Barbs & Jabs

Water Restrictions

If you're a product of old-time religion, point the finger of blame at God if your flowers are sulking and the lawn's about to kick the empty bucket.  I'm letting God off the hook when it comes to how this drought is affecting York Region.  If you want to find the real culprits for the current water restrictions, including the ban, point the hose directly at yourself and the people you elect. When it comes to water shortages, the politicians and the people are partners in crime. York Region is our water keeper — the region's job is to supply the water, However, we're supposed to use it in moderation. Here's the deal: There's a chance the water pressure will stay at an OK level if we don't suck the life out of it.  Life is just a series of number games. This water problem reminds me of pigs; when too many pigs are at the trough, it'll run drier than a bone before the thirst is quenched.  Thirsty pigs are not happy pigs. Since we're running low on water, maybe there are too many at  the trough Here's my question to the politicians: If  you can slap a water ban on towns like Newmarket, Aurora, Oak Ridges and Maple at the stroke of a pen,  why can't you recognize that they are too many at the trough. Why can't you  do the right thing and slap a moratorium on growth.  Here's the deal: I'll stop over-using water if you'll close the flood gates to development. Why can't you pause, reflect, re-think and re-organize. Down time will let you come up with a plan to enable you to handle the demands, including water. When it comes to the water crisis, our God-fearing politicians prefer to turn to the Almighty and play over-to-you Jack.  God and I have never gotten along. He's go too many rules and I've got a don't-tell-me-what-to-do attitude. Poor old God's been around too long and I never grew up. Come to think of it, I feel like singing, Rain Rain Go Away. Come Back Another Day. P.S. Thanks to blogger Dave who answered my blog to report that, while driving to work in the middle of the night, he sees automatic sprinklers in full use in industrial parks across York Region. Dave's got a question. Why aren't these companies being fined $5,000 for the violating outdoor water use bylaw? And, I'll tip my hat to blogger Glenn Hubbers, local Green Party candidate. He's got lots of tips to help us keep this planet alive. Check them out here.

Does anyone ever pay the full fine?

Is there anyone in the whole wide world who has been fined for giving the lawn a drink during a water ban?
For reasons only an engineer would understand, York Region's wells are running low. 
Conditions are so bad, a mandatory outdoor water-use ban is in place in Aurora, Newmarket, Oak Ridges and Maple.
Meanwhile, an ever-so-polite "don't turn on the watering hose," request is in place in the rest of York Region.
Everything I need to know about water, I learned as a toddler on the family dairy farm. The rule of thumb was and still is: when the weather turns hot, the well and creeks run dry. If the weather stays hot, everything goes to hell in a hand basket —  crops fail, farmers cry and food prices rise.
Since drought conditions are putting a strain on our water supply, York Region residents are expected to co-operate. If they don't comply, the water-use ban carries a $5,000 fine.
If I was god of the region, I'd double the fine. More important, I'd prosecute the offenders.
What's the point of having a fine system in place if nobody gets charged?
If York officials really value our water, they'd put some teeth into the water law. 
People are, indeed, thumbing their noses at the ban. In the past two days, about 500 people in Oak Ridges were found to be in violation of the water-use bylaw.
The big question is: how many offenders will actually have to pay a $5,000 fine?

Love battles relentless disease

Sometimes you come across what really matters.
After putting the finishing touches on a political story, I visited a Sharon family and had the privilege to witness love at its finest.
Let it be known: Tim Gould loves his wife and Gail Burgess loves him back.
When Gail was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) 16 months ago, the young Oxford Court couple hadn't a clue what life had in store.
Today they know.
The degenerative neuromuscular disease has robbed Gail of the ability to walk. The mother of three has limited use of her hands and can no longer talk in full sentences.
Since ALS does not affect the mind, Gail knows it will eventually take her breath away.
Gail's care is a family affair. 
Determined to give their kids as normal a family life as possible, Tim and Gail established a schedule.
A day in the life of the Gould-Burgess family includes tending to Gail's needs through the night, rousing the kids early in the morning, getting breakfast started and welcoming Nanna Gould at 8 a.m.
Nanna gets her son off to his job in Vaughan, puts the kids on the bus, spends some time with her daughter-in-law, welcomes the home-care worker at 10 a.m. and then leaves for her Holland Landing home to get ready to come back the next day.
Tim and the kids — Ben, 11, Emma, 9, and Sam, 7, — arrive home and the home-care worker leaves at 5 p.m.
With Gail supervising from her wheelchair, the family prepares dinner. During the last meal of the day, the kids share the ups and downs of their day at Sharon Public School, while Tim throws in comments about his work day. Gail listens and, in her own special way, talks to her man and children. When the kids need to go wherever kids go, Gail's parents arrive from Newmarket. The Burgess grandparents are the designated chauffeurs.
Of course, joy and laughter mixed with frustration, worry, sadness and tears make up the day. Let's just hope, on occasion, the people who love Gail and Gail herself shakes a fist at the heavens.
While some people don't do a damn thing to help others, Gail and Tim find the time to invite everyone to Newmarket's Fairy Lake June 24 to take part in the second annual ALS walk. It begins at 10 a.m.
The couple also remains active with a bracelet linked to the Open People's Eyes to ALS campaign. Check out both at www.CureALS.ca
While ALS take its toll, it hasn't touched Gail's beauty. This woman's smile would make the angels weep. As well, this 42-year-old woman taps into her spirit to make it very clear she is not in this life alone.
"I want to express the gratitude to the many people in my life," Gail said. "They make this journey easier."
When I watched Tim brush aside a curl that had fallen on his wife's forehead, I felt in awe of this simple and beautiful expression of love.
The saddest thing is not that Gail has an unforgiving disease, but rather that most of us have never been loved this much.

Grits should hear beating of drum

What a weekend — I got mad at a bunch of politicians, heard the beating of the drum and let a tear fall.
The provincial Liberal government ticked me off when it refused to pause for a few minutes and vote on the new organ donor bill Oak Ridges MPP Frank Klees has had on the books for 18 long months.
Actually, the issue of trying to secure more organs for transplant has been on Ontario's mind for about 40 years.
Thornhill MPP Mario Racco thinks we need to continue to talk about it. Doesn't Mr. Racco know some people die waiting? On the other hand, Mr. Klees thinks it's time to stop the talk and put some measures in place to increase the availability of organs.
I'm with Mr. Klees on this one. 
If Mr. Klees' bill had passed, we'd be required by law to answer "yes" or "no" on the organ-donation question when getting a new driver's licence or health card.
I'd have preferred it if Mr. Klees had gone one giant step further and called for an opting-out organ donor bill to make us sign the organ donor question only if we don't want to be part of saving another life once we're dead. In other words, unless there's  a "no - don't take" message on your licence or health card, your body belongs to all of us.
If we had a provincial government with an ounce of courage, we'd have a procedure in place where, at the time of death, a medical team comes in, harvests suitable organs and releases the body to the family. Amen. 
Still, Mr. Klees' efforts indicate a willingness to start to save more lives.
Too bad Mr. Racco doesn't understand putting some people on hold, while he gives the matter more lip service, is an absolute death sentence.
Some people simply don't have the time for politicians to keep yapping. 
Life can be eerie - I read about the death of Mr. Klees' life-saving bill a few minutes before I heard the beating of a drum.
The sound came from outdoors. I stepped out on the deck of my Musselman's Lake cottage and looked straight ahead at the water as a row of dragon boats swept by. Some of the racers in one boat were organ transplant patients, while others were live donors.
Team Transplant demonstrated strength, courage, generosity, being alive and giving life. Team Transplant raced like there's no tomorrow. At one point, I let a tear fall. 
To my knowledge, my brother, Don, is the longest living kidney transplant patient in the world. His next birthday cake will hold 60 candles.
Don got his new lease on life in 1968. At 21, disease had destroyed his healthy organs. Although it was a faint-hope move on the part of those involved in the pioneer medical procedure, Don's health was so far down, he was up for it.
A kidney became available;  my brother said "yes" in a flash and he has never looked back. If I was to compare my brother to Mr. Racco, I'd says there's no comparison. Don didn't say, "Let's talk about it" for 40 years. 
Don's much-needed kidney came from a young man who was brain dead after a car accident. Without being asked and with little talk, the young man's grieving mother, a nurse, and his father, a high school principal, stepped up to the plate and offered their only child's organs to help a total of five people, Don included.
Had it not been for these selfless parents who understood the time-sensitive issue, I wouldn't be part of planning my brother's 60th birthday. There'd be no party — my brother would be long dead.
It must also be pointed out although there was no nod from the spineless people in the provincial government back in 1968, doctors at two Toronto hospitals forged ahead and developed life-saving surgical techniques that went on to save this farm kid from rural Ontario.
Doctors have more patience then I do. They keep reminding whichever government increasing the number of available organs for transplant purposes is critical.
When it comes to organ donor bills getting passed or shelved, I have a bias.
I've had it for 39 years. 
Too bad all the MPPs at Queens Park can't hear the beating of the drum.

Trishy marks her own ballot

My three-pound dog has a little accident while spending four hours at the Conservative nomination for  Oak Ridges-Markham. 
Minutes before heading to Markham's Brother Andre Catholic High School Saturday,  I decided it was time my dog had some appreciation about what I do to bring home the bacon.
Carrying a reporter's notepad, a camera and a dog, I was noticed — Conservatives are no different than normal people. They made a big fuss over my dog,  while I answered the standard questions:
•  Her name is Trishy;
•  She's not a puppy, she's eight years old and weighs three pounds and change; and
•  Yes, she's a purebred — Trishy is a tea-cup pomeranian.
Trishy and the Tories hit it off. I almost signed her up as a party member.
Since I'm a member of the media, I wondered if such a move would be viewed as biased. It would surely force my dead Liberal grandmother to crawl out of the grave well ahead of my Conservative grandfather and box Trishy's ears.
I also worried that my dead paternal grandfather, an ardent CCFer,  would  give me and my dog a tongue lashing while taking the opportunity to, once again, praise his political hero, J.S. Woodsworth. 
While the majority of CCF members refused to support Woodsworth's opposition to Canada's entry into the Second World War, my grandfather sided with the party leader. Grampa Ransberry often reminded me that if we didn't start to think like his Mr. Woodsworth, war would be forever with us.
With three dead grandparents tugging at my heart, I decided despite Trish's friendly relationship with the Conservatives, I'd not let her jump on the Tory bandwagon.
I have to hand it to the Conservatives from Stouffville, Markham, King Township and Richmond Hill. Despite the heat and the four-hour wait, more than 1,000 Conservatives stuck it out to pick a winner in the four-way race.
Since it was democracy in action, the best candidate won. When the Tory party officials announced Phil Bannon as the winner,  the crowd went wild.
Trishy got so excited, she spun around three times and piddled on the floor.