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Post by achilles on Nov 30, 2006 20:27:10 GMT -5
Well Zack if numbers mean everything to you and, as glennh said, if trying to get the biggest bite of the piece of meat is the duty of MPPs, let's look at some other MPPs in SW Ontario.
Just looking over at Pat Hoy's (MPP Chatham-Kent Essex) site:
“While everyone would like more money, the fact is that Chatham-Kent is getting its fair share with $22 million in funding this year and last, a $1 million increase from 2003,” said Hoy, pointing out “only Hamilton at $30 million receives more provincial aid in southern Ontario. And, the average transfer across the province is only $1.6 million for 386 municipalities on a Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) budget of $656 million.”
So only Hamilton gets more aid then Chatham-Kent in Southern Ontario. That means that Sarnia-Lambton doesn't get as much as Chatham-Kent. Maybe our MPP needs to get in their and sink her teeth into a bigger piece of the meat. Maybe she isn't doing as great as you think? Or maybe you and Luna are just trying to distract people away from Bill 123?
P.S. I didn't insult you or call you any names.
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Post by achilles on Nov 30, 2006 20:31:42 GMT -5
Oh, lookie here:
To help with local budget pressures, MPP Pat Hoy has secured a one-time unconditional grant of $1 million for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.
A municipality couldn't meet their budget and their MPP took a big bite out of the meat to bail the incompetent bastards out. What a great MPP.
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Post by zack on Nov 30, 2006 20:49:13 GMT -5
What about the 90 million this year for the new hospital plus another 3.4 million to cover debt costs that the board couldn't take care of and the 160% funding to our college. Your still lower and what's even more funny is your talking chatham on a sarnia discussion board site. lol
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Post by achilles on Nov 30, 2006 20:57:17 GMT -5
From Pay Hoy's website:
“Together, we have achieved a remarkable turnaround in a number of priority areas in Chatham-Kent and Leamington, including over $200 million in new funding for local hospitals, school boards, municipalities, and long-term care homes just in the past year,” said Hoy. “This is a record investment in our local communities and our local families.
$200 Million baby!!
Boy these Liberals like to spend.
Pat Hoy has got one more up on DiCocco.
Any more numbers to throw around zack?
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Post by fumanshu on Nov 30, 2006 23:05:52 GMT -5
achilles first of all as a voter it would be difficult to sign up to a one sided board room where mpp trashing is consistent and as a neutral voter i would like to see numbers that beat our current mpp numbers from past parties. What is interesting is that i don't think past mpps for this area ever logged where the provincial dollars are going to the point of showing it to the public. That shows me exactly where my tax dollars are going. I want to know as a constituent where my tax dollars are going and believe it or not Luna provided numbers that helped me out. You call the current mpp a liar about bill 123 and luna gives a list of 30 to 40 investments to the community. I'm swayed to the evidence luna gives me than to this bill 123 that i found out today is being carried forward by another mpp. This leads me to believe that if the focus is on bill 123 and there is an ingnoring of the details people are giving with regards to provincial dollars being spent here. I conclude this is a partisan boardroom ndp or pc or green that doesn't look objectively at the details of anyone elses opinion. It's easy to jump on the boat and call di cocco a liar but it's harder to find factual investment numbers that beat her numbers. Stop finding the easy way out by calling names. give me some evidence to show she's doing bad. No one has convinced me because they keep throwing bill 123 as a diversion tactic to spin me. Stop trying to spin the public. If anyone looks at this today they will be more impressed with the NUMBERS OF DOLLARS SPENT HERE. If i based my voting on what i read today i would have to vote for Di Cocco. Let me paint a picture for you Zack and Luna. Try to understand this, because it's really not very difficult. There's four mutual fund companies. There's mutual fund "A", "B", "C", and "DiCocco". Over the last fifteen years, all four of these mutual fund companies have provided a consistent and admirable return for their investors. Each of them gave investors between 7 and 9% annual return. The economy was sort of in the doldrums and no one really fared any better than anyone else. Suddenly however, the DiCocco mutual fund has a banner year and gives investors a 43% return on investment. Investors are ecstatic, and the DiCocco mutual fund company wants everyone to know how great they've been performing. So theyt update their website with all kinds of statistics and promote the heck out of their mutual fund. After all, if more people invest, they will have a larger capital pool from which to do bigger and better things. A couple of investors named Zack and Luna see the advertising of the DiCocco mutual fund company and realize that the DiCocco mutual fund company is simply the greatest thing. So Zack and Luna do a little more digging and discover that the DiCocco mutual fund company had recently promoted Caroline DiCocco to senior management -- right around the time that the DiCocco mutual fund company was seeing huge 43% returns. Well, Zack and Luna are some pretty smart cookies. They can put two and two together and come up with some pretty exceptional math. They quickly deduce that Caroline must be really working hard for them. The numbers show that Caroline has been doing an exceptional job. Zack and Luna are thoroughly impressed. Oh, but Zack and Luna one day run into big bad Fumanshu. Fumanshu looks at the DiCocco mutual fund company and says, "pfft." Well, Zack and Luna don't like this. The facts show that Caroline Dicocco is the greatest thing to come to Sarnia since the railroad. Zack and Luna get all defensive and say, "You can huff and you can puff Fumanshu, but you'll never knock our MPP down." Okay, so what's the point? The point is that the numbers on DiCocco's website don't say how much money the Liberal government is spending in other communities. Although the DiCocco Mutual Fund company's 43% return looks inpressive, it pales in comparison to "A" company's 47%, "B" company's 74%, and "C" company's 61%. So while Zack and Luna are seeing DiCocco bring Sarnia's returns from 9% up to 43%, Zack and Luna are missing the fact that other communities have risen from 9% to 47%, 74%, and 61% respectively. It's perspective, folks! It's all about perspective! Like Mark Twain said, "Get your facts first, then you can distort them however you please." And Caroline DiCocco, Luna, and Zack have been presenting nothing but distorted facts. Oh, and let me fill you in on a little secret. If the Ontario Liberal Government is dropping huge sums of money in All Ontario communities, Caroline DiCocco can hardly take the credit for it. Oh, and if the Ontario Liberal Government is spending large sums of money in All Ontario communities, then yes, Luna, the money would have come here with or without Caroline DiCocco. In closing, I would just like to point out that I'm still waiting for some "educated" contributions from Luna. She says that she wants intelligent discussion... Well, we're still waiting for your contribution.
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Post by fumanshu on Nov 30, 2006 23:35:30 GMT -5
Luna won that debate fumy keep trying Are you Jerry Seinfeld? Your routine is quite familiar. Didn't I see you on the Comedy channel? Luna won that debate? What debate? Did Luna debate anything? I just reread Luna's contributions. I only saw Luna cut and paste some propaganda from Caroline DiCocco's website. If cutting and pasting material from someone's website qualify's as "educated" debate, then clearly we're all misguided ignoramuses that should kneel before the great DiCocco and give praise for our many blessings. Perhaps kiss her feet and giver a shoe shine too, while we're down there. Spare me! Here's some of her facts: Hmm, did the Ontario government give other municipalities money for hospital maintenance too? Oh, they did! Ah, and Caroline DiCocco gets the credit for this because... Oh right! Caroline DiCocco lives in a community that has a hospital. I understand your logic. If Caroline DiCocco wasn't our MPP And Sarnia didn't have a hospital, we wouldn't have gotten this money. That's funny! Oh this must have been a Sarnia only investment. I'm sure that the Ontario government isn't promoting healthier lifestyles in other Ontario communities! (Definite sarcasm intended.) Good thing that Caroline DiCocco was at bat for us, or every community in Ontario would have gotten this money except Sarnia. (Sorry, more sarcasm.) There's virtually nothing in your list of examples that Caroline DiCocco can take exclusive credit for. She just happens to be a member of a Liberal party forced to deal with the slash and burn fiscal policies of the previous Conservative government. It's really a no-brainer. If government funding is cut to the bone, like the Conservatives did, somebody will eventually have to start spending the money again. Eventually is now. And the somebody is the Liberal government of Ontario. To say that Caroline DiCocco has been in the trenches fighting for the people of this community is a joke. Sarnia has received nothing from this Liberal government that was not also granted every other municipality in this province. Present your facts, but remove the "distortion' bits first. That is, if you want to be taken seriously.
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Post by Dean Robinson on Dec 1, 2006 3:42:15 GMT -5
here tell me again how good the libs are.
This is a HUGE Story.
Executives at CAS driving brand new SUVs, going on all-inclusive resort trips, dining out at the finest restaurants, all while our most vulnerable children are being denied fair access to care.
All that Minister Mary-Anne Chambers can say to John Tory and Lisa MacLeod's questions today is "I will wait until Tuesday".
She has the report now. Why the hell has she not done something about it. Someone should be fired, and DaltonWatch thinks it just might be her!
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Post by Dean Robinson on Dec 1, 2006 3:45:30 GMT -5
Luxury vehicles for executives, trips abroad and personal trainers are just a few of the "questionable" expenditures made by certain children's aid societies in Ontario, the provincial auditor general says.
CBC News has obtained a final draft of the province's first value-for-money audit of children's aid societies, scheduled to be released next week.
The audit alleges some employees improperly spent money on cars, travel and even fitness. (CBC) The report focuses on four agencies — in Thunder Bay, Toronto, the Peel region and the York region — that account for almost 25 per cent, or $310 million, of the $1.42 billion spent annually on all 53 children's aid societies in the province.
The report details a number of troubling expenditures, including:
Senior managers receiving high-end SUVs to use for work — worth tens of thousands more than the maximum allowances that provincial deputy ministers are allowed. Scores of trips by the children being cared for and staff members to the Caribbean. A week-long stay at resort. However, the report does not name the agencies in connection with the alleged actions — leaving it unclear which of the children's aid societies are at issue.
Retired homicide detective Michael Davis said the report makes him angry and disappointed. He has reviewed the deaths of hundreds of children who died while in the care of children's aid societies.
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"I think the public is going to be outraged when they hear this," said Davis. "When they look at these perks being used by children's aid societies."
Agencies saw findings, hired public relations firm When CBC News called several of the agencies, they said all queries had to go through the Ontario Association of the Children's Aid Societies. The association, however, refused to comment on the report before its official release.
Ontario Minister of Children and Youth Services Mary Anne Chambers stonewalled reporters when peppered with questions about the CBC report on Thursday afternoon.
"I'm going to wait until the auditor general releases his report," Chambers told reporters, refusing to "speculate" on a document she said she hadn't seen.
However, the report contains responses to the auditor general's findings from all four children's aid societies and the provincial body responsible for all the agencies.
And the CBC has also obtained an internal document showing that an outside public relations agency has been hired to develop a response to the damaging report and "to preserve the reputation of children's aid societies and their leadership."
Luxury SUVs among agency's 50-vehicle fleet At one of the four agencies, the auditors said they made a number of disturbing discoveries regarding the massive fleet of company vehicles and improper use by staff.
The report states that senior management staff received luxury vehicles, including two SUVs worth $53,000 and $59,000.
It notes that not even the province's deputy ministers, who have a maximum allowance of $30,000, receive such expensive cars.
Those two SUVs were among a fleet of 50 vehicles owned or leased by one agency.
But that auditor found that almost half of those vehicles were underused, logging fewer than 10,000 kilometres a year. Some of them even were below 4,000 kilometres a year, the report says.
Those numbers were far below usage levels of above 22,000 kilometres per year considered economical by the Ministry of Transportation.
There was one instance at that agency where an individual not only had exclusive use of a society-owned vehicle but also received a tax-free allowance of $600 per month for use of his personal vehicle.
Personal trips, all-inclusive resorts The auditor general alleges in the report that an employee at one agency made a personal trip on the taxpayers' tab.
In that case, a senior staff member allegedly attended an international conference in Beijing, China that was "unrelated to his duties or society business," the report states.
At the same society, the report notes that an executive assistant and executive director travelled to a conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The three other agencies were also found to have scores of unusual trips abroad, with a number of "questionable" trips by children and staff members to the Caribbean.
There were a number of instances where the agencies bought return tickets for children to visit families in the Caribbean, the report states.
One of the societies paid $1,700 for a seven-day all-inclusive trip to a resort in St. Martin and another $4,000 one-week trip to St. Lucia for a caseworker to accompany a child returning to their biological family.
Auditor questions funding Other findings allege the societies aren't following the law to protect children.
In one-third of cases reviewed, initial visits to children at risk were late by an average of three weeks. Some children weren't seen at all.
In the report, the auditor asks why government funding for Ontario's children's aid societies has more than doubled over six years, while the number of families served increased by 40 per cent.
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Post by Luna on Dec 1, 2006 7:20:52 GMT -5
So... If our current MPP is sooooo bad... who would you have run against her? Who would be a better candidate?
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Post by Zack on Dec 1, 2006 10:20:56 GMT -5
In todays observer on the net- groups recieve trillium foundation grants. Ok trillium foundation is under Di Cocco's ministry of culture portfolio and the inn of the good shephard recieved 37000 for its food bank. The Kiwanis childrens animal farm recieved 49000 and the lambton concert band recieved 25000 to purchase new instrumets so achilles,fumanshu, dean and glenn the funding probably had nothing to do with Di Cocco(sarcasm). Absolutely nothing.
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Post by Dean Robinson on Dec 1, 2006 12:39:11 GMT -5
In todays observer on the net- groups recieve trillium foundation grants. Ok trillium foundation is under Di Cocco's ministry of culture portfolio and the inn of the good shephard recieved 37000 for its food bank. The Kiwanis childrens animal farm recieved 49000 and the lambton concert band recieved 25000 to purchase new instrumets so achilles,fumanshu, dean and glenn the funding probably had nothing to do with Di Cocco(sarcasm). Absolutely nothing. The inn received the the funds from the city .the citys budget has 300.000 thats shared by the province. I know your an inteligent person. have you ever thought that the information your quoting is there simply for damage control. the hospital has taken over 15 years to break gound. Im not saying I dont like Caroline but I think we could do better. I sugest Mayor Mike should run.
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Post by zack on Dec 1, 2006 19:23:43 GMT -5
I'll agree to disagree on the ONTARIO Trillium grant. Does anyone realize that when di cocco beat henk v and dave boushy that she spent way less on the campaign and beat both by over 6000 votes. Di cocco had over 22000 votes and why is it that i defend di cocco, because of the trash talk on this site and you are clearly a minority group that tries to degrade carolines reputation so why does she win by so much. I've decided to defend her as i now believe i should vote for her. Number one- she manages to reach out directly to the faces of the people of this community..Number two-She doesn't play dirty politics by trash talking. Number three-she manages to over come media bias( the observer is provincially conservative so you will never hear a positive editorial about her). Number four-she manages to recieve strong election wins by the efforts she makes in the community not what is typed on sites like this and not what is said in the observer. Fill up the arena at the sarnia sports and entertainment center and that gives you an idea of the amount of people she wins by every time. Number five- she is very well respected and has gained respect from her liberal party by speaking her mind and at times going against party ideas in order to deal with what is most important to her. She is still gaining respect from the party and fighting for her constituents. An example would be palliative care. While the hospital board blamed the province and the province blame the board ,di cocco herself with the push from her constituents intervened on behalf of her constituents to keep the palliative care open and convinced smitherman to create a hospice designated specifically for palliative care and The hospital will be built now with 90% funding by the government of ontario from 70%. She 100% secured this herself by going to bat for her constituents and pleading the case to smitherman. Why can't the hospital board be more careful with the money they recieve and if you don't agree than why is sarnia one in five of the hospitals in ontario for having trouble financially. Why can the other hospitals balance the books. Hmm 300 000 for the ceo. That's way more than the premier of ontario makes. Now go spin this around to you guys. It' funny how you do it. Why wasn't the hospital built 5 years ago when the conservatives were in power.
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Post by fumanshu on Dec 1, 2006 19:36:08 GMT -5
In todays observer on the net- groups recieve trillium foundation grants. Ok trillium foundation is under Di Cocco's ministry of culture portfolio and the inn of the good shephard recieved 37000 for its food bank. The Kiwanis childrens animal farm recieved 49000 and the lambton concert band recieved 25000 to purchase new instrumets so achilles,fumanshu, dean and glenn the funding probably had nothing to do with Di Cocco(sarcasm). Absolutely nothing. That's right! The funding had nothing to do with DiCocco. All municipalities are earmarked to receive certain sums of money. How that money is spent in each municipality varies by municipality. It's common sense, Zack! Not every municipality has an "Inn of the Good Shepherd". But many municipalities have food banks and homeless shelters. The other communities that have food banks and homeless shelters would have received these disbursements as well. The money just wouldn't be going to the "Inn of the Good Shepherd" in other communities, because they probably call their soup kitchens and homeless shelters by a different name. Remember Zack, just because Sarnia is the only city in Ontario that has a place called "the Inn of the Good Shepherd", doesn't mean that Sarnia is the only city that has poor people. And it certainly doesn't mean that Sarnia is the only city in Ontario to receive provincial funding to support the poor. And when the Ontario government is spending money to assist the poor in Ontario, it has nothing to do with Caroline DiCocco. Yep, the funding had absolutely nothing to do with DiCocco. Oh, and you're using the word "sarcasm" improperly. It's not sarcasm when you're merely stating a fact. You said that the funding had nothing to do with DiCocco... That is a fact! And, if it's a fact, it's not sarcasm.
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Post by Carlos Murray on Dec 5, 2006 1:46:18 GMT -5
GR8 string! And I "DO" intend to post my own opinion.
"BUT"
As I have already said in another string, "I have been suffering from health issues. And have been unable to be on-line to do so."
Please remind me in a few daze, and I think that I can provide some enlightening thoughts on issues regarding our representation at the Provincial Level by our "Esteemed Member" (?) Caroline DiCocco.
They may be just my own opinions. But I always think that it is better to have an informed opinion than to have one thrust upon you by the Media. -----
Peace! DG
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Post by MPPs on Dec 5, 2006 12:01:26 GMT -5
quote-"MPP's don't get any pensions and in fact they get paid less than municipal councilors in the GTA. And way less than their federal counterparts... which by the way get nice pensions that cover I believe about 90% of their income as MPs. So other than bring in more provincial dollars than this area has seen in decades what has Caroline Di Cocco done that's that bad? MPP'S get pensions.. Ontario taxpayers on hook for millions in MPP pensions Last Updated: Friday, November 10, 2000 | 11:52 PM ET CBC News Ontario's taxpayers will be handing over more than $2.5 million in severance pay to departing MPPs.
That includes the 22 who lost in last week's provincial election, as well as 21 others who decided not to run again.
The Canadian Taxpayers' Federation doesn't have a problem with the ones who lost, but it says paying the ones who didn't run again is an abuse of public funds.
The federation says anyone else who quits their job cannot receive severance and can't even quality for Employment Insurance.
The minimum severance package is almost $40,000. MPPs who served more than six years can qualify for a maximum of $79,000.
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