There are Taxes and then There is Highway Robbery
No one likes to learn of new taxes, in any form.
But an 8% raise in city property taxes to cover The Big Party in 2010?
That is outrageous.
It speaks to the incompetence of the worst council in City history.
"It's going to be very tough," says Peter Ladner.
What will be tough, Peter, is getting any of you re-elected.
This is in addition to the Olympic "Legacy Fund" being raped for what amounts to operating costs.
From this morning's front page story in the Sun, we get this:
"But opponents say that far from providing long-term legacies, as its name implies, the fund amounts to an Olympic operations budget.
Among the items it covers are a $1.4-million communications campaign, $1 million for the city's host pavilion, $2 million for hosting dignitaries and $2 million for the "look" of the city during the Olympics."
Tim Stevenson says, "I see it as a slush fund for the mayor." And he's right.
In yesterday's Courier, Alan Garr further skewers The Nutty One with his insights on how the mayor plays with money. Sullivan managed to divert some funds from one of his many non-profit organizations to the NPA.
Garr notes:
"The story, by Tyee reporter Monte Paulsen, concerned a Sullivan creation called the Nanitch Policy Society, just one of Sullivan's societies he has used to obscure his activities from the public.
Nanitch was incorporated as a non-profit in 2002. Its express purpose is "to identify, research, and promote changes in public policy for the purpose of improving the economic, environmental and social well-being of all members of the community, in particular those members of the community who are marginalized and disabled."
Garr points out that the other directors of Nanitch were completely unaware of this donation to the NPA.
So the mayor plays fast and loose with the monies from non-profits, and the City Council cannibalizes a "Heritage" Fund to pay for the groceries.
Except the groceries in this case include:
"- $1.5 million for an Olympic public art program.
- $300,000 to host the 2008 Paralympic torch relay (Vancouver is one of three Olympic cities on the relay).
- $1 million for "social sustainability" around the city's inner-city inclusivity commitments.
- $1 million for "community celebrations."
- $1 million for a "volunteer/ambassador program."
- $150,000 for environmental sustainability.
- $200,000 for "business-tourism initiatives."
- $300,000 to host the 2008 Paralympic torch relay (Vancouver is one of three Olympic cities on the relay).
- $1 million for "social sustainability" around the city's inner-city inclusivity commitments.
- $1 million for "community celebrations."
- $1 million for a "volunteer/ambassador program."
- $150,000 for environmental sustainability.
- $200,000 for "business-tourism initiatives."
How about more organic eggs?
2 comments:
I look forward to tomorrow's issue of the Province. Hope you will skewer the crap coming from Silly Sam or Sam (let's create a Police state)Sullivan as I referred to him in a Georgia Straight letter to the editor. Garr's column is from story in thetyee.ca
Did you know the Mayor is in New Orleans (I think that's the city) to be the guest speaker tomorrow night at a conferennce of 1000!
These are not the groceries!
They are the candy, popcorn and beer.
They are the marajuana, cocaine and crystal meth.
They are the addictions of a power mad city leadership that has olympic rings in its eyes.
I really hope Poland sticks it to Canada over the taser incident and slams the mounties hard in europe and beyond.
I hope that the VANOC nutbars start to shove their weight around to 'clean up' the DTES in a hurry, that way the backlash would contribute to the games moving like a flash back to Utah or if Canada is really nice (and fires a few RCMP rookies along with a number of others whom 'get in the way') maybe Calgary.
That way this city council and the Premier's office can be counted on to really stand out as the total scr3w-ups that they are looking like right now.
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