The Liberal government wants to provide assistance indefinitely for the legacy media after the $595 million federal journalism bailout expires in 2024.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Department of Canadian Heritage hasn’t ruled out extending funding despite the fact that the bailout has failed to save financially unviable outlets or prevent them from going under.
“News businesses have seen their revenues significantly decline affecting coverage of our communities and institutions,” said Canadian Heritage spokesperson David Larose.
“The government is committed to supporting the long term viability of the Canadian news sector including through various tax measures and programs.”
Multiple media businesses have shuttered their doors despite receiving federal funding in the form of tax credits and payroll rebates for employees.
The Vancouver Courier and Stonewall Argus have all ceased publishing since the bailout was first introduced in 2019.
Other outlets that took federal funding like Halifax’s Chronicle Herald ended up firing their employees despite receiving $13,750 per employee payroll rebates and tax credits.
The Saltwire Network Inc., which owns the Chronicle Herald, outlet fired 111 employees on Sept. 1, 2020 citing a loss of revenues during the pandemic. Former veteran employees took the outlet to court in an ongoing lawsuit alleging wrongful dismissal.
Canadian Heritage cited legislation like Bill C-18, a bill that would make social media companies pay news outlets, as part of its efforts to prop up legacy media outlets.
“The bill will contribute to the sustainability of the news sector including the sustainability of independent local news businesses,” said Larose.
Recent studies show that Canadians are rapidly losing trust in traditional media according to the University of Oxford’s 2022 Digital News Report.
Only 42% of Canadians were found to be trusting of “most news” which represents a 13% decline since 2016.
Telecom giant Rogers is experiencing Canada-wide outages Friday morning, affecting thousands of wireless, cable, and internet customers.
Rogers confirmed on its Twitter account that it is trying to “resolve” the issue.
“We are aware of issues currently affecting our networks and our teams are fully engaged to resolve the issue as soon as possible.” Rogers tweeted. “We will continue to keep you updated as we have more information to share.”
We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected. We are aware of issues currently affecting our networks and our teams are fully engaged to resolve the issue as soon as possible. We will continue to keep you updated as we have more information to share.
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring watchdog group, reported that total internet traffic in Canada was down by 25% of its normal level on Friday morning.
“Confirmed: A major internet outage has been registered across Canada; real-time network data show national connectivity down to 75% of ordinary levels,” tweeted NetBlocks. “Incident impacts network operator Rogers and other [Internet Service Providers], with telephony and emergency calls reported unavailable by many.”
⚠️ Confirmed: A major internet outage has been registered across #Canada; real-time network data show national connectivity down to 75% of ordinary levels; incident impacts network operator Rogers and other ISPs, with telephony and emergency calls reported unavailable by many 📉 pic.twitter.com/aJhksefYC1
Downdetector, which tracks outages by crowdsourcing status reports, showed over 20,000 users affected by the outage. The number dropped to around 9,000 by 10am ET.
Emergency services, travel and financial networks have been affected as well. TD Bank has said it is currently facing system issues with its Interac e-transfer services.
“The Rogers Network is experiencing some technical difficulties” tweeted Toronto Police Operations. “Some people will have trouble connecting. There are some connection problems calling 9-1-1.”
ADVISORY: City of Toronto – The Rogers Network is experiencing some technical difficulties – Some people will have trouble connecting – There are some connection problems calling 9-1-1 – We are working to resolve these issues ^dh
— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) July 8, 2022
TekSavvy, re-seller of Rogers services said that its own services were down and there is “no ETA” on when they will be restored.
The Confederation Bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick reported not being able to process debit payments and is only accepting cash and credit cards for payment. CBC Nova Scotia reported bank machines in the area and around Toronto are out of order.
CBC’s radio station in Kitchener, Ontario has been taken off the air as a result of the outages.
Nine candidates have put their names forward to be considered for the next UCP leader and Alberta premiership. The race was ignited in May, after Premier Jason Kenney announced his intentions to resign immediately following a leadership review which revealed he had the support of just 51.4% of party members. Kenney will stay on as interim leader.
All candidates have experience as elected officials, ranging from local to federal politics. Six are sitting MLAs, including five UCP MLAs. Two are former Wildrose Party leaders, and one is running even though he’s been disqualified by the party.
Travis Toews
Former Finance minister Travis Toews is the only official UCP leadership candidate, so far. The party approved his candidacy on Tuesday after he filed the necessary paperwork, which included 1,ooo signatures from across the province.
Toews, who resigned his cabinet role to run in the leadership contest, left behind a $3.9 billion budgetary surplus, largely attributable to unexpectedly high energy prices and household income.
He’s the caucus favorite; 25 of 61 MLAs have endorsed his candidacy.
The Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA sat on Premier Jason Kenney’s “Covid cabinet” and is now appealing to voters disenfranchised with his government’s pandemic record. “It’s time to unite under common principles of responsible fiscal management, individual freedom, and limited government,” he said at his campaign launch in Edmonton last month. Toews took aim at Ottawa for “moving the goalposts” after the federal government said earlier this week two Covid-19 vaccine doses are no longer enough. He doesn’t support the Alberta Sovereignty Act, which he said would destroy economic certainty and investment in the province.
An Angus Reid Institute poll last month placed him in third place in the leadership contest.
Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith is making a comeback in Alberta politics, following a six-year exodus after she crossed the floor as leader of the Opposition Wildrose Party to join Jim Prentice’s Progressive Conservatives. The move was widely condemned and Smith lost her riding nomination the following year.
Before seeking the premiership, she spent the interim speaking directly to Albertans as a radio host. Despite her controversial political record, the province appears poised to forgive her with recent polls placing her at the front of the leadership race with Brian Jean.
Smith’s campaign appeals to motivated, freedom-loving Albertans who have a vested interest in politics over their anger with Premier Jason Kenney’s Covid-19 policies. She’s promised to never lockdown the province again and to resist pressure from Ottawa to introduce any such measures. As Premier, Smith’s first bill would be the Alberta Sovereignty Act, legislation authorizing the Alberta government to refuse to enforce any federal law or policy that attacks Alberta’s interests or provincial rights.
Brian Jean
Seasoned politician Brian Jean is running on a promise of autonomy for Alberta by fixing Canada, not leaving it.
Jean, another former Wildrose Party leader, served as a federal Conservative MP from 2004 to 2014 before entering provincial politics. He co-founded the UCP with Kenney in the 2017 merger, but lost the party’s inaugural leadership vote to Kenney.
After announcing he would pursue the leadership should Kenney lose his leadership review, he won a March byelection for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche.
In an appeal to supporters last month, Jean proposed an Alberta Accountability Act to strengthen democracy. He said he’ll champion ideas to ensure Albertans are “the happiest, the healthiest, the most free and most prosperous people in Canada and the world.”
He’s also said that Covid-19 has killed people, but so have the vaccines and the mandates.
Todd Loewen
UCP leadership candidate Todd Loewen said he entered the contest because his leadership is necessary to make the changes needed in government.
“I want to provide your voice — the people’s voice — a voice that has not been heard enough,” Loewen said as he announced his bid.
In May 2021, the UCP caucus voted to expel Loewen after he published an open letter calling on Kenney to resign.
The Independent MLA has promised to move away from lockdowns, restrictions and vaccine mandates, if elected premier. He claims the restrictions weren’t effective and damaged Albertans’ lives.
To stop unelected public health officials from dictating health orders, Loewen introduced a private member’s bill to ensure health orders and emergency acts are debated in the legislature at the earliest opportunity. Health orders the legislature doesn’t adopt will immediately be killed.
The Central Peace-Notley MLA also supports the Alberta Sovereignty Act.
Rebecca Shulz
Rebecca Shulz said she’s running because the party must return to listening to the membership.
Despite holding a position in Kenney’s cabinet, Schulz said she was never part of the “inner circle” or “the boy’s club.”
As she launched her bid, the UCP MLA stopped short of criticizing her government’s pandemic policies, saying the Kenney government failed to properly consult and communicate with Albertans.
Shulz resigned as the Children’s Services Minister to run in the contest, but pointed to her record — such as reaching a $3.8 billion childcare deal with the federal government — as proof she’s the only candidate with a track record of getting a fair deal from Ottawa.
Her campaign confirmed Thursday that former Interim Conservative Party leader Rona Ambrose is chairing Schulz’s leadership campaign.
Bill Rock
Amisk Mayor Bill Rock entered the race to advocate for rural Alberta, but has struggled to get his campaign off the ground. His lack of public profile has hindered his ability to fundraise, and he’s likely going to pull out of the race this weekend, his campaign told True North.
Last month, Rock was barred from one UCP leadership panel because he was the only candidate not to meet the criteria of being a current or former MLA.
He ran for the Wildrose Party in 2015, in which he placed a distant third. After Kenney resigned, Rock stepped down from Agricultural and Forestry Minister Nate Horner’s constituency association board so he could run in the leadership race. Rock was the first candidate to voice support for the Alberta Sovereignty Act, and said he would hold a referendum on Alberta independence in 2025, if elected.
Rajan Sawhney
Former Transportation minister Rajan Sawhney said she’s running because she wants a better future, not more of the same. She claims the party doesn’t need the same folks “who have been in the internal cabinet making decisions.”
Sawhney was elected in 2019 to represent Calgary-North East. She was briefly a part of the government’s Covid-19 response team at the beginning of the pandemic. Now, she’s promising supporters to launch a public inquiry into the pandemic, if elected.
She believes her government got some things right and some things wrong in its response, but mistakes have been made — like arresting pastors.
There’s as many views on this as there are Albertans, she says.
Leela Aheer
UCP MLA and Kenney critic Leela Aheer said she’s running to regain Albertan’s trust.
She was shuffled out of cabinet last year following her criticism of Kenney’s pandemic handling. “The party must apologize to healthcare workers for its combative relationship with them and back those apologies with action,” Aheer said as she launched her campaign.
She’s also stressed the importance of messaging from leadership, saying caucus and cabinet won’t stand behind “divisive language.”
Aheer is the only candidate who commented on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade which passed abortion regualtion back to state legislatures. The news was “devastating,” Aheer said in a video posted to Twitter.
Raj Sherman
The party’s Leadership Election Committee already rejected an exemption request from former Alberta Liberal Party leader Raj Sherman to run in the contest, but he’s launched a bid anyways.
Sherman, who was a Progressive Conservative MLA before he was kicked out of caucus, required the exemption because he was not a member of the UCP for six months prior to the contest, as required under the rules.
He said he’s running on the need to heal and unify following the pandemic, debt reduction, a smaller and smarter government and to fix healthcare access.
It’s improbable the party will approve his candidacy, even if he can meet fundraising and signature requirements by the July 20 deadline.
UCP members will elect a new leader and premier on October 6.
Patrick Brown’s former campaign regional organizer has revealed that the Brown campaign was allegedly illegally paying her through a corporation.
Debbie Jodoin, a long-time supporter of Brown’s, began working for the Brown campaign as a regional organizer in May, but claims she parted ways with the campaign on June 3 over concerns that the campaign was violating the Canada Elections Act.
Jodoin alleges that Brown told her there was nothing wrong with a corporation paying her as a consultant while working on the campaign. Corporations contributing to leadership campaigns are forbidden.
“A corporation paid me and paid for my expenses, not the Brown campaign,” reads the statement released by Jodoin’s lawyer Jason Beitchman.
“Mr. Brown told me that it was permissible for me to be employed by a company as a consultant, and then for that company to have me volunteer with the campaign.”
On Tuesday, the Conservative Party’s Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) disqualified Brown for alleged violations of financial provisions of the Canada Election Act, as well as the rules of the leadership race.
“The information provided to date by the Patrick Brown campaign did not satisfy concerns about their compliance with our Rules and Procedures and/or the Canada Elections Act,” said LEOC chair Ian Brodie.
“The Chief Returning Officer has therefore recommended to LEOC that LEOC disqualify Patrick Brown and earlier tonight LEOC agreed to do so.”
In a statement, Brown’s campaign alleges that there was a lack of transparency in the party’s decision to disqualify the Brampton mayor.
The campaign claims the party’s decision was “based on anonymous allegations” and that the campaign was “never provided with the full details or evidence” of the allegations.
Brown has also accused the Pierre Poilievre campaign of being responsible for his ejection from the race, saying that Poilievre’s campaign brought forward the allegations against Brown and that LEOC consists of Poilievre supporters.
However, Jodoin says she came forward with the allegation of her own accord — without any coercion.
“Ms. Jodoin expressly rejects any suggestion that she was coerced or pressured by others to come forward and did so of her own volition,” says Beitchman’s statement on Jodoin’s behalf.
In June, the Brown campaign began to drop support from MPs who have previously supported him, as well as losing campaign staff.
On June 7, Brown lost the endorsements of both Dufferin—Caledon MP Kyle Seeback and Flamborough—Glanbrook MP Dan Muys, switching their support to the Poilievre campaign.
A week later, Calgary Nose-Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner quit her role as national co-chair of Brown’s campaign to mull a bid for the leadership of Alberta’s United Conservative Party, a role she decided not to pursue.
Former Finance minister Travis Toews is the first official United Conservative Party leadership (UCP) candidate, but main rivals Danielle Smith and Brian Jean aren’t far behind.
Toews, who resigned from Premier Jason Kenney’s cabinet to run in the leadership race, as is custom, was approved by the party Tuesday. He submitted the required documents on June 27, which included 1,000 signatures from across the province and $125,000 of his contest fees.
In total, the party requires each candidate to fundraise $175,000, most of which will cover the cost to operate the leadership race. $25,000 is a refundable deposit for candidates who comply with the code of conduct.
Candidates must submit at least $50,000 and the signatures by the first deadline of July 20, less than two weeks from now.
Campaigns for Smith and Jean — both former Wildrose Party leaders — have hinted they’re nearing official candidate status.
Jean will “file very soon,” said campaign manager Vitor Marciano. He declined to comment on how near the campaign is to reaching fundraising goals. Jean co-founded the UCP with Kenney in a 2017 merger, but lost the party’s inaugural leadership vote to the Premier.
Smith campaign manager Matthew Altheim told True North to expect “an announcement coming shortly.”
Data from Angus Reid last month show Smith and Jean are the top two choices so far, with one-quarter of Albertans saying each is an appealing leader for the party. Toews trailed at 13%.
When looking at respondents who intend to vote for the UCP in the 2023 election, those numbers rose to 34% support for Smith, and 33% for Jean. Toews rose to 25%.
Independent MLA Todd Loewen said the amount of money required to run is higher than it needs to be, “but we are doing well on the fundraising and we hope to have the first installment and signatures submitted next week.”
Amisk Mayor Bill Rock, the least known of the candidates, is likely pulling out of the race this weekend as he can’t meet the fundraising requirements, said campaign spokesperson Wyatt Claypool.
“He doesn’t want to raise any more while knowing it likely won’t work out,” Claypool told True North.
Sarah Biggs, campaign manager for Leela Aheer, said fundraising is going “extremely well.” The campaign will file its paperwork next week, she said.
A campaign spokesperson for UCP MLA and former Children’s Services minister Rebecca Schulz said they are “very optimistic that we will be able to meet the requirements and submit the package soon.”
On Thursday, Schulz’s campaign confirmed that former Interim Conservative Party of Canada leader Rona Ambrose will be chairing her leadership campaign.
Last week, Conservative party leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre released a video that went instantly viral and drove the left completely insane. His message was that Canadians can reclaim their freedoms and their way of life in the same manner that people reclaim barn board. The left believes that anyone who uses the word “reclaim” must be a “racist” and a white supremacist so, naturally — Poilievre’s video drove them all insane.
Also, a viral clip of a Nigerian official pretending to faint while being grilled about allegations of corruption may have just given Trudeau’s cabinet a new strategy for avoiding questions in front of committees.
Plus, British Columbia NDP MP Rachel Blaney didn’t want to go back to work after the Canada Day long weekend so she gave her staff and herself the day off on Monday in solidarity with “American people who are pregnant.”
Finally, Jagmeet Singh takes home the Ratio of the Week Award for getting very upset at the “shameful” government he is propping up through his coalition with Justin Trudeau.
Conservative MP and leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre blasted legacy media outlet Global News over what he says is biased coverage of his meeting with Canadian Armed Forces veteran James Topp before Canada Day.
In a statement published on Poilievre’s social media on Thursday, Poilievre’s campaign called Global News’ coverage of the meeting a “disingenuous trap.”
“Since you insist on demonizing Canadians who dare to speak up against the Trudeau government, we can only assume that Global News is content to be a Liberal mouthpiece. Mr. Poilievre supported James Topp’s singular cause of ending vaccine mandates, so people can take back control of their lives,” said Poilievre.
No wonder trust in the media is at an all-time low.
One of Global News' so-called journalists decided to smear me & thousands of other Canadians because we criticized the federal government's unscientific & discriminatory vaccine mandates.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) July 7, 2022
“Your tactic seems to be to demand Mr. Poilievre answer for all the words and deeds of not just everyone he has ever met, but also everyone they have ever met. That amounts to guilt by multiple degrees of separation.”
Global News has put out at least two pieces about Poilievre’s meeting with Topp attempting to smear the freedom advocate as an extremist and racist.
In a Jun. 30 article, Global News reporter Rachel Gilmore accused Topp of appearing on a far-right podcast, citing far-left experts from the government-funded Canadian Anti-Hate Network.
“When Global News reached out for a comment about his decision to march alongside Topp, despite his support of broadcasters like Mackenzie, Poilievre’s campaign sent a brief statement,” wrote Gilmore.
Poilievre addressed the accusations in his statement by pointing to prime minister Justin Trudeau’s own racist past.
“For example, Mr. Poilievre has met with Justin Trudeau. That does not make Mr. Poilievre responsible for Trudeau’s many racist outbursts, including dressing up in racist costumes and mistreating visible minorities in his own part,” wrote the Poilievre campaign’s statement.
Poilievre was referencing leaked photos spanning several years which show Trudeau wearing blackface as well, as his handling of former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould during the SNC-Lavalin affair. Trudeau was also accused of being abusive and a bully by Celina Caesar-Chavannes, a black former Liberal member of parliament.
Following the disqualification of Brampton mayor Patrick Brown from the Conservative leadership race, Pierre Poilievre’s campaign believes Brown’s ousting was justified while Jean Charest’s campaign believes more information is needed.
On Tuesday, Brown was disqualified from the race by the Leadership Election Organizing Committee (LEOC) following an investigation into allegations of membership sales irregularities – which came from within Brown’s campaign according to Conservative Party president Robert Batherson.
CPC President @rbatherson tells @VassyKapelos that the allegations against Patrick Brown came from people connected to Brown’s own campaign. Batherson rejected Brown’s claim this was orchestrated by Team Poilievre.
In response to the disqualification, Poilievre campaign spokesperson Anthony Koch said, “this is not the first time Patrick has been disqualified from running for public office for reasons of ethical impropriety.”
“For years Patrick’s conduct has demonstrated that he is the kind of person that will say and do anything to win. [This is] just the latest chapter in a career defined by numerous scandals, inquiries, and even criminal investigations related to political activities at all three levels of government.”
Koch also said that “as always, when caught, Patrick tries to make himself into a victim, but ultimately the only person responsible for his disqualification is himself.”
NEW: Statement from Pierre Poilievre campaign spokesperson Anthony Koch on Patrick Brown’s disqualification.
“As always, when caught, Patrick tries to make himself into a victim, but ultimately the only person responsible for his disqualification is himself.” #cdnpolipic.twitter.com/l33EY36yHk
Meanwhile, the Jean Charest campaign is demanding the party provide further details on the allegations and the decision to disqualify him.
“LEOC must ensure integrity of the process. Party members deserve the truth. We need to understand what the allegations are, how Patrick Brown’s campaign responded and why LEOC took such drastic action. Transparency is paramount,” said Charest campaign spokesperson Michelle Coates Mather.
Brown and his campaign have been very vocal following the expulsion, and have accused the Conservative Party of skirting democratic values to help Poilievre get elected.
The Brown campaign has requested an appeal, however party rules state that “all decisions of the LEOC are final and are not subject to internal appeal or judicial review.”
Prominent lawyers Marie Henein and Alex Smith have been hired to act as Brown’s counsel. In addition to filing an appeal, they have asked the Conservative Party LEOC chair to preserve “all documents and records of any kind whatsoever” relating to Brown’s disqualification for possible litigation.
Scooplet: Even though #cpc President Batheson explicitly told me there was NO process for Brown to appeal, the Brown has filed an appeal. Here are the letters: pic.twitter.com/LbmGYOb0N0
Brown has also been accused of unethical conduct in his position as Mayor of Brampton. On Wednesday, five city councillors and both deputy mayors of Brampton released a letter condemning mayor Patrick Brown, alleging he is corrupt.
The letter alleges that Brown used his office as mayor to pay off cronies with taxpayer dollars, employed nepotism and shut down city council’s investigations of the allegations.
“His scandalous time inside Brampton City Hall also needs to end,” the letter read.
Brampton Regional Councillor Martin Medeiros speaks to True North's @noahrjarvis outside Brampton City Hall where residents and local politicians are calling for the removal of Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. pic.twitter.com/TZK2IZGOSJ
True North also reached out to the other leadership campaigns. Lewis’s campaign declined to comment while Baber’s and Aitchison’s campaigns did not respond in time for publication.
The federal government threatened travelers on Thursday with fines if they don’t the ArriveCAN app prior to boarding a plane as airports throughout Canada struggle with ongoing delays and extended lineups.
In a tweet by the official Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada Twitter account, the department warned that travelers who have not completed their ArriveCAN screening could be charged and face other consequences.
(2/3) Using #ArriveCAN is the best way to speed up your airport experience. Failure to complete your ArriveCAN submission can impact your eligibility exemptions, may result in fines, and creates longer wait times for all arriving at the border.
— Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) July 7, 2022
“All travelers still need a valid ArriveCAN receipt within 72 hours before their arrival to Canada and/or before boarding a plane or cruise ship destined for Canada, regardless of vaccination status,” tweeted Health Canada.
The official ArriveCAN government website states that those who are not citizens or permanent residents who do not comply with the requirement could be denied boarding.
If you’re a Canadian citizen or permanent resident you could risk not being eligible for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption and will be required to quarantine and you “may be subject to fines or enforcement action.”
The fully vaccinated traveler exemption applies to Canadian travellers who have received two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine. Those who are able to prove they are fully vaccinated are not subject to the same quarantine and testing requirements placed on unvaccinated travellers since the federal government lifted its travel mandate in June.
In the tweet, Health Canada also laid the blame on travellers for the ongoing airport delay crisis. This is not the first time that the federal government has refused to take responsibility for the backlogs.
Liberal transport minister Omar Alghabra has also claimed that travellers are at fault for the lineups and delays.
“We are seeing that the surge for the demand to travel is putting a lot of pressure on our airports and our security systems. We are making sure that we increase resources. We are working with airports. We are working with airlines to address this issue. This is a priority,” said Alghabra.
To deal with the problem Prime Minister Justin Trudeau launched a task force and hired additional airport personnel, however critics say that action from Ottawa has not been enough and that ArriveCAN should be scrapped.
“Conservatives continue to call for a return to pre-pandemic travel rules and staffing levels to help alleviate the delays and disarray we continue to see at Canada’s airports, including ending the mandatory usage of the ArriveCan app,” said Conservative transport critic Melissa Lantsman.
It strikes me that politicians of all stripes and at all levels of government are adept at dreaming up solutions that are looking for problems – wasting large amounts of money as they do so.
This phenomenon is common in cities across Canada where politicians and bureaucrats fritter away tax dollars on pet projects while ignoring the real priorities.
Oversight of the work is completely non-existent.
This cavalier use of public dollars has continued unabated post-Covid when money is seemingly tight and politicians are running never-before-seen deficits.
The concept hit very close to home five weeks ago when a series of city workers descended on my Toronto street.
The first two days they broke up a concrete sidewalk on Chaplin Cres. mere metres south of the never-ending Eglinton-Crosstown LRT construction mess. After destroying the sidewalk – which was freshly laid last summer – they dumped a mountain of rocks in a parking spot on my street.
They departed the next afternoon leaving the mountain of rocks and unfilled ruts on Chaplin Cres. and a leaking sewer which they had managed to damage while digging up the street.
A few days later another crew turned up to fill the ruts with asphalt. They rudely informed those of us who asked that it was not their job to cart away the rocks.
It took two calls to the city’s 3-1-1 helpline to get the rocks removed; another five calls over four weeks to get the leaky sewer fixed. The sewer runoff got worse by the week and by the end of the four weeks Chaplin Cres. resembled a river.
When a city truck turned up one morning about three weeks in, I begged them to report the sewer leak. But they told me, nicely at least, that they were only there to move stop signs.
The curb cut to a much-used crosswalk south of my street on Chaplin Cres. that eased pedestrians and cyclists crossing to the popular Beltline (an old railway line turned into a recreational trail) had been moved eight metres north. I assumed the city was about to move the crosswalk.
Sod laid where the curb cut was filled in is now all brown because no one thought to water it (too bad they didn’t use the water from the leaky sewer).
It wasn’t until a series of 4X4 trucks came careening into my street late in the afternoon this week and parked on my neighbour’s lawn that I got fed up.
To my surprise, my assumption that they were moving the oft-used crosswalk was completely erroneous.
In his wisdom, our councillor Josh Matlow, who operates his ward like a fiefdom and cancels those who criticize him, had in March directed his colleagues on council to approve two new stop signs and the removal of the crosswalk.
In his Feb. 14 letter to councillors (none of whom would care what is going on in other parts of the city), he claimed a petition was signed by residents on my street and Chaplin Cres stating the changes were needed because it was dangerous to turn left off of my street during rush hour.
We never saw such a petition. And his claims made no sense.
We’ve never had an issue turning left and removing a much-used crosswalk is nothing short of a recipe for disaster.
But after all, it is an election year and one would reason that what political donors want, political donors get.
The job cost about $40,000 not including the time expended (and wasted) by the six different city crews and contractors or the three Toronto Water officials who worked the entire day on June 30 to fix the sewer (they were efficient at least).
So much for that famous proverb: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
If you stop and add up all the $40,000 unnecessary projects that pander to a few and fix something that ain’t broken, there’s little wonder Canada’s cities are a crumbling mess.
In Toronto, we have sewers and water mains more than 50 years old desperately in need of replacement, our streets are full of craters and potholes and many of our parks have equipment that is rusty and unfit for use.
But on Chaplin Cres. just south of what will eventually be a new $9-billion LRT line (in whatever year it gets finished) we have two new $40,000 stop signs and one less crosswalk.
There are now six stop signs in a span of 700 metres.
It only took six weeks, six different crews, four weeks’ worth of running water from a leaky sewer, and a whole lot of attitude from the nearly two dozen city workers and contractors who infiltrated the intersection, strutted around trying to look busy, gossiped and played with their cellphones and parked on residential lawns like they owned the place.
The next time you’re stuck in traffic because of construction or your neighbourhood is disrupted by city workers, thank a politician.
