Wednesday, November 12, 2008
City Hall is scrambling
into Big Brother
"Thought Control" Mode
VOTES REQUEST TO
ADVERTISE IN LEGEND'S CENTRE
From: Bill Longworth
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 4:29 PM
To: Percy Luther, City Hall
Subject: Price for attached Advertising sign in Legends Centre
Please provide a price for a 2 ft x 3 ft advertising sign in the Legend's Centre identical in price and conditions to the Colin Carrie sign mounted there. The sign would have the message attached.
Bill Longworth,
www.oshawaspeaks.ca
CITY REFUSES VOTES POLITICAL ADVERTISING
Subject: Price for attached Advertising sign in Legends Centre
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:26:22 -0500
From: staff name removed@oshawa.ca
To: bill_longworth@hotmail.com
Thank you for your interest in advertising at the Legends Centre. Your request to purchase a 2’ x 3’ sign at the Legends Centre has been declined as the proposed messaging does not meet the criteria outlined in the City Sponsorship, Advertising & Donations Policy. Specifically, your proposed sign is not “consistent with the vision, policies and goals of the City of Oshawa” and “The City reserves the right to reject any or all unsolicited sponsorships, advertising and donations offered to the City and to reject any and all proposals”.
Regards,
Staff name removed
MY RESPONSE TO CITY REFUSAL
TO ACCEPT "VOTES" ADVERTISING
CITY REFUSES POLITICAL ADVERTISING IN LEGEND'S CENTRE BECAUSE IT DOES NOT SUPPORT THE CONTENT BUT ACCEPTS POLITICAL ADVERTISING WHERE IT DOES SUPPORT THE CONTENT...THEY WANT TO CONTROL THE POLITICAL MESSAGES CITIZEN'S RECEIVE!
THEY WANT TO BE YOUR "BIG BROTHER"
...But controlling the message you receive is nothing new for city council...remember they asked you a plebiscite question about voting reform and then refused to tell you what the question meant, why it was asked, or what its impact on the city would be....REMEMBER?
To: Mayor and Council--RE: Price for attached Advertising sign in Legends Centre
From: Bill Longworth
Sent: November 12, 2008 2:57:46 PM
To the Mayor and Council,
To writer of correspondence above...name removed
Please forward a copy of the city's Sponsorship, Advertising & Donations Policy along with the date it was enacted along with any revision dates.
In previous communications on Oct. 3, 2008, you suggested that Colin Carrie's sign in the Legend's Centre adhered to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards without any reference to the existence of any controlling city policy and thus implied advertising was acceptable if it applied to that standard. My sign, though politicians do not like its content, does conform with that standard.
In my return correspondence to you I stated that, and I quote from the letter, "I am also interested to know whether advertising in public buildings is subject to any policies developed by the city and approved by council. If there are no such policies, I would judge this to be a severe shortcoming in civic political and administrative leadership." I didn't hear from you and thus assumed, and still do, that there was no such city policy.
In my Oct. 2 response to Percy Luther to a letter I received from him that same day, I questioned advertising standards in the city in which I stated, and I quote, "If there are no advertising guidelines, this demonstates a serious deficiency in staff and political leadership in Oshawa." Again, I was not alerted to any policy guiding advertising in city facilities. Again, I assumed, and still do, that there was no city policy.
Despite two queries from me about city advertising standards, this is the first indication that there "may" be a policy. The title of this document though suggests that it applies to the city sponsoring, advertising, and donating, rather than the public advertising in city facilities.
In a public building purchased, operated, and managed with city taxpayer dollars, if the city is going to allow any political advertising, then it cannot discriminate against political signage simply because city politicians do not like its content. That is like refusing political signs from a political party because city politicians and/or staff do not support the political party philosophy, and thus will shield taxpayer's from it, but do accept advertising from political parties favoured by city politicians and staff, and will confront the public with it. In a public building you cannot refuse my sign and accept a political sign from the area MP because his office/philosophy, as you suggest by accepting his advertising, is "consistent with the vision, policies and goals of the City of Oshawa.”
I await reconsideration of my request to advertise in the Legend's Centre and I await receipt of the city's Sponsorship, Advertising & Donations Policy.
Bill Longworth,
www.oshawaspeaks.ca
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
OSHAWA--the "Waning Backwater of Democracy:" The "Poster Child"
for "Old Politics"
I am struck this historic day when full democratic justice comes to American when they elect their first African-American president.
This has not come easily. Freedom from slavery with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in the 1860’s, the right to sit in the front of the bus as tested by Rosa Parks in 1955, the universal right to vote which is still being fought on some fronts, The Civil Rights Act introduced by John F. Kennedy in 1963 which allowed for African-American’s Right to Vote and the achievement of high office by US Secretary of State Codoleeza Rice, and Colin Powell former Secretary of State and Chief of Defense staff. With universal black suffrage, black politicians flourished at all levels in Congress, the House of Representatives, as Mayors, etc. All these individuals won their success on the backs of those who had fought and died for democracy and the right to vote.
Things are still not perfect, according to complaints received by CNN about voter and registration problems, and long lines that test the patience of voters, but they are improving. Democracy is improving.
This is in severe contrast with what is happening in Oshawa. Our city politicians have implemented the general vote system purportedly on the basis of the confusing plebiscite question on the last ballot…a question that council asked but one they refused to inform the people about. According to the Mayor, city hall had no responsibility to inform voters about their question. He said this was up to interested citizens to fundraise and inform citizens about the question city politicians had asked. What they Mayor suggested was contrary to Ontario Municipal Elections Law but nevertheless it was the Mayor’s spin on whose responsibility it was to insure an informed electorate.
So while American elections are getting more democratic and both Canadians and Americans are fighting abroad right now to bring democracy and representative government to Iraq and Afghanistan, our political system in Oshawa is becoming less democratic, less inclusive, less accountable, less representative, less responsive and less productive with the general vote which only serves politicians by guaranteeing their re-election until their death or retirement. This will give us aging, tiring and less energetic political leadership in Oshawa.
We will have a system not used in any large city in the country. If the system was a good one, wouldn’t it be used widely in the country.
The system will be more costly to the Oshawa taxpayer as the huge constituencies of all city politicians will be twice the size of those of our Federal and Provincial Government Members. The size of their constituencies of 160,000 people will give rise to demands for larger office space (which has already happened with $14 million “reported” changes to Rundle Tower of city hall with an additional $12 million reported reconstruction of the demolished city hall wings and council chamber), demands for bigger salaries in light of the bigger constituencies, and demands for bigger political office staffs to handle the increased workload politician's will claim.
Over time, all of the politicians will come from a few of the richer areas of the city leaving most areas unrepresented and forgotten and the huge general vote ballots containing upwards of 100 names will make informed voting impossible. Name recognition will be the only determinant of election so politicians will backbite, bitch, bicker, and grandstand to steal the press as well as spend exorbitant amounts of your scarce tax money in sending flyers with their names heavily displayed to all residents of the city….they will campaign to promote their names at your expense.
Wake up Oshawa…don’t let them use you like this!
We fought and died for democracy and are still doing so in foreign lands today…but city politicians are reducing this most cherished democratic right…the right of a meaningful vote to determine our political destiny in Oshawa!
We are told that elections are won and lost by the questions people are asking as they enter the voting booth. The question will be obvious when they are confronted by the huge general vote ballot and most will be confronted by a task they don’t understand, names they don’t know, and an impossible task of selecting those to serve them best. At that point…many voters will be resentful about those that brought about this system. Our job is to make sure that people know this critical information.
So who is responsible for the general vote? Who are the politicians who have voted to serve their own interests rather than the interests of the community? Who are the politicians that must be defeated?
The answer! Mayor Gray and Councillior’s Pidwerbecki, Kolodzie, Parkes, Henry, Sholdra, and Marimpietri. Make a list—these self serving city politicians must be defeated for robbing you of your guaranteed community representation on city council and putting their own electoral interests above your interests and those of your community.
POSTSCRIPT
Having now just finished watching President Elect Obama's victory speech, I am inspired to write this addition to the story above that I wrote earlier today.
We have entered a new era...with new lessons for those who would lead. It is clear that people now expect honesty and integrity from their politicians. It is a new age of people power...yes we can!
People know and expect that power is IN the people--not the politicians! It is FOR the people--not for the politicians. Politicians are to SERVE the PEOPLE--NOT THEMSELVES!
With the support of Oshawa voters, we expect to be able to mobilize this message to remove all politicians from city council who voted for an election system not used in any large city in the country...simply to serve themselves!
Barack Obama's election ushers in a new political era with generous skepticism toward "old politics" and "old politicians". With your help we can rid city council of this cancer and bring in a new age. Yes we can! Yes we will!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Our new ad
Oshawa politicians have allowed the Colin Carrie political sign to be remounted in the Legend's Centre. Our correspondence re this issue has been posted on this site. Following this unprecedented policy by city council to allow the posting of political signs on public buildings which is undoubtedly unique in the country, I am asking city council to post our ad under the same conditions. The precedent has now been set and there can be no excuse not to post our sign under the same conditions and in the same kind of prominent position. We shall keep you posted!
You can increase the size of our ad to a readable size by double-clicking it.
Might we also suggest you print this sign off and give it to your friends and neighbours or give them the link to this posting. Oshawa voters have to know the impact of the new election system on the city, on our taxes, and on our political leadership. Oshawa voters have to understand why politicians imposed a system not used in the country. It is an American system that requires the use of political parties to make it work. Municipal political parties are against Municipal Election Law in Ontario.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Latest on Cullen Gardens Fiasco
Council is considering a staff report at their upcoming meeting to consider awarding a sales listing to a local realtor.
Their efforts at national advertising in the past at a cost of over $6000 produced one offer to buy for $30,000...not much for the city's $234,000 expensive and ludicrous purchase based on an "insider" estimate of value of over $600,000.
Obviously the dearth of prospective buyers indicate the real value of the collection to underscore the naivety of council's judgement. Councillors who voted for this wastage of taxpayer money and those supporting this extravagance in wastage do not in my judgement exercise wise enough judgement to warrant them with trusteeship of our hard earned tax dollars.
You can search this blog on the left sidebar using the keywords "cullen gardens" to read our complete list of stories about this fiasco.
You will find many additional links in the articles including news articles of the sales attempts to date.
Monday, October 6, 2008
MORE "SPIN"
...on Political Signs in City Buildings
Why Don't they just "COME CLEAN"
... with the facts?
EMAIL RECEIVED RE POLITICAL ADVERTISING ISSUE REFERRED TO IN LAST TWO POSTS
Subject: RE: To The Mayor and Council RE: Colin Carrie Sign
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2008 17:02:25 -0400
From: TAdams@oshawa.ca
To: bill_longworth@hotmail.com
Cc: Political and Media Mail List deleted
Mr. Longworth
The City’s facility advertising is in compliance with the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. Our advertising agreement with Colin Carrie has been in place since March 28, 2008. Unfortunately during the term of the contract, the sign was not removed when the federal election was called. We have since removed the sign and thank you for bringing this item to our attention.
Regards,
Tracy Adams
MY RESPONSE
RE: To The Mayor and Council RE: Colin Carrie Sign
From: Bill Longworth (bill_longworth@hotmail.com)
Sent:October 6, 2008 11:18:55 AM
To: Tracy Adams (tadams@oshawa.ca); clerks@oshawa.ca (clerks@oshawa.ca)
Cc: Political and Media Mail List Deleted
Tracy Adams
Mayor and Council c/o city clerk
Your response does not at all address the issue of political or religious advertising on civic buildings which by convention is not done anywhere to my knowledge. The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards speaks to the truth, accuracy, and fairness of advertising and is quite general in addressing itself to print and media advertising and does not at all address any special institutional requirements. For example, it does not address the posting of signs in Parliamentary windows yet one MP who posted a "political" sign was ordered to remove it since "advertising" is not allowed in Parliamentary buildings. The Code defines the basic requirements of advertising. Carrie's sign in the Legend's Centre was accurate, fair, and truthful...but it was not appropriate for posting in a civic building.
Oshawa's decision to allow political advertising is akin to a church building posting advertising for sexual services. The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards does not prohibit advertising for sexual services and such advertising is found in many publications which speaks to the "class" of the publication and the readership it wants to attract. It is just not done in churches because it is not in good taste in those institutions and does not reflect the values of the organization. Similarly, I would think it a severe disgrace, for example, if advertising for condoms were posted in the Legend's Centre, despite the fact it is permissable by the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards and encouraged by public health policy. Judgement always has to be exercised and there is a time and place for everything.
Your response does not in addition address the question of who approved this advertising. I have asked whether this was a staff decision, whether it was approved by council, or indeed whether it was on the independent direction of a politician. I am also interested to know whether advertising in public buildings is subject to any policies developed by the city and approved by council. If there are no such policies, I would judge this to be a severe shortcoming in civic political and administrative leadership.
This is a serious matter and I am requesting full disclosure on this issue to me. In addition, I am requesting notification to me that political advertising will no longer be allowed in city buildings.
Bill Longworth,www.oshawaspeaks.ca
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, October 3, 2008
Correspondence related to
Oshawa Public Buildings
being used for
Partisan Political Purposes
Issue Described in Sept. 30 Item Below
Subject: Colin Carrie Sign
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 11:49:18 -0400
From: PLuther@oshawa.ca
To: bill_longworth@hotmail.com
CC: council@oshawa.ca; BDuignan@oshawa.ca; sbertoia@oshawa.ca; JConlin@oshawa.ca; KFeagan@oshawa.ca; JSkelly@oshawa.ca; SKranc@oshawa.ca; LKnox@oshawa.ca; TAdams@oshawa.ca
Mr. Longworth.
I am responding to your email of September 30, 2008 concerning a sign at the Legends Centre referencing the Constituency Office of Colin Carrie. This is to advise that the sign was permitted at the facility under an advertising agreement between Colin Carrie and the City of Oshawa. In accordance with the agreement, the City has removed the sign for the duration of the federal election campaign in order that all candidates are treated in a fair and impartial manner.
If you have any further questions please contact me.
Percy Luther
Manager, Records Information Systems
City of Oshawa
RE: Colin Carrie Sign
To: Percy Luther and The Mayor and Council
From: Bill Longworth (bill_longworth@hotmail.com)
Sent:October 2, 2008 4:56:42 PM
To: clerks@oshawa.ca; Percy Luther (pluther@oshawa.ca)
Cc: jgray@oshawa.ca (jgray@oshawa.ca); mshouldra (msholdra@oshawa.ca); npidwerbecki (npidwerbecki@oshawa.ca); bnicholson@oshawa.ca (bnicholson@oshawa.ca); jneal (jneal@oshawa.ca); tdmarimpietri (tdmarimpietri@oshawa.ca); rlutczyk (rlutczyk@oshawa.ca); jkolodzie@oshawa.ca (jkolodzie@oshawa.ca); jhenry (jhenry@oshawa.ca); acullen@oshawa.ca (acullen@oshawa.ca); bduignan@oshawa.ca (bduignan@oshawa.ca); sbertoia@oshawa.ca (sbertoia@oshawa.ca); jconlin@oshawa.ca; kfeagan@oshawa.ca; jskelly@oshawa.ca; Sandra Kranc (skranc@oshawa.ca); lknox@oshawa.ca (lknox@oshawa.ca); tadams@oshawa.ca; Durham OCentral News Joe (newspaper@ocentral.com); news rogers 1st Local News Producer (debra.hutchison@rci.rogers.com); news Rogers TV Supervising Producer (chris.janusitis@rci.rogers.com); news@citynews.ca (mediareleases@chumtv.com); news@ctv.ca (news@ctv.ca); "news@oshawaexpress" M "
Mr. Luther...It is rather unusual that political or religious advertising should be allowed on public property since these are both topics of public disagreement. This advertising is quite different than regular advertising such as for fitness centers, insurance companies and agencies, or Campbell's Soup. There has to be a standard. Would advertising for strip clubs or for sexual or escort services be allowed as a simple advertising contract, for example, or is there some standard and guidelines? If there are no advertising guidelines, this demonstates a serious deficiency in staff and political leadership in Oshawa.
As this instance of political advertising is a first for Oshawa public buildings, I have asked who made the decision and have asked that this information be publicly communicated. Political advertising in our public buildings implies funding support but as I suggested in my previous message, this would never indicate the Federal Party or the MP involved. This political advertising in Municipal Buildings is undoubtedly a "first" for any municipality in Canada and so the public has the right to know how and why the decision was made. I have asked whether it was a decision made by a politician, a resolution of council, or a staff decision. If a staff decision, I ask whether the decision was bounced off any politician. I do not believe any competent staff would see it as a simple advertising contract as you suggest without alarm bells going off and wonder whether a FOI request has to be filed to get to the bottom of this issue.
I ask also the date on which the sign was mounted at the Legends Centre be provided to me.
In your email to me, you indicate that the sign was removed in accordance with the advertising contract and so I ask if such removal is referenced in the advertising contract, why was this condition of the contract not carried out immediately when the Federal Election was announced.
The fact that the sign has now been removed indicates that it should not have been placed there during the Federal Election and I still insist not at all, election or not.
I also wonder whether this advertising cost will be included on the election costs reported by the Conservative Candidate to the Election Expenses Commission at the conclusion of the election as it did appear on the Legends Centre wall for a significant portion of the Federal Election period.
Bill Longworth,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Oshawa Using City Buildings
for Partisan Political Purposes
To The Mayor and Council,
c/o Oshawa City Clerk
Local Media
Local Federal Candidates
I am distressed, concerned, and aghast that Oshawa taxpayer funded public facilities should be used for blatant politicking on behalf of any Federal Political Candidate or Party.
The Legends Centre, funded by the Oshawa taxpayer, has a large metal political sign supporting Conservative Candidate, Colin Carrie, prominently and permanently affixed to the wall just inside the main entrance on the wall opposite the public library.
Anyone seeing this sign might reasonably believe Carrie, or the Conservative Federal Government, had a role in funding this facility for the Oshawa taxpayer. Indeed we all know that this facility was built at considerable expense solely by the Oshawa taxpayer, the highest taxed residents in the entire GTA. Indeed, even if the Federal Government was involved, the Government of Canada would be listed…not the party or the riding member.
In any case, a significant proportion of Oshawa taxpayers do not support Carrie or his party and so it is radically unfair to use their taxpayer funded facilities to support candidates and parties that they oppose. By displaying Carrie’s sign, the City of Oshawa is publicly sanctioning him as our MP in Ottawa which is at odds with the viewpoint of many Oshawa taxpayers.
Displaying a political sign, whether during a federal election or not makes a political statement that would not be made in any other public building in the country. Once again, Oshawa is living up to its motto, “Prepare to be amazed!”
I request the details of how the decision was made to allow this partisan politicking on Oshawa Public Property. I am particularly interested in knowing whether this was a resolution of council, a decision of staff, or a unilateral decision of a politician like the mayor who was once President of the Oshawa Federal Progressive Conservative Association.
I believe also that the individual(s) responsible should be publicly identified and disciplined for this gross lack of judgment, probably the only example of such lack of judgment in the entire country.
I wonder, as well, whether the expense of this advertising and the cost of producing the metal plaque is being identified as an election expense on the part of the Conservative Candidate. I believe also that the offer for displaying Candidates signs should be made to all candidates if displaying political signs is now part of Oshawa public policy.
Bill Longworth,
September 30, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Is Oshawa A War Zone?
City Hall---Blow it up!
North Oshawa Arena---Blow it up!
Civic Auditorium---Blow it up!
Harmon Park Arena---Blow it up!
Children’s Arena---Blow it up!
The historic and architecturally significant Rundle House---Blow it Up! It doesn’t matter that it was featured on the city’s brochure, “Historical Walking Tours.”
We have political leadership in Oshawa that has a “Johnny-one-note” philosophy, “Blow it up!”
This council and their bureaucratic advisors are blind to any alternative except search and destroy. "Blow it up!"
There’s so much destruction of public facilities in Oshawa, it’s like we’re in a war zone! It seems Oshawa City Council is blowing up everything in sight and compounding debt upon debt in this most heavily taxed part of the GTA.
It seems we have more destruction of public buildings in Oshawa than you’d find in Afghanistan. We are in all likelihood approaching re-construction debts equivalent to theirs. And still the politicians continue to spend like drunken sailors. They spend millions to destroy our facilities rather than amortizing these same amounts into their future operating and maintenance costs.
And this crew of incompetents has protected themselves from public outrage being expressed through the ballot box by introducing the general vote to protect their political futures.
Let’s look at the reasons they’ve given for their decisions.
City Hall
The Spin
We’re told that the roof leaks, we need a customer service center, and that the building is not handicapped accessible.
The Truth
Politicians want more palatial office space for themselves and senior bureaucrats, more palatial council chambers, and a plaque listing their names for posterity on the project.
They claim ongoing maintenance costs while negating these costs in every building including brand new buildings.
These maintenance costs are insignificant compared to the rapidly escalating $14.5 million plus interest on the new construction.
The leaking roof (if this is true) and the accessibility issue are simple maintenance items.
While peeking in the customer service area while in city hall the other day, I didn’t see phones ringing off the hook but did see a lot of idle chatter in the minimally staffed department. When was the last time you phoned city hall? This is a glorified answering service which will result in calls being directed to departmental experts without any staff reductions in those sites.
As for the leaking roof, a Toronto Raptor game at the Air Canada Centre last winter had to be periodically interrupted to wipe up water from roof leakage.
News reports say Buckingham Palace also has leaky roofs, peeling paint, and electrical and asbestos problems. Now, I wonder whether these problems are being repaired…or will did the powers that be follow Oshawa’s model and demolish and rebuild.
Even Parliament Hill is too costly for the taxpayers to maintain and should be "blown up". Let's put Oshawa City Council in charge of making this decision for Canadians.
The Arenas
The Civic, Children’s Arena, Harman Park Arena are all under study for demolition. North Oshawa Arena has already been demolished at a cost in excess of $1,000,000.
The Spin
We’re told that we have a surplus of ice space in Oshawa and that the maintenance costs of the “old” buildings does not justify their existence.
The Truth
An internet search shows the 51 City of Toronto arenas average 42.6 years of age with five close to 60 years old, and there's not been a word about destroying any of these!
The Civic (1964), Harmon Park Arena (1970’s), Children’s Arena (1956), North Oshawa Arena (1960’s) are all “young” when compared with Toronto’s where they recently built their first arena in 30 years.
I was in Children’s Arena, Harmon Park Arena, and The Civic recently and noted their spotless and well maintained conditions.
These rinks are irreplaceable “neighbourhood” resources providing accessible recreation opportunities in these older areas for children less able to travel to out-of-area facilities. Political decisions centralizing arenas to the newer and richer areas (except for Donovan which is being preserved) are once again depriving children from South Oshawa and the densely populated Nonquon area the same opportunities as being provided to the newer and richer neighbourhoods.
For many years, vast areas of Oshawa were neglected under the General Vote Council and with the return of the general vote, politicians are now once again working to deprive vast areas of the city of community recreational facilities…in the very places they are needed most. Under the General Vote these areas will have no council representative to speak up on their behalf to insure that all areas of the city are serviced.
The most important point about arena facilities is that they should be strategically placed and equally accessible to residents of all parts of the city.
We are also the fastest growing part of the GTA and if we presently have surplus ice, this may not be the case in short order as the city rapidly expands.
And once again, raising ongoing maintenance costs for the older areas is a spurious argument since ongoing maintenance and opportunity costs accrue even to the newest facilities like GM centre (which generates losses of millions of dollars per year when interest expenses on its $45 million loan are topped up by the half million $ yearly operating losses).
Show me politicians anywhere in the country, if not the universe, who would level and rebuild their complete inventory of ice arenas in one fell swoop in a 5 or 6 year period and I will show you a bunch of fools unfit to govern.
If you are disturbed by Oshawa’s demolition of our arena facilities, you can sign the petition to save Oshawa Arenas.
Rundle House
At a time when the world celebrates it’s history and heritage, it is abhorrent that we lose this treasure. Compare Oshawa’s main street with Port Perry, Port Hope, Unionville, Cobourg, and a myriad of others that treasure and enhance their image by preserving their architecture. In Oshawa, we "blow them up" in attempts to replicate our embarrassing South Simcoe city entrance in other parts of the city.
I have been told on good authority by a sitting member of the city council appointed Oshawa Historical Society that city council could have easily saved this building by designating it a "heritage site" but that they didn't have the political will to do so. They bowed to the wishes of the hospital board rather than the interests of the city of Oshawa.
A number of alternative sites had been identified for the cancer hospice by interested parties and I have in my possession a letter*** from Victor Fiume, President of the Durham Region Homebuilder's Association which in a meeting with the hospital board offered to renovate the Rundle House suitable for the hospital use with "little or no cost" to the Hospital Foundation. Hospital Board members indicated they had no interest in saving Rundle House and thus the DRHBA funded an alternative project, a $400,000 renovation and major expansion of Hearth Place. (link to letter will be included once I arrange the letter to be scanned and hosted on the internet)
A photo video of all of these “bomb sites” is being prepared for posterity and will be appended to this story upon its completion.
We need reminders of the mentality of this council as we approach the next election when hopefully most of the bums will be turfed out of office.
North Oshawa Arena---Blow it up!
Civic Auditorium---Blow it up!
Harmon Park Arena---Blow it up!
Children’s Arena---Blow it up!
The historic and architecturally significant Rundle House---Blow it Up! It doesn’t matter that it was featured on the city’s brochure, “Historical Walking Tours.”
We have political leadership in Oshawa that has a “Johnny-one-note” philosophy, “Blow it up!”
This council and their bureaucratic advisors are blind to any alternative except search and destroy. "Blow it up!"
There’s so much destruction of public facilities in Oshawa, it’s like we’re in a war zone! It seems Oshawa City Council is blowing up everything in sight and compounding debt upon debt in this most heavily taxed part of the GTA.
It seems we have more destruction of public buildings in Oshawa than you’d find in Afghanistan. We are in all likelihood approaching re-construction debts equivalent to theirs. And still the politicians continue to spend like drunken sailors. They spend millions to destroy our facilities rather than amortizing these same amounts into their future operating and maintenance costs.
And this crew of incompetents has protected themselves from public outrage being expressed through the ballot box by introducing the general vote to protect their political futures.
Let’s look at the reasons they’ve given for their decisions.
City Hall
The Spin
We’re told that the roof leaks, we need a customer service center, and that the building is not handicapped accessible.
The Truth
Politicians want more palatial office space for themselves and senior bureaucrats, more palatial council chambers, and a plaque listing their names for posterity on the project.
They claim ongoing maintenance costs while negating these costs in every building including brand new buildings.
These maintenance costs are insignificant compared to the rapidly escalating $14.5 million plus interest on the new construction.
The leaking roof (if this is true) and the accessibility issue are simple maintenance items.
While peeking in the customer service area while in city hall the other day, I didn’t see phones ringing off the hook but did see a lot of idle chatter in the minimally staffed department. When was the last time you phoned city hall? This is a glorified answering service which will result in calls being directed to departmental experts without any staff reductions in those sites.
As for the leaking roof, a Toronto Raptor game at the Air Canada Centre last winter had to be periodically interrupted to wipe up water from roof leakage.
News reports say Buckingham Palace also has leaky roofs, peeling paint, and electrical and asbestos problems. Now, I wonder whether these problems are being repaired…or will did the powers that be follow Oshawa’s model and demolish and rebuild.
Even Parliament Hill is too costly for the taxpayers to maintain and should be "blown up". Let's put Oshawa City Council in charge of making this decision for Canadians.
The Arenas
The Civic, Children’s Arena, Harman Park Arena are all under study for demolition. North Oshawa Arena has already been demolished at a cost in excess of $1,000,000.
The Spin
We’re told that we have a surplus of ice space in Oshawa and that the maintenance costs of the “old” buildings does not justify their existence.
The Truth
An internet search shows the 51 City of Toronto arenas average 42.6 years of age with five close to 60 years old, and there's not been a word about destroying any of these!
The Civic (1964), Harmon Park Arena (1970’s), Children’s Arena (1956), North Oshawa Arena (1960’s) are all “young” when compared with Toronto’s where they recently built their first arena in 30 years.
I was in Children’s Arena, Harmon Park Arena, and The Civic recently and noted their spotless and well maintained conditions.
These rinks are irreplaceable “neighbourhood” resources providing accessible recreation opportunities in these older areas for children less able to travel to out-of-area facilities. Political decisions centralizing arenas to the newer and richer areas (except for Donovan which is being preserved) are once again depriving children from South Oshawa and the densely populated Nonquon area the same opportunities as being provided to the newer and richer neighbourhoods.
For many years, vast areas of Oshawa were neglected under the General Vote Council and with the return of the general vote, politicians are now once again working to deprive vast areas of the city of community recreational facilities…in the very places they are needed most. Under the General Vote these areas will have no council representative to speak up on their behalf to insure that all areas of the city are serviced.
The most important point about arena facilities is that they should be strategically placed and equally accessible to residents of all parts of the city.
We are also the fastest growing part of the GTA and if we presently have surplus ice, this may not be the case in short order as the city rapidly expands.
And once again, raising ongoing maintenance costs for the older areas is a spurious argument since ongoing maintenance and opportunity costs accrue even to the newest facilities like GM centre (which generates losses of millions of dollars per year when interest expenses on its $45 million loan are topped up by the half million $ yearly operating losses).
Show me politicians anywhere in the country, if not the universe, who would level and rebuild their complete inventory of ice arenas in one fell swoop in a 5 or 6 year period and I will show you a bunch of fools unfit to govern.
If you are disturbed by Oshawa’s demolition of our arena facilities, you can sign the petition to save Oshawa Arenas.
Rundle House
At a time when the world celebrates it’s history and heritage, it is abhorrent that we lose this treasure. Compare Oshawa’s main street with Port Perry, Port Hope, Unionville, Cobourg, and a myriad of others that treasure and enhance their image by preserving their architecture. In Oshawa, we "blow them up" in attempts to replicate our embarrassing South Simcoe city entrance in other parts of the city.
I have been told on good authority by a sitting member of the city council appointed Oshawa Historical Society that city council could have easily saved this building by designating it a "heritage site" but that they didn't have the political will to do so. They bowed to the wishes of the hospital board rather than the interests of the city of Oshawa.
A number of alternative sites had been identified for the cancer hospice by interested parties and I have in my possession a letter*** from Victor Fiume, President of the Durham Region Homebuilder's Association which in a meeting with the hospital board offered to renovate the Rundle House suitable for the hospital use with "little or no cost" to the Hospital Foundation. Hospital Board members indicated they had no interest in saving Rundle House and thus the DRHBA funded an alternative project, a $400,000 renovation and major expansion of Hearth Place. (link to letter will be included once I arrange the letter to be scanned and hosted on the internet)
A photo video of all of these “bomb sites” is being prepared for posterity and will be appended to this story upon its completion.
We need reminders of the mentality of this council as we approach the next election when hopefully most of the bums will be turfed out of office.
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