"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Wednesday 2 November 2011

The Unanswerable

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Battle Lost":

"Finally he noted the Armories at the corner of Mosely Park would soon be vacated and expressed confidence Larmont Street residents would no doubt be glad when that happened".

So what was the plan for this building , does the Town have the right to use it or is this too a breach of national security , Maybe its was included in the deal , and the farmers market will be able to use it throughout the winter

**********

If there was  an understanding about future  use of this building, it was not shared with this member of Council.

Of particular interest  in  the commanding officer's smooching on Tuesday was his reference to our  building as "The Armouries"

The property is leased for a ten years  Does the comment reveal a clause that entitles them to an automatic continuation of the lease, which  in turn allows them to refer to a building they do not own as "The Armouries"

Or does the  limit of the lease mean that in ten years, there will  no longer  be a drill shed  in Aurora ?

Or does someone up there envisage a time when conventional forces are no longer the answer to  modern warfare, which is terrorism?

I doubt that scenario, considering the multi -million dollar contract just awarded to build four submarines which  experts say  will be obsolete by the time they are built.

The  structure at the corner of Mosely Park is a barn, better known as  a drill shed.  No doubt, there are  practical reasons why the militia are moving.  Especially when they were able to get a  fine building. secure  yard, paved parking lot and good curb appeal  for rent less than the cost pf maintenance which we are told, as landlords is our responsibility.

 Fort York Armouries on Front Street in Toronto is the Rangers real bailiwick. Historical artifacts of the regiment are displayed there. the ceremonial activities are focused in that space.  It will be a snowy day in hell before they abandon that location.nbsp; The shed in Aurora is little more than a hang-out for  the locals.off-site  storage for vehicles and a place to provide a cadet program.

Former Mayor Tim Jones indicated some time ago that while he was in office, the effort was to persuade the Department of National Defence to purchase land from the town for a new facility.

Plans   to move have obviously been in the wind for a very long  time considering the speed at which government moves.

All I know is, if the building was too expensive and no longer  practical for the Federal government to maintain, it will be no bargain for the municipality either.

The location would be great for a number of purposes. If it's not affordable for the government, it's not likely affordable for the Farmers' Market or any other purpose that can easily be contemplated.

So,don't get your hopes up. Even though I unerstand it will take five yeasr before the feds decide what to do with it.

Most obvious from all of this is, the community was badly served by the Faustian deal. We will be eating it with our tax bill for the next ten years.

We was robbed.

A question has been asked "How do we fix it?"

We don't. It's not fixable

What you read in this space is a combination of conclusions drawn by myself from facts as I know them.

Council has asked for a report giving dates to establish exactly when this deal was concluded , whether it was amended . if so, when and an explanation of how that was authorised.

I've no doubt the report will be provided and all will be revealed.

Whether or not we can get out of it at this stage of the game is unlikely, even if we had the stomach for it.

I am not in awe of the militia but they're decent people with good intentions and part of the community and I certainly would not suggest we backtrack on a commitment they entered into in good faith.

So. why talk about it?

Well, because I think you need to know.

Good things happen in government and bad things too. Hopefully the good outweighs the bad.

Ultimately, because we have the freedom to exercise individual judgment in choosing our elected representative, we are also obliged to suffer the consequences of our collective decision.

If we don't learn from our mistakes we are doomed to repeat them.

8 comments:

David Heard said...

Evelyn

My Father took care of that building like it was his own home.
He was the Chief Civilian Inspector for the Department of National Defense.I am proud of him because he left school at the Church Street location and worked at Sismans shoes.He found the work hard and dirty and left to begin learning trades.Someone(I do not know who)took my Dad under their wing and he achieved about five tickets(trade certificates and diplomas).
He spent 35 years with the DND and a letter signed by Prime Minister Mulroney adorns a wall in our home.
My father loved Aurora but horrifically his job took his life.
One of his jobs in the country was to supervise the removal of old boilers and he passed in his sixties to asbestosis.
Maybe the government could give it to me as payment for taking my father from our family far too early.
I will accept the Drill Shed and turn it into an amazing farmers market.
This building was a big part of his life and a great memory for me.
I hope my father knows what he did for Canada by giving his life to protect the health of others.

Anonymous said...

Everywhere I look, I see residuals from the Mormac
Council continuing to cost the Town money. If it not
simplistic, could the new Council simply ask for a
judicial inquiry ito the signing of that contract in
altered form after the election ? Shouldn't require a
lot of time or money as we have a fair idea of who was
involved and can start at the end and work back to
get to the truth. What a novel thought.

Anonymous said...

to Anonymous at 9:57 Nov 2....

I don't understand how we were screwed or robbed or whatever you want to call it.

Check the Municipal Act. The council of the day had complete authority to do what they did. How would a judicial inquiry make a difference and who will pay for such inquiry?

Time to move on. There is only one tax payer.

Anonymous said...

It really annoys me when people say "it is time to move on" when it remains possible to fix issues that were created by the previous council. If it is a bad thing, and it can be fixed, then I say it IS part of this council's business to fix it! Dealing with these historical issues one and for all IS MOVING ON!

Anonymous said...

how do you fix it?

Anonymous said...

How to fix it what we are trying to work out by
exchanging ideas and making suggestions. I am
not sure that it was the Council of the day who
arranged that signing, other details seem wreathed
in smoke. There is nothing wrong about blowing the
smoke aside. Then we will see if anything can be done.
Only after that is done, can we 'move on' to the next
left=over mess.

Anonymous said...

You fix it by dealing with the type of mentality and lack of business sense that facilitated the boondoggle so that it can never be repeated , but by what we are reading on this blog it is highly unlikley that there is sufficient enough spine to see it through

Anonymous said...

So the "solution" to a perceived bad deal for the Town, is to take the old drill hall facility from DND in trade? That will somehow make everything ok? What do you think the tax payers in Windsor or Medicine Hat or Yellowknife will say when they hear we want a pound of flesh for a deal we do not like? That will not fix anything. This site and most here remind me of villagers picking up pitch forks and torches to storm the castle! Time to get a grip.