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When I first started making presentations at City Hall to oppose or criticize what was being proposed, I was the youngest person doing so. Forty years later, I found I was the only person doing so. And it isn’t because what was being proposed this week was perfect or uncontroversial. It was because the administration suppresses public participation. And if you do show up, you feel like you aren’t welcome. Last weekend I learned that only three delegations were registered to speak at the “Malls and Corridors” bylaw amendment hearing on Tuesday that would open up zoning rules for residential housing at shopping centres and along some main transit and commercial drags. All three were developers. To some extent this is another version of infill housing, but on a larger and taller scale, spurred on by the conditions to qualify for Justin Trudeau’s Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). I have no issue with major development companies, who take big financial risks and more often than not are professionals who take pride in their community, having a say about the rule changes. But having recently seen and heard the disastrous effects that infill construction projects have had on Windermere Avenue in Fort Garry and in St. Vital’s Glenwood neighborhood, I was concerned that councillors would dive headlong into the changes in the name of “affordable housing” without being asked to include protections for existing homeowners and renters. Mature neighborhoods have learned the hard way the City doesn’t care about the noise, garbage, mud, pollution and heavy truck traffic that ensues. Not to mention damage to their foundations and walls. I am no newcomer to speaking at Council committees and council meetings. Since the 1980’s I have appeared to speak about Equal Employment Hiring programs, the creation of a Race Relations Committee, election rules, the aborted Marion Freeway, taxi regulation, and of course bike lanes. In many of those cases I protested bungled or outright slanted public consultations and the City creating obstacles to ensuring that the general public, and not just favoured “stakeholders” were properly informed of the ramifications of proposals, and had their chance to have a say. But when I tried to have a say this time, guess what I found? Obstacles. I phoned 311 to register as a delegation in opposition to the bylaw. The operator told me I could only appear via a Zoom link. When I explained a councillor told me delegations could appear in person, I was told that was wrong. I asked to be put through to the City Clerk’s office to clarify the procedure. The operator told me I could not be put through and they didn’t have a phone number for the clerk to give me. I asked to speak to a supervisor, was put on hold for about 6 minutes, and they returned saying they found a supervisor and would transfer the call. The next thing I heard was a recording saying, “There has been an error” and the call was disconnected. I spent 15 minutes trying to participate in our democracy and got hung up on. So I googled ‘Winnipeg Malls and Corridors’ and found the city webpage about registering for the hearing. And right there, was a phone number for the Clerk’s office. An official answered the phone and confirmed it was not a Zoom-only hearing. I got on the list but when I asked if they would be informing someone up the ladder that 311 was giving false information about the hearing and refusing to give the clerk’s number despite it being listed on the webpage, the response was 311 would be told to update their information and that was all. So there was no interest in accountability, only in concealing the blunders. And there was another blunder right on the webpage with the clerk’s number, as it claimed people had to register by noon on Monday. In fact for a public hearing, the public can ask to speak to the agenda the same day. In summary, the City provided three pieces of false information or guidance to someone trying to take part in the special meeting. Early in Tuesday’s hearing, Transcona Councillor Russ Wyatt noted that the gallery was empty, aside from about 5 of us waiting to appear. He grilled Planning Director Hazel Borys, the proponent of the amendments, what efforts were made to engage the public and where the budget was spent. What he was told was typical of the excuses and ‘do the bare minimum’ approach of Winnipeg bureaucrats. The “team” decided to advertise in only one newspaper- not the Winnipeg Sun mind you- and bought no Facebook ads. No leaflets were dropped on streets like St. Anne’s or McPhillips that are directly targeted for new builds. And of course, a supposedly sparse budget and rushed process was also cited as an excuse for the gallery being empty. While Borys cited that the October open houses drew 123 people, an average of 10 people an hour for 12 hours over 4 days in a city of 850,000 is nothing to brag about. Delegations were limited to 5 minutes to present their case. I waited from 9.30 am until exactly 6.30 pm- 9 hours- to make my presentation. Others waited even longer. I stuck it out to tell Mayor Scott Gillingham and councillors that their obsession with Tru-dough will shift harsh burdens onto the neighbouring streets and that existing homeowners and residents should have some rights too, starting with notice of when construction will commence. There’s no food available inside the Council building, no drink machine, one washroom, and it cost me $20 in parking fees. The hearing dragged on until almost 1 am when it was adjourned to be continued on Thursday. No one I asked can recall a council meeting going on for 15 hours like that. It was their longest day ever, but by the end, there was no media or voters there to watch over it. In 40 years, I’ve seen the ability of the public to find out what’s proposed for their neighbourhoods, look their elected representatives in the eye, and challenge those proposals diminish, despite fancy new technology and the invention of a ‘public engagement’ office. You couldn’t invent a more discouraging environment for the public if you tried. — Marty Gold is a Winnipeg journalist. You can find more of his work at The Great Canadian Talk Show . Have thoughts on what’s going on in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada or across the world? Send us a letter to the editor at wpgsun.letters@kleinmedia.caSir, I am writing to express my concern about the ongoing challenges faced by public transport commuters in Mysuru, especially those relying on city buses for their daily travel. Despite the advancements in technology, it is disheartening to see that after all these years, our city’s public bus system still lacks basic conveniences, such as electronic displays providing real-time information about bus arrivals. Every day, thousands of students, office-goers, and working women are left anxiously waiting at city bus stops during peak hours, unsure of when their bus will arrive. This is not only a waste of time but also an unnecessary source of stress for commuters. The situation has remained the same for over two decades, and it is time for authorities to adopt modern solutions to improve the commuting experience. One simple yet highly effective solution could be the implementation of an electronic display system that shows the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) of buses. This technology, which is already being used at metro stations, could easily be adapted for buses. By using GPS technology, buses could be tracked in real time, and commuters could receive accurate information about when the next bus will arrive. This would make a huge difference, reducing the uncertainty and frustration that comes with waiting for a bus. Furthermore, the Indian Railways has implemented a system called “Find My Train,” where passengers can enter the train number and track its current location. A similar system could be introduced for buses. Commuters should have the option to track buses by entering the route number, which regular users are already familiar with. This would allow them to know the real-time status of their bus, helping them plan their travel more efficiently. READ ALSO Poor regulatory mechanism promotes plagiarism In addition, authorities must focus on increasing the frequency of buses during morning and evening rush hours to accommodate large number of commuters. Many people rely on public transport because it is affordable and they cannot afford the high costs of private vehicles. The failure to implement such basic improvements in public transport is not only unfair to the commuters but also a missed opportunity to enhance the sustainability of our city by encouraging more people to use public transport, which helps reduce carbon footprints. I urge the KSRTC Mysuru Division authorities to consider adopting a bus tracking system similar to the one in place for metros and the Indian Railways. Commuters deserve to have access to accurate and timely information, and it’s high time the city took action to make public transport more reliable, efficient, and user-friendly. — Dr. J.R. Manjunatha, Jayalakshmipuram, 8.11.2024 You can also mail us your views, opinions, and stories to [email protected] Voice of The Reader

‘I’m human, I make mistakes,’ Simon Harris says after encounter with Cork carer

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U.S. president-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act, had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don't change their clocks at all.

Kerala's eventful 2024 marred by disasters, scandals and political twistsWest Haven says insurance policy will cover most of $1.2M in pandemic relief money lost to theft

Breece Hall, Mike Evans, NFL Injury Statuses and Fantasy Impact for Week 15Tweet Facebook Mail Australians will be paying more for a new passport from January 1, as application prices rise by 3.5 per cent in line with standard indexation. A new 10-year adult passport will cost $412 after the changes are applied in the new year, up from $398. A five-year children's passport will cost $208 from January 1, while a replacement passport will set Australians back $259. READ MORE: Where the two sole survivors of South Korea's plane crash were sitting Australian passports will get more expensive from January 1. (iStock) The changes come after a 15 per cent tax was added to the price of new passports in July last year, which made Australian passports the most expensive in the world. Before the July hike, Mexico's passports were the most expensive at $346. The Coalition's foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham said the extra costs were a "backdoor tax grab". "It's unsurprising the Albanese government is ringing in the new year with another tax grab from Australians," Birmingham said. "Labor are on track to be raking in nearly $1 billion annually from taxpayers just through their past three blatant price rises on Australian passports. "Many Australians scrimp and save to afford a special holiday to Bali or Fiji, only to find the cost of a passport is similar to the cost of an airfare." A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the cost of passports was indexed annually in line with the Consumer Price Index. "The Australian passport is respected internationally as a high-quality travel document," the department said. "It has a high level of technological sophistication, backed by rigorous anti-fraud measures, which ensures its integrity. "This is a key reason why Australian passport holders receive visa-free access to over 180 countries."

Big Ten slate features Indiana-Ohio State showdown and Penn State-Minnesota matchup Things to watch this week in the Big Ten Conference: Game of the week No. 5 Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten, No. 5 CFP ) at No. 2 Ohio State (9-1, 6-1, No. 2 CFP), Saturday, noon ET (Fox) This marks the 98th matchup between these two teams, but it's only the fourth time both teams have been ranked. Although Indiana is unbeaten, its soft schedule means the Hoosiers aren't assured of making the 12-team field if they lose this game. The only team with a winning record that Indiana has beaten is Washington (6-5). Ohio State needs a win to have a realistic shot at a rematch with top-ranked Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State has beaten Indiana 28 straight times since the Hoosiers posted back-to-back victories in 1987-88. People are also reading... The undercard No. 4 Penn State (9-1, 6-1, No. 4 CFP) at Minnesota (6-4, 4-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS) This is likely Penn State's biggest obstacle on its way to a potential playoff berth. The Nittany Lions' lone remaining regular-season game is a Nov. 30 home matchup with Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Minnesota has had an extra week to prepare this game since its 26-19 loss at Rutgers on Nov. 9, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Penn State and Minnesota have split their last four meetings, with the home team winning each time. Impact players Penn State DE Abdul Carter has multiple tackles for loss in each of his last three games. He ranks second among all Bowl Subdivision players in tackles for loss (17 1⁄2). Southern California RB Woody Marks rushed for a career-high 146 yards in a 28-20 win over Nebraska. Marks has six 100-yard rushing performances this season. Rutgers RB Kyle Monangai is the first Scarlet Knight to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Ray Rice did it three straight years from 2005-07. Monangai has run for 1,028 yards this season and rushed for 1,262 yards last year. Oregon OLB Matayo Uiagalelei recorded a sack and had a game-clinching interception as the top-ranked Ducks won 16-13 at Wisconsin last week. He has 8 1⁄2 sacks this season to rank second in the Big Ten. Inside the numbers Four of the top seven Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks in passer rating are from the Big Ten. Indiana's Kurtis Rourke is second, Ohio State's Will Howard is third, Penn State's Drew Allar is fifth and Oregon's Dillon Gabriel is seventh. ... Illinois QB Luke Altmyer has thrown 18 touchdown passes with only three interceptions. The only Power Four quarterback with a better touchdown/interception ratio while throwing at least 10 touchdown passes is Clemson's Cade Klubnik, who has 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. ... Rutgers' three Big Ten wins matches its largest total since joining the league in 2014. Rutgers also had three conference wins in 2014, 2017, 2020 and 2023. A victory Saturday over No. 24 Illinois would give Rutgers three straight Big Ten wins for the first time. ... Washington's 31-19 win over UCLA was its 20th straight home victory, representing its second-longest such streak in school history. The Huskies won 45 straight home games from 1908-17. ... Wisconsin heads to Nebraska this week having won its last 10 matchups with the Cornhuskers. Now don't get upset Penn State justifiably is favored on the road against Minnesota, but Bet MGM's 12 1⁄2-point spread seems way too big. Expect this game to have a single-digit margin. Get local news delivered to your inbox!