, 01.29.2023 10:58 AM

KINSELLACAST 246: Lilley, Adler, Mraz, Kheiriddin – plus: RIP Television’s Tom Verlaine

54 Comments

  1. Bruce Royce says:

    Good Kinsellacast this week.

  2. Warren,

    You could offer me two million a year and I’d never, ever, leave for a major Canadian city. In addition to all that you’ve already cited, the rat race, declining quality of life and traffic nightmares aren’t for me.

    • Martin Dixon says:

      See all my previous posts about Toronto. Very few people I went to high school with stuck around Brantford. Neither did most of my family although my dad has come back. Their loss. I have been saying a similar thing with inflation adjusted numbers for over 40 years. Would not go east to Toronto for all the tea in China.

  3. WCJ,

    Take note at the current state of the Ontario Liberals. Expect the same federally, eventually.

  4. It has never been part of the federal Liberal DNA to speak out in a trickle, or even en masse, until the unofficially anointed is already waiting in the wings. Here, there is no successor-in-waiting. Not Freeland, not Champagne, not anyone else. Carney is now an afterthought so watch for someone to come into play who is not already part of Trudeau’s cabinet. It’s coming.

  5. Tanks God that we can tank this Prime Minister for a typical, high-quality, well-reasoned out tank of a decision. Tankfully, it’s typical Trudeau calibre.

  6. Putin has brought the art of pretzeling to a new level where The Kremlin goes way beyond what we would term disinformation. So in that sense, I do not doubt how they would interpret Canada’s so-called tank contribution as Mraz related. And in a world where only state media is permitted to operate, the brainwashing of the watching or listening public is almost inevitable, at least to a considerable degree.

  7. Warren,

    With the background of six British MPs having been killed in office since 1979, not to mention two House members seriously wounded in the United States, it’s not unreasonable to expect that type of violence to happen in Canada in the coming years.

  8. Martin Dixon says:

    I was actually surprised we had 82 tanks. I guess they are keeping the rest of them in case Toronto gets a couple of inches of snow. Must keep the base happy. Not much better than the I Stand With Ukraine media posts the cabinet was doing when the war started. As nice as that was, thinking Zelenskyy would rather have had us show him the money.

  9. Curious V says:

    I just got home. Waiting for the bus I had to stand in the cold because the heated bus shelter was occupied by a team of crack heads, openly using drugs. To the left of me stood the LRT, with it’s shelters all occupied by homeless, drug addicts and the mentally ill, either screaming or too obliviated to scream. It’s a big problem in Canadian cities. A lack of affordable housing is destabilizing lives, a lack of mental health treatment puts vulnerable on the street, a lack of job training or decency in hiring practices impoverishes cancer survivors – as a society, as a whole, we’ve failed so many people that we’re disgusted, and often times afraid of the consequences.

  10. Curious V says:

    It’s a national disgrace. People with educations, experience and lots of energy are on the cusp of homelessness. Mentally ill are discriminated in their pursuit of employment, and impoverished for a lack funding, untreated in your subway and as vulnerable as they are scary. Cancer survivors can’t get anything after doing the unthinkable in their fight to be alive. Yuppy’s cry about the unsightly homeless while congratulating themselves for all the favors they receive, their good fortune and the profits of nepotism and isolation. The society’s underlying culture is faulty and fuels the fear of it’s result – too many live in privilege, bragging about themselves for no apparent reason while we punish the sick for their misfortune, hold them back and cast them out without treatment or hope. It’s cultural attitudes in politics and society as a whole that create the desperation just to feed the overfed. fat in ego and entitlement but lacking any thoughtful response they want more cops, but they won’t offer housing or treatment for people who are very sick, mostly due to the crying yuppies and their entitlement complex.

    • Martin Dixon says:

      And what I keep saying it is that bunch you describe above that are keeping Justin in power. That is the dirty little secret. I can’t believe no on can see it.

  11. Curious V says:

    It’s the result of a cultural backwardness in Canadian society than spans all the political parties, workplaces and society in general. It’s overfed yuppies overvaluing themselves and their entitlement network to the detriment of any hope for a great society – it’s backwardness that’s creating desperation that we haven’t responded to. We respond to the unsightliness of homeless drug addicts but never self reflect – it’s too much privilege for folks who in their value are pretty average, but who expect a silver spoon to match their over-consuming entitlement networks – all three political parties are to blame, but what do you do about this underlying culture of self-obsession and entitlement

    • Curious V,

      Thank you for these three comments. They are among the most impactful and thoughtful I have ever seen here. Your humanity knows no bounds. My top two charities have long been the homeless and the hungry. Unfortunately, the most I can provide for now is but a drop of water in an ocean. People tell me to give less annually. I try to give even more with each passing year. But it is still only drops.

      • Martin Dixon says:

        Agreed and something sure looks broken to me. In Brantford, we have done a bit to help. We should do more, actually. We have committed or given 300k to this place since Covid hit:

        https://millards.com/millards-makes-5-year-250000-pledge-to-support-at-risk-youth/

        This was literally just before the world shut down. We had retired partners and/or their widows that hadn’t been around in almost 30 years help support this.

        We helped put this over the top too:

        https://www.facebook.com/whynotyouthcentre/posts/10160375679973887

        Our office is literally right in the middle of the problem.

      • CuriousV says:

        Having worked in a few offices, the one quality that stands out is this self-congratulatory nonsense about having done something special, but from my view I was the only staff member who made it without a crony connection. That isolates people and their isolation and delusional sense of entitlement creates this political climate where vulnerable people end up homeless. We only complain about it when they’re offended by the unsightliness, or confront an untreated person with mental health issues. Too busy deluding themselves. Average people who had it easy, profit from cronyism and they don’t get how much damage making them the focus of policy, rather than people who really need attention, really does to the society. Below average often times they’re demand privilege and status with little to offer, and that’s to the detriment of folks who really need help. They dilute the talent pool, and their self-obsession allows more important issues to go unattended.

  12. Peter Williams says:

    Justin said recently, “I have made sure the Clerk of the Privy Council is looking into procurement practices to make sure we’re getting value for money and that we’re doing things in a smart and logical way.”

    So far so good?

    Any truth to the rumour that they’ve hired McKinsey do do the work?

  13. Martin Dixon says:

    Scott Adams joins Rex and Conrad mocking the College of Psychologists of Ontario.

    https://dilbert.com/strip/2023-01-30?utm_source=dilbert.com/share-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=brand-loyalty

    When you have lost Dilbert, you clearly need to do a rethink.

  14. Sean says:

    The Schreiner letter is the stupidest political move I’ve ever seen. If you want to organize a move like that, the only way to do it is have that candidate just make the announcement. Slam-bang-done and let everyone else react to the move you just made What these knuckleheads have done is unite the other four candidates against Schreiner before he even gets started. Totally lost the plot. They’ve made Schreiner a piñata for the entire membership of both parties and given the other candidates something to talk about.

    BTW, if I were the Ontario Tories or the NDP, I’d be worried about Ted Hsu. In sports we talk about 5 tool athletes. Skate, shoot, defense, faceoffs, checking etc… Ted Hsu has the makings of a 5 tool politician IMO.

    Really appreciated Warren’s letter re. homelessness. It’s a hot topic amongst family, coworkers, generally in the community. Warren has it bang on. Professional institutions may be the only answer. I’ve had it up to here with the “outreach” “safe injections” “barrier free” this and that. It’s all well intentioned but too many people refuse to use the “outreach”. There is no such thing as a “safe injection” of heroin. Sorry but PP is dead right on that issue. “Barrier free” is also bullshit. Guess what… in life there are barriers. *Adults* understand that. It’s part of growing up. A driver’s license is a barrier. Writing a resume is a barrier. Paying your taxes is a barrier. Sobriety is a barrier in some places. Telling people there shouldn’t be or don’t have to be any barriers is *leading* to drug abuse, not curing it.

    • CuriousV says:

      Well, they don’t provide the services or housing necessary to keep people off the streets. I know people in the business and the supports are inadequate. Housing, treatment, mental health services – all inadequate. I know a guy who had stage 4 cancer, and was thrown out of his profession – facing homelessness while doing chemo he inquired about housing supports – 5 year wait. Provinces have to fund housing and the necessary supports, and that’s basically the issue.

      • Curious V says:

        It varies by province, but the disability income is a paltry amount. Inadequate considering rental costs, and subsidized rental units underfunded with 5 year wait lists. This issue doesn’t get enough attention or funding, but we all complain about the state of Public Transit. You have to take care of peoples basic needs if you want to curb violence, and that isn’t happening.

        • Sean says:

          Curious V – let me say first that I think it is tremendously important that these things be discussed openly. There is far too much argument without agreed upon facts on these issues. You are providing me and others with information that we wouldn’t know about otherwise. What you describe above is an unacceptable tragedy. FFS, obviously there’s got to be some immediate financial supports for someone suddenly facing a career ending illness. Ideally, that should be on the employer as part of a negotiated benefits package. But too many people can’t get into jobs like that.

          My previous comment may have come off as being a bit harsh. What I was referring to specifically is how a crack smoking tent was set up to be supervised by volunteers in the parking lot of my workplace. No plan for transition into recovery or anything like that. Just come here and smoke crack and volunteers will resuscitate you. That shit is bonkers IMO and I’ve had enough of it. The next day, people were sitting around smoking crack and told the security guard they thought it was OK. We need to be compassionate, yes. But we need to be steering people towards solutions, rather than normalizing the problem.

  15. Martin Dixon says:

    Another guy who managed to get out of the cult weighs in on all things military:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/PnPCBC/status/1620196496208543744

    That is just an excerpt. Strangely enough P and P decided not to put that on their website as one of the selected clips. Probably looks of horror on the faces of the editors as he was speaking. One memorable quote was “we are not only punching below our weight, we are punching below our toes”.

  16. Peter Williams says:

    Seeing reports that Trudeau has a contract with McKinsey to provide services until 2100.

    Is this true?

    Mr Singh is really holding Justin to account!

    • Martin Dixon says:

      We could ask him but parliament is back for a second day and he is a no show.

    • Peter,

      Yeah, that guy Singh really knows how to hold HimselfTM and his government to account. How about withdrawing NDP support so this sorry bunch can finally face voter accountability?

    • Martin Dixon says:

      Ok. I thought that the 2100 reference was a joke. But I see it isn’t. On P and P, Martin Patriquin reminded everyone about the ridiculous standing O the “non-partisan” public servants gave JT when he first got elected. Nonsensical behaviour I constantly refer to. But he provided a slightly different take. Given these latest revelations, Martin pointed out that JT is no friend of the public service. Just another constituency to pat on the head and buy off with their own money(paraphrasing slightly).

  17. Robin says:

    re mental illness, up until mid 60’s, some mental hospitals had gardens, chickens, livestock, kitchens etc, where inmates, according to their ability would be active in these areas with activities that provided some sense of pride, self worth, and grew and prepared most of the food needed to feed them etc. Then modern psychologists decided decided this to be cruel treatment, and they were drugged and left to aimlessly wander hall ways, or locked up. From there, they were released on the streets. Where has societies concern for the mentally ill gone?

    • Curious V says:

      It is cruel to confine mentally ill people to a hospital. They should be living and working in our communities, but for that to work we have to fund the supports they require, and change cultural attitudes about mental health. Subsidized housing should be available, and not the slums they currently provide. Vulnerable, and sick and with a 5 year wait to qualify for a state-sponsored, bed-bug infested slum. Sane people crack under kinder circumstances.

  18. Robin says:

    Canadian health care system, Canadian politicans and Canadian universities have all been captured by big pharma. Not good.

    • Martin Dixon says:

      And big pharma, at least in the US, is now making a fortune off the vaccines that they were subsidized to come up with. And yet, we all put complete and total trust in them and continue to do so. It is all very confusing.

  19. CuriousV says:

    I think we sent 4 tanks because of the difficulty with their maintenance. Would have been nice to send 10, or 20, but 4 is all we could, with certainty, maintain due to issues with spare parts etc.

  20. Peter Williams says:

    Mr Trudeau, with the connivance of Mr Singh, has hired lots more civil servants.

    But then Mr Trudeau, with the approval of Mr Singh, hires a multitude of highly paid consultants. Is this to do the work they hired the civil servants to do?

    And they have to borrow money to do both.

  21. Peter Williams says:

    Today I learned from team Trudeau that $100 million to McKinsey is not a lot of money.

    This from a government, that spent $7 million housing what was it 10 or 15 people in a hotel?

    No wonder Trudeau and the GG live, and travel, with champagne wishes and caviar dreams. To bad Mr Singh supports this nonsense.

  22. Curious V says:

    It isn’t a popular idea, but it’s probably time to raise the GST 2 points. It was irresponsible of Harper to lower it.

    • Martin Dixon says:

      I actually agree with that although those who can afford it the least will pay part of it. But there really is no choice unless we cut(which is doable). The problem is you can tax the “rich” 100% and there just isn’t enough money there. Has to be broad based. I also have some views on the principal residence exemption that might surprise some people. Lots of people get it that should not IMO-at least all of it(again, JT’s base). Also need to increase the OAS back up to 67. Morneau was all in favour of that until he drank the koolaid. When I realized he was no longer a serious person. Given the business I am in, I have LOTS of ideas.

    • Peter Williams says:

      Raise the GST?

      Effectively Trudeau did. It’s called the carbon tax.

  23. Martin Dixon says:

    Watching Barton testify and actually feel bad for the guy.

    • Martin Dixon says:

      Check that-I have now seen the hugging pics. Yet another former serious guy who has been brought down by his relationship with JT. But I guess if you lie down with dogs, you get fleas. His turn in the barrel I guess.

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