CONservatives Raise Wages for Bureacrats and Deputy Ministers

TAX WATCHDOG AND PUBLIC SERVICE UNIONS ALIKE CONDEMN THIS HIDDEN PAY HIKE TO BUREACRATS

Stephen Harpers' minority COnservative government last week raised the salries of numerous conservative friendly deputy ministers and bureacrats alike.

Condemned by a public services union, as a move to garner support within the bureacratic hierarchy, John Gordon, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said the senior bureaucrats' salaries should face the same scrutiny as those of any other public servant. The move lacks transparency and is at odds with the CONservative party platform opf reduced wages for bureacrats.

There was no formal public announcement of the increases from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Tory government.
"What troubles me is this is a government that was elected to ensure greater transparency, and they've decided to shelve a public announcement," said John Williamson, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
"It's not so much the pay raise that bothers me as the way it was quietly stated."

Treasury Board President John Baird, said the information was made public on the board's website, and that beyond that "it is really up to the public to educate themselves on payscale reforms, and that there is no requirement for the government to report wage increases to the public".

"We're being transparent, we posted it on the internet where most people come across their news anyways", Mr Baird went on to claim.

Government executives earn up to $178,700 in salary while deputy ministers earn up to $288,400 ; not including bonuses. The heads of Crown corporations can work their way up to $445,600.

Government executives and deputy ministers, the highest ranking public servants, are in line to get a 2.5% pay raise. The chief executives of Crown corporations, such as the CBC and Canada Post, are slated to get 3% raises.
The salary increases will be applied retroactively dating back to April.
Executives and deputy ministers will also receive a 1.1% increase to what is known as "at-risk pay," which is an end-of-year bonus. They can also get another bonus of 3%-5% if they earn all their at-risk pay.

Well, bully to them....personally, these wages are out of line, and the methodology behind how they determined pay increases is a bunch of pure bullshit.

You should think that with this level of transparency we are even lucky to have heard this tidbit of information from a government this secretive in nature.

A Letter To The PM on The Issue Of Lebanon

I DOUBT WE WILL SEE ANY ANSWER TO THIS..IT'S BEEN MAILED TO HIM THOUGH

Sir,
WITHOUT PREJUDICE
Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Primie Minister of Canada
As leader of Canada, it is within your jurisdictional responsibilities to condemn the violence and killings across Lebanon at the hands of the Israeli state. As a Canadian citizen,born and raised here, I find it morally repugnant that you would allow for the murder of Lebanese children, while offering assurances that Canada will not condemn Israel and its' actions.
The massive usage of bombs in Lebanon, which indiscriminately kill anyone, and anything, is not admirable by an stretch of the imagination. This absolute use of force is not within reason, cannot be explained as reasonable force, or a reasonable reaction to the kidnapping of any soldier, anywhere. In fact, it is a downright miserable situation for a group of people who have had a miserable existence at the hands of their oppressors for more than 50 years.
The Israeli state has historically been at odds with the balance of the world on the issue of rights for people, especially people of other race, and people who previously enjoyed the right of land ownership, until the formation of Israel in 1948. There was never any accomodation made for any of these people. Do you believe that it is okay for these people to be oppressed like this for generation after generation? I grew up in Ontario, and have watched the news for 40 years, all of which were dominated by this same argument.
The Lebanese people deserve the assistance of Canadians. Hezbollah is not the average Lebanese individual. Associating Hezbollah with the entire Lebanese state is silly, not of good moral judgement, and leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many Canadians, including myself.
There is a roadmap to peace available...but only an individual with a high moral sense of judgement would understand the necessity to avert this terrible injustice that is upon us.
That roadmap consists of genuine individuals, with a genuine interest in staving off a human tragedy. Bombs, guns and bulletts are not a part of the equation, they are at the root of the problem. Ignorance and religious intolerance follow closely behind.
If we feed the poor and downtrodden, we will lead their minds...the abject poverty of many middle eastern states, led in the past by ignorant immoral leaders, has resulted in this catastrophe..starving people will do anything to gain assistance and people who are oppressed will do anything to forward their agenda...whatever that might be.
It is not right, or just to permit Israel to exact such a violent vengeance on the children of Lebanon, nor is it morally acceptable that Israeli school children would place their names on missiles being launched at Lebanese children through this small border area. Please see the accompanying photograph for this...

This is the politics of racism, fueled by violence , hatred and religious intolerance.
Mr Harper and your colleagues in parliament; I urge you to condemn the violence and actions of all concerned. Both sides of this conflict need to be condemned for the irresponsible usage of violent means.
The indoctrination of the children of the middle east with the hatred of their fathers is disgusting. Would you allow your own children to write messages of hate on missiles destined for another land? I could only hope not, and request your assurances that this is not what you are standing up for. STAND UP FOR INTEGRITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS, NOT FOR THE ERROR OF SUPPORTING A NATION IN THE BUTCHERING OF OTHERS.
I can only hope that there is an answer for this human tragedy that is unfolding. Sitting in silence will gain you nothing, and will undoubtedly put Canada on the same track as Israel in the minds of the Arab peoples.
As a Canadian taxpayer I demand that our government stop supporting the usage of violence in the war against Lebanon. The only measured response is a non-violent one.
Do you stand for violence or do you stand for justice?
jim bender
9 pembers pass
woodstock, ontario
n4s 8z5

Alberta Born Country Singer, KD Lang Is Outraged By Harpers' Absence at Outgames 2006

OTHER PM'S HAVE OFFERED THEIR TIME, SO WHY NOT HARPER?

Okay KD, I'll give you a clue.

Gay people do not vote for right wing homophobics...hence, no visit from PM Harper.

Perhaps if you had hidden the agenda(like said it was a conservative BBQ fundraiser) he would have shown up...by accident...and would have been forced to stay or he'd look ridiculous!

Anyways, the CONservatives will never be a friend to the gay, lesbian or transgendered. Their ideals do not include same sex unions...or the existence of anything they can't understand.

The best thing in this situation is to carry on and remember when the next election rolls around what exactly his actions were and are. The present government is not a CONservative government, but a reform alliance union with a stolen name.

It's kinda like satan using the name jesus to squeak into a church door......hmmmm.

It's Official...Bender for Council

WE'VE FILED OUR NOMINATION PAPERS WITH CITY HALL AND WE'RE ON OUR WAY

So...are we in for a shakeup here or what?

We'll just have to wait and see.

After some deliberation(a few people thought i was nuts, some others thought it was great) I've decided that we'll take a stab at city council in an effort to toss one or more of these people out of their offices.

Woodstonians are facing some of the most important issues we will ever face.

Rising assesment values which do not necessarily reflect the actual value of a home..(most of this rise was due to the Toyota announcement that they would be opening a factory here), lack of solid policing in the city of Woodstock,(since the Woodstock Force disbanded in favour of setting up a weak regional force) the lack of a decent traffic enforcement unit,(speeders have gained the upper hand here flying down residential streets), traffic signals in areas of town that really need lights.(traffic calming signs are a stunned idea....half of the speeders probably go too fast to see them), a viable transportation system that does not compete against itself or other existing services, for example...the new bus purchase that is 100% handicapped accessible is a good idea...but to buy this when we already subsidize and operate a paratransit service is well...kind of stunned.

Woodstock deserves a vocal advocate of the PEOPLE. Corporate Canada can well afford to pay for their own advocacy...so it's time for someone to be accountable to the people.

Should I become elected to this position I would endeavour to do the job to the best of my ability, will remain accessible at all times to all of the people regardless of race, persuasion or political choices. There is no room for partisnship after being elected. There is room for a service oriented person, and I intend to be that person,

standing up for the weak and disenfranchised in an effort to bring Woodstock into the fold of sensibility. My time will be spent engaging people into becoming more socially active, and more involved in the daily operations of our city.

I will open a public forum, no holds barred to continue to connect with all voters. A virtual office of sorts to meet the needs of Woodstonians.

So come on out folks, we'll be needing help...if interested send me a mail and we'll be around in October to see you...we will have shirts, buttons, posters and more for anyone who needs them. We will need help handing out flyers and knocking on doors and getting people out to the polls.

And of course...there will be some good hearted socializing throughout all of this!

So, send me your concerns, we'll work hard to take these up.

Israeli Forces Murder UN/Canadian Peacekeepers

ISRAELI FORCES BOMB THE SHIT OUT OF A UN BASE IN LEBANON KILLING EVERYONE AROUND IT

It's time for Canada to get off her ass and condemn the Jewish state for the murder of one of our people.

This atrocity cannot continue. People are being murdered enmasse as a result of the stupid kidnapping of an Israeli soldier, and now Canadians are dying from this action.

Cynthia Hess-von Kruedener , the wife of the missing Canadian soldier has stated that she bel;ieves the attack was intentional, and that weeks before the murder of her husband, the Israelis' dropped numerous bombs around the UN post. "In my opinion, if those were precision-guided missiles, then that was intentional," she said.

The Israeli ambassador to Canada has dismissed her concerns and has stated that "the bombs they were using were not as good as the ones they've used in the past and that it isn't their fault if the UN was in the way of these bombs, and that they really believed that Hezbollah had taken over the site."

Yeah, okay.

C'mon guys, build a big fence around yourselves or something, but the bombs have got to go.

The UN needs to condemn these actions.

And where is Mr Harper during all of this? If he was any kind of a leader he'd demand an answer, and he'd demand a ceasefire.

Farmers Are Well, Just Shit out Of Luck

LOCAL AG LEADERS DECRY FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS LACK OF CONCERN OVER THE ISSUE OF FARM STABILZATION AND RISK MANAGEMENT

a letter sent to the Tillsonburg News today...

As a past participant in a federal election I find it alarming to see that many farmers actually BELIEVED the CONservatives had expressed any type of support for farmers beyond the cursory "lets' get acquainted, gotta donation ?" aspect of the situation. Farmers have been in an unenviable position for many years, or at least as far back as I can remember. I grew up on National Farmers' Union penny auctions in a day when interest rates were triple todays' rates, and family farms were driven into the dust by unscrupulous bankers and governments alike.I swear all those bankers and governments forgot where their dinners came from!(or maybe they flew out of country for meals....) Having grown up on a farm in Oxford,I've come to learn that support for farmers is always present during an election,both provincial and federal, but afterwards...ha, they got your vote, and for the next few years there is nothing you can do to gain a voice or any support. A few years past, someone dumped a load of manure on a locally elected persons' office...DO we really need to wonder why? The issue is across the board, affecting all alike. Provincial, municipal and federal. This issue affects all Canadians as we all require food to succeed and survive. The elected government did not promise to finance, subsidize or support the ideals of risk management. We just thought they did by the words they used on us. Our local elected MP, during a debate at the CAW hall in Woodstock, attended by many farmers during the 2006 election stated that he could not and would not support risk management for farmers, and I quote,"especially not knowing his partys' position on this." Hence, that is the answer to the extraordinary length of time in solving this issue. They didn't take long to blow a few billion on the military, and on extending their Afghan mission, but they did find a way to make farmers wait. That was just by ignoring you. The answers to the problem must come from farmers themselves. The government has never conducted itself in an honest or reliable manner so to depend on them for an answer is well, silly. I would have to commend the many farmers that took the initiative to protest, through the platform of "Farmers Feed Cities". I would think that inviting people to explore the agricultural sector of society, and engaging the urban population in learning about farming is important in the quest for fair and fundamental changes to Canadas' agricultural support systems. Governments by necessity must ignore almost all of the requests for help as it would bankrupt them. This is the reason why extraordinary pressure must be placed on them, not to provide the solution, but to support a solution that is determined and delivered by farmers, for farmers.

City-County Council or perhaps the Mayors' Chair?

AFTER RECIEVING MANY LETTERS AND CALLS INDICATING SUPPORT FOR A BID FOR COUNCIL/MAYOR, I'VE DECIDED WHAT THE HELL, I CAN'T DO ANYTHING ANY WORSE THAN NADALIN OR HARDING...

I've recieved a few letters, and quite a few phone calls from different people in the city of Woodstock asking me to run for the job of supreme ass kisser. Hmmmmm....

I'm not sure if the top job is anything for me, but I do think that there could be a place on council for a good mouthpiece that is a little more reflective of the population.

We will be filing our papers tomorrow, but will give the top job one last consideration today.

There are fears that Dave Nadalin will win against Harding. Perhaps he is a little more bendable, but his right wing agenda still leads him around by the nose.

Methinks that both of these guys are in the job for themselves, and that the differnece between the two is small.

Nadalin uses opportunity to try to undermine the present mayor, and the present mayor thinks he is the reason for the growth Woodstock is experiencing.

My idea? Woodstock is experiencing growth as a result of a hard working developement team that was long in place before any of these guys showed up here.

Woodstock is a great town, but it could be made better.

Woodstock needs a council that can stand up for the people of Woodstock, not for some corporate agenda such as what we've been seeing lately.

We'll keep you all filled in here on what comes next...

Donations will gladly be accepted after tomorrow.

jim bender, Woodstock

Support for Israel unjustified

ISRAEL LAUNCHES MORE ATTACKS AGAINST LEBANESE CIVILANS WITH THE SUPPORT OF CANADAS' PRIME MINISTER

Canadas' Prime Minister, Stephen Harper has unequivocally expressed his support for the bombardment of the Lebanese state by Israel.

Harper, speaking to supporters in Montreal, decidely supported the Israeli state by declaring that they had the right to prosecute anyone by any means necessary to ensure their survival.

It is believed that Harper made the declaration in order to garner more support from the Canadian-Jewish population in order to gain more support for a future majority government.

Muslim leaders in Quebec have previously stated that his support for the bombardment of Lebanon may cost him support in Quebec, but Harpers' spokesperson, stated that the numbers of people opposing him are small, and that there are more benefits to be gained by supporting the Jewish state than there are in supporting the muslims, as most Muslims vote Liberal anyways...

nice...

So basically what they are saying is that...if it's worth more politcal brownie points...do it...if not...screw them.

My opinion on this situation is not so admirable as Harpers.

I think that the UN should declare both of these states as "terror" states, and that the UN should engineer a ceasefire immediately to the growing conflict before it embroils the balance of the middle east into it.

Canadians cannot use historical reference to engineer a ceasefire. Both sides of the conflict must be recognized, and both sides need to come to the conclusion that wasting lives is silly.

Peace is not met with murder, and peace does not come easily. But in the larger picture, it is all that is required. Speak to civilans and on both sides you will see the growing fear and distrust of one another. The preoccupation of arab states with the notion of killing off Israel must come to an end, and the jewish state must realize that their existence has been achieved with massive costs to humanity.

Canada should not sit by and watch from the sidelines.

Canada has been the engineer of many peaceful transitions in governments and nations. Canada has a destiny to fulfill in terms of leading the charge for human rights and decency. It is not decent to pulverize a weak and susceptible nation into oblivion.

Lebanon has been on a weak democratic footing since the withdrawal of foreign troops from its' land.

If we wish to redefine the future of Lebanon, it will take more than a fleeting commentary, or intervention. It will require a worldwide solution to a growing international problem.

C'mon world, get on with it. We are all on this planet together, let's make room for each other and live together in some form of peaceful balance. This balance can be attained through the use of humanitarianism, thoughtful planning and an ideal that all individuals regardless of creed, colour and religion have an intrinsic right to exist.

We need to remember that the children we are dropping bombs on today, will become the international terrorists of tomorrow.

Jim Bender, Woodstock, Ontario

Dave Nadalin, Michael Harding Go Head to Head in Mayors' Race

WE WERE KIND OF HOPING THAT NEITHER WILL BE ELECTED

The choice is shitty...and the results will be even shittier, but when all is said and done, we hope that there is a miracle, and Bart Simpson runs for Mayor instead.

These two guys suck...in fact, they suck a lot.

One guy, is in the job for the money, the other guy, has no idea where he stands as he is the grand flip flopper.

Dave Nadalin, accustomed to back-stabbing moves against the present mayor, hopes to achieve something by running for mayor...he's just not sure what though.

And Harding; is it possible to ask for another raise as quickly as he did the first time if he is elected again?

Well, we will all have to wait and see...

Two More Canadian Soldiers Sent Home(in bags that is...)

TWO MORE CANADIAN SOLDIERS MURDERED BY SUICIDE BOMBERS IN AFGHANISTAN

Cpl. Francisco Gomez, 44, from Edmonton and Cpl. Jason Warren, 29, of Montreal — died when a car packed with explosives blew up beside their armoured vehicle near Kandahar. Eight other soldiers were injured in varying degrees.

The deaths of these two men came at the end of a two week mission in the field where they had just tangled hundreds of times with Taliban militia, perhaps killing as many as 100 of them.

Canadas' dead in this conflict have reached 19 in just a few months with no expectations that the conflict will be over soon.

Canadas' Prime Minister Harper Calls Israeli Actions In Lebanon, " A JUSTIFIED AND MEASURED RESPONSE".

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER HARPER IS AN IDIOT AND SHOULD QUIT PARROTTING GW BUSH

Stephen Harpers comments that the Israelis are engaged in a justified and measured response to a situation is assinine.

This notion that for each Israeli death, 30 Lebanese must die is not measured or justified at all.

The innocent people of Lebanon, and the country of Lebanon itself is being divided and driven to its' demise. The weak state of democracy in this nation needs to be protected from the possibility of overthrow at the hands of Hezbollah who will be looking to grab any power they can.

Prior to the recent rise of democracy in Lebanon, Lebanon had been a puppet state of Syria, and at that time, Syria had control of Hezbollah. According to intelligence, Israel wants to crush the Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and it doesn’t really care if it crushes Lebanese democracy in the process. Israel wouldn’t object to Syria regaining its control of Lebanon, as the Israelis have worked with Syria in the past to control the radical elements in Lebanon.

Our Canadian government tying its' luck to this type of military action is frightening and could lead to the same anti-western sentiments being levelled against Canada.

Canada has been a beacon of hope and peace for many years. Nations around the world look at the Canadian model in the hopes of attaining this prosperity for their own nations. Siding with a government that uses excessive force to maim a population is a weak simple minded approach to a situation that is reckless in its' design.

Mr Harper, get off the pot, and ask Canadas' Ambassador to Israel to withdraw its' forces from Lebanon.

The world and Canada cannot afford to sit back and watch this play out. The cost is immense, and the payment is in human lives.

Israel Needs To Step Back And Look At What It Is Doing

THE STATE OF ISRAEL SHOULD RELAX AND BACK OFF

There is no easy solution to the widening conflict in the middle east, but the repeated bombing of innocents on both sides of the conflict needs to end.

Utilizing historical reference to dicate the future of the Israeli state has precipitated many of the agressions we are seeing at this point. Hezbollah has been lifted to martyrdom status, and the Israelis reduced to terrorists.

It's not hard to see why.

Israel was founded after numerous intense battles over ground after the second world war. The Israelis , quite effectively, launched covert missions against the British(terrorist acts at the time) in order to reduce their numbers and to secure a piece of dirt for themselves.

The land was stolen from the Palestinians who had controlled the territory for hundreds if not a thousand years.

The palestinians were driven from their homes.

As a kid growing up in S-W Ontario, I remember quite readily the battles for Palestinian Autonomy led by PLO leader, Yasser Arafat, launched from Lebanon and Syria. The Palestinians were living in refugee camps(still are as well)...no running water, no work, no food...just the foundations every child needs for a good start in life...as a terrorist...

The world has allowed these people to be put down, and by this measure, the world has let these people down.

The world fought for freedom from oppression for the blacks of Africa, now it is time to extend this same virtue to all Palestinian peoples, and to return them to their lands.

The incursion of Israel into a foreign state is nothing new.

They have invaded numerous countries, have kidnapped and murdered citizens of other countries, have participated in identity theft(yes, the Israelis' have used Canadian identities to inject themselves into other nations in the past and have been caught repeatedly forging Canadian passports) and have violated international law so many times it is impossible to count the times.

The United Nations should be applying sanctions against the Israelis, and the UN should be in charge of the buffer zone between these two peoples. The Palestinians deserve a piece of land just as much as you or I deserve a homeland.

The UN must move to act now. The bellicose response from the United States is despicable, but then again, who would have expected anything from a country that violates international law itself, and who sees this conflict as a way of cleaning house without stepping into the fray themselves.

The saddest part of all of this is that the USA is making money on the backs of both sides of the conflict. They are merchants of death and mayhem and will continue to feed the violence by selling USA made rockets and missiles to both sides. Shame on the United States and shame on Israel.

Woodstocks' South Gate Centre For Seniors Loses Bid To Stay Open

SOUTHGATE SENIORS CENTRE LOSES BID FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING

Just sad, is how these people are feeling today.

Hundreds of local and area seniors will be left out in the cold once more, after the Southgate Centre closes its' doors for good.

The centre, hampered by a $47,000.00 shortfall in its' operating budget, has run out of money and will be closing its' doors if there isn't a last minute solution to the problem.

Well, part of the solution may be to....

ASK WINDSOR FOR OUR $34,000.00 BACK THAT OUR SILLY ARSE MAYOR AND COUNCIL SENT THEM LAST MONTH....

And that may help part of the problem.

The balance of the funds need to come from us...

These people have spent their lives working, and now that they are old, we seem to be discarding them.

I find it hard to believe we have $8million for a soccer field, but not $47,000.00 to help create a better retirement for some of our most vulnerable citizens. Or why wasn't this added to the cities' $50 million long term recreational plan?

The Mayor and council could do better than this.

Woodstock Mayor Harding Says Cops Don't Enforce The HTA, Because We Don't Get Any Of The Money...

MAYOR HARDING THINKS THE COPS WILL ENFORCE THE LAW...IF THEY GET SOME MONEY OUT OF IT

Okay, that sounds dumb to me, but really folks, this is what he said....

By sharing this income with both the Oxford Community Police Service and the local detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, Harding suggested their officers would be more inclined to issue these fines, helping “raise the revenue from provincial offences above current levels.”

This would indicate to me that at present, the police are not enforcing the law as there is no monetary benefit to doing so.

And I've been wondering why we have so many speeders driving up and down the streets.

OCPS claims they've levied $300,000.00 less in fines this past year than in previous years. To me, this means, they've not been doing their jobs, and these police cruisers of ours are just recreational vehicles.(or in the case of one particular cop, great "shaggin' wagons".)

If Fraser truly wanted to fix this problem, he would be ordering his cops to areas of town (like Mill st./VanSittart Ave,/Devonshire from Innerkip Rd.,/Hwy 59 from 401 and the Dundas street entrances to the city.), and especially in the mornings when people are blasting their ways through town, passing in residential areas and the such.

The lack of a traffic enforcement plan is outrageous. We are in the midst of the largest growth period in our cities' history, and here we are unable to police the area decently.

Council needs to make a move on this.Either increase the police budget to allow for an enforcement unit, or remove OCPS as the local regional force, and move to only a city wide force. OCPS cannot possibly be policing these outlying areas in an effective manner. Based on the number of complaints after OCPS took over policing in outer areas, it should be easy to determine that no one is happy with the arrangement at present.

OCPS Officer Hallock, Bound Over for Sex Trial

DON HALLOCK, OCPS OFFICER, FACES TRIAL FOR SEX CHARGES AFTER JUDGE DECLARES THERE IS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE LINKING HIM TO THE CRIMES.

A member of the city's police force will stand trial on three sex charges, an Ontario court judge has ordered.
Const. Donald Hallock, 25, charged last December with two counts of sexual exploitation, was committed to trial this past week following a preliminary court hearing.
"I am satisfied that there is sufficient evidence to order a trial," said Justice D. G Carr.
Hallock appeared calm as he sat beside defence lawyer Glen Donald during the three-hour hearing.
Hallock, a member of the Oxford Community Police, became the subject of an OPP probe last October following a complaint by a teenage girl.
The girl, now 18, reported two incidents involving an officer between March 1 and June 16, 2005. She said she met him during his police work.
Hallock was sent to trial on those two counts and another sexual assault charge from a complaint from July 1, 2005.
Sexual exploitation charges are laid when someone "in a position of trust or authority towards a young person" is involved sexually with that young person, according to the Criminal Code.
The second complainant, now 19, was the only person called to the stand at the preliminary hearing. While listening to her testimony, Hallock scribbled on a notepad and occasionally shook his head.
The court ordered a ban on publication of the hearing's details.
A trial date has not been set.
Crown attorney David Foulds will be brought in from Windsor to prosecute the case.
Besides the criminal charges, Hallock faces charges of discreditable conduct and one count of neglect of duty under the law governing police behaviour in Ontario.
"There were some (alleged) on-duty activity that involved charges coming about," Fraser said after Hallock's charges went public in April -- four months after they were laid.
A date could be set as early as today for the officer's discipline hearing.
Hallock is now working at a desk job at police headquarters. Go figure.

If this guy was working anywhere else, he would have lost his job, but instead, CHief Ron Fraser has decided to hang out with him in the office drinking coffee and eating doughnuts...

CONservative Government Cuts GIS(canada pension)

148,000 OF THE MOST VULNERABLE SENIORS, CUT OFF OF CANADA PENSION GIS TOP UP

Thousands upon thousands of Canadian seniors have been told they'll no longer recieve their government income supplement cheques this month after the governen decided to start cutting people off that have not filed their taxes this year.

In Canada, it is generally accepted that an individual may withold filing a tax return if they do not owe taxes for the year, but in this case, Service Canada, as decided to save some money, and chop these vulnerable people from the pension rolls.

Many of these seniors are suffering from poverty level incomes already and to remove a giant portion of their incomes for not filing a return when a return does not need to be filed is despicable. There are measures that could be instituted that would prevent this from happening in the future.

Judy Cutler, spokesman for seniors' advocacy organization CARP Canada, said the feds should simplify the process and give more advance notice of a pending cancellation of critical dollars.
"I think it's outrageous," she said. "These are the poorest of the seniors, and it could mean they're living on $1,100 instead of $1,700. Anything that's taken away, to me it's elder abuse."
NDP seniors' issues critic Chris Charlton said the sudden cut-off is an annual problem caused by an "irresponsible policy."

Seniors with concerns may call

1-800-277-9914(service canada)

or call your local member of parliament.

The Legendary Syd Barrett, Passes Away From Diabetes

LEGENDARY SONGWRITER, AND PINK FLOYD FOUNDER, SYD BARRETT, DIES FROM COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES

Syd Barrett, the legendary singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd fame, has died in his Cambridge home, where he had resided in the basement for almost 40 years.

Barrett, who very publicly went through a LSD induced mental breakdown, was shoved out of the band in the late 60's after bandmates conceded that he would never be able to play with them again due to the fragility of his mental state.

He created Pink Floyd with an old friend, Roger Waters, and became a star at 21, but he could hardly perform during his final months with the band, because he was taking so much LSD.
When his drug-fuelled behaviour became too much, the band drafted in Dave Gilmour as guitarist and decided not to pick Barrett up for gigs.
Waters wrote the song Shine On You Crazy Diamond, with the lyric "Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond. Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky", about the star.

The song was performed live at LIVESyd Barrett is thought to have named the band after two little-known bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. His record collection was found to include their recordings.
A statement from Pink Floyd described Barrett as the "guiding light" of the band. It said: "The band are naturally very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death. Syd was the guiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."
Barrett, who acquired his name Syd as a teenager, was born in Cambridge, where he and Waters were classmates. He went on to take up a place at London's Camberwell School of Art and alternated his studies with time in an aspiring R&B band.
Barrett wrote most of the songs on Pink Floyd's debut's album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He composed the band's early hit singles, Arnold Layne and See Emily Play, but the group's third single, Apples and Oranges, reflected his disintegrating mental state.
As the effect of the drugs took hold, he refused to mime during a tour of the United States and walked out of a session recording in July 1967 after "freaking out". Gilmour once recalled: "He took drugs by the shovel-full."
Barrett released three solo albums, The Madcap Laughs, Barrett and Opel. He later turned his back on the music industry, living like a hermit in his late mother's house in Cambridge.
He shied away from giving interviews after a drug-induced breakdown in the 1980s, and spent his days living on royalties, weeding his plants and painting.

He will be sadly missed by many in the industry who found their ways after listening to Barrett.
www.pinkfloyd.co.ukhttp://www.pinkfloyd.co.uk
http://www.sydbarrett.net/http://www.sydbarrett.net
http://www.sydbarrett.org/http://www.sydbarrett.org

Men Who Built Tunnel To USA, Sentenced To 9 Years

CANADIAN SUSPECTS IN TUNNEL QUEST, FOUND GUILTY IN USA COURT

These guys should be hired immediately!

Wow, $16,000.00 canadian, will buy you a tunnel into the United States!

Three men, Francis Raj, Timothy Woo, and Jonathan Valenzuela, all from British Columbia, plead guilty to conspiracy to import marijuana and were sentenced yesterday in a U.S. district court in Seattle, Washington, and in turn, recieved a massive sentence of 9 years for what the judge described as a stupid way to make money.

The men, believed to have imported 15-20 kilograms of marijuana into the United States, were setback when police on two sides of the border, swept into action, arresting the men after a 6 month watch. FBI authorities stated, "we waited for them to get over to the US side so we could get them into a jail here and give it to them with a big sentence".

nice.....

So, basically, the cops sat around, wasting time....perhaps these guys could have rented the tunnel out to terrorists or something worse...while the cops sat around waiting for an opportunity to give them a bigger sentence in a foreign state....

What the hell are the RCMP doing? Is there a reson why they would allow the thing to continue on for many months, perhaps jeapordizing innocent people on both sides of the border, just so they could convict someone in a court outside of the country because of fears os a shorter sentence in Canada?

Hmmmmm.

Methinks that this is nasty stuff, this sending off of Candians to be sentenced in a foreign state with a despicable track record on Human Rights....

This is one more reason why these two countries, after many years of studying the marijuana issue to death, should develope a comprehensive drug strategy that does not criminilze, but REGULATES marijuana similar to that of tobacco and alcohol.

Regultion and taxation = a very conservative approach to a very costly social situation that demands treatment, not incarceration and criminality.

jim bender

Just Something To Read

STEPHEN HARPER FLIP FLOPS MORE ON ISSUES THAN A FISH OUT OF WATER

THE DEVIL IN STEPHEN HARPER
WHO IS THIS GUY? CAUTIOUS AND CRAFTY, THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER HAS PERFECTED THE SOFT SELL, BUT A LOOK AT HIS PAST PRONOUNCEMENTS REVEALS HE'LL RIP UP EVERY RIGHT AND SERVICE CANADIANS HAVE FOUGHT FOR. DANGEROUS? HELL, YES.
Anti-gay
Has vigorously and actively opposed gay marriage. And would use the Notwithstanding Clause to override the Supreme Court's definition of marriage.
Has called "vile" any comparison between civil rights and gay rights, and voted against including sexual orientation in hate propaganda laws.
Hired a former Winnipeg radio jock fired for saying that "diesel dykes (are) running the school board" to be his media spokesperson in his 2002 Alliance leadership bid. Anti-immigration
Conservatives' interim policy document refers darkly to focusing on attracting immigrants who can best integrate into the "Canadian fabric" (read mostly white, mostly Europeans).
Refused to revoke the nomination of Markham
Unionville Conservative candidate Joe Li for referring to immigrants as "garbage."
In his own words: "West of Winnipeg, the ridings the Liberals hold are dominated by people who are either recent Asian immigrants or recent migrants from eastern Canada: people who live in ghettos, and who are not integrated into western Canadian society."
Artful flip-flopper
Originally voted for gun control registry, saying he was for it in principle, but changed his mind and voted against. Now says he will abolish it entirely.
Originally supported abortion rights for women, but nowadays characterizes himself as "pro-life," but pledged not to change the law.
Health care profiteer
Supports privatization, but is loath to admit it, even though the Conservative platform talks about offering Canadians only "reasonable access" to health care services.
Said in a 1997 interview with CBC
TV that a parallel private health care system in Canada "would be a good idea."
The National Citizens Coalition of which Harper was president was originally founded with the aim of killing publicly funded health care altogether.
Shill for big business
Suggested in a 1994 debate that employment insurance benefits are too generous and should be seriously reduced or eliminated because "this can create serious disincentives to upgrade skills, to work and to move to find work."
Only party leader to oppose electoral finance reform ban on donations from big business and unions.
As NCC president, took the government to court over limits on political donations from third
party sources – namely, influential right
wing organizations like the NCC.
Magnet for racists
According to the neo-Nazi National Alliance Web site, several of its "activists" attended the Canadian Alliance convention and "found convention attendees open to discussing the issues of race, immigration, Zionism and the control of the media." Harper issued a press release claiming he "would not allow his party to be a haven for any persons who harbour these views."
Architect of all those anti-immigrant policies that attracted members of the white rights Heritage Front to Reform.
Human rights violator
Favours abolishing human rights commissions, calling them "an attack on our fundamental freedoms and the basic existence of a democratic society.... It is in fact totalitarianism."
Native nightmare
Made no effort to apologize directly to the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres when he erroneously sent the group a letter congratulating it on a holiday celebrating India's independence from Britain. Like Columbus, Harper got the wrong Indians – the federation represents native Canadians.
Quebec hater
Opposes recognizing special status for Quebec.
Though he's changed his tune recently, also opposes official bilingualism. Told the Calgary Sun in 2001 that "Canada is not a bilingual country. As a religion, bilingualism is the god that failed."
Yankee lover
Supported U.S. war in Iraq.
Counts among his youth influences U.S. éminence grise of the right Peter Brimelow, whose books include Alien Nation: Common Sense About America's Immigration Disaster and The Worm In The Apple: How The Teacher Unions Are Destroying American Education.
Western separatist
Has suggested that Albertans "should build firewalls around Alberta," including replacing RCMP with its own provincial police.
In his own words: "Alberta has opted for the best of Canada's heritage – a combination of American enterprise and individualism.... Canada appears content to become a second-tier socialist country, boasting ever more loudly about its economy and social services to mask its second-rate status."
Eco terrorist
Calls Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions a "boondoggle." He's not convinced that global warming is the consequence of human activity – a little like Stockwell Day believing humans once walked the earth with dinosaurs.

submitted by email to me...

World Leaders Will Not Protect Any Of US From Global Warming Pandemic

WORLD LEADERS ARE HIGHLY FINANCED BY CORPORATIONS AND WILL NEVER ACCEPT GLOBAL WARMING AS A FACT

The world crisis that we are facing is much more than just another crisis.This is not some easily solveable problem, like cleaning out a rogue state, or sending a few piddly foreign aid bucks to stave off hunger in some sub-sahara state. There are no governments interested in this crisis, and to put responsiblity on the shoulders of our worlds' leaders is incorrect. It is the individual component of our population that needs to force the changes. Governments do not make changes, they only enforce their personal ideals, and no government has come forward that truly will put the environment at the forefront of things, therefore I would suggest that the ideals of the government of the day, do not encompass the environment, and as well, Mr Harper,(or any other current world leader) was not elected to protect the environment, he was elected in order to forward the agenda of his own peers, and not that of the population, and unfortunately, the environment was not part of the CONservative platform. We did it to ourselves. These very same world leaders are highly financed by their corporate counterparts, therefore, they will not ever enact laws(to save our planet) that would impinge on the rights of corporations to belch out pollutants, create toxins and otherwise kill us all off. It all boils down to what they term as "acceptable risk" in the quest for profitability.. Obviously, global warming is an accepted risk of industrialization, otherwise governments around the world would have moved to curtail their pollutant creating abilities. The responsiblity for global warming lies squarely on the shoulders of the worlds' population. That is you and me. In Canada, we suffer from rampant consumerism. Our quest to become a nation of fatties, driven by the drive thru mentality of fast food restaurants has enslaved us into a requirement that we always need to be demanding more, at whatever cost. We jump in our cars, drive 2 blocks, wait in the drive thru line at the local coffee shop(we won't use their corporate name here lest we be sued...) for 10 minutes, car idling away, belching out crap for the people in the line behind us to inhale,accept our paper cup of unfair trade coffee(the new slave traders are coffee merchants these days) and drive on our merry way, only to toss out the paper cup onto the side of the road for someone like me, to pick up. Could you ever imagine a Canadian Prime Minister banning drive thru's? That one move could help save a generation of people from extinction.(or at least help reduce some pollution) I'm kind of surpised that our current PM, who suffers from Asthma, is not more pro environment, as his ailment is predominantly a result of environmental pollutants. The incidence of Asthma has risen dramatically in the past 25 years; this coincides with the increase in global warming, and other environmental problems that our world is facing. I wonder how much carbon emissions are emitted each day as a result of drive thru usage? Has anyone ever committed to an environmental assesment of drive thrus in Canada? If there is an idling bylaw, why aren't the bylaw enforcement people out enforcing this at drive thus'? I would suggest that the big donut chains would be on the warpath if that happened. World leaders are just world leaders, nothing important, nothing good. If we want to change some things, take a look at ourselves. This year I needed a new lawn mower, I bought an old school old fashioned rotary mower. No engine, no gas. No spewing belch of smokey gas exhaust flying into my face any more. Just the simplistic whir of spinning wheels and metal blade breaking the silence now. It's amazing, you can hear the birds sing while cutting the grass. And the benefit? No dead dinosaur juice to mow my grass. I've reduced my personal carbon emission level substantially, and on top, saved a lot of money.(hey, the mower alone was 1/2 the price, and fuel is cheap...me, and a few glasses of cold water!) Just imagine, if all of Woodstock quit using gas powered mowers, we'd be doing more for the environment than we could possibly imagine. This is where it starts, with ourselves. This reliance on an otherwise unreliable government has got to come to an end. If we want to make a dent in the problem, it's entirely up to us to make it happen by whatever means.

Long Time Woodstock Hydro Boss, Garry Roth, Announces his Retirement

GARRY ROTH, WOODSTOCK HYDRO PRESIDENT, ANNOUNCE HIS RETIREMENT

Woodstock, ON, July 12, 2006 – Woodstock Hydro Services Inc., a local distribution company which delivers electricity and related services to residential, industrial and commercial customers within the City of Woodstock, announced today that President Garry Roth has announced his intention to retire from the organization effective September 13, 2006.

“For over thirty-three years, fifteen as President and General Manager, Garry has been a dedicated contributor to the success of Woodstock Hydro” said John Krill, Chairman of the Board of Woodstock Hydro Services Inc. “He has successfully led the organization amidst ongoing regulatory uncertainty and change, and has ensured that our customers consistently have had access to reliable and cost effective electricity. We wish Garry and his family a rewarding retirement with thanks for all of his years of service to Woodstock Hydro and the City of Woodstock”.

"I will miss Woodstock Hydro, but it’s time for me to move to a new chapter in my life," said Garry. “I know that I am leaving the organization in the capable hands of talented and dedicated employees, and that Woodstock Hydro will continue in its mission to maintain a bright future for our customers”.

The Board of Directors has appointed Ross McMillan, Vice-President of Finance, as Acting President of Woodstock Hydro Services Inc. With fourteen years of experience at Woodstock Hydro, and previous involvement with the Board of Directors as a member of senior management, Mr. McMillan offers experience and stability for the organization and provides the Board with time to thoroughly consider a permanent recruitment and replacement strategy. “We look forward to working with Ross in the coming months, and are confident in his ability to lead the organization”, said John Krill.

Woodstock Hydro is the electricity distributor for the City of Woodstock, and serves approximately 12,500 residential and 1,400 commercial and industrial electricity customers. Woodstock Hydro Services Inc. is governed by a three member board of directors. With the motto, Keeping Your Future Bright, Woodstock Hydro’s mission statement is that “through partnership with our customers, employees, community and shareholder, we deliver safe and reliable electricity, innovative energy solutions, superior customer service, and sound financial performance”.

Electoral Reform Is A Bunch Of COnservative Bullshit

THEY WILL LIE, THEY WILL CHEAT AND THEY WILL STEAL

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced he will make changes to the Elections Act in order to instil some sense of pseudo-democracy in federal politics. It seems kind of at odds with what kind of a leader he has become, so I would assume there is some alternative benefit to him planning this that we are not all aware of.Fixed elections dates are a fine thing, but still not the answer to the quagmire of political stagnation that Canada's population is experiencing.The only real solution to true democratic reform would be to turn Canada into a state of proportional representation, therefore allowing for a true Canadian national perspective.Fixed election dates are not a democratic reform by any measure, and could very easily leave us lowly Canadians at the hands of a miserable government with which we would have no escape.Canadians have spoken and asked for proportional representation. Even the Conservatives backed this idea after the major collapse of their party in the 1980s at the hands of Mulroney. It would have been great for them then and would have kept them out of the political wilderness, but now that they are once more in power, the issue is no longer of interest to them.True electoral reform would be to prevent the financing of political parties through tax dollars. Each party that attains a national average, is automatically handed a chunk of your tax money just for running in the election, win or no win, as long as they achieve the national average.Most people are not too impressed with paying taxes to finance their oppressors (that being their opposing political party).I find it disturbing my tax dollars go to any national party that:• I did not vote for• I do not believe in• I am fundamentally opposed to for a major number of reasonsCanadians being forced by an act of Parliament to finance their oppressors through their tax dollars, only to be told the parties do not have to really account for what they do with the money we just gave them in the form of election payments, is more than just disturbing, it is despicable.

American Pediphile Arrested In Woodstock!

CHILD MOLESTERS HAVE FREE ACCESS TO CANADA...AMERICAN FUGITIVE PEDOPHILE ARRESTED IN WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO

Canadian border officials remain silent on how American fugitive child molester could have entered Canada while awaiting sentencing on sex charges with children.

Just friggin' disgusting, is about the only way I can describe this.

Thomas Long, of Maryland, had been on the lam, here in Ontario, for approximately 6 years after his conviction on sex and pronography charges involving children in the state of Maryland, USA.

Long, who had been living in a Nesbitt Crescent home, was arrested early this week by OCPS criminal investigator, Terry Westlake and some assistants.

Westlake should be commended for bringing Long to justice.

As Westlake pointed out this week, he stated there wasn't much they could do until the information had been handed over to them by US officials who requested that OCPS arrest Long. Long did not put up a fight, and seemed quite prepared to be arrested Westlake stated.

Westlake also stated that Long's presence in Canada could perhaps have been eliminated if the border had better security measures in place in order to isolate known American felons, and prevent their entry to Canada.

Kudos to Westlake and his partners for pulling the guy from the streets as soon as they were made aware of the situation.

Shame on Canadas' border guards for letting him in.

Much Sabre Rattling From North Koreas' Kim Jong

AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE IN FOR A NICE AND QUIET SUMMER

North Koreas' creepy sunglass clad leader, lobs a missile at the world and demands more assistance for his country.

Kim Jong, who apparently has fashioned himself into some strange James Bond type character, has decided that lobbing missiles at the balance of the world will gain him some international recognition.

Well it has...

North Korea has been struggling for decades under the repressive regime of Kim Jong and his late father ever since the seperation of the two Koreas in the 1950's. The rampant suffering that is not so well hidden from the worlds' eyes threatens to consume the entire nation unless the international community can find a way to deal with Kim Jong.

In the past 5 years Jong has refused access to human Rights groups seeking to distribute food under the UN food program.

The fact that Jong would allow his people to starve to death is despicable. On top of this, is the fact that people are murdered by their government on a daily basis in North Korea just for existing.

North Korea has failed to move forward in every regard, and its' people are suffering.

Perhaps it is time to press the world into developing a positive plan for North Korea encompassing human rights and positive regime change through internal means.

North Korea has been a more pressing item on the international agenda than Iraq, but as it lacks oil and resources for plundering, no government on earth will come to its' peoples assistance.

It is shameful of the west to leave these people starving while spending billions on military interventions around the world in the name of oil and prosperity.

Robberies Continue To Skyrocket As Cops Sit On Their Hind Quarters

DEPUTY POLICE CHIEF, HARRY PATERSON, CLAIMS CRIME IS ON THE RISE IN THE CITY OF WOODSTOCK

Local crime is on the rise according to OCPS associate chief, Harry Paterson.

Paterson, pointing to statistics for prior years, says robberies in Woodstock have surpassed those of last year for a total of 22 new robberies this year, with only 8 of them being solved, which compares to 19 robberies for all of last year.

We are halfway through the year and already we have exceeded last years totals, which indicates to me...

the cops are sitting on their asses eating too many friggin' donuts.

Perhaps, our local force should be dissolved, and a real local force re-hired.

It has become obvious that the lack of police on our local streets(as a result of them now patrolling the entire damned county pretty well) has contributed to the increase in crime on our streets. If you had more cops on the streets, you'd see an immediate reduction in crime.

Paterson wrote off these crime concerns to streets drugs and their general availability, when in fact, the crime rate is increasing as a result of population increases in the region, and a reduced local police force.

With Toyota Canada moving to Woodstock, we've also had an influx of undesirables coming to the area hoping to capitilize on the impending industrial boom in the area.

I would say that in conjuction with this, the OCPS should be disbanded, and a new municipal force should be developed that would put Woodstock at the forefront again, instead of being wagged by some giant dog-like creature, now known as OCPS.

Crime does not go down. As the population increases, crime increases.

We need an increase in police on the streets at the local level in order to quell the violence our citizens are facing at the hands of criminals.

PM Harper Makes GST Announcement From Giant Tiger Discount Store, Partly Controlled by Scott Reid(conservative MP)

HARPER MAKES GST ANNOUNCEMENT AT DISCOUNT STORE THAT CONSERVATIVE MP SCOTT REID IS HEIR TO!

Stephen Harper has made his long vaunted GST cut announcement from a Giant Tiger location, which Scott Reid (an elected COPNservative MP) partially owns, sits on the board of directors of, and is heir apparent to.

The odd announcement, with Harper hyping up the great savings supposedly induced by the GST cut, is out of touch with most Canadians who would even be shopping there. Presumably this is the first time HArper has seen the inside of a discount store, and he probably felt ill that he was standing there at all, but, his buddy Scott needed some free advertising...so there they were, instead of at a fancy Jaguar dealership, where at least they'd have one or two friends.

Giant Tiger, a low end discount type business, with low end quality merchandise, was obviously picked, not for it's prime target, but as a result of political ties.

Ohhh well...

When it boils down to it, the whole mess is really a mess!

The GST cut has reintr