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Saturday April 2, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 2, 2022

Ontario’s sixth COVID-19 wave being driven by eased restrictions, science table head says

April 24, 2020

The head of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table says it is “very clear” that Ontario is now in the middle of a sixth wave of the pandemic driven by a relaxing of restrictions in the province.

“Oh, we’re in the middle of it,” Dr. Peter Juni told CP24 Tuesday night when asked whether he thinks the province is in the midst of a new wave. “When you look at our wastewater, it’s very clear. You can call it whatever you want, you know; whether it’s a resurgence of the Omicron wave we had or a sixth wave, the point is really to understand this is not a BA.2 wave.”

He said the highly infectious Omicron subvariant cannot be blamed for Ontario’s rising case count and said it has much more to do with “throwing caution to the wind.”

“The point here really is it’s entirely our responsibility what we’re seeing and we just got a little bit too much ahead of ourselves and here we are,” Juni said. “And we just have our task at hand to keep the slope of the wave upwards relatively flat so that we are not challenged again in our hospitals.”

Tuesday June 23, 2015

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Tuesday June 23, 2015

Hamilton taxes 9 per cent higher than 16 big cities, report says

Cartoon originally published on Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Taxes for Hamilton homeowners remain stubbornly high compared to other large cities despite years of lower-than-average budget bumps, a new report shows.

The average municipal tax burden in 2014 for the owner of a home worth $289,000, about $3,747, is 9 per cent higher than the average among 16 cities with 100,000 or more residents.

Those taxes also represent more of our annual income, about 4.4 per cent, compared to the 4 per cent average among those cities, which include Burlington, Oshawa, Kingston and Barrie, for example.

Those numbers haven’t really budged since 2013, councillors learned after reviewing the latest “tax competitiveness” report at finance committee Monday.

On the upside, Hamilton has seen “significant” improvement over a decade, said finance head Mike Zegarac. In 2004, our taxes were on average 15 per cent higher than our comparator cities.

Industrial taxes also remain much lower than average — about 23 per cent — which Zegarac noted means residential homeowners have to shoulder more of the burden.

The tax disparity remains despite four straight years of Hamilton posting stingy tax increases, below inflation, last term. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Friday, October 4, 2013

Friday, October 4, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, October 4, 2013

Hamilton’s Mayoral Race Begins

Former mayor Fred Eisenberger plans to run for mayor of Hamilton next year.

“Barring the unforeseen … I’m going to be a candidate in 2014,” Eisenberger said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Eisenberger, who was mayor from 2006 to 2010, has been mulling over a comeback attempt for months.

His decision comes fast on the heels of Ward I Councillor Brian McHattie’s commitment to go after the mayor’s chair.

They’ll both face off against Bob Bratina, who unseated Eisenberger in 2010.

Though Bratina hasn’t formally thrown his hat in the ring, there’s no question he intends to seek a second term.

He made that clear again when asked about his mayoral plans after his recent resignation from the police board.

“I have no intention of not seeking re-election, but I’m not making any announcements until the time is for nominations to be announced,” Bratina told a media scrum.

That leaves Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, another potential big-gun candidate, still holding fire about his plans.

Ferguson has also been considering going after the mayor’s job for months. But with the election a full year away, he says there’s plenty of time for a decision.

“I’m still pondering it,” he says, noting he still very much enjoys his current job.

Eisenberger’s candidacy makes things a little awkward for McHattie in more ways than one.

Not only did McHattie endorse Eisenberger’s 2010 re-election bid, but Ward 1, McHattie’s home turf, was the only ward Eisenberger — who placed third behind Bratina and second-placer former mayor Larry Di Ianni — carried outright.

In addition, both men occupy pretty much the same centre-left space on the political spectrum, thus creating the possibility of vote splitting. (Continued: Andrew Dreschel, Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/news-story/4134544-dreschel-eisenberger-enters-the-race-for-top-job/

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FEEDBACK

Mr. MacKay

 I don’t understand what your editorial cartoon was about. Again I’ve asked friends what was that cartoon about?  It appears that you expect me to have a pre-conceived idea about a program that I never watched.  (breaking bad)  I get Brian’s, I don’t get Eisenberger, and I don’t get the Bill Kelly picture. Does an editorial cartoon work if you have to explain it?

E. Shacklock

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Dear Ms. Shacklock,

Thank you for your email.

Please consider the subject matter: Hamilton municipal politics. It can be very eye glazing stuff and none of the three candidates are what I feel to be the most lively individuals to depict. It’s very early days, and nothing in the form of substance has been brought to the Mayoral race beyond intentions to run, but the unofficial kickoff, in my opinion, is significant to mark the occasion with a cartoon.

Brian McHattie is my city councillor, and he’s been a good one. But Mayor? I don’t know.

You are correct, the Heisenburger piece is a pop cultural reference to the critically acclaimed drama that wrapped up this week called “Breaking Bad”. It’s been running since 2008. I drew this knowing many, I understand yourself included, wouldn’t get it without being aware of the series and the main character called Heisenberg. Forgive my indulgence for being a huge fan of the extraordinary series, but I found it to be a natural fit for the re-emergence of Fred Eisenberger on the political scene, many have informed me they got quite the chuckle from it, and I had fun drawing the ex-Mayor portrayed as such.

The final frame simply refers to the fact that the Mayor really only uses the Bill Kelly Show to get his talking point messages out to the public.

I don’t expect everyone to understand or appreciate my cartoons or what can be described as a sense of humour. It’s an impossible task to achieve. Even to my loyal fans any given cartoon might be a homerun or a complete dud. I think this applies to anyone working in any field – ones work simply can’t be all good things to all people.

Sincerely,

Graeme MacKay