Time to clear out the email bag--- but first a reminder about our upcoming guests and stories:
Monday- Coun. Jeff Browaty and a Grey Cup reviw with Blue Bomber punter Troy Westwood
Tuesday: Mayor Sam Katz from 4-5 PM
Wed- Friday: Special Series-- everything the mainstream media doesn't want you to know about Climategate
Wed Dec. 9th - Bart Jose of http://www.artistsemporium.net/
Friday Dec. 11 - Coun. Harvey Smith
(later in December-- Ace Burpee of HOT103, lawyer Jack King, and a special guest for the holidays!)
A big thank you to everyone who participated in and contributed to The Kerry Brown Tribute show on November 10th. Here is an email we got from his mother in response to the story by SLAM!Sports writer Richard Kamchen:
Hi Richard,
I just finished reading your writeup on the tribute, I am blessed with everything you had to say, I will keep this email with me till I am gone. I have regrets now that I did'nt see any of Kerry's matches live as I was totally impressed with the wrestlers Tuesday night, they were so respectful and kind in their remarks to me and Kerry's family, I felt a kinship with them all.
Please let them know how I feel and may God bless all of you folks.
Regards to all
Bernice
Also, please check out the online audio tribute to wrestler/videographer Adam Dykes "Adam Firestorm", by his broadcast partner Ian Hamilton at Ringside Live, with interviews with Pacific Northwest wrestlers Bryan Alvarez, Buddy Wayne, Adam's former tag partner "Strife" Happy Kreter, his trainer and mentor Gorgeous Michelle Starr, and special audio of Adam and his son Thomas.
Adam was a very, very close friend of mine and a partner in our Power Po Wrestling enterprise which landed us a record-setting appearance on CBC-TV's Dragons Den in October of 2007. He appeared on The Nighthawk during my CJOB stint last summer with an Olympic protests report, and was a brilliant man with great ability in multimedia and in making people laugh.
Jason Clevett wrote about his passing on SLAM! Wrestling http://www.wrestling-online.com/ringside/
as did I in this backgrounder to the events which led to his passing http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2009/11/14/11746321.html.
God rest his soul.
***************************
Anniversary and Story of the Year
Marty
It has been my pleasure to be a part of the Great Canadian Talk Show's team since day one! Yes, it was just you and me on the first day with no fan fare or pre-promotion 3 years ago. No one knew about the show except for those in our immediate circles of influence. In the past three years the audience has grown exponentially. I still remember when an unnamed legislature figure referred to us as 'lesser media' and I look back and smirk. The lesser has become the leader.
There is no media outlet in Winnipeg that does anything close to what you do. MSM does not have the patience to read reports thoroughly, the institutional memory to flag a story that doesn't ring true with the past, or the Independence to tell the truth without fear of lost Government ad dollars. This is what you and only you (maybe a few bloggers) bring to the people of Winnipeg.
It's the beginning of the end for many MSM outlets. Remember the Gandhi quote- we're living it:
"First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. Then they fight you. Then you win."
Government and mainstream media types started by ignoring us, then laughed about the show and put down bloggers, now the fight stage is starting. Alternative media will win. And Marty, in this neck of the woods, you are the leader.
Congrats of three stellar years! Stir it up more in year number four!!!
Captain Audio
"Story of the year absolutely must be Rebate Gate "
This story has so many facets to it, it covers not only extreme government corruption, but also the mass media cover up of it. Yes it was "mentioned" in the media, but really in passing.
Rebate Gate is nothing more then pure theft of tax dollars by "our" government for their own bank accounts. I know full well that EVERY government mis-manages files and policies. EVERY government will eventually get sloppy and treat their friends to many perks for their years of support. We all get used to this as BUSINESS AS USUAL.
However, when a government actually steals money, and that’s what they did, purely to pad the lining of their pockets, that is where the line is drawn at complete unacceptability.
Although from what has been revealed is a lot less money then the amount of tax money that the Liberal Governement of Canada stole during the sponsordhip scandal, the principle of theft is still maintained. Both parties took money out of the tax base illegally and put it into their bank accounts.
Money they had no right to and only were able to secure it by stealing it from us by accounting tricks.
But we know all of this, and this is why this must be the story of the year.
As I said before, every government will screw up and mis-manage a project. They will put "friends" in high places. They will waste money left right and centre on programs that make no sense or benefit the groups who put them in power. BUT actual theft of tax dollars is an aggregious use of absolute power. Something so vile and disgusting, and the only thing worse then all of that is that Manitobans were not given even a quarter of the story from the media coverage because of the relationships that they have with the NDP Government.
We were given the glossy, rose colored glasses version told to us by Gary Doer, who basically said there was no story here, just a mis-understanding with Elections Manitoba, and the MSM simply goes along with that.
This web of deceit is woven so intricately, that it took almost 10 years to come to light. Everything from stealing money from the tax payer to our current Premier throwing the other 25 candidates and agents under the bus to paying off the head of Elections Manitoba in order to make everything "go away".
No disrespect to the stories on the nomination list, ironically this one not even on the list, but this hits on every theme of your show from naming names to government corruption to the gatekeepers of information and even to your new theme for this coming year of whistleblowers.
Marty this must be the story of the year.
Thanks for everything you do on your show, it's one of a kind and greatly needed here in this city. It's the only forward moving and thinking thing in Winnipeg.
L.
****************
Another illiterate complainer
Mr. Gold most Winnipeggers are tired of your constant criticism of the NDP Government if this was the Conservatives in power would you make these's comments, i hope Gary Filmon goes nowhere near MTS as he was the one who sold it off and it was he and hs party that are responsible for hallway medicine and the nursing shortage making him the worst premier in Manitoba history. As for the audit on personal care homes you should be restrained and put into a care home as you are rambling & senile, as for your hatred of Gordon Sinclair Jr saying he's a tired old concept while the same could be said about you, Sinclair has more class and dignity than you ever will.
CB
************
Diamond lanes
Hi Marty,
I was listening to your show today while driving north down Main St. from downtown back to work. I work at a locally owned North End business. I am concerned about the addition of these diamond lanes which run down Main street until Inkster Blvd.
The businesses on Main St. were not notified of the addition of the diamond lanes, although the city claims they were. As well, the no parking sign between Bannerman and Atlantic is placed directly against the building, where it is not visible from the road.
Not only does the addition of the diamond lane affect business, it has also forced certain businesses without parking lots to change their hours so their customers do not get tickets.
While driving in rush hour today, I only say one bus using the diamond lane. The 18 and 32 (express) North Main are the only buses that run on Main St. past Mountain Ave. They come aproximately once every ten minutes.
Is it fair that businesses and customers suffer for the purpose of 2 buses using the diamond lane? Why do we need to lose the parking lane on a street that has four lanes? Further more, why were we not notified, and why is it so poorly posted?
Colin Butler
***************
PARKING - overnight paid parking on 300 block Ross Avenue
Hi Marty,
I spoke to Dave Hill this morning. He admitted the parking stations on Ross were both incorrectly signed and programmed.
I've been assured that it will be corrected in short order.
Coun. Jeff Browaty
*****************
more parking - "Skymeter"
Marty,
Some thoughts/complaints about Dave Hill's latest innovation for Winnipeg parkers; "SKYMETER" - another way to allow a person to monopolize a parking space for the entire day.
The "variss" system already allows this, but you are obligated to make a phone call to initiate this process. Regardless, it allows the parking spot to be occupied all day by one vehicle.
The parking meters and I assume the Pay Stations used to allow periods of 1 hour or two hours (1 complete cycle of the meter or the complete allowable time stated on the pay station) before you had to vacate the spot so it would allow a turnover for other vehicles. The maximum allowed in any case was 2 hours. Tires were chalked and time in excess of these limits resulted in a ticket for OVERTIME METER PARKING.
Overtime meter parking is not currently being enforced and hasn't been for some time and as far as I know, by-laws have not changed to allow more than 2 hours of metered parking, even if otherwise stated. By-laws can only be changed by Resolution or by a Motion to amend, voted on and passed by Council, not on the whim of WPA management.
Another downside to the above systems is that it creates more work for the "ground level" by-law enforcement and dispatch people, in that they have to check every vehicle with expired parking privileges to ensure that they have not extended their time by phone and soon by GPS, although I'm sure it makes it easier for some senior (supervisors/managers) employees.
A loyal listener
Hi Marty,
My opinion is, once again Dave Hill is playing his little power games. If you think parking is a problem now, wait until they implement this system. Most parking by-laws would no longer be relevant.
But wait he already ignores the very by-laws with which he is charged to uphold, that would be the meter/residential parking passes which give you free parking. The by-laws themselves do not allow for the current system nor the new high tech one. City council would have to make many changes to the by-laws in order for these system to be legal.
And what about equipment the enforcement officers need in order to do their jobs? The technology they are using now doesn't work. Think about the amount of money the parking authority would have to spend to purchase new equipment.
I think Dave Hill is looking to spend more money than he has, where is he getting this money? I wonder how much ticket revenue is down from previous years? I think he just loves playing with other people's money for his whims and toys instead of dealing with parking issues, allow the officers to do their jobs instead of having them spend two hours checking empty and locked parking lots. I have to wonder how much of a hand Dave Hill had in the potential sale of the Winnipeg Square parkade? Just a thought.
As for a mandate how can you have a mandate when you keep changing the rules? Honestly many times at work we were told about a new change and believe it or not a half hour or so later we would all receive a radio call telling us of a new change to the new rule. Believe me it was confusing at times. And that's if they bothered to tell you at all. People get written up because they broke a rule they hadn't been told about. So how can they have a mandate?
G
****
speaking of the Parking Authority...
Marty,
I have done some follow up from our discussion yesterday and have some responses for you.
The first issue I asked about has to do with the Special Constables. I have confirmed that the process of appointing special constables changed a couple of years ago. The City is now permitted to make these appointments administratively, and the Courts are accepting this. WPA uses the same process for making appointments as Planning Property and Development, Police, and Community services. Our legal services advise that we are doing this correctly.
I asked for more information about the 12 hour pay stations. The WPA says that they are adjusting some of the new pay stations on the outer edge of downtown to allow longer parking periods, 12 hours at the moment. They are in lower demand areas, the idea is to use the fee $1 per hour to manage the turnover. The WPA says that it is working out well, revenues are up, tickets are down, people are happier.
I also raised the issue of inadequate communication where meters are going up in residential areas particularly in the inner city. The WPA says that residential permits are not for making money, they just refund the cost of some of the work we do, and encourage people to use their own property where possible. (they cost $20 per year) If people know about these permits and get one, they can park for free and 1 and 2 hour restrictions don’t apply. They also get a free guest pass. He said they are working on a better communication program. I have strongly emphasized that the WPA should do a mail drop into each home affected directly from new meters and not rely solely on the internet.
Hope this helps with some of the issues we discussed.
Regards,
Jenny Gerbasi
Councillor, Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry
Phone: (204)986 5878
speaking of the Gerbasi interview...
Hi Marty
You asked the councillor a question regarding the status of peace officer or special constables relating to the parking authority. She replied that we had been appointed as per the Province.
I don't know if you've read the Provinical Police Act. I have. Don't understand all of it, but in article 6.2, it indicates that only 100 peace officers or special constables could be appointed. And that was for the Provinicial Police Force. As a matter of fact, most of the Act seemed to deal with Police Agencies. Thus I have to question the validity of her reply regarding the Police Act. The Police themselves will tell you that you must be sworn in, but I suppose different rules for different people. Keeping in mind that the Parking Authority IS NOT a Police Agency which is why MPI won't give them access to their systems.
I'm sorry Councillor I thought you an excellent apologist for David Hill and the Parking Authority, are you perhaps the one who has been protecting him? And no Ms. Gerbasi, he is not particularly good at his job. He knows parking lots and parkades, he doesn't know street enforcement which is a whole other dynamic than private lots.
F
Marty,
Residential parking passes are not usually recognized in paid parking areas. The reason they are recognized at present was that WPA put in pay stations in areas where residents already had passes and had to allow passes there and henceforth had to allow them in all areas (that the pass was effective in). When the current passes expire, I will be surprised if the WPA will still recognize passes in pay areas.
H
******************
Hydro and furnaces
Marty,
While the new condensing gas furnaces are very efficient, they are problematic as you said.
Electric furnaces are 100% efficient... they use ALL the electricity they get. There is NO heat wasted up a chimney (or out a pipe)
I heard a rumour that MB Hydro was considering a "surcharge" for all electric households which would be a "penalty" for people not using any natural gas. My understanding was that this wouldn't be subject to a PUB ruling.
Sort of a slap in the face considering Wpg Hydro used to give a discounted rate to all electric households years ago.
Hydro wants us to go "green" so they can sell the power.
P
***********
crime
Hey marty, I am regular listener of your show. How in the world do these kind of things happen, do the tall foreheads not understand the world around them! I mean really, everytime you do the crime / courts report its like deja vu every single day! WHERE IS THE ACCOUNTABILITY!!
I am still young and these absolutely horrid crimes keep happening more and more I have to wonder whether I will remain in this city in years to come.
Keep up the good work, ask the questions that others won't ask.
j
******************
Personal care Homes
Marty
I guess Teresa Oswald just simply never ceases to amaze me.
Yesterday, our favorite Auditor General slapped the NDP Government with a charge that more then half of the provinces personal care homes meet 4 of the 5 core Provincial standards that this very NDP Government brought in in 2005. What is that?? They are operating at a 20% success rate?
This should be a damming charge to the system when more then half of the facilities do not meet patient care plans, use of restraints, pharmacy services and training for staff.
Basically Carol Bellringer is saying aside form making sure the buildings are not falling apart and that people who shouldn't be there don't get in, they are failing in every other aspect.
They are failing at patient care plans??? Is this not the purpose of these facilities? To care for the elderly who can no longer care for themselves? How can more then half of the facilities fail at this?
And when "Minister" Oswald is questioned about this, what is her answer??? She tells Global's Jeff Keele last night that "Oh, well the problem actually is that we made the standards TOO HIGH!!!!!
Are you friggin kidding me, they go in and bring our old crappy standards up to be consistant with other provinces FOUR YEARS AGO. They have had FOUR YEARS to get facilities up to standard and her excuse is, "Sorry, we made the standards too high".
Apprantly Teresa Oswald is telling us that really we are a have not province because trying to play catch up with the other provinces is simply too hard. Exactly how long does she suggest we wait for standards to come up to the level of other provinces? Who knows maybe by then, we will have to make even newer standards to catch up to the other provinces again.
Can this "Minister" not take any responsibility for anything? There is always someone else to blame, other then her disasterous, mis-managed, bungling department.
Amazingly in the past 4 years I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the projects they have given money to that make absolutely no sense, when they could have been focusing on fulfilling their own standards that I am positive they put out a press release for about 10 times.
It's really bad when you force these crappy regurgitated press releases down our throats telling us how wonderful you are as a government and just how amazing a service you are developing for us, but then in the meantime actually do nothing, zippo, nidlaw.
Then FOUR YEARS LATER, when you get caught, it's announced to the Province that "Hey you know that thing you told us you were going to do to bring out personal care home standards up to that of other provinces, you actually haven't done anything", you have the BALLS to say, well it's really not us, it's the standards, you know the ones we developped? Well it turns out they are too high.
It's simply too tough for us to keep our own word. We really researched those standards, we wanted to be like other provinces, you know give our elderly the same care that they could get say in Regina or Kenora, but it's too hard. Sorry, please give us more time.
I will tell you exactly how much more time we will give them, only because we have no other choice. October 2011.
N
***************
Election Finance Scam
Marty
It is very clear that "Today's NDP" needs a refresher course in how to run open and transparent democratic elections.
It appears to me and I am sure many others that they view the election process as means to an end. They cook the books during provincial elections to their financial benefit. Now even when they choose a new leader they eat their young. What with union manipulation (20% vote in delegate process) and many spoiled ballots during the delegate process it is very clear that they manipulate the election process to their own advantage.
What with Remembrance Day just around the corner I am sure that many a brave Canadian solider who sacrificed their life for democracy is rolling in their grave. Oh the shame!!
BC
**************
RE: Freep letter writer Bruce Clark of Palm Springs attacking Lindor Reynolds and defending the killer of Gage Guimond
A few comments on this:
"...writing that his killer played the "race card" or that she "scooted off to the reserve" trivializes the tragic life of Shirley Guimond and dismisses her own past..."
Guimond is a severely damaged human being who, at one time in her sad life, would have evoked Reynolds' sympathy not her enmity.
I take that this excuses Guimond for her actions? How about everyone else? Shall we litter the highways with the corpses of broken children because their parents or caregivers were "in a bad way" or had some sort of problem?
Either we take responsibility for our actions, or we do not: If we take responsibility, we must aggressively punish those who kill, maim, torture, abuse, rape, steal etc. If we do not take responsibility, we must accept our lot in life - to be killed, maimed, tortured, abused, raped and stolen from, with impunity, by those who have had "hardships" in the past. The bright side is that being a victim now allows you to terrorize others with impunity!!!
"instead reinforces the notion that First Nations people can't seem to look after their children. "
1) Of all the kids who died while under the care of the various CFS organizations in the province over the past (5, 10, 50) years, how many were in aboriginal care and how many in non-aboriginal care?
2) Sad to say, but look at the math: In Manitoba, how many children are in the care of others all of the combined CFS agencies. Next, look at how many are in the care of Metis or aboriginal CFS organizations and work out the percentage. The overwhelming majority of children in care are aboriginal/metis.
From the result of either point above, you find one of two things: Either "white people" are imposing a higher standard of care upon aboriginals than is reasonable (wait - the standard is the same for both aboriginal or non-aboriginals, so it can't be that) or maybe, just maybe, there are some fundimental problem that needs to be addressed.
"Native child and family services are removing native children from loving, caring, white foster parents and placing them in an abusive and sometimes fatal situation with native relatives to ensure that the "white is taken out of the children."
The policy is refered to as placing them in "culturally appropriate" housing - to ensure that their culture, values and beliefs are taught to the children. For the native leadership, it would seem, a child is better off being a "dead indian" than an "apple" (red on the outside, white on the inside - a phrase I first heard on a CBC radio documentary).
After all - a dead child is a rallying point. A live child, in a community where their are jobs, good healthcare, decent education and no history of abuse is not newsworthy.
TC
*************
Aboriginal School division divisive?
Marty,
I was listening to CBC Radio this morning and heard that the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg thinks there should be an aboriginal school division. You have to be a committed racialist to believe an aboriginal school division is necessary. You have to believe that those Caucasian-in-appearance school board trustees are so racist that they don't even know how racist they are; you have to believe that they can't help discriminating against aboriginals. So separate schools are needed with separate school boards.
Why stop there? Indeed how can you stop there? Separate everything. Unless the qualifier of 'aboriginal' is affixed to any object, it isn't fair to aboriginals. The only people thinking in one-dimensional terms of race are the Aboriginal Council of Winnipeg. We used to call the Council's proposals, "segregation." Now it's called, "culturally appropriate."
FD
*************
Pat Martin
Marty,
I received Pat Martin's Special Report on Poverty in the mail last week. Martin says of his own riding: "... Winnipeg Centre has amongst the highest rates of child poverty in Canada." Martin blames successive federal governments for not redistributing enough wealth to eliminate child poverty but as the long-standing MP for Winnipeg Centre, what does this say about Martin's effectiveness?
You can't legislate morals and some people simply have more kids than they can afford. Arguably, our gratuitous welfare state enables irresponsible parenting. If that's the case, redistributing more wealth would mean more kids which would mean more child poverty. The War on Child Poverty is perfect for the tireless crusader.
But that's just the usual warmed-over Marxism from the NDP.
In his Special Report on Poverty, Pat Martin writes one of the most bizarre statements I have ever read from a Canadian politician: "We live in the richest and most powerful civilization in the history of the world." What do the Pharoahs of Egypt or the Emperors of Rome have on us? The Sphinx is no match for the Golden Boy and the Coliseum of Rome looks like a spitoon compared to our glorious and haughty Esplanade Riel. We're so great that history books haven't even begun to write about our greatness.
If injudicious statements were a gauge of competence for elected members of parliament, Pat would be appointed a senator.
Keep up the good work,
M
*******************
