May 09, 2008

Is there enough to go around?

Okay, folks, face it. Ontario is falling to bits although it looks just fine if you're not looking very hard. But the cracks which are being wallpapered over are being to show STRESS.

How far can they stretch the "security forces" and maintain the budget? That would SEEM to be the question, when in fact the question really is: Why are the tac squads being raided in order to cover the state coming to the rescue of the plutocracy!

It was interesting to find this editorial outta Muskoka on a google alert about Caledonia. (Remember: although not charged, those white hooligans in Caledonia cause the trouble! )

Notice how the writer ( obviously a Conservative Party member ) doesn't mention it's the FEDERAL government's obligation to uphold treaty rights!

It's cheaper in the short and long to uphold human rights over policing to push people around for profit ..


May 07, 2008

A dispute that has disrupted life in a southern Ontario town for the past couple of years has raised the ire of District of Muskoka chair Gord Adams, especially once he heard that local police officers have been dispatched to deal with the conflict in Caledonia, as well as in Deseronto.

Bracebridge OPP Inspector Ed Medved reported to the district mayors last week that several local officers have been seconded to specialized police units across the province, including a police sergeant and two constables, to serve in the native disputes, as well as four of the detachment’s Emergency Response Team members, who are called away on an as-needed basis.

Although all of these officers are currently serving in our detachment area, it is of concern that local resources are being used to handle a dispute that has clearly gone on too long.

Adams is correct in saying the provincial government needs to step into the situation in Caledonia, which began in February 2006, and has cost taxpayers millions and millions of dollars. The OPP, or any other police force, should not be used as a long-standing peacekeeping resource. Responding to an emergency we understand, but a standoff turned into a stalemate is something else entirely.

The negotiations are not working, as the situation continues to flare up, and surely OPP resources could be better utilized in our district. Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty should call up former Liberal premier David Peterson, who stepped into the breach two years ago to help solve the crisis, and demand some results.

While the officers seconded from Muskoka are being paid for by the province, as opposed to the District of Muskoka, there needs to be a more effective solution to negotiating situations like Caledonia, Deseronto and Ipperwash. The underlying issues at stake go far beyond provincial and certainly municipal jurisdictions. Having the OPP stand by to maintain civil order is a band-aid solution at best.

How much longer the McGuinty Liberals will let this pathetic stalemate continue before they develop constructive ways to remedy and prevent these disputes is unfortunately anyone’s guess.

KF


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