Nova Scotias' Sydney Tar Pits Are Going To Be Buried

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MICHAEL FORTIER(THE UNELECTED MINISTER FOR PUBLIC WORKS, APPOINTED A SENATOR BY HARPER)IS STUNNED, WASTEFUL AND NOT BY ANY MEASURE, A CLEANUP.

The "New CONservative Government" has announced a new program to save the environment around Nova Scotias' infamous Sydney Tar Pits by burying...yes, burying the stinking toxic mess in a $400 million sarcophagus!

The Tar Pits have been on the political horizon of Nova Scotia for so many years it's not even funny any more.

Hundreds of people over the years in the region have died of cancers and other illnesses as a result of this mess that was created through the manufacturing of steel, and the discharge of coke ovens slag mess.

The new program will only cost us around $400 million to complete. Plans include the encasement and capping off of the area, (not much of a cleanup)in a thick layer of concrete, covered by a layer of impermeable clay, more concrete, and a layer of grass and other natural shrubbery.

After 30 years of study, it's about time a government moved ahead to clean it up.

Sad thing, it will take 10 years to do the job.

Even worse, the mess will come back in future generations to haunt them...not us, as we will all be dead and gone by then.

What a grand idea! Bury the waste, and let it leach out sometime in the future when we do not have to be responsible for it.(That's right..'cuz we'll all be dead and gone by then!)

And my take on this?

Well, it's an election year no doubt about it.

$400 million should buy a few votes, and maybe even a seat from Nova Scotia.

While the idea is honourable to clean up the mess, you have to wonder why the announcement was made at this point, and the big media circus around the minister making the announcment.

I tend to put it off to electoral posturing. The pits will not be cleaned up. The idea of encasing them in concrete is stunned, lacks foresight, and will leave a spectacular inherited mess for all future geneerations of Nova Scotians, Canadians and the citizens of the world.

jim bender

woodstock

Ex- Mossad Chief Efraim Halevy Says World War 3 Has Begun

FORMER ISRAELI SPY CHIEF SAYS WW3 HAS BEGUN, BUT WE DON'T KNOW IT!

The former head of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad said in an interview published Saturday in Portugal that "the world is already in world war three, and we can expect a 25 year battle for the control of the planet . During this time I anticipate that Islamic militants will detonate a nuclear device, perhaps one that will not kill millions, but tens of thousands instead: a dirty bomb."

‘The world does not understand. A person walks through the streets of Tel Aviv, Barcelona or Buenos Aires and doesn’t get the sense that there is a war going on,’ said Halevy who headed Mossad from 1998 and 2003.
"During World War I and II the entire world felt there was a war. Today no one is conscious of it. From time to time there is a terrorist attack in Madrid, London and New York and then everything stays the same."

Fundamental Islamic militant groups have been waging a religious war against western civilization for many years now, and things are anticipated to become worse as poverty increases in those nations, and more radical Imams assume the reigns of political/religious powers.

Attacks conducted by these groups have already hobbled international shipping, trade, travel, security and the budgets of western nations that are busy stabilizing their military and border strengths after a decade of decline in funding to those sectors and a string of attacks by the fundementalist Islamic militants.

The largest western nation military buildup in the worlds' history is underway and the people paying the bill for it do not even realize that the war is actually at present upon us.

Halevy in his many past lives served as an envoy for former Israeli Prime Ministers Yitzhak Shamir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres and is a former Israeli ambassador to the European Union.

Booming Alberta Booms In Domestic Violence

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RATES SOAR IN THE OIL PATCH

As the Alberta economy continues to excel, so does the rate of domestic violence in the oil province.

In the past 5 years, 90,000 criminal domestic violence charges were laid in the province, and 13,000 women and children were forced to seek shelter at government operated emergency shelters, while another 13,000 women and children were turned away becasue of a lack of resources that were available.

Alberta is the richest province in Canada, and suffers from a stunning lack of services for its' people. These services include education,

This has probably come as a result of the boom in the oil sector, and a government that is too tight fisted to spend some of the energy dollars it has amassed on anything other than the oil industry.

Alberta has seen a 34% increase in domestic violence complaints in the past 12 months alone.

Some people claim that the problem has become more intense as affordable housing shortages have forced abused women to return to the homes of their abusers as there is no where else to go for them.

Alberta says it is doing all that it can to prevent domestic violence.

I say...bigger jails, and perhaps a mandatory beating for wife abusers will solve the problem.

Ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton Demands Minimum Wage Increase To $10.00 An Hour

ONTARIO NDP LEADER HOWARD HAMPTON DEMANDS AN INCREASE TO ONTARIOS' MINIMUM WAGE

Ontario NDP leader howard Hampton has come out swinging for a minimum wage increase to $10.00 per hour.

"New Democrats will not sleep, we will not slumber, we will not rest until Ontario has a $10-an-hour minimum wage and every working person in this province gets a fair day's pay for a hard day's work," Hampton said yesterday in his keynote address at the provincial NDP convention in Toronto.
"It's only fair. It's an idea whose time has come."

The Ontario Liberal Party was quick to dismiss the demand.

Finance Minister Greg Sorbara has said Ontario cannot afford a $10 minimum wage, and that "raising minimum wage is not the best way to alleviate poverty".

Over 1.2 million Ontarions live below the $10.00 an hour mark, and of that number, 200,000 are living on minimum wages in order to survive.

Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory also opposes the NDP push to boost the minimum wage to $10.oo an hour.

And my own personal take on this is as follows.

As an employer, I have paid my people well above the minumum wage.

In fact, my people make more than the $10..00 an hour that is being proposed.

I like to think of it this way.

As an employer, I feel that having my people come to work on a full stomach is important, ensuring they have things they need is important, and paying them well prevents things like employee theft.

The side effect of all of this is that it has made my business profitable, my employees happy, and the sales are astounding because the people who work for me completely care about what they are doing, and enjoy the atmosphere.

I think that it is impossible to have happy customers when they are being slaved upon by unhappy workers.

Any employer who says he can't afford $10.00 an hour to see their employees better fed, happier and further from poverty is full of shit.

If the wages make it to $10.00 an hour, i will raise mine several dollars per hour.

I wouldn't want to be in the position of being an employer to the working poor.

CONservatives Begin Program Of Attack Ads

DESPERATE TO KEEP CONTROL OF THE GOVERNMENT, THE CONSERVATIVES LAUNCH ATTACK ADS AGAINST THE LIBERAL OPPOSITION

In A desperate attempt to maintain strength in the polls, the CONservative government in Ottawa has announced a program of attack ads in the hope that they will render the Liberal leader Stephane Dion useless.

The ads, part of a program designed by Jason Kenney, outline what the CONServatives say is Dions' failure to get Canada to meet the Kyoto Accord reductions in greenhouse gases, and attack the newly elected Liberal leaders' english skills and leadership abilities.

The ads will be rotated during the super bowl and will run on English Language TV only.

The CONservative party said it is looking for ways to spend its' enormous build up of cash reserves and that being they are not permitted by law to use all of the money during a campaign, they will launch these ads that attack only Dion.

The CONservatives are riding almost neck in neck with the Liberals in recent polls released by several pollsters in Canada after slumping behind the Liberals after the liberal leadership convention.

The bad thing about all this is the use of personal attacks in the political spectrum. This indicates to me that the conservative party is truly afraid of what an election will do to their achieved power, and makes obvious to many Canadians that they are more concerned with winning an election, than they are interested in actually governing the nation.

Instead of solidifying their power base, they should perhaps pass legislation that Canadians agree with and perhaps they would naturally find themselves at the head of the pack instead of leaders of the tit for tat politics that are being played out in the House of Commons.

Jack Layton Begging For Votes

IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN RELEVANCY, LAYTON ATTACKS THE BANKS

Jack Layton, the leader of the federal New Democratic Party has come out swinging against the big banks and the transaction fees they charge for cash withdrawals from Automatic Teller Machines.

Layton appeared on a Toronto street corner in front of a CIBC ATM where he proclaimed war against big bank fees.

"We believe it's gouging when a person comes up and they want $40 or $60 of their cash and a bank is charging them $1.50 or $2, $2.50," Mr. Layton said during an election-style announcement on a Toronto street corner.
"That's a rate of payment which is very, very high — and unfair."

The NDP will bring forward proposed amendments to the Bank Act, which is under review, to prevent banks from charging fees to customers who withdraw, deposit or transfer their own money through bank machines, Layton said. He estimates that the banking industry in Canada generates approximately $450 million a year in earnings form these fees alone.

It is believed that Layton made the announcement in order to gain a few wroking class family votes.

The NDP has been bleeding support to the Liberals and the Green Party in droves and Layton is working hard to stop the flow.

Number One Issue In Canada Is The Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS LEAD THE RESULTS OF THE LATEST POLLS

A new poll released by TNS Canadian Facts suggests that among all of the possible issues facing the electorate today, that the environment has for the first time in Canadian history taken the lead as the most pressing concern of our nation and earth.

Canadians have stated that they have noticed more environmental coverage in the media, and that this has affected their perception of matters of importance.

The concern for the environment has risen dramatically to take the lead at 34%, well ahead of war(8%), turmoil in Iraq and the Middle East (6%), conflict in Afghanistan (5%)and poverty (5%), according to this survey by TNS . The survey discovered that 2/3 of the populace are more concerned about global warming now than they were last year, a 1/3 increase from just three years ago.

"Ravaging storms in British Columbia, December's unseasonal temperatures,and increased media attention on climate change have Canadians talking about global warming and demanding action," stated Richard Jenkins, vice-president of TNS .

This demand for action has led to all of the major political parties turning themselves "green" as fast as possible. The possibility of an election in the next few months has the governing party attempting to lead the charge by firing the environment minister and replacing her with a more combative minister in John Baird, former treasury board president, and making undeveloped foolhardy environmental announcements attached with big dollars.

The Prime Minister has Baird jumping from one catastrophe to another in order to prove to Canadians they are trying to get the job done by tossing huge bucks at the problem.

Although global warming has been studied to death, and pollution in general demands some real action, the emphasis cannot be placed on casting money around, but action should come as a very measured and determined response to the calamity we as a world are facing today: pollution.

Woodstock Info Energy Report...Still Not Released

LIKE AN EVERREADY BATTERY...THIS SHIT GOES ON AND ON AND ON

Woodstocks' mayor, Michael Harding knows there's something awry.
Mr Harding, during his re-election campaign, stated publicly that he would release the details of the losses at Woodstock Infoenergy if he were to be re-eelcted.
Well, he was re-elected, and he has buried the report as deep as he possibly can.
The mayor, Michael Harding, sat on the board of directors for this company, and was well aware that money was spent in an unscrupulous fashion. Although he sat on the board, he closed his eyes to the losses, and pretended that they did not exist.
During the election, he deemed that if the report was released it would ruin the chance of re-election for him and a few other councillors, so he tossed the thing into the garbage.
We the taxpayers financed and paid for this report from consultant George Bedard.
The mayor threw our money into the trash can.
By this virtue I believe the mayor is aware of wrongdoings that he is not allowing the public to see.
His number one duty is to the taxpayers of Woodstock. It is quite obvious that he sees his number one duty as self preservation.
So, Mr Harding: you know exactly what happened to the money, and you have failed all of the taxpayes of Woodstock by not standing up for us. You have stood up for your buddies on the board of directors, and you now stand for corruption as it is obvious that your inside knowledge of the details of the report were inlcuded in your decision to squash the report.

NOW WE HAVE A CITY-COUNTY COUNCILLOR WHO AGREES THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE ASIDE FROM A FEW NAMES...SO WHY HAS THIS REPORT BEEN SQUASHED?

MR SOBESKI...STAND UP FOR WOODSTOCK AND DEMAND THAT THIS BE ANSWERED TO.

Sentinel Review Journalist Hugo Rodrigues And The Newsprint Medias' Ability To Survive

IS THE TRADITIONAL FORM OF NEWS DEAD?

I read a story in yesterdays Sentinel Review about the profitability of the news print media in an electronic world, written by their journalist Hugo Rodrigues.

In his story he commented on how blogs and online publications have provided for an alternative news source, but the depth of commentary is slim by the newspapers'(or his) standards.

Well, as far as commentary goes, I will say this. I am not paid to make any comments(like my newsprint counterparts) so the information contained herein is not tainted by money.

I often wonder if the reason the paper doesn't print certain things is out of fear, or out of concern for the almighty dollar. As Hugo said, profits in the newsprint business according to Stats Canada haven't gone down: papers are still very profitable in this electronic age.

Just like the Woodstock Hydro issue.

This is a major issue to the taxpayers of our city, but the issue hasn't made headlines in the newsprint media here aside form the odd small blurb from Matt Shurrie.(who has asked the question several times...where is our report?)

So, what connection does our local newspaper have to the forces that squashed this consultants report? Is someone in the paper a friend of a friend? Is this why we haven't heard a "squeak' from our paper about the issue?? Or is it because the almighty dollar dictates what will be said and what won't be said?

I think that the decision to publish certain things comes as a result of advertiser pressures, but the majority of decisions are fiscally related.

No, papers are profitable because they are tied to the forces that run the show. They are driven by money, act totally in response to the money, and as a result, their in depth analysis as provided to the public should be held with concern for the truth.

The journalists of the S-R provide for decent coverage, but it doesn't mean honest and open coverage as long as their reports are dictated by dollars.

No, the S-R is still relevant, their journalists are still relevant, but the news they present is full of holes and lacks balls.

The 800 or 900 people that read this blog a day could tell you the same thing. Good thing is, no one had to pay me for my opinion on anything here.

Like A Phoenix Rising From The Ashes, Once More Airbus Comes To Haunt Us

ALMOST 20 YEARS AFTER THE FACT, AIRBUS, MULRONEY AND KARL SCHREIBER STILL REMAIN UNDER INVESTIGATION

Evidence surfaces showing Schreiber paid Brian Mulroney $300,000.00 cash in three meetings in hotel rooms in New York and Montreal for his participation in the Airbus deal.

Mulroney, speaking through his lawyer says that the money was paid to him for assistance and promotion of a "pasta Business" that Schreiber was apparently setting up at the time.

Schreiber states that Mulroneys comment is an absolute lie and that the money was repayment for Mulroney applying pressure to Air Canada to buy these jets vs. other more cost effective jets.

Frank Moore, a former(now deceased) premier on the east coast was also incriminated by Schreiber in this most recent statement of facts presented by Schreiber.

Vic Toews, the justice minister for Harpers' newly elected government at the time, had refused to re-open the matter as it wasn't on the agenda of the new government, and he didn't believe anything more would possibly come of the matter and that all of the evidence doesn't point to Mulroney as being knowledgeable about the deal. Bullshit.

Karl Schreiber seems to say differently though.

Election Loan Loophole Needs To Be Closed

ELECTION LOANS SHOULD BE COVERED BY ELECTION ACT

It is an odd practice that here in Canada we are permitted only to spend so many dollars on an election campaign, and by law we are only permitted to donate so many dollars towards any campaign during one fiscal year, but we are permitted to "loan" any riding association or campaign as much money as we want.

This practice once more has come to light as a result of the defection of Liberal Wajid Khan to the Tory folds.

Mr Khan, a former car salesperson and dealership operator from the GTA loaned his riding association many thousands of dollars, well in excess of legal doantion limits imposed by Elections Canada.

My thought on this is that if donations above a certain value are illegal, then so should "loans" be illegal as well.

This is just one more flaw in a a well skewed electoral system that obviously sides with money and not democracy.

Oddly, during hearings on the new proposed Federal Accountability Act, both the CONservatives and the LIEberals shot down the proposal that these loans should be recalculated to be included as donations.

Oshawa CONservative Fundraiser Charged Under Elections Act

ALAN CLARKE, CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER FOR CONSERVATIVE MP COLIN CARRIE HAS BEEEN CHARGED WITH ELECTION FRAUD

Elections Canada has charged a former activist for the Conservative Party's candidate in Oshawa over an alleged defamation that possibly cost Oshawa NDP candidate Sid Ryan a win in last year's federal election.
Alan Clarke, who was listed as a 2006 federal election campaign worker on Conservative candidate and now MP Colin Carrie's 2006 campaign website, has been charged with election violations by Elections Canada. In addition, he faces a one million dollar lawsuit for defamation by Ryan, who is also Ontario President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.
"I'm pleased that Elections Canada is holding this Conservative Party member to account," said Ryan on hearing of the news. "He not only smeared my name and possibly cost me the election, I think he may have endangered my life by labelling me in the manner that he did."
Ryan's run for the Oshawa seat was regarded as one of the tightest races in the country as he had lost it to MP Carrie by a mere 400 votes in 2004. The results widened in the 2006 election to a difference of over 2,000 votes.
In his statement to Elections Canada, Ryan detailed how flyers were distributed by Clarke who also went to the media one week prior to last January's federal election to further publicize the alleged defamation of Ryan. While MP Carrie at the time publicly denied that Clarke had been a member of his team, Ryan says that MP Carrie told him personally during the election that Clarke was his sign manager.
"I've yet to hear the Conservative Party come out with an apology for these despicable actions which undermine the electoral process in our democracy," said Ryan.
"When people like Clarke act so irresponsibly, it is up to both individuals and government to bring them to account," said Ryan. "That is the only way to help protect candidates."
Clarke is scheduled to appear in court on January 23rd to face the Elections Canada charges at his first Appearance. Ryan expects to give evidence at the Trial.

So, from the morally high horse of Harpers' CONservatives, here we have a little dirt to add to the pile of rubbish we've been governed by.

Canadian MP's Entitled To Having All Drugs Covered Under Their Drug Plan

ENTITLEMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT CONTINUE TO EXCEED BENEFITS OFFERED TO CANADIANS

I'm thinking that perhaps I read too much news these days. If I didn't read so much, I wouldn't have stumbled across this one.

Politicians and bureaucrats who decide what drugs are covered under Canada's public plans are reimbursed for a wider range of new medications than those offered to soldiers, seniors, the elderly and the poor.

Nice.

MPs, for instance, do not have to pay for Raptiva, a drug for psoriasis that was approved last August. Soldiers and senior citizens who rely on Ontario's public plan must pay out of pocket for this new drug.

DuoTrav, a glaucoma treatment that works in patients who do not respond to commonly prescribed eye drops is approved for use but is only covered by government employee health plans. The poor, elderly and disabled are not eligible for coverage.

So, why is it that we must pay for a better plan than most of us can afford for ourselves?

And as well, why is it that government employees have the ability to work minimal years before retiring, when others are forced to work 30 and 40 years for a pension?

I think perhaps the time has arrived for Canadians to look at these public pension and drug plans.It is wrong that people must work 30 and 40 years for a pension while paying the benefits of those public employees so that they might retire early.

Student Accosts Harper With A Penis Squirtgun!

STUDENT TOLD TO LEAVE AFTER BEING SPOTTED WITH A SQUIRTING PENIS GUN

A young man waving a penis-shaped squirt gun was warned Friday not to enter a building where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was about to speak.
A big scary guy from Harper's security detail was overheard telling the youth it would not be advisable for him to enter the building with the penis squirt gun.
The red-faced youth walked away from the building followed by several friends.
Harper was at Pearson College, located about 25 kilometres west of Victoria, to announce his government's $1.5 billion renewable energy initiative.
It is not known if the young male was a student at Pearson College, or what he intended to do with the penis like gun.

Secular Ontario Wishes To See The Lords Prayer Removed From Municipal Politics

PRAYERS BEFORE COUNCIL MEETINGS SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE BANNED

One of the founding members of Secular Ontario, Henry Beissel , is encouraging Ontario Municipalites to remove the Lords' Prayer from their council meetings.

Unrepentant in his crusade to get rid of the Lord's Prayer from municipal council meetings across the Greater Toronto Area and the rest of Ontario, Beissel has requested that the time used to pray, would be better spent on "reflection and a moment of silence in order to clear your heads".

My opinion on this matter is that there is no room for religion in politics, and despite all of the claims made by Christian councillors that prayers are an intergral part of their tradition, there is still no room for prayer in council.

A moment of silence sounds pretty good to me.

The Taxman Cometh!

CANADIANS IN FOR A HUGE TAX BITE IF THEY RECEIVED THE NEW CHILD TAX BENEFIT

The CONservatives have once more lied to the public.

The new CONservative Child Care Subsidy is to be fully taxed. Beginning next month, parents receiving the benefit will receive notification that this new payment must be included in their yearly income. The average Canadian family with 3 children will be forced to return approximately 40% of the payments back to the government when they file their taxes this spring which could cause undue hardship for thousands of families who were not expecting to repay the child care subsidy.

Perhaps the program should have been called a loan instead of a subsidy!

The costs to administer this new subsidy/loan has been $31 million for just the administration alone.

CONservatives Restart Liberal Programs

$1.5 BILLION ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT SHOULD LEAVE US ALL CONCERNED

Stephen Harper, after much criticism from all Canadians, has laid bare his plans for a green nation. Most of those plans were already in place last year when Harper rose to power, but he decided to cancel the programs and repackage them under his own brand. Harper announced an investment of $1.48 billion in renewable power. The goal is to boost Canada’s renewable electricity by 4,000 megawatts.

NDP Leader Jack Layton stated “This can not be described in any way as dramatic action.”

"The ecoEnergy Renewable Power program lacks spark and energy. It is no more than a regurgitated Liberal plan with a few less bucks and one less year," said Beatrice Olivastri, CEO of the group, in a statement. “We want to see a program that provides incentives for the production of 12,000 MW, not 4,000 MW, as we heard today.”

It would appear the COnservatives in an effort to bolster their support in the opinion polls have designed this hodge podge mess of a program that throws big bucks at a problem without really thinking about what they are doing.

If the Harper government wanted to really make a change, they would start with the Petroleum industry in Canada, removing all of their subsidies, and redesigning a program that revolves around the pollutants they generate.

The oil sands are Canadas' largest polluter, demand huge amounts of water for processing, and contribute massively to Canadas' carbon emmissions levels.

I for one do not believe the problem needs billions tossed at it. Most of these things could be solved without bringing in the presence of big money. It just takes a society that cares about it's future to make these changes.

Tillsonburg News, Tillsonburg, ON

Tillsonburg News, Tillsonburg, ON
Here's a good one for the local news! Teen arrested for building, possessing and exploding bombs!

CN BC: OPED: Government Created A System Benefitting The Worst One Percent

URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n039/a13.htmlNewshawk: Herb Votes: 0Pubdate: Fri, 12 Jan 2007Source: Parksville Qualicum Beach News (CN BC)Copyright: 2007 Parksville Qualicum Beach NewsContact:
male2('editor','pqbnews.com');
editor@pqbnews.comWebsite: http://www.pqbnews.com/Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1361Author: Jim BenderNote: Jim Bender is a member of the Marijuana Party of CanadaBookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
GOVERNMENT CREATED A SYSTEM BENEFITTING THE WORST ONE PERCENT The disturbing trend by RCMP to arrest and detain people for marijuana possession, trafficking and usage is irresponsible in this day and age. After numerous commissions, hundreds of thousands of hours of governmental time consumed studying marijuana, the consensus in Canada remains that marijuana should not be illegal and the denial of this most natural and basic medicine is extreme to the point of undue hardship. Our governments, past and present have failed all of the people of the country. They have squandered vast resources studying this to death, and still, after many commissions gave them a good enough if not well studied answer, they flung those results out of the window of common sense. I find it truly sad that of all the silly things we could be picking on, we are picking on people who have a disability. These people are unwell, suffer immensely, and in the scope of things are being punished for their choice of medicine. Most recently, numerous Human Rights tribunals have examined these similar situations and have resolved to agree that the issue of addiction is really a disability, and as such, has not been treated as one, but instead, has been treated as a crime, contrary to human rights law. Why does the government allow for the sale of carcinogens on the open market? Why does the government not ban chemicals and pesticides when they know they cause cancer? Why does the government allow for raw sewage to be pumped directly into the oceans? Does anyone else think that they have their priorities wrong? It would seem that the government, instead of seeing marijuana legalized, would prefer the method of people selling pot from their homes and schools to people of all ages. No restrictions. This unfettered cash bonanza for criminals contributes more to the criminal underworld than any terrorist organization financing mechanism that operates on earth. The marijuana trade is huge, beyond the capacity of police to deal with and beyond the range of our government. Our government, by the virtue of keeping pot illegal, has created a system that finances the worst one per cent of the population. Marijuana needs to be removed from this criminal paradigm, placed into the hands of the provincial authorities, taxed and used as it was meant to be used -- as a contributor to the well being of the state through the cash injection of taxes. Criminalizing addiction is a farce and our government knows this. One must now wonder, why our government would prefer to see the criminals profiteer, and the police budgets expand and bloat. Bringing marijuana laws into the present out of the dark ages is important and honourable. The poor folks running the compassion club deserve a medal of honour for their work, and we can only hope that by the time the case makes it to trial, there will be changes made.

Jim Bender is a member of the Marijuana Party of Canada and lives in Woodstock, Ont.
MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin

Sentinel Review Story On Sally Creek Is Incorrect

SALLY CREEK DEVELOPERS HAVE A FINE MOUTHPIECE IN THE S-R

Contrary to the published article in Mondays' S-R, I do not believe that all of the information presented by the developers of Sally Creek Golf Course was complete and forthright. There are still many questions which remain unanswered as Mr Flanigan did not have all of the information and facts that we were requesting. I will not argue that the meeting was not informative, it was, but it lacked a certain component...all of the necessary information to make an informed decision. Some issues in particular are: What exactly will happen to the artesian wells(natural springs) in the area where they intend to clear cut for another golf hole on UTRCA property? Will the disturbance of this natural waterway destroy its' future viability as a waterway? To this they had no answer, but stated, they would look into that.(whatever that might mean) I would think that if you are proposing something, you should come armed with all of your facts and not just the ones that you think are pertinent..but all of them. What are the possibilities of ground contaminants from the proposed golf course reaching the waterway? They said that wouldn't happen because they will have a buffer, and clay liners, but what about overspray issues, and its' effect on animals, birds and insects that live in the area? And who exactly is overseeing the area to ensure that these measures are being met? The developer states that they will use water soluble based chemicals and pesticides. Well, the term water-soluble means absolutely zip as almost every item on this planet is in some form water soluble...including 2-4-d, toilet paper, and the gift each of us leaves in the ceramic bowl each day, as well as a few other choice things I can think of. When I asked Mr Flanigan whether or not they would commit to using organics in place of chemicals, he said he would look at it, and did not commit to anything. There is no structured plan for the dismissal of chemical agents from their operations. As well, how exactly does one get permission to cut down a piece of UTRCA forest when they do not own or lease the area as of yet and are still waiting on a formal approval on their application for this operation? Everyone should be interested in the answer to that one. The developer did not have an answer for this, but stated that they went through all of the regulatory burdens presented to them. Does the UTRCA even know what they are giving away? To me this just means that there is a lack of regulatory burden, or perhaps a lack of concerned individuals on council and at the UTRCA. While on the walk there was discussions as to what exactly the developers at Sally Creek were pumping from their property, onto UTRCA flood plains. The developer stated the white substance was sulphur. I have always been under the impression that no person was allowed to dump on public lands. There must be some truth to that as the developer, after criticism from some person, removed the pipes that ran under the walking trails, and redirected the flow of whatever they were pumping onto their own lands which they own, instead of dumping the mess onto the UTRCA flood plains. The developer attempted to deflect criticisms of the golf course onto an unknown entity when he stated that a course was better than a bunch of new housing on the UTRCA property. He then pointed to an area where home owners on the 11th line are begging to develope the area. He stated that he anticipated streets would be built abutting the natural area, and that the area would be detroyed anyways...so what the heck, why not build a golf course? Basically, he was stating, either we build the course, or a crap load of new houses will go up instead. Yes, I suppose that is a form of blackmail. Do this...or else. As well, the misquoted comments published in the paper attributed to Ms Lori Leblanc, were taken entirely out of context. The paper should have reported the entire conversation with Ms Leblanc, or they should have not published anything. I spoke with a clearly upset Ms Leblanc by telephone after reading this story where she indicated to me that these statements were incorrect as presented to the public in the story. Were all of the questions answered? No, I think that while many questions were answered,(just not the ones we were hoping to have answered) there are just as many unanswered questions that arise from this developement. In particular was the missing information from the developer on what has been removed, and what exactly will replace it. The replacement of fully matured trees with young trees will not replace the biomass that has been destroyed. Several weeks ago Ernie Hardemann wrote a letter stating that "UTRCA lands are not for sale". Mr Hardemann, you are misinformed on the matter and it would be better to inform yourself before speaking out on an issue like this. UTRCA lands are for sale, and are for lease, to the highest bidder, the biggest developers, and to almost any wad of money that strolls along. If you are certain that this is not the case, then I will challenge you to stand up, and prove me wrong. Apparently you have more information on this than the public has. If you have something, show it to the rest of us. And lastly, why has the UTRCA had to resort to this land sale or lease? The answer is simple. The provincial and federal governments have failed to provide the necessary funds to maintain the UTRCA and its' land bank of almost 15000 acres in this region alone. The UTRCA has its' hands tied behind its' back. Big developers are holding it hostage to the almighty dollar. That is the answer. I think for most of us who have worked on this, the real issues lie in the idea of seeing a wilderness area bulldozed, turned into a golf course that will be laden with chemicals to keep those greens green, anti-fungals dumped enmasse to make it into a nice velvety walking area for the few folks who have no problem shelling out a few thousand bucks to wander its' chemical tapestry.

JIM BENDER WOODSTOCK

Interview With Pat Sobeski, Woodstock City-County Councillor

EXCLUSIVE TO THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT NEWS

AN INTERVIEW WITH COUNCILLOR PAT SOBESKI

Saturday January 13, 2006 I had the grand opportunity to pose a few questions to Woodstock City-County Councillor, Pat Sobeski regarding several issues important to the people of Woodstock while on a walk with him and several other people involved in the effort to save the Burgess Park area from a golf course encroachment.

Mr Sobeski: Do you at any point see the consultants' report on the Woodstock Info Energy situation conducted by George Bedard ,being placed into the publics' hands at any time in the near future?

Well at this point I don't really understand why it hasn't been released. The issue was granted some light during the election campaign, and there were guarantees made by certain people that the report would be released if they were re-elected. I really do not understand why all of the secrecy is around this issue.

Mr Sobeski, have you had the opportunity to read the report?

Yes, I've read the report and really there isn't much in it that would point to any criminal activity, but there are issues regarding the directors of the board, and the way the management of Woodstock Info Energy failed to make disclosures to the board.

Can you expand upon that?

The issue is with the way monies were spent, the lack of a business plan that included regulatory acceptance of the equipment in question, and the attempt to sell a product that did not meet industry standards at the time.

Are you stating that the people of Woodstock were misinformed by the operators of the company?

Yes, as well, the board of directors were kept in the dark regarding various errors.

Is there anything in the report that would prevent it from being released?

No, not really. I think that the report could be released if they blacked out about three(3)pages of the report that are really details pertinent to individuals serving the company.

Do you mean private details like names or what?

Well, key figures involved in the fiasco still have the right to their privacy under the privacy act.

So, if a request was made to have the report formally revealed, would you vote for this to be revelaed, or would you request that the information be withheld?

I would opt for the report to be released if it was up to me. Like I said, there are only about three pages of the report dealing with names of individuals that would require to be kept confidential under the law.

How would you categorize the missing monies?

The money wasn't really missing, it was either misspent, or a lack of judgement as well as a lack of oversight.

On the oversight issue, wouldn't it be the board of directors' reposnsiblity to ensure to the shareholders (the citizens of Woodstock)that all is running smoothly?

Yes and no. The only information the board was given was presented by those responsible for the errors, so based on that I would have to say that if the board was deceived there was not much for the board to see and do about the issue as they were presented imbalanced information on the issue.

Will you fight for the report to be released instead of buried?

(several hums and hahs at this point)

If the public demands the report to be released, then I would fight for the report to be released based on their requests.

So folks, there you have it. Council will probably not release the report unless there is a public outcry over the issue. The mayor has pretty well wrapped this one up.

The evidence likely points to directors not doing their jobs, and staff at Woodstock Info Energy operating in violation of their positions.

Harpers' CONservatives Under Fire For Mass Patronage Announcements.

PATRONAGE APPOINTMENTS COME UNDER FIRE FROM OPPOSITION

The CONservative government of Stephen Harper has come under fire after making a round of patronage announcements.

The Tories have made 118 appointments in the past several months, and many are clearly patronage appointments.

"You can't keep dining out on the fact that you've cleaned government and then never implement the actual changes that would effect cleaning up government," New Democrat MP Pat Martin (Winnipeg Centre) says.

"At the very least ... there should be a moratorium on appointments of any kind until (the appointments commission) can be created. This kind of patronage appointment, next only to out-and-out theft and corruption, just drives Canadians crazy."

Generally speaking patronage appointments are repayments for favours done for the governing party.

Harper during the last federal election, guaranteed that he would not appoint anyone to any job untilk he had his accountability commission setup, which still hasn't happened.

Liberal MP Mark Holland (Ajax-Pickering) said the point is the Tories have painted themselves as "holier than any government that has ever come before them and are beyond reproach. It's the hypocrisy of it all ... because they have gone and made patronage appointment after patronage appointment, which is completely opposite of the image they are trying to portray."

Tory MP Pierre Poilievre (Nepean-Carleton), parliamentary secretary to Treasury Board President Vic Toews, said the Liberals have no "authority to lecture" the Tories on patronage.

It's funny how these people attempt to divert the blame on other people for their own actions.

Face up to it folks, the PM speaks from both sides of his mouth.

Dion Has The Right To Retain Dual Citizenship

Liberal leader Dion has the right to retain dual national citizenship

Letter to several editors in Oxford

Regarding the letter to the editor entitled,"Dion must surrender his dual citizenship" by Harold Peters Thursday January 11, 2007. The issue of whether or not Stephane Dion retains his dual citizenship should be considered a non-issue. His granted French citizenship is a result of birthright, and the manner in which French law permits the offspring of french born parents to obtain citizenship as a result of his birth.(his mothers' birthplace was France) In Canada many of us are proud, and encouraged to celebrate our historical ancestral heritage in many formats.(hence, the Embro Highland Games,and of course Torontos' Caribana) There are countless Canadians who are serving not only in government(municpal, provincial and federal alike), but operate the bureacracy of the nation as well with just as much interest in the national outcome as say a person who holds only canadian citizenship.. Hundreds of our soldiers serving with our military overseas, are dual national citizens. Our local member of parliament utilized Scottish rituals and music during his first election to the house. Would this indicate that Mr Mackenzie is not worthy of representing Oxford as he has indicated an affinity for his natural heritage? I would think not. Recently, another floor crosser joined the CONservatives,a Mr Khan, A dual national, former Pakistani military officer, now advisor to Mr Harper on Mid-east affairs, and there was absolutely no stink about it.(aside from the routine condemnnation of the opposition that would have gladly taken a new member from a party as well if the opportunity arose) Canada being the melting pot it is,comprised of a vast selection of people from every nation on earth has bigger concerns ahead of it than the issue of a dual national running for Prime Minister. Perhaps if Mr Dion wins his quest he will bring a new international european perspective into the paradigm of Canadian politics, something I'm not afraid of. It's gotta be better than the US styled policies we are being bombarded with. I sometimes think that the old gaps between French and English that we thought had been healed long ago remain very evident in comments like the ones Mr Peters made.

Tories Unveil Stupendous Waste Of Money Plan

TORIES ATTEMPT TO BUY MORE VOTES WITH WASTE OF MONEY PROGRAM

The CONservative Party ruling government announced yesterday that it plans to monitor waiting times for children's operations by investing $2.6-million in a project to help pediatric hospitals set up a database.

A Database...one that they think will reduce wait times. Yeah, right.

"The key to success is not pouring vast amounts of our money into the system," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said at a news conference . "The secret to making further progress is getting a lot more information to how dollars are being spent and how resources are being managed."

Yes, we concur, the key to success here would be to relicense barbers to do surgeries, instead of hiring real doctoros to perform this job. This way, the kids can get a haircut in the nice Stephen Harper fashion, while having their legs and arms amputated, without anesthetic!(there'll be no money for that...)

The funding will be wasted by 16 pediatric hospitals to develop the first across Canada system to measure waiting times for six key surgical areas: cancer, neurology, cardiac, sight, spinal deformity and dental treatment that requires anesthesia.

Yes Mr Harper, it is much better to waste more money than it is to properly fund these areas of concern.

Wait times in Canada are deplorable. A friend of mine told me about a child last week that was running and tripped and had a "lollipop" in her mouth at the same time. The lollipop smashed through the roof of her mouth, pounching a hole the size of a loony through the palate. That child waited for 4 hours in emergency with this lollipop wedged through the hole.

It does not take a rocket scientist to see that there is something wrong with that situation. Wait times are dplorable for most things, but the answer is not the piddly study that Harper envisions.

$2.6 million points to an admission by the feds that they've done nothing, and as well are intent on doing even worse, wasting our money on silly ass studues that we are already knowledgeable about.

Stop wasting our money and put it into a full fledged program of hiring more Doctors, not more studies.

Liberal MP Jean Lapierre Calls It Quits

FEDERAL LIBERAL MP RESIGNS POST TO WORK IN PRIVATE SECTOR

Liberal MP Jean Lapierre has decided after a few short years he's had enough of federal politics and has decided to return to the private world of media. (not so private I suppose)

Lapierre, a close friend of former Pm Jean Chretien, was brought in several years ago as a poster boy for the liberals prior to Paul Martin assuming the role of leader.

Lapierre, who previously worked as a broadcaster in the Quebec media, has decided to return to this position after being offered a job working on a political news broadcast.

The standings on the house remain the same, with the CONservatives able to hold a majority of the NDP back them on their agenda.

There is no word yet on who may run in Lapierres' former riding, but word is, the Libs are courting justin Trudeau, as well as several high profile female candidates.

Dion has proposed seeing 103 women run in the coming election.

http://www.wikileaks.org/index.html

WEBSITE FOR LEAKING GOVERNMENTAL DOCUMENTS WILL OPEN THIS MONTH

Web site aims to post government secrets
By DANIEL FRIEDMAN
January 04, 2007
Forget parking garages. Tomorrow’s Deep Throats can go wiki.
A new Web site that aims to encourage large-scale leaking of confidential government documents by allowing anonymous disclosure could launch as early as next month.
Beneath a quotation from famed Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, www.Wikileaks.org says it seeks to increase government transparency around the world by using “an uncensorable version of Wikipedia for untraceable mass document leaking and analysis.”
Founded by a group that includes technologists and Chinese dissidents, Wikileaks would promote democracy and prevent corruption, and is aimed primarily at oppressive foreign regimes, according to organizers. But the site says it also wants “to be of service to those in the West who wish to reveal unethical behavior in their own government and corporations.”

The site is online but not yet operating. In an e-mail, Wikileaks spokeswoman Hanna De Jong said that about 22 people involved in the project are still testing the prototype and seeking funding from groups like the Soros Foundation’s Open Society Institute, which promotes democracy and human rights. De Jong said Wikileaks’ advisory board includes journalists, cryptographers, a former U.S. intelligence analyst and expatriates from Russian and Tibetan refugee communities.
The group says it has already received more than 1 million documents. De Jong said none of those come directly from Western governments, but documents sent from the United States to other states are included. The site uses various cryptographic technologies to allow anonymity while maintaining Wikpedia’s easy use, she said.
Spurred by the success of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Web sites nicknamed “wikis” that allow collaborative authoring by letting anyone edit content are proliferating, even within government.
Ohio’s Hamilton County, which includes Cincinnati, recently launched an online directory of local agencies that will be publicly maintained, allowing citizens to add and delete information, for example. In October, the federal Office of the Director of National Intelligence unveiled Intellipedia, intended to improve intelligence sharing by letting authorized analysts collaboratively edit content on the government’s classified Intelink Web site.
But Wikileaks is radically different. The site makes broad claims regarding the value of unauthorized disclosures.
“Historically the most resilient form of open government is one where leaking and publication is easy,” it says. “Public leaking, being an act of ethical defection to the majority, is by nature a democratizing force. Hence a system [that] enables everyone to leak safely to a ready audience is the most cost effective means of promoting good government.”
But the initiative, sure to concern U.S. officials who want to restrict access to documents, may go too far even for government transparency advocates.
Wikileaks’ intention to allow anonymous publication of confidential records without oversight by an accountable editor could cause leaks that invade privacy or incite violence, Steven Aftergood, head of the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy, wrote Jan. 3 in his online newsletter, Secrecy News.
“I’m sort of waiting to see how it works in practice,” Aftergood said in an interview. “But in principle I think it’s much too indiscriminate and susceptible to abuse.”
“There’s a difference in unauthorized disclosure from an authoritarian state versus disclosure from a democracy,” he said. “In a democratic system, people have the opportunity to define their own disclosure standards. If you violate those standards or encourage others to do so then you are in effect undermining the democratic process.”
De Jong, however, said misleading leaks “are already well-placed in the mainstream media. [Wikileaks] is of no additional assistance.”
Politically significant leaks will be “collaboratively analyzed by hundreds of [Wikileaks] editors in a way mainstream media-leaked documents could never dream of,” she said.
She said the group is prepared for legal attacks.
“We design the software and promote its human rights agenda, but the servers are run by anonymous volunteers,” she wrote. “Because we have no commercial interest in the software, there is no need to restrict its distribution. In the very unlikely event that we were to face coercion to make the software censorship-friendly, there are many others who would continue the work in other jurisdictions.”

Oxford MP Dave Mackenzie Dismisses Role Of Womens' Rights Lobbyists

OXFORD MP DAVE MACKENZIE CLAIMS WOMENS RIGHTS GROUPS HAVE CONTRIBUTED NOTHING TO WOMENS STANDARDS AND RIGHTS.

I'm not quite certain what to say to this following puiblished letter, but I think this is stunned, and shows exactly what kind of guy we are dealing with here.

Phyl McCrum

Women’s advocate,Ingamo Family Homes

Friday January 05, 2007

I must take issue with Conservative member of Parliament Dave MacKenzie’s comments. Mr. MacKenzie is quoted as stating, “Lobbying and advocacy groups do not directly affect women.” Au contraire.
Mr. MacKenzie, it is and always has been the work of such social justice groups that do directly affect women and all aspects of society so positively.Mr. MacKenzie, let’s not even pretend to believe that women becoming recognized as “persons” and having the right to vote was because of the goodwill of the government. As a woman, a mother, a grandmother and a partner, I shudder to think what my life would be like today, had it not been for Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy and the other notable suffragists who lobbied long and hard, often at personal risk, for the good of all. If the day comes when the Status of Women lobby and advocacy programs are truly no longer needed to work towards an equal, non-racist, non-oppressive society, there will be dancing in the streets. Unfortunately, no government has ever stepped up to the plate to advance women’s equality without direct encouragement, education, lobbying and advocacy from an equality-seeking group. So until then, do the right thing Mr. MacKenzie and challenge your political party to also do the right thing.