Friday, October 31, 2014
More misleading information from the oil barons
Is Big Oil a big job creator?
October 27th, 2014 Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood ·
Job creation is high on the oil industry’s list of go-to arguments for increased investment in the oil sands. Energy extraction is a key driver of employment growth, they tell us, and the benefits extend well beyond Alberta. “Almost every community in Canada has been touched by oil sands development through the stimulating impact it has on job creation,” according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
The industry’s favourite number? 905,000. That’s the projected increase in oil sands jobs in the next two decades, up from a meager 75,000 today, according to an oft-quoted report by the industry-funded Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI).
But what does that number mean? And is it as impressive as it sounds?
According to the report, 905,000 is the total number of new oil sands-related jobs that will be created in Canada by 2035. That means it includes not only direct employment in the Alberta oil sands, but also indirect employment in associated industries, like truck manufacturing, and any “induced” employment that may be created throughout Canada due to increased economic activity in the oil sands.
READ MORE: http://behindthenumbers.ca/2014/10/27/is-big-oil-a-big-job-creator-the-surprising-answer-in-one-infographic/
Thanks Ed
The industry’s favourite number? 905,000. That’s the projected increase in oil sands jobs in the next two decades, up from a meager 75,000 today, according to an oft-quoted report by the industry-funded Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI).
But what does that number mean? And is it as impressive as it sounds?
According to the report, 905,000 is the total number of new oil sands-related jobs that will be created in Canada by 2035. That means it includes not only direct employment in the Alberta oil sands, but also indirect employment in associated industries, like truck manufacturing, and any “induced” employment that may be created throughout Canada due to increased economic activity in the oil sands.
READ MORE: http://behindthenumbers.ca/2014/10/27/is-big-oil-a-big-job-creator-the-surprising-answer-in-one-infographic/
Thanks Ed
More back door politcs from the Reform-a-Cons
CBC: The Conservative Broadcast Corporation
No public broadcaster anywhere in the free world faces the degree of political interference as that proposed for the CBC in Bill C-60.
The government's latest Omnibus Budget legislation would make the Prime Minister the ultimate boss of all of the CBC's employees if the government takes control of collective bargaining at the CBC as Bill C-60 proposes to do.
Harper's Conservatives would enjoy new power to influence the news and the role of producers who create it at our national public broadcaster. These are issues that are addressed in the collective agreements the CBC negotiates with its staff.
Any government would love to manipulate the news in their own interest, but few are brazen enough to actually try.
The Conservative government says this is just an industrial relations matter.
But it's definitely much more than that.
This is about the fine line between public broadcasting and state broadcasting.
READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jamie-biggar/cbc-bill-c-60_b_3253621.html
No public broadcaster anywhere in the free world faces the degree of political interference as that proposed for the CBC in Bill C-60.
The government's latest Omnibus Budget legislation would make the Prime Minister the ultimate boss of all of the CBC's employees if the government takes control of collective bargaining at the CBC as Bill C-60 proposes to do.
Harper's Conservatives would enjoy new power to influence the news and the role of producers who create it at our national public broadcaster. These are issues that are addressed in the collective agreements the CBC negotiates with its staff.
Any government would love to manipulate the news in their own interest, but few are brazen enough to actually try.
The Conservative government says this is just an industrial relations matter.
But it's definitely much more than that.
This is about the fine line between public broadcasting and state broadcasting.
READ MORE: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jamie-biggar/cbc-bill-c-60_b_3253621.html
Found on CRUSH.... "WHERE"S THE MONEY"?
Has anyone else been struck by the statements in the House about ships that never get built, about planes that never get built, about all the normal things a government should do, and purchase and replenish and replace, and that Steve and the crew have announced - over and over and over in some cases - but WE STILL HAVE NOTHING. They take our money. They make an extraordinary number of announcements and have an extraordinary number of fauxto-ops and yet WE STILL HAVE NOTHIN...G.
It struck me when Diane Finley stood lying in the HoC in response to questions about the PBO report on the ships that don't as yet exist.
She of course said the PBO was wrong. When has the PBO been wrong?
Even if the details of the procurement were slightly different, the buying power of that money would not be substantially different.
So - where's all the promised equipment? We have no ships. We have no helicopters. We have no coast guard vessels. We have a few refits of old equipment. Are they deliberately making us reliant on the US for air and sea by using the tried and true Steve method of one incremental step at a time? They have pushed the numbers to future potential governments so.... where's the money they've announced over and over?
She of course said the PBO was wrong. When has the PBO been wrong?
Even if the details of the procurement were slightly different, the buying power of that money would not be substantially different.
So - where's all the promised equipment? We have no ships. We have no helicopters. We have no coast guard vessels. We have a few refits of old equipment. Are they deliberately making us reliant on the US for air and sea by using the tried and true Steve method of one incremental step at a time? They have pushed the numbers to future potential governments so.... where's the money they've announced over and over?
How un-Canadian of you Harper
As manufacturing is dying in Canada the federal government outsources
Feds OK To Buy Foreign Flag
The Department of Public Works is buying thousands of new Canadian flags without any stipulation they be made in Canada. Officials did not reply to repeated requests for an explanation of procurement policies that omit reference to buy Canadian. “We’re working on it,” a spokesperson said.
...
Feds OK To Buy Foreign Flag
The Department of Public Works is buying thousands of new Canadian flags without any stipulation they be made in Canada. Officials did not reply to repeated requests for an explanation of procurement policies that omit reference to buy Canadian. “We’re working on it,” a spokesperson said.
...
“This should be a Canadian product, made in Canada,” said Dennis Brown, president and CEO of Flags Unlimited Corp., a Barrie, Ont., manufacturer. “This should be Canadian.”
Public Works Canada served notice it will purchase thousands of new outdoor flags for display at federal buildings, up to 673 new flags a year from 2015 to 2018. However the contract is open to foreign-sourced bidders, and the department declined comment on whether the national flag should be Canadian-made.
Under the 1985 National Flag Of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act, flags for official use may be “manufactured in Canada or imported into Canada” so long as they meet specifications on colour tone, stitching, textile strength, size of grommets and other standards.
“We are the largest flag manufacturer in Canada,” said Brown. “If you see a flag flying on the street it’s probably one of ours.”
Brown noted that while nylon and polyester used in flag production are typically purchased from U.S. or offshore suppliers, “the finishing, the sewing, the cutting – this should be Canadian”. “We don’t make nylon in Canada,” he said; “We contract our polyester from U.S. and German suppliers that make a very high-quality textile”.
Flag specifications are set by the Canadian General Standards Board, a public works agency. Another manufacturer, Flag Connection Inc. of Lion’s Head, Ont., sued the government in 2013 after alleging Public Works Canada had purchased inexpensive, substandard flags for use on the Peace Tower, federal courthouses and soldiers’ caskets in violation of the 1985 law.
“It breaks my heart to see these non-compliant flags,” Randy Sloane, CEO of Flag Connection, said in an earlier interview. “This is sad. This is slowly dismantling our flag standards.”
“We manufactured the flag for Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s casket when he was lying in state,” Sloane said. “Each step in the manufacturing of these flags must be correct.”
A maple leaf flag manufactured for outdoor use must typically be replaced every three months, manufacturers said.
By Paul Delahanty
http://www.blacklocks.ca/feds-ok-to-buy-foreign-flag/
Public Works Canada served notice it will purchase thousands of new outdoor flags for display at federal buildings, up to 673 new flags a year from 2015 to 2018. However the contract is open to foreign-sourced bidders, and the department declined comment on whether the national flag should be Canadian-made.
Under the 1985 National Flag Of Canada Manufacturing Standards Act, flags for official use may be “manufactured in Canada or imported into Canada” so long as they meet specifications on colour tone, stitching, textile strength, size of grommets and other standards.
“We are the largest flag manufacturer in Canada,” said Brown. “If you see a flag flying on the street it’s probably one of ours.”
Brown noted that while nylon and polyester used in flag production are typically purchased from U.S. or offshore suppliers, “the finishing, the sewing, the cutting – this should be Canadian”. “We don’t make nylon in Canada,” he said; “We contract our polyester from U.S. and German suppliers that make a very high-quality textile”.
Flag specifications are set by the Canadian General Standards Board, a public works agency. Another manufacturer, Flag Connection Inc. of Lion’s Head, Ont., sued the government in 2013 after alleging Public Works Canada had purchased inexpensive, substandard flags for use on the Peace Tower, federal courthouses and soldiers’ caskets in violation of the 1985 law.
“It breaks my heart to see these non-compliant flags,” Randy Sloane, CEO of Flag Connection, said in an earlier interview. “This is sad. This is slowly dismantling our flag standards.”
“We manufactured the flag for Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s casket when he was lying in state,” Sloane said. “Each step in the manufacturing of these flags must be correct.”
A maple leaf flag manufactured for outdoor use must typically be replaced every three months, manufacturers said.
By Paul Delahanty
http://www.blacklocks.ca/feds-ok-to-buy-foreign-flag/
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Let the truth be heard....
Canada: Decoding Harper’s Terror Game. Beneath the Masks and Diversions
Global Research, October 28, 2014
Stephen Harper is the most deeply reviled Prime Minister in Canada’s history. On the world stage, he is the servant of Big Oil boiling oil out of tar-sands to destroy major river systems and pollute the planet with dirty oil, while his attack dog John Baird leads the warmongering and bullying of nations like Iran and Syria targeted by the US-Israeli axis.
He is the most despotic and toxic first minister in the life of our country. His administration defunds every social program and life protective system it can. It strips the country of its public information infrastructures at every level – including now the gagging of non-profit NGO’s by eliminating their charitable status if they question any policy of his regime.
Just as his friend George Bush Jr., Harper holds government by big-money backing, continual lies, attack ads, and life-blind policies to enrich the already rich. Canada’s neo-con political class may have its head on backwards, but Harper is very cunning in skirting, subverting and perverting the law to abuse power at every level. He is the poster boy of the global corporate agenda of wrecking society and its common life support systems.
READ MORE: http://www.globalresearch.ca/decoding-harpers-terror-game-beneath-the-masks-and-diversions/5410373
He is the most despotic and toxic first minister in the life of our country. His administration defunds every social program and life protective system it can. It strips the country of its public information infrastructures at every level – including now the gagging of non-profit NGO’s by eliminating their charitable status if they question any policy of his regime.
Just as his friend George Bush Jr., Harper holds government by big-money backing, continual lies, attack ads, and life-blind policies to enrich the already rich. Canada’s neo-con political class may have its head on backwards, but Harper is very cunning in skirting, subverting and perverting the law to abuse power at every level. He is the poster boy of the global corporate agenda of wrecking society and its common life support systems.
READ MORE: http://www.globalresearch.ca/decoding-harpers-terror-game-beneath-the-masks-and-diversions/5410373
More bad news we all knew and Stephen Harper lied to Canadians about
Bank of Canada just gave us "the-dog-has-died talk" about manufacturing sector
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz has some really bad news to share about the Canadian manufacturing sector.
In a statement that was slated to be delivered last week with the release of the bank's quarterly Monetary Policy Report (the event was cancelled following the shooting at the National War Memorial and on Parliament Hill), Poloz was set to talk about Canada's manufacturing export sector has suffered deep and permanent structural damage.
Here's a snippet of Poloz's statement, now posted on the bank's website:
"It is clear that our export sector is less robust than in previous cycles. Last spring, as you may recall, we identified which non-energy subsectors could be expected to lead the recovery in exports, and which would not.
We have since investigated in more detail the subsectors that have been underperforming. After sifting through more than 2,000 product categories, we have found that the value of exports from about a quarter of them has fallen by more than 75 per cent since the year 2000. Had the exports of these products instead risen in line with foreign demand, they would have contributed about $30 billion in additional exports last year.
By correlating these findings with media reports, we could see that many were affected by factory closures or other restructurings. In other words, capacity in these subsectors has simply disappeared. This analysis helps us understand a significant portion of the gap in export performance....
This research has important implications for Canada’s employment picture. We know that when companies restructure or close their doors, the associated job losses are usually permanent. If companies can meet increased export demand with existing capacity, the associated employment gains can be fairly modest, with most of the increase in output coming in the form of higher productivity. The bigger employment gains will come when we enter the rebuilding phase of the cycle – when companies are sufficiently confident about future export demand that they begin to invest in new capacity and create new jobs."
READ MORE: http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/bank-canada-just-gave-us-dog-has-died-talk-about-manufacturing-sector
Or, as the Globe and Mail's Economy Lab editor David Parkinson puts it, "Poloz has just sat Canadians down and given us a national the-dog-has-died talk."
Here's a snippet of Poloz's statement, now posted on the bank's website:
"It is clear that our export sector is less robust than in previous cycles. Last spring, as you may recall, we identified which non-energy subsectors could be expected to lead the recovery in exports, and which would not.
We have since investigated in more detail the subsectors that have been underperforming. After sifting through more than 2,000 product categories, we have found that the value of exports from about a quarter of them has fallen by more than 75 per cent since the year 2000. Had the exports of these products instead risen in line with foreign demand, they would have contributed about $30 billion in additional exports last year.
By correlating these findings with media reports, we could see that many were affected by factory closures or other restructurings. In other words, capacity in these subsectors has simply disappeared. This analysis helps us understand a significant portion of the gap in export performance....
This research has important implications for Canada’s employment picture. We know that when companies restructure or close their doors, the associated job losses are usually permanent. If companies can meet increased export demand with existing capacity, the associated employment gains can be fairly modest, with most of the increase in output coming in the form of higher productivity. The bigger employment gains will come when we enter the rebuilding phase of the cycle – when companies are sufficiently confident about future export demand that they begin to invest in new capacity and create new jobs."
READ MORE: http://www.pressprogress.ca/en/post/bank-canada-just-gave-us-dog-has-died-talk-about-manufacturing-sector
Harper and his sheeple have been aware of this problem since 2009 and it was addressed in the 2012 Auditor Generals Report
Ottawa shooting: RCMP, House security radios on different frequencies
The security forces protecting Parliament must be better integrated, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said Monday, less than a week after a gunman killed a soldier at the National War Memorial, ran onto the Hill to hijack a car, and died metres from the rooms where MPs were meeting.
Concerns have been raised repeatedly over the years about the different silos in which law enforcement and security officials operate on and around Parliament Hill, including by Auditor General Michael Ferguson, who reported on them in 2012.
In question period Monday, Blaney said, "the silos we have today are not adequate. Security inside Parliament must be integrated with outside security forces."
CBC News has learned those security forces can't even speak to each other by radio because their radios use different frequencies.
READ MORE: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-shooting-rcmp-house-security-radios-on-different-frequencies-1.2814315
The security forces protecting Parliament must be better integrated, Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney said Monday, less than a week after a gunman killed a soldier at the National War Memorial, ran onto the Hill to hijack a car, and died metres from the rooms where MPs were meeting.
Concerns have been raised repeatedly over the years about the different silos in which law enforcement and security officials operate on and around Parliament Hill, including by Auditor General Michael Ferguson, who reported on them in 2012.
In question period Monday, Blaney said, "the silos we have today are not adequate. Security inside Parliament must be integrated with outside security forces."
CBC News has learned those security forces can't even speak to each other by radio because their radios use different frequencies.
READ MORE: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ottawa-shooting-rcmp-house-security-radios-on-different-frequencies-1.2814315
Interesting read
Lone wolves, police state
"The criminal code already makes it an offence to call for violence against a specific, identifiable group. But what about apologies for terrorism, like those of Frantz Fanon, the famous French psychoanalyst who argued that violence is a necessary stage in the process of decolonization? What about those who believe, for instance, that terrorists are “heroes,” or argue that terrorism is “justified by the crimes of the West” and so on?'
These are repugn...ant opinions, but even the most abhorrent ideas must be tolerated for freedom of speech to exist. This is what makes Canada a liberal democracy. Denying it would be granting a moral victory to the terrorists who are fighting against this country’s most fundamental values."'
"The criminal code already makes it an offence to call for violence against a specific, identifiable group. But what about apologies for terrorism, like those of Frantz Fanon, the famous French psychoanalyst who argued that violence is a necessary stage in the process of decolonization? What about those who believe, for instance, that terrorists are “heroes,” or argue that terrorism is “justified by the crimes of the West” and so on?'
These are repugn...ant opinions, but even the most abhorrent ideas must be tolerated for freedom of speech to exist. This is what makes Canada a liberal democracy. Denying it would be granting a moral victory to the terrorists who are fighting against this country’s most fundamental values."'
A conversation in heaven
SYLVIA:
Hi! Wanda.
WANDA:
Hi! Sylvia. How’d you die?
SYLVIA:
I froze to death.
WANDA:
How horrible!
SYLVIA:
It wasn’t so bad. After I quit shaking from
the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy,
and finally died a peaceful death.
What about you?
WANDA:
I died of a massive heart attack.
I suspected that my husband was cheating,
so I came home early to catch him in the act.
But instead, I found him all by himself
in the den watching TV.
SYLVIA:
So, what happened?
WANDA:
I was so sure there was another woman
there somewhere that I started running
all over the house looking. I ran up into
the attic and searched, and down into the
basement. Then I went through every closet
and checked under all the beds. I kept this up
until I had looked everywhere, and finally
I became so exhausted that I just keeled over
with a heart attack and died.
SYLVIA:
Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer
—we’d both still be alive.
Hi! Wanda.
WANDA:
Hi! Sylvia. How’d you die?
SYLVIA:
I froze to death.
WANDA:
How horrible!
SYLVIA:
It wasn’t so bad. After I quit shaking from
the cold, I began to get warm & sleepy,
and finally died a peaceful death.
What about you?
WANDA:
I died of a massive heart attack.
I suspected that my husband was cheating,
so I came home early to catch him in the act.
But instead, I found him all by himself
in the den watching TV.
SYLVIA:
So, what happened?
WANDA:
I was so sure there was another woman
there somewhere that I started running
all over the house looking. I ran up into
the attic and searched, and down into the
basement. Then I went through every closet
and checked under all the beds. I kept this up
until I had looked everywhere, and finally
I became so exhausted that I just keeled over
with a heart attack and died.
SYLVIA:
Too bad you didn’t look in the freezer
—we’d both still be alive.
Thanks Randy
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Harpers insane approach to budgeting is an insult to seniors, handicapped and unemployed.
Exactly as I predicted week after week, month after month and year after year since this destroyer of the economy came to office..... his insane budget programs will catch up to him.
Information regarding the Canadian Pension Plan is displayed of the service Canada website in Ottawa on Tuesday, January 31, 2012. Under the Conservative government’s new rules, people denied disability benefits lose the opportunity to directly appeal their cases.
(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
(Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Ottawa tackles Social Security Tribunal benefit-claims backlog
A major backlog in benefit claims for Canadian seniors, the unemployed and people with disabilities is forcing Ottawa to expand the size of its Social Security Tribunal.
The government used a 2012 omnibus budget bill to create the new tribunal, which hears appeals related to the Canada Pension Plan, disability benefits and Employment Insurance and Old Age Security.
Now the Conservative government is using its latest budget bill, introduced on Thursday, to expand it. The new bill removes a line in the original law that capped the size of the tribunal at 74 full-time staff. It also removes limits on the number of hours part-time staff can work.
The government says the change will allow it to add employees to respond to a backlog of nearly 11,000 cases related to CPP and OAS.
“Lifting both of these caps will help alleviate the current backlog and prevent future backlogs,” a spokesperson for Employment and Social Development Canada said.
REFORM-A-CONS F"CKING THE LITTLE GUY
The World sees through Harpers beating of war drums
Eric Margolis: Formerly ‘Liked Everywhere’ Canada Has Moved ‘Into the Gun Sights’
International affairs writer Eric Margolis, interviewed Wednesday on the Scott Horton Show, commented that he would not be surprised if the killers of Canada soldiers in Ontario and Quebec this week were motivated to react to the Canada government’s adoption of “a very, very hostile policy toward Muslims in general.” Margolis pins the responsibility for the adoption of this policy largely on Stephen Harper, who has been the nation’s prime minister since February of 2006, and some of the groups supporting Harper.
Margolis points to particular aspects of this policy, including that Canada “just dispatched six warplanes to go and bomb ISIS or whoever in Syria and Iraq” and has spent billions of dollars and over 100 troops’ lives on the Afghanistan war and occupation. Margolis, a Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity academic board member, sums up the dramatic transition toward Canada becoming a target for blowback as follows:
READ MORE: http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2014/october/23/eric-margolis-formerly-liked-everywhere-canada-has-moved-into-the-gun-sights/
International affairs writer Eric Margolis, interviewed Wednesday on the Scott Horton Show, commented that he would not be surprised if the killers of Canada soldiers in Ontario and Quebec this week were motivated to react to the Canada government’s adoption of “a very, very hostile policy toward Muslims in general.” Margolis pins the responsibility for the adoption of this policy largely on Stephen Harper, who has been the nation’s prime minister since February of 2006, and some of the groups supporting Harper.
Margolis points to particular aspects of this policy, including that Canada “just dispatched six warplanes to go and bomb ISIS or whoever in Syria and Iraq” and has spent billions of dollars and over 100 troops’ lives on the Afghanistan war and occupation. Margolis, a Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity academic board member, sums up the dramatic transition toward Canada becoming a target for blowback as follows:
… Canada, which not long ago was liked everywhere—Canada didn’t have an enemy in the world, has now put itself into the gun sights of militant extremist terrorists, whatever you want to call them. And, as I’ve been saying for a long time, it’s only a matter of time before angry people attack.
READ MORE: http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/peace-and-prosperity/2014/october/23/eric-margolis-formerly-liked-everywhere-canada-has-moved-into-the-gun-sights/
A pattern of deceit: Harper promises then quietly lets the promise disappear.
Retail Price Controls Vanish
Finance Canada has quietly dropped plans for retail price controls. Promised legislation to abolish “discrimination” in cross-border pricing is omitted from a 459-page omnibus budget bill, the last of the year. Authorities had said the bill would detail the measure.
“I am disappointed there is nothing in here because they made such a big deal about it,” said MP Judy Sgro, Liberal industry critic; “They do a lot of talking about what they’re going ...to do for this problem, but when it comes to actually doing something there is very little.”
Finance Canada has quietly dropped plans for retail price controls. Promised legislation to abolish “discrimination” in cross-border pricing is omitted from a 459-page omnibus budget bill, the last of the year. Authorities had said the bill would detail the measure.
“I am disappointed there is nothing in here because they made such a big deal about it,” said MP Judy Sgro, Liberal industry critic; “They do a lot of talking about what they’re going ...to do for this problem, but when it comes to actually doing something there is very little.”
Cabinet promised in its last budget speech last February 11: “The government intends to introduce legislation to address price discrimination that is not justified by higher operating costs in Canada and to empower the Commissioner of Competition to enforce the new framework. Details will be announced in the coming months.”
They weren’t. Industry Minister James Moore did not respond to a request for comment.
“We’ve not heard anything except how terrible it is,” said Sgro, MP for York West, Ont. Sgro said she was told by one constituent of a generator that sells for US$450 south of the border, and $899 in Canada: “Somebody is gouging somebody, but how do you control that?”
Finance Canada wrote in its February budget, “It is well documented that Canadians pay more than non-Canadians for many identical goods”, citing Statistics Canada data that the so-called price gap averages 25 percent. Then-Finance Minister Jim Flaherty attributed price differences to “something called country pricing” – a practice whereby manufacturers maximize profits by selling identical products at different prices by market.
Asked what action he contemplated against retailers, Flaherty told reporters: “They better have some sort of explanation, other than they are targeting Canada because our people are relatively affluent and will pay it – and there is some evidence of that.”
Flaherty died of a heart attack last April 10. The finance department has since proposed no legislation on cross-border pricing.
“We do expect the government is going to be coming forward with proposals on that, and it’s our impression and indication that the Minister of Industry would be doing that over the course of the next couple of weeks,” said David Wilkes, senior vice president of government relations with the Retail Council of Canada. “It’s a very complex issue and of course there are justifiable differences between prices between the markets; our tax system is different, for example.”
“The root causes of that are understood, and there would be recommendations and approaches to address it,” Wilkes added. “We don’t believe that there has been any backing away from that commitment.”
Analysts earlier noted the Competition Act already restricts unfair trade practices, and questioned the practicality of enforcing price controls on retailers.
By Dale Smith
http://www.blacklocks.ca/retail-price-controls-vanish/
They weren’t. Industry Minister James Moore did not respond to a request for comment.
“We’ve not heard anything except how terrible it is,” said Sgro, MP for York West, Ont. Sgro said she was told by one constituent of a generator that sells for US$450 south of the border, and $899 in Canada: “Somebody is gouging somebody, but how do you control that?”
Finance Canada wrote in its February budget, “It is well documented that Canadians pay more than non-Canadians for many identical goods”, citing Statistics Canada data that the so-called price gap averages 25 percent. Then-Finance Minister Jim Flaherty attributed price differences to “something called country pricing” – a practice whereby manufacturers maximize profits by selling identical products at different prices by market.
Asked what action he contemplated against retailers, Flaherty told reporters: “They better have some sort of explanation, other than they are targeting Canada because our people are relatively affluent and will pay it – and there is some evidence of that.”
Flaherty died of a heart attack last April 10. The finance department has since proposed no legislation on cross-border pricing.
“We do expect the government is going to be coming forward with proposals on that, and it’s our impression and indication that the Minister of Industry would be doing that over the course of the next couple of weeks,” said David Wilkes, senior vice president of government relations with the Retail Council of Canada. “It’s a very complex issue and of course there are justifiable differences between prices between the markets; our tax system is different, for example.”
“The root causes of that are understood, and there would be recommendations and approaches to address it,” Wilkes added. “We don’t believe that there has been any backing away from that commitment.”
Analysts earlier noted the Competition Act already restricts unfair trade practices, and questioned the practicality of enforcing price controls on retailers.
By Dale Smith
http://www.blacklocks.ca/retail-price-controls-vanish/
Dictators listen to no one
Ottawa’s silencing of scientists should end
The Conservative government only undermines itself by restricting the ability of federally employed scientists to communicate freely with the public and the media. It feeds suspicion, suggesting that Canada has something to hide, for example, on such controversial matters as the oil sands – wrongly or rightly.
Last week, the Union of Concerned Scientists, an American organization, and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada sent Prime Minister Stephen Harper an open letter strongly recommending that Canada no longer insist that government scientists get the permission of a media relations officer before they speak to journalists. Fifteen thousand or so researchers are said to be affected by such rules. There were 800 signatories – Canadian government researchers themselves did not sign it.
READ MORE: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/ottawas-silencing-of-scientists-should-end/article21293769/?cmpid=rss1&click=dlvr.it
The Conservative government only undermines itself by restricting the ability of federally employed scientists to communicate freely with the public and the media. It feeds suspicion, suggesting that Canada has something to hide, for example, on such controversial matters as the oil sands – wrongly or rightly.
Last week, the Union of Concerned Scientists, an American organization, and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada sent Prime Minister Stephen Harper an open letter strongly recommending that Canada no longer insist that government scientists get the permission of a media relations officer before they speak to journalists. Fifteen thousand or so researchers are said to be affected by such rules. There were 800 signatories – Canadian government researchers themselves did not sign it.
READ MORE: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/ottawas-silencing-of-scientists-should-end/article21293769/?cmpid=rss1&click=dlvr.it
My Birthday by the Numbers.
One day in November I will be:
24,040 days old
or
792 months old
or
3,433 Mondays, old
or
3,434 Tuesdays, old
or
3,434 Wednesdays, old
or
3,435 Thursdays, old
or
3,436 Fridays, old
or
3,434 Saturdays, old
or
3,434 Sundays, old
I thought by crunching the numbers, I could possibly reduce my age
by manipulating the numbers to reveal a suitable, smaller number.
I tried multiplication, subtraction, quantum physics, etc.,
Ain't going to happen folks, it is what it is - the numbers speak for
themselves ........I am old no matter which way I cut the numbers.
Thanks Joe Y
Sex after Surgery
A recent article in the Kentucky Post reported that a woman, Anne Maynard, has sued St. Luke's Hospital, saying that after her husband had surgery there, he lost all interest in sex.
A hospital spokesman replied:
"Mr. Maynard was admitted for cataract surgery. All we did was correct his eyesight."
Thanks Randy
Deer
It was Saturday morning as Jake, an avid hunter, woke up raring to go bag the first deer of the season.
He walks down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he finds his wife, Erin, sitting there, fully dressed in camouflage.
Jake asks her, "What are you up to?"
Erin smiles, "I'm going hunting with you! The kids are with their granddad."
Jake, though he had many reservations about this, reluctantly decides,To take her along.
Three hours later they arrive at a game preserve just outside of Malta, Montana. Jake sets his lovely wife safely up in the tree stand and tells her "If you see a deer, take careful aim on it and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot. He walks away with a smile on his face knowing that Erin couldn't bag an elephant - much less a deer.
Not 10 minutes pass when he is startled as he hears an array of gunshots. Quickly, Jake starts running back. As he gets closer to her stand, he hears Erin screaming, "Get the hell away from my deer!"
Confused and frightened, Jake races faster towards his screaming wife, and again he hears her yell, "Get the hell away from my deer!" followed by another volley of gunfire!
Now within sight of where he had left his wife, Jake is surprised to see a Montana game warden with his hands high in the air.
The game warden, obviously distraught, yelled, "Okay, lady! You can have your deer! Just let me get my saddle off it!"
Thanks Ralph
He walks down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he finds his wife, Erin, sitting there, fully dressed in camouflage.
Jake asks her, "What are you up to?"
Erin smiles, "I'm going hunting with you! The kids are with their granddad."
Jake, though he had many reservations about this, reluctantly decides,To take her along.
Three hours later they arrive at a game preserve just outside of Malta, Montana. Jake sets his lovely wife safely up in the tree stand and tells her "If you see a deer, take careful aim on it and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot. He walks away with a smile on his face knowing that Erin couldn't bag an elephant - much less a deer.
Not 10 minutes pass when he is startled as he hears an array of gunshots. Quickly, Jake starts running back. As he gets closer to her stand, he hears Erin screaming, "Get the hell away from my deer!"
Confused and frightened, Jake races faster towards his screaming wife, and again he hears her yell, "Get the hell away from my deer!" followed by another volley of gunfire!
Now within sight of where he had left his wife, Jake is surprised to see a Montana game warden with his hands high in the air.
The game warden, obviously distraught, yelled, "Okay, lady! You can have your deer! Just let me get my saddle off it!"
Thanks Ralph
Customer Complaints
Airline Announcements...
The last one is a really good one......enjoy!
United Flight Attendant announced, 'People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!
************ ********* ********* *******
On landing, the stewardess said, 'Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have. '
************ ********* ********* *******
'There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane'
************ ********* ********* *******
An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a 'Thanks for flying our airline.' He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally, everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane.
She said, 'Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?'
'Why, no, Ma'am,' said the pilot. 'What is it?'
The little old lady said, 'Did we land, or were we shot down?'
************ ********* ********* *********
As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: 'Whoa, big fella, WHOA!' ;
************ ********* ********* ********* ****
After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, 'Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because sure as hell everything has shifted after a landing like that.'
************ ********* ********* *******
Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: 'We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.'
************ ********* ********* *******
Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo , Texas on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo .... Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!'
************ ********* ********* *****
'Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments. '
************ ********* ********* *****
'As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses..... ....except for that gentleman over there.'
************ ********* ********* ********* ***
Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City.
The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, 'That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt.'
************ ********* ********* ********* *
After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal.'
************ ********* ********* ********* *
Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: 'We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways..'
************ ********* ********* ********* *
Heard on a Southwest Airline flight - 'Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em.'
************ ********* ********* ********* *
A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport . After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom; 'Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to Los Angeles . The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax.... OH, MY GOD!'
Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!'
A passenger in coach yelled, 'That's nothing. You should see the back of mine!'
************ *********
A man boarded a plane with six kids. After they got settled in their seats a woman sitting across the aisle from him leaned over to him and asked, "Are all of those kids yours?"
He replied, "No. I work for a condom company. These are customer complaints. "
I WISH I COULD THINK THAT QUICKLY.
Thanks Kerry
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise... Their common sense gun law doesn't make common sense in light of the recent events
Bill C-42, 'Common Sense' Gun Law, Shelved In Wake Of Ottawa Shootings
"The Conservative government appears to be quietly shelving its controversial “Common Sense” gun bill in light of Wednesday’s shooting.
Government House Leader Peter Van Loan’s office was silent Friday about the future of Bill C-42. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney’s office refused to comment, directing inquiries to Van Loan.
The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act was scheduled to be debated for the f...irst time on the day of the shootings, with three days set aside for discussion. It no longer figures on the government’s stated agenda."
"The Conservative government appears to be quietly shelving its controversial “Common Sense” gun bill in light of Wednesday’s shooting.
Government House Leader Peter Van Loan’s office was silent Friday about the future of Bill C-42. Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney’s office refused to comment, directing inquiries to Van Loan.
The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act was scheduled to be debated for the f...irst time on the day of the shootings, with three days set aside for discussion. It no longer figures on the government’s stated agenda."
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/25/bill-c-42-gun-laws-ottawa-shooting_n_6046966.html?utm_hp_ref=tw
Makes you wonder how they feel about the gun registry now that the RCMP could use it to track down the 30-30 used by Zihaf-Bibeau in the killing of Corporal Cirillo.
Makes you wonder how they feel about the gun registry now that the RCMP could use it to track down the 30-30 used by Zihaf-Bibeau in the killing of Corporal Cirillo.
Whats the phrase? Oh yeah! Political interference.... Yuh think
Case closed on lawyers in Mike Duffy-Nigel Wright affair
Last November, a University of Ottawa law professor filed complaints of professional misconduct against two lawyers for their alleged role in the Senate expense scandal.
Beyond questioning the ethics of the lawyers involved, Amir Attaran, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Law, Population Health and Global Development Policy, said he wanted to probe the effectiveness of the law societies responsible for protecting the public.
Suspended senator Mike Duffy is now facing 31 criminal counts of fraud, breach of trust and bribery, involving a $90,000 payment from Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright.
The Star has confirmed that neither of the lawyers who were allegedly aware of the terms of the payment will face a formal disciplinary hearing. But because of the secrecy shrouding complaints against lawyers, very little has emerged about the investigations.
Attaran, who only learned the complaints had been dismissed as a result of media inquiries, said there are still many unanswered questions.
“I’ve never heard anything from the investigators,” he said. “I don’t know whether the investigators have even interviewed the persons in question. I don’t know if the investigators have spoken with the RCMP.
“It’s a black box.”
READ MORE: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/case_closed_on_lawyers_in_mike_duffynigel_wright_affair.html
READ MORE: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2014/10/26/case_closed_on_lawyers_in_mike_duffynigel_wright_affair.html
Harper and the RCMP aren't supposed to make assumptions ... Canadians deserve the facts
Ottawa shooting by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau was ‘last desperate act’ of a mentally ill person, his mother writes
"In a lengthy written statement to Postmedia News on Saturday, Susan Bibeau said her son was anxious to travel to Saudi Arabia — not Syria as police have stated — but when his passport application kept being held up, he likely felt cornered, “unable to stay in the life he was in, unable to move on to the next one he wanted to go to.
"In a lengthy written statement to Postmedia News on Saturday, Susan Bibeau said her son was anxious to travel to Saudi Arabia — not Syria as police have stated — but when his passport application kept being held up, he likely felt cornered, “unable to stay in the life he was in, unable to move on to the next one he wanted to go to.
“He was mad and felt trapped so the only way out was death.”
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/25/michael-zehaf-bibeau-mother-says-killing-was-last-desperate-act-of-a-mentally-ill-person/
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/10/25/michael-zehaf-bibeau-mother-says-killing-was-last-desperate-act-of-a-mentally-ill-person/
But.... But.... Harper is so delusional he believes he can run the country
Unpreparedness rooted in Tory policy, public’s parsimony: Mallick
Events keep taking Canada by surprise. We need a government that does its job: preparing for the future. And we should be willing to pay for it.
"What’s odd is that the federal government, under Harper, sees Canadians as groups of enemies, surveilling us, kettling us in demonstrations, dividing us into groups — Muslims, scientists, public employees, Tory provinces, Liberal provinces — while being reluctant to i...nvest in the common good. We need a national policy for medical drugs. It won’t happen. We need a long-gun registry. It was killed. We need high-speed rail. Forget it. Why join a war on ISIS? Why not?
We are as nationally prepared for collapsing oil prices as we are for drought and flooding caused by climate change: not at all.
It is very nice of provinces to step in but they don’t have the population or the tax base to repair damage to our national fabric smoothly and well.
The larger problem, that we are so often taken by surprise, will only be solved by a federal election that rids us of extremist Conservatives. Think ahead, Canada."
Events keep taking Canada by surprise. We need a government that does its job: preparing for the future. And we should be willing to pay for it.
"What’s odd is that the federal government, under Harper, sees Canadians as groups of enemies, surveilling us, kettling us in demonstrations, dividing us into groups — Muslims, scientists, public employees, Tory provinces, Liberal provinces — while being reluctant to i...nvest in the common good. We need a national policy for medical drugs. It won’t happen. We need a long-gun registry. It was killed. We need high-speed rail. Forget it. Why join a war on ISIS? Why not?
We are as nationally prepared for collapsing oil prices as we are for drought and flooding caused by climate change: not at all.
It is very nice of provinces to step in but they don’t have the population or the tax base to repair damage to our national fabric smoothly and well.
The larger problem, that we are so often taken by surprise, will only be solved by a federal election that rids us of extremist Conservatives. Think ahead, Canada."
These are the people Harper tells you need our help..... to execute their enemy.
After victory in key Iraqi town, time for revenge
JURF AL-SAKHAR Iraq (Reuters) - After helping government forces break Islamic State's grip over a strategic town just south of Baghdad on Saturday, Shi'ite militias decided it was time for payback.
As the angry crowd of militiamen around the unarmed militants swelled, shots rang out. The three men lay soaked in blood in the dirt with gunshot wounds to the head.
"Those dogs are Chechens. They don't deserve to stay alive. We took confessions from them and we don't need them anymore," said one of the Shi'ite militiamen.
READ MORE: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/victory-key-iraqi-town-time-revenge-200129937.html
TD Bank article.
In the TD bank article on your Monday post shows at the bottom of the page the 10 worst jobs in pictures. The first picture of the switchboard reminds me a situation back in the 60's. (that sorta dates me)
On the way to town one morning the traffic was kinda heavy going up McGill and my father was upset of course. I was working for Royal Securities in Place Victoria back then and there was a water main break up the hill near Lagauchetière while construction was going on for the Ville Marie tunnel.
He let me off on the St-James side of the building and it was around 7:30am. As I entered the lobby a lot of people were looking out the windows facing north. A water pipe burst up the hill and water was rushing down the hill flooding Craig street. I was at the window just in time to see a poor guy getting out of his car with his newspaper in the air and waist deep in water. Right in front of Micheals' restaurant.
There were a few of us from the office and we decided to get on the elevator to the 20th floor. No sooner than when we got there that they cut most of the power in the building. So here we were a few employees in the office and the building being closed down. I worked in the securities department, so I called the boss at home and we worked out an emergency plan. We had the old switchboard type of phones. The only secretary that had made it up with us was assigned to man the board. Stephanie was a really sharp looking blond with straight hair and a bod that your mother wouldn't approve of. Of course she had on a black short mini dress.
After I made phone calls to the banks to explain the situation, my co-worker Ralph B and myself took turns helping Steph with the incoming calls. My what a doll. We were being flashed all morning long in that phone room, up-skirt shots, long legs and all. Near noon we had to walk down a pitch black stairway. No emergency lights and just my trusty old zippo lighter which was hard to hold. Once in the lobby we saw the water running down the spiral staircase from the second to third basement.
Needless to say that the underground parking was also flooded.
But that Stephanie really impressed me.
\
LOL
Ivan R
Thanks Ivan.... for the fantasy of what could have been
1 OF 2 PHOTOS G.PK. UNITED CHURCH OCT. 26 2014 100th ANNIVERSARY WORSHIP SERVICE
Thanks Normand.... Part two tomorrow
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