06.10.2014 09:40 AM

Big political graves are dug with little shovels

In a tight election race, like this one, you have to pay attention to the little things. It’s the little things that will kill you. Case in point: the Liberal government’s headlong rush to cram casino operations in every single corner of the province.

I’m amazed the Liberals have let this issue fester; I’m surprised, too, that the PCs and New Democrats haven’t been all over it. Out in the hinterland, folks are unhappy.

The party that wins this one is the party that says “enough is enough.”

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26 Comments

  1. doconnor says:

    I thought this whole plan was dead, CEO replaced and even removed from budget projection.

    When an idea is to crass even for Vaughan, it has no hope.

    • Ian Howard says:

      Even the Liberals will privatize the slots, that contract is still out there and you will notice that the privatization of lottery operations may be in limbo but it is far from dead.

      Trust me nothing is to crass for Vaughan. Olivia Chow has a choice, get Woodbine’s expansion approved, or watch Vaughan and those who own the property that is meant to be used for it’s downtown core get back in the game. If that happens be sure to thank Greg Sobarra for the subway connection to Toronto’s gaming dollars.

      • Vaughan voted down a casino by 5 – 4.

        Toronto rejected a downtown casino by a devastating 40 – 4 The Woodbine expansion did a bit better getting voted down 31 – 13.

        • Ian Howard says:

          24-20 Without the Ford train wreck Woodbine would have been expanded.

          Having lived in Vaughan for forty years I fully expect a slot box to be built there if Toronto does not approve an expansion at Woodbine.

  2. Bill Templeman says:

    Warren: There are many little shovels in addition to casinos. Add autocratic school closures that ignore the will of communities, waste money and hurt students as another little shovel to your graveyard tool shed. This issue is big in Hamilton, Kingston, Midland-Penetang, London and Peterborough, where resentment lingers

    • Bobby says:

      Yep Bill. The glut of school closure in just about every rural and small town in this province has conveniently escaped scrutiny. Yet where is that People for Education group? They were front and centre in 2003 with a list of school closures under Harris. I bet that more schools have closed in Ontario under the McWynnety government than at any other time.

  3. Doug says:

    I find it very odd that the Liberal campaign is going to what should be extremely safe Liberal seats today. It makes me wonder if their internal polling is dreadful, or whether I suggested to you on twitter the other day Warren, they are now consuming Guano sandwiches on the OLP campaign bus.

    The contrast in the last week or so between the three campaigns has been very obvious and the OLP one strikes me as in some sort of meltdown. Agree on the NDP lack of money, in my riding they didn’t even get specific signs out for the local candidate and they just have generic NDP/Horwath signs(how many people in the province are spelling her name Horvath? it’s driving me insane….) it wasn’t going to be an NDP win my seat but they could have run the OLP close for 2nd place but they seemed to abandon some fairly hopeless ridings for very specific targets.

  4. TrueNorthist says:

    Something like this might have sparked the sort of wave needed to affect the results but it’s pretty much too late now. Barring one of the leaders exploding in flames the die is cast and whatever is going to happen has already been decided. Now we wait.

  5. Lance says:

    Here is another shovel –

    https://twitter.com/MizzComfyPants/status/476401946081763328

    No matter what party it would be, that is wrong.

  6. Bill Templeman says:

    Predictions anyone? Based on 308.com’s numbers today (2 pm, June 10), I’ll take a miniscule Liberal minority win, just one or two seats more than the PC’s, with the NDP breakinabout same level as last time– around 17 seats. For this we spent $50 million?

    • Matt says:

      It’s all going to come down to the GOTV and the NDP turnout.

      If as the two more reputable polling companies (Ipsos an Abacus) predict the NDP support is in the mid to high 20’s, that should help the PC’s .

      If as the two less reputable polling companies (Forum and EKOS) predict the NDP support is in the high teens, it should favour the Liberals.

      The way the unions and anti Hudak faction has really been in overdrive with their fear mongering the past few days, it’s very similar to what the anti Ford forces did in the dying days of the 2010 Toronto Mayoral election.

  7. Mark says:

    Warren, surely you’re not suggesting that Wynne should, late in the campaign, promise to cancel a big project just because the local voters are opposed to it??

    Regardless if it’s the correct move in “peace time”, the PC’s would have a field day drawing parallels to the gas plant thingy.

  8. Matt says:

    Interesting day.

    Horwath emphatically denied there would be an NDP coalition with the PC’s. And after being asked several times, REFUSED to say the same about a coalition with the Liberals.

    Smokey Thomas, head of OPSEU straight up called Kathleen Wynne a liar.

    The Liberals are accusing the PC’s of launching a robocall campaign to mislead voters on polling station locations. Not suprisingly the accusation was made by Deb Matthews who just might be defeated Thursday.

  9. debs says:

    I cant wait until thursday night!

  10. Al in Cranbrook says:

    I deleted the long version of what I wanted to say.

    The short version is: Ontario is quickly becoming the proverbial train wreck looking for a place to happen. And the unions are out to loot the place for all its worth while they still can.

    Oh, how the mighty have fallen, eh?

    Pretty sad situation indeed.

  11. Ian Howard says:

    The conservatives and Paul Godfrey that are itching to finish off that plan. Bet on it. It will take a majority to do it, something McGuinty wasn’t smart enough to realize.

  12. Matt says:

    Wonder what affect the weather will have on voter turnout.

    Toronto, Ottawa, London all have thunderstorms in the forecast.

    Plus the first game of the World Cup goes Thursday ar 4:00PM.

  13. Matt says:

    Hmmm…

    You know that group of unions that call themselves Working Families Coalition and have launched a multimillion dollar attack campaign against Hudak?

    The group that claims Hudak is an American wannabe?

    Turns out their multimillion dollar attack campaign is produced in the USA.

    http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews/straighttalk/archives/2014/06/20140610-185929.html

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