Keith Baker

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193

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POLL: Readers roughly split on Canada Post strike

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The management of the post office is so busy playing office politics and maintaining their huge executive salarys that they completely missed the opportunity of online shopping. The infrastructure, the expert personnel, were in place; Canada post could have squashed any competition but they twiddled their thumbs and missed another opportunity. Just like the managers at Sears. Canadians are the customers and the shareholders of that corporation. We as well as the union employees are the victims of lousy management.

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Orillia could get strong mayor powers ... on a permanent basis

OrilliaMatters

26

Why is Doug Ford working so hard to end democracy? He called the election to catch the other parties off guard in the middle of his term, and the middle of winter ,and while there was an international crisis to further distract the voters. Our municipal councilors are our friends and neighbors people we see on a regular basis. There is a two way dialog about issues. They gather and make the decisions that affect us directly. That is democracy . From his first Moves , the reduction in Toronto council, and this strong mayor idea everything seems aimed at centralizing his power.

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Up to 60 cm of snow accumulation possible: Environment Canada

OrilliaMatters

22

We are all getting sick of this and grumpy but I'd like to take a minute to thank our municipal employees . As of this morning an EMS could still reach any house in Orillia if needed! Thank you guys!

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COUNCIL SERIES: A city councillor is entering the mayoral race

OrilliaMatters

23

We have some good people on Council. Whether I agree or not with any specific issue I respect that they give up their time and effort to serve us for a laughably small paycheck. The hate that some people direct toward them says more about those people than the members. I do wonder if a couple of guys who are even older than me might enjoy retirement and our thanks for their long and valued service.

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Did mayor blow the lid off CAO firing controversy with 'hypothetical' scenario?

OrilliaMatters

21

The background that Mr. Mascarin provided on "Strong Mayors Powers" was conformation of my long held suspicions ,about its history and the personality s surrounding its conception. The policy is a direct attack on a very good system that has generally protected our municipality s from the type of Mob control we have seen in U.S. cities . That it was dreamed up by the Ford brothers after admiring its use in Chicago makes perfect sense. The way that political brand loyalty causes many good and otherwise intelligent people to stand up to sing its praises is troubling. I am old enough to remember when the Conservatives believed in "Good Government" not in crony Capitalism.

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‘Pattern of neglect’ on northern highways contributed to tragic crash: MPP

OrilliaMatters

20

Freight movement by road is also a huge issue. The dispersed network of trains is long gone.as is the short haul infrastructure that supplemented it. The trucking industry has cut costs in the name of competitiveness to the point that the job of truck driver is almost exclusively being filled by poor desperate people, often new to our country, instead of the proud professionals of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

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Amid heat wave, thousands without power in area due to downed tree

OrilliaMatters

13

When the power company was our friends and neighbors at OWLP we seemed to get fewer and shorter disruptions.

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'A shock': Fionn MacCool's closes doors, lays off about 20 staffers

OrilliaMatters

13

They had almost everything going for them, But!! Orillians have become used to a much higher level of cuisine than their franchiser let them serve.

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Tiny home housing homeless man in the woods torn down

OrilliaMatters

16

Remember when they convinced us all that asylums were evil and we would be better off if they shut them all down?

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Overcrowded Comfie Cat Shelter in danger of being 'shut down'

OrilliaMatters

11

The reproductive rate of cats will overwhelm any "no kill" facility. Our songbird population is threatened and our ground nesting species are already nearly extinct. As much as I understand, and support peoples right to love their personal little fur baby, cats are a serious invasive threat and numbers must be managed.

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'Game-changer': City adopts streamlined sign bylaw for downtown Orillia

OrilliaMatters

12

The neon artwork that used to identify Orillias downtown businesses is to many people more heritage, and certainly much more vibrant and attractive, than the insipid unlit flat lettering that the D.M.B. requires.

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Ice cream bikes will be allowed in Orillia, but not in the downtown

OrilliaMatters

Ice cream trucks are marketing directed at children primarily. When the bell rings in the neighbor hood it creates a demand .Kids who's parents have good income and are believe in indulging their children will hand out the cash. What about all the rest of the kids, kids who's parents believe in teaching discipline, kids who come from households where parents are struggling financially. This is not a warm fuzzy issue,all smiles and candy, it often is a source of discontent,and resentment. I personally oppose any ice cream trucks in neighborhoods where children play.

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‘Special economic zones’ bill would let Ford government exempt any project from provincial laws

OrilliaMatters

9

Ford was cunning enough to capitalize on our anger with Orange man during the past election but at heart they are identical. Crony capitalists totally motivated to help their mobster buddies get rich .

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COLUMN: Province quietly legislating extinction in 'reckless' way

OrilliaMatters

10

Doug wants us to think his whole passion is to own the Nimbys His real reason is to maximize the opportunities for his personal social clique of developers to get as rich as possible so he and his family can retire wealthy. Like his Dads buddy Mike did.

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THE PAIKIN PODCAST: Can you name Canada’s 24 prime ministers? Not likely

BayToday

8

Much of the history of the U.S.A that we all think we know was fiction, written after their civil war as an attempt to establish some form of national identity and unity. Fiction is of course more exciting to children.

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Man builds tiny home in woods for his homeless father-in-law

OrilliaMatters

10

H.R.C. and the more mental health focused centers were complex places with thousands of clients and thousands of staff. By cherry picking the bad events and ignoring the good the public was fooled into thinking that closing them would be progress. In reality that policy set up our current crisis .

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VIDEO: School board chair booted by Ford government has warning for province

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First they take power away from our municipal counselors through strong mayors, Then they take away the elected oversight in our education. The pattern is obvious! We better get protecting democracy because they are stealing it before our eyes.

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Calls for accountability after dog bites nine-year-old in the face

OrilliaMatters

5

This should be a non issue if the owner is a responsible dog owner, they should have quickly had this dog to a clinic for euthanasia as soon as it bit a child the first time. Dogs are not furry people. they have no constitutional rights.

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BREAKING: New Orillia hospital to be built in west Orillia

OrilliaMatters

5

The free parking lots at Scout valley , Lakehead and Cosco are going to be packed until they are gone. I walk almost a kilometer to access R.V.H. from an unpaid parking spot when I visit.

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Displacing homeless people sparks tension in new areas of Barrie

OrilliaMatters

9

The country is wealthy but the distribution of that wealth is so unequal that many people have none and those who have the most feel no inclination to share.

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