PHOTO: My new Liberal swag
PART ONE
Walked into the office today and found a large FedEx package on my desk.
After checking for any hints of anthrax and listening for a ticking bomb, I opened the package to find free swag from my friends at The Ontario Liberal Party.
I received (listed in order of impressiveness, from most to least):
- a memory stick (a.k.a. thumb drive) with photographs of Dalton McGuinty in every family-friendly situation you could ever imagine him. Fortunately, those photographs were easily trashed, giving me a free and clear memory stick.
- a travel mug. I don't ever use a travel mug, but I could likely, using nail polish remover, remove "McGuinty Tour 2007" from the mug and then pawn off the travel mug as a Christmas gift on a C-list friend.
- a canvas shoulder bag (a.k.a. purse/murse). This seems like a good sturdy bag, but I have no use for a new bag and would feel awkward carrying one with "McGuinty Tour 2007: Change that's working" embroidered on the side. As I don't have the patience to remove the stitching, it will likely join my ever-growing collection of useless canvas shoulder bags I've received in my four years as a professional reporter. I believe, with the new addition, I will be up to seven shoulder bags.
- the official, hard copy version of The Ontario Liberal Plan, 2007: Moving Forward Together (a.k.a. the new set of promises the Liberals plan on breaking if re-elected).
PART TWO
As is my good fortune, there was a Peel District School Board meeting this evening. As always, it was exhilarating.
LXN-related highlights:
1. Board Chair Janet McDougald urged a group of residents who wanted busing for their kids to lobby their local MPP and demand an answer to the question: Why are Peel students getting $690 less per pupil than the provincial average?
2. There was also some talk about Premier Dalton McGuinty's promise to change the current half-day kindergarten into full-day kindergarten. The promise is for both junior and senior kindergarten. When asked how much this would cost, Associate Director Wayne McNally said they'd need to build 460 classrooms in Peel, and he ballparked the expense at $170 million. Keep in mind that's just the public board. The Catholic board would need to do the same, only with fewer classrooms.