One of the worst kept secrets in Toronto was that if you got a $30 parking ticket and opted to contest it instead of pay it that your case would never come to trial because of the enormous backlog in the courts and you’d most likely never have to pay your ticket.
•    In 2006 and 2007 there were requests for 250,000 trials and only 4,300 were ever scheduled.
•    In 2008 there were requests for 220,000 trials only 27,000 have been scheduled to date.

The dramatic increase in the number of trials requested can be directly attributed to the media. Torontonians are no fools. Once the media broke the story, more and more people decided to take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately it appears that the days dodging the $30 parking tickets may be coming to a close. Currently there are 24 courtrooms where 600,000 trials per year take place. There are 6 new courtrooms which are going to be able to accommodate about 180,000 trials a year. However those trials will not just be for parking tickets. And the cases that will be heard will be prioritized based on the seriousness of the crime.

The reality is that parking tickets are very low on the list of priorities and that the majority of the trials for $30 parking tickets may never be heard. Forewarned is forearmed. There are now 6 new courtrooms and the likelihood that your case will come to trial is not a sure bet, but it is now a more real possibility.

Chrysler and the CAW are not close to an agreement. Ford has made it very clear that the deal that the CAW negotiated with GM is not close to the kind of concessions that they require from the union. They require the CAW to reduce health care and other legacy costs for retired workers. According to Ford if they accepted the same agreement that GM made with the CAW it would cost them $10 more an hour in labour to build a vehicle in Canada than in the United States.

Both the United States and Canada have stated most emphatically that GM and Chrysler have not met the requirements for long-term bailout loans. Before any restructuring plans will be approved, more concessions will have to be made from the union. The Canadian and Ontario governments have demanded that the CAW renegotiate the labour agreement with GM.

Of course Canadian Auto Workers president Ken Lewenza doesn’t have his listening ears on. He keeps insisting that renegotiating with GM will hurt the union’s credibility. What kind of credibility will the union have when the members have no jobs? Mr. Lewenza keeps insisting that the deal that was struck between the CAW and GM should be good enough for Chrysler and Ford. Perhaps the union should insist on a boss that has a better command of the English language. When the automakers pull out of Canada is Mr. Lewenza going to pay the workers’ salaries? Are plants going to have to close before Mr. Lewenza is prepared to sit down and negotiate for the good of the members, or will it already be too late?

In this case the ombudsman will be an ombudswoman and her name is Fiona Crean. I certainly don’t envy what sounds like a Herculean task and most likely a thankless job. The job of the ombudsman is to receive and investigate complaints made by individuals against public officials and then to resolve the complaints. Considering the amount of corruption in the city, Ms Crean will most likely have her hands full. According to Ms Crean, “I’m not in the business of making decisions. I’m in the business of helping city council hold the civil service accountable. My role is to make recommendations.” That’s all fine and well, but who is going to hold city council accountable? It’s no small surprise that some members of city council are not supportive of Toronto having a new ombudsman. Their argument is that the city can’t afford the $1.2 million start up budget for the program, but you have got to believe that closer to the truth is their reluctance for anyone to be delving into their somewhat questionable practices.

In the ideal world the office of the ombudsman will be able to quickly and efficiently resolve complaints in addition to identifying problem areas that need to be dealt with. Problems that are not the purview of the ombudsman will be directed to the appropriate departments. The $1.2 million dollar budget will cover the ombudsman and a staff of seven. They will start taking complaints in late April. The office of the ombudsman does not have a website yet. However if you have any questions you may address them on email ombuds@toronto.ca or by phone at 416–392-7062.

The latest development in the never ending plans to improve Toronto’s public transit system is an infusion of $9 billion, $7.2 billion of which is coming from the Ontario government.

The TTC’s plans include:
•    Rapid transit service from downtown Toronto to Pearson Airport - the Eglinton Crosstown LRT (light rail transit) will be 31 km in length, extending from Pearson Airport to the Scarborough RT line with a 10 km underground tunnel between Keele and Leslie Streets
•    A new Finch LRT (light rail transit) from Humber College on Highway 27 to the Don Mills Subway Station at Highway 404/Sheppard Avenue
•    Upgrading and extending the existing Scarborough rapid-transit line from Kennedy Station to McCowan, and extended to either Malvern Town Centre or Markham Road
•    30 km of dedicated bus lanes for York VIVA Bus Rapid Transit
•    Buses and stations for York VIVA Bus Rapid Transit
•    204 new streetcars will be purchased to replace old ones
•    Hamilton will get $3 million to study two rapid-transit corridors

The choice to go with light rail instead of subways was made purely from a dollars and cents perspective. It is cheaper to implement a LRT system than to build a subway system. Even though some tunneling will be necessary, it is minimal by comparison. These plans have not received a go ahead yet to proceed as they are subject to environmental and other approvals. It is estimated that it will take approximately 6 months to conduct the environmental assessments.

Hot Docs will soon be back in Toronto, bigger and better than ever. Featuring over 150 documentaries from Canada and all over the world, Hot Docs is the largest documentary festival in North America. Films will be presented in the following programs:
•    Special Presentations – highlighting award winning films
•    Canadian Spectrum – Canadian stories and perspectives
•    International Spectrum – Stories from around the world
•    World Showcase - Global survey of the year’s hottest docs
•    Next - Music, arts and the creative process
•    Let’s Make Money - The dynamics of the fiscal world
•    Outstanding Achievement Award Retrospective – A celebration of Canadian filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin
•    Focus on Ron Mann – A showcase of the career of this Canadian film maker
•    Spotlight on the NFB at 70 – A celebration of 70 years of outstanding achievement
•    Made in South Korea – Documentary films from Korea

Here is the entire festival schedule .

Last year over 2,000 documentary film makers, buyers, programmers, distributors and commissioning editors from around the world were in attendance. Tickets and passes are available online or at the Box Office which is located at 55 Avenue Road in Hazelton Lanes on the Lower Level. The Box Office can also be reached by telephone at (416) 637-5150. Every film in official competition will be a Toronto debut and may be a world, international, North American or Canadian premiere. Directors will be attendance at most screenings to introduce their films and to participate in post-show Q & A sessions with the audience.

How on earth is it possible that 21 token collectors and 62 bus, streetcar and subway drivers earned over $100,000 last year and made it on something called “The Sunshine List” which is a list of city employees who earn over $100,000/year? In total 588 TTC employees earn over $100,000. I appreciate that they are obviously hard working people, but let’s be realistic; they are not discovering the cure for cancer. Many executives with post graduate degrees are not making that kind of money. The maximum base salary for station collectors and operators is $60,000. There is something seriously wrong with the TTC when employees are earning $40,000 in overtime. The TTC is clearly out of control. They have a massive problem with absenteeism and they are paying out ridiculous overtime payments. In 2008 workers off the job cost the TTC $5 million and compensation claims are rising exponentially. This year the TTC is planning to spend $5 million to hire about 950 drivers in addition to cleaners and maintenance workers.

Incredible as it seems, there are 1,500 city employees who are on The Sunshine List – 1,150 have base salaries over $100,000 and the others reached the mark by adding to their base salaries with overtime and other payments. Half of the City of Toronto’s budget goes to salaries and after looking at these figures, it is no surprise. Guess who is paying for all of this nonsense? You and I are paying with our tax dollars. I don’t know about you, but I feel royally ripped off.

I was absolutely shocked to read that Toronto Animal Services euthanized over 25,000 dogs and cats in 2007 which represents 55% of those admitted. By comparison the Toronto Humane Society’s euthanasia rate was 7%. This statistic has got to shock and appall anyone. Toronto Animal Services is taxpayer funded. I want someone to explain to me where the $54.5 million dollars in tax money went that was spent on animal services from 2003 – 2008. They also took in donations from the public for medical care that amounted to $107,052 in 2008. Call your city councilor and demand an explanation. The Toronto Humane Society does not get one penny of your tax money. They are totally privately funded and do not kill any animals unless an illness leaves them no other alternative.

Instead of saying something compassionate or at least semi-intelligent, Toronto Animal Services is blaming pet owners for their high euthanasia rate, stating that if pet owners kept better track of their pets, this wouldn’t be happening. Someone had better get this situation under control. They are running amok with our $8 million tax dollars from the 2009 budget. Their other excuse is that they take in sick and injured animals. Well, so does the Toronto Humane Society. The difference is that the Toronto Humane Society does everything possible to nurse the animals back to health and rehabilitate and socialize the animals so that they can be adopted to loving homes. No one denies that there are times that euthanasia must be used, but not as a quick fix to avoid care and rehabilitation.