Pulp and paper mill closes, call center closes and workers hours cut back. These are not fairy tales, they are headlines from Nova Scotia and HRM in the past week or so yet, while the working class watch jobs vanish, wages being cut while personal bankruptcies and home foreclosures rise in Canada our elected officials seem content to keep spending as usual, particularly where they themselves are concerned. The trip to BC by eight members of council is a prime example. If it is necessary, and personally I doubt it, send at most two people and they can brief the council when they return.
Personally I love the excuses (note excuses not reasons) for going on these junkets.
Councilor Walker says, "He is particularly interested in touring Whistler’s waste treatment facility". A bit late for that Russell unless you’re planning on buying a treatment system to handle the over flow from the treatment system you just bought.
Councillor Walker again! This time Russell tells us how we learned about the count down walk lights during a junket to Montreal. Russell how did Montreal learn about them? I find it hard to believe that our well-paid traffic engineers weren’t told about this innovation by the sales reps from the companies involved.
Councilor Sloane says, " She will also review Whistler’s security plans for the Winter Olympics, some of which she hopes will be relevant to Halifax’s hosting of the Canada Winter Games in 2011". I doubt if any terrorist group is even aware of these games Dawn.
Personally I love the excuses (note excuses not reasons) for going on these junkets.
Councilor Walker says, "He is particularly interested in touring Whistler’s waste treatment facility". A bit late for that Russell unless you’re planning on buying a treatment system to handle the over flow from the treatment system you just bought.
Councillor Walker again! This time Russell tells us how we learned about the count down walk lights during a junket to Montreal. Russell how did Montreal learn about them? I find it hard to believe that our well-paid traffic engineers weren’t told about this innovation by the sales reps from the companies involved.
Councilor Sloane says, " She will also review Whistler’s security plans for the Winter Olympics, some of which she hopes will be relevant to Halifax’s hosting of the Canada Winter Games in 2011". I doubt if any terrorist group is even aware of these games Dawn.
Sheila Fougere tells she learned, at on earlier junket that establishing a 311 telephone system for municipal inquiries was not viable because we already had a "better working system here,” Too bad she didn’t impart this information to Councillor Linda Mosher who was recently pushing to have a 311 system implemented as soon as possible.
Do these people even talk to each other?
As for the money that the city will get in 2011 when the conference is here, the city will get next to nothing. The province and downtown merchants will profit. How much have we spent of trips so far to these junkets to get the one in 2011 and what will be the unrecoverable cost to the HRM taxpayer to host the 2011 event. The cost will not be offset by the income.
This is a very good example of putting lipstick on a pig. It may look better but it’s still a pig so the Gazette’s Lipstick on a Pig Award goes to the members of council traveling to Whistler and the other members of council who seem to accept this as OK.
Our fiscally responsible award goes to Gloria McCluskey for speaking out against it and calling it what it is…a waste of tax dollars.
If you are tired of the entitled few being entitled to their entitlements while the rest of us have to make do call the mayor at 490-4010 or contact the mayor and/or your councilor by using the index on the left of the screen.
Do these people even talk to each other?
As for the money that the city will get in 2011 when the conference is here, the city will get next to nothing. The province and downtown merchants will profit. How much have we spent of trips so far to these junkets to get the one in 2011 and what will be the unrecoverable cost to the HRM taxpayer to host the 2011 event. The cost will not be offset by the income.
This is a very good example of putting lipstick on a pig. It may look better but it’s still a pig so the Gazette’s Lipstick on a Pig Award goes to the members of council traveling to Whistler and the other members of council who seem to accept this as OK.
Our fiscally responsible award goes to Gloria McCluskey for speaking out against it and calling it what it is…a waste of tax dollars.
If you are tired of the entitled few being entitled to their entitlements while the rest of us have to make do call the mayor at 490-4010 or contact the mayor and/or your councilor by using the index on the left of the screen.
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