{"id":7456,"date":"2014-07-17T01:16:05","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T05:16:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=7456"},"modified":"2014-07-23T12:55:58","modified_gmt":"2014-07-23T16:55:58","slug":"brocks-banter-go-ahead-make-our-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/brocks-banter-go-ahead-make-our-day\/","title":{"rendered":"BROCK’S BANTER: Go ahead, make our day!"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does your mind ever run wild when you have a bit of found money burning a hole in your pocket?
\nGeneral wisdom says found money should be spent on something flashy, something one wouldn\u2019t ordinarily buy for one\u2019s self, and sometimes the temptations can be overwhelming.
\nWhen you have a bit of unexpected cash smouldering away on your person, who isn\u2019t tempted to spend it on a whim? You might buy something, but, for some, an ingrained sense of prudence kicks in, causing you to grudgingly fold the money back into your wallet, knowing what you eventually do with it should be sensible \u2013 fun be damned.
\nSometimes the money can cause the imagination go into overdrive with the possibilities. It could inspire otherwise atrophied strategizing muscles to kick in and ponder the best path forward, how you can achieve all you want while, perhaps (and that is a big \u201cperhaps\u201d) sticking to the moral fibre you have purported to have all the way along.
\nI wonder in which camp Prime Minister Stephen Harper sits now that he has nine empty seats to fill in the Canadian Senate, ostensibly our chamber of sober second thought.
\nAlthough he has been a vocal advocate for elected Senators, until now he doesn\u2019t seem to have had any hesitation in backtracking on that principle to fill vacancies as they became available to suit whatever end he had in mind.
\nFor some reason, however, he appears to have reached a crossroads. With nine seats ripe for the picking \u2013 and a tenth not far behind as Senators age out of their roles at 75 \u2013 the vacancies no longer seem to be burning a hole in the pocket of his ill-tailored suit. Something else has kicked in, but what that game plan is remains to be seen.
\nAccording to the CBC this past weekend, Senators within the Prime Minister\u2019s own Conservative caucus are calling for him to get into gear and fill those seats, citing a garden variety of reasons, including the balance of provincial representation in the Red Chamber being thrown out of whack, perceived Conservative vulnerabilities, and a potential \u201cpower vacuum\u201d creeping into the picture not far down the road.
\nOn the other hand, at least one politician has weighed in on the possible end game. According to the CBC, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is not opposed to letting the Senate \u201cwither on the vine.\u201d
\n\u201cAtrophy is not a bad end game as well for the Senate as far as we\u2019re concerned,\u201d he told the national broadcaster. \u201cWe don\u2019t think the Prime Minister should be in any particular hurry to appoint any senators. We just think this institution is not relevant [and it\u2019s] unelected. It\u2019s a long goodbye, but it is a goodbye.\u201d<\/p>\n

AND, NOW, HERE AT HOME\u2026<\/em>
\nThe next question is obviously whether the Prime Minister has any obligation \u2013 constitutional or otherwise \u2013 to fill those vacancies to keep an integral part of the Federal government in check. (Integral as far as the Constitution goes, to any readers vehemently opposed to the Senate itself). The general consensus appears to be no, but that is not a uniform opinion.
\nThe same cannot be said for humble Aurora where people across Town, whether seasoned politicians, aspiring politicians, and even armchair politicians, are weighing their options on whether to put their names forward for the July 29 meeting which will decide just who is going to fill the vacancy left by Newmarket-Aurora\u2019s new MPP Chris Ballard.
\nIt has been a steady stream of registrations so far of individuals vying to make their pitch to Mayor Dawe and the remaining seven Councillors, confirming their intentions to sign up, and confirming their intentions to consider signing up.
\nI\u2019m confident in predicting Council will have a healthy number of residents to choose from but, unlike the Mike Duffys of this world, just hoping their Senate ship will eventually sail in, our local candidates (potential or otherwise) can rest easy, sure in the knowledge our Council is obligated under the confines of the Municipal Act to fill that vacancy by August.
\nSome might not like that fact \u2013 and many have spoken out about it, not just around the Council table, but also in these pages \u2013 but it is a fact nonetheless. The question that has not gone fully answered, however, is although Council is bound to fill the slot under the Municipal Act, just what can the Province do if the Town decided to thumb its collective nose at the rule.<\/p>\n

IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?<\/em>
\nCouncillor Evelyn Buck took one for the team and asked the obvious question about filling the vacancy at the last Council meeting before the summer recess. It was quite simple: \u201cWhat would be the penalty if we don\u2019t?\u201d
\nThe answer from Town Solicitor Warren Mar was equally straightforward, but it provided as much clarity as answers offered in the Federal senate debate.
\n\u201cIf Council didn\u2019t fill the vacancy, presumably the Minister of Municipal Affairs could start an action to force Council to fill the vacancy,\u201d he said. \u201cAlternatively, a resident may take the Town to court to force the Town to fill a vacancy by virtue of the fact it has violated the Municipal Act.\u201d
\nSo, the options \u2013 or lack thereof \u2013 are pretty straightforward, but let\u2019s also be realistic. If the Minister of Municipal Affairs could \u201cstart an action to force Council to fill the vacancy\u201d, or if a resident can bring forward their own lawsuit to force the Town\u2019s hand, what is the likelihood that would all be wrapped up in a neat little package by the time the October 27 municipal election rolls around?
\nFrom my vantage point in the Council Chamber Press Box, I can only see the footwear of, from left to right, Councillors Paul Pirri, Wendy Gaertner, Sandra Humfryes, and Michael Thompson and, truth be told, none of the four appeared to be quaking in their boots at the possibilities. <\/p>\n


\nWHAT\u2019S THE WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN?<\/em>
\nBy the time Mr. Mar wrapped up his list of consequences Aurora could face if it didn\u2019t fulfil its obligation to keep Mr. Ballard\u2019s seat warm before October 27, I have to admit to finding the possibilities a little bit anticlimactic. As soon as Councillor Buck asked the question, I had visions along the lines of Premier Wynne being forced to step in and become involved in Aurora\u2019s affairs if we violated the Act, as she was considering when Toronto\u2019s Ford-mania neared its frenzied climax.
\n\u2026 or a suspension of Aurora\u2019s rights as a municipality, making us the wards of a babysitter in the form of the Province of Ontario or the Region of York.
\n\u2026or handing over Aurora\u2019s authority to neighbouring Newmarket, King, Richmond Hill, or Whitchurch-Stouffville as a penance for crossing the Municipal Act.
\n\u2026or sending out a Provincial bureaucrat to come in and sit in the seat.
\n\u2026or, horror of horrors, forcing an amalgamation with Newmarket, our seemingly better behaved brother to the north, as far as the province might be concerned.
\nUnfortunately, those exciting possibilities that would jazz up my life \u2013 and yours \u2013 don\u2019t seem to be on the table. The best we could hope for was yet another lawsuit from two possible sides and, if we want to be honest with ourselves, that has become relatively pedestrian for Aurora.
\nIf that\u2019s the biggest threat hanging over our collective heads, it begs the question whether this is all worth the effort.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brock Weir Does your mind ever run wild when you have a bit of found money burning a hole in your pocket? General wisdom says found money should be spent on something flashy, something one wouldn\u2019t ordinarily buy for one\u2019s self, and sometimes the temptations can be overwhelming. When you have a bit of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-1Wg","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-25 09:22:51","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7456"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7456\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}