Month: January 2006

Via Bourque.ca

Liberal Joe Volpe, MP for Eglinton-Lawrence in Toronto, is in trouble again after documents revealed he took a limo ride from Toronto to Buffalo for over $1000 at our expense. This on the heals of his $138 pizza lunch.

Leaked documents detail a 12 1/2-hour trip to the nearby U.S. city last March that included an $850 fare, $127.50 tip and $68.43 in GST for a total cost of $1,045.93.

Another 10 1/2-hour trip to an undisclosed location from Pearson airport cost $522

Let’s see how the average citizen might get to Buffalo.

Option A) Via Rail – Our illustrious rail transit system. A round trip to buffalo costs anywhere from $74 to $88 dollars from my work at ViaRail. Note: you should click “view all stations” over the list to select the Buffalo options as they do not appear in the common stations drop down list. I tried both Buffalo stops and dates from as early as one day away to way out in the end of February and the pricing was, basically, the same.

Option B) Car Rental – I went to National Car Rental’s website for two reasons. One they are a very reputable company, and two, they offer one way drop offs. I priced a one day rental of their most luxurious car for a one way with a drop off in Buffalo, and a second with the return of the vehicle back in Toronto. The one way with drop off cost just under $400 (with taxes) and the round trip was significantly lower at $122.76.

(click to enlarge)

Option C) Helicoptor – ok, maybe the average citizen wouldn’t do this, but I just HAD to price it out. I called a company in Toronto just north of the airport called National Helicoptor Tours and they told me for a four seater helicoptor the going rate is ~$900 an hour which includes fuel and pilot. A one way trip to St. Catherines is about 45 minutes so Buffalo would be roughly an hour is what they told me. This would put the round trip at about $2200-$2500 with tip and down time while at whatever meeting he had in Buffalo.

In any case, I think Volpe took us for a ride. I worked in an executive role for several years and even I rented cars, took cabs, took the train to and from Montreal, and once….just once…was lucky enough to ride in a Lear Jet. It was cheaper for 8 of us to travel in it than to buy 8 round trip tickets to Chicago. But even that trip was well priced out and the best option was taken.

Hey Volpe, you’re just an average Joe put in your position by average Joes. How you spend your MP salary is your business. How you spend our tax dollars is ours.

Eglinton-Lawrence needs to send him a message on January 23rd telling him what they think of his limo rides.

Via Bourque.com,

The Toronto Star has an article in which Paul Martin calls to NDP voters to vote strategically.

“There’s got to be a coalition of progressive voters,” Martin said in an interview with CBC TV yesterday.

“I think that that is the position that an awful lot of people who support the NDP are going to find themselves in. If they vote NDP, then obviously that’s not a progressive vote that’s going to win out, and the option to that is Stephen Harper, and I think a lot of people are going to take that into account.”

In my opinion, this circumvents the whole electoral process. We have many parties, we vote for the party whose platform we like best, and send the MP’s to Ottawa. Once there, it is up to all the parties to work together to decide on issues. Coalitions can be formed, sides taken on specific issues and votes, etc.

By Paul Martin calling for NDP voters to think about who the leader will be is a slap in the face to our intelligence and to our system of government. We do NOT vote for the leader of a country, Mr. Martin. You of all people should know that. You took over office without one citizen’s ballot cast for you to be our Prime Minister. This country’s system is a parliamentary one. We send our representative. If you don’t believe me, take a look at your ballot come election day. I guarantee you will never get a ballot that shows every party leader’s name on it. (Yes, some of you do vote for Martin or Harper, but you do so because you live in their riding).

Nuff said. I’m sick of the spin in this election. Can we not just get to Monday already?