ORNGE Boondoggle Audit Report Highlights

Mulder

Last week the Ontario Auditor General released the report on ORNGE, the air ambulance agency that is deservedly under scrutiny. Here are some highlights to make you see red.

We noted in this regard that the funding Ornge received for air ambulance services increased by more than 20% between the 2006/07 fiscal year (Ornge’s first full year of operations) and the 2010/11 fiscal year. However, over the same period, the total number of patients transported by air decreased by 6%.

Nice eh? How about this one?

Ornge received $65 million to perform inter-facility land ambulance transfers, projected to number 20,000 annually. However, Ornge is currently providing only about 15% of the projected transfers.

Do the math on that one. To transport a patient, over land not air, was estimated to cost $3250 per transport. So if you were to be driven by Ornge from North York General to Sick Children’s Hospital, we were GOING to pay $3250. But instead Ornge took $65Million and only transported 3000 people. The math there is over $21500 per transport. Seriously???

Ornge management, with approval of its board, created a network of for-profit and not-for-profit subsidiaries and other companies with which Ornge has entered into complex financial arrangements to deliver air ambulance services. In fact, much of Ornge’s operation is being delivered by these other entities, which bill Ornge for those services.

And I guarantee each tier took it’s chunk of our flesh in dollars. How about the sweet deal below for some company. I would LOVE to be the landlord for ORNGE.

The building that houses Ornge’s corporate head office was purchased for $15 million using funding borrowed through a bond issue. Ornge then entered into a complex arrangement with some of the other entities it created to sell the building and lease it back to itself. An independent real-estate appraiser
we engaged estimated that, under its lease with a related Ornge company, Ornge’s rent payments are 40% higher than the fair-market rent. Over the first five years of the 25-year lease, this amounts to Ornge paying $2 million more than it would pay if the building’s cost per square foot were comparable to that of similar buildings in the area.

Can we say Chaching?? I am sure the landlord for ORNGE was saying it.

After buying 12 new helicopters for US$148 million, Ornge arranged to install seating for 12 people in two of them. As a result, these helicopters could not be used to transport patients. Ornge told us it was considering selling these two helicopters.

Sure…AFTER they got caught.

The report goes on and on. And after they take a big chunk of our tax dollars and blow it left right and centre, the top employees refuse to disclose their salaries on the Ontario government sunshine list of people who make more than $100K.

Ontario Tax Payers….Officially Screwed….again. Thank you Dalton McGuinty, George Smitherman and Deb Matthews.

Bob Rae Sucks at Correlating Things

Mulder

From Hansard Feb. 28th, 2012

Hon. Bob Rae (Toronto Centre, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I have just learned that a court document has been produced from the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections saying that there were 31 phone calls between the Conservative campaign in Guelph and RackNine and that there were 40 calls between Conservative operatives in Ottawa and RackNine.
Could the government explain that information in conjunction with the statement that was just made by the parliamentary secretary?

This is like me saying:

Mr. Speaker. Police LUD reports indicated that there were 31 phone calls between MP Bob Rae’s House and Pizza Pizza in 2011 and that there were 43,000 calls between stoned teenagers and Pizza Pizza. Could Bob Rae explain that information and how it relates to him?

To quote Bugs Bunny….What a marooooon.

Laim Stream Media Not Telling Whole Truth

Mulder

A big thank you to Brian Lilley for doing the dirty work that all the other news media outlets failed to do when it comes to the robodialling accusations flying these days.

Brian did his homework and has dug up a gem that no one else seems to be pointing out. The Elections Canada report that investigates all the shenanigans reported regarding the election and election day includes the following quote:

There was no conduct reported that would bring into question the integrity of the election result overall or the result in a particular riding. Although misconduct was reported in several ridings, there is no complaint that it affected the final result. There is some speculation in the media that the dirty tricks may have affected the result in some close contests.

So the same report cited by news agencies used to call the robocalling problems a scandal clearly states that none of the 191 pages of reported problems would have changed the results. And furthermore, the report only discusses robocalling on 3 of those pages.

I would be very interested to know of ALL the shenanigans reported, how many occurred in ridings won by the various parties in a scoresheet format. Let’s look at the WHOLE election and ALL the shenanigans and figure out where the most problems occurred.

And once again, Kudo’s to Mr. Lilley. He does the true work that so many other reporters fail to do and he gives us the facts the other reporters fail to notice.

Occupier Found Dead in Vancouver

Mulder

Tragic.

A 20-something female died late Saturday afternoon of what authorities are calling a “medical emergency” after she stopped breathing in a tent at the Occupy Vancouver site.

The woman, whom Occupy participants were calling “Ashley” was found unresponsive by Occupy’s medical team around 4:30 p.m. and was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The death, following an overdose at the site Thursday, prompted Mayor Gregor Robertson to say there is an urgent need to shut down the site due to “life safety” issues.

A perfect analysis of the Flea Party occupying Wall Street and Bay Street

Mulder

Exhibit C. To the villainy-of-the-rich theme emanating from Washington, a child is born: Occupy Wall Street. Starbucks-sipping, Levi’s-clad, iPhone-clutching protesters denounce corporate America even as they weep for Steve Jobs, corporate titan, billionaire eight times over.

These indignant indolents saddled with their $50,000 student loans and English degrees have decided that their lack of gainful employment is rooted in the malice of the millionaires on whose homes they are now marching — to the applause of Democrats suffering acute Tea Party envy and now salivating at the energy these big-government anarchists will presumably give their cause.

Except that the real Tea Party actually had a program — less government, less regulation, less taxation, less debt. What’s the Occupy Wall Street program? Eat the rich.

 

The whole article is a must read by the smartest man in Washington, Charles Krauthammer

Flea Party Protests On Wall Street/Bay Street. Astroturf planted by George Soros?

Mulder

The rise of the Flea Party has been quick but is it real grassroots?  Or is it Astroturf?

Soros and the protesters deny any connection. But Reuters did find indirect financial links between Soros and Adbusters, an anti-capitalist group in Canada which started the protests with an inventive marketing campaign aimed at sparking an Arab Spring type uprising against Wall Street. Moreover, Soros and the protesters share some ideological ground.

So what do you think?  One of Barack Obama’s biggest supporters is George Soros, who is linked to the Tides Foundation. The Tides Foundation in turn backs so many smaller left wing organizations that are out there garnering support from and giving it to the Flea Party.  In turn, the Flea Party is now protesting big Wall Street types.  Did you know that George Soros makes all his money from running his massive hedge fund?  i.e. he is a Wall Stree type.

Something smells fishy here.