Post by Jari on Jul 28, 2005 11:06:57 GMT -5
This is just unbelievable how closed minded some of our city counselors are. Edmonton has private garbage collection and they are doing just fine but the nay saying morons make up excuses like "I don't trust big multinational corporations," which makes our city sounds like its run by a bunch of hicks.
winsun.canoe.ca/News/Winnipeg/2005/07/28/1150771-sun.html
Common sense wins
Anti-business bozos defeated on trash issue
By TOM BRODBECK
It's no wonder Winnipeg has such an anti-business reputation.
Spend a day watching city council and you'll see what I mean.
Nearly half of city council spent the better part of yesterday during the garbage debate bashing, belittling and otherwise smearing business.
From accusing the private sector of sloppy service and of gouging taxpayers to treating their workers like sweatshop slaves, some city councillors let the business community have it with both barrels yesterday as city council approved a plan to contract out the remainder of garbage pickup.
"I don't trust big multinational corporations," Coun. Russ Wyatt charged, accusing the business community of providing the city with poor service and creating "headaches" for him and his staff. "They scare the heck out of me."
Great message to send to the business community at large, isn't it?
Winnipeg: Closed for business.
No, we don't want head offices here with high-paying jobs. Big corporations like Great -West Life and Boeing scare us. We just want to weave baskets and sell junk jewelry on street corners.
Coun. Lillian Thomas accused private garbage collectors of "poor quality service," saying they regularly miss garbage pickups and force city crews to pick up the slack.
Funny, I've had private garbage pickup for 11 years and I can't remember once when my garbage wasn't picked up on time.
Coun. Mark Lubosch says the private sector is going to jack up their prices on us but he couldn't provide a single example of where that's happened in Winnipeg or elsewhere in the country.
Why let the facts get in the way of a good story, right Mark?
Many large cities in Canada contract out 100% of their garbage pickup, and no such price gouging has occurred.
"We're ultimately going to be sticking it to taxpayers in the end," said Lubosch.
Coun. Jenny Gerbasi even went after the folks who work for private garbage collection companies, calling their jobs "throw-away jobs."
REINFORCES THE IMAGE
This is the kind of anti-business banter that reinforces Winnipeg's image as a city that's cool to business.
And believe me, it's an image that doesn't do us any favours in the board rooms when we try to attract, retain and expand business here.
I wonder who these councillors think pay their salaries, anyway?
Business and homeowners pay their salaries, and councillors wouldn't have salaries if we didn't have "big, multinational companies" here.
And the more business we attract, the more jobs we get, and the more taxes are paid to governments.
But when you treat business like they're a bunch of criminals, they're not going to be to keen on coming here.
It's pretty simple. But apparently not simple enough for some of these bozos.
Fortunately we have a mayor and a core of city councillors who see free enterprise differently.
And that's why council passed the motion to contract out garbage by a 9-7 vote, saving taxpayers as much as $3 million a year that can now go into our donkey paths we call roads and into our police and fire.
It's nice to see common sense prevail at city hall for a change.
winsun.canoe.ca/News/Winnipeg/2005/07/28/1150771-sun.html
Common sense wins
Anti-business bozos defeated on trash issue
By TOM BRODBECK
It's no wonder Winnipeg has such an anti-business reputation.
Spend a day watching city council and you'll see what I mean.
Nearly half of city council spent the better part of yesterday during the garbage debate bashing, belittling and otherwise smearing business.
From accusing the private sector of sloppy service and of gouging taxpayers to treating their workers like sweatshop slaves, some city councillors let the business community have it with both barrels yesterday as city council approved a plan to contract out the remainder of garbage pickup.
"I don't trust big multinational corporations," Coun. Russ Wyatt charged, accusing the business community of providing the city with poor service and creating "headaches" for him and his staff. "They scare the heck out of me."
Great message to send to the business community at large, isn't it?
Winnipeg: Closed for business.
No, we don't want head offices here with high-paying jobs. Big corporations like Great -West Life and Boeing scare us. We just want to weave baskets and sell junk jewelry on street corners.
Coun. Lillian Thomas accused private garbage collectors of "poor quality service," saying they regularly miss garbage pickups and force city crews to pick up the slack.
Funny, I've had private garbage pickup for 11 years and I can't remember once when my garbage wasn't picked up on time.
Coun. Mark Lubosch says the private sector is going to jack up their prices on us but he couldn't provide a single example of where that's happened in Winnipeg or elsewhere in the country.
Why let the facts get in the way of a good story, right Mark?
Many large cities in Canada contract out 100% of their garbage pickup, and no such price gouging has occurred.
"We're ultimately going to be sticking it to taxpayers in the end," said Lubosch.
Coun. Jenny Gerbasi even went after the folks who work for private garbage collection companies, calling their jobs "throw-away jobs."
REINFORCES THE IMAGE
This is the kind of anti-business banter that reinforces Winnipeg's image as a city that's cool to business.
And believe me, it's an image that doesn't do us any favours in the board rooms when we try to attract, retain and expand business here.
I wonder who these councillors think pay their salaries, anyway?
Business and homeowners pay their salaries, and councillors wouldn't have salaries if we didn't have "big, multinational companies" here.
And the more business we attract, the more jobs we get, and the more taxes are paid to governments.
But when you treat business like they're a bunch of criminals, they're not going to be to keen on coming here.
It's pretty simple. But apparently not simple enough for some of these bozos.
Fortunately we have a mayor and a core of city councillors who see free enterprise differently.
And that's why council passed the motion to contract out garbage by a 9-7 vote, saving taxpayers as much as $3 million a year that can now go into our donkey paths we call roads and into our police and fire.
It's nice to see common sense prevail at city hall for a change.