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Thursday March 7, 2019

March 14, 2019 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday March 7, 2019

Gerald Butts’ testimony couldn’t save Trudeau’s skin, but the rest of us will be fine

The flag is still flying on government buildings. There are no troops in the streets. The CBC is still broadcasting and the House of Commons committees are still functioning. Mail is still being delivered, and all those other little things Canadians take for granted are still being attended to. They carry on in their delightfully banal ways despite an Ipsos-Reid poll’s troubling finding that two-thirds of Canadians say Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lost the moral authority to govern.

February 28, 2019

That Canadian democracy is still functioning is worth pointing out, given the lightning strikes and the rolling thunder accompanying the SNC-Lavalin bribery-case revelations. It is more than worrisome that despite their loudest protests to the contrary, the bigshots in Trudeau’s inner circle do not hold the foundational democratic principle of the rule of law to be especially sacrosanct after all. With all the cabinet resignations and committee-hearing drama, and the public astonishment with the creepiness of the whole thing, 73 per cent of Liberal voters, even, say the RCMP should be brought in to sort things out.

Blame the mainstream media generally, or even specifically The Globe and Mail, which broke the story a month ago, all you like. Recite as accurately and loudly as you please from the Liberal party handbook’s provisions on “jobs for the middle class and people working hard to join it.” The slightest hint that this thematic talking point is being deployed as a justification for monkeying around with judicial independence will be seen by reasonable people as fatally self-incriminating. But go right ahead.

March 2, 2019

These prevarications were not what the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights heard on Wednesday morning from Gerald Butts, the principal secretary to Justin Trudeau, and Trudeau’s dear friend for three decades, who resigned three weeks ago after having found himself a central character in the whole drama. In his long-awaited testimony, Butts insisted there was no improper pressure applied to attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, at least not intentionally, and that all that was being asked of her was that a “second opinion” might be sought on the propriety of a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin, instead of a criminal prosecution. An eminent jurist might be consulted. Or perhaps a panel of jurists.

When Butts talked about the 9,000 SNC-Lavalin jobs that may or may not be at stake in the case, he spoke as a Cape Bretoner, from a family of miners. He spoke with his heart and his guts. As for his account of his interactions with Wilson-Raybould, and his take on the various communications and encounters the Prime Minister’s Office had with Wilson-Raybould on the SNC-Lavalin file, the most generous reading would be that it’s all been one big horrible misunderstanding.

August 20, 2016

Whether this repairs any of the damage done to Team Trudeau cannot yet be known, but that Ipsos-Reid poll was concluded even before Treasury Board president Jane Philpott resigned from cabinet on Monday. Her explanation: “Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised.” Set your hair on fire if you must, but Philpott’s view is in complete agreement with the opinion Ipsos-Reid attributes to the overwhelming majority of Canadians. (Continued: National Post) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: 2019-09, Canada, captain, Gerald Butts, Justin Trudeau, scandal sinking, ship, SNC-Lavalin, storm

Tuesday September 18, 2018

September 18, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday September 18, 2018

Trudeau’s to-do list just got bigger

If stalled pipelines and deadlocked trade talks have given Justin Trudeau a pounding head, he should brace himself — and Canada — for an absolute economic migraine.

March 24, 2016

Two sobering new reports warn that, unless Canadian governments take fast, aggressive action, this country’s economy will be hammered by a one-two combination of recently lowered American taxes and a sharp decline in business investment.

This is bad news for Canadians and comes at a sensitive time for our economy, as well as the prime minister.

Parliament resumes sitting this week and with the next federal election barely a year away the Liberals are working overtime to persuade everyone these are sunny days, economically speaking.

August 28, 2018

But the free-trade deal with the United States and Mexico, which has sustained millions of Canadian jobs and enriched the Canadian economy for decades, could collapse at any moment.

Meanwhile, Ottawa’s plan to expand the Trans Mountain Pipeline — which it bought for $4.5 billion in taxpayers’ money — is going nowhere.

Now more storm clouds darken our horizon. A new report commissioned by the Business Council of Canada concludes the latest tax cuts in the United States could devastate Canada’s economy.

How bad could it get? The report suggests the damage could exceed the economic harm that would be caused by the end of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

May 18, 2018

years, businesses in Canada benefited from a corporate-tax advantage. That suddenly ended last December when the U.S. Congress passed tax reforms that slashed the federal corporate tax rate to 21 per cent from 35 per cent.

The report warns America’s tax cuts could cost Canada up to 635,000 jobs and reduce its annual gross domestic product by $85 billion — the equivalent of nearly five per cent of our economy. As governments could lose up to $20 billion a year in tax revenues, almost everyone in Canada would suffer.

The challenge to our economy from these tax cuts becomes even more serious when placed in the context of a growing reluctance to invest in Canada. A report released last week by the C.D. Howe Institute called weak capital spending a “threat to Canada’s future prosperity.”

October 19, 2017

Echoing the think-tank’s fears, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Victor Dodig, last week cited falling levels of foreign investment in Canada as he called on the country to set clearer rules to boost investor confidence.

Evidence from Statistics Canada gives credence to these concerns. In 2017, foreign direct investment in Canada declined for the third year in a row, dropping by a whopping 26 per cent.

It would be a mistake to consider any of these economic challenges in isolation. The failure to build a pipeline to carry Alberta’s oil to an ocean port where it can be sold for a higher price is surely convincing foreign investors to avoid Canada the way they would a patch of poison ivy.

September 21, 2016

Likewise, lowered American tax rates make that country a more desirable place to invest — once again to Canada’s disadvantage.

So far, Trudeau’s Liberals have dithered in their response to the U.S. tax cuts and investor flight. That vacillation must end.

In his economic update this fall, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau should offer concrete ways to improve this country’s ability to compete and make it more attractive for investment.

That may or may not bring corporate tax cuts and changes to regulations. It must translate into meaningful action. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Canada Tagged: Canada, clouds, foreign, investment, Justin Trudeau, NAFTA, Ottawa, Parliament, pipeline, rain, storm

Wednesday September 12, 2018

September 11, 2018 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday September 12, 2018

Local elections getting lost in the sound and fury

Between Doug Ford’s unprecedented antics at Queen’s Park, Donald Trump’s daily bombastic proclamations and NAFTA negotiations, it’s little wonder local elections — in Hamilton and across Ontario — are being drowned out. But it’s time for that to change.

Our municipal governments have more impact on our day-to-day lives than their more senior brethren. Yes, they’re at the bottom of the food chain — as Ford has so brazenly demonstrated — but they deliver front-line services. Our sidewalks and roads, our safe water supply, public transit, recreational centres and parks, waste disposal, libraries, animal control, tax collection — these and a host of other services and costs flow directly from city hall. 

And every four years, we have a chance to pass judgment on the current city council. We can endorse them, collectively or individually. We can change out people we’re not happy with. We can clean house if that’s appropriate (even though we get to vote only for our respective ward councillor, mayor and school trustees).

So while Ford and Trump may be more dramatic (and melodramatic), it behooves us to pay attention to what’s coming up on Monday, Oct. 22. The Spectator has already begun to do that, and we plan to ramp up our coverage beginning this week. 

Bottom line: If you live here, pay taxes, raise kids, retire, and you’re an engaged citizen, these elections matter. Don’t miss the opportunity to get involved in local democracy.(Continued: Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Posted in: Hamilton, Ontario Tagged: Donald Trump, Doug Ford, elections, Hurricane, issues, Justin Trudeau, Kim Jong Un, local, season, Serena Williams, storm, Vladimir Putin

Tuesday March 2, 2016

March 1, 2016 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday March 2, 2016 Winter storm Approaches A winter storm is expected to hit Hamilton later this afternoon and drop up to 30 cm snow overnight. Blowing snow, powered by wind gusts of up to 70 km/h/, will create treacherous driving conditions as visibility drops to zero at times. The snow is expected to begin during the Tuesday evening commute and intensify later tonight. Environment Canada suggests postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. The forecast suggests the storm will have moved out of the area by midday Wednesday. In anticipation of the worst storm of the winter so far, evening classes are cancelled at McMaster University, Mohawk College and the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. McMaster University will close at 4:30 p.m. today. Mohawk will close at 4 p.m. today, with all evening classes at the Fennell, Stoney Creek and IAHS campuses cancelled. College officials say a decision will be made by 5:30 a.m. tomorrow about whether Mohawk will remain closed or reopen Wednesday. All Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board facilities will close at 6 p.m. tonight. All meetings, permits, continuing education courses, night school and ESL adult programs are cancelled. As part of that, the HWDSB senior elementary basketball championship scheduled for Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School for Tuesday evening has been postponed. Further information regarding the rescheduling of the event will be available on www.hwdsb.on.ca/athletics www.hwdsb.on.ca/athletics as well as Twitter when available. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) http://www.thespec.com/news-story/6370366-winter-storm-mac-mohawk-and-hamilton-wentworth-school-classes-cancelled-tonight/ Hamilton, Ontario, Winter, snow, storm, blizzard, cancellation, snow day, weather, lion, board, education

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 2, 2016

Winter storm Approaches

A winter storm is expected to hit Hamilton later this afternoon and drop up to 30 cm snow overnight.

Thursday, February 5, 2015Blowing snow, powered by wind gusts of up to 70 km/h/, will create treacherous driving conditions as visibility drops to zero at times.

The snow is expected to begin during the Tuesday evening commute and intensify later tonight.

Environment Canada suggests postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve.

The forecast suggests the storm will have moved out of the area by midday Wednesday.

In anticipation of the worst storm of the winter so far, evening classes are cancelled at McMaster University, Mohawk College and the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, Editorial Cartoonist, The Hamilton Spectator - Tuesday March 11, 2008 McHattie is hot on snow removal If you've had it up to here with shovelling snow, Councillor Brian McHattie has an easy-on-the-back solution. The Ward 1 councillor is proposing hiring contractors to clear sidewalks outside people's homes next winter. If McHattie gets enough support from his west-end constituents, he'll ask city council to approve adding the snow removal cost toÊproperty owners' tax bills. After discussing it with city staff, McHattie estimates it will cost Ward 1 residents $28 to $31 per household for the first year of service. In the second year of a presumed five-year contract, the cost would fall to around $19 to $22 per year. It would be more expensive the first year because the private contractor would likely have to buy specialized plows. The work would be contracted out because the city apparently doesn't have the resources to take on the job itself. Right now, McHattie's proposal is focused only on his own ward. But he says there's nothing stopping other councillors looking at the same service for their area. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Canada, sidewalk, snow, winter, shovelling, habits, bylaw, civility, shovel

Tuesday March 11, 2008

McMaster University will close at 4:30 p.m. today. Mohawk will close at 4 p.m. today, with all evening classes at the Fennell, Stoney Creek and IAHS campuses cancelled.

College officials say a decision will be made by 5:30 a.m. tomorrow about whether Mohawk will remain closed or reopen Wednesday.

All Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board facilities will close at 6 p.m. tonight. All meetings, permits, continuing education courses, night school and ESL adult programs are cancelled.

As part of that, the HWDSB senior elementary basketball championship scheduled for Nora Frances Henderson Secondary School for Tuesday evening has been postponed. Further information regarding the rescheduling of the event will be available on its website as well as Twitter when available. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Posted in: Hamilton Tagged: blizzard, board, cancellation, education, Hamilton, lion, Ontario, snow, snow day, storm, weather, Winter

Friday May 1, 2015

April 30, 2015 by Graeme MacKay

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday May 1, 2015 OntarioÕs winter roads Ôless safeÕ since privatization: auditor  Ontario saved millions but put lives in jeopardy by contracting out highway snow clearing and other winter road maintenance with poor oversight, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says in a damning new report. ÒIn the past, highways were cleared much faster,Ó the auditor told reporters Wednesday, noting that Òpreliminary results show an increase in the number of deaths on Ontario highways in 2013 where snow, slush or ice was a factor.Ó ItÕs taking twice as long to clear highways to bare pavement after storms than it did five years ago under a new system of Òperformance-basedÓ contracts with specified service levels and no more on-the-road supervision by Ministry of Transportation staff.  Lysyk said she was stunned to find the Liberal government kept awarding the contracts despite warnings from Ministry of Transportation engineers that many low bidders didnÕt have enough equipment to do the job properly. In one startling case a year ago, an unnamed northern Ontario contractor refused to clear winter roads at one point and was fined for poor performance following an audit prompted by a pileup of 14 tractor trailers that forced an extensive highway closure. Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca refused to apologize for the problems but said that ÒthereÕs no doubt there needs to be improvements. I will get this right.Ó Del Duca said 105 pieces of snow removal, de-icing, salting and sanding equipment have been added in the past year and 20 inspectors added to keep better track of contractors, with whom he will meet in the coming weeks. (Source: Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2015/04/29/ontarios-winter-roads-are-less-safe-since-privatization-auditor.html Friday May 1, 2015 OntarioÕs winter roads Ôless safeÕ since privatization: auditor  Ontario saved millions but put lives in jeopardy by contracting out h

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday May 1, 2015

Ontario’s winter roads ‘less safe’ since privatization: auditor

Ontario saved millions but put lives in jeopardy by contracting out highway snow clearing and other winter road maintenance with poor oversight, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says in a damning new report.

“In the past, highways were cleared much faster,” the auditor told reporters Wednesday, noting that “preliminary results show an increase in the number of deaths on Ontario highways in 2013 where snow, slush or ice was a factor.”

It’s taking twice as long to clear highways to bare pavement after storms than it did five years ago under a new system of “performance-based” contracts with specified service levels and no more on-the-road supervision by Ministry of Transportation staff.

Lysyk said she was stunned to find the Liberal government kept awarding the contracts despite warnings from Ministry of Transportation engineers that many low bidders didn’t have enough equipment to do the job properly.

In one startling case a year ago, an unnamed northern Ontario contractor refused to clear winter roads at one point and was fined for poor performance following an audit prompted by a pileup of 14 tractor trailers that forced an extensive highway closure.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca refused to apologize for the problems but said that “there’s no doubt there needs to be improvements. I will get this right.”

Del Duca said 105 pieces of snow removal, de-icing, salting and sanding equipment have been added in the past year and 20 inspectors added to keep better track of contractors, with whom he will meet in the coming weeks. (Source: Toronto Star)

Posted in: Ontario Tagged: 400 series, blizzard, clearance, highways, Kathleen Wynne, Ontario, plowing, roads, snow, storm, transportation, Winter
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