Spec Online

NHL hopes alive again?

The Spec's Emma Reilly reports:

'Hamilton is entertaining a proposal that has the potential to simultaneously solidify the location of a Pan Am stadium and revive Hamilton's dream of an NHL team.

Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz, with advice from entertainment giant AEG, is making a pitch for control of Copps Coliseum and the future Pan Am stadium in order to potentially house professional sports teams.

Katz is also floating the possibility of an entertainment precinct around the west harbour and either the redevelopment of Copps Coliseum or a new NHL-calibre arena.

Yesterday, city council heard an outline of the proposal and directed city staff to carry on negotiations with Katz's company, Katz Entertainment Holdings Corporation.

Council will make a decision about whether to sign a memorandum of understanding by Aug. 30. Details of the memorandum are confidential.

If the deal goes ahead, it positions the city to host an NHL team should the league allow a hockey team to come to Hamilton.

The deal would also have a dramatic impact on the economy of the downtown core and waterfront precinct.'

What do you think of this idea?

Compensating summit victims

Torstar News Service reports:

'The world leaders and mayhem-makers are gone but repair bills for dozens of Toronto businesses like Steve’s Music — expected to total millions of dollars — are just starting to roll in.

“Obviously we should be compensated,” Gerry Markman, manager of the Queen St. West landmark, said Monday as pressure was building from Mayor David Miller and federal opposition parties for the Harper government to relent and pay for the G20-related damages.

At Steve’s, $3,000 worth of windows cracked and shattered as black-clad anarchists torched a police cruiser out front Saturday. The iconic Steve’s sign is charred and some of its plastic letters are melted.

The store also lost a day-and-a-half of business and staff had to sneak terrified customers out the back as the car burned and militants hurled what an employee described as “miniature bowling balls” at riot police.

“I would be terribly disappointed if there is no compensation, as I was very disappointed with the choice of the G20 location,” Markman said.

Mayor David Miller found allies in Ottawa calling on the Harper government to compensate Toronto businesses affected by the weekend chaos.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper also came under fire for his decision to hold the G20 in the city core instead of the Exhibition grounds.

“Stephen Harper made a huge mistake in holding this summit in downtown Toronto,’’ said Liberal Markham-Unionville MP John McCallum.

The responsibility now rests with Harper to compensate businesses, McCallum said.'

What do you thnk? Should Ottawa pay for the damage done by rioters at the summit?

Were the summits worth it?

Now that we've seen everything that happened before, during and after the summits, do you think they were worthwhile?

Life in fortress Toronto

Torstar News Service reports:

'The province has covertly passed an extraordinary regulation empowering G20 officers to arrest anyone found near the security zone who refuses to give their identity or allow police to search them.

A 32-year-old man has been arrested under the new regulation, which was passed by provincial cabinet June 2 using what is known as a "covering" order-in-council.

The regulation was passed under the Public Works Protection Act and was never debated in legislature. According to a provincial spokesperson, the regulation stemmed from an "extraordinary request" made by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who requested additional powers shortly after learning the G20 was coming to Toronto.

The regulation took effect Monday and will be revoked June 28, the day after the summit. The law appeared on the province's e-Law website last week, but won't be officially published until July 3.

"It's just unbelievable you would have this kind of abuse of power, where the cabinet can create this offence without having it debated in the legislature," said an incredulous Howard Morton, the lawyer representing Dave Vasey, who was arrested under the regulation yesterday.

According to the new regulation, "guards" appointed under the act can arrest anyone who attempts to enter the security zone.

If someone is found within five metres of the perimeter, police can ask them to identify themselves or be searched -- if they refuse, they face arrest. Anyone convicted could face up to two months in jail or a $500 maximum fine.

"It reminds me a little bit of the War Measures Act," said Nathalie Des Rosiers, a lawyer with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.'

What do you think? Is this a reasonable measure given the potential security threat? Are you offended by the violation of Canadian civil liberties?

Moving ahead on aerotropolis

The Spec's Emma Reilly reports:

'Mayor Fred Eisenberger has convinced city council not to delay a decision on aerotropolis until 2011.

Eisenberger successfully overturned at last night's meeting a prior vote to shelve a decision on the airport development lands until after this fall's election. Instead, three public consultation meetings will take place over the summer and council will rule on the issue in late September.

"We have had a long and exhaustive process here, and I don't think anyone could argue we haven't been careful," Eisenberger said.

The move reverses a decision of the economic development and planning committee, which voted last week to rule on the controversial airport development next January. The move was intended to allow the public more time to digest the complex planning documents, as the committee felt holding public consultation over the summer would be unfair to vacationing residents.

However, after that decision sparked an outcry from members of the business community, Eisenberger introduced his revised timeline last night. It passed on an 11-5 vote.

"It sends out a signal to our business community that we're open for business," said Councillor Scott Duvall, who voted in favour of the mayor's plan.

The most vocal opponent of Eisenberger's proposal was Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, who also chairs the planning committee. He argued the community liaison committee -- a group of city staff and citizens that provides feedback on the controversial development -- hasn't yet had a chance to challenge a proposal to shrink the park by several hundred hectares.

"The public has a right to look at this. This is big," Ferguson said. "They have a right to look at this and comment on this, because it affects their lives."

Councillor Dave Mitchell successfully moved that the community liaison committee should meet before the three public consultation sessions are held.

Councillor Brian McHattie, who voted against the mayor's timeline, compared the vote to council's decision to delay the debate on area rating, the city's controversial tax system, until after the election.

"I see a significant conflict between what we're doing here and what we did with the area rating discussion," he said.

The debate first surfaced last Tuesday, when staff made a presentation on the secondary plan for aerotropolis to the planning committee. The plan, which outlines future development for the airport lands, needs to be endorsed by council before it's officially released for public feedback.

How they voted:

In favour of moving forward before the election: Mayor Fred Eisenberger, Councillors Chad Collins, Scott Duvall, Tom Jackson, Sam Merulla, David Mitchell, Bernie Morelli, Robert Pasuta, Maria Pearson, Russ Powers, Terry Whitehead

Opposed: Councillors Bob Bratina, Brad Clark, Lloyd Ferguson, Brian McHattie, Margaret McCarthy'

What do you think. Does council need to move on this issue prior to the election? Are you supportive of this or some degree of airport land development?

Making graffiti victims pay

The Spec's John Kernaghan reports:

'William Pentilchuck could read the writing on the wall, but it was the small print in the city's graffiti warning that offended him.

Three half-metre high graffiti signatures, or tags, on the wall of his restaurant on Main Street East prompted a city order telling him to remove it or face fines of $100,000 to $200,000 or demolition of his building.

"Why the threats?" Pentilchuck said at his Delta Bright Spot Restaurant. "I'm not the perpetrator, I'm the victim."

Pentilchuk, who has operated the restaurant since 1961, said the tone of the order wasn't necessary. He quickly painted over the tags.

"Why aren't the perpetrators punished and forced to repair the damages they have done?"

His complaint comes as a joint city, police and community campaign has ramped up efforts to erase graffiti vandalism.

At the launch of the Do You Know a Tagger? program last week, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the city spent about $750,000 last year cleaning up graffiti on public property.

The city received 1,571 calls about graffiti in 2009, up from 677 in 2008, and 138 people were charged.

Eisenberger appealed to citizens to call 911 if they witnessed a graffiti crime.

Meantime, Neworld Martial Arts next to the Delta Bright Spot has been hit by graffiti several times in the past four years.

"I just keep painting over it," said owner Michael Desrochers. "It takes time and some money, but you can't leave it there."

He was given a heads-up by police that he should deal with the most recent painted messages.

One included "I'm sorry. I'm drunk while I'm doing this" on his back wall.

Desrochers said the campaign against graffiti has included increased police patrols along his stretch of Main Street East.

Steve Bailey, superintendent of municipal law enforcement, said the city is working to show residents and businesses that it understands they are victims.

"We will attach a letter to each order emphasizing that and include some pamphlets which explain how to discourage graffiti."

Bailey said graffiti cleanup falls within a bylaw that includes the integrity of exterior walls and related safety, hence the severe penalties.

"It's a legal thing. We need those warnings in there if we ever have to go to court. But we don't want to go to court if it is about graffiti."

He said the strongest focus of the graffiti crackdown is on racist or profane messages.

"We want stuff with the F-word cleaned up as soon as possible, especially if it is near schools."

Kelly Barnett, the city's liaison co-ordinator with municipal law enforcement, says graffiti harms the community because it gives the perception of crime and gangs and can make people feel unsafe.

She said statistics show the faster a defaced property is cleaned up, the less likely it will be targeted repeatedly.'

What do you think? Should the city rethink the bylaw that forces victimized property owners to pay under threat of heavy fines? Is there a better way to do this?

City Hall re-opens

The Spec's Emma Reilly reports:

'After years of debate, months of construction and more than $72 million, Hamiltonians have their City Hall back.

Hamilton's historic City Hall officially reopens today, wrapping up an often controversial debate that pitted rebuilding against renovation and took almost a decade to settle.

This afternoon's celebrations begin with public tours from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. followed by the reopening ceremony at 5 p.m. City Hall will be illuminated at dusk and tours will continue from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

"I'm thrilled that it came out under budget and ahead of schedule," said Councillor Lloyd Ferguson, chairperson of the City Hall renovations committee.

The renovations added a slew of updates to City Hall, built in 1960, while maintaining some of its heritage features. The first floor now offers a resource centre for small businesses and a citizen service centre where residents can access a range of services from dog licences to property taxes.

This afternoon's reopening is the final chapter of almost a decade of debate.

The renovation issue first surfaced in 2000, when the city was dealing with housing its newly amalgamated staff. For years, council debated whether to renovate City Hall or tear it down and rebuild from scratch. It finally voted to renovate in 2005. Construction began in 2007.

For information about tours, the reopening ceremony and services, visit hamilton.ca or call 905-546-2489.'

Do you consider the City Hall renovation project a success?

The taxman snoops

Canadian Press reports:

'Dozens of workers at Canada Revenue Agency have been caught snooping on their ex-spouses, mothers-in-law, creditors and others by reading confidential tax files.

Internal reports show that rogue employees are improperly reviewing the private financial affairs of taxpayers without their knowledge.

And some are using agency computers to give favoured treatment to colleagues, friends, family and themselves a Canadian Press investigation shows.

In one flagrant breach last October, a woman accessed 37,500 e-mails and 776 documents containing confidential financial information about ordinary Canadians. That investigation continues.

She downloaded the files onto 17 compact discs for her personal use, inexplicably helped by agency technicians.

Documents outlining the forbidden invasions into private tax data were obtained under Canada's Access to Information Act.

In one case, a worker secretly operated a business on the side with her spouse, and between 2004 and 2009 "accessed the accounts of two creditors and the spouse of one of those creditors."

The abuses were discovered by internal investigators with CRA.

Another worker was found to have inspected his spouse's tax information 69 times without permission. A woman in one unidentified office poked into the agency's data looking for confidential information on colleagues, friends and family -- apparently to give them a break on their taxes.

"The employee made unauthorized access to the tax information of three colleagues and to the tax information of a colleague's daughter, spouse and mother," says one report.

"She accessed her own tax information and the tax information (of) 13 relatives ... She provided preferential treatment to colleagues, relatives and acquaintances."

Agency gumshoes then stumbled on a secret cell of snoopers in the same location.

"The investigation also determined that 13 other employees of the same office made unauthorized accesses to taxpayer information. Of the 13 employees, 10 provided preferential treatment to taxpayers, five accessed their own tax information, four received preferential treatment ..."

Another worker peeked at secret agency information about two companies she operated on the side -- while those firms were undergoing tax audits.

"In addition, the employee made extensive unauthorized accesses to the taxpayer information of friends and family members and hundreds of other individuals."

Yet another investigation found an employee peering into the electronic tax files of two of her spouse's business partners, though the motive is not specified.

The documents show that ex-spouses are sometimes targeted, for reasons not made clear in the heavily censored material from September and October last year. Family members were also a favoured target.

Some workers who were caught claimed they were simply helping relatives file their income-tax forms.

But one worker admitted using the CRA computer system and confidential tax information to issue himself a false charitable donation receipt for $3,000, thus reducing his income-tax payable.

Agency records for 2008-2009 show there were 29 cases in which workers were caught accessing taxpayer records without authorization, about the annual average for the last five years. And there were a dozen instances in 2008-2009 in which tax records were improperly disclosed to third parties.

All information about disciplinary measures taken against staff who broke the rules is censored in the released documents. But in several cases, the agency appeared to be lenient with long-term employees.

"The employee admitted that she accessed the taxpayer information belonging to a former employer, her relatives including her mother, her father, her sister and her brother, as well as the information belonging to her former spouse," says one report.

In deciding on discipline, "management took into consideration the employee's years of service, her good employment record and her co-operation with the investigation."

A spokesperson said the number of breaches is relatively small, given there are 40,000 employees.'

What do you think? Should tax department staff caught snooping be fire, with cause? Should Revenue Canada disclose what it is doing to discipline such workers?

Situation Critical: Gridlock solutions

The options for solving gridlock across the long-term care system vary – from more money and beds to alternative assisted living arrangements.  And while advocates search for answers, attention is turning to making the nursing home a desirable option for the frail elderly instead of a dreaded “institution of last resort,” as the Canadian Health Care Association put it in a 2009 report.

What do you think are potential solutions?

Situation Critical: Is nursing home oversight adequate?

Many seniors say they experience satisfactory conditions in nursing homes, and the majority of families rate their loved ones’ care as good.  But some residents express concern about the care they receive. Ontario has recently strengthened government regulations for nursing homes, including how they are inspected.

What do you think? Is nursing home oversight adequate, too much or too little? What has your experience been?