Mississauga Musings

JUNE 7, 2006

MISSISSAUGAWATCH is working up to a special anniversary --June 7th, 2006. June 7th falls on a Saturday, this year, too bad, but stick around anyway.

Anniversaries are a time when governments "celebrate their successes".

We (the two of us) don't do that here at MISSISSAUGAWATCH. We evaluate our year's performance critically, focussing primarily on what we didn't accomplish.

And it was TONS.

Still there is good news. For one thing, Freedom of Information from Winnipeg arrived yesterday (just the first part, mind you). The City of Winnipeg is now officially off the MISSISSAUGAWATCH Potential-Evil-Empire-Watch. We've also dropped the City of Kingston off the list as well.

So there's hope. They are liveable Canadian cities out there where Canada is happening.

Two new municipalities have been added to the MISSISSAUGAWATCH Potential-Evil-Empire-Watch list and Freedom of Information forms are percolating as I keyboard in their City Clerks' offices.

SUCCESSES

My greatest success over the last two years as a municipal researcher/historian is that I haven't gotten arrested yet by municipal security guards.

A close friend delighted in seeing my cellphone and that I really did have Peel Regional Police (local and long distance numbers) in my speed dial contact list.

Stick around. It's truly some-kind-of-interestin' to be me right now.

TODAY'S COUNCIL MEETING

Two pigeons are flappin' home to roost on the Mississauga Council Chamber ceiling --although one danged bird squirted through accidentally at the end of an email message --don't you HATE when that happens? (Yep, been emailing since 1983 and I still leak boo boos.)

Stick around.

TODAY'S MISSISSAUGAWATCH MUNICIPAL TOPIC

Good ol' TORONTO STAR YOU GO!

Check out the Torstar's May 22, 2008 editorial, "Privacy used as a cover". When you add a former Mississauga News editorial about "...Hiding behind Lawyers" and not only is there a lot of hiding, skulking and more skulking, hiding going down, but "HIDING, COVERING, SKULKING" would be a great mission statement for Ontario municipal government! (with Kingston the possible exception.. maybe)

Here ya go for the full Torstar EDITORIAL "Privacy used as a cover"

Gonna grab this paragraph.

Cavoukian's message goes well beyond issues of medical disclosure. In her report, Cavoukian urges public officials not to hide behind privacy laws, and calls on citizens and journalists to "dig deeper" when they are told privacy prevents the release of information.

Notice how "citizens" are mentioned before "journalists" to "dig deeper"?

And then this part:

Cavoukian's report reminds us that privacy is a "precious freedom" that ought not to be used as "a convenient cover for human error, lack of judgment or inaction."

Put a * beside that paragraph.

I prepared a special Privacy video today and it's set to the music, "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics. You know, "Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree?"

I am dedicating this special Video Surveillance YouTube video to Ontario's Freedom of Information and Privacy Commissioner, Dr. Ann Cavoukian. She knows about "precious freedom".

Video: BIG BROTHER VIDEO SURVEILLANCE -MISSISSAUGA Pan, Tilt, Zoom (3:29 min)

(Click here to go directly to the clip on YouTube or Google Video)

Eurythmics » Sweet Dreams Lyrics

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

I wanna use you and abuse you
I wanna know what's inside you
(Whispering) Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Hold your head up, movin' on
Keep your head up, movin' on
Movin' on!

Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused

I'm gonna use you and abuse you
I'm gonna know what's inside
Gonna use you and abuse you
I'm gonna know what's inside you

Signed,
The (I'm gonna know what's inside you) Mississauga Muse
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"Big Brother has his hand firmly planted in our back pocket – government revenues his lifeline; unaccountability his refuge." (Andre Marin, Ontario Ombudsman --June 27, 2007)

"But what are we without him, our courage, our valor? Steady and righteous we may be, my friend, but without courage to risk ourselves for our brother, we are but politicians--blustering whores to rhetoric." (Christopher Moore novel, A Dirty Job)

"We must employ every possible tactic to dissuade those who try to silence us with fear" ---The Mississauga News Editorial (2007-03-24)

Want (or worse, need) to learn more? Link to MISSISSAUGAWATCH.CA