Wynne takes aim at men and boys in a flawed, $41M misandrist ad campaign.

TORONTO - Sexual violence and harassment are "rooted in misogyny," Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said Friday as she unveiled a plan to fight such behaviours through legislation, increased funding and a provocative ad campaign.

Thereby, this fundamentally stupid woman tarred the majority of males, men and boys, in this province.

One need not go into her public record as a leader – the Wind-Powered dollar drain, the known information dump, the MARS financial fiasco, the questions now surrounding the election in Sudbury, etc. – for those are all well-known [see: “2014 chock full o'scandals at Queen's Park”]

However, even given this scandalous record – for which I wouldn’t have the nerve to stick my nose outside the door of Queen’s Park – She has the unmitigated Gall to besmirch the reputations of men and boys in this province - your sons - with not only blatantly sexist comments, but also a blatantly sexist ad campaign costing $41M of taxpayers’ money (males’ included).

The woman has little depth of propriety, and an even less regard for taxpayers’ money.

Domestic and sexual abuse for the record

As late as January 19, 2015, the New South Wales police department reported that “1 in every 5 domestic violence assaults were for male victims.”

Moreover, more than 830,000 men fall victim to domestic violence every year in the U.S: i.e. a man is the victim of domestic abuse every 37.8 seconds.

From a study of 18,761 relationships in the U.S., 76 percent were non-violent and 24 percent were violent. Of the 24 percent that were violent, more men than women (53 percent versus 49 percent) had experienced nonreciprocal – i.e. “victim” violence.

Regarding sexual abuse, in an article titled “Female Sexual Predators: Veiled Epidemic, Professor Gordon Finley ( Professor of Psychology at Florida International University in Miami Florida, U.S.A. ) August 08, 2006, stated: A 2004 U. S. Department of Education report titled Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature cites two large sample surveys in which students report that 43% of their molesters were female sexual predators.” Other studies report from 1% to 82% with six studies reporting female predator rates over 50%.

Is “Blunder Woman” even aware of these statistics, or is she relying on her cadre of female advisors within the ‘Ovary Tower’?

Whatever, this is an odious, sexist, undemocratic, and bigotted idea that should be scrapped before it is born.

________________

Views of "Stop the Bull" to date, 18,626

The Ontario auto insurance mess: This is what Wynne and Sousa are tolerating on our behalf. Some representatives!

BY ALAN SHANOFF, TORONTO SUN

It’s not easy achieving a perfect state of ineptitude where so many auto accident victims are maltreated by so many people and institutions. Doing so takes real effort.

Let’s start at the top with the lawmakers, the people who govern Ontario.

With the insurance industry’s lobbying efforts paying off, our lawmakers gutted no-fault benefits in 2010.

Medical and rehabilitation benefits for most victims injured in accidents saw the maximum reduced to $3,500.

That’s the lowest in the country.

For serious injuries the maximum was reduced from $100,000 to $50,000.

That’s not money going into accident victims’ pockets; it’s money used to pay for medical and rehabilitation treatments.

Never resting, our lawmakers are in the process of lowering the interest rate to 1.4% on money owed by insurance companies to accident victims.

That this might encourage insurance companies to hold onto victims’ money longer, earning higher investment returns on it, seems to have escaped the attention of our lawmakers.

But enough about them.

Lawyers have a role to play in our mess of a system [too]. More…

Education: Honesty and report cards prove a toxic mix, by Catherine Porter

[Editor's note: This is what we are getting for our $24B in tax dollars ... Gobbledegook!]

If your kid was terribly scattered in class, would you want to know?

Or would you rather think he was “using planning skills with limited effectiveness.”

That’s how Ontario’s Ministry of Education suggests teachers write their report cards for kids getting D’s. They aren’t struggling, floundering, falling behind. They are “demonstrating limited understanding of content.”

I call this edu-speak. The ministry calls it a “positive tone.”

Watch out. I’m writing about the impenetrable language of report cards again. My last column triggered dozens of emails and phonecalls — many angry — from teachers.

“I don’t think anyone hates those report cards more than the teachers writing them,” emailed Debby Conderan, who retired eight years ago after 30 years teaching grades 3 to 8 in the Peel District School Board. “They are edu-babble at its best. None of it says what a teacher really wants to say.”

The dozens of working teachers who emailed and phoned concurred. None of them wanted to be quoted by name, for fear of reprisals. But all said they resent labouring for days over reports which in the end, communicate little. Their hands are tied by three things: conflict-averse principals, school board policies and angry mother-hen parents.

They were furious that Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the Toronto District School Board, had said teachers are “encourage[d] to use language that parents will understand.”

Most teachers told me in no uncertain terms that was not true.

One Toronto public primary school teacher described his first “straightforward” report card comments returning to his desk from the principal’s office. “I was told to be more empathetic to how parents feel about their own children, to re-phrase my wordings to be increasingly diplomatic,” he wrote in an email.

So instead of telling parents their kid was disorganized and his desk was messy, the teacher now writes: “Johnny consistently places his materials inside his desk in a random order. He is highly encouraged to adopt a more streamlined organizational style, so that during in-class work periods he is able to locate his documents with greater ease.”

One teacher sent me the Halton District School Board’s official teacher guide to writing “meaningful” report cards. Teachers, it states, must use “asset language” versus “negative or deficit language.” (The Toronto District School Board also prescribes “asset language” to “encourage students without being blunt or negative,” says superintendent Beth Butcher.)

An example? Instead of writing Jill “inconsistently writes in her personal journal,” the Halton guide instructs teachers to write: “With encouragement, she sometimes communicates ideas clearly in complete sentences.”

“I can’t be honest,” the teacher said over the phone. “Everything has to be positively written.” ... More

Ontario surplus power exports cost consumers about $25 each in January

My hydro bill was $421, and I'm not even there.

In Ontario, people do laundry in the middle of the night; in New York they say, hurray for cheap power from Ontario!

New York: WE love Ontario’s cheap power—thanks!

Ontario’s neighbours are once again thanking the electricity customers of Ontario for their generosity and giving spirit, as demonstrated in January 2015.  What a nice way to start the New Year, getting all that cheap electricity generated by their Ontario neighbours!

In January Ontario exported 2,043,768 megawatts (MWh) and for an average price of $29.55 per/MWh while Ontario electricity customers picked up the additional costs of the Global Adjustment pot of $50.68 per MWh.

The sale of that surplus (enough to supply about 2.5 million Ontario homes with power for the whole month) represented 15.6% of Ontario’s total demand. It resulted $58.5 million in revenue but cost Ontario electricity ratepayers $164 million.  That means all Ontario’s electricity customers reached into their pockets to make sure that wind and solar power developers like Florida-based NextEra, Enbridge and Germany-based wpd Canada, and others were fully compensated for all the power they generated (or didn’t generate) and was probably exported.

The $106.5 million extra that Ontario’s kindly ratepayers paid in January was about $25 for each ratepayer so it will hardly be missed unless you are a senior on a fixed income, living at the poverty line, have a family to feed, or are disabled.

So, Ontario ratepayers, do you think we can keep this up for the full year?

---------------------------------------------

©Parker Gallant,

February 19, 2015

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent Wind Concerns Ontario policy.

P.S. Upset about the role of wind power in Ontario’s electricity sector and its effect on our economy? Time to make your voices heard —join Wind Concerns Ontario!

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Did you know?: The cost of electricity in Ontario has been steadily falling to 2.25 cents per kwh.

That’s right. The cost of electricity has been falling. What has steadily been going up, and what shows up on my and your hydro bill, is subsidies (‘corporate welfare’) paid to producers to stay profitable. The producer then produce more electricity which lowers the price of electricity and increases the subsidies.

For example, the private outfit that is about to destroy Bala Falls will also receive $100M in subsidies for the first 40 years to stay profitable.

Meanwhile, Ontario then dumps the surplus electricity in New York and Michigan at a loss – i.e. below the 2.25 cents.

Listen to this audio clip from Hunters Bay Radio to get the details.

https://soundcloud.com/hunters-bay-radio/green-tapestry-alan-turnbull-january-29-2015-complete


[Just received my Ontario hydro bill for January - $421. The point is I'm not there, and my thermostat is set at 15C - or about 60F. Imagine what it would be if it was set for 72F!

I posted yesterday that the price of electricity has fallen by 46% in the past 7 years to 2.25-cents per kwh. So why is my hydro bill so high? Subsidies. Subsidies paid to the producers to meet guaranteed prices. These subsidies have risen by 1,215% over the same period.]

Save the Bala Falls!

Save Bala Falls! Click on the photo to sign the petition.

The Bala falls is the one and only iconic heritage of the charming, historic town of Bala, Ontario. It has been used as a portage by Native voyagers on their way to Lake Couchiching and back, as well as fur traders, and explorers. Its significance lies in its connection to both the past and present, and once gone it cannot be replicated or replaced.

However, now the province of Ontario, together with a 'for-profit' outfit, is pushing through a plan to destroy Bala Falls as we know it. Why? For the purpose of making more money.

So how much is heritage worth? To a cynical, uncaring, avaricious government, apparently not much. But to the people of Bala it is priceless.

Even if you are not from the Bala or Muskoka areas, but have a concern for history, heritage, and the environment, sign on those principles. This is a wider issue than just one.

Click here to sign the petition to save Bala Falls

Boycott the foreign-owned monopoly, 407 ETR

Boycott the foreign-owned 407 ETR...

The following is a reprint of an email I received in my box, and it certainly merits your consideration.

You can drive the 400-mile length of the New York Thruway (I-90), from Buffalo to New York City, a toll road with fully staffed toll booths, for peanuts. Actually 2.1 cents per km. No accounting fee and no video fees.

Then there is the cost of driving across the top of Toronto on Hwy 407; everything is electronic and automated, drivers pay for the camera operations and the billing costs in addition to the exorbitant toll rates, and the Ontario Gov. acts as 'enforcer' in collecting the unpaid tolls!

Even Al Capone and his crew never had it as good as this during the bootleg liquor days of the 1920's and 1930's!

I thought you might like to read this, it's a real eye opener, what a rip-off!

In the early 1990's Ontario was almost bankrupt under Bob Rae's NDP government. But it desperately needed new roads, as it still does today. So, the Rae government built a toll road around Toronto and it was a great success - a cash cow called the 407 ETR.

The Conservative government of Mike Harris then later foolishly leased this road for 99 years to a Quebec-based company for a substantial amount of money. This was in May 1999, and was done to reduce the deficit and look good.

Before the Harris government could lease the road, however, they had to pass new legislation to allow this, because never before had a public road been sold to a private company. This very flawed legislation was passed in November 1998. The new Quebec owners then closed the deal.

This Quebec company then sold the road at a profit to Spanish owners, thus assuring that profits from the road would never be taxed in Canada.

As part of this deal, the Ontario government agreed that individual license plate renewal would be denied if there were any outstanding tolls against that plate and its owner. Therefore, this arrangement, in practice, made our government a collection agency for a privately held, for-profit foreign consortium. In addition, the terms of the deal stated that there would be no statute of limitations on these bills and that they would never go away even if the citizen went bankrupt (or, in some cases. died.)

Even your income tax has a statute of limitations.

The 407 ETR refuses now, as then, to produce any photographic or other evidence, that what they bill is an accurate reflection of the offending vehicles presence on their roadway. There is no accountability, and OUR government still collects the SPANISH bills for them. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the Spanish company decides on the interest rate on these forever bills and currently it is 26.82 per cent compounded monthly but it varies based on the whims of the Spanish owners.

Moreover, there is a definite problem with who gets billed. In very short order after the sale of the highway, according to the media of that time, 100,000 citizens who had never been on the road had been incorrectly billed. The MPP's were deluged with complaints and so the Conservatives under then transportation minister David Turnbull told the private Spanish company to clean up their act. Until there was evidence of that happening their collection deal was cancelled. This was in 2000. However, in 2005 the 407 ETR went to court to reinstate its original sweetheart deal. The judge ruled in its favour even though this company still showed no accountability and still did not produce evidence of the legitimacy of its charges.

The government of Premier Dalton McGuinty should have appealed this decision but never did, and now the agreement covers any vehicle that is owned by the person who has an offending licence plate. So if you own six vehicles and one of them is alleged to have been on their road, your government will not issue any licence plates for any of your vehicles until you pay the 'alleged bill' at your government licence office.

Rising tolls are the discretion of the Spanish consortium

The toll in 1999 was seven cents a kilometre, but since then it has risen to 19.85 cents (an increase of 238% in a decade and a half).

There is also a monthly accounting fee of $2.50 and a video charge of $3.25.

That is far beyond the rate of inflation and there is no control on how much this foreign company can charge.

The tolls here are higher than anywhere that I travel. This road is simply built through cornfields, whereas in Mexico or Italy there are mountains, tunnels, bridges, etc., and still those countries have substantially lower toll fees. The current toll in Mexico is 13 cents per kilometer, but that includes automatic medical coverage for everyone in the vehicle.

With all the road taxes we Ontarians pay, the last thing we ever expected was a toll road.

We need to buy back this road and break the deal with this consortium.

I find this whole arrangement both offensive and intimidating.
If any Canadian government is going to collect for any privately held company, change the rules on the statute of limitations, etc., then it had better collect for all private companies on the same terms. This current arrangement discriminates against all other private companies.

STAY OFF THE 407 AND STARVE THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE!

Ontario’s power system is “exactly like Walmart”: Bob Chiarelli says

Wind Concerns Ontario -

Wind Concerns Ontario is a province-wide advocacy organization whose mission is to provide information on the potential impact of industrial-scale wind power generation on the economy, human health, and the natural environment.

Parker Gallant 

Anyone reading an excerpt from the November 18, 2014 Standing Committee on Estimates text of Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli might have trouble discerning what his message was.  And, specifically, what his answer had to do with MPPRandy Hillier‘s question on whether Ontario loses money exporting surplus electricity.

Chiarelli had danced around the question, claiming Ontario needed “surplus generation,” but Hillier kept hounding him and finally, Chiarelli responded.

Mr. Randy Hillier: “Listen, I understand that we want to have a margin of surplus. We all can understand that, because you don’t know specifically and exactly how much is going to be needed at any particular point in time. But let’s get back to the question. What are our estimated losses—do you have an estimate—for this year and next year, cumulatively, in our losses of trades?”

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: “Can I ask you to give me 30 seconds without interruption? Just a few seconds, okay?”

Mr. Randy Hillier: “Well, if you can answer the question—60 seconds.”

Hon. Bob Chiarelli: “Walmart buys snow blowers. They expect to sell X number of snow blowers in a winter. At the end of the winter, if they haven’t sold those snow blowers, they sell them at a discount. They’re selling them for less than their costs. That’s part of doing business.

The electricity system is exactly the same as Walmart. Why do they have sales? Why do they sell a product that is worth X number of dollars in November for less when they’re selling it in March or April? Why do they do it? They’re giving it away. They’re losing money. How much have they lost?”

Walmart. Ontario’s electricity system is “exactly the same” as Walmart.

Here’s what the Ontario Auditor General’s report for 2011 said about what Ontario lost by exporting electricity surpluses.

“Based on our analysis of net exports and pricing data from the IESO, we estimated that from 2005 to the end of our audit in 2011, Ontario received $1.8 billion less for its electricity exports than what it actually cost electricity ratepayers of Ontario.”

The losses highlighted in the AG’s report are related to the creation of the Global Adjustment or GA.  The buyers of our surplus electricity only pay the HOEP (hourly Ontario electricity price) and Ontario’s consumers pick up the difference between the contracted price for generation and the HOEP.  It was that difference, the GA, that the AG’s report highlighted.

Ontario has seen three more years of generation since that report and each one has meant increasing costs to Ontario’s electricity consumers.  For 2012, IESO reported our exports were 14.6 terawatt hours (TWh) and generated an average price of $24.1 million/TWh, but the costs to Ontario’s consumers for that generation included the GA which was an additional $49.6 million/TWh—that resulted in a cost of $724 million.  2013 was worse: Ontario exported 18.3 TWh generating $26.5 million/TWh with  the GA cost at $59.0 million/TWh for a cost of $1.007 billion. 2014 was slightly worse again, with exports of 19.1 TWh generating $36.0 million/TWh, costing ratepayers $53.5 million/TWh for the GA, creating a loss of $1.022 billion.

So, those three years cost ratepayers $2.75 billion for the 52 TWh (11.3% of total generation of 459.8 TWh) of exported power we didn’t need, bringing losses since creation of the GA to $4.550 billion.

Ontario’s ratepayers might be much better off if Walmart really was running the electricity system in Ontario. At least Walmart isn’t continually running at a loss.

It makes sense we tax fairly but also demand government prove value and keep taxes as low as possible.

ANTHONY FUREY | QMI AGENCY

Reasonable people agree that taxation is a necessary evil. Nobody really wants to pay, but they also want basic infrastructure and understand someone has to foot the bill. And the average Canadian also supports some form of basic social safety net to help a neighbour in need.

Given the above, it makes sense we tax fairly but also demand government prove value and keep taxes as low as possible.

But there's a far more extremist philosophy on taxation that is sadly gaining steam these days.

It's the perspective that taxpayers should be grateful they're not having all their money taken away and feel guilty they're not giving more. It's the perspective that any tax scheme that isn't implemented is "lost revenue." It's the view of taxpayer as serf.

Here's an example: a recent report from the left-wing think-tank the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives on Toronto municipal finances. They point out, "There was little discussion of city finances during the 2014 municipal election campaign, nor of how to pay for the services that everyone needs."

True. But that's not news. Most elections are like that.

They right away urge "making fuller use of the property tax, and using council's unique powers under the City of Toronto Act (COTA) to broaden the city's revenue base."

So all taxation powers, full steam ahead! But why no cuts in the convo? Get this: "the city just spent the past four years on a wild goose chase for gravy and had a hard time finding it...The reality is that city management is accustomed to squeezing every dollar."

The whole thing reads like a comedy of errors by indignant tax addicts. The report points out - look, look, the horror! - that there is no local sales tax, no local income tax, no road tolls, that property tax hasn't matched or outpaced inflation, that the vehicle registration tax was eliminated... basically, they're just pissed that Toronto doesn't have every single conceivable tax on the books ... More

Source: Sun News Media - http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2015/01/20150121-072644.htmlhttp://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2015/01/20150121-072644.html

Wynne government unveils $650,000 highway signs ... EACH!

ANTONELLA ARTUSO | QMI AGENCY

TORONTO - New $650,000 signs will light up Ontario highways in full colour/couleur.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca formally unveiled the bilingual energy-efficient highway signs Tuesday at Ledstar, a factory just north of Toronto where they are manufactured.

Twenty-one signs have already been installed around the province.

Del Duca said the signs will relay safety messages to drivers in easily understood images and symbols and with less text so people of all languages can comprehend their meaning and react quickly if necessary.

"This is the first bilingual, image-based sign plan developed and executed provincewide in Canada," Del Duca said. "These signs will help improve road safety, manage congestion on provincial highways and keep people and businesses moving."

Each sign costs an eye-popping $650,000 to manufacture and install, but new signs will be added only as needed to replace existing signage, he said.

• MORE: Wynne calls for commitment to increased infrastructure spending

The earlier models cost $450,000.

The signs will provide road and weather conditions, traffic information and road safety tips like "No texting or dialing."

Del Duca said he doesn't believe the new full-colour and extra bright LED signs will be a distraction for drivers.

"This has gone through a rigorous process to make sure that we arrive at the final product that will help traffic on the roads remain safe but also make sure that the information is conveyed so that traffic flow can be where it needs to be," Del Duca said.

Progressive Conservative Transportation Critic Michael Harris said the province already has plenty of message signs on its highways.

"At a time when this government is struggling under a $12.5-billion deficit, do we really need to be spending more on shiny new colour TVs for our roadways?" Harris said in an e-mail. "Seriously, if the minister wants to have an impact on road safety, why does he continue to ignore winter road maintenance problems that have closed down the QEW and led to accidents and transportation headaches across the province, specifically in northern Ontario?"

Source: Toronto Sun Media - http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/politics/archives/2015/01/20150120-134504.html

The feminist gnomes are in the process of churning out labels galore these days ...

"Manspreading" and "Manthis" and "Manthat., so it only seems fair that they should have one of their own:

What in positive terms has Wynne done for the ordinary Ontario citizen since she came to office?

Ed. Ever since Wynne was elected with 40% of the 54% of ballots cast (equalling 19% of the popular vote) she has done little more than hand out multi-million-dollar-subsidies to corporations, not to mention vote-rich areas like child benefits, and raised taxes or tightened regulations on the ordinary tax payer. Here are the latest edicts to come down from the ‘Ovary Tower’.

Kenndra Mangione, CTVNews.ca Writer

@kendramangione

From smoking bans to fees for drivers, several new laws and amendments took effect in Ontario when the new year began.

Smokers are no longer  permitted to indulge on restaurant and bar patios with the latest amendment to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, whether the space is covered or not.

Smoking is also banned on playgrounds and publicly owned sports fields, including basketball courts, baseball diamonds, soccer fields and ice rinks. Violators may face fines of $250.

It is illegal to sell tobacco products on university and college campuses, including buildings owned or leased by schools and student unions. Anyone caught selling tobacco could be slapped with a $300 fine.

Fees for drivers

Starting Jan. 1, all drivers purchasing a non-graphic personalized licence plate will have to pay $310, up from $251.65. The fee for plates with graphics, like a loon or the symbol of The Royal Canadian Legion, will remain at $336.40.

General plates and certification now cost $20, up from $15.

Gender diversity

In an effort to increase the number of women in high-ranking positions, public companies based in Ontario now have to disclose the number of women on boards and in executive officer positions.

They also have to provide official policies regarding the representation of women on corporate boards and information on hiring and contract renewal processes. [See: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Women-in-Politics-For-the-record/357899027729394?ref=hl]

Building code

Ontario's building code has been amended to address the needs of the deaf and hearing impaired. In 2015, all fire alarms and smoke detectors in multi-unit residential buildings and suites must include a visual element to warn those who can't hear alarms.

To improve accessibility, all multi-unit residential buildings must also include power-door operators in shared spaces, including parking lots, washrooms and common rooms.

Propane inspections

Six years after a series of explosions sent fireballs shooting into the air over the Sunrise Propane facility in Toronto, the Ontario government is targeting the industry. Starting Jan. 1, propane facilities designated as "high risk" will be inspected more frequently than lower-risk facilities. Previously, all facilities were required to perform safety inspections only once per year.

At least one senior management person are now required to complete safety training that is mandatory of staff who directly handle propane.

Towing laws

Tow truck owners and operators may soon have to register with the Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration following a consultation in the coming weeks.

The exact changes will be worked out between representatives of the CVOR and the industry, but the proposed Liberal bill suggests drivers will need permission before charging for services, as part of an effort to protect consumers from price gouging. They will also have to post prices, accept credit card payments and provide invoices. The government hopes the law will help curb insurance fraud and lead to lower insurance premiums for drivers.

Estate administration

Starting Jan. 1, those who have received items of value through the will of a deceased person will have 30 days to file a report on the assets with the Ministry of Finance.

Estate trustees must provide a detailed list of all real estate and personal property (including cash, vehicles, stocks and investments).

The report must be filed in addition to an application submitted to the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the estate trustee will still have to pay a probate tax on the value of the estate.

Read more: http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/new-laws-that-started-in-ontario-on-jan-1-1.2167731#ixzz3NsQlcBMb

In the Muskoka township power plant fight, a lone protester hangs tough

When Peggy Peterson pitched a tent at the picturesque Bala Falls, in the Lake Muskoka region of Ontario, she thought that she’d camp out for a few days and that many would join her cause against a proposed hydroelectric plant.

Her insurgency, however, has become a long, solitary battle.

Residents of Bala have provided her with food, an outhouse and a camper van, but no one has committed to joining her demonstration. For more than 100 days, it’s mainly been just her and her sheltie, Lucy, and they’re digging in for the winter – and likely longer.

“Until it’s stopped, I’m not leaving,” Ms. Peterson vowed recently over the phone from the home of one of her new neighbours.

“How a downtown waterfall like this can be given away by the government to a private, for-profit company without any benefit to Bala? It’s just cash-for-life for a handful of private individuals.” ... More

Save the Bala Falls!

Save Bala Falls! Click on the photo to sign the petition.

The Bala falls is the one and only iconic heritage of the charming, historic town of Bala, Ontario. It has been used as a portage by Native voyagers on their way to Lake Couchiching and back, as well as fur traders, and explorers. Its significance lies in its connection to both the past and present, and once gone it cannot be replicated or replaced.

However, now the province of Ontario, together with a 'for-profit' outfit, is pushing through a plan to destroy Bala Falls as we know it. Why? For the purpose of making more money.

So how much is heritage worth? To a cynical, uncaring, avaricious government, apparently not much. But to the people of Bala it is priceless.

Even if you are not from the Bala or Muskoka areas, but have a concern for history, heritage, and the environment, sign on those principles. This is a wider issue than just one.

Click here to sign the petition to save Bala Falls