Unfortunately someone, who the City will not confirm or deny was Councillor Ainslie or a member of his staff, felt the need to apply pressure to the Parks Department and have them call a resident who sent out an invitation to my meeting, telling them that it was against the law for more than twenty-five residents to meet in a park without a permit, permits were never issued for that park, and that no candidate was allowed to discuss an election in a park, wear a button or hand out materials. We asked for a copy of the by-law and asked if they were prepared to have citizens arrested – and they went silent.

They wanted us to shut down our meeting, and not have residents come together to discuss the biggest threat ever to face the community, and hear from the only candidate offering a viable solution.

I am so happy to have such strong support on Grey Abbey Trail that we were able to find a back yard, backing on to the park within a couple of hours to hold the meeting if necessary. Instead, we set up the sound equipment in the backyard, and I stayed about five feet back from the metre tall chain link fence, and spoke to residents from private property about the importance of the issue, thus I did not discuss politics in the park and I was sure to tell them why I had to stand where I was standing.

I promised residents last night that when I defeat Paul Ainslie on October 25th and become their Councillor, the political games will end, and I’ll continue my fight to ensure their rights are respected and their involvement in decision making restored.

Antoinette DiNovo – Paul Ainslie’s Executive Assistant showed up to record and take notes. Once again it appears taxpayers will be paying her to abuse our tax dollars and run his campaign. At least Antonette didn’t have any embarrassing outbursts like Councillor Ainslie did on June 14th and was kind enough to leave after being introduced and called out on her abuse of taxpayer funds to help inflict another four years of failed representation on our community, one neither of them live in. Ward 43 isn’t buying what they’re selling this time and last night’s meeting that had a crowd threefold of the meeting I held three weeks before is a strong sign of the change that’s coming.

Consider that on a night when the heat wave was on it’s forth day, there was a heat alert in place and we were holding a meeting outside, in July that nearly one hundred and fifty residents felt compelled to come out and speak about the issues near and dear to them and the opportunity we have together to reclaim our voice and restore local democracy. Consider that Paul Ainslie doesn’t have a single Ward 43 resident to send to take notes, and is instead either crashing my meetings himself or sending a member of his staff, we’re all paying to do it for him.

I am looking forward to continuing to earn residents trust and support over the coming weeks and months and know that together we can make our community and city a better place to live for all of us.

Councillor Ainslie voted for Toronto’s renewable energy targets even though Toronto Hydro said advised Council could only be met with offshore wind. He moved a motion of support for the Green Energy Act even though Dalton McGuinty and George Smitherman cited Scarborough Bluffs residents opposition to Toronto Hydro as the reason to take away citizens rights. I am the only candidate who fought them on their attacks then, and the reason why George Smitherman has attempted to apologize three times for his abusive comments that Ainslie seems to have condoned.

This project must be stopped and I am the only candidate that is serious about doing that.

Keep our message alive. Give us the tools to succeed. Click donate to do what you can to help or visit the ‘Contact’ page to get involved in taking back our community’s seat on Council.

Below is the text from the Globe’s article.

Globe and Mail: Scarborough Bluffs residents determined to fight wind turbine project

Anna Mehler Paperny
From Saturday’s Globe and Mail
Published on Friday, Apr. 16, 2010 11:40PM EDT
Last updated on Friday, Apr. 16, 2010 11:42PM EDT
It’s an ongoing battle worthy of Cervantes, if he’d been an eco-minded urban planner: A furious group of residents, tilting at a hypothetical windmill.

The proposed turbine project, which would set up windmills in Lake Ontario off the Scarborough Bluffs, would be one of the province’s first forays into offshore wind power. Studies into whether such a project is even feasible are still in the nascent stage. It will take at least two years before Toronto Hydro knows whether there’s enough wind to make it work, and provincial regulations governing such a proposition are a ways off.

But the Don Quixotes of the Scarborough Bluffs are dead set against the suggestion. And their vocal opposition is putting local politicians on notice.

A motion going before Monday’s executive committee, put forward by two local councillors, proposes to ask the province for a blanket moratorium on wind-power development in Ontario. Even if the motion does make its way through council, it will have little impact, but it’s symbolic of the sway local opposition can have on such a project.

As Toronto commits to sourcing a quarter of its energy from renewable sources and the Ontario government commits billions of dollars to green-energy projects across the province, local opposition to backyard energy generation is something with which next year’s council will have to contend.

Already in the Guildwood community’s case, the turbine spat has galvanized candidates challenging incumbent councillor Paul Ainslie, arguing he hasn’t been vocal enough in his opposition. Mayoral candidates are being told in no uncertain terms that if they hope to pursue projects like these, they’ll have to find a way to work with angry residents.

Mr. Ainslie, the Scarborough East councillor who put forward Monday’s motion along with Scarborough Southwest councillor Brian Ashton, says he was motivated to do so out of concern for a precious part of the Toronto waterfront and fear that residents’ concerns are being ignored.

“People have a lot of concerns and people want to be listened to,” he said. “We’re asking for a moratorium because there’s health concerns, there’s real estate issues with property values and there’s a lot of things that are unanswered.”

The wind turbine issue is making Mr. Ainslie political enemies in his own ward: It’s the reason John LaForet is gunning for Mr. Ainslie’s council seat in October. “I’d fight like hell to kill the project,” he says.

Ontario Energy Minister Brad Duguid said even if the city’s executive committee passes the motion, it won’t change anything. If the project is deemed feasible and meets whatever provincial rules are put in place, it will likely go forward.

“There’s an 80-fold increase in wind turbines happening across Ontario – it is going to be something that’s going to be part of our landscape,” he said. “I think it would be a little bit hypocritical for Toronto, given its efforts to try to portray itself as a green city, to support this resolution. But that’s something that council will have to deal with. We’re determined to move forward with building green energy.”

Mayor David Miller, who has championed the city’s push towards renewable power, said opposition to the Scarborough Bluffs turbine is the exception, rather than the rule.

“The vast bulk of the green projects we’re doing are not only not controversial, they’re overwhelmingly embraced by people.”

It would be “tragic” if fear of angering residents prevented the city’s politicians from pursuing much-needed renewable energy initiatives, said York University environmental studies professor Mark Winfield.

“I think the potential is enormous and the benefits are enormous,” he said. “The biggest danger in some ways … is, frankly, the derailment of some of these efforts.”

There are many months ahead, and for Guildwood residents the choice is clear. Our community needs someone who isn’t afraid to stand up to this bully and I am the only candidate that has demonstrated that not only am I able to, but I will stand up for our best interests even to George Smitherman.

Here is the link to the piece.

Toronto Star: Smitherman’s Words Come Home to Roost

Voter responsibility is something I believe in as a candidate and an activist because, at the end of the day, it is the electors and not the candidates that control who runs, wins and loses. Unfortunately, without the financial support of electors who believe in me, my candidacy will be forced to end soon.

In late 2008 when people began approaching me about running, I told them very simply that ‘if I run you would need to help me by donating time and money’. Since that time, I’ve done my part, but can’t wait much longer on members of the community to do theirs.

I have spent countless hours fighting on behalf of my community and pushing back against attacks and attempts to victimize residents. It has become increasingly clear that our fight lies at City Hall and stopping Toronto Hydro will be easiest from there.

Residents asked and I answered their call to enter the race. Two months later I find myself with unbelievable levels of support on the door in high and low income communities, but with a campaign running on fumes. Campaigns need money to operate, and without finances we will not be able to compete against Paul Ainslie’s abuse of tax dollars (which is well underway) and the lobbyist and developer money he will surely take this time around (as he did last time).

I remain the only candidate that lives in the Ward, the only candidate stepping up to fight for the community and sadly the only candidate who could be forced from the race over a lack of financial support.

Those who believe I would be a good Councillor need to get involved and take ownership of the fate of my campaign. Our community’s future hangs in the balance.

If you want to see me in this race, I need your help today. Please donate to my campaign now. As an example, a  $300 donation will cost just $75 after the City mails you a rebate cheque. For a more detailed breakdown of the city’s rebate program and how much you can get back, click here.

Without your help, it is a matter of weeks before my campaign ends and with it my intention to devote the next four years of my life to standing up for residents who I believe currently have a failed representative. Elections are the opportunity for communities to decide who they want to represent them, and everyone should respect the outcome. If inaction causes my withdrawal and the re-election of Paul Ainslie, then, sadly, as Michael Prue said today, ‘you get the politicians you deserve’.

We have the opportunity to defeat a lying, weak, inactive member of Council and elect a strong, honest and committed representative in his place.

My pledge is simple – with your support we can win and I will do all that I can to make that happen. Together we can reclaim our voice and do the right thing. Without your support, I can’t and because I know I can’t win without the community investing in my campaign I can’t justify staying in the race.

If you believe as I do, please do something about it. Allow me to run, to be your voice and to stand up and fight for us. If you don’t then the next four years will be filled with more of the same and I will respect the community’s decision to be represented by an ineffective light-weight who does more harm than good.

Help fund the campaign and I pledge to devote myself fully to the task at hand. I will campaign until our victory is won and serve with honesty and integrity on your behalf.

I apologize to those who feel I am being too blunt, but a campaign without funds is not winnable. I believe residents and supporters have a right to know that I will not be in this race without them making it possible for me to run and win on their behalf.

For my part, I have begun making calls to community allies. A core group of volunteers are reaching out and I’ll be asking all friends and family to do their part to support me. If you’re someone who believes I should run and would like to see me elected, turn that belief into action.

Do your part today and donate now.

For this to be a winning effort it will take people from all over to donate their time or their money. If you would like to see this be a winning effort, consider making a donation to my campaign using the paypal button on the right. Donors receive a generous rebate cheque of 75% of the first $300 they donate back from the City of Toronto, meaning a donation of $100 actually only costs you $25, but does so much more to make this a winnable fight.

Our campaign can only be successful with the financial support of those who believe in what we’re trying to achieve.

Would you like to comment? Please feel free to visit the Contact page on my site and contact me. Click subscribe if you would like to receive daily updates from http://laforet.ca in your inbox.

Councillor Ainslie currently ‘represents’ (a term I am using lightly here based on his record) Ward 43 – a community he does not live in. He was elected with an underwhelming 39% of the vote in November 2006, meaning 61% of voters had the right idea last time around.

This isn’t the first ward Paul Ainslie has represented and not lived in. You see in January 2006 Paul Ainslie was appointed to Toronto City Council in a 5-4 vote of Scarborough Community Council (that resulted in an investigation by the integrity commissioner into his former boss and one of his five votes – David Soknacki) to represent Ward 41 – another community Paul Ainslie doesn’t live in.

When his nomination went to City Hall for approval, Paul Ainslie gave a speech. After promising to be ‘fair and honest’ he went on to say:

“In the last month I’ve made a number of different commitments if appointed to this position, I will not run in Ward 41 or any other ward in the city.”

If by different he meant ‘bald faced lie’ as Eye Weekly described it he was correct.

In true Paul Ainslie tradition he went on to lie about the lie when I called him on it through the media. He claimed he promised not to run against incumbents, or that he wouldn’t run in Ward 41 – this was after saying he didn’t say anything to this effect at all.

Here is a video showing what he says. After watching him lie repeatedly for six weeks, I went to City Hall, bought the video of that day at Council and a very talented member of the campaign team put the following together for distribution to the media. His response to the video was he was nervous and didn’t mean to say it – but he’s reading.

If you’re going to run for public office, know yourself better than your opponents – and generally speaking lying never works and is wrong, so don’t do it. In fact when Councillor Ainslie wrote provable lies to me in a private email six weeks ago, I offered him this very advice. I told him that making statements that are provably untrue hurts his credibility and therefore the ability of him to represent my community as people can’t trust him if he can’t stick to the truth.

His term as Ward 41’s representative saw him fight to have the pictures of the former Scarborough Mayors placed in the former City Council chamber, trying to get a bi-law regarding aged or tattered Canadian flags. His most bizarre vote was against a pay increase that passed 23-20, then only to change his vote in favour, making the vote 24-19, which was promptly followed by his former boss David Soknacki changing his vote in favour to against, making it 23-20 again.

Currently Paul Ainslie holds the office of Ward 43 – as I previously stated a community he does not and has not lived in at all during the 2006 election or the term. He does not represent the views of residents, or their best interest and continues to lie about his involvement or lack there of – to paper over his failings.

Paul Ainslie lives in Ward 44 – where he has for years and is raising his family. Considering he is about as attached to Ward 43 as he was to Ward 41 – it only seems reasonable that the failed ‘representative’ would once again find a new community to play City Councillor in – as nominations open.

I will tell you this much – his chances are far better where he lives, than in Ward 43 or Ward 41 as I imagine with these residents and Paul Ainslie the old saying ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me’ is in full play and many residents are lined up and ready to fight to ensure this so-called Councillor, elected on a lie, and publishing lies in hopes of being re-elected doesn’t get that chance again. Maybe that’s why he flipped from Ward 41 in the first place.

He already has lawn signs that say ‘return’ a phrase he chose instead of ‘elect’ like everyone else who ran and had never been elected before and he wisely did not put a ward number on them – making them fully re-useable this time around in his home Ward.

Would you like to comment? Please feel free to visit the Contact page on my site and contact me. Click subscribe if you would like to receive daily updates from http://laforet.ca in your inbox.

On November 13^th 2009 you wrote a mass email to residents of Ward 43 in which you stated:

“Unfortunately the Province did approve the testing process which will be done via an anemometer for a two year duration. I will be doing everything I can as your City of Toronto Councillor to ensure we receive regular updates on the data being collected by Toronto Hydro. This project is a huge waste of the hard earned money we provide to Toronto Hydro through our tax dollars!”

Where have you been for the last fifteen months while residents have been working tirelessly to oppose this project?

Guildwood has had virtually no representation from you on this issue at City Hall or, for that matter, even in the press. You’ve failed to engage the community or take any meaningful action. What’s more, on a number of occasions you’ve hurt the cause of residents who oppose the turbines.

In 2006, while you were on Council, Toronto City Council approved funding ($100 000) to test offshore wind speeds in order to develop a wind farm. As a member of Council and a Budget Committee member you should have both known about this, and alerted residents to the possibility of a project in the lake. That same year the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, which you were a member of, also approved funding for this research ($150 000). All told this issue was put before two boards and twice before Council, giving you four opportunities to know what was happening and at the very least tell people about it two years in advance.

Instead, you chose inaction and in August 2008 residents found out about the proposal through an advertisement in a newspaper. At that point, a Guildwood resident contacted you seeking your help in order to organize a meeting about this. You chose to ignore that request for nearly two months, and a month after the comment period had closed. Even then, and until now, you have failed to hold a single public meeting on this issue to listen to residents.

With no consultation from residents fighting the proposed turbines, you drafted a motion that not only failed to win the support of Scarborough Councillors, but also made residents appear ‘NIMBY’ because you cited ‘visual impacts’ and ‘beauty’ as the reasons for reconsidering the project. Anyone involved in politics knows that you don’t introduce a motion of this importance until you’re certain you have the votes to pass it, because failing to pass it demonstrates support for Toronto Hydro among a voting majority of Scarborough Councillors.

In November 2008 you asked Toronto Hydro publicly to commit to building no more than sixty turbines off the Scarborough Bluffs. That position is not supported by anyone I’ve spoken to in Guildwood, and what’s worse, even when you were asking them to commit to build 100% of what they wanted and no more, they still refused. It takes a special kind of negotiator to fail to get someone to agree to take 100% of what they want.

By January 2009 you decided not to speak at the community meeting and instead sat silent. Similarly, you were silent when Guildwood residents came under fire from the Premier and Deputy Premier who were vowing to take our rights away, name calling and essentially using the arguments from you used in your motion to label us ‘NIMBY’.

While members of Save the Toronto Bluffs and I were publicly defending the community, you were introducing a motion with Councillor Stintz to help have the City of Toronto help implement the Green Energy Act – a bill that was stripping Toronto of planning control over renewable energy, and residents of their right to participate in decision making.

You have not participated in any of the elevation requests to try to ensure no environmental damage will be done by the anemometer installation. You have failed to use your position on the Toronto Region Conservation Authority to try to protect the lake from this project, or your role on the Atmospheric Fund, the Budget Committee or City Council to do anything to stop this.

Based on your media exposure since January 2009, your failed attempt to take over the Toronto Zoo Board, and subsequent battling over Zoo Board matters, it appears that the Zoo is more important to you than Ward 43 residents.

Your comments that opposition to Toronto Hydro’s project represents a minority opinion in the community, or that George Smitherman calling residents ‘absurd’, and saying residents have worked themselves into an ‘artificial lather’ were both funny and amusing to you, are not the least bit helpful to the cause of residents opposing this project.

You consistently fail to recognize that Toronto Hydro is owned by the City of Toronto and at any time the City could prevent this project from going forward. Yes the province did approve it, but you have had at least a dozen options to kill the project at the City level and time and time again failed to even try. Even if you don’t like it – this is a live municipal issue.

I believe that this is the single largest issue Guildwood residents have ever faced. Being represented by a Councillor who doesn’t live in the Ward or have an interest in local issues is proving to be extremely detrimental to the community.

It is for this reason that any sentence you start with ‘I will be doing everything I can as your City of Toronto Councillor’ must be met with a grain of salt by residents who have seen how unable you’ve proven to be to at handling tasks as simple as writing a letter of support or planning a community meeting.

Waiting until it’s too late to try and look like you’re doing something is very disingenuous and, as someone who has had to get involved to the degree that I have to try to make up for your lack of support or representation for Guildwood residents, I feel the need to make sure that others are aware that your record and your words don’t jive.

I would be pleased to speak to you about real action a City Councillor could take if they were serious about stopping this project, but I have to say, your record would suggest you aren’t.

Sincerely,

John Laforet

The Scarborough Mirror says ‘John Laforet isn’t surprised to hear the anemometer is going in, however it was news to him it would be going in next week.’ Scarborough Mirror – Wind research platform approved – October 23th 2009

Rightly so.

Joyce McLean’s very friendly email to Councillor Paul Ainslie (below in italics) was sent on August 21st 2009 and states:

“Good morning -This is to inform you that today John Gerretsen, the Ontario Minister of Environment officially denied the 6 Part II orders (bump up requests) for an individual environmental assessment for the offshore anemometer proposed by Toronto Hydro. The process now reverts to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources for final approval. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Joyce”

It would be nice if Councillor Ainslie was as friendly with residents of our community as he is with the folks at the municipally owned Toronto Hydro. Guildwood sure could use a friend right now, that’s for sure.

In the spirit of repeating old news as Toronto Hydro has done today, I will re-post my response to the first time their illegal application was approved on August 21st 2009.

Direct Message To My Readers At Toronto Hydro – I Will Comment On Your Illegal Application Later

by John Laforet
posted on August 21st, 2009 at 10:39:26 am

‘Never fight a battle where your opponent has everything to lose, because if they fear the prospect of a loss that steep they have nothing to lose in doing everything possible to defeat you.’ – John Laforet

To my readers at Toronto Hydro who have visited over eighty-one (81) blog entries on http://laforet.ca since this morning (it is 10:38 AM). I am sure you’re looking to see what I have to say about your illegal application that John Gerretsen decided to sign off on this week.

It is still illegal, you’re still a cesspool for unethical behaviour, flagrant violators of law and Guildwood residents are angrier than ever before. I still have nothing but contempt for anyone at Toronto Hydro who stubbornly supports wasting $700 million dollars of public money, damaging the environment and building a project we all know (yes you too) will never generate enough electricity to pay for itself.

We will defeat you.

You should know, not one turbine will be going in Lake Ontario off the Scarborough Bluffs, and you’re wasting your time and our money persueing your misadventure off the Bluffs.

We will ensure there will be consequences.

We will respond, and it will be fierce. We’re in this for the long haul and will not allow a single turbine to enter the Lake off our shores as part of your illegal application, through your law breaking, lies and other dirty tricks.

You will be stopped.

David O’Brien has already retired, perhaps it’s time for Chris Tyrrell, Jack Simpson and Joyce McLean to walk the plank before the next round of Scarborough Vs. Toronto Hydro kicks off.

If I were to write a modern ‘Prince’ or ‘Art of War’ this would be a message, I would dedicate to you: ‘Never fight a battle where your opponent has everything to lose, because if they fear the prospect of a loss that steep, they have nothing to lose in doing everything possible to defeat you.’

Gloria had seen the photos Jeanette Mahon had allowed me to share of the Guild Inn Studio and kindly offered to share with me photos she had taken over the course of a number of visits to the site during it’s demolition. 

The Guild Inn holds a very special place for me. When I ran for City Council in 2006, I did so because I opposed the demolition of the original Guild Inn building, the privatization of 7.5 acres of parkland, which included most of the gardens, the parking lot and access to the path to the water. Raising my concerns about these issues to the Councillor at the time and of the lack of information I believed residents had been given was met with a simple response:

‘If you think I am doing a bad job, you should throw down you’re hundred bucks and run against me.’

So I did.

My position was very unpopular because in my defense of heritage preservation and parkland conservation, I found myself opposing the only plan on the table, and largely on the outside of the debate. Then Councillor Soknacki and current Councillor Ainslie each supported demolishing the heritage buildings. Councillor Soknacki even had the Bickford Inn delisted as a heritage building and sought Council permission for it’s demolition, while Councillor Ainslie was still his Executive Assistant. 

I argued from early 2005 that the proposal brought forth by Windmill development (this is somewhat ironic I know) was not economically viable, would harm our park space and would destroy a beautiful heritage site in the process. The response was a thorough mocking. The Toronto Star called me ‘one voice of dissent’ while the Globe and Mail referred to me as the ‘long detractor’ citing my belief that Windmill development’s proposal was not economically viable and would surely not meet the economic objectives they sought. 

After a campaign that saw Councillor Soknacki and candidate Ainslie strongly support demolishing the heritage buildings, privatizing 7.5 acres of parkland and building a condoized hotel project twice the size of the current building, in January 2007, Windmill development announced a lack of economic viability to their plan, and it fell through. Thank god it did. 

The failure of Windmill Development’s plan has allowed for Centennial College to come up with a more palatable proposal. 

My view of supportable parameters for a project was simple, public retainment of parkland, preservation of heritage architecture, a purpose that serves our community. It seems many aspects of Centennial College’s proposal meet those requirements, which pleases me. 

As a citizen, I am pleased to see Centennial College acting smartly, and demonstrating that in 2009 as in 2005 the heritage buildings did not need to be demolished for structural reasons as both Councillor Soknacki and Ainslie falsely stated to Guildwood residents repeatedly while selling Windmill Development’s plan on the developer’s behalf. I am glad to see the hotel tower coming down, and hopeful Centennial College will protect the remaining heritage component in their plan. 

Below are Gloria Valeriote ’s pictures.

‘Good luck with your next municipal campaign’  

No one could expect the Provincial Liberals to want to see a candidate that disagrees with them elected to anything, but if you knew that Provincial Liberals literally emptied out political staff from MPP, Ministry and the Premier’s Offices to fight their campaigns with the unfair advantage of salaried managers and workers whose pay cheques not only do not count towards campaign expenses, but are covered by the taxpayer – you’d know this threat was even more disgusting. The opposition parties have no where near as many staff to complete in this completely ethic-less cesspool the Ontario Liberal Party has been able to exploit in all bi-elections since 2003 and the general election of 2007.

In fairness the Ontario Liberal Party has company. During the 2006 municipal election I ran in, Paul Ainslie’s current Executive Assistant and Constituency Assistant were each campaigning, and neither took a leave of absence. I’d bet he wasn’t the only Councillor who did so either. 

I am not a candidate for public office. But, I certainly would not allow that decision to be impacted by the threats of a man whose profession limits him to hiding in campaign offices and deep inside Queen’s Park, and whose function has virtually no involvement with any of the aspects of politics that actually matters. People and policy. I will not be bullied, I will not be threatened and those who seek to try and use tactics like this against me should consider themselves warned. 

If I were to seek public office again and you intend on using taxpayer dollars illegally, whether collecting or directing someone else to collect a salary while not doing the job, for a day, for a week or for a month, whether using a publicly funded print shop to print flyer’s or create other materials – I promise I would document it, and where possible record you in the act, and I would seek legal action against the candidate and campaign who benefited in addition to posting the names and faces of the staff involved.

This has nothing to do with me, it has to do with a simple principle. Elections should be free and fair. Fair means that one side doesn’t use paid staff illegally while the other relies on volunteers. Fair means the Government of Ontario doesn’t hijack your right to vote for the candidate of your choice, by silencing or trying to silence an outspoken member of your community.

When I stand on principle, I stand strong and I stand tall. I am unwavering in my determination to defend those who are mistreated, ignored or marginalized by government and one thing I’ve learned since seeking public office and losing – you don’t need to be a candidate or a politician to have an impact. Since losing, I’ve learned to appreciate the office of Citizen. It’s one I am working harder and harder with each day to live up to the responsibility I have as a holder of this office. It sees me stand up against injustice where I see it, it sees me stand up and fight back against bullies and the moneyed interests that back them. It’s seen me step back from partisan politics, and recognize that when a government is doing something that harms you community, it doesn’t matter what party it is, it’s wrong and needs to be vigourisly fought.  

To be frank, Guildwood has taken enough crap from Liberal Caucus Services Bureau. Liberal members in Scarborough Guildwood have been denied two democratic nomination meetings in a row, in favour of the party picked candidate. In the case of Margarett Best, an individual who has not, and does not live in the riding, or even the City of Toronto for that matter. (Her campaign was run by paid staff from Queen’s Park.) We’ve watched as Liberal Caucus Services Bureau has expanded their attack on democratic rights, from members of their party to our community’s right to stand up and defend the environment or participate in a fair and accountable process. 

Many know when Dalton McGuinty and George Smitherman took swipes at members of my community over our opposition to a wind farm project that has seen a process tainted with lying, incompetent developers, bussed in organizers and a lobby that has literally bought the ear of the Ontario Liberal Party with hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, I was the closest thing to a politician that stood up. Our MPP (Margarett Best) said nothing, or City Councillor (Paul Ainslie) was off attempting a hostile take over of the Toronto Zoo board, and it was my voice that stood up and said ‘residents will not lay down’ in response to the Premier legislating our rights away. I promised we’d get stronger and louder. Promise made, promise soon to be delivered.  

I did interviews across Ontario speaking out against an anti-democratic, anti-environment so called ‘Green Energy Act’ on behalf of all Ontarians who will be negatively affected by the bought and paid for Liberal government’s bill. I talked about the lobbyists that wrote it, and donated enough until the price was right for it’s introduction. 

I also – very openly ended my association with the Ontario Liberal Party and pledged not to vote for a candidate who took part in the removal of my democratic rights. 

Noticing a lack of coverage of the Ontario NDP leadership race and believing this was bad for democracy, I decided to lend my blog to ensuring Ontarians and New Democrats knew who each of the candidates who sought the leadership were. When the Progressive Conservative leadership race came along, I decided to do the same. When the Green Party of Ontario leadership race starts later this year, I will once again do the same. Why? Because I believe people should be able to get a real sense of who it is who wants to lead their province and has a right to know what those people stand for. I’m doing my part to help, while educating myself on my options as a voter who is seeking someone who will stand up for him.

For that and my refusal to support a political party that has attacked my community Dean Rivando seems to believe I should be prevented from speaking out and being heard. His veiled threat makes it clear he believes those who stand up and in opposition to the Ontario Liberal Party should be attacked with an army of taxpayer funded political soliders. I wonder what it must be like in the mind of someone who is so used to watching tax dollars being used for improper political purposes, that they don’t think twice before throwing a thinly veiled threat of such action out publicly. The only good news is real people in Ontario don’t drink nearly as much ‘Dalton Kool Aid’ as the boys and girls at Liberal Caucus Services Bureau, and I am can’t even to begin to understand how this is anything but clear abuse of taxpayers money. 

Threats do not scare me. Words will never intimate me. I will never run in fear from doing what I know is right. Even if I were to seek public office, and even if you used all the resources at your disposal as creatively and illegally as you could think of and you defeated me, you still would not silence me. I lost the last election remember? I’m a stronger voice for my community than I was before I ran. 

The Premier needs to decide if he wants to surround himself with the kind of folks who think this kind of behaviour is appropriate. Taxpayers, especially those in Scarborough Guildwood need to decide how they feel knowing that someone who is standing up for them is now receiving public intimidation from a member of the Premier’s staff to not dare seek to stand up and be their voice, certainly not if that person wants to be a public office holder some day. 

My message is simple to those who find common cause and purpose in what I stand for – I’m not going anywhere, I won’t let a weasel hiding behind a computer, afraid to meet or speak to a real voter dictate whether or not I will stand up or in what capacity I have a right to do so. 

I will always speak out, I will always stand up and I will do so without fear – because regardless of what my opponents decide to do in response, it is the right thing to do, and that sure as hell makes it easier to sleep at night, and look in the mirror in the morning and be proud of what you see. 

I call on the Premier to stand up, and speak out against the kind of crap that sees these tactics used by his government and his party and ensure all Ontarians that no one, that no community will ever again be flooded with taxpayer paid staff working illegally on campaigns. There is a bi-election soon to be called in St. Paul’s – wouldn’t that be a good place to change the strategy and end this corrupt and anti democratic use of resources to impact an outcome? How can the Premier oppose the level playing field needed for a free and fair election?

I hope to have a response from Liberal Caucus Services Bureau or the Premier’s Office disassociating Dean Rivando‘s comments and pledging not to use taxpayer funded staff to interfere in any elections anywhere in Ontario. My email address is john.laforet@laforet.ca