Jack Layton

Jack Layton passed this morning, funny how the death of someone we do not "know" can effect you. Cancer is such an ugly disease, it takes too many good people away, long before their time.



He was one of but a few truly honourable people in Parliament and politics in my opinion. I feel that Canada has lost a man of courage and integrity, he embodied the values dearest to Canadians.

Living in Toronto I think many of us felt that Jack (and Olivia) belonged to us - their love was strong, I admired them both very much.



I was proud that he never abandoned his beliefs and principles, while I may not have agreed with his politics, there was a sense of peace knowing he was our watch-dog and did his very best to keep the house of commons honest and accountable.

Our country owes you a huge debt of thanks for your hard work and dedication. You will be missed and mourned by an entire country. My deepest condolences to your family and loved ones.

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.” Jack Layton, August 20, 2011.

50 is Nifty

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for.

We are the change that we seek."

Happy Birthday 50th Barack.

However history remembers this President, I will remember him as an inspiring individual that I greatly respect.

Ford

It has been a while since I have been here. Not that I do not think about writing rants. But the time has been hard to find, today the conditions are perfect, I have a little time, and a rant I need to release.

Technically we no longer live in Toronto, as we have our Driver's licence address as Madoc. Because of that I was unable to vote in our last Mayoral race. Truth be told I might even of voted for Ford, I have met Smitherman a few times and although I think of him a very smart and capable man, he also comes across as angry. I do not like angry people.

Rob Ford seemed like such a "people" person, but I did not know his politics, and again because I was not able to vote I did not research him much.

In October of 2010 Rob Ford was elected Toronto's 64th mayor.

It is now July 2011, and in the last few months he chose to not attend any events surrounding our Gay Pride Parade, I think this single event was the turning point for me and Mr. Ford.

He had a family event he wanted to attend on the long weekend instead. OK Mr. Ford I might give you that, but you could of attended any one of the many events leading up to the parade and still of taken the weekend off.

I could go no forever on my opinion on how when he accepted the job of the Mayor of a city as big as Toronto he gave up his rights to take the weekend off when one of the world's biggest revenue generating events is happening in our cash strapped city. But I will not bore you or myself with that.

Mr. Ford has paid KPMG $300,000 to find way to find savings for our City. (He could of asked us for free.)

KPMG has made some suggestions that are contentious to say the least:
lay off police officers,
major cuts to public health services,
closing some of the city's popular zoo and other wildlife attractions
closing some library branches and reducing hours at others
scrapping many environmental programs
eliminating late-night TTC bus service
implementing stricter criteria for those wishing to use the Wheel Trans
eliminating public health community programs that fund AIDS prevention
selling off-street parking facilities
selling Exhibition Place to private concerns
eliminating 2,000 city-subsidized daycare spaces,
reducing the city's 70 per cent waste diversion target

Do not even get me started on his idea of removing the bike lanes that are already in place.

Just a few weeks ago my husband watched as City workers spent days removing a snow fence - It is July and they had four men spend days removing a snow fence that will be put back up again in the Fall. It might only be a small savings, but hey it all adds up. If the snow fence is still up in July - leave it up!

10 Months ... has it really only been 10 months that this man (and his brother, but that is another blog) has been the Mayor of my beloved City.