I Did Not Know That

 

While I am perhaps understandably loathe to do the work of Doug Food's Ontario government, I feel an obligation to post about something I learned this morning. In what is undoubtedly a cost-saving measure, the premier's braintrust has decreed that it will no longer be sending out reminders to renew our now-free car licence plates. And even more confusing, there will no longer be any stickers to show that we are driving with current plates.

Even though sticker fees have been scrapped by the province, motorists can still be fined by police if they don’t renew their vehicle plates. Fines range from $60 to $1,000.

At the same time, the government has also scrapped mail-out reminders for licence plates, driver’s licences as well as health cards. But Ontarians can sign up for email, text message or robocalls when it’s time to renew.

In what is surely a testament to misplaced trust in the capacity of the average Ontarian to take care of details like renewals, Elliott Silverstein, an official with the CAA, says,

“What the government was trying to do, and what a lot of groups have been trying to underscore is that you’re still responsible to make sure your vehicle is registered and everything is up to date, because you need that for insurance … you don’t want to be driving without a valid licence, that can cause huge problems.”

Silverstein said the government is not issuing stickers, which may also cause some confusion “as people have been conditioned to equate the sticker to renewals, but now it’s actually just moving forward without a sticker ... you’re not getting something physically to show for it.”

Now, I hesitate to be a Grinch about this, but I feel compelled to ask an obvious question: How in the world would police know you are driving without a valid plate unless they stopped you for something else?

How about another question? How often do you check to make sure that your driver's licence and health card are current?

Blessedly, for those who have the capacity to think more than one chess move ahead, 

the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services says it has moved to digital reminders. Ontarians can register online with Service Ontario or by calling 1-800-267-8097.

We are told by the right-wing of a great desire for more freedom. Let us hope that people also realize that the great freedom from those annoying licence fees also entails great responsibility. 

Doug Ford is counting on it.

 

The Arboreal Record

This, from Michael de Adder:

Too Late, Too Late

 

“Come, my friends
Tis not too late to seek a newer world..."

- Alfred, Lord Tennyson

I don't post nearly as prolifically as I once did, in large part, I suspect, because I have lost the hope that things can be improved in ways that change the world from its present, ineluctable trajectory. The Tennyson quote given at the top is something I no longer believe in, for reasons I discussed recently. Rather, I think about tending my own garden, in the sense intended by Voltaire.

That does not, however, mean I have lost my taste for truth, at least my interpretation of it. I do abide by the maxim, "Better a bitter truth than a sweet lie."

It is in that spirit that I take issue with The Star's latest editorial, which sees the record-low turnout of voters for our June 2 provincial election as largely the failure of the parties opposing Ford's Progressive Conservatives to offer a compelling reason to vote for them. As one who has held his nose in countless elections, that view holds little currency with me.

Rather, the following letter from the print edition of today's Star speaks a deeper and darker truth, in my view:

Election result reveals a greedy, selfish Ontario

• Toronto Star
• 5 Jun 2022

Ford celebrates his majority win; Del Duca steps down, June 2

Dear Ontario,

You allowed the refund of your licence plate stickers to buy your vote. You voted selfishly, with only your own interests in mind.

You forgot about the thousands of seniors who died, lonely and neglected, in our longterm-care homes during the pandemic.

You forgot about the unravelling of some of the best environmental protection legislation in the country.

You forgot about the dozens of Ministerial Zoning Orders that pushed through developments against the wishes of communities.

The goodness of a society is measured by how well it takes care of those less fortunate and those who can’t speak for themselves. Our seniors, our needy, our disabled, our birds and insects and wild animals and rivers and lakes and wetlands and farmlands — they needed you to vote on their behalf.

This election revealed a greedy, selfish Ontario with a short memory, and a willingness to destroy our environment for short-term gain. How will you explain the consequences of your actions to your children and grandchildren?

Shame on you.

Karen Heisz, Toronto

Amen, Karen.

Brittlestar: People Are Stupid

No, it's not the result of yesterday's provincial election that prompted this title, although in light of it, Brittlestar's latest does seem apt. 

BTW, only 43% managed to rouse themselves from their torpor to vote yesterday.

H/t Moudakis

Now Here's A Thought

 For sane and reasonable Americans, this has gotta hurt:

H/t Mike Lukovich

Pavlov Had His Bell

 ... and the dogs responded accordingly. Marjorie Taylor Greene has her "peach tree dishes," also guaranteed to get the MAGA dogs salivating, even baying.

Marjorie Taylor Greene says the government is planning to “zap” people inside their bodies if they try to eat a real cheeseburger.

De Adder Strikes Again

I have nothing to add to this depiction by Michael de Adder of a diseased America we would all be well-advised to steer clear of.