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Tuesday October 27, 2020

November 3, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 27, 2020

New Doug Ford vs. Old Doug Ford: Which one is Premier of Ontario?

Since his election as Ontario Premier in 2018, Doug Ford has been available in two versions.

March 27, 2020

There’s the empathetic, uniting leader who works across political boundaries. He first appeared during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And there’s the original Doug Ford – the angry partisan who sows divisions and does favours for friends.

You may recall version 1.0 from such moves as Mr. Ford’s attempt to name an underqualified old crony, Ron Taverner, as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police in 2018. It reeked so badly of conflict of interest that Mr. Taverner ultimately withdrew his name from consideration.

November 9, 2019

Doug Ford v. 1.0 was also infamous for unilaterally cutting the size of Toronto City Council from 44 members to 25 in 2018, in the middle of a municipal election. There was no justification for it, but Mr. Ford rammed it through for nakedly partisan reasons.

It was thus a pleasant surprise to see the Premier reboot himself as a less demagogic, more empathetic leader when the pandemic struck.

During the crisis, Doug Ford v. 2.0 has shown an openness to working with the federal Liberal government of Justin Trudeau, and an understanding of the difficulties facing Ontarians. He has spent months praising traditional targets. His government’s actual results leave much to be desired, but his work ethic and lack of partisanship have won him the respect of former critics.

November 17, 2018

And then last week he reverted to prepandemic form, slipping two self-serving measures into omnibus legislation meant to help businesses get through the pandemic.

One measure was a ban on municipalities using ranked ballots in elections, removing an option given to them in 2016 by the former Liberal government.

Ranked ballots let voters choose a first, second and third choice for a council seat or the mayor’s seat; if none of the candidates wins a majority off the bat, the voters’ second and third choices are redistributed until one candidate reaches the 50-per-cent threshold.

His other self-serving measure was to include a school run by a political ally among three Christian schools that are either being given university status or having their right to hand out degrees expanded.

Canada Christian College and School of Graduate Theological Studies in Whitby, Ont., is run by Charles McVety – a polarizing figure who opposes gay marriage and espouses hateful views about LGBTQ people, Islam and other targets. (Continued: Globe & Mail) 

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: 2020-36, angel, covid-19, devil, Doug Ford, facade, Ontario, pandemic, ranked ballot, voting

Tuesday October 6, 2020

October 13, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 6, 2020

‘I’m back’: Trumpworld shows no sign of changing after Covid-19 diagnosis

There was a school of thought that Donald Trump might be humbled by becoming infected himself with the coronavirus, see the light and encourage Americans to stay safe. It lasted about as long as the hope that he would “pivot” to a traditional presidency after his inauguration.

May 12, 2020

Instead Trump has sought to project the strongman image, flying to the White House by helicopter at sunset, standing on the balcony and taking off his face mask while still contagious, bragging that he feels better than he did 20 years ago and urging the public to neither fear the virus nor let it dominate their lives.

His campaign has sent out fundraising emails preaching a similar if-I-can-beat-it-so-can-you-message, hoping to turn personal and political disaster to their electoral advantage against the cautious Joe Biden. It is very on-brand for a president who views illness as a weakness and seeks each day to make himself the hero of his own reality TV show.

June 2, 2020

“He’s operated in kind of cartoon icons his entire career, with iconic images and symbols of being a magnate, owning a football team, an airline, casinos, Mar-a-Lago,” said Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer. “All these symbols of unbelievable riches were really powerful – that was a very successful manoeuvre and he’s kept it up. So now these photo ops that look ridiculous and dangerous have a certain resonance. Of course he’ll keep doing that.

“Now he is going to be an ‘expert’: he’s had it so nobody can tell him anything. If he ever even paused for a second for any medical advice before, that’s over. He knows more about wars than the generals; he will now know more about the coronavirus than any doctors.”

September 10, 2020

Trump, a disciple of the book The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, seems determined to wish his own serious condition away even if it means endangering his staff, Blair added. “All the people that he’s exposing by this, the poor Secret Service, the medical personnel, the pilots on the helicopter, all the White House staff. It’s mind-boggling.”

After Trump was discharged from Walter Reed military hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, on Monday night, his campaign sent fundraising emails with the subject headings, “I’M BACK!”, “Did you miss me?” and “Best I’ve felt in 20 years!” They told supporters: “I’m telling you: Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life!”

The messaging was, as so often, amplified by Republican allies and conservative media. Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida tweeted: “President Trump won’t have to recover from COVID. COVID will have to recover from President Trump. #MAGA.” (Guardian) 

 

Posted in: USA Tagged: 2020-33, Coronavirus, covid-19, Donald Trump, facade, fear, mask, pandemic, patient, strongman, USA, Vaccine

Wednesday June 17, 2020

June 24, 2020 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday June 17, 2020

Rosslyn residence was literally a house of horrors

The story of the Rosslyn Retirement Residence, as reported by Spectator journalist Steve Buist, is by turns sickening, heartbreaking and infuriating.

May 27, 2020

It is also, in a way, indicative of what is wrong with Ontario’s long-term-care system. But it is so egregious, so extreme, that it is in a class by itself. Buist’s series was entitled House of Horrors, and that’s not an overstatement, at least not for victims and their families.

Yes, victims is the right word. Rosslyn residents were subjected to chronic bedbug infestations. Photos showing the result of those infestations will make your stomach turn. Medication was often not administered properly. Residents wandered in unsafe conditions. There were mouse droppings and black mould in food storage areas.

Management and ownership of Rosslyn received repeated notices, from public health and the provincial oversight agency, and warnings about health and safety infractions. And these infractions were not all new and related to pandemic staffing. Between 2018 and 2020 public health inspections found bed bugs, mice and cleaning issues. According to former staff members, operators of the home portrayed it to residents’ families as having a “secure memory unit” that didn’t actually exist.

There’s more. You could fill this space three times over just with the disturbing findings and stories uncovered by Spectator reporting. Fourteen residents of the Rosslyn have died from COVID-19, 22 staff members became infected and more than 60 residents were hospitalized by the time the pandemic eventually emptied the facility last month.

Now let’s add insult to injury. The owners of this facility, and seven other retirement homes and residential care facilities in the Hamilton area, are no strangers to the business. The Martino family owned the Royal Crest Lifecare chain, which collapsed in bankruptcy in 2003. They cried poor at the time but were found to have access to four homes, five SUVs, three Mercedes, a Hummer and a 42-foot cabin cruiser. When the dust settled on the commercial and business bankruptcies, nearly $200 million in liabilities were left, and $18 million left owing to taxpayers.

April 1, 2020

And now, the questions. How was it that the Martino family was able to continue in the business of running retirement homes so easily given its terrible track record? Why would they be given a licence by the provincial oversight agency, the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA)?

In the past 18 months, the city’s bylaw enforcement department has registered 28 violations of property standards against the Martinos’ care homes in Hamilton. There is a litany of horror stories from former staff and families of former residents RHRA. Why did it take so long to act? The RHRA revoked the Rosslyn’s licence this week, but what took so long?

Then there’s the oversight agency itself. The RHRA is essentially a self-governing industry body charged with enforcing the provincial Retirement Homes Act. Given everything we now know about LTC in general and Rosslyn specifically, why should we trust an industry body to oversee the sector?

Last but not least is the prospect of criminal charges. Provincial NDP Leader Andrea Horwath has asked Hamilton police to conduct a complete investigation. Good for Horwath, but why didn’t the government do that first?

If an investigation finds the Rosslyn horror story involves criminal behaviour, charges must be laid and those responsible must be prosecuted. The Rosslyn travesty and others like it should be rallying cries in the call for complete reform of long-term care. Rosslyn’s victims deserve nothing less. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2020-21, Canada, Coronavirus, covid-19, facade, health, hell, long term care, nursing, Ontario, pandemic, senior citizens, seniors

Tuesday August 16, 2016

September 12, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday August 16, 2016 Trump suggests Hillary's been sick for a while as he prepares to release 'very, very specific' numbers from his latest physical Ð on Dr. Oz's show Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that Hillary Clinton has been sick for a while, pointing to her coughing fit last week as evidence that 'something's going on.Õ 'I really just don't just know. I hope she gets well soon. I don't know what's going on,' Trump said when asked about it on 'Fox and Friends' Monday morning. He wished Clinton well after her weekend health scare Ð and revealed he is preparing to release detailed results of his own physical on Thursday. The big reveal will come on Dr. Mehmet Oz's TV show, according to a report from the Fox News Channel. Trump's campaign said last week that he would share his 'health regimen' with the Tv doc, but the planned appearance has gained new significance in the wake of Hillary's collapse on Sunday. Trump was uncharacteristically silent Ð including on Twitter Ð on Sunday, even as Clinton was spirited away from a Sept. 11th ceremony in New York, where was captured on video stumbling on the way to her van before her campaign finally revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.ÊÊ Then he brought up Clinton's prolonged coughing allergy last week, which Clinton jokingly chalked up to a Trump allergy. 'The coughing fit was a week ago, so I assume that was pnemonia also. I would think it would have been. So something's going on.Õ Trump also attended the ceremony in New York, but without incident. 'I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail and we'll be seeing her at the debate,' he added. Trump indicated he'll be putting out detailed results about his own health. 'I think it's an issue. In fact, this last week I took a physical,' he said. 'I'll be releasing Ð when the numbers come in, hopefully they're gonna be good, I think they're gonna be good. B

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday August 16, 2016

Trump suggests Hillary’s been sick for a while as he prepares to release ‘very, very specific’ numbers from his latest physical – on Dr. Oz’s show

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested that Hillary Clinton has been sick for a while, pointing to her coughing fit last week as evidence that ‘something’s going on.’

‘I really just don’t just know. I hope she gets well soon. I don’t know what’s going on,’ Trump said when asked about it on ‘Fox and Friends’ Monday morning.

He wished Clinton well after her weekend health scare – and revealed he is preparing to release detailed results of his own physical on Thursday.

The big reveal will come on Dr. Mehmet Oz’s TV show, according to a report from the Fox News Channel.

Trump’s campaign said last week that he would share his ‘health regimen’ with the Tv doc, but the planned appearance has gained new significance in the wake of Hillary’s collapse on Sunday.

Trump was uncharacteristically silent – including on Twitter – on Sunday, even as Clinton was spirited away from a Sept. 11th ceremony in New York, where was captured on video stumbling on the way to her van before her campaign finally revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia.

Then he brought up Clinton’s prolonged coughing allergy last week, which Clinton jokingly chalked up to a Trump allergy.

‘The coughing fit was a week ago, so I assume that was pnemonia also. I would think it would have been. So something’s going on.’

Trump also attended the ceremony in New York, but without incident.

‘I just hope she gets well and gets back on the trail and we’ll be seeing her at the debate,’ he added.

Trump indicated he’ll be putting out detailed results about his own health.

‘I think it’s an issue. In fact, this last week I took a physical,’ he said. ‘I’ll be releasing – when the numbers come in, hopefully they’re gonna be good, I think they’re gonna be good. But when the numbers come in, I’ll be really very, very specific numbers, Trump said.

To date Trump, 70, has only released a short letter from a doctor, who the Clinton campaign has noted is not an internist but a gastroenterologist. The letter stated he would be the ‘healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.’

Clinton will be 69 when she takes office if elected. (Source: Daily Mail)

 

Posted in: USA Tagged: Donald Trump, election, facade, fitness, health, Hillary Clinton, shadow, strongman, United States, USA

Friday, July 26, 2013

July 26, 2013 by Graeme MacKay

Friday July 26, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 26, 2013

Heritage requirement a pain in the glass for Burrito Boyz

For SaleThe same Gore Park storefront that sat empty this time last year is now filled with daily diners, but the city’s focus is on the façade they say doesn’t fit with the character of the area.

Burrito Boyz, which opened in November 2012, was ordered to increase their glass frontage from 28 per cent to 80 per cent to obtain their establishment licence.

Leanne Dielschneider, who co-owns the business with Viktor Stosic, said they’re still paying off startup costs including more than $150,000 to renovate 66 King St. E. (which they rent). Extra façade work is an expense they hadn’t planned for.

Dielschneider, 27, said she and Stosic were aware of the glazing requirement (which falls under downtown heritage character guidelines) when they began renovations, but they were also trying to match the look of Burrito Boyz locations throughout Toronto.

She thought the city would be satisfied when they saw a bustling restaurant. Instead, she and Stosic received a notice two weeks after opening.

“I was told it was hard to open a business in Hamilton,” says Dielschneider, who grew up in Stoney Creek. “I was warned about that … It’s been a smooth ride other than this.”

Dielschneider said she understands the necessity of heritage policies, but finds the glazing issue insignificant compared to the benefits of having business in what was an abandoned space.

She pointed out other buildings within the Downtown Heritage Character Zone, which stretches along Gore Park from James to Wellington. (According to the city’s website, the zone guidelines are meant to be “a city building tool to protect built heritage resources and character in the downtown.”) (Source: The Hamilton Spectator)

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: Burrito Boyz, bylaw, downtown renewal, facade, Gore, Hamilton, Money Mart, Payday loans, print sale, restaurant
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This website contains satirical commentaries of current events going back several decades. Some readers may not share this sense of humour nor the opinions expressed by the artist. To understand editorial cartoons it is important to understand their effectiveness as a counterweight to power. It is presumed readers approach satire with a broad minded foundation and healthy knowledge of objective facts of the subjects depicted.

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