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AND STILL FIGHTING FOR THE LITTLE GUY

May 2, 2010 - Many faithful Linda Leatherdale readers are wondering ... where the hell have I been?

To all of you, let me explain:  My corporate life as Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Cambria Canada (www.cambriacanada.com) is keeping me very busy.  It warms my soul to hear at industry events that Cambria, a North American manufacturer of superior natural quartz products that's investing in Canada and creating badly-needed jobs, is a marketing genius.  Like the famous CityTV slogan "We're everywhere."  To me, that means I'm doing my job.

Our CEO Marty Davis, who runs this privately-held, family-owned enterprise, is a marketing genuis.  He likes to brand, and to that, he brings in people with a brand and who know how to brand.

A big fan of The Band, Davis enlisted our Canadian icon, rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins, as the Canadian spokesperson.   As Ronnie says, "rock hard."  And our product is "hard rock."  Ronnie and I will be at the Toronto Real Estate Board's Realtor Quest May 5 and 6, where we'll take the main stage and talk about how Ronnie has contributed to greatly to the Canadian music scene.  Most of Canada's best goes to the States to find fame and fortune.  Ronnie came to Canada in 1958, became a citizen in 1964, helped everyone from David Clayton Thomas to Janis Joplin (even David Foster was once a Hawk), and still declares Canada "the promised land."  He needs an Order of Canada.

At Realtor Quest, we will kick off a Win a Countertop and a Kitchen Party with Ronnie Hawkins contest, in conjunction with The Toronto Sun.  To enter this fab promotion, where Ronnie will entertain 20 of your friends in your kitchen, stay tuned for an in-paper campaign that begins in May.  The winner will be announced on Father's Day.

Our U.S. spokesperson is the original supermodel, Cheryl Tiegs, who's graced the cover of almost every magazine, including Sports Illustrated, Time, etc.  Cheryl is a timeless beauty, just like our Cambria product. Before joining Cambria, Cheryl - the original green advocate who has Cambria, a green product, throughout her Bel Air, California home - had never been to Canada. Our media loves her.  She's been on Breakfast TV, CBC's Steve and Chris Show, Canada AM, and is slated to be on The Hour with George Stromboulopolos and with Steven LeDrew on CP24.  Cheryl was also a guest with John Derringer on Q-107 and the two of us spent almost an hour with Bill Carroll on CFRB before he landed this great gig in L.A.  Cheryl's also graced the cover of two Homes Publishing magazines, and been taking the stage at many events, including the National Home Show, where we gave a seminar with The Wines Ladies and Carla Woolnough, the Re/Max Fit to Sell designer.

Just a few weeks ago, Cheryl and I emceed the Durham Region Home Builders gala.  What a blast.

So, while it's been an honour hanging out with Ronnie and Cheryl (I will be posting new photos in my photo gallery) and it's been a rewarding experience promoting and developing business for such a private sector superstar as Cambria, which I hope to continue to do for some time yet - I miss you, my loyal readers.

And judging from the emails clogging mail system, it appears you miss me, too. 

"Linda, we need your help," cried a small business owner, who was shocked to find his bank, a big player on Bay Street, is clamping down on his line of credit, even though he's never missed a payment.  "This is the wrong time to be putting the squeeze on me."

Another was angry that the WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) possy made a visit to his showroom, and declared he owed $158,000 since some workers formerly WSIB exempt were now considered fair game.  He was told he better pay up, or else.  "Linda, one even told my auditor, we're going to get this guy's money," he sighed.  "Do they know who much more I need to sell just to pay this bill.  It's tough."

But it's Dalton McGuinty, the Premier I labelled Flip, Flop McFly, for all the lies he told, who really has people riled up.

"Linda, is it true McGuinty fired Andre Marin?" asked a regular reader of my blog.  I had to reply, yes, it's true.

It appears McGuinty will get rid of anyone who turns up the heat on him, and Marin - Ontario's fiesty ombudsman - did just that.  If it wasn't for Marin, the corruption at the Ontario Gaming and Lottery Corp. would still be going on.  Marin's term as ombudsman was up March 31, and rather than automatically renewing it, which is customary, McGuinty is making Marin re-apply for the job.

Perhaps, McGuinty fears what Marin may say about his new illegal hydro tax, which will lift another $53 million from our pockets in the name of going green, which is top of skyrocketing electricity bills, the rotten Samsung deal, the hated Ontario debt retirement tax on our bills, the rotten smart meter program (there's nothing smart about it) and now his HST (harmonized sales tax), which effective July 1 will see a 13% tax on our bills.

While we go broke keeping up with hydro bills that for some are bigger than mortgage payments, hydro brass are walking away with the dough, after they busted up the old Ontario Hydro into five players, each with CEOs, boards and golden parachutes.  Sunshine laws revealed that for the Ontario Power Authority alone, some 75,000 of its bloated 300,000 bureaucracy, make more than $100,000 a year.  More? Since 2005, OPA spent $56 million on consultants.

The HST is vehemently opposed by Ontarians, just as we said "no" to the hated GST.  But here it comes, and it strikes at the heart of the engine of our economy (small businesses and consumers), and in particular the real estate sector - where everything from appraisal fees, insurance, commissions, condo fees, maintenance, etc., etc., will be going up.

"We need to stop this mess now before we end up like the States," wrote one smart law clerk in Mississauga, who's alerted me to yet another boondoggle, after she broke the news that Ontario government was going to include the cost of home upgrades into the land transfer tax.  (That's another burning issue, how McGuinty allowed the City of Toronto to hit taxpayers with a new municipal land transfer tax.)

Now, she's upset that nobody can answer this.  How the HST will affect a client, who's new home deal was to close by July 1, but has now been extended.  "The builder can not tell him how much extra the home will cost her, his solicitor does not know, nor do employees at Rev Canada."  The clerk said she called Rev Canada (now called CRA, Canada Revenue Agency).  "I spoke to two different people and got two different answers."

She went on, "Does our government not realize that our strong housing industry kept Canada afloat during the U.S. subprime meltdown?  Linda we need you to bring this HST sh... to the forefront."

I have been ranting on about the evils of the HST, in the Sun's Homes Extra section, in numerous publications I have been writing for including online publication, Canadian Business Journal, in speeches (I recently addressed the Mississauga Real Estate Board and in Hamilton I shared a podium with NDP leader Andrea Horwath at an Ontario Apartment Owners Association meeting.)  I've also joined in the fight on the Roy Green Show on the Corus radio network where I am a regular guest with Catherine Swift, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.  Today, at 2:30 p.m., Roy, Catherine and I will discuss the financial mess in Greece, and how defaulting on its massive debt could bring down other economies and cripple the recovery from the subprime meltdown, which was sparked by greed and corruption in our capital markets.

Bottom line is this: One taxpayer, one pocket.  And living within our means is key - which governments never learn.

One of the reasons Canada withstood the global meltdown is because years ago, when Paul Martin was finance minister, we told Ottawa to get out of debt.  Sadly, though, the debtloads were transferred to hardworking families - with household debt in this country at an all-time high of $1.6 trillion, or $96,100 per household.  That's a debt to personal income ratio of 145%.  And our taxes keep going up. Enough.

If I have to, I'll enter politics to fight back for you.  In fact, I want your opinion.  Should I run for public office? Let me know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Meanwhile, I plan on upgrading my website to be more interactive.  Watch for campaigns where you can directly contact our Prime Minister, Premiers and elected officials over what's burning you.

Yes, I'm ba-a-a-a-ck!!!

Guts, glory and the longest-standing Mayor

By Linda Leatherdale 

Oct. 1, 2009 — I am sitting across the table from a woman I hold in awe, and wondering how different Canada might be if she was Prime Minister.

It blows the mind that Hazel McCallion — one of the greatest Mayors on the face of the earth — is 88 years old,  has more energy than many 40 year olds and shows no sign of slowing down.

“I'm going for another term as long as my health holds,” the feisty Mississauga Mayor tells me, her cell phone ringing non-stop throughout our lunch.  Yet, though she takes every call, her train of thought never wanes.

It also blows the mind that this powerful woman came into the world at a time when women were fighting for the right to vote and the freedom of no longer being considered second-class citizens.

McCallion was born on Feb. 14, 1921 — only a few years after Manitoba became the first province to give women the right to vote in 1916, with other provinces following the lead from 1916 to 1925.  But not her native Quebec (Hazel was born in Port Daniel on the Gaspe Coast of Quebec.)  It wasn't until 1940, Quebec gave women the right to vote — and not long after Hazel moved to Toronto, where she would meet Sam McCallion, settle in Streetsville and bear three children.  She resides in Streetsville to this day, though Sam has since passed away.

Though not a die-hard feminist, it's a no brainer Hurricane Hazel would have been at the forefront of this female revolution, had she been old enough to join in back then.  

That's just her way:  Fighting for what is right.

Today, it's a power plant crisis that has her back up.  And in her usual style, she's up for a fight and never suffers fools gladly.

“Tell me that again,” she presses an aide, who's just advised her that  both Ontario's Energy Minister George Smitherman and Environment Minister John Gerretsen confirmed they will not show up for a Monday night  town hall meeting where angry citizens are expected to vent their opposition to Premier Dalton McGuinty's plan to build a $1-billion, 850-megawatt gas-fired power in Clarkson, in Hazel's riding.

“This is political suicide,” cautions McCallion, as she prepares a tersely-worded email to McGuinty where she'll warn hiding is not the answer.

In the end, McGuinty sent in Ontario Power Generation's vice-president of communications, Ben Chin, to face the wrath of the people.  But not before McCallion fired a shot over his bow, announcing Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Alene King had agreed to investigate the impact on people's health, where pollution is already a burning issue in this pollution-stressed area.

McCallion wants McGuinty to kill the project.  So, too does a growing grassroots group of citizens from Mississauga and nearby Oakville.

And they're spitting nails over some compromises being floated.  One comes from Oakville Mayor Rob Burton, who suggests he'll support the plan if two units of pollution are cut for every one unit of new pollution from the power plant.

“It's preposterous.  It defies the laws of mathematics and physics,”  complained a spokesperson from MIRANET, a coalition of 25 citizens' group.  She pointed out there are 57 industries in the area and even if all of them were closed, you couldn't do the two-for-one trade because of pollution from other sources, like cross border and air/highway traffic.

McCallion, meanwhile, is adamant: “We're not prepared to gamble with the health of our citizens.”

What sets McCallion apart from so many is she is loyal to her gut instincts and lives by common sense — and that means staying  apolitical, no matter the issue.  Believe me, in her 33 years of holding office, she's dealt with many burning issues, each one with its own political agenda.

“Basically, I am a Conservative with a Liberal point of view and social conscience, who is looking for a lot of reform in government,” she explains.

McCallion voices disappointment that “common sense” left Mike Harris Tories' Common Sense revolution to usher in a number of bone-head policies, like the amalgamation of cities and the downloading of social services costs.

“We will never recover from downloading,” she says.

But rather than looking for hand-outs, McCallion prefers to run a tight ship and prides herself that Mississauga has remained debt-free since 1978.   At the same time, despite infrastructure challenges and battles over use of GST money — McCallion has grown Mississauga from a small collection of towns and villages into the sixth largest city in Canada, with a enviable mix of commercial, residential, industrial and recreational areas.  

“I think we give value for tax dollars, we run our city like a business,” says McCallion, who also takes pride of “no waste” at City Hall, which is contrary to the City of Toronto where exposing waste of money has become a daily political sport, while debt skyrockets and the people are taxed to death.

McCallion is also a believer in true democracy, and government for the people and by the people.  That is why she was the first Mayor of a major municipality to submit its annual operating budget to residents for their input and scrutiny.

Bottomline is she realizes tax dollars are the hard-earned money of her constituents.  “I only spend taxpayer's money, like I spend my own,” says McCallion, who admits to being frugal.

Now, she's worried how harmonization of the 5% GST with Ontario's 8% PST will impact families — as a new 13% tax hits many items, like gasoline, heating fuel, running shoes, hydro, home renovations, even funerals, when the HST hits in July 2010.

“It's the wrong tax at the wrong time,” she says, pointing out Ontario's economy is still bleeding from a high dollar, fallout from a severe U.S. recession and the subprime crisis, a crippled auto industry, etc. — which has reduced the once manufacturing envy of the world into a have-not province.

She also worries about the sad state of family finances, record household debt, and warnings that one missed paycheque could push many families over the edge.

Closer to home, she finds it ludricrous that after Mississauga reached out to lower-income families to give them a break on the cost of  recreational facilities, these fees will now be hit with a 13% tax.

As for our new global world, McCallion is an advocate of “fair trade” not just “free trade.”  She understands good jobs and a healthy middle class is key to a free democratic capitalist society — not growing the gap between the rich and the poor with casino capitalism and greed.

So, I wonder — as our country digs itself deeper into debt and power-hungry politicians keep their fingers on the election trigger —what would Canada be like if Hazel McCallion was the Prime Minister?

A better place?  Bet on it.

Linda Leatherdale is one of Canada's most trusted financial journalists.  She is also Vice-President of Marketing and Business Development for Cambria, a leading manufacturer of natural quartz surfaces. (www.cambriacanada.com)