milton

Protest or not to protest

Mike Cluett

As many of you out there who know me, know Im a big Leafs fan. I’ve talked about them ad nauesem with everyone over the last little while, especially since the beginning of the season.

Let me give you a bit of history. I was once a Habs fan!

*Collective gasp*

Yes indeed. In my younger years I was what you called a Habs fan. My dad grew up watching the Montreal Canadiens on CBC week after week playing against his HATED Maple Leafs. Yvon Cornoyer, Serge Savard and other Habs were heroes in our house. My dad grew up on Rocket Richard and other all time greats and his enthusiasm was infectious to say the least.

My favourite Hab at that time was Guy Lafleur. Number 10 could do no wrong. He bolted up the ice on the right wing so fast, the defensemen didn’t see him coming. Goal after goal I was impressed by both him and other players like Larry Robinson and Steve Shutt.

I don’t really know when it happened or what game it was on Hockey Night in Canada but they were playing the Leafs and I happened to notice this amazing goaltender by the name of Mike Palmateer.

 

Now, at that age having someone famous named “MIKE” was pretty darned cool, so I watched the game intensely. Save after save he made had me open my eyes. Ian Turnball and another all time Leaf fave of mine Daryl Sittler caught my eye and before I knew it…I was a LEAFS FAN!

To my fathers dismay I made immediate demands for a Leafs jersey with the number “29” for my Christmas present, and with the help of my aunt who worked at Maple Leaf Gardens (God I miss that place) Santa had one under the Christmas tree that year. I was a convert.

Now with my criticism of the team in the last few years, and my growing admiration of the Vancouver Canucks (my west coast fix for hockey) I’ve been asked, am I going to convert from a Leafs fan to someone else.

Let me tell you I would have to put aside a fair amount of money for therapy if I was going to do that. Good or bad, I cheer them on. Sometimes quite loudly as my screams of horror and dismay were heard throughout the house with the game against Atlanta earlier this week. Pat had to call down at times to tell me to keep it down as I grumbled and groaned at each missed play and even worse when I saw Pavel Kubina jump out of position YET AGAIN which leads to the oppositions goal scoring totals.

It’s not as bad as that … yet.

I feel that given the Leafs ownership situation and their apparent inability to do ANYTHING about the current state of the team, I need to do something. Goal tending isnt really an issue here. Toskola is a good goaltender and so is Raycroft. Im one of the few fans out here that think Andrew Raycroft should be given more of a chance than he has. Instead the braintrust at the Leafs Nation HQ decide by coin toss it seems, who is to go in net on a nightly basis. No chance of building momentum is there. Bryan McCabe isnt the problem either. Sure hes overpaid. $7 million plus a year? Who’s to blame for that? Surely McCabe isnt. Oh ya, like anyone out there would turn down that salary.

“No really John Ferguson Jr….I’m not worth that. Please pay me $2 million.” You would accept it and you know it.

Defense is the problem. Its inconsistent and at times, non existent. Players are out of position, they seem tired and run down and God forbid they have a lead going into the 3rd period as the gas tank seems to be on “E” at the start of the 3rd.

So what does a fan do?

I don’t buy tickets to games…that’s a fact. I cant afford to take a mortgage payment to take the family to the ACC for overpriced beer and bad seats to cheer them on. The odd time I buy some merchandise for Anthony or get it as a gift. So I cant really hurt them in the pocket book now can I?

I could call all the radio call in shows and complain but when the topic of discussion is the Leafs the lines are full and everyone squaks ab0ut them anyways…so I cant help out there.

I can do something though. I can say, enough is enough. Why should I as a Leafs fan put myself through 60 minutes of hockey that only ends up in heartbreak at the end of the night. Why should I take the time out of my night, sit back and watch Kubina run around the ice like a moron, get out of position and give the other team a chance for a goal?

So I think I’ve decided to stop watching the games until they give me a reason to watch them. I picked a hard night to do it, what with the Leafs playing Pittsburgh and who doesnt want an opportunity to see the best player in the NHL in Sidney Crosby play.

I had thought about it long and hard after the last Atlanta game that saw the Leafs fall in a shoot out loss. They did, to their credit, keep the game close. But in order for them to be a playoff contender, they need to win those games. Ottawa has a tendency to either kill their opponents or at the last second pull out a victory and get TWO points instead of settling for ONE point with a tie or an overtime loss.

Last year the Leafs missed the playoffs by one point. That one point could have been earned on a number of occasions in games that they were supposed to win or should have won.

They seem to be falling into the same trap this year with their record so far.

So, I dont know if I will be able to hold off tonight and NOT tune in. We’ll have to see. It’s hard to go cold turkey, but I’ll give it a try.

Im NOT resigning my Leafs fan membership just yet. It would take a bit more of this to get me to think about that. Until then, I just plan on watching hockey, with my focus going to the Vancouver Canucks. We’ll see about that team. SOMETHINGS gotta give here.

Life changing moments

Mike Cluett

Just a quick update on the last post I made about the lights going in on Thompson and Yates…its been delayed. They have completed some of the work but still a lot more to be done. The information I was going on was a posting by Regional Councillor Colin Best on (one of my favourite sites) Hawthorne Villager

So as more details come in on this, I’ll post a further update.

And for those who don’t know, Pat and I found out a few weeks ago that we were expecting NUMBER 2 in the baby department. Anthony has just turned 7 so to go through this all over again, is almost like doing it for the first time. Both Pat and I are quite excited and today was the day we made our journey to downtown Toronto for the ultrasound.

With the birth of Anthony, Pat had developed a very good relationship with her doctor and has chosen to have the baby at Women’s College Hospital. A little out of the way mind you, but the care she got during the last pregnancy was outstanding, and its all about her comfort isn’t it?

So this morning we got up bright and early and made our way to downtown Toronto. I don’t know how many of the readers of this blog do this on a daily basis, but let me tell you something…you have MY respect. I couldn’t see anyone do that drive every day back and forth even if I did live just outside the big smoke…it would drive me nuts.

I did come up with a few ideas (controversial as they may be) for the city of Toronto to raise funds and decrease the dependence on raising taxes of his constituents. I don’t know exactly how it would all work, but you could make the Gardiner Expressway a toll road, similar to the 407 where all funds generated would go to an infrastructure account to improve the roads in the city.

Now many of you out there who commute to Toronto daily might not like that, but it makes sense. The majority of the roads that are heavily used in the city are driven on by people who don’t live in Toronto. I didn’t say the idea would be LIKED by everyone now did I? More on that coming up in another post.

There’s one more Toronto related item Id like to bring up and that’s the Maple Leafs and what a sorry state they’re in at this moment. They’re doing very poorly and no one can deny that, not even the most rabid of Leafs fans out there…it’s BAD. The situation wont get any better just by having guys / fans like myself complain that its bad. The only way its ever going to get fixed is if the ACC stopped selling out. HOW can that happen? The fans who wait in lines for standing room only tickets for all hours, and people who spend HUNDREDS of dollars just to go to a game, will have to say enough is enough and STOP going to games.

There are some bright spots on the Leafs offense including Sundin who is having an amazing start to the season. Andropov shocked almost every Leafs fan out there with the season hes having so far. There is more than that but those are the 2 main shining lights.

The duds of the team can be combined in one word…defense. Mainly idiots like Kubina who have YET, despite his years playing hockey, figured out hes not a forward but defense. He jumps out of position so many times during a game, I’ve lost count and when he does realize hes out of position, POOF…. Goal! He’s not the sole reason for the defense corps woes but he does need some help.

So far this year, my “teams” aren’t doing so well. The Leafs…the Vancouver Canucks…the Ti-Cats…and the San Fransisco 49ers. I have been doing what I can to help keep the faith.

All things being said, with all the problems we face on a daily basis, with work, with sports, with politics, and with everything else. None of it seems important when you’re looking at the screen of an ultrasound and seeing the beating heard of your unborn child.

Lights at Thompson and Yates Drive

Mike Cluett

There are a few sources of information available for Milton residents on the internet.  If you need a good source of local information and news in a one stop shop, you can go to www.miltonsearch.com where they update almost daily on the happenings around town.

One other site that I go to, which I highly recommend, is www.hawthornevillager.com

On this site theres some great background information for one of Hawthorne Village’s first residents and the process it took to build a brand new home.  Great read.

Also included on his site is a forum for not just HV residents, but all residents of Milton.  Its a great source of information on your local community, whats happening around the area, and where residents can vent, complain, and ask for help on a number of items.

One of the many concerns in Hawthorne Village (Ward 1 mainly) is traffic.  While campaigning last year, that issue ranked number one as most residents were concerned about stop signs, traffic flow, and lights.

If anyone drives down Thompson Road south of Derry, you will find there to be a high level of traffic at Yates Drive.  Those who live on the west side of Thompson on Yates have found it increasingly difficult to turn north or south without taking their lives in their hands.  Many residents have asked for and demanded a stop light be installed.

After several months planning through the Town of Milton, it was decided and approved recently that there will be lights installed at this location.  Regional Councillor Colin Best confirmed in a post on the HV forum that construction should be starting soon with a targeted finishing date of October 27th.

I know I can speak on behalf of many residents in that area both east and west on Yates that this is a welcome development.

You can find the post here on the HV website.  While youre at it, register to post and introduce yourself.

Do we need more regional councillors

Mike Cluett

Region of Halton

In a recent decision by Halton Regional Council, they are going to review the number of councillors. Normally I would be opposed to something like this but I am interested in what is going to be discussed in this review.

You would have to be living under a rock to not know how fast Milton is growing. If you take a look at the existing structure you will see a drastic imbalance in the representation. Maybe a few years ago, it was fine because of the population distribution but right now, and in the coming years, Milton is out numbered.

So … when do we increase? When the growth is finished or do we make gradual changes as the population changes? Its a tough call.

Our regional councillors and Mayor Krantz (Milton’s 3 representatives) have a tough road to haul over the next few years. As Milton grows in population, so will the demand on their time and the resources available to them.

There will be some talk needed about the increase in population in all three municipalities that encompass the Region of Halton. At this point, if Milton required some changes, they could possibly be outvoted by the 2 other municipalities at the drop of a dime.

Its important to the success of regional council that there be some equity in the representation. Its a topic that needs to be discussed and a time line developed as quickly as possible in order to maintain a much needed and fair balance at the region.

As expected the possible changes were met with some resistance from Oakville and Burlington regional councillors. The overall intent of the committee shouldnt be just to figure out if we “need” more politicians, but to make sure the balance of all towns/cities is kept in Halton. Recently, the Champion did an article on the recent decision.

Committee to look at representation
Melanie Cummings, Special to the Champion
Published on Sep 21, 2007

Halton councillors may have to make room for more politicians around the council table, depending on the outcome of a newly created committee.

Regional council gave the go ahead Wednesday to establish the Regional Representation Review Sub-Committee that will examine the appropriateness of the current number of council members.

The four mayors from Oakville, Burlington, Halton Hills and Milton, plus Regional Chair Gary Carr will examine whether more councillors are needed and report back to the administration and finance committee by March 2008.

Oakville Councillor Keith Bird said that mayors and the regional chair were chosen to study the issue so as to eliminate any self-interest affecting the recommendations.

The suggestion to set up a sub-committee on the topic barely made its way to council Wednesday as it was narrowly approved at last week’s administration and finance committee meeting.

Halton Hills Councillor Clark Somerville said at the committee meeting that he was opposed to the concept.

“I don’t think there are people out there saying, ‘We need more politicians,'” he said. “I think we have a model that’s working right now.”

But Burlington Councillor Rick Craven disagreed.

“From my point of view in the City of Burlington, members of council are generally feeling overwhelmed. The paper work alone is truly amazing,” he said. “It’s time to study this question and we have the time to do it right. Let’s get on with it.”

While Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said he has no problem taking a look at the current representation, he concurred with Somerville that there’s not a big demand in the community for more politicians.

Carr said there are more fundamental issues council needs to deal with and said any decision to increase representation would have to get approval from the provincial government.

New Look to the Blog

Mike Cluett

Trying some new things every now and then so if it looks like somethings been changed….youre right! It has. Let me know what you think. I’ll be trying to make it look a bit better so it might change some more over the next little while.

Im trying to incorporate this blog into my website so it will be easier to go to www.mikecluett.ca instead of this blog. As with everything…a work in progress.

Speaking of a work in progress, the Amazing Race is coming up next month as well. It looks like the teams are now set in place and they wont be accepting any new applicants…BUT we will need lots of people to come out and cheer the teams on.

This race has been many months in the making, and its going to be a fitting end to the 150th Anniversary celebrations. Go to www.milton.ca and click on the 150th logo for more information.

As well, one of the top rated schools (Hawthorne Village Public School) will be having its “WELCOME BACK FUN FAIR” on September 29th starting at 11am. Theres going to be tons of stuff going on so even if you dont have kids in the school…come on by.