The Mississauga South NDP welcomes our Interim President/CEO Grigor Grigorian, who takes over from Steven Martin effective May 29th 2010. Grigor is an enthusiastic party activist and UTM student, and has been extremely involved in Farah Kalbouneh’s campaign.

And with new evidence of Conservative corruption, intimidation, and secrecy being revealed each day, a summer or fall election is becoming increasingly possible.

Detainee abuse and a government cover-up. Maternal heath being used as a wedge issue. The Jaffer/Guerguis circus. Looming spending cuts and persistent deficits. The Conservatives under Stephen Harper have managed Canada’s economy so poorly and contributed so little in terms of positive social value, the writing is on the wall, so to speak. Parliament is each day on the verge of dysfunctional collapse.

Something needs to change, and fast.

Jack Layton and New Democrats are ready and able to hold Stephen Harper to account, and have consistently offered better policy ideas than Michael Ignatieff and his secret “thinker’s conferences.” Nationally, provincially, and at the community level, the NDP is building strong momentum.

The Liberals have helped Stephen Harper every step of the way, and have asked for nothing in return. Jack Layton has worked to find common ground will all parties since he became leader of the federal NDP, and he has fought endlessly to preserve benefits and services that are vital to building healthy communities and strong societies.

Since October 14th, 2009 Farah Kalbouneh has been the federal candidate for the NDP in Mississauga South. For more information about Farah Kalbouneh, please contact Farah at farah@msndp.ca.

By: Farah Kalbouneh, MSNDP Federal Candidate

Dear Editor:

I have met with residents while canvassing in recent weeks, and many have expressed unhappiness with the federal Liberal and Conservative parties. However, many of these same residents have never given serious consideration to supporting the New Democratic Party (NDP).

Many residents I meet have never encountered the NDP’s policies, except when they are “borrowed” by the Liberals and repackaged as their own. Many have never thought of voting anything but Liberal or Conservative — and some choose not to vote at all — while at the same time crying out for an alternative to these two parties. Why is this?

I have been told that (former NDP Premier) Bob Rae ruined the province, but he ran Ontario almost 20 years ago, and is arguably the weakest example of an NDP government in Canadian history. What of the fiscal prudence of Premier Roy Romanow in Saskatchewan, now a “have” province, or the sensibility of former Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, now Ambassador to the United States?

Some believe the NDP has the best policy ideas of any federal party. Yet, New Democrats are still commonly dismissed out of hand, without any recognition of what we actually stand for.

The New Democratic Party tried to prevent the federal government from sliding into its current $36 billion deficit, first by opposing the meaningless two per cent cut to the GST, and then by opposing $50 billion in corporate tax giveaways. Had Harper heeded our advice, Canada could still be running budget surpluses.

New Democrats alone opposed the McGuinty government’s decision to place a huge power plant in the middle of the taxed Clarkson airshed, a principled stance that was based on science and community interest.

The Mississauga South NDP was one of only two community groups to oppose the city’s move to abolish Public Question Period, which was successfully retained only after persuasive arguments to city council.

At all levels, we are engaged and offering solutions that benefit everyone, not just an entitled few.

We have proven ideas, effective leadership, and we are growing every day. New Democrats work hard to bring the interests of all Canadians — not just multinational corporations and trust-fund millionaires — to the forefront of our political system.

Link to Mississauga News

By: Joe Chin

An outraged Mississauga councillor all but chased a resident speaker away from Wednesday’s meeting of City Council.

Andrew Hamilton-Smith, a University of Toronto Mississauga student, who’s also secretary of the Mississauga South NDP association, had just finished urging City councillors to delay abolishing public question period when he was berated by Ward 7 councillor Nando Iannicca.

The outspoken councillor appeared upset the deputant’s party hasn’t pushed for instituting the practice at the provincial and federal levels where the NDP is represented. He called it hypocrisy.

“They don’t do it there, but they want to come here and tell us how to run the place. And of all people the NDP,” said Iannicca. “So why don’t you move along and get an education of how things actually work, for God’s sake.”

Iannicca, who was first elected to Council in 1988, told The News he doesn’t regret his outburst.

“Not at all, not at all,” he said. “(Hamilton-Smith) is not Joe Citizen; he was here on behalf of a political party.” Iannicca noted he was respectful to the other deputants who addressed Council on the issue.

The City of Mississauga wants to do away with a 30-year tradition of allowing anyone to essentially walk off the street and ask questions of City officials.

Instead, councillors want to bump it back to the committee level and impose strict time limits.

“The objective here should be to refine the quality of questions asked at Council, not eliminate them altogether,” argued Hamilton-Smith, who sits on the City’s cycling advisory committee.

He called on councillors to defer the move until the fall to allow time for public consultation. “The public should have a say in the elimination of public question period,” he said.

Longtime City observer Alan Forde, who also spoke on the issue, was surprised by the way Hamilton-Smith was treated. “There has to be some explanation as to the rough handling of a citizen, especially your age,” he told Hamilton-Smith in an e-mail.

He also asked: “You and Nando have a history?”

Ward 7 Councillor Nando Iannicca owes Mississauga resident Andrew Hamilton-Smith an apology. Then, he owes the rest of Mississauga his resignation from City Council.

Iannicca brought Mississauga City Council to an entirely new low point when he attacked a resident who had a query, ironically, about public question period at Wednesday’s meeting. He berated Hamilton-Smith, labelling him and his comments banal, before condemning him for his political association with, “of all people, the NDP.”

“You’re number two on the list of banality,” Iannicca shouted. “Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? It’s embarrassing. Why don’t you go home and do some homework? Why don’t you just move along and get an education and learn how things actually work, for god’s sake.”

Hamilton-Smith, much to his credit, responded civilly and politely, even in the face of Iannicca’s unbridled rage over a simple question from a resident.

Iannicca later dismissed his callous treatment of Hamilton-Smith by saying he wouldn’t have treated a private citizen that way, but one who has affiliation with a registered political association — “with, of all people, the NDP” — is fair game. To our knowledge, becoming a member of a registered party does not make anyone less of a citizen or disable their right to ask questions of elected representatives.

Sadly, both Mayor Hazel McCallion and Ward 6 Councillor Carolyn Parrish exacerbated the attack on Hamilton Smith by questioning him about the legislature and his opinion on provincial politics and procedures. Instead of responding to his questions, they bashed Queen’s Park policies, clearly a red herring designed to divert Hamilton-Smith and avoid his questions.

“This has nothing to do with the federal or provincial government,” Hamilton-Smith responded quietly and with surprising dignity in the face of Iannicca’s onslaught.

Iannicca seems to have forgotten he sits on City Council at the behest of residents and it is to them he owes the utmost respect and loyalty. They do not deserve his scorn and contempt.

July 31, 2009

When asked about the directive issued by Council on July 8th, 2009 (GC – 0486-2009) Deputy City Clerk Grant Bivol cited the need for efficiency and the fact that certain individuals were “grandstanding” at televised meetings. While it is understandable that Council needs to maintain decorum and stay on topic during sessions, the actions of one or two individuals cannot possibly justify the extreme measure of completely removing the tradition of Public Question Period (PQP) from Council meetings.

The objective here should be to refine the quality of questions asked at Council, not eliminate them altogether. Rather than redirecting debate to another level (i.e. committees) these changes will actually serve to undermine it. Citizens are already free to attend committee meetings under the current system, and although the common sense seems to be that public questions are handled more effectively through committees, little evidence of this exists. The ultimate effect is to simply herd more citizens into fewer avenues of recourse.

The fifteen minute time limit for all public questions at the end of each committee meeting will hardly address this reduction of opportunities for public discussion. Worse still, this brief time includes the time required to hear responses. It is entirely conceivable that only one question could be asked and only one answer given within a fifteen minute period, depending on the complexity of an issue.

Do these changes represent a genuine attempt by Council to streamline public inquiry?

By referring all questions to city staff and committees, Council is restricting the ability of citizens to communicate with their elected representatives or hold them accountable. Although it is true that most municipalities in Ontario do not have PQP at council, to its’ credit Mississauga has granted this privilege to its citizens for thirty years.

There are many alternatives to destroying this part of our history: impose time limits on questioners, limits on number of questions, agenda-relevancy rules which are enforceable, and so on. Potential questions could be quietly screened by a city clerk during the meeting to make sure it is related to the agenda.

After the trial period for these changes expires in June 2010, how will Council evaluate them? If the intention is not to save money (since city staff reported on June 30, 2009 that financial costs of PQP at Council are not applicable), what will be used to gauge the effectiveness of these changes? Efficiency is hard to define or measure when part of Council’s job is to listen and respond to citizens at every opportunity, and not just vote on routine measures prepared by staff.

With one less opportunity to participate in the process of government, citizens may simply disengage and walk away. Council should carefully weigh this danger against the expected benefits before approving these amendments to the by-law.

Thank you for your consideration.

On behalf of the Mississauga South New Democrats,

Steven Martin,
President, MSNDP

Cc: All City Councilors
Grant Bivol, Deputy City Clerk
Shalini Alleluia, City Clerk’s Office
All Mississauga NDP riding associations
Mississauga News

By: Andrew Hamilton-Smith

As the City puts the finishing touches on its Cycling Master Plan, cyclists are holding their collective breath in anticipation.

Through public consultations the past year, residents have consistently identified one cycling priority above all others — connectivity. Basically, people want to be able to ride to and from various destinations, in a way that’s both safe and easy to navigate.

Cities around the world are making tremendous strides in accommodating cyclists. Riding a bicycle instead of driving a car reduces traffic congestion, emits no pollution and is in the best interest of riders’ health. In Chicago, Toronto, Montreal and New York, bikes have dedicated lanes on major roads that extend directly through the most built-up areas.

Once cyclists have a safe, direct route from one part of a city to another, the result is an immediate increase in the number of people cycling to work. Rather than waiting for people to start cycling before building the necessary infrastructure, the opposite appears to work far more effectively. With apologies to the movie, Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will ride.”

Which brings us back to Mississauga’s Cycling Master Plan – how to integrate safe, direct cycling routes in a city that, until now, has been designed with automobiles in mind.

Many voices, notably VIVA Port Credit, Walk & Bike For Life and Smart Commute, advocate for marked and/or dedicated cycling routes on nearly every major road; cyclist safety must be given priority. Several cyclists have been killed or injured by cars in Mississauga in the past few years.

However, City planners counter major roadways, such as the six-lane Hurontario St., are the last place cyclists should ride. Until recently, the overwhelming number of Mississauga’s cycling trails have been built off-road, usually in parkland and along waterways.

The result is a fragmented system of pathways. Cyclists can be seen with bikes on their cars, driving to a park instead of riding to it, because there’s no way to ride safely from one trail system to another.

So, what will the Master Plan look like? If the City takes safety and connectivity seriously, it will accommodate cyclists on the streets, or find another way for bikes to get around. Alternative solutions could involve finding direct routes for cyclists, other than roads. Toronto has replaced the steel track of an unused railroad line with asphalt trail.

In Mississauga, two pilot projects have been approved to build pathways through hydro corridors parallel to The Queensway and Speakman Dr. No effort is being made to bridge the Credit River. Although these routes will safely remove cyclists from traffic, they won’t provide direct connectivity. If bike routes are tucked away from major areas and don’t provide convenient access to various destinations, they won’t succeed in attracting large numbers of cyclists.

A bold cycling vision based upon new ways of thinking will draw people out of their cars, creating a more livable city on a human scale.

Andrew Hamilton-Smith is a 25-year resident of Mississauga and member of the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee.

By: Dominik Kurek

Some of Peel Region’s outstanding citizens and police officers were honoured tonight for their contributions to the safety of their communities.

Awards were handed out at the Police Services Board Awards Ceremony that took place at the Mississauga Convention Centre. Among the recipients was Mississauga’s Matt Turner, 20, whose quick actions helped save another man’s life.

Turner, who received the Civilian Citation at the ceremony, was riding a Mississauga Transit bus in April of last year when a fellow passenger collapsed from a heart attack.

“No one seemed to provide CPR and the bus driver did not know what to do so I stepped up and did CPR on the man,” he said. Turner, 19 at the time, continued CPR for about four minutes until emergency crews arrived and took over. Turner is a St. John’s Ambulance volunteer. The ill man eventually survived.

“I don’t think it was that big of a deal,” he said. “I just did what I was trained to do.”

Peel Regional Police Sgt. Darren Brennan received a Police Commendation award for preventing a potential kidnapping. Brennan received a call from a motel clerk who reported a man checking-in with two young children. Brennan came to the motel and, after speaking with the man and the children, Brennan had his suspicions.

He called the children’s parents, who said the man wasn’t a relative, but a close family friend. The parents said the situation was fine, but Brennan’s suspicions continued.

Brennan sent a police officer to stay with the children and the man until the parents arrived. It turns out Brennan’s suspicions were true. “There was a threatening letter of death with respects to a potential ransom and a kidnapping (involving the children),” he said. The man was arrested.

“This left a funny impression in my head that I better double-check everything and it’s a good thing we did,” said Brennan. The awards ceremony recognized several citizens and police members for their actions that helped ensure community safety. There were also media awards handed out to organizations for their help in spreading public awareness about policing issues.

Ban on New Carbon-Gas Power Plants in Dense Residential Areas

WHEREAS the health effects caused by air pollutants range from subtle biochemical and physiological changes to difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing and aggravation of existing respiratory and cardiac conditions, and according to Health Canada “can result in increased medication use, increased doctor or emergency room visits, more hospital admissions and even premature death” and has been linked to 400 deaths per year in Peel Region alone;

WHEREAS the Clarkson Air Shed Study, conducted from 2003-2005, found that measurements taken during the ambient air monitoring program at four of the six stations, exceeded the PM2.5 project benchmark concentration of 30 ?g/m3 both for 2004, and for the whole study period (2003-2005), and that this benchmark concentration was based on the proposed Canada Wide Standard (CWS) for PM2.5 of 30 ug/m3;

WHEREAS the Clarkson Air Shed Study concluded that the area is “stressed”, especially due to high volume traffic from the nearby Queen Elizabeth Way, with up to 25% of airborne pollutants currently caused by local industry;

WHEREAS the Clarkson Air Shed Advisory Committee (CASAC) has previously resolved that its co-chairs write to the Premier of Ontario, copies to the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Energy and the Mayor of Mississauga, asking him to respond to the findings of the Ministry of Environment’s Clarkson Airshed Study that the Clarkson airshed is stressed and to the call of Mayor McCallion to ban the location of any gas-fired generating stations in the Clarkson airshed;

WHEREAS the Mississauga Ratepayer Association Network (MIRANET) has previously resolved that the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Environment and the Minister of Energy respond to the findings of the Ministry of Environment’s Clarkson Airshed Study that the Clarkson airshed is stressed;

WHEREAS it is contradictory to pursue a strategy of reducing airborne pollutants while simultaneously adding new sources of such pollutants;

WHEREAS other strategies exist for the purpose of meeting Ontario’s future energy demand, besides building dozens of new carbon-gas producing production facilities, such as: aggressively pursuing renewable sources (such as wind, geothermal, and solar); encouraging efficiency upgrades to homes, buildings, and transmission lines; or promoting new technologies such as household “battery packs” which retain electricity during non-peak periods to be used during peak demand periods;

THEREFORE, be it resolved that the Ontario New Democratic Party will support a comprehensive ban on any new carbon-gas power plant projects located within or downwind from any dense residential area, defined as more than fifty (50) persons per square kilometer, or any residential area with pre-existing air pollution problems, in order to protect human health and quality of life for the people of Ontario and future generations.

To: Mississauga South NDP Membership, Executive

It is with a great deal of sadness and regret that I must inform you of my decision to resign as President of the Mississauga South New Democratic Party Riding Association. It may seem to you that I am doing this at a very wrong time with the Federal Election underway. But, I believe that it is never the right time. With an extremely challenging and hectic schedule where I work the fact of the matter is that I will not have time to devote to the election.

I have devoted many years of my life as a NDP member, riding executive officer and working on campaigns as both a volunteer and a candidate etc. In fact running as a candidate in Mississauga South has been one of the finest and rewarding experiences of my life. I have given this tremendous thought and must resign for very personal reasons.

Over the years I have made many friends inside the NDP and am very pleased about that. I wish you well in both your personal and political endeavours.

I thank you all for your kind support which will always be remembered and greatly appreciated.

In Solidarity

Ken Cole

By: Ken Cole

09:49 AM – Dear Editor:

Re: Conservation key to stopping gas plant: former Greenpeace head. This was a very interesting meeting with a great presentation from New Democratic Party Energy Critic Peter Tabuns.

After listening to this presentation, it became obvious to all we must stand united in order to prevent the gas plants from thriving in Mississauga. Ratepayers associations, tenants associations and political party riding associations, must unite in order to win this battle.

But, that’s not enoug.! We need every citizen to join in and let our elected politicians at all levels know we do not want gas plants in Mississauga.

We will take the necessary action at election time in order to elect political leaders at all levels who share our concerns.

We want politicians who will do more than speak in opposition to gas plants. We want more of our politicians than to sign petitions. We want politicians to stand up and take action. We want our politicians to take a look around the world and bring the best ideas back to Mississauga.

I respectfully caution those desirous of election or re-election that the energy is mounting. The energy to stop power plants in Mississauga South is becoming contagious. People are talking. All of us standing together can “make things happen” Let’s stand together!