The CBC is Cool Again in Rural Ontario

Take note Mr. Harper: The Conservatives, having all but given up on Quebec seem to have miscalculated on the reaction to their passive-aggressive attack on the CBC. The loudest cries against the recently announced CBC cuts are coming - not from Toronto (where Conservatives aren't even serious contenders) but from rural ridings that Conservatives will need if they have a payer of even seeing another minority.

In Sudbury hundreds rallied on Sunday including many young people (not the CBC's core audience in recent years. From the Sudbury Star:

"On Sunday, however, scores of teenagers and young adults, such as Holson, represented one of the largest demographics in a boisterous rally at Sudbury city hall, where more than 400 people demanded a reversal of proposed cuts to CBC Radio service in Northern Ontario.
"Half the people I hang out with are in bands and in the arts and they're connected to and supported by the CBC," Holson said during the rally at Tom Davies Square.
"CBC is the voice for a lot of Northern Ontario," he said. "And it's extremely important to keep local news intact in Sudbury and the rest of Northern Ontario, because (private) radio stations don't cut it."

Sudbury, as far as I know, is the only place with street protests but the editorials are turning against the conservatives in places like Guelph

"Over the past 25 or 30 years, so many public institutions have been forced to conform to a business model: public art galleries, universities, school boards, municipal governments, hospitals, and the CBC. But these institutions are not businesses. They are essential social entities, things we collectively need for our sense of identity, for our health, for our knowledge, for our life.
We pay for these things through our taxes. We have a right to expect they will be available to us when we need them. And we have a right to expect governments will rescue them when they falter."

and Brantford

"The Canadian wing of the Fox News crowd can't wait for the demise of the CBC. These folks prefer to focus on pure cost and ignore all value that comes from a well-funded, truly national, public broadcaster. The Foxes really want control of news and commentary to pass from the professional editors and their staffs to the purveyors of advertising revenue. No thanks, Mr Gutfeld.
So if you were, in fact, having too good a day and counting on another rant against the CBC, you're probably disappointed. On the other hand, if you were looking to hook up with fellow supporters of public broadcasting, try the website www.friends.ca. These folks are pretty serious and well organized. Good luck to them. The sheer size, geography and history of our great country makes nation-building a complex and challenging enterprise. CBC/Radio Canada with committed long-term funding is the best vehicle we have to do this, warts and all."

The Conservatives, if they are going to have any chance in this country are going to have to get used to the idea that arts and culture are important to Canadians, that we value them and believe in government subsidies for them and that the CBC is an important part of the Arts and Culture spectrum in this country.

Single Female Voter FTW

So here is the video from the much talked about ambush of Dalton McGuinty by 22 minutes.



A very observant person pointed out to me that you can see reporters laughing throughout the exchange. Apparently though once back at their keyboards they decided that, upon reflection, it-wasn't-funny - in-the- least. Now I won't use the word disingenuous (oops I already did). I'll even pretend that the Sun is a real news organization (but only for this post). But it was funny - those who pretended otherwise in their columns were striking a pose.

Again there was nothing to hold Daulton McGuinty to account for. He didn't lay off any steel workers - what was the province supposed to do? Pay steelworkers to produce Steel that no one is buying? Build up a stockpile of steel so that even when (if) the economy recovers the price stays unnaturally low? Peter Kormos was hoping to score some points on the Premiere based on something over which he had no control and Hall's appearance changed the mood and lessened the chance of a lynch mob - thus the douchy reaction.

Ontario Makes Film & TV Tax Credit Permanent

According to the CBC the province of Ontario has made a tax credit boost which provided an extra $165 million in 2008 permanent. The move was made following a vote in California on Thursday to boost their own tax credit.

"Ontario's film industry has been taking a beating from the rise of the Canadian dollar, in addition to tough economic times. In Toronto, the amount of U.S. movie and TV production dropped to $100 million last year from $300 million in 2007.
American states, including New York and Michigan, have been luring U.S. film productions to their locales with tax breaks, also.
At stake in 2009 is about 16 TV pilots scouting North America for locations with the best tax incentives."

Developers own the 905: No wonder they voted Conservative

Remember 100 years ago (November 26) when the Tories issued their 'Economic Update' and proposed cutting federal funding to political parties? Remember how everyone in their right mind thew a fit? Here's why - from the Toronto Star:

"Robert MacDermid, an associate professor of political science at York University who is publishing a paper on the subject today, says the sheer amount of cash flowing from developers to incumbents – as opposed to coming from citizens who believe in a candidate's platform – erodes the concept of democratic representation.
In the 905 in 2006, election winners got 54.3 per cent of their funding from developers, losers 35 per cent. In Toronto, the numbers are 12 per cent and 4 per cent.
Since there are no rules restricting the number of candidates to whom corporations can donate, they often do so multiple times. MacDermid contends all that money, combined with shortcomings in the Ontario Municipal Elections Act, puts new candidates at a disadvantage, especially those who oppose developers' interests. "It reduces the choice that citizens actually have," he says. "The difficulty with (a candidate) opposing development is that it's hard to find enough money."

Now conservatives, no doubt, will say that that's how things should be. That candidates should raise their own campaign funds from private sources. The thing is federal funding IS raised from private sources. We all pay taxes. Even people who don't have an income pay GST and PST. So when people vote the party that they vote for gets $1.95 per year from their taxes. People who are upset about that obviously aren't thinking clearly. By voting for a party you are trusting them with all of your tax dollars, chances are you can trust them with $1.95 and if that was all the money they got, if there were no private donations we wouldn't get beaten over the head with misleading campaign ads every time someone smells an election. Hopefully residents of the 905 will come to their senses and buy their local government back from the developers.

Dance Party of Newfoundland Touring Ontario

The Amazingly funny Dance Party of Newfoundland is kicking off a tour of Ontario on January 21 in St. Catherines.

To check out more of the funny check their Myspace Video Channel for some backyard bidets, Newfoundland Fear Factor, cannibalism jokes and more.

Jan. 21 / 09 Brock U. Centre for the Arts – St. Catharines,
Jan. 22 / 09 Oakville Centre for the Arts – Oakville, ON
Jan. 23 / 09 Gryphon Theatre – Barrie, ON
Jan. 24 / 09 Victoria Playhouse – Petrolia, ON
Jan. 30 / 09 The Grand Theatre – Kingston, ON
Jan. 31 / 09 Meaford Hall Arts & Cultural Centre – Meaford
Feb. 4 / 09 The Rose Theatre – Brampton, ON
Feb. 6 / 09 River Run Centre – Guelph, ON
Feb 5 /09 Showplace Performance Centre, Peterborough
Feb. 7 / 09 Centre in the Square – Kitchener, ON

Guy In Chair

You Can't Trust the Conservatives with Money

The NDP could re-name themselves the "Alberta Values Party" but adopting the name wouldn't make it true and while the Conservatives are called conservative when it comes to money they are nothing of the kind.

This morning I notice that the Conservatives are suddenly deeply concerned about the economy and prepared to take action.
No longer are we expected to 'look for bargains on the stock market' and we just might be 'worried about our jobs' instead of worried about market performance. The plan is no longer to beg for a place on Stephen Harper's Ark. Now Jim Flaherty is all over it.

""Let me reassure Canadians, our government has been acting to steer our economy through these challenging times," he said.
He said he has "absolutely no concern" about the health of Canada's financial institutions and added the government was not looking at any plan to bail out banks, as have other countries such as Britain, Ireland and Iceland."

So he still has "absolutely no concern" but he's going to try to do something anyway. The problem is that I live in Ontario, I remember Mr. Flaherty and I remember when he and Mr. Eves left Ontario with a surprise 6 billion dollar deficit after claiming that the budget was balanced and am not surprised at all to find out this morning that the Conservatives have been lying about the cost of Afghanistan

"Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has previously estimated that the total cost to date of Canada's mission, which began in 2002, is less than $8 billion.
That's less than half the $17.2 billion that the Rideau Institute predicted in a study entitled The Cost of the War and the End of Peacekeeping, which was released Wednesday. The institute's tally includes the cost of ammunition, equipment, military salaries, health care, disability and death benefits and economic aid projects."

The reality is, what it always is. Conservatives are bad for the economy. They cut taxes irresponsibly, they deregulate irresponsibly and increase spending claiming that it's good for the economy but they always run deficits and they always damage the economy - Mulroney did, Harris and Eves did, in the states Reagan, Bush Sr. both did (and of course Bush Jr. did to levels the world has never seen before.) If given the opportunity they will do it again, it is very likely that the Conservatives are already in deficit they have created that deficit without making any improvements to the economy or to the overall health of Canada.

The reality is that the story of this election for the Conservatives is "too little too late." They released their platform with a week to go and their platform contained nothing of real value to most Canadians. Now, just 5 days before the election they have caught on to what all the other parties are saying and are thinking they maybe should do something, although they are still "Not concerned at all."

Somehow I think the Conservatives would be better off if they all went on vacation until Tuesday and didn't say anything at all.

A Little Good News For Canadian Film

Finally a little bit of good news for Canadian Film. The Province of Ontario has provided 2.5 million dollars to the Canadian Film Centre. The funds will go to pay for the maintenance and expansion of the training centre's Winfields Estate Grounds.

This money doesn't really make up for the millions slashed by Ottawa or the Tories attempts to kill the Canadian film industry altogether, but it may slow the bleeding.

Essential Service Time

Regardless of how you feel about the TTC or unions in general it is undeniable that the TTC is, and should be declared, an essential service. When Bob Kinnear called the strike at 11:10 on Friday night he said it was to prevent exposing union members to "the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public". That the public likely would have been angry and irrational is a demonstration of how essential the TTC is.

I talked to several people over the weekend and today who were in danger of losing jobs, were unable to obtain groceries, were unable to obtain prescriptions etc., If the strike had lasted into the week, and had not been called off by the Provincial Legislature, there were alot of people who's children wouldn't have been able to go to school, people who would have missed medical appointments and again people who definitely would have lost their jobs.

What's more the TTC doesn't just affect transit riders. The absence of the TTC means more cars on the road - causing more pollution and slowing everyone down, it means a drop-off in business for many areas of the city and lost revenue for the owners of those business as well as for employees.

In a city where the cost of driving (+ gas, parking and insurance) is prohibitive for many and where people are generally encouraged to find alternate forms of transportation shutting down the TTC is, for many, the equivalent of shutting down all the roads. The union's leaders cannot even claim that they are standing up for working people. By calling this strike the hurt the livelihoods of many of the working poor and that damage would have been far worse if the province had not intervened.

I am all for the workers of the TTC getting a fair deal. I believe though that the time has come when, if they cannot get that deal at a negotiating table, they will have to try and get it from a judge in arbitration. The city of Toronto simply cannot be held hostage to the demands of one side or the other nor is it acceptable that the poor, working poor, children, university students and the elderly simply be written off as collateral damage.

The TTC has alot of work to do. They have to find ways to cut costs while expanding capacity and service. They certainly have to start taking complaints from the public seriously (which they currently do not) but first things being first the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario must declare the TTC an essential service - on part with police, fire and ambulance services and assure the public that there will never be another strike.

75 Million in New Ontario Arts Funding

According to the CBC the Ontario government is prepared to announce 75 million in additional funding for arts and culture including:

12.1 million for the Royal Ontario Museum

8.6 million for the Art Gallery of Ontario

15 million for the Luminato Festival

15 million for the Southern Ontario Library Service

2.5 million for the Canadian Film Centre

10 million for the Toronto Reference Library

2.2 million for the Ontario Science Centre

388 thousand for Science North in Sudbury

4 million for the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund

747 thousand for the Ontario Heritage trust

All of this comes on top of already announced funding from the 2008 budget including 7 million over 4 years for an Interactive Digital Media Fund.

I think this is all wonderful news, and applaud the McGuinty Government for doing it. I would still point out though that for many, many Torontonians the ROM, the AGO etc., are not the center of cultural life in Toronto and that more needs to be done for small galleries, venues, artists and arts orgnizations that do not have the tourist draw of the ROM. I personally think this would handle it nicely, but I'm looking for other - more short term, local solutions as well.

Private Care Failing in Ontario

Private health care in Ontario has taken off with a resounding thud. First the Indo-Canadian community turned against the provinces first Public Private Partnership (P3) Hospital.

Fuelling people's fury are not only the deaths of two Punjabi men due to the hospital's alleged negligence in November and a wrong surgery on a Punjabi woman last month, but also service cuts, cost overruns and alleged government cover-ups.

Now the Ontario Health Coalition is calling on the provincial auditor for a probe of cost overruns and delays.

"The government's justification for its P3 privatization policy has been that going to the private sector brings hospitals on time and in budget. The evidence from the Brampton case shows that this hospital is (not) on time, it doubled in price and the bed totals are approximately half of the assessed needs of the community at this ... time," the coalition's director Natalie Mehra told a news conference yesterday."The government's justification for its P3 privatization policy has been that going to the private sector brings hospitals on time and in budget. The evidence from the Brampton case shows that this hospital is (not) on time, it doubled in price and the bed totals are approximately half of the assessed needs of the community at this ... time," the coalition's director Natalie Mehra told a news conference yesterday.

Amid all of this failure, a new study shows that Canadian health care is better and less expensive than private health care in the U.S.

Polkaroo & Jodie Run In Provincial Election

Here are two interesting post-election tidbits:

1. The Libertarian candidate for the riding of Toronto-Danforth was Mike Scott. You might think I'm referring to the Mike Scott who pitched for the Houston Astros in the 1980's; but I assure you, this is a different Mike Scott. This Mike Scott happens to be the man who wore the Polkaroo costume on TVO's Polka Dot Door. Don't believe me? Just read this article.

I had to see this with my own eyes, but when I got to the Libertarian office, I was told Mike Scott had left. Aw, I missed him again.


2. In the riding of Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, the Liberal candidate was Nerene Virgin, who played Jodie on Today's Special. It's unknown if Ms. Virgin had a mannequin who would come alive at night and dance around the campaign office.



You never know who might run in an election.

Bait and Switch: Democracy Democratically rejected in Ontario

You probably know by now that Ontario's referendum on MMP failed yesterday. The truth is it never really stood a chance. The Liberals, referring to page 1 in the Liberal play book, gave the appearance of supporting progress without actually giving it a snowballs chance in hell of happening.

While it was the LIberal government that originally formed the Citizens' Assembly - once the Citizen's Assembly made it's recommendation the McGuinty Liberals stacked the deck to make it virtually impossible for those recommendations to come into being - all while giving the appearance of a democratic process.

The Liberals

Set up a referendum that required 60% of Ontario voters to support the plan and had to have majority support in 64 ridings

Spend virtually no money on educating the public on a very complicated plan.

Based most of the public education campaign that did exist on driving people to a website - even in areas where internet coverage is sparse.

and

Never actually leant the party's support to the recommendations of the committee they created.

Now it should be the first priority of the new McGuinty government to pass electoral reform - and this time, don't believe a word of it until it becomes law.

It should also be noted that there was a record low turnout for yesterday's referendum.

15 Seconds?!

Wow......Global Television in Ontario just shot their load.

15 seconds after the polls closed, Global projected a Liberal Majority.

They're basing this on exit polls.

Meanwhile, everyone else is waiting for the real results come in before they make any statements.

Why do some news agencies feel it's better to be first then being accurate?

Just a thought.

Ontario MMP Referendum: Please Educate Yourself and Vote

Normally I am very anti-post dating blog posts but because the Ontario MPP vote, a referendum that would change Ontario politics considerably, is just 18 days away and because so few people seem to know anything about it I am post dating this to October 10 (Voting day) so that it stays at the top of the list of posts and may periodically update it and add links.

This video will give you a brief outline of the issue and it's history



Links

Canada Eh? Faq

Referendum Ontario: Your Big Decision

Fair Vote Canada

Why I Support MMP

I'm not going to get into a tit for tat with MMPs detractors, In 48 hours the vote will be over but since Eric posted his reasons for opposing MMP I thought I would mention some points in it's favour.

First of all opponents of MMP will argue that it's undemocratic but it was decided, after the last provincial election that the current electoral system was not terribly democratic so a special committe was put together made up of people from across Ontario, from a wide variety of fields, regions and walks of life. They were tasked to look at numerous alternative systems and come up with something better. MMP is what they finally settled on.

It can hardly be argued that the current system is terribly democratic. For example; Let's say that by some fluke the vote count in every single riding in Ontario was the same: 34% Conservative, 33% Liberal, 33 % NDP (I know it's nearly impossible but bear with me) - under these circumstances the Conservatives would, with 34% of the vote win 100% of the seats, there would be no opposition, the Liberals and NDP could even lose 'official party status'. Under MMP there is no such possibility. The Conservatives would still win every riding, but the Liberals and NDP would each get 1/3 or the 'list' seats - so at least their leaders, their strongest candidates would stay in the provincial parliament.

This unlikely scenario though is not the only problem MMP fixes. The MMP system would mean that, as I said, a party's leaders, it's strongest Candidates would very likely get seats. There would be no more need to move candidates to ridings where they were more likely to win. No more need for elected members to give up their seat so that a party leader could stay in power. It would mean that each party's 'best and brightest' (to the extent that party had any support at all) would remain in the Provincial Parliament and I, for one, think the best and brightest are what we want. This is not some arbitrary list chosen in some smoky back room - this is Ontario's political parties deciding who their most effective, most competent leaders are and putting them on a list. If you follow party politics at all, you will have a pretty good idea who is on the list. Currently, for example, the Liberals list would probably start with 1) Daulton McGuinty, the Tories with 1) John Tory ... etc.,

It also means more voices in the legislature, it means that smaller parties, with support that might be spread out across the province such as the Greens could send their 'best and brightest' to argue their case at Queens Park. It means that majorities, or at least 'strong majorities' are less likely and forces the party in power to compromise with others - rather than perpetuating the current system of 'reward your friends and punish your enemies. The party in power would have to find common ground with other parties and work with them to fashion legislation. The ruling party would have a harder time forcing through unpopular laws just because, as in the case above, they got 34% of the vote - perhaps several years ago.

MMP is certainly not less democratic than the current system. You still get your MPP from your riding, no one is threatening that. If you are torn between say the Liberal and Conservative candidate or the NDP and the Greens there is even a chance that both will be in the provincial parliament.

Perhaps most important it takes away the politics of fear. If you feel like you 'have to vote Liberal' to fend off the Conservatives, even though you really support the Greens you can vote for the Liberal candidate in your riding and for the Green Party both. Giving your support to your local Liberal candidate and to the Green Party list. Parties will no longer be able to scare you into voting for the 'lesser of evils' and that's pretty democratic.

For more info on MMP see this

Why I’m voting AGAINST the MMP system

On Oct. 10, the people of Ontario will choose whether to keep its current electoral system – the First Past The Post system – or choose a new system recommended by the Citizens Assembly – the Mixed Member Proportional system. Like many of you, I have received the little pamphlet from Elections Ontario, which explains how the two systems work. After reading the information carefully, I have come to the conclusion that the MMP system is a bad idea.

There are a number of reasons why voters should choose the existing system over the proposed MMP system. Here are mine in no particular order.

- With MMP, the number of seats in Queen’s Park will increase. Currently, there are 107 seats. With the MMP system, there would be 129 seats. Our tax dollars pay the salaries of the 107 Provincial Parliament Members (MPPs). If the MMP system goes into effect, our taxes will increase in order to cover the salaries of the additional 22 MPPs. More people in the Provincial legislature means more agendas and more gridlock. Bills will take longer to pass. The process of government will be slowed down. It’s a simple matter of having more pigs at a trough (No, I am not calling politicians pigs. I’m using the term as a figure of speech). There is already not enough resources for everyone and with more people, there will be even less. Do we really want our tax dollars to pay more salaries and then watch as the Government process gets even slower? I sure don’t.

- With MMP, the number of ridings in Ontario will decrease. Currently, there are 107 ridings. With the MMP system, there would only be 90. It’s already hard enough to establish a connection with your local member. The MMP system would ask us to vote for someone who might not even be from the surrounding area and won’t have a grasp on how things operate, but is representing us because of amalgamation. Merging certain ridings will only increase the population. It’s already hard enough trying to contact your local member when you have an estimated 200 interest groups and people trying to also get his or her attention. Try getting his or her attention when the riding is merged with another riding and having to compete with an estimated 400 interest groups and people.

- With MMP, there would be 90 local members and 39 list members. The list members are awarded seats in the legislature based on the “popular vote” (MMP allows you to vote twice; once for a local member candidate and once for a party). For example, if the Liberals received 46% of the popular vote, they would get about 17-18 seats out of the 39 available seats. Voting for a candidate and a party does seem nice and does give the impression of having a fair result. However, it’s a back-handed approach. In fact, being a list member in the provincial legislature would be a back-door approach. To be a local member, you would have to knock on doors, attend many events and festivals, shake lots of hands, debate with your fellow candidates, and spend a lot on signs and pamphlets. To be a list member, all you would have to do is be friends with lots of important figures, have a generous cheque book, give your opinion once in a while, and (possibly) be an expert in ass-kissing and brown-nosing. You wouldn’t even have to deal with constituents. If I was a local member, I would be pissed if I had to do all this hard work just to be elected and get a seat in the legislature, while the person next to me is a list member, and all he had to do to get a seat in the legislature was donate to the party and help the leader move some furniture. I realize that’s hypothetical, but not matter how you look at it, it’s still unfair.

- Sure, the MMP’s party vote allows fringe parties the chance to have a spot at Queen’s Park. Sure, it gives the impression that there might be a fairer result. However, voters would not choose the list members! The MMP system would allow us to choose how the 39 list member seats are divided up, but it doesn’t allow us to decide who gets to sit in those seats. List members are chosen only by the party. That’s not fair! We live in a democracy. Therefore, it is our right to choose who represents us and who runs our government. It should be that way with every political system in Canada *cough* Federally Elected Senate *cough*. This concept of list members is very similar to the Upper Canada Family Compact. Remember the Family Compact? It was a group of wealthy elites that chose from a group of other wealthy elites who would run the colony, completely ignoring the opinions of the majority of the colony’s population. It led to the 1837 rebellion. With the MMP system, list members would be a modern version of the Family Compact: elites choosing other elites, while ignoring the opinions of the people of Ontario.

- Yes, the MMP system gives the Green Party the chance of having representation in the legislature. I understand that. I would like to see the Green Party have an official voice. However, it would be wrong for the Greens to get seats through a back-door approach. If the Green Party wants to have a seat at Queen’s Park, they have to earn it. In order to earn it, they have to go out to every single riding with a candidate, meet people, shake hands, preach their policies, and be elected. The people should choose whether or not a Green Party candidate gets a seat in the legislature. Choosing the party but not getting to express which candidate represents the party is wrong.

- Popularity is a measurement that should have no value. It is also very subjective. What could be popular to me is unpopular to someone else. The Liberals might only be popular with a particular group. The Conservatives might only be popular with a different group. Just because something is popular does not necessarily mean it’s the right thing to choose. Pierre Trudeau was a popular Prime Minister, but it does not mean he was the best Prime Minister. Leonard Cohen is one of the best songwriters of all time, but it does not mean he’s one of the most popular songwriters. Brittany Spears is one of the most popular singers of all time, but it does not mean she’s the best singer. By having voters decide on a party - essentially deciding the most popular political party - the MMP system will lead to subjective results. It could also lead to the possibility of a party winning the most ridings, but losing an election because another party won fewer ridings but received more “party/popular votes.” That’s not fair. Something as subjective as popularity should not be considered when deciding something as important as the next Government. This is why we need to keep the existing First Past The Post system because it is objective. It spells everything out in black and white. The candidate with the most votes wins the riding. The party with the most ridings forms the Government.

- Numerous times I hear, “I like this candidate, but I don’t like the party he/she represents.” Hey, that happens. Sometimes, you have to choose a necessary evil. It would be unfair to penalize a strong candidate just because you do not like the candidate’s party. It is also unfair to vote for a candidate and then vote for a different party that goes against everything the candidate stands for. I hate to use clichés, but you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

I will be voting for our existing system. I admit, the First Past The Post system is not perfect. However, it is more stable then the MMP system. The MMP system will only lead to greater imperfections and a dangerous amount of subjectivity.

For more information on the Referendum, visit www.yourbigdecision.ca

On Oct. 10, please go out and vote.

Eric Rosenhek

Toronto, Ontario

Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs

Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs new album Sea of Tiny Lights is due out October 2nd. Many of you may never have heard the name Nathan Lawr and I might not have heard of him either if I hadn't seen him open for the Hidden Cameras at a church in Guelph. Even if you haven't heard of Nathan, if you're paying attention, you've heard of his friends - he has played with King Cobb Steelie, Royal City, the Fembots, Jim Guthrie, and the Constantines amoung others. He has also caught the attention of a few music press types:

"one of the best–kept secrets in the Ontario indie scene right now" Sean Palmerston, View (Hamilton)



"Lawr harnesses an instinct for a tradition of Canadiana like the Skydiggers, occasionally dipping a toe in Tom Waits waters." James Keast, Exclaim!

Nathan Lawr and the Minotaurs is another new addition to the Band Blogs and you can find more stuff from him at nathanlawr.com, New Music Canada, or on MySpace where you can download a copy of "Righteous Heart" if you like what you hear and you're lucky enough to live in Ontario - there are plenty of upcoming opportunities to check out the band (and buy the new CD):

September 21 at Loplops Lounge in Ste. Sault Marie
September 22 at Cambrian College Students Center in Sudbury
September 30 at Sneaky Dees in Toronto
October 12 and 13 at OCFF in London
October 18 at the Supermarket in Toronto
October 19 at the Spill in Peterborough
November 8 at the Casbah in Hamilton
November 9 at the Island Grille in Kingston
December 8 at the Babylon in Ottawa

While you're checking you're calendar here's the video for "Bury Me Blues"

Bronx Cheerleader - the Art of Dancing

There is alot of good Canadian stuff on YouTube and other video sites - music videos, short films, stand up comedy, television and film clips and trailers..so, rather than wait for a particular reason to post something I've decided to just start throwing bits of it out at random. Here's the Art of Dancing from St. Catherines, Ontario's Bronx Cheerleader.

Hidden Cameras - Guelph part II proportional representation

At the Hidden Cameras merch table, amoung the cds and t-shirts were brochures for the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. During the show the Camera's Maggie MacDonald called this the 'quietest referendum in history'. She pointed out that in 2003 the Liberals managed to score 72% of the seats in the Ontario legislature while getting only 46% of the vote. (Note that the headline of the page that links to says 'Liberal Landslide' - when it wasn't even a majority of the vote) The Citizens Assembly recommendation is meant to fix that and you will get to vote on it in October.

So, what exactly are they proposing? You can read all about it on their website but I'll try to summarize:

If this system is adopted, when you go to vote you will get one ballot but will check two boxes. One for the candidate of your choice (as always) and one for the party of your choice.

Before the election each party will nominate a province wide list of candidates in the order it wants them elected. Before the election parties must submit their lists and "details on how they developed them" to Elections Ontario. These lists will then be published widely so that you can read the lists before you vote.

90 MPPs would then be elected in local ridings (the same way they are now) and 39 members would be elected based on party vote. The number of seats each party received would be based on the percentage of the total provincial vote by party. So, you could vote (for example) for a liberal candidate locally, but the NDP by party - if the NDP received 20% of the vote on the party side of the ballot they would then recieve 20% (8) of the 39 party vote seats. Starting at the top of the Candidates list mentioned above the first 8 people on the list who were not elected in their ridings would be given seats.

It seems to me that this creates a far more fair and balanced system and works to bring 46% 'landslides' back down to earth. So, on October 10 get out and vote your conscience on this (in this case your conscience says yes). And in the event that this is, in fact, the 'quietest referendum in history' - I'm putting a link to it on the sidebar until October!