Andrew Coyne, National Post
The premier of Ontario has taken an important stand on the issue of unnamed donors paying thousands of dollars for private meetings with her and her staff. She’s in favour of it.
Another leader caught selling preferential access to the highest bidder might have folded under pressure and abandoned the practice. But there’s a principle at stake here, and Kathleen Wynne is drawing a line in the sand. The principle? A little thing called democracy.
“It’s part of the democratic process,” she said, of the $6,000-a-head cocktail reception and three-course dinner at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel scheduled for this Thursday. Organized by a major lobbying firm, it is advertised as a “small event with a limited number of tickets,” allowing for intimate “one-on-one conversations” with the premier, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli and senior staff. A similar event last month charged $5,000 to speak to Chiarelli and the premier’s chief of staff, Andrew Bevan.
Well, what could be more democratic than that? Are we to confine our notion of democracy to the collective choices of millions of citizens, each having the same vote and the same say in how we are governed? That might meet some formalistic definition of democratic equality. But what about people with greater, shall we say, needs?
Whether the government subsidizes wind power may not matter much to you, but it matters a great deal to someone in, say, the wind power industry. Adjusting for the difference in stakes, the $6,000 an executive splashes out to bend the premier’s ear at a private reception and dinner is worth about the same as a single vote to the average person. (Math available on request.) Read article
We speak out….NO ONE HEARS
We raise ours arms…NO ONE CARES
We write concerns…NO ONE READS
We tell stories and give facts…NO ONE WILL LISTEN
We allowed the Government to deceive us, destroying, manipulating and costing ….but again WE VOTE THEM BACK IN!
THIS WILL NEVER END UNLESS WE START TO KICK BUTT!!!! TIME TO TAKE BACK ONTARIO!
Transparency is not the issue, shame is!
The same lsobbyist firm quoted in the article, Sussex Circle, is registered to represent Algonquin Power/ Windlectric in its dealing with the Ontario Government Ministries to push ahead the 26 turbines on Amherst Island. No citizen was granted a meeting, now we know that if $6000 had been sent with the requests, there might have been a chance of getting someone’s attention. Party financing might be part of the democratic process but listening to taxpayer’ concerns does not seem to be!!!
Shame on our elected politicians who only listen when money talks.
Massachusetts Clean Energy Partnership includes:
Emera, Muskrat Falls project, has large stake in Algonquin Power
Hydro-Quebec
Nalcor, Muskrat Falls project
All of the above are interested parties in supplying power to the U.S.
So it’s very reasonable to question where the Amherst Island produced wind power will be sent. Not needed in Ontario for sure.
http://www.hydroworld.com/articles/2016/02/partnership-to-support-hydro-and-wind-in-massachusetts.html
The Plan?
Massachusetts Clean Electricity Partnership
“Affordable Hydro and Wind. For our future”
http://www.masscleanelectricity.org
Power supplied by Canada. Enjoy all the IWT photos and dams.