It is likely a truism to observe that the value burning brightest in the hearts of most political parties is the passion to get and retain power. Concern for the public good is at best but a very distant secondary concern. We are reminded of this fact by the reaction
Continue readingTag: Ontario politics
Ontario Liberal leadership: on the numbers
As a Kathleen Wynne delegate to the leadership convention, I will probably take some time in trying to articulate the significance of the win and not rush into a blathering post about how freakin’ awesome it all is. (By the way, Adam Goldenberg really nailed the personal aspect in his
Continue readingEclectic Lip: Wynne-win for Canada! And, is America ready for another white male President?
I welcomed Kathleen Wynne‘s victory in the leadership race for the ruling Ontario Liberal Party this past Saturday, even though I live in faraway British Columbia. And I do mean far away — seriously, the International Space Station is ten times closer to the surface of the earth, than Vancouver
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Convention Math
On Saturday, Maple Leaf Gardens was a cauldron of emotions. There were tears, broken promises, dashed dreams, and shrieks of pure unadulterated joy. That’s to be expected when you bring 2,000 people with very different motivations and beliefs together, and ask them to figure out who will govern a province
Continue readingCalgary Grit: #Wynning
I’ll post a recap of the weekend that was and thoughts on the road ahead tomorrow, but for now let me take a moment to congratulate Kathleen Wynne on her well deserved victory. She’s a likable candidate with an impressive record who ran a great campaign, and I was proud
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Here are a few photos from the January 25, 2013 protest against…
Here are a few photos from the January 25, 2013 protest against the incompetent, unethical, non-progressive Ontario Liberal Party, outside their leadership convention in downtown Toronto. Hopefully our new temporary premier, Kathleen Wynne, will admit to the many mistakes that she and the Dalton McGuinty government have made, and will
Continue readingthe reeves report: Ontario Forests Will Be Net Carbon Source Until 2040
Ontario Forest in Spring. (Flickr image by jd_09) Ontario’s Crown forests are expected to remain a net source of carbon emissions for the next three decades, according to the latest forestry report from the Ministry of Natural Resources. The latest State of Ontario’s Forests report released January 3 – the third issued by the
Continue readingCalgary Grit: The Case For Kennedy
This weekend, Liberals from across Ontario will gather at Maple Leaf Gardens for what is likely to be one of the last grand old leadership conventions in Canada. Having 2,000 delegates decide who governs a province of 13 million doesn’t scream “grassroots”, but it makes for one heck of a
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Julian Fantino: once a dirty cop, now a dirty politician The…
Julian Fantino: once a dirty cop, now a dirty politician The dishonourable Julian “Mussolini” Fantino, Canada’s minister of international cooperation, was recently busted for ordering a pro-Conservative propaganda letter (signed by him) to be published on the website of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a non-partisan federal agency. After
Continue readingthe reeves report: Urban River Valleys Mean More Growth for Ontario Greenbelt
Ontario’s Greenbelt – Halton Region It’s a new beginning for Ontario’s 1.8 million acre Greenbelt. On January 10, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was in Newmarket to announce a significant new designation to Greenbelt legislation, which will make it easier for municipalities to add public land to what is already the largest greenbelt
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Down to the Wire
We’re now down to the stretch drive in the OLP leadership sprint, with the following (still unofficial) delegate count after this weekend’s round of voting: Pupatello 506 Wynne 468 Kennedy 259 Takhar 244 Sousa 204 Hoskins 104 Independent 67 It’s a fractured field, and that becomes even more apparent when
Continue readingThe Ranting Canadian: Ignorant scapegoating: a feel-good pastime for the thick-headed…
Ignorant scapegoating: a feel-good pastime for the thick-headed and big-mouthed Anyone who doubts that racism and religious bigotry are alive and well in Canada in 2013 simply needs to read the online comments for articles about natives or Muslims, or listen to the callers (and sometimes the hosts and guests)
Continue readingthe reeves report: Ontario Rangers Rally in Support of Life-Changing Program
photo by awreeves Until the first speaker reached the podium, the protest to save the Ontario Ranger Program at Queen’s Park on January 4 seemed more like a high-school reunion than a community rally. Approximately 100 people—many in standard issue yellow hard hats emblazoned with the Ministry of Natural Resources
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Getting Dumped
He may have baked you lasagna, but Glen has moved on and found someone new. Today, Glen Murray bowed out of the Ontario Liberal leadership race and David Merner took a pass at the federal job. The reaction to both announcements has ranged from a shrug to an in-depth analysis
Continue readingCalgary Grit: How They Stand
It’s been hard to get any kind of quantitative read on how the candidates stack up in the Ontario Liberal Party leadership race to date. Gerard Kennedy may be leading the polls among Ontarians, Sandra Pupatello may be winning the endorsement race, and Kathleen Wynne may have raised more money
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Jimmy Hazel and His Crew Prevail
As I have mentioned in this blog before, one of the many reasons I respect The Toronto Star is that it doesn’t let its adherence to The Atkinson Principles blind it to good stories, even when those stories may lead to some uncomfortable questions about the abuses that unions are
Continue readingCalgary Grit: Leadership for Change
Yesterday, Steve V blogged about why he’s running as a delegate for Gerard Kennedy in the OLP leadership race, and the point he circled back to was that, for better or worse, Gerard is more genuinely committed to changing the way politics is done in this country than any politician
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Beyond Cynical By Any Standard
Using the legislative power that Bill 115 provides, Ontario Education Minister Laurel Broten has announced she will impose contracts on Ontario teachers but then rescind Bill 115 because it has become a “lightning rod.” In doing so, she hopes teachers will forgive and forget and resume coaching sports teams and
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: ”Twere to consider too curiously, to consider so.’
The title of my post today, taken from Act Five of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, occurs in a graveyard. Hamlet begins musing on what may become of one’s earthly remains, as even those of the most exalted in life, once their remains have fully decayed, may wind up as little more than
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