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Oshawa

Thursday June 22, 2023

June 22, 2023 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday June 22, 2023

Ford’s Tentacled Reach

May 12, 2023

The Ontario government is moving forward with its plan to expand the powers of mayors in more municipalities, allowing them to exert greater control over local affairs. However, critics remain skeptical of Premier Doug Ford’s intentions, comparing his influence to that of a Cthulhu-like monster with multiple arms controlling puppet mayors. These enhanced powers, already implemented in Toronto and Ottawa, grant mayors the authority to pass bylaws related to the province’s housing initiatives, even with just a third of their local councils in support.

Additionally, these stronger powers give mayors the ability to veto budget amendments unless they receive a two-thirds majority vote from the council. Mayors also gain the authority to hire senior bureaucrats and establish new departments within their municipalities. While many cities in the United States, such as Chicago and New York, grant their mayors substantial influence, critics argue that the provision allowing the passing of bylaws with only a third of the votes undermines the principles of democracy, labeling it as “minority rule.”

News: Doug Ford gives ‘strong mayor’ powers to 26 more Ontario cities  

January 28, 2023

The provincial government has defined specific regulations designating these priorities as contributing to their ambitious target of constructing 1.5 million homes and providing housing-related infrastructure, including roads and sewer pipes, by 2031. Ontario’s Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister, Steve Clark, made the announcement alongside mayors from Guelph, Burlington, and London, who will soon possess these expanded powers. The decision was reached after a meeting at Queen’s Park between Clark, other cabinet ministers, and the mayors of the province’s largest cities.

Effective July 1, the new powers will be implemented through regulations and will be granted to municipalities with a population exceeding 100,000 or projected to reach that threshold by 2031. Additionally, these municipalities must have signed a “housing pledge” to support Ontario’s target for new homes. The list of municipalities receiving these powers includes Barrie, Niagara Falls, Windsor, Hamilton, Mississauga, and Markham. Notably, Newmarket, located north of Toronto, is excluded from the list due to the local government’s failure to sign the housing pledge.

Mayor John Taylor of Newmarket cited the town’s insufficient sewer capacity as the reason for not signing the pledge. He attributes this problem to the province’s decision to block the construction of a planned regional sewage plant and instead build pipes to an existing facility in Durham Region, a process that may take up to eight years. Mayor Taylor also stated that, regardless of the powers granted, he would not utilize them.

News: These 26 Ontario cities are getting strong-mayor powers. Is yours?  

August 21, 2019

Patrick Brown, the former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party who now serves as the mayor of Brampton, disagrees with the notion that these powers are antidemocratic, claiming that people already assume mayors possess such authority. Brown believes that Premier Doug Ford, who spent time at Toronto City Hall, understands the inconsistency between public perception and the actual powers held by mayors.

It is worth noting that Premier Ford’s late brother, Rob Ford, served as the mayor of Toronto, but his powers were significantly reduced by the city council in 2013 following his erratic behavior and struggles with substance abuse. In Ottawa, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has pledged not to use the “minority rule” power to pass bylaws. Interestingly, it was former Toronto mayor John Tory who initially requested this additional measure from Premier Ford, even after the province had already announced plans to strengthen mayoral control over budgets and bureaucracy.

As the by-election is currently underway due to Mr. Tory’s resignation and admission of an affair with a subordinate, frontrunner Olivia Chow and other candidates, including Josh Matlow, Ana Bailão, and Mitzie Hunter, have already expressed their disinterest in utilizing the “minority rule” bylaw power if elected. (AI)

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. If you’re creative, give illustration a try:

https://mackaycartoons.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023-0622-ONT.mp4

 

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: 2023-11, Ajax, Burlington, Caledon, Doug Ford, Guelph, housing, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Municipality, Niagara Falls, octopus, Ontario, Oshawa, procreate, puppet, St. Catharines, Strong mayor, tentacles, Vaghan, Waterloo, windsor

Tuesday November 27, 2018

December 4, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday November 27, 2018

USMCA not to blame for GM plant closures, but it’s killing all hope of exporting from North America

U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies were likely just one factor among many that contributed to General Motors’ decision to shutter multiple plants in the U.S. and one in Oshawa in Ontario, analysts say.

April 29, 2009

But the closures will undoubtedly sharpen scrutiny of the White House’s “America First” trade agenda — a strategy aimed at preserving jobs in traditional industries through controversial measures including steel and aluminum tariffs that have ultimately squeezed automakers, analysts say.

“Only a few months ago GM said that the Trump tariffs were costing a billion dollars but they were going to wait until after the mid-term elections to take action,” said Dennis DesRosiers, president of DesRosiersAutomotive Consultants. “It is now past the elections and they are taking action. Partial blame for this goes to Trump and his isolationist policies. It is much bigger than U.S. politics, but it certainly is part of the issue.”

January 13, 2009

GM will shutter its factory in Oshawa as part of a global restructuring as the company shifts to manufacturing electric and autonomous vehicles. The move will see 2,973 jobs cut by the end of 2019 at the Oshawa plant, which has been in operation since 1953. The Detroit firm will also slash a total of 6,705 jobs at plants located in Warren, Ohio; White Marsh, Md; and two facilities in Michigan.

Other Canadian manufacturing facilities in St. Catharines and Ingersoll, Ont. will not be affected.

“Trade headwinds” and, in particular, Trump’s tariffs of 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on aluminum, have also been identified as a key business challenge by more than one automaker as they attempt to make difficult transitions in their product lines and operations. In September, executives at Ford Motor Co. blamed the tariffs for taking US$1 billion out of company profits. (Source: Financial Post)


“I honestly don’t think Trump devotees will mind that autoworkers are losing their jobs.”

Posted in: Canada, USA Tagged: auto, automobile, Canada, cars, corporation, Daily Cartoonist, General Motors, GM, MAGA, Make America Great Again, manufacturing, Oshawa, restructuring, USA

Tuesday November 18, 2014

November 18, 2014 by Graeme MacKay

By Graeme MacKay – Tuesday November 18, 2014

Liberals win in Whitby-Oshawa (second place)

Tuesday November 18, 2014Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservatives survived a tough fight with the Liberals on Monday night to hold on to a seat with symbolic and sentimental significance — the Whitby-Oshawa riding held for a decade by the late finance minister, Jim Flaherty.

Conservatives kept the riding and preserved Flaherty’s legacy, but the margin of victory was nowhere near as wide as what the former finance minister enjoyed after first being elected in 2006.

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals strongly chipped away at the Conservative stronghold, with Celina Caesar-Chavannes in a neck-and-neck race all night with the Tory candidate, former Whitby mayor Pat Perkins.

With nearly all the results in late Monday night, the Conservatives and Liberals were separated by less than eight percentage points.

[slideshow_deploy id=’1982’]

 

The closeness of the race will buoy Liberal hopes for the 2015 election, while potentially sending a chill through the ruling Conservatives’ hopes for retaining power after the next general vote.

The New Democrats trailed far behind in third place, which will also prompt some hard thinking in NDP circles next year. (Source: Toronto Star)


SOCIAL MEDIA


 

Last night’s federal byelections wrap up #cdnpoli

http://t.co/3Agv8QoVVO pic.twitter.com/7XIvSP9Nvz

— Graeme MacKay (@mackaycartoons) November 18, 2014

Posted in: Canada Tagged: by-election, Canada, Jim Flaherty, Justin Trudeau, Liberals, Ontario, Oshawa, Whitby

Please note…

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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