Category: Provincial Politics

When Daylight Comes.

by Peter Lowry

It will be like having another Christmas. We’re gonna have an election, we’re gonna have an election. Thinking about this opportunity for Canadians, I was musing the other day about Erin O’Toole’s chances. No, no not his chances of being elected prime minister. That horse left the stable a long time ago. I am talking about his slim chance of winning in Ontario’s Durham riding. A lot of good liberals live in that electoral district. What if they got off their asses and booted out that carpetbagger O’Toole?

There is going to be sure to be another conservative leadership event anyway. And this time, the Tories might be smart enough to do away with preferential voting. After all, what they got the last two times should have taught them something about voting systems.

There are only two things wrong with Mr. O’Toole’s proposed conduct of the campaign. Their names are Jason Kenney and Doug Ford. And frankly Canadians are tired of Alberta premier Kenney whining about how badly his pollution-producing province is being treated. This is the province that, in the fat oil-rich years, cheerfully told easterners to freeze in the dark. It is a province that has never had a provincial sales tax. Premier Kenney is a phony and a fool and we all know it. He invested a billion and a half dollars in a pipeline that was promptly cancelled by in-coming President Joe Biden of the United States.

And yet Kenney bitches and whines some more about prime minister Justin Trudeau who is busy building him a doubled pipeline over the Rockies to Vancouver. This pipeline is to pump the most polluting oil source in the world—from the Athabasca and Cold Lake tar sands—to ocean going ships and send it around the world.

But we can hardly leave Ontario premier Doug Ford out of the equation. This neanderthal is prime minister Justin Trudeau’s secret weapon. In vote rich Ontario, Doug Ford spells the death toll for conservative ideas and policies. He is hardly going to hide in his kennel for the duration of the election.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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Playing Pandemic Politics.

by Peter Lowry

There was some interesting political posturing this past week in Ontario. New democratic party leader Andrea Horwath came out of semi-retirement to embarrass herself and, in the process, she reminded Ontario voters that the Ontario liberals really do have a leader. Horwath even called him Mr. Del Duca. What it all added up to was more pig-headed posturing from premier Ford, voters finding out that Horwath is as confused as ever and being reminded that the provincial liberals really do have a leader.

The real winner out of this ménage was the liberal leader. Any chance he gets for some ink is a win for him. And especially when he is on the side of the vast majority of Ontario residents.

It seems Mr. Del Duca made the relatively unnoticed suggestion that health care and education workers should get vaccinated against COVID-19 or find a new line of work. It seems Ontario’s dim-witted premier said something like “firgetaboudit” and then forgot about it. Meanwhile our NDP leader was invited to be interviewed by the CBC and was asked about Mr. Del Duca’s suggestion. And that was when she blew it.

Ms. Horwath climbed on her high horse at the question and ridiculed Mr. Del Duca for his silly suggestion. It seems she puts her idea of charter rights ahead of the safety of medical patients and school children.

It was not until her caucus of colleagues at Queen’s Park got in touch with her, that she found out she had done wrong. Her NDP warriors wanted to woodshed her for her putting the Canada’s charter of rights and freedoms ahead of the safety of sick adults and children.

What Ms. Horwath did not seem to understand is that there is a growing anger among the Ontario population that anti-vaxxers and other thoughtless people are endangering the rest of us. Despite the excellent response by about 80 per cent of Ontario residents 12 and older, some people remain willing to risk ill-health and death rather than get vaccinated. She had to take back her careless remarks.

I am a strong believer in individual rights. I also believe if you want to play Russian roulette with your life, you may—but not near me.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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Emancipation Day?

by Peter Lowry

For a guy who pays close attention to politics in this country, I should admit I’m embarrassed. I was so busy celebrating Simcoe Day in Ontario I had no idea what this new Emancipation Day is about. We really have to stop tearing down statues, reviling former leaders, changing what we call holidays and changing words in the dictionary.

I am no etymologist but I do treasure the words of the Oxford Dictionary in its various dimensions, rely on Ernest Fowler in understanding grammar, admire John Bartlett for his handy references and also make my share of typos, as well as grammatical and spelling errors. It seems we like to write but we have forgotten how to edit.

I draw the line at somebody, somewhere, decreeing that “indigenous” means, if your ancestors came here 15,000 years ago, your people are “from here.” Perverting our language is not going to make anybody feel better about themselves. I find my aboriginal and métis acquaintances much prefer the respect and fair treatment they deserve as Canadian citizens. I have always known that many of their ancestors got a bum deal from past European settlers. There are some reparations needed. We have to resolve this by working together.

And what can really annoy me is the newcomer to Canada who discovers that the streets are not paved with gold, that there are some of us who are not as tolerant as they should be and the newbies condemn the rest of us for it.

Frankly, I think I have travelled enough in this world to realize that there are lots of nice people and some assholes everywhere. Get used to it.

And, speaking of assholes, I hope the next time we see some people tearing down an old statue, that the people doing the pulling are under the statue when it falls. That would be justice for all!

What really leaves me cold is the eagerness of politicians such as Toronto councillors to spend ratepayers’ money on fixing what they consider errors of the past. Is Toronto so confused that we have to rename Dundas Street? I never knew nor cared who the street was named after. I hardly care what you call it but it will always be Dundas to me. It is the same as the O’Keefe Centre, SkyDome and when the Cleveland Indians come to play the Blue Jays. Some people just need a better appreciation of history.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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Ontario’s Johnny Appleseed.

by Peter Lowry

Ontario residents must have this image of the Ontario premier skipping along the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401) throwing loonies and toonies left and right. That is his answer to every problem he hears about. He says he will throw money at it. He tells us he is generous with the taxpayers’ money.

But the question is: Will he really spend it?

This subject was posed very recently in Babel-on-the-Bay.com. It was when the Ontario budget office informed us that our hospitals had been unable to spend a billion dollars in the past year that had been available for them to spend. This was at a time of stretching the limits of intensive care, of closing our hospitals to visitors and volunteers, of closing hospital kitchens and settling for poorer quality catered foods, of telling those caring for patients that they would not get raises but needed to work longer shifts. At a time when money was available, our hospitals were not getting the money needed to do their job.

But that does not stop the supposed free-spending ways of our premier.

Why just the other day, Mr. Ford said he was shocked to learn that there might be a backlog in surgeries and other medical procedures because of the demands for care of COVID-19 patients. This is based on the information from the hospitals that they turned away about 25 per cent of necessary but not time sensitive procedures. What the hospitals do not know and are concerned about is the number of people who did not come to the hospitals’ emergency facilities during the peak of the pandemic. The drop off was significant but there is no way to put a figure on an expected surge in patients as the pandemic subsides.

The first $300 million was in the spring budget anyway, so nobody seems impressed with Mr. Ford’s additional $24 million.

But is this real money or just more of Mr. Ford’s phantom money?

All we can advise Ontario voters is they should try to stay out of hospitals until the hospitals have returned to putting some decent food on patient trays.

And there should be a nice chilled apple on every tray in honour of Johnny Appleseed, who, it is reputed, visited Ontario in the early 1800s with his seeds, so that Canadians could also enjoy apples.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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Ontario’s Super-Saver Premier.

by Peter Lowry

Maybe there are those of us in Ontario who do not appreciate our premier for his uncaring ways. Did you know that he saves taxpayers money even when he really should have spent it? We got the word the other day. The independent Financial Accountability Office of Ontario told us how Doug Ford’s government had saved us $9 billion. And that was when we knew he needed to spend more.

It was when he first slipped into office that he cut the spending on autistic children. There were complaints about that. Nobody seemed to notice though when he reduced the funds for the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). It sure looks as though Doug doesn’t give a damn about those people.

It is so bad in Ontario that sociologists are now referring to the close to a half-million people on ODSP as our modern-era hunter gatherers. They are always out hunting for free food and the small change they can beg from citizens, or they have to steal. It is as though we are telling these unfortunate people to beg on the streets or to be criminals or starve.

But the real criminals today are the local health integration networks (LHINs). These people are so busy fighting for their jobs that they have no time left to do their jobs. They are taking it out on the hospital patients because of an uncaring government. Ontario had to budget for extra funds because of the pandemic and yet the Ministry of Health throttled back the funds and there is a billion dollars unspent—not because it was not needed—because it was held back by our conservative government.

After spending a month in hospital last year with a leg in a cast, you learn a lot about how hospital funding is being strangled. The hospitals had to close their kitchens and the catered food is awful. (I lost ten kilograms of body weight because I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.) They never had enough nurses to cover the shifts. (These are the same nurses whom the conservatives denied any wage increase.) The weekly surprise for hospital staff was what materials were not delivered to fill needs in looking after patients. No wonder, they had a billion left over!

And who suffers from this stingy, uncaring government? We all do.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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The worth of a person.

by Peter Lowry

Now that restaurants are re-opening across Canada in the wake of the recent wave of the pandemic, there are the expected complaints from hospitality businesses in finding it difficult to hire staff.  Surprise, surprise, what did you expect? Especially in an industry relying on the demeaning system of gratuities to earn a living wage? It is time to put an end to gratuities in North America.

I remember the story of a friend visiting Tokyo with his wife. He thought he could defeat the no-tipping rule there by tucking some money under his plate. The restaurant owner ran after them for two blocks to return the money. The tourist did not realize he was insulting the proprietor. He was inferring that the owner did not pay his staff an adequate wage.

And, obviously, here in Ontario and in the rest of North America, we do not pay wait staff a proper wage. We are depriving these people of their dignity. We are paying them minimum wages and counting on the generosity of the customers to compensate for the stinginess of their employers.

And we are not even distributing these honorariums fairly. The system is so unbalanced as to be a disgrace. Is this the food chain in which people who like this type of work have to move up the ladder of life? Do they start as teenagers at fast food shops and work their way up to the expensive and ostentatious bistros with dinner charges, accompanied by just the right wines, that cost hundreds of dollars on the expense account?

And what is the difference between the two environments? It is the same job. It is the same terrible hours. The employees at the low end cannot all be young trainees. The employees at the top end cannot all be old and grey.

And why should all tipping be the same ’recommended’ 15 or even 20 per cent?

This was all confused when we had to pick up from our favourite restaurant or let Uber or others deliver. Why would you tip the driver the same percentage as you would tip for the service in the restaurant? Let’s turn this truck around.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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A passport to Freedom.

by Peter Lowry

It is called a laissez passer. It is similar to a passport but identifies the role of the individual at the United Nations or one of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their role with the United Nations. It is issued by the United Nations to assist their personnel and NGO officials in carrying out their duties around the world.

And all I want is a laissez passer to get me where I want to go as a fully vaccinated person in Ontario. I have done my duty as a good citizen. I have hunkered down during all the lockdowns. I have foregone travel in my own province. I have worn those goddamn masks that make it hard to breath, easy to sneeze and fogs up my glasses. I got both of my vaccinations as early as possible. And now—after a year and a half of pandemic panic, I am supposed to be free.  I have places to go and things to do. Why should I be held back by the anti-vaxxers and those who shilly-shally over getting their shots.

If it is their right to refuse to be vaccinated, it is my right to be released from lockdowns. I want a laissez passer.

The Blue Jays are coming home and I want to be there to cheer them on. There is nothing to match a warm sunny afternoon at the Dome. Those of us with both our shots are more than enough to fill those seats and cheer the boys on.

I want to go to the casino and challenge the live dealers. I want to play table games with real people. Show your laissez passer and welcome to the table.

I want to go out to dinner at a decent restaurant—without all the fooforaw of masks and plexiglass dividers between diners. I want to browse the wines at the LCBO without keeping the next deserving customer from getting in.

And who has the information needed for your personal laissez passer? None other than that poor, simple-minded premier of Ontario: Doug Ford. The records are there as to who got their shots and when. Our district health boards gave us our vaccinations and have all the records. All I want is a nice handy, wallet-sized card that I can show to skeptics. I deserve a laissez passer.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

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Give Me Shelter.

by Peter Lowry

There is little reason to ever respect Ontario premier Doug Ford. It is not just that the man is untrained and unfit to be premier. It is the nature of the task that the man has taken on. He has no idea what it really requires.

The job requires compassion.

Recently I wrote a commentary about building a better society. I got some ribbing from readers about being a socialist because I said everyone in our society has to have shelter and clean drinking water. Despite global warming, Canadians are going to need shelter for many years to come. And it is our provincial governments that have to make sure those shelters are built.

We can hardly stand back and watch housing costs skyrocket in our cities. We have to reduce the pressures on the market by building more affordable and geared-to-income accommodation. It is the province that can make that happen. It is the province that can convince the builders.

Rather than build an unnecessary highway to the development lands of his builder friends, premier Ford needs to put the tax dollars into affordable housing—where it is needed most. He can let the federal government help but the constitution leaves the resolution to the provinces.

It is because compassion belongs here.

Healthcare is not a football to kick around either. Under the Ford government, Ontario’s hospitals have deteriorated, rapidly. Covid-19 does not get all the blame. Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers are being mistreated. Hospitals are falling in community approvals. The food they are feeding patients is awful. The quality of care is falling. We are seeing racism, discrimination and uncaring in services. Staff are overworked and weary. Patient advocacy has become a joke.

Without compassion, hospitals are just unfriendly places in which to die.

And what about our schools. Remote learning is a failure of technology. We can hardly replace the human element in teaching our children. And education is not an exercise in public relations.

Without compassion, education becomes a rote exercise.

Without compassion, provincial governments fail us.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can now be sent to:

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A Question of Trust.

by Peter Lowry

Journalists report on our politicians all the time. They think they can judge them best. They kid themselves. There is too much that they do not say about our MPs, MPPs and MLAs. Even if we, as interested citizens, watch our politicians on CPAC and provincial channels, we might only get a small sample of what our local politician is doing on our behalf in Ottawa or as a member of our provincial government.

So, what can we do four years or less later when they want to be re-elected? How do we judge their worth? Do you trust them again to represent you?

Many people abdicate the responsibility by voting for the party. It is their right to do that. Some will cheerfully vote for the village idiot—if he or she represents the preferred party.

The news media encourage voting for the party by spending considerable reporting resources on following the travels of the party leaders. Some of the large city media will also take the trouble sometimes to interview candidates in your electoral district. There will be the usual complaints about sign by-laws and access to voters in institutions and condominiums.

Some people try to save all the literature they receive during the election period and, maybe, sift through the pile before going to vote. What you have read is what they want you to know, or believe. Do you trust all you read?

Surprising few of your neighbours ever bother to go to one of the all-candidate meetings. And there are fewer of those than in the past. There used to be coffee parties where a supporter would invite neighbours to meet and talk with one of the candidates. The rarest event is when a candidate comes to your door.

But if you are lucky and can question your candidate, what do you want to know. Doesn’t it all boil down to a question of trust? Can you rely on this person to represent your concerns to the government of the day?

You are the voter. What do you want? Whom do you trust to deliver for you?

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can now be sent to:

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In Disdain of Demagogues.

by Peter Lowry

It was easy enough to identify U.S. president Donald Trump as being a demagogue. He exhibited all the hallmarks while in office. He was a brash, boisterous braggard. He would not have known a truth if he tripped over it. He promised his followers any foolish thing they wanted.

The classic demagogue is Ontario premier Doug Ford. He learned about politics indirectly from his conservative father and from his younger brother in Toronto city hall. His classic promise of ‘Buck a Beer’ was demagoguery at its best. He promised change and instead gave Ontario confusion over covid-19, cronyism, confidential deals with developers and attempts to control competition.

Ford’s major problem was that he was neither as smart nor as experienced as his buddy out west, Jason Kenny, premier of Alberta. Kenney had years of experience in Ottawa behind him when he went home to ‘unite the right’ in Alberta. He understood the need to drive a pick-up truck, wear a ten-gallon hat, engage ethnic groups, stamp out competition and feed on the old shibboleths of outing Ottawa. What identified Kenney’s demagoguery was his foolish expenditures on false enemies and hoped for pipelines.

Who but a demagogue would pour more than a billion of taxpayer’ dollars into a failing pipeline that is now dead? Who else would see conspiracies in who supports organizations that care about the environment? And who would arrange for a propaganda office to fight Ottawa and environmental concerns?

And yet, we cannot leave these notes on demagoguery without considering Canada’s chief demagogue. We are dealing here with a person who has lived with privilege his entire life. His disdain for those less privileged is there for all to see. He talks environmentalism and builds a pipeline to carry the highly polluting product of Alberta’s tar sands. He talks feminism and fires women who disagree with him.

He harbours with the rich and famous, he is an elitist, he loves the stage and the adoration, he is the cuckoo in the clock at Rideau Cottage. He is the most dangerous of demagogues. He is Justin Trudeau.

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Copyright 2021 © Peter Lowry

Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can now be sent to:

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