For A Thursday

The world, it does spin...


What. A bloody. Liar:
  

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne struggled to distance herself Thursday from her predecessor Dalton McGuinty, amid explosive police allegations that his chief of staff may have committed a breach of trust in the ongoing gas plants scandal.

(Sidebar: rather like Benjamin Levin.)

Provincial police allege in unsealed court documents that they believe David Livingston gave an outside tech expert — the boyfriend of a senior staffer — access to 24 computers in the premier’s office.

According to the documents, Livingston sought high-level access to the computers to “wipe clean the hard drives” after McGuinty resigned amid controversy over the costly cancellation of two gas plants.

It’s alleged that during the transition period to Wynne’s administration, Livingston arranged for his executive assistant Wendy Wai to have special access to desktops in the premier’s office, even though she had little knowledge of computers.

Police believe Peter Faist, who wasn’t a government employee, was the person who actually accessed the 24 computers using Wai’s administrative privileges, including Miller’s, Livingston’s and other staffers.

Faist, who police believe is the partner of former deputy chief of staff Laura Miller, was never officially hired by the government and did not undergo the required security screening, the documents say.

According to two staffers in the premier’s office, Faist accessed their computers a few days before Wynne was sworn in, saying he was getting them ready for the next government, police say.

The staffers said they couldn’t log into their computers after Faist left and called IT staff, who said it was clear that system files had been deleted, police allege. ...

But if the latest allegations are true, they are “very disturbing,” a grim-faced Wynne said Thursday.

“This is not the way a government should operate, this is not the way a premier’s office should conduct itself and it is not the way my office operates,” she said.

“I want to be clear: this individual does not work in my office, nor in my government, nor has he ever worked in my government.”

This is from the same woman who denied having any role in the cancelled gas plants even though records support the fact that she did.

The bigger scandal is that McGuinty and Wynne believed they could get away with these crimes because they know that Liberal voters will never hold them to account.


It's a money-grab, you b@$#@%&s:

Many Ontarians who rely on natural gas to heat their homes will find themselves shelling out a lot more.

Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. says the Ontario Energy Board has approved new rates effective April 1.

The increase means nearly $400 over the next year for the average Enbridge customer, who normally would pay roughly $1,000 annually for natural gas.

I wonder when future guilt trips history lessons will include not scrapping the Indian Act and corrupt band chiefs screwing over their own people:

Alberta students are to be taught about the horrors and the painful legacy of Indian residential schools.

The province has announced that all kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum will include mandatory content on the significance of residential schools and First Nation treaties.

While there was appalling abuse at some of these residential schools, that was not always the case. No doubt, this will not be mentioned.


Abolish teachers' unions:

 Incompetent teachers in California are holding back poor and minority children, an attorney for several students said on Thursday in closing arguments for a closely watched trial that could change the way public school teachers are hired and fired in the most populous U.S. state.

The lawsuit, opposed by teacher union leaders and the state, comes at a time of bitter political wrangling over how best to reinvigorate a U.S. public school system that leaves American children lagging counterparts in countries such as Finland and South Korea.

The two-month trial has focused on whether five laws meant to protect teachers' jobs are unfair to poor and minority students by putting them at a disproportionately greater risk of being taught by less effective teachers.

While the industry of Big Public Schools is practically impeachable in the eyes of some (it is certainly not without verifiable fault), it is also important to point out that everything begins in the home. Yes, teachers' unions are politicised and would cover for less-than-attentive teachers but what do you do when students and parents don't give a damn?

I feel sorry for the students and parents do. This is the world they are operating in and it's unfair.


And now, fear BaneCat: