[Admiral Beez]

As for the move to one plate I can only assume Ford’s developer buddies and their Marco Muzzo-like kids put on the pressure so their Lambos look good.

 

[pud99]

This sentence makes no sense to me.

What a pity.

 

[Admiral Beez]

What a pity.

Does it make sense to you? It’s missing half its syntax. Maybe throw in “of” or otherwise clarify this?

The use another cliche, for the OPC lame is a feature, not a bug.

 

[adma]

I had a whimsical thought: that if DoFo's so fond of casinos as well as imported American concepts like legalized tailgating, maybe he also ought to pave the way for greyhound racing or Jai-Lai frontons...

 

[PinkLucy]

A sneaky little something hidden in the Budget documents: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...st-the-crown-act-repeal-replace-pcs-1.5097205

@Northern Light and @steveintoronto , I'd be interested in your takes on this.

 

[old boy]

Caroline, making dad proud - " sneaky " pretty well sums it up.

 

[narduch]

I had a whimsical thought: that if DoFo's so fond of casinos as well as imported American concepts like legalized tailgating, maybe he also ought to pave the way for greyhound racing or Jai-Lai frontons...

To be fair to Ford, the casino expansion started under Wynne.

I haven't followed too closely but has there even been a single new casino announced since Ford took office? The only thing I can think of is Ajax not being shuttered. But the Pickering casino was Wynne.

 

[adma]

To be fair to Ford, the casino expansion started under Wynne.

I haven't followed too closely but has there even been a single new casino announced since Ford took office? The only thing I can think of is Ajax not being shuttered. But the Pickering casino was Wynne.

The budget did allow for expanded gambling opportunities, online and sports-related (as well as free beer at existing casinos). So greyhound tracks and Jai-Alai frontons would be perfectly consistent...

 

[steveintoronto]

A sneaky little something hidden in the Budget documents: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...st-the-crown-act-repeal-replace-pcs-1.5097205

@Northern Light and @steveintoronto , I'd be interested in your takes on this.

For some reason, I didn't get an alert for my name being mentioned. Just glad I happened to be trolling to see this.

Holy Moly! That must be really buried, as this is the first mention of it. My knee-jerk reaction is *unconsitutional*! They don't have the power to over-ride the Constitution, not even with a 'not-with-standing' clause.

For a quick first take, here's what the Constitution *doesn't* protect:

There are some limits to the rights provided by the Charter. For example, the freedom of speech is limited by libel and slander laws. The Charter does not protect economic rights, such as rights to Social Assistance. The Courts will make the decision as to what rights may be limited under the Charter.

In summary, the Charter guarantees civil liberties protection from actions of Parliament, legislatures, government agencies and its officials. The protection is accomplished through the Courts. If a law or a governmental act is challenged and found by a Court to violate a civil liberty that is guaranteed by the Charter, the Court will declare the law or act to be of no force or effect.

http://www.eclc.ca/programs-service...s-under-the-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms-2/

I haven't even read the linked CBC article yet, I was just so shocked at the headline. More later...

Edit to Add:

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_31_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms

 

[BurlOak]

For some reason, I didn't get an alert for my name being mentioned. Just glad I happened to be trolling to see this.

Holy Moly! That must be really buried, as this is the first mention of it. My knee-jerk reaction is *unconsitutional*! They don't have the power to over-ride the Constitution, not even with a 'not-with-standing' clause.

For a quick first take, here's what the Constitution *doesn't* protect:

http://www.eclc.ca/programs-service...s-under-the-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms-2/

I haven't even read the linked CBC article yet, I was just so shocked at the headline. More later...

Edit to Add:

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_31_of_the_Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms

Didn't the Liberals do something similar to prevent locals from complaining about wind turbines being put in?

 

[W. K. Lis]

Ontario PCs want to make it much harder to sue the government

From link.

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives are moving to make it harder to sue the Ontario government.

The PCs plan to repeal and replace the long-standing Ontario Proceedings Against the Crown Act — legislation that, among other things, outlines government liability in cases of misfeasance and negligence.

The new law would increase the legal threshold necessary to proceed with civil litigation, including class action lawsuits, against the government. Further, it would considerably limit the instances in which the government could be on the hook for financial compensation to plaintiffs.

“What the government is trying to do is place itself beyond the reach of the courts and make it difficult, and in many cases impossible, to sue the government — even when it acts in bad faith or breaches the duties of office,” said Amir Attaran, a law professor at the University of Ottawa.

“Every province sets limits on how and when the government may be sued. But what Ontario is proposing is to wall itself off from lawsuits like no other province.”

Perhaps the most significant element of the new legislation, according to Toronto human rights and refugee lawyer Kevin Weiner, is that it eliminates any potential financial liability in most cases where someone is harmed by government policy or regulatory decisions made in “good faith.”

“What it means is that the people who exercise power over you can exercise that power negligently and cause you damage and no one will have to pay,” said Weiner.

Similarly, the province will not be liable for instances in which a person says there were harmed by the government exercising its authority.

While the act would not serve to “totally eradicate Crown liability,” Weiner said it amounts to the government arguing that “as long as people say they are acting in good faith, it doesn’t matter how incompetent they are.”

“One way to look at it is that the government is saying, ‘With great power should come no responsibility,'” he said.

While courts have yet to interpret the proposed legislation, the fact it will apply retroactively to existing cases means it could potentially be used to derail ongoing matters — like a class action lawsuit by a Toronto law firm on behalf of juvenile inmates placed in solitary confinement.

“This a way to wipe the decks clean. And even if the government did something wrong, even if people have sued it already, they’re going to shut those lawsuits down,” said Attaran.

One “silver lining,” Weiner pointed out, is that financial damages can still be awarded in charter cases.

‘Trying to escape liability’

Meanwhile, the proposed Crown Liability and Proceedings Act will force plaintiffs to obtain permission from a court to move forward with suing the government in the first place.

Under current law, no such permission is required to file suit.

That means an applicant will have to prove to a judge that the province acted negligently or in bad faith before proceedings begin. The problem, however, is that usually requires access to government documents or other materials that the province will not be required to provide.

Crown lawyers will also have the option to cross-examine whomever is trying to get permission to launch a suit.

“The bottom line here is that government is trying to escape liability for being sued, even when it does things that may be very, very wrong,” Attaran said, adding that contract disputes between business owners and the province are a good example of the type of cases that will likely become nearly impossible to litigate in the future.

Details of the proposed legislation were outlined in the PCs recent budget bill, which was tabled in the legislature by Finance Minister VicFedeli last Thursday.

In an email statement, a spokesperson for Attorney General Caroline Mulroney said the legislation will update “outdated procedures and codifies the common law to clarify and simplify the process for lawsuits brought by or against the government.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says it will challenge the legislation if it receives royal assent.

From link.

Don't play with the rules that Doug Ford makes up, he'll just take the ball home.

 

[steveintoronto]

Didn't the Liberals do something similar to prevent locals from complaining about wind turbines being put in?

I got two for the price of one Googling on that...

Bills insulating Ford government from lawsuits show it's 'closed for business,' experts charge
Immunity clauses undermine 'our reputation for a predictable, safe business environment,' expert says

Farrah Merali · CBC News · Posted: Jul 27, 2018 5:00 AM ET | Last Updated: August 8, 2018
[...]
Open or closed?
"It's unusual," Nelson Wiseman, a political scientist at the University of Toronto, said of the use of the immunity clause.

"It happens, but it's not something that you want you want to do, certainly regularly. You'd only want to do it in extraordinary circumstances."

Wiseman said inserting an immunity clause into two major bills casts doubt on Ford's assertion that the province is now putting out the welcome mat.

"It's actually saying quite the opposite: Ontario is closed for business. If we don't like your business we'll do whatever we want to it and immunize ourselves from legal recourse by yourself."

The White Pines wind turbine project — that was killed under Bill 2 — had been under development for nearly a decade.

Earlier this month, the president of WPD Canada, a subsidiary of the German company behind the project, said cancelling the project could cost more than $100 million. The compensation to the company will be limited to the direct cost it has incurred to this point. And the new bill prevents the company from suing.

"Spending 10 years and $100 million to build this wind farm, only to have an election take place, a new government come in and be told they have to dismantle the project and leave the country: that sends a bad message" said Ross Laver, the senior vice president of policy and communications with the Business Council of Canada.

Similarly, Bill 4, the Cap and Trade Cancellation Act, could leave companies on the hook for huge amounts of money. Part of the legislation is a compensation framework for companies that have already bought an estimated $2.78 billion worth of carbon credits. But most won't be compensated.

"New governments are completely free to determine their own course. But this kind of sudden change in direction as a result of an election does have an unfortunate by-product," said Ross. [...]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/immunity-clauses-pc-government-1.4762866

 

[pud99]

Does it make sense to you? It’s missing half its syntax. Maybe throw in “of” or otherwise clarify this?

“The” is a typo for “To”. I guess that I ought to have edited it rather than assume that it would be obvious from the balance of the sentence.

 

[BurlOak]

Yes - I think beside Ontario looks better (maybe the word Ontario should be centred, and not the whole line). Maybe with small letters, the big O and "big" trillium add some symmetry? (or I am just too lazy to figure out how to do all caps.
View attachment 181219

One more try

 

[PinkLucy]

From today's press release. A tangible touchpoint? Really? (Source: https://news.ontario.ca/mgs/en/2019...urce=ondemand&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=p)

Ontario's Government for the People is introducing updated personal and commercial licence plates along with a new driver's licence design that reflects a renewed government promise to put people first in everything it does. The licence plate and driver's licence renewal process enhance the quality, design and production of both important products while saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

"We are renewing the licence plate and driver's licence because it represents how we are renewing our entire approach to government," said Bill Walker, Minister of Government and Consumer Services. "Our government is embracing change because we recognize that the old established ways of working are no longer good enough."

Starting February 1, 2020, all licence plates issued will be of the new plate design and Ontarians will also be able to voluntarily purchase a new licence plate featuring one of two optimistic slogans. Ontario Passenger Plates will feature the tagline "A Place to Grow" harkening to Ontario's unofficial 'A Place to Stand, a Place to Grow' anthem first debuted at Expo '67. Ontario Commercial Plates will feature the slogan 'Open for Business' which reflects the province's renewed commitment to economic growth and job creation across the province.

"Ontario's new passenger and commercial licence plates represent what good government is all about," said Walker. "We are putting people back at the centre of every decision; making Ontario a business-friendly and pro-jobs province; and protecting what matters most so we can ensure Ontario is a place to grow: a place to grow your family, a place to grow your business, and a place to grow your community."

The new design of Ontario driver's licences, which includes the new Ontario logo, will be available in the fall. The government is also ensuring that police have the tools they need to keep roads and communities safe by improving the quality of Ontario's licence plates and keeping both the front and rear licence plates on vehicles.

"The driver's licence is a tangible touchpoint between the citizen and the government of Ontario. With a new brand we have taken this as an opportunity to showcase the new logo to drivers across Ontario," said Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation. "By February 1, 2020, you can expect to start seeing these new technologies and designs on both the front and rear plates of vehicles across Ontario."

The new licence plates and driver's licence will also feature a renewed version of Ontario's classic trillium logo, part of a refreshed brand identity that will be implemented across the entire government. The logo is accompanied by a clear and succinct articulation of a simple unifying principle: that the Ontario government is "Working for You."

The government has delivered a new visual identity directive across the entire public sector that will explicitly prohibit the spending of taxpayer dollars on new logos or other visual identifiers going forward. Since 2011, the ministries and agencies of the Ontario government wasted more than $2 million on visual identity work that only served to fragment the Ontario government's brand and confuse the public.