Well, the hobgoblins, witches and monsters have returned to storage for another year and Fort Erie is enjoying a beautiful Indian Summer. Along with the Halloween costumes and decorations, has the GreenSafe deal also been relegated to the scrap heap? Not a peep from them as their extortionate deadline has come and gone.
What is it about Fort Erie? Does the desperation for jobs give off some kind of secret scent that draws speculators? And this company had the balls to demand that the province and feds cough up $10 million on a promise of 340 jobs. And the town was given a month to find the funding ... or else. Ironically, GreenSafe gave Halloween as the "drop dead date."
So, what happened? GreenSafe, to date, is a company without a location, having been in business for over three years.
"The company came close to a ground-breaking in Caraquet, N.B., in October 2009, but plans fell apart."
Hmm. Perhaps the town of Caraquet suffered the same fate for not coming up with the money in a timely fashion. Note the date. Two years ago. No other town has jumped on the GreenSafe bandwagon in the ensuing two years.
And then, the news in the Niagara Falls Review that "A St. Catharines video-game development studio that received a $4
million federal job creation loan 18 months ago has laid off more than
half its staff." Oh snap! "The indebted Government of Canada gave Silicon Knights a $4-million loan
in April 2010 that was supposed to have immediately created 65 new
jobs, on top of the then existing 100 positions." Forty-five employees will lose their jobs in the lay-off. No word yet as to what happened to a $1 million grant from the province or a proposed $2.5 million "job grant."
What this says that, despite government funding and assurances, companies go under and cannot fulfill the promise of jobs. Please keep this in mind before you blindly follow those flashing shiny objects (in this case jobs) that are often waved in front of our elected officials and the EDTC. It is up to our elected and non-elected officials to separate the wheat from the chaff; the real from the scams.
And pardon me, if I get a hinky feeling every time some new developer or purported "job creator" blows into town; gives a press conference; appears at council and promises jobs galore for our highly unemployed and unemployable population. And then demands money.
Rush saw his shadow today. Six more weeks of stupidity…
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Margaret, evidently you and I are sluts, and so are the majority of women
who live in this county. Well good for us. I have always said that
well-behaved w...
3 days ago
28 comments:
I just spent a 2 weeks at DMH, they are fantastic there. Do you ever have something nice to say about anything! I will wait for the coroner to decide what happened. You seem to hate everything about Fort Erie, the race track the hospital, to name a few. Tell me why do you live here. I hear Port Colborne or Port Stanley is nice and you could still collect your govt cheques, and use your ohip card.
I have no problems with DMH. If you read the whole article I wrote and the accompanying documents, I was offering an opinion about DMH's trauma capabilities. I spent a lot of time studying the issue and I have talked with emergency services people and discussed the challenges that EMS face in Fort Erie (weather, access, etc.) I know that the changes I fought for have saved lives. Just remember this every time you read that a trauma victim is airlifted directly to a trauma centre or transported directly across the border to a trauma hospital. And they survive. I also understand the limits of a small community hospital like DMH. The coroner's jury will make recommendations based on the evidence presented at the inquest. I only caution those who believe that the ERs in Fort Erie and Port Colborne will be re-opened as a result of this tragic case to not expect that to happen. A fully-functioning ER that is trauma ready would cost millions of dollars. I re-iterate: DMH was not trauma capable before the ER was closed; staff could only stabilize (which can be very important) and transfer. Now, with the technology and new emergency protocols, stabilization (intubation, defib, and certain drugs) can be administered en route to a trauma centre. We all need to face reality that DMH is a wonderful, yet limited health care centre. If you have been following this as closely and for as long as I have, you might fully understand the situation.
And I do not hate the race track. I do not like to see millions of taxpayer money go into propping up a gambling facility that has far fewer full time, well-paying jobs than it purports to have.
I live here because I love the area. I chose to live here and I worked here and ran businesses here. I have paid taxes just like everyone else. Your implication that I can "still collect your govt cheques" seems to infer that I am not eligible. Despite what you may have been told, I am eligible to receive Old Age Pension for which I am very grateful. Same with OHIP. What is your problem? Do you believe there is no room for improvement and disagreement within this community? Are you so complacent that you believe that change is not sometimes necessary to move forward? Or, do you believe everything certain people tell you without investigating it yourself? Take some of the time you use to write your opinion of me to look into what I say and provide links to. And then take a step further and look into it some more. You might learn something.
I just cant figure out your angle. From my prospective it looks like you are the mouth piece for the Americans who own property in Crystal Beach, why? I am not being sarcastic why? The people who own beach front property HAVE PRIVATE BEACHES. The issue of private beaches have been a boil on the butt of a lot of people for years. I speak of my parents in there seventies, mind you, being told back in the forties and fifties that they could not be in the water in front of the private beach homes. Yet you are saying you are trying keep the beach public I am confused. As for living in Canada as opposed to the Usa, govt cheques a lot smaller there. As for health care in the states, it a joke! That is why I think you like living here.
I have stated many times that a major factor in my choice to live in this great country is its universal health care. I do not like the concept of any private beaches in this town or any town for that matter. My main concern is that the Town of Fort Erie wants to trade away waterfront property that is public. I have often acknowledged that I understand that the beach itself will remain public. As to the accessibility to that beach from the Bay Beach Properties once the tower is built, that is a real concern for me. As for the waterfront property owners, I know very few people who own waterfront property. Personally, I would like to see all places on the Great Lakes to adopt the policy in place at Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard: all beaches are public and anyone can walk on those beaches. I thought that was what Shorewalk was formed to do. It is a mere shadow of its original incarnation.
I think you're confusing the issue here: it has to do with keeping the Bay Beach Lands public. The beach is already public but we're in danger of losing a valuable piece of waterfront property above the beach.
The problem is in my opinion that the rules governing Federal domain Lakes/seas and navigable waterways and Provincial waterways and ponds/lakes there are different rules governing each type of waterway,the real estate people don't know that there is a difference, the Great Lakes are inland seas and are Federal, touching on two countries USA and Canada. ownership of the coastline belongs to their respective governments, not any person it's called a 66 foot chain reserve "from the water's edge up the shore" so any homeowner can go and pound salt, it is not their property, period..
I agree. (The late Peggy Fraser always talked about the "chain reserve.") I remember a time when lakefront cottage owners in Crystal/Bay Beach had chain link fences that extended out into the water. It was an affront to everyone and personally embarrassing because most of the fences were in front of American-owned properties. Believe me, these people were not appreciated by American summer residents who did not own lakefront property - and there were many of us. I have seen many examples of "Ugly Americans" in my time but this was the most egregious. Stories from other places indicate however, that this practice was not solely American.
Shorewalk was started to make the shoreline more accessible. A lot of strides were taken in that direction. Many of the members of Shorewalk were Americans.
Whatever happened to Shorewalk?
I never have seen a problem with walking the shore of Crystal/Bay Beach. I believe the problems lie with other areas that do not allow walking along the shore!
There are problems in some areas and in other communities. The fences came out in Crystal Beach over twenty years ago.
The only fence I have seen on Crystal is a fence the town puts up annually. I haven't seen others, at least recently that is!
What you never get is that is has nothing to do with America but with the people involved. Only when you hear or read something you don't like to you lash out and call it anti American. You can't be doing that stuff if you want to be taken seriously. Stop trashing people and start talking about the issues and then you will start to get some respect.
Well if it does not have to do with America, why does the opposing side refer to Americans, or American seasonal property owners, etc? Why do you not refer to them as residents of the town. You are the ones making this a country issue, not us (meaning people who support this blog).
@6:15, the same "advice" could be given to the other side as wll. Do they not trash people who do not agree with their visions/opinions? Do you take them seriously?
When I read nonsense like: summer residents' tax dollars go toward garbage and sewers only and other outright anti-American crap, I do get angry. Not only because the summer residents have helped support Fort Erie for over a century and have asked very little in return. Some have joined with local Canadians to fight a project that will take away public beachfront property, the last such property with parkland potential. You can bet some of us are angry. What town in its right mind gives away waterfront parkland to a high rise developer? Even the region lawmakers are trying to preserve public waterfront land - but not Fort Erie. There has been organized opposition to this idea for over ten years, but they don't listen. Well, Martin and his followers sold out our last waterfront park land almost as soon as he got in office. I am not against development - just that one. I have no real problem with the speedway, except for its proposed location and the fact that it won't really help the joblessness situation. Needs to be closer to Niagara Falls where infrastructure is already in place. Not going to happen anyways.
Sharon you are so full of it. If it is American summer residents causing the issues that what else are we supposed to call them? They are Americans. What you don't get is that there are people in this town who work and live here year round and have to deal with all this when the summer residents leave. I had a lady from Buffalo come up too me one time and tell me that she thinks it's disgusting how some of her countrymen are acting. She said, they know damn well that if Canadians tried to influence their politics or had any say in their decision making process they would be the first to raise a stink. You can get mad all you want Sharon. Frankly, someone who lies as much as you do are not welcome period. You have come here and distorted the truth and played games. Only know there are groups of people who have caught on and had enough. You keep lying and we just keep busting you in your lies.
Please list the "lies" that I have told. Just calling me a liar over and over isn't going to do it. You subscribe to that theory that if you say a lie often enough, people will accept it as the truth. Same with calling me a liar, over and over again.
Go ahead, make my day. Name my "lies."
You can't do it.
Lets start with an easy one. the lies you told about Zanko and Jim Thibert? You claimed the billboard was taken down by the region, that was a lie. Anyone call call the sign company and confirm it. You lied about Hills event page being hacked. You have been calling the mayor corrupt for years with out a smudge of evidence to bake it up. If it wasn't so late I could go on and on.
You have trashed so many people in this town. Good honest hard working people. Anyone who is at odds with you and you go off on them. You are no better than a terrorist with the way you set out to damage peoples reputations. You think your parents would be proud of what you have become? End it now and turn your life around. Keep voicing your opinion but keep it real and honest.
I will address the other "lies" tomorrow as they take a little longer to put into context and I'm busy on another project, but, I never published such an accusation about Mike Cloutier. I never even knew about what was suggested or even alleged. Where exactly did you see this? On my blog? If you can find where I wrote that about Cloutier, please advise.
Why did you remove it? I am sure MIke will have a copy of it.
Who have I trashed? I just deleted a comment that someone sent in that said I accused Mike Cloutier of something that I didn't. I removed it as I do not want that story repeated. The person who made that accusation is lying. So, I called out Martha Lockwood for conflict-of-interest. Oh boo-hoo. She was in conflict and there is still an opportunity to follow through on that. You betcha I don't have hard evidence of the claims I've made on this blog, but, the truth will come out. It always does. Eventually. Right now, I'm following up on a story that has me shaking my head at the arrogance of certain people in this town. And yes, there is corruption in this town and I will expose it. All I need is one mole with a conscience at town hall. Anyone want to volunteer to be my "Deep Throat?"
Anything I said about Thibert and Zanko was well-deserved. Zanko is a fool to allow herself to be used so badly. Women like her set the rest of working women back 100 years. Sorry, I need to break off. TDS is on.
Because the remark was itself a unfounded accusation. Guess you wanted to set me up, eh? Well, go ahead. You've given me a lot to work with from your side.
I was one of the ones your falsely accused of hacking Karen Hills face book page...I have screen shots and copies of your emails. Are you going to now deny you didn' t accuse me? Go ahead...I dare you to...
I did accuse you and others of hacking the Facebook page. Karen Hill assured me that she had done nothing to provoke the incident and, seeing that the event information was deliberately changed, I called it a hacking. I was misinformed, however, the malicious intent was to screw up the dissemination of information about the meeting. You took advantage of another's mistake and you behaved like a bunch of 12 year olds. You didn't hack this particular time. You took advantage of the situation. It was not a lie. I based an assumption wrongly on the evidence presented to me.
That's all for tonight.
Like people have stated before: It doesn't matter what happened prior to people being made administrators of the John Hill site, it matters what happened after. The site was taken over. I think this is what Sharon means. The site was hijacked as certain people kept changing the site. This is not what mature people do. Most of the people waited for the situation to be resolved but not some. Ridiculous event names, pictures and times were posted. What would you think if this happened to a site you support? Actions speak louder than words.
Let me tell you where assuming will get you....It will get you into Superior Court of Canada. You cannot accuse me of hacking which by the way is in the criminal code of Canada. You can't throw my name all over your website and make all these false claims. I returned the site back to Karen Hill as soon as I got the page under control. You say I didn't "Hack this particular time"...are you now accusing me of hacking at some other point?
You claim I took advantage of the situation yet I never posted anything obscene or childish, can you provide links as to show where I changed the title of the page to something obscene? You can't because I didn't. I did what I thought was right by removing all admins to the page and then returning control to Karen yet you still twist what I did to suit your own needs.
I am considering civil legal action against you...You cannot publicly accuse someone of a criminal act and then say oh...I was misinformed. With the emails and screen shots I have...you no doubt will lose another civil litigation case. Your problem is you flap your gums before you think and understand all the facts and that's just going to get you back into court. I am sure that when the time is right my legal council will be in touch with you.
Will your lawsuit include the threats you made to me? The ones you sent me because I refused to take your friend's name off my website because he did a great deal of the mischief on the events page. When I sent you the proof of that, you then went on to trash me on the OBB site. Give it a rest and start behaving like an adult.
(This always happens when I challenge them to name my lies. It always becomes a personal attack on me.)
I was very angry over the Facebook foolishness. I was defending the right of the people to get the correct information about an important meeting. I called you guys out for what you were. I do not apologize for what I did or said. Decent people would not have become involved at all. They would have informed Karen Hill immediately. Your attempt to portray yourself as some kind of hero is offensive.
Go ahead; sue me. Waste your money and time. Better to donate to a food bank or a community project. The very reason you are so anxious to shut me up is the very reason I write this blog.
Threats....Are you serious. I have every email I sent you saved. Again.....You lie. Keep digging your hole deeper. You know what....I am going to sue you....I wasn't but you know what, the more people sue you the more chance we have of removing such a vile and bitter woman from our town..that's right OUR TOWN..not yours. So decent people should not become involved eh....If decent people did not become involved then whack jobs like you would be able to flourish.
I never claimed to be a hero as you stated...I did the right thing. You twist everything anyone says around...and all from behind a computer screen...you hide like a coward. You want to accuse and make false claims about me and then spread your lie's around this town, so be it...better save some of your old age pension cheq's because your going to to have to pay a lawyer, my lawyer, court costs and then me.....I have the proof and you have openly admitted right here your guilty....Keep putting your foot in your mouth...
I named your lies and I see you cannot respond to them. It's doesn't surprise me, cowards generally run away when they are called out. Kick the dog enough and you will eventually get bit.
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