Story Time

No, not bed-time stories but stories you may have not seen or had a chance to read:

DRIC ROAD IS GOING, GOING...

Those poor firms that spent all that time, money and effort bidding on the DRIC Road. Why bother.

This story is just a precursor to the announcement we will hear soon postponing the DRIC road project until the economy recovers, or rather, until we hear that we are getting a "temporary" cheap solution and that E C Road will be upgraded.

We are going to be given a choice I am sure as part of the charade: choose between the Greenlink road and the Zalev land purchase and brownfield remediation. Naturally most of us will choose to clean up the Zalev propety so Edgar (aka Eddie) will be off the hook.

Moreover, don't forget, there are more seats to win in Ottawa than Windsor too if it comes down to money:

• "So now the premier wants to talk transit?
  
  There's more than enough information to form an opinion, despite McGuinty's nervous weigh-in about costs
  
  What luck. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty finally turned his attention to Ottawa's transit plan last week, but it was on Day 1 of his new fiscal austerity diet and he determined that the rail project is a little high cal. The opinion that $700 million over a decade for transit in Ottawa could be unaffordable comes only days after McGuinty committed $1.5 billion over five years for full-day kindergarten. As the premier said earlier in the week, he has to determine priorities. It looks as if transit in Ottawa might not be one.
  
  The premier is confident that the province and the city will be able to find an affordable alternative...
  
  McGuinty's note of caution on cost might well be a reaction to the fact that some of our city councillors believe that Ottawa's transit project should have two-thirds of its cost covered by the province...
  
  It's difficult to determine what the word "affordable" really means at the provincial level. The province has a large operating deficit now...
  
  The affordability issue isn't limited to the provincial government. Federal Infrastructure Minister John Baird continues to lay in the weeds and make supportive noises about the light-rail project, but he's never suggested that the federal government could round up more than $600 million and even that will be a stretch. The government is limited by the amount of money it has committed to a major infrastructure program...
  
  Some think that the federal and provincial governments are not jumping up and down with enthusiasm over the Ottawa transit project because of animosity toward Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien. While it's true that the mayor and the key federal and provincial players aren't pals, they all share an interest in a happy ending on transit that will overcome any personal feelings."

OUR ROADS GET NO RESPECT EITHER

• "For a second year, Steeles Avenue, which borders the north end of the city, tops the list of the 20 worst roads released by the Canadian Automobile Association and the Ontario Road Builders' Association.
  
  Toronto has four more roads in the Top 10 alone, a group that includes Ritson Road in Oshawa in second spot and Burlington Street in Hamilton in third.
  
  Roads in Belleville, Ottawa and Sudbury round out the Top 10, while Kingston, London, St. Thomas and Welland roadways are named in the Top 20."

PIZZA MEETING

What were 2 Senior people from the Star, a senior City Hall person and a Senior University Official discussing at Vito's Pizzeria awhile back?

Frat parties, serving booze at University functions, re-location of School programs downtown again, student housing, canals or City politics including the next mayoral race?

JOURNALIST ETHICS CONCERNS

I thought this was interesting:

• "MP MacKay to marry CTV news executive
  
  Defence Minister Peter MacKay... asked Jana Juginovic, director of programming at CTV News Channel, for her hand while they were in Boston, where she is on a one-year fellowship. She said yes immediately, according to sources...
  
  Liberals quietly complained about the perception of a bias in having a senior CTV executive being romantically involved with a senior Conservative cabinet minister.
  
  The network insists it had taken steps to ensure Juginovic is not involved in coverage of MacKay."

That is hardly a resolution that would make me feel too comfortable. It seems that she is free to be involved in the coverage of the PM, other Conservative MPs and Cabinet Members.

I wonder if they used the Windsor precedent.

"LET'S MOVE ON" DEFENCE

Heck, you do something stupid, like cause a near riot for instance and do you get blamed? Not a chance. Do you have to apologize? Hardly:

• "Pursuing the labour board complaint at this stage would only serve to "continue to expose wounds of a very bitter and divisive strike," said Francis.
  
  "All I can say is we've moved on and the community has moved on ... if CUPE doesn't want to move on, that's their prerogative."

Wow, everyone is listening to Councillor Valentinis' approach to ignoring problems and pretending they never happened:

• "A pending inquiry threatens to damage the legacy of Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion
  
  The public has for decades cheered the Mayor who brought them a local miracle: kept their city debt-free even as it grew into the sixth-largest in Canada. Now it looks like Ms. McCallion’s run could end in recriminations, bitterness and a wide-ranging, costly inquiry that will drag skeletons from the closet and expose the deals done over the years. Many people just do not want to know, and especially, do not want to pay.
  
  “No murder’s taken place,” resident Mike Douglas said. “Most constituents simply want this done, over. Let’s get past it. ... We’re trying to go forward and we’re digging up imaginary dirt from the past.”

I guess they did not move on there:

• "An Ontario Superior Court judge who dismissed corruption charges against Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien will preside over a judicial inquiry into a controversial, $14.4 million land deal involving the son of Mayor Hazel McCallion.
  
  The selection of Justice John Douglas Cunningham means the investigative phase of the inquiry – into the mayor's presence in meetings about her son's land deal and broadly related issues – could begin as early as next week."

Neither should we!