City Councillor Going After MPs

[Richey]

I live in Ward 13 of Toronto. That would be Bill Saundercook's ward. If you'll recall, CFTO news recently did a story on the councillor visiting an MP at Jane/Dundas where a shooting had recently taken place.

Today his newsletter arrived in the mail. In it was a short piece about MPs titled "Massage Parlours - A Scourge in our Neighbourhoods?" Below you'll find the article word for word as it appears in the newsletter. Please note that what I have included in bold is what the councillor has in bold in the newsletter.




MASSAGE PARLOURS - A SCOURGE IN OUR NEIGHBOUHOODS?

I've become increasingly concerned about the operations of massage parlours and "holistic centres" in our neighbourhoods. I am upset and worried about the types of activities that take place within some of their premises, and the various unsavoury criminal elements that they sometimes attract.

A Federal sub-committee was recently struck to study the adequacy of current Criminal Code provisions relationg to prostitution. You may not know this interesting fact; at present it isn't illegal to pay or receive payment for sexual services. What is illegal is to communicate in a public place for purposes of arranging that service.

Following a Februray 28th stabbing in front of a massage parlour on Dundas Street West, I decided to vigorously pursue the unsavoury aspects that are often associated with these businesses, and I am attempting a multi-prong approach.

The City's Municipal Licensing and Standards department regulates massage parlours and holistic centres. At a recent Planning & Transportation Committee I succeeded in getting the Committee's support to require that there be more stringent controls of massage parlours. The Committee agreed with my request for staff to prepare a report that looks at the following issues.

- Clarification of current definitions and classifications of holistic centres and body rub parlours.
- A requirement that all employees of body rub parlours must be twenty-one years of age or older.
- A requirement that all employees of body rub parlours must be Canadian citizens, or legally in Canada.
- A requirement that body rub parlours provide proof of proper filing of GST and PST.
- A requirement than an annual audit be conducted on all body rub parlours.
- A requirement that body rub parlours' hours of operation be restricted to 9:00am-5:00pm.
- A requirement that all employees of body rub parlours be required to have appropriate certification and training in proper hygiene practices and expertise in their speciality.
- A requirement that the names of all body rub parlours be reviewed and approved by the city.

If you live close to one of these operations, and observe suspicious activities, please don't hesitate to call my office. You may want to record licence plate numbers and any other pertinent information. If we want to change what is tolerated today, we will all have to work together.

 

[me!]

Holy Shit!

 

[elenelie]

I agree that there is a need to control criminal elements and exploitation of foreign, under age sex workers (that's a no brainer, like saying yes to Mom and Apple pie) but I disagree with his basic assumption that it it's wrong for 2 consenting adults to do what ever they agree to do behind closed doors, for a fee or otherwise. he says "You may not know this interesting fact; at present it isn't illegal to pay or receive payment for sexual services. What is illegal is to communicate in a public place for purposes of arranging that service." I say "SO? What's the matter with that!""
I also don't have a major beef with most of his proposed requirements except the 9-5 one, (that's ridiculous) and his encouraging people to write down licence plate numbers.

 

[Pompal 09.]

What an idiot.

This type of 'holier than thou attitude is so short sighted.

We live today in a society where people are accepting the fact that these kind of services are not going to disappear and some kind of government regulations are needed to keep some kind of regulation and protection for clients, owners as well as workers.

Bill's tactics are blatant harassments against the owners and clients.

When are people going to realize that old school perceptions like Bill's are just going to close down the controlled environment we are trying to establish. This will result in uncontrolled serviced which will promote under aged prostitution, drug addicts and spread of disease.

I know everybody on massageplanet.net already knows this but I just needed to get it off my chest.

 

[Whatever Dude]

do you think that he will get a discount or not ...eventually?

 

[Reverend G]

Someone should get a PI.....

 

[smifty]

Ward 13:

http://www.toronto.ca/wards2000/ward13.htm

 

[homedman]

I don't know how much the license plate issue is going to affect business in downtown core area as everyone takes the ttc or walks or bikes for that matter.

Now in the surrounding areas that's different story.

 

[Ana P]

theres already enought attention on mp's this could not be a good thing for the mp world

 

[xxabbyxxjoexx]

LOL

Yeah, I bet Bill's favourite MPA turned him down for a date, now he's all pissed off.

The one GREAT thing about politicians is that they're very predictable...

Next week he'll be onto another cause that will buy him more brownie points with his constituents, and MP's will be LONG forgotten...

 

[CLJC]

RS, you're in this neck of the woods too, don't you? you probably got the same newsletter.

funny, I voted for Saundercook. He never mentioned anything about MPs during election time.

 

[kity]

I always find news on dirty politcs more interesting than shooting...

For some reason I feel like watching reality show such as Cheaters......

 

[Blurcelve]

CONVENIENCE STORES AND GAS BARS - A SCOURGE IN OUR NEIGHBOUHOODS?

I've become increasingly concerned about the operations of convenience stores and gas bars in our neighbourhoods. I am upset and worried about the types of activities that take place within some of their premises, and the various unsavoury criminal elements that they sometimes attract.

These type of business are very cash oriented and attract gun weilding criminals who rob such establishments on a daily basis. In fact, in the past year alone, seven people have been murdered in an around such Convenience stores and gas bars. This would in and of itself not be so alarming but for the fact that these guns were not duly registered.

Since I before I last got laid, Federal sub-committees have been studying the the adequacy of current Criminal Code provisions relating to price fixing at the gas bars and the tobacco industry's targetted advertsing towards encouraging children to begin smoking. This is a great example of the type of economic growth sector that our Toronto economy is becoming increasingly based upon.

This complex issue of outrageous gas prices in an oil rich country and cigarettes causing billions of dollars of medical expenses issue is not so easy to address as -say- hand jobs ant massage parlours- but "Great Minds" and consultants are hard at work drafting new funding requests for next year's round of budgeting for these "studies".

You may not know this interesting fact; at present it isn't illegal to raise or lower prices in sync with other neighbouring businesses nor is it illegal to sell the deadly cancer causing tobacco products they sell at these establishments.

What is illegal is to sell these products without the municipal, provincial and federal governments recieving their portion of the sale of these over priced, deadly but surprisingly legal products.

Following a stabbing in front of a convenience store in which a completely unrelated ongoing domestic dispute resulted in the boyfriend of the victim coming to the victim's place of work, luring her out onto the street nd stabbing her when she refused to continue their relationship I decided to use this as a flimsy excuse to grandstand and vigorously pursue the unsavoury aspects that are often associated with these businesses,

I am attempting a multi-prong approach.

It is my intention to ensure that from now on all convenience store sales are removed from fixed premises with even the most basic of security and supervision.

Such transactions, including the sale of gasoline will likely be conducted on an ad hoc basis in various locations throughout the ward.

Please do not be alarmed when you find cigarette wrappers, spilled gasoline or other evidence of this unsavoury business on your driveway, back alley, or neighbourhood school parking lots.

Also, please do your part and do not dispose of such debris in your Green Compost Bin or recyling bin. City workers will be kept very busy in the foreseable future enforcing this crackdown and resources may have to be diverted from litter collection (oops there I go showing my age- there IS NO litter collectors anymore. Silly me!)

 

[Marc]

Continued...



The City's Municipal Licensing and Standards department collects fees from any business that they can without appearing too greedy. It is done under the guise of consumer protection, but there is no enfocement mechanism to remedy consumer's being taken by other licensed trades such as plumbers, auto mechanics, paving, moving and home renovation companies

At a recent Planning & Transportation Committee (one of four hundred and nine commitees I sit on) I succeeded in getting the Committee's support to require that there be more stringent controls of convenience stores and gas bars.

The Committee agreed with my request for staff to prepare YET ANOTHER report to that looks at the following issues before being transported down the 401 and filed in our "Michigan Archives" along with evey other report ever produced at City Hall.

If "staff" is unable to complete such a report to justify my preconcieved recommendations, a former city worker will be contracted to provide a "consultant's Report" more in line with my pesonal agenda.


- Clarification of current definitions and classifications of "Convenience" stores. Are they convenient?

Gas "Bars"? Are we encouraging drinking and driving with this subliminal message?

- A requirement that all employees of convenience stores and gas bars must be twenty-one years of age or older. After all if they are such losers that they don't yet have a government or consultant job by now, surely they may be dismissed and left to the law of the jungle.

This ultra vires requirement may encounter some token resistance by troublemakers The Charter of Rights

- A requirement that all employees of Convenience Stores and Gas Bars must be Canadian citizens, or legally in Canada.

- A requirement that body rub parlours provide proof of proper filing of GST and PST. This would be in addition to the Provincial and Federal enforcement programs that already tdo this. We at the city level must use our abundant municipal resources to ensure that the Province and Federal Government
are getting their full share of taxation out of Toronto.

- A requirement than an annual audit be conducted on all Convenience Stores and Gas Bars. I'm not sure what we will "audit" but it sounds good and will certainly help City Department Heads and Budget Commitee members have less money to bother trying to spend to reduce our nagging history of budget surplus'.

- A requirement that Convenience Store and Gas Bar hours of operation be restricted to 9:00am-5:00pm. This marvel of social engineering will certainly curtail such fixed premise operations and divert the remainig transactions back to the street where they belong.

- A requirement that all employees of Gas Bars and Convenience Stores be required to have appropriate certification and training in proper hygiene practices and that the public restrooms be kept clean of excrement.

- A requirement that the names of all businesses, including but not limited to Convenience Stores and Gas Bars be reviewed and approved by the city. Names encouraging or describing the character of such establishments such as "Speedy Gas" or "Handy Mart" shall not be permitted as it may encourage innocent citizens to purchase gasoline for cars they do not own or buy cigarettes when they do not smoke.


If you live close to one of these operations, and observe suspicious activities, please don't hesitate to call my office. Not that I can actually DO anything, but again it sounds like I think I have some virility left in my inconsequential existence as a city councillor.

You may want to record licence plate numbers and any other pertinent information. ALthough pesky Federal Privacy legislation prohibits the use of such information for purposes it was not intended for... -wink- pretend like it makes a difference.

If we want to change what is tolerated today behind closed doors, we will all have to work together to work towards a more in-tolerant society. .[/QUOTE]

 

[Pompal 09.]

T'anks bye!

Anyone wanna forward it to his office?

 

[fish apple tree]

His requirements for the most part I could agree to,, the one about PST & GST requirementsand the annual audit would be difficult for a Municipality to enforce, as its not their jurisdiction, Hours are a bit odd to, especially if its not ina residential area.
He doesnt say what his intentions are for the licence plate numbers he collects either.

 

[Scotty]

Licence Plate Collection
Maybe We Should Follow The City Politician Around
And Report All His Movements
Clean Up The Real Crime You Jerk
Oh I Am Sorry You Rep A PARKDALE Ward
PARKDALE Is Crime Free I Forgot
Lets Spend Our Time And $$$ On
The Bad Vices Of The Mp Lovers

 

[Curtislj]

The problems with his "requirements" are many.

1. They are clearly not intended to regulate matters within the authority of a municpal government. "Morality" is a federal issue as is GST, age of consent, citizenship and residency status and "audits" presumably of a financial nature.

2. They are clearly designed to harass a business or class of business to which standards other business' are not held to. Aside from tossing the whole raft of rules , this exposes the city ot civil litigation on the basis of unfair discrimination.

3. They are effectively unenforceable which leads to a complete lack of respect of them.

to name but a few...

 

[Shenh]

Hence
He Gets His Name Out There
What Mpa Lovers , Mp Owners And Mpa's
Will Protest Him
It Is All Politics
Take Shots At The Easy Targets

 

[Stephanie]

In Winterpeg, they have John-cams mostly target cars and street transactions, but go after the occasional MP and their clients if things are too out of line. The footage are posted on the LE site but no best Actor and Actress awards.

figurehead, you should take Bill out for a session, to get a taste of some really BS.