Correction to the original article as follows;
"The policy as I understand it to be is the merchant must suppress all of the numbers with the exception of the last four digits,"
Big stores "Truncate" credit card numbers, so only the last "4" digits are showing
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Freedom of Information (FOI) against the city of Welland
On October 22, 2007 after many, many months trying to obtain information from the City of Welland and through letters to the local papers' feedback section along with E mail to the mayor and city council on the subjects listed in this article I exercised the FOI and the appeal system. My findings as the result of the FOI and appeal system covering these subjects were written and sent to both the local paper, the mayor, and city council.The paper will not publish the article nor will the paper give a reason why. Neither the mayor nor any member of the city council offered one comment.This article is a condensed version of the original article.
City of Welland Debt, Debt Interest, and Allowable Debt
The city of Welland's outstanding debt at the original time of the article on October 22, 2007 was $29.6 million and the debt interest per year for 2007 was $1.4 million.
The City of Welland has no allowable debt. The City of Welland has an annual repayment limit a maximum allowable amount the City of Welland may repay to debt holders each year. The annual repayment limit for the City of Welland effective January 1, 2006 was $5.771.348.00. What ever the combination of the number of debentures, the terms, and the interest rates the total amount required to be repaid in any year can not exceed$5,771,348.00 meaning the city can increase its debt up to this allowable interest repayment per year.
HELEMS AVENUE
This writer experienced a great deal of difficulty trying to obtain this information right after this Street from Hell infrastructure was completed well over a year ago. The budget for this project started out at $80,000.00 in 2002. The budget figure was $450,000.00 in 2003 and was increased every year because of the escalating cost until a final budget figure of $3,607,000.00 was set in 2005. The actual expenditure was $3,831,191.00 almost one quarter of a million over budget.
It seems to me there is a noticeable flaw with determining budgets in this city. The Court House was a considerable amount over budget. The Welland Arena new parking lot went over budget because of an assumption. Of course lest we forget the Civic centre was many millions over budget and now Helems Avenue. It will be interesting to know the final cost figure vs the budget figure on the Fitch street project.
The Seaway Mall/Doral Holdings and the City of Welland
On April 26, 2005 Welland City council passed the following resolution 02-97 that council authorizes staff to negotiate a potential public/private partnership for the development of an arena/ arenas on land owned by Doral Holdings Ltd. and the Seaway Mall on Woodlawn Road.
To the best of this writers' knowledge this information was never made public.
One now should ask what happened to this proposed development? This writer tried to find out and hit a brick wall. It seems no one wishes to discuss this proposal considering the City of Welland is contemplating their own 3-pad arena, VERY STRANGE???????
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Clothelines
This article was written on November 9, 2007 but never published by the local paper.
The people of Ontario are applying additional pressure on the province to lift the idiotic municipal ban on clotheslines in the back yard; bans to please the sub division developers who feel a clothesline in a back yard tarnishes the sub division.
The province has admitted energy conservation and climate change are in their list of peak priorities but have a tendency to pay no attention to the benefits gained from the use of free wind and solar energy vs energy used by clothes dryers and air pollution discharged from the same dryers.
The following is an exert from an article I wrote on clotheslines back on August 4,2007; "Drying laundry outdoors rather than wasting energy adding to power bills smart residents make use of free wind and solar energy to dry their clothes that have huge benefits for the environment. Is one not conscious of the fact a typical clothes dryer consumes 900KW-hours of energy each year and discharges 840 kilograms of air pollution and greenhouse gases? Steer clear of all this by hanging laundry on a clothesline but, I should mention watch out for a lawsuit as in numerous municipalities in Ontario it is against the law to hang laundry out to dry. The law may change, Queens Park has the power to pull the law banning the use of clotheslines."
The Liberals' McGuinty has been admitting clotheslines vs; energy conservation is a concern but has exposed lack of enthusiasm to do something. Back in 2003 the Liberals passed an energy conservation leadership law, after their election that included a clause which allows the province to do away with local bans on clotheslines forced by developers but the Liberals have never exercised the clause which means clotheslines in some communities are against the law. The bottom line being people are without doubt looking for ways to save electricity and money meaning this way makes a lot of common sense?
The people of Ontario are applying additional pressure on the province to lift the idiotic municipal ban on clotheslines in the back yard; bans to please the sub division developers who feel a clothesline in a back yard tarnishes the sub division.
The province has admitted energy conservation and climate change are in their list of peak priorities but have a tendency to pay no attention to the benefits gained from the use of free wind and solar energy vs energy used by clothes dryers and air pollution discharged from the same dryers.
The following is an exert from an article I wrote on clotheslines back on August 4,2007; "Drying laundry outdoors rather than wasting energy adding to power bills smart residents make use of free wind and solar energy to dry their clothes that have huge benefits for the environment. Is one not conscious of the fact a typical clothes dryer consumes 900KW-hours of energy each year and discharges 840 kilograms of air pollution and greenhouse gases? Steer clear of all this by hanging laundry on a clothesline but, I should mention watch out for a lawsuit as in numerous municipalities in Ontario it is against the law to hang laundry out to dry. The law may change, Queens Park has the power to pull the law banning the use of clotheslines."
The Liberals' McGuinty has been admitting clotheslines vs; energy conservation is a concern but has exposed lack of enthusiasm to do something. Back in 2003 the Liberals passed an energy conservation leadership law, after their election that included a clause which allows the province to do away with local bans on clotheslines forced by developers but the Liberals have never exercised the clause which means clotheslines in some communities are against the law. The bottom line being people are without doubt looking for ways to save electricity and money meaning this way makes a lot of common sense?
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Senior Citizens Old Age Security dated November 3, 2007
Another article never published by the local paper.
To all of my first-rate senior friends. I have good news and bad news for each and every one of you 65 and over.
THE GOOD NEWS
Our Old Age Security just took a leap on October 2, 2007 from $497.83 to $ 502.31 a gigantic increase of $4.48 per month or in percentage 0.09 %. Now Please!!!!! restrain the clapping of hands and one's dancing around the May Pole one has not seen the bad news.
THE BAD NEWS
The Ontario Power Generation is proposing a 3% Hydro increase per month for the average household amounting to about $3.50 per average household bill. The senior citizens are left with with $0.98 to take pleasure in the governments over passionate bigheartedness, not sufficient to even buy a double, double at Tim Horton's
The grouping of give and take brings to mind a few appropriate proverbs. "Here today, gone tomorrow," " Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," "You can't have your cake and eat it too." and" Easy come easy go."
One must keep in mind the charity of our prosperous government does not just expand to the seniors but also to our already well remunerated politicians who each month year after year receive a prearranged cost of living increase, an increase over and above the seniors by an extensive amount effective every April 1. This is true and you can take that to the bank beside you abysmal $0.98 cents.
To all of my first-rate senior friends. I have good news and bad news for each and every one of you 65 and over.
THE GOOD NEWS
Our Old Age Security just took a leap on October 2, 2007 from $497.83 to $ 502.31 a gigantic increase of $4.48 per month or in percentage 0.09 %. Now Please!!!!! restrain the clapping of hands and one's dancing around the May Pole one has not seen the bad news.
THE BAD NEWS
The Ontario Power Generation is proposing a 3% Hydro increase per month for the average household amounting to about $3.50 per average household bill. The senior citizens are left with with $0.98 to take pleasure in the governments over passionate bigheartedness, not sufficient to even buy a double, double at Tim Horton's
The grouping of give and take brings to mind a few appropriate proverbs. "Here today, gone tomorrow," " Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," "You can't have your cake and eat it too." and" Easy come easy go."
One must keep in mind the charity of our prosperous government does not just expand to the seniors but also to our already well remunerated politicians who each month year after year receive a prearranged cost of living increase, an increase over and above the seniors by an extensive amount effective every April 1. This is true and you can take that to the bank beside you abysmal $0.98 cents.
New Speeding Law dated November 11, 2007
This is another article never published by the local paper.
According to the latest figures released by the Ontario Provincial Police the new speeding law is certainly producing results. Since the law effective September 30,2007 more than 1300 drivers were pulled over after being caught at 150 KM/H on highways with a speed limit of10-0KM/H
The offenders varied in age with the average offender being 30 with half the charges being laid against drivers 26 and under, 13 of the drivers were 65 and over, and 41 were 17 and younger, 84% were male and 16% were female.
How many of those 1300 do you suppose were pulled over on highway 406 where the average speed now is between 120 and 130KM/H or for that matter even highway 140?????? I certainly would like to know. Maybe these two highways are not patrolled?????
According to the latest figures released by the Ontario Provincial Police the new speeding law is certainly producing results. Since the law effective September 30,2007 more than 1300 drivers were pulled over after being caught at 150 KM/H on highways with a speed limit of10-0KM/H
The offenders varied in age with the average offender being 30 with half the charges being laid against drivers 26 and under, 13 of the drivers were 65 and over, and 41 were 17 and younger, 84% were male and 16% were female.
How many of those 1300 do you suppose were pulled over on highway 406 where the average speed now is between 120 and 130KM/H or for that matter even highway 140?????? I certainly would like to know. Maybe these two highways are not patrolled?????
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)