THE FIFTH COLUMN

Canadian Forces Rewards Disgraced Commander

2008-07-25T20:33:00.003-04:00

Canada's military leadership has quietly promoted to general the soldier who led the ill-fated Somalia mission and who was subsequently found by a government inquiry to have failed in his duty as a commander.

The military has not publicized the July 2 promotion of Col. Serge Labbé to the rank of brigadier general.

The CBC reports:

A public inquiry into the affair cleared Labbe of any personal involvement in the killing, but concluded he failed to clearly enforce the rules of engagement. The inquiry, which ran from 1994 to 1997, called Labbe's failure both lamentable and inexcusable.

The Ottawa Citizen reports:

In 1997, the Somalia inquiry concluded Brig.-Gen. Labbé exercised poor and inappropriate leadership by failing to ensure Canadian troops were adequately trained and tested on the Geneva Conventions and that he failed in his duty as a commander.

In the real world a promotion means you take on new duties and responsibilities. The Somalia mission took place from 1992 to 1993. So perhaps the disgraced commander has redeemed himself and is ready to take on the new duties and responsibilities that the promotion entails. But that is not so.

As the Ottawa Citizen reports:

But sources contacted the Citizen about the promotion and the Defence Department yesterday confirmed that the new rank for the officer will be retroactive to 2000.

How exactly do you go back eight years and take on the new duties and responsibilities of a promotion.

But it gets worse, as the Ottawa Citizen reports:

A colleague of Brig.-Gen. Labbé said the officer is currently in Kabul as head of the Strategic Advisory Team, which provides support to Afghan government ministries. He is expected back in Canada in August and is expected to retire after that, according to the general's colleague.

and:

Dan Dugas, the communications director for Defence Minister Peter MacKay, said the minister signed off on the promotion based on the recommendation of Gen. Rick Hillier, who recently retired as chief of the defence staff. "Mr. MacKay takes the advice of the Chief of the Defence Staff on staffing issues," Mr. Dugas said.

So this is not a promotion, but a retirement gift to a disgraced commander. And one that the government takes no responsibility for, preferring to put the responsibility on retired Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier.

Austrian Reflections

2008-07-22T20:09:00.004-04:00

We have returned from our Austrian vacation and I hope to post a few commentaries on the vacation and the country in the coming days. But for now a brief summary.

The first thing you notice about the towns and cities is that they are very compact and densely populated without sprawling suburbs. Every town and city has a fair sized walking zone in the centre where no cars are allowed, although bicycles are usually allowed and sometimes streetcars may run through them. Vienna, in particular, is very pedestrian, cyclist and dog friendly.

The country is very big on trains, in particular electric ones - even the freightyard in Vienna was mostly electric trains. They are also big on narrow winding steep mountain roads. Now I know what a Hairpin turn really is.

The biggest negative we quickly noticed was the smoking factor. There appear to be no anti-smoking laws and we had to get used to people smoking in restaurants.

We also had to get used to seeing dogs in the shops and restaurants. The food was great and always with wine, or Almdudler.

The Austrians do not seem very safety conscious - bike helmets being a rarity was not a big surprise but seeing workers on construction sites without hardhats was. On the other hand they are very avid cyclists and hikers.

As befitting the European stereotype, they are not as modest as North Americans when it comes to nudity. Most beaches have a FKK (free body culture) Zone and topless sunbathers are common along the waterfront on the Danube Island. So I was not overly surprised to discover a proliferation of huge three story sex shops. Then I discovered that XXXLutz was a furniture store. But what’s a North American to think when he sees “XXX”.

I will end this introduction with a couple of my favourite signs from Austria.

Bicycles and Wheat Allowed

No Trumpets Allowed

Hillary Should Go Back To Arkansas...

2008-05-21T22:18:00.008-04:00

...And Become "The Greatest American"

Think about it. What could be the most important policy change for America - universal public health care. Both the Democratic Party candidates appear to believe in it yet neither has put real Canadian style "Medicare" in their platform. Why is that. One can only speculate that it is because they believe it would not be possible to implement in the United States.

Hillary Clinton should step back and read some Canadian history. Where did Canadian "Medicare" originate. In Saskatchewan, one of the poorest Canadian provinces. Hillary should go back to Arkansas and convince the state Democratic Party to run on a platform of implementing real "Medicare", get elected Governor and do it.

I know the American political system is different but for something that important it is worth a try, even if just to put pressure on the federal Democratic Party.

That would be a legacy much greater than being just being another President.

Fifth Column Going Into Intermittent Summer Mode

2008-05-16T11:28:00.003-04:00

Biking and kayaking season is upon us and there are just too many outdoor things to be done for me to blog on a daily basis. The Fifth Column is now in intermittent summer mode. Until the fall I will only be blogging when the spirit moves me.

"I Am Not a Racist ..."

2008-05-15T08:39:00.000-04:00

What's the difference between these two statements.

"I am not a racist it's just that I can't hire black staff because most of my customers are racist."

"I am not a racist it's just that we can't pick a black candidate because most of the voters are racists."

Dion to Liberals: We Don't Tell It As It Is

2008-05-14T13:27:00.001-04:00

We knew that before but now it's official.

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion said he disagreed with Dallaire's choice of words, and hinted the senator could be disciplined.

"This is a matter to deal with the (party) whip, and we'll deal with that," Dion told reporters.

This is about what we have come to expect from the Leader of Her Majesty's Official Abstainers.

Omar Khadr Is a Child Soldier-Period!

2008-05-13T20:34:00.004-04:00

If anyone can talk with authority on human rights and child soldiers it is Senator Roméo Dallaire.

The CBC reported that:

Canada has sunk to the moral equivalent of al-Qaeda by failing to treat Canadian Omar Khadr the same way it treats other child soldiers, Liberal Senator Roméo Dallaire said Tuesday.

Dallaire, who appeared before a foreign affairs committee on international human rights, said Khadr is clearly a child soldier who shouldn't be prosecuted by an illegal court system at Guantanamo Bay but reintegrated into society.

Canada is heading down a slippery slope by failing to obey the United Nations conventions on child soldiers to which it is a signatory, he said.

"The minute you start playing with human rights, with conventions, with civil liberties in order to say you are doing it to protect yourself … you are no better than the guy who doesn't believe in them at all," he said.

"We are slipping down the slope of going down that same route."

When Senator Dallaire speaks the government should listen and pay heed rather than countering with a political defence of the United States Bush government's illegal actions. Perhaps Stephen Harper prefers to shake hands with the devil.

Submission re: South March Highlands Conservation Forest Management Plan

2008-05-12T08:06:00.002-04:00

click on map to enlarge
I am a lifelong environmentalist and outdoorsperson who hikes, mountain bikes, skis and snowshoes in the South March Highlands.

My first comments have to do with the public consultation process.

I was very pleased to see the full colour maps of the protected area at the open house presentation and to learn that more lands than I expected are being protected. In reviewing the maps it appears that more of the existing trails than expected may be included in the protected area.

Afterwards, I immediately went to the City of Ottawa website to see if I could review the maps and other documentation. However, as is usual, whenever I go to the City of Website to look for planning or development information I find it to be woefully inadequate.

It would be very useful if the public could access more details and background information on the City of Ottawa website in order to make better informed comments and suggestions.

One of the things that would be most useful to me in assessing the proposal and making suggestions regarding the trail network would be to see a map of the protected area with the existing trails overlaid. There are numerous trail maps available and I am appending a few that I have acquired to this document.

Before dealing with the trail network I want to address some real concerns I have about the impact of Terry Fox Drive on the conservation forest. Terry Fox Drive is an urban road that serves urban development. It should be routed through urban development land, not through land classified as rural conservation forest. To the extent that it has to cross the western portion of the protected land it should do so using as little protected land as possible.

Terry Fox Drive should absolutely not be bisecting the rural conservation forest in the way that it does. If the city is unwilling or unable to stand up to the land developers and put the road through urban development lands, the least it should do is route it along the southeastern edge of the conservation forest and not bisect the rural conservation forest.

The people of Kanata and Ottawa deserve at least an explanation as to why Terry Fox Drive is being routed the way that it is.

The rest of my comments will deal with the trail network.

As an environmentalist and serious hiker and mountain biker my first and primary concern is that the trails be kept in their natural rugged state and be retained as natural surface single track trails.

I understand that as a result of the environmental assessment process some trail rationalization may need to be done - some trails may require work to make them sustainable and some may need to be rerouted. I have no objection to improving the sustainability of the trail network as long as the network as a whole is not degraded. There may even be opportunities to build new trails for environmental reasons or to allow trail users to enjoy natural features in the area.

In particular, one trail known as “Outback”, is very long and can take up to four hours or more to hike. At several points that trail comes very close to adjoining trails. Making a link at one or more of those spots would allow hikers, who otherwise might not hike the whole trail all at once, to hike part of it at a time. Of course this would depend on whether there are environmentally suitable routes to make the links. This would also provide a faster exit for people injured on the trail and would provide faster access for emergency personnel, particularly in the winter when the cold is an added factor

In examining the map of the protected area we can see that it almost forms a circle providing the possibility of a large loop of interconnecting trails. This would require a link from the lands deeded to the City by KNL in the southeast end of the network to Trillium Forest in the northeast end of the network. Including a pathway between those two sections in the subdivision agreement would enhance the trail network in the protected area.

There has also been the possibility of wheelchair access pathways suggested. Despite the potential benefits of this, I do not wish to see the natural ruggedness and wilderness-like nature of the protected area compromised. One possibility is to build such a pathway around the “Beaver Pond”. This would also provide a place for casual walkers to enjoy the forest without ending up on the rugged natural trails in their high heels or sandals.

I understand the management plan will deal with the appropriate location of trailheads and parking facilities. I hope this will be done in such a way that natural features are not compromised. I would also suggest providing outhouses at the parking lots, as is done by the National Capital Commission at many of its parking lots in the greenbelt trail system.

Another issue that has been addressed by many trail users is the lack of signage, particularly due to the complexity of the trail system and the possibility of people getting lost. I trust this issue will be addressed in a way that detracts the least from the naturalness of the trails.

The last issue I want to address is public education. The official recognition of the South March Highlands Conservation Forest as a human-powered recreation area will make possible a more extensive public education program on responsible trail use. This has been something that the organized mountain biking community (OMBA) has been pursuing vigorously among its membership. However their membership does not include all trail users, and does not even include all mountain bikers. I would like to see the City fund an extensive public education program on responsible trail usage in co-operation with all trail user groups.

A good place to start in developing responsible trail use guidelines would be the IMBA Rules of the Trail.

Signage at the trail heads should include large trail maps on the signs along with responsible trail use guidelines. As well pamphlets with a map of the trails and the guidelines should be available.

I would also direct you to my previous comments on the South March Highlands Management Plan, “The South March Highlands - Kanata's Outdoor Wonderland”.

Maps of the South March Highlands and Kanata Lakes Trails
click on maps to enlarge

This has been sent to the South March Highlands Conservation Forest Management Plan project manager and the four councillors representing Kanata on Ottawa City Council.

Tasers Don't Kill People - The Police Kill People

2008-05-09T13:34:00.003-04:00

Tasers can indeed kill people, but not as certainly as guns can. That is why, as originally intended, as an alternative to the use of firearms by police, they are probably a good idea, at least in theory. The problem is that they are not being used responsibly by police. This is just the latest example of the irresponsible use of Tasers by police. Fortunately this incident did not end with a death.

How much more proof do we need that the police cannot be trusted to use Tasers responsibly.

The Democratic Party Dream Ticket That Could Have Been

2008-05-08T14:50:00.002-04:00

Very early in the United States presidential election primary process it became very obvious that there were two clear Democratic Party front runners, both with their own unique appeal to the electorate and both representing a radical change from what until then was seen as inevitable - that the president be a white man. Both leading candidates were highly qualified with good reputations.

What if at that time the leading candidates had seen the opportunity for a Democratic Party Dream Ticket, and decided that whoever came in second would be the vice presidential candidate. This agreement could have been kept private or made public. This agreement would inevitably have required a commitment from the candidates to run clean and positive campaigns, and not only not attack their opponents, but praise them for their qualifications as the best person to replace them as president if the need ever occurred.

It would have changed the whole dynamic of the election process, united and revitalized the Democratic Party and possibly ensured a Democratic presidential victory.

What we have now is more of a Democratic Party Nightmare with the leading Democratic candidates attacking their fellow Democrats with the zeal that is usually reserved for the Republican presidential candidate. Whichever candidate wins is going to face the Republican candidate with his or her reputation tarnished, not by attacks from the Republicans, but by attacks from within his or her own party.

That’s some way to run an election campaign.

Saving the World With Cheap LSD

2008-05-07T11:53:00.002-04:00

“LSD acted as a unifying force, an equal opportunity enlightener. It was a bargain at $5 a hit in the 1970s; still is.”

According to an op ed article in the Ottawa Citizen LSD can enlighten and save us all.

Millions of people have experienced transcendence through LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). The creative energy unleashed by Mr. Hofmann's chemical catalyst has had a tremendous impact on our world.

Acid's effect on Western culture was profound, although most of the other associated elements were already in place. The peace movement, ecology, civil rights, changing gender roles and rock and roll - all of these things were well under way by the time LSD escaped the laboratory and hit the streets. There was already a counter-cultural drug scene; Allen Ginsberg had already written Howl. By 1962, when recreational or "street" acid became available in North America, psychedelic research was already causing chaos within the ivory tower.
...

For most, however, it was like pushing a big reset button on the backs of their heads: suddenly they could see life with a childlike wonder again, and be thrilled at the thought of it. LSD made people happier, better at their work, better citizens and parents.

LSD honours, exhilarates, and empowers the majority of trippers by allowing them to see past the patterns of everyday life and into a deeper level of meaning. It clarifies the big concepts such as love, family, and purpose; but also the little things: leaves and fingerprints. The heartbreaking beauty of a smile. LSD is a joyful surprise.

So why are the police not handing it out to solve all our crime and social problems. The United Nations should be distributing it worldwide to finally bring us world peace.

Indeed, the article even states “No one has ever died of an LSD overdose.” This statement is immediately preceded by “Although the odd person still jumps off a building thinking he can fly, that sort of thing is far less common nowadays.” But I guess that’s acceptable because those deaths were not caused by overdoses, but just the normal dose.

The article also states “Some who used LSD did have horrible experiences, or "bad trips." For a few it was the wedge that broke their grip on sanity once and for all.” But a few people going insane is a small price to pay to enlighten and save the planet.

Timothy Leary once said that LSD causes fear and anger - in the minds of people who have not taken it. Today as in Leary's era, most opposition to the use of psychedelics comes from those who have no experience whatsoever of their effects.

With those “wise words” I will leave it to you to judge. After all, only junkies have a right to comment on the effects of drugs.

Banned In China Ottawa

2008-05-06T10:29:00.001-04:00

Apparently, if you belong to a persecuted group you are assumed to be protesting, so you are not allowed to participate in Ottawa’s Canadian Tulip Festival “Where Ideas Bloom”.

The Ottawa Citizen reported “Organizers of the Canadian Tulip Festival faced accusations of censorship yesterday for the last-minute cancellation of a performance by a marching band of Falun Gong practitioners during one of the festival's opening ceremonies.” The Citizen article further stated “Organizers claim that had festival staff known the Tian Guo Marching Band were all Falun Gong members, they never would have been booked at the festival.” The article also stated “"We came here to celebrate a cultural event, and our religion should not stop us from participating," band spokeswoman Grace Wollensak said”

One can only wonder if the organizers would have said the same thing about a group of Catholics or Jews or even Muslims.

The only justification given was an assumption that the group was going to protest because they are known to be persecuted by the Chinese government, and the Chinese Embassy is a sponsor of the Festival and had a representative at the event.

I would like to draw readers to the following summary of facts posted on the CBC website by “GraceW”.

I feel obliged to clarify some facts:

1. We just applied to perform at Dow’s lake, not at the opening ceremony.

2. We send the link of the band in the application so the Tulip officer had chance to know everything about the band. http://tianguoband.org/, where the past performances (70 parades in community/cultural events in two years), as well as Falun Gong connection and uniforms are all clearly presented.

3. After the review of our materials, the program coordinator invited the band to play at the opening ceremony: O Canada and Maple Leaf Forever

4. The band accepted the invitation as an honor, not intent to ‘hijack’ the event as organizer claimed.

5. The appearance of the band at the Tulip Festival has no difference from the photos in the link that we sent to the Tulip Festival program coordinator. In another words, the band dressed up exactly the same as they did in the St. Patrick parade in Ottawa earlier this year and won the award of ‘Best Band’. Nobody accused of the band as ‘political’ or ‘protest’. http://tianguoband.org/News/2008/2008-03-15-St.Patrick-Ottawa.html

6. The fact is that we were removed on the basis of our name being shown. What political messages could be carried by playing O Canada and Maple Leaf Forever.

7. The band represents a cultural group that wants to participate in Canadian activities as ordinary members of this multi-cultural society. The identify of the band members should not be judged or discriminated.

8. Falun Gong is not a protest word. It is the name of our group. The fact that we are persecuted, and protest the persecution, it is not our fault and does not mean our name must be hidden from public view. If that were true, then no one should be allowed to use the words "African-American," "Jewish," etc., in a community event. In fact, suggesting such is already siding with the persecutor, accepting that there is something wrong with this group.

9. The band has performed in over 70 community events and has won numerous awards. To say the band's effort to join this community event was a "stunt" is insulting.

I think all governments, federal, provincial, and municipal should rethink their funding of this event in relation to the organizers disregard of Canada’s constitutionally entrenched policies of freedom of religion and multiculturalism.

And the organizers should be ashamed to call themselves Canadians.

Tour Nortel 2008 - Hardest Tour Nortel Yet

2008-05-05T15:33:00.004-04:00

Every year I participate in the Tour Nortel as part of a team of mountain bikers raising funds for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). For the last few years I have rode on a team sponsored by the Ottawa Mountain Bike Association (OMBA).

(click to enlarge)
After a couple of nice sunny years, this year it was raining, evident by the smaller number of riders that seemed to be there for the start of the tour. They also raised the length of the long route from 70 to 80 kilometres. But I have rode in the rain before, the first two years I rode were rainstorms, and another 10 kilometres is no big deal, as I have ridden up to 120 kilometres in one ride. Something else would cause my struggle this year.

I started out riding with the main OMBA group and soon realized that perhaps I should add more layers, as the cold and wet was becoming noticeable, but I didn’t want to leave my group. However, I ended up dropping behind the group going up the infamous Corkstown Road Hill, which was probably a good thing, since I now had no reason not to pull over and add more layers. This year I was wise enough to carry extra clothes in my backpack.

I found the rest of the start a real struggle and was contemplating turning around at the 35 km turn around point and just doing the shorter route. But I was revitalized when I got to it and met up with the rest of the OMBA riders who encouraged me to keep going. At that point I joined Cat and Mario and Gabrielle’s group as they were going a slightly slower pace than the main OMBA group. I seemed to get my second wind and the ride to the 80km turn around point was a “breeze”. The group stopped just prior to the turn around point and we got to share “OMBA baker” Chris’s goodies that he had baked for the group and were in my backpack.

When we turned around I then realized the “breeze” that was at our back was a brutal headwind that was now facing us. I ended up having to slow my pace and drop back from the group for the rest of the ride, which, at this point, was a real struggle. But, finally the wind was at my back again when I got to that first section that had caused me problems and I realized that it had been a headwind that caused my original struggle.

Revitalized I was on track again, at least until myself and a few other riders came to an intersection back in the urban area without a Tour Nortel direction sign. One of the riders used his intuition to take what I later realized was a bit of a shortcut to get us back on the official route.

I ended up getting back at 1:15 after all the festivities were over and headed home for a warm bath and rest. Despite all the struggles I never had to walk my bike, not even up the killer Huntmar Hill.

(click to enlarge)
It was another great day of riding with my OMBA friends. I rode a total of 82.7 kilometres in four hours and nineteen minutes with an average speed of 19.1 kilometres an hour and a maximum downhill speed of 54.4 kilometres an hour. At least that is what my GPS says.

I raised $625 and the three OMBA teams raised $6, 441 for the Tour Nortel and CHEO.

Rabble

2008-05-02T22:57:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately I did not have time to blog today so I will point you to a web site worth checking out.

Happy International Workers Day

2008-05-01T09:14:00.009-04:00

Happy May Day

Mountain Biking In The Spring

2008-04-30T10:43:00.004-04:00

Rutted Muddy Trail from Spring Biking
For those of us that put our bikes away for the winter, when the first sign of Spring arrives we want to get out on the trails. However more often than not the trails are not ready for riding, usually being wet and muddy. Of course to some people that adds to the fun.

While one may be able to argue that riding muddy trails does no damage beyond the trail and does not affect the surrounding plant or animal life there is no doubt that it affects the trails.

These are the comments posted in a public forum by local mountain bikers about rutting caused by riding muddy trails:

"Watch out for the ruts. I got caught in one at speed between the first and second v-trees. Threw my right shoulder smack into a tree. Though I didn't wipe I have a large bruise to show for it. Anywhere it get's muddy in SMH (South March Highlands) is now a rutted mess..."

"I find fixing ruts to be more challenging than riding them. Riding them can get downright annoying when they go on forever. Way more annoying when they suddenly toss you off your line into a tree."

"The main reason to stay off the muddy trails is because of the erosion.. The more the trails erode the less fun they are to ride and the more work required to maintain them. "

And of course it is not just mountain bikers that notice bike ruts in the mud but also other trail users, which does little to raise the image of mountain biking in the community at a time when we need to be making friends, not enemies, and building partnerships with other trail users.

When it comes to the greenbelt trails, biking is barely tolerated, while being officially banned. The following was stated in an e-mail from an NCC representative:

"We know that there is a lot of interest in off-road riding on Greenbelt hiking trails. On the other hand, section (16) of the NCC Traffic & Property Regulations states..."No person shall ride a bicycle on property of the Commission other than a driveway or on a bicycle path set aside by the Commission for the purpose...". While we have not actively tried to enforce this particular regulation, we do not condone the practice. There are long-term impacts on the trails and surrounding area, particularly rutting, trail erosion, trail widening as users veer off the designated route to avoid ruts and muddy surface, and destruction of adjacent vegetation. In the winter, we want to discourage bike riders who may travel across groomed ski tracks."

While this statement does reflect a need for some education of the NCC about the relative effects of hiking and biking on the trails, one cannot dispute the concerns about rutting from riding muddy trails. If we want to convince the NCC, and other trail users, that mountain biking should be encouraged, and not just tolerated, we are going to have to start riding more responsibly.

For me, the most annoying thing about people riding muddy trails in the spring is that the rutting slows down the natural drying process. Wet and muddy trails dry out fairly quickly in the summer when it is hot. However in the spring, when it is cool and the ground is still partly frozen, the drying process takes longer and it is not helped by ruts that hold the water and disrupt the natural drainage patterns. Those of us who avoid riding the mud holes in the spring have to wait longer to ride the trails due to the actions of those who do not have patience to wait a few weeks for the trails to dry, and when the trails do dry out they are often a rutted mess that takes longer to dry each time it rains.

If we keep the trails in good condition they will dry quickly after summer rainfalls.

So what should we do in the meantime. There are a number of options. We do not need to ride in the dirt to ride. Pedaling is pedaling. We can start getting into condition for the technical single track by riding gravel and paved paths like the Trans-Canada Trail.

Should the Right to Strike be Sacrosanct

2008-04-29T12:25:00.002-04:00

The labour movement has always held the Right to Strike to be sacrosanct. In reality though, the biggest gains made by workers have been gained during illegal, rather than legal strikes. Indeed it is union solidarity rather than the legal Right to Strike that is key. Workers will always have the effective ability to strike as long as they have solidarity in their ranks.

But that does not mean that strikes are always the best way to settle a dispute that cannot be settled at the bargaining table. As one who worked for, perhaps the most essential of public services, democracy itself, I did not have the Right to Strike. Instead we had compulsory arbitration. On at least one occasion simply serving notice of arbitration brought the employer (House of Commons) back to the table with an offer we could not reject. I have to admit it was somewhat reassuring to not have to worry about going on strike and losing income to settle a bargaining dispute. And, of course, the bottom line was that as long as we had solidarity we always had the effective ability to strike if that became necessary.

The recent TTC strike fiasco is an example of the ineffective use of the legal Right to Strike. The TTC workers are one of those groups of public sector workers that have a fictitious legal Right to Strike. It is often expressed this way by politicians: “we will respect your Right to Strike as long as you do not abuse it”. And by “abuse it” they mean actually “go on strike”.

The TTC strike was a fiasco because the workers went on strike knowing they would be legislated back to work and knowing they did not have the intention, or the solidarity, to continue the strike after they were legislated back to work. So all they accomplished was upsetting the general public. There was obviously something else going on there. The strike was more of an “emotional” response to something going on between workers and management beyond the terms of the proposed contract or something going on between the workers and their union leadership.

The real problem with public sector strikes is that they do not affect the employer’s bottom line. In a private sector strike you shut down production and the employers revenues and profits go down. In a public sector strike you shut down public services and the employers costs go down. There is a real bottom line incentive in that situation for the employer to try to manipulate the union into a strike.

A more effective TTC union response would have been to take the initiative to propose arbitration at the same time they announced the membership had rejected the tentative agreement. This way they could have not only avoided the wrath of the public but gained their support. Instead they called a strike they had no intention or ability to continue, knowing that the end result would be compulsory arbitration.

Why is arbitration not used more often voluntarily in the public sector.

Employers have often expressed a dislike for it because it means turning over “budgetary decisions” to a third party, or so they claim. They also, apparently, fear costlier settlements than those after a strike. It also means they do not have the savings from unpaid wages during a strike to offset wage increases awarded by an arbitrator.

Unions do not like it because of the feeling that the Right to Strike is sacrosanct and that agreeing to arbitration can be seen as a sign of weakness.

Strikes are not always successful. The big problem with public sector strikes is that they affect the public more than the employer and indeed they can save the employer money. Another way that does not upset the public is worth trying. I think public sector unions have a lot to gain by giving arbitration a chance. It does not require giving up your Right to Strike, just not using it for one set of negotiations at a time.

It may very well be that in many cases the employer will reject arbitration. So be it. The employer can then feel the wrath of the public when workers are forced to strike.

Solidarity Forever

2008-04-28T22:07:00.002-04:00

TTC Strike - Special Weekend Fifth Column

2008-04-26T22:42:00.001-04:00

So what is going on here.

The first factor to consider is why did the membership reject the tentative agreement, proving yet again, that despite what the right wing says about radical union leaders, it is often the rank and file that is more radical than the leadership. When the leadership negotiates what it believes is the best agreement it can get and it is rejected, it is usually a sign that there is a bigger problem than the contract provisions. Usually it means there is a bigger labour-management issue than wages and benefits and that the workers feel ill treated or not respected by the employer. Or, as some have suggested in this case, it can mean that the members do not feel well represented by their leadership.

What of the union response. The official response is a legitimate one. If the union had announced a strike would begin at the beginning of the work week on Monday there would have been considerable public outrage over the weekend and grounds for concern for the safety of the workers.

What if the union had responded otherwise. The union is in a legal strike position and the membership had democratically rejected the tentative agreement by a significant margin. If the union had not announced an almost immediate strike allowing the system to be shut down in an orderly manner, there would have undoubtedly been wildcat walkouts leading to a disorderly shutdown of the system and greater public outrage.

As it is, the union leadership’s response sets the stage for transit service to resume on Monday morning.

The Supreme Court Rules !

2008-04-25T13:22:00.002-04:00

As my daughters would say “The Supreme Court Rules”. And just why does the Supreme Court rule. The Supreme Court rules because the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in “R. v. A.M.” that young people do not lose their constitutional protection against “unreasonable search and seizure” under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms simply because they are in a school.

According to a CBC report:

The first case involved an unexpected police visit to St. Patrick's High School in Sarnia, Ont., in 2002. During that visit, students were confined to their classrooms as a trained police dog sniffed out backpacks in an empty gymnasium.

The dog led police to a pile of backpacks, one of which contained marijuana and magic mushrooms. A youth, identified only as A.M, was subsequently charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

But police admitted they didn't have a search warrant or any prior tip about drugs in the school. The officers had instead visited on the basis of a long-standing invitation from school officials.

In 2004, the Ontario Court of Appeal upheld a previous trial judge's decision to exclude the drugs as evidence and acquit the youth. The court referred to the incident as "a warrantless, random search with the entire student body held in detention."

In Friday's ruling, the Supreme Court wrote that while "a warrantless sniffer-dog search is available where reasonable suspicion is demonstrated" in this case, "the dog-sniff search was unreasonably undertaken because there was no proper justification."

The court wrote that students' backpacks "objectively command a measure of privacy."

"No doubt ordinary businessmen and businesswomen riding along on public transit or going up and down on elevators in office towers would be outraged at any suggestion that the contents of their briefcases could randomly be inspected by the police without 'reasonable suspicion' of illegality," the court wrote.

Indeed, the Supreme Court does rule. Young people are slowly gaining the recognition that they deserve the same constitutional rights as anyone else and should not be discriminated against solely because of their age.

Do You Hate Young People

2008-04-24T07:51:00.003-04:00

Do young people annoy the hell out of you. Then you need the Mosquito Youth Repellent. The Mosquito, created by Welsh inventor Howard Stapleton, emits a pulsing noise above 16,000 hertz that capitalizes on the fact most humans can catch the mind-numbing frequency only between the age of 13 and 25.

Bureaucrats from the City of Montreal are studying whether the device could legally be used to clear young drug dealers and bums from scary city tunnels, but the machine is already a hit among some West Coast businesses.

"It's awesome," said Lisa Deacon, manager of the 57 Below Bar and Liquor Store in New Westminster, B.C. The bar was one of the first North American businesses to try the device, in 2006. It turns on at night and keeps away all the young punks who hang out at the SkyTrain station."

Two Mac's convenience stores in Victoria have used the Mosquito to clear out drug dealers while two others in Richmond, B.C., have used the squealing machine to clear massive crowds of teenagers.

I thought the “no teenagers allowed” signs I have seen in coffee shops were abhorrent enough. The mentality that the future leaders of our communities and our country are all punks and drug dealers and “bums” is disgusting.

It is one thing for ignorant business people to somehow think attacking their future customers would be a good thing. It is a completely different thing for public officials to consider such a discriminatory attack on young citizens.

This device, and the mentality behind it, calls for the addition of age to the prohibited grounds for discrimination in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and all federal and provincial human rights legislation.

Tories Going To A Lot of Trouble To Hide Their Innocence

2008-04-23T08:23:00.002-04:00

Prime Minister Stephen Harper claims that the Tories “in and out scheme” was in accordance with Canada’s election financing laws.

"Our position is that we always follow the law as we understand it," the prime minister said in response to a reporter's question at a joint news conference with U.S. President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon in New Orleans.

"We were following in the last election the interpretations that had been put on that law in the past," Harper said. "If those interpretations change, we will of course conform, but we will expect the same rules for every single party."

If they were so innocent why the elaborate attempts to cover-up the scheme, including the use of forged documents.

Even before last week's raid, Elections Canada had obtained numerous statements from party candidates and invoices from the Toronto-based advertising agency Retail Media.

Investigators also talked to Retail Media executives, including chief operating officer Marilyn Dixon, who when shown one candidate's invoice, speculated that it must have been "altered or created by someone" since it didn't conform to the appearance of the company's invoices.

Why was it necessary for Elections Canada to call in the RCMP and require a search warrant to get access to the documents regarding the scheme.

RCMP searched Conservative party headquarters in Ottawa on Tuesday (April 15) at the request of Elections Canada.

Elections Canada spokesman John Enright confirmed that elections commissioner William Corbett requested the assistance of the Mounties to execute a search warrant, but he wouldn't say why.

Elections Canada is probing Conservative party spending for advertisements during the 2006 parliamentary election campaign. Corbett, who enforces the Elections Canada Act, launched an investigation in April 2007 after chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand challenged the spending claims.

The Tories have done, and are doing, all the things that someone trying to hide a fraudulent scheme would do and none of the things that someone who is innocent would do.

Of course they would have you believe that there is a conspiracy of people out to get them. The only conspiracy will be at the next election when the voters conspire to put them out of office.

Atheists Have Faith Too

2008-04-22T18:38:00.001-04:00

Atheists, myself included, like to distinguish ourselves from the religionists by the fact that we base our opinions and decisions on facts, rather than blind faith in religious dogma. But some of us have faith too. It may not be based on blind adherence to religious dogma written thousands of years ago, or spouted by self-appointed spokespersons for god, but it is faith of its own kind.

Our faith is based on our own world view that is developed through our experience and sense of ethics and morality. It cannot always be backed up by hard facts.

For example, I “believe” that all people are inherently equal. I cannot back that up with empirical evidence. In many ways the evidence proves our inequalities. We are clearly not all as intelligent or as strong or as athletic or as healthy as everyone else. There are many ways of measuring our differences and inequalities. There is no way of actual calculating a persons total worth to compare it to others. And that is a good thing. For instead it allows us to decide that we are all of equal value and have an equal right to be here and are entitled to equal treatment and opportunities. And that makes for a better world.

I also “believe” that man, as a species, is essentially good. Many will disagree with that and provide ample evidence of bad deeds committed by people. There is no way of calculating the good and bad in men and women and comparing it. And that is a good thing. With a little deeper analysis we can see that much of the bad is a result of poor decision making rather than real malice toward others, and that the vast majority of people are capable of doing great good when given the means and opportunity to do so.

My last example is our basic values of what is right and wrong. For example, one of the most important ethical values to me is honesty. This value is not based on a cost-benefit analysis that shows I will benefit more from being honest than from being dishonest. It is simply based on an inherent sense of right and wrong.

Many of us do not base our sense of values on what we are told by religious leaders but on what we learn through life.

Above all, I “believe” and have faith that we all can build a better world together.

Pissing On The Toilet Doors

2008-04-21T12:26:00.003-04:00

Excuse my crudeness but I’m really pissed off.

Everyone promotes fitness and getting outside and now the weather is here to do it. Ottawa has a great network of pathways for walking, running and bicycling. You could spend a day on the paths. They even have toilets at some locations (but not enough). However, apparently, your not supposed to have to go unless it’s the middle of summer. In the spring and fall the facilities are locked up tight. I did discover a porty-pottie at one key location last year. It was pretty gross though because they never cleaned or emptied it. I think they discovered it was being used and they would have to clean and empty it. So they took it away.

If I had more nerve I would just use them anyway, and piss on the toilet doors.

Spring Has Sprung

2008-04-18T20:59:00.004-04:00

In one weekend we seem to have gone from winter temperatures to summer temperatures and the first flower of the year has bloomed in our yard. The pathways are finally clear for biking, but we have no idea when the forest trails will be dry enough to ride. Next weekend is the Upper Jock River Canoe Race and the Tour Nortel is the weekend after that.

(click photos to enlarge)