Archive for October, 2008
Overwhelming Opposition Leads to Windfarm Meeting Cancelation
Tonight residents of Guildwood were supposed to get the opportunity to hear from Toronto Hydro about a plan to place up to sixty wind turbines off the shore of Lake Ontario along Scarborough’s beautiful, untouched shoreline for a total length of 25 kilometres. There is fierce opposition to the plan in the community, and although a request to Councillor Ainslie to call a community meeting on this issue went unanswered for over six weeks, Toronto Hydro stepped up and called one. I went to participate.
The meeting was billed as one for Guildwood residents, a community that is home to six schools and two churches, but the location that was selected was a far smaller venue, outside of the community itself with inadequate parking and a room far too small for the hundreds of residents who came to be heard on this issue. The demand to participate in the meeting by residents who largely oppose the plan was so great, the organizers cancelled the meeting. They say it will be rescheduled. My question is, why could a meeting for Guildwood residents not be scheduled at any of the schools or churches in the community, and if it had to be at Markham and Eglinton – why could it not be at the much larger, City owned community centre next door to the church that was chosen and ill equipped for the meeting?
My guess is that the plan will be reworked and not re-sold to Guildwood until this has happened.
Based on the size of the crowd I saw even outside of the church and the number of cars parked around the church and the plaza next door, I would estimate at least 300 residents came out. That being said, I arrived at 7pm when the presentation was to start and doors opened at 6:30, so who knows how many people already left. It is too bad residents could not voice their opinions on the issue, but I’m sure Toronto Hydro and their partners heard the message loud and clear.
On a more general note – I was a bit surprised that considering Toronto Hydro is 100% owned by the City of Toronto and the elected representatives along the shoreline did not do more to consult their residents. I can’t speak to Councillor’s Ashton, Bussin or Moesar but I know Councillor Ainslie, who sits on the board Toronto Atmospheric Fund – a partner in the project, opted to not even respond to acknowledge receiving an email from a resident requesting his help in voicing the community concern. I strongly believe that representing those who live in the community you are elected to represent should supersede any appointed positions you’ve sought from Council. When there is conflict between the two, residents should win out. They may not have with him, but I expect this project will be scuttled due to the fall out of canceling tonight’s meeting.
I am all for renewable energy and believe that it must be part of any climate change strategy, but do not believe scattering some sixty wind turbines along the eastern shore is the solution. Scarborough’s Bluffs are too unique of a geological formation to be compromised and especially when there are other viable sites for wind farms along Lake Ontario. As someone who has sailed from Bluffer’s Park Marina from Scarborough – I know first hand that the wind off the bluffs is not nearly as strong as what can be found closer to the Leslie Street Spit or off the Toronto Islands by the Eastern Gap. If Toronto Hydro wants to build a wind farm on Lake Ontario – they should really do their homework and test all viable sites, not just the one off in Scarborough. Residents won’t stand for it. Take a look at Scarborough’s proud flag and see why this may be contentious.
I’m going to talk about alternate energy in the coming days at some point – particularly the opportunity to use solar energy to cut down on energy use in Ontario, but wanted to mention this meeting, while it was still fresh.
2 Comments »When Hate Turns to Race Baiting — John McCain Campaign Stops at Nothing
Ashley Todd has disgraced the John McCain campaign in ways the McCain campaign could only imagine. She lied about being attacked by a “big black man” for supporting John McCain. She claimed to have been mugged, pinned and beaten. She said she was kicked, punched and had a B carved into her face with a knife. She lied about all of it. It was a politically motivated attack on Obama, but then after wasting hundreds of police man hours and receiving calls from McCain and Palin and a statement from Obama –she admitted she made the whole thing up.
Her racially motivated attack on the Obama campaign has resulted in a massive backfire on John McCain and will use up any credibility he had left in the tank. If there is any justice in politics (and I have no reason to believe there is) her name will be shared with a tactic of complete illegality, desperation and knuckle dragging.
Even the VP of Fox said if this was a hoax (before it was known that it was) that the McCain campaign would be done in by it. If Fox thinks its over for the Republicans… it must really really be over. The sad thing about the Republican Party is for Ashley Todd – this is probably just the beginning.
Senator McCain — It’s Time to Land the Plane
Based on the predicted electoral vote count for today Senator Obama is poised to win 375, a significant margin over the 270 required to become President. When following polls in the US general election I rely on www.electoral-vote.com who uses the ‘poll of polls’ approach for each specific state to call them.
The Democrats are extremely close to a filibuster proof Senate and the House of Representatives appears to be solidifying for them as well.
There is talk of a ‘Bradley effect’ and it’s possible impact on Obama. Bradley was a black man running for Governor and polls suggested he would win, and then he didn’t. The explanation as to why he lost was voters being embarrassed to admit that they would not vote for a black man. That was also over 20 years ago. If there was to be a ‘Bradley effect’ one would imagine that in the 56 primaries and caucuses that Obama competed in there would have been a hint of it.
I think I would be more comfortable musing about the possibility of the ‘Reverse Bradley’ or the ‘Obama’ effect whereby people who are supporting him may not want to appear to be doing so publicly. With the smear jobs he had withstood that possibility makes more sense to me.
Further – Americans have proven in 2006 they aren’t afraid to trail blaze with their vote. In 2006′s midterm elections Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives – the highest post a woman has secured in the United States.
Senator McCain has run a campaign not fitting for a man who claims to put “Country First”. His attacks are disgusting and Obama’s campaign has left alone a lot of McCain’s vulnerabilities throughout the campaign. The wife he spent six years cheating on, propaganda broadcasts he did for the North Veitnamese or the Keating Five. There is more, but this is what comes to mind while walking down Yonge st., typing with my left thumb and drinking a coffee with my right hand.
His pick for Vice President is not fit to be President and has a record that is so questionable, there could be some debate about her fitness to be Governor of Alaska. If McCain had picked Huckabee this would have been a far more interesting fight.
Same folksiness, a former Governor, a guy who actually gave running for President a try, ran a state for 10 and a half years and had Chuck Norris in his back pocket. Huckabee’s politics don’t appeal to me, but there is merit in his candidacy and McCain could have made a really compelling case. His age would mean less if a guy with ten years of running the same state Clinton was Governor of prior to being one of the better Presidents of the 20th century, was number two on the ticket.
Senator McCain will need to live with himself and the campaign he chose to run long after it is over. Providing nothing goes wrong and Obama sees victory though – the experience will be a healing one for the United States. It will also restore their place in the world. You know, ‘shining city on a hill’ stuff.
I watch the US race holding my breath though. McCain’s tactics have been disgusting. The hatred his campaign is allowing to be put on display risks Obama’s life. It takes one bigot excercising his constitutional right to own a firearm, just in case King George the third tries to cross the water again, to tear the country apart. McCain and the RNC should not be stoking those flames.
Senator McCain knows the show is all but over, he needs to respect the result, put ‘country first’ and stop tearing so deeply into Obama for baseless crap. End the robo calls, surrogate racism and lose with dignity. The ship sinking is no reason for the Captain to act like an asshole as they descend into the deep. McCain needs to recognize that Obama represents a shift in politics, one started by Bobby Kennedy in 1968 and just 12 days from success in 2008. Americans are ready. The world is watching.
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