Thursday 30 June 2016

An Everlasting Con Job



Whenever you hear the words ‘con artists’ you immediately visualize a sleazy person in a cheap suit. Generally you would have conjured up the correct images. Generally you think of a con artist as a criminal trying to cheat you out of your money.

However there are other con artists that are interested in something more valuable than your money and they are just as willing to use every foul facet at their disposal to con you out of it. These are smug and paltry politicians desperately trying to con you out of your VOTE! 
They are either fighting to stay on their GRAVY TRAIN or they are fighting to get on the GRAVY TRAIN! 
This effort has long since ceased to be in the best interest of the VOTER! The best interest of the VOTER is no longer their primary concern. 

None of the parties are willing to bring in TERM LIMITS or even a  recall legislation!

Our political parties are operating in a similar fashion as that of crime syndicates! They do their best to get the public on their side; to form alliances as in a team; a team that will follow and favor their team no matter what.

A prime example of foul political con, which in this case perpetrated by the Ontario Liberal Government!

After spending $40million in an attempt to lure daily ‘Go Train’ service to Niagara all the taxpayer received  was a sordid promise that they will possibly get ‘Go Train’ SOMEDAY!


The only valid media person was Tom McConnell of CKTB Radio who correctly reported on the ‘Go Train’ announcement and who saw the whole charade for what it was worth.

And just what was it worth?

These squalid political misfits where trying to tell us that the ‘Go Train’ might be coming someday, after the next two election cycles and their cheap excuse was that we would have to spend $100Millions, on top of $40Million already spent to get the Liberal Government’s attention, to rebuild tracks and to build new train stations!

Then, coming to the aid of the scammers is Grant LaFleche of the '3penny Standard' with more 'Bovine Waste' desperately trying to justify a 7 year delay. http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/07/07/lafleche-the-reality-of-the-go-train-timeline 
 
Following our rant on grant he wrote this: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/07/14/lafleche-niagara-isnt-great illustrating   illustrating that 'bullshit doesn't always baffle brains'.


The perpetrators of this con stood bold faced trying to convince us that the big, fat, beautiful train used as a backdrop could not come to Niagara for seven years into the future! We are also told that the ‘Go Train’ needed a new bridge over the Welland Canal! They fail to explain how the train in the background got there. They fail to explain how that same train can travel to Niagara every summer weekend but NOT through the week.


As shown in the picture there stands political miscreants shamelessly trying to hype future promises for political expedience. 



So far only one politician has publicly stepped forward to declare concern over the veracity of the Liberal Wynne Government's decades long promise of passenger train service for Niagara. 
St. Catharines City Councilor Mat Ciscoe is quoted in the '3penny Standard' as declaring "I'll really applaud GO when I see it!"  http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/07/07/opinion-ill-really-applaud-go-when-i-see-it

Worthy of note is the fact that trains of all sort travel across the Niagara Gorge as well as the Welland Canal 24 hours a day some carrying passengers to and from Toronto and New York City.

Some politicians and team players might actually believe this disgusting scam but how do they justify their silence when it comes to public health risk of toxic dumping in Niagara or abuse of Niagara Citizens at the hands of the UNTOUCHABLE and UNACCOUNTABLE Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority!

The people we have elected and hired are failing us by not asking pertinent questions.

NOTE: Please click on the blue links for more information and please make your comments below...







Sunday 26 June 2016

Niagara's Mount Carcinogen still waiting

Following up on scuttlebutt and complaints 'News Alert Niagara' (NAL) decided to investigate the Welland Ontario Toxic dump site.

Greeting us at the site was a damaged sign spelling out details of the site.


Arriving at the entrance to the site, tucked far back of the shopping plaza, it was somewhat unsettling to find an over-abundance of security ostensibly to protect a benign pile of dirt.


 
http://www.themirroronline.ca/tmo1504/index.html#p=8

http://www.themirroronline.ca/tmo1504/index.html#p=8


Suspicions rising we decided to investigate further. 






Volunteers traced a steady stream of fully loaded dump trucks streaming in from various locations including Hamilton steel mills etc leaving empty
 


Since the entire site was totally fenced in and we where being challenged by security, we knew we would have to use aerial reconnaissance to get a grasp on the situation. 

The aerial photographs only served to heighten out concerns. 




Details Mount Carcinogen
34Meters from Toxin pond to river
36 Meters Base of Mount Carcinogen to River
Waterloo Barrier estimated lifespan 20-25 years
Height of Mount Carcinogen 35 Meters
Length of Mount Carcinogen sight 500 Meters
Width of Mount Carcinogen sight 230 Meters



 
The whole exercise left us with more question than answers.

Why did Walker Industries pay $13M?

Why did the Ministry of Natural Resources approve this?

Why did the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority approve this?

Why does Walker Industries pay $millions annually to build Mount Carcinogen?

Did Walker Industries Pay $millions to the Niagara peninsula Conservation Authority?

Why so much security for a “benign” pile of dirt?

Why a ‘curtain of steel’ to protect from what?

Has anyone read the menu board sign?

Is this the same official story as ‘Love Canal’?

Will Mt. Carcinogen result in ‘Love Canal’ health problems?

Why a Mountain of Carcinogens in the urban area of the City of Welland?

Who is responsible?

It's time for honest answers that we'll probably never get... 









Saturday 11 June 2016

Trouble in Paradise




A common tactic to prevent citizens from coming forward with their concerns is to force presenters to apply for permission to speak on an agenda item by Friday morning by 9:00 AM  even though the agenda is not posted until the following Monday. This gives the council the ability to prevent presenters from speaking on issues that the politicians don’t want to hear or more importantly to be heard by the public. Are they transparent and open or just a crafty bunch of miscreants?

It gets worse – much worse!

Here we have a situation where the board members of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) are also Niagara Regional Councilors.
25 of the 30 regional Councilors were present to vote to allow a citizen the ability to speak regarding a forensic audit of the NPCA. The rules call for a 2/3 majority to allow a citizen to speak to council. 

The vote was 13 YES vs. 12 NO.

Of the 12 NO votes 6* are also conflicted board members of the NPCA that are against having a forensic audit of their untouchable organization!

As stated in a previous article there is a great number of citizens that have concern regarding the activities of the 
NPCA and this shabby conduct proves the point.

Instead of Chair Caslin making his ill informed apology to Councilor Timms he should first point out to the Citizens of Niagara the alleged 'misinformation and contained libelous and defamatory statements'. Given that Mr. Smith's presentation is now public and given that no specific allegations have been exposed it becomes obligatory for Chair Caslin to clarify the situation or be branded by many as just another squalid politician. 

 


Considering the conduct being deployed against Niagara Citizens perhaps it would be appropriate for Chair Caslin to ask his legal beagles who would bear the cost of a 'Human Rights' lawsuit; the individual authoritarian or the hapless taxpayer?


It is not the NPCA Chair or anyone involved with the NPCA that Chair Caslin should have apologized to. Caslin now owes an apology to some of his Councilors including to Brian Heit,  Mr. Ed Smith and above all to the Citizens of Niagara!



When contacted Mr. Ed Smith said Last Friday the NPCA audit was not on the agenda for the Regional Council Meeting so I did not apply to speak.  However I felt a little bit uneasy because I knew the issue of the audit was coming up and I suspected they might try to get something through with none of us noticing.  

On Monday I sent an email to the clerk asking for confirmation that the audit was not on the agenda, and I also followed up with another email shortly thereafter...they did not answer.
Finally on Wed at 2:30 pm they sent me an email apologizing for taking so long to respond but yes indeed the audit had just now been added to the agenda.
I told them I wish to be added as a speaker, they told me they can't do that because speakers must apply to speak by the previous Friday, I said that the issue was not on the agenda the previous Friday.  They said that regardless of that they cannot put me on the agenda.  

They said the only way I would get to speak was if a Councillor made a motion and the majority of the council voted to allow me to speak...by a 2/3 majority.
Of course I knew the chances of this council allowing me to speak were close to zero if they could control it, but I also knew that there are champions of democracy on the council, and I knew they would rally to the cause of the people's rights regardless of the issue, and they did.  Those Councillors are to be hailed, they represent the hope for the Niagara Region.
As for that night, the rest is history, bully tactics were employed to prevent the public from speaking to the issue and our democracy was corrupted once again.  That's OK though because it only strengthens us to re-double our efforts and broaden our look beyond the NPCA.  Things are not right within the Region, we're about to find out why.

Click here to witness video of the entire May 19, 2016 Niagara Regional Council Meeting