Online Petition to Save Burgess Park For The UTRCA

THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!!!!PLEASE SIGN THIS AND SEND IT TO YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.gopetition.com/online/17976.html

What Are You Doing For Earth Hour Tonight?

THOUSANDS OF CANADIANS PLAN ON TAKING PART IN EARTH HOUR

Tonight from 8-9 pm fifty-five thousand or more Canadians will participate in the challenge of going without electricity for a one hour period in order to remind themselves of the necessity to conserve energy and the impact of energy usage on our environment.

Earth hour was originally concieved by the WWF in Australia where last year more than 2 million residents participated in the movement to make a statement about the global effects of climate change and mankinds usage of energy.

This year more than 100 North American cities will participate in the global appeal including Toronto, Montreal, Kitchener and Vancouver...but not Woodstock.

In Woodstock we celebrate silly things like...blackout day...a celebration of the day when the power went out for 24 hours in August 2006....the day we did not have ENOUGH power.

That event was precipated by an equipment failure(a line snapped somewhere)and subsequently much of the eastern seaboard lost electrical services. Almost every business in Ontario was without power and the economic costs were pegged at more than one billion dollars at the time.

Last year our mayor decided that we should celebrate that day9the day that business could not run), not for any conservation reason...but to celebrate the LACK of power.(he could have been opining for more political power??)

So...

What are you going to do for the earth for earth hour?

Me...

I will turn out the lights at home...and in my shops, and will spend my hour in the dark musing to myself about what life would be like if we had no power.

I Imagine the world would be a dark and dreary place.

And then I will think about the world and the millions who live on it who have no access to electricity, safe water ,sanitation or even basic food needs.

And that will be reminder enough for me that it was only a stroke of luck that I was born here and not somewhere else where things could be so much harder.

Then I can think to myself that one hour without power, isn't much to go through when compared to all of those people who wake up each day looking forward to an empty stomach.

Hey Woodstock...let's turn the lights out for one hour.

Just Lovely, Another "democratic" Closed door Meeting

AND WHEN WE GET BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, AND SHE LETS HER HAIR HANG DOWN..(JESUS, NOT MS LAUDER!)

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors? When I was a kid there was this song by Charlie Rich that seemed to explain everything about that closed door stuff, and here I am wondering what they do behind closed doors in Oxford county and Woodstock in those organizations that are tax payer funded and owned.

Ms Lauder summed up her position, in a S-R story yesterday. She said that "I supported it at council and I will support it there (Upper Thames), unless something presented to the board causes me to feel differently about it." Lauder voted in council on December 13, 2007 to get rid of the parks for development and will be glad to do the same again. I wonder why she sits on the board of a conservation authority, when she is against the conservation area? Almost sounds like Ms Lauder is acting the part of an agent provocateur or a poison pill of sorts.

Earlier she said that "The proper way for the board to handle it would be a full discussion". "If there were to be a decision tomorrow, it would be a quick decision and it might not be for the golf course."I hope the board will take its time and look at it with good discussion." What she is saying is that she really wants the golf course to happen, and she hopes they allow for this development on the conservation lands.

Ms Lauder is not a friend of the environment or of the people of Woodstock. Ms Lauder is busy making decisions(that she does not understand) that will not affect her as she is well on her way to the bone yard but it will affect our children and theirs as well.

Ms Lauder has alluded to the fact that she has no idea what she is doing, and recently commented that she voted at the board of the UTRCA against the golf course(she introduced the motion)without knowing what she was doing. She claimed not to have studied the motion at all, and she claimed she had no idea what she was doing that day. Now she says she's for the course, even though she's against it at the UTRCA level. Seems like a conflict to me. See,s like Ms Lauder should see someone for her problem involving memory.

Is there a test for competency available to publicly elected people? There ought to be, and this lady needs that test.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ATTACKS AGAINST ONTARIO

What Drives Jim Flaherty?

Canadas finance minister Jim Flaherty has become embroiled in a war of words with the Ontario government over taxes and how Ontario has one of the highest rates for business taxes. In the past week alone Flaherty has accused Ontario of creating a 'have not" province, of being a place wjhere no one would want to start a business and a few other choice comments not very becoming of a man who has our economic future at heart.(and who claims to be an Ontarian)

To me it seems like Flaherty is attempting to build himself up for some specific reason, perhaps to take a stab at ontario PC leader, John Tory, or perhaps he's trying to make things "nice" for himself when he retires from federal politics.(where I am sure he cannot be happy working as a messenger boy for Stephen Harper.)

Yesterday another Ontario conservative MP was sent from the hill to continue the condemnation of Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and his liberal government.

Federal Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre travelled to Toronto to represent the federal government, calling the feds a "major stakeholder."

The Nepean-Carleton MP said he had arrived in a spirit of "partnership" with McGuinty...I bet he did.

As soon as he was finished making that statement to reporters, he began lashing out at the tiny tax cuts offered in the budget, and then stated that he and his government were upset at the budget(as if this guy spoke for the PM)and that McGuinty had to do something about ontarios' "job smothering taxes".

During the budget deliberations yesterday John Tory provided the federal MP Poilievre with office space in order to do some work. I'm wondering if that space was provided at cost to the province or if john Tory paid for it?

To me the entire thing is surreal. In the history of Canada there has never been a time when the federal finance minister would interfere in the operations of provincial government. On top of that we have a federal MP sent from the hill to bash and attack Ontario budget decisions.

To me it looks like someone attempting to usurp John Tory and the authority he has over his party. John Tory could never have launched such an attack on his own against the government. He needed the help of the feds to do it. But to call Jim Flaherty in to do just that is low brow at best, and certainly among Ontarians didn't gain The Harperites a thing which is what the feds were hoping for.

If they head into an election without a substantial increase in Ontario voter support, chances are they'll be in minority terrotory, and if that's the case, Harpers' days may be numbered as the leader of a party that cannot obtain the coveted brass ring.

Ontario voters are cool to the federal conservatives and will remain that way for the forseeable until they lose some of the super right ideologies that seem to be dragging them down. attacking the Ontario liberal from a federal position is dumb and makes John Tory look weak and ineffectual.

Does Bill Paquette really think Aliens Would Be Shocked?

AND A RESPONSE TO BILL PAQUETTES S-R LETTER, MARCH 20, 2008

"If you were from another country or planet where they had no inkling about the democratic processes or the workings that govern our city and country, I would be totally flabergasted at the power of one man."
Based on the opening statement in your letter dated March 20,2008 I will have to say, Sir, you wouldn't be flabergasted at all by the actions of this one man as it is obvious by your own statement that you have no inkling of democracy and its' processes.(because you said so yourself when comparing yourself and others to an alien who arrived from another planet)
The analogy of a few "aliens" being appalled by our lack of democratic processes is utterly ridiculous on your part. The only thing in your statement that could be conjoined to the mayor is the word "alien'.
Hundreds if not thousands of people in our city think that Mayor Harding and his developer "friends" that bulldoze parks and butcher green spaces for the big bucks are aliens when compared to the rest of us who admire the area. Anyone who cherishes wildlife and green space would be shocked and horrified by the disdain held for the environment by our local politicos. This is more than apparent by the evidence of their own actions.
Deservingly so, the dishonour of working against the people of our community on this issue will hang over their heads throughout their careers no matter how long that might be. They will have their friends I am sure. And you can choose to count yourself among them if you like. There are many anti-environmentalists around the world who would crawl through a manure pit for a chance to take something for nothing or close to it. That manure pit is our council.
I will not blame Michael Harding all on his own for the December 13, 2007 decision to rid ourselves of some "surplus" parkland. It took "his" council(minus two of them who had the intestinal fortitude to at least speak up and against the process and the developement.)all on their own to do just that.
The people of the community had no part in the decision to kill the parks. In fact, of all the hundreds (if not thousands) of letters received regarding this situation by the city, the local newspaper, Albert Hargreaves(who will be building a road through the area),and the developers of the proposed golf course expansion represented by Cliff Zaluski and Rick Flanagan, I would like to see how many persons actually(with letters or names to support it) came out in support of this golf course expansion onto our city managed conservation area ? I can bet you(with some degree of certainty)that you could fit all the names of those people who were "gunning" for your friends' golf course in the palm of ones' hand.
Compare that to the thousands of people who spoke out against the massive and brutal desecration of this natural wooded passive recreation area. And then tell me that you believe that this was plan that was developed free of molestation and interference in accordance with the noted practices of democracy?
Contrary to your claim, no one anywhere has accused Mr Harding of anything criminal.
He is not responsible for the murder of JFK(heck, everyone now knows that JFK was killed because he ordered the hit on the Vietnamese president and his respective family in October 1963, and as a result someone retaliated in an equally oppressive manner )
No one ever said he was responsible for anything.(no pun intended) What has been said though is that it is completely, and utterly socially and environmentally irresponsible in this day and age to bulldoze well valued and needed green space for private developement interests.
And he voted to do just that.
These lands are to be removed from the public trust for 25 years so someone can make some money at our expense. Our parents paid for the land years ago. Our taxes presently go to maintain the lands, and to cover the costs of the UTRCA and the City.
The city is in charge of allocating dollars to fight the residents on this one, even though they are using the residents collected tax dollars to do so. This is undemocratic, unfair, and discriminatory by all definitions.
The table was turned from the start against anyone who was not a developer and who could not afford to pay the costs for planners and lawyers and well heeled hostage negotiators.(no guff, that was who they called for the job, a former hostage negotiator)
What people are concerned about is the lack of frank and open discussion offered from the man on the matter of our city. The word democracy is derived from the latin words, demos kratus, or "let the people rule". The act of democracy is not evident in the chambers of Woodstock City Council.
You are absolutely right Mr Paquette. Nothing is Michaels' fault at all. It was the fault of the entire council, and a few others as well. Mr Harding just followed suit, right? The precedent was already set for him to drive in the same rut as every other leader before him has driven in. That was what he inherited upon his intial election, and this is what we are stuck with because he prefers to keep it that way.
He only did what was expected of him, nothing more. The mediocre. The average. Nothing substantial, just a rubber stamp.
He has performed his job well and to the standards to which we are accustomed.
I suppose that belittling or equating several of the proponents involved in the park fiasco to "environmental wackos or eco-terrorists " was in the best interests of the community. I suppose that the instructions to close the meeting on the future of the park to a handful of people was in the best interest of the taxpayer, right Mr Paquette? I guess if the aliens close all the doors, we should too.
I suppose that the city hiring some fancy mediator from out of town at your and my expense to "mediate" the argument on the parks' futures when really it was just a professional bullying excercise was in the communities' best interests right? That meeting was a waste of time, and a waste of money, and had zero value for anyone, except the developers and the city. There was no interest on the cities' part to see a peaceful resolution to the problem as the problem was and still remains in the fact they had made the deal before the public knew about it. The public was not invited to participate in the process until many in the community stood up and asked what the heck ws going on. That is not democracy. That is an abuse of power. That is a bureacracy acting without restraint.
Yes Mr Paquette, you are completely correct that Mr Harding didn't do most of this on his own. In fact, we could apply that statement to the Toyota situation which Harding really had no part in. The only thing he played a part in was the media grandstanding afterwards, and every elected local official jumped on that bandwagon.
Their arrival, had nothing to do with Mr Harding in any manner.
The studies that identified Oxford as a Toyota site were conducted long before Mr Harding came along.
What brought Toyota to Woodstock was not a willing workforce,or Mr Harding or a burgeoning need for their vehicles, but a complete team of willing and malleable public officials, bureacrats, planners and their elected counterparts that were/are ready to bend over backwards for them, and who are willing to go to bat for the corporation when needed or when our tax dollars are needed for their corporate friends. We paid millions to land Toyota here. In fact, the numbers are closer to one billion when all tiers of government corporate welfare are factored in. There are countless grants, there are subsidies, and there are tax credits. We all paid for Toyota, so therefore the credit should be given to those who will pay for this "great opportunity", the residents of Oxford, and especially Woodstock who ponied up when the tax bill arrived.
Mr Harding had nothing to do with that, if he did, we'd be even more pissed that he spent our money in such a wasteful fashion and especially on the auto industry which historically has wreaked havoc on every community in which there stands an automotive manufacturing plant.(Just look at Windsor, or Oakville or even Cambridge and tell me they aren't suffering with unemployment rates higher than the norm?)
Frankly, Toyota came here because of the availability of tax dollars that would be made available to them in the form of grants,tax credits and payments from three tiers of government. Nothing more and nothing less. They will go wherever the money takes them,and where they can extract the most resources for the cheapest price just like any other "responsible" corporate welfare reciepient.
You are right, Mr Harding had nothing to do with the Toyota developement, but he sure makes it look like he did.
Nor do I blame Harding for anything on his own.
I know that it takes a majority vote on council to do these things. I just cannot believe that a majority wanted to see the parks destroyed.

What A Week

IT'S BOILING SEASON, NO, NOT FOR POLITICANS, FOR MAPLE SYRUP

Things are just too busy for me to spend too much time writing on this thing this week.

I've been boiling maple sap down into syrup, and with the temperatures hovering between -5 at night, to +5 during the day, the sap is running quicker than I can cook it. I started this morning again at 4 AM, and will hopefully have another 20 litres cooked down by 10Am. It's amazing how much sap it actually takes to make the stuff, and it is amazing that we have boiled hundreds of gallons of the water like substance already.

My parents' Mennonite heritage has obviously stuck to me in some regards. I grew up on a family farm 20 miles north of Woodstock in the late 1960's and lived there until 1983. Each spring, like clockwork, we would head out to the bush(we had 23 acres of bush),and start the hunt for the largest hard maples(at least 35-40 years old) and begin the process of tapping the trees. Quite often we would head out before the first spring thaw, making it easier to get around the snow filled bush while the ground was hard and begin the tapping process weeks in advance. Those were some of the greatest times in my life, and I suppose boiling maple syrup is a great way to revisit those times.

I'm kind of glad to do without the wood cutting aspect though. Each fall we would spend a month "circling" wood back in the bush. Most of the trees had been cut down earlier in the spring, and were left to dry over the summer months. we would shorten them to 4 foot lengths, and then 1 at a time we would take the shortened logs, toss them onto the "circling" table, and Dad would slide the mechanism back and forth, slicing off 1 foot sections of logs for us to carry away to a trailer/wagon. My brother and I would spend our time splitting these small pieces in half with an axe, and then we'd throw them into the basement of the house. The old McCormick w-6 would grunt like mad when Dad pushed the logs into the blade, and the odd time the drive belt would fly off from the stress on the saw blade. It was always kind of scary to see that 1 foot wide belt that was 50 feet long come flying at you at 100 MPH...
It was always....DUCK!!!!!(accompanied by a few of my dads' favourite german swear words that he thought we didn't understand) before the big "snap" of the belt came flying over your head.
I guess maybe in some ways, farming can be a bit of a treachorous practice....if you aren't careful.

It is kind of strange though to want to spend my time doing this now because when I was a kid I remember thinking, why don't we just buy sugar like everyone else because the amount of work involved in getting maple syrup seemed such a waste to me.

Now I realize it was more about spending time with your family, learning self sufficiency, and maintaining a semblance of tradition in the family. I guess making maple syrup is my contribution to maintaining the history that was handed down to me by my parents.(without the mennonite overtones)

Now both of my oldest sons have gained the knowledge of the process that was handed down to me, and to my parents through successive generations of ancestors. And someday I hope they pass this on to their offspring....but not quite yet!

Woodstock Residents Deserve To Know Who Was Arrested For Sex Crimes Against Children

INFORMATION AVAILABLE AS TO THE IDENTITY OF ACCUSED CHILD MOLESTERS

When does a communities' right to know supercede the rights of the accused in sex assault or pedophilia cases?

If you want further details, mail me, I will send you the names. Or call me, I will tell you. We all have a right to know what is happening here, and for the people who may have sent their kids to this babysitter, they deserve to know as well.

The names are...Bradley Riddell, 40, and Christine Riddell, 39.

The communal rights of our city should always exceed the accused rights, but the issue is the protection of several small children in our community, and their right to exist without further identification and molestation.

On the other hand I look at the situation and think to myself that there are thousands of unsuspecting children in our community, and what is wrong with warning them away from certain suspect individuals?

I am glad these people are not my neighbours, and I can say that with certainty,(i know who they are and where they lived) but what about the others in our city who do live next to these people,that do have children and what about the concern that this person was a career babysitter in our community?

Available on FACEBOOK are many clear photos of these people, where their names are clearly visible. This person needs to be routed out of our city, and into a jail somewhere, where the inmates will take care of them when the courts are afraid to.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=515836615&hiq=chris%2Criddell

Bio-Fuels Can Be Made With HEMP!!!

HEMP SHOULD BE UTILIZED FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION INSTEAD OF FOOD GRAINS

I have some serious concerns about the mad push for food grains to be used for bio-fuel initiatives.

In an article this week in the Ottawa Citizen, David Warren wrote in his story, "In the end, it's the poor who pay the price"(http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=2a843fec-bd65-4fa8-9a97-9c1f1af49c12) " A few weeks ago, I wrote -- facetiously -- that an effective response to global warming and/or the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide would be to cut the world's food consumption by half. This could be achieved if we would all agree to eat only on odd-numbered days.
Among the advantages of having our environmental commissars enforce this scheme, I mentioned the halving of the factory and transport infrastructure that delivers the planet's food. But beyond this, the food industry's billion or so poorest customers, who barely get enough to eat now, would be removed from the carbon account entirely. Think of it on the analogy of a corporate buy-out, I suggested:
"At first, there is a net increase in CO2 'costs' as people die and their corpses decay. But later, after they have finished decaying, there are substantial and permanent net savings." "

My opinion on this matter is that he is absolutely correct in the assumption that we are about to starve the poorest of the poor in order to consume their food for our fuel needs. But he is also wrong further into the article that the reliance on fossil fuels should remain.

The polluting technology of the petroleum industry is creating a catastrophe environmentally contrary to what Mr warren says.

There is a fuel source, readily available, that requires little in the way of resources , and can be grown throughout North america, and throughout the world at low cost.

We could be utilizing hemp, not for bio-diesel as that process is too expensive as of yet, but for the production of ethanol which is low cost, and of low pressure to the environment. And on top of that, we would be providing Canadian farmers with the ability and opportunity to develope a new crop for the purpose of creating better farm family incomes as this fuel source would be supply and demand based, thereby increasing the value of the crop grown.

Removing food from a dwindling supply chain for an ever increasing world population is just wrong.

.

Our Dear Leader

OUR DEAR LEADER, ALL SEEING, ALL KNOWING, OMNIPOTENT IN EVERY REGARDThere will be no noise in my council chambers.(aside from the shuffle of my nervous peon councillors' feet)

All hail the king of Woodstock. Without him, you know we'd all be screwed.

Shit, there would be no roads, water or sewers. Hell, the parks would all be gone(not just one or two, but all of them if it weren't for the brain)

Gee whiz, we might have even missed out on the big Toyota opportunity if it weren't for him.(although the folks working for Oxford 10 years ago would sure challenge the brain on that one..but then again, no one challenges the brain in his council chambers)(you know if they are "his" council chambers, perhaps he could start selling tickets for access...or are we doing that already here?)

Seems like if you have a shitwad of money, access to "surplus" parks and other community common held property become easy pickings for friends of the brain.
So dear and humble leader(no not Kim..we are actually frightened of that leader and his nukes), bend over and let us kiss your royal plastic butt...with our boots.

Mayor harding Complains About "Subtext of anti-leadership here"

WOODSTOCK MAYOR LAMENTS THE FACT THAT THERE IS A "SUBTEXT OF ANTI-LEADERSHIP" IN WOODSTOCK

Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding recently complained to a group of people that he was speaking to that there is a "strong subtext of anti-leadership in Woodstock".

Well, anti-leadership? Perhaps he is correct...making him a very astute guy, or perhaps he is blind, making him not very astute.

The people of Woodstock are not anti-leadership, we just aren't sheeples...that's all. Most people I have spoken with do not have an issue with leadership, but feel that the leadership of the city has an issue with its' people and many of those community members feel that certain actions of Mayor Harding and his council were designed and acted upon particularly to keep the public in the dark. The recent mess over the Integrity commissioner comes to mind on that one. Mr Harding and his compatriots developed a set of IC rules that would prevent the IC from actually investigating his actions, from the time he sat on the Board of Directors of the bankrupted/wound down company ,Info Energy. The problem is not anti-leadership. The problem is the leader.

How many leaders would refuse to acknowledge that thousands upon thousands of people signed petitions stating they were interested in maintaining the existing park system? How many "leaders" would push his council into voting against the people? I'll tell you...it's the anti-people leadership that we have in our community that did that, and for that reason, people in the community hold view our leadership with suspicion and contempt.

No Mr Harding, the people of Woodstock are not to blame. The man that stands in your morning bathroom mirror looking at you may offer you some insight.

Nice, Harding Says Part Of Budget increase Is To Plan For A New Park...in the North-East

WHY NOT KEEP THE PARKS WE HAVE...INSTEAD OF SELLING THEM OFF?

According to a Heart FM news report this morning, Mayor Mike Harding says that some of the budget increase will be destined for a new park perhaps in the north east(perhaps in 2010 or 2011), or a new complex....probably to be named after himself...or maybe one of his developer buddies.

Why in the hell would we need a new park...after giving away the parks that we already have? That is a ridiculously stunned comment from an equally unimpressive mayor. I doubt that he thinks before he speaks...but that's okay because he gives us things to write about...and laugh about. In fact, some of the most stunned comments a man could make have come from his lips....but that is why we like him...it gives us something to laugh about, and hell, we know, there is nothing better than laughing at a good bunch of bullshit.

Wouldn't it be more cost effective to keep what we have, instead of leasing it to the foolish people who wish to destroy our park for a private golf course? Of course it would. Wouldn't the potential

The mayor and the city has spent thousands of dollars on studies and thousands more investigating whether or not they can give this land away to their buddies. They have squandered our conservation lands for money and a shot at prestige and an increase in personal stature amongst their developer friends.

Why would the mayor badger his council into giving away this part of the conservation area, and then turn around and say we need another park there in the same area that he just moved to rid the city of? Is he smoking something we should know about? Is he not balanced? Has Connies' lapse of mental clarity splashed onto Harding? (remember her voting against the park at the UTRCA...she introduced that motion- but on the other hand voted to bulldoze the park at the city council level?)

I'll tell you why our councillors voted to murder our parks....money, and lot's of it.

And you folks can figure out the rest.

I personally think that the Attorney General should be looking at these people and even the actions of this council in its' handling of Info Energy, and the mess surrounding it.(including the hiring of the "IC" and the rules surrounding his hiring)

Afterall, we now know that those boards Mr Big appointed himself to, have now been deemed local boards, and legally, he owes us an explanation as he was the Chairman of the Board...and we the taxpayers, deserve an answer....or just better elected leaders than that.

Is it any wonder Mr Harding that, in your own words, there is a "subtext of anti-leadership" here?

Leadership like yours is suspect, and people just don't appreciate it.

County of Oxford Elected Officials Strike committee To Investigate...PAYING THEMSELVES MORE!

OF COURSE, WHEN STRIKING A COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE YOUR OWN WAGES...BE SURE TO APPOINT YOURSELF TO THE COMMITTEE JUST TO MAKE SURE THINGS ARE BALANCED...IN YOUR FAVOR

Oh great. Just when things coudn't get any more laughable here, our elected county officials decide they need more money for wages.

Elected Oxford county officials have done such a great job...they are looking for ways to increase their own wages in order to attract...get this, better people.

So, is the county warden saying that the reason for all of the screw ups, is because we do not pay enough, and as a result, all we have elected are dolts?

His statement, "higher wages brings more quality people" could very well be correct.

Obviously the low wages we pay here has resulted in the election of a group of people who are low quality and poor calibre.

Personally, the wages of elected officials should be an election issue...not an issue that should be decided by the elcted people themselves. any committe investigating higher wages should not include any of the people who were elected. It is obvious they would increase their own wages if given the opportunity.

I tend to feel that a wage increase should be dependent upon the county councils' performance, which so far has been terrible.

Mp's Mull Over committment To Afghan War

MP'S CALL MANLEY BACK TO THE HILL FOR QUESTIONING

Yesterday, John Manley told a commons committee that is studying the Afghanistan war that the requirement for another 1000 troops was a 'bare minimum requirement" that is needed just to keep the existing troops stable and safe.

The committee questioned Manley on how he came with the number 1000 for a troop request from NATO.

Manley explained that he received recommendations from General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff, and Brigadier-General Guy Laroche who was in charge of the on ground mission last fall when the study was conducted.

"In our report we recommended that should be the minimum," Mr. Manley, the head of the independent panel that examined Canada's future mission in Afghanistan, told the Commons committee yesterday.

Frankly, I think he just pulled that number out of his head or from a hat because there is no information on how he came up with the number, except for the taken advice from two miltary leaders. Of course the miltary will ask for as much as they can get. They are like any organization and they will want the max.

The real issue in this matter should not be whether or not we can win the conflict,or even the human costs associated with this conflict, but whether or not the cost of doing battle exceeds what we are there trying to accomplish, democracy and stability.

At this point to me it appears that we are not gaining much In Afghanistan, and just what will happen anyways when Canada and its' NATO allies pull out in the future?

Ministry Of Finance Raids Result In ....Nothing, Again.

MOTOR FUELS AND TOBACCO TAX FOLKS LAUNCH RAIDS ACROSS WOODSTOCK

Inspectors from the Ontario governments' finance ministry have launched a series of raids in Woodstock this week.

The team of investigators from Oshawa was in the city in order to identify businesses that may be in violation of the Tobacco Control Act, and who may not have paid taxes on those products.(the retailer pays the tax in advance..at the time of purchase from his/her distributor)

They were searching local businesses(mine included)looking for "blunts", and other tobacco products that are subject to Ontario tobacco taxes.

Thankfully for us, we use stringent accounting practices and tests(on those practices) to ensure the practices are secure(unlike some of these elected arses)and were able to send them packing after 2 days of audits without any charge or taxes owing. Which is great for me.

I'm impressed that Ontarios' tax dollars are being used in such a fine way investigating compliant retailers.

Too bad they wouldn't use the tobacco Nazis on our elected bodies.

Federal NDP MP Charlie Angus Using You Tube For School Campaign

INDIAN AFFAIRS REFUSING TO REPLACE CONTAMINATED SCHOOL

The federal Indian affairs ministry has stated that it will not be replacing a school in the northern Ontario native community of Attawapiskat that has been closed for eight years because of health concerns.

In 1979(yes, still in the time of Trudeau)the school was contaminated by a massive diesel fuel spill and was closed for several weeks but still continued to house more than 400 studentseven though the grounds had never been cleaned up after the spill.

The federal government then made promises(both liberal and their conservative successors)to replace the condemned school within 5 years. In 2000 a group of parents removed their children from the contaminated site, and the rest of the parents followed suit shortly after. The federal government who is in charge of reserves (and all of the services available on them)now refuses to identify a timeline for the schools' replacement, and their spokeperson, Tony Prudori says there is no school being proposed.

Since 2000 students have been housed in everything from garden sheds to mouldy portables and many are taking classes in unheated conditions. A perfect environment for education.

Attawapiskat, one of the most poverty stricken reserves in Canada, is located near one of the richest diamond mines on earth.

Chuck Strahl, Minister in charge of Indian Affairs, says that due to a fire on another reserve in their school, "Attawapiskat will just have to go without and has been moved further down the pecking order." He says there is nothing he can do about it. He also said that while the situation is not ideal in Attawapiskat, "the school is not unsafe or unhealthy."

You can bet that if this was a school in any other part of Canada where the kids are white, this school would have been closed and replaced...long ago. Shame on those successive governments that ignored this issue.

Dion Blasts The SupposiTORY's

DION CLAIMS FLAHERTY OUT TO GET ONTARIO

Liberal leader Staphane Dion has come out against Jim Flaherty after the federal finance minister continued to attack the Ontario liberals over high taxation in the province that he feels is responsible for the downturn in the Ontario economy.(I guess Jim didn't hear about the US mortgage mess).

Flaherty claims that "Ontario is the last place to start a business" as a result of high taxes, but Dwight Duncan the Ontario Finance Minister says that Ontario is on an even keel with the majority of provinces in Canada on the issue of corporate taxes.

The argument has not gained the Tories any brownie points in Ontario where a poll released last week indicated the Liberal partys' fortunes were rising after weeks of scandal in the CONservative government. Nearly 40% of Canadas' population lives in Ontario, and the federal liberals are hitching their horse to their provincial conterparts who recently won an unprecendeted landlside in the province.

Many people believe that the feud between Flaherty and McGuinty goes back to when McGuinty and his liberals tossed out the CONservatives in Ontario and that Flaherty has a large axe to grind over it.

If the CONservatives are to even consider gaining enough ground for a majority government they will need to attack the most populus province and its' leaders in order to gain the ground they will need as they have tapped all of their other electoral resources throughout Canada.

Frankly, I tend to think that a minority government of any party is in the best interests of Canadians as I do not think that any of them are really fit to govern us.

Remember the monster pig story from Alabama?

THIS IS A TOTALLY LAME THING, BUT FUNNY AS HELL

Does anyone remember a story from last year that was all over the news about a kid in Alabama that had apparently bagged a massive hog in the wild? Well, I was reding this hilarious story about the thing, and it turns out that the entire thing(aside from the shooting death of a docile hog)was a poorly formulated hoax.

http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/latest-journalism-news-updates-123.php

Just an idea about the Emerald Ash Borer

A Note To Bob McFarland On The Emerald Ash Borer Problem

Hi Bob...
re: Emerald Ash Borer

Just a note on this one.
I am wondering if there is an alternative usage for the wood that will be felled during the eradication program.
I read with some interest that in the US they have been able to preserve lumber derived from affected trees through a unique process of treatment and apparently it does not affect the mechanical qualities of the lumber and leaves it suitable for above ground building projects.
Perhaps instead of open burning, we could use the wood to some degree for energy, and perhaps for construction. Maybe we could even find a willing lumber company that would take it off our hands without cost to the city.
Here is a copy and paste of some older information, but seemingly pertinent to the problem.
Kind Regards
Jim Bender

Michigan has been infested by the emerald ash borer (EAB), a destructive exotic pest of ash trees first found in southeastern Michigan in the summer of 2002 (Scarr et al. 2002). The EAB, identified as Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is reported to have been imported into North America from Asia in packaging materials (Haack et al. 2002). The EAB larvae dig galleries under the bark and feed on the cambial line, creating S-shaped patterns that eventually cut the sap lines, causing die back in ash trees (Haack et al. 2002). The pest poses a serious threat to Michigan's 700 million ash trees. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA), the EAB has killed 10 million to 15 million ash trees in southeastern Michigan, causing massive environmental and economic damage to this region of the state (McCullough et al. 2004, Smitley and McCullough 2005). To limit the spread of the pest, the MDA put most of southeastern and central Michigan under quarantine and recommended the removal of all ash trees around infestation areas. Thus, large quantities of ash are being harvested in Michigan, but the harvested wood is only chipped and burned for energy, a very low value use. Therefore it has become necessary to develop value-added uses for some of the large quantities of ash wood going into the waste stream. This article reports on the preservative treatment of ash lumber obtained from logs harvested in the eradication program. The objective was to characterize the treatability and the influence of the treatment on mechanical properties of ash wood. Material and methods Specimen preparation An 8-foot-long log was randomly selected from an EAB disposal site in Whitmore Lake, MI. The log was processed on-site with a portable sawmill and converted into nominal 2-by 4-inch by 8-foot lumber (1.5 in [3.78 cm] by 3.5 in [8.82 cm] by 8 ft [241.92 cm]). Sapwood material was carefully separated from heartwood and pieces from each group labeled accordingly. Processed lumber was shipped to the Department of Forestry at Michigan State University where it was air-dried in the wood shop with drying stickers inserted between each layer. Defect-free specimens measuring 1.5 inches (3.78 cm) by 3.5 inches (8.82 cm) by 16 inches (40.32 cm) were prepared to measure the treatability of sapwood and heartwood, while specimens measuring 0.75 inch (1.89 cm) by 0.75 inch (1.89 cm) by 16 inches (40.32 cm) were prepared to test the influence of the treatment on the strength properties of sapwood and heartwood. The average density at 10 [+ or -] 2 percent moisture content was measured at 645 kg/[m.sup.3] for sapwood and 723 kg/[m.sup.3] for hardwood. Five specimens per treatment were prepared for the treatability and 12 samples per treatment for testing the mechanical properties. From each board, specimens were cut and allocated to each of the preservative-treated and the untreated group to allow comparison between treated and untreated samples from the same boards. Different boards were used for replication in each treatment. Samples for the treatability study were end sealed with a commercial elastomeric sealant, or maintained unsealed. Treatment Pressure treatment of blocks was accomplished using a modified full-cell process, with an initial vacuum of 85 kPa (25 in Hg) for 20 minutes followed by 1241 kPa (180 psi) pressure for 1 hour, and a final vacuum of 85 kPa (25 in Hg) for 20 minutes. A 7.4 percent stock solution of alkaline copper quat (ACQ-C) under the commercial name NW100 containing copper as elemental mixed with ethanolamine complexes from Osmose Inc. (Buffalo, NY) was diluted to 0.5 and 1 percent for the ACQ-C treatment. Waterborne copper naphthenate (WBCuN) solutions (0.5% and 1%) were prepared from a 4.9 percent solution of CuNap-5W from Merichem Company (Houston, TX). Oilborne copper naphthenate (OBCuN) solution (1%) was made from a 2 percent solution of Perm-E8 from ISK Biotech (Memphis, TN). The actual amount of copper was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and the copper oxide used calculated according to American Wood-Preservers' (AWPA) Standard A2-02 (AWPA 2002). Determination of chemical retention Each specimen was weighed before and after treatment to determine preservative uptake. Retention was determined by using the volume of each sample, the weight gain after treatment, and the solution concentration. AAS was also used to analyze chemical retention in the assay zone of the outer 15-mm-thick slices and inner 20-mm slice of treated samples according to AWPA Standard A7-97 (2002), Digestion Method #5 Perchloric. The copper retention was expressed as oxides, and then converted from a weight percent to kg of preservative per [m.sup.3] wood based on the measured density of the wood species. Determination of the chemical penetration After preservative treatment, specimens were air-dried for 14 days, then cut in half. The freshly cut surfaces were sprayed with 0.5 percent solution of chrome azurol-S (AWPA 2002). The chrome azurol-S induces a dark blue stain in areas with copper concentrations more than 25 ppm. The percentage area stained was taken as an indicator of the copper penetration and was estimated according to the method described by Slahor et al. (1997), summarized as follows. Four depths of penetration were recorded: a Min(imum) X and a Max(imum) X measured in the width direction, and a Min(imum) Y and a Max(imum) Y measured in the thickness direction. Maximum measurements were limited to one-half the total distance for each dimension. A visual rating of the cross section penetrated was given: 0 = 0 to 25 percent, 1 = 25 to 50 percent, 2 = 50 to 75 percent, and 3 = 75 to 100 percent (Slahor et al. 1997). Mechanical properties The bending strength of a specimen subset was determined according to American Society for Testing and Materials Method D-143 Standard Method for the Determination of the Mechanical Properties of Clear Lumber (ASTM 2000). Specimens measuring 1 inch (2.52 cm) by 1 inch (2.52 cm) by 16 inches (40.32 cm) were prepared and treated as described and were stored in the wood shop to allow evaporation of the solvent and then placed in the conditioning room at 20[degrees]C (68[degrees]F) and 65 percent relative humidity to achieve an approximate equilibrium moisture content of 10 [+ or -] 2 percent. Twelve samples from each treatment were loaded to three-point bending on an Instron Universal Tester Model 4206. The span was 346 mm (14 in), and the span-to-depth ratio was 14:1. The crosshead speed was set at 1.25 mm/min. Statistical analysis Mechanical property data were analyzed for significant differences between the means using the one-way analysis of variance procedure in SigmaStat version 2.0 for Windows (SPSS Inc. 1997). Tukey's multiple comparisons test (95% confidence) was employed to determine differences between untreated samples and the various treatments. Results and discussion The chemical retention of pressure-treated ash heartwood and sapwood are summarized in Table 1. Unsealed sapwood retentions were 1.82 kg/[m.sup.3] for WBCuN (0.34% solution), 2.17 kg/[m.sup.3] for OBCuN (0.52% solution), and 2.35kg/[m.sup.3] for ACQ-C (0.38% solution). End-sealed sapwood retentions were 0.81 to 1.14 kg/[m.sup.3] for WBCuN, 1.68 kg/[m.sup.3] for OBCuN, and 1.63 to 3.27 kg/[m.sup.3] for ACQ-C. Unsealed heartwood specimens retentions were similar for all three chemical treatments: 1.39 kg/[m.sup.3] for WBCuN, 1.38 kg/[m.sup.3] for OBCuN, and 1.78 kg/[m.sup.3] for ACQ-C. The retentions were more variable for heartwood end-sealed specimens, measured at 0.35 to 0.56 kg/[m.sup.3] for WBCuN, 1.11 kg/[m.sup.3] for OBCuN, and 0.77 to 1.16 kg/[m.sup.3] for ACQ-C. Overall, the retentions obtained for unsealed sapwood specimens for all three chemicals met the AWPA standards recommendations for use categories one, two, and three (UC1, UC2, UC3) for the treatment of wood and wood-based materials for interior construction not in contact with the ground (UC1); not in contact with the ground but may be subject to dampness (UC2); and exterior applications, coated or uncoated and not in contact with the ground (UC3A, UC3B). However, since the samples treated were only 16 inches long, it would be expected that when full-length lumber specimens are treated, the retention would be more related to the retentions for end-sealed samples. In that case, the end-sealed heartwood specimens treated with the two waterborne systems did not meet AWPA recommendations for UC3A and UC3B. The only system that had retention levels meeting UC4 (wood and wood-based materials used in contact with the ground) specifications was OBCuN. Although these AWPA recommendations are aimed at the treatment of softwoods, our results suggests that ash sapwood and heartwood lumber could be successfully treated and used for aboveground applications such as furniture, millwork, interior beams, flooring, and sill plates. Our findings also suggest that for aboveground applications where products are exposed to weather such as trim, decks, siding, and railing (UC3A, UC3B, UC4), oilborne copper naphthenate is more appropriate than waterborne formulations. These treatments will create a more valuable use of ash wood compared to chipping and burning as is currently the case in the EAB eradication program. The chemical penetration and coverage, except for one case, was generally good (50% to 75% penetration) or full (100% penetration) for sapwood (Table 2). Penetration was more variable for the heartwood samples, with the best result obtained with OBCuN (100% penetration). A follow-up study using several OBCuN concentrations and both pressure and dip treatments was conducted. Results summarized in Table 3 show that pressure treatments with 0.7 and 1.05 percent solutions resulted in retentions above 4.0 kg/[m.sup.3], which is acceptable for several aboveground and ground contact applications. This result suggests that ash lumber can also be pressure treated for ground contact applications such as farm posts and fences. The dip treatment generated much lower retentions, varying from 0.8 kg/[m.sup.3] to 0.1 kg/[m.sup.3]. Such retention levels are well below that required for any exterior application. The influence of the pressure treatment on the strength and stiffness properties is summarized in Table 4, which shows that the modulus of rupture (MOR) and modulus of elasticity (MOE) were not negatively affected by the chemical treatments. Conclusions The oilborne and waterborne preservative treatability of ash lumber obtained from the EAB eradication program in southern Michigan was investigated in order to evaluate for the potential for using ash as treated lumber. Results showed that treatment of sapwood with WBCuN, OBCuN, and ACQ-C can generate chemical retentions acceptable for aboveground applications. A subsequent test with higher concentrations of OBCuN also showed that, using a pressure treatment process, treating solutions of 0.7 and 1.05 percent Cu in OBCuN can generate retentions above 4.0 kg/[m.sup.3], which are suitable for several ground contact applications. The retention of dip-treated specimens was very low and not suitable for any application. The treatment process did not negatively affect the mechanical properties, suggesting that ash maintained its structural integrity after the treatment. Results show that it is technically feasible to develop value-added treated wood products from ash wood currently going into the waste stream from the EAB eradication program. However, there are several challenges such as current practices in the preservative treatment industry to address before large quantities of ash wood start entering chemical treatments. In addition, the performance of the treatments against biological deterrents needs to be fully assessed before it can be considered effective. Treated specimens are currently exposed in our test site in Gainesville, Florida, and will be evaluated over time for susceptibility to decay and termite damage, and results will be reported in a later publication. Literature cited American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). 2000. Standard test methods on wood. D 143-96. Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Vol. 04.10. ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA. 676 pp. American Wood-Preservers' Association (AWPA). 2002. Standard A2-98; A7-93: AWPA book of standards. AWPA. Selma. AL. 463 pp. Haack. R.A., E. Jendek, H. Liu, K.R. Marchant, T.R. Petrice, T.M. Poland, and H. Ye. 2002. The emerald ash borer: A new exotic pest in North America. Newsletter of the Michigan Entomological Soc. 47(3and4): 1-5. McCullough, D.G., D. Cappaert, T. Poland, and D.R. Smitley. 2004. Control of emerald ash borer adults and larvae with insecticides. Michigan State Univ. Agri. Expt. Sta., East Lansing, MI. 8 pp. Scarr, T.A., D. McCullough. and G.M. Howse. 2002. Emerald ash borer. Forest Alert--3. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Michigan Dept. of Agriculture, and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Ontario, Canada. 4 pp. Slahor, J.J., C.C. Hassler, R.C. DeGroot. and D.J. Gardner. 1997. Preservative treatment evaluation with CCA and ACQ-B of four Appalachian wood species for use in timber transportation structures. Forest Prod. J. 47(9):33-42. Smitley, D. and D. McCullough. 2005. How homeowners can protect ash trees from the emerald ash borer in southeastern Michigan. Internet Resources: www.emeraldasgborer.info. 5 pp. SPSS. Inc. 1997. SigmaStat Statistical Software, Version 2.0 for Windows. SPSS Sci., Chicago. IL. Pascal Nzokou Sedric M. Pankras* D. Pascal Kamdem* The authors are, respectively. Assistant Professor, Research Assistant, and Professor. Dept. of Forestry, Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (nzokoupa@msu.edu,pankrasm@msu.edu, kamdem@msu.edu). This research project was funded by the USDA through the Southeastern Michigan Resource and Development Council (SEMIRCD). The authors wish to acknowledge support from the Michigan DNR, and the Dept. of Forestry at Michigan State Univ. This paper was received for publication in May 2005. Article No. 10061. * Forest Products Society Member. Table 1. -- Chemical retention of preservative pressure treated ash wood (elemental copper for WBCuN and OBCuN, CuO for ACQ-C). (a) WBCuN (a) OBCuN (b) 0.34% 0.61% 0.52% (kg/[m.sup.3][pcf]) Sapwood End-sealed 0.81 [0.05] 1.14 [0.07] 1.68 [0.11] Unsealed 1.82 [0.11] N/A 2.17 [0.14] Heartwood End-sealed 0.35 [0.02] 0.56 [0.04] 1.11 [0.07] Unsealed 1.39 [0.09] N/A 1.38 [0.09] ACQ-C (c) 0.38% 0.74% (kg/[m.sup.3][pcf]) Sapwood End-sealed 1.63 [0.1] 3.27 [0.2] Unsealed 2.35 [0.15] N/A Heartwood End-sealed 0.77 [0.05] 1.16 [0.07] Unsealed 1.78 [0.11] N/A (a) WBCuN = waterborne copper naphthenate: OBCuN = oilborne copper naphthenate: ACQ-C = alkaline copper quat type C. Table 2. -- Penetration and percentage coverage of copper preservatives in ash pressure treated sapwood and heartwood. (a) Max Min Max Min % Preservative X X Y Y Coverage Observation Sapwood 0.5% ACQ-C 9 5.5 7.5 2 0 to 25 Poor 1% OBCuN 42 42 18 18 75 to 100 Full 0.5% WBCuN 42 6.5 20 1.5 50 to 75 Good 1% ACQ-C 42 42 18 18 75 to 100 Full 1% WBCuN 42 7.5 12.5 5 50 to 75 Good Heartwood 0.5% ACQ-C 1 1 1 1 0 to 25 Poor 1% OBCuN 41 20 18 11 75 to 100 Full 0.5% WBCuN 2.5 0 2 0 0 to 25 Poor 1% ACQ-C 40 25 18 11 50 to 75 Good 1% WBCuN 11 2 18 2 125 to 50 Average (a) ACQ-C = alkaline copper quat type C: OBCuN = oilborne copper naphthenate; WBCuN = waterborne copper naphthenate; Max X = maximum distance of penetration in X axis; Min X = minimum distance of penetration in X axis; Max Y = maximum distance of penetration in Y axis; Min Y = minimum distance of penetration in Y axis. Table 3.--Chemical retention of oilborne copper naphthenate treated ash wood. Chemical retention Solution strength (elemental copper) (%) (kg/[m.sup.3][pcf]) Pressure treatment 1.05 5.4 [0.34] 0.70 4.0 [0.25] 0.35 1.8 [0.11] 0.18 0.8 [0.05] Dip treatment 1 0.8 [0.05] 0.70 0.5 [0.03] 0.35 0.2 [0.01] 0.18 0.1 [0.007] Table 4. -- Mechanical properties of preservative treated ash heartwood and sapwood. (a) Heartwood Sapwood WBCuN (a) Retention (%) 1.82 (0.11) 1.39 (0.09) MOR (x 1,000 psi) 14.6 (4.4) 13.7 (1.2) MOE (million psi) 1.4 (0.2) 1.5 (0.08) OBCuN (b) Retention (%) 2.17 (0.14) 1.38 (0.09) MOR (x 1,000 psi) 16.3 (2.4) 13.5 (1.4) MOE (million psi) 1.5 (0.2) 1.3 (0.1) ACQ-C Retention (%) 1.78 (0.11) 2.35 (0.15) MOR (x 1,000 psi) 14.0 (3.5) 15.2 (1.4) MOE (million psi) 1.4 (0.2) 1.5 (0.08) Untreated MOR (x 1,000 psi) 14.9 (2.4) 13.3 (3.4) MOE (million psi) 1.3 (0.1) 1.2 (0.07) (a) WBCuN = waterborne copper naphthenate; OBCuN = oilborne copper naphthenate; ACQ-C = alkaline copper quat type C. (b) Values in parentheses arc standard deviations

Pm Chief of Staff Investigated For Obama Leak

PM CHIEF OF STAFF IAN BRODIE MAY HAVE LEAKED DAMAGING INFORMATION

The Prime Ministers' office is in damage control after two days of news reports indicated someone in his office may have leaked information to the media regarding US Senator Obama and some comments his staff apparently made to a Canadian consulate official in Chicago.

The leak which came to light the day before the Ohio primary, is credited with removing some of the lead Obama had over Clinton, and may well be responsible for the sounding of the death knell for the Obama campaign.

On Wednesday, Mr Harper denied that his long time friend and policy wonk Ian Brodie was responsible for the leak. On day two Mr Harper admitted that he would follow the recommendations of a "leak-plugging" investigation, but still refused to suspend or fire Brodie.

There is an eery precedent to this one already.

In 2002 a Jean Chretien staffer was overheard calling GW Bush a "moron". opposition members at the time led by Stephen Harper demanded the resignation of the aide for that comment which was "heard around the world" according to Harper at the time. The aide was forced to resign. And that was only over a slur of sorts.(although one could argue there may be some truth to the comment)

The real issue here is that should Obama be elected to the US presidency, then there is a fair chance he will be forced to examine and open up NAFTA, or he will certainly face the prospect of being called a liar, and that is a far more dangerous scenario then any moronic comment Chretiens' aide ever made.

Mr Harper has no alternative but to dismiss the rogue staffer that is responsible or he risks isolating Canada from the US in trade relations in the future.

I would think that interfering in the elctoral process in the USA is not in canadas' best interests.

Jim Bender

Woodstock

A few More Pics Of Burgess Park

CITY OF WOODSTOCK ALLOWS DEVELOPER TO CHOP DOWN TREES INDISCRIMINATELY

I am trying to discover whether or not it is legal to cut trees from a waterways banks?

I was told by someone that the developer was ordered to stay 6 ft away from the stream, but obviously that has not happened. Here are trees(well, the remaining stumps) that were removed from the banks of Sally Creek.

This photo was taken March 1, 2008...I guess big money means you get to push in creeks and cut down the forests in the area.

Thanks to Mayor Michael Harding for allowing this devastation to take place. I guess this is what he calls progress.

So, Ernie Will Stand Up For The Lords' Prayer(Just not for anything that matters)

THIS IS WHY WE PAY THE GUY THE BIG BUCKS...

Ernie can't stand up for the conservation lands in the area, and Ernie can't stand up for poverty, nor will he fight for stable funding for the learning disabled but there is one thing, one little thing that Ernie can do, and that is to stand up for the intangible God thing.

This week Ernie announced that he would take the government to task over the Lords'prayer in the form of an online petition(http://www.erniehardemanmpp.com/) that he intends to read in the Ontario legislature (if he gets enough signatures) that demands that the Lords' prayer be kept in the Ontario legislature. The petition is worded like this...

PETITION
TO the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:
Whereas, the current Liberal government is proposing to eliminate the Lord’s Prayer
from its place at the beginning of daily proceedings in the Legislature, and;
Whereas, the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer has opened the Legislature every day
since the nineteenth century, and;
Whereas, the Lord’s Prayer’s message of forgiveness and the avoidance of evil is
universal to the human condition: it is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is
too often an arena of conflict, and:
Whereas, recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive
process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord’s Prayer;
Therefore we the undersigned ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve
the daily recitation of the Lord’s Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature.

Ernie believes that we residents of Ontario have been wronged by Mr Mcguinty,(he may be right and everyone in the province could say they've been wronged by him...but removing the Lords Prayer from the operations of government doesn't count.) and he intends on doing something about it...afterall, Ontario could very well end up in the pits of hell if he doesn't take this mess up.

For the past year and a half, Ernie has been consulted on many matters,with no effect and certainly no action. On the issue of Standard tube and Burgess parks, Ernie said there was squat he could do for the community even though the land is covered under provincial legislation, he still refused to do anything. He also claimed that the on the issue of Info Energy, there was nothing he could do as it isn't proper for him to deal wqith the municpal tier.(even though his self claimed "extensive knowledge" of the Ontario Municipal Act might have come in handy during the investigation process which is still ongoing...but heck no, he can't be involved, 'cuz that would look like he's interfering in the operations of the municipality once again.)

On the issue of Autism, Ernie said before the last election that he would support any intitatives that would assist parents of these children to gain a better education for their learning disabled kids, but no, Ernie doesn't say nothing about that.

Instead, Ernie(in this day and age of secular government)decides that ensuring the right of the intangible "lords"prayer to exist in peace in the daily operations of government would be more important than anything else he could come up with....like say a petition to save the family farm, or say a petition to ensure that all school age children have access to dental treatment, or say how about seeing cancer treatment centres expanded into smaller communities. or what about all of those big election plans that he and everyone else had? What about taking coal plants offline? I don't see a petition on that one. Or what about the widespread poor conditions in seniors' homes? No, I don't see Ernie there either.(Although he appears to look like he should be in there.)

One thing that is interesting to look at is the reduction of religion in daily life in the past 20 years.

The fastest growing religion in Canada is Islam, and this religion is expected to surpass Judaism and Buddhism before the next census is analyzed. Perhaps they should be installing kneeling rugs or whatever they are called in the legislature.

Group Membership % of total population
Roman Catholic
12.8 million 43.2%

No religion
4.8 million 16.2%

United Church
2.8 million 9.6%

Anglican
2.0 million 6.9%

Other Christian, Apostolic, Born-again, Evangelical
780 thousand 2.6%

Baptist
729 thousand 2.5%

Lutheran