Municipal Politics

[MolsonExport]

So that bigoted turkey, Andrew Lawton, is again running for office (for the Conservatives, naturellement). Like a bad penny, he keeps turning up.



Awful man. Lawton hides behind "mental illness" to explain his revolting social media postings and musing. Well, if you can't control your own awful behavior, why the hell do you think you are fit for office?

https://theseeker.ca/2024/09/andrew-lawton-at-least-we-still-have-bigot/

Don't vote for the bigot, please.

[inimrepus]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

So that bigoted turkey, Andrew Lawton, is again running for office (for the Conservatives, naturellement). Like a bad penny, he keeps turning up.

Awful man. Lawton hides behind "mental illness" to explain his revolting social media postings and musing. Well, if you can't control your own awful behavior, why the hell do you think you are fit for office?

https://theseeker.ca/2024/09/andrew-lawton-at-least-we-still-have-bigot/

Don't vote for the bigot, please.

So I knew Andrew long before he got into politics, before he even had his radio show. While I would never vote for him because I strongly disagree with almost everything he stands for, he does have a legit history with mental health and it isn't something that should be taken lightly.

https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entr...ut-i-was-one-of-the-lucky-ones_b_1861182

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

So that bigoted turkey, Andrew Lawton, is again running for office (for the Conservatives, naturellement).... Awful man. Lawton hides behind "mental illness" to explain his revolting social media postings and musing. Well, if you can't control your own awful behavior, why the hell do you think you are fit for office?

Originally Posted by inimrepus

So I knew Andrew long before he got into politics, before he even had his radio show. While I would never vote for him because I strongly disagree with almost everything he stands for, he does have a legit history with mental health and it isn't something that should be taken lightly.

I recall when he had his radio show on CFPL. It was unbearable to listen to and I believe that eventually it was cancelled because it was so nasty/dishonest. It made Rush Limbaugh sound like a really nice guy. He has been trying to get elected ever since. Mental health may be a legit issue with this gentleman, but it begs a question or two: Why would anyone vote for someone (of any political party) who has serious anger/hate issues coupled with mental issues? And... who would vote for any party that proudly puts forward such an individual as their candidate?

[MolsonExport]

^I couldn't have said it better myself. I am sympathetic of course to those with mental health issues (there are a few such people in my network), but I despised the way that he used it as cover for his intolerance, misogyny, and hatred.

Really, is this the best candidate that the Conservatives could get?


Ontario PC candidate Andrew Lawton: gender and racial discrimination should be legal: "I think if someone wants to open a business and only hire people of one race...I think they should have that right."

[jammer139]

Back to Municipal issues for this thread rather then Federal politics.

Executive recruitment to start to find new position at the LPS.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-police-board-merges-two-top-civilian-roles

[jammer139]

London's new Ward boundary maps are approved for the next Municipal election in Oct 2026.

https://getinvolved.london.ca/ward-boundary-review

[MolsonExport]

Exiting Conservative MP won't endorse her party's new candidate

“I’m just a grassroots conservative that really believes in local leadership, and that’s just who I am,” Vecchio said. “I have to believe in somebody to be able to endorse them and I think the people in this community need to decide what’s right and wrong.”

Broadcaster Andrew Lawton is running for the Conservatives in the newly adjusted riding.

“We have different values, and the Conservative Party is a very, very big party. I entered from the centre, and I think he (Lawton) entered from the right side,” Vecchio said. “We just entered at different sides of the tent.”

A controversial figure due to past comments, including some statements seen as homophobic and racist by opponents, Lawton ran unsuccessfully for Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives in London West in the 2018 election.

NO London Free Press/Post Media, the comments were homophobic and racist, full stop. What is this "by opponents" garbage???

LFP isn't even suitable as birdcage liner. Neither is Andrew Lawton. Shame on anyone that votes for this awful person.


Conservative Candidate Used a Secret Signal Group Chat With Freedom Convoy Leaders, Right-Wing Media and Far-Right Influencers

One of Pierre Poilievre’s high-profile Conservative candidates was a member of a secret group chat used by Freedom Convoy leaders and their lawyers to coordinate messages on social media with right-wing alternative media personalities and far-right social media influencers. Andrew Lawton was a member of the “clandestine” group chat used to coordinate convoy messaging on social media.

One of Pierre Poilievre’s high-profile Conservative candidates was a member of a secret group chat used by Freedom Convoy leaders and their lawyers to coordinate messages on social media with right-wing alternative media personalities and far-right social media influencers.

The group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, is called “Canada Freedom Rights Movement” and includes over 50 names associated with the Freedom Convoy and the Canadian far-right.

The group chat was first created around the time of the Emergencies Act Inquiry but remains operational today. Messages obtained by PressProgress suggest the group chat was created to give convoy leaders and their lawyers the ability to coordinate “media messaging / comms strategy” with “alt media / influencers,” who were cautioned that the “language we use … is incredibly important.” An 88-page document with instructions on messaging and narrative control was made available to the alt media personalities and influencers by a lawyer with the right-wing Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. Numerous group chat messages show its members exchanging information, debating ways to counter anti-convoy narratives and identifying tweets to share and amplify.

The group chat’s description identifies itself as a “clandestine” group and new members are warned to “remember the first rule of Fight Club.” The group chat lists two admins: Eva Chipiuk, a former Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms lawyer who represented convoy leaders at the Emergencies Act Inquiry, and Bethan Nodwell, a convoy organizer with ties to neo-Nazis and European far-right political actors. The member list also includes the names of key Freedom Convoy figures, including convoy leaders Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and Tom Marazzo, as well as convoy lawyer Keith Wilson. It also includes the names of dozens of far-right social media influencers and right-wing alternative media personalities from outlets like True North, Western Standard and Rebel Media.

Another name that appears on the list is currently running for Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives in the Southwestern Ontario riding of Elgin – St. Thomas – London South: Andrew Lawton.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

NO London Free Press/Post Media, the comments were homophobic and racist, full stop. What is this "by opponents" garbage???

LFP isn't even suitable as birdcage liner. Neither is Andrew Lawton. Shame on anyone that votes for this awful person.

Lawton's wife is Jen Bieman, reporter for the LFP (and she's pretty cute too, wonder how he snagged her), they probably take it easy on him for her.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

NO London Free Press/Post Media, the comments were homophobic and racist, full stop. What is this "by opponents" garbage???

LFP isn't even suitable as birdcage liner. Neither is Andrew Lawton. Shame on anyone that votes for this awful person.

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Lawton's wife is Jen Bieman, reporter for the LFP (and she's pretty cute too, wonder how he snagged her), they probably take it easy on him for her.

The LFP is owned by the National Post. The NP was founded by the one of the most notorious Canadians - Conrad Black. Born into extreme wealth, Black always believed in the old concept of class structure and the socioeconomic privilege that the upper class rightfully should have. In the 1990's Black launched the national daily National Post, openly declaring its purpose to openly campaign against the existing "liberal media", and the then Liberal federal government and Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. In it's early times, it openly railed against Adrienne Clarkson being made the Governor General, and today it rails against Mary Simon as Governor General (see a theme here?). Every single OP-ED it publishes attacks any politician/political party that is not Conservative/right-wing. It openly biased to the point of being propaganda - essentially openly campaigning for the Conservative party in the current election. So, if one of the NP's minor subsidiarys (the Free Press) tries to sugar coat Andrew Lawton's reputation, it would only be consistent with its mission.

The London Free Press has fallen far down from its salad days as a reputable, highly respected newspaper owned by the Blackburns. It's now just a hollowed out and minimized shell of its former self, and little more than a minor revenue generator for the parent company, who will continue to control the Free Press' editorial direction much like a little marionette on strings.

[MolsonExport]

ah yes, Baron Conrad Black of Crossharbour.



"Let them eat cake!" or "My extravagance knows no bounds" (Barbara Amiel, his wife).

[MolsonExport]

Muslim group, constituents call for Andrew Lawton's removal as Conservative candidate in southern Ontario

An advocacy group that combats Islamophobia is urging the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to remove a London, Ont.-area candidate from the federal election ballot over his past comments about marginalized groups including the Muslim community, women and 2SLGBTQ+ groups.

Hikma Public Affairs Council, based in London, is calling for an "unequivocal rejection" of Andrew Lawton as a candidate in Elgin–St. Thomas–London South based on his "well-documented pattern of deeply offensive and discriminatory remarks," it said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Including Islamophobic, antisemitic, homophobic, misogynistic and anti-Indigenous commentary, Mr. Lawton has consistently demonstrated conduct fundamentally incompatible with the values of a democratic and inclusive society, especially in London."

Some Andrew Lawton nuggets.

“Why did Bosnia collapse into the worst slaughter in Europe since World War Two? In the thirty years before the meltdown, Bosnian Serbs had declined from 43 percent to 31 percent of the population, while Bosnian Muslims had increased from 26 percent to 44 percent. In a democratic age, you can’t buck demography except through civil war. The Serbs figured that out as other Continentals will in the years ahead: if you can’t outbreed the enemy, cull ’em. The problem that Europe faces is that Bosnia’s demographic profile is now the model for the entire continent.”

“Regarding the Gay Pride flag being hung from city hall: What has London come to when a flag symbolic of a group representing only five per cent of the population deserves to be hung alongside the Canadian flag — once a symbol of tradition and pride? I support equality among people of all orientations, but I do not think the face of city hall deserves to be tarnished so.”

“Abortion affects women, but it also affects men. No one can deny that a pregnant woman who chooses to give birth will change two lives forever and create a third. A woman who has an abortion is robbing that child’s father, without question.”

“If the Left is so confident in their view on abortion, they shouldn’t be afraid of a long-overdue debate on just how available and unrestricted abortion should be.”

“Coming up soon is Canada’s annual faux-day of remembrance (no I wasn’t talking about Kwanzaa when I said “fake holiday,” the “National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.” This is the day that remembers the brutal shooting at Polytechnique school in Quebec on December 6th, 1989 — 20 years ago. Observance of this day raises the age-old question of what days we should observe and what should be kept in the history books. All of the victims were women, meaning that this day of remembrance is a prime opportunity for feminazis to accuse anyone who doesn’t take the day off work and hold a candlelight vigil of being anti-woman.”

“I have no apologies for questioning this day, because I think that this ignores every other victim of a shooting or rape that has happened in history. Every week it seems that there is another high profile murder or rape in North America. Should we hold a national day for every one of these victims? No.”

“Emerging Leaders used a push poll to try to paint Londoners as intolerant of the LGBTQ community. Number of sexual-orientation motivated hate crimes in Canada per year: 185. Number of HIV/AIDS infections from men having sex with men in Canada per year: 1450. Who is the real enemy?”

We lost retarded last week but we got negro back,” adding roughly 20 seconds later, “It’s sad to see retard go but at least we have negro,” to which the host laughs and agrees: “Yeah, exactly.”

https://pressprogress.ca/here-are-pc-candidate-andrew-lawtons-worst-moments-so-far/

Mental illness, my ass. It is just the product of a sick mind.

[Djeffery]

No way the CPC drops him now, with no ability to replace him on the ballot. This is pretty much a sure bet riding for them, no way they toss in the towel on it.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

No way the CPC drops him now, with no ability to replace him on the ballot. This is pretty much a sure bet riding for them, no way they toss in the towel on it.

No doubt. And this is one reason why I couldn't vote PC. I mean, just google "Andrew Lawton" and his sordid statements are among the first things to pop up.

So, either the CPC party:
1) doesn't vet their candidates,
2) doesn't care,
3) pretends to care, but doesn't really,
4) agrees with Andrew Lawton.

It amounts to the same thing. They are supporting a man who is a racist and a homophobe, and someone who has made awful remarks about women. He basically shits on the 3/4 of the population that is not White, Christian, Straight, and cis-gendered Male.

I guess it doesn't matter. Farm folk are going to vote with the herd.

[plcan1]

No more Liberals and NDP idiotic politicians
Time for change and get back to Canadian values
God bless Canada
Vote PC

[MolsonExport]

What a golden nugget of a contribution.

God doesn't bless countries.

What Canadian values does the CPC represent that are not represented by the NDP and the Liberals?

Last time I checked, intolerance, homophobia, islamophobia, and misogyny weren't Canadian values. Those are, however, some of the traits of Andrew Lawton.

[plcan1]

“O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free! “

[Snark]

Originally Posted by plcan1

No more Liberals and NDP idiotic politicians
Time for change and get back to Canadian values
God bless Canada
Vote PC

There is no "PC" party running in the current federal election. There has not been a federal PC party for more than 20 years.
You must be either:

1) Quite uninformed on the matter
2) Drunk
3) Trolling
4) All of above

[Snark]

P.S. - this is a forum dedicated to architecture, urban development, and perhaps broader municipal/local matters. This thread is heading away from a controversial local candidate and into basic political ideology. Probability time to stop or take it elsewhere.

[jammer139]

Municipality of Central Elgin announces plans to setup its own planning dept and expects population to grow significantly over the next 20 years. Part of the deal with the province for the land transfer of the PowerCo/VW land to St Thomas was the old St Thomas Psych Hospital lands which are still waiting on being sold off. Currently the province spends $1M per year maintaining the empty buildings and property.

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/area...es-for-vw-plant-driven-population-growth

[jammer139]

Thames Valley District Public School Board will get a Supervisor.

The province has appointed a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board, in London, after it conducted a review in the wake of a staff retreat to Toronto that cost about $40,000 and included a stay at the hotel connected to the Rogers Centre, where the Blue Jays play.

School board leadership revealed the price tag of sending 18 staffers to the retreat in September 2024, prompting sharp criticism from education unions and the public.

It happened at the same time the board was facing a $7.6 million budget deficit and teachers were dealing with shortages of classroom supplies.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-school-board-investigation-1.7516584

https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/quee...-of-embattled-thames-valley-school-board