by Judi Mcleod
February 16, 2004
Down at the politicking Toronto police services board, the agenda of the left is on hold. and the agenda remains there until new board chair al Heisey’s remarks to a detective about child pornography have been reviewed by a retired judge.
On the job less than a week, Heisey’s alleged quote indicating he could understand "how one could be attracted to the beautiful body of an 8-year-old but not a child in diapers" put a damper on the left. On a roll since the election of bridge-killing Toronto Mayor David Miller, the left will now have to wait it out before their pointman gets to overhaul the internal police complaints system from the insider position of police services board chair.
With everything going for them since November’s municipal Election Day, the local left is beginning 2004 in worried mode.
Now that Toronto Island Poster Boy David Miller is in the mayor’s chair and wishy-washy Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty is running Ontario, implementing a left wing agenda should have been a cakewalk.
How could a veteran lawyer like al Heisey land in so much hot water less than a week into the job?
The police force is only one front where Heisey’s a pointman for the left. a closer look at his portfolio shows an activist in a pinstriped suit.
Mainline media profiles at the time of his council appointment to the police services board chair pegged the upwardly mobile Heisey as a "downtown resident". Only Now magazine correctly identified him as a Toronto Island resident.
No ordinary homesteader, Heisey is the owner of one of, if not the largest home in the entire Toronto Island community.
The island home of the lawyer cum activist had to be constructed from steel grids. Reminiscent of the front of an ocean going luxury liner, this ship of a glass house on Bayview avenue fits the bill of "monster house". Bought from property owner Mary Canary, Heisey’s house looks directly across at the Docks, Toronto’s popular mammoth entertainment complex.
Politically active Toronto islanders, who actually have a "Noise Committee", yearn to shut down the Docks. The courts, which disagree with them, recently sent committee members back to the drawing board.
So, how does Heisey fit into this picture?
as manifestation of his importance in the leftwing pecking order, no one gets onto the island as a resident unless his or her politics happen to be of a kind approved by the ever-watchful Island Trust.
Hopes for Heisey run high on the island.
In not so long ago chapters, Heisey was successful in driving to court a St. Clair West McDonald’s drive through he wanted closed. The activist in the pinstriped suit is believed to have the necessary fervour to shut down the Docks.
another Heisey failure would be destined to fall back on the mayor’s office.
Rumours abound that Toronto Island residents who played a starring role in Miller’s election have a lot of influence with the mayor. Some say they expect social housing as a payback in spite of the fact there’s a minimum 30 percent extra cost to build on the island because of inherent transportation complications.
Back home on the island where residents have been engaged in writing folksy songs in tribute to Miller, they’re really counting on homeboy Heisey.
Problem is he hasn’t been able to move out of stall mode.
There’s the troubling18-month-old memo leaked to CFTO News in which a police officer alleges that Heisey, in conversation at a social event, made sympathetic statements about someone charged with collecting child pornography.
The howls of protest that swiftly followed the breaking scandal from city Councillors Olivia Chow and Kyle Rae are sure indicators of how badly the left was stung.
Coun. Rae called the timing of the leaked memo a "crassly, opportunistic-timed attack on the new police services board chair, in my opinion."
"Who leaked it and why was it leaked? a confidential internal memo should not have been leaked," lamented Coun. Chow.
Meanwhile, although while out on the campaign hustings he promised Torontonians that his bridge killing intentions wouldn’t cost them a toonie, Miller faces the specter of mult-million dollar lawsuits from business interests. Cop-bashing, Miller supporting councillors like Chow and Pam McConnell (the latter of whom holds a seat on the Police services board) wait for the other shoe to drop.
Now that pointman al Heisey is treading in hot water on the police front, what will happen to plans driven by Toronto island friends?
Could be it takes more than an activist in a pinstriped suit to drive through a leftwing agenda?
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
Pursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2018 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2018 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement