Collingwood – Page 24

The Block lied. Told you so.

If you read the media release published by the Town of Collingwood this afternoon you will realized just how much you have been lied to these past two years. It’s titled, “Council to pursue Hydro Share Sale discussions with Epcor.” This is the “unnamed company” whose name The Block and the administration tried – unsuccessfully – to hide from us. But like I warned you: The Block is privatizing our water and wastewater services, too. All without any input or consultation from the public: In addition to submitting an offer on Collingwood’s remaining interest in Collingwood PowerStream Utility Services Corp, ……… click below for more ↓

Will the Block’s hypocrisy never cease?

2017-01-29 2017-01-30 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / User fees and costsOne Comment

Last term, when they were raising their pitchforks to storm the bureaucratic castle, the members of today’s Collingwood Council – those we disparagingly refer to as The Block – were loudly castigating the former council for having once done a sole-source deal with the company that was the only Canadian supplier of a product in the whole country. Some said we should have gone further afield, to American sources. We were evil, they told their cadre of supporters, for not going to tender, or other process like an RFP. The Block’s leader and now Deputy Mayor, Brian Saunderson pledged his ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s casino roulette

2017-01-29 2017-01-30 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & PoliciesLeave a comment

I want you to read the following motion carefully. Take your time. It was passed by the former council in March, 2013 in response to the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) coming forward with a proposal to locate a gambling (“gaming”) facility in Collingwood: WHEREAS a properly developed Integrated Destination Resort which includes but is not limited to a world class accommodation hotel, executive meeting and convention facilities, a large seating capacity theatre, restaurants, spa and boutique casino could benefit the economic growth of the community; AND WHEREAS Council of the Town of Collingwood may be interested in becoming ……… click below for more ↓

The Block torpedoes the hospital, again

2017-01-28 2017-01-28 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies2 Comments

When their sole-sourced consultant’s report failed to give The Block the high ground to oppose the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital’s redevelopment plan, the weasels on council and in the administration decided to undermine the hospital from a different direction. And they hired another consultant. That’s right: wasting $30,000 of your hard-earned tax dollars on one sole-sourced consultant to “peer review” the CG&M’s already peer-reviewed report wasn’t enough. So they hired a second consultant because the first didn’t say what The Block wanted. How much that second consultant cost taxpayers has not yet been revealed. The first consultant’s report just ……… click below for more ↓

Saunderson announces another tax hike

2017-01-22 2017-01-24 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes3 Comments

At Collingwood Council, Monday night, Deputy Mayor Brian Saunderson revealed The Block’s plan to foist its third tax hike this term on residents. Despite the report on the town’s financial situation by the interim CAO’s pet consultant that warned Collingwood is already overtaxed, Saunderson and his Block plan to raise your taxes AGAIN this term. At the end of the meeting, he made a notice of motion to “keep” the next tax hike at 2%. Well that simply means he’s giving staff the permission to raise it 2%*. Had he been serious about low taxes, about sustainable budgets and wise ……… click below for more ↓

You’ve been duped. Again.

2017-01-21 2017-01-21 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

Remember all those blithe assurances from The Block that they were only “kicking tires” and “just exploring our options”? Well, there’s a story in the Connection that shows just how much you have been conned by your elected representatives. It’s titled,”Collingwood to continue utility sale negotiations with unnamed bidder.” Read that headline again. Pay attention to two words: negotiations and continue. How can they be “kicking tires” or “exploring options” while continuing to negotiate with a company? A company The Most Secretive Council Ever won’t even name, but had its representatives in the room yesterday? It’s all been a thin ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood Council’s missed initiatives

2017-01-15 2017-01-15 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Publicity & Communications / Taxes / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and waterLeave a comment

The word initiative derives from the Latin word initiare “to begin.” Since 1600, it has meant “introduce to some practice or system,” “begin, set going.” While any sort of action or engagement, positive or negative, can be classified as an initiative, generally one refers only to positive enterprises when describing political or social initiatives. I know, I know: you immediately want to interrupt and say, “but Ian, The Block don’t do anything positive, and you cannot talk about a council’s initiatives when none have occurred.” I agree, but bear with me. It’s true that, when measuring the positive actions begun ……… click below for more ↓

Council is privatizing our utilities

2017-01-12 2017-01-14 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and water6 Comments

Collingwood council and its administration are planning to privatize both our water and electricity utilities. All, of course, without consulting you, the public. Some members of council have even stated – with a straight face, mind you – they would ask for your input at a later date. A date long after it’s too late for public input to matter, of course. They have already engaged in negotiations with outside companies to take over our utilities, all the while pretending they were just “kicking the tires.” They appointed their lawyer to oversee the sale. Consultants made reports painting the existing ……… click below for more ↓

The PowerStream deadline looms today

2017-01-06 2017-01-06 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and water3 Comments

Big day for Collus-PowerStream today: the deadline for acceptance of PowerStream’s sale offer for the remaining share of our utility expires this afternoon. And of course Council will finally deal with it at the special meeting called for noon, today, mere hours before it expires. Nothing like waiting until the last moment. They’ve had a month to deal with it, but that’s our council: inept and procrastinating until the end. Like I wrote in December, if not accepted, this will trigger the shotgun clause in the shareholders’ agreement and force the issue (see below). Council could have avoided the deadline ……… click below for more ↓

More council Christmas carols

2016-12-24 2016-12-24 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Humour & SatireLeave a comment

A few preliminary verses for your consideration this holiday season… perhaps my readers might like to offer their contributions or extend the verses below. To the tune of The Holly and the Ivy: The folly of our council, So evident to see Fumble, flail and bumble Of this we all agree. O the rising of our taxes And consultants not a few The lawyers that they hired Block vendettas to see through. To the tune of: We Three Kings of Orient Are: We the Block of Council votes are Conflicts of interest we bring from afar Sell our airport, sell ……… click below for more ↓

Council’s 12 Days of Christmas

2016-12-22 2016-12-22 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Humour & SatireLeave a comment

On the first day of Christmas my council gave to me: An interim CAO. On the second day of Christmas, my council gave to me: Two tax hikes, And an interim CAO. On the third day of Christmas, my council gave to me: Three sole-sourced contracts, two tax hikes, And an interim CAO. On the fourth day of Christmas, my council gave to me: Four integrity investigations, three sole-sourced contracts, two tax hikes, And an interim CAO. On the fifth day of Christmas, my council gave to me: Five insults to the CGMH, four integrity investigations, three sole-sourced contracts, two ……… click below for more ↓

Council’s report card: Year 2, part 1

2016-12-18 2016-12-18 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Humour & Satire / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

As we reach the end of our Council’s second year in office, halfway through its mandate, it is time again to assess the collective performance and list the accomplishments of our elected officials. To avoid accusations of egregious negativity, I will list council’s accomplishments first. And to avoid further accusations of meandering through overly long diatribes (mea culpa, I do ramble a bit…), I will split this post into two pieces. The good (this post) and the bad (a subsequent post). For a historical comparison, you might wish to refer to my analysis of council’s first year prior to reading ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s own Gong Show, part 2

2016-12-17 2016-12-18 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

As promised, here is the second part of the Gong Show analysis from December 12th’s council meeting. Like I said earlier, it’s perhaps more like a Keystone Cops or Abbott and Costello skit than the TV show. As always, you can follow along on the Rogers Community TV broadcast, starting at 2:16:30. Laugh aloud at the zany, misinformed antics of your elected representatives as they fumble and stumble their way through an agenda of items they clearly have no clue about. You should start with part 1 of my review, if you haven’t already read it. And by the end of ……… click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s own Gong Show, part 1

2016-12-15 2016-12-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

Has there ever been a more inept, ineffective group at the council table in Collingwood? Certainly not in the 26 years I’ve been here. Not in the dozen years I covered it for the media, not in the 11 years I served on council have I seen anything so comical. Rogers TV really should put a laugh track on their broadcasts of council meetings. They could call it the Gong Show – had that name not already been taken by a more serious TV show. But until then, you should watch the December 12, 2016 meeting. You’ll roar, you’ll chuckle, ……… click below for more ↓

Collus share bid received

2016-12-12 2021-05-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Utilities: electricity and water3 Comments

My sources tell me PowerStream submitted a bid to purchase the town’s share of the Collus-PowerStream utility, late on Friday, December 9. While the amount was not stated, I am told it is a “very fair” bid. This is so far going as I predicted in my earlier post. PowerStream paid $8 million cash for half the share in 2012 (with another $6.4 million coming through Collus from notes and recapitalization), but since then The Block and town administration gutted the board (twice), joyfully ruined the shared services agreement, and happily took away the water side thus reducing the utility’s revenue ……… click below for more ↓