A new show in Ottawa: the inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East The recently released report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) is the basis for the case of national security nightmares. The committee reported that when it comes to foreign interference, the call is coming from inside the houses: several parliamentarians may be working with foreign governments in ways that undermine Canada’s national security and democratic institutions. Notably, these parliamentarians may have unknowingly received donations from foreign governments, while at least one is alleged to have passed confidential information to foreign agents. Now the show is in full swing with a lot of people, academics, journalists and other luminaries, voicing opinions on the issue, in the guise of experts. Let us first acknowledge that the majority of past and current parliamentarians are not required to have security clearance. Moreover, when new parliamentarians are elected and undergo orientation to familiarize them with various aspects of the job, there is no mention, whatever, of how to deal with confidential information. On the other hand, the public service does require that their employees undergo security clearance. Do you see an inconsistency there? Therefore, in my mind it is very clear that incompetence in this area is rampant. Furthermore, it is unclear to me what is being defined as foreign interference. If there is a threat to our national security, what are the RCMP and CSIS doing about it, and why are they not doing their job? I think that foreign influences on the Canadian political landscape is not new at all, but suddenly it is front page news, and the subject of a new Ottawa spectacle put on at the expense of taxpayers. We need to be serious about this issue and stop focusing only on politically convenient black sheep countries such as China, India and Russia. There are many other countries that exercise serious influences in Canadian politics, because Canada is fertile ground for this kind of thing due to the nature of our national structure. If we look back into our beloved and ignored history, we can find examples of foreign interference, much more damaging than what is alleged today. So, the question is, when will our political class serve our national interest instead of serving many foreign and globalist interests, which is what they are doing today, in the name of defending democracy. It is time to serve the interests of Canada and not only their selfish personal interests. When I was an MP, my personal experience in this regard was quite interesting. Observing how parliamentarians and staff were dealing with confidential and secret information in and around the House of Commons was most disconcerting to someone who had security clearance. Documents marked secret floated freely in the lobby, where hardly anyone had security clearance. Being security aware, I was appalled to see that, as I had valid security clearance from my service in the Canadian Armed Forces and deployment on several missions overseas. It was especially frustrating when the Defence Committee I served on at the time could not carry out its study effectively, because we were told we could not see certain documents relevant to our study, due to lack of security clearance. In the current media flurry a lot is being said, a lot of articles are being published and a lot of opinions are being expressed on this issue. However, no one is mentioning the need to train candidates for parliament or sitting MPs on how to deal with confidential documents, and to require that they have security clearance at various levels. The word treason is being bandied about, and there are calls for the heads of the MPs involved. There are demands to disclose and publish names, but no one is making suggestions to the effect that we must avoid this kind of situation, and how we might accomplish that. Some academics, journalists and experts speculate that upon release of the findings of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), foreign agents and proxies, possibly under surveillance as a part of much wider national security investigation, would learn that their activities are being monitored. In Canada there are many foreign embassies which clearly have a mission to pursue their nations’ interests. Since they have diplomatic status, they are immune to prosecution. They can be asked to leave the country, but no more, because they have diplomatic immunity. It is true that many MPs interact with foreign diplomats, and without training in security matters, they might release sensitive information without realising it. In light of these shortcomings in the education of our parliamentarians, it is sad to see this kind of spectacle unfolding in Ottawa. It only confirms the fact that the RCMP and CSIS should do a better job and that there are more important things for Canada to focus on at this time. Let us hope that this clown world will end soon and parliamentarians will do the job that is called for, in improving the lives of Canadians. That they will finally become aware of the things that they should be doing in order to serve Canada’s interests first, foremost and solely. What is your opinion?

Old Sayings

from Wayne & Tamara I was recently involved in an eight month affair with a married man. My affair with him was not his first. When ending our affair, I swore to him I would not betray him to his family since I take responsibility for knowing what I was doing when I got involved with a married man. Although my decision not to betray him to his wife and family remains unwavering, I would like your opinion in reference to his wife. Should she know she has been deceived? I think if the tables were turned and I was the one being cheated on, I would rather know. Lauren Lauren, your decision not to betray him to his wife and family may be unwavering, but the truth is you would like to tell and make him pay. Revenge is a powerful motivator. A myriad of sayings apply to the three sides of this triangle. Four which come to mind are: confession is good for the soul, there is no honor among thieves, what goes around comes around, and knowledge is power. Why should your promise to him mean more than his vow to his wife? Why should the word of a woman willing to cheat be good? We are in a quandary. Should we support you in telling, when your motivation is nothing more than revenge? Or should we consider the wife's vulnerable position, not knowing her husband is having sex with multiple partners? Almost always we answer the letter writer, not other involved parties. We cannot protect this married man because his position is the least defensible. Being involved with other women is a betrayal to his wife every single time. But his wife, the person most in need of this information, did not write us. And what about you? Will you learn anything or change if you tell? Probably not. Mark Twain said, "Therein lies the defect of revenge: it's all in the anticipation." Revenge is cold comfort. It doesn't advance your life at all. That is one thing you could learn. Francis Bacon said, "A man that studieth revenge keeps his wounds green." That is another thing you could learn, but may not. From among all these sayings, which one do we believe is most important? Knowledge is power. Someone here could benefit from the information you possess. His wife. Go ahead and tell. Wayne & Tamara SEND LETTERS TO: Directanswers@WayneAndTamara.com Wayne & Tamara are the authors of Cheating in a Nutshell and The Young Woman’s Guide to Older Men—available from Amazon, Apple, and booksellers everywhere.

Are Non-Alcoholic Beverages the Better Choice?

By W. Gifford-Jones MD and Diana Gifford Do we enjoy alcoholic drinks? We do! A relaxing drink before dinner with our loved ones is standard practice. We are supported by a landmark study involving 490,000 people involving the American Cancer Society, World Health Organization, and Oxford University that found one alcoholic drink daily decreased the risk of death by 20 percent. Moreover, moderate drinkers have increased levels of the good cholesterol. Platelets, part of the blood clotting process, are more slippery making them less likely to form a fatal blood clot. Medically, for moderate drinkers, it’s a win-win. But irresponsible and heavy drinkers cause too many road deaths year after year. Excessive alcohol can also lead to family violence and many other societal ills. This is why non-alcoholic beverages need more promotion. But instead of providing the alternative of a stylish, healthy non-alcoholic product, the problem remains. Whether it’s quitting smoking, going on a diet, or vowing, “I’ll stop drinking while driving in the New Year,” it rarely happens. Failing to make the change can be a deadly error. Why? Because driving while drunk can kill an innocent child or an entire family – unthinkable consequences for such carelessness. Even without such catastrophes, drinking and driving rightly amounts to criminal charges and jail time. So why not embrace the alternative? No one gets hurt from drinking a non-alcoholic beverage (NAB). What are the advantages of NABs and why should we promote a new trend in drinking them? First, all the dangers of drinking are eliminated, including drunk driving. It’s estimated that the harmful use of alcohol causes 3 million deaths every year. Next, say good-bye to hangovers that cause three to eight times more absenteeism from work among heavy alcohol users. Hungover drinkers who make it to work are more likely to cause accidents leading to injuries. Heavy drinking also increases the risk of liver disease, brain damage, cancer, and immune system disfunction. Swapping the empty calories of booze for a low-calorie NAB will help with weight loss. But people neglect to watch out for calories in alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks alike, and sugary drinks, including many wines, are no good in the fight against obesity and type 2 diabetes. NABs can be loaded with sugar too, so to get the benefit, do your research before making your selection. Ask anyone who has decreased alcohol consumption and they will tell you they sleep better. If there’s been strife in the family from alcohol, adherence to NABs can restore happiness. And it will be big news if the trend away from alcohol to NABs results in a decrease in cancer rates. Switching to NABs can be a financial gain too. Even just a few alcoholic drinks a week can add up to over a thousand dollars per year for the consumer. But all this said, keep your mind open about the positive effects of alcohol. Alcohol in moderation has a relaxing effect that dilates arteries. This translates to a lower risk of heart attack and strokes caused by blood clots. As the saying goes, “Alcohol is for the elderly what milk is for the young.” For the depressed or anxious, alcohol isn’t the wise choice as a tool for coping, but a social drink with family and friends can be soothing at the end of a stressful day. Taking the personal decision to drink NABs can be frustrated by friends that insist on pressing alcoholic drinks. Social settings that traditionally involve alcohol, like bars and restaurants can also be a problem. Everyone will need to adjust if the NAB trend is to grow. Let’s hear what readers think. Sign-up at www.docgiff.com to receive our weekly e-newsletter. For comments, contact-us@docgiff.com. Follow us Instagram @docgiff and @diana_gifford_jones

Bell - Rogers

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central newspaper for allowing me the opportunity and access to the press. Not to many if any allow an average person like me to tell the world what I see and think. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. What is it with companies like Bell, Rogers and the many others? No matter who you call you get the automated systems. What a waste of time. I feel sorry for other seniors that are not very acute with automation. It is frustrating for me. I hate to talk to a machine. I have even more to have to make selections and press numbers on my phone pad. I want a live human being. Forget this Artificial garbage. Both Bell and Rogers, sure know how to charge every month.... The other day I called Bell technical support. I could barely hear the woman. I could hear chickens and goats in the background. I asked her. Where am i calling. She said, Morocco. Are you kidding me? Do we not have Canadians wanting jobs that Bell has to go to Moroco? After all the bullshit authentication. They transfer me to some other guy in the Phillipines. He could barely speak English. He was rude and abrupt. I sat there and wondered. Do we as Canadian have any privacy. Why is our personal information going to a place like Moroco. The Phillipines, Africa, Argentina and the many more places. Is this not a national security risk. To tell me that these countries have strict privacy law is nothing short of an insult and insanity. What truly gets me is when you get my good friends from India....You know right away as they call you using the wrong prefix. They start with, “Halo, Mr. Rosaldo.” Boom a dead giveaway. This is so wrong. Companies that make billions a year and they insult us by hiring third world. I have grand children that would appreciate those jobs. Then the Fed import millions of people from other lands claiming we have jobs but no workers... Bull.

Complaining How Employers Hire Doesn’t Help Your Job Search

By Nick Kossovan "Complaining is not a strategy. You have to work with the world as you find it, not as you would have it be." ? Jeff Bezos In a different reality, employers would: · Offer salaries dependent on the candidate's needs, not the job's market value. · Not use applicant tracking software. (ATS) · Reply to every application. · Have a short and transparent hiring process. · Not scrutinize your resume and digital footprint. Today's reality: · More than ever, getting hired comes down to who you know and who knows you. · Employers are skittish (read: cautious) when it comes to hiring, hence why they have long, drawn-out hiring processes with many hurdles to navigate. · Ghosting. (in fairness, candidates also ghost) · Employers are looking for the perfect fit and are willing to wait until such a candidate comes along. (What employers want to see and the stereotypes they expect are constantly shifting paradigms.) I understand why job seekers are frustrated with their job search and how employers design their hiring process. However, punching down on employers as if that'll get them closer to their goal, presumably to get a job, accomplishes nothing other than wasting time and energy. Job seekers need to know and accept their controllables and uncontrollables. Can't control: · The economy or the number of job openings. · How an employer has designed their hiring process. · A hiring manager's biases. - Whom you're competing against. Can control: · The amount of time and effort you put into your job search. · Whom you connect with and how you maintain your connections. · Your digital footprint. · Your preparation and performance. (Practice! Practice! Practice!) · How you cope with rejection. (Embrace the power of "Next!") Focus on what you can control, not on what you can't control. Where you focus is where your energy goes. You can spend your energy and time complaining about employers being unfair and not giving you a chance. Such complaints stem from a sense of entitlement and do nothing to improve your job search success. Complaining discourages you from overcoming the many challenges you're facing throughout your job search and breeds negativity, which manifests into excuses or believing you're a victim of some "ism." Complaining isn't a strategy or a way of taking responsibility; it's not even a way of getting what we want. It's a way of avoiding responsibility, blaming others, and trying to get sympathy without having to take action. An essay I recommend everyone read is The Common Denominator of Success, by Albert E.M. Gray, who spent much of his life searching for the one denominator all successful people share. Putting first things first was the common denominator. "The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do," he wrote. Put simply, to succeed, you must form the habit of doing what others don't like to do. This is especially true when job searching. (e.g., networking) Job seekers tend to complain because it's easier than doing what they should be doing. Additionally, job seekers have expectations of employers, which, when not met, cause them to complain. Managing your expectations will limit your complaints about employers. Two truisms job seekers would be wise to accept: · Total strangers (employers) owe you nothing. · Employment isn't an absolute right. I can't overstress the importance of accepting these truisms. If you're feeling bitter or resentful about your job search, wishing things were different, or thinking how life isn't fair—any of this sounds familiar?—you're fighting reality, which, as Bezos pointed out, "you have to work with the world as you find it, not as you would have it be." Complaining is counterproductive and does nothing to help you land a job. In today's brutal job market, or in any job market, you need to be proactive as opposed to reactive, which is what most job seekers are. The difference between reactive and proactive job seekers has nothing to do with degrees, skills or experience. The difference is their mindset. Proactive job seekers base their expectations on reality. Reactive job seekers base their expectations on how they wish the world would be. Guess which spends their energy complaining. There are four critical steps in the proactive job search: 1. Identify which companies interest you. 2. Research the companies. 3. Leverage your network. 4. Reach out to hiring managers. There's too much of this: · 1,000 applicants answer a job posting. · 900 candidates sprayed and prayed and, therefore, don't have the required qualifications, skills, or experience or know what the business does. · 75 are "okay" candidates. · 25 are candidates worth pursuing. The Internet has made it much too easy to apply—spray and pray—which has resulted in qualified candidates getting lost in the tsunami of "quick apply applications" employers receive for their job openings. Job seekers have to deal with this reality, the world they have to work with, and no amount of complaining will change this reality. Save your energy for your job search. Job hunting isn't a totally unpredictable process if you're a proactive job seeker and understand that successful job searching and complaining don't go hand in hand. ___________________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

I never thought I would be writing about this

By Dale Jodoin I never thought I would be writing about this, but the events unfolding compel me to address a serious issue: legal racism in Canada. The recent atrocities committed against Israel have set off a chain of reactions, revealing the depths of discrimination and cowardice within our own borders. On October 7, 2023, Israel was brutally attacked by Hamas, a terrorist organization. Over 1,200 innocent civilians were murdered, raped, and burned in their beds, and 200 others were taken hostage. Israel's response to this horrific act of war was to target those responsible in the West Bank, aiming to bring justice to the perpetrators. While civilian casualties occurred, they were never the intent; Israel's goal was to eliminate the threat posed by those who declared war on them. In the wake of this conflict, the Western world, including Canada, has shown a shocking lack of resolve and integrity. Our governments have become paralyzed, bowing to the pressure of far-left, woke groups who dominate universities and media. These groups, often ignorant of real history, have perversely labeled Israel's self-defense as genocide. This narrative is not only false but deeply offensive, especially considering the heinous acts committed by Hamas. Jewish Canadians are now bearing the brunt of this misguided activism. They face harassment, their schools are targets of violence, and many are afraid to leave their homes. This is not the Canada we once knew. Instead of standing up against this injustice, some educational institutions have capitulated, allowing biased and false narratives to be taught. These so-called educators propagate lies that align with the agenda of the far-left, undermining the true history and struggle of the Jewish people. The real cowards, however, are not just the radical activists but also the schools and politicians who fail to stand against them. Teachers who promote falsehoods and hate should not have a place in our educational system. Politicians, driven by the desire for votes, have shown themselves willing to compromise the safety and dignity of their citizens. They have abandoned their duty to protect and stand up for all Canadians, including Jewish communities under threat. In this climate of fear and misinformation, it is crucial to recognize and call out the systemic failures allowing legal racism to thrive in Canada. We need leaders who will have the courage to speak the truth, protect the vulnerable, and uphold the values of justice and equality that our country was built on. It is a dark time for Jewish Canadians, and indeed for all Canadians who value truth and justice. Our leaders' failure to act with integrity and courage in the face of such blatant discrimination is a stain on our nation's conscience. We must demand better from our educators, our politicians, and ourselves. We must stand together against hate, misinformation, and legal racism to ensure a future where all Canadians can live in safety and dignity. A Poem of Disappointment Oh Canada, where have you gone? Once strong and free, now weak . Leaders who should protect, now flee, Cowards all, who bend the knee. Promises broken, truths denied, Injustice reigns, and trust has died. Rise up, my fellow Canadians, fight, For what is just, for what is right.

INTERNET VOTING THE LAST BLOW TO DEMOCRACY

By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” This week I received a real interesting email. It read: City of Oshawa exploring internet voting. The City of Oshawa is exploring the possibility of offering internet voting for its 2026 Municipal and School Board Elections and wants to know your thoughts. First and foremost. The City does not care about your thoughts as they already made their minds. The token request for your thought is as if to give you the impression that they care. Did they care when you gave them your thoughts on the budget? No. They stuck it to us. Now this. As if it is not bad enough that the City of Oshawa has a municipal election and only one seat changes. Our democracy has come down to name recognition voting by the same 18% voters turn out. A percentage that is slowly diminishing due to natural death. Now, the City wants to go online voting. This further giving the incumbent an edge over any new comers. Last municipal election it was a disaster. Most of the new candidates or all that ran on a shoe string budget or no budget. Faced with ever declining municipal voter turnout in local elections, the City of Oshawa is considering the possibility of offering internet voting for the 2026 municipal and school board elections. Internet voting allows eligible voters to cast their ballot online. It is a proven secure method of voting since ballots can be cast anywhere with internet access using a device of the voter’s choice, including computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. Oshawa’s turnout in the 2022 municipal election dropped to a dismal record low of 18.42 per cent of all eligible voters. It was just the latest in a declining Oshawa municipal election voter trend that saw a turnout of 24.1 per cent in 2018, 26.4 per cent in 2014 and 29.9 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot in 2010. You have to go all the way back to the election of 1994 to find a voter turnout of over a third of all eligible voters, when 33.5 per cent cast a ballot. Contrast that with the glory days of voter participation and the highest ever turnout: 51.7 per cent in 1960. Those days are long gone, however, and most municipalities would be happy today to hit the Ontario municipal average of 36.9 per cent across the 444 municipalities of the province for the 2022 election. Voter turnout for Oshawa municipal elections rarely ever went under 33 per cent until the 1970s but has steadily slid since 1997 from a high of 29.9 per cent in 2010 to a dismal 18.42 per cent in 2022. With this in mind. Now the City of Oshawa wants to go electronic.... A way for creating new avenues to corrupt the democratic process by registering people that are either dead or not living in Oshawa anymore. This compounded with the real threat of external election influences. This is a formula for disaster. The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions, and Intergovernmental Affairs, announced that the measures brought in to protect by-elections from any potential foreign interference will be applied to the Durham electoral district by-election to be held on March 4, 2024. These measures are continuously reviewed in light of the potential for new and evolving threats. The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force provided enhanced monitoring and assessing of foreign interference threats during the by-election period. These assessments will be provided to the Deputy Minister Committee on Intelligence Response, which will stand ready to brief and advise ministers with mandates to combat foreign interference and protect Canada's democratic institutions. How do you like them apples. If this is known. That tampering can happen and has happened. What are we to assume that will happen with City Online voting? Other Durham municipalities that have adopted internet and/or telephone voting over the last decade include Ajax, Pickering and Clarington. Ajax was the early adopter in the group, taking on internet and telephone voting — in addition to traditional paper and advance voting — in 2014. And it had a noticeable impact in voter turnout. When Ajax did not have internet voting in 2010, turnout was 25.4 per cent. In the 2014 municipal election, with internet voting added, turnout jumped to 30.4 per cent, and was 32.9 per cent in 2018. However, voter turnout in Ajax slumped back to 22.5 per cent in 2022, suggesting internet voting is not a cure-all. Pickering and Clarington opted for internet voting only in time for the 2022 election. In 2018, Pickering’s turnout was 29.17 per cent in the 2018 municipal election before the advent of internet voting. In 2022, the turnout was actually lower at 27.4 per cent. Meanwhile, in Clarington, in 2018 the turnout before online voting was used, it was 28.57 per cent. After adopting online or internet voting, it was very slightly down at 28.05 per cent. So much for transparency, accountability when all they do is look for ways to stack the deck against any new comer.

Canada’s past military achievements and present disarray

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East As we celebrated 80 years since D Day, which marked a pivotal day in defeating Nazi Germany, and as we remember the sacrifices of Canadian soldiers on Juno beach, we may justifiably wonder what is going on with today’s Canadian Armed Forces. The status of the Armed Forces in Canada is bleak, due to decades of neglect by all governing parties without exception. Canada’s military is facing a series of problems that could threaten our standing in an unpredictable world without a serious infusion of cash and attention from the federal government. Canada finds itself in such a dire situation due to the dual bureaucratic and political culture in Ottawa. In avoiding problems rather than confronting them, they have resorted to "risk management" The approach has been to assume that things are not that bad and some level of risk can be tolerated for a few years. This, now perpetual bad risk management approach, has became dangerous because it has pushed off problems until it is somebody else's problem. But now, in 2024, these problems have come home to roost. They have become our problems, and they are literally kicking us in the face. Let us consider the recruiting hole, in which the Canadian military finds itself. It is deeper and potentially more serious than it might appear at first glance. In part, the problem is also due to all the new equipment the federal government has ordered, or plans to order in the near future. Just recently, Defence Minister Bill Blair estimated the military is short up to 16,500 members and said the Armed Forces' failure to boost recruitment is leading it into a "death spiral." However, the country's top military commander, Gen. Wayne Eyre, told CBC News in a recent interview that the problem is actually bigger than the numbers cited by the minister suggest. The shortfall cited by Blair is the gap between the Armed Forces' current size and its authorized strength, he said and it doesn't reflect what the military needs to carry out the new defence policy, or the demands of modernizing continental defence under NORAD. To meet those demands, Eyre said, the Armed Forces needs to take on an additional 14,500 people on top of the 16,500 required to bring the military up to authorized strength. These statements clearly reflect a dangerous disconnect between politicians’ perspectives and the real issues. In desperation and not entirely well thought-out, the federal government began allowing permanent residents to apply to join the Armed Forces in 2022. Within a year of that policy change, the Armed Forces had received more than 21,000 applications from permanent residents, but to date, less than 100 have been accepted. One of the major concerns for the Department of National Defence (DND) is that many foreign-born applicants must pass enhanced security screening. Seeing bureaucracy at work, the defence and immigration departments have signed a new information-sharing agreement that should accelerate the process of obtaining security clearances. DND has also signed a contract for new security screening software hopefully with more success than the ArriveCAN experience. The new recruitment plan for the military proposes a probationary period on all recruits while screening and other aspects are reviewed. Despite all of that effort, the new defence policy does not foresee the military returning to its current authorized strength of 71,000 regular and 30,000 reserve forces until 2032. Currently, only 58 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) would be able to respond if called upon in a crisis by NATO allies— and almost half of the military's equipment is considered "unavailable and unserviceable" — says a recent internal Department of National Defence (DND) presentation obtained by CBC News. Looking at the equipment side, the situation is worse. Politicians only seem to find resources (both financial and physical) to aid foreign countries, rather than ensuring the Nation’s needs. The air force is currently in the worst shape of all the CAF forces, with 55 per cent of "fighters, maritime aviation, search and rescue, tactical aviation, trainers and transport" considered "unserviceable." The navy is not too far behind, with 54 per cent of its "frigates, submarines, Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships and defence vessels" in no state to deploy. Canada currently operates a fleet of four conventionally powered submarines; the navy has proposed to expand that fleet to between eight and 12 boats. However, each boat would have to have at least one crew, and possibly two or more, to operate in rotation. The army fares slightly better, with only 46 per cent of its equipment considered "unserviceable." However, the biggest challenge is the shortfall in service personnel; technicians and support. There is also a funding shortfalls; lack of spare parts and ammo. The issue of military readiness has preoccupied the House of Commons defence committee for a long time but without much success or action at the PMO’s office. The federal government recently began reallocating funding, forcing some areas of DND to cut spending in order to pay for the acquisition of new equipment. The latest federal estimates for the upcoming year show $810 million will be shuffled around and $79 million of that money is coming out of "ready forces." Former vice-admiral Mark Norman, a former commander of the navy said he was startled by the numbers. "This is borderline atrocious," Norman said. "Readiness is all about measuring the ability of your armed forces to do what it is they're expected to do. And fundamentally, that's all about going somewhere and fighting. And, you know, it's a pretty dire situation when you're ... not where you need to be." In conclusion, we need a massive overhaul of how Canada does military procurement, and how we approach national security, but most importantly we need a prime minister who cares about these issues. Is the country ready for this? Your judgement. Let us hope and work for a summer to be proud of, with the Canadian flag flying high!

The Post-Pandemic Workplace: Why Employees Are Returning to Offices

By Stephanie Uprichard, IDC, GDC, ARIDO, IIDA Studio Forma Interior Design Principal Designer I was chatting with a colleague recently and asked about one of his employees I had worked with in the past. He told me she had quit because she wanted to work at a company with an office. I was surprised, but it wasn’t the first time I’d heard that this year. COVID reshaped the global workforce, making remote work the norm. However, as recovery continues, a trend is emerging: employees are increasingly seeking opportunities with companies that offer physical office spaces. This shift underscores the enduring value of in-person interactions and the human desire for community. The Appeal of the Office Environment While remote work offered flexibility and safety during the pandemic, it also presented challenges such as isolation, blurred work-life boundaries, and limited spontaneous collaboration. Consequently, the allure of returning to a physical office has grown for several reasons: Sense of Belonging and Community Humans are inherently social. The camaraderie and belonging from being part of a physical workplace cannot be replicated through virtual interactions alone. Employees miss water cooler conversations, in-person brainstorming, and the joy of working alongside colleagues. An office provides a tangible community where individuals can connect and build meaningful relationships. Opportunities for Learning and Growth An office environment often accelerates professional development. Employees benefit from face-to-face mentorship, real-time feedback, and learning from peers. Informal learning through casual conversations and impromptu meetings is invaluable. In-person settings also foster a culture of continuous learning, with easy access to resources and training sessions. Enhanced Collaboration and Innovation Collaboration thrives where ideas can flow freely and spontaneously. Physical offices provide the ideal setting for brainstorming, team meetings, and creative problem-solving. While virtual collaboration tools have advanced, they still fall short in replicating the energy and immediacy of in-person interactions. Companies with shared spaces often see increased innovation and productivity. Clear Work-Life Boundaries One challenge of remote work has been maintaining clear boundaries between work and personal life. The office serves as a dedicated space for professional activities, helping employees separate their job from their home life. This distinction can improve work-life balance and well-being. The Future of Work: Hybrid Models As companies navigate the post-pandemic landscape, many adopt hybrid models, offering flexibility and in-person office interactions. By providing this balance, companies can attract and retain top talent who seek both flexibility and a sense of community. The pandemic has changed how we view work but also reaffirmed the value of physical office spaces. As employees seek opportunities with companies offering in-person interactions, businesses must create environments fostering community, learning, and growth to remain competitive and attract and keep top talent in the evolving landscape of work.

Draconian Measure

s By Lisa Robinson - Pickering City Councillor Pickering City Council Implements Draconian Measures, Stifling Free Speech and Public Participation 2023-2024 Over the past few months, Pickering City Council has adopted a series of draconian measures, effectively stifling the people’s freedom of speech and expression. These actions reflect a disturbing trend toward authoritarianism, undermining the very principles of democracy and transparency that I hold dear to my heart. Here is a short list of the most recent (not all) draconian recommendations that the Corporation of the City of Pickering staff have brought forward to Council to endorse. Each one of these recommendations passed with all but one Council member's support. 1. Drastic Reduction in Speaking Time: Delegates’ speaking time has been slashed from 10 minutes to a mere 5 minutes per delegation. These new limitations, unfortunately, hinder the opportunity for robust public participation and meaningful dialogue in a public forum. 2. Elimination of Question-and-Answer Period: The Council abolished the Q&A period under the guise of it not being utilized to its potential. It is important to note that, behind the scenes, there were numerous individuals in the chambers that evening (at least 20) who were eager to pose their questions to the Mayor. Furthermore, it is not being explicitly conveyed to the people, that Council deliberately made a motion to rearrange the agenda by way of a vote at the beginning of that meeting, to move that bylaw discussion to the front of the agenda, thereby preventing any of those individuals from voicing their concerns. 3. Nuisance bylaw: Which I like to refer to as the “feelings bylaw” is very vague, and in my opinion disproportionately biased. This imbalance fails to adequately safeguard individuals from potential misconduct or inappropriate behaviour by staff or council members. 4. Restrictive Trespass Regulations: Not only can you be trespassed from city property if an employee does not like you because they feel you are an anti-vaxxer, or because you have hurt their feelings in some way, but under the new trespass rules, trespassing can even be imposed on individuals who merely post criticisms on social media, or via email. The Corporation of the City of Pickering is now policing your right to free expression and punishing dissent of anyone whom they feel has spoken inappropriately or negatively against them. Fines were also increased from $65.00 to $650.00 and once your term of trespass is over, you still need to get permission in writing by the CAO to be allowed back on any city property. 5. Severe Recording Restrictions: Recording or photographing council meetings is now forbidden by the taxpayer, and media must be pre-approved and subjected to a stringent two-thirds council vote, effectively silencing public documentation of proceedings. And what about independent journalists, bloggers, and community members who may provide diverse perspectives, why are we excluding any independent voice from recording public meetings. What is the Corporation of the City of Pickering doing so wrong that it frightens staff and council to be transparent or to allow the public to record public meetings? Did I mention that if the system were to go down or if there was any manipulation of the videos, we would have no backup from an independent third party. Meaning, the Corporation of the City of Pickering now has complete control of the narrative, and no way to question its authenticity. 6. Exclusion of Non-Residents Delegates: Non-residents are barred from speaking at council meetings unless their topic is sanctioned by a two-thirds council vote, creating an exclusionary environment. In my opinion, this is hypocritical behaviour, as we continuously support other communities, staff, and councils of other municipalities, and even enter into agreements with them, but we will not support their citizens. By doing this, the Corporation of the City of Pickering has made it quite clear that they only focus on those in positions of power and not we the people. 7. Agenda Control Over Pickering Residents: Taxpayers of Pickering are now prohibited from addressing topics not on the agenda without prior approval and a council vote, further suppressing spontaneous public discourse. In other words, if the council does not approve of the topic you wish to address, you will not be permitted to speak about it in a public forum and will be limited to sending an email instead. 8. Advertising: On June 10, 2024 at the Executive Committee meeting a new Advertising bylaw is being introduced by staff to further suppress freedom of speech. Staff wants the council to pass a new bylaw that would mandate the using of specific newspapers, over others. In my opinion, staff may be promoting certain media outlets over others, which could introduce bias or conflict of interest, undermining the fairness and impartiality expected in public communications. These types of constraints limit our ability to reach our intended audience effectively. The behavior of our Mayor has exacerbated these troubling developments. The Mayor has blatantly resorted to derogatory remarks and bullying tactics against residents and anyone with dissenting opinions. He has openly called them “nutcases,” “conspiracy theorists,” and Nazis, and has publicly insulted individuals by telling them to “go have another drink.” Such statements are not only unprofessional but also unacceptable. Who gives anyone the right to name-call or insult anyone just because they think differently, or because they don’t agree with you. In an alarming display of disrespect, during a council meeting the Mayor stated that he was going to keep me on a short leash, treating me with utter disdain and reducing my role to that of a subordinate, or an animal of some sort. This kind of behavior is reprehensible and unworthy of any public official. Adding to the outrage, the Mayor openly admitted that policies can be overlooked for those with financial influence, blatantly prioritizing wealth over fairness and equality. Citizens have become secondary to those with deep pockets. During council meetings, he shows blatant disregard for residents’ concerns especially if there is a game on, prioritizing his personal interests over his duty. Shockingly, most of the councillor’s, have chosen to follow this kind of leadership by consistently choosing to sit there on their phones and/or ipads during delegations. These measures and behaviors are a blatant attack on the fundamental rights of free speech and expression. By curtailing public speaking time, eliminating Q&A sessions, and enforcing repressive trespass stipulations, the Council is silencing the voices of those they are elected to represent. The new recording restrictions and exclusion of non-residents, and certain media, further demonstrate an intent to operate in the shadows, away from public scrutiny.In my opinion, the Corporation of the City of Pickering and Council’s actions resemble those of a mini dictatorship rather than a democratic society, showing a clear disregard for transparency, accountability, and public engagement. I was elected by the people, for the people, and it’s shameful that some colleagues and community members are doing everything they can over social media to discredit my character for standing up, speaking out, and telling the truth. This heavy-handed approach by certain individuals not only further undermines trust in your local government but also sets a dangerous precedent for the suppression of civil liberties. "Strength Does Not Lie In The Absence Of Fear, But In The Courage To Face It Head-On And Rise Above It"

WAKE-UP - DURHAM

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PICKERING - AJAX - WHITBY - OSHAWA - BROCK - CLARINGTON SCUGOG and UXBRIDGE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Residents, ask yourselves, are you content, do you agree: - with the way things are being done; in your city, town, municipality? - do you really have a say? - is your council working for you, the tax payer? - with the way your tax money is being spent? While you have to cut corners to eat etc.. - do they care about the burden they are putting on you while they spend on new items? - with the continued increase in property Taxes? WAKE - UP PEOPLE, YOU DO HAVE A SAY and not just at election time, when sadly, most people don’t use their right to vote (proof below) why, because they say nothing changes. They are absolutely right, nothing changes because they, you, walk away from your most valuable rights, Civil Rights. SO GROW UP, TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY for what is happening instead of complaining and doing nothing. You have the right to hold your mayor and council accountable for what happens in your municipality, but only if you use your rights. Municipalities allow the public the strongest voices to be involved in what’s happening in your area. You pay the Mayor and Councillors, they have to answer to you not the head of some party. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD. Attend council meetings or at least watch them. Your city provides a link where you can get a copy of the agendas, a link to watch their council & other committee meetings online, call your councillor, write and email all your concerns to your full council not just one councillor and keep doing so, don’t let them ignore you. Don’t be one of the silent majority, pay attention, speak up, others will follow. Municipality Tax Inc. New Council Eligible Voters # Voted = %Voted Pickering ............. 5.42% ................. 3 of 7 ............... 76,021 ......... 20,786 27.34 % Ajax .................... 6.42% ................. 1 of 7 ............... 85,443 ......... 19,205 22.48 % Brock. ................. 3.97% ................. 2 of 7 ............... 10,604 ........... 4,094 38.61 % Whitby ..................... 5% ................. 3 of 9 ............. 102,618 ......... 23,872 23.26 % Oshawa .............. 3.89% ............... 1 of 11 ............. 121,885 ......... 22,456 18.42 % Clarington ............. 4.2% ................. 3 of 7 ............... 73,471 ......... 20,606 28.05 % Scugog ............... 6.35% ................. 3 of 7 ............... 18,318 ........... 3,359 18.34 % Uxbridge ............. 5.77% ................. 2 of 7 ............... 17,006 ........... 6,736 39.61 % Remember, voting is only one step, Know who you’re voting for will they fight for you, will you back them up? New councillors are fighting an up hill battle for you against the old boys club who want to keep things as they like it. This “old boys club” across the province and country are and have been slowly crushing your civil rights, and you are allowing them to do it. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SILENCE - YOU SOLVE NOTHING

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

By Lisa Robinson - Pickering City Councillor At The City of Pickerings 5pm special meeting of council I voted against moving forward with the staffs recommendation to have a copy of Pickering’s Official Plan review to be sent to the region of Durham Planning & Economic Development for many reasons. First and foremost, there has been no community engagement or comments thus far. To be in accordance with Planning Act Requirements, the special council meeting had to be advertised. The corporation of the City of Pickering decided to use the Toronto Star as their avenue, unfortunately, residents, stakeholders or businesses have never had any correspondence delivered directly to them letting them know this is how they would be notified of important City meetings. I also mentioned that I thought it was unfair that because of this, the people of Pickering and beyond would now have to spend their hard-earned taxed dollars to purchase a Toronto Star newspaper daily so they don’t miss any other opportunities to have their voices heard being that, the Toronto Star is not a community newspaper. Why is the Corporation of the City of Pickering so against posting in this fine local Newspaper? “The Central” is the only local community Newspaper that we have left in Durham, and in my opinion, instead of making excuses as to why we should not post in this paper, we should find ways to make it work, so you the taxpayer can be well informed. Another important point I made was that our online records management portal was down the night before the meeting and we don’t actually know how long it was down for. It could have been for one day or many, making it hard for those to comment or even know about the meeting. As a result, stakeholders may not have had adequate opportunity to access the agenda and related documents, limiting their ability to provide informed comments. Given the importance of transparency and public participation in our local government processes, I recommend that any comments received at the special meeting be included for consideration as part of the review process. These comments included: There was no authentic community engagement, Lack of accountability, the official plan should be for the people by the people and not driven by developers, and their should be transparency – and not influence by developers. I then proposed that this matter be referred back to staff to be brought forward at the next council meeting in order to achieve community engagement and comments but not one member of Council would second. There have been claims that our Council Meetings have been hijacked by outsiders, and that they are wasting Councils time speaking on topics that they find irrelevant. First of all, I don’t think the council should be taking it upon themselves to judge whether or not a topic is relevant. We were elected to listen and represent the people, even those with opposing views. Council fails to remember that we regularly endorse other municipalities' staff reports, and it would be highly hypocritical of us to only listen to those in power but not their people. We support global issues like Ukraine using taxpayers' money, and we receive provincial and federal funding. I could go on about how we have 4 members who sit on the region of Durham Council, or how our libraries, malls, recreation centers and programs are open to anyone and everyone, not just Pickering residents. They use our roads, and parks, attend our community events, and so on. The real problem is not having outsiders participate, as most of them are groups that represent 1000’s of people in Pickering and across Durham. The real problem is that, due to Pickering Councils behavior and passing of bylaws that are taking your right to speak and participate away, this has created the want for more engagement and to have their questions answered by elected officials. In my opinion neither staff nor council want to have to deal with it, or they would have not started implementing all these censorship bylaws to stifle conversation. Council was elected to serve the public and their interests, not to dictate what they feel is important, or unimportant, or to dismiss legitimate concerns of the people. In a blatant act of collusion, the minutes will show that everything on the agenda passed in a 6-0 vote, as the Mayor refused to recognize me, disallowing me to question, speak or vote on any matters because I refused to participate in his hypocritical rules for thee but not for me type antics. The whole agenda was then passed without any debate, even knowing that we were breaching our own bylaws regarding our street naming policy for Porsche which prohibits street names that confer a competitive advantage or promote specific brands or products. I brought this up at our Executive Committee meeting on May 6, asking what if Volkswagen, or Ford wanted to do the same thing and the mayor indicated that if they want to invest 75 million dollars then they could break our policies too, and that he would even name a child after them. So, there you have it when money talks, everyone looks the other way. Ordinary citizens are secondary to the interest of those with deep pockets. Setting A dangerous precedent and letting everyone know that Pickering has a casual attitude towards policies and that we opened the door to potential exploitation and abuse by corporate interests. There was also the EDI Strategy, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, to which both Pickering residents and communities beyond are not happy with. After doing lots of research we are seeing that both in the USA and Canada, EDI programs are being banned as these programs are being found to be discriminatory. We need to evolve as a society beyond divisive identity politics and splitting people into groups based on the colour of their skin, religion, and their sexual preferences, and refocus on treating people as individuals based on their character and promoting merit. As for the Community visitor plan, this was a decision of council not the public to move forward with the collection of Pickering resident's and visitor's data through methods such as tracking your cell phones and geo-fencing. Not only without your permission but without having adequate safeguards in place posing serious privacy risks to you, our residents. The council approved an agreement to execute a data usage license with Enbridge Gas to collect natural gas consumption data of your homes, and businesses. Agreeing to give Enbridge the right to monitor and collect your data, the Corporation of the City of Pickering received Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) through the Municipal Climate Action Incentive Offer. The Municipality now has the ability to request this data within two years of the application date. On February 5th Dale Quaife the City’s IT manager stated that we do not have any measures in place to protect the people of Pickering’s sensitive information. That’s another topic in itself, for another day, until then, the bigger question that needs to be asked is, why does the Corporation of the City of Pickering want information on how much gas consumption you as a personal homeowner or business use? As for Council's decision to involve the Ontario Human Rights Commission while a judicial review is in progress demonstrates a blatant disregard for the legal process. During my tenure, I have endured sexual, psychological, and threatening harassment by members of the Council. When I requested that these words be included in the initial letter to the OHRC and that it feature the names of all Council members, they refused. This reveals their character and indicates that they have personal vendettas against me driven by politically motivated actions and that they seem to feel they are above the law. That’s it for this month’s Robinson’s Council Highlights. For more information on any of these topics or anything else you would like to know about, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. Happy to chat. God Bless "Strength Does Not Lie In The Absence Of Fear, But In The Courage To Face It Head-On And Rise Above It"

How Much Does Poor Accounting Play a Role in Business Failure?

By Daryl Ching, CFA | Managing Partner Vistance Capital Advisory When an entrepreneur sets out to start a business, they often have a vision to launch a product or service that will change the world. Entrepreneurs are often either innovative inventors or masterful marketers, and in some rare cases, both. However, very rarely are entrepreneurs strong in accounting and finance, yet it is precisely accounting and finance that provide the lifeline required for a business to survive. It is an unfortunate reality that entrepreneurs must learn to deal with financial data and cash flow. The majority of small businesses at an early stage are set up with a part-time bookkeeper and a CPA firm that shows up once a year at year-end to generate annual financial statements and file taxes. Most business owners opt for the most cost-effective engagement called a “Compilation Engagement” (previously known as Notice to Reader), where the accountant is not required to undergo tests or provide any assurance that the financials are accurate. While this often results in a total spend of no more than $15,000-20,000 in accounting for the entire year, the end result is that the business owner has a set of financial statements that are very inaccurate. They may be good enough for tax purposes, but they are certainly not “investor ready”. Based on this state: · Business owners often know their annual top-line revenue and net profit, but not much detail in between on their profit and loss statement. · Business owners often do not know on a month-to-month basis how profitable they are and therefore lack understanding of what expenses they can afford to take on. Many early-stage business owners view accounting as a cost center and cannot fathom investing money into resources that do not directly generate revenue. There is money in the bank, the company is meeting its obligations, revenue is growing, and the CRA isn’t bothering them, so why does this matter? What really are the consequences of kicking this can down the road? 1. Being rejected for a loan or equity investment because the financial statements are inaccurate and do not match the business plan. The cleanup process may take months and cost thousands of dollars. 2. Being rejected for subsidies and grants from the government because the financial statements are inaccurate. 3. Running out of cash unexpectedly and having to tell employees and vendors they need to wait an extra month for their payment. 4. Losing money month to month and not fully understanding if it is the gross profit margin isn’t high enough on products and services or if fixed costs are too high. 5. Getting called for an audit by the CRA and being asked to produce invoices and banking transactions going back three years. These are the common drivers that force business owners to invest more in their accounting. They may not drive a company into insolvency, but they certainly are setbacks that are stressful, distracting, and can deviate the trajectory of a company’s success. So the question is, should an entrepreneur wait until something like this happens before they become proactive on accounting? According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 70% of small businesses fail within 10 years of startup. The most common reason for this failure is because they run out of cash. This is not to say that this is entirely a finance and accounting problem. It’s possible the company just couldn’t generate sales, the idea wasn’t strong enough, or they had a poor management team and couldn’t execute. However, it is also likely that a large number of them failed because they couldn’t raise the capital they needed, could not manage their expenses and cash flow, or weren’t charging enough for their products because they didn’t fully understand their gross margins. It is our opinion that an investment in accounting and finance at an early stage significantly increases the chances of business survival and will pay for itself because it can help business owners achieve their goals faster than trying to fly blind.

WHEN MUNICIPALITIES PRACTICE CENSORSHIP

when municipalities practice censorship By Joe Ingino Editor/Publisher ACCOMPLISHED WRITER/AUTHOR OF OVER 800,000 Published Columns in Canada and The United States “I live a dream in a nightmare world” Always Remember That The cosmic blueprint of your life was written in code across the sky at the moment you were born. Decode Your Life By Living It Without Regret or Sorrow. - ONE DAY AT A TIME - I always joke. When something does not seem right. Press, the ‘DON’T DRINK THE WATER’, button as it is the only explanation why one municipality after the other keeps falling for this out of control wave of disrespect towards taxpayers. Politicians across Durham like to fill their mouths with words like, inclusion, equality, fairness, openness. With catch phrases like “Supporting our local economies, our local businesses.” What they do not tell you is that if they can’t get a photo opt out of it or they benefit directly some way. You are black balled. I remember the days, when Oshawa was going from a public place to an institution. Members of the public would make presentations, become emotional over the lack of support from those elected and lash out. The most notorious was the Bill Steeles incident. A local activist that was set up by the City of Oshawa. During a particular municipal session. The City had called in for undercover to sit in chamber. During the meeting. Steeles was ruled out of order. Subsequently he was assaulted by a security guard as it appeared on a Rogers broadcast. This assault was resisted only to have the three undercover, jump him and remove the citizen by force. Since then, City of Oshawa chambers has become a fortress. 2 million tax payer dollars to protect staff and council members. Did you know that the Mayor of Oshawa has a body guard? 2 million of your tax dollars due to the incompetency of those elected on how to deal with the public and hostility. This past week. I witnessed Pickering becoming Oshawa. During the recent Pickering town meeting. Councillor Robinson vs Mayor Kevin Ashe standing feud, hit a fever pitch. Where is the integrity commissioner that is supposed to monitor and control such behavior coming from the Mayor. The Mayor during the meeting was asked by a delegate to apologize to a female councillor for telling her that if she did not behave he would put her on a short leash. When questioned why he would treat his fellow council woman with such respect and indirectly calling her a bitch. The mayor lost it and became silenced and would not apologize. In turn he tried to justify his statement ‘as that not what it means...’ Since the closing of Metroland. The politically motivated controlled through contract favored media company. The City refuses to do business with The Central unless we meet a particular criteria that was not mandated from The STAR. This type of unfair business practice does not serve anyone and contradict the ‘support your local businesses.’ The city has no way to get the word out to tax payers. One would have thought to support the only in print newspaper. No, instead they set up road block, while the City tax payers suffer in the shadows. All municipalities across the region have taken the path of forcing citizens to go online to get information, including important notices that they by law should be publishing in this paper. No instead municipalities have opted for posting notices online and deeming them published. This way they can control and monitor what they put out and that is censorship. This is wrong in so many ways but also a easy way for municipalities to contravene the Ontario Municipal Boards root purpose. This being that municipalities should be maintained at arms length in order to avoid censorship and or cohesion Clearly all municipalities fail to recognize the difference between what is deemed a post and what is deem publishing. By definition: Publish means to issue something for sale or distribution, while post, in this context as a verb, means to make public something-or-other. Provincial laws and regulations require municipalities to purchase public notices in newspapers, which are defined in the Legislation Act as a publication “printed in sheet form, published at regular intervals of a week or less and circulated to the general public.” Criteria that the award winning The Central has met for over 29 years. So why the exclusion in a region that prides itself on being inclusiveness, fairness, and openness to all business. Are their actions not hypocritical? The problem with modern day councils is that those we elect to office do not have the life experience and or the intellect to make the decisions they are faced with. What do they do. They turn to staff. Staff main objective is to keep their high paying jobs. They are given a task they do it to the best of their abilities. In turn. Councils take their recommendation as gospel and make decision that in many cases end up costing the tax payer dearly. This in part is why taxes keep going up. It is not about cost. It is about bad decision and wasteful spending. Staff does not care as they are doing their job. Council does not care as if something is a failure...they acted on staff recommendation. This leaving out the, “LEADERSHIP”, out of the equation. Council members that have sat for years, know best. Make no trouble and you be elected on name recognition time and time again. This is not the people’s representation. This is a dangerous game of collusion at best. You don’t play by their rules. You are black balled. They become untouchable and protected by law they make as they go along.

Beheading Canadian History

by Maj (ret'd) CORNELIU. CHISU, CD, PMSC, FEC, CET, P. Eng. Former Member of Parliament Pickering-Scarborough East With summer around the corner, Canadians are getting ready to celebrate Canada Day on the 1st of July. Unfortunately, a recent trend in Canada works to ignore and minimize the achievements of our nation’s builders, and even demonize them. It has become fashionable to demolish statues and change the names of streets, public buildings and other commemorative spaces, in an attempt to erase any trace of our historical greats. This reminds me of what went on in communist Romania during my youth. At that time, there was an avid tendency to rewrite history with an emphasis on what was politically correct and in line with the thinking of the then current regime the law and order; to toe the line of the respective doctrine. After more than half a century, I see that very similar things are happening in my adoptive country, Canada. I would never have believed, in my wildest dreams that I would have to go through this experience again. These trends are especially harmful for the youth of this country. They are the most affected by these radical changes to our history, promoted so enthusiastically and consistently by our homegrown globalist influenced delusional elites. Youth are no longer encouraged to find common bonds, but are pushed to focus on what divides them, instead. Wander the halls in any public high school in Toronto and the GTA, and you will see displays and murals commemorating Canada’s sins: Murdered and Missing Women and Girls, Black Lives Matter, Trans Rights Matter. Kids are fed a culture of division from their earliest days. Schools supposedly advocate inclusivity, but what they practice is segregation. Everyone must be labeled, put in a box. You belong to this race, this faith, this sexuality, this victimized group. You are this first, second and third, and then, somewhere at the end of the line, presumably, you are a humble Canadian. Not long ago, students used to sport the maple leaf when they backpacked abroad. Our nation’s leaders used to say “the world needs more Canada.” Not any more. Today, we are encouraged to be ashamed of the bad, ugly, colonialist and racist Canada. Having served the country to the best of my abilities in the Canadian Armed Forces and the House of Commons, I am now puzzled by what Canada has become. I am proud of Canada but I feel that it is no longer fashionable to say so out loud. Rather than acknowledging the complex history of Canada, Canada’s historical narrative is being actively rewritten by a politically correct, left-wing elitist minority to present a sanitized and ahistorical account that aligns better with the “values” of contemporary Canada. The significance of historic actors is being diminished through studying legacies with the lens of morality, intent on condemning imperfections. The way Canadian history is being dishonoured and diminished is revolting. What intrigues me most is the treatment of the memory of one of the greatest Canadian statesmen, Sir John A. Macdonald. Revisionist history has set its sights on Macdonald and will not relent until his image is totally destroyed. It seems to me that thoughts and opinions about him are forced into and distorted by today’s biased vision, which insists on pointing out only the errors he might have committed in a different century when he may have had good intentions that were executed badly. Not long ago, Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, used to be regarded as one of Canada’s greatest statesmen. Looked upon with reverence, his name adorned public institutions and his image was crafted in bronze monuments that towered over city streets. Today he is considered a disgraced politician, despite his momentous achievements and commendable dedication to building Canada. His memory faces the wrath of cancel culture and woke ideology that seeks to thrust the stains of Canada’s history onto a single individual. Few figures, if any, in Canadian history have suffered recently so drastic and unforgiving a decline as Macdonald. In 2018 the City of Victoria removed its Macdonald statue, built in 1982 following public donations. In 2020 Macdonald’s Wilmot Township statue in Ontario was removed, despite being part of a publicly funded project that sought to commemorate every Canadian prime minister. In April 2021 the Regina memorial to Macdonald, built following intense public lobbying over 75 years, was removed in secret. In May 2021, the Charlottetown statue of Macdonald was removed following a unanimous vote by Charlottetown City Council. The removal came after consulting a local Charlottetown First Nations community who did not call for the statue’s removal, but rather, provided recommendations on how to update the statue to better reflect their historic experiences. In June 2021 Macdonald’s statue located in City Park, Kingston, Ontario – built in 1895 following public desire – was forcefully toppled. Toronto’s Macdonald statue is currently encased in a wooden and burlap tomb where it has been in hiding for nearly four years. I am wondering whether, maybe, the Covid-19 pandemic brought on a new disease affecting our history, perhaps an unrecognized side-effect of the known dangerous effects on our general health. As of 2024, there is only one Macdonald statue left standing and uncovered in Canada, located on Parliament Hill. Fuelled by growing trends of revisionism, presentism, and “woke-ism,” Macdonald’s legacy is being destroyed as Canadian history is increasingly studied through the lens of contemporary morality, condemning imperfections and ignoring historical context. As a result, the grievances of contemporary Canada are heaped upon Macdonald as a way to help Canadians come to terms with the elements of Canada’s foundation that do not fit into the narratives of “progressivism,” “tolerance,” and “multiculturalism.” Macdonald’s image is distorted, questioned, and actively diminished. It unfairly renders him guilty of past injustices. Today’s Macdonald is often viewed as a racist, genocidal tyrant, reduced to a caricature of his shortcomings and diminished as a drunk. I hope that this nonsense will end soon, and reason will prevail so Canadians can reclaim the accurate image of Sir John A. Macdonald and others who had a role in making Canada the great nation of today. No one has the right to judge only the negatives of Canada. We all need to find a way to improve our country and not demonize it gratuitously. Let us hope and work for a summer to be proud of, with the Canadian flag flying high!

The Surprising Reality of Ukraine's Middle-Aged Soldiers

By Dale Jodoin In Ukraine, most soldiers fighting on the front lines are middle-aged, with an average age of around 43 years years old. This is surprising because we often think of soldiers as being young and fit. However, in Ukraine, many older men, often aged between 40 and 65, are the ones stepping up to defend their country. There are several reasons why Ukraine's soldiers are older. First, there are simply more men aged 40-59 in Ukraine than there are men aged 18-25. This means there are more middle-aged men available to serve. Additionally, Ukraine's conscription policies have traditionally aimed to protect younger men by setting the lower age limit for conscription at 27. The idea was to safeguard the future of the country by keeping younger generations out of the war. However, due to the ongoing conflict and high casualty rates, there have been talks about lowering this age to 25 to get more recruits. Older soldiers bring both advantages and challenges to the Ukrainian military. On the one hand, they often have more life experience and can be more psychologically stable, which is very important in the high-stress environment of war. They also tend to have valuable technical skills and professional experience that can be very useful. On the other hand, older soldiers might not be as physically resilient or quick to recover from the strains of combat compared to younger soldiers. This can impact their effectiveness in demanding roles that require rapid movement and physical endurance. If a similar situation were to occur in countries like Canada or the United States, the implications would be significant. Middle-aged soldiers might be able to provide steady, experienced presence on the battlefield, but there would also be concerns about their physical capacity to endure prolonged combat operations. One major difference in these countries, however, is the cultural attitude towards military service and resilience. In recent years, there has been a noticeable trend among younger generations in Canada and the United States to seek out "safe spaces" and prioritize mental well-being over traditional notions of toughness and resilience. This trend is often criticized by older generations who view it as a sign of weakening resolve and a lack of preparedness for the harsh realities of life, including military service. The focus on mental health and safe spaces is not inherently negative; it represents a shift towards recognizing and addressing psychological well-being. However, in the context of military readiness, this cultural shift poses unique challenges. The military environment is inherently stressful and demanding, requiring individuals to cope with high-pressure situations and physical strain. In Canada, for instance, the Canadian Armed Forces have faced challenges in recruiting and retaining personnel. The emphasis on creating an inclusive and supportive environment has sometimes clashed with the traditional demands of military service. Efforts to modernize the military culture to be more inclusive and supportive of mental health are ongoing, but they must be balanced with maintaining operational effectiveness. In the United States, similar trends are evident. The U.S. military has also had to adapt to changing societal norms and attitudes towards mental health. The integration of mental health services and support systems within the military is crucial, but it also highlights the tension between supporting soldiers' well-being and preparing them for the rigors of combat. If Canada or the United States were to face a situation similar to Ukraine's, where a significant portion of the military forces is composed of older soldiers, it would necessitate a reevaluation of current policies and cultural attitudes. The experience of Ukraine shows that older soldiers can be effective, but they also face unique challenges that must be addressed. One potential approach is to foster a culture of resilience and readiness among younger generations without dismissing the importance of mental health. This can be achieved through comprehensive training programs that emphasize physical fitness, mental toughness, and adaptability, while also providing robust support systems for mental health. Additionally, policies that encourage voluntary service and provide incentives for younger individuals to join the military can help balance the age distribution of military personnel. This could include educational benefits, career development opportunities, and other incentives that make military service an attractive option for young people. Ukraine's reliance on older soldiers highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of an aging military force. While they bring valuable experience and stability, the physical demands of modern warfare may require a reevaluation of current conscription policies to ensure a more balanced and capable military force. For Canada and the United States, the challenge lies in fostering a culture that values both resilience and mental well-being, ensuring that the military remains prepared for future conflicts while supporting the psychological health of its personnel.

Sharing Too Much Information May Hinder Your Job Search

By Nick Kossovan In Mad Men’s season four episode Waldorf Stories, Roger Sterling tells Don Draper, who'd just interviewed a junior copywriter candidate, who unbeknownst to him was Roger's wife's cousin, advice he gave him he knew seldom works in the corporate world: "I told him to be himself. That was pretty mean, I guess." The key to getting hired is telling your interviewer what they want to hear without sinking yourself by telling him or her what they don't need to hear. Always remember: Employers make judgments about what you communicate. For example, if you live close to the employer, you should let them know, as this will be seen as a plus, whereas if you don't, you should keep it to yourself. (e.g., If you live quite a distance away, stating your address on your resume could disqualify you as a candidate who's not "geographically desirable.) The hiring process, especially at the interview stage, is a process of disqualification. 500 applicants, one position to fill necessitates disqualifying 499 candidates, which makes hiring a fundamentally adversarial process. Therefore, the fewer excuses you give an employer why they shouldn't hire you, the higher your odds of getting hired. I see it all the time: job seekers who run themselves into walls by oversharing. More than once, I wanted to say, "Don't say that! You're coming across as if you can't control yourself." Nobody is entitled to acceptance. I know from firsthand experience that being "myself" often has consequences. Call it arrogance or overconfidence; in terms of job searching, I'm a let the chips fall where they may type of guy. For me, it's imperative I feel welcomed and I'm a good fit. Therefore, throughout the hiring process, I don't hide my personality, hobbies or how I approach and value my work. If I'm not hired for those reasons—being who I am— which has happened many times, then that's not an employer I'd be comfortable working for; therefore, I averted what would have been a negative working situation. Despite my "this is who I am" attitude, I'll say this as someone who has worked in the corporate world for longer than I care to admit: Sometimes, you need to filter, especially when speaking with someone who can hire you. Learning how to read a room—call it having "social intelligence"—and using your reading to know what to say and, more importantly, what not to say is a skill that'll serve you well. It should go without saying that what you communicate about yourself will influence what the other person thinks of you. Hence, before "communicating," ask yourself if what you're about to reveal, be it on your resume, LinkedIn profile, social media or especially during an interview, will help or hinder you. What will the reader/person you're speaking with do with the information you're offering? Over the years, I've interviewed many different personality-type people, resulting in some interesting interactions. I once had a candidate reveal they were seriously contemplating having a sex change and were in the process of consulting doctors. I still have no clue why they decided to bring this up. When communicating with employers, only share relevant information about yourself that will sell you as an asset to the bottom line and enable them to gauge you as you want them to, thereby influencing some, but not all, of the employer's hiring decision-making narrative, including, but again not all, biases. For me, I want a potential employer to gauge whether I, as authentic me (key), will be a fit, thus why I communicate who I am as much as I do. I don't want to put on a show to be accepted, only to end up in a workplace that doesn't work for me. NOTE: I speak for myself. Suppose you want to convey you're a team player. In this case, besides offering examples from your work history, mention you play in an adult baseball league. Want your interviewer to see you as someone creative? Then, mention you paint landscapes. Compassionate? Let your interviewer know you volunteer at the local suicide hotline. Healthy? Mention you jog 5 km every evening to unwind. Fair or not, everything you communicate about yourself, including your speech (e.g., vocabulary, pronunciation, use of profanity) and physical appearance, is used to form an opinion about you. You control much of how people perceive you, which means you control the determining hiring decision factor: Hiring managers hire candidates they feel good about. As a rule, steer clear of the obvious taboo subjects—religion, politics, gossip, conspiracy theories and partying. In addition, don't bring up: · Your finances. · Having a side business. · Your retirement plans. · That you're desperate for a job. · Health issues that won't interfere with your job performance or require special accommodations. When you overshare, especially during an interview, you increase the odds of providing information that'll be used to disqualify you. Before you say anything, post it on your social media or LinkedIn profile or include it on your resume; think carefully about how you'll be perceived, then act accordingly _____________________________________________________________________ Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers advice on searching for a job. You can send him your questions at artoffindingwork@gmail.com

NOT IN MY BACKYARD

By Rosaldo Russo Allow me to begin this column by thanking the Oshawa/Central newspaper for allowing me the opportunity and access to the press. Not to many if any allow an average person like me to tell the world what I see and think. In my opinion. The Editor/Publisher is a real upstanding type of guy. He shoots from the hip and hold traditional core values. My name is Rosaldo Russo. I came to this great country to make a better life for myself and my family. I thank Canada for everything it has allowed me to do and earn. I worked construction all my life. I know the value of hard work and honesty. I remember as a boy my father always telling me to work hard and buy land. So I did. I remember days when I did not have enough to eat. I go to work... but I did not wait for hand outs. I rounded up my pride my skill and my determination to succeed and went to work. In those days the only benefits we received was the fact we were employed. Before retiring I was the owner and operator of local material supply company that allowed me to retired without worry. Now that I have time to enjoy life. I look around me and have some concern for future generations. I see that the world is finished. What is wrong with this country? What is wrong with out Federal government? OK, that is a rhetorical question as we all know what is wrong with it and counting the days to an election. Then, again. Do we truly have an alternative choice. Are we jumping from the frying pan on to the fire, when it comes to Canadian politics? I personally think, that it should be illegal to support foreign wars. That we as the Canadian government should stop supporting foreign civil wars and or war in general. We are supposed to be a peace loving nation. Not one that take sides on global conflict in order to obtain votes back home and or make it look like the average Canadian gives a rats ass. As Canadians we should care about Canadians. We should stop funding the Ukraine for example and use that money to dissolve the suffering happening on a daily basis right here at home. Suffering at many levels. From the person loosing their home due to foreclosure. To the many that are forced to live on the streets. Many today that live on our streets are not drug addicts. They are folk like me and you. Living in cars. In some cases with young children. Sure there is social services. But there is also basic human pride. I know personally. I would never turn to hand out. I would work 5 jobs 24 hours a day in order to preserve my dignity and pride, and not that flag waving rainbow crap. We as Canadians need to raise our standards. Get rid of this everything is ok mentality. Unify our people so that our customs, traditions and culture is preserved. I was born in Italy. I cam to this country for a reason. To contribute and to be proud to call myself Canadian. I do not expect anyone to learn my language. To eat my food. I will not dress other than within Canadian norms and traditions. I read about students negotiating at Durham College with administrators over the Palestine situation. I say, throw them in jail. Take their academic status away and if not from this country. Send them back. I don’t have to accept you. You on the other hand owe Canada for the opportunity to be here. CANADA FOR CANADIANS.