Tag Archives: Caledon

Caledon Perspectives

Posted on by
Reply
Share this post:

The Pointless … on the hunt for truthiness. 

All Bias. All Influence. Just the stuff we make up. For Stories That Matter to Caledon

***

CALEDON PERSPECTIVES

by Sam Cruel

This second edition pays homage to the other great media giants who helped to inspire reporting in The Pointless. The groundbreaking work by American media  like The National Enquirer, The Globe, The National Examiner, and local Canadian heroes like The Toronto Sun, The Pointer, and Rebel Media created exactly the kind of gullible, brain numb audience we need for our blatantly partisan reporting.

Of course this list would not be complete without mentioning our local rurban role model, the short-lived Caledon Perspectives. If you were living in Caledon during the tenure of Mayor Marolyn Morrison you will remember that this tiny tabloid was published during a controversial fight over a small chunk of undeveloped land in south Bolton. The Town wanted to develop it one way, but the speculator who owned it had different plans. When the Town didn’t do what he wanted, he created his own partisan “community newspaper” to promote his agenda. Overnight, newspaper boxes sprang up all over Bolton and other parts of Caledon.

To ensure that only his perspective would be foisted on the unsuspecting Town, he made one of his development company’s marketing staff the “Editor” and ace reporter. To further beguile the Town he lured a legitimate reporter away from one of the other local newspapers. This brilliant strategy allowed the Perspectives team to attack the Mayor and the Town while supporting a candidate of their choice.

Sadly, after losing lawsuit after lawsuit, and when his candidate failed in her mayoral bid, the Perspectives pulled up stakes in Caledon and was last seen trying the same clever strategy in Niagara region. Fortunately some of the same reporters and pseudo journalists who were so inspired by The Perspectives approach are still here in Peel Region supporting the same political candidate.

And so, with credit to the rapping wordsmith Eminem, the first annual winner of our “Same Shit Different Toilet” Award is Brampton’s The Pointer for expanding their territory to include smearing candidates from Caledon. After all, when your own toilet is clogged, it’s good to have an outhouse in the country.

***

The Pointless is a new muckraking version of the news bringing Caledon the best of conspiracy theories, QAnon myths, coffee shop gossip, and opinions founded in misinformation. We take great pride in fact checking nothing that comes across our editorial desk. We also exclusively support positive opinions about people and politicians of whom our publisher approves. Don’t worry, dear gullible reader, if we can’t find a source for the story we need, we just make it up!

The Pointless … on the hunt for truthiness.

 

The Pointless

Posted on by
Reply
Share this post:

On the hunt for truthiness.

All Bias. All Influence. Just the stuff we make up. For Stories That Matter to Caledon

FIGHT TRUTH DECAY – People Power Press for Custom Buttons, Button Makers, Button Machines and Button & Pin Parts

GUESS WHO  by Sam Cruel

This is the first edition of The Pointless, a new muckraking version of the news, bringing Caledon the best of conspiracy theories, QAnon myths, coffee shop gossip, and opinions founded in misinformation. We take great pride in fact checking nothing that comes across our editorial desk. We also exclusively support positive opinions about people and politicians of whom our publisher approves. Don’t worry, dear gullible reader, if we can’t find a source for the story we need, we just make it up!

In this premiere issue we begin with a simple quiz. Guess who made this statement:

“We will see exactly what happened to Brampton 30 years ago happen to Caledon,” ____?_____ said. “This is a developer driven plan supported by members of our community who are clearly working for larger corporate builders, not the hard working residents of Caledon who do not want their beautiful community planned by private interests that will turn our community into a string of crowded subdivisions, warehouses, and asphalt plants over-run by large commercial transport trucks, just like Brampton.”

Here are your eight choices Caledon,  in alphabetical order:

  1. Doug Ford
  2. Annette Groves
  3. Jennifer Innis
  4. Sylvia Jones
  5. Marolyn Morrison
  6. Kyle Seeback
  7. Allan Thomson
  8. Justin Trudeau

If you have been following our deceiving drivel leading up to the municipal election of October 24, 2022, it should be an easy guess. Send your answers in to the comment section of this edition of

The Pointless: on the hunt for truthiness. 

All Bias. All Influence. Just the stuff we make up. For Stories That Matter to Caledon

***

adapted from the original report by Anukul Thakur, The Pointer March 9, 2022

A Farewell to the Chains of Office

Posted on by
Reply
Share this post:

I had the honour of sitting down with Caledon’s Mayor Allan Thompson a few days ago to reflect on his time in office now that he has announced he will not be seeking another term. The first question I asked him was, “What was the most significant moment of your time as Mayor?” He thoughtfully reflected and then said, “The Wampum Belt, the restoration of the Wampum Belt which reaffirmed our commitment to working with our First Nations Treaty people.”

His answer completely took me by surprise, but it also defined the man. It wasn’t some photo opportunity moment for political aggrandisement that mattered most to Allan Thompson. It was the heartfelt acknowledgement of the stewardship we bear to the lands upon which we now live and conduct our business.

The restoration of the Wampum Belt, originally exchanged at the signing of the Ajentace Treaty of 1818, was more than a symbolic gesture. It was a renewal of the terms of Treaty 19, and a commitment to honour the promise of stewardship we had made to care for the lands that would eventually become most of Peel Region. The homeland of the Mississaugas of Credit First Nation (MCFN) was given in exchange for our promise to be good stewards of the land. 

Thompson was the first Mayor and Caledon was the first municipality to recreate the Wampum Belt exchange on Caledon Day in 2018 with Chief Stacey Laforme of the MCFN, The exchange took place in an historic ceremony, almost two hundred years to the day that the original Ajentace Treaty had been signed. It was a genuine act of reconciliation. When Thompson reads the Land Acknowledgement at Council meetings, it comes from the heart.

It also explains his answer when I asked him why he had wanted to be Mayor in the first place. When asked why he ran for Mayor of Caledon, he did not hesitate in his reply, “I wanted to make it a better place, make a positive difference.”

“When I went knocking on doors during that first campaign, I kept hearing the same request, especially from seniors. They all wanted high speed Internet. That’s why we worked so hard with the provincial and federal governments to get the funding to bring Broadband to everyone in Caledon by 2025.” Although some cautioned against it, Allan pushed hard to get the local Broadband Tax portion included on citizens’ tax bills. “I wanted it to be as transparent as possible in showing that the Town was committed to the funding.” His hope is that he can have the last federal signature on the final funding before he leaves office.  Promise kept.

Under Allan’s leadership, the Town planned the community smart development in Mayfield West, the revitalization of Bolton, including the much needed traffic calming at the Four Corners, and the recent passing of all-day parking. He felt  the completion of Caledon’s Official Plan based on the Places to Grow Act of 2005 was one of the most important accomplishments of his final term. This includes the ongoing planning of an innovative forward looking GTA West Corridor for sustainable mobility. “We must be the architects of our own future,” he said.

In the continuing work dealing with burgeoning growth and public frustration with ever changing health guidelines and restrictions during a global pandemic, Thompson had nothing but praise for the Town staff. “They are all so very good at what they do. I felt our working relationship was healthy and respectful.” He noted the toll that social media attacks from a frustrated public put on the Town staff. “There were a lot of personal and angry comments directed to our staff. It’s OK to criticize the role, but not the person,” 

In his role as Mayor, Thompson built a positive relationship with Regional and Provincial colleagues. Allan Thompson is not a “Look at me, look at me!” kind of person. No grandstanding, He and his team just quietly got the job done. He said that when he wears the Chain of Office as Mayor, it is a humbling reminder that he is representing and speaking for the Town, not as an individual.

He felt that getting the job done is going to be challenging for the next Council considering Caledon’s reduced representation at Peel Region, development pressures coming from Brampton and Mississauga, and the change of rules for the selection of the Region of Peel Chair and new Vice-Chair. “Caledon must have autonomy for its own planning.”

Allan Thompson has served on Caledon Council for over nineteen years moving from Area Councillor to Regional Councillor to Mayor. When I asked him what comes next he got a big smile on his face and answered “More time with my grandchildren and my family. They are over the moon that I am coming home.”

 Allan Thompson was well known for walking into a Council of Mayors meeting or an international conference with a big smile on his face, sharing sincere admiration for the Town of Caledon, and wearing his trademark cowboy boots. He was a country boy and proud of it. Whoever becomes the next Mayor of Caledon is going to have big boots to fill.

***

Top Five Accomplishments of Mayor Allan Thompson as determined by his staff:

  1. Wampum Belt Commitment with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation – Indigenous Engagement
  2. Connecting Caledon – Town wide access to reliable high speed internet by 2025
  3. Modernizing Town Services with a focus on Customer Service Excellence (live streaming Council meeting – online portal for recreation services)
  4. Community focused capital projects (Caledon East Community Centre Expansion – Southfields Village Community Centre – Seniors Community Centre (Rotary)
  5. Caledon Planning Caledon Mindset – the Official Plan, a roadmap for the future!

***

Skid Crease, Caledon

2022 – From Local Chaos to Global Crisis

Posted on by
Reply
Share this post:

We were hoping it would get better.In Ontario, We seemed to be turning the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic and things were about to get back to “normal” this year. Then came the temper-tantrum truckers who terrorized Ottawa for three weeks because they couldn’t handle the mask or the needle. We had Conservative members of Parliament cheering them on from the bridges of Ottawa. We had to bring in the Emergencies Act to get them out of town because the local police felt helpless to stop the honking diesel fume spewing trucks, and the harassment of local citizens.

They blocked borders, disrupted trade and commerce, sickened a city and forced our democratically elected government to invoke the Emergencies Act for the first time in history. Some of the terrorists got arrested but the rest of them all just went home. The border crossing mask mandate they were protesting still held, and it looks like the legitimate government they were trying to overthrow is sitting pretty until 2025.

The estimated cost to the City of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, for the so-called “Freedom” Convoy’s selfish stupidity is an estimated $36 million and counting.  We thought that we had it bad.

Then Russia invaded Ukraine and all of our troubles faded in comparison. President Vladimir Putin claimed he was defending Russia’s borders. The UN knew otherwise and condemned his actions. The Kremlin was angry that international leaders were calling Putin a “war criminal” but what do you call a man who shells maternity hospitals and cluster bombs residential neighbourhoods? The UN called it a humanitarian crisis as four  million people fled Ukraine with more than half of those refugees entering neighbouring Poland. More than 10 million people, a quarter of the population, have been forced to leave their homes and belongings. NATO leaders talked about help but refused to call for a “no fly” zone over Ukraine. So much for diplomacy.

Meanwhile, as I write this, Ukraine continues to be pulverized by the Russian war machine. What’s stopping NATO? The very real fear that Putin may retaliate with nuclear weapons leading to a cataclysmic World War Three. While we delay, Ukraine is paying the price for our cowardly failure to admit them to the European Union and NATO. We have colleagues at the Kyiv Osokorky Elementary School currently under siege and begging for European and western assistance. Sometimes there is only one way to stop a bully.

Meanwhile in Ontario, the “Scientific and Chamber of Commerce Advisory Panel” has lifted the mask mandate and begun to Open Ontario for Business once again. Boss Ford faces a provincial election in June, Asphalt Annie wants to run for Mayor of Caledon in our October municipal election, and the weather, after a brief fling with spring, is turning back to cold and snow again. The least of our worries.

2022 is going to be a very interesting year. The way I see it.

***

Skid Crease, Caledon

 

Going for the Green … Licence Plate

Posted on by
Reply
Share this post:

I beheld it reverently, almost with the awe of an innocent child on a mythical Christmas morning. Yes, Virginia, there is a green licence plate in Ontario. And it was attached, front and rear bumpers, to our new “zero emissions” Plug-in Hybrid vehicle. It was just in time to help Canada honour its lofty promises made at the recent COP26 Environment Conference.

Not only does the green Ontario licence plate indicate that your vehicle is clean and quiet, it also entitles you to drive solo in the designated HOV lanes. It also allows you to take advantage of the many green designated parking spaces and charging stations installed and expanding around Ontario. In my community, Katelyn Tozer with the Town of Caledon has been working on creating the infrastructure and resources needed to encourage and expand the use of electric and electric-hybrid vehicles. The planet loves a family with low emissions!

Canada’s lofty goals aside, it was really my neighbours who inspired me to get a “zero emissions” vehicle, Imagine in your neighbourhood, just upwind, is a family of four with six vehicles – four individual use cars and extra “pet” sports cars. One of the sports cars might be a work in progress, kept in their attached garage/mechanics shop where it would be frequently tuned, loudly belching clouds of petrochemical effluent into our  collective airspace.

Even more inspiring would be their habit of clearing their four cars of frost, ice and snow in the winter by leaving them idling for 20 minutes or so until everything melted off. Of course in the summer, the idling would be used to run the air conditioner to cool the cars down, You would try to set a good example by using a new emissions free invention called the combo snow brush and ice scraper on your family’s one vehicle. Or you would demonstrate the benefits of parking in the shade and leaving the windows open a crack in the summer, You would even put up a sign saying “No Idling Zone” to remind them of Caledon’s two minute limit on idling, but it would all be to no avail.

I slowly came to the realization that Canada could never meet our targets with that level of pollution right next door, so my family decided that the only thing we could do to compensate was to reduce our emissions to zero. Thus our decision to purchase the new Plug-in Hybrid vehicle. We had already signed up with Bullfrog Power when we first bought our home, so we knew we had green electricity going into the grid for every kilowatt hour of juice we used when we “filled the tank” so to speak.

We also considered, with gratitude, the roll of the dice that had placed us in a country with the resources and personal circumstances that allow us to make such a choice. Even in Canada, a majority of our population trying to survive under pandemic pressures have to meet other basic needs first before considering the luxury of a green vehicle choice. Perhaps our politicians should make it a priority to create a clean, green public transportation network to benefit all Canadians. How shortsighted it was for the Ontario government and Metrolinx to cancel the planned GO system expansion to Bolton, let alone all of the green programs and vehicle rebates. Bad Dougie!

Here is the challenge for Canada, for the globe. We tend to blame the large corporate fossil fuel industry for our accelerating climate change woes. We also need to address individual citizens and politicians who continue to engage in fossil fool behaviour. Idling your car for twenty minutes to melt off the snow is like a person infected with the coronavirus walking maskless  through a crowded supermarket screaming “FREEDOM” with spittle filled passion. William Wallace would not be impressed.

Educating the corporation, the politician and the individual as to the seriousness of the accelerating climate change emergency is a survival curriculum for the twenty-first century and beyond. Moving through awareness and knowledge to action is the challenge. In order to get people to change their behaviours, my mom used to advise me, “Sometimes you get more with the honey dipper than the fly swatter.”

More recently one of my mentors, Dr. William Fyfe, bemoaning the lack of progress on dealing with the planet’s most serious environmental issues, passionately told me: “Skid, it’s time to stop being polite to stupid people.” Yes indeed, it’s time for both the honey dipper and a really big fly swatter.

The way I see it.

***

Skid Crease, Caledon