City Hall

I conclude this after spending some time looking over Toronto Auditor General Jeffrey Griffiths’ report detailing the extent to which city employees are skiving off work surfing the Internet. And for someone like me, being paid to skive off work and write a blog that should amuse a few of those workers, the news is very discouraging.

Turns out that Mr. Griffiths found of all the city’s 10,000 computers, just 200 per day were found to log excessive Internet use. That’s defined of users with more than two hours of Internet activity, with more than 500 page views to 10 different sites that don’t have anything to do with work.

That represents just two per cent of the city’s workforce - and perhaps, wrote Mr. Griffiths, not even that.

“Given the way computers are used and how the related usage information is recorded, it is difficult to be definitive as to the amount of time an individual user spent viewing particular Web sites. As an example, if a user has set up their internet browser to stay connected to an email or a chat messaging Web site, the log for that computer will likely show that the site is accessed every few minutes and it could appear as if the user is constantly reviewing that Web site. This is related to the software automatically updating the computer for activity on the Web site and happens without the user taking any specific action. In our analysis, we have attempted to make allowance for such activity by setting our thresholds very high and filtering out as much of the automated activity as possible.”

And he goes on to point out that it’s impossible to tell if the same user was surfing all those pages through the day. So it could be that the amount of reading of this blog by city employees on the taxpayers’ dime is in fact quite miniscule.

Depressingly, it’s likely to get smaller still. Mr. Griffiths recommends that the city start monitoring individual Internet usage more rigorously, to prevent even those few city workers who read this blog now from doing so in the future.

Oh well - it could be worse. At least this isn’t one of those smutty blogs - or worse, Facebook. Those, according to Mr. Griffiths, are utterly locked out of the city hall computer system and have been for some time.

Something to cling to…

Okay, so maybe that’s a little mean. But I’ve been wanting to work a Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference into this blog since it became a blog,  and what better opportunity than in this entry, noting Ward 34 (Don Valley West) Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong’s speedy exit from the news conference marking the launch of the mayor’s pitch for new taxes - before Minnan-Wong’s arch-nemesis, Ward 20 (Trinity Spadina) Councillor Adam Vaughan could get his teeth into him.

It was a particular disappointment for this blogger, whose vacation schedule meant missing the memorable dust-up between the right-of-centre suburbanite from Don Mills and the left-of-centre downtowner from the Annex. Adam accused Denzil of shirking his council duties and maintaining an over-large office; Denzil accused Adam of shirking his council duties by having a television show.  Things got quite intense.

Yet today, when the mayor stepped away from the microphone and the assembled media looked around the room full of tax-loving councillors, community activists and theatre people for some smidgen of dissent, the question presented itself:

Where was Denzil?

Downstairs in his allegedly over-large office was where.  Once the assembled media had gotten their sound-bytes on Miller’s tax plan, the question arose: Why are we having this scrum in your office?

“I thought it would be best, given the previous occurance in August,” said the councillor. “My residents want me to stand up and advocate for government and low taxes. I go to these news conferences in order to find out what the city’s doing. However, there are some councillors who want to make a three ring curcus out of these events. I want to talk to the public and the most effective way todo tahat and avoid the three-ring circus… I thought it was best to listen to what the mayor had to say and come here.”

Some councillors? Would Councillor Minnan-Wong be refering to, erm, Councillor Vaughan?

“Well I think the last occurance with Mr. Vaughan on his part was very deliberately organized and I think the residents of the City of Toronto expect better from their representatives. I am happy to debate Councillor Vaughan on the floor of council, but  I don’t think the public wants to see members of council getting into a shouting match.”

This wouldn’t be a complete blog entry, of course, without some reaction from Councillor Vaughan.

“He’s a chicken,” said Vaughan. “He’s a chicken. And it’s not me (he’s a chicken about), there’s a room full of people who would have attacked him this time…. He’s getting so afraid these days.”

***

An addendum: There is clearly more than one room full of people who are not afraid of a little rhetorical blood in the sand in this town.  The mayor’s campaign for the taxes features a web-site, which lets residents send email comments on the tax plan to councillors. Only trouble is, the form email starts so:

“Dear Toronto City Council,

I support a fair tax plan for Toronto — one that will provide the funds we need to build our great city. Please vote in favour of the new taxes.”

Well, the emails started coming in to councillors’ offices almost immediately — many of them with comments that don’t really reflect the sentiment of the first paragraph.

A sampling  (provided without names by Councillor Minnan-Wong) follows:

• “Mayor Miller, You are without a doubt, the worst, most petty, childish and vindictive mayor this city has ever seen. You are hell-bent on ramming through your ill-advised taxes on the backs of Toronto taxpayers by maliciously threatening to make cuts to core public services…”
• “I don’t support a raise in taxes. I think union wages are what’s bankrupting the city, as well as too much staff. Check out your average community centre on a given day; the janitors are half the time just sitting around gabbing. If you support health, you will not close community centres.”
• “I can’t believe how you guys are tricking people… why is it that every page that i click for my comments, thoughts or contact you this comes up and it says i support the fair tax plan WHICH I DO NOT………………….”
• “You have bankrupted the city with incompetent management. Turn operation of the city over to the province.”

Now, I’m sure there are lots of other comments that indicate support for the new taxes - another councillor’s office told me they’re getting emails 60 per cent in favour of the tax plan, 40 per cent opposed - and the source of them, Councillor Minnan-Wong, is making something of a career being cross about the taxes. So it’s probably not vitriol all the way down.

But in the absence of a proper Minnan-Wong/Vaughan rematch, this is the best I got.

“This” being today’s abbreviated meeting of Toronto’s Community Development and Recreation Meeting.

The meeting collapsed when four like-minded members of the committee did a quick head count and realized they could force a debate on city manager Shirley Hoy’s decision to shut down community centers Mondays. Hoy’s unilateral decision may help calm the city’s $575 million budget crisis in 2009, but in 2008, it’s as calming as a weed-whacker in a wasp’s nest for Toronto Council’s unofficial opposition.

For the complicated procedural break-down of what happened, check out the insidetoronto.com website. As far as the implications of the day, for those who would like to make the case to the provincial government that uploading is important, indeed crucial, to the future of Toronto?

Frances Nunziata called Joe Mihevc a “dictator.” Denzil Minnan-Wong accused Mihevc and Mayor David Miller of “hiding behind Shirley Hoy’s skirts.” Mihevc called the bunch of them hipocrits.  Maria Augimeri shouted “farce” from the back of the room.

I’d pray for us if I thought it would do any good…