“To permit ignorance is to empower it.”  ― Dan Brown, Origin

It is so interesting how two people, or two groups of people, can see the same person or situation from two totally different perspectives. The old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” has an equal and opposite force that reads “Ugliness is in the eye of the beholder.”

Recently in Caledon Town Council, the quality of my writings was questioned because I had called out some local politicians and citizens for blogging misleading, smearing, and defamatory statements. I was accused of writing hate speech, bullying, misogyny, and not being a real journalist.

Now, I will admit that my political satires cut to the bone in exposing stupidity and corruption, but they are as far from the definition of hate speech as you can get. Not remotely close to being a bully. All of the good women in my life find me a respectful and supportive person. And my journalistic credentials are intact.

Only two days before, I had been given the “Golden Carabiner” by a local Bolton Scout Troop for demonstrating the qualities of “Integrity, Loyalty, Courage, Honesty, Fortitude, and Self-Control.” So confusing. Of course, children with no political agenda have much clearer perceptions of character. Regional Councillors trying to upgrade to the position of Mayor can get blinded by ambition.

At this same council meeting, one of the online communications for which I write was also called out for even associating with me. Keep in mind none of my truly satiric eviscerations are ever published in this Caledon online community newspaper – I reserve those for my private blog. My writings for the online newspaper are monitored by a very ethical editor who is extremely conscious of journalistic integrity and the readership’s sensibilities.

However, the usual suspects wanted the Town of Caledon to pull its advertising from this newspaper simply for associating with me as an occasional author. That sounds a lot like political correctness censorship in the extreme. Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that the communication in question tends to publish good news articles and not ones that create a crisis.

Previously, this same very positive online community newspaper had its status questioned by these usual suspects because it has a catchy title that was deemed not worthy of a quality news publication. OK, let’s give it a classy title like “Caledon Perspectives.” That sure sounds like a real newspaper, right.

Oops. No. It turned out that particular title (previously Vaughan Perspectives, then GTA Perspectives) was created by Benedetto Marotta’s Solmar Development Corporation and the “editor” was on the marketing staff of that same corporation. The intent of that “community newspaper” was to create a crisis in the Town of Caledon over a local development issue to sway public opinion in favour of the development corporation. I guess you really can’t judge the quality of a publication by its name.

By the way, Caledon Perspectives Corp, ON -2153785, inactive for years, has recently amalgamated and changed its name to … wait for it … Solmar (Niagara) Inc. and Benny’s Two Sister Vineyard is located in … wait for it … Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Vineyard, incidentally, gets a 4 Star rating and their Restaurant 76, although rated noisy and on the pricey side, is known for great Italian dishes.

Now a real newspaper, the Globe and Mail, published an investigative report at the end of this week that actually documented this corporation’s development influence from Caledon to Queen’s Park. The alleged corruption and influence peddling in the Globe’s investigation was so clear that on Friday the leader of the NDP formally asked for the Ontario Integrity Commissioner to probe the allegations.

Those allegations implicate Spiros Papathanasakis (an unregistered lobbyist for the corporation), Maurizio Rogato of Solmar Corporation (and formerly on the board of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce), ex-Liberal Minister and MPP Glen Murray, and Liberal Premiers McGuinty and Wynne.

NDP leader Andrea Horwath was quoted as saying, “When you have a minister of the Crown being alleged to have engaged in this sort of activity and alleged to be intimidating a mayor of a municipality for the purpose of greasing the wheels for a property development, and then you have a premier who is accused of not acting on those allegations, those are some pretty serious problems.”

Gee, you think? But when this issue of intimidating local politicians was raised recently at Town of Caledon Council, the same perspectives accusing me of hate speech tried to sweep it under the carpet and dismiss it as a non-issue. Well, it’s a big issue now, extending all the way to the credibility of Glen Murray’s new “dream job” as head of the Pembina Institute.

These allegations have the potential to extend into the influence applied to national and local media outlets and reporters, and to support for local politicians, organizations and citizens in favour of this same property development. Once the tangled web we weave begins to unravel, the house of cards falls down.

In my Caledon perspectives, those embarrassed by having their bad behaviour called out, might want to reflect on some old sayings that apply when this kind of “poor me” hypocrisy takes place. It’s a clear case of the pot calling the kettle black, or “If you can’t take it, don’t dish it out.”

Until then, I’m going to continue to dish it right back, only with more literary flair. No hard feelings, John.

The way I see it.

***

Skid Crease, journalist, Caledon

We have heard about plastic bag bans, and plastic straw bans, and micro-bead plastic bans. Now, in this year of provincial and municipal elections, I am proposing a ban a plastic sleeve advertising signs.

We expect them from our political candidates to encourage us to get off our duffs and vote. But in an election spring you would think that small businesses would back off just a little with their insidious median plastic sleeve sign advertising.

In my neighbourhood in Bolton, overpowering the provincial election, were signs for Dog Grooming, Spiritual Healing, Chimney Cleaning, Roofing, Basement Renovations, Home Retrofits, Landscaping, Lawn Care, and Phat Boy Fireworks.  They were everywhere!

They were on medians, beside stop signs, on traffic light poles, at mailboxes, at gas stations, in front of restaurants, and in front of the beautiful Caledon Parks very classy new signs. Which totally defeats the purpose of having a Caledon Parks very classy new sign. Enough already! Stop with all the cheap plastic sleeve signs.

My proposal is that during the four year election cycle, no other signs get median posted. Better still, I propose a total boycott of any small business that dares to sign pollute a neighbourhood. Likewise, I propose a boycott on any garage sale that sticks their signs on STOP signs and traffic light standards. In Mississauga, residents can get permission from the City to remove “nuisance signs” from medians and traffic light poles. Election signs and private property signs are, of course, exempt.

Enough of this sign pollution in Caledon. Councillors, pick up the sword of justice in your hands and smite down this intrusive plastic pollution. Small businesses, take out an irritating front page fold-over ad in one of our local weekly newspapers and support print press. Until we get a nuisance signs by-law, the Forgiveness Principle is in effect.

And in the meantime, and as Clint Eastwood so eloquently growled in Gran Torino, “Get off of my lawn!”

The way I see it.

***

Skid Crease, Caledon

• image from carricario-coche.blogspot.com

It was a stunning admission. Reading the writing on the wall, Kathleen Wynne announced today that she would not be Premier following the results of Thursday’s election. In my eyes, an honourable, honest, intelligent and articulate woman became the sacrificial Liberal lamb to decades of old boy backroom deals. The Globe and Mail investigative reports published at the end of last week sealed her fate, especially for Caledon.

In Caledon, a popular and competent PC candidate is up for re-election. The only problem is that any vote for any PC candidate anywhere in Ontario is a vote for Doug Ford. And that is a tragedy in the making. The idea that we could put into office an incompetent pompous populist with no fully funded policy platform is inconceivable. Yet, in this world of black mirrors, fully possible.

In Caledon, the Liberal vote has nowhere to go but to Laura Campbell of the Green Party. It would give us a fresh, intelligent and passionate voice for Dufferin Caledon, it would take a seat away from Doug Ford, and it would show that Caledon has evolved.

No more of the “Well my great-great grandfather voted conservative, and my grandfather voted conservative, and my father and mother voted conservative, and my children voted … what? They voted Green?”

Yes, they voted Green because they wanted affordable housing, lower energy prices, positive climate change proposals, a healthy environment for their future, affordable health care, and a consensus building intelligent voice at Queen’s Park.

The dinosaurs went extinct because they couldn’t adapt to sudden change. Time to evolve Caledon.

The way I see it.

***

Skid Crease, Caledon

Dear Matthew,

Sorry for the delay – since taking on the Backyard Hens Pilot Project at the Albion Hills Community Farm I am on the go from 5:00 am until sunset when I put them to bed. But a lot of fun. You should do a story on this project – official opening on Saturday June 2, from noon to 3:00 with the Bolton Scouts.

Haven’t been able to get to Council lately so I am not aware of what they have been throwing at the fan. As to my writings, they are satirical but certainly don’t fit the definition of hate speech:

“Hate speech is speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of attributes such as race, religion, ethnic origin, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity.[1][2] The law of some countries describes hate speech as speech, gesture or conduct, writing, or display that incites violence or prejudicial action against a protected group or individual on the basis of their membership of the group, or because it disparages or intimidates a protected group, or individual on the basis of their membership of the group.”

And yes, I love to expose hypocrisy in journalism and politics in my blog. You should reread Jonathon Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” – sometimes eviscerating satire is the only way to wake people up to what is happening around them. Yes, I am a member in good standing with the Canadian Association of Journalists. Tim Forster, researching for his wife Regional Councillor Barb Shaugnessy, incorrectly reported to her that I was not a member, and she unfortunately libeled me in a rather nasty blog.

Speaking of which, here is what one of the good citizens I satirized in a limerick (after she attempted to smear the Mayor and two respected Regional Councillors) wrote back to me:

“Good morning skid shit crease Eat a shit sandwhich and die You are a piece of garbage Im not going to even read your junk You will not have that satisfaction People already think your a fucking asshole amd you lool like an idiot.”

Now, while it is definitely uneducated potty mouth speech worthy of a Sunlight soaping, it is not hate speech. But much nastier than anything I have ever written. Matthew, I intend to ensure that any blogger who lies or misleads or spreads false rumour and innuendo is exposed and publicly shamed. And the same goes for any journalist who attempts to create a crisis where there is none, or who acts as a loudspeaker for the Trumps of this world,

As to evisceration, Merriam Webster defines it as: “to deprive of vital content or force.” Yeah, I’m definitely not into the animal butchering alternate meaning.

I am sick and tired of media spin that makes incompetent politicians and special interest citizens look like community spokespeople. So yes, I will with pen and keyboard eviscerate anyone who lies, misleads, and smears the hardworking employees and politicians and citizens of this Town.

Now, I have to get back to volunteering at the Community Farm, but I hope this helps.

Skid

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

So begins Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities. And so begins the next four years of reign in Ontario and Caledon. Will heads roll like in the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror, or will cooler heads prevail? The superlatives of comparison made me wonder about something closer to home.

If you live in Canada, you are well aware that June 6, 2018 is Tim Horton’s Camp Day. Choosing the right Camp for your children is a very important process for parents. Choosing the camp that you are in is also very important for adults. You get known by the company you keep. Let us reflect on a modern “Tale of Two Camps” and decide which one we want our children to attend.

Both camps share the opposite shorelines of a beautiful central Ontario lake. They both have adequate cabins for the campers and traditional lodges for meals and camp singsongs and an identical selection of activities for children to enjoy. However, for whatever reason, the personalities of the campers who go to these camps is very different.

Camp A is filled with campers who are happy, positive, empathetic and intelligent. They work together to solve problems, sing through rainy day weather, and help out without being asked. They are highly skilled in all of the activities, hardly ever missing a target in archery, and rarely tip a canoe. If they do tip over, they rescue the canoe quickly and never blame their paddling partners. They write thoughtful letters to their families every week, share their tuck shop treats, and always speak respectfully to their peers and counsellors.

Camp B, on the other hand, is filled with what my dear departed Mom used to call Negative Nellies. For whatever reason, the campers are always looking for the worst in other people and bring out the worst in each other. They have potty mouths, insult other campers, and put down just about every good idea the camp counsellors develop.

They complain about everything, rarely help the camp accomplish anything positive unless it makes them look good, and constantly grandstand for attention. If their canoe tips, they always blame their paddling partners. They never thank their families for giving them the opportunity to go to this beautiful camp and they rarely speak respectfully to their peers and counsellors.

You, very caring parent, have a choice of sending your child to Camp A or Camp B. Choose wisely.

And have a Happy Camp Day on June 6, 2018.

***

Skid Crease, Caledon