407 timeline stinks!
March 11th, 2011 | Comments (0)
Well all they forgot were the trumpets as the Minister and two Liberal MPP’s announced yet another timeline for the 407. I’m not buying into the rosy happy picture attempted to be painted by Kathleen Wynne, Jeff Leal and Rick Johnson. First the highway was going to be completed in 2013 – all the way to the 35/115 and then last June they announced it would be extended to Simcoe Street in Oshawa by 2013 with the further extension to the 35/115 by 2017 and now it’s 2015 to Harmony Road and 2020 before the highway will reach the 35/115.
McGuinty government — it’s not good enough. On the new schedule the shovels won’t even go into the ground until 2013. This road is needed desperately, as an alternate to the 401 for the average motorist and those transporting goods. This new schedule does not meet the needs of Ontario or Durham residents. The announcement by the Transportation Minister is simply yet another promise delayed.
You want a good news story on the 407 get it done as soon as possible. Start building it, the land is there and waiting, the people are there and waiting. It’s taken an election year to get people to listen to the pleas of those in Durham Region, but sadly the request has fallen on deaf ears because all I hear is a lot of pomp and circumstance and not much substance.
To me it’s elementary … I’m Sandra Watson
End of NASA shuttle progam like saying good-bye to a really cool friend
March 9th, 2011 | Comments (0)
It’s going to be like saying good-bye to an old friend when the Discovery shuttle lands and then is retired. I’m sure she’ll provide great learning opportunities for millions of people who will be able to visit her at the Smithsonian, should they decide that’s the appropriate spot.
I realized today that I’m quite sad about the end of NASA’s shuttle program. Throughout my lifetime it’s been there, I’ve watched countless shuttle launches and remember the Challenger and Columbia disasters. It’s been a constant, a program through which I have lived vicariously through. Everyone wonders what’s out there and those select few who have gone have provided a window for the rest of us. Sure we will get pictures from unmanned rockets and satellites but somehow it’s not the same as hearing the pure excitement and thrill in the reaction of an astronaut.
I’m sure there will be more space travel, after all Mars is still out there beckoning for exploration, but as of now no new shuttles are being built and the program is on hold. There are two more missions with Endeavour blasting off next month and Atlantis in June. Since 1984, Discovery has taken flight 39 times and logged 148 million miles … a beacon of space travel that is awe inspiring and symbol of a program that has captured the hearts of many.
To me it’s elementary … I’m Sandra Watson
Wind turbine revolution has no place in southern Ontario
March 7th, 2011 | Comments (0)
I’m all for increasing our use of green energy, renewable energy. It’s a great idea, a good goal and one to be commended. However, there seems to be a windy revolution that’s brewing that I don’t think has the best interests of the environment and residents at heart. It’s the sudden emergence of plans for wind farms and industrial turbines. You know what they look like extremely large, gleaming white… a picture of symbolism for green energy but I think in Ontario it’s a bit more sinister.
Currently there are several wind projects before the provincial government including one just north of Durham Region and another in the east end of the region. Both bother me because I think they’re too close to the people population and I also believe that we’re wrecking one aspect of the environment for another. It was a decades long fight for the Oak Ridges Moraine and now in the name of “green energy” we’re suddenly ready to give up the goose and its eggs. The land and related aquifers are bound to be affected by the large cement pads needed to support these large turbines.
I’d like to see us make more use of concepts such as geothermal to heat homes, or solar panels or our own wind turbines. You want to become green McGuinty government give the people more access to be grassroots green using existing structures not constructing farms of big white elephants.
To me it’s elementary… I’m Sandra Watson
Toronto Community Housing Corporation should repay “misspent” money
March 4th, 2011 | Comments (0)
I need some help here. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out how the “misspending” at the Toronto Community Housing Corporation is not fraud. According to the auditor, they spent money, thousands and thousands of dollars on frivolities like Christmas parties, manicures and chocolates instead of using that public money to oh, say fix the buildings under their care.
I can recall countless stories about the sad state of public housing buildings in Toronto so in my opinion this is a truly heinous crime. While people are living in buildings that have a myriad of problems the people holding the purse strings are living the high life.
Accountability, that’s what’s needed in this case. It’s not enough for the board to resign I think there needs to be repayment after all it was the public dime this high life was based upon. If they had to pay out the money and wait to be reimbursed I highly doubt the Toronto Community Housing Corporation would be in this situation.
I’m also not impressed that they lost 50 million dollars on the stock market. How does that happen? Why wasn’t that money re-invested back into their properties so repairs and upgrades can be done. I wouldn’t call this a case of misspending because that indicates that no one knew what was going on and to me the whole situation wreaks of willingly playing fast and loose with public money. I think if charges don’t fit; repayment is in order.
To me it’s elementary…I’m Sandra Watson
Weather with a chance of … weather
March 2nd, 2011 | Comments (0)
Apparently there is a chance of weather over the next three months. Shocking, I know, but nevertheless Environment Canada didn’t let that fact deter them and the weather agency released its three month outlook for spring on Tuesday. They predict cooler temperatures and lots of precipitation whether it be snow, rain or even freezing rain. Yuck, definitely not the weather we wanted to hear but not surprising given it is March, April and May in Canada.
Now their predictions have a couple of major variables — Mother Nature and the hanger-on Old Man Winter. Weather is a gamble on the best of days because we can watch the radar, the Doppler, the wind patterns, the air flow and take an educated guess on what weather will greet us on a given day, but if one thing changes then that prediction literally goes out the window.
Environment Canada’s track record of late has been a little suspect, especially for an agency whose sole role is to watch the weather. Think the snow storm that wasn’t at the beginning of February, another call for big snow several weeks ago that never materialized and then more than the predicted snow during the past weekend. Now they have approached it a little smarter call for everything and be right either way and of course if Environment Canada has mispredicted and we get warmer, sunnier weather, well I suppose that’s the best way to be wrong.
To me it’s elementary … I’m Sandra Watson
Nothing like oatmeal in the morning
February 28th, 2011 | Comments (0)
What is it about a warm bowl or in my case a mug of oatmeal that can suddenly make the day look a lot brighter? Here I was dragging my feet a bit; I’ll admit I was a little slow to get moving today. I mean it is Monday and it was pouring rain this morning. Those are two ingredients that make it definitely one of those days to just throw the covers over your head and ignore the insistent beep of your alarm clock.
But then 9 o’clock came around and it was time for my midday snack. Yes when you’re up at 3:30, 9 am is midday. I trudged to the staff kitchen, turned on the kettle and waited for the familiar click. From then on Monday improved… the whiff of the maple syrup and brown sugar oatmeal as soon as I added water – brilliant invention! Thank you, Mr. Quaker for creating instant oatmeal. Then when I took my mug back to my desk, the sun came out for a brief time – a sign for sure — of what I’m not too sure but a good sign, nevertheless, in my opinion.
As I’m eating my oatmeal and typing this commentary, I can actually feel my mind working its way out of the Monday morning fog, clarity is coming, I feel like I could conquer the world — or at least the rest of my day.
To me it’s elementary… I’m Sandra Watson
Running on fumes over gas prices
February 25th, 2011 | Comments (0)
Were you like me this week? Watching gas prices go up and scrutinizing your own gas gauge to see if you could squeak out a few more days of driving before you were forced to pull into a gas station and shell out your hard earned money. Prices did not have to go up this week and they definitely didn’t have to go up 6 cents in two days. It was too immediate. Unrest in Libya and suddenly panic by wholesalers and up goes the price.
I don’t think the instant the oil is out of the ground in the Middle East is it anywhere near being ready for a gas pump in North America. So realistically if losing Libyan oil has a true value that necessitates an increase at the pump then we should be seeing that increase in 3 months or more when the oil from this particular time frame is actually being used in Canada.
Even the markets are starting to settle down as traders realize the world’s oil supply will not fall to shambles if the crisis in Libya persists. In fact other OPEC nations have come forward saying they could pick up the slack – therefore there is no immediate oil crisis. Now in light of this I would expect that the price of gas drop back down but I know that’s as likely to happen as the price of gas not to go up just before a summer long weekend.
To me it’s elementary … I’m Sandra Watson
Ontario Energy Board
February 23rd, 2011 | Comments (1)
How’s this for customer service? A number of public utilities are fined millions of dollars for charging too much interest on late payments. So now they have to find the money to pay the fine and the court costs.
Hmmm… maybe they should use reserve funds from the companies? Nahhh. Should they consider a salary freeze to pay for it? Nahhh. Take a loan out? After all it was their bad and they got caught. Nahhh. What should they do? Oh yes, you in the corner waving your hand excitedly, what should they do? Hmmm. Hmmm. You say they should ask the Ontario Energy Board for a rate increase so their customer base pays the fine for them? Great idea! Let’s hit our customers in the pocket again when we were just fined for doing so.
Really? You’ve got to be kidding me. How can the Ontario Energy Board agree to such a plan? Why not send them back to the drawing board? I’ll pay for energy I’m using. That makes sense even if the time of use doesn’t agree with my schedule. But tell me why should I and every other hydro customer be paying a fine that the utility companies incurred for charging too much in the first place? Come on Premier McGuinty step in and make it right.
To me it’s elementary … I’m Sandra Watson
