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Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

Sounds like Doug's going to get his waterfront casino and ferris wheel after all. I actually don't mind casinos. Make it a really impressive, over the top one Vegas-style with a bunch of other stuff in there.
 
Sounds like Full Day Kindergarten is next on the chopping block.

They will only guarantee it for 1 more year (2019/2020).

It is part of the overall review of Education (and class sizes, etc).
 
narduch said:
Sounds like Full Day Kindergarten is next on the chopping block.

They will only guarantee it for 1 more year (2019/2020).

It is part of the overall review of Education (and class sizes, etc).
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Future of full-day kindergarten in doubt as the province looks at 'what's working'

From link.

The future of full-day kindergarten is in doubt after Ontario's education minister revealed the Ford government will hold consultations to determine whether the policy is working.

Minister Lisa Thompson said the program would be available this upcoming fall, but would not commit to keeping the program beyond the 2019-2020 school year.

"We're consulting with our education partners in terms of what's working and what's not," Thompson told reporters during an announcement at the Scarborough Boys and Girls Club.

Thompson disagreed with the notion that full-day kindergarten is "on the chopping block" but said parents and school boards should "stay tuned" for any updates on the program's future.

Introduced in 2010 by the former Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty, full-day kindergarten has been a costly measure, with a price tag of over a billion dollars.

However, the former government maintained that parents were saving an average of $6,500 a year, as the financial burden of before-and-after school care shifted from families to the government.

The Liberals also pointed to a study, conducted in partnership with Queen’s and McMaster universities, that highlighted the benefits of full-day kindergarten. It suggested students in full-day kindergarten were better prepared to enter Grade 1.

"Overall, Grade 1 reading, writing and math scores are 5% higher for FDK students, while reading alone is 6.4% higher for FDK students," stated a 2016 news release from the Ministry of Education.

NDP Education Critic Marit Stiles called the move "terrifying" for parents.

"The Minister needs to take this off the table immediately," Stiles said in a tweet. "The research is overwhelmingly supportive of FDK. This is yet another example of the destructive direction the #FordGovernment is taking our province. NOBODY asked for this. NOBODY."

Premier Doug Ford has promised to find 4 per cent savings across the provincial budget, amounting to a $6 billion reduction in spending.
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We should expect education to be cut from a community college dropout (after 2 months).
 
Jimmi T said:
Sounds like Doug's going to get his waterfront casino and ferris wheel after all. I actually don't mind casinos. Make it a really impressive, over the top one Vegas-style with a bunch of other stuff in there.
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I simply don't get the idea of a casino at a prime waterfront location. Casinos don't have windows. If they're considering some large attached entertainment venue, then the whole site will be filled in and built over. Vegas is a destination because (a) it was created solely to be such, and (b) the entire strip is a gaudy, integrated theme park. It's in the middle of a desert. Other than massive convention and entertainment facilities, I don't here about people going to Vegas or, for that matter Windsor, Rama or Scugog, for the local culture or environment.

A bunch of desperate or misguided people who are bad at math mindlessly poking at slot machines. They don't care if they are overlooking a lake or sitting under the Gardiner.

I understand that the glide paths for the airport will limit the size of any ferris wheel but have not read much in the way of details. I wonder how much of an attraction a ferris wheel will be in the winter.

If they do go this silly route, then not a penny of public funds should go towards any access infrastructure. Casino operators make obscene profits and can pay for it themselves. If they don't see a business case for it, so be it.
 
lenaitch said:
I simply don't get the idea of a casino at a prime waterfront location. Casinos don't have windows. If they're considering some large attached entertainment venue, then the whole site will be filled in and built over. Vegas is a destination because (a) it was created solely to be such, and (b) the entire strip is a gaudy, integrated theme park. It's in the middle of a desert. Other than massive convention and entertainment facilities, I don't here about people going to Vegas or, for that matter Windsor, Rama or Scugog, for the local culture or environment.

A bunch of desperate or misguided people who are bad at math mindlessly poking at slot machines. They don't care if they are overlooking a lake or sitting under the Gardiner.

I understand that the glide paths for the airport will limit the size of any ferris wheel but have not read much in the way of details. I wonder how much of an attraction a ferris wheel will be in the winter.

If they do go this silly route, then not a penny of public funds should go towards any access infrastructure. Casino operators make obscene profits and can pay for it themselves. If they don't see a business case for it, so be it.
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I agree.

As I've stated before, we already have Rama and the 2 Niagara Casinos. We are turning Woodbine into a real full Casino now. The East side of the GTA is also getting a new Casino. Ajax slots are remaining open.

How many Casino's do we need? My prediction is that in the next 20 years most of them will be shutting down as society moves on from Casino gaming.

Why would we waste an opportunity to build something special on a stupid Casino?
 
narduch said:
I agree.

As I've stated before, we already have Rama and the 2 Niagara Casinos. We are turning Woodbine into a real full Casino now. The East side of the GTA is also getting a new Casino. Ajax slots are remaining open.

How many Casino's do we need? My prediction is that in the next 20 years most of them will be shutting down as society moves on from Casino gaming.

Why would we waste an opportunity to build something special on a stupid Casino?
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Don't forget Scugog (Blue Heron) and Rama, plus all the other smaller casinos that will be coming on line around the province. Rama handles an incredible amount of bus traffic and a lot of it comes from the GTA.

In the beginning, Windsor did really, really well because gambling was illegal in Michigan. Then it became legal and the border tightened after 9/11. They can also 'comp alcohol in the States.
 
The Windsor casino didn't do much of anything for the downtown business area. People arrive at the casino, go inside, spend their money, eat and drink and then leave. They don't go browsing around the neighbourhood. A casino on the waterfront would be a total waste of prime space and the people going there probably wouldn't even notice the lake. Casino "fatigue" can't be far off when there are already so many in the area. Anyone who is close to one of the others likely won't make the trek to the waterfront casino.
 
McCallion rejects Doug Ford’s appointment as a special adviser on housing

From link.

Former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion now says she is too busy to work as a special adviser on housing to Premier Doug Ford.

Hours after Ford assured reporters that McCallion — who had been given the patronage post worth up to $150,000 a year on Jan. 18 — would work for free, the 97-year-old said she was taking a pass.
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“Unfortunately, due to my extensive commitments, I am unable to accommodate the extensive time required for such an appointment at this point in time,” she said Wednesday.

“As a result, I will not be accepting the formal appointment and the per diem that goes along with it.”

McCallion, who presided over Mississauga from 1978 until 2014, added she is a “phone call away” if Ford ever needs any advice.

In a statement, the premier said “it is a sign of her true character that she didn’t feel comfortable accepting this appointment given the time and energy it would have required.”

But earlier in the day, Ford had said “she’s going to be a great asset at no cost.”

“I saw her over the weekend — man, what a dynamo. She said: ‘Doug, I sit on eight boards. I will help you any way I can, but I’m not taking a salary,” he said, marvelling that McCallion turns 98 on Feb. 14.

The governing Progressive Conservatives taken much heat from political opponents and on talk-radio shows for hiring McCallion as a high-priced adviser on housing supply in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

However, on another patronage post dogging the government, Ford pointedly refused to say whether he would be bound by the recommendation of integrity commission J. David Wake, who is probing the Nov. 29 hiring of Toronto police Supt. Ron Taverner as Ontario Provincial Police commissioner.
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