Tag Archives: Ontario Conservative Party

The Swan and The Developer

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Many of us will remember one of the most riveting short stories we read in high school, “The Lady or the Tiger” written by Frank R, Stockton in 1882, but published in almost every collection of short stories read by students in the coming decades. Why?

Because …Summary, Review and Reflection: The Lady or the Tiger by Frank Stockton – THINK . WRITE . INSPIRE

… the ending created such a quandary for students that we debated it for months. The story basically centres around a King who held absolute authority over his lands. He had a way of determining justice by placing the accused in an arena filled with an engaged and excited public. The arena had two doors on the side opposite the King, Behind one door stood a beautiful youth, behind the other a starving tiger. One either became wed or devoured depending on their choice,

The King discovers that the Queen has been visited by a handsome youth, and hears rumours that they are in love. The King has the young man arrested and taken to the arena.

Bear with me now because this story affects the future of Swan Lake.

Once upon a time there was a Strong Mayor who dealt out decisions in their Council Chambers with a public audience. The decision facing their Council this month was to choose between two doors. Behind one was a Swan living in a beautiful lake and lush ecosystem; behind the other was  a Developer with trucks and construction fill to destroy the lake.

Now, in the original story, the Queen knows behind which door they both are waiting, the lady and the tiger. She is torn between her desire to see her loved one live and her jealousy that he will wed another. On the other hand, she is horrified by the thought of seeing him torn apart by the tiger. Her lover glances up at her and with the slightest gesture she indicates the door to her right.

Without hesitation he walks to the door and opens it. So, what door did she choose, the Lady or the Tiger? And the story ends. WTF? We debated her decision for weeks.

Caledon Council will soon walk into an arena filled with an engaged and excited public. Behind one door awaits The Swan. Behind the other door awaits a hungry Developer. The Swan represents the promises the Mayor made to protect the communities greenspaces, The Developer represents destruction and greed.

So which door will the Council choose? For which door will the Mayor cast a Strong Vote? The Mayor glanced to the door of their choice, The Councillors all saw the glance. Now they each had to make a choice.

And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door,  — The Swan, or The Developer?

A Brief History of the 413

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Once upon a time in Ontario, way back in 2002, a Premier named Michael Deane Harris was promoting what he called “A Common Sense Revolution.” Part of that common sense was recognizing that very wealthy and influential developers have lots of money to grease the wheels of industry and fill political war chests.

So, in order to help them boost the value of their lands in north Brampton and south Caledon, Mike and his friends came up with the concept of the GTA East West Economic Corridor. This was the birth of what would become the proposed 413 highway. The original concept morphed into the GTA West Corridor, until the plan was canned by the Kathleen Wynne Liberal government.

Enter Doug Ford and his cohort of developers who still want to boost the value of their lands. Now we have the proposed 413 Highway and extension that originally was intended to connect to Guelph, and Kitchener-Waterloo with their universities. That was shortened to become a route that would link Vaughan to Caledon through Brampton to Halton Hills.

The most recent “developer influenced” request to reroute the 413 in order to boost the value of  his lands came straight to Premier Ford and he said, “Yes.” Then he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar (AGAIN) and in a recent press conference had to admit to his misdemeanour and go back to the pre- developer influenced plan for the proposed 413. And right beside him, in his public admission of the developer influencers, was the Mayor of Caledon, “bang on” in agreement with the Premier, according to him.

Also witnessing this spectacle  was Conservative MPP Sylvia Jones, she who was an absentee landlord during the Covid epidemic, claiming that this would provide more time for families to be together. Well, the studies are mixed on whether or not the proposed 413 extension will provide any gridlock relief whatsoever. Sylvia, your warm and fuzzy family time stories may make good optics, but they have no basis in reality. Your story has no plot. You are selling a pipe dream, and no dream catcher in the world will help you when the public wakes up.

Dear constituent, you are being fed one of the biggest lies of the decade, next to Donald Trump being the Second Coming. “We are building this highway to help reduce your travel time, and increase your family time, and prevent gridlock. Actually, if I must be truthful Ontario, we, your government, are promoting this proposed highway so that friends of mine can make a whole lot of money.” Quote from an unnamed Ontario Conservative politician who can neither  confirm nor deny that they were part of this interview.

And that’s just the tip of the “developer influenced” iceberg. The way I see it.

 

UPDATED … The Why Before the What

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Often in education, dealing with discipline problems, we avoid the WHY question and concentrate instead on WHAT did you do? It’s the Barbara Coloroso school of classroom management. And it worked.

The WHY question leads to, “My father drinks,” or “My mother beats me.” None of that solves the behaviour problem. The WHAT is simple: “I hit Jasmean.” If we had asked WHY did you hit Jasmean, we could have had a myriad of answers. “Is it acceptable to hit someone else in a discussion?” “No.” “How will you avoid this the next time you and Jasmean have a disagreement?” “We will talk it out or I will come to see you.”

Problem solving 101. It’s easy in the classroom with fresh minds. It’s not the same in civics with ambitious politicians. If you need to track down the root of an issue, you have to go to the WHY first. Why is Doug Ford pushing a housing crisis? Why are all of his developer friends supporting this push to unaffordable housing? Why was Bill 3 attached to cash incentives for municipalities to build more homes? Follow the money trail.

This isn’t just a Caledon  issue. This is a southern Ontario issue. Wherever there is liveable real estate available, someone is going to make a bundle. Unless you get kicked out of messing with Niagara-on-the-Lake. So, why re-route the 413 extension? WHY? Who stands to benefit from housing close to smooth transportation in those areas? Could the requests to reroute be coming from the the influential developers who flock to Ford’s fundraisers?  From one hand to the other.

This issue isn’t about our little Mayor. This issue is about the Ford’s government’s passing of Bills that allowed this to happen. This is about the influence of private money on public policy. From Bill 3 onward we can clearly see the “WHY” and then we can get to the WHAT. What do we do about a system that is so corrupted in self aggrandizing greed that it destroys communities and ecosystems.

None of the developers involved are to be condemned. Most are hard working individuals who have struggled through immigration, from construction trades to large development projects, to building financial empires. They all give back generously from their profits to local groups, Especially at Doug Ford  events. And they put their names on medical facilities and just so we don’t forget how caring they are. I would have preferred The Vaughan General Hospital, but there’s no community adulation to a family’s name in that generic title.

If you want to know the WHAT is happening here, you have to trace the WHY. Follow the money trail. Billions are about to be made on the reroute of the 413, and our abandoned Science Centre is a sign of things to come – a symbol of Doug Ford and his Conservative government’ uncaring incompetence. Swan Lake is our canary in a developer’s coal mine.

Yes indeed, It’s like Leonard Cohen sings … “Everybody knows!”

UPDATE:     The Ford government has admitted that the rerouting of the proposed Hwy 413 was “developer influenced.”  Thanks to the astute questioning of  Caledon Citizen reporter Riley Murphy, he admitted it at a press conference on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. Premier Ford, with Mayor Annette Groves by his side, proudly announced the awarding of the first construction contracts in Caledon. Smoke and mirrors.

Ford went on to say about the developer’s request, “It was common sense; the Mayor and I are bang on with this.”

The Mayor of Caledon also admitted that “It isn’t unusual to have [developer influenced] requests, requests are made all the time.” Yes indeed, like the one made by the same developer to dump his construction waste into a freshwater lake in the middle of a fully rehabilitated greenspace. Common sense? I  think the cheese is sliding off your toast, Doug and Annie.

Remember this is a proposed highway. It is not a done deal, although the Conservative government’s photo ops would make you think otherwise. The TRCA has still not approved the route through the Humber River watershed. The construction contracts in Caledon are for the paving of Highway 10, and upgrades on the 401/407 interchange. There is NO construction beginning on the proposed 413 highway!

Ford’s talk of using the possibility of the 413’s construction as a tool for standing up to President Trump is ludicrous. Ford and Trump and Poilievre and Groves are all working from the same playbook. The good Premier doesn’t care about how many hours we spend trapped in gridlock with our precious family time being lost. The man who would have carved up the Greenbelt cares about one thing. Helping his developer horde make as much money as possible as quickly as possible.

Mr. Ford wants to be Captain Canada. Ms. Groves wants to be Queen of Caledon. Let’s just hope that our dumbed down constituents wake up in time.

The way I see it.

p.s. Stayed tuned for a brief history of the 413. It all started in 2002 with Mike Harris and his “Common Sense Revolution” that nearly ruined Ontario.

The “WHY” before the “WHAT”

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Often in education, dealing with discipline problems, we avoid the WHY question and concentrate instead on WHAT did you do? It’s the Barbara Coloroso school of classroom management. And it worked.

The WHY question leads to, “My father drinks,” or “My mother beats me.” None of that solves the behaviour problem. The WHAT is simple: “I hit Jasmean.” If we had asked WHY did you hit Jasmean, we could have had a myriad of answers. “Is it acceptable to hit someone else in a discussion?” “No.” “How will you avoid this the next time you and Jasmean have a disagreement?” “We will talk it out or I will come to see you.”

Problem solving 101. It’s easy in the classroom with fresh minds. It’s not the same in civics with ambitious politicians. If you need to track down the root of an issue, you have to go to the WHY first. Why is Doug Ford pushing a housing crisis? Why are all of his developer friends supporting this push to unaffordable housing? Why was Bill 3 attached to cash incentives for municipalities to build more homes? Follow the money trail.

This isn’t just a Caledon  issue. This is a southern Ontario issue. Wherever there is liveable real estate available someone is going to make a bundle. Unless you get kicked out of messing with Niagara-on-the-Lake, So, why re-route the 413 extension? WHY? Who stands to benefit from housing and close to smooth transportation in those areas? No way it could be the the influential developers who flock to Ford’s fundraisers?  From one hand to the other.

This issue isn’t about our little Mayor. This issue is about the Ford’s government’s passing of Bills that allowed this to happen. From Bill 3 onward there’s the “WHY” and then we can get to the WHAT. What do we do about a system that is so corrupted in self aggrandizing greed that it destroys communities and ecosystems.

None of the developers involved are to be condemned. Most are hard working individuals who have struggled through immigration, from construction to development, and have built financial empires. They all give back generously from their profits to local groups, Especially at Doug Ford  events. And they put their names on medical facilities and just so we don’t forget how caring they are. I would have preferred The Vaughan General Hospital, but there’s no community adulation to my family’s name in that.

If you want to know the WHAT is happening here, you have to trace the WHY. Follow the money trail. Billions are about to be made on the reroute of the 413, and our abandoned Science Centre is a sign of things to come. Swan Lake is our a canary in a developer’s coal mine.

Yes indeed, It’s like Leonard Cohen sings, “Everybody knows!”

The way I see it.

Life out of Balance

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The Hopi had a word for it – Koyaanisqatsi – Life out of Balance. We know it intuitively in our gut when it’s happening. Supermarkets loaded with stores of food – chronic hunger and starvation in countries around the world. World “leaders” preaching peace – then dropping bombs. Politicians promising to respect rights – and passing Bills to overstep those rights. City Mayors hosting community fundraisers – with their own private event organizers.

It reminds me of the lyrics in the Crosby, Stills and Nash song “Long Time Gone”  “There’s somethingThere’s something goin’ on around hereSurely, you know it surely won’t stand the light of day.”

We know something is horribly out of balance, but how do we respond? It really depends on how comfortable we are. Or how informed we are. Here in Canada many of us live in a fairy tale. Home, food and water, shelter, sex, and a little time for arts and entertainment. For many it is a daily search for sustenance. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. If you don’t have the basics met, you don’t get to pass Go and collect your (in 1950’s Monopoly terms) $200.00.

To put life into balance you have to tighten your locus of control. For example, I can’t stop Donald Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu from dropping bombs. But I can treat my spouse and my children and my neighbours with love and respect. I can’t stop Doug Ford or Mark Carney from passing Bills that erode democracy and basic environmental safeguards. But I can ensure that I honour those rights and safeguards in my personal dealings with my community.

I may not be able to prevent local politicians from abusing their powers and selling out their community to the highest bidder, But I can speak truth to power and carefully cast my vote in the next election. It may not restore balance to the world, but it will keep balance in my world.

The way I see it.