Indonesian Quake Kills Hundreds

QUAKE KILLS HUNDREDS IN INDONESIA

Injured Police Use Criminal Injuries Compensation Board

SHOULD POLICE BE PERMITTED TO ACCESS MONEY EARMARKED FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME?

 Police across Ontario who are injured on the job are accessing monies from the Criminal injuries Compensation Board for silly things like broken fingers and stubbed toes.

 According to a Toronto star report, police in Ontario who have been injured on the job have as a result of a legal loophole the ability to apply for funds even when they have been fairly compensated by their workplace safety insurance. The article goes on to make a point of one case in particular where a family had their son murdered and were handed $10,000.00 by the board. A cop who was injured on the job received $10,000.00 for "pain and suffering" after suffering a broken leg even though he was able to collect his wages in full from his workplace insurance.

 More than $1.5 million has been turned over to injured officers for mainly pain and suffering.

 Do you feel that police should be able to take this money while being paid by the province or by their personal insurers in full while off work?

Some Intersting Points To Ponder....Woodstocks' Art Gallery..An Email I Recieved

Woodstock Art Gallery a "Done Deal"?!‏

Hopefully some of you can attend Thursday's council meeting.
UNBELIEVEABLE …. and Appalling
September 8, 2009 minutes … you will read the following statement …
“the committee did NOT receive the costing report from KNY / AJ Hooker” ….
Later in those same minutes … “the timeline developed by Bob McFarland … to present to Council on October 1st … Public Open House on October 6th …
… (AND ARE YOU READY) … the staff report to Council with recommendations to proceed with the project (including financial information) …
And finally, the next meeting of the committee is at the call of chair pending receiving the AJ Hooker cost report …
SO STAFF (McFarland) IS WRITING A REPORT TO RECOMMEND A PROJECT THAT IS DEPENDENT ON BUDGET CONSTRAINTS … BEFORE HE and THE COMMITTEE HAVE EVEN SEEN THE COSTING REPORT !!!!
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Therefore follow this time line …
September 8 Tuesday … Building Committee minutes indicate costing report not available and delayed
September 23 Wednesday … date of SCHEMATIC DESIGN ESTIMATE report … prepared for KNY Architects and Prepared by A.W. Hooker
September 25 Friday … date of letter from KNY to City of Woodstock … presenting their design concept … to be received as information
September 25 Friday … (or earlier) Recommendations in Item 11-C … from Leonard Reeves, Chair, Building Committee
September 25 Friday … KNY / AW Hooker report enclosed in the City Council Agenda and distributed to Councillors
September 28 Monday … Building Committee reviews KNY / AW Hooker costing report
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
COUNCILLORS ARE LEAD TO ASSUME THAT THE BUILDING COMMITTEE HAS REVIEWED THE COSTING REPORT BEFORE SENDING TO CITY COUNCIL … I MEAN, ISN”T THAT WHAT ADVISORY COMMITTEES ARE SUPPOSE TO DO … BE THE EYES AND EARS OF COUNCIL !!!!
SO THE BUILDING COMMITTEE DID NOT REVIEW THE COSTING REPORT UNTIL YESTERDAY ….
YET THE CHAIR OF THE BUILDING COMMITTEE PLACES IT ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA … CLEARLY WITHOUT THE ENDORSEMENT OF BUILDING COMMITTEE MEMBERS …
HENCE THE “TO BE RECEIVED AS INFORMATION” AND THE FAILURE TO MENTION THAT THE BUILDING COMMITTEE HAS YET TO REVIEW THE COSTING REPORT OF KNY / AW HOOKER … OR THAT THE BUILDING COMMITTEE MAY HAVE CONCERNS !!!!

Cell Phone Ban To Take Effect October 26

OCTOBER 26TH MARKS THE END OF TALKING/TEXTING/EMAILING AND DRIVING...THANK GOODNESS

 Personally i just want to say that this is a good idea. Many times I've been travelling down the road and you'll see some driver fumbling with their GPS or their cell phone while weaving in and out of traffic.

 I've always been of the mind that perhaps we should be using the "impaired driving" laws for people who choose to scare the crap out of the rest of us or even worse, crash into us while texting their lives away. That may have stopped many persons from driving "text drunk".

 Last year I was rear ended by a man who was arguing with his wife while driving their car. I've always thought that he was as impaired as anyone at the time of the crash as he was not concentrating on the job of driving as he was in the midst of a heated argument while behind the wheel. To me, that is impaired.As impaired as person on a cellphone behind the wheel.

 Yes, banning cell phone use is okay, but will it stop this behaviour behind the wheel? I'm not so sure. People still drink and drive and I'm sure that people will still text talk and drive. Really what makes a law good is its' ability to be enforced and if there is no enforcement than the law is a waste of time.

 I won't be talking and driving anytime soon. (I can't afford the fine.)

HST Could Add Nearly $200.00 To average Ontario Home Heating Bill

ONTARIO REFUSES TO EXEMPT HOME HEATING COSTS FROM PROPOSED HST
 The Ontario government has yet to offer any exemptions from the proposed HST according to Premier Dalton McGuinty who stated yesterday that Ontario could not afford to exempt heating bills as that exemption would cost Ontario at least $900 million per year.
 According to Stats Canada (who keeps national statistics on everything from births to underwear sales)home heating costs in Ontario are generally in the range of $2047.00 per year including GST. With the GST removed heating costs would drop by 5%, but the increase of 13% HST would bring you an increase of $198.00 per year.
 $198.00 per year could buy you a lot of groceries. For single parents this could be a very unnecessary burden. For seniors on fixed incomes, this will be costly. Generally for the poor of Ontario this will be a hugely expnsive program.
 And of course, I will always stand against the proposed HST in its' current form.
 The HST was introduced to the Ontario government by the federal Conservative minister of finance, Jim Flaherty.Thanks Jim for making life a little bit harder for Ontario residents.