The Woodstock Independent

Forecasters' prediction of a brutally cold winter couldn't have been more wrong - Winnipeg Free Press

2012-02-01T07:43:00.000-05:00

Forecasters' prediction of a brutally cold winter couldn't have been more wrong - Winnipeg Free Press

Geez, the guy works for Environment Canada...it's a wonder he still has a job.

Private-sector walkway for Jasper delayed

2012-02-01T07:23:00.000-05:00

Private-sector walkway for Jasper delayed

Shit...with a government like this I'm surprised they haven't just moved to limit the debate on this one.
Hell, why not just jam a pipeline in there or a damned oil refinery if you're talking about creating business opportunities in parks?
Those CONServatives obviously view the park as a money making resource, not as the collective public resource it once was.
Oh well, in four years time, next election, we'll have an opportunity to drop this ideologically driven waste of time government and replace it with something more palatable to the average middle of the road Canadian.
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Often I wonder what drives men and women to make the irrational decisions they make.
I look at the world and the people around me and have determined that most people would refuse to vote for someone smarter or more intellectual than themselves for several reason but most importantly, no one wishes to vote for someone who might show them up. The voter does not wish to look stupid so they vote for the stupidest fuck they can find...the guy with the biggest uni-brow.
Oxford has a majority of persons who have failed to achieve even a grade 12 education. This was identified in a local risk assesment study of the region just a few short years ago in 2006.
It is no surprise that local people elected to the HOC are generally miserable failures in life who lack basic education levels.
Our local MP is no exception to the rule. He lacks the basic skills to manage his own office and if it were not for the capable staffers hired at public expense to do his job for him, this local MP would have difficulty riding his own bicycle.

Trost questions “iron-clad” party discipline

2012-02-01T06:44:00.000-05:00

Trost questions “iron-clad” party discipline

“Contrast that to Canada, where party discipline is ironclad,” Trost said. “If everyone in a party thinks the same on every issue, not a lot of thinking is going on.”

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It's a pretty sad state of affairs when this guy has to be afraid to speak out and speak up.
Have fun in your fake democracy party dude.

Research belies PM’s warning about OAS - The Globe and Mail

2012-01-31T13:14:00.000-05:00

Research belies PM’s warning about OAS - The Globe and Mail

"Expert advice commissioned by the federal government contradicts Stephen Harper’s warnings that Canada can’t afford the looming bill for Old Age Security payments."
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Well, why rely on the experts when you can rely on gut instinct or overzealous desires.
Fact is, we aren't dealing with a bunch of smart folks here, we're dealing with some serious ideologists.

Citing ‘enthusiastic support,’ Tories move to cap pension bill debate - The Globe and Mail

2012-01-31T12:56:00.000-05:00

Citing ‘enthusiastic support,’ Tories move to cap pension bill debate - The Globe and Mail

Oh well...Harpers' got himself a plan, one that will guarantee him no return in a few short years.
No matter how disoriented the opposition, seniors will vote against this tyrant for sure
when they realize that they've been stabbed in the back by him.

BBC News - Afghan woman is killed 'for giving birth to a girl'

2012-01-31T06:48:00.000-05:00

BBC News - Afghan woman is killed 'for giving birth to a girl'

Oh my....and this is what Harper keeps us in Afghanistan for?

A Canadian sidekick for Colbert

2012-01-31T06:46:00.000-05:00

A Canadian sidekick for Colbert

Wow, to think one of Gord Andersons' car salesman is more trustable than our local MP is astounding...I bought a car there once and wasn't overly impressed with the service afterwards, but at least I did get a car for my money compared to the nothing I'm getting for my money today.

The big question I have is ‘why?’ - John Rafferty MP - NetNewsledger.com

2012-01-31T06:05:00.001-05:00

The big question I have is ‘why?’ - John Rafferty MP - NetNewsledger.com

"While Clement was busy on the talk-show circuit back home, the Prime Minister went to Davos Switzerland, supposedly to launch an attack on those irresponsible Europeans over the perils of debt. He did attack them for a few seconds in a meandering speech, but then decided to drop a bomb on Canadian families while out of the country. Harper told the assorted group of foreign bankers and heads of states that there would be ‘major’ changes to Canada’s retirement support programs – the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS). When forced to clarify his remarks, his handlers said it would mostly be to OAS, which goes only to the poorest seniors who would not otherwise be able to survive on their CPP payments alone. Classy move."
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"The strongest argument that I have heard against the need for service and retirement cuts has been made by the very same Conservatives that are planning the cuts. Day in and day out, the Harper government maintains that they have everything under control economically and that our budget deficits will melt away naturally in a couple of years’ time. This argument was after all, the crux of their election platform. Now if this is true, then why make drastic cuts to our services and retirement income? Something is wrong with this picture. Either Mr. Harper is dying to attack hard-working Canadian families and our retirement security, or he is lying about the current state affairs with our economy and his deficits. Simply put, if he is to be believed about the economy and his deficits, then the service and retirement cuts his government is floating simply aren’t necessary."

Oxford MP Says Service Cut Report Speculative

2012-01-30T19:51:00.000-05:00

Oxford MP Says Service Cut Report Speculative

There's your MP, defending the indefensible.
With looming cuts to pensions and numerous services to Canadas' most vulnerable persons, you don't hear Dave talking about how he'd be glad to give up the 700 and some odd thousand dollar payoff he'll get should he resign from office today after less than 10 years at "work".
Instead he blithey says,
"the Conservatives priority is to continue focusing on the jobs and the economy and to get Canadians focused on it".

Now what the heck kind of statement is that?

Shafia family sentenced to life for four counts of first-degree murder

2012-01-30T07:53:00.000-05:00

Shafia family sentenced to life for four counts of first-degree murder

I'm sure they'll try to file an appeal...here's to hoping real justice is exacted before that opportunity arises.
All three of them need a swift boot to the head with a pair of steel toes...too damned bad that CSC took the damned things away from the inmates.

Changes to immigration system will help Canada bring in tradespeople: Kenney

2012-01-29T20:55:00.000-05:00

Changes to immigration system will help Canada bring in tradespeople: Kenney

Jesus H Christ.
Don't bring any more people into Canada, that's how we got our asses into the mess we're in!
Instead, let's try educating the folks who live here and perhaps then we'll have sufficient bodies for trades typeed jobs instead of importing labour to do the work we are fully capable of doing ourselves.

Local pig farmer sentenced to jail time and hefty fine for manure spill - Woodstock Sentinel Review - Ontario, CA

2012-01-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Local pig farmer sentenced to jail time and hefty fine for manure spill - Woodstock Sentinel Review - Ontario, CA

Must have been one of those friendly farmer types...just trying to feed a local city:)

City removes weight equipment from Burgess Park

2012-01-29T09:44:00.004-05:00

Apparently(according to the person who mailed this in to me today)the excercise equipment that wierdly showed up in Burgess Park(apparently without UTRCA approval prior to installation)has been removed......WOOT WOOT!

Maher: Tories have put Canadians in a hole

2012-01-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

Maher: Tories have put Canadians in a hole

Literally, the guys who claim they were elected for their accountability, integrity and fiscal abilities have taken Canada down a road of risk, laden with debt and quirky socialist decisions.
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At the end of the day though, the very same fools who voted these folks into office have just had a stake driven through their own miserable collective hearts. Perhaps they, the voters, will learn a lesson...and next time study the idiots' platforms before you vote for them...you folks should have known better...Harper did say repeatedly throughout his life that Canada is/was a loser welfare state and he would kill it if he could. That "loser welfare state" includes your silly assed pensions and all the "loser welfare state" money you folks get every month from CPP/OAS.
You know for a while, I seriously thought this PM was only about attacking the opposition parties and the people who supported those parties. I thought for a while he was all about killing off the errant potheads and mushroom farmers from the hills of Nelson, BC. Today I realize that Harpers' "CONservatives" (or is it reformatories?) are all about the CON and less about the serving and that this party would stab its' mother between the shoulder blades before pulling her gold teeth out,(if it actually had one) to pawn them off for a GM bailout or a few bucks for a Clement designed Gazebo replete with gargoyles and grotesques.
Thank goodness, perhaps a few million of those low brow folk will just quit voting, and perhaps they too will feel as isolated as millions of other Canadians are today. Perhaps this is the biggest opportunity ever, an opportunity to re-Campbell the government back to rump party status, back to the lie from which it came.

I found winter....alive and well in Ontarios' north

2012-01-29T08:29:00.002-05:00

A Submission.....AW

2012-01-29T08:27:00.001-05:00

Did you know The Sentinel website has a "feedback" section? It's a place where anyone can post about any topic they wish and invite comments and opinion from others. It's like an old fashioned internet bulletin board. It can be found under "contact us" on the horizontal menu bar at the top of the page.

It is empty. There is nothing there. Is that because nobody knows it's there? I just stumbled upon it. I don't think they've promoted it in any way. Or maybe it's because of their "privacy" policy. This appears at the top of the page.....

Sun Media respects your privacy. By posting your comments in our Feedback Forum, you give us permission to post and publish your name, city, and comments on our Web page and in the editorial/comment section of our newspaper. If you elect to agree to display your e-mail address, it will be posted along with the other information you provide. Please keep your comments to a maximum of 500 words.

They open with a statement that states they respect your privacy, Then they go on to say they reserve the right to not only publish your name and city but publish whatever you submit in the newspaper as well as on the website. At first glance this is a contradiction and would certainly serve to discourage people from using the feedback section. Did I mention it's empty? If their privacy policy is to be taken at face value then this is no more private than sending a letter to the editor.

I've looked at Brantford's feedback section. It's active and the only information that appears is the first name of the poster and the city. That's OK. Nothing intimidating there. Is that how it works in Woodstock? An improved privacy policy statement that clarifies just what will appear in print might encourage some people to use the feedback section. How about "we will only publish your first name and city on our website or newspaper." If they did that and let people know the feedback section exists maybe it would come alive.

Give it a try...........
http://www.woodstocksentinelreview.com/feedback1/Feedback.aspx

The trial that gripped a nation: Warmington | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

2012-01-29T07:44:00.000-05:00

The trial that gripped a nation: Warmington | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun

Frankly, there's nothing "gripping" about this story when this is such a goddamned common issue in the Islamic religion.
Perhaps what is alarming is the fact that it took place right under our noses, in our country, and our politicians let these kinds of morally diseased people into our country and you have to wonder why?

And more FD jpegs

2012-01-27T07:14:00.002-05:00

A few of those local FD jpegs

2012-01-27T07:11:00.001-05:00

Prime Minister Harper unveils grand plan to reshape Canada - The Globe and Mail

2012-01-27T06:50:00.000-05:00

Prime Minister Harper unveils grand plan to reshape Canada - The Globe and Mail

And there goes millions of Canadians' plans to retire at age 65 if Harper decides to remake CPP.
The good thing about this is that most of the old coots on the verge of collecting CPP vote for the CPC at election time.
Pissing of a good segment of society will assist other parties in overthrowing the present day government and will return Harper to the cesspool he rose out of.

A health snapshot for Oxford County

2012-01-27T06:46:00.000-05:00

New Healthy Communities Report paints a picture of the health of Oxford County residents and sets out local health priorities

Oxford County Public Health & Emergency Services released to County Council on Wednesday Healthy Communities Oxford: Community Picture Report 2011, a research summary that puts forward a snapshot of the health of Oxford County citizens and also outlines the local health priorities that came forward as part of the Government of Ontario-sponsored Healthy Communities Fund planning work that took place in 2011.

The report gives local health and social service agencies a baseline summary of the social-demographic characteristics that impact the health and well-being of our citizens, for instance median income and educational attainment; physical activity levels; smoking and substance misuse; and people’s perception of life stress.

The report also identifies local health priorities for each of the six areas targeted by the Healthy Communities Fund. Oxford County’s local priorities, which are based on input from a public survey and a community partner planning session that were held last January, are:

§ Nutrition: Nutrition education; partnerships with farmers

§ Injury prevention: Education and awareness

§ Mental health promotion: Destigmatizing mental illness; increased access to local services; creation of a community plan

§ Physical activity, sport and recreation: Better affordability; better accessibility (better transportation and playgrounds, more green space)

§ Substance and alcohol misuse: Access to front-line, trained supports for treatments in each community; prevention education; local treatment facility

§ Tobacco use and exposure: Smoke-free public space policies beyond Woodstock; affordable and accessible smoking cessation aids

A key goal of Oxford County’s Community Picture Report is to give local community agencies the information they need to apply for a Healthy Communities Fund Grant. This funding is open to two or more local organizations working in partnership to achieve common goals to address the six local health promotion priorities. The deadline for local/regional applications is Tuesday, February 28, 2012.

The Healthy Communities Oxford: Community Picture Report 2011 will be available online on January 30, 2012 at www.oxfordcounty.ca/health.

BACKGROUND

The Healthy Communities Fund provides funding to community partnerships to plan and deliver integrated programs that improve the health of Ontarians. The Healthy Communities Fund plays a key role in helping achieve the vision of Ontarians leading healthy and active lives. The Healthy Communities Fund consists of a Grants Project Stream, a Partnership Stream, and a Resource Stream. For more information visit www.mhp.gov.on.ca/en/healthy-communities/hcf/default.asp

New Scam Alert....... : Environmentalists throwing global warming under the bus.

2012-01-27T06:44:00.000-05:00

New Scam Alert: Environmentalists throwing global warming under the bus.

The press agencies inform that the organizers have acknowledged that the climate hysteria is "too controversial" and "intractable". It is not sustainable so they have shifted to a topic that "everyone" must agree with, namely "sustainable development". Same scammers. Different scam.

http://motls.blogspot.com/2012/01/sustainable-conference-in-rio-finds-agw.html#more

Firefighter Facing Fraud Charges

2012-01-26T07:19:00.002-05:00

Firefighter Facing Fraud Charges

Intersting.
3 years and 8 months ago when Ron Fraser was the police chief, I forwarded to him copies of documents that were dumped into my mailbox which belonged to the Woodstock Fire Department.(April 25, 2008 in case you don't recall that Sir.)
Those documents,(which i still have copies of)detailed an alleged fraud at the city operated fire department. There were allegations of financial improprieties, alleged equipement thefts and misuse, and details of a business one member setup for personal gain while using city owned equipment. Other memebers of the department made the charge and dropped the info to me, and asked me to forward it to the police....who did absolutely nothing with the information.(ask Mr Fraser about that)
I've often wondered why Ron didn't have this investigated, and I wonder what did Ron do with the evidence? The City of Woodstock actually sent a clerk up to my adult shop to pick up the 2 inch stack of papers....but not until I had an opportunity to photocopy them.
I just knew that Fraser woudn't do a thing despite the evidence being dropped directy into his lap.
And that guy sits on city council...thanks to your local CPC riding association, and that's the guy you're supposed to have faith and trust in?

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Police lawyers 'coming out of woodwork' inquiry hears

2012-01-26T07:04:00.000-05:00

Police lawyers 'coming out of woodwork' inquiry hears

We all know how this works....
the police are public entities.
The police are fully indemnified from acts of sheer stupidity or even from criminal acts they commit while in uniform.
The police when they can will do whatever is necessary to ensure that they are protected from prosecution for "crimes" committed.
They have resources(yours and mine) with which they can fight any battle.
Their unions protect them from the law while they upstand the law themselves.

Budget ‘good exercise’ for First Nations | The Chronicle Herald

2012-01-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Budget ‘good exercise’ for First Nations | The Chronicle Herald

What the headline should say is this....

"Free money good for natives"....

And the story should read....
Canadas' native population is excited to be on the recieving end of millions in taxpayer funds to do as they see fit....which most times means....one or two band members....the leadership, will end up filthy rich while allowing the kids on their own reserves to go without and you and I get to pay for it.
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This is laughable. And just another joke upon the Canadian people.

Oil policy turning good guy Canada into global bad boy

2012-01-26T06:42:00.000-05:00

Oil policy turning good guy Canada into global bad boy

"In a Jan. 20 piece headlined "Is our neighbor to the north becoming a jingoistic petro-state?" the influential Slate online news magazine suggested with barely restrained glee that the new ugly American is actually Canadian."
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Great, like Harper said, you ain't going to recognize Canada when he's finished.
He might be right....never thought I'd confuse any of us as being ugly fucking americans but this idiot has made it so we all look like ugly fucking americans.
Soon we'll have to wear Swiss flags on our backs to travel just so people don't think we're Canadians and decide to beat us for being a bunch of frigging Harper yahoos.

World News: Gadhafi loyalists seize control of Libyan town in major operation - thestar.com

2012-01-25T07:32:00.000-05:00

World News: Gadhafi loyalists seize control of Libyan town in major operation - thestar.com

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes returns the dregs of Colonel Ghadafi's regime.
I suppose not everyone is enjoying the new freedom of living in the land of Sharia law.

Canada News: New report shows police rely on long-gun registry - thestar.com

2012-01-25T07:28:00.000-05:00

Canada News: New report shows police rely on long-gun registry - thestar.com

Ssshhhh....quiet, or they'll decide to keep it.

Canada News: PMO branded environmental group an ‘enemy’ of Canada, affidavit says - thestar.com

2012-01-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

Canada News: PMO branded environmental group an ‘enemy’ of Canada, affidavit says - thestar.com

Well, the way this government works, most of us are enemies of the state.
The only people who fit into Harpers' Canada are the low brows that listen to the guy.

Unsafe asbestos handling leads to 60-day jail term - British Columbia - CBC News

2012-01-25T06:31:00.000-05:00

Unsafe asbestos handling leads to 60-day jail term - British Columbia - CBC News

Maybe they should just arrest the Prime Minister for permitting the mining of this crap.
Afterall, the evidence against asbestos is massive.
Canada ships asbestos around the globe to other nations where they are permitted to use it and handle it without any regulations of care for human life.
Here in Canada, Asbestos is illegal and for the most part, we try to remove it from buildings...even Canadas' historic parliament buildings...you know, the place where we send all the folks who aren't employable, had its innards ripped out to save the PM and his cronies from asbestos poisoning.
Yes Canada...it's kind of cool being known as exporters of death,

A submission....AW

2012-01-24T07:05:00.001-05:00

Heart FM

Mayor to Turn Down $11,000

Posted about a week ago by Adam J. Nyp

For the second straight year, Woodstock Mayor Pat Sobeski is saying "no" to money.

On Thursday night, Sobeski will table a motion at city council, denying renumeration for his participation on the Woodstock Police Services Board and Woodstock Hydro Board.

Sobeski explains why in this month's "Webchat with the Mayor" in the video below. He also touches on three other issues coming before Woodstock City Council this week.

In turning down the payments, Sobeski will forego collecting some 11-thousand dollars in 2012.

He's tabling a motion and grabbing headlines for doing what he promised during the election campaign? I suppose it is news worthy as, by my reckoning, it's the only promise he's kept. Where's the headline that says he's instituted the public petition process he promised? Where's the headline that ushers in the new era of transparency and accountability he promised? He should be refusing to collect his salary as Mayor as he's refused to do what he said he would do.

Let's just look a little closer at that $11,000. Given his total taxable income a good chunk of that extra income would be taxed back so he's hardly refusing the full amount of $11,000. The actual amount he's (apparently) turning down is being used to buy him PR spin like the story on Heart FM. Money well spent (refused?)

This does raise a broader question though. How much of our tax money do our Mayor, and the other members of Council and local boards rake in on an annual basis? The Mayor thinks it's news that he refused $11,000. I think it would be news if he told us just how much he (and his cronies) haven't refused.