Thursday, February 12, 2015

Boycott the foreign-owned 407 ETR...

The following is a reprint of an email I received in my box, and it certainly merits your consideration.

You can drive the 400-mile length of the New York Thruway (I-90), from Buffalo to New York City, a toll road with fully staffed toll booths, for peanuts. Actually 2.1 cents per km. No accounting fee and no video fees.
Then there is the cost of driving across the top of Toronto on Hwy 407; everything is electronic and automated, drivers pay for the camera operations and the billing costs in addition to the exorbitant toll rates, and the Ontario Gov. acts as 'enforcer' in collecting the unpaid tolls!
Even Al Capone and his crew never had it as good as this during the bootleg liquor days of the 1920's and 1930's!
I thought you might like to read this, it's a real eye opener, what a rip-off!
In the early 1990's Ontario was almost bankrupt under Bob Rae's NDP government. But it desperately needed new roads, as it still does today. So, the Rae government built a toll road around Toronto and it was a great success - a cash cow called the 407 ETR.
The Conservative government of Mike Harris then later foolishly leased this road for 99 years to a Quebec-based company for a substantial amount of money. This was in May 1999, and was done to reduce the deficit and look good.
Before the Harris government could lease the road, however, they had to pass new legislation to allow this, because never before had a public road been sold to a private company. This very flawed legislation was passed in November 1998. The new Quebec owners then closed the deal.

This Quebec company then sold the road at a profit to Spanish owners, thus assuring that profits from the road would never be taxed in Canada.
As part of this deal, the Ontario government agreed that individual license plate renewal would be denied if there were any outstanding tolls against that plate and its owner. Therefore, this arrangement, in practice, made our government a collection agency for a privately held, for-profit foreign consortium. In addition, the terms of the deal stated that there would be no statute of limitations on these bills and that they would never go away even if the citizen went bankrupt (or, in some cases. died.)

Even your income tax has a statute of limitations.

The 407 ETR refuses now, as then, to produce any photographic or other evidence, that what they bill is an accurate reflection of the offending vehicles presence on their roadway. There is no accountability, and OUR government still collects the SPANISH bills for them. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the Spanish company decides on the interest rate on these forever bills and currently it is 26.82 per cent compounded monthly but it varies based on the whims of the Spanish owners.

Moreover, there is a definite problem with who gets billed. In very short order after the sale of the highway, according to the media of that time, 100,000 citizens who had never been on the road had been incorrectly billed. The MPP's were deluged with complaints and so the Conservatives under then transportation minister David Turnbull told the private Spanish company to clean up their act. Until there was evidence of that happening their collection deal was cancelled. This was in 2000. However, in 2005 the 407 ETR went to court to reinstate its original sweetheart deal. The judge ruled in its favour even though this company still showed no accountability and still did not produce evidence of the legitimacy of its charges.
The government of Premier Dalton McGuinty should have appealed this decision but never did, and now the agreement covers any vehicle that is owned by the person who has an offending licence plate. So if you own six vehicles and one of them is alleged to have been on their road, your government will not issue any licence plates for any of your vehicles until you pay the 'alleged bill' at your government licence office.
Rising tolls are the discretion of the Spanish consortium
The toll in 1999 was seven cents a kilometre, but since then it has risen to 19.85 cents (an increase of 238% in a decade and a half).
There is also a monthly accounting fee of $2.50 and a video charge of $3.25.
That is far beyond the rate of inflation and there is no control on how much this foreign company can charge.
The tolls here are higher than anywhere that I travel. This road is simply built through cornfields, whereas in Mexico or Italy there are mountains, tunnels, bridges, etc., and still those countries have substantially lower toll fees. The current toll in Mexico is 13 cents per kilometer, but that includes automatic medical coverage for everyone in the vehicle.
With all the road taxes we Ontarians pay, the last thing we ever expected was a toll road.
We need to buy back this road and break the deal with this consortium.
I find this whole arrangement both offensive and intimidating.
If any Canadian government is going to collect for any privately held company, change the rules on the statute of limitations, etc., then it had better collect for all private companies on the same terms. This current arrangement discriminates against all other private companies.
STAY OFF THE 407 AND STARVE THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE!


Sunday, November 25, 2012

Checking in...


There’s no outstanding news, which is probably a good thing: “No news is good news.”
The temperature is a bit below average (75F), being 60s during the day and 40s – 50s overnight. However, the sun makes it feel quite a bit warmer than the temp.
The first thing I do in the morning is check the temp in Orillia, so I know about the -1C and snow. I also know about the -15C and snow in Manitoba, so I’m not complaining about the cool temps here.
I must say I’m pampered, here. My table at Sluggers has a “reserved” sign on it so I always have a seat regardless of how busy it might be. My room is cleaned while I’m out for breakfast (9:00 – 11:00) so I’m not disturbed while I’m writing, and I can order anything off the menu (within reason).
Because of the cool weather I haven’t wandered away from the hotel. I do want to get across the street to see if they have made any progress on the archaeological dig they started last year–the foundation of a 17th century church. I was lucky enough to photograph a corner of it last fall. Fascinating stuff.
I’m writing steadily. I would like to finish this draft before Christmas so that I can start getting it ready for the publisher by late February. I’m getting stale with this story, so I want to get on with the next one: “The Brit, Kid Cupid, and Petunia.” It’s a light comedy, so it will be a change of pace.
I also want to visit some of the attractions here in St. Augustine–the fort, and alligator farm–and I have my regular driver and friend, Kerry Sullivan (a good, red-haired Irishman), at the ready. Will post pictures when I do.
To all of my friends in the northern hemisphere, stay warm.
Will write again, soon.
Gerry B.

Addendum: The archaeological dig from last year.

This plaque describes what is known about the previously undiscovered building. It is thought to have been undertaken by Simón de Anda y Salazar, Governor of Florida from 1674 – 1680. He seems to have been a rather controversial figure who was eventual relieved of his duties.
Here are a few pictures of the portion of the foundation that has been discovered so far. The light stone if coquina (petrified sea shells).
And if that wasn’t enough, I also discovered there is an entire centre dedicated to the Burnies at McGill University in Montreal, i.e.  http://burneycentre.mcgill.ca/bio_james.html.  So altogether is has been a full day.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Gerry's marvellous adventure...


Well, it’s that time of year when the ‘snowbirds’ fly south, and me along with them.
As usual, the trip was an adventure.  The shuttle from Orillia to Toronto was lovely and new, but obviously not designed for handicaps or seniors. To get on board there was a double sliding-door with nothing to hang onto. Now, why a passenger vehicle needed a double door I don’t know, but with a little ingenuity I managed to get on and off.
The hotel was relatively close to the airport and comfortable, but the restaurant left an lot to be desired. I ordered pot roast, which consisted of two pieces of meat in brown gravy, but the worst part was the service. It took a good fifteen minutes to clear the plates.
The flight out of Toronto was idyllic, and the airline personal couldn’t have been more helpful. However, when I reached Philadelphia it was another story. The gal shuttling me to what I thought was my next gate was an absolute mad woman! She sped through the hallways cackling inanely and scattering people in her path, until we got to our destination–a bus stop to the next terminal! Now, these are regular buses I’m talking about, without a handicap lift. In addition, they once again had double doors with nothing to hang onto.
To top off this experience, the attendants at the gate were surly verging on rude. I told one of them that I needed a yellow valet tag for my walker (so that it would be brought to me when I reached Jacksonville), only to be told rather officiously that they used blue tags in Philadelphia. (More information than I needed.)
Once I arrived in Jacksonville, however, and my friend Kerry met me at the airport, I knew I was at home.
At “Sluggers,” my favourite restaurant in St. Augustine, everyone was on had to welcome me back like a long lost son, and–apart from the cool weather–it’s  been that way ever since.
Here’s a pic of the St. Augustine “Festival of Lights” that began last night.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Words for teenagers and lazy adults ... "Get a job"

This may be the Rosetta Stone of child rearing.

Northland College principal John Tapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals with youth. "Always we hear the cry from teenagers 'what can we do, where can we go?'

"My answer is this: Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, built a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons and after you've finished, read a book. YOUR TOWN DOES NOT OWE YOU A RECREATIONAL FACILITIES AND YOUR PARENTS DO NOT OWE YOU FUN.

"The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something. You owe your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at ward, in sickness and lonely again. In other words grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone not a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It's too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is no and that somebody is you!"

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Thank you, Dalton McGuinty. My "Seniors' Property Tax Grant" gave me a good laugh!

The other day I received my Seniors' Property Tax Grant, the program that Dalton "Father Goose" McGuinty touted as being such a benevolence for seniors. Of course he didn't mention that the very first thing he did when he took office was the rescind Ernie Eves' property tax exemption for seniors. McGuinty has a talent for forgetting things like that. Anyway, here's how my benevolent tax grant worked out on a property tax bill of $2,000:

Basic grant: $500.00
Less: Reduction for income: $477.00
Net grant: $23.00 
Okay. It's something, and I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but compare this to what the McGuinty government provides for a child.

  • A basic, no-questions-asked annual grant of $2,500 per child.
  • A per-month child benefit payment
  • Dental expenses
  • subsidized child care
  • etc., etc.
Oh, I guess I needn't mention he has two, school-age children of his own.

After much thought I've decided to donate my $23.00 to one of the opposition parties.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Scarborough shootings: Rob Ford’s response to gang crime gets cool reception from premier...

Toronto Star, July 18, 2012.


The headline was with regard to the unprecedented shooting of two people, fatally, and the wounding of 23 more. Since then there have been four more shootings in The City of Toronto.


Naturally, Mayor Rob Ford is angry and upset with this level of violence and wants to call an end to it, so he has called upon the premier, Dalton McGuinty, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for assistance. We haven't heard from Stephen Harper, but McGuinty's response was fairly typical for him.


In the above mentioned new story he is quoted as saying, “It’s a time for us to be reflective and not reflexive,” McGuinty said during a stop in his Ottawa riding Thursday."


He is also quoted as saying, "Political leaders should not so much to come to the table with demands of each other, but rather questions for ourselves that we need to ask.”


In other words, the most that is likely to come out of these meetings is talk--McGuinty's general approach to things. Mind you, he's quick to move if there's the prospect of votes to be had. Case in point: The moving of a generating plant from Mississauga (at a cost to taxpayer of $190M) to save votes in that city.