Talk:George Smitherman

Untitled
Article seems a bit too glowing in its description. After all, I don't think I recall any time when a "Furious George" reference was ever meant to be taken in a positive light.

Smitherman as Deputy Premier?
My understanding is that this position has remained vacant since the Liberals formed government in 2003. Smitherman is *not* listed as Deputy Premier on the Ontario legislature page, and I can distinctly remember some rumours that Sandra Pupatello was annoyed at the time that the position was unfilled.

Smitherman may be the "de facto" Deputy Premier in the legislature, but I don't believe he's been given an official title. If anyone has evidence to the contrary, please provide a source. CJCurrie 02:13, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

Yes, Smitherman has officially been Deputy Premier for years -- it's just that he has also held a regular ministerial portfolio at the same time (health, energy, etc.) -- see http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/team/default.asp?Lang=EN --204.40.1.129 (talk) 14:15, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

Assessment
I have assessed this article as a Start, although just barely, given its level of detail and attempts at organization. I have assessed this article as low importance, as I do not feel that many people outside of Canada would be familiar with the subject of this article. Cheers, CP 23:37, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

lead paragraph
Clean-up tag; please remove when lead paragraph iswell sourced. The 1 source/link doesn't seem to work. Definitely needs much more substance and more cited sources, I think, in the lead paragraph. Mr.Grantevans2 (talk) 20:43, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

ehealth scandal omission and other pov problems
Toronto Star: eHealth scandal dents Smitherman's mayoral run EHealth needs a section for sure, and "defeat" drug addiction is a pretty positive and final way of putting it. I'll be back to help with this later. Mr.Grantevans2 (talk) 18:49, 3 April 2010 (UTC)

The page has been edited several times to reference the eHealth scandal, but these references are deleted very quickly by someone, perhaps the subject's campaign managers? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.36.45.176 (talk) 23:47, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

"Cocaine" Vandalism
I'm not watching this BLP but some Anon keeps reinserting a reference to "cocaine" which is not part of the RS. Mr.Grantevans2 (talk) 15:30, 18 April 2010 (UTC)
 * If it becomes too frequent you (we) can always request protection for the article. For now just keep reverting. Thanks. EncyclopediaUpdaticus (talk) 20:08, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Notable?
I put this in but CJCurrie and EncyclopediaUpdaticus do not think its notable enough: any other opinions?

"Smitherman missed a mayoral debate on September 30th. after being confronted with protesters who questioned him regarding his performance as Health Minister. Rocco Rossi capitalized on the incident, saying in a statement: "What does it say about Mr. Smitherman’s credibility when he literally runs from his record? ... You don’t earn trust by running from the tough questions."  " Mr.Grantevans2 (talk) 19:38, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Controversy section
Regarding this section I removed. There is negative material in there that is not properly sourced; for example, the first two sentences. The cited articles from the Toronto Sun and the Globe & Mail discuss the eHealth scandal without mentioning Smitherman, which appears to be an argument against inclusion here. The topic is already covered in the section on "Provincial politics" anyway, which is probably enough without running afoul of WP:UNDUE. Any other opinions? Thanks. Paul Erik (talk) (contribs) 18:21, 22 October 2010 (UTC)
 * Note: I requested review from Biographies of living persons/Noticeboard. Paul Erik  (talk) (contribs) 19:27, 22 October 2010 (UTC)

Spouse v. Husband
In the sentence "On September 26, 2009, the Toronto Star reported that Smitherman and his spouse had been approved as adoptive parents by the Toronto Children's Aid Society.", the word 'spouse' should be replaced with 'husband'. In English we usually refer to one's married partner as either 'husband' or 'wife'. In my opinion, referring to "his spouse" is wrong, as it has a homophobic I-don't-want-to-say-his-husband-type air to it. You wouldn't say "her spouse?" if it was a woman married to man would you? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.196.180.76 (talk) 04:38, 26 March 2013 (UTC)
 * In this case I suggest you read the Wikipedia page for spouse. You can also refer to the Free Dictionary definition, as good a definition as any. Both sources agree that the word 'spouse' is interchangeable, gender-neutral and implies no bias. Lastly, the source uses the 'spouse' so that's a good reason for keeping it as is. EncyclopediaUpdaticus (talk) 11:59, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

Ottawa Canada CFRA talk radio show on Ontario Hydro and wind power production
Lowell Green and Rob Snow -- 3 PM show host Rob Snow indicated that the average wholesale price per megawatt hour during the prior day ranged between 2 cents (at 3 AM) to 50 dollars each (during peak demand times), averaging about 18 dollars per megawatt hour for the day. The rate for surplus wholesale power trading are established on a 5 minute basis and published on a web site where hourly reports are available. The green energy program developed by George Smitherman supposedly pays wind farm owners a guaranteed 135 dollars per megawatt hour, creating a daily loss for Ontario Hydro / Ontario Power Generation of between 1 and 1.7+ million dollars per day. These daily losses are one of the key reasons why Ontario Hydro customers will have their power rates increased a few dollars per month as of November 2013 (or whenever the announced increase is to take effect). http://www.saultstar.com/2013/10/18/ontario-hydro-prices-to-rise-again-on-nov-1

Host Rob Snow illustrated that at 3 AM an Ontario customer would be paying 7 to 13 cents per kilowatt hour, while 1 megawatt hour would be wholesale sold by Ontario Hydro / the Power Authority for 2 cents to markets outside Ontario--usually one or all of Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, or Minnesota.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/ontario-drives-manufacturers-away-with-overpriced-electricity/article14854752/ Oldspammer (talk) 20:05, 21 October 2013 (UTC)

Three children - but where's the source?
Article claims (in infobox) he has three children. In a quick search, I found https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2011/10/25/george_smithermans_growing_family.html which looks like a reliable source, but still leaves child no. 3 unaccounted for. If nobody else can substantiate the number, I will remove it from the infobox as a WP:BLP issue. Samsara 05:42, 16 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Removed. Samsara 06:58, 17 October 2015 (UTC)
 * I found a source and updated the article. EncyclopediaUpdaticus (talk) 12:55, 17 October 2015 (UTC)
 * The source doesn't say that Smitherman adopted Peloso's daughter, so as far as we know she's not his child. I therefore count two (adoptive) children and don't see how we can say otherwise. Samsara 13:13, 17 October 2015 (UTC)
 * But it is clear that there were three children in a somewhat complex relationship, a fact that your reference search should have found. I looked for '"George Smitherman" children' on Google search and easily found this information. EncyclopediaUpdaticus (talk) 13:31, 17 October 2015 (UTC)
 * My willingness to research a subject I have no interest in is not the issue here. The issue is whether we can assert that he has three children, and I don't see any legal basis on which we can do so. His partner's adult child is not Smitherman's own. It's simply an adult that may have visited his home. That doesn't qualify as a child of Smitherman. I'll remind you of WP:BLP. Samsara 13:47, 17 October 2015 (UTC)

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