Editorial Cartoon

Thursday July 31, 2014

Thursday July 31, 2014Illustration by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Story by Bill Dunphy, Thursday July 31, 2014

Hamilton airport strikes a sour note with city musicians

An appeal for musicians to play free concerts at the John C. Munro International Airport terminal during “customer appreciation days” next month has left some city musicians feeling underappreciated.

Michael Keire, a Hamilton musician and owner of Threshold Recording Studio, received the invitation last week.

“I wanted to reach out because we are looking for some local talent to perform at an upcoming Passenger Appreciation event,” the emailed invitation read. “I was wondering if you might be willing to pass it along to any clients or colleagues you think could be interested in participating …” it continued.

It was only when Keire read the attachment, titled “Performance Opportunity,” that he realized the airport was looking for musicians to perform for free, on the grounds that they would benefit from “the exposure.”

Artists seeking to grab one of 15 slots spread over five days are required to bring their own equipment and instruments and play sets ranging from 45 to 90 minutes long.

“Monetary compensation will not be provided for performers,” the invitation read.

His immediate reaction was swift and angry — he contacted the airport and received a simple apology, saying they only sought to showcase Hamilton’s homegrown talent.

Keire posted the exchange on social media and the reaction there was also swift and angry.

One musician pointed out that “This is CANADA!!! We can die from exposure here.”

Another noted that the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas features a Music in the Air program with five stages showcasing the city of Austin’s considerable talent — and all performers are paid.

In an interview, Keire said the airport marketers were seeking to cash in on the city’s growing musical reputation.

“They’re kind of playing on the back of the branding the city has been working on — only they don’t want to pay for it.”

Keire dismisses the “talent showcase” benefit as “ridiculous. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Wednesday July 30, 2014

Wednesday July 30, 2014Wednesday July 30, 2014

Germans concerned about CETA investor protection rules: Ambassador

Germany is concerned about the hotly-disputed investor protection measures in Canada-European trade talks, German Ambassador Werner Wnendt says, but adds it’s not likely to derail the five-year-old negotiations.

Wnendt said a German newspaper report that Berlin would not sign a Canada-EU pact containing an investor protection clause was premature and “is not the position of the German government.”

Monday, October 21, 2013“This is much too early at this point in time to say that because we still wait for the treaty as such as it’s been negotiated between the (European) Commission and the Canadian government,” he told CBC-TV Monday. “We haven’t seen the final proposal.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a tentative free-trade deal with the EU last October, but talks have yet to wrap up. Canada is hoping the next major hurdle in the negotiations can be cleared by September, with the two sides initialing a ready-to-be-approved agreement.

But rising European concerns about an investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism in the Canada-EU deal could put its eventual ratification in doubt.
The Canadian government is silent on the details of the talks, but business sources say the issue of how to resolve disputes between foreign corporations and governments under a future pact is the last outstanding element in the negotiations.

ISDS provisions allow multinational corporations that believe they are being treated unfairly to sue a government before a special tribunal rather than the normal court system. While business says such measures ensure investor security, opponents say they allow corporations to thwart government attempts to regulate on behalf of the public.

“There are concerns among Germans that such a clause may mean that eventually legislation will have to be changed in Germany and other European countries,” Wnendt said. “It is something that needs to be taken seriously by the government, of course, and that’s being discussed.” He said it will need to be addressed by the European Commission and the European people once the ready-to-be-approved agreement is signed.

NoEhHe noted that Germany believes special tribunals to adjudicate investor-state disputes are unnecessary in countries like Canada and those in Europe where the regular court systems are capable of handling such legal conflicts.

The Canadian government has dismissed the notion that ISDS issues might hold up the Canada-EU negotiations. “Excellent progress” is being made in the talks, a government spokesperson said.

But initialing the deal in September would be only one step in an approval process that could last another 18 months or longer. Besides being ratified in Ottawa, the Canada-EU pact, officially known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), will have to win final approval from the European Parliament, each of the 28 member states of the EU and the European Council, which brings together the heads of the 28 states and the European Commission president. (Source: Toronto Star)

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Tuesday, July 29, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Ontario’s battle over 3-litre milk jugs on grocery shelves

A spat over milk containers is souring relations between dairy farmers and manufacturers.

For months, Ontario’s milk bureaucracy has been battling over whether you should be able to buy 3 litres of milk in the grocery store.

On one side are the milk processors, represented by the Ontario Dairy Council, who want to open up the market entirely to 3-litre milk containers.

On the other is the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, which is concerned that 3 litres of milk will prove so popular that the 4-litre option disappears off shelves entirely.

“Our interest is only in ensuring that consumers are protected, and we are of the view that the 4-litre containers are essential, and we want to make sure that they continue with respect to the plastic bags,” said Graham Lloyd, general counsel for the DFO.

The dispute started last December, when Ontario’s farm products marketing board gave Mac’s Convenience Stores permission to sell 3-litre plastic milk jugs — only jugs, not bags — on a one-year pilot program.

The Ontario Dairy Council appealed, arguing that such a limited program would give some processors an unfair head start in the 3-litre field. It favours a general ruling with no restrictions on container type or retailer.

After initial arguments over jurisdictional rights and access to redacted documents, the issue is now heading for the quasi-judicial Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Appeal Tribunal. (Source: Toronto Star)

OTHER MEDIA

This cartoon was posted on Yahoo News Canada and the Ottawa Citizen.

 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Saturday, July 26, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday, July 26, 2014

Province not ready to commit to $811-million Hamilton LRT

The province isn’t ready to commit to an $811 million LRT line in Hamilton and there’s no timeline for a decision.

Ontario’s new Transportation Minister, Steven Del Duca, emerged from a controversial private meeting at the city Friday to repeat the Liberal government’s commitment to paying 100 per cent of capital costs for a new “rapid transit” project in Hamilton.

But he couldn’t say what that project will be, when the city will get an answer or define what is covered by “capital construction costs.”

“It may very well be LRT,” he said in response to persistent questioning after the meeting with Mayor Bob Bratina, city manager Chris Murray and four other councillors.

But he said he wasn’t in a position to “make an announcement” Friday, although he added he was clear the city’s official request is for a light rail line, despite recent public musings of some councillors on the idea of a bus rapid transit alternative.

Del Duca also acknowledged the city needs an answer on what will be covered by provincial capital funding, for example expropriation and other land costs. He said he would consult with provincial officials and Metrolinx and get back to the city on the “interesting” question.

Councillors had varying reactions to the meeting.

Mayoral aspirant Brian McHattie said he was “blown out of the water” by the “positive” meeting, adding he was relieved the minister was not confused by mixed messages coming from individual local politicians.

Councillor Brad Clark, also a mayoral candidate, said he didn’t hear “very much new information” from the minister, but appreciated the chance for a direct conversation.

Clark said it was made clear Hamilton has more work to do, to make its case for a rapid transit project, but added the specifics will come from Metrolinx and senior provincial staff in the coming weeks or months.

McHattie, by contrast, said the minister praised the work already competed by Hamilton and seemed to think “we’ve done enough” to take the next step. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

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Friday July 25, 2014

Friday July 25, 2014By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 25, 2014

Does Hamas use civilians as human shields?

“Hamas is using them, Palestinians, as human shields.”
Benjamin Netanyahu, 20 July 2013

There is no dispute that Palestinian civilians tend to suffer disproportionately when the Arab-Israeli conflict boils over into violence.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014At time of writing, more than 700 Palestinians have died in the latest fighting, compared to 35 on the Israeli side, 32 of them members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The lop-sided human cost of this conflict is entirely in keeping with previous outbreaks of fighting.

More than 7,500 Palestinians and 1,100 Israelis have died since the outbreak of the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising) in 2000, according to the Israeli human rights information centre B’Tselem.

All of this is often used as evidence of the brutally disproportionate nature of the military action Israel periodically launches in the occupied territories.

But the Israeli military has blamed high Palestinian casualty rates in the recent fighting Gaza on Hamas, saying the Islamist group that runs the enclave has a deliberate policy of placing its own civilians in harm’s way.

Actually Hamas has made no secret of advocating the use of civilians as human shields to try to face down Israeli aggression.

A senior spokesman for the group, Sami Abu Zuhri, gave an interview on Palestinian station al-Aqsa TV earlier this month.

He said: “This attests to the character of our noble, jihad-loving people – who defend their rights and their homes with their bare chests and their blood.

“The policy of people confronting the Israeli warplanes with their bare chests in order to protect their homes has proven effective against the occupation… we in Hamas call upon our people to adopt this policy in order to protect the Palestinian homes.”

Credible reports from journalists in Gaza suggest some civilians are choosing to stay in their homes, ignoring warnings of imminent destructions that the Israeli military gives via telephone calls or empty shells “knocking on the roof”.

On the same day as Mr Abu Zuhri was broadcasting Hamas’s message, the New York Times reported the fate of a Palestinian man, Salah Kaware, who received a telephone warning that his house in Khan Younis in south east Gaza was about to be hit by the IDF.

The newspaper reported that another warning came as the occupants were leaving, when an Israeli drone fired a flare at the roof of the three-storey home. (Continued: Channel Four News)

 

FEEDBACK

I just wanted to tell “Mackay” that I feel his editorial cartoon in friday’s paper is very inappropriate. He is either very naive/ignorant, or very biased. With the public platform provided him by The Spec, he needs to educate himself before spouting off. Khalid Mashaal in his public conversations explains the Palestinian side, and some of the roots of the ongoing conflict. Gaza is a prison, and Israel is the jail guard. However there are obviously other opinions. As I said he needs to educate himself on the issues pro and con, and then maybe he could better express a view that is more balanced. This cartoon is a disgrace to ALL who have died over the years. Shame on you.

Anonymous

 

 


 

Post by Graeme MacKay – editorial cartoonist.