…nice discussion squelcher, there. 
The CanaDoper Café (2012 edition of The great, ongoing Canadian current events and politics thread.)
I wasn’t to interested in what a restaurant does way out east in Toronto. I was interested in the resurection (as I perceived it) of the term “half breed”. 
As someone who eats lots of cheeseburgers, especially the loaded half pound variety, let me tell you that it is simply the bun of the cheeseburgers that is to be avoided. You could say that I would love to eat the Naked Fat Metis.
I say this as one who has successfully applied the low carb diet to his lifestyle.
The Grey Cup Train starts off next week - a four car train/museum/fan celebration that is leaving Vancouver on September 9 and is going to cross the country, stopping in all the cities with a CFL team and others along the way, doubling back to end its trip in Toronto for Grey Cup in November.
Commissioner Cohon is even going to take the Cup to Iqaluit, since the train can’t make it there. 
Ah, I got you. Maybe that’s why the restaurant used those terms - maybe they did indeed think they had fallen so far out of fashion that they we acceptable.
Looks like the RCMP were being a bit thick. Apparently they grounded a plane that was towing an anti-Harper banner. I’m curious if anyone from the government made the request, of if they did it of their own initiative. Home | Ottawa Citizen
Eliminate the deficit! Balance the budget!
Just don’t lay off any of us precious public servants.
And if we fly a hate message over parliament hill, you have no need to worry. We won’t crash the plane into the parliament buildings or 24 Sussex: we promise.
No sympathy.
That’s pretty rich on all accounts, don’t you think? Unless you have some inside knowledge that they were going to perpetrate a terrorist act.
Yeah, I imagine the US would have sympathy for a small plane circling the White House dragging a hate message against the President. Fuck you PSAC.
The White House has a restricted airspace, just as the story mentioned that 24 Sussex does, and which the pilot didn’t enter. So at this point you’re basically saying that political speech shouldn’t be allowed in the air.
No. I’m saying there was a perceived risk to the public, and perhaps to the Prime Minister . The RCMP decided to err on the side of caution and have the plane land and be searched.
Frankly I don’t blame them.
“Harper hates us” is not hate speech – it is a message being put out by the union. Flying a banner behind a plane is commonly accepted advertising. The plane’s flight plan had been files and the plane kept to the flight plan. The plane was not in restricted air space.
In other words, the police unduely impinged upon the union’s freedom of speech. If the government is of the opinion that the restricted air space should be expanded, then it has the authority to do it. If the government is of the opinion that the political expression of the union should be restricted, then it does not have the authority to do it.
The government didn’t restrict anything; the RCMP ordered the plane to land.
Notably, the union says that Sgt. McKinnon expressed concerns about the banner, but the union made no mention of a search of the plane. I’d like to hear the story from both sides, because quite frankly I don’t see expression of political opinion as being reasonable grounds to assume violent intent.
The RCMP acts under the authority of the government, so the Charter applies to it’s actions. Asking a plane pulling a banner to land due to RCMP concerns about the message on the banner is a restriction of the Charter right to freedom of expression.
Hard to disagree with that, but somehow I doubt the RCMP received direct orders from the PMO to land the plane. I believe they acted unilaterally to a perceived threat.
Had the plane in fact been carrying explosives or if it disrupted surrounding airspace during the Gatineau balloon festival then they’d have a lot more to worry about than asking some schlep dragging an anti-Harper banner to land his plane.
Really, this isn’t a freedom of expression issue at all. It’s a dickhead move by PSAC, and the RCMP responded in a very calm and collected manner to land the plane and check it out: that’s all.
Try circling a bus around Sussex Drive with the same slogan painted on the side. You don’t think you’ll get checked out by the police?
I don’t think anyone’s claimed that Harper or the PMO put in the order. I think it’s unlikely myself too. My money is in the same place as Muffin’s, on an overeager RCMP officer. But the problem is if, as claimed, they grounded the plane because of the content of the advertising, then we’re back to the violation of Charter rights. They did not say they were worried about explosives, and it seems to be the case that they did not even search the plane. And I mean, really, we’re back to a plane with a registered flight plan that it didn’t deviate from, and had a very public renter. Don’t be insulting to them that they had some sinster intent.
As far as your bus hypothetical, I would not be surprised to learn that there are some restrictions in front of there too. Where that fails is that the plane was not flying over 24 Sussex or the Parliament Buildings and stayed out of restricted airspace.
How many hot air balloons were there?
Wonderful!
I spent a few years in London, Ontario, where the highlight of the summer was their hot air balloon festival. Up in TBay, there is only one hot air balloon that I have heard of (I have never seen it, but a fellow was trying to talk me into joining it’s ground crew, so I assume it exists), and there are no hot air balloon festivals (I assume that being a long drive from anywhere, and with the local area mostly deep bush or lake, it probably isn’t the most attractive place for hot air balloons). Anyway, one of the few things that I miss about London is their hot air balloon festival.
In Ottawa? Too many to count.