- $50 million for 'Clement Country'? It's not rocket science - It's Harperavelli logic

Posted 10:30am, PST, 21 Nov.'10, Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/892868--toronto-shut-out-of-g8-g20-spending-spree?bn=1
Toronto shut out of G8, G20 spending spree. Orrville, about 20 kilometres east of Parry Sound in Conservative MP Tony Clement's Parry-Sound Muskoka riding, got a $100,000 gazebo with $745,000 earmarked for it and nearby communities, in the run-up to the G8 Summit in Muskoka, Rob Ferguson, Toronto Star, Nov 19 2010

$50 million 'legacy infrastructure fund' to the Muskoka Region (including Tony Clement's riding) and the Con-Nada Fund to Toronto.
. . .

'This fund was very much set up as a legacy fund to compensate the region for the inconveniences associated with hosting this event,' said Bryce Conrad, of Infrastructure Canada.

'Having a large group of world leaders and their respective delegations presented a number of significant challenges to the local population.

'These include dealing with the increased security, the media and the sheer disruption of everyday life associated with this type of world class event.'

Conservative MP Ed Holder (London West) called the fund “a gift to the region, a chance for all Canadians to say ‘thank you’.

Yet officials were unable to explain why Toronto — which saw its downtown core virtually shut down for the G20 summit — wasn’t compensated as well."

It's not rocket science.

It's Harperavelli logic:

Toronto needs to be made an example of;

and,

Clement needs all the favors he can get.

Toronto didn't vote for Harper and his Con's.

Clement is a focal-point of die-hard, right-wing extremism in Ontario which makes him important to Harper efforts to maintain power. He lost the first time running Federally (in '04) and the second time won by only 28 votes. Clement carries serious baggage from his days with Mike Harris and has done some very unpopular things carrying out Harper orders, including undemocratically abolishing the Long Form Census, and his support early this year of the undemocratic Harper prorogation:
"Clement claimed that only the “elites” and “chattering classes” care about prorogation" (Wikipedia)

It certainly is not outside the realm of likely that announcing the G20 in Clement's ridging at first was to give the excuse to spend the $50 million, Harper, Clement and the Con's knowing they would be switching it to Toronto after the money is used up.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html