Oakville building department uses power when convenient? Not when it should?

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“Town was ready to block plant” – so read the headline on the front page of the “Oakville Beaver”. They are referring to the infamous power plant that was stopped in Oakville on the eve of an election. (Also Mississauga)

Liberals started the plant – Liberals stopped the plant – a Liberal was re-elected.

What can we say except that this political maneuvering may cost all taxpayers in the 3 digit millions. And, someone is going to pocket that money as well. Friends of the Liberals?

But, I like Mayor Burton’s comment: “Oakville was on track to block the building of a controversial power plant when former premier Dalton McGuinty’s government decided to cancel it amid strong community opposition.”

No building permit was to be issued based on pollution and safety concerns. I guess things have changed under Burton’s leadership. Under former mayor Anne Mulvale, a building inspector passed my furnace even though it had illegal wiring. Power plant gets stopped at great expense to the taxpayer while my house is allowed to be sold with illegal wiring.

At my expense.

I guess the building department only uses its authority when it is politically expedient. Oh, yes, I have mentioned that Wellspring received a donation from Mattamy Homes and Billionaire Gilgan (1.8B) at the request of Anne Mulvale.

For some reason we pay our taxes and trust the system, a system that is manipulated by those who use it for their own gain and hide behind the trust of those who believe in it.  The Town of Oakville tells us to trust the Building Department when it comes to the construction of our homes.  They don’t make the regulations but supposedly enforce the Building Code.  But, just how well do they enforce it?  My blog has shown they aren’t that good about it.  I know people who have been in court for years in regards to the Town of Oakville and certain environmental issues that have occurred.  Like human waste flowing in the Sixteen Mile Creek.  My kids swam in that creek, not knowing about the sludge overflowing into the watershed.  So much for standards.

You trust the Mattamy name?  For the full version, read the comment at the bottom of this blog.  This is how a builder will screw you.  The Town of Oakville was given a chance to correct the issues.  They state that they don’t have enough inspectors but refuse to pass a by-law stating that a new homeowner could hire a house inspector to monitor their build.  What better way to enforce the building code.

And, what professional and honest builder would balk at that?  How could they argue against a licensed professional and insured house inspector monitoring the build?  In commercial builds, the owner has people helping them so, it has been established practice in some construction.  Lets just expand the practice to protect homeowners.

Do not assume you have an occupancy permit.  Have your lawyer ask for one before closing.  Make the municipality work for those added charges to the price of your house.

Here is what our elected (and sometimes supported by donations from developers) officials would be protecting us from.  In this case, it just happens to be Mattamy.

“I have found so many little issues in our Mattamy home. On their own, it’s trivial, but added up, the sum is just stupid. From suspected insulation issues around the living room bay window, master bedroom overhang, and garage, to hot air that just won’t reach the farthest room in the house (the master washroom) that results in a freezing master, to odd air flow where the upstairs can’t be cooled in summer. Wicked condensation in winter on ALL windows in the house that can pool and lead to mould if not kept up on. The carpet is just disgusting- the little living room carpet was made from two pieces!!!! The seam is very obvious. The pile is so flat and pulling up at the same time. The mortar in the bricks is like sand in some isolated areas. Caulking is already deteriortating and the house isn’t even 10 years old! The casement windows are a bitch to open and close and are already showing signs of falling apart. The spalling (spalling???) cement along the parimeter of the porch has all but crumbled away. I just had to replace the sump pump that comes on maybe 6 times a year. The yard landscaping is like a lumpy field of little hills.

All and all, I would never buy a Mattamy (or Devonleigh) or possibly other cooky cutter home from a large developer again. I really think basic workmanship is pissed away for speed. And it’s funny because this is the LARGEST purchase a person will make in their lives, and we have NO real way to get these mistakes corrected.

One person in our community had the wrong bricks and colour put up. Mattamy offered them something like 10000 in upgrades, but refused to let them out of the contract for the house, or correct the bricks. And really, that’s BS because of how much money we pay for homes. I give someone $350000, and I expect what I pay for.

But home consumers have zero rights in Canada.”

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Mattamy report on illegal wiring buried by Town of Oakville. The town with the donations.

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If anything, the recent court appearances by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford showed one thing.  It can cost one hell of a lot of money to fight city hall. A recent Toronto Star article quotes $300k if you get stuck with losing and having to pay for both sides.  Not chump change for sure.

As you know, Mattamy Homes, Peter Gilgan and their mouthpieces have threatened to take me to court on defamation charges,  a charge I pointed out they too are guilty of.  This is the type of tactic a builder will use in order to have their failures repressed.  No one is perfect but, honest people fess up and fix the problem.  Then there are those that hide behind politicians – politicians who receive donations from them.  You see, donations are perfectly legal, even if they can lead to favours.  But, try to prove some type of conflict of interest.

Others have tried the court route.

“Without securing funding from supporters in the community, Elias Hazineh says he would never have launched his suit against Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion. “As it stands now, unless you have deep pockets, you can see corruption happening in front of you and be able to do nothing about it,” he said.

Lots of people may think about taking a stand, but “once you hit the road block of financing, you realize you can’t do it on your own.”

But who should look after these conflicts?

“My guess is that my phone isn’t going to be ringing for while with people wanting to bring conflict of interest applications,” said Stephen D’Agostino, a municipal conflict of interest law expert with Thomson Rogers. “But I don’t mind because I think it should be handled by the Ontario government.”

Only an individual can bring a politician to court on a conflict of interest and the potential for financial ruin is great. 

Trying to have the government do it is impossible as well. Remember who gets all the donations from developers.  McGuinty and Hudak were high on the list.  In my case, I did not go the route of a “conflict of interest” but tried to use my experience to have the Town of Oakville pass a simple bylaw that would allow a potential homebuyer to hire a house inspector to monitor the building of their new house;  thus protecting themselves from shoddy and illegal workmanship.  A privilege enjoyed by commercial builders – they have architects, engineers and site managers to keep an eye on their construction.

The Town of Oakville even did an investigation into my case regarding the illegal wiring of my house, which put my children at risk and,allowed the subsequent sale of the house even though it would not have been allowed by the town, according to their building director.  What happened to this report?  You’d have to ask former mayor Anne Mulvale.  She seemed to have her finger on all aspects of my case – attended sub-committee meetings and led the charge at town council.  The report was never given to me.  Why is that?  It was about me so, should I not have been given a copy?

No, it was hidden and my recommendation passed up to the provincial government.  Funny thing is, a councillor who passed this, was subsequently elected to the provincial parliament and did nothing concerning this recommendation, which he voted on.  So much for taking responsibility.

It would be hard to prove a conflict of interest regarding my case.  I can only state the facts.

1: A Town of Oakville building inspector passed an illegally wired furnace, which allowed Mattamy to sell the house.  A report was made concerning my incident and passed on to the mayor.  I did not see the report.  Was it fair, honest, relevant, illustrative, blaming, etc?

2: My recommendation was not followed through and passed into provincial oblivion. No real reason except they thought it was provincial.  Sorry to say but enforcing the building code is municipal and therefore this would be one tool to ensure the structure was built to code.  Obviously the town inspector cannot do this.

3: Mayor Ann Mulvale spearheaded an effort to have Mattamy donate money, etc to Wellspring – a personal project of hers.

4: Matttmy did in fact contribute to Wellspring.

5: Mattamy continues to contribute to the United Way – a personal project of former mayor Ann Mulvale.

6: Oh, I forgot.  Mattamy was a very generous donator to Ann Mulvale’s election.  Want to see the picture?

All facts (for the lawyers) and I leave the reader to draw their own conclusions.

I ask the Town of Oakville – why are you afraid of passing the recommendation?  You pass all sorts of recommendations that affect the lives of Oakville’s citizens.  Why not pass one that protects the lives of Oakville’s citizens? You stopped smoking didn’t you?  Why not a tool to allow homeowners to prevent shoddy workmanship and unsafe construction practices?

Just what is your policy in terms of inspecting the new Mattamy subdivision – The Preserve?  Do you intend to inspect all houses at all levels of construction?  If you don’t, then I would suggest that people will get shafted just like I did.  You know – taxpayers and voters.  The people who should be protected – not BILLIONAIRES………

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Titanic was built to code. Just like a Mattamy!!!

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Shit happens.

We go through life and we find out very quickly (hopefully after an enjoyable childhood) that life is not perfect. There are people out there that make a living on someone else’s suffering and dime. Conrad Black comes to mind. There are companies who make a living ripping you off. Fancy advertising, flashy products and, issues that will turn your life into a pile of shit.

Blackberry – a respected name in communications. Through Bell Telephone and other phone companies, they sell you a variety of products and make all sorts of promises, up to and including a better sex life. I don’t think the Blackberry 9800 gives anyone an increased libido but, it did do well as a smartphone until a certain upgrade came along. This upgrade stripped it of the ability to PIN (for those non-BB crackberrys here is a link that explains the PIN – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry#BlackBerry_PIN ) and the solution: either downgrade and thus make it crippleware or, upgrade to a new phone ($$$$).  Nice solution Bell and Blackberry. Here is a link that shows the issue (http://supportforums.blackberry.com/t5/BlackBerry-Style/6-0-bundle-3049-bug-Lost-PIN-option-on-compose-menu/td-p/1477913)

Take the Ford F150 – please.  Nice truck and a good seller.  Unfortunately, some have a tendency to either blow their spark plugs, leak through the back window or, leak through the front window and fry your electronics ($$).  Ford’s solution:  Don’t do anything, fix at the consumers cost and, feel proud they didn’t have to ask for a bailout – due to the fact they limited their recalls (??).

Both examples of good corporate citizens?  Hitler would be proud of both their policies (actually Hitler was a friend of Henry Ford – http://reformed-theology.org/html/books/wall_street/chapter_06.htm.

It appears that companies look at their bottom line and if it hits their profit and exorbitant executive bonuses, those of you who have issues, will receive little or no support.  Those who have no issues or receive the donations will shun you as troublemakers and say you are wrong.  Especially those who will make a profit living the lie.

In the building industry they are proud of the fact that they build by the oft quoted BUILDING CODE.  The people of Belfast point out that the Titanic was perfectly alright when it left Ireland.  It too was built to CODE.  A code that stated it had the right number of lifeboats.  I think historical fact kind of blows that out of the water.

On the Mike Holmes show, he continually points out the difference between CODE and QUALITY.  A difference some builders seem to miss.  In my case, Peter Gilgan and Mattamy seemed to think that a house sold to me without electricity and an illegally wired furnace was up to code.  The Town of Oakville building inspector even agreed with him and put a sticker on the furnace.  But, his boss states they would not issue an Occupancy Permit to a home that was in the condition mine was.  Who is right, Peter Gilgan the billionaire and donator to various causes or some old bureaucratic boss in the building department?  Ex-mayor of Oakville, Anne Mulvale sided with the Billionaire who donated money to Wellspring at her request.  What can I say?  Guess my United Way donation didn’t cut it.

I promote house inspectors and I promote them being allowed to inspect a new build for you, the potential owner and large investor.  They are not perfect but, when you are only allowed to inspect a premise once the walls are up, it is hard to make an objective inspection unless symptoms show up early.  Mike Holmes, in some cases, has evidence that there are problems behind the walls and thus can enjoy a good teardown.  On a new house – fresh paint, etc covers up the ills of that house.  And, as in my case, a municipal building inspector, who had the opportunity to look at the place prior to the cosmetics being put on, still allowed the issues.  (i.e. no insulation behind bay window).

One small thing – not all homes are inspected by the municipality.  Tract homes have a sampling.  Only YOUR house inspector can guarantee a full inspection prior to the wallboard, etc being put on and covering up the poor quality.  Quality that will eventually show up down the road – usually after the warranty is finished.  For those buying from speculators – keep this in mind.  Did the speculator actually do what is required to protect your interest in the future – i.e. follow timelines, and reporting guidelines.  If not, get ready to suck it up and pay the freight down the road.  And, if you are aware of the issue and try to dump the shack – you will be held responsible.

Sometimes I feel I bought the Titanic but, even though I did not have enough lifeboats (competent building inspector, ethical mayor, etc), I was able to, over time, patch the ship and am now sailing on smooth waters.  No thanks to Peter and Mattamy, who appear to have caused issues in various places which I have documented in other blogs.

Too bad the passengers who died on the Titanic didn’t have a say regarding the CODE.  Maybe more would have lived with the proper number of lifeboats determined by ethics, quality and demand, not the wishes of the builder.

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Want a good laugh? Ask Mattamy if you can have your house inspector monitor the build.

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Hope everyone is having a happy Mother’s Day – celebrating life with your mother and the mother of your children.  Not all find it a happy day but we hope that most do.

Some probably are still suffering the negative effects of owing a house.  I know – you did your due diligence.  You researched the builder and found that they had all sorts of awards, the builder might even donate to worthy causes and, you see their large ads.  Large ads must mean success and therefore a well-built house.  Smoke and mirrors.  Crime lords use the same tactics as do some of those executives you read about that scored big on the options but, many investors and workers lost in the end.  Think the U.S. housing bubble.

You’d think a reputable builder would not worry about inspections and such and, you, the buyer, need not worry about quality.  You have the FORCE of the building code and inspectors to enforce it behind you.  Just ask Mike Holmes about the building code – or any other reputable tradesman.  Building code represents MINIMUM standard.  What they can get away with.  And, some builders don’t even worry about that.

You see – some building inspectors are open to making a little money on the side.  And, some municipalities don’t do anything about bad inspections – just cover up.  Just ask ex-mayor “Asphalt Annie” Mulvale?  The report regarding the illegal wiring on my furnace never saw the light of day.  Why is that?  My report didn’t seem to hurt the donation Mattamy owner Peter Gilgan made to Wellspring though.

Anyways, back to building inspectors.  Yes, there are good ones and, like any profession – even lawyers, there are bad ones.  Just do a tour of the internet and you’ll get an idea of just what is involved.  And, this only covers those caught.  Here is a small sampling if you care to read more about building inspectors and bribes.  I could probably find links to house inspectors who have been charged or sued but, people think a building inspector should be more accountable and held to a higher standard, being on the municipal payroll.

http://digitaljournal.com/article/301244

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/05/ex-building-inspector-charged-with-selling-training-certificates/

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Building-Inspector-Bribe-Long-Island-129889908.html

http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/riverdale/article_b868ad87-f5ef-59b6-acef-ff782c92fe53.html

This is why I think hiring a house inspector is a good idea.  You have more control, they work for YOU and it adds another layer to a system we know is already flawed.  No one is perfect except, some people acknowledge same and work to correct.  In my case, Mattamy didn’t do the whole job right.  A gag order precludes me from saying more on that issue.  Sorry Peter.

Mattamy has plead guilty to breaking environmental laws, except they have been caught more than once.  Illegal wiring – not to worry as a building inspector will look after Peter.

So, it is up to you – trust a flawed, potentially corrupt system or, put your own person on the job.  Craftsmen don’t mind someone keeping an eye on things.  True tradesmen will use that resource to ensure a correct job – just an extra set of eyes to ensure perfection.  Poor builders?  They just put roadblocks in the way.  How about you Mattamy?  Trust a house inspector to monitor your build.  LOL.

When you ask if you can have your house inspector monitor your Mattamy build, make sure you have a witness.  Bully boys don’t like to work around witnesses.  But do ask them why they are so reluctant to have this added resource for FREE.

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Some developers have large pockets – Nice and big for some politicians.

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Just read an interesting article in the Washington Post regarding donations and the wealthy and the power that can be derived with the simple act of a donation, which most of us at the lower level give in good faith without strings attached.  You’ll notice – “no strings attached”, unlike donations we have seen lately.  Notably Peter Gilgan who gives large sums of money to worthy causes but has to have his name put on the building or, NO MONEY FOR YOU.

Readers of my blog have seen where my children were put at risk by Mattamy Homes and the Town of Oakville, under the leadership of then mayor, Ann Mulvale, did nothing regarding the illegal act in order to sell the home.  Nada, nothing, zip.  Not even an apology.  Now, Wellspring, a worthy outfit, managed to get some major funding from Mattamy at the time – funding arranged by Ann Mulvale.  Did this donation have some impact on the way my complaint was handled.  Only Ann and Peter know and there was a plethora of lawyers who surrounded this case and basically shut the door to my complaint.  By the way, my complaint was asking that homebuyers get protection in that they could have a house inspector monitor the construction of their home.  This had no financial benefit to me.

I’m not going to explain the whole article here but the link is available.  The following quote kind of sums it up:

Billionaire philanthropy is powerful. It goes beyond quaint notions of “doing good.” But it is clear that we need checks and balances on this power. That’s the only way to stop good intentions from turning the United States — and the world — into a plutocracy.

When one looks at Milton and Oakville, you see the shadow of Mattamy Homes and Peter Gilgan over some of the decision-making.  The guy who buses in non-residents to protest development charges that benefit the taxpayer but makes the development community pay their own way.  When a developer gives money to a cause (and usually worthy causes) one wonders at the strings attached.  Naming a building is but a small piece of the pie methinks.

In the U.S., they tried to pass a bill that would limit donations involving elections to $5000 in the last 21 days prior to an election.  It was defeated.  Remember, in the GTA, developer donations are the majority of donations.  Wonder what they are in the U.S.?  But, they did state that anything over $25 had to be identified.

“State law was designed to prevent attempts to secretly influence elections with large, last-minute contributions, and we’re reviewing how this decision impacts the state’s ability to prevent that,” Guthrie said.

I find it interesting just who donated to the Hudak election camp days before the Ontario election – large sums, Maximum amount.  Don’t worry Mr. Gilgan, your secret is safe with me.**

So, in 2012 when you sign up to donate your $25 to a favourite charity remember, it is the thought that counts and those small donations do add up and can make a difference to those in need.  But remember, you donation has no strings attached but the next time you see the big donation ask yourself.  Even though the large donation from a wealthy philanthropist is a nice act, just what is it going to cost me down the road?

In my case, I think it had some impact on the Town of Oakville’s actions concerning the act that put my children at risk.    Who else but Mattamy can illegally wire a furnace in order to ensure the sale of a house?  Monarch, Tridel, Greenpark?

Donations to historical societies?  I’ve seen developers grab historical places and then they burn down.  Mattamy – at least two burned under their stewardship.  I bet donations to historical societies are few and far between from developers.  But then, what kind of demand would be attached to the donation.

Your Town Historical Society – PETER GILGAN MATTAMY WING????  They could use it to store pictures of what could have been.

**

Mattamy Homes Ltd

09/07/2011

09/21/2011

9,300.00

9,300.00

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* The above is intended to show the reader examples of how to obtain a house inspector, no matter which builder you buy from. Remember, awards and advertising are designed to make you buy, not ensure you quality. We’ve shown that awards are not the standard on which to base your decision on. My use of my experiences are not made to embarass Mattamy Homes or Peter Gilgan but, are used because they are based on fact and show the larger picture that a house inspector is a requirement when buying a house, new or old from any builder. My experience only shows that in fact it can happen and is a fact of life. Your experiences with Mattamy may have differed.

Tim and Dalton – DO YOU HEAR ME?

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Back on July 22nd, I wrote a blog titled: “McGuinty vs Hudak – who will be favoured by the developers?”  and also did a tweet referring to this blog.  I have since done a number of  tweets directed towards both Dalton McGuinty and Tim Hudak.

No, I really did not expect an answer.  Peter Gilgan?  He would have got an answer but I doubt I would as we both travel in different donation circles.

Homebuyers really do depend on the legislation that is promulgated by various levels of government to protect them and insure some level of quality of life.  We are not naive enough to not understand that various interest groups will cause said legislation to be watered down but, at least those of us feeding at the bottom do get some level of protection.  But, only if it is utilized by the homebuyer and those in power.

In my case, the building code was put aside to accommodate Mattamy and the illegal wiring overlooked – resulting in what some might say was an illegal sale.  Too bad the Health Department wasn’t involved – they seem to be able to shut down the sale of food at charity events with no problem at all.

The Ontario provincial government was asked to look into the legislating of house inspectors – in that the homebuyer would have the RIGHT to have one inspect their new home.  As you know, Mattamy was able to ban one house inspector and make it very difficult for others to work for you.  The Tory government at the time felt that it was wrong to legislate this as it could cost money to the homebuyer.

It was to be optional, unlike the plethora of taxes that the government already dumps on us but I guess they didn’t like the idea.

Or, was it their supporters, the developers, that didn’t like it.

So, you can see why it is important for the voter to be aware of just who is supporting our candidates in the upcoming provincial election.

In my case, the former Mayor of Oakville was in tune with Peter Gilgan of Mattamy Homes (See July 22nd blog for pic).  Wellspring, at my loss, did benefit.  Children’s safety was not on the political agenda at the time.  Development was.

We have seen Mattamy Homes flood Halton Council Chambers with workers in order to dissuade a proper level for development charges.  Paid lackies brought in to show support for something they didn’t even know about.

So, Dalton and Tim – what about it?

Why have you not responded to my tweet?

Possible Reasons:

1: You don’t actually read your Twitter accounts but use them for a one way vessel of propaganda?

2: Political lackies read them for you and forgot to tell you?

3: You think I am a shithead and can’t be bothered?

4: You actually have developers funding your party and candidates and don’t want the general voter to know about this monied lobby group who will try to have you reduce the development charges, change the Planning Act and Green Energy Act and thus cause the paying taxpayer more money in the long run and a poisoned community and environment in which to live?

Tell me boys, what’s it going to be?

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* The above is intended to show the reader examples of how to obtain a house inspector, no matter which builder you buy from. Remember, awards and advertising are designed to make you buy, not ensure you quality. We’ve shown that awards are not the standard on which to base your decision on. My use of my experiences are not made to embarass Mattamy Homes or Peter Gilgan but, are used because they are based on fact and show the larger picture that a house inspector is a requirement when buying a house, new or old from any builder. My experience only shows that in fact it can happen and is a fact of life. Your experiences with Mattamy may have differed.

Is Mattamy Innocent? – gets BILD GTA awards anyways.

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I was going to showcase last nights BILD GTA Awards event on this blog originally.  It was a really nice event, attended by the cream of the residential construction industry and, the sumptuous meal and delightful entertainment kept the party going.  The Awards presentation was quick – =hint to Academy Awards organizers and, all seemed to enjoy the event.  During the event though, Sun Tv made a surprise announcement about Jack Layton getting a rub and tub a number of years ago in a massage parlour.  Investigated but released without charges.  Seems Olivia Chow knew of the incident, so wasn’t overly surprised when it surfaced I guess.  Lots of Twittering about it but, what I want to comment on is one Tweet that kind of sums up about Mattamy and their activities.  Which seem to be lost on most people in regards to last nights awards.  More on that later.

One Tweet stated the following:  ” In this country – no charges = innocent. Period. That is fundamental. #elxn41“

Yes, something a lot of people think but, those who deal with this issue daily know it is not true.

Was Mattamy charged with illegal wiring in my house?  No.  Why?  You’d have to ask Ann Mulvale and the Town of Oakville Building Department.  An investigation was done but the report never got past Mulvale. Considering I was the victim, I never saw the report and was informally told, I’d never see it.  Was Mattamy innocent?

Was Mattamy charged with construction on lands fertilized with human waste?  They were observed by a citizen ( I know them, not hearsay) who reported it to the authorities.  Investigated and construction ordered to stop.  Workers sent for testing.  Was Mattamy charged?  No?  Innocent of doing illegal construction?  I’d say yes but I guess not being charged means they are innocent, even though observed breaking the law and ordered to stop.  How do you order someone to stop if they are innocent?

I’ve received information from several sources that state that Mattamy gets a kickback from sub-contractors.  Never been charged, although I notice in Gravenhurst a CEO was fired for letting some Toronto construction firm fudge the books.  Is demanding kickbacks illegal?  Maybe when you are the homebuyer paying for a house and finding out that someone is lining their pocket with your money.  Would an investigation be worthwhile here?

I could bring out a few other issues but, I really don’t want to embarrass certain people who have been forthright with me.

But, the crux of the matter is, NOT BEING CHARGED DOES NOT MAKE ONE INNOCENT.  Otherwise, I’d have seen the report stating why he wasn’t charged, if it was a proper report.  Why hide something when someone is innocent?

Seems that J.D. Power and Associates has stopped  giving Mattamy awards based on their history.  Also, maybe because people have come forward and told them that they gave bonus marks due to free upgrades etc.  Would one call this process – INNOCENT?

So, to the person who Tweeted me on innocence.  It would be nice if it was true but, it seems that the facts don’t support the wishful thinking.

Next:  BILD GTA awards – nice event but, a slap in the face to those builders who don’t seem to have the issues that Mattamy does and didn’t win.  I’d reconsider my memberhip with BILD GTA.

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BILD Awards are somewhat soiled when you consider reputations.

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First off, for those that celebrate, I hope you had a very enjoyable Good Friday and Easter Sunday with friends and family.  For those who don’t, but got the long weekend off, hope it went well for you.  And for those that worked – thank you, it is appreciated.

Few days ago, I got involved in some online Tweeting concerning the upcoming Canadian election.  One person tweeted that he felt my BIAS towards the Town of Oakville was shaping my comments.  Well, one thing, if I did have a bias towards the Town of Oakville I doubt if I would have supported a candidate in the last municipal election, still live here and, volunteer in a local organization.  No, I love the way Oakville has been shaped (downtown) and would like to see it maintain its character.  We don’t need developers coming here and changing the very essence of why people moved here just so they can make their billions.  Change will happen but it shouldn’t destroy why we moved here in the first place.

Do I have a bias against something though?

I guess I do if you call wanting the Town of Oakville building inspectors to do their job properly a bias or, that our Planning Department take into account our past history when making changes.  Sometimes they seem to fall over backwards to help out the developers.

They don’t understand that you can build on the past without destroying it.

Fortunately we have had some people who think ahead and ensure that the taxpayer doesn’t pay the freight for billionaires to get their way.  I may be biased when I see people take the advice of self-serving lawyers and don’t even apologize for what they did wrong, even when their own people say they did do something wrong.  Of course, these same lawyers would have bent over backwards to protect mistakes made by Mattamy.  Some of these same advisors even go to work for Mattamy later.

So, I must say that my feelings towards a Town of Oakville that shows no shame in protecting the likes of Peter Gilgan and his illegal methods does not shape my political feelings, unless I think billionaires are being given preferential treatment over the common working stiff.  That isn’t happening, is it?  🙂  (for the legal beagles – read my previous blogs for illegal methods – all documented and ready)

What I am very surprised at is that an organization as big as it is, BILD, would even contemplate giving an award to Mattamy considering how Mattamy has been shafting the homebuyers in several jurisdictions.  I know, it is a GTA award and nothing big has happened here lately, unless you call some of the issues with the factory built homes in Milton an issue.

But, maybe there is more.  We know that Mattamy had my issue whitewashed in Town of Oakville Council under Mulvale’s watch.  But then, he did donate to Wellspring.  And the YMCA and the Oakville Hospital as well.  Does that buy immunity from the Building Department?  He got it in my case.  Investigation and report buried and no knocking on the knuckles.  What other sins are being buried on behalf of Mr. Gilgan?  One wonders.

No, I am not really biased in terms of this upcoming election.  I’m picking the lesser of 3 evils.  No matter which way we vote, each party has its vultures who will pick the bones of the Canadian taxpayer.

You just have to pick the one who doesn’t hurt you as much.

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Oakville politics – mirroring Chicago ward battles. Mattamy – your thoughts?

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With the Canadian Federal election campaigns going full-bore, one wonders where all the money comes from to pay for all the expenses.  Yes, we have legitimate funding, such as from the Federal government itself but, we do wonder just who donates and who accepts.

In the last Oakville municipal election, former mayor Ann Mulvale, who was running against incumbant Rob Burton, made a point of stating she was not accepting any funding or donations from the “Development Community”.  Although readers of this blog remember a picture of good old Peter Gilgan of Mattamy Homes standing beside (behind) her at one of her events.  Just a personal friend I guess.

Supposedly, those running for election are to keep track of all monies, donations, etc that come to them for their election campaign and, they must submit this list.  Failure to do so on time results in them not being able to run in the next election.  Supermodel Enza falls into this category for the Toronto elections.

I know in Ann Mulvale’s previous life as mayor of Oakville, she spearheaded a fundraising for Wellspring and Mattamy Homes, a major developer in the area, came to the rescue.  Interestingly, it was the same time my complaint against Mattamy was before the Town. 

Guess what happened to it?

I recently read an article where politicians and donators could get around the reporting legislation. 

Quite easy actually. 

Big boss wants to support a politician but is limited in the amount he/she can give or, doesn’t want to show up as a supporter when they are lobbying for something. 

What do they do? 

Give their employees money to donate as individuals and then reimburse the employee.  Not bad. 

Maybe we should pass legislation that states that those who donate to a politician’s campaign should list where they work.  Crap, I forgot.  It’s the guy getting the donation that has the power to pass the legislation. 

Guess that won’t happen.

Maybe we should be looking into just who supports our federal candidates and to the tune of how much.  Might be interesting to then note just how they vote on matters.

I read one Tweet that alluded to Oakville politics becoming much like a Chicago ward battle.

Boss Gilgan.  Has a nice ring, doesn’t it Peter.

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Major Developers may be down but not out in Halton.

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As the Federal candidates for our newest Federal election ( 4 in 7 years) start-up the process and hit the hustings to try and explain why they will do any better after this election, our municipal politicians (those who made it and those who didn’t) are finishing off the process by submitting their election expenses/donations. 

If you go to the Town of Oakville link, you will see who gave what to whom during the election, although some are just interim in order to fulfill the legal obligations of a time deadline.  One interesting thing to note is that Max Khan, a new Federal liberal candidate, was voted into the Town of Oakville council during the last municipal election. 

He has decided to go Federal. 

What I found interesting was that he had no contributors – he paid all the expenses himself.  I kind of think he knew beforehand that he wouldn’t be around long and didn’t want to burn any contributor bridges, so to speak.  Shame though.  If he gets elected to the Federal level, we will have to have an expensive by-election.  But, that is another issue.

What was noted in the Oakville Beaver was that DEVELOPERS were notably absent from the contributor listing for Ann Mulvale, known as “Asphalt Annie” to her friends.  Even Peter Gilgan didn’t give her any money.  Guess he’d already given her enough in the past.  Being a supporter of Mulvale, I guess the Beaver wanted to make sure all knew this.  They made no comment about the other financial statements in regards to developers.  Must have realized this was a sore point for Mulvale.

A check of some of the other candidates also showed an absence of Major Developers as contributors.  Of course, I wouldn’t recognize their names as an individual but, as an individual, they certainly have the right to donate money within the specified amounts to a candidate of their choice. 

Does all this mean anything in the grand scheme of things?

I think so.  As we know, Mattamy was very strong about the Development Charges and most of the present Oakville Council aren’t overly sympathetic to their arguments.  They also aren’t threatened by the Mattamy tactic of flooding council chambers to try and sway the politicians.  And, I doubt that the busloads of workers that were brought in are even taxpayers in Halton.  They didn’t even know why they were there, according to former Halton Chair Pomeroy.  So, why would Halton or Oakville council listen to those who want the taxpayer to spend money but don’t pay any themselves locally.

Yes, the major developers were quite in Oakville’s recent election but it could be the cloud before the storm.  We know Councillor O’Connell in Pickering wondered how many candidates in her council took the developer handout while allowing Mattamy to change it’s submitted sub-division plan. 

And, we know they can donate money in other ways. 

Right Peter.

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