Court crisis?

Why not fix it ? How about regular business hours - and special courts to deal with less serious matters? PR

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor: "Courts in crisis over judicial shortage

James Wallace
Queens Park - Saturday, July 22, 2006

For the past decade, a succession of elected officials helped butter their
political bread by announcing crack downs on all manner of crime.

They've targeted child pornographers, marijuana grow house operators, street
racers and even pit bulls.

They've put more cops on street, built more jails, not only to deal with
increasing and increasingly complex crimes but to cope with a population
that has grown by several million people over that time.

Inexplicably, the same politicians have resisted hiring more judges to hear
the inevitable increase in new cases created by their crackdowns and
population growth.

As a consequence, courts across Ontario are struggling with crushing
backlogs, Crowns are increasingly being forced to plea bargain, police are
letting petty criminals off the hook and children and families are being
forced to wait for justice.

'The whole system is off balance,' Heather McGee, president Ontario Bar
Association, told Osprey News.

'It's been running thin for so long that all it takes is one major trial or
an incremental increase in population and you lose the ability to deal with
things in a timely and effective manner,' McGee said.

The current and looming judicial shortage is a significant part of the
problem.

'Our judicial complement has been more or less static for the last decade,'
McGee said.
'I think the last time new positions were created was 1999, only two positions were created.' "

Words of wisdom

• 
  Classic Quotes by Milton Friedman(1912- ) US economist
  
  
  A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. ------------------------
• Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it. ------------------------
• Governments never learn. Only people learn. ------------------------
• Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned. ------------------------
• History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom. Clearly it is not a sufficient condition. ------------------------
• I am favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible. ------------------------
• I'm in favor of legalizing drugs. According to my values system, if people want to kill themselves, they have every right to do so. Most of the harm that comes from drugs is because they are illegal. ------------------------
• Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed without legislation. ------------------------
• Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor: "
City man to face justice in U.S.

By Susan Gamble
Local News - Saturday, July 22, 2006 @ 01:00

Brantfords Shane Ferras has lost the last of his appeals in a bid to avoid being extradited to the U.S. following a Supreme Court decision Friday morning.

Ferras, now 41, soon will be moved from the Brantford jail, where he stepped into custody on Thursday evening, to New York State to face trial on charges of fraud and money laundering as part of a high-pressure stock brokerage in the mid-1990s.

He has no further recourse, Ferrass lawyer, Brian Greenspan, said in a telephone interview from Toronto.

Theyll transfer him to the United States and, hopefully, hell get a trial as quickly as possible so the matter is resolved.

Greenspan said his client is a relatively young man with a young family and a bright future.

Working hard

While fighting his extradition order, which was signed in 2002, Ferras has been working hard as a businessman in sales, said Greenspan.

The Brantford-born Ferras was a two per cent owner in a New York brokerage house clearing $2.3 million in his few years with the company, according to court documents.


On Feb. 15, 2001, all 29 of the companys stockbrokers were arrested, including Ferras, who was back in Brantford at the time.

Despite an order in 2002 committing Ferras to be extradited, his lawyers argued that their client shouldnt been sent to the U.S. based on a case relying on hearsay evidence some of it from alleged co-conspirators who have co-operated with the American investigation.

In a surprising move, this weeks Supreme Court decision agreed to some extent. "

The trial usge must consider the las and the facts and not just be a rubber stamp

Sell the World Who You Really Are

Sell the World Who You Really Are: "Sell the World Who You Really Are
by Don Sexton, PhD
Bedrock marketing insights from the author of Trump University Marketing 101
When I was growing up, my family had a business installing water systems for country clubs, farms and housing developments. Whenever I went and worked alongside my father at those places, I could see how much people respected him for his honesty and integrity. He delivered what he promised. If a system failed at any time of the day or night, his customers knew they could call him and he would arrive promptly to fix the problem.
At that time, I had no idea what marketing was. I certainly had no idea that my father, through his honesty and integrity, was actually marketing on a very high level. But he was - and as effectively as any Fortune 500 company.
Today, I teach state-of-the-art marketing techniques at Columbia University and Trump University. But even the most advanced marketing approaches are closely tied to what my father was doing. Through his actions, he told the world that he had something special to offer.
Stop for a moment and think about the businesses in your area. There are dry cleaners, hardware stores and the rest. But are some of them known for doing something special? Is a certain dry cleaner known for its ability to get a spot out of any kind of fabric? Is a certain hardware store known for having experts on staff who patiently answer questions from do-it-yourselfers? Local merchants who differentiate themselves in that way are miles ahead of other businesses that just open their doors and wait for customers to arrive.
That ability to be special, which I learned from my father, is actually the bedrock of good marketing.

Effective marketing does not live or die on clever ads or databases. It hinges on your ability to tell customers that you have to sell that makes you different. It is a way of telling the world what you have to offer, and who you really are."

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - A little gift for us

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - A little gift for us: "The tax cut will benefit everyone and will make a small dent in the overall tax burden suffered by Canadians. Almost every time we make a purchase, we'll keep some cash that otherwise would have been sucked into the bottomless money pit that is the federal government. That is a good thing.
The Harper Tories promised the GST cut as part of their election platform and, to their credit, they managed to make good on it quickly, despite presiding over a minority government.
It's no accident that the tax cut is taking effect on Canada Day.
The symbolism is just too good for the government to pass up. What better day is there for the Harper government to demonstrate in a real and meaningful way that it's committed to reducing taxes than on our nation's birthday?
As far as we're concerned, then, it's just one more reason to celebrate living in such a great nation that's full of fantastic people and beautiful landscapes.
And if all goes according to plan, we hope to get another Canada Day birthday present in the years ahead, as the Tories have promised to reduce the hated tax by another one point, to 5%, within five years. With any luck, that would be as soon as next year. "

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor

All about the ta assessment rip off -PR

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor: "Despite that worry, Haggart said the move had to be made.

�The whole system needs to be re-evaluated. It always was hard to explain. Each time I get questions from a taxpayer I take a shot at it. They look at me while I�m talking and say, Yeah, sure.�

�It�s so confusing nobody believes anything they see or what they�re told. That�s why the system needs to be fixed.�"

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Tories earn healthy mark

And now if we can just clean up the provincial messes and we might be in for a real service for the public or people by the government. Hmmm- lets start with an accountability act for the justice system and get our basic liberties back-food for thought . PR

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Tories earn healthy mark: "Harper took us all by surprise with his well thought out top-secret visit to rally the troops in Kandahar, where he also met with leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In mid-April, his government scored a diplomatic coup when it negotiated an end to the decades-long softwood lumber dispute with the U.S.
And in May we got a budget that, while short on the kinds of tax cuts and spending restraints we'd prefer, at least offered a variety of targeted cuts plus a $100-a-month allowance for parents with preschoolers.
We have also seen the government deliver on its key campaign promises, including a GST reduction that takes effect in a week, an accountability act to prevent a repeat of odious events like the sponsorship scandal, legislation to get tough on crime and a bill to dismantle the costly and pointless gun registry.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, have been unable to mount any kind of meaningful attack against the government. In one memorable moment they collectively dozed off and missed the passage of a budget they had vowed to fight.
Overall we'll give the Tories a B-plus for a strong first term. Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois members will have to settle for a collective D. "

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Stick to the plan, Stephen

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Stick to the plan, Stephen: "We think governments, at whatever level, ought to be providing basic services and letting the private sector take care of the rest.
That approach means the government can leave more money in the pockets of ordinary taxpayers to spend as we see fit.
The alternative -- and we've seen plenty of examples how it works -- is for government to tax, tax, tax and then spend, spend, spend on programs that inevitably grow out of control. "

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Guilt beyond Guite?

And the fall guy is -take your pick ! Bureacracy the new form of despotism. As usual nobody is in charge when it comes to accepting responsibility. PR

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Guilt beyond Guite?: "Is it true?
So we'd like to hear from the Liberal candidates. Do they agree with Chretien that the 'system' is working? If not, what are they going to do when they become leader to ensure that every person responsible for AdScam, has his (or her) day of reckoning? "

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Tax freedom? Yeah, sure

Discusting - time for change
winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Tax freedom? Yeah, sure: "In other words, when you tally up all the taxes -- income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, as well as profit taxes, health, social security and employment taxes, import duties, licence fees, sin taxes on the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, natural resource fees, fuel taxes, hospital taxes, and a host of other levies -- you turn over almost as much to various governments in a year as you keep for yourself. Or to be precise, 46%.

Is it any wonder that we taxpayers are in a grumpy mood? Particularly when we look around and see almost daily examples of how governments at all three levels are wasting our money.
Every so often they make "

Terror suspects strike back at anti-terrorism law

And the price of freedom is? Seurity certificates are a bad precedent.PR

Terror suspects strike back at anti-terrorism law: "Society's interest in employing the best available truth-determining mechanisms is greatly elevated in the tumultuous struggle against terrorism,'' Paul Copeland argues.
``While the courts have generally deferred to governments on the issue, the reality is that national security claims and privilege claims have frequently been made to shield government or government officials from appropriate and necessary oversight.''
In the last 25 years, the federal government has issued about two-dozen security certificates, most of which have been upheld by the Federal Court and used to deport refugees and landed immigrants alleged to have terrorist links"

Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor

With all the real health services that they could fix- the ministry of health parasites have decided to go after farmers markets and other "free"markets". Stop them now before they cause more damage and hardship-PR
Osprey Media. - Brantford Expositor: "
Province Targets Farmers' Markets

James Wallace for the Osprey News Network
Queens Park - Saturday, May 13, 2006

On any given weekend, thousands of Ontario families hike out to a local farmers' market to shop for vegetables, crafts, meats, furniture, maple syrup and the usual soup to nuts piled on wooden stands and displayed under linen tents.

They have been enormously popular with urban and rural consumers for decades, serve as important tourist attractions in many communities, contribute significantly to regional economies and put a few bucks into the pockets of farmers, craftsmen and local merchants.

So it should come as absolutely no shock whatsoever that the provincial government is contemplating plans to regulate, red tape and otherwise drive farmers' markets out of existence.

Proposed food safety guidelines in a 48-page draft document prepared in March for the Ministry of Health will require farmers' markets to meet the same stringent measures applied to restaurants, grocery stores and large scale commercial food producers and distributors.

They contemplate, for example, lab tests for home-made jelly, that honey made by local bees contain no more than 17 per cent moisture, recommendations that every market have two bathrooms (one for staff, one for the public), sinks and hand-washing facilities, log books to record food thermometer temperatures during cooking and that farmers and merchants take courses to become certified food handlers.


Bob Runciman, the MPP for Leeds Grenville, said the reach of the proposed measures also won't end at farmers' markets.

'It's pretty expansive,' Runciman said. 'They'll be"

Tax relief is needed- PR

Sun, May 14, 2006 Time for gov't gouging to stop By TOM BRODBECK

If you want to find out how much the federal government has been over-charging us as taxpayers, check out the latest 2006 budget papers.
There's a whole section on how Ottawa has consistently been racking up massive budget surpluses since it balanced the books in 1997.
That in itself is no great secret. We've heard about larger than anticipated surpluses for years.
But what the budget does this year is take a closer look at the issue, including what can be done to end this perpetual over-charging.
Every year since 1997, the federal government has projected a modest surplus, including a $3-billion contingency fund which, if not used, went to pay down the debt.
It was good policy. And debt has been paid down to some extent (although we've still got a very long way to go).
Trouble is, because of high taxation -- including more than a decade where tax brackets weren't indexed to inflation -- and the massive employment insurance surplus racked up every year, Ottawa was taking in billions more a year than it projected.
Which simply means we were over-taxed.
On average, since 1997, the federal government's surplus was a staggering $5.6 billion more than projected. Over eight years, that's nearly $45 billion.
It's a massive amount of money. And it came right out of our pockets.
Instead of giving it back, though, they spent most of it, usually in a year-end frenzy to shore up political support.
Polite way
"This reduced the scope for parliamentarians and Canadians to have an informed debate on how these fiscal dividends were allocated," the 2006 budget says.
That's a polite way of putting it.
Another way of putting it is that taxpayers were screwed.
We paid far more than we should have.
There are valid reasons why government can have unanticipated surpluses. The economy can do better than expected, for example, generating more tax revenue than estimated.
That's fine. It's going to happen.
But when it happens every year, and at such high levels, there's a systemic gouging going on that has to stop.
The explanation in the budget, based on an independent review by the International Monetary Fund, is that the federal government's fiscal projections have been more cautious than other countries since the mid-1990s.
In plain English, that means Ottawa was deliberately underestimating its revenues in order to keep taxes high, knowing full well that by the end of the year, they would be awash in taxpayer dough.
And why would they do that?
Because if you believe in big government, if you think government should play a significant role in people's lives, you need the money to spend on big, universal programs, such as the so-called national child-care program.
By consistently underestimating revenues, government every year had a whack of money to splurge on all kinds of federal programs, with the hope of winning political credit for their efforts.
What they should have done is used realistic projections and given us our money back by way of broad-based tax relief.
At the very least, we should have all received rebate cheques in the mail.

Focus on Outcomes - Rev. Harry Lehotsky - Outcomes a better measure of success

Ecellent idea for making government work PR
winnipegsun.com - Rev. Harry Lehotsky - Outcomes a better measure of success: "Things will never change if we don't start focusing more on outcomes than process.
I felt like shouting 'Amen!' But I wasn't in church, and such enthusiasm for common sense seemed like it might not be appropriate.
This Wednesday I attended the 10th anniversary of Opportunities for Employment -- an employment training program that embodies what happens when you focus more on outcomes than process.
The organization was founded on a revolutionary principle. The agency would make itself as accountable for their performance with their clients as their clients would have to be in the workforce. Opportunities for Employment would get paid only if their clients succeeded in holding a full-time job for at least six months. "

Getting our ship in order Strong dollar speaks volumes

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - Strong dollar speaks volumes: "Under Liberal prime minister Jean Chretien and finance minister Paul Martin, the Canadian dollar sank to less than 63 cents US at various times. What a disgrace. How embarrassing. No wonder financial experts around the globe talked about us having a 'northern peso.'
We had one of the largest federal accumulated debts in the industrialized world, our combined federal, provincial and municipal taxes were the highest in the G-7 -- and on average 20% higher than in the U.S. Coincidentally, our productivity was 20% lower than in the U.S., which certainly told a story. "

It is no coincidence our 90-cent dollar has arrived just three months after Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives won the Jan. 23 federal election and just a week after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled his first budget.
From New York to Zurich to Hong Kong, the world now knows we are getting our ship in order.

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - The right to judge judges

winnipegsun.com - Editorial - The right to judge judges: "The rule of law requires judges to uphold unwritten constitutional norms, even in the face of clearly enacted laws or hostile public opinion. There is certainly no guarantee or presumption that a given list of constitutional principles is complete, even assuming the good faith intention of the drafters to provide such a catalogue ... Judges have the duty to insist that legislative and executive branches of government conform to certain established and fundamental norms, even in times of trouble.'
Some might say McLachlin was simply saying judges must follow the spirit as well as the letter of the law and rule based not on what is popular, but on what is constitutional.
Others might say she was defending such controversial decisions as the Supreme Court 'reading in' sexual orientation into the charter, which many people saw as judges improperly exercising 'godlike' power.
That's the view Vellacott expressed and it's a valid one.
At least it would be, if our politicians truly believed in another charter right -- free speech. "

Tories smell new scandal over gun registry costs

At least we can clean it up-no meetings just do it PR
Tories smell new scandal over gun registry costs: "'When they gave out that $273-million contract, they broke every rule in the book,' Breitkreuz said, echoing the phrase that Fraser made famous in her audit of the $250-million sponsorship program."

globeandmail.com : Attack on judiciary shatters strategic silence

What are the unwritten constitional principles? PR This will make for a livly debate in the future.
globeandmail.com : Attack on judiciary shatters strategic silence: "Mr. Vellacott was apparently drawn out by a speech Chief Justice McLachlin delivered in New Zealand in December. It explored the notion of 'unwritten constitutional principles' -- principles thought to be so fundamental to society that judges may occasionally use them to underpin a ruling.
Chief Justice McLachlin reasoned that laws cannot encompass all possible situations. 'In sum, the rule of law requires judges to uphold unwritten constitutional norms, even in the face of clearly enacted laws or hostile positive opinion,' she said.
To those of conservative mind, the speech was a red flag to a bull; a declaration that all manner of cases can be justified by reference to vague, 'unwritten constitutional principles.'
Ironically, Chief Justice McLachlin is widely seen as being loathe to strike down legislation under the Charter of Rights, often taking pains to bow in the direction of Parliament and its legislative agenda.
The best-known use of unwritten principles in recent years was the Quebec Secession Reference ruling, where the court cited four unwritten principles -- federalism, democracy, the rule of law and respect for minorities -- to create a blueprint for the possible partition of Canada.
However, University of Toronto law professor Sujit Choudhry noted that in a 2005 ruling pitting the B.C. government against several tobacco companies, the court also took a strong position against 'trivializing' the Constitution with extravagant interpretations of unwritten principles.
Mr. Vellacott's attack brought a highly unusual retort from Chief Justice McLachlin: She categorically denied his allegation that she had ever referred to judges as having 'almost God-like powers.'
Prof. Levy said the response can b"

globeandmail.com : PM's spring cleanup casts pall over Ottawa

globeandmail.com : PM's spring cleanup casts pall over Ottawa: "PM's spring cleanup casts pall over Ottawa
JANE TABER
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Ottawa � The Harper government's new accountability measures are creating an atmosphere in political Ottawa where accepting free tickets to gala concerts, fundraising dinners and other cultural events is frowned upon."

Brault sentenced to 30 months for sponsorship fraud

Brault sentenced to 30 months for sponsorship fraud: "Ad man Jean Brault got 30 months in prison after a judge condemned him Friday as one of the greedy masterminds who became rich off sponsorship fraud.
Brault, 52, was sentenced for stealing at least $1.2 million from money meant to raising the profile of the federal government in the wake of the 1995 referendum. "