Comments on: Termination notices go out to 44 staff at city; Bloedel layoffs on hold for now

By: James

James — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:56:36 +0000

The mayor’s office made available billions of taxpayer dollars for VANOC and the olympics, but offers next to nothing to end homelessness. They even forgot to ask us if we’re OK with them installing over 900 video cameras used by the cops to watch us. Like someone from a recent BC Civil Liberties Association (BCLA) representative said, the governments are using the olympics as a trojan horse to impose police state powers including using electronic surveillance, police spying, intimidation and disruption of legal political activities.

What these governments are doing must be strongly opposed by everyone who cares to make the world a better place for us non-billionaires!

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 03:14:32 +0000

don’t forget about the $800,000 gang symbol they just installed @6th and Clark …MONEY WELL SPENT
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VAN
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By: Gassy Jack's Ghost

Gassy Jack's Ghost — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:38:23 +0000

landlord, I would run on a platform of billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, and blame the deficit on the disadvantaged and poor leeching us dry. I would also expand the Public Affairs Bureau to four times the size of the White House’s spin machine to ensure that the lazy, ill-informed public bought my revisionist history hook, line and sinker.

By: David

David — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 22:46:05 +0000

Oh well at least the city saved
“The Beasley” by contributing one million dollars to save lovely little building’s facade and contributing to this new condo. No doubt thought as well spent by those getting pink slips.

By: landlord

landlord — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:33:47 +0000

Hey Ghost. “…Liberals chopping…”? The education budget has grown every year for the last 30 years, despite falling enrollment for the last 10. Every penny has gone into teachers’ pockets.
Welfare rates have remained stable for the last 10. More has been spent on housing the homeless (non-supporters) by this government than the last 3 combined, and 2 of those were NDP.
The Arts? When I was just starting out as a professional musician many years ago, an old pro told me “Kid there’s only one kind of artist – a bullshit artist”. Artists are pets of the rich and of politicians who want to pretend they’re Lorenzo the Magnificent.
We’re currently living on the provincial line of credit with more spent on interest on the debt than is spent on the budgets of all Ministries except Health and Education. Social programs that depend on deficit spending are doomed. Would you like to run on a platform of raising taxes to pay the debt?

By: Gassy Jack's Ghost

Gassy Jack's Ghost — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:46:53 +0000

Planning Thug, above it’s noted only 2 managers were given notice out of these 44. Are you one of those 2? Were you a managerial driving force behind HAHR and View Corridors? Do you think they were worth the millions spent?

You did the best job you could, but you and/or others in your department decided to bolt from your nice gig anyway? Why on earth would you do that? For those (myself included) who struggle to get by and feed our kids and pay bills every month, bolting a nice job on the off chance that you might get let go sometime down the road is not a luxury we can afford…

My original point was simple: I don’t think Vision is playing politics like most other posters do. Compared to the Liberals chopping Arts, teachers, charities, welfare, union contracts, etc. (all clearly targeted at political foes and non supporters) on the flimsy justification that it will save us money, I think Vision’s move is actually about fiscal responsibility and cutting largesse. Clearly not a popular opinion to take, but then again, no-one ever agrees with anything I say anyway….

By: Planning Thug

Planning Thug — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:47:15 +0000

Hey GJG don’t worry! Some of us planning thugs got canned and others beat a hasy retreat having read the writing on the wall. Yes it was painful and yes we did the best damn job we could. Real livelyhoods were and are affected.

By: Gassy Jack's Ghost

Gassy Jack's Ghost — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:37:56 +0000

Urbanismo, I empathize with anyone struggling to get by, believe me! And while I agree with your comment about the Chicago hiring and those who think Impey’s terms being questionable, it hardly equates to an “out-of-town hiring spree”. You know I’d love to see the thugs managing Planning get gassed, who wasted millions on View Corridor and HAHR to push a rotten agenda, and now are quoted saying they “don’t care” what the outcome is! (And not a peep about the council meetings last week here?!) But I stand by my comments about the general largesse that has bloated Hall staff over the last two decades, and feel this was a necessary move, however difficult or unpopular it may be.

By: Denis

Denis — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:07:11 +0000

I guess the alternative would be to increase taxes just a bit to save those jobs. Nobody enjoys getting canned . Many of us have been through that little excercise. It’s especailly tough when it’s not the individuals fault, even thoguh most affected sure get that feeling in a hurry. I do feel for the ones leaving and hopefully there is a place for them in the system

By: Urbanismo

Urbanismo — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:55:31 +0000

Hey, GJG . . . this is when your reasonable transmogs. to unreasonable.

I’ve no time for the over-paid, arrogant, up stairs, incompetent management, and most of them are . . . but . . .

Many Hallistas have kids, mortgages, yunno Zorba’s . . . whole catastrophe.

The Dr., who should be delivering babies, has been talking retrenchment for the last year yet she goes on a high-end, apparently-out-of-control, out-of-town hiring spree as though this town is full of drop-outs.

I hoped big-time for Mayor Gregor but so far he’s comin’ on empty and we haven’t even got into the Olympic postpartums . . .

We talk lots about DTES, homeless and social housing and rightly so . . .

But there are a lot who slip under the radar . . . marginal families struggling to meet next month’s mortgage and get the kids fed and off to school . . . then heading to that second job . . . and I’ll bet a not few of them are Hallistas!