A Single Guy Needs At Least One Married Couple to Keep Him Sane

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Lifestyle

Spouses and lovers may come and go. But the friendship of a married couple, who is always there to pick up the pieces and occasionally provide sanctuary, is essential to keeping a single guy — sane, secure and emotionally stable.

This year marks my 20th anniversary with not my wife. Or my current girlfriend. But my favorite married couple, Mel and Taffy.

Mel and Taffy have seen me through some wild times. Some tough times. Some weird times. And some crazy-ass, rolling on the floor, mad times.

Throughout the years I have introduced them to several attractive, but very diverse and somewhat quirky women friends. From sophisticated Jimmy Choo-clad social climbers. To Boho tree-hugging, almond-milk sipping cyclists. From cut-throat lawyers to idealistic NGO types. And to right-wing Tory Burch Tories, named Megan and Muffie.

Throughout, Mel and Taffy has always welcomed me in their home, usually after another soul-destroying romantic breakup, with consideration and humor. And most importantly, without judgment.

They never greeted me at their door, derisively, as in “What did you see in that lunatic? What were you thinking? When she locked you out of your own house, on your first date. Didn’t you see that as a bad sign?”

I recall after another tough break up, I showed up at their house late at night, with just the clothes on my back. And a pair of cowboy boots. And my favorite copy of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare.”

A few hours later, my then woman friend called Mel/Taffy’s home and screamed at Mel that I had stolen a valuable family asset. To which Mel calmly replied, “The book is worth about 10 bucks. It’s not exactly a first edition, signed by the author. ”

Classic Mel.

On another occasion, Mel and Taffy knew I was going through a rough patch, with another woman friend. They thought a week-end getaway in Miami, with them, may rekindle the fires, that were about to flicker out.

So we all flew down to stay at Taffy’s mother’s one-bedroom condo overlooking the famous Rascal House.
Mel and Taffy graciously slept on the old lumpy hide-a-bed couch, circa 1965, in the living room, with the noisy A/C.

What true and wonderful friends! It should have been a perfect weekend.

Unfortunately, my then-girlfriend had one of her regular psychotic episodes, and berated me in public. Over nothing.

She banished me from Mel and Taffy’s pool.

I fled to the lobby, where I spent the rest of the weekend, happily reading in peace and quiet.

Mel dubbed the lobby of that old seniors’ condo building,” my happy place.”

Which became a running joke with Mel and Taffy.

On many subsequent holidays with Mel and Taffy, I would often flee from my then volatile partner, to my special happy place.

This became a rather tragicomic, shared memory, with two very dear friends.

Unfortunately, this incident was often repeated, with different dates, of course, on other holidays with Mel and Taffy.

It still amazes me to this day, why Mel and Taffy kept joining me on these holidays with my random girlfriends.

Perhaps Mel and Taffy were hoping that each time, I would finally find true love and romance. Perhaps this time, Charlie Brown, will actually kick the football.

Or may be it was the fascination and prospect of another train wreck.

So horrible to witness. But so difficult to avoid.

For my part, I naively thought the karma of their near perfect marriage would rub off on me and my date.

My last vacation with Mel and Taffy was on a Caribbean cruise.

Cramped quarters. Rocky seas. Seasickness. Backed up toilets. Diarrhea.
The perfect holiday.

Mel, Taffy and I fondly recall that cruise as a combination “Death Ship 2”, “The Voyage of the Damned” and “The Ship of Fools.”

The experience is mostly a blur. Though I do recall arguing with my female companion. Hitting my head in the cabin. Then blood spurting out of my forehead.

And Mel taking a video of me in my straw hat and blood-spattered Hawaiian shirt.

Which video Mel very thoughtfully showed to a subsequent date of mine. At their house a few months later.
Accompanied by uproarious narration at my expense. Good times.

The loyalty and friendship of Mel and Taffy, have been a constant in my life.

I am a very lucky guy, to have such wonderful married friends. To share with me these truly horrible experiences. To laugh with me at my blackest moments.
And to prevent me from jumping off the Tallahatchie Bridge.

SWAG Toronto Councillors Oppose Proposed Scarborough Subway

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

I respect the City Councillors Josh Matlow of St. Paul’s ward and Gord Perks of Parkdale-High Park ward.

It is just too bad they do not respect the wishes of the long-suffering residents of Scarborough.

Who want and deserve a piece of the same subway/ transit benefits and opportunities that Matlow and Perks’ own downtown Toronto constituents enjoy.

You see, currently, most Scarborough residents spend anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes waiting for and then riding on overcrowded and hot buses, just to gain access to the current Scarborough subway stop at the Kennedy station..

Before even hopping on the subway for another 45 minutes to downtown Toronto.

While Matlow’s more affluent St. Paul’s constituents have the options of taking their cars, or biking to downtown Toronto. Or the luxury of walking ( or short busing) to either the Yonge or University-Spadina subway lines, for a relatively much easier and shorter subway transit ride to downtown Toronto.

While also Perks’ more affluent constituents have the luxury of hopping on the Bloor subways lines for relatively easier access to downtown Toronto.

In the downtown Toronto wards of St. Pauls and Parkdale- High Park, many Toronto residents have made it. They are experiencing the Canadian dream and are taking a big bite out of the Canadian/Toronto urban pie.

Many of the residents of the former city of Scarborough, in the outer reaches of Toronto, are immigrants, new Canadians. They are poorer than their St. Paul’s and Parkdale- High Park neighbors. So they have come to Scarborough where apartments and housing are more affordable.

And sometimes where public housing complexes and some neighborhoods are more problematical. Many Scarberians do not have the extra cash flow to own or lease cars. Their only option is public transit. Which in Scarborough means for the most part, waiting for overcrowded buses in Toronto’s freezing cold winters. Or riding the TTC’s hot and overcrowded buses in Toronto’s humid summers.

Many such Scarberians are hard-working intelligent people with foreign professional and academic credentials not recognized by Canadian authorities or Canadian society. Many are non-white. Many struggle with English as a second language. Many struggle with adapting to Canadian culture. They have come to Canada, and especially Toronto, to start again. To make a good and financially secure life for themselves and their families.

Notwithstanding facing obstacles of subtle discrimination, lack of Canadian experience and a tough job market, these Scarberians also want to gain a foothold in the good life that their St.Paul’s and Parkdale-High Park neighbors currently enjoy. They also want to experience the Canadian Dream of owning a nice home or condo in a safe and accessible area for their families, with good schooling and shops nearby.

Common sense, fairness, equity and even morality, dictate that the priorities of public transit should be directed to helping out those in Toronto’s outer lying suburbs, like Scarborough, where public transit is more of a necessity than in Toronto’s affluent neighborhoods of Forest Hill, (St. Paul’s ward) or High Park (Parkdale-High Park ward).

And you would think that such downtown Toronto leftist/liberals like councillors Josh Matlow (St. Pauls) and Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park) who pride themselves on “looking after the little guy,” the disadvantaged and those most vulnerable in society, would be front and centre and advocating vigorously for better public transit for Scarberians.

Unfortunately, as I have always suspected, such leftist/ liberals like Matlow and Perks, talk the talk. But they don’t walk, the walk.

When push comes to shove, when you strip away their faux concern for the working man, these leftists/ liberals are just SWAGs (smug, white, affluent gentry) at heart.

Both Matlow and Perks are insensitive to the needs of the long-suffering subway-challenged Scarberians —
their less well off neighbors in the northeast of Toronto.

They only care about themselves and the selfish and self-centred needs of their affluent constituents.

Let me elaborate.

In his most recent report, City Manager Pennachetti, stated that assuming the Ontario government would provide the $1.8 billion set aside for Light Rail Transit (LRT) for Scarborough to the Scarborough Subway option, (the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway from the Kennedy station to the Scarborough Town Centre), the City of Toronto would need an additional $1 billion to $1.5 billion to construct the Scarborough Subway option.

Pennachetti said that this sum could be funded provided that the City increase taxes of 1.1% to 2.4% over three years and that the federal government provide the balance in cash, between, $418 million to $660 million.

Pennachetti also reported that whereas the LRT option would cover a larger geographic area, include seven stations and come at a lower cost, the subway extension option , with only three stations, would have higher speed, higher quality service, higher ridership and no transfer for passengers from one mode to another at Kennedy station.

In other words, the subway option is a superior mode of public transit — higher speed, higher quality service, higher ridership and no transfer for passengers from one mode to another at Kennedy station.

Mayor Ford, for the first time, has gone on record supporting an increase in Toronto taxes by 0.25% to fund specifically the Scarborough subway option.

It is significant to note that TTC Chair Karen Stintz, after reading the Pennachetti’s report is also very supportive of the subway option.

The same article reported, “TTC chair Karen Stintz was optimistic the plan outlined by the city manager’s report would secure “the right subway” for Scarborough.

“I think council is in the position to finance this construction over the next 30 years,” Stintz said. “I think it is encouraging that the mayor is recognizing that subways cost money and that the taxpayers might have to pay for subways in the city.”

Stintz said she expected the province to honour its commitment to providing the $1.8 billion for a replacement to the Scarborough RT and that the project would be eligible for federal infrastructure funding because it would be considered a new project.

It is also interesting to note that this past week-end, Federal Finance MinisterFlaherty was reported to have confirmed that there is some infrastructure funding available for a Scarborough subway, provided the Toronto City Council could agree on such an option.

So to recap.

The City Manager and City officials believe that the Scarborough subway option is a better transit option than the LRT.

As noted above, potential funding for the subway option appears to be available, in terms of federal infrastructure funding, ($400 million to $600 million), the ability of the City to borrow a manageable $400-500 million, and the City raising a modest tax increase over 3 years.

Also add the support of the Ontario government, Mayor Ford, TTC Chairman Karen Stintz, the Scarborough councilors and the current federal government.

What also should really clinch it, for you lefty Scarborough Subway deniers, is that none other, than the Prime Minister in Waiting, the wavy-haired Justin Trudeau, is also in favour of the Scarborough subway.

Notwithstanding the above, Councillor Josh Matlow, is still vehemently opposed to a subway for Scarborough.

Contrary to all the above positive evidence, that such a Scarborough subway option is doable, reasonable and the fair, equitable and right thing to do as above noted,Matlow argued, (as I contend, irrationally and selfishly) that the subway push defied pro-taxpayer logic, as follows:

“(The report says) taxes would have to go up and the city would go dangerously into debt to pay for a plan that doesn’t make sense,” Matlow said.

“It would serve fewer Scarborough residents, cost a billion dollars more and when it comes to it — either a subway or an LRT would be completely grade separated — so I don’t see why’d we spend a billion dollars more to do that.”

Matlow argued this isn’t the LRT versus subway debate the city plunged into last year.
“This is about what makes sense on this specific route,” he said.
“If you look at the evidence, a reasonable person concludes, that it’s not worth a billion dollars of higher taxes and deeper debt to pay for it.”

And Councillor Perks is not much better when he also argued, contrary to the evidence and quite irrelevantly,

That Ford was rejecting the city manager’s plan by not committing to the full tax hike.”So there is no plan for funding a subway,” Perks said. “There is no such thing as a discount subway shop.”

Both Matlow and Perks should be ashamed of themselves.

Under the false guise of arguing incorrectly that Toronto would go dangerously into debt or face enormous taxes, these Councillors are putting the selfish interests of themselves and their affluent constituents over the interests of some of Toronto’s most needy residents, who desire and deserve good and effective public transit.

That is, subways, subways, subways.

It is about time that Matlow and Perks and their affluent constituents, show the respect to the Scarberians, that they deserve.

It is time to Man up, Matlow!
And Perk up, Perks!

And stop being so SWAG!!!

Why Has Downtown Toronto Become So SWAG?

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Lifestyle, Politics

For me, SWAG (smug, white, affluent gentry) is an attitude, a state of mind.

Even a lifestyle choice.

Someone who is SWAG, is someone at his core, is selfish, self-satisfied and self-entitled, who also has some material wealth, or political power, or influence or possessions. Or even just a sense and feeling of societal acceptance. All in themselves, or as a whole, contribute to a SWAG’s material well-being.

But more importantly, this person is driven by a desire to preserve and conserve his material well-being, even at the expense of others. Or the Others. Those who are less fortunate. Who lack that sense of material well-being, or lack that sense of financial security, political power or societal acceptance.

In downtown Toronto, I am not just talking about a few select individuals or families, I am talking about whole communities, which have become SWAG, and potentially, spiritless and soulless.

In Toronto, you don’t have to be white to be SWAG.

Especially, in the case of downtown Toronto.

Now, I am definitely for open, inclusive, and identifiable local neighbourhoods.One of the assets of downtown Toronto is its strong and sometimes idiosyncratic neighbourhoods. I am also a supporter of preserving such neighbourhoods.

What I am not in favour of is when residents of such local neighbourhoods, in an effort to preserve their neighbourhoods, give rise to a perverted form of neighbourhood preservation, NIMBYism. Otherwise known as “NOT IN MY BACKYARD.”

For the longest time NIMBYs used to be very open publicly in their resistance to change or development or urban density.

But since 2002, for a variety of good planning reasons: the continued population growth of Toronto and the high infrastructure and environmental costs of urban and suburban sprawl, the City of Toronto amended its Official Plan.

And Toronto smartly designated certain obvious areas of the city, usually near established subway lines and/or mini city centres (Yonge/Eglinton) or streetcar lines, (the Beaches on Queen Street East or Parkdale on Queen Street West) ripe for urban intensification, i.e. mid-rise and high-rise condo development.

Much to the chagrin and horror of the NIMBY residents of these designated urban density areas.

Also NIMBYism became synonymous with selfishness, intolerance and lacking in civic-mindedness.

Here are a few examples of Toronto NIMBYism in the recent past and present:

Residential organizations in the urban intensive Yonge-Eglinton area fought the development of two Minto condo towers just south of Eglinton on Yonge Street. Minto won and an excellent councillor Anne Johnston was voted out of office by her NIMBY constituents. For negotiating with Minto with a view to the overall good of Toronto, and not the insular interests of her selfish and self-satisfied constituents.

Residential organizations in the Beaches have continually fought against well-planned and community sensitive, modest mid size condos on Queens Street by Reserve Properties. These NIMBYs wrongly claim the historical character of their over priced and over-valued Beaches homes will be destroyed.

Parkdale residential organizations opposed condos in the Triangle, on the basis that they would destroy the community. The fact is that these well-planned condos have contributed to the revitalization of the community.

Special mention should be given to Parkdale Councillor Gord Perks, a staunch NIMBY advocate, who is currently leading the charge against more bars and restaurants in the Parkdale area.

Poor Jane Jacobs would be turning over in her grave. Jacobs was a celebrated urban theorist and Toronto resident. Recall in her seminal work, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” Jacobs viewed downtown and local bars and restaurants as very positive for urban life, in terms of attracting people to the streets late at night. And ongoing pedestrian flow. Which in turn provide a valuable and practical sense of security and community. The absence of which leads to crime and decline.

Unfortunately, NIMBYs are not just content with excluding newcomers to Toronto from the NIMBYs’ very appealing communities.

My thesis is that Downtown Toronto NIMBYs have taken NIMBYism to a whole new level of intolerance verging on discrimination. Which I have dubbed SWAGism.

SWAGs wish to separate their established and affluent communities from the poorer inner suburbs of Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York and East York, that adjoin downtown Toronto.

The spirit of SWAG Toronto is best captured by a recent Toronto Star article, which extolls the virtues of de-amalgamation. And represents a vain attempt by SWAG Toronto to recapture its political power, that was lost with the decisive defeat of George Smitherman by Rob Ford in the last municipal election.

The writer, referring to the evils of old Toronto amalgamating with the suburbs, (the residents of the latter clearly having different and inferior values and priorities) states:

“What was unleashed on Toronto in 1998 was a diabolical masterstroke: a perpetual culture war between the suburbs and the city, where the latter will almost always be outvoted by suburbanites with different values, priorities and motivations. Transit is a pregnant example. If the TTC only had to serve the former City of Toronto, it would actually turn a profit . Instead the beleaguered transit authority is whipsawed by populist politics and asked to deliver astronomically expensive subway service to the surrounding low-density sprawl.”

One urban academic recently referred to Ford as the “worst mayor in the modern history of cities, an avatar for all that is small-bore and destructive of the urban fabric, and the most anti-urban mayor ever to preside over a big city.”

The political left would be mistaken if they believe this presents a problem for “Ford Nation.” Exactly the opposite is true. Ford was sent downtown by suburban voters to bring home the bacon while cutting their taxes — essentially sabotaging the city. Mission accomplished. And if he thumbs his nose at Toronto elites along the way, so much the better. Ford himself may self-destruct, but the city will largely be ruled by suburban populists for the foreseeable future.”

I give a lot of credit and courage to political reporter Edward Keenan of The Grid, who clearly sees through the push for de-amalgamation as essentially self-serving, anti-democratic, anti-populist, discriminatory and elitist. And reflecting the true dark underbelly of SWAG Toronto. Keenan observes,

“Maybe most interestingly, is that if separating downtown were possible, it would still be entirely selfish and irresponsible. A growing majority of the most troubled neighbourhoods in Toronto are in the suburban areas, mainly because those are increasingly the more affordable parts of Toronto. The proposal to erect a political wall has the whiff of white flight: The wards that Ford carried in the last election are places where ethnic ‘visible minorities’ are an actual majority, while the downtown is more than 70 per cent white. All 13 of the city’s ‘priority neighbourhoods’ are in the inner suburbs, where the average income is 30 per cent lower than in the old City of Toronto. So be careful how you discuss ‘these people’ screwing up Toronto politics: De-amalgamation looks a lot like segregation by ethnicity and wealth.”

Of course, the suburbs are also the places where transit sucks, where riding a bike is difficult and where old high rise tower neighbourhoods are crumbling. If those areas are voting for people like Rob Ford, a good democratic approach might be to ask them why, instead of threatening them with exile.

In short, SWAG Toronto, appears to support erecting a wall to segregate white SWAG Toronto from the poorer non-white residents of Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough, on the basis of ethnicity and wealth.

I also fear under the sophisticated veneer of SWAG Toronto, lay affluent, anti-democratic social/political elites, who fear non white strangers moving into Old Toronto as their neighbours.

Not a pretty picture, Toronto.

Why Ford’s Scarborough Subway is a Winner

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics, Rob Ford

I predict that Mayor Ford with the able support of TTC Chairman Stintz, and all the Scarborough councillors will secure majority support on Toronto City Council for a revised deal with Metrolinx.

A deal in which Metrolinx will replace its Scarborough LRT proposal with a new and improved subway extension of the Bloor-Danforth line, from Kennedy station to Scarborough Town Centre.

I also predict that the Wynne government will find some extra cash (between $500 million to $925 million) to fund this Scarborough subway alternative.

Premier Wynne may be imperious, insensitive and arrogant, but she is not politically stupid.

Scarborough is vote rich.

Margarett Best’s Liberal provincial seat (Scarborough Guildwood) is up for grabs in the upcoming by-election on August 1, 2013. Wynne cannot afford to lose this Liberal Scarborough seat.

Opposition leader Tim Hudak is on record of being in support of subways.

The proposed Scarborough subway will be a campaign issue in this upcoming by-election in Scarborough.

And Wynne and the Liberals will lose this seat, unless she and the Liberals go all in.

That means working with Ford, Metrolinx and the TTC in funding this Scarborough subway option.

You know this Scarborough subway option is a winner, when two long time Ford critics, Marcus Gee of the Globe and Royson James of the Toronto Star, grudgingly give Ford credit for getting out ahead of this subway option.

Though James can’t bring himself to believe that Ford will actually win support for this very doable subway solution.

Royson James implies that this Scarborough subway proposal is a good idea, but he questions whether Ford has the political acumen to secure Council, Metrolinx and Ontario government support.

“With leadership skill, fostered cooperation, careful management and political acumen, a mayor can guide council into a final and clear position on this file. But we’ve seen this movie before.”

Marcus Gee, on the other hand, astutely nails the political upside for Ford, Stintz and Wynne. He states in his Globe article why the Scarborough subway is a political winner for the above parties.

“Instead of running on the complaint that Scarborough is getting a raw deal, Mr. Ford could claim to be actually achieving something for commuters there. Ms. Stintz could run on a similar, positive message. As for Premier Kathleen Wynne, the leader of a minority government in the midst of contesting a by-election in Scarborough could do worse than support a Scarborough subway, especially given that her main rival, Conservative Tim Hudak, has a pro-subways platform.

In practical terms, the Scarborough subway would offer a one-seat ride to and from downtown, avoiding the time-consuming transfer to an SRT. Construction could proceed while the existing SRT was still in service, so commuters would not be stuck on the bus while the SRT was rebuilt.”

Marcus Gee astutely concludes,

“And, yes, this last-minute twist in the transit saga adds uncertainty and threatens more delay, but in the grand scheme of the region-wide transit rollout, this is a relatively small and worthwhile adjustment.”

This is also a winner for Ford because politically tone deaf leftists on City Council such Josh Matlow (St. Pauls) and Gord Perks Parkdale-High Park) don’t see the necessity of providing a subway transit solution for the long-suffering Scarborough residents.

And the necessity for the Ontario government and potentially Toronto, bearing the additional costs for this subway option in Scarborough.

Just chalk up their blindness, myopia, selfishness and insensitivity to a case of SWAG ( smug, white, affluent gentry) disease.

You see in Ford’s political gut, he knew his downtown Toronto critics were SWAGS at heart.

They don’t like or “get” his suburban followers, his notorious Ford Nation.

And that is why his loyal fans in Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough, love Ford and will walk through walls for this guy.

And that is why Ford has a fighting chance to be re-elected in the next mayoral election.

Wynne Government and Metrolinx to Scarborough Residents: “You’re Second Class Citizens”

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

I don’t pride myself on being an urban mass transit expert.

I know for the longest time that our Mayor Ford has been pushing “subways, subways, subways.”

Though how Toronto was to pay for this vision, always escaped me.

I also know that TTC Chairman Karen Stintz, who used to be a Ford ally, is a potential political rival to Ford.

Regardless of how one may feel about Karen Stintz, ( especially if you are a super patriot of Ford Nation), she sure knows a ton about transit.

I trust her judgment over Metrolinx Chairman Prichard, Wynne’s man at Metrolinx, who has been known to do the Liberals’ bidding at the right price.

So when Karen Stintz changes her view and supports the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway line into Scarborough (along with Ford) as opposed to a new light rapid transit solution (LRT) currently being promoted by Metrolinx.

We should take notice.

According to a recent Globe and Mail article, Ford and Stintz want Metrolinx to amend its master agreement with the City of Toronto and replace its planned Scarborough LRT with a modified subway solution, presumably extending the Bloor-Danforth subway line and linking Kennedy Station to the Scarborough Town Centre.

This sounds reasonable.

The kicker of course is money.

Metrolinx had planned on a $1.8 billion dollar new LRT system to replace the current and aging rapid Scarborough Transit.

According to Metrolinx, the cost of switching from the proposed new LRT system to a subway solution is an additional $925 million.

Accordingly, if Toronto City Council decide to go this route, Metrolinx has threatened to take its “mass transit ball” and go home, leaving the City of Toronto to take over the financing, development and operational control of this Scarborough subway proposal.

Hey, Metrolinx, Prichard and CEO McCuaig, lighten up!!!

Apparently, Transportation Minister Murray is willing to consider an amendment to the above master agreement, provided that the City of Toronto, pick up the difference, potentially, $925 million, or ( I am estimating) roughly, the ultimate cost to Ontario taxpayers, of the Liberals’ cancelling the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants.

Now if Premier Wynne truly cared about the long suffering and subway-challenged residents of Scarborough, she would be instructing Prichard/McCuaig to come up with a solution for the Scarborough residents.

To date, Wynne just does not appear interested in the Scarborough subway file.

Which is very insensitive. Because for years, the residents of Scarborough have been treated like second class citizens, when it comes to public transit.

For years, these residents, especially during the long cold winters, have had to wait, outside in the freezing cold to take overcrowded and poorly heated buses, while those lucky downtown urbanites have been whisked to and from work in the warm confines of the Spadina-University line, the Yonge line, or the Bloor line.

The residents in Josh Matlow’s Ward (St. Pauls), have the choice of walking either to the Yonge subway at Yonge/Eglinton or to the University-Spadina line at Eglinton/Allen Expressway.

Those in the High Park, West Annex, Annex, Rosedale and Danforth areas, of course, have easy access to the Bloor subways.

The long suffering residents of Scarborough, not so much.

I commend the Scarborough councillors, especially, Thompson and Berardinetti, for standing up for the rights and interests of their Scarborough residents and for opposing the LRT solution and not giving up on the preferred subway solution.

These Scarborough councillors have demanded that their constituents deserve a subway and have forcefully argued that anything less (the LRT option) is treating them as second-class citizens.

I totally agree.

Such leftist councillors as Josh Matlow (St. Pauls) and Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park), should be ashamed of themselves.

These councillors’ urban constituents, these smug white, affluent gentry (“SWAG”) enjoy the benefits of subway transit, but these councillors are unwilling to support the fact that Scarborough residents, many who are recent immigrants, non-white and less affluent, also deserve such subway transit opportunities and benefits.

Unlike in the tony neighborhoods of High Park, West Annex, Annex, Forest Hill, North Toronto, and Rosedale, where these SWAGS hang out, many residents in Scarborough, don’t have the cash flow to choose between the convenience of their cars and the TTC. Bus travel or Scarborough Rapid Transit ( talk about a misnomer) are their only option.

I believe that these SWAGS forget that they themselves were immigrants or their parents or ancestors were once struggling immigrants, trying to get a foothold here in Toronto and in Canada.

And they were once in the minority, and were looked down upon as second or third class citizens.

To paraphrase, President John F. Kennedy.

“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Scarborough, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words “Ich bin ein Scarberian.”

In other words, We are all Scarberians!

And Scarberians deserve respect, fairness, equity and their own subway.

So Premier Wynne and Rosedale Rob, if you could find a few hundred million to pay off greedy US hedge funds and friendly power plant owners, perhaps you could take a few hundred million dollars from Samsung’s sweetheart renewal energy contract.

Or from other sweetheart contracts with other overpaid renewal energy companies. Or the sweetheart contracts of the teachers or other special interest groups that support the Liberal Party.

And instead, do the right thing for a change, and lay some of that hard-earned taxpayer money on some of Toronto’s most deserving and long-suffering residents in Scarborough.

And, once and for all, support a Scarborough subway!!!

Is There No End to This Liberal Deficit Madness?

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

In a speech to the Canada 2020 think-tank at Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier Wednesday evening, Premier Wynne said the best way to create jobs and boost the nation’s economy is by massively expanding public transit, building roads and bridges, and upgrading other infrastructure across the country.

Some towns, Wynne said, have gone for so long without new infrastructure dollars that their bridges cannot carry buses and their water supply systems have not been upgraded in 100 years.

“The lack of adequate investment is choking out those future possibilities in some of these small communities, just as it is paralyzing our urban and economic hubs,” Wynne said.

The federal government committed $53-billion to infrastructure earlier this year, but Ontario contends its approach is too piecemeal. Under the federal model, municipalities or provinces would receive the money on a project-by-project basis.

Instead, Premier Wynne wants a more detailed plan that ensures continuous funding from the federal government every year.

Recall that in 2008, the then McGuinty government — both verbally and in writing, according to Toronto Liberal Councilman Shelley Carroll — signed a commitment letter to the City of Toronto in which the McGuinty Government committed itself for 10 years to pay the approximate sum of $150 million per year for 10 years to the City of Toronto through to 2018, to assist Toronto with its growing public housing costs and to compensate Toronto for the former Premier Harris downloading public housing costs to the City of Toronto.

To McGuinty’s credit, at that time that was a great example of the province of Ontario committing itself to continuous funding for social housing to Toronto.

It is ironic that Premier Wynne does not practice what she preaches, as she and her government have reneged on their commitment of continuous funding of $150 million annually to the City of Toronto for its social housing. Starting in 2014 and for three years, the Wynne government will be paying $50 million a year, instead of $150 million per year. And even that payment will be terminated as of 2016, two clear years before the previously noted McGuinty commitment letter for 10 years funding was to elapse.

Oh well, I guess Premier Wynne and Finance Minister Sousa have bigger fish to fry. That is, finding additional borrowed funds to pay for a negotiated two per cent raise in elementary teachers’ salaries.

Or for paying billions, to permit students in Ontario to attend full-day kindergarten, again with borrowed funds to pay for additional teachers (all with generous benefits), a loan which has to be ultimately repaid by the Ontario government sometime in the future.

Or for paying over $585 million to greedy American hedge funds and friendly power plant operators.

Is there no end to this Liberal deficit madness?

How Robert Prichard’s Role in Gas Plant Talks Cost Taxpayers Millions: Part Two

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

In my last Huffington Post article, recall that Rob Prichard and his Toronto law firm Torys were retained by the Ontario Ministry of Energy, (effectively Dalton McGuinty) to pay off and make the U.S. hedge fund EIG quietly go away without further embarrassing the McGuinty government with EIG’s messy and public legal action against the McGuinty government.

As previously discussed, EIG had launched a $300 million legal action in Ontario against the Ontario Ministry of Energy and the OPA, over their alleged conspiracy with Eastern Power and its operating company Greenfield (collectively, Eastern Power) to breach the lending agreement that Eastern Power had with EIG.

EIG had provided a $263 million credit facility to Eastern Power in order to finance Eastern Power’s development and construction of a proposed Mississauga gas plant.

As previously reported, the McGuinty government cancelled this gas plant, within six months of the execution of this lending agreement — but not before approximately $59 million had been drawn down by Eastern Power from this lending facility.

Notwithstanding that the Ontario government was neither a party to this lending agreement or a guarantor of the loan, the Ontario government provided Prichard with a mandate to pay off EIG the outrageous sum of $146.5 million, which Prichard forked over in order to prevent any further litigation with EIG, with respect to this loan.

In my previous article, I argued that the McGuinty government did have a choice to fight this specious legal action and potentially save the taxpayers all or a substantial chunk of those $146.5 million dollars, but the McGuinty government chose instead to pay these greedy hedge fund dudes off, so as to protect the McGuinty government and its brand — at the clear expense of the Ontario taxpayers.

Now, ironically, the Wynne government has decided to cut $150 million in funding to the city of Toronto, over the next three years, according to a recent Globe and Mailarticle.

These funds had been promised to the city of Toronto by the former Liberal Finance Minister Dwight Duncan as compensation for the city of Toronto assuming some of the public housing costs, that had been downloaded on the city of Toronto by the province.

So the Liberal government has no problem cutting a cheque unnecessarily for $146.5 million to a greedy American hedge fund, as hush money. Similarly, the Wynne government has no problem cutting the city of Toronto off from $150 million that the city needs to house its homeless and disadvantaged.

Well, I am glad the Wynne government has its priorities straight.

This Liberal government appears to favour greedy US hedge funds, well-connected gas plant owners and its friends on Bay Street, to Toronto’s homeless and working poor.

In the context of the Liberal government blowing millions upon millions of dollars to hush up the Mississauga gas plant, the story just gets even worse.

Recall, Rob Prichard and his Tory law firm associates were paid by the McGuinty government the very generous sum of $350,000 in fees for two weeks of work.

It should be noted Prichard’s fees during those two weeks also included his work in settling the strained relationship with Eastern Power.

Or more accurately, Prichard’s fees were earned for paying off the costs incurred by Eastern Power in reliance of the gas supply contract it had with the McGuinty government.

And also for paying off costs that Eastern Power had incurred for matters quite unrelated to the subject contract with the province.

In addition, Prichard ‘s fees were earned from also paying off the additional relocation and financing costs that Eastern Power incurred in building a new alternate gas plant in more gas plant-friendly Lambton.

For simplicity, I am estimating that the McGuinty government once again chose to protect its image and its Liberal government at the expense of the taxpayers, to the tune of about $63.8 million dollars.

Let me elaborate.

Pursuant to a public tender, Eastern Power entered into, with the McGuinty government, a long-term fixed price contract in which it would supply energy generated from its natural gas plant, to the Ontario government, provided that Eastern Power could secure sufficient financing to develop, build and operate the said Mississauga gas plant.

Unfortunately, Eastern Power — a private company and owned by the Vogt brothers — was a thinly capitalized company. Eastern Power had great difficulty securing conventional Canadian bank financing.

According to the Ontario provincial auditor’s report, (page 12) as a result of numerous factors, including Eastern Power’s inability to secure financing in a timely fashion, Eastern Power was in apparent breach of its contract with the McGuinty government.

And the McGuinty government could have terminated this contract with Eastern Power well before it publicly announced the cancellation of the gas plant, and thus saved tens of millions of taxpayers’ money and a lot of aggravation.

Even after Eastern Power secured very expensive financing from EIG, the U.S. hedge fund, the auditor noted on page 19 of his report that Eastern Power may still have been in breach of the government’s contract. The auditor stated:

“We noted that EIG alleged that Greenfield (Eastern Power’s operating company) had breached 17 covenants of the lending agreement as of January, 2012…Since some of those covenants had been breached prior to the cancellation of the plant, Greenfield may well have been potentially in default of the agreement (Government contract) and if so possibly subject to penalties at the time the plant was cancelled.”

When the McGuinty government announced the cancellation of the Mississauga gas plant, according to the auditor’s report (page 13), government officials were looking at least two obvious options: 1) terminate the contract with Eastern Power or 2) try to reach a settlement with Eastern Power.

According to same auditor’s report, the McGuinty government unfortunately chose door number two, that is, negotiate a settlement with Eastern Power, because the government feared that by unilaterally terminating the Eastern Power contract, this action would trigger lawsuits from both Eastern Power and EIG.

The auditor wryly noted, that notwithstanding that the McGuinty government chose to negotiate, the hedge fund EIG still brought legal action against the McGuinty government.

Once again, I believe that in order to properly safeguard taxpayer money, it would have been far more prudent for the McGuinty government to take a hard line with Eastern Power.

Instead, once again, the McGuinty government appeared so desperate to avoid a messy and public litigation battle arising out of justifiably terminating the contract with Eastern Power, that the McGuinty government bent over backwards to accommodate the Vogt brothers of Eastern Power.

What the Vogt brothers lacked in capital, they made up in chutzpah — that is, unmitigated gall.
They knew that McGuinty was so desperate for a deal, that the Vogt Brothers made outrageous monetary demands.

The Vogts insisted that the government pay all their alleged incurred or “sunk” costs of $43.8 million, which Prichard apparently recommended paying — notwithstanding according to the auditor’s report, which states that only about $8 million could be actually supported with documentation at the time.

The auditor noted on page 16 of his report:

“Greenfield was expected to provide support for the costs at a later date. We found the support to be adequate for $8 million of costs. However, we found that about $36 million in reimbursements to Eastern Power for labour costs, including the cost of external consultants was never properly supported.”

Instead, had the government terminated the contract and forced Eastern Power to spend many years of litigation fighting the Government and justifying its “sunk costs” (that is, its expenditures on labor and equipment). With hard, verifiable, written supporting evidence, the Vogts would have probably settled for a $10 million recovery, as opposed to the $43.8 million paid to them. Estimated savings to taxpayers — $33.8 million.

Then, to add further insult to the financial injury of the taxpayers, Eastern Power insisted that the McGuinty government pay the sum of $19.6 million for matters unrelated to the disputed contract with the McGuinty government, and for which, I maintain, the McGuinty government had no legal obligation.

On page 15 of the auditor’s report, you can almost hear the auditor in utter amazement and disbelief report that, Eastern Power demanded a settlement of $15.4 million to be paid to it, arising out of its outstanding legal dispute with the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation (OEFC), over its Keele Valley landfill gas plant.

As a precondition to beginning any negotiation regarding the Mississauga gas plant contract!

The Keele Valley landfill dispute had nothing to do with the Mississauga gas plant. But the OEFC and the OPA willingly coughed up $15.4 million in taxpayer money, just to bring the Vogts to the negotiating table.

But it even gets worse, if that is possible.

According to the auditor, ( page 17) the McGuinty government, as part of its settlement with Eastern Power and on the recommendation of Prichard, paid Eastern Power the sum of $4.2 million to reimburse it for the lands it purchased upon which to build the Mississauga gas plant and the adjoining 17,000 square foot warehouse used for storage. The sum of $4.2 million was the original purchase price for these properties.

But here is the kicker. The McGuinty government permitted Eastern Power to retain ownership of these properties.

And the auditor noted that the market value of the undeveloped site alone (excluding the warehouse) had increased to an estimated value of $5.3 million.

So let me recap. Prichard and the McGuinty government reimbursed Eastern Power for its original investment of $4.2 million, but instead of the government taking over the properties and then potentially reselling them at a profit, Prichard and McGuinty let the Vogts retain the properties so that the Vogts can make a huge profit on the resale of these properties — perhaps even triple their money!

The auditor concludes on the same page 17 of its report. “With such an increase in the land’s value since Greenfield purchased it, the OPA may have realized a net gain if it had chosen to restore the site, and we believe it should have assessed this option more formally. ”

This is classic, diplomatic and understated bureaucratic speak.

Reading between the lines, the auditor may be really saying to the OPA:

“Are you guys out of your friggin’ minds? What were you guys smoking? This is the dumbest deal ever!”

Once again the McGuinity government, through the good offices of Prichard, has appeared willingly to pay not only hush money, but bonuses on the hush money to Eastern Power so as to avoid public embarrassment and messy litigation.

And once again, had the McGuinty government terminated the contract and challenged Eastern Power in court, I believe that the McGuinty would not have been forced to pay the above $19.6 million. Savings to the taxpayers — $19.6 million.

Furthermore, as I have stated in my previous article and ad nauseam, the Ontario government has many very competent and experienced litigators and business lawyers in its Finance and Energy Ministries and engineers in the government.

There was no need to go outside to hire Prichard, his firm and other outside legal negotiators and engineers at a total price of about $ 4.4 million dollars in fees, according to the auditor’s report (page 20), to secure the very costly settlements that these Bay Street lawyers negotiated. Savings to the taxpayers — another $4.4 million.

Lastly, it would have been more prudent for the government to bring a more experienced and more financially viable and capitalized gas plant developer and operator, than the Vogts, to build and operate an alternate gas plant in Lambton.

Accordingly, in such a scenario, the government would not have been further stuck with an outstanding bill for $6 million that Eastern Power owed to another equipment supplier. And which, as part of the government settlement, you guessed it, the government willingly shelled out to close the deal with the Vogts (page 19 of thereport).

Savings to taxpayers — $6 million.

Estimated total savings — about $63.8 million.

That is a lot of cheddar, sport fans.

I hope the Ontario legislative committee follows the money on this one as well, and calls on the carpet — all those government and non government lawyers who either opposed or supported settling with Eastern Power — for their sworn testimony.

If you take into account McGuinty’s financial kiss of $146.5 million to the U.S. hedge fund and about $63.8 million that the government should not have shelled out to the Vogts of Eastern Power and others, that is about $210.3 million that could have been better spent on public housing and the working poor in Toronto and in other cities of Ontario.

Cold-Hearted Wynne Cuts Back on Toronto’s Poor, While Ford Fights for Their Cause

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

Well, I hate to say that I told you so.

Actually, that is not entirely true. I am laughing my behind off, as I type this in the wee hours of the morn.

But as I warned the Globe and Mail, in a previous Huffington Post article:Mayor Rob Ford is not Teflon Man, nor is he, Toxic Man. But for all of you pundits and politicos on the port side, I warn you, once again, the man is Kryptonite.

And continuous exposure to Mayor Ford will only weaken you and sap your intelligence, and ultimately your political will to live.

Or in the case of the hapless Premier Wynne, overnight she has been transformed from the touchy-feely, “Harvard-educated” (okay, it was only a two-week program, and not a 4-year degree like mine, but hey, once a Harvard student, always a Harvard student) Ms. Premier Mediator, Captain Conciliator.

To a cold, heartless, female version of the ruthless cost-cutting former Premier Mike Harris. But with better chic earrings.

Like all her fellow sinister (Latin for “left”) travelers, Premier personally cannot stand Mayor Ford. Because he is overweight, lacks downtown Annex class, he is anti-bikes and prefers fixing potholes, to saving the whales and solving climate change. And of course, he hangs out with shady characters, who allegedly illegally delete and destroy government documents.

Oops, wrong political leader. My bad.

My point is that underneath Wynne’s comforting demeanor, is one tough, calculating, highly-focused and partisan politico. Who runs a very tight office, full of very partisan followers and loyalists, where she is clearly the boss, and there is very little dissent. Shades of Stephen Harper.

But because Wynne has surrounded herself with like-minded leftists, Wynne is politically tone-deaf, to the populist appeal and political phenomenon, that is Rob Ford.

Because she and her followers hate Ford, and don’t understand his appeal, she thinks all Toronto hates Ford and thinks he is a buffoon, and that he can do nothing right.

As a result, Wynne thought she could lay her ruthless decision to cut back Ontario government funding of public housing and social programs for Toronto’s poor, all on Rob Ford.

Oy, did Wynne make a huge political blunder!

Wynne just pitched a nice high fast one over the plate, to our Mayor. And the Big Bambino, just knocked it in the upper deck for a four bagger.

In a recent Globe and Mail article, the Wynne government abruptly cancelled funding in the sum of $150 million ($50 million in 2014) that the Ontario government had been annually forwarding to the City of Toronto since 2008, to compensate the city of Toronto, for Ontario downloading certain public services, such as public housing on the City.

Naturally, Mayor Ford reacted harshly to this unexpected funding cutbacks which directly affect the most vulnerable in Toronto.

In his press conference, Ford stood up for the plight of Toronto’s working poor and condemned Wynne for abandoning them through these terrible and unexpected cutbacks. Ford vowed to maintain funding for this matter, even if the City had to make cutbacks in other areas.

This decision comes as a complete surprise to me and the city and we are very, very concerned,” Ford said at a press conference. “These are vital, vital funds that we need to continue helping our most vulnerable residents.”

In addition, Ford lambasted the Wynne government because he believed that the McGuinty government and now the Wynne government was committed to maintaining this funding for 10 years, until 2018.

Naturally, leftist Toronto Councilor Gord Perks, as reported yesterday on CBC radio, blamed Ford for dropping the ball and spending too much time fixing potholes and answering constituents’ calls, than managing the relationship with Premier Wynne. (I personally heard the said CBC news report)

Then naturally, in Saturday’s Star, Royson James took a cheap shot at Ford and apparently also blamed Ford for Wynne cutting back on the $150 million. Jamesstated, referring to Ford’s adverse reaction to the unexpected cutbacks, ”

“Consistent he is — consistently irrational. And it might end up costing Toronto $150 million….
Ford’s comments, a curious attack, are unhelpful.”

So Wynne reneges on a 10 year commitment to help out Toronto’s poor, and somehow Rob Ford is at fault.

How low can the Ford-hating Star go?

Then Wynne trots out Finance Minister Sousa and former Finance Minister Duncanto swear that there was never a 10-year commitment.

Then a minor miracle occurs.

Recall for weeks, there were numerous articles about how dysfunctional the Mayor’s office and Toronto City Hall were. To such an extent that the unelected Premier Wynne thought of intervening and removing our democratically elected mayor.

Well, apparently this non-functioning City Hall , in the person of Liberal Councilor Shelley Carroll, unearthed a letter from an Ontario assistant deputy minister that, referring to the funding for social housing, “specifically describes payments “the City of Toronto can expect to receive from the province” until 2018.”

Got ya. Chuck. That sounds pretty definitive to me.

Then Finance Minister Sousa argued that the Ontario government was alternatively giving the City of Toronto certain savings by not demanding the City repay the $200 million loan Ontario gave to the city to pay for the costs of amalgamation.

To which replied city manager Joe Pennachetti,
“But the city says there’s no real savings, because it didn’t expect to pay the money back. Payments on the loan stopped years ago, and the province stopped insisting on being repaid, “We thought the loan was gone and over and done with,” Pennachetti said. “You (province) are finally acknowledging you’re going to get rid of the loan. Thank you, but it should have been done eight years ago.”

Again, the hapless Sousa appears out to lunch.

To sum up. Wynne’s $150 million funding cutback makes her and her government look like ruthless cost cutters, trying to reduce its government’s deficit on the backs of Toronto’s most vulnerable. And a government that reneges on its written commitments and fudges the truth about it.

Ford, on the other hand, is cast in the unlikely role of defender of the downtrodden and a fighter for the housing rights of the working poor in Toronto. And a man of integrity.

Perhaps Ford should intervene and lead a delegation to Queens Park to seek the removal from office of the unelected Premier.

I hope the Mayor Ford, when he visits Queens Park, does not spend too much time “standing in judgment” over the transgressions of the unelected Premier.

How Robert Prichard’s Role in Gas Plant Talks Cost Taxpayers Millions

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Politics

The Globe and Mail is back doing what it does best — holding Ontario politicians and government officials to account for the waste of millions of dollars of Ontario taxpayers’ money, pertaining to the cancellation of the Mississauga gas plant.

According to a recent Globe article, the Ontario Ministry of Energy retained the services of Rob Prichard, Metrolinx chairman and the chairman of the very well-respected Torys Bay Street law firm, to settle the lawsuits launched by EIG Management Co. (EIG), a Washington-based hedge fund, which had lent $59 million to Eastern Power and its operating company Greenfield (collectively, Eastern Power) to build the notorious Mississauga gas plant. Now cancelled.

As a result of Prichard’s brilliant negotiating tactics, the Ontario government forked over the sum of $146.5 million to EIG, to settle EIG’s highly bogus $300 million claim against the McGuinty government and the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).

For which EIG was only out of pocket for $59 million.

Say what?

Yes, Virginia, you read this right.

Also according to the Globe article, Rob Prichard and his Tory colleagues were paid approximately $350,000 in fees by the McGuinty government for two weeks of work.

You can almost see those Bay Street masters of the universe, high-fiving, and doing a happy dance around the boardroom table.

But before we give Prichard the keys to our fair city, or the keys to Rob Ford’s secret stash (of Cuban cigars, what did you think I meant?) let’s think about this.

I was wondering whether Prichard, or his Torys colleagues, or the many highly-paid and very well-respected lawyers in the Ontario Ministries of Energy and Finance ever considered that the greedy U.S. hedge fund EIG may not have been legally entitled to one red cent from the Ontario government?

According to the report of Jim McCarter, the Ontario provincial auditor who investigated the Mississauga gas plant cancellation, Eastern Power (see page 18 of the Auditor’s Report) entered into a $263 million credit facility (a line of credit available as standby funding) at a very high interest rate of 14 per annum, for a term of eight years with EIG to secure financing for the construction and maintenance of the Mississauga gas plant.

According to the same auditor’s report, EIG, the lender, only actually lent about $59 million to Eastern Power, for a period of six months before the cancellation of the gas plant.

It is important to note that Eastern Power and its operating company, Greenfield were the only parties to this credit facility with EIG.

Neither the Liberal government, nor any government ministry or agency, including the Ministry of Energy or the OPA, were a party to this credit facility or a guarantor of this credit facility.

The Auditor notes that the Liberal government was never even shown a copy of this private credit facility loan agreement by either Eastern Power or EIG, prior to the OPA agreeing to pay the penalty incurred by Eastern Power for breaching the terms of the credit facility loan agreement.

This makes sense because this was a private deal between two consenting corporations, and since the Liberal government was neither a party or a guarantor, it had no right or authority to see the subject creditor facility loan agreement.

Notwithstanding that the Liberal government was neither a party to the credit facility loan agreement, nor a guarantor, EIG still sued the Ontario government and the Ontario Power Authority in Ontario for $300 million in damages, on the basis that the Liberal government had conspired to breach a loan agreement to which it was not a party.

I firmly believe the U.S. hedge fund’s $300-million claim was without merit.

I also believe that the hedge fund’s legal claim was a legal tactic to pressure McGuinty into a monetary settlement, out of court.

I also believe that the Ontario government, with its virtually unlimited resources and its high-powered legal talent, could have defended this ridiculous suit brought by EIG against the McGuinty government for many years. And ultimately, the Ontario government would have won, or settled for an amount considerably less than $50 million.

Instead, it is apparent that the McGuinty government was more concerned about its political survival than taxpayers’ money. Because in this case, it hired a hired gun, with a strict mandate to make the hedge fund go away and not embarrass the McGuinty government with an ugly and messy court battle pertaining to the gas plant cancellation.

As NDP energy critic Peter Tabuns wisely noted, “Mr. McGuinty was willing to write a blank cheque to keep this out of the public eye and out of the courts.”

To date, Premier Wynne, senior government officials and Liberal supporters have defended the expenditure of $585 million for the cancellation of the Mississauga and Oakville gas plants on the basis that both the opposition parties (NDP and Conservatives) were also opposed to the construction of the said plants. The obvious implication is that both the NDP and Conservatives, if in the shoes of the McGuinty government, would have also spent the same amount of taxpayer money to settle these matters.

The above Prichard $146.5 million payoff to American hedge fund EIG to buy its silence is evidence that considerable taxpayers’ money could have been saved if Premier McGuinty had put the taxpayers’ interests ahead of his own government, and if he had fought these greedy Americans in Ontario court.

I suspect the Ontario legislative committee will dig up more examples of such Liberal waste of taxpayers’ money pertaining to this sorry gas plant cancellation scandal.

I urge this committee to call upon Rob Prichard and all the government lawyers and outside lawyers who advised on the Mississauga gas plant cancellation.

I urge this so we can get to the bottom of the reasoning for paying off EIG and Eastern Power nearly $300 million dollars, instead of terminating their said contracts and challenging them to spend millions of their own money and years in court, resulting in them unsuccessfully trying to recover compensation from the Ontario government.

Lastly, Eastern Power was a weak and poorly-capitalized gas plant developer from day one. The McGuinty government should have terminated its contract with Eastern Power, well before cancelling the Mississauga gas plant. The McGuinty government should have brought in a more highly-capitalized gas plant player like the much more financially stronger Brookfield Power.

So for McGuinty and Wynne to justify the huge relocation costs and expenditures for Eastern Power, just does not wash with this cowboy.

How the Rob Ford Story Became More About the Media

by Mitch Wolfe, posted in Media, Politics, Rob Ford

A funny thing happened on the way to the Rob Ford lynching. The Media became the story.

The hunter became the hunted. The investigator became the investigated.

And the messenger, was caught, red-handed and left-handed, writing the message.

Instead of simply delivering it.

Definitely, a McLuhanesque moment in Toronto media history.

And the messenger became the message.

And the message was,

“Rob Ford should not be mayor of Toronto, though he was democratically elected.”

Firstly, the well-known civil rights lawyer Clay Ruby, and defender of the downtrodden, tried to unseat Rob Ford through legal means by alleging Ford was engaged in a conflict of interest over a $3,150 donation to his football foundation.

Then the Toronto Star team of Donovan and Doolittle tried to force Ford to rehab and out of office, by reporting that they saw an unverified 90-second crack cocaine video allegedly starring Rob Ford.

The Globe and Mail, after 18 months of fruitlessly investigating Doug Ford allegedly dealing in soft drugs in his basement over 30 years ago, was forced to play catch up to the Toronto Star video scoop. And the Globe released a non-story with no identifiable witnesses, 30 years after the fact.

This was not one of the Globe’s shiniest moments.

The Globe’s story was not helped by the Globe editor-in-chief lamely cloaking himself and the Globe in the rather self-serving and vague notion of acting in the “public interest.”

When we in the suburbs knew that the Globe was also acting in its own private self-interest — to sell newspapers and boost its online and print circulation.

All in all, just “sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Still the Star and the Globe, blindly and stubbornly persisted. Refusing to let a salacious tabloid story die a natural death.

The Globe had 6 of its best and brightest reporters rooting through the divorce documents of a no-name Ford assistant.

Both the Star and Globe reported breathlessly about the departures of staff members, as if the city was on the brink of collapse.

The media also gleefully reported on numerous Ford critics on City Council, calling for Ford to come clean, debase himself, wear sackcloth and ashes and throw himself on the pyre of public opinion.

The media further got into the act by reporting that Premier Wynne was considering stepping in and removing Ford from office, for the sake of Toronto ‘s reputation.

Even our own Queen of Letters and Ford nemesis, Margaret Atwood, let out a tweet, “How the Rob Ford Scandal Could Save Toronto”, heard around the world, that is, the Annex. Recommending that Fortress Toronto pull up the drawbridge and keep out the suburban barbarians from entering the inner city.

As if we suburbanites were Barbarians at the Dufferin Gate.

You see Lady Margaret never forgave Ford for preferring french fry over Northrup Frye.

“Let them eat Quinoa,” quoth the Edible Woman.

As a result, Queen Maggie was prepared to lend her considerable name to the de-amalgamation of Toronto from Etobicoke, North York and “Scarberia.”

But notwithstanding the media feeding frenzy, there is incredible pressure on the Fords, from the left, the right and even from US talk show hosts.

Mayor Ford and Doug Ford remained defiant.

Unbowed. Unrepentant.

Kennedy-like grace under pressure.

And then to the shock and utter disbelief of the downtown media, the raging and rising tide of invective and hate, began to turn.

Contrary to the media’s wishful thinking, and with apologies to the great Yeats:

Things did not fall apart in City Hall or in Toronto.
The centre held.
Mere anarchy was not loosed upon our fair city.
Though everywhere,
In the downtown media, on Front and Yonge,
In the Annex coffee shops, the Ossington bars,
And the organic stores, on Bloor
The presumption and ceremony of Ford innocence were drowned;
The best ( the Globe) lacked all conviction,
While the worst, (The Star) were full of passionate intensity.

You see in the media’s rush to judgment, their political instincts had become dulled.

We knew in the suburbs, that the downtown media were smugly ignorant of the incredible support that Rob Ford enjoyed.

And that Ford Nation was untouched by the media circus at City Hall.

When Ford’s strong polls were released, the anti-Ford media onslaught was stopped dead in its tracks.

The people had spoken and it was not pretty.

The media was forced to beat a hasty retreat.

Even they realized that they and Premier Wynne had crossed the line in subtly urging an unelected Premier to overturn the will of the people who had elected Ford fairly and democratically in a city-wide election.

In order to save their shredded reputation, the media even turned on Premier Wynne for her proposed anti-democratic intervention in Toronto City Hall.

When the now infamous “crack cocaine video” failed to emerge, the rout and humiliation of the downtown media were complete.

And even de-amalgamation was derided as “segregation by wealth and ethnicity” by a Toronto Grid columnist.Ouch, that must really hurt, Maggie, and all your liberal followers!

Have the Globe and the Star learned their lesson?

The Star, probably not.

The Globe and Mail is still one of the best newspapers in North America.

But if the Globe is Superman, then Rob Ford is Kryptonite.

And continuous exposure to Ford only weakens the Globe.

Also as the excellent Globe reporter Marcus Gee just realized.

It is sometimes useful for a change, to stop drinking the same gluten-free Almond Milk as all his Globe colleagues in the Annex, Danforth and Beaches.

And get out of his downtown hood.

And travel to the strange lands of Etobicoke, North York and Scarborough.

To learn what is really going on in the rest of Toronto.