Jim Coyle wrote in "McGuinty's 'little lie' a big concern", (Hamilton Spectator, Aug.12, 2009, see: http://thespec.com/Opinions/article/616698)
"... The premier's office said in his regular weekly itinerary that July 31 was set aside for "private" time. In fact, McGuinty flew to Mexico that day to pitch Toronto's bid for the 2015 Pan American Games.
Four days later, he came clean, announcing that "I travelled to Mexico City at the invitation of President Mario Vazquez Rana of the Pan American Sports Organization to discuss Toronto's bid."
This lie was not, in the great sweep of political history, up there with "I never had sex with that woman." Still, it was an intentional deceit of considerable significance to the Legislative Press Gallery.
Were something untoward to happen to the premier while secretly abroad, and the reporters assigned to cover him weren't even aware of his whereabouts, jobs would be on the line.
More significantly, the scheduling fiction might be suggestive to the public of the creeping arrogance and slipping principles of a second-term administration.
The reason given by the premier's office afterwards for what was not just a sly omission but a conscious falsehood was laughable.
Ontario didn't want to tip Toronto's competitors in the South American capitals of Bogota and Lima to his secret-agent-man mission because the Pan Am bid is so economically important to the GTA.
First, the notion that Dalton McGuinty needs to travel incognito, or in false nose and glasses, lest a media frenzy break out abroad worthy of David Beckham and his Spice Girl is beyond ridiculous. He's hardly George W. Bush flying into Baghdad for Thanksgiving turkey or Bill Clinton doing cloak-and-dagger work with the North Koreans..."
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Liberal Premier Liar Dalton McGuinty does it once again. Playing fast and loose with the truth; pretending that there's some kind of fictitious 'openness' and 'transparency' in his lying Liberal government.
To say this is "creeping" arrogance is a damn understatement - "intentional deceipt" has become Grit-trademarked Standard Operating Procedure. (see:http://rightinniagara.blogspot.com/2007/08/liberal-healthcare-duplicity-ontario.html)
McGuinty's secretive Liberal government is the epitome of smug arrogance and duplicitous pretensions.
Liberal McGuinty lied throughout his first campaign and term. Whether they're calculated, deceptive 'white lies' - or, equally as concerning, lies borne of ambitious ignorance - it's not befitting a leader.
The Ontario Liberals' principles have not just "slipped' - they fell out of their collective pants and were left at the side of the road years ago. The joke now is you open a dictionary to the word "liar" and there's Dalton's face. "McGuinty" is now a synonym for "liar"!
Remember how a smarmy McGuinty (trolling for votes in a hospital!!) slithered away from cancer patient Mike Brady after Brady refused to shake the campaigning premier's hand?! (read and see video: http://rightinniagara.blogspot.com/2007/09/youre-not-helping-me-angry-cancer.html)
It's all about lies, secrecy, and cover-ups now.
St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley certainly knows about that - right, Jim?
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...and then we have this...
http://www.torontosun.com/2012/01/02/henderson-letter-outlines-skyrocketing-pan-am-games-costs
....as reported in the Jan.2, 2012 Toronto Sun:
"...TORONTO - The numbers are shocking since it’s taxpayers plugged in to receive the shock.
Premier Dalton McGuinty has been put on notice that 2015 Pan Am Games costs are skyrocketing and accountability is urgently needed.
“The magnitude of the total taxpayers’ exposure should wake up those involved to the fact that major TO2015 restructuring must be done,” wrote Paul Henderson, the very man who lobbied for the Pan Am games to help future athletes.
Now he says “costs will, when all taxpayers’ exposures and student taxes are totalled, be at least $4 billion.”
That’s a lot of cash for a two-week party few care about.
Henderson wrote “in these difficult times, consultants, and others looking for jobs, will tell the various political arenas what they want to hear not what they should be clearly told.”
He’s certainly telling them how he feels it is.
And if he’s correct, the games, which includes $1-billion for a Portland’s athletes village, are already $1.6-billion over budget. The original cost was pegged at $1.4-billion.
If accurate, Toronto should cut its losses now and walk away from this obscene waste of money that benefits hardly anybody.
“Ontario, along with the federal and municipal governments, have given TO2015 a mandate to deliver on time and on budget,” assured Lise Jolicoeur, on behalf of the premier. “TO2015 have submitted a business plan which is currently under careful review.”
Hope it’s not the people governments put in charge of spending hall of fame members e-health or the G8/G20.
Mayor Rob Ford has told me he won’t allow “a gun” being put to Torontonians heads when push comes to shove. It’s refreshing because we all know when these unnecessary construction projects are at risk of coming in late, politicians will throw around our money to make the deadline.
Meanwhile, Henderson offers savings that “would approach $750 million and possibly $1 billion.”
These include saving $300-million by running the PanAm and PanPara Games simultaneously, from July 31-Aug. 16, and use more existing facilities which do not require major installations. He said using Varsity Stadium for athletics would save on building a new $75-million stadium at York University, employ more temporary stands and make stadiums closer to the Athletes Village.
He also suggests to “review over-the-top facilities” including the “two major white elephants” in the “swimming pools and velodrome..."
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I'm sure the St.Catharines Standard will be asking their Liberal friend Jim Bradley all about that, eh........?!
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