The John Oakley Show

Rafferty's Last Words

Wed, 16 May 2012 12:27:17 GMT

John Oakley returns Tuesday, May 22nd! In the meantime… Not his true last words of course, but likely the last words the public will care to hear. The following is Michael Rafferty’s prepared statement, which he gave to the court during his sentencing hearing: “I wanted to come to this court room defending myself. And after hearing the victim impact statements, I think there’s something more important to say. To Tara McDonald, for the past three years I’ve had so much to say on my behalf. Nobody has all the pieces of the puzzle and I am willing to give you those pieces but uh… I know this has been a long ordeal for everybody. I am glad it’s come to an end. Hopefully everybody, this will provide some closure of some sort to me being sentenced to life. I am truly sorry to the entire family. ...

Time To Reevaluate?

Fri, 11 May 2012 13:16:06 GMT

John Oakley returns Tuesday, May 22nd! In the meantime… There has been a lot of reaction to the latest cover of Time Magazine. Is some of it overreaction? Regardless of what you may think about extreme mothering, which is the focus of the cover story in Time Magazine; why do we get upset when we see scenes of caring and tenderness? Sure we may not agree with this mother’s approach but there’s little doubt she cares about her offspring. Thanks to our Puritanical forefathers and revolutionary beginnings, we are still a culture that would rather let our youth view all kinds of violence via television and movies, but by God our children shall know as little as possible about the cycle of life and its propagation. What a shame it would be for our children to witness a scene of two people lying in bed in whatever stage ...

Obama's Decision

Thu, 10 May 2012 12:41:06 GMT

US President Barack Obama has finally cemented his support for same-sex marriages. Until now, the President has always stopped short of using the word ‘marriage’ just because of the religious implications. It’s a bit of a risky move for Obama six months away from the presidential election. North Carolina recently voted to ban any form of homosexual union in that state’s constitution. With national approval of same-sex unions hovering at about fifty percent, has Obama seriously jeopardized his chance of reelection?

One Way The Way To Go?

Wed, 09 May 2012 13:06:58 GMT

The ongoing transit debacle in Toronto continues. Instead of focusing on one particular issue, we’ve now got a new suggestion thanks to Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong; making Bay and Yonge Streets one way avenues. Councillor Adam Vaughan opposes the idea, claiming that one way streets destroy small businesses. The problem with the idea is it is just another idea on the pile of the half-baked transit file. Is this council completely unable to come up with a plan for the transit file? Everybody seems happy to throw ideas out there to ease congestion but nobody seems to be willing to take charge. These people seem to be afraid of making a mistake and being vilified instead of believing in their transit convictions. It’s nice that transit is a concern for a lot of councilors, the file needs attention. All it needs now is somebody to give the file some direction.

Not Quite The Last Spike

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:09:56 GMT

But the last Canadian penny will be made at sometime today. Axed in the latest federal budget, we have now joined countries such as Australia and Israel that have abandoned the one cent piece. It currently costs more to produce a penny than it is worth; so losing it makes sense, most of us just throw them into jars around the house anyway. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will be present in Winnipeg when the final cent is struck; any bets on if he pockets it or not? While not nearly momentous an event as the driving in of the Last Spike, which united this country from west to east; the Last Penny could mark a change in our economic culture. And just in case you are hoarding pennies, they will be accepted as legal currency as long as Canadians hold on to them.

Black Is Back

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:34:18 GMT

Conrad Black has been granted a one year temporary resident permit to be able to return to Canada after he leaves his current place of residence, a US prison. Conrad renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2001 when he was busy pursuing a Lordship in the United Kingdom. Because he’s a foreigner in the US, he should automatically be deported to the UK where he continues to hold citizenship once his release is fully processed. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has already removed himself from the decision to allow Black to return, claiming that ‘highly trained’ public servants were behind the call. There is one thing that should be done upon his return to this fine country; and that is the revocation of his Order of Canada. Black may not deserve to be here but he does deserve to be in the company of Alan Eagleson et al.

A Surplus? A Surplus? I Swear I Saw A Surplus!

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:37:14 GMT

So the city of Toronto finds itself with a surplus of $290 million. And of course the question of what shall we do with the money arises. Councillor Sarah Doucette can’t understand why the city would cut programs when we knew we had this surplus coming. Others believe the money should go toward new TTC vehicles. The money was largely generated by the land transfer tax as the city’s real estate market continues to bloom. Mayor Ford wants to abolish the tax by 2014; a move he may want to reconsider since the tax seems to have had no effect on the market and continues to generate a nice little sum. While the surplus is a nice bonus, and should go toward servicing the debt; what would be the most effective method of spending this extra cash?

How About A Pay Freeze?

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:33:34 GMT

Toronto budget chief Mike Del Grande has suggested a pay freeze for those earning $200, 000 annually. This freeze should apply to all levels of city staff, including independent commissions and agencies. The city doesn’t have any say in salaries when it comes to those outside agencies such as the police or the TTC but Del Grande thinks this is a prime time for those agencies to show some leadership. This all comes back to the idea that our spending problem outweighs our revenue problem. So while the existing council dithers on the topic of realigning Toronto’s severely outdated property taxes; a pay freeze is just what the doctor ordered. And it’s likely what the public would demand.

Road Tolls? Again?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:45:26 GMT

Some members of Toronto city council will be in a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss ways of increasing revenue. The most popular idea currently is the idea of road tolls on the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway. And it wouldn’t even be a proper toll per se; city council only wishes to toll the 905ers who commute into the city. Hardly fair for those who happen to work here but live elsewhere. Granted, we have no concrete points for this plan. Would the toll be in effect 24 hours a day? Or just from 7am to 7pm Monday through Friday? These are some of the questions that need answering before implementation. But really, if this is going to be implemented, it has to affect each and every single one of us that uses those roads, regardless of where we reside.

Protecting Pedestrians

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:29:10 GMT

Hot on the heels of last week’s brief discussion about raising the highway speed limit, a new study wishes to go the other way in city and residential zones. Yes the pedestrian will always lose in a collision with a vehicle but Dr. David McKeown, the doctor proposing this idea is overlooking one simple truth. Pedestrians these days are much more distracted than in years prior. Most pedestrians have earphones plugged into both sides of their head or they have their faces buried in a smart phone or some other handheld device. Pedestrians pay less attention now than ever before, and pretty much believe they have the right of way no matter the situation. What’s needed is a re-education of pedestrians, not a reduction of the speed limit.