11779 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

This, btw, was Rob Ford's secret weapon - well understood by everyone at the time.  Ford couldn't keep up with the work because he was returning every call, every email and every text, as he thought he should and because it got him elected.  Drugs didn't help.

 

ford only lost one election - 1997.  he won all the rest right until he died (2000-2016).

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 24 February 2020 - 03:45 PM.

[rmpeers]

Also, Ben is perhaps the most consistent politician ever. I looked up the letters to the editor he wrote as a teenager--I think he came out of the womb complaining about the evils of unfettered capitalism. What I'm saying is he was never an unknown quantity like Dubow or a bait-and-switch like Helps*. they always knew exactly what they were getting with Ben, and his numbers only get higher. You think his policies are bad but his supporters are fine with it.

_________
*I think some people supported Helps because they thought she'd be tougher on developers than Fortin. Like the Mason Street folks. They were rudely surprised.

My sense is he didn't really advance beyond his teenage outlook, e.g. learn to appreciate a diversity of viewpoints, especially if one is allegedly representing a diverse electorate. I feel like a number of these people have very bigoted outlooks in that regard. As the mayor has (embarrassingly) suggested, anyone who disagrees must be an "angry keyboard warrior."

Edited by rmpeers, 24 February 2020 - 07:05 PM.

[Nparker]

More winning.

A motion spearheaded by Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps to make bus passes free for youth across the Capital Regional District was defeated by the Victoria Regional Transit Commission Tuesday...

https://www.iheartra...ated-1.10604963

 

[spanky123]

More winning.

Depends on how you define winning. The failed lawsuits, bylaws and policies are designed to appease her base and build her social capital. On that basis they are a huge success. Being Mayor has given her a platform and nearly unlimited budget to promote herself. I don’t think that deep inside she gives a rat’s arse about the City or the taxpayer.

[rmpeers]

Depends on how you define winning. The failed lawsuits, bylaws and policies are designed to appease her base and build her social capital. On that basis they are a huge success. Being Mayor has given her a platform and nearly unlimited budget to promote herself. I don’t think that deep inside she gives a rat’s arse about the City or the taxpayer.

Right. Not serving the city or public. Just a big audition for the next job. But what will the job be?

[LJ]

Right. Not serving the city or public. Just a big audition for the next job. But what will the job be?

I don't know but let's just hope it is somewhere far away.

[A Girl is No one]

Won’t be in Alberta...

Albertans may soon be able to recall MLAs, municipal councillors, mayors and school board trustees, the government said Tuesday in its throne speech.

It's one of a number of changes outlined in the speech, read in the legislature by Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell.

British Columbia already has recall legislation but only for MLAs. If passed, the Alberta legislation would go further by including municipalities and school boards.


https://news.google....l=CA&ceid=CA:en

Edited by A Girl is No one, 26 February 2020 - 06:29 AM.

[Nparker]

I am sure at least one councillor considers the First Nations LNG Alliance motion to be "hogwash" and/or "fake news".

...Victoria city councillors on Jan. 24 voted 6-1 to endorse a declaration calling on the provincial and federal governments to take action in the Coastal GasLink dispute in northern B.C. Coun. Geoff Young was the lone councillor to oppose the motion. The vote was controversial, as some questioned what role the municipality of Victoria had in an issue in northern B.C. In response, the First Nations LNG Alliance, a collective of First Nations in support of LNG development in B.C., wrote its own motion, arguing that Victoria council had no right to interfere in the democratic processes of First Nations or “meddle in an issue that is for the Wet’suwet’en people alone to decide.”...

https://www.timescol...tion-1.24085773

 

[spanky123]

So does this mean that employers now have to start keeping an inventory of staff sexual orientation, religion, gender and immigration status in order to be awarded City contracts?

 

Great smack down by Geoff Young on this week's meeting. Minute 40 at https://pub-victoria...English&Item=12

 

He accurately calls these initiatives for what they are, ways for politicians to reward those who work on their campaigns.

[Bernard]

The idea the City is considering is a defacto subsidy of certain businesses over other ones.   It is not good action to take in our society to reward the businesses that are not self sustaining without government subsidy.   What happens to a business that is 75% dependent on the spending and then loses their contract?   The business goes bankrupt and that causes a lot of problems for a huge number of people.  The only factor that should count is value for money.  

 

Business is about taking risk and constantly trying to be more efficient, subsidies distort this and the knock on effects are much worse

[Rob Randall]

The Tofino infrastructure example the woman gives in the video quoted above just seems common sense and doesn't need a new policy.

 

Wouldn't any council say "let's unbundle this project and that will allow local firms to bid". It's wouldn't be favouritism or subsidization, just practical problem solving.

 

I feel there are more problematic examples they could have used to uncover potential issues.

[spanky123]

^The way staff positioned this proposal is that on a per RFP basis unique "benefits criteria" and points allocations could be assigned. 

 

I will accept that staff who proposed this model are just looking for ways to implement their vision for social justice, but as Geoff Young pointed out a 5th grader (my words) could see the potential for abuse here with staff or politicians using these criteria to circumvent the competitive bidding process and awarding millions of dollars in Government contracts to their friends and supporters. 

[Rob Randall]

I will ask the uncomfortable question:

 

Would this proposed municipal policy make a supplier feel obligated or pressured to publicly reveal an aspect of their sexuality?

[Bernard]

I will ask the uncomfortable question:

 

Would this proposed municipal policy make a supplier feel obligated or pressured to publicly reveal an aspect of their sexuality?

What about if people claim things to get a better rating for the contracts?  How do you even measure this? 

[Rob Randall]

^Like in Seinfeld when George lied about being disabled to get prime benefits at work?

[spanky123]

What about if people claim things to get a better rating for the contracts?  How do you even measure this? 

 

That was my point last week, are employers now supposed to keep track of who is gay, has a mental illness or identifies with a particular group?

[DavidC]

Was never a huge fan of PET, and to say my Dad strongly disliked him was a great understatement, but his famous quote seems appropriate here:

"There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation."

[Victoria Watcher]

That was my point last week, are employers now supposed to keep track of who is gay, has a mental illness or identifies with a particular group?

 

i think it's pretty clear the company with the most employees with mental health conditions is the most competent to deliver most contracts satisfactorily.  at least that's what one of my black gay employees with mental health challenges just told me.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 March 2020 - 11:38 AM.

[Rob Randall]

"Fellow members of council, we seem to be at a deadlock. Both companies offer identical bids and are equals in price and competence. Yes, supplier number one, you have a question?"

 

"Uh, more of a supplementary comment, councillor. Uh, I just wanted to mention, if it's relevant to the discussion, uh, you see, once in college, ah, this was years ago mind you, uh, I was in the dorm with my girlfriend, and you know, having a few drinks and her roommate walks in and yada, yada, he gives me the old reacharound and I'm like, this is not bad at all so anyways, I just wanted to chime in with that."

 

"Fellow Councilors, I see a breakthrough has been presented to us".

Edited by Rob Randall, 03 March 2020 - 01:01 PM.

[Nparker]

 

There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation

There should also be no place for bedrooms of the nation in the state;  this aspect of one's life should neither be a plus nor a minus when it comes to securing public employment.