This Guy Needs To Resign Until He Is Investigated

PRIME MINISTERS' AIDE ACCUSED OF INTERVENING IN MONTREAL DEVELOPMENT DEAL

A CONservative fundraiser/prime ministerial aide stands accused of intervening on a Montreal developers' behalf after the federal government in 2006 made moves to take the property.

A key Quebec player for Mr Harpers' CONservatives, Dimitri Soudas(the deputy spokesperson for Harper)became involved in the argument between the ROSEDEV group, and Ottawa just 4 months into Harpers' mandate.

This aide called a meeting at the prime ministers' office on August 2, 2006 to discuss the matter with senior ministerial staffers from Public Works.

Sources say that Soudas was successful in convincing the government to drop its' claim to take control of the development for $0(yes zero) in 2010.

At the time Public Works stated that all negotiations with ROSEDEV had proved "fruitless" and the government would proceed to seize the property.

Officials stated that the owner of the development company, Michael Rosenberg would likely become an ally of the CONservatives in Montreal if this deal was approved. Rosenberg has strong ties to the Montreal community of Outremont, a neighbourhood with a large Jewish population.

Mr Soudas has stated that he was contacted by a Montreal councillor and was asked to intervene on his behalf(the councillors') for the developer.

This is the second time that an ally/friend or employee of the prime minister made interventions to the prime minster on behalf of this developer.

Leo Housakos, who was named by the Harper government to the board of Via Rail last month had in the spring of 2006 intervened on the developers behalf as well when he met Frédéric Loiselle, then chief of staff to Public Works Minister Michael Fortier.

Mr. Housekos attended the meeting with John Lemieux, a lawyer for Rosdev, but Housakos said they were there to discuss a partisan event and that he only raised the Rosdev file in passing.

I bet.

Mr. Housakos said he brought up the issue because he thought it could be beneficial to the Conservative Party, pointing specifically to Mr. Rosenberg's connections in Montreal's Hasidic community.

And A Rebuttal To Mr Nadalin, Courtesy of AW

OH DEAR, I MUST STOP READING THE PAPER

BY AW

I'd like to lend my support to Dave Nadalin's call for an "all out airing of this lingering question haunting this city." The Info-Energy Scandal controversy has gone on far too long and only a full accounting by ALL the participants involved will bring this mess to a satisfactory conclusion.
Although I agree with everything Mr Nadalin said in his letter of Jan 28 in the Sentinel Review, I cannot agree with the spin. The facts do not support his attempts to paint himself as a white knight.
The public meeting that should have been held on November10th of 2006 but was "postponed" by the consultant was called for by a motion authored by Dave Nadalin. The following is taken directly from that motion: " Be it resolved that the City Clerk organize a public meeting to be held tentatively on Friday, November 10th 2006 at 2 p.m. to discuss the operations of Woodstock Info Energy; And further that the aforementioned date is established based on the availability of the consultant."
Dave Nadalin was a seasoned councilor. He knew how to word a motion in such a way as to accomplish his goal. So why does the motion refer to a "tentative" date and allow the consultant to control the scheduling of the meeting? Please note that this meeting was scheduled to be held just a few days before the election that returned all incumbent councilors to their jobs with the exception of Dave Nadalin. Naturally enough, since the motion contained a trap door big enough to drive a truck through, the meeting never happened.
This motion had far more to do with politics than any concerns regarding accountability. Mr Nadalin got himself and council on record as being champions of the people on the eve of the election and we never got our meeting. Mission accomplished? You bet.
If Dave Nadalin had actually wanted that meeting to take place the motion would have been worded in such a way as to "guarantee" that it took place. If council had wanted that meeting to take place it would have been held at the earliest convenience of the consultant. The meeting never happened. Why not?
None of this is intended to take away from the point of Mr Nadalin's letter. We need an "all out" airing of this lingering question. I hope that will include an open and accountable examination of the roles played by all the participants, including Mr Nadalin and all the councilors that voted in favour of the meeting that never happened.
Oh and .... On Nov 2, 2006 council passed a motion to hold a public meeting. The date may have been "tentative" but the motion does call for a meeting. It's been well over a year now. Are we to believe that Mr Bedard has been "unavailable" for that long?
Is this motion still in effect or, rather like accountability and integrity, did it expire after six months?

A Letter from Former Councillor Nadalin

a wakeup call to the citizens of woodstock

Fool me once; shame on you, me fool me twice, shame on me.

It was predicted long ago the meeting and true flushing out of the Info-Energy circumstances would never happen with this council.

Aside from Deb Tait holding true to accountable convictions, the rest of council have championed Mayor Harding’s crusade to smother the most controversial actions of a city-owned company, while at the same time not allowing the true airing of charges of breach of trust by our mayor.

Sentinel-Review reporter Hugo Rodrigues's article on Tuesday, Jan. 22 spells out what many feared for some time.A committee of council that included Mayor Harding made a mandate blueprint accepted by council for a very expensive integrity commissioner that, at the end of the day, had no ability or right to investigate what many expected him to do.

I can’t help but reflect back to the public meeting on Info-Energy, derailed just before the last election or the Goodwill OMB hearing hijacking a couple years ago. Most of the same players were involved.The mayor has not only dodged another bullet on this issue, but has aligned a former champion of accountability, Coun. Pat Sobeski along with Woodstock CAO Paul Bryan-Pulham, who should have instructed council more responsibly, to join him in the gutter to carry on a charade of mistrust that has haunted this city.
Coun Sobeski may be using good verbiage to blow smoke and say "there are other ways" to get to the answer, but let me remind everyone it was Coun. Sobeski who made the much-heralded motion to hire the integrity commissioner that not only put off a scheduled public meeting planned by citizens, but placed false hope in the number of Woodstonians who not only wanted the mayor to answer breach of trust allegations, but more importantly for me, to clear the name of ousted Woodstock Hydro chairman and former Woodstock mayor Bill Downing.This is an absolute disgrace people. If there is an ounce of courage left in this city, citizens should throw their apathetic ways aside and demand an all out airing of this lingering question haunting this city.It need not be to get the pound of flesh from the former Info-Energy directors and spin doctors, but you have to know that the leadership in this community can be trusted. Can you imagine having this mayor negotiate the fate of Woodstock Hydro and its potential multi-million dollar sale that may very well be on the radar screen? One would hope not.He cannot be trusted, period.I risked and gave up a seat on council in an attempt to rid this city of governance unaccountability and would do it again in a New York minute to assure trust in leadership we have grown accustomed to.All I ask now of the citizens is to disregard the parochial and proverbial apathetic ways and demand a public hearing, with no spin.Former mayor Bill Downing and this city deserve nothing less.

Okay...this frigging blog thing is messed...

This blog thing has an issue this week.....
OF COURSE I DIDN'T EXPECT THAT ANYTHING GREAT WOULD HAPPEN

What more can a person say.
Yesterday I, and a few friends(Bill Bess and John Duffy)met with MPP Hardeman to discuss the UTRCA and the pending decision to develope parts of the local conservation area into a private for profit golf club.
According to Mr Hardeman there is little that he can do as he is not a part of the government, and the besides that the job of the UTRCA isn't to protect conservation areas, but to ensure water quality in the region.
Go figure, of course there is nothing he can do...but it was worth taking it up again.
On the issue of budget shortfalls for the UTRCA MR Hardeman stated that "any organization that relies on funding will always need more no matter what."
He didn't seem to agree that a 4% budget allocation was not nearly enough. We attempted to press him on the idea that the UTRCA would not be in this position had they had proper financial resources in place. He disagreeed with that completely.
One thing he did point out was that the city must follow the provincial plan which requires that they build up, before building out and expanding their borders. and as well he pointed out that really the issue is the "plan" the leaders of the community have laid out for us...and that means those people have laid out a golf course....and have decided that green space is a waste of time in our community.
I guess the deal is, get rid of the elected people that run the town...and rescind any agreements that those people made while in office. The next council has the right to ditch anything these people have done....and that includes reversing any decisions regarding developing our parks...and as well, any future council will have the right to launch an investigation into the closed door meetings that brought this developement to the plate.
Seems to me that the bureacrats in this city have worked hard to promote this deal as being good for Woodstock and fitting into the 'plan", and like sheep, our mayor and councillors followed those bureacrats to the slaughterhouse.

HOW MANY SHEEP DO YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO BELOW?

I swear , that in the third row you can see most of Woodstock council.


thanks shery!

Oh, And This Is Entirely Silly

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT PLANS TO "EXEMPT" 20% OF OUR BIGGEST GREENHOUSE GAS EMITTERS

http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Energy/Briefing/2008/01/28/canada_proposes_greenhouse-gas_exemptions/2400/

This is an absolutely silly idea.

Allowing an exemption from regulations that the CONServatives they themselves introduced is stunned.

That indicates to me a poor interest in Canadas' environmental health versus the strong interests this government shows in non-renewable energy sources.

Defective Pur-Lite 15 Watt CFLs

CHECK YOUR CFL'S AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE SAFE

I'd recommend to anyone who has installed these things that they read the directions very carefully and ensure there is correct air circulation whereever you are using them.

Apparently there have been hundreds of reports of lights exploding into flames and lights that continually burn after they are turned off.(indicating a fire in the bulb)

Toronto Beauty Pageant frires Judge after Discovering She Is Wiccan

BEAUTY PAGEANT ORGANIZERS REJECT JUDGE AFTER DISCOVERING SHE IS NOT CHRISTIAN

Citing biblical passages as reference, the organizers of Torontos' annual beauty pageant have fired/rejected one judge(who was a former Miss Canada Plus pageant winner last year)over her personal choice of religion.

Karen Murray, Miss Toronto Tourism pageant director stated in her letter to Stephanie Conover that "Our board of directors has eliminated her as a judge, as tarot card reading and reiki are the occult and is not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by witches, spiritists and mediums to consult the dark world."

The letter writer went on to state that "We hope that Stephanie Conover will turn from these belief systems and will repent from her practice of them," and then went on to quote Leviticus(a chapter in the christian book called the bible) "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spirits for you will be defiled by them."

The pageant director when asked if they operate a religious organization stated

"We adhere to God's principles. We're God-fearing. But we aren't religious."

Conover is possibly looking into a human rights complaint...and personally, I would have to agree.

I guess that girls in bikinis prancing around a runway are acceptable to God, Jews, Muslims and Christians...or so the pageant director claims.

If we can't accept all religions...then we ought to ban all religion as it is not fair to anyone who practices an alternative to the mainstream religions.

jim bender

Resumption of Parliament Today

CONServative Government Will Face Heat When Parliament resumes Today

It's been a quiet couple of months for the CONservative government but that is expected to change today as MP's from across the country stroll back into the parliament for the first time since the house was closed for the seasons holidays.

Numerous items are expected to be pushed into the face of the government and oppostion MP's are prepared to hammer away for the first time in several months.

One major item in particluar is the handling of AECL and the subsequent firing of Linda Keen, the regulator in charge of the CNSC.

Ms Keen in the spring of 2006, ordered tet AECL to install a third backup pump for the purpose of keeping heavy water cool in case of an earthquake in the region.(earthquakes in the region are expected/predicted every 50,000 years or so.) This past fall Keen noted that the AECL had failed to comply with the regulators order and the reactor was ordered shut down.

Senior management at the AECL claimed that they did not realize the backup equipment had not been installed.(Well, I suppose if they had been actually doing their jobs...they just might have noticed that they hadn't completed this one...sounds like a nuclear Walkerton...)

Another item on the agenda is the recent news that the CONservative government stopped transferring Afghan detainees to Aghanistans' custody and that they failed to let the public know that this was the case. The military halted transfers of detainees in mid Novemeber according to the miltary. There was sufficient evidence to support claims that the detainees were being tortured at the hands of the Aghan constabulatory.

The Prime Minister claimed that he had no knowledge of this, but Sandra Buckler made statements to the press that affirmed that he in fact was aware that those transfers of detainees had ended. Then Ms Buckler withdrew her statements stating she had "misspoke" earlier when she made the comments.

I bet you did Sandy.

Another massive item on the agenda is the increase in the dollars value when compared to the US and as well the impact of a faltering US economy on the Canadian economy. The Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty has claimed that he will take a "step back and watch attitude" because he feels the economy is performing well despite all of the negatives in the news on the economic front, and the thousands of job losses in Ontarios' manufacturing sector.

I guess he doesn't have to rely on manufacturing for his paycheque...of course... he relies on the public purse which is always open. I suppose he is doing something right by just sitting there with his head in the sand...at least you can't screw things up when you've got your head buried. Or at least you can blame someone else...cuz you were busy.

I'm pretty certain though that as parliament resumes that we will hear a pile of crap coming from the hallowed halls of the house..

And we will need hip waders to get through the stuff.

Jim Bender

I'm sure all of these problems could be blamed on their Liberal predecessors of they tried hard enough.

Neighbour of Dr henry Janssen Charged with Murder

FORMER WOODSTOCK DOCTOR WAS SHOT TO DEATH BY NEIGHBOUR

Dr. Henry Janssen was found dead near where he worked in the Bruce Peninsula. The former Woodstock dcotor had moved to the Lions head area several years ago to continue the practice of family medicine.
Allan Wayne Powney, 63, is charged with first-degree murder in Janssen's death.
Police have provided very few details of the circumstances surrounding the slaying but have said he was shot to death.

Macdonald Dettwiler & Associates Will Sell of Canadian Government Financed technology To US Company

CANADAS' LEADING AEROSPACE FIRM TO SELL OUT TO AMERICANS

Macdonald Dettwiler & Associates has decided to sell off portions of its' Canadian operations to the US firm, Alliant techsystems, a major arms manufacturer.

Candas' federal government needs to prevent the sale of this company.

Last month the same company using Canadian government financing(yes..our taxes)launched into orbit a satelite called RADARSAT-2. The satellite is a specialized type that provides unique imagery details of thinning ice sheets in the north, and crops and flooding in the south. It could also be used to monitor and track shipping in Canadas' north.

Canadian taxpayers paid $455 million of the total cost, or 85% of the total price for construction of the satellite.

The federal government was promised in the long term that they would be given priority access to the satellite, and that we would have access to large amounts of imagery files from the satellite.

After the sale of this portion of MDA, it is likely the US government will replace Canada as the "liscensing"authority over the satellite which will leave Canada without access to technology that we paid for and developed with tax dollars.

MDA will be paid approximately $1.2 billion for the satellite.

Maxime Bernier Canadas' foreign minister does have the authority to block the sale of the technology to the USA.

Under the The 2005 Remote Sensing Space Systems Act, the deal requires the approval of the foreign minister who in making his decision "shall have regard for national security and the defence of Canada."

This sale goes against both of those ideals. Step up, protect Canada and refuse this sale Mr Bernier. We bought the merchandise, with our tax dollars, and we deserve to keep it.

If anything, we should pay out the other 15% in developement costs to MDA and take physical control from them...keeping one more part of Canada...Canadian.

Explaining Politics...

REALLY GOOD EXPLANATION OF WHAT POLITICS IS ALL ABOUT

A little boy goes to his dad and asks, "What are Politics?"

Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way:

#1. I'm the head of the family, so call me The Prime minister..

#2 Your mother is the administrator of the money, so we call her the Government.

#3. We're here to take care of your needs, so we'll call you thePeople.

#4. The nanny, we'll consider her the Working Class.

#5 And your baby brother, we'll call him the Future.

"Now, think about that and see if it makes sense."

So, the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said.

Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying, so he gets up to check on him.

He finds that the baby has severely soiled his diaper.

So, the little boy goes to his parent's room and finds his mother sound asleep.

Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room.

Finding the door locked, he looks in the peephole and finds his father in bed with the Nanny.

He gives up and goes back to bed.

The next morning, the little boy says to his father,

"Dad, I think I understand the concept of politics now."

The father says, "Good, son, tell me in your own words what you think politics is all about."

The little boy replies, "The Prime Minister is screwing the Working Class, while the Government is sound asleep.

The People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit.

Thanks Charlene!

Kinda sounds like Woodstock council...or any other level of government.

mcguinty Offers Suggestion To Ottawa:No Free Trade with Korea

MCGUINTY SUGGESTS TARIFFS AGAINST KOREAN AUTOMAKERS MAY BE NECESSARY TO PROTECT ONTARIO AUTO SECTOR

Ontario premier dalton mcGuinty has suggested that he will consider slapping tariffs on vehicles manufactured by Kia and Hyundai if the federal CONServatives sign a free trade pact with the Koreans.

"I've asked to see what our options might be," McGuinty told reporters yesterday in a surprise move that brought warnings that provinces don't set trade policy, a federal responsibility.

A spokesperson for federal International Trade Minister David Emerson said that 'Mcguinty was just making noise". The spokeperson called the comments by the premier "counter-productive".(I wonder if he understands that a free for all free trade deal is actually conter-productive to Canadas' sovereignty?)

Mcguinty retorted with "You've got to protect your people and you've got to protect your jobs, and we'll explore all options." He stated to the media that "one must explore all options in order to show Ontario Automakers that we support them."

Korea in 2006 exported 114,000 vehicles to Canada, while Canada only shipped 100 vehicles into the Korean marketplace, a massive imbalance. The majority of those Korean built cars ended up in ontario, something that worries Dalton McGuinty and many other industry and political leaders.

Indicators show that Korea could easily triple exports to Canada, in the range of 450,000 cars per year under the new proposed free trade deal. The deal does not guarantee access to the Korean marketplace but does guarantee the Koreans access to Canadas' markets.

"We've done nothing to stop the entry of cars produced in South Korea coming into the Ontario market. In the event that the federal government unwisely enters into a free trade agreement that does not protect the interest of the auto sector in Ontario and in Canada then we will have an obligation ... to take a look at what we can do here from a provincial perspective to protect our industry," Ontarios' premier added.

Personally I think we should be fine tuning the existing US And mexico trade agreement beofre we sign another trade agreement with another country.

The US Canada free trade arrangement has left Canada on the short end of the stick for many years, and the 'guaranteed access" that Brian Mulroney touted during the "free trade" election of the 80's under the CONservative banner never came to fruition for the majority of Canadians.

During that time Canada was said to be on the cusp of becoming an international mecca for all companies that wish to do business in the USA. as we supposedly had 'guaranteed access" to US markets that needed Canadian manufactured goods.

Unfortunately...we are still waiting for that to happen here.

World Stock Markets Fall As News Of US Recession Spreads

BEING TIED TO THE US ECONOMY IS LIKE BEING TIED TO AN ANCHOR

The US federal reserve and Canadas' Central bank both chopped interest rates yesterday in the hopes of stimulating the economy on both sides of the border amid news that the industrial manufacturing complex is bleeding jobs as production rates continue their downward slide into oblivion.

The Bank of Canada lowered its main interest rate a .25% yesterday to 4 per cent, the second reduction in central interest rates in the past 2 months.

Industry leaders say that this is not enough and are looking to the federal government to slash interest rates for the domestic economy even more. Fears of a US induced recession in Canada are growing substantially as each day passes and more layoffs are announced in the suffering manufacturing quarter.

The US federal reserve for the first time in 6 years met between regularly scheduled meetings and dropped the US rate by 3/4 of a percentage point, a massive cut by any standard.

Aron Gampel, vice-president and deputy chief economist at Scotia Capital says that “I think they’ll end up cutting more and they will probably have to introduce a fiscal stimulus package sooner rather than later.”

Ontario premier McGuinty urged Ontarians to continue to stimulate the economy by shopping in Ontario for those big ticket items that are produced in Ontario.

Oh The Cheez Of It All

It's a funny town this Woodstock...

One businessperson even goes so far as to use my name in their sales pitch....hmmm, I wonder if I should be asking for royalties?

Things are so good, that even my competitors need my name to sell their wares!

Sadly, this person seems to think that having me on their sign will somehow enhance the effectiveness of their sales pitch for their inscence!

As if I have any idea what fake inscence is...or isn't..

I figure..its on a stick...it ain't shit...must be inscence.

So to that I laugh...

It's truly a sad day when things are like this!

But then again....it's always a great day...

if you are me!

Be Careful who You Open Your Door To

Something I found on the City of woodstock Web
MEDIA RELEASE
Testing of Local Water
It has been brought to the attention of the City that there are people
making telephone calls to local citizens claiming to either be City or
County employees or doing water testing on behalf of the City or
County.
The caller identifies himself/herself as being associated with a
company called Ultra Clear. They ask to set up an appointment with
the homeowner to make a home visit to do the water testing and in
some cases have told the homeowners that they have no choice but to
let them in. The City or County is not involved with this company
on water testing.
The County of Oxford will be proceeding with water testing for lead
content in various areas pursuant to Provincial requirements in the
near future. All staff engaged in this activity will be carrying photo
identification. Testing will be strictly voluntary and under no
circumstance would a homeowner be forced to allow anyone to enter
their home.
Should you be approached either by telephone or at the door, be sure
to ask for proper identification before allowing anyone to enter your
home.

A Communication From Ontario Minister Of Natural Resources, Donna Cansfield

ONTARIO MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES RESPONDS TO BURGESS PARK QUESTION

I received a letter today dated January 9, 2008(shows how often I check the snail mail box) from the minister responsible for the Ontario natural resources ministry, Donna Cansfield who had this to say.

My scanner is pooched, so I am typing this verbatim.

Dear Mr Bender:

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the Burgess park lands owned by the Upper Thames river Conservation authority.

I have been advised that the lands are managed by the City of Woodstock, and that any changes in land use require the approval of the conservation authority, and must be consitent with the objectives of the authority.

During the past year, I understand that public meetings and open houses have been held to review possible alternative uses within Burgess park and the surrounding area.

These options include an exchange of lands(about 2 acres)along the northern edge of the Burgess park lands for a connecting roadway, the retention of lands for public open spaces, and the lease of a portion of the lands(67 acres) for golf course use.

I understand that neither the City of Woodstock nor the UTRCA has made any decisions about the possible future uses of the land in the area.

Based on the above, I urge you to continue to consult with the City of Woodstock(519-539-1291) and the conservation authority(519-451-2800) while they deliberate on the options for future land uses in the Burgess park area.

If you require more specific information, please contact John Cottrill, Policy Advisor, Lands and Waters Branch, ministry of Natural Resources, at (705)755-1955.

Again, thank you for bringing your concerns to my attention.

Sincerely,

Donna Cansfield

minister of Natural Resources.

c:John Cottrill, Policy Advisor , Lands and Waters Branch

_______________________________________________

The only thing I am wondering...is who gave her the advice...and on what date?

jim Bender

Maxime Bernier Apologizes After "Mistakenly" Placing US and Israel On Torture Watch List

FOREIGN AFFAIRS DROPS TORTURE DESIGNATION FOR USA AND ISRAEL AFTER MUCH COMPLAINT AND PRESSURE

On Saturday, Maxime Bernier, Canadas' foreign affairs and blunder minister, decided (after a week of teasing the USA and the Israeli governments) that he would renounce the "torture state" designation he recently levelled against those two countries in a training manual of torture techniques and countries who use them.

Bernier said he "regretted" the embarrassement caused to those two countries, the USA and Israel(who by the way...regularly torture whoever they can) and he has ordered the toture manual to be rewritten, with the removal of those two countries names from it.

"The manual is neither a policy document nor a statement of policy. As such, it does not convey the government's views or positions."

It's just something they wrote up for shits and giggles...when they had nothing else to do in those big offices in parliament.

When asked why the manual had been designed and used in the first place and why the names of the USA and Israel ended up in the manuals a spokeperson said, : "The training manual purposely raised public issues to stimulate discussion and debate in the classroom."

The government inadvertently handed a copy of the manual over to Amnesty International as part of a court case the rights group has launched against the government.

So...

they "mistakenly" added the USA and Israel to this list....and then they "mistakenly" handed out the information to the public(amnesty), and in all likelihood, they will claim later that they mistakenly removed the names from the manual after the were mistakenly caught with their pants down.

And So...The Big Integrity Commissioner Report We've Been Waiting For...

CITY TAXPAYERS FORCED TO FOOT THE BILL FOR THIS WASTE OF TIME

Jeez.

I haven't got too much to say over this latest report on the InfoEnergy Scandal offered up By Dr Hunter.

Sadly, the taxpayers of our city have footed the bill(once again) for something that is beyond the scope of ability(or legislated ability) of the investigator, and once more, hundreds if not thousands of people have been deprived of the opportunity to understand what exactly happened with our local utility and its' subsidiary, Info-Energy.

So...how many people can we find that would be interested in hiring our own investigator, and persuing this in our own manner? After all, we don't have to stick to any rules...and we don't have to pay attention to any "legislated" scapegoat kind of crap.

Email me if interested in joining this...

Perhaps, The Woodstock Integrity Committee (yes, WIC...like putting a candle under ones' ass)would be a good name for this one...

I figure...100 people...donate...$100.00, and we will have a fine fund that could be used to delve into this matter with a forensic auditor, and hopefully, bring this to the end it should have come to last year.

I'll chip in the first $100.00.

Jim

The Latest UTRCA Watershed Report Card

THERE ARE SOME SMALL TIDBITS TO DO WITH SALLY CREEK/BURGESS PARK IN HERE

http://www.thamesriver.on.ca/watershed_report_cards/Watershed_Report_Cards-2007.htm

The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) recently completed the 2007 Upper Thames River Watershed Report Cards. The report cards summarize an enormous amount of environmental information, with the goal of turning that information into local environmental action.
A report card was developed for each of the 28 watersheds within the Upper Thames River watershed. Each report card assesses environmental conditions within that particular watershed, grades the surface water quality and forest conditions, summarizes watershed features, and provides an action plan.
The UTRCA released the first set of watershed report cards in 2001 (click HERE to see the 2001 report cards). Since then much environmental work has been done, new stressors have developed in some watersheds, and more data and information have become available. The 2007 Upper Thames River Watershed Report Cards reflect these changes. The report cards provide an updated assessment of the current water and forest conditions and a comparison with the 2001 findings.
Surface water quality indicators include benthic invertebrates, total phosphorus, and bacteria. Surface water quality grades in the 28 watersheds range from B to D, with C being the most common grade. In most watersheds, water quality has remained steady or has shown some improvement since 2001. Forest health indicators include percent forest cover and percent forest interior. Forest condition grades in the 28 watersheds range from C to F, with D being the most common grade. No significant change has occurred from 2001 to 2007.
The 2007 report cards use a new province-wide grading system developed in 2003 by Conservation Ontario and provincial ministries to standardize reporting by all of Ontario’s conservation authorities.
In addition to the grades, the 2007 watershed report cards include a summary of resource information (watershed features), an outline of the groundwater resources, Great Lakes connections, a local action plan, and highlights of progress made since 2001.
Section 1: Background & Methodology - read as web pages or view the pdf file (10 mb)
Section 2: Watershed Features - This section provides summary tables with information. View this section as one pdf file (3.7 mb), or view each table separately by clicking on the links below (pdf files, up to 1 mb):

2.1 Surface Water Quality Grades
2.2 Forest Conditions Grades
2.3 Summary of Grades, 2001 vs. 2007
2.4 Watersheds Sorted by Grades
2.5 Municipalities within each Watershed
2.6 Watersheds within each Municipality
2.7 Watershed Area by County
2.8 Municipalities within each County
2.9 Major Watercourses and Drains
2.10 Significant Natural Sites
2.11 Watershed Area
2.12 Land Use by Watershed
2.13 Population (1996 vs. 2006)
2.14 Soil Type (% Area)
2.15 Physiography
2.16 Soil Erosion and Delivery
2.17 Stream Flow
2.18 Annual Precipitation
2.19 Average Annual Air Temperature
2.20 Agricultural Tileage and Urban Drainage
2.21 Watercourse Length by Type
2.22 Watercourse Length by Flow and Temperature Regime
2.23 Dams and Barriers to Fish Movement
2.24 Sewage Treatment Plant Facilities
2.25 Spills Reported
2.26 Wetland Cover
2.27 Woodland Patch Size
2.28 Riparian Cover
2.29 Vegetation Community Types (hectares)
2.30 Vegetation Community Types (percent)
2.31 Fish Species Occurrences
2.32 Freshwater Mussel Species Occurrences
2.33 Species of Concern and at Risk
2.34 Well Supplies
2.35 Trees Planted by UTRCA (2002-2006)
2.36 Summary of UTRCA Partnership Projects (2002-2006)
2.37 Aggregates
Section 3: Watershed Report Cards (28) (pdf files, each approximately 1.5 mb)
Not sure which report card you need? Click HERE for help.
Avon River
Black Creek
Cedar Creek
Dingman Creek
Dorchester
Fish Creek
Flat Creek
The Forks
Glengowan
Gregory Creek
Komoka Creek
Medway Creek
Middle Thames
Mud Creek
North Mitchell
North Woodstock
Otter Creek
Oxbow Creek
Plover Mills
Pottersburg Creek
Reynolds Creek
River Bend
South Thames
Stoney Creek
Trout Creek
Waubuno Creek
Whirl Creek
Wye Creek
Bound copies of the entire report as well as individual copies of each watershed report card are available by contacting the
buildemail("infoline", "thamesriver.on.ca", "Upper Thames River Conservation Authority");
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority .

The Environmental Bill of Rights

Français
Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993
S.O. 1993, CHAPTER 28
Consolidation Period: From August 20, 2007 to the e-Laws currency date.
Last amendment: 2006, c. 35, Sched. C, s. 35.
SKIP TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Preamble
PART IDEFINITIONS AND PURPOSES
1.
Interpretation
2.
Purposes of Act
PART IIPUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKING
General
3.
Purpose of Part II
4.
Application of Part II
The Environmental Registry
5.
Registry
6.
Purpose of registry
Ministry Statement of Environmental Values
7.
Ministry statement of environmental values
8.
Public participation in statement
9.
Notice of final statement
10.
Amending the statement
11.
Effect of statement
Proposals – General
12.
Interpretation: more than one ministry considering proposal
13.
Fundamental changes in a proposal
14.
Factors in determining effect of proposal on environment
Proposals for Policies, Acts and Regulations
15.
Proposals for policies and Acts
16.
Proposals for regulations
17.
Additional time for public comment on proposals for policies, Acts, regulations
18.
How to give notice under s. 15 or 16
Classifying Proposals for Instruments
19.
Minister to develop regulation to classify instrument proposals
20.
Classification process
21.
Amending regulations to classify instrument proposals
Proposals for Instruments
22.
Public notice of proposals for instruments
23.
Additional time for public comment on Class II proposals
24.
Enhanced public participation for Class II proposals
25.
Additional notice of Class II proposals
26.
Reclassification of specific proposals
How to Give Notice of Proposals
27.
Manner and form of notification
28.
Means of giving additional notice of Class II proposals
Proposals – Exceptions
29.
Exception: emergencies
30.
Exception: other processes
31.
Means of giving notice, ss. 29 and 30
32.
Exception: instruments in accordance with statutory decisions
33.
Exception: budget proposals
Ministerial Role after Giving Notice of a Proposal
34.
Appointment of mediator
35.
Minister to consider comments
36.
Implementation notice
37.
Effect of failure to comply with Part II
Appeals of Decisions on Class I and Class II Instrument Proposals
38.
Right to seek leave to appeal a decision on an instrument
39.
Appellate body
40.
Time for appeal
41.
Leave test
42.
Automatic stay if leave granted
43.
No appeal from leave decision
44.
Grounds for appeal decision
45.
Powers on appeal
46.
Procedure
47.
Public notice of appeals under other Acts
48.
Existing rights of appeal not affected
PART IIITHE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER
49.
Environmental Commissioner
50.
Salary
51.
Pension of Environmental Commissioner
52.
Oath of office
53.
Temporary appointment
54.
Employees
55.
Budget
56.
Audit
57.
Functions
58.
Reports
59.
Special assignments
60.
Examination on oath or affirmation
PART IVAPPLICATION FOR REVIEW
61.
Application for review
62.
Referral to minister
63.
Ministerial review, ss. 65 to 72
64.
Forwarding applications to more appropriate ministries
65.
Acknowledgment of receipt
66.
Notice to persons with direct interest
67.
Preliminary consideration
68.
Review of recent decisions
69.
Duty to review
70.
Notice of decision whether to review
71.
Notice of completion of review
72.
No disclosure of personal information about applicants
73.
Application of Act to proposals resulting from review
PART VAPPLICATION FOR INVESTIGATION
74.
Application for investigation
75.
Referral to minister
76.
Acknowledgment of receipt
77.
Duty to investigate
78.
Notice of decision not to investigate
79.
Time required for investigation
80.
Notice of completion of investigation
81.
No disclosure of personal information about applicants
PART VIRIGHT TO SUE
Harm to a Public Resource
82.
Definitions, Part VI
83.
Application of ss. 84 to 102
84.
Right of action
85.
Defence
86.
Role of Attorney General
87.
Public notice of action
88.
Notice to protect interests
89.
Participation in action
90.
Stay or dismissal in the public interest
91.
Discontinuance, abandonment, settlement, etc.
92.
Interlocutory injunctions: plaintiff’s undertaking to pay damages
93.
Remedies
94.
When order to negotiate not to be made
95.
Restoration plans
96.
Orders ancillary to order to negotiate
97.
If parties agree on restoration plan
98.
Court developed restoration plan
99.
Estoppel
100.
Costs
101.
Stay on appeal
102.
Limitations
Public Nuisance Causing Environmental Harm
103.
Public nuisance causing environmental harm
PART VIIEMPLOYER REPRISALS
104.
Meaning of “Board”, Part VII
105.
Complaint about reprisals
106.
Labour relations officer, authorization
107.
Labour relations officer, inquiry into complaint
108.
Inquiry by the Board
109.
Burden of proof
110.
Determination by the Board
111.
Agreement to the contrary
112.
Failure to comply
113.
Enforcement of determination
114.
Effect of settlement
115.
Act performed on behalf of employer
116.
Powers, etc., of the Board
PART VIIIGENERAL
117.
Delegation
118.
No judicial review
119.
Protection from personal liability
120.
Crown bound
121.
Regulations
Preamble
The people of Ontario recognize the inherent value of the natural environment.
The people of Ontario have a right to a healthful environment.
The people of Ontario have as a common goal the protection, conservation and restoration of the natural environment for the benefit of present and future generations.
While the government has the primary responsibility for achieving this goal, the people should have means to ensure that it is achieved in an effective, timely, open and fair manner.
Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:
PART IDEFINITIONS AND PURPOSES
Interpretation
1. (1) In this Act,
“air” means open air not enclosed in a building, structure, machine, chimney, stack or flue; (“air”)
“environment” means the air, land, water, plant life, animal life and ecological systems of Ontario; (“environnement”)
“harm” means any contamination or degradation and includes harm caused by the release of any solid, liquid, gas, odour, heat, sound, vibration or radiation; (“atteinte”)
“instrument”, except as otherwise provided under clause 121 (1) (c), means any document of legal effect issued under an Act and includes a permit, licence, approval, authorization, direction or order issued under an Act, but does not include a regulation; (“acte”)
“land” means surface land not enclosed in a building, land covered by water (which, for greater certainty, includes wetland) and all subsoil; (“terre”)
“policy” means a program, plan or objective and includes guidelines or criteria to be used in making decisions about the issuance, amendment or revocation of instruments but does not include an Act, a regulation or an instrument; (“politique”)
“prescribed” means prescribed by the regulations under this Act; (“prescrit”)
“registry” means the environmental registry established under section 5; (“registre”)
“regulation”, except as otherwise provided under clause 121 (1) (c), has the same meaning as in Part III (Regulations) of the Legislation Act, 2006; (“règlement”)
“water” means surface water and ground water. (“eau”) 1993, c. 28, s. 1 (1); 2006, c. 21, Sched. F, s. 136 (1).
Proposals for policies, Acts
(2) For the purposes of this Act, a proposal to make, pass, amend, revoke or repeal a policy or Act is a proposal for a policy or Act. 1993, c. 28, s. 1 (2).
Proposals for regulations
(3) For the purposes of this Act, a proposal to make, amend or revoke a regulation is a proposal for a regulation. 1993, c. 28, s. 1 (3).
Proposals for instruments
(4) For the purposes of this Act, a proposal to issue, amend or revoke an instrument is a proposal for an instrument. 1993, c. 28, s. 1 (4).
Classification of proposals for instruments
(5) For the purposes of this Act, a proposal for an instrument is a Class I, II or III p