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I have received the following in an email and , yes I was thinking the same thing!

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Can someone tell me where the parking fees go? Do they go directly to the hospital?
I don’t mind paying a ‘user fee’ for parking if it goes to the hospital.
However I’m concerned that this will severely hurt our seniors on fixed incomes.
How can an elderly couple afford these fees when visiting a sick spouse, especially daily!
Anyone with comments and fee details please!
Thanks,
Marsha Dooley
Elect Dooley - Councillor Ward 3 Ajax
www.MarshaDooley.ca

This posted today by the NewsAdvertiser :
August 03, 2010

AJAX — Parking fees are set to go up at the Ajax-Pickering hospital.
As of Monday, Aug. 9, the current system of tokens will be replaced by a new computerized system meant to enhance parking services at Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital.
The new fees will match those at the Scarborough site.
Prices will now be $4 for up to 30 minutes, $8 for 31 to 60 minutes, $12 for 61 minutes to 90 minutes, and $16 for 91 minutes or more. Day passes are also available with in and out privileges for $16.
The new machines will offer the ability to pay by cash or credit.
Patients and visitors will have to use the entrance to the west lot off of Harwood Avenue. Before entering the lot, they’ll take a ticket from the dispenser, signalling the gate to open.
They should keep the ticket with them while inside the hospital, and before leaving, pay at a parking machine. The machine will be located in the emergency entrance foyer, and others will be added in the future.
When exiting the lot, patients and visitors are to insert the validated ticket into the exit gate.
If anyone needs help, the gates and pay stations are connected via intercom to the security office.
VISIT: www.rougevalley.ca
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Admin: When my neighbour had her stroke in December we shared a pass with the neighbours but a family member and spouse pays the most. It’s too bad because when you think about it, nurses do not have the time to offer the level of care they once did and family members have to pick up the slack to make sure their loved ones eat their meal and just help to watch over things.

The following is a copy of an email I recently sent to the CAO of Ajax- Brian Skinner and the Director of Finance, Rob Ford. (more…)

I was sent an email from the Ombudsman office the other morning to answer my question I had asked a few months prior, asking if Andre’s term was going to be extended.

It seems it may not be extended. There is an all party committee that will be set up for the selection process, I hope it is open to the press as well.

If you have not signed the petition, only 28 or so have , sign the petition just to show that it matters to have someone working for you! This petition is free on ipetitions and signing it means you support the term of Andre Marin being extended another 5 years. You do not have to make a donation just close the screen and your signature is still recorded.

If Andre Marin is not appointed then I will seriously question whether I can vote for Dalton and his gang next year.

Is AMO behind it ??? The Municipal sector was not happy in regards to the closed meeting complaint investigator issue.

If Andre Marin is replaced , how hard will the next Ombudsman work towards gaining oversight in the MUSH sector?– Municipalities, Universities , Schools and Hospitals, you know the areas where our tax dollars flow but we have no real recourse if a problem arises.

If he is not successful in obtaining another term then he should run for office and we can try to get him to move to Ajax ! Andre Marin for Mayor!!!!!!!!! or MPP.

[edit] Be sure to ask candidates if they support the Ontario Ombudsman having jurisdiction in the MUSH sector. It will be a question on the candidate questionnaire to be sent out.

Email me your questions that I can incorporate into a candidate questionnaire, I won’t promise every single one but I will read them all. Send them to voicesofajax@hotmail.com , don’t post them to the blog. Thanks. I am taking questions throughout the spring and early summer.

I am not an accountant so please send in your complicated math degree needed tax questions if you want.

Regional focus questions in addition to local focus questions. Your name can go with the question if you would like it to or it can just be added to mine. (more…)

I guess I should have written a post to say I was taking a break. Things going on, school starting. Waiting to hear my job status from a big merger. If I am confirmed in my position I will be working for the biggest energy company in Canada , sounds pretty impressive when stated in that way!

The garden is plodding along, I have to learn patience. There will be a community garden in Ajax at St. Andrews Park that I will help with but the timing is a glacial pace. These things take time I know but I do wish it could go faster. Parks grow flowers, parks can grow a carrot but the carrot takes a lot more fertilizer to get.

Election buzz everywhere , by-election in Toronto - Provincial, a perspective Mayor candidate from the Province level wanting to go down a notch, I wonder why Smitherman would be willing to leave the Province for the top job in the city a year before the next Provincial election in 2011 ? A possible Federal election in the Fall of 2009.

Be back soon, who wants to go to the first council meeting ?

I wonder if Obama would like to be Mayor of Toronto, even part time would be better then Miller! Here is a novel way 905′ers can vote in the Toronto election, purchase a condo with a whole lot of other people and each registered owner on title get’s to vote, no matter if you live there or not. This is what it appears to be according to a convoluted response from a City of Toronto clerk.

I will canvas for anyone that runs against Mr. Miller, well almost anyone unless of course we have an interesting election here . Who is going to run against Mr. Parish ?

What? I don’t live in Toronto you say? so what, Mr. Ferguson lives in Aurora and he can dictate what happens in the City! Where was his garbage stockpiling ? that is all I am saying on that subject.

UPDATE: September 10th. (more…)

Well I am going to live up to my word that I said during the John Tory by-election. Are you reading Mr. Lambert????

Now we have a Liberal that wants to quit on his riding and go work for the City of Toronto.

There is never enough money for hospitals and education but there is always enough money for a by-election.

Why can’t they just refer constituents to another M.P.P’s office for the duration of the term and give his Liberal vote to another Liberal MP as a proxy. The business of Government continues with or without the M.P.P.’s .

2011 is our next Provincial election, voters, make sure you ask every single candidate if they plan to stick around for their full term before they consider moving on to other things.

If you don’t plan to run in the following election that is fine, don’t run or you move on in the last year but these mid term jumps are not fair to the people you made a commitment to in the last election.

It may sound petty but it just re-enforces the notion that politicians are not there for us, they are there purely for themselves and their own agendas.

This was probably in the works for awhile but it would have been terrible to have John Tory run in a Toronto area by-election , no, Dalton just sat by and let Laurie Scott give up her seat.

I guess that’s politics for ya.

I am working on another story at this time, in the “research” phase right now.

I was reading this piece in my favourite paper I was wondering why it was focusing on Durham so much at the halfway point through the article, then I continued reading it and was agreeing with much of what I read, after I completed reading the piece, I looked to see who wrote it.

I would like to see the area around the GO train station redeveloped to include condos, we have empty industrial land in that area and it just requires zoning changes and political will.

Whoever owns the empty, for quite sometime, Avery label place needs to look into this, it is just down the street from the GO station, it is a walkable distance.

It would be great to put a seniors residence right on top of the downtown plaza.

Ajax built from the centre of town outward and north, the centre needs serious attention and it is in the works slowly over time but radical shift in thoughts and ideas has to come to the surface.

We are not a small town anymore and we need to do what an Urban centre would do in terms of intensification.

We need employment in Ajax but are we going to get heavy duty manufacturing in downtown Ajax? I don’t think so. The employment lands will be home to business parks.

My grandmother moved out of her small house into a condo when I was a kid due to a Federal program that stated she could not sell her unit for 3 years, this was to keep speculators from buying them up and driving up the price, they were kept affordable that way.

Oshawa used the excuse of the Privacy protection laws to hide behind. She has set the record clear.

Here is the story she is referring to.

I am happy that Oshawa went the route of the Ombudsman in the first place but they need to follow the rules when an investigation is warranted.

Remember to sign the petition to extend the term of Andre Marin , lower down on the left side in the links section.

Alan Shanoff of the Toronto Sun and Mike Bradley the Mayor of Sarnia have signed it already.

You should also!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/A_Morin_Extend/index.html , I have a link on the left panel of the blog. Disregard typo.

Andre Marin’s term is up in April 2010, It is only April 2009 but I believe the process to either find the next person or decide to extend the term for the current Ombudsman, Andre Marin would not be left to the last minute.

Andre Marin has done so much for the Citizens of Ontario, Children’s Aid, MPAC, OLG investigations, some Hospital jurisdictions and LHINs.

Ontario needs Mr. Marin to continue in his mandate, please sign the petition and encourage friends to sign. Who knows it could help and the Government of Ontario offers to extend the term and Mr. Marin accepts.

Spread the word.

The office of the Ontario Ombudsman sent this to me moments ago. I will paste in the full text of the media release. (more…)