable, les coopératives, et des animations musicales. Il est formidable d'avoir enfin un endroit abordable, durable, axé sur la communauté de ce genre dans cette partie de Hull. Je l'espère, il est réussi ici et contribue à l'amélioration économique et un sentiment d'appartenance pour les personnes qui vivent et travaillent ici.

http://www.latierracoop.ca/

Yesterday, I tried a new coffee shop and café that recently opened in my neighbourhood.  I was intrigued by it for three reasons; fair trade products, local co-operative ownership, and not part of a major chain.  It failed to disappoint.  The La Tiera Co-Op’s new café is located at 173B Boulevard St-Joseph in the Hull area of Gatineau, right near the busy rotary/roundabout with Boulevard des Allumettieres. 

I mostly drink tea, so that’s what I had yesterday.  The Earl Grey was very good.  I’ll try the coffee sometime when I’m tired and at less risk of insomnia.  The service was friendly and the premises extremely clean.  There is a good wifi connection too.  I was perfectly comfortable sitting there for a couple of hours while I had two cups of tea and typed notes.  I spoke with the manager, he told me their food menu is being expanded right now, and I also grabbed one of the lists highlighting upcoming events, which include information sessions on fair trade, cooperatives, and musical entertainment.  It’s great to finally have an affordable, sustainable, community-focused place like this in this part of Hull.  I hope it is successful here and contributes to economic improvement and a sense of belonging for the people who live and work here.

http://www.latierracoop.ca/en/

Côtelettes de porc, chou frisé, et de la bonne musique; La saison de Marché Wakefield est de retour.

Le marché Mon préféré agriculteur local a commencé une autre saison aujourd'hui. Le marché à Wakefield Québec exécute chaque samedi à partir de maintenant jusqu'à la mi-Octobre. Pour tous ceux qui ne connaissent pas Wakefield, il est situé au nord de Gatineau juste à côté de l'autoroute 5. Il y a certainement une, contre-culturelle sensation progressive à l'endroit. Le village lui-même auto-proclamé comme une zone de commerce équitable il y a quelques années. Les vendeurs du marché soulignent surtout leurs origines locales et la durabilité. Même la paroisse anglicane locale, qui a un stand de café et de thé au marché chaque semaine, ne fournit pas de rafraîchissements dans des gobelets en papier. L'acheteur paie soit un prix et retourne la tasse de la vaisselle lorsque vous avez terminé, ou un prix plus élevé pour garder la tasse - qui a le nom de la paroisse sur elle. Le café est torréfié localement à partir d'une source de commerce équitable. Ce ne sont pas les Anglicans de Maxwell House ou Nabob.

Je décidai de voir ce que le gros problème est sur le chou frisé. Ma première rencontre avec le phénomène dans le Vermont, il y a un an, lorsque je l'ai vu "Eat more kale" signes partout, et de grandes quantités de ce à vendre au marché d'un agriculteur à Waterbury qui était très similaire à Wakefield. Je parlais avec l'un des producteurs de chou sur le marché aujourd'hui et elle n'a malheureusement pas pu me fournir un échantillon gratuit parce que son offre a été déjà soldée.  Je lui ai dit que je serais de retour dans deux semaines. Elle m'a mis en garde contre l'achat au supermarché dans l'intervalle. Je lui ai assuré n'y avait aucune chance que cela se produise.

Heureusement au marché d'aujourd'hui, amical la famille Leonard Adam de proximité Denholm était là la vente de porc de leur ferme. Je l'avais essentiellement renoncé à côtelettes de porc et des saucisses avant que je découvre leurs produits l'année dernière. J’ai grandi dans une zone de très intense, la production de porc industrialisé. Des centaines, voire des milliers de porcs sont dans les granges géants étant alimenté la même alimentation. Du point de vue des droits et de la santé animale, il est discutable assez, mais du point de vue gastronomique, il est aussi mauvais. Mass-produit goûts de viande comme elle provenait d'une usine, qui est essentiellement ce que la plupart des élevages de porcs sont modernes. Il y a heureusement quelques agriculteurs autour quoique qui obtiennent l'idée que de laisser le bétail en dehors à la racine autour et vivent de la terre un peu conduit à un produit beaucoup plus savoureux.

Marché Wakefield a également fournisseurs vendant de cidre de pomme, sirop d'érable, du miel, du vin, du saumon fumé, des bijoux faits maison, et du savon. Il y a toujours deux ou trois musiciens locaux mis en place dans le milieu de la verdure à jouer de la bonne musique sur des violons, accordéon et guitare. Il est un lieu convivial avec un bon sens de la communauté et le but. Il vaut la peine 20 minutes de route au nord de la ville le samedi matin.

Le marché du fermier Wakefield va 9h00-13h00 chaque samedi et se déroule sur la prochaine verte à Le Café Alpengruss dans le village. http://www.wakefieldmarket.ca/

Pork chops, kale, and good music; Wakefield Market season is back

My favourite local farmer's market began another season today.  The market in Wakefield Quebec runs each Saturday from now until mid-October.  For anyone not familiar with Wakefield, it's located north of Gatineau just off of autoroute 5.  There's definitely a progressive, counter-cultural feel to the place.  The village self-proclaimed itself as a fair trade zone a few years ago.  The market vendors mostly emphasize their local origins and sustainability.  Even the local Anglican parish, which has a coffee and tea stand at the market each week, does not provide refreshments in paper cups.  The purchaser either pays one price and returns the crockery mug when finished, or a higher price to keep the mug--which has the name of the parish on it.  The coffee is locally roasted from a fair trade source.  These are not Maxwell House or Nabob Anglicans.

I decided to see what the big deal is about kale.  I first encountered the phenomenon in Vermont a year ago when I saw "Eat more kale" signs all over, and large amounts of it for sale at a farmer's market in Waterbury that was very similar to Wakefield's.  I spoke with one of the kale growers at the market today and she unfortunately could not provide me with a free sample because her supply was already sold out.  I told her I would be back in two weeks.  She cautioned me against buying it at the supermarket in the interim.  I assured her there was no chance of that happening.

Fortunately at today's market, the friendly Leonard Adam family from nearby Denholm was there selling pork from their farm.  I had basically given up on pork chops and sausage before I discovered their products last year.  I grew up in an area of extremely intense, industrialized pork production.  Hundreds, possibly thousands of pigs are in giant barns being fed the same feed.  From an animal rights and health perspective it is questionable enough, but from a gastronomic perspective it's also bad.  Mass-produced meat tastes like it came from a factory, which is basically what most modern pig farms are.  There are fortunately a few farmers around though who get the idea that letting the livestock outside to root around and live off the land a bit leads to a much tastier product.

Wakefield market also has vendors selling apple cider, maple syrup, honey, wine, smoked salmon, homemade jewellery, and soap.  There are always two or three local musicians set up in the middle of the green playing really good music on fiddles, accordion, and guitar.  It's a friendly place with a good sense of community and purpose.  It's worth the 20 minute drive north of the city on a Saturday morning.

The Wakefield Farmer's Market goes from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm each Saturday and takes place on the green next to the Alpengruss Cafe in the village.
http://www.wakefieldmarket.ca/

The sad disappearance of Canadian/American-made clothes and shoes.

I still shop in department stores for clothes.  My budget is limited and if I want something that looks reasonably good at a reasonable price, I find that mid-range department stores still offer the best selection and prices.  Most people in my age group however probably cannot remember the last time they set foot inside a Sears, or if in the US, a JC Penney.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that no matter what one wears or where one buys it, it likely was not made in Canada or the United States, but rather in a country with wages and working conditions far inferior to what a garment worker here would have.  This is the unfortunate result of globalization and so called "trade liberalization" agreements.  As a result, North Americans are manufacturing less and less and the middle class is disappearing.  What is left are those working much lower wage service sector jobs who can only afford to shop at discount or second hand shops.  Of course on the other extreme are those making extremely high wages who can buy whatever they want, wherever they want.  Customers on either extreme though are still getting goods made somewhere else by people not earning a fair wage and in inferior conditions.

I walked to a local Sears this afternoon.  I had seen an advertisement for a sale that looked good.  I was amused as I looked at the tags on the items.  I bought two shirts, both made in Bangladesh.  I thought about putting them back on the shelf but realized that the possibility of me finding shirts made in Canada or the USA was next to nil.  There was one sign of hope in the undergarment section of the men's department.  Stanfield's are still going strong, manufacturing a whole range of underwear and socks in Truro, Nova Scotia.  It's worth paying $5 more for better quality and the satisfaction of knowing that it was made in our country by someone paid a proper wage in safe conditions.  And due to my limited budget, buying a Stanfield's product is about as close as I will get to Nova Scotia this year anyway!  Stanfield's is an old family-owned company and is one of those bright spots of business and manufacturing success in the Atlantic provinces.  Among the past generation of its management was Robert L. Stanfield, former Premier of Nova Scotia and then national leader of the late and lamented Progressive Conservative Party (PC), an institution far more respectable in its spirit and conduct than the present Conservative Party.

Cities and towns across Canada and the United States used to be full of clothing manufacturers.  When I was young, my family would spend our summer holidays in Eastern Ontario, not far from the village of Lanark.  Each year, a day got spent in that village for school clothing shopping.  The tiny community on the Clyde River was home to the Glenayr "Kitten Brand" Mills.  There were a series of factories and outlet stores that basically composed what could be called downtown Lanark.  Glenayr made clothing under a variety of brands for several distributors and chain stores.  The quality was good and reliable.  By the late 1990's, it was of course falling victim to cheap imports of morally questionable origin.  Other towns and cities had clothing manufacturers that managed to hang on for only slightly longer, such as Tiger Brand in Cambridge Ontario and Deacon Brothers Sportswear in Belleville, Ontario.

Does anyone remember the Great Western Garment Company (GWG)?  Blue jeans with the signature GWG logo on the rear pocket were the only ones I thought anyone wore when I was young.  They were all made in Canada too, coming from Edmonton, hence the Great Western name.  When Wayne Gretzky was still almost a kid and made it big with the Edmonton Oilers, he even did product endorsements for GWG.  I remember seeing cardboard cutouts in stores of the young Great One with a blonde semi-mullet wearing a pair of GWG Scrubbies.  Every store sold GWG and everybody wore them.  Levi's and Lee were less common and the absurdly expensive Calvin Klein jeans arriving on the scene were for people with too much money and too much attitude.  In my original home village of Frankford Ontario, the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Helm sold GWG at their shop, K&W Family Clothing.  In fact, almost every other product they sold was made in Canada or the USA too.  Once or twice a year, they would go to Toronto and buy directly from manufacturers.  The boots and shoes they sold were all from Kaufman in Kitchener, Ontario.  The former Kaufman factories are now condominiums or office space where the people all wear things made in other countries.

As I walked home from Sears this afternoon, I concluded that I would probably get picked up by the police or mental health authorities if I only wore clothes and shoes made in Canada or the USA.  I'd be barefoot and only wearing a pair of underwear from Stanfield's.

Narrow NDP lead; the reasons

An opinion poll released today shows the federal NDP with a slight lead over the Liberals.  In the same poll, the NDP is just one point behind the Conservatives.  I don't have a huge amount of confidence in opinion polls, but when they show results I like, it's easier to be accepting of them.

There are several reasons this could be happening.  Liberal collaboration with the Conservatives on passing the rotten Bill C-51 (anti-terrorism legislation) in the House of Commons is the first reason.  Most Canadians might prefer minimal political discussion and involvement in their lives, but they certainly know when a politician is being insincere, and Justin Trudeau was insincere about Bill C-51.  One cannot speak so floridly about civil liberties and rights and then support legislation that has the potential to limit those liberties and rights.  On top of this, the Liberals are proving they're completely loopy and inconsistent.  Although not part of the official Liberal caucus, Senators who are members of the Liberal Party are planning to vote against the legislation.  So basically the elected Liberals showed no effectiveness as opposition members and collaborated with the government while the unelected Liberals in the Senate--parliament's very own museum, are voting against the bill.

The continuation of Canada's very own publicly-funded soap opera, the Mike Duffy trial, could also be another reason.  An increasing amount of evidence has been presented indicating manipulation, obfuscation, and distortion of the situation involving the suspicious Senator goes right to the highest levels of Prime Minister Harper's staff.  Again, Canadians might like their government to stay quiet between elections, but they don't like being taken for granted and insulted.  The alleged behaviour in the Prime Minister's Office is insulting to Canadians, not just on the Duffy question, but in the authoritarian, arrogant, and corrupt way it has functioned throughout the government of its current occupant.

The last reason is that Tom Mulcair is doing a good job at showing he's a decent guy.  Every time I've seen him in the news lately, he's been smiling.  He's also demonstrating he has the genuine ability to connect with ordinary people in a positive way.  Mr. Harper however makes it very clear that he does not like being around ordinary people.  They ask too many questions, they have emotions, they may not agree with him completely.  Mr. Harper doesn't like those things.  Mr. Trudeau, although I'm told he's extremely personable and friendly by friends who have met him, doesn't really need to connect with ordinary people.  He could stand in front of a crowd shouting obscenities and still enthrall the women with his looks and both genders with the fact he's the son of Pierre and Margaret.  Unfortunately for the Liberals, Mr. Trudeau's appearance and lineage is about the extent of the substance they have when it comes to offering real change for ordinary working Canadians--not just the abstract definition of the middle class he purports his tax credits, which is nothing but a Liberal version of what the Conservatives already do through bribing you with your own money.