2022-35

Thursday October 27, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 27, 2022

Doug Ford can’t hide from the Emergencies Act inquiry

For the past 10 days Canadians have been watching as the closed doors that protect politicians and police from public scrutiny have been ripped from their hinges.

February 10, 2022

The inquiry into the federal Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, headed by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, has been a gold mine for information junkies, with its fire hose release of documents, emails, handwritten notes and direct testimony into the fiasco that was the so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa last winter.

This inquiry has been illuminating, but it sure hasn’t been pretty. We have been offered an unfiltered look at clashing egos, duelling priorities and internecine rivalries. We have been privy to police infighting and dysfunction, charges of an “insurrection” against the former Ottawa Police Chief, Peter Sloly and repeated tales of intelligence and communications failures. We have heard from outgoing Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and await testimony from Sloly and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and senior ministers.

But if Ontario Premier Doug Ford gets his way, we won’t be hearing from him. Transparency and accountability are nowhere on his to-do list.

The decision of Ford and his former solicitor-general and now Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones to refuse to testify at the inquiry is indefensible. It is also displays an astounding level of arrogance and political ineptitude.

February 15, 2022

The inquiry has already heard that, according to notes from a Feb. 8 phone call between Watson and Trudeau, the prime minister thought Ford was “hiding” from his responsibilities for political reasons. Ford is now hiding in plain view, no notes required.

Testimony so far has cast the response — or more accurately the detachment — of Ford and his cabinet in an unsavoury light.

Watson testified he felt it was “disingenuous” that Queen’s Park had claimed it had sent 1,500 OPP officers to help police the occupation. Watson put the actual number closer to 50 or 60. He testified that Ford thought it would be a waste of time to join other levels of government to sit around a table “talking and making decisions,” and federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair, according to notes of a meeting, thought Ford was “worried about being visible” and facing questions about his response.

Ford has also been disingenuous — if not wilfully misleading — when he told reporters last week that he hadn’t been asked to testify. Indeed, according to the letter released by commission counsel Monday, he and Jones had many times been asked and they had many times declined requests from the inquiry to sit down for interviews. Those interviews would have been the first step before public testimony.

February 19, 2022

According to a provincial spokesperson, Ford was being truthful when he said he had not been asked to testify, only to be interviewed, and that the request for testimony came after his public remarks. That can only be described as “parsing,” and Ontarians — and Canadians — deserve transparency, not a surgical semantic dissection.

Ford has been outmaneuvered on all sides. He is rightly being pilloried at Queen’s Park for his evasiveness, but Trudeau already has what he needs from the premier — a public declaration that a Progressive Conservative leader of the largest province stood “shoulder-to-shoulder” with his decision to declare the Emergencies Act. That gives the Prime Minister a shield against the convoy-friendly Conservative opposition in Ottawa and its friend-in-chief Pierre Poilievre.

On Tuesday, Ford’s lawyers filed a notice of application in Federal Court citing “parliamentary privilege” as the reason neither the premier nor former solicitor general Sylvia Jones should be compelled to appear.

August 27, 2019

“The applicants make this application for … quashing the summons to witness issued … to Premier Doug Ford (and) … Minister Sylvia Jones dated October 24, 2022,” the court documents say.

“The summonses were issued without jurisdiction, pursuant to an error of law, and must be quashed,” the legal action continues.

We don’t yet know whether the invocation of the Emergencies Act was required. But this is ultimately a political question, not a policing matter. Which makes the behaviour of Ford and Jones even more puzzling. Both ducked as the legislature reconvened Tuesday, leaving House leader Paul Calandra to declare, “this is a policing matter not a political one.” Just one more disingenuous statement from the Ford government. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

Wednesday October 26, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 26, 2022

New Mayor, Strong Mayor?

Some said the race to become Hamilton’s next mayor was hers to lose from the outset.

October 1, 2022

And indeed Andrea Horwath took charge of her political destiny, winning a close race to become the first woman to wear the chain of office in the city.

Horwath pulled out the victory over main rival Keanin Loomis, who traded the lead as votes trickled in throughout the evening. Bob Bratina finished a distant third.

“Hamiltonians deserve to have a city that they know they can trust what’s happening at city hall,” she told a jubilant crowd of supporters downtown at The Spice Factory.

She thanked Loomis, Bratina and other candidates. “We do not agree on everything, but we all love this city.”

Horwath finished with 59,216 or 42 per cent of the vote, while Loomis was runner-up with 57,553 or 41 per cent. Bratina garnered 17,436 and 12 per cent.

The former Ontario NDP leader and Hamilton Centre MPP expressed gratitude to voters. “We all believe in the same thing: We believe in Hamilton.” (The Hamilton Spectator) 

August 17, 2022

Meanwhile, Ontario’s big city mayors elected to a new term in office may soon have enhanced powers at their disposal to tackle tough issues like housing.

But experts say the use of so-called “strong mayor” powers may not be clear-cut, and their use may be limited by budgetary constraints and other factors.

Housing was a major election theme in municipal campaigns across the province, particularly related to affordability.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government recently passed a law giving mayors of Toronto and Ottawa veto power over bylaws that conflict with provincial priorities like housing, and Premier Doug Ford says the powers will be extended to other cities in a year.

Monday night’s municipal election results mean Ford could be extending those powers to former foes in provincial politics, with former leaders of the NDP and Liberals elected as the mayors of Hamilton and Vaughan, respectively.

McMaster University political scientist Peter Graefe says it will be interesting to see how different municipalities use the strong mayor powers depending on local pressures on councils and from voters. (CTV News) 

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Tuesday October 25, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 25, 2022

Municipal action on affordable housing is in everyone’s interest

The affordable housing crisis in Canada is putting people on the streets or forcing them to live in inadequate or even dangerous housing.

October 15, 2022

Because this crisis is caused by several complex and interrelated factors, it unfortunately can’t be solved with a single magic bullet. We urgently need to accelerate action on affordable housing on four fronts: the construction, acquisition and retention of affordable housing, and housing supports.

The National Housing Strategy is a great leap forward in Canadian housing policy. Much of the funding goes directly to municipalities for construction of new, affordable rental housing units, primarily built and managed by the non-profit sector.

Municipalities need to find ways to accelerate affordable housing construction by streamlining the planning approval process, providing land for affordable housing, reducing or creatively financing development charges — a major cost driver — and helping non-profit organizations develop more homes faster.

But most “affordable” rental housing in Canada (i.e., places with modest rent) is in private market buildings. We can’t possibly build new affordable housing fast enough to compensate for the simultaneous loss of affordable market housing.

December 28, 2021

As a result of processes that inflate rents, the loss of affordable market rental housing has accelerated over the last several years. From 2011-2016, Canada lost 322,000 homes renting for under $750 per month. This extended to a further loss of 230,000 units under $750 from 2016-2021.

Investors seek buildings with below-market rents. As tenants leave (either forcibly or by attrition), owners can substantially increase rents. This inflation is made possible by vacancy decontrol, where rent is only regulated if the same tenant stays in a unit. Once a tenant vacates, rent can raised to whatever the market will bear.

To help preserve affordable properties, non-profit organizations need tools for acquiring existing market rental housing with modest rents. This is much faster than new construction, helps mitigate the erosion of affordable housing stock and avoids the sometimes slow processes for new construction. (The Toronto Star) 

 

Saturday October 22, 2022

Editorial Cartoon By Graeme MacKay – The Hamilton Spectator, Saturday October 22, 2022

Ford government to introduce housing legislation immediately after the municipal election: ministry

The Ford government will introduce housing legislation the day after Ontario’s municipal election, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said Friday.

May 12, 2022

The confirmation comes after The Toronto Star reported Thursday the Ford government plans to “override” municipal zoning laws to allow more “middle missing” housing to be built across Ontario. The changes, the Star reports citing officials, will not permit housing development on the Greenbelt.

Ford previously announced his government would aim to build 1.5 million more homes in the next 10 years, which was a goal recommended by a government-commissioned housing task force report earlier this year to address soaring house prices.

Before his current term, Ford said most municipalities are “slow to approve projects,” and cited the pace of municipal construction approvals as a barrier to making housing more affordable.

The NDP, the Ford government’s official opposition, said it couldn’t comment fully before the legislation is released.

“The devil is in the details,” said housing critic Jessica Bell Friday, at a news conference.

December 10, 2020

However, the party is calling for a housing plan that includes an end to exclusionary zoning, more housing construction, clamping down on investor speculation and rent control.

“We need a comprehensive approach to make housing affordable for current Ontarians, as well as new Ontarians that are planning on calling our province home,” said Bell.

Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner called for similar measures as the NDP and also highlighted the need for investments in social, co-op, non-profit and permanent supportive housing.

“If the government fails to listen to what the experts are saying and what the Ontario Greens have been calling for, I have the whole suite of private members’ bills ready to be introduced to address this crisis in the failure of government action,” said Schreiner. (CBC)

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …

 

Friday October 21, 2022

By Graeme MacKay – The Hamilton Spectator – Friday October 21, 2022

Hasta la Vista? This Time, Boris Johnson May Say, ‘I’m Back.’

It seemed at once incredible and inevitable.

September 7, 2022

No sooner had Prime Minister Liz Truss of Britain announced her sudden resignation on Thursday afternoon than a familiar name surfaced as a candidate to succeed her: Boris Johnson, the prime minister she replaced a mere 45 ‘ days ago.

Mr. Johnson, who is vacationing in the Caribbean, has said nothing publicly about a bid for his old job. But the prospect of Boris redux has riveted Conservative Party lawmakers and cabinet ministers — delighting some, repelling others, and dominating the conversation in a way that Mr. Johnson has for his entire political career.

Nor is the idea of his return merely notional: Among those who are keeping tallies of the voting intentions of lawmakers, including some London news organizations, Mr. Johnson is only slightly behind his chief rival, Rishi Sunak. On Friday morning, Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is currently the business secretary and served under Mr. Johnson, became the first cabinet minister to endorse his former boss.

September 6, 2019

Mr. Johnson received both endorsement and criticism as the contest to succeed Ms. Truss gathered pace on Friday. Penny Mordaunt, now a senior minister, became the first to publicly declare her candidacy. She is considered one of the leading contenders along with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Sunak.

The prospect of Mr. Johnson back in 10 Downing Street appalls many Conservatives, who argue that voters would never forgive the party for rehabilitating him after the scandals that brought him down in July, including illicit parties held during the pandemic and misconduct allegations against a lawmaker he promoted. Embracing such a polarizing figure, they say, would splinter the Tory ranks, perhaps irrevocably.

“Only a nation which was gripped by pessimistic despair and no longer believed that there could be a serious response to its unfolding tragedies would want to take refuge in the leadership of a clown,” Rory Stewart, who ran unsuccessfully against Mr. Johnson in 2019, wrote on Friday on Twitter. (NYT)

From sketch to finish, see the current way Graeme completes an editorial cartoon using an iPencil, the Procreate app, and a couple of cheats on an iPad Pro …