Cornwall Standard Freeholder

20 January 2010

Posted By CLAUDE MCINTOSH

Did a chance encounter with South Glengarry Deputy Mayor John Warden in an

Ottawa Tim Hortons last month help convince Jim Watson to give up his Ottawa seat and municipal affairs and housing portfolio to run for mayor of Ottawa?

Warden found Watson, in line behind him at the coffee shop one evening prior to the former Liberal cabinet minister's announcement that he would run for mayor in October.

The blunt speaking, tell it like it is Warden, who was on a snow clearing job in the Capital, put the question to Watson, "Are you running for mayor?"

Watson said he hadn't decided. That's when Warden introduced himself

as deputy mayor of South Glengarry and proceeded to warn Watson that if he were smart he'd jump ship because "Dalton's going down."

* The most expensive piece of parking space in city history (Pitt and First streets) is nearing completion. In a few days last fall it went from a $250,000 project (paid for by adjoining property owners) to a $700,000 job with taxpayers kicking in the difference.

It is an expensive lesson: Look before you dig.

* Somebody should look at changing the blanket winter overnight parking ban.

It's designed to assist snow removal crews. But the nights that crews are out clearing snow between November and March are few and far between.

Why not a ban when the forecast calls for more than two centimetres of snow, or within seven days after a major snowstorm.

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* Prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Western perception of a Russian woman was a burly, homely mamma decked out in a dress that could pass for a tent, pitching hay during the annual harvest.

How times have changed.

Now we have a tennis match between Russian beauties Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko rightly hyped as a "glamour match".

They also know how to play tennis. Previous to the two Marias, there was

the lovely Anna Kournikova who two years ago sent sales of the annual Sports Illustrated swim suit edition soaring, all to the disgust of those of the Puritan persuasion.

Now, if the Russians would only discover beach volleyball.

* The headlines screamed "Ringleader gets life in prison".

The fact is, thanks to our legal system's preoccupation with rehabilitation, the ringleader in the plot to kill thousands of Canadian citizens could be out on the street within seven years.

Only a tip (from two Muslim Canadians) and good police work prevented the group from carrying out the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history.

One of the co-conspirators could be freed later this year.

If I'ma terrorist-in-training in Yemen or Afghanistan, I'd be changing my travel plans to slap-'em-on-the-wrist Canada from the hang 'em high U.S.

Why don't we save time and money and have convicted terrorists write out "I'll never try this again" a few thousand times.

* Nobody should be surprised that Perry Dunlop didn't show up in Toronto court on Monday for his ridiculous appeal of a contempt of court conviction and jail time.

Apparently he was never notified of the court date.

And why?

Because the Crown's office wasn't able to contact him at his British Columbia residence to tell him of the court date.

Sounds a lot like the same cat and mouse game played with the Crown's office when his presence for a criminal trial in Cornwall was sought.

* Mark MacDonald isn't the first member of city council to look at the possibility of contracting local police services to the Ontario Provincial Police as a way to save money.

This comes in wake of a 2010 budget request from the service for an additional $512,000. When he was mayor, the late Ron Martelle created a stir when during his battle with the police commission and police association suggested the OPP take over the local force.

The knees knocking in the administrative branch of the service could be heard all the way down Pitt Street to the clock tower.

Martelle later dropped the proposal and all concerned parties breathed a huge sigh of relief.

On the flip side, the city force, under Tony Repa's rule, made a pitch to the United Counties to take over policing from the OPP in parts of the counties.

Counties council said thanks but no thanks. It was happy with the quality of service provided by the provincial force. No doubt the problems the city service experienced during the 1990s scared off many counties councillors.

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