Notwithstanding: Reform or revenge?

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is invoking a little used notwithstanding option to bypass a court ruling preventing him from depleting the numbers of Toronto City Council. Ford and his colleagues seem pleased about it too. With the federal government not stepping in the chances are that he’ll get his way and may be tempted to use the process again should he hit a roadblock on something else.

While I fully accept that there may well be too many city councillors representing Toronto it’s the timing that’s the problem, right in the middle of election campaigning. This looks more like revenge than reform and may come back to haunt the federal conservatives at the next election. Appeal the court decision, yes, carefully review, engage then reform, yes. I think this gung-ho approach could prove to be a mistake long term.

The next federal election will likely be won and lost in Quebec and Ontario. With Maxime Bernier splitting away from the Conservatives in Quebec and Ford causing resentment in Ontario with the provincial government I would imagine the incumbent Liberals must be feeling quite pleased right now. Still, there is a long way to go and stuff happens.

Edmonton is looking at gearing up for a driverless bus project, the plan apparently also includes electric vehicles and charging stations. Change is coming a lot quicker than I think most of us realise. Honestly, given the standard of driving that I’ve witnessed lately from some semi drivers, I can’t see how a driverless option could be worse. Hopefully, sensors and software will prevent such vehicles from acting in illegal and dangerous ways. I await these pilot projects with interest.

The deadline for Brexit looms and like NAFTA there is no deal on the horizon. I expect a new Prime Minister to come out of the ashes over Brexit and unless there is a sudden shift of will and way over NAFTA it may be post mid-terms before an agreement is struck. Compromise is a two-way street folks.

The UK authorities have identified and named two Russians regarding the Salisbury nerve agent poisonings. There have been the usual denials from Russia. This will simmer I guess until the next time.

Russia with some 300,000 personnel, over 30,000 armoured vehicles with ships and aircraft have been taking part in the biggest military exercise in 40 years. Is it meant to send a message? I think so and it does loud and clear. Also, with the involvement of over 3,000 Chinese troops the message I get is any future conflict is unlikely to be with Russia alone.

As I write this hurricane Florence is getting set to slam into the Carolinas in the U.S. I hope that none of the dire predictions about this storm come true. I’ve had my fair share of hurricane experience, one of which I really thought was going to kill or severely injure me, I don’t miss them one bit. This storm and I expect others to come are unusual not in their ferocity, tis the season, but the fact they’re stalling and extending the wind window and dumping huge amounts of rain. I expect flooding to be the big story if there is one. In the meantime, President Trump is not in the eye of the media as much as he could be. He has an opportunity to be and act the role of a President. I hope he takes his chance.