It seemed an unfortunate heading given to a story in The Toronto Star the other day. The heading was “Wynne toys with buying more Quebec electricity.” The headline editor must have been very impressed that the two lines of the headline were balanced but the connotation was unfortunate. This is
Continue readingTag: Provincial Politics
Scripturient: Blog & Commentary: Ontario’s liquor sales conundrum
The C.D. Howe Institute released its report on beer and wine sales in Ontario, today, advocating for a more liberal approach and allowing beer and wine to be sold in other outlets, such as supermarkets and convenience stores. You can read the report here. I have a grudging respect for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: C.D. Howe tells Ontario how.
Clarence Decatur Howe, minister of everything important in the Mackenzie King government, was never one our favourite Liberal role models but we always gave him the credit for creating Trans-Canada Airlines (now Air Canada) and for the amazing effort he put into Canada’s war materiel production in the Second World
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Bala watch out, the NIMBY’s are out.
Nothing seems to arouse passions more than when somebody decides to build something in what you consider as your backyard. There are those who will sometimes carry their protests beyond what is law-abiding. NIMBY’s we have known have been known to riot. But the real problem with NIMBY’s is that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Do Alberta schools teach a new science?
It started with an article in the Toronto Star. It was not only confusing but the choice of words tended to cloak the problems. Plus the locations are confusing. Judging by how the story is structured, it is obviously put together by a trained reporter. The reporter’s sources were also
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: If the gander’s grander, who’s the goose?
This is for our devoted Alberta readers. Yes, we know about you. Google tells all. It is time we discussed the cris de coeur over former Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s sense of entitlement. Is it not enough that the poor lady was turfed from her job by the jealous and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The ambition of Ontario Lottery and Gaming.
In July 2010 the Ontario government gave Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) new direction. It pointed to a new future. It was a future where OLG would be more market-driven and responsive to consumers. It was to involve the private sector and advanced technologies in its growth. And a new
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Political parties never die. They merge.
Some of our kindly readers have send notes asking what happened to Babel-on-the-Bay’s forecast in May of the immanent demise of the Ontario New Democrats. Yes, there were some brazen forecasts of such departure and logically we could show you where we were right and where we might have been
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Bells toll for the Common Sense Revolution.
One of the most frightening think pieces during the recent provincial election was the piece by Bob Hepburn of the Toronto Star entitled Last gasp for Harris-era dream platform? It ran on the day when voters were going to the polls on June 12. It was a fitting time for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Reprising Sousa’s budget triumph.
Hey it won an election for the Liberals did it not? It shows how rarely we hear a good budget read in this country. It also shows how ignorant those people are who go on and on about the deficit. Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s Ontario budget of May 1 and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Prohibiting political parties!
People should be careful of what they wish. Now they want to abolish political parties. They make very serious complaints about them. Some of the complaints are quite valid. Some are just smoke. The only problem is that they need to think long and hard about what replaces them before
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A kinder, gentler Ontario PC Party?
It is likely Whitby-Oshawa MPP Christine Elliott is serious this time out. She wants another try at being leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. She has disappointed Prime Minister Stephen Harper in her quick decision. Harper had hoped she would replace her late husband Jim Flaherty in Ottawa. She
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The cabinet making of Premier Wynne.
It is hard to say whether Premier Wynne used delicate chiselling tools or just a Shop Vac to fashion her new cabinet. Either way, it would be wise not to expect all its members to last the four years of her mandate. There is some testing going on in that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: All Andrea Horwath has is her hubris.
When New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath finally came out of hiding after the Ontario election, her pride (hubris) was all she had left. She has a caucus to lead and since they have nobody better, Andrea is still their leader. But Andrea’s decision to force an election produced no victory.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: We gotta get behind this leadership candidate.
The truth is that it was hard to stop laughing when the news was first announced: Patrick Brown MP is considering running for the leadership of the Ontario Conservatives. It is just that the more you think of it, the more you see the irreparable damage it will do to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The wonderment of Wynne’s winsome ways.
Since the basically corrupt and manipulated congress that chose her as leader of Ontario Liberals, Babel-on-the-Bay has not fawned over Premier Kathleen Wynne. It has not been a close relationship. But this blog recognized early why she would come out on top in this June’s election. There was no way
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Progressives should be pleased, not pugilistic.
Where does a person who poses as a progressive Liberal get off saying other political bloggers are ‘damn fools’? More than one blogger called correctly for the Liberal majority on June 12. Babel-on-the-Bay forecast a Liberal majority government in Ontario on June 6. That was no fluke. It was based
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ontario voters reject economists.
Watching economist Don Drummond on Tom Clark’s Global Television show the other day, you could understand why Ontario does not elect economists. Conservative Leader Timmy Hudak is an economist (?) and we are seeing the back of him. And people like Drummond need not apply. Economics itself is not the
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Our 21st Century Library
In the 20-plus years I’ve been on the Collingwood Library board, I have watched the functions of the library and its role in the community evolve and change to keep pace with the needs and demands of its growing number of users. It’s been a remarkable, exciting journey. Of all
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: They are after our voting method again.
It is a knee-jerk reaction after every election these days. It is when people realize that the winning party did not get 50 per cent of the vote. They complain because they think all parties should get seats in the legislature according to their share of the vote. And, of
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