Now word comes down of one more mess: a commitment to cover any deficit for the Ontario Winter Games, in this case, $75,000 based on a presentation to councillors last night by parks, recreation and culture director Marta Proctor (who, by the way, wears none of this, coming to the job as she did long after the decisions had been made).

Really? The words of former Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau spring to mind, echoing as they must have through the ears of councillors when they wrote that particular blank cheque, and evidently oblivious to how that turned out for Montreal (I think they only finished paying for the Olympics a couple of years ago).

They also based that decision on what appears to be an incomplete budget, based on the numbers flashed on the big screen in council chambers last night. I mean, really — how can the numbers for accommodation costs be more than 20% out of whack? The estimate for food was about 19% off the mark.

It doesn’t help the Huntsville version of the Ontario Winter Games last year walked away with a $200,000 surplus, thanks in part to considerable federal government funding; I suspect OWG benefited from some of that G8/G20 slush fund spread around in Tony Clement’s riding.

The feds answer thus far to our own MP Kellie Leitch has been the doors to the bank vault are closed.

(Even though just before Christmas I had about three or four of the Conservatives tenpercenters dropped off in the mailbox. Hey, Kellie, we gave the Conservatives a majority mandate — which I thought meant you guys would get down to the business of governing, and get your propaganda arm off the public teat.)

It’s unfortunate the volunteer committee tasked with finding money for these games has been given such an uphill row to hoe. Maybe we should be sending a bill to the people who sat around the council table at that August, 2010 meeting, and have them pony up their share of the shortfall…

Certainly after last night’s meeting, there was some huffing and puffing of our elected officials; it seems they took several comments to heart… well, only one comment, when Lee Bertouche made the statement that council appeared to be in someone’s “hip pocket.” Perhaps not the smartest statement you could make, especially when the anti-six-floor folks are trying to present a united and cogent front, and certainly not one that addressed the matter at hand.

Of course, her’s was not the only statement that made me sit up and scratch my head. Anne Snowdon pointing to Borg Madsen’s model of town hall and asking whether, in 100 years, he’d want to do something similar with Admiral Collingwood made me kind of laugh. Borg’s 91 right now… making him 191 in 100 years. Kinda difficult to craft something at that age unless we put him in a cyrogenic chamber…

Also, Councillor Ian Chadwick’s claim that the 2,500-name petition presented at the last council supported six stories also had me searching through the Interwebs… and, uh, no, the petition did not support six stories – it just supported that development move forward.

Councillor Sandy Cunningham’s claim that he has never accepted a dime from anyone is absolutely true. I offered him a dime after last night’s meeting, and he wouldn’t take it…

By the way, for those who could stick it out, there was some discussion about the public art policy; it’s being suggested the fire hall proposed for Heritage Park become a ‘canvas’ for a public art pilot project. My suggestion: a shirtless firefighter clutching a hose, a comely maiden at his feet, standing amongst the burning wreckage of a building. I’m pretty sure there’s an airbrushed 1975 Dodge van out there for inspiration. And Sandy can stand in as the model of the firefighter…

As I was banging out my brief package from Monday night’s council meeting, I happened to read over the staff discussion on the ‘naming policy’, and this little tidbit jumped out at me:

Nominations of past/current employees for the Town of Collingwood shall be considered in recognition of his/her exceptional service unrelated to and outside of his/her job responsibilities, capacity and duties as a former/current Town employee, unless otherwise determined by Council.  Names of living persons shall only be considered in extenuating circumstances.

Bwahahaha… I can only assume certain staffers at town hall actually pay attention to my drivel…

So we’re between a rock and a hard place. Leave the land in, and Assaff can’t build what he’s proposing (keeping in mind he’s already said he can’t do the same type of project as a three-storey, and make any money). Take it out, and it’s a big chunk out of the heritage district (and it is completely encircled by the district, by the way).

A solution could be to pull the property out, allow Assaff to build, and once the project is done put it back into the district — when it would then become ‘pre-existing, non-conforming’. The kicker would be that Assaff agrees to the idea (a bit of a shell game, I grant you), and that other landowners don’t suddenly line up demanding the same treatment.

But regardless… we need some out-of-box thinking on this one. On the one hand, we need the property developed, and what Assaff is proposing is a quality, impressive project that will be an outstanding gateway to the downtown. But we also need to protect the integrity of the heritage district.

Decisions, decisions…

On another note: Tonight’s council meeting — which includes a public meeting on Admiral Collingwood Place — should be a real barnburner; it starts at 4 p.m., and it’s at the Leisure Time Club in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd showing up for Admiral.

Here’s the thing: if there’s booing, or any attempt to shout down someone who’s making a legitimate presentation to council on the pros and cons of this project, I will take names. And you will be asked how booing or heckling adds to the democratic discourse, and why you felt the need to be boorish…

Anyhoo, some random nonsense for a grey and gloomy Friday afternoon – at least until I can hit the Huron Club…

First off, so far, haven’t been able to spark enough interest in an Occupy Collingwood event; I thought with town hall on one side of Hurontario, and the banks directly opposite, it would be a perfect storm for righteous outrage. So far, no protesters — though the town’s bylaw department has been out in full riot gear to hand out parking tickets (uh, that’s a joke…). And it’s not like there’s nothing to be outraged about; I fully expect VOTE Collingwood to be resurrected on news of town council discussing pulling the Admiral Collingwood property out of the heritage district (uh, that’s not a joke…)

And then, this afternoon, my email box has been overflowing with a flurry of War of 1812 announcements from the ‘Harper Government™’, including one touting an investment in the Nancy Island site featuring one Kellie Leitch, MP for Simcoe Grey:

“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in our history and the important historic events that define us as Canadians,” said Kellie Leitch, Member of Parliament (Simcoe-Grey). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”

Yes, yes, I’m sure the Conservative Party’s pledge to whip up patriotic fervour over a 200-year-old event put them over the top on May 2. Anyway, here’s what other MPs had to say on their own 1812 announcements:

“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in projects that promote tourism and commemorate important historic events,” said Rick Dykstra, Member of Parliament (St. Catharines). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”

Uh-huh… go on…

“Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in projects that honour our history and recognize those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our country,” said Paul Calandra, Member of Parliament (Oak Ridges-Markham). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”

Geez, these Conservatives are insistent…

Our Government received a strong mandate from Canadians to invest in legacy projects that recognize our history and define who we are as Canadians,” said Gord Brown, Member of Parliament (Leeds-Grenville). “By supporting projects like these, our Government is delivering on its commitment to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812—a defining moment in our country’s history that in many ways has shaped Canada into the country it is today.”

OK, OK, I get it. Our victory 200 years ago against an untrained military force from south of the border paved the way for the Conservative Party of Canada to shamelessly inundate the Canadian populace with self-serving taxpayer-funded mailings.

Personally, I find the whole thing slightly ludicrous, given that taxpayers are shelling out $28 million for this effort, which I can only assume is severalfold more than the actual event likely cost in the first place. And then on the same day, to yank what is a relatively paltry sum of money from an environmental organization in the name of fiscal restraint, even while firing off a multitude of press releases that, quite frankly, come off as slightly masturbatory (I find it hard to believe none of these announcements focus on 1812 sites outside of Conservative ridings, but hardly surprising…)

Anyway, see you at Huron Club for an Occupy Collingwood organizational meeting at 5 p.m. – it’s our own personal Montgomery’s Tavern (yeah, yeah, I know – completely unrelated historical reference…)!

As writer Kristen Smith detailed two weeks ago in the treeware edition of the E-B, residents of Nottawa were told to traverse to Ravenna in order to cast a ballot in last Thursday’s election. Now, it seems, Nottawa residents weren’t the only ones in the area expected to trudge well out of their way to vote.
OK, so it’s not exactly South Africa in 1994, when black South Africans were finally granted the vote and were forced to wait for hours in order to exercise their franchise. But it’s still a pain in the butt for voters to traipse all over the western part of the riding — especially in an era of low voter turnout.

Not only did Nottawa residents have to drive more than 30 minutes to vote, it seems because they were assigned to a polling station in Ravenna that it displaced Ravenna residents — who then had to go to the Toronto Ski Club.

Duntroon residents, in the meantime, were assigned to a polling station at the Manito Shrine Club on Fairgrounds Road — a location that would have been far more convenient for Nottawa residents than the community hall in Ravenna.

I mean, how did local returning officials come up with this complicated system in the first place? It seems to me the organization of the invasion of Normandy was simpler than shuffling voters in Simcoe-Grey from place to place…

It springs to mind that we should rouse The Admiral to do another ‘Hitler reacts’ video, perhaps ‘Hitler reacts to Nottawa residents being forced to go to Nottawa to vote…’

We constantly deal with it at the canoe club; idiots who scream up and down the harbour on those nefarious machines, oblivious to the huge signs that scream out in big red letters: No Wake; maximum speed 7 knots. It’s one thing when they do it on a windy day and we’re not on the water (well it is – still illegal), but when it’s a calm day and the harbour is full of not only our boats, but also folks from the rowing club — and these boaters will still rip around in circles, kicking up huge wake and generally interfering with anyone else’s enjoyment of the water.

Most of the power boaters are pretty good, though we get the occasional ignorant driver who either isn’t aware of the rules of the harbour, or just flat out decides to ignore them (these are usually the folks who make a big deal about the fact they’ve lived in Collingwood their whole lives, and they know one of the local cops, and they’ll just do as they damn well please, thank you very much).

One early morning while I was out with the dragon boat crew, one of these boaters came speeding into the harbour, right up to the dock at the launch ramp; we thought the guy might have had a medical emergency, but when I chatted with the Harbourmaster about it, it turns out he’d forgotten his fishing net.

So this Thanksgiving weekend, being how nice it was, a bunch of us headed over to the Beach to paddle in the Nottawasaga; we put in at the Schoonertown bridge, and paddle down to the Main Street bridge and back again — about nine kilometres — followed by brunch at the Mosley Street Grill.

The Nottawasaga River through Wasaga Beach is a bit of an oddity; while boating regulations specify a boater must be limited in speed to 10 km/h within 100 feet of a shoreline, the speed in the Nottawasaga is 50 km/h. to a point south of the Schoonertown Bridge. And based on the experience with several boaters on Sunday morning, we figured they must take it that the minimum speed is 50 as well.

A couple of folks in our group got a little yappy with one guy on a PWC about his speed and wake when he came in close proximity; remember, the Safe Boating Guide specifies, “everyone… has a responsibility to respect and share waterways with wildlife, swimmers, divers, other boaters and watercraft ranging from sail boats to float planes.”

The guide further states: “A boat’s wake can damage other vessels, docks and the shoreline. It can also be a risk for swimmers, divers, and people on small boats that might capsize. Be aware of how your boat’s wake might affect others when choosing your speed. You will be responsible for any damages of harm you cause.”

Anyhoo, the gentleman just up to where Mrs. Scoop and I were (as we were further upriver, paddling in the two-person outrigger canoe, which is slightly more stable than some of the other boats our group was paddling), asked if those other folks were with us, then proceeded to inform us he had every right to drive his PWC at the speed limit, but was trying to be ‘courteous’ in acknowledgment of the paddlers. I tried to point out what I’ve quoted above, but I don’t think he was listening (probably couldn’t hear over the din of his machine).

Of the several boats we encountered (not including the anglers who were trolling), Sunday, only one boater gave way to the paddlers, and was cautious of his speed and wake when he was overtaking us.

There have been numerous complaints about boat speed on the river over the years, as residents who live along the Nottawasaga have called on the municipal council to lower the speed to 10 km/h. So far, those concerns have fallen on deaf ears — even though there have been several accidents on the river in which speed has been a contributing factor. And at this time of year, there’s zero enforcement of speed and wake regulations either in the river or in the harbour.

Now, I don’t know if folks, when applying for a Personal Watercraft Operators Card, get any kind of education on speed and wake when in proximity to smaller boats; given the attitudes I run into some of the time, especially among the PWC set, they choose to ignore that section of the test…