584...Parking Fines Dilute Good Will

Cities everywhere don't seem to get that.

Here is a letter to the USA Today from Fargo, North Dakota, a smallish town, metro of about 200,000 thousand, size of Regina or Saskatoon give or take, where one would not think these things would be problems.

More parking fines dilute goodwill

Brian Magee - Fargo, N.D.

More parking fines dilute goodwill Cities increasing parking fines to boost revenue — and moves like it — alienate the public from their governments. Government should not be seen as an enemy. When it is, the result is bitterness and lack of respect ("Parking fines easy cash for cities," News, Wednesday).

Government's central functions should be paid for by everyone, on a sliding scale, giving each person a stake in what government does. When the basic budget is funded increasingly through fines, fees or targeted taxes, such as those on alcohol or cigarettes, we attach a negative connotation to government. Then the government becomes not an ally, but an adversary.

Fines should be an annoyance and a small deterrent, not a revenue source. It's not only bad policy, it's also bad psychology.

Please alert Lowell Green to this Post; this is one of his long time [and accurate] rants.

WFDS

579...Tony Clement Backs Down

After saying earlier this week that he believed that Sudbury would become the "Valley of Death if Companhia Vale do Rio Doce hadn't purchased Inco Ltd. in 2006", Minister Clement, in conversation with Carol Mulligan of the Sault Star recanted stating that "Basically what I said was pretty bone-headed."

He also said, and I love this, wait for it, this is a beauty, he said that "I love Sudbury, I've always loved Sudbury."

Uh, yeah, right, sure you have.

Wait, no, you are lying.

For those that haven't been to Sudbury, it is like Regina, without all the bright lights and the glitter.

He did say that he wants Sudbury and the rest of Northern Ontario to succeed, which is reasonable, commendable and the right thing to say but "I love Sudbury?"

OMG.

WFDS

552...Regina In The News

Canada's boom province, Saskatchewan, has a pride and joy, the Green Riders and in today's Leader-Post Angela Hall writes that the province is going to conduct a million dollar feasibility study to see what should be done with crumbling 99 year old Mosaic Stadium, the former Taylor Field.

All three levels of government and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be providing funding and experts will consider all possible uses for a covered facility that could cost more than $350 million to build, Enterprise Minister Ken Cheveldayoff said at a news conference.

The study will also look at the potential for a retractable roof.

By the by, Regina is one of the most crime ridden cities in North America with a tremendous cleavage between the Aboriginal [have not] and White [have] populations. I wonder what an injection of 350 million bones into the Pile of Bones North Central neighbourhood would bring?

I merely wonder.

WFDS

242...Disenfranchised Nova Scotia

I watched CanadaAM from 7 55 this morning until 8 30 and not a bloody word about the Nova Scotia election that is being contested today.

I did have the opportunity to see a man in the centre-of-the-universe [Toronto, doncha know?] who fell into a hole get both rescued and arrested, a story about a fellow who wrote a book about the Canada-United States border south of Vancouver, find out that it is going to be chilly in Regina, Saskatchewan and a live report from Phoenix, Arizona about the fate of the Phoenix Coyotes.

Plus the obligatory Can con music from a band, later this hour was the tease, a band that as per the Canada AM tradition, that is only a household name in their household. This morning it is Dala who, no surprise, are from Tronna.

But nothing, nothing, nothing about the historic Nova Scotia election.

WFDS

213...My Car Is Now Worth Three Grand

Or will be if the proposal reported by Nicholas Van Praet in today's Financial Post section of the National Post comes to fruition.

Richard Gauthier, president of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association is the point man for a 100 million dollar fleet replacement program [my fleet by the way looks very much like one very tired old Ford, albeit with an amazing tape deck] that would offer owners of vehicles 10 years old or older $3,000 cash to trade in their beaters for new models. They want the government to free up $300-million initially to fund the plan, enough to replace 100,000 vehicles.

The only fly in this ointment, wait, no, make that one the many flies in this ointment, is the fact that people like myself who drive 300 dollar cars are more than willing to make that big step up to a brand new vehicle. Whether we are willing and/or capable of making the monthly payments is a whole other story, a story that will be most likely punctuated by the repo man. If this plan comes to fruition for a bright shining moment neighbourhoods like North Central in Regina, St. Henri in Montreal and Vanier here in Ottawa will be rife with shiny Cadillacs and Chryslers.

WFDS

178...This Is Why We Need The CFL In Ottawa

Matt Dominguez.

Never heard of him? That's okay, he has never heard of you.

Seriously, he is a Texas boy who ended up in Regina playing for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League and now, his career in, best case scenario, its twilight, is continuing to live in the city that rhymes with fun working for a real estate company and living with his wife and two children in that town's north end.

Here is why you should care.

Men like Matt Dominguez bring a different flavour, the flavour of diversity, to markets like Regina, Saskatchewan. I think it is safe to posit that when growing up in Georgetown, Texas, Mr. Dominguez didn't know who, what or where Saskatchewan was. Now he is an important member of the community. What got him there? Professional football.

Flash to my town, Ottawa. If it wasn't for the Riders [may you rest in piece] we wouldn't have a Lone Star Restaurant, Local Heroes and a number of other things that give the city flavour. Ditto the 67s, Gatineau Olympiques and Senators.

That is why we need the CFL [and NHL, and the OHL and the QMJHL] in Ottawa.

Not at any cost; I subscribe to the Neil deMause's Field of Schemes philosophy, but we need 'em.

Just don't use public money [or as much public money] on the teams, ca va?

WFDS

123...Greetings From Regina

The Regina Leader-Post to be precise, Ian Hamilton's column which is cut and paste job. And the boy can really cut and paste.

He bookended Saturday's column with two gems.

Mr. Hamilton led off with this bit of economic news: Shoe giant Nike announced Thursday that it will be cutting about five per cent of its workforce -- roughly 1,750 jobs -- worldwide due to the economic downturn. Thankfully, those eight- and nine-year-olds still have time to find new careers.

That kills me.

Then he closed with: The last word this week goes to Samantha Haylock, who had this say to the St. Petersburg Times to describe her disappointment when the Lingerie Football League's Tampa Breeze held tryouts: "They aren't very organized. They didn't ask any questions. It's all about looks." Go figure.

Double killer.

WFDS