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 Snobelen |
and a cast of characters to be added as time progresses... |
 K-dink* |
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PATIENT DIES ON STRETCHER, Mar.29th MPP Gerard Kennedy, the Liberal health critic, said there should be a lot of concern about this incident because it was just one person and no bed could be found for him. "What if it was a multi-car accident [or a major disaster]?" he asked. "They couldn't find a bed for just one person[!]" "There's no substitute for cash to hire nurses" Kennedy said, adding that [Toronto] hospitals have lost about 35% of available beds. |
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ON WORKOUTS: "Our workouts at the 'Social Services' Gym have left Shelley and I in fighting trim -like Batman & Robin, Lois & Clark or Woodward & Bernstein! We are ready for that fat-nosed Palooka. All we need is a 'Deepthroat' to give us the dirt on DIONNEGATE!" [Apologies to Peter & Shelley for Editorial License!] |
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"Sap" Snobelen. |
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"The Great Navigator" |
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Greatest Inventions. |
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"Status Quo" Financing. |
"God help us if gov't takes over education!" [editor's paraphrase]
(Hint: someone who was a school trustee after an "illustrious"
career in teaching).
"We let legalese and bureaucratese get in the way of just real people."
"This was certainly not our finest hour"[ but of course we will continue on in the same vein to show we really care about poor, older women].
"Let's create a crisis in education".
"Ontario's welfare fraud hotline has saved taxpayers $15 million."
"(Our government)...is the best thing that ever happened to Toronto"
"I'm never embarrassed....[I'm too dense to get it!]*For every right answer you get, you will automatically be put on that Tories' mailing list and receive the latest gospel according to Mendacity at least twice a week!
"The modern culture of lying. From half-truth to untruth, deception has become a major 20th-century art....Welcome to the Wonderful World of Dissembling...[and Mike Harris!]." Toronto Star caption.
*"School boards fear $3 billion in cuts. The
province plans to siphon at least $3 billion out of Onario's education system
by the year 2000...The school board breaks down the cuts like this:
+NDP social contract cuts took $425 million from 1993 to 1996
+Tory cuts took $525 million in the 1996-97 fiscal year
+Boards have been told to expect another $1.1 billion in cuts from now to
the year 2000
+No allowance has been made by the province for inflation or enrolment growth
between now and 2000, costing $1.2 billion."
Niagara
Falls Review, Sept. 29, 1997.
*"Clerics decry Tory-induced 'moral crisis'.
Ontario is facing a 'spiritual and moral crisis' because of the Tory governement's
social policies, particularly welfare reform, religious leaders say in an
open letter to Premier Mike Harris."
Leslie
Schrivener, Toronto Star, Nov. 6th, 1997.
"Let's give a honk for public education."
Lorrie Goldstein, Toronto Sun, Nov.9
"Tories
home in on the homeless...Since taking
office almost three years ago, Premier Mike Harris has turned a troubling
housing problem into a public shame. His policies have forced peple out
of their homes and into the street. True, thousands of men, women and children
had no homes when Harris was elected. Many were psychiatric patients who
had been discharged into inadequate community care. Others were victims
of the recession. So what did Harris do? First, he scrapped all new public
housing programs, including long-planned pprojects to provide homes to the
poor and the mentally ill. Next, he cut welfare rates by 22 per cent - a
move that sparked thousands of evictions in Metro alone...This year, he
dumped Ontario's aging, dilapidated public husing stock on local municipalities
without enough money to repair or maintain the apartments, townhouses and
co-ops that house more than 100,000 poor seniors, families and people with
physical and mental disabilities...But Health Minister Elizabeth Witmer
is about to do the most harm. She has ordered more than half of Ontario's
5,282 psychiatric beds to close, including five of 10 psychiatric hospitals...
After all this, the Tories are suddenly discovering there is a problem...(and)
This week, Community and Social Services Minister Janet Ecker announced
a new $6 million task force to study the issue. The taskforce has no deadline,
and apparently no clear mandate...Many believe Harris' new task force is
simply a stalling tactic that will give the government an excuse not to
do anything because the problem is under review... If the Tories cared whether
children grow up in squalor, whether the disabled can live in dignity, whether
our elderly have enough to eat, they would not have launched the massive
attack on social programs that created such desperate homelessness in the
first place. Actions speak louder than words."
Editorial,
Toronto Star, Feb. 2nd
"Schools
facing shortfall.
First the megacity and now the school board. The province has short-changed
the Toronto District School Board by $37 million...Education Minister Dave
Johnson, who issued the funding announcement said the new Toronto board
will have to cut costs... [Then, through some mind-boggling logic!] Johnson
insisted the grants will maintain the 'status quo' until September..."
Jeff Harder, Toronto Sun, Jan. 17th.
"Death
of a hospital.
As Wellesley's lifeblood ebbs away, it's people are suffering the stages
of loss. It's court fight to stave off closing is
all but over. Dozens of doctors, nurses and managers have left or resigned,
including just last month, the vice-president of nursing and acting director
of finance. And its medical programs are struggling to provide daily
care to patients with a propped-up work force of interns, agency nurses
and temporary physicians."
Rita Daily, Toronto Star, Jan. 8th
IF YOU DARE SEND US EMAILS: WE WILL NOTIFY OUR IP AND ACCUSE YOU OF HARRIS-MENT!
IF YOU SEND US REGULAR MAIL: WE WILL NOTIFY CANADA POST AND HAVE THEM MAKE YOU STOP SENDING US MAIL!
"ER
backlog'serious', says Harris...'If it's
one hospital (redirecting patients) it's not a big deal...but its quite
a number of hospitals right now, so its a serious situation' Harris said.
He said his government is addressing the problem through a special task
force announced yesterday. Liberal health critic Gerard Kennedy dismissed
the task force as a 'public relations Band-aid.' Kennedy said the quality
of care is slipping as government budget cuts slash into the numbers of
nurses and acute-care beds available to patients.
'It's almost Third World...'"
Antonellas
Artuso & James Wallace, Toronto Sun, Feb 4th.
"Harris
admits failure to communicate....Harris
made the admission following a 90-minute meeting with 17 Whitby 'community
leaders' hand-picked by his four Durham MPPs... But the leaders, a cross-section
of business people, educators, police and social activists- no union leaders
- politley but firmly zeroed in instead on what they said was a confusing and rushed set of new policies." (emphasis added)
Joel
Ruimy, Toronto Star, Feb. 4th.
"Eves to city: Fix your own tax
problems." (The kinder, gentler Ernie?)
"Truth
and Rumours...The truth is, the Health
Services Restructing Commission's plan will increase, not reduce, emergency
service capacity in Toronto -to 3.8 million visits from 3.3 million -
by 2003"!!!
(emph. added) [DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY and forget about the
present reality, he sang !!!]
Editorial, Toronto Sun (?)
""He's taken $800 million out (of
health budget over two years and) that has led to closure of beds and layoffs
of nurses"
Dalton McGuinty, Feb. 4th, 1998
"Harris'
spin doctors don't fool me...'The following tactics are things that
should be kept in mind... Remeber two important groups in the tone and language
of our messages: Seniors and Women...to appeal to these audiences , our government
must be portrayed as competent, honest and trustworthy, yet caring and
protective....Competent? Honest? I don't think so. Reckless and enept are the words that spring to
mind. Even the 'Beverly Hillbillies', a sneer applied to the previous NDP
governement , would be more fitting wit h this bunch of goofs...Caring? Trustworthy?
I'd tru st the Boyd Gang with my bank deposits before I'd trust Harris with
children's well-being...Even Harris voters said they are uneasy about the
fact that 'something different and less democratic is going on'. The study
(recent Caledon Institute study) documents the way the Tories changed the
rules, silenced debate and barred the public from discussion so that they
could make major changes without being questioned.... you can plan
a deeply cynical communications strategy, but you can't...fool all of the
women and all of the seniors all of the time." [Especially in light
of the recent Dionne affair?! Note: If you have not read this article in
it's entirety, you owe it to yourself to sample Michelle's slashing, scapel-work
on the Mendacity Gang!]
Michelle Landsberg, Toronto Star , Feb. 8th.
"Tories
good for city: Harris. Premier Tries to contain tax controversy. 'Written it off? We've been the
best thing that ever happened to Toronto (said Harris)'"
Joel
Ruimy, Toronto Star, Feb. 10th.
"Social Serives Minister Janet Ecker has
announced a new assault on the poorest and most vulnerable members of our
society. Homeless welfare recipients are to present receipts to receive
compensation for money spent on shelter. For single welfare recipients who
do have a roof over their heads, receipts will also be required...and the
working poor were removed from the Ontario Drug Plan... So, this latest
Harris hatchet job will hurt the poor, cost the taxpayers more money [due
to administration], and probably push the Tories a few points lower in the
polls. What could possibly lie behind it?...The real goal is to terrorize
Ontario workers into accepting Third World conditions. Are you only making
$8 an hour with a few pathetic benefits? Well, just be happy...Anything
is better than falling into the welfare abyss."
Victor Milne, Toronto Star, Feb. 10th.
"Tories'
Janet Ecker is out of touch with reality...Get
in touch with reality, minister, or get out. This province requires careful,
compassionate and logical judgement. Your skills appear less than adequate
for the job."
Mark Bulbrook, Toronto Star, Feb. 10th.
"Province
pledges to help strapped ERs. Ontario will
SOON [but not now!]spend millions to expand emergency-room service
in Toronto hospitals in a bid to clear their crowded hallways, Health Minister
Elizabeth Witmer PROMISES...Witmer pledged a SPRING announcement
of funding to create thousands of long-term care beds to help free up acute-care
beds...."(emphasis added)
Art Chamberlain, Toronto Star, Feb. 13th.
"There's a sense out there that government
is literally addicted to the money...(from gambling)."
Rose Sottile of Angus Reid polling.
"Casino
price tag more than revealed. ...The new Windsor Casino, which the government boasted
will cost just $505 million, will actually cost $628 million. The government,
in various public statements about the casino, failed to include land and
other development costs, and in doing so downplayed by $123 million the
final cost of the glitzy new casino..." (emphasis added)
Kevin Donovan, Toronto Star, Mar. 6th.
"I don't think the (teachers') strike sat well with the rank and file or with the public (said Harris)...We have one of the highest cost education systems in the world and the results (of standardized testing) are abysmal...There is damage to the credibility of the teaching profession and our job is to restore the trust." [with friends like Mikey, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES! - see following] Quoted by Diane Francis. Toronto Sun.
"Premier Mike Harris says many Ontario
teachers have enough spare time to moonlight and dont't need any more time
to absorb government changes to the education system".
Joel Ruimy, Toronto Star(?)
"Premier's
'ignorance' of teachers attacked. Union leader finds Harris' moonlighting remarks galling.
'Every time Premier Harris speaks about education he demonstrates his ignorance
about the real lives of Ontario's teachers,' Marhall Jarvis, president of
the 31,000-member Ontario English Catholic Techers' Association, said in
a statement yesterday...He maligns 'tens of thousands... (and teachers)
cannot expect fair treatment from the provincial government when the Premier
does not understand the reality of life in the classrooms of the publicly
funded school system."
Joel Ruimy, Toronto Star, Feb. 19th.
"Hospital crisis isn't chronic: Witmer.... According to his doctor, a delay in getting Fred Gregory, 42, into critical care may have put off diagnosis and surgery long enough that internal bleeding caused permanent spinal cord damage....Witmer said if there is a crisis it will be cured by restructuring. 'Eventually when it is up and running it may be better, but until then (Witmer) better hope it doesn't effect her or her family,' (Dr. Iris) Nolan said."Philip Lee Shanok, Toronto Sun, Feb 13th.
"Education
cuts starting to look suicidal"
David
Crane, Toronto Star, Feb 21, 1998.
"I am absolutely outraged by the comments and actions of those in our governement and elsewhere who insist Ontario's health care system is not in crisis...I watched my wife wait weeks for critical tests while the cancer grew inside her. I sat with her many nights in the emergency room waiting for a bed... I saw many procedures that might have prolonged her life delayed not because of lack of effort but because of lack of resources. I spent virtually 24 hours a day at her bedside having too often seen a single nurse left to care for up to nine seriously or critically ill patients on his/her own. When the cancer spread to her brain I watched her endure the pain and terror of seizures, unable to be transported by ambulance because the emergency room was on redirect. I pray that Premier Mike Harris and all those who insist that the health care system is just fine, thank you, never have to endure what my wife and I were forced to endure...My wife, Heather Margaret Cook, died on Jan.5 this year, having just turned 43."[[To which the Sun editor piously commented, "Sadly, the problems you cite have been building for years"!]Stephen B. Frakes, Toronto Sun, Feb. 22nd.
"Catastrophe
looms: Ambulance chief. Our emergency healthcare services are one serious accident
away from catastrophe, an ambulance official says after the worst backup
in a decade. Every hospital in Toronto except the Hospital for Sick Children
was directing ambulances to other hospitals at some point on Friday, Metro
Ambulance operations manager Peter Rotolo said yesterday...'That's the worst
situation I've seen since re-direct started 10 years ago.'"
"Property
tax revolt grows. Assessments shock Toronto
home, biz owners into action...(Dale) Ritch
says Eves is dreaming. 'Amalgamation never saves money. Just look at Halifax
or Winnipeg, where property taxes went up' he claims. Ritch warns a megacity
means a mega union, with one CUPE local now representing 20,000 workers.
'Wages are going up.' And he also worries Lastman faces falling tax revenues
as property owners vote with their feet and move out."
Linda
Leatherdale, Toronto Sun, Feb. 22nd.
"Search
for bed ends with death. Lucia Lacava's final journey was a frantic rush across
Toronto by ambulance to reach an empty hospital bed".
Art Chamberlain, Toronto Star, Feb. 24.
"The province is being forced to open up
more psychiatric beds to accommodate a backlong of mental patients illegally
held in jail! (emphasis added)
Theresa Boyle, Toronto Star (?)
"Therapy
centre for kids loses its funding... On
the agenda will be a discussion with parents and health-care workers on
how to cope with the loss of $615,000 from the centre's funding and of nine
occupational therapists and physiotherapists and social workers...But the
toughest question of the night will be which of 500 disabled children given
therapy at the centre ( out of approx.2500), will now lose their care."
Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star (?)
"...the
nature and quality of the non-compliance ( by the Ministry of Natural Resources)
is extreme."
Mr. Justice Archie Campbell on MNR failure
to properly manage Ontario's forestry.
John Snobelen, Minister of Natural Resources and former Education Minister
whose infamous"let's create a crisis" in education memo was leaked
to the media.
"Lastman
still firm: He's up for a fight... Ontario
Conservatives have dumped $164 million worth of costs on to the city and
set a business tax rate for education which is higher than the one in other
municipalities. At one point, an angry Lastman made recent headlines when
he called Mike Harris a liar. He later apologized. He offers no regrets
[however] for his repeated pledges to defeat Tory MPPs who represent Toronto
ridings in the next provincial election."
BenRuryk, Toronto Sun, Mar. 4th.
"Harris is obviously out of touch with
the public mood...He said so himself only last week...the Ontario premier
is dismissing the three surviving Dionne quintuplets, ailing and broke ,
as just another special interest group..."
Editorial, Welland Tribune, Mar. 5th.
"Perhaps
this reinvestment helps explain why emergency room use ...is actually decreasing.
In fact, there were 191,821 emergency visits in '95-'96, compared to a
projected
168,000 this year - a reduction of more than 23,000 visits." (emphasis
added - another example like the projected $15 million "saved"
on the infamous "snitch line"?)
Tim Hudak, MPP Niagara South
