Derek E. Silva

Dear LHSC Board of Directors and Diane Beattie,

I want my $451,000 back. That’s right, every single penny of severance that was recently afforded to Diane Beattie after the LHSC Board of Directors forced her to resign.

When a scandal like this one breaks out, there is no reason whatsoever that such gross misconduct should result in such a comfortable severance. $451,000 is almost two years worth of Ms. Beattie’s annual pay ($250,000 – not bad, huh?). (more…)

I was recently on vacation in the Azores (archipelago of 9 islands about 1,500km from the coast of Portugal, in the Atlantic Ocean) and late one night I got the spur to begin writing my next blog entry. Though it’s taken me this long to finally sit down and begin fleshing it out, at least I’ve finally gotten to it.

After being exposed to nothing but European news for almost 2 weeks, I began thinking about ways that Canada could improve it’s government in (probably) 12 months or less. Some of these require lengthy explanations, others don’t because others have done the explaining family. So let’s get right into it! (more…)

Seeing as we have entered construction season here in Canada (a.k.a. spring and summer), I thought it prudent to collect some things that other cities have been doing that I think we ought to be implementing here in London (in some cases especially since we’re known as the Forest City) and other Canadian cities ought to be at least contemplating.

Let’s start with a great example from Vancouver: The roof of the Vancouver Convention Centre has been turned into a green roof. What does that mean? (more…)

A few years ago I became a supporter of the NDP. I listened to Jack Layton and his vision for Canada and was inspired. Not to mention that I couldn’t stand Paul Martin and the Liberals seemed to be agreeing more and more with the Conservatives on issues that I did not.

Recently it has become apparent that indeed, I am a centrist. I don’t tolerate overly polarizing views or people very well (though I do hear them out on the issue and give them their opportunity to explain their rationale) and would much prefer to see people get to the bottom of an issue, brainstorm all of the possible solutions and then pick the best. Sadly that doesn’t happen very often in this “democracy” of ours where few-to-no MPs actually listen to their constituents after gaining power. (more…)

First people sued cigarette companies for giving them lung cancer. Then people sued fast food restaurants for making them fat. The latest fad? Suing gambling corporations for making people lose money.

I’m tired of it. I’m tired of people trying to blame a third party for their own losses and problems. With all of the evidence that goes against the bad habits, or addictions as people may refer to them now, like smoking, constantly eating out and the potential for losing money and causing problems with your friends and family if you gamble too much – not to mention all of the ads on TV and radio -  how can you still feign ignorance?! (more…)

After recent news that Canwest Global has placed it’s E! Channel stations up for sale, and is thinking of shutting them down if they can’t find a buyer, I decided to put in my 2 cents about why such a thing may be happening. Following further news that CTV’s A Channel, which operates a local station here in London, was shutting down it’s Wingham and Windsor stations, I realized it really needed to be done.

Speaking about E! Channel specifically, I think the network is in trouble mostly due to a large lack of quality programming. Think about it. The entire channel is based around the concept that potential viewers are so obsessed with “celebrity culture” that they will tune-in to shows like Dr. 90210, TMZ.com and True Hollywood Story (THS). I think that potential audience base has already been diluted by equally pointless shows like Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which airs on MuchMoreMusic. I won’t dignify them by linking to them, sorry. (more…)

As the recession rolls on and stimulus dollars come in, we ask ourselves, “What should we do?”

Should we spend? Should we save? Do we invest in long-term projects or short-term projects? Or BOTH?

The question is being posed to London councillors, and apparently most of them agree that we need to spend. The London Free Press spoke to all 14 city councillors over the weekend and apparently most of them are leaning towards investing stimulus money coming from the federal government in long-term projects that will create jobs. Apparently a favourite is centred around some expansion and upgrades that could turn London International Airport into a major access point, along with upgrades to Veterans Memorial Parkway and access the Highway 401. (more…)

I don’t believe that PETA, formally known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, truly understands how to get their message across in a manner that will get the general public to care about said message. No doubt they know how to shock you and put you in awe of some of the genuine atrocities against animals that happen across the world, but for some reason they turn their attention to some very odd targets in some truly bizarre manners.

The latest example: Using Ilaanaq, the inukshuk logo being used for Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic games, in their material against the annual seal hunt. Really PETA? You want to go there? Okay, let’s. (more…)

The Ontario Power Authority’s latest RFP for wind power projects has resulted in the OPA awarding 6 new projects, mostly in southern Ontario, that will provide Ontario with another 492.1MW of renewable energy. OPA also estimates that this will create approximately 2,200 jobs both directly and indirectly.

All of the pertinent information is located at the link in the paragraph above. Why this is newsworthy is that all of the provinces are boosting their wind power generating capacity by considerable amounts; and that’s a great thing, because studies I’ve read have shown that Canada is one of the best places in the world to harness the wind. The Ontario Wind Atlas helps prove the point, providing a great visual way to tell where the best places (and how high the towers need to be) in Ontario are. (more…)