Expect a backlash in wake of terrorist plot

There will be far more speculation than actual facts in the immediate aftermath of the arrests this week of terrorism suspects in Ottawa.

That’s to be expected, as this is no ordinary crime. Since the events of Sept. 11, anything linked to terrorism and Muslims has been under intense scrutiny. From kudos for the beleaguered RCMP and CSIS agencies to calls for a crackdown on Muslims, public reaction has been swift and vocal …Read more

Critics expose Harper’s weak points

It’s little wonder the Conservatives are continually unhappy with oversight agencies, despite oft-repeated and never-delivered promises of transparency: most of what’s unearthed casts the Harper government in a negative light.

From Auditor General Sheila Fraser to Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page, the prime minister has …Read more

Too important to lurch from crisis to crisis

For most urban dwellers, food is something found on store shelves – how it got there is the same kind of mystery behind the lights turning on when they flick a switch. In Woolwich and Wellesley townships, straddling the divide between rural and urban, agriculture remains an everyday part of life.

Anyone in the market for groceries – and that’s all of us, one way or another – will have noticed significant price hikes, the result, we’re told, of escalating commodity prices and the cost of transportation …Read more

Another misguided policy

Stockwell Day was at it again this week. Non sequiturs aboundhed.

Defending the Conservative government’s plan to spend billions of dollars on new prisons even as the crime rate drops, the Treasury Board President said crime is going unreported. He had no statistics of his own, proof to back up his disregard of the actual statistics …Read more

More candidates make a race of it

In Woolwich, there’s now a three-way race for mayor, the first time the top job has been contested in a decade. However, that’s the sole contest among the 10 council spots in Woolwich and Wellesley townships. At least so far.

Woolwich Mayor Bill Strauss faces two challengers, but councillors Ruby Weber, Mark Bauman  and Murray Martin are looking at acclamation at this point, six weeks ahead of the nomination deadline for the Oct. 25 …Read more

Changes to census shouldn’t be rushed

The hubbub over Conservative plans to scrap the mandatory long-form census has pundits in an uproar. The public has been yawningly indifferent.

It appears, however, the federal government will have to reverse course on this one, especially now that the resignation of Statistics Canada head Munir Sheikh has given lie to Industry Minister Tony Clement’s claims the agency was on side …Read more

Eco fees another quagmire for McGuinty

It’s been a bad summer for Dalton McGuinty, whose popularity was already low thanks to a string of screw-ups, including the eHealth debacle. Then along comes the G20 summit, a fiasco fraught with legal issues and abuse of the public and its rights.

Just a week later, Ontarians were hit with the new HST. Sold to us as a way to streamline business practices …Read more

Do-not-call registry firing blanks

Long-delayed and watered-down, federal legislation to prevent unwanted telemarketing calls is proving to be worth as much as the paper it’s printed on. Not much also applies to the number of fines levied for rampant violation of the the National Do Not Call List …Read more

Train rolling out of region’s financial reach

Waterloo Region would be well advised to scale back its plan for public transit, beginning with scrapping the light rail option, in light of this week’s provincial funding announcement.

The $300 million pledged is a considerable amount of money, but the region was expecting far more. In fact, it was looking for Queen’s Park to cover two-thirds of the $790 million earmarked for rapid transit in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The federal government, which has yet to …Read more

Restraint the only option in pay study

Woolwich council’s decision to hire a consultant to study the pay levels of our elected officials does not bode well for taxpayers.

“We might find that we’re overpaid and should be getting less money,” suggested Coun. Murray Martin during the debate Tuesday night, but that’s something of a pipedream. No consultant looking to stay in business is going to tell a customer to take less money …Read more