Occupy Toronto

Yeah, I know this doesnt have anything to do with Oshawa but any changes that these protesters force will affect the whole province anyway.

I usually make a point not to talk politics with most people because it always turns into an argument and most of the time yelling too. But with Occupy Toronto going on right now people really have no choice but to talk politics. Most of the protesters at Occupy Toronto are self proclaimed Marxists or Communists and really its plain to see that even if no one says it. If you dont know what Marxism is all about then you need to read about it. I know quite a lot about Marxism and Socialism and let me say, I am absolutely against it. It is one of the worst systems of governance ever.

These people protesting down in Toronto have no clue what the hell they are protesting for. Im baffled at how clueless they really are. They rail against Capitalism and Corporations then complain that there are no jobs. They obtain useless University degrees in something like Art History and complain that they cant find a job in their field and that there student loans should be forgiven. It doesnt work that way, nor should it. I saw on the new a guy complaining that he took Political Science in school, has like $40 000 in debt and cant find a job. If this guy took any actual Science he would easily find a job. Biology, Chemistry, Bio-Tech, Lab Tech. There are pissloads of jobs available for that but he just took the easy way and somehow its a "rich" person's fault, come on put in some hard work, some effort, some late nights and early mornings and some responsibility.

I busted my ass to get where I am and I bust my ass everyday to improve. Im not rich by any means but hopefully some day I will be and that's not a bad thing because as much as these fools protest against the "rich" they would trade it all to be rich themselves. Hard work and sacrifice is a part of life and builds character, it drives people to be better,

In closing I will address some of the blanket statements made by the protesters that I have seen and heard at Occupy Toronto.

"We are against Income Inequality."

Income Inequality is the difference in what people earn at a given job. Not the same job but overall difference in top and bottom incomes for any job. There is an organization that measures this in most countries and it is given a number between 0 and 1. 1 is completely unequal and 0 is completely equal as if every person in the country earned the exact same amount of money for any job in that country. The number is called the GINI Coefficient. In a developed country such as Canada there are so many different jobs that there cant be perfect equality. Here is a link to data published in 2009 on world-wide GINI Coefficient

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Gini_Coefficient_World_CIA_Report_2009.png

Canada Ranks near the bottom with a score of 0.25-0.29 which is pretty damn low. When compared with a country such as South Afica with a score of "greater than" 0.60.

"Rich people pay less tax."

Completely untrue and nonsensical. Rich people pay more tax as a total and as a presentage as stated here on the government of Canada website.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html

Also, if you own a business you are paying an additional tax on your profits as shown here:

http://www.canadabusinesstax.com/corporate-income-tax-rates/

If you are against something then you better know your enemy.

Oshawa Waterfront and The Purposed Ethanol Plant

Well, it seems like a busy news week for Oshawa, what with IQT shutting down and the growing protest against the purposed ethanol plant that the Federal government wants to build in Oshawa.

Now, I hate jumping on bandwagons. Especially when I haven't done any research into whatever it is im jumping on to. Its fine if you have an opinion either-way about an issue but do yourself a favour and research. Read and look at the facts and decide on your own what your viewpoint is.

Around town lately I have been seeing a lot of flyers and signs saying "No Ethanol". At first I didn't understand why this Ethanol plant was so bad, so I decided to do a little reading and look into it further. Well, the biggest problem people have with it is the fact that it will be built on the Oshawa Waterfront. Ok, now I get it. For people that are new to Oshawa or don't know, the Oshawa waterfront has been such a big issue for so many years. Oshawa cant figure out what the hell to do with it exactly. Currently the Oshawa waterfront is designated as "mixed use" which means its used as part commercial and part recreational. Here's a little background info from the city's website:

"In 1966, the City of Oshawa transferred about 61
acres of land to the Government of Canada (“Crown”)
specifically for harbour purposes and the growth of
the local economy."

So basically everything that wasn't Lakeview park was owned by the Government of Canada. In 2010 Oshawa filed a lawsuit to get some of the land returned to the city and they were successful. The area of land that is to the East of Simcoe St. and South of Harbour St. where the Oshawa creek empties into the harbour was returned to the city. Everything east of the harbour was retained by the Federal Government. Finally the city of Oshawa can start building a nice waterfront which is currently one of the worst ive seen. If you want a good comparison, go to Port Hope, its gorgeous.

Im all for bringing jobs to Oshawa but I have to admit I had a little problem with this Ethanol plant. The only problem I have with it is that it backs on to the Second Marsh area which in my opinion is an amazing area. Earlier I talked about doing things in the city "on-the-cheap" and this is a good one. Go to Colonel Sam Dr. and walk the trails its really awesome that a place like that exists in Oshawa. I just wish Oshawa would promote it more. Farewell creek runs through the Marsh and empties into the Oshawa Harbour too but on the government owned side.

So, whats my opinion. Its both good and bad. It will bring jobs to Oshawa but it will create a big eyesore and be potentially harmful to Second Marsh. But that's what life is about in an industrialized country. Its hard to strike a balance. The Federal Government has made a lot of promises (legally binding ones) regarding the Second Marsh and minimizing the environmental impact. My hope is that there is no environmental impact if the ethanol plant get built and that all we are left with is just an eyesore.

IQT - A Little Inside Info

So, recently IQT here in Oshawa totally shut down permanently. No reason given, no warning, crazy. I used to work for IQT when it was still called Durham Contact Centre (DCC) and I still know some people that still worked there at the time. I met up with a guy that had worked there for about seven years and I asked him to tell me everything that happened. He was more than willing to tell me because he was pretty upset about it.

So, the story goes like this. Weird things were happening before the day of the shut-down. Paycheques getting screwed up was the first clue. For about two months before things such as holiday pay stopped showing up on paycheques. Employees vigilant enough to see this went to payroll. Payroll would agree that it was a problem and that would fix it. On the next paycheque where they thought holiday pay would be showed up instead as a lieu day. Sometimes they would see their paycheque short hours, nothing big mind you, just 2-3 hours. Whoever complained got it corrected.

The next situation is a weird one but offers a big clue as to how much the brass at IQT Canada Inc. knew about what was happening and what was about to happen. The call centre's manager, Bob just finishes up a meeting with a company executive. He walks the executive downstairs. Before the exec. leaves he says to Bob: You know im a little surprised that you guys haven't packed anything up yet. Bob responds confused: Why would we be packing anything up. Exec.: Well, you guys are moving aren't you? Bob, now really confused: What do you mean moving, no one told me anything. Where are we moving? Now the Exec. is kind of panicked, he starts looking around nervous and finally says: Oh. Well, if no one said anything then I guess its not important. With that he quickly turns around and gets out of there.

So, now it comes to the day of. My friend pulls into the parking lot for the afternoon shift which starts at 3PM. In the parking lot is eight police cars. He starts to walk up the the front doors and a cop says that he cant go in. He asks why and the cop says because IQT is close permanently. He said at first he was obviously shocked, then everything that had been happening for the past two months started making more sense: the screwed up pay, the strange conversation with the Exec. and his latest paycheque was late. He is standing there watching his fellow co-workers walking out, some crying. That day they had even scheduled the day shift. One hour before the start of the afternoon shift the whole system went down then police started showing up.

His conclusion. They knew. IQT Canada knew at least for a couple months that this was going to happen. They kept a lid on things or at least tried to until the call centre in Nashville was completed and then they dissolved their operations in Canada completely. They planned to nickel and dime the employees as much as possible before going into bankruptcy and hiding behind it. The employees are still owed a months worth of pay and they are told that they wont get it because IQT Canada no longer exists.

Brutal story. I wish the employees all the best on their future endeavors.

Feel Better, Have a Busy Summer

For those who dont know me, im always an advocate of staying busy. I try to fill my days even when Im working with anything I can just to stay busy. When I am bored I get very uncomfortable and I need to get up and do something. Mind you I take at least one day out of the week for myself and do very little. Sleep, video games, movies usually. This might sound like something an older person might say to you since way back when they were making their own clothes and milking their own cows. I have a different philosophy: The More I Do, the More Happens For Me. If you want to make things happen for yourself you have to get out and do more. There are so many people, things and opportunities to be had in this world just waiting for someone to notice them.

Here are some helpful tips:

Forget About Facebook: Facebook is not networking. Real networking is meeting people, talking and exchanging information. Facebook on the surface seems like what Im describing but the majority of people on there have huge friends lists full of people that they never talk to. Treat Facebook as a starting point only.

Get A Hobby: Anything and Everything is a hobby these days. Some are cheap some are expensive. They are all learning experiences. The hobbies of yesterday are the jobs of today and can also teach useful skills. Cheap hobbies could be photography, blogging (Yes, the irony is not lost on me), biking, fishing. Literally anything. With the internet and libraries at your disposal a motivated person could even learn another language.

Local Events: I know times are tough for a lot of people right now but Oshawa and the surrounding area have a surprising number of free events you just have to look. Most are very inexpensive.

For me I run this blog obviously, which I should really update more often. I have another website called Durham Paranormal, which documents paranormal activity around Durham Region mostly. Our team also does investigations of homes and locations, the results of which get posted on the site. On the weekends I like going to garage sales. Most of them sell household junk but I still see some nice stuff that I can pick up for cheap and put to use. On Sundays sometimes I can be found up in north Courtice paintballing at Camp-x. Paintball is some of the most fun ive had and Camp-x is a great facility with a ton of players.

Dont waste your Summer.

407 Deal

So the province has decided to extend the 407 highway into Oshawa which is pretty cool since there are a lot of people that travel into Toronto from Oshawa everyday. That was part of the reason Oshawa was working so hard to expand Taunton Rd. because instead of taking the 401 to Pickering then getting off and traveling all the way up to the north end to jump on the 407 was pretty tedious.

Originally the province at the time wanted the 407 to connect with Highway 35 which would take you up to Peterborough but they of course like any government project went way over budget, stopped in Pickering and then promptly leased it to a private company for 99 years.

Now they want to extend it to Simcoe St. which would make it terminate in Columbus. Columbus being a tint township of about 500 people a few kilometers north of Durham College. The new Mayor of Oshawa, John Henry doesn't want it to stop at Simcoe St. for two reasons.

1. The province would have to buy up a bunch of land in Columbus and build huge on and off ramps and do a huge expansion of Simcoe, which Oshawa would pay for all the way down the Durham college.

The residence of Columbus hate that idea because it would ruin what is essentially a quaint, quiet township and have it over-run with development, traffic and noise. If anyone has been to Columbus you would agree it is pretty quaint and quiet. I realize that as time moves on towns get bigger and become cities or parts of bigger cities. But, I would tend to agree at this point that terminating the 407 in Columbus would surely destroy that town.

2. Terminating the 407 at Simcoe St. would force all the traffic to travel from Columbus all the way through the centre of the city down to the 401.

John Henry doesn't want that because to would literally turn downtown Oshawa or anywhere near it into a parking lot. He also doesn't want the constant truck traffic going through the town. Honestly I would have to agree again. Driving around Oshawa at around 5pm-6pm sucks Taunton Rd., Simcoe St. from Adelaide down to the 401, Bloor, Baseline and to a lesser degree Ritson Rd. are just jammed solid. Its just a nightmare trying to get around the city. I cant imagine what it would be like if people were driving through the city to switch highways.

The only two problems I have with the expansion which do not relate to Oshawa but are valid questions none the less is:

Why would the province pay to expand something that is owned by a private company? I would hope that company would pick up part of the tabs.

and

Would that new section also be a toll highway?

I think the answer to my second question would most likely be yes, which kind of sucks. But, then again if you are one of the people that use the 407 then its great news for sure.

Post Holiday Round-Up

Well I haven't updated for a while and quite a bit has happened and since the holidays are over I figured it would be a good time to cover some topics quickly.

First of all Oshawa elected a new Mayor John Henry. Lived in Oshawa a long time and a local businessman. Believes in being fiscally conservative. Its really a sign of the times that people like John Henry and Rob Ford are being elected. People have been getting squeezed by taxes and fees and now jobs are scarce and good paying ones are scarcer. People cant afford a government that spends wastefully and gets nothing in return. Marxism and Socialism sounds fair in theory but only when times are good. Even then its fundamentally flawed and just doesn't work. In tough times like these it is a destroyer of countries.

Recently I caught the Cirque Du Soleil show at the GM Centre with my girlfriend. The show was fantastic and the price was fair. Im always surprised at the acts that the GM Centre attracts. Its surprising because apparently the GM Centre is in financial difficulties. I heard a rumor a while back that the GM Centre could only do a limited amount of advertising outside of the facility itself. I don't know if its true but it made me realize that I really don't see many upcoming shows advertised anywhere else but the digital letter-board on the outside of the building itself. I urge everyone to check out the upcoming shows playing at the GM Centre. If anything go watch the Oshawa Generals play a few games, its cheap and its good hockey.