Monday night, The Block will engage in their favourite political activity: betraying the public trust. In fact, it’s the only political activity they’ve engaged in this term, in which the public has been concerned. Everything else they’ve done has been to further their own personal agendas or entitlement. But Monday,
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Scripturient: Taking credit for the work of others
A short while ago, I received an unsolicited email from the interim (and soon to be departing) CAO, John Brown, with the subject, “Ideas. Observations. Musings . Opinions . Facts ?” (yes, written just like that…). Although he says he never reads my blog, it inspired me to write this post.
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Judge dismisses bid to have St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse removed from office
PHOTOS: St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse. Below: Mayoral candidates Cam MacKay and Cathy Heron. ST. ALBERT, Alberta An Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice yesterday dismissed an application by a St. Albert resident to have Mayor Nolan Crouse removed from office based on allegations the mayor had violated provisions of
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Has St. Albert councillor’s mayoral campaign forgotten the incumbent mayor isn’t seeking reelection?
PHOTOS: St. Albert City Councillor Cam MacKay, who is running for mayor of the municipality northwest of Edmonton. Below: Mayoral candidate Cathy Heron, also a city councillor, St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse, and Councillor Sheena Hughes. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Have the key players in City Councillor Cam MacKay’s campaign to
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Having raised the issue, St. Albert mayoral candidate needs to explain what he planned to do if judge ruled in court case
PHOTOS: St. Albert City Councillor Cam MacKay, who is running for mayor of the municipality northwest of Edmonton. Below: St. Albert Mayor Nolan Crouse and mayoral candidate Cathy Heron, also a city councillor. ST. ALBERT, Alberta Surely more than a few St. Alberta residents wondered what City Councillor Cam MacKay
Continue readingScripturient: Utter contempt at council
Utter contempt. That’s what The Block showed for process at council, on Monday night. And for ethics. And for you, the residents. Utter contempt. But when they want to give benefits to their friends or themselves, boy do they rise to the occasion. Which of course they did, Monday. Anything
Continue readingAlberta Politics: St. Albert native and former NDP candidate Michelle Mungall appointed as energy minister of British Columbia
PHOTOS: St. Albert-born Michelle Mungall was appointed yesterday as British Columbia’s Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. (Photo: Michelle Mungall candidate website.) Below: B.C.’s NDP premier, John Horgan, who appointed her. ST. ALBERT, Alberta You could argue that it’s too bad for Alberta the good people of St. Albert
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Picking preferred politicians.
This is not really about Donald Trump. It was just when reading the complaints of an academic about the choice of Trump that it became obvious that all he was saying was that we need to have smarter voters. In many years of working on elections for political parties or
Continue readingAlberta Politics: It’s official: declarations of Cathy Heron and Cam MacKay mean there’ll be a real fight to be mayor of St. Albert this fall
PHOTOS: Cathy Heron announces her plan to run for mayor of St. Albert last night. Below: Mayoral candidate Cam MacKay, retiring Mayor Nolan Crouse, and Morinville Mayor Lisa Holmes. ST. ALBERT, Alberta City Councillor Cathy Heron announced Thursday evening she’ll be running for mayor of St. Albert. Ms. Heron’s widely
Continue readingScripturient: Brian the comedian
Following the success of Collingwood’s Comedy Duo, whose act has taken them on tour across the nation on the taxpayers’ dollar, our Deputy Mayor has entered the ring as our jester-du-jour. And since the Duo’s main act was sidelined recently by not being allowed to keep a snout into the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The poop power in waste water.
The one thing for sure is that some reader somewhere is going to give me heck for talking about fecal matter instead of politics. It seems that everyone is expert when it comes to human waste. It was delightful to read though the other day the Ontario’s environmental commissioner wants
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Choosing mediocrity.
It has been difficult over the years to explain why preferential ballots for voting is a very bad idea. The current concern is that many municipalities may be turning to this type of voting without realizing the pitfalls. The Conservative Party of Canada obviously did not let people know what
Continue readingScripturient: How to piss off The Block
There’s an easy three-step process anyone can follow to piss off the seven-member Block on council (as well as the town’s administration): Do something good for a change; Accomplish something for the community’s benefit; Don’t involve The Block in the process. And that was just what was done last Thursday
Continue readingScripturient: Madigan to chair do-nothing committee
A story in last week’s Connection has the headline, “Madigan named chair of Collingwood development, operations committee.” Councillor Madigan has the dubious honour of chairing a standing committee that does nothing of value, has no decision-making authority and – like the rest of the standing committees – is redundant, ineffective
Continue readingScripturient: Sadly, it’s business as usual
I suppose you expect I am disappointed that not a single one of The Block had the spine, the moral compass, the ethical guts to resign after killing the hospital redevelopment. After all, I called on them all – plus the interim CAO – to resign immediately. Not doing so,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Cole bites the hand feeding his activism.
Just who is the racist here? Do Torontonians need black activists stirring imaginary pots in our polyglot society? What is it Desmond Cole is peddling? If he has a case, why is nobody speaking out for Toronto’s Asian Canadians? Are they not also feeling the pinch of racism? It has
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Creating conflict for city and province.
They really cannot be doing it to ‘sell’ newspapers in this day and age. The Toronto Star has been busy building a supposed conflict between Mayor John Tory of Toronto and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. It is based on the recent Ontario budget that did not mention more funds for
Continue readingScripturient: This man should resign
Can a municipality operate effectively with a toxic relationship between the mayor and the CAO? Can staff avoid being involved in the confrontation? Can the public expect the best service and support from its leaders if the two top people are at odds? Clearly not. A story in The Connection
Continue readingScripturient: Shoulda, coulda, woulda
Two and a half years of calamitous mismanagement. Council motivated by wild conspiracy theories, maliciousness and personal vendettas. A rudderless, ruthless administration flailing and fumbling its way from one catastrophe to another. The town’s reputation ruined. Our municipal partners and neighbours alienated. Secret discussions determine the fate of our assets
Continue readingScripturient: Why is this man still working for Collingwood? – part 2
Almost a year ago, I posed the question: why is the interim CAO still working for Collingwood? After his behaviour and aggressive, disrespectful grilling of the hospital board chair and foundation head, March 27, 2017, that question has even more significance. And, you might ask, why hasn’t council dealt with
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