Today and the last 2 days have been gray and rainy in Ottawa. Typical Fall weather, low clouds, some burst of sunshine and winds. The Rideau Canal has been emptied and all the flowers beds in the parks have been cleaned and prepared for Winter. It is also the last week of the Ontario province wide Municipal Election. A thing I learned about this election is how nasty some of the candidates can be especially if they are business people or from the Suburbs and Rural areas, they are not shy about displaying their prejudices in public since they believe it's ok because they have money and talk for the oppressed White folk they think they represent.
We may think ourselves above certain hatreds but it is all surface, look at the supporters of Doug and Rob Ford in Toronto. It does not take much to see the haters come out in full force, it is always the same thing, hate of Bilingualism in the National Capital, hate of the poor or the homeless, illogical debates about not wanting to pay taxes for any basic services all the while demanding more and more services, refusal to recycle waste, hate for the environment or anything to do with the green movement, hate of public transit systems as one candidate put it, if you do not have a car you're a loser.
It is not clear what type of City Council we will get in Ottawa on 27 October but it can be hoped that it will be a stable one like the one we had prior to this election. It also looks like the current Mayor Jim Watson will be re-elected since no credible opponent has been able to mount a challenge. Which is a very good thing for this City and for all of us, the last thing we need now would be some clown beholden to business groups and private enterprise to come and impose a right wing agenda.
Let's change the channel, today I went to do some grocery shopping at my favourite store, I say favourite because the service level is good and the staff is pleasant which is a rarity in this city, most businesses treat the word 'service' as if it was some kind of perversion.
This song is amongst my second favorite after Peggy Lee ''Is that all there is'', they were playing it in the store and I stopped shopping to listen to it. Thing is if you can remember this song and what it talks about, the events, that time, you are at least over 55. It would really mean nothing to a younger person. It was not an easy time in the world, but the world was a very different place. It all seems so distant now. But I like the fact that I remember and lived through this period.
We may think ourselves above certain hatreds but it is all surface, look at the supporters of Doug and Rob Ford in Toronto. It does not take much to see the haters come out in full force, it is always the same thing, hate of Bilingualism in the National Capital, hate of the poor or the homeless, illogical debates about not wanting to pay taxes for any basic services all the while demanding more and more services, refusal to recycle waste, hate for the environment or anything to do with the green movement, hate of public transit systems as one candidate put it, if you do not have a car you're a loser.
It is not clear what type of City Council we will get in Ottawa on 27 October but it can be hoped that it will be a stable one like the one we had prior to this election. It also looks like the current Mayor Jim Watson will be re-elected since no credible opponent has been able to mount a challenge. Which is a very good thing for this City and for all of us, the last thing we need now would be some clown beholden to business groups and private enterprise to come and impose a right wing agenda.
Let's change the channel, today I went to do some grocery shopping at my favourite store, I say favourite because the service level is good and the staff is pleasant which is a rarity in this city, most businesses treat the word 'service' as if it was some kind of perversion.
This song is amongst my second favorite after Peggy Lee ''Is that all there is'', they were playing it in the store and I stopped shopping to listen to it. Thing is if you can remember this song and what it talks about, the events, that time, you are at least over 55. It would really mean nothing to a younger person. It was not an easy time in the world, but the world was a very different place. It all seems so distant now. But I like the fact that I remember and lived through this period.
I am surprised to hear of bad service; I thought Canada was so prideful of its service. Another stereotype not correct? Or is it Ottawa?
ReplyDeleteBasically you have very good service in the USA whereas in Canada it is so so. You do get better service from small independent companies, never from the large ones.
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