Lily 11

The Ontario Pornography Control Commission, OntPorn as it is dubbed in the media, is a hybrid. Its public sector function is obvious, regulate cinema and video, according to Federal rules, Criminal Code of Canada, set in Ottawa.
Its resemblance to the private sector is that it is also a profit making venture, collects fees, $500 if your film is approved, $50 if denied. And no, there is no real incentive to cheat and pass everything as the Feds watch it and other Provincial bodies closely.
OntPorn has had many profitable decades. However since the latest Federal election, it has fallen on hard times. Conservatives were unable to attain a Parliamentary majority, needed the fifty seats of the Puritan Peoples' Party to survive.
Forthwith, Appendix A of the Federal Pornography Act was amended, causing OntPorn's revenues to nosedive.
Our city owns a large block of OntPorn shares, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. While it is not bankrupt per se, it is incapable of generating any dividends for the foreseeable future. This shortfall must be made up by a combo of municipal tax increases and expenditure cuts.
The Ontario Liquor Control Commission operates in similar fashion; administering Federal rules, but making profits too.
The new Federal rules; hard liquor forbidden; only beer and wine still legal; have slashed OLCC to the bone.
And once again our fair city takes the hit, missing those dividends that used to be.
The Ontario Gaming Commission was not spared. All casinos and bingos were closed, by Federal decree. An online system of ID verification ensures no person may buy more than $10 worth of lotto tickets per week.
And again, our fair city, like many others, takes the financial hit.
Rumors abound at the library. Closure of all branches, leaving only the main downtown one open. Five year moratorium on book purchases. Reduced hours. No more public surfing. $1 fee to check out a book.
At first, cuts are achieved without need of layoffs, though casual employees lose some hours.
Book purchases are quietly dropped, without admitting it to the public.
Surf ration is reduced from one hour to thirty minutes, thus eliminating the need to buy more terminals.
All branches will be closed Monday morning. The Sunday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm will only remain downtown; no branches will have it.
Later, each branch is reduced to one evening open a week. Different ones, so people can always drive to some branch which is open.
Life settles down. People see the cuts have happened; nothing further expected. Still the mood lingers that it is not a wise time to do either mortgage or car loan.
The local election changes everything. The incoming mayor, a Chartered Accountant, replaces the previous real estate developer.
Ontario Provincial Police are summoned, to determine whether there was actual corruption or merely (?) negligence.
The recently completed city hall has a raft of unpaid bills; hidden away by the previous mayor during the election. Immense cost overruns.
In due course OPP announces no charges will be laid, but that's another story.
In short order, library staff are convened to a Monday morning meeting in the theater in the basement. All except me. There being no ASL interpreter, I will spend Monday morning reading the meeting materials.
It is grim, main branch only remains open, Tuesday to Saturday only.
Since we are Canadian Union of Public Employees members, it will be done strictly by seniority, with no consideration as to which branch you are currently at.
There will be a list for each of: librarians with degree, Tech 2, Tech 1, and helpers.
Run your finger down the list, see if you survive.
I miss the cut by a long ways, many helpers having 20+ years of seniority.
My application to the Toronto Public Library goes nowhere. They too are in the throes of cuts. Just less drastic than ours.
Mother fields the call which comes for me. No, they certainly cannot talk with me, are they aware I am hearing impared? She talks, writes notes and we proceed.
It is the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa. They have been reviewing a number of recent Aliyah application files. I am well almost commanded to attend a meeting. The real meeting will be in Ottawa, but there will be video linkup to the JCC in each of Toronto and here.
I reply that without ASL, I cannot attend. They reply the vid will be closed captioned.
This sets me pondering. They aren't going to all this effort merely to retell people the file has been refused. Does this imply loosening of standards?
I recall a recent Haaretz article, call it up. The census looks bad. Jewish demographics are a disaster, shrinking. West Bank and Gaza Palestinians are irrelevent as they don't vote. But Israeli Arabs do vote, are showing a substantial increase in population.
As I take my seat, I sense peoples' moods, compare myself to others I know. Many are in worse shape than me, I mean in the medical and academic sense.
As we wait I lipread a conversation between two men. "Bet this is all about the census, Arabs increasing like rabbits."
Laugh, "what do you or I care what caused it? Our pensions will go further there."