review

Thursday September 7, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday September 7, 2023

Ford’s Irresponsible Greenbelt Stance Threatens Ontario’s Future

August 31, 2023

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s recent announcement that his government will continue development on Greenbelt lands while under review is not only misguided but deeply troubling for the province’s future. Despite mounting evidence of rushed and flawed decision-making processes, Ford remains steadfast in his commitment to forging ahead with development, seemingly undeterred by the ethical and practical implications.

At a recent news conference, Ford indicated that his administration would undertake a review of all Greenbelt lands and development applications, effectively moving up the timeline by about two years, in defiance of the previous government’s mandate for a ten-year review cycle. While a review is certainly warranted, it is Ford’s insistence that development will proceed for any sites deemed to “stand on their own merit” that raises serious concerns.

News: Greenbelt review could see recommendation for more land removals, new minister says  

August 23, 2023

Ford has tasked Housing Minister Paul Calandra, who recently took over after Steve Clark’s resignation, with defining the parameters of this review alongside a non-partisan provincial adjudicator. The Premier has promised a comprehensive top-to-bottom examination, but the catch is that the lands already earmarked for removal and development late last year will remain in play.

In the meantime, the adjudicator will continue working with current landowners, some of whom are major developers in the province, to discuss their plans for these lands. Ford’s commitment to publicly releasing finalized agreements between landowners and the province does little to alleviate concerns about the potential for undue influence in the process.

What’s most alarming is that Ford has not ruled out the possibility of opening even more Greenbelt land for housing development. This stance seems to defy all logic, especially in the face of damning reports from the province’s integrity commissioner and the auditor general. Both reports revealed that the process was heavily influenced by politically connected developers, with Steve Clark’s chief of staff, Ryan Amato, playing a central role in selecting the lands to be removed from the Greenbelt.

July 20, 2023

Amato resigned in August, but both Clark and Ford insisted for weeks that Clark would remain in his ministerial role. The Premier had even instructed Clark to devise a process to open up the Greenbelt by the fall of 2022. The integrity commissioner’s findings were unequivocal, pointing to a deeply flawed process that favoured a select few developers.

Furthermore, the auditor general’s report underscored the questionable circumstances surrounding the land selections, with Amato’s direct involvement with developers or their lawyers raising serious ethical concerns. The potential windfall profits for the owners of the 15 selected sites, amounting to $8.3 billion, only add to the cloud of suspicion surrounding this entire affair.

Opinion: Doug Ford’s fatally flawed Greenbelt plan must be stopped in its tracks  

December 11, 2018

The fact that the RCMP is considering a potential police investigation into the land swaps should give Ford serious pause. Yet, he seems more intent on forging ahead with a review that many view as inadequate.

Ford’s insistence that the Greenbelt review is merely a matter of correcting the process rings hollow. It is not enough to “correct” a process that has already demonstrated its vulnerability to influence and manipulation. What’s truly important is protecting the Greenbelt, preserving vital farmland, and ensuring responsible, sustainable development that benefits all Ontarians.

The Premier’s rush to build homes cannot come at the expense of our natural environment and long-term well-being. While Ford may see the Greenbelt as a mere obstacle to development, it is, in fact, a crucial asset that should be safeguarded for future generations. His disregard for this fundamental responsibility is a betrayal of the trust placed in him by the people of Ontario, and it undermines the very essence of good governance. (AI.) Editorial cartoon printed in the Hamilton Spectator and the Toronto Star.

 

Graeme Gallery 2022 – Hamilton

Tuesday December 27, 2022. This is a special digital version of Graeme Galleries, Hamilton edition, as a preview to the full page print extravaganza in days to come that will unfold on the Comment Pages of the Hamilton Spectator and several other Metroland newspapers. Click on any of the cartoons to link back to the original dates they were posted:

March 30, 2022
April 7, 2022
June 11, 2022
June 22, 2022
July 27, 2022
August 17, 2022
September 17, 2022
October 1, 2022
October 15, 2022
October 19, 2022
October 26, 2022
November 23, 2022
Mayor Fred Cartoon Gallery

Hamilton Galleries

2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

2021 In Review

Letter to the editor, The Hamilton Spectator, Dec. 31, 2021

At the Hamilton Spectator, I’m quite spoiled by having several pages that have run for four days this week highlighting the past events of 2021. It’s a huge honour, and a wonderful testament that there are still some print media outlets, like the Spec, which embrace satire, as well as local reporting and staff photography as a necessary part of print and digital journalism. It’s a tradition in newspapers around the globe to use the final week of the year to showcase editorial cartoons which best boil down the past 12 months viewed through the lens of satire. Thankfully, there’s still a contingent of talented cartoonists sustaining the craft. Although, as many of you are aware, editorial cartooning positions have been in steady decline as newspapers respond to shrinking circulation & advertising revenues by chopping or retiring off their artists and replacing their local insights with banal syndicated Hallmark style gags masquerading as satire, or worse, bland wire photos. Support your local newspapers but remind editors that satire is fundamental to a healthy democracy. Thank you for your likes and shares, and encouraging comments. Here’s to a better year ahead in 2022, my 25th year as editorial cartoonist at the Hamilton Spectator. Happy New Year!

Ontario 2021 | Canada 2021 | World 2021 | Covid 2021

Saturday May 1, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 1, 2021

‘My recommendations will be implemented’: Louise Arbour prepares to review misconduct in Canada’s military

When faced with the idea of conducting an external review on sexual misconduct in the military — six years after a similar review was completed — retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour said her initial impression was: “Seriously? It’s been done.” 

October 18, 2016

Upon reflection, Arbour said she saw an environment in which she could make a lasting contribution, having been given a broader mandate from the federal government than the one handed to retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps when she conducted a similar review. 

“I have been given assurances that my recommendations will be implemented,” a point Arbour returned to several times in an interview with the Star on Friday, while acknowledging that “you might think it’s a bit naïve” considering the military’s response so far to the Deschamps review. 

“Six years after the Deschamps report, I think there’s better hope this time that something will come of this…If I was profoundly skeptical and cynical, I wouldn’t be doing this. I really have to believe that there is a window of opportunity.”

Arbour’s external review, announced Thursday by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, was immediately blasted by critics as a deflection tactic by a government and military that have failed to fully implement Deschamps’s recommendations. 

The Conservatives said it was meant to take attention away from ongoing questions about the government’s handling of an allegation against ex-chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance in 2018.

June 13, 2017

Deschamps — who concluded in 2015 that sexual misconduct is “endemic” in the military — told the Star she welcomed Arbour’s appointment, noting her broader mandate and that her review “would not be a mere repetition of what I did.” 

A former justice on the country’s top court, UN high commissioner for human rights, and chief prosecutor at the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Arbour brings a deep knowledge of human rights issues to her new task.

“Maybe the most important part of (Deschamps’s) work was the diagnosis,” Arbour said. “It was really earth shattering, the assessment of the prevalence of this predatory, sexualized culture.” 

Arbour said she understands the frustration of survivors of military sexual violence, both those who have come forward, as well as those who never have due to lack of trust in the system.

“I understand their frustration and possibly their skepticism, about just another review by another justice. I get that,” she said. “I really want to say: Just bear with me. I think moving forward, this might be the right time for the right thing to get done.” 

Unlike Deschamps’s mandate, Arbour has been instructed to come up with recommendations on what external oversight of the armed forces should look like. She will also be studying the military justice system’s “systemic performance” in dealing with sexual misconduct allegations, as well as recruitment and promotion to senior leadership. (Toronto Star) 

 

Friday June 24, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday June 24, 2016 Should HamiltonÕs ward boundaries be redrawn to reflect areas of growth, perhaps even adding a 16th ward? The question is, should they remain or should they go? Not just in Britain Ñ although the Brexit debate has been kind of important, too. Should Hamilton's 15 ward boundaries remain the same or change? That has been the topic at a series of public meetings on the issue Ñ the most recent this week at Waterdown's Legion Hall. But the tepid turnout in Waterdown Ñ only three people showed Ñ and also last week at Tim Hortons Field, suggests residents may not be all that engaged. In fairness, "Ward Boundary Review" is a subject hardly guaranteed to reel in even the most civic minded on a long, warm summer night. And Mayor Fred Eisenberger predicted neither councillors nor constituents would have much enthusiasm to tackle the issue. But last spring council voted to hire consultants to undertake a boundary review Ñ at cost of $270,000 Ñ to explore if changes would better reflect shifting population patterns. For example, Ward 7 on the central Mountain has 62,000 residents while rural Ward 14 in Flamborough has about 17,000. Among the alternatives suggested by the consultants: rearrange wards to follow federal riding boundaries; reshape wards to better reflect population; add a 16th ward. One option (shown on the map) shows a proposed Ward 16 on the Mountain, and also redrawing Ward 15 so it would geographically be smaller than it is now Ñ essentially Waterdown on its own, defined by Milburough Line to the east, Concession 7 to the north, Hwy 6. and Millgrove Sideroad to the west, to roughly the Niagara Escarpment along the southern border. Ward 15 Coun. Judi Partridge, whose ward is about 70 per cent rural, says consultants are paying too little attention to criteria such as culture, heritage, and the natural environment, and focusing too heavily on population. She added that

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 24, 2016

Should Hamilton’s ward boundaries be redrawn to reflect areas of growth, perhaps even adding a 16th ward?

The question is, should they remain or should they go?

Not just in Britain — although the Brexit debate has been kind of important, too.

Should Hamilton’s 15 ward boundaries remain the same or change?

That has been the topic at a series of public meetings on the issue — the most recent this week at Waterdown’s Legion Hall.

But the tepid turnout in Waterdown — only three people showed — and also last week at Tim Hortons Field, suggests residents may not be all that engaged.

In fairness, “Ward Boundary Review” is a subject hardly guaranteed to reel in even the most civic minded on a long, warm summer night.

April 26, 2012

April 26, 2012

And Mayor Fred Eisenberger predicted neither councillors nor constituents would have much enthusiasm to tackle the issue.

But last spring council voted to hire consultants to undertake a boundary review — at cost of $270,000 — to explore if changes would better reflect shifting population patterns.

For example, Ward 7 on the central Mountain has 62,000 residents while rural Ward 14 in Flamborough has about 17,000.

Among the alternatives suggested by the consultants: rearrange wards to follow federal riding boundaries; reshape wards to better reflect population; add a 16th ward.

One option (shown on the map) shows a proposed Ward 16 on the Mountain, and also redrawing Ward 15 so it would geographically be smaller than it is now — essentially Waterdown on its own, defined by Milburough Line to the east, Concession 7 to the north, Hwy 6. and Millgrove Sideroad to the west, to roughly the Niagara Escarpment along the southern border.

Ward 15 Coun. Judi Partridge, whose ward is about 70 per cent rural, says consultants are paying too little attention to criteria such as culture, heritage, and the natural environment, and focusing too heavily on population.

She added that the trio of residents who showed at the Waterdown meeting was pressed by consultants to pick a favourite option, but found the exercise too complex to choose.

Watson & Associates Economists Ltd. wrote in their report that electoral boundaries should be reviewed every 10-15 years, and Hamilton’s have been the same since amalgamation in 2001.(Source: Hamilton Spectator)