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Wednesday January 12, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER A7 COMMENT Let's put the senators on ice...permanently Pardon me for asking, I know it's rude, but can anyone tell me just why we must have senators in Ottawa? Not, I should add, the Senators who push around pucks on an ice, in fact I kin&of like those guys. They, after all, show up for work. No, it's those canny ones that make a habit of not showing up for work in Ottawa - and still hold onto their jobs. In fact, some of them, bless their shrewd little hearts, m an age to wrest an amazing $66,900 a year plus $10, 500 tax free allow ance...despite a lousy atten dance. Here's one: Michel Cogger, a man convicted o f influence peddling, remains today a Senator in Ottawa. (H e's appealing his conviction). Formerly in the federal Tory caucus, he's still a senator and paid his wages despite an attendance rate that hovers at the 10% mark in one o f his better years. A recent article from the Ottawa Citizen listed the m an's salary, docked for his poor, attendance: h e 's had $23,250 in fines docked from his salary for missing 93 sittings in the past two years. He has not attended the Senate since last May when he showed up for two sittings. In 1999, he reportedly attended just 10% of all sittings (8 of 77) and hasn't been seen in the chamber since last May. He didn't make any appear ance in the last nine months of 1998. In 1994, he missed all sittings except one. Not that it's stopped him spending money: He spent $92,051 in taxpay ers funds on research assistance (what research, pray tell), staff and other expenses for his office. Imagine what it's like to work for Michel Cogger, the perfect boss. I don't know about you, but I would love to have a boss who is never around. He also claimed $6, 504 in travel expenses and $7, 665 of his tax free spending allowance. But he, recalcitrant to the end, has no intention o f resigning his seat in the Senate. He has promised his atten dance will improve. I guess so. Who of any of us would be able to just not show up and still expect to hold our jobs? I can't help but think of that New Yorker who found a $700,000 windfall in her savings account due to a bank error. Instead of ju st handing it back, like the rest of us chumps would, she's bat tling to keep the remai ni ng $450,000....better yet, she's suing the bank, Chase M anhattan, as well. Amazing. Here is a woman suing a bank over a sum of money that was never hers to begin with. And here is Cogger, a man with appalling attendance still expecting to hold onto his job. And wasn't it just a couple of years ago we heard about Andrew Thompson, another senator, this time forced to resign after a public uproar about his part-tim e residency in Mexico with a similar appalling atten dance rate. Perhaps it is true...we are simply too polite. We hope, Brit-like, that people will do the decent thing. And when they don't, we shrug and say: what a crazy world. But I have to admit, this Senate is a bit of an oddity. After all, it's not cheap. And more than once people have asked that it be disbanded. Yet it continues to offer jobs to people who hold it in such contempt they don't even bother to show up. But we still have it, this place where chronic absence has become DIANE HART somewhat of a national joke. I expect jobs to provide more than simple amusement - especially for a hefty price tag. Maybe I'm a little testy at this time of year but these senators are no longer making me laugh. If we must have the Senate, let's at least make one radical rule: you have to attend. And if you don't, you're no longer a Senator. Sounds pretty simple to me. But, after all, we do live in a crazy world. Getting the burn in sunshine state Late one night after celebrating his birthday, my good friend, Jim Railton, was watching television and there was Robin Leach wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sipping a glass of champagne inviting Jim to close his eyes and envision a spec tacular vacation with the sun dancing off the sea, the breeze in his hair, elegant dining, endless bufFets, romantic beaches, and swimming with dolphins. When Jim closed his eyes, he nodded off and missed out on two Las Vegas-style shows, a shore lunch, and several million dollars at the crap table. Unfortunately, the squealing of dolphins woke him up and instead of hitting the off button on the remote, he dialed a 1-800 number and booked his "World Class Florida/Caribbean Vacation Package" with national Travel Services: four days in Ft. Lauderdale, three cruising the Caribbean and three days in Orlando plus a rental car. Total $1,152 U.S. for two adults, and two kids, airfare extra. Here's how Jim's adventure of a lifetime went: · Jim's boat, an old tub named the S.S. Ocean Breeze and not exactly the Destiny, Robin's ship, is not exactly cruising the Bahamas. It's going from Ft. Lauderdale to Freeport and back. Unfortunately, at Freeport, they won't be able to stay on the ship. They can take a $50 cab ride to a hotel, all at their expense and pay for their own meals. This is terrible except, oh wait, here's a solution. UPGRADE #1. For an extra $199 per adult and $99 per child, they can stay on-board their dream cruise ship, meals included, have a cabin with a window and go to Nassau instead of Freeport. (Some clients got a cabin with a window but it was below the water level.) The upgrade includ ed a bigger car and a better hotel once they got to Orlando. · Failure to get airfare to match the vacation dates, costs three extra nights accommodation at $100 per night. · Landing at Ft. Lauderdale, Jim passes the conveniently located booths of Hertz and Avis for a bus ride to Alamo Car Rental where he stands for an hour-and-a-half with 100 other late-night fans of Robin Leach. · Jim is (^appointed with the "lovely hotel" in Ft. Lauderdale because it's located on the shoulder of state highway 1-95. But that's okay because... UPGRADE #2 puts them in a better hotel in Pompano "on the beach." Arriving at the Holiday Inn in Pompano, they're not exactly on the beach, not exactly at the Holiday Inn. Their rooms are across the road at the annex. · When Robin first invited Jim on this dream vacation, he neglected to All The World's mention the term "time share." · At the hotel, a rep from National A Circus Travel Services "invites" them to tour the lovely vacation property of the nearby Village By The S ea Sorry, that's changed to the lovely vacation property up near Palm Beach -- an easy 15-minute drive. And that's where they'll be given their vouchers for the Caribbean cruise. No time share tour, no cruise. · An hour-and-a-half later up 1-95, Jim and his family arrive at lunchtime for a breakfast of toast and coffee. % · A leather-skinned saleslady with an abscessed tooth and a f young trainee in tow put an enormous amount of pressure on them to write a $27,000 cheque for a condo on Singer Island for two weeks every year in perpetuity. They say no. They're shown the 45' fishing boat with two uniformed captains that would be at their disposal, for a fee, 24 hours a day. They say no. They're given a tour of the condo. They say no. They're brought to the lobby where other guests of Robin Leach are being browbeaten. They say no. They're brought to a closing room where bells and whistles go off whenever a client says `yes' to a time share deal. They say no but groggy and sleepdeprived, they turn over crucial secrets of Canada's nuclear weapons program. The cruise ship doesn't cruise much. Day One is a 1 p.m. boarding with a 6 p.m. departure at Port Everglades. Day Two it's at dock in Nassau and straight back with Day Three con sisting of a 10 a.m. de-boarding at Port Everglades. A 72-hour cruise in 40 hours flat and a world-class speed record. A $15 per person shore excursion to a nearby Bahamian Island turns into a $45 per person UPGRADE #3. Jim pays for three days of parking while the car sits idle during the cruise. In Orlando, Jim suffers a bad skin reaction from sun, sand and salt water and requires a wheelchair to tour Universal Studios. At the Ramada Hotel, they're invited to spend just 90 min utes touring the brand new time share property at lovely... They throw up, in unison, on their sunburned feet. Although Jim did not get to romp with the dolphins, he does have stories of swimming with the sharks. And he's able to laugh about it all. A lesser man would have brought back bod ies as souvenirs. WILLIAM THOMAS A ccid en t co verage w as inappropriate A fter reading The O akville B eaver's arti cle entitled "Children witness fath er's death in car accident" (O akville Beaver, Dec. 30th, 1999), I feel com pelled to w rite you to express my deep concern and anger regard ing this story. A long w ith hundred's o f other O akville residents, I am proud to call Randy and L oretta M cK ellar friends. Upon hearing the devastating news o f R andy's death, I anx iously opened the Beaver prepared to read a w onderful tribute to a lifetim e O akville resi dent. To my true disappointm ent, I read a story that seem ed more like a tabloid report than a com m unity newspaper. The headline "C hildren witness father's death in car accident," was com pletely inap- Letters to the Editor propriate. As a m other of two small children, I would be devastated to have a story such as this left for my children to read in the event o f this type o f tragedy. As I am sure you are aware, R andy's entire family was in the fatal car accident, and although this story is factually correct, I feel that the author, Doug Hem pstead, was com pletely insensitive and used poor ju d g e ment in printing such a hurtful story. Although the damage has been done for the M cK ellar's, perhaps The Oakville Beaver should remember this situation and try to be more sensitive in the future. Mrs. Jayna D'Agostino OAKVILLE THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE | TENDER FOR: The Supply and Erection o f the Structural Steel Component re: a New Public Works/Parks Operations Depot T-2-2000 8 4 5 -6 6 0 1 o u n c il C & S t a n d in g C o m m it t e e M e e t in g s TENDER NUMBER Monday, January 17, 2000 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. Monday, January 24, 2000 Council Meeting Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. C o u n c il Tuesday, January 18, 2000 Community Services Committee 7:30 p.m. - Oakville Room Administrative Services Comm. 7:30 p.m. - Bronte Room SEALED TENDERS on forms provided will be received by the Town Clerk, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario, or by mail to P.O. Box 310, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 5A6 until 2:00 p.m., local time on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2000 For the following works: The Town o f Oakville proposes to construct a new Public Works/Parks Operation Depot at 1136 South Service Road, Oakville. Tenders are being called in two parts. This tender is calling for the fabrication and erection o f the structural steel frame o f the main building. It should be noted that the contract as awarded will be subsequently assigned to a General Contractor. Plans, specifications and tender forms will be available on or after 12:00 noon, Wednesday, January 12, 2000. and may be obtained from the Town o f Oakville Purchasing Department. 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario L6J 5A6; (Telephone 905-338-4197. NOTE: A non-refundable document charge o f $50.00 via cash or certified cheque, payable to the Town o f Oakville, will be required. Interac direct payment is also available. NOTE: Potential bidders will be required to attend a mandatory pre-bid tnul site m eeting prior to tendering. The Contractor whose tender is accepted shall be required to post a Performance Bond satisfactory to Town Council, equal to 100% o f the contract price, and a Labour and Material Bond equal to 50% o f the contract price. An Agreement to Bond will be required with the tender submission. A certified cheque, Bank/Trust Co. draft, or bid bond for the amount specified in the tender document MUST accom pany each tender. Tenders will be opened publicly at a meeting o f the Tender Opening Committee at the Oakville Municipal Building, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario on Tuesday. February I. 2000 at 2:30 p.m. local time. The Town o f Oakville reserves the right to reject any or all tenders and the highest or lowest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R.J. Cournoyer. C.I.M.. P.Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services Tender advertising m ay be viewed on the O.P.B.A. website, http://vaxxine.com/opba. Monday, January 31, 2000 Planning & Development Council Council Chambers 7:30 p.m. T ouchtone & C o m m it t e e in e P hone L 815-5959 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE TENDER T-7-2000 FOR FIVE (5) 60" HEAVY DUTY FRONTMOUNTED HYDROSTATIC ROTARY MOWERS SEALED TENDERS on forms provided will be received by the Town Clerk, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, Ontario. L6J 5A6 until 2:00 P.M., Local Time, on TUESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2000 Specifications, tender forms and tender envelopes are available at the offices o f the Purchasing Department, telephone (905) 338-4197. The Town o f Oakville reserves the right to reject any or all tenders and the highest or lowest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R. J. Cournoyer, C.I.M., P. Mgr. Director, Purchasing and Office Services THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF OAKVILLE PROPOSAL FOR THE SUPPLY OF UNIFORM GARMENTS FOR THE OAKVILLE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT PROPOSAL NUM BER PROP-2-2000 SEALED PROPOSALS for the above will be received by the Purchasing Department, on or before 12:00 NOON, local time on MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2000 Address: 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, or by mail to P.O. Box 310, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 5A6. Telephone (905) 338-4197. T ro o p e r says: n Specifications, Proposal forms and Proposal envelopes are available at the office o f the undersigned. The Corporation reserves the right to reject any or all proposals and the lowest or highest as the case may be will not necessarily be accepted. R. J. Cournoyer, C.I.M., P. Mgr. Director, Purchasing & Office Services DRIVE DRY! A m essage fro m the M a y o r 's S pecial C om m ittee A g a in s t Im paired D riv in g 1225 TRAFALGAR ROAD · OAKVILLE, ONTARIO · L6J 5A6