Canadian millionaire to build community for Louisiana hurricane victims

[glarius]

This is a very nice, warm story...
I saw Frank Stronach interviewed on CTV yesterday and was impressed by his empathy for the people in Louisiana....He related how he had arrived as an immigrant to Canada in 1954 with very little money in his pocket and has been able to build a great life and huge fortune and felt an obligation to help others less fortunate than himself....His daughter is a Canadian member of parliament in the federal government. Fellow Canucks will remember there was some controversy when she crossed the floor to leave the Conservative Party and join the Liberal party a few months ago.....


http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126267349095_21/?hub=TopStories



http://www.ctv.ca/news <--This is a video of Stronach with evacuees
Scroll down toward the bottom and click on CTV News Toronto: John Musselman from Florida 1:42

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Wow! Now let's see some American squijillionaires follow suit

------------------------------------------------------
Ditch Bu$h and save the Gulf: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=22507&mesg_id=22507

Then save the nation!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[CatBoreal]

2. Belinda Stronach...

Is Frank's daughter and she's a good friend of Bill Clinton.

Thank you Frank.

[getmeouttahere]

3. Beautiful!

Too bad there aren't a few of these in the U.S.

[TomInTib]

4. Ms. Tomintib lived in Canadia for 25 years as a US expat, and

I have to tell you that I miss the fundamental decency of the Canadian people. Thought twice about coming back to the US because of how dog eat dog this country can be.

Can't go back to Canada (never became a Canadian citizen), so I guess I'll have to soldier on here.

[melody]

11. Americans are just as "fundamentally decent" as Canadians

Our government has vampires at the helm now, but I know just as many cut-throat sociopathic Canadians as I know Americans who are this way. I know as many decent, caring Yanks as I know Canucks who are THAT way.

BTW, there have been many, many, many American wealthy folk who've been feeding and clothing and housing the victims of Katrina (and Bush). All of which takes nothing away from Frank's incredibly generous outreach.

[TomInTib]

14. How do you know so many sociopathic Canadians? I spent

many years there, and I don't. Also, how many American bazillionaires would help Canadians? I haven't even heard of many helping out here yet.

The US is very much more an "every man for himself" kind of place than Canada is. I've spent 25 years there, and 19 here (most recently that last four), and there is a definite difference.

Canadia is far from perfect, but they are much less ruthless there. We need more "ruth" here.

[melody]

21. here we go again

I have a business. I work over the net and know people on a personal basis all over the world. I have encountered three major borderline sociopaths who are foaming-at-the-mouth neocons just in the last few months - one from Manitoba, two from elsewhere in Canada (memory fails me).

American "bazillionaires" who help Canadians? I know of one incident personally. Peter Fifer, a billionaire (from Alabama, forsooth!), who contributed a trio of new gathering/rec centers for Native Canadians due to his contacts there. More importantly, millions of regular Americans help Canadians everyday. I've bailed a couple of Canadian friends out of difficult places - they've helped me in the past. This sort of thing goes on every day.

Just as there are flag-waving Yanks, there are Canadians who zealously view Canada as holy and America as Satan. It's a somewhat childlike naivete and it's very sweet, but the reality is that all people are a mixture of qualities. What brings out "badness" in an American will bring out the opposite in other Americans. You can't point to a culture and say "this is a bad influence" with any degree of certitude that you're being correct or fair.

It's amazing to me that some Canadians will inveigh (very appropriately) against American biases, but then turn around and be just as prejudiced against Americans.

We're all human - we're all imperfect.

[glarius]

29. Take it easy

Methinks you are a bit touchy on this subject, forsooth!...Judging from all the times you posted in this thread on the subject of Canada vs USA....

[Don Claybrook]

31. Now wait just a minute. If you had droves of Canadian AND American

psychopaths intersecting with your life all the time, you might not be so judgmental. It's bound to be tricky.

[glarius]

32. Sighhhhhh......we all have our crosses to bear!......

:nopity: :D

[melody]

38. hey, damn straight - try being in business for yourself

Thankfully, I don't have either type "intersecting" with me in any regard - only when I'm doing a project of this type. And I did say borderline. ;-)

[Spazito]

34. LOL, I noticed the same, it does make one ponder

:thumbsup:

[melody]

42. 25% of the population, guys...you ever been in business for yourself? lol

Anyway, I meant that as a broader statement than it came across when I typed it out.

No, I'm not Clarice Starling. :-)

[melody]

37. not touchy, I just type fast and I'm trying to ignore a deadline lol

[Darth_Kitten]

51. I'm from Manitoba.....

and people are generally very friendly and open. Of course there are ignorant, callous canadians, no country's citizens have the monopoly on kindness and humanity.

I know from coming to this board, for one, that americans are not all the flag waving yahoos of "popular" imagination. Yeah, you have some real jerks in your country, but there are so many good, regular americans who are trying so hard to change the poor image the U.S. has in the world right now. :(

[TomInTib]

15. Hopefully Frank Stronach has a more altruistic view than

Galen and Hilary Weston and their little planned community (in FL?). I'm willing to hold out some hope.

[glarius]

19. I posted this cause I thought it was a nice story...it's not meant to be

Canada versus U.S.A....There are good and bad people in both countries.

[melody]

24. exactly. Thanks for pointing that out.

eom

[alarimer]

48. It is a nice story

I am sick of hearing about all the communities in the US who REFUSE to take evacuees. There are far too many of them. And all the church signs that blame New Orleans' "sin" for the hurricane. There are a lot of selfish assholes in America. I have yet to see any American billionaire other than Oprah doing anything.

[melody]

49. Bill Gates donated 5 million dollars...granted, that's pin money for him..

Also a ton of other entertainers.

[alarimer]

57. Good.

I know Gates gives a lot of money away anyway. I think I was exaggerrating a little- a lot of sports figures and entertainers are donating but I never heard of anyone else actually building a town! I think we need to start thinking in those terms. Thse people can't stay in other states forever, not when their home is in Louisiana. I am sure they want to go back and it should be sooner rather than later. I am just afraid that developers will snatch up all the land and the poor and displaced won't be able to go back if they wanted to.

[melody]

23. and what of all the Americans pouring time and money into the south now...

Aren't they as representative of American people as Galen and Hilary?

Is it fair for me to think Marc Lepine (because he murdered a Canadian college friend of mine) IS representative of all Canadians, just because I know of him? Is it fair for me to think Karla Homolka represents all Canadians? No, it's not. Just so, Americans deserve to be "judged" individually.

No ethnicity/nationality is inherently more "moral" than any other. I'm sorry, but that idea is obnoxious to me. I'm nothing but an American. My people came here 350 years ago. I've a long line of decent, caring progressives in my family. We deserve the same dignity in our own identity as any other human.

[blondeatlast]

45. I'd love to see posts about them, too. It's a hopeful sign in a dismal

week--nothing more or less.

:hi:

[Bernardo de La Paz]

18. N.O. is really part of the United States of Canada

[melody]

25. so is my state of California

But that "Jesusland" is full of people just as progressive and compassionate as many Canadians.

I wish we could break away here in California and make a new country with other Pacific states. I would resist joining up with Canada for the same reason I wouldn't move there -- too many people who hate me because of the name of the real estate I was born on. It's unfortunate and would be a good thing to counter, person to person, but who has the time?

[Spazito]

35. Wow, "too many people who hate me because of the name of

the real estate I was born on." I wonder why? Most Canadians don't dislike Americans at all, just bush and his cabal so this must be a personal thing?

[melody]

40. Spazito, that was a personal remark to a rhetorical statement n/t

I'll ignore it. ;-)

We all are human, we all have faults and foibles. Most Californians I've met tend to have an automatic low opinion of people from the US south, too, but we're all allowed our own opinions on such things. My family came from the south, so I have a different experience of them.

I think you needed to read my remark in context. At least, when I wrote it in my head, it made sense and was fair. By the time it flowed out my fingers at 2 am, that may not have been an actual fact. lol

[Spazito]

43. LOL, having made late night posts that seem to make eminent

sense at the time myself, only to re-read them in the harsh light of day to think "WTF was I trying to say?", I understand perfectly.

[melody]

44. Thanks, my friend

I honestly meant it to sound much more sane than it did. lol

[Binka]

36. Melody Grab The Clue Phone

I don't think these folks hate you because of the real estate you were born on. Ill leave it there.:hi:

[melody]

39. My clue phone has been temporarily disconnected lol

My experience with the Canadians I have met is they tend to have (and I said "tend") an automatic low opinion of Americans. After I get to know them a bit, I see less of that, but...

Making generalizations is necessary when making decisions about moving places. I also don't move to beach cities because I definitely don't want to have to "work on my tan". lol

[glarius]

41. I don't know who your Cndn contacts are but the polls here show that

Canadians by a large margin like Americans and by a large margin dislike George Bush and his policies....You must remember that because of our close proximity and the huge amount of trade between our countries (we are each others largest trading partners), we feel every twitch or shiver of the United States...We have been stamped on in the past for not going along with Uncle Sam but we DO differentiate between the government and the people!

[melody]

46. I'm glad to hear that

And because I deal with businesspeople, this may be a factor. Businesspeople (and I am one) tend to be fundamentally obnoxious people. lol

[glarius]

47. I guess what we have concluded is that we are all pretty nice people

in general....As are most people in all countries....:toast:

[Binka]

55. Thanks for sharing

I guess. Really your post is beyond comprehension. Knock yourself out melody.

[glarius]

56. I don't know where she meets these people,,,they don't sound like

typical Canadians to me...:shrug:

[Erika]

5. Fantastic

W and the GOP are too busy trying to cut the taxes of the wealthy and cut the benefits to our needy.

[Mairead]

6. It sounds wonderful. But...are these people from New Orleans?

Is this going to turn out to be a sophisticated version of urban renewal, aka n*gg*r removal? Will the community have any connection to good jobs, transportation, etc.?

I might be overly suspicious, but after reading about the wealthy Whites in New Orleans talking about ethnic cleansing....

[glarius]

7. Don't be so cynical!

I saw this man interviewed and he says the people will be a part of all the decisions made...He is committing to helping them establish wherever they want to and however they want to....He's a good man..:)

[medeak]

8. Canada..first they charter plane and are first in to rescue

and now this.. amazing.

[HEyHEY]

22. You listened to Paul Harvey!

the only show to mention it... I if I was an American Journalist I'd be all over it. "Why did another country get here first?"

[flyarm]

28. no not amazing..normal Canadian..thats why they are the most respected

people in the world!

unlike Americans!

fly

[AX10]

9. Good to hear! Hear that.....

Halliburton???

[quiet.american]

10. This is the kind of story that gives me hope for humankind.

What a beautiful man. O8) :woohoo: :applause: O8) :woohoo: :applause:

Meanwhile back at the ranch... Laura doesn't know the difference between Katrina and Karina, Babs laments there goes the neighborhood, W dreams of sitting on Trent Lott's brand-spanking-new porch, Michael Brown considers himself a victim, and bigots all over the country feel carte blanche to expose their ignorance in all its glory. And all of them insisting theirs is the party of moral values. :spank: :puke:

[Erika]

12. Your post should win an award for the post of the year.

I have never seen such racial activism against needy blacks in my life as this administration and their supporters have shown.

[quiet.american]

13. Thanks for the shout-out....

I was a very young child during the heat of the civil rights movement, primarily grew up in the groovy 70's in New York, and have only experienced rare instances of overt racism.

Now, with the country under the thumb of this "man of faith" who loves to be photographed with his brow furrowed in supposed fevered prayer, the masks are off, and the ugly face of bigotry deems itself beautiful again. The utterly degenerate hypocrisy of the "party of moral values" still never fails to stun me.

[Erika]

16. I so sadly agree

How sad.

[melody]

26. And America has more of everything because we have a greater population

When are we going to get past this nonsensical American/Canadian polarity in North America and get around to fighting the REAL enemy - multi-national business? These monsters use the far-right in this country just as they would use the extremists in any other culture.

[Straight Shooter]

17. As long as there are people like Frank Stronach, the world still has hope.

Thank goodness for people like Mr. Stronach. He helps to balance the scales against the likes of bush and cheney, et al.

edit my itty-bitty typo ;)

[Spike from MN]

20. Hey, can I get Canadian cictizenship too? I wasn't directly

affected by the storm so I can't classify myself as a survivor of Katrina by any means. However, like so many others here, I too have been adversely affected by the Bush administraion and, if the country continues to go in the direction it's going, it's only a matter of time before I am almost as dispossessed(property-wise) as the victims of Katrina. BY NO MEANS can I even begin to compare my situation to that of the people of NO and the needless horror they went through. Not in any way whatsoever. However, that doesn't change the fact that I am a victim of the current administration in soooo many ways that I feel I am already Canadian. Maybe not on paper (yet) but hopefully that will change soon.

[flyarm]

27. O canada , our home and native land..true patriots love

in all thy sons command!

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

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

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.


thank you Canada,,you are the strong and free, and you surely have
" glowing hearts!!" and you always rise when anyone in the world needs you...and unlike Americans you always command respect from the world!!
today i am envious!

a former resident of Toronto! fly

[ComerPerro]

30. Uh oh. Nothing Republicans despise more

than someone who is a "traitor to his class".

That's an interesting story, BTW

[Mutley]

33. Yet another reason why I love Canadians!

If only some American millionaires would do the same.

[Spazito]

50. What was most wonderful about this, imo, was that Mr. Stronach

didn't just donate a couple of million dollars, as wonderful as that would be, but put his money where his mouth is, so to speak.

He used his company to actually transport victims from NO to Florida, is housing them on his property and has committed to purchasing property, providing trailers until permanent housing can be built.

To me, that is even more valuable than a donation of dollars, to those families he saved.

[glarius]

52. Did you see the video where he met the evacuees in Florida?......He

talked to them about building a future....He said "we want to show the world if you give people a chance they can succeed." Not exact quote, but close as I remember...He was not in the least patronizing towards them....

[Spazito]

53. Yes, I sure did, actually caught it on the news last night

There was no question of his compassion and understanding of the need for hope and the importance of treating people, all people, with dignity.

I have to be honest, he would have been one of the last persons I would have named if I had been asked who I thought would 'step up to the plate'. Another lesson for me to take a second look at my first impressions for sure.

[glarius]

54. I know what you mean.....I had heard very little about him personally

before this, except that he was a liberal and it was surprising that his daughter chose the conservative party to break into politics with....Of course she has since become a liberal....