Friday, July 19, 2013

A Subway Funding and Congestion Solution.





City streets represent the most utilized and fastest commuter transportation mode and account for 75% of Toronto's daily commuters by people, cars, trucks and vans.

Tearing up these streets to put streetcar tracks or LRTs, with or without right-of-ways, and reduce the available road width usage for these daily commuters and commerce purposes are NOT visionary or leadership.

Toronto's previous mayor Miller should have upgraded the City's and TTC's outdated signalling systems and traffic signals before borrowing close to a Billion dollars for new streetcars and subway vehicles in my humble opinion. 

LRT cost forecasting, as witnessed with the ST. Clair line (call it a streetcar or LRT) and the Eglinton LRT already $400 Million over budget and not even a third of the way completed, are continually underestimated in costs while overestimating the demand. 

Reports by non elected technocrats and bureaucrats are slanted in order to produce unrealistic cost figures that favour and constitutes technical justification for political-public works programs rather than real economic or technical criteria. 

Streetcars or LRT's are in NO way the solution to any cities transit requirements across Canada that have populations of over 2.6 million residents. If one wishes to see how engineers, planners and bureaucrats have screwed up a pedestrian, cyclists, autos, vans and commerce transit within a city go to Zurich, a city of less than 400,000 that is congested with inner city streetcars, LRTS or whatever one wishes to label them.

What Toronto urgently requires is funding from the province and the federal government for construction of a Scarborough subway today not tomorrow, replacing and upgrading the TTC signalling system coupled with the upgrading of all existing four-way traffic signals throughout the city, now, and within 3 to 5 years start construction on the DRL and then 2 years later finish the Sheppard subway connection to Scarborough and Spadina.

Now for the funding to accomplish all this is rather easy if the politicians had the political courage and the best interest of citizens in mind and not their respective unelected political parties.

A transit and infrastructure levy of 2% should immediately be required from all corporations operating and doing business in any province of Canada that has annual gross revenues in excess of $500 million dollars. This would be their mandatory investment for doing business within Canada


This levy would be designated solely for communities that already have an existing subway operation. Like it or not there is just no way Individual taxpayers and property taxes can continue to absorb and bear the brunt for transit and infrastructure costs in Toronto or any Canadian city.

Corporations, banks, unions and organizations like individual taxpayers all have an obligation when it comes to funding costs for transit and infrastructure within our cities.  

Its either a 2% tax levy now or a minimum 10% tax in the very near future for corporations with annual gross revenues that exceed half a billion dollars in my opinion. 

Sources



Up Dates:


Nobody knows what it will really cost for subways, streetcars or LRT’s


The United StatesCanada and other leading world economies that want multinational corporations to pay more taxes.


Sources














Tuesday, July 2, 2013

The Candidates Pledge that Ontario Voters Require.









A pledge voters need to see from candidates in these by-elections and ALL elections: 

1. That he/she shall fulfil the entire term of office voters elect them for. 

2. Independent candidates who put the interests of voters ahead of party politics. 

3. Independent candidates with the fortitude to tackle controversial issues through a human connection with the voters' support.  

4. A voice for the people NOT a puppet vote for a political party. 

5. The candidates passionate that work, education and integrity in seeking our votes to represent us in elected public service must ensure their commitment as a candidate for TRANSPARENCY, FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY. 

No longer can we afford the luxury of complacency by allowing unelected individuals to occupy the chairs of decision making.

Our right to vote is another democratic obligation people within civil society have and has been taken for granted for far too long.


It should be a mandatory requirement, like jury duty, compulsory schooling, driver’s licenses and paying taxes.

Cheers,

Peter Clarke

Source

Monday, June 24, 2013

Ontario’s Green Energy Plan 1,369 megawatts for $6 Billion





$1 Billion cost from Ontario taxpayers’ revenues over and above a $5 Billion Samsung investment producing 1,369 megawatts of green power down from 2,500 megawatts. At the consumer and taxpayer buyback energy cost of $6 Billion over 20 years and 900 green energy jobs protected only until 2016.
Recap, that now works out costing Ontario taxpayers $6.7 Million for every ONE new green energy job from the 900 jobs protected only unit 2016 created from this downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion.
At a taxpayer cost of $6 Billion for 1,369 megawatts of green power down from 2,500 megawatts from $1 Billion tax revenue dollars to secure the Samsung reduced the investment of $5 Billion from its' (Samsung's) original $7 Billion investment with the liberal political party government for an energy program as now propped up by unionized labour’s political party wing and movement the NDP!
$6.7 Million is the cost to taxpayers for every ONE job created by this Liberal-NDP unelected coalition type of legislature through their acceptance of the downsized amended Samsung energy investment agreement as originally reported by Antonella Artartuse, Queens Park Bureau Chief for Sun Media Corporation.        
For Ontarians, this is simply yet one more scandal and continuing waste of taxpayer’s money thanks to the Ontario liberal political party's government that continues to be propped up by unionized labour movement and its political wing the NDP party!

Liberal party premier Kathleen Wynne and former liberal Premier McGuinty’s political energy deal with Samsung was going to create 16,000 new green energy jobs at taxpayer energy buyback cost of $9.7 Billion for an original investment of $7 Billion by Samsung!

Resulting in a $2.7 Billion taxpayer cost in securing a $7 Billion Samsung energy investment in Ontario for a possible 16,000 green energy jobs.

However, as of today this $2.7 Billion, taxpayer-funded investment cost has resulted in only 641 jobs. (401 jobs at CS wind, 200 jobs at Siemens and 30 jobs SMA Solar as reported by Antonella Artuso, with thanks)

Now, Samsung’s reduced investment shall be $5 Billion for those originally proposed 900 green jobs with the taxpayers being on the hook for a reduced energy buyback cost of $6 Billion?

A $6 Billion taxpayer-funded cost to secure a $5 Billion Samsung energy investment and 900 green energy jobs that are protected only until 2016? With the politically estimated possibility of some 9,000 temporary construction jobs reduced from the original estimate of 16,000!  

That works out now costing the taxpayers $6.7 Million for every ONE new green energy job from the 900 to be created by this downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion at a taxpayer energy buyback cost of $6 Billion. With these 900 new green energy jobs to be protected only unit 2016

That is the jest of the liberal-NDP coalition energy plan that the liberals brag is “a good deal for ratepayers” and their NDP collation political partners defend as “obtaining significant gains for the public”?

You as informed taxpayers, voters and possible voters must decide!

Let’s recap so that we all readily understand just what this Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government movement has decided!

Now 900 green energy jobs shall cost $6 Billion to taxpayers in energy buyback costs over the next twenty years for a downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion as a green energy investment in Ontario with the possibility of perhaps 9,000 temporary green energy jobs!

Thus instead of the political possibility of 16,000 green energy jobs at a taxpayer cost of $9.7 Billion (green energy buybacks) the liberal-NDP coalition political party government has decided that the original 900 green energy jobs shall now cost $6 Billion (energy buyback costs) over the next twenty years from Samsung for Samsung's $5 Billion downsized investment in Ontario for the political temporary green jobs estimated to now possibly only 9,000 down from the original 16,000?

In other words $6.7 Million taxpayers’ fork out for every ONE green energy job out of the total 900 jobs!  

This Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government movement continues to lack accountability, transparency, and ethics along with any moral right to continue governing.
Considering all current and past scandals and mismanagement coupled with the current lack of meaningful legislative oversight, in my opinion. 

Further this latest factual news item was NOT front page news for the Toronto Star but rather in the business section.

Unfortunately the Toronto Star and other media outlets, in my opinion, shamelessly are continuing with their attempt to conjured up stories related solely too an unverified phantom video based on rumors, hearsay and non judicial opinions about Mayor Ford or his brother as a Cortina de Humo.

As their editorial board continues to front page what if scenarios about Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford in their endless attempts to divert attention away from the scandalous mismanagement that continues to go unabated at Queens Park with rumors, gossip and hearsay stories about Mayor Ford as relentlessly conjured up by anonymous sources! 

At least the Mayor of Toronto and his administration have attempted to hold the line on expenses at city hall and eliminate the $60 car tax and have not squandered $ 3 to $ 4 Billion dollars of taxpayer funds while increasing provincial spending by another $3.7 Billion through a $1.9 Billion one year increase in Ontario taxpayers debt in addition to their $24 Billion increase in total taxpayer debt that now has brought Ontario’s total debt (taxpayers) to $281 Billion!

Hopefully voters now realize the obvious that it is not the Mayor of Toronto who needs to resign or take a leave of absence but rather the leader of the Ontario liberal party and her NDP political cohort for continuing to waste BILLIONS of dollars annually collected from taxpayers for unsustainable and unaffordable programs based on the ideologies of collective liberalized socialism.

The media’s continued attempts at hoodwinking the voters through using Mayor Ford as a Cortina de Humo in my opinion shall fail.

Up Date:
 http://www.torontosun.com/2013/06/21/just-call-them-the-fiberals
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/06/22/is_green_energy_fading_to_black_in_ontario_cohn.html
Former News Releases Ministry of Energy
New Ontario Government Strengthens Energy Planning
Communities Will Be Engaged in Regional Energy Plans


Sources:


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Every ONE Green Energy Job Created by Ontario Liberal-NDP Coalition Costs $6.7 MILLION?




$6.7 Million is the cost for every ONE job created under the Ontario government’s Liberal-NDP coalition political party government through their acceptance of the downsized amended Samsung investment in the liberal party’s green energy program as originally reported by Antonella Artartuso, Queens Park Bureau Chief for the Sun Media Corporation.


Yet another scandal and continuing waste of taxpayer’s money thanks to the Ontario Liberal party’s government as it continues to be propped up by the Ontario big labour and unionized workers party the NDP party!

Liberal party premier Kathleen Wynne and former liberal Premier McGuinty’s political energy deal with Samsung was going to create 16,000 new green energy jobs at taxpayer energy buyback cost of $9.7 Billion for an original investment of $7 Billion by Samsung!

Resulting in a $2.7 Billion taxpayer cost in securing a $7 Billion Samsung energy investment in Ontario for a possible 16,000 green energy jobs!

However, as of today, this taxpayer-funded investment cost of $2.7 Billion has resulted in only 641 jobs. (401 jobs at CS wind, 200 jobs at Siemens and 30 jobs SMA Solar as reported by Antonella Artuso, with thanks)

Now, Samsung’s reduced investment shall be $5 Billion for those originally proposed 900 green jobs with the taxpayers being on the hook for a reduced energy buyback cost of $6 Billion?

A $6 Billion taxpayer-funded cost to secure a $5 Billion Samsung energy investment and 900 green energy jobs that are protected only until 2016? With the politically estimated possibility of some 9,000 temporary construction jobs reduced from the original estimate of 16,000!  

That works out now costing the taxpayers $6.7 Million for every ONE new green energy job from the 900 to be created by this downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion at a taxpayer energy buyback cost of $6 Billion. With these 900 new green energy jobs to be protected only unit 2016

That is the jest of the liberal-NDP coalition energy plan that the liberals brag is “a good deal for ratepayers” and their NDP collation political partners defend as “obtaining significant gains for the public”?

You as informed taxpayers, voters and possible voters must decide!

That works out now costing the taxpayers $6.7 Million for every ONE new green energy job from the 900 to be created by this downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion at a taxpayer energy buyback cost of $6 Billion. With these 900 new green energy jobs to be protected only unit 2016

Let’s recap so that we all readily understand that this Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government has decided now that 900 green energy jobs shall cost $6 Billion to taxpayers in energy buyback costs over the next twenty years for a downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion as a green energy investment in Ontario with the possibility of perhaps 9,000 temporary green energy jobs!

Thus instead of the political possibility of 16,000 green energy jobs at a taxpayer cost of $9.7 Billion (green energy buybacks) the liberal-NDP coalition political party government has decided that the original 900 green energy jobs shall now cost $6 Billion (energy buyback costs) over the next twenty years from Samsung for Samsung's $5 Billion downsized investment in Ontario for the political temporary green jobs estimated to now possibly only 9,000 down from the original 16,000?

In other words $6.7 Million taxpayers’ fork out for every ONE green energy job out of the total 900 jobs!  

This Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government lacks accountability, transparency, ethics along with any moral right to continue governing considering all current and past scandals and mismanagement coupled with the current lack of meaningful legislative oversight, in my opinion. 

Further, this latest factual news item was NOT front-page news for the Toronto Star but rather in the business section.

Unfortunately the Toronto Star and other media outlets, in my opinion, shamelessly are continuing with their attempt to conjured up stories related solely to an unverified phantom video based on rumours, hearsay and non judicial opinions about Mayor Ford or his brother as a Cortina de Humo.

As their editorial board continues to front page what if scenarios about Toronto’s Mayor Rob Ford in their endless attempts to divert attention away from the scandalous mismanagement that continues to go unabated at Queens Park by going with rumours, gossip and hearsay stories about Mayor Ford as conjured up by anonymous sources! 

At least the Mayor of Toronto and his administration have attempted to hold the line on expenses at city hall and eliminate the $60 car tax and have not squandered $ 3 to $ 4 Billion dollars of taxpayer funds while increasing provincial spending by another $3.7 Billion through a $1.9 Billion one year increase in Ontario taxpayers debt in addition to their $24 Billion increase in total taxpayer debt that now has brought Ontario’s total debt (taxpayers) to $281 Billion!

Hopefully voters now realize the obvious that it is not the Mayor of Toronto who needs to resign or take a leave of absence but rather the leader of the Ontario Liberal party and her NDP political cohort for continuing to waste BILLIONS of dollars annually collected from taxpayers for unsustainable and unaffordable programs based on the ideologies of collective liberalized socialism.

This attempted hoodwinking of voters through using Mayor Ford as a Cortina de Humo at the expense of all taxpayers, in my opinion, shall fail.





Friday, June 21, 2013

$6.7 Million Taxpayer Cost for Every One Job Created by Ontario’s Green Energy Plan






Another scandal and waste of taxpayer’s money thanks to the Ontario Liberal party’s government as it continues to be propped up by Ontario big labour movements and unionized workers party the NDP party!

Liberal party premier Kathleen Wynnes’ and former liberal Premier McGuinty’s energy deal with Samsung  was to create 16,000 new green energy jobs at taxpayer energy buy back cost of  $9.7 Billion for the original investment of $7 Billion by Samsung!

A $2.7 Billion taxpayer cost to secure a $7 Billion Samsung energy investment in Ontario for 16,000 green energy jobs!

Now, Samsung’s reduced investment is $5 Billion for the 900 green jobs with the taxpayers on the hook for an energy buyback of $6 Billion?

A $6 Billion taxpayer cost to secure a $5 Billion Samsung energy investment and 900 green energy jobs?

That works out now costing the taxpayers $6.7 Million for every ONE new green energy job for the 900 to be created by this downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion at a taxpayer energy buyback cost of $6 Billion.  

Let’s recap for all to understand that the Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government has now decided that 900 green energy jobs shall cost $6 Billion to taxpayers in energy buyback costs over the next twenty years for a downsized Samsung investment of $5 Billion as a green energy investment in Ontario

A $6 Billion taxpayer cost to secure a $5 Billion Samsung energy investment and 900 green energy jobs?

Instead of 16,000 new jobs at a taxpayer cost of $9.7 Billion in green energy buybacks this Liberal-NDP coalition political party government has decided that 900 green energy jobs shall now cost $6 Billion in energy buy back costs over the next twenty years from Samsungs $5 Billion downsized investment in Ontario?

In other words, $6.7 Million taxpayers’ must fork out for ONE green energy job out of the total 900 jobs!   


This Ontario liberal-NDP coalition political party government lacks, accountability, transparency, ethics along with any moral right to continue governing considering all current and past scandals and mismanagement coupled with the current lack of meaningful legislative oversight, in my opinion.  
Sources:






Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Mayor's Charged Assaulter Sends E Mail Story to Toronto Star?



Open Letter to Toronto Mayor's Alleged Assaulter's Lawyer, Law Society and Toronto Star. 


For your client to send an email to the media via the Toronto Star as reported by one Carys Mills an employee of the Star is itself far more inappropriate and unfortunate than any comments alleged by yourself to have been utter by the Mayor concerning your clients alleged and independently witnessed assault against the Mayor of Toronto. 


It is my opinion  that your client's side of any story relating to her being charged with assault has one place only to be heard and that is in the courts and not through the media and I am sure that the law society would overwhelmingly agree.

Therefore as a lawyer and member of the law society, you must be fully cognizant of the fact that it is not the Mayor, the media or any other citizen that allows Ms. Everett to have her day and yours in the court in front of a judge to plead her story or case.

It has already been widely publicized in the media and not the courts that your client is allegedly a creative and very intelligent person, according to one Jesse LaFleur himself an alleged former high school acquaintance. 

One would conclude that in our civil society, whether your client has never been involved with the police prior to this charge as reported by the media, a supposedly educated, intelligent or level headed individual would not find herself or himself charged for assault against another human if they had full control of their faculties?

Finally this is all about your client’s credibility and perhaps those individuals who might have witnessed the alleged assault and NOT the victim who in this case apparently was the Mayor of Toronto.  

To quote, Justice J..E. Scanlan, “guilt or innocence is NOT based on rumours, speculation or reputation. An accused is not tried in the media, courts or public opinion based on what he/she may have done before rather the evidence to the matter in issue”

In my humble opinion as a mere mortal, lately unprofessional conduct be it by lawyers, editorials, journalistic stories have unfortunately forgone any sense of professionalism and basic human decency. 

Perhaps it is because of their distinct motives based on their particular political ideologies and philosophies and to heck with the laws!

I am not sure but it sure seems that way of late.

Warmest regards,

Peter Clarke

Toronto

Source

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Syria's Revolutionary Civil War being Orchestrated and Propelled by Outside Interest?




With the civil war continuing to rage on in Syria, the world has a situation similar to what happened in Libya and Egypt.

With the Arab Muslim spring uprisings and the revolutionary civil war uprisings in Libya and Egypt it has become increasingly clearer that two goals of such uprisings were to establish Sharia law by incorporating Islam as the state religion and to achieve financial control of the country’s oil resources or the country itself in the case of Egypt.

The ancient Arabic translation of Sharia law relates to a path to the water hole and considering today’s position could cause the route to the oil holes? 

Syria’s oil and gas reserves opposite to those of Egypt and Libya remains a top-secret of its duly elected government and Islam is not currently the state religion.

Now Syria currently produces some 401,000 barrels of oil per day compared to the 662,600 (bbl/day) produced by Egypt and the 1.789 million (bbl/day) of oil produced by Libya

The so-called Syrian opposition, is made up of armed forces deserters, Syrian exile members of the de facto groups like the SNC (Syrian national council), FSA (free Syrian army) and non Syrian fanatic extremists for a free Palestine along with the Muslim brotherhood for Sharia law and all are doing battle against the Assad regime and the Syrian people.

A fraudulent unelected group of individuals, mainly from foreign countries, who call themselves the Syrian National Council claiming to be the opposition forces for the protection of the unarmed citizens of Syria and its resources.  

For the record the creation of the SNC was publicly reported not from within Syria but from Istanbul Turkey. Its members are listed @

We should also be aware of other groups like the Syrian American Council and the Free Syrian Army which is made up of deserters from Syria’s armed forces. 

The world witnessed desertions from Syria’s armed forces on the basis of clan alignment and radical Islamic religious beliefs? 

When military personnel go AWOL and put on masks and commence massacring their former comrades in uniform they are committing treason against the same people they took an oath and swore to protect against such lawlessness and anarchy?

These deserters for their deception and treasonous acts are now subject to appropriate military rule for these traitorous actions and killings and must be held liable?

Under a banner of the SNC or FSA the opposition force, for the protection of the unarmed citizens of Syria and its resources as they previously stated, have been and continue to kill innocent woman, children, youth and the elderly all Syrian people?

Recent bombings in Damascus, that have the fingerprint tactics used by al- Qaeda, fundamentalist Sunni Muslim terrorists groups and others from throughout the region in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Egypt and Jordan, by these heavily armed opposition forces comprised of rebels, insurgents, army deserters and terrorists can attest to the Syrian government’s claim that Syria is fighting Islamist militants steered from abroad!

How can Canada, the USA and other western powers support such radical extremists and fanatical religious non elected but self-anointed individuals and armed forces deserters and terrorists who call themselves the opposition and then proceed to intentionally detonate 10 kilos of highly flammable explosives in the centre of Damascus next to a primary school, shops and a mosque?

The UN and elected governments acceptance of condoning such treasonous acts, committed by deserters from the Syrian government’s armed force, based on their opinion that the elected Syrian government has “lost their legitimacy” and that “the free Syrian army of deserters will work hand in hand with the people to bring the regime down, protect the revolution and the country’s resources” says it all.

I think that we in the west, along with the rest of the world, must start questioning statements issued from Syrian exiles in France, Turkey, the
United States, Canada and throughout the Middle East and Africa

It remains my position that this civil war in Syria is definitely under the domestic jurisdiction of the state of Syria and as such it is time that France, Turkey, USA, Britain, Canada, Libya, Egypt, Iran, the displaced Palestine's fighters and all others to butt out of the internal domestic affairs of Syria and stop their attempts at legitimizing the SNC as the official opposition of the Republic of Syria.

If the elected Syrian regime is doomed then the Republic of Syria along with its' constitution and all legal citizens of Syria shall once again be controlled and governed through outsiders and outside interests. The establishment of Sharia law most likely would then follow in my humble opinion as the world is witnessing throughout the Middle East after the so called Arab spring uprisings!  


What kind of religion asks or demands that you blow yourself up to kill others from another tribe of the same religion in the name of a revolution, uprising for political power or God and Allah?

Syrian opposition and rebels an unelected de fact group, dominated by al-Qaida, jihadists, funded by Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Libya, and Saudi Arabia, who commit an equal number of war crimes and atrocities against the Syrian citizens as the current duly elected Assad regime.

The Obama administration and the American government now want to arm these tribal sectarian fighters    

Latest Canadian position

No arms for Syrian rebels, Canadian government states.


Up Dates:

Geneva 2: Not Much Hope for Peace in Syria Author / Source / Date: 
Prabir Purkayastha, June 1, 2013

 

http://newsclick.in/international/geneva-2-not-much-hope-peace-syria

Islamists auction off cars to buy Syrian rebels heat-seeking missiles-Toronto Star


http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/06/28/islamists_auction_off_cars_to_buy_syrian_rebels_heatseeking_missiles.html

Sources: 
Public documents from BBCUK news, United Nations, Toronto Sun, and numerous media outlets, web sites, thanks to all.