Toronto, ugh.

There are times I hold out hope for Canada regaining some common sense. This was not one of them; Toronto elected a socialist mayor this week, Olivia Chow.   In a field of over 100 candidates, she garnered roughly 37% of the vote. This comes on the heels of a squishy conservative mayor, who resigned after being caught having an affair with a staff member. There is a total of 0% good news in this story.

Massive Toronto Airport Gold Heist

This isn't typical fare for my blog, but it is interesting.

Canada's Freedom Convoy is expanding

These are not truckers, this is not Canada's capital Ottawa, this is in Toronto, Canada's largest city.  While the truckers have been largely arrested, dispersed and in some cases beaten or trampled, the government continues to lose sight of reality, so this peaceful protest will only continue to grow.

Friday Musical Interlude - Stevie Ray Vaughn

Texas Flood, live at the El Macombo in Toronto.  If you want to be amazed and don't have the patience to watch the entire amazing piece, skip ahead to 7:30 and be wowed.

I can't let this pass.

The Toronto Raptors  are the 2019 NBA Champions:


And some earlier series' highlights...

Let's go!

"Democracy" in Canada in action

Faith Goldy is a staunchly conservative candidate who is being elbowed out the race for Toronto's mayor by elitist leftists and Canadian media conglomerates. I am not familiar with all of her platforms but would be open to at least hearing them.  The problem is that so many are trying to make sure that I can't.

Leftists around the world claim they love democracy but don't you dare have a different opinion than them. This is shameful and as a Canadian I would find it wholly embarrassing if it were not for the fact that we are not alone in this problem.

Toronto terror attack?

ISIS has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting in Toronto earlier this week.  So far there is no evidence of any connection.

As an aside, Canada has very strict gun laws.  Toronto gun violence has been particularly present this year.  The gun control laws have not seemed to matter much in stopping the violence.

Toronto tragedy

Toronto is my home town, and this is really saddening.

It's been reported that the driver, in custody is known to police. It was a terror attack, even if the motive is not currently known.

Progressive Socialist Hypocrisy

Recently I had an epiphany about socialism yesterday.  I have a former boss, whom I would consider a friend, who happens to be a socialist.  He doesn't just talk the talk, he supports co-ops of all kinds, he votes socialist and always takes the socialist/progressive side in any argument or discussion.  He's consistent.  He's also a nice guy, to be fair.  But yesterday I noticed something that I've seen in other socialist people I've known and I think the consistency is enough to say it's a pattern. It may not be universal, but certainly it is common among those of the socialist/progressive ilk.

By way of background, for decades the socialist crowd here in Toronto have argued for more public transit.  Toronto has a great transit system..for 1973.   They've argued that we should move away from cars and to public transit.  It's better for the environment, it's more egalitarian, cheaper than roads, blah...blah...BLAH.

Downtown Toronto has a relatively decent coverage of subways.  The suburbs, not so much.  But since the socialists all live downtown in the city core area, they've suddenly become fiscally conservative.  They think spending money on more subways is an expensive boondoggle.  Instead, those in the suburbs, which represent a pretty significant population, should be satisfied with more surface routes - light rail like streetcars, or buses.  

I've had to commute from the suburbs.  It's dreadful - the driving is bad, and the light rail commute was cramped, prone to breakdowns, slow, and just basically inadequate (to be kind).  But the socialists have the transit they want.

And there's the epiphany.  It isn't really about helping others, it's about helping others collectively, until they get what they want, and then the taps get turned of.  Socialism for me and not for thee. Hypocrisy.

I am honestly not surprised, but it's good to have some empirical evidence to back up what we all know.  As for me being two-faced on public transit, I'm all for more roads, but in most cities there's no will for that option.  Anything to reduce gridlock is welcome respite. In a recent post I also pointed out that working from home and telecommuting will reduce the need for mass transit and more roads.  But we're not there yet. So no real hypocrisy, but if you want to challenge me on that, I'd be happy to expound on it.

Go Jays.

Call me a homer. I'm fine with it.

Uber vs. Taxation

Here in Toronto, the city has been going after Uber with frothing ferocity of a rabid raccoon. Why?  They claim the ride sharing app and company flout safety laws.  What they actually are flouting is the ridiculous licensing fees imposed on regular cabbies to fill city coffers with revenue. The city unsurprisingly doesn't like that.  They've moved from legal and media assaults on the company to fining the independent drivers and possibly the riders to working on a new by-law.

It's all about the tax money for the city and not about laissez faire economics as it should be as far as economic growth goes. California is in the same boat as Reason TV documents.

Interestingly here in Toronto, a woman who was an innocent bystander was shot recently outside a club after several cabbies refused to pick her up because her fare would have been too low to be worth their while.

Toronto vs. Uber

Toronto City Council, freshly free of Mayor Rob Ford, has wasted no time going after anything and anyone who is not contributing to city coffers. In this case, they've decided Uber, the web-based taxi service, needs to be stopped.

“By its actions, it is the city’s opinion that Uber is jeopardizing public safety, including that of individuals they are recruiting as drivers,” said Tracey Cook, executive director of city licensing and standards division, at a city hall press conference. “They are continuing to operate in flagrant disregard of the laws of both the city and the province.”

The city is asking for a hearing for an injunction be held as soon as possible. The application for it to be heard has not yet been scheduled.

In an email, Uber spokesperson Lauren Altmin defended the company’s place in Toronto and called the court application “disappointing.”

“Torontonians have taken to Uber in droves because it offers something better than what bureaucrats and the taxi cartel have provided to date,” Altmin wrote. “With Uber, Torontonians have enjoyed real competition and greater choice. We offer safe, reliable, environmentally-friendly and affordable transportation options that are designed for what consumers want today.”

Indeed, the taxi cartel, as Uber put it, has had a monopoly on service.  They pay a significant set of licensing and fees to the city.  In addition, the city gets significant revenue from it's transit system.  And the city council is full of socialists who believe they have the right to force the public into public transit funnels and away from driving because it's greener and more egalitarian.  

But what is so egalitarian about artificially high prices and sustaining artificial demand by strong-arming any type of competition out of existence?  Absolutely nothing.

The federal Conservative party just yesterday won two by-elections (special elections) to replace members of parliament.  But grassroots politics, local politics, still matters and as is the case in so many municipalities, is still dominated by the left.  That's because the left pays attention and votes at the lower levels. The right has never done enough in that regard.  

Uber is rightly contesting this absurd, trumped-up, supposedly safety concern drive initiative by Toronto City Council. This is all about money, tax money, and most everyone sees it.

Lessons from the "All politics is local" file - Barry vs. Ford

The Marion Barry sting.

Yesterday I wrote about the small conservative South Carolina town that rebelled against their mayor in support of an openly gay police chief that he had fired.  One of the lessons from the issue that I neglected to point out was that local activism will usually result in a more immediate change or have a stronger impact than trying to do the same at a  statewide or national level.  Enough local impact combined can then have a statewide impact and so too national impact down the road.  After all, the local story about the police chief actually bubbled up to the national level.  Liberals use the slogan "Think globally, act locally" to considerable effect.

Today I'm sharing another example of "All politics is local", with a different lesson attached to it.  

Thursday Hillary Bash - Odds & Ends

No...no she isn`t.

No time for a full on post today, but there are a few quick things concerning former first lady, ersatz senator, moribund Secretary of State and inevitable Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Hillary Clinton that merit a mention today.

With Chinese military officials being charged for industrial espionage in the U.S., do we really want a Clinton in the White House while China is on the march?

Liberal women are lining up to back Hillary Clinton for 2016.  Michigan`s Democratic senator Debbie Stabenow has re-endorsed Hillary for 2016.  Former spy Valerie Plame goes even further.  She thinks Hillary Clinton is  the next FDR - the ultimate liberal endorsement.  Women, you've received your marching orders - no need to bother thinking for yourselves. 

Meanwhile some liberals are asking for her to outline some actual positions.  Of course they want liberal positions.  But perhaps because liberals are not enamored  with the tabula rasa (blank slate) that they allowed Obama to run as in 2008, she will not get the same free pass then-candidate Obama got.  We can only hope.

Finally, Hillary Clinton is headed to my backyard - Toronto - next month for a speaking engagement related to her book (aka a fundraising opportunity no doubt).  Tickets are a modest $355 Canadian per seat.  I will be sure to miss that but if any news comes out of it, (1) I would be shocked  and (2) I will definitely keep you posted here.

Toronto - One reason I am not proud

Labor Day (or for any fellow Canadian reading this, Labour Day) is of course a celebration of the contributions of workers to society. Or at least it used to be back when unions mattered. Sadly, I must report that the concept of Labor Day, originated in my hometown of Toronto, Canada.  Sorry for that.

What started the actual strife did not lead directly to Labor Day;

In 1869 the union sent a petition to their employers requesting a weekly reduction in hours per week to 58, placing itself in the forefront of the industrialized world in the fight for shorter hours. Their request was refused outright by the owners of the printing shops, most vehemently by George Brown of the Globe. By 1872 the union's stand had hardened from a request to a demand and a threat to strike. The employers called the demand for a shorter workweek "foolish", "absurd" and "unreasonable." As a result, on March 25, 1872 the printers went on strike.

On April 15 a demonstration was held to show solidarity among the workers of Toronto. A parade of some 2000 workers marched through the city, headed by two marching bands. By the time that the parade reached Queen's Park, the sympathetic crowd had grown to 10,000...

The result of the strike was what led to Labor Day not only in Canada but in the U.S. as well;

...For the strikers themselves, the short-term effects were very damaging. Many lost their jobs and were forced to leave Toronto. The long-term effects, however, were positive. After 1872 almost all union demands included the 54-hour week. Thus the Toronto printers were pioneers of the shorter workweek in North America. The movement did not reach places such as Chicago or New York until the turn of the century.

The fight of the Toronto printers had a second, lasting legacy. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers' strike led to an annual celebration. In 1882 American labour leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labour festivals in Toronto. Inspired, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labour day" on September 5 of the same year. Throughout the 1880s pressure built in Canada to declare a national labour holiday and on July 23, 1894 the government of Sir John Thompson passed a law making Labour Day official. A huge Labour Day parade took place in Winnipeg that year. It stretched some 5 kilometres. The tradition of a Labour Day celebration quickly spread across Canada and the continent. It had all begun in Toronto with the brave stand of the printers' union.

So yeah, really sorry about that for all you capitalists out there, but at least there's an extra BBQ day now in the summer. 

Toronto flooding (again) photos

Setting aside the regular political stuff, there are some pretty dramatic photos of my home town Toronto, being flooded today by some pretty intense thunderstorms today.  Accompanied by power outages it was quite crazy out there.

Second flooding for Toronto in about a month.  It's not as bad as Calgary got it but it was fast and furious.

I am SERIOUSLY bummed!

Bill Whittle is in Toronto tonight, and I can't go. I have a personal commitment that I will be dealing with instead. While I am fully committed to that personal commitment, I am seriously bummed not to be seeing Bill Whittle tonight (at 8 pm at St. Michael's College (University of Toronto)).

For those of you who don't know who Bill Whittle is, check out this video interview from the Toronto Sun.

Bill Whittle coming to Toronto UPDATE: Link added

I'm really hoping to be able to attend.  In the spirit of supporting Bill, since I'm a fan of his work, here's his latest video, on the subject of the home stretch of the 2012 election cycle:

UPDATE: Here's the link for Bill's appearance.

Canadian conservative trifecta has probably stalled

The Conservative government in Canada finally won a majority government this year after a couple of minority governments.  In Toronto, Canada's most populous city, a conservative won the mayor's race.  In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, there's a provincial election today.  The opposition Conservative party was 10 points ahead in polling a scant two months ago - now, they're likely going to end up second with yet a third term with a tax and spend Liberal government and a resurgent socialist NDP party creeping up in popularity as well.