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Get over it. That's what Councillor Labelle wrote to me in an email when I recently suggested council might allow patios to open beside the buildings for the Elvis Festival, to let the restaurants capitalize on the crush of visitors this weekend.

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I had to wonder whether some of council's sudden outpouring of concern for the extra costs borne by retaillers and restaurateurs over the new licence fees was really a genuine turn-around show of empathy for them, or just electioneering in face of growing public dissatisfaction over this issue?

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Test your skill! Look at the three pictures below and tell me what's wrong in each one:



Let's see. People enjoying themselves. Lots of room for people to pass the patios. No obstructions to pedestrians. Customers enjoying a meal or drink outdoors on this beautiful July 1 afternoon. The almost-complete downtown reconstruction is looking good. The sidewalk is wider than ever. The downtown is full of people. So what could possibly be wrong?

Hint: Today is July 5.

That's right: these patios are illegal as of today, thanks to Councillors Jeffrey, McNabb, Labelle, Foley and Sandberg. So enjoy the photos, because you won't see the patios back beside the buildings until next term.

I just learned that the traditional pancake breakfast will not be taking place downtown on Canada Day this year. Council wasn't informed of this change, nor was council even asked whether or not we wanted to participate. It was just cancelled.

I only found out because an email meant for Helena Guergis' office was misrouted to my inbox. Our MP had already sent out an information flyer about Canada Day events mentioning the pancake breakfast. She's wrong, but I can understand the confusion. For the past decade or two, it has been held here. And hundreds of residents and visitors have enjoyed a low-cost breakfast courtesy of the town. Helena usually joined us at the grill for an hour or two.

Now it isn't happening and I have...

None of those buskers would be allowed to play on Collingwood's streets, because they use amplification.

Neither would this busker who performs to large crowds in Sydney, Australia.

But we won't allow any of them - or tens of thousands like them - to play here because they use amplification. Just check YouTube to see dozens, maybe hundreds of other busking videos.

Collingwood: We license culture, we tax culture and we control culture. But we don't embrace it.

Check the comments for more examples.

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is one of the most memorable songs of the 1930s, written at the height of the Great Depression, by the son of Jewish immigrants, Yip Harburg, with music by composer - and another Jewish immigrant - Jay Gorney. It was written in 1931, and later included in a musical, New Americana, in 1932. I thought it might be time to revise it for today.

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The chance for public input into the local election system was shut down last night by Collingwood Council in a 7-2 vote. The mayor and Councillors Edwards, Sandberg, Jeffrey, Foley, McNabb and Labelle voted no.

I had proposed a referendum question for the 2010 municipal ballot that read, "Are you in favour of having a "ward" system as the method of electing future Town ...