Paul Calandra is Shovelling Something in Oak Ridges - Markham

The stimulus spending that has given Canada it's largest deficit in history, was supposed to be for shovel ready projects, but in Oak-Ridges-Markham, residents are wondering what exactly their MP Paul Calandra is shovelling.

With much pomp and ceremony he announced that stimulus money would be going to build a new arena/community center in the town of Schomberg, but the town council says that they have not yet even designed the building, nor do they have the land to build it on.

What does Calandra think 'shovel ready' means? I guess to him it's just means he should start shovelling something?

This is a “Shovel Ready” Project?
A View From the Left
Monday, July 13, 2009

There was recently an announcement made in my riding by our Conservative MP, Paul Calandra, that King Township would be receiving some of the stimulus funding to build a new arena/community center in the town of Schomberg.

Now Schomberg certainly needs a new arena, however even some of the municipal councilors have been questioning receiving the funding as a) they don’t have the design plans for the arena finalized and b) they don’t even have a location to put the arena as they have yet to buy any land.

Councilor Mortelliti also wondered how, under the Stimulus Find, the project qualified as construction-ready if the designed of the facility has not yet been finalized.

It seems to me that this is just more proof that this stimulus funding is designed to lock up votes in Conservative ridings instead of for investing in shovel ready projects to stimulate the economy.