Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne does not seem to know much about democracy. She got her present job because of a corrupted controlled convention. She thinks she can just appoint whichever candidate she wants in by-elections. She really does not understand that her attitude is what is helping destroy democracy in
Continue readingTag: Provincial Politics
Babel-on-the-Bay: That was another good year.
The New Year came and went and it was such a busy time for political comment that we missed commenting on the past year. And that year needs a look. Babel-on-the-Bay set some records. Readership is up. In 365 days, there were 365 commentaries. Other sites are asking for our
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ambushing Ontario’s Premier Wynne.
Alan Carter, the Global Television bureau chief at Queen’s Park, has never been one of our favourite reporters. He tends to be something of a wiseass. He redeemed himself the other day though by doing a fairly stand-up job of a year-end interview with Ontario’s Premier. While the Premier did
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is the Beer Store less boring than bitumen?
Bloggers sometimes think of their readers. Google Analytics allows us to analyze readership of our sites on a daily and even hourly basis. It does not tell us if you are naughty or nice but it does tell us where you from and how long you spend on site. It
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Not likely, David Peterson.
Former Liberal Premier David Peterson has been labelled as a left-wing social democrat by the Toronto Star. It is hardly the first time the Star has been wrong but even Peterson denies the label. It was pinned on him after trying the Vox Pox Labs’ political Sentimeter quiz. The quiz
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: What is this mantra of debt?
For years we have been listening to right-wing politicians, bankers and other busybodies complaining about debt. It seems to be their constant mantra that debt is bad, tax cuts are good, small government is better and environmental controls are bad business. While the ignorant try to sell these silly ideas,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Selling what you don’t understand.
Only a banker could dream up this one. Former TD Bank head Ed Clark insists on the Ontario government selling electricity distribution to private sector people who could then make a profit from other people who would have no choice but to buy their electricity from them. We have it
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Defining public-private partnerships.
Before damning something, we should always be careful to say what we are talking about. The recent report of the Auditor General of Ontario has brought about a spate of discussions about public-private partnerships which seem to deal with many different relationships between the public and private sector. Having been
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Time to retire Mr. Chiarelli.
Some people age faster than others. There are people in their 80s who you would swear were 20 years younger. And then there are people such as Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli. Sure he is only in his early 70s but he should know better than to act as he
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Beer Store on a slow news day.
You know it is a slow news day when the Toronto Star gives front page space to beating on Ontario’s awful Beer Store. It is one subject Babel-on-the-Bay and the Toronto Star certainly agree on. The point is that times have changed and the Beer Store has not. This smelly,
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: It’s those toxic tailing ponds.
It makes you wonder. When we first heard of the vast tailing ponds for Alberta’s bitumen production, we were concerned about what they were leaching into the rivers. We knew the ponds were loaded with a witches’ brew of toxins and heavy metals but we did not understand how much.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The one in short pants ‘no’s’ electricity.
Our boy from Barrie is stirring up a storm on his way to the leadership of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives. At the first of the party debates in Sudbury, he did not even explain why he decided to dump on his friends at Campaign Life Coalition who have now downgraded
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The Tory-Wynne Two-Step.
They might not be Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire (if you are old enough to remember the era) but Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne have more than voters in common. Tory is a left-leaning Conservative and Wynne is a right-leaning Liberal. And they dance to the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Here comes Santa Péladeau.
Have Quebec’s little péquistes been good boys and girls this year? Has Santa Claus ever got a treat for them! While you almost wet your pants laughing at Pierre-Karl Péladeau’s news conference with Pauline Marois early in 2014, what can you do when the irrepressible PKP really does decide he
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Mainly because Wall wants EnergyEast.
Ontario and Quebec Premiers Wynne and Couillard are welcoming Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall. He is making sales calls on behalf of TransCanada’s EnergyEast pipeline. He will probably be wearing one of those big white hats that most oil men like to affect. Not that Wall is really an oil man
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa might not have been born a banker. He probably decided on that profession when the other kids picked on him in the school yard. He determined to get even. In a strange new ritual called the Fall Economic Statement, Charles sounded like he still had
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Does the NDP know where it’s going?
Wow, it says here that 77 per cent at the Ontario New Democrat convention in Toronto this past weekend liked Leader Andrea Horwath. Were they given a choice? Did they have someone else in mind? It seems silly to read anything into these figures. If the New Democrats had an
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Can TD Bank help Ontario’s deficit?
If you are a TD Bank customer you should be concerned. Another interim report to the Ontario government has been received from TD Bank Chair Ed Clark. He and his panel of former politicians are supposed to be telling Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa what assets should be sold or
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Waiting for Premiers Ford and Péladeau.
Imagine if we had former Toronto Councillor Doug Ford of Toronto as premier of Ontario and Pierre-Karl Péladeau of Quebecor as premier of Quebec. Both of these gentlemen are standing at the sidelines at this moment waiting for the coaches to call them into the game. They are both considering
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The one in short pants is from Barrie.
This is embarrassing. The Member of Parliament from Barrie is running for the leadership of Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party. Or maybe not! If anything, the greedy chap is just seeking more publicity. It is embarrassing for Barrie, his party, his backers and the people wasting their money by donating to
Continue reading