Questions

VIVA and York Region Transit raised transit fares because, they claim, because of improved service.

Has service really improved?

Sure my commute has gotten shorter in time but why does it still take me easily over 90 minutes and four buses to get from Aurora to Downsview Subway Station? Currently it takes $3.50 to travel from Northern York Region to Finch Station, but I believe this is starting to get a little much considering one can travel from Etobicoke to Scarborough (in a similar distance) for $2.50. So why can't I do the same from Aurora to Finch Subway station? YRT operated without supervisors sitting in cars at Promenade Terminal and Richmond Hill Centre area for years, so why are these expensive cars required now with the advent of VIVA? Can't these supervisors wait in heated areas built at these terminals? Nope because these were not added so these pollution spewing vehicles must constantly run to keep these high priced people sitting and supervising the buses. Wasn't the GPS system on the buses supposed to be able to keep track where these buses are and what they are doing? So why the spewing cars?

Why did York Region roads require "VIVA" banners by the dozen put up and left to shred in the winter winds? Perhaps it was reasoned for the fare increase. Was the fare increase was necessary to take out the many quarter page advertisements in the local papers and the "VIVA" website (complete with video game contest and Season's Greetings eletronic greeting card)? With the fare increase affecting the passengers, one question remains in my mind is what costs have the private consortium undertaken in the VIVA project?

Why can't there be drivers at Terminals to let the drivers have proper breaks including washrooms? Far too many times have I been left at Richmond Hill Centre waiting for either VIVA Blue or VIVA Purple drivers to answer the call of nature and resume their routes.

Enough about VIVA, and onto other things.

Did the Prime Minister know about the latest announcement on taxation concerning income trusts? If not "fully in" on the on the announcement why was the equivalent of the CEO with over 30 million shareholders in the dark?

Also during the Sponsorship program why was the Vice-President of the Treasury Board, the Finance Minister, the and lead Cabinet Minister for the Province of Quebec not know what was going on in the this particular program? You would think at least one of these people would know something about what is going on, but what makes the matters worse is that Paul Martin, the current Prime Minister held all three positions at the same time. Yet he did not know what was going on. A judge, Justice John Gomery, even confirmed Martin didn't know anything about this program. How is that? Why do people keep voting for these guys?

I just don't get it. Spend public money with the biggest bang for the the taxpayers dollars (because it ain't the politicians own money) should be the way government spends money. Is this such a hard concept?

So many questions, so little answers....