Assorted content to end your week. – Kenyon Wallace reports on new modelling showing a real risk of yet another wave of COVID spread in Ontario – even as widespread immunity just a few months of remotely responsible government away. Julie Steenhuysen and Kate Kelland point out how an increasing
Continue readingTag: secrecy
Scripturient: The Inquiry Cost $250,000 More? Were We Lied To?
Former councillor Tim Fryer is back on the agenda this coming week, making another delegation to the Strategic Initiatives Standing Committee about the true costs of the judicial inquiry (aka the Saunderson Vindictive Judicial Inquiry, or SVJI). I admire Tim’s tenacity at trying to get the truth out to the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – David MacDonald, Lindsay McLaren, Katherine Scott and Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood each examine the Libs’ fiscal update and find that headlines about progressive priorities mask the lack of much that’s specific or new. – Shamshad Ahktar, Kevin Gallagher and Ulrich Volz discuss the G20’s
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – The Globe and Mail’s editorial board is rightly aghast at Doug Ford’s choice to facilitate the spread of the coronavirus as a devastating fall wave hits, while Bruce Arthur writes that there may be no choice but to impose a lockdown as
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Mariano Zafra and Javier Salas offer a handy visual aid as to how COVID-19 spreads indoors – showing that masking is a valuable partial solution, but that effective ventilation can significantly reduce community transmission. And Jessica Wong reports on the results of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On non-disclosure
Much of the pushback against any discussion of Scott Moe’s patterns of drinking and driving, vehicle accidents and general refusal to own up to anything of the sort boils down to two themes. The first is that somehow, the authority to decide whether to discuss Moe’s harm to others lies
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – PressProgress discusses now polling showing that a strong majority of Canadians favour a broad transformation of our society in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, with a focus on health and well-being. Tamara Lorincz suggests that we take the opportunity to withdraw from
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – Kevin Drum writes about the need to address the climate crisis as a war for the future of humanity. And Will Wade reports on new research showing that we’ll earn back more than the price of a rapid transition from fossil fuels
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Brigid Delaney writes about the significance of the truth about climate breakdown. Graham Readfearn reports on the risk of outright firestorms as bush fires burn out of control. And Geoff Dembicki writes about a case from the Philippines seeing oil companies held responsible
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On buried dangers
There have been a few recent reports dealing with issues surrounding the Northern Village of Pinehouse – including a systematic refusal to answer access to information requests to which continued at last notice, the disappearance of the village’s website and public records, an inspection recommending the removal of Pinehouse’s mayor
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Trump Backers Sought to Bury Cambridge Analytica So Deep No One Would Uncover Its Secrets
Cambridge Analytica, the now defunct company believed to be instrumental in the Brexit Leave campaign and the election of Donald J. Trump to the White House, is now before a British court. The company, once owned by ultra-right billionaire, Robert Mercer, and directed by noneother than Trump aide, Steve Bannon,
Continue readingScripturient: Airport sold after secret deal, no public input
According to the Connection, Collingwood’s airport – owned by the taxpayers – was just sold to a private corporation after almost 20 closed-door council sessions. Not once was the public consulted. Not once was the public told WHY or even if selling the airport was good for the community. Not
Continue readingScripturient: Update: closed door meetings in Collingwood
Last November, I documented the unacceptably high number of closed-door (aka secretive) meetings held by this council since it took office. More than all of the past three councils combined. Back then I documented that by Oct. 2, 2017, council had held: 14 closed-door meetings about our airport 4 closed-door
Continue readingScripturient: Saunderson trolling for votes
After four years of deception, secrecy, more closed-door meetings than the previous four councils combined, and avoiding public scrutiny at all costs, Brian Saunderson and his Block minions have suddenly decided that they want to be “accessible”. I know, I know: stop smirking. On the threshold of a municipal election,
Continue readingScripturient: Deception, The Block, and EPCOR
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is currently conducting hearings about the proposed sale of our publicly-owned electrical utility, Collus, to the for-profit, out-of-province corporation, EPCOR. Several documents have already been entered into the record and you can read them here. Most of them are fairly technical and steeped in opaque
Continue readingScripturient: The hypocrisy, it burns, it burns…
The Block on Collingwood Council can’t seem to go a week without diving into their deep, private lake of hypocrisy. Remember how they whined and snarled about the partnership last council formed with PowerStream to own and operate our electrical utility? How the Jeremiahs at the table lamented that a
Continue readingScripturient: Wasaga pulls airport support
Another post where I get to say “I told you so.” Wasaga Beach pulled its support for the Collingwood Airport just like Clearview did a little earlier. Told you they would. Why? Simple: because of The Block. Seven of our councillors resolutely stand in the way of growth, business, development,
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Thomas Walkom discusses Canada’s likely NAFTA decision between an even worse deal than exists now, and no deal at all – though it’s worth recognizing that the latter choice shouldn’t be seen as a problem. And Alex Panetta points out the Libs’ total
Continue readingScripturient: Collingwood’s culture of secrecy
For the past fifteen months, I have been trying to get a copy of the Request For Proposals (RFP) sent out to potential buyers for the purchase of our public utility. For the past fifteen months, the town has fought me, has refused to hand it over, has challenged my
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