dinosaur – mackaycartoons

Thursday September 15, 2016

September 14, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 15, 2016

Canada Post needs ‘transformational changes’ to be viable, task force finds

A task force studying the national mail carrier says Canada Post isn’t financially self-sustainable under its current structure.

And it says transformational changes are needed to prevent taxpayers from having to prop it up.

The four-member panel issued a discussion paper Monday that suggests a number of ways the letter carrier can turn its business model around, including distributing legalized marijuana and cutting back on door-to-door delivery in favour of community mailboxes — an initiative launched by the Conservative government in 2013 but scrapped by the current Liberal government.

The report also suggested charging fees to those who opt to have mail delivered directly to their door.

A House of Commons committee has scheduled cross-country hearings this month to hear Canadians’ views of what they want from the postal service. The ideas contained in the discussion paper are meant as a launching pad for those public consultations.

The task force says a significant decline in letter mail deliveries is sapping revenues at Canada Post, a loss that has yet to be made up from its growing parcel and ad mail businesses.

Canada Post applauded the task force findings, saying it reaffirms the challenges faced by the Crown corporation. (Source: CBC News)

Thursday December 3, 2015

December 2, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 3, 2015

Rona Ambrose reaches out to former Tory prime ministers for advice on leadership race

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose has been seeking advice from former Tory prime ministers, who told her the party should be making sure Progressive Conservatives feel welcome.

$By Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday November 4, 2015 Eight hopefuls seek Tory interim leadership: Analysis Down, but not out. Two weeks after Stephen Harper lost his majority government, eight Conservative MPs have jumped into the fray to become interim leader and take on Justin TrudeauÕs new Liberal government. ThatÕs interim, as in temporary. ItÕs not the big job of stepping into HarperÕs dance shoes, reshaping the party and swinging it into the next election. No oneÕs announced interest in that yet. Interim leader gets the immediate, but critical job of leading a Conservative parliamentary caucus of 99 MPs Ñ 33 of them rookies Ñ and 47 senators through the next year or two until a new leader is chosen. Eight Tories want that job. The interim leader will be the lead foot soldier in holding the Liberals to account in Parliament, boosting morale in a caucus thrust into Opposition without the all the resources of government, and stabilizing a party once fractured along east-west, progressive-reform and French-English lines Ñ one that could find itself divided again once the leadership contest kicks off in earnest. Four women and four men, including two people who want to share the job, have thrown their hats into the ring. They are: Diane Finley, Rob Nicholson, Candice Bergen, Erin OÕToole, Mike Lake, Rona Ambrose, plus Michelle Rempel and Denis Lebel, who announced on the weekend they are running as a package deal. None are household names. Some have a bit of profile in media or political circles, but most Canadians would be hard-pressed to identify any of them on the street. Among the eight are a couple of women Ñ Ambrose and Rempel Ñ and possibly one man Ñ OÕToole Ñ who observers believe were interested in the bigger long-term job. A failed interim bid doesnÕt exclude them from that. Only an interim leader is barred, under Conservative party rules, from competing for the top job. Of the contenders to win caucus sup$

Wednesday November 4, 2015

In the past few weeks, Ambrose has spoken to Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell, and to former Reform Party leader Preston Manning. All agreed that the party shouldn’t rush a leadership race, she said in an interview.

The party’s governing body is on the verge of forming a leadership committee, and making initial decisions about the time frame for the race. An internal consensus has emerged that the vote not happen for some time – 18 months from now or longer, Ambrose said.

“It’s been a decade of the Conservative Party of Canada but we have a long legacy of conservatism in our conservative movement, and we’re moving forward for the first time in a decade into a leadership race,” she said.

“We want to get it right, and I’ve sought their advice on how to make sure we do that. The consensus was very clear, that we should take our time…”

She said Mulroney and Clark in particular emphasized that the party should signal that it is open to all types of conservatives – a direct reference to Progressive Conservatives who might have felt alienated in recent years.

Former leader Stephen Harper had a mercurial relationship with Mulroney, and little contact with Clark, who had opposed the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties.

” 1/8 The advice 3/8 was, ‘Make sure that you open up the welcome, or open up your arms to those who may have felt that they weren’t part of the party in the past, or felt they were on the sidelines, but feel that they’re conservative and want to be a part of the party and want to be back in the middle of things,”‘ said Ambrose.

Ambrose added that she and Campbell spoke at length about the experience of being a woman at the helm of the party. She chatted with Mulroney about relations with caucus members. Mulroney was well known for remembering and marking important moments in the lives of his MPs and friends. (CTV News)

Thursday, February 5, 2015

February 4, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday, February 5, 2015

City struggling to keep the streets clear of snow

Hamilton is pleading with storm-swamped homeowners to stop illegally shovelling snow back onto cleared streets and sidewalks — but some residents say city plows are to blame.

Iraq: January 4, 2003

The city fielded 70 snow-clearing complaints and counting in the 24 hours after Monday’s storm that left residents up to their knees. Many stemmed from snow pushed back onto previously cleared streets, either by commercial contractors or frustrated homeowners.

“It’s a big problem for us, especially where driveways are being cleared onto the roadway,” said winter control manager Bob Paul. He said local street clearing — and in some cases, re-clearing — will continue through Wednesday.

January 31, 2012

City bylaw officers are cracking down on snow dumping “problem areas” like the North End and west lower city, said enforcement manager Kim Coombs, noting residents risk a $105 fine for dumping snow back in the street.

But outraged residents on the east Mountain say the city’s own plows are to blame.

Sarah Nunes was part of a neighbourhood effort to quickly clear all sidewalks along East 35th Street after Monday’s storm. But later that night, snow banks on the street were shoved onto those painstakingly cleared walkways.

March 11, 2008

“We’re talking piles three times higher than our snowblowers and hard as a rock,” she said. “What are we supposed to do about that?”

Ward Councillor Tom Jackson said he visited several streets in his ward that suffered similar treatment, including East 31st, Virginia Court and Seventh Avenue.

“Some operator showed a reckless disregard,” said Jackson, who asked public works to investigate and send city equipment to clean up the mess. “It’s totally unfair, totally an insult to ask residents to deal with that.”

Paul said the city had complaints about a particular operator but added the plowing problem was “corrected” and represented the exception, rather than the rule. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday December 8, 2006

December 8, 2006 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday December 8, 2006

PM: Same-sex issue closed

The last major threat to same-sex marriage rights in Canada was soundly defeated in the House of Commons today, with MPs sending the message that they don’t want to revisit the emotional, divisive debate.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he heard the message and will respect it.

“We made a promise to have a free vote on this issue, we kept that promise, and obviously the vote was decisive and obviously we’ll accept the democratic result of the people’s representatives,” Harper said.

The question put to MPs was whether they wanted to see legislation drafted to reinstate the traditional definition of marriage, while respecting the existing marriages of gays and lesbians.

That Conservative motion failed 175-123.

In the tense Commons, MPs watched each other carefully to see how the other would vote. Some Liberals cheered as prominent Tories voted to let sleeping dogs lie. Some Conservatives applauded Liberals who did the opposite. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)