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TORONTO - The security budget for next summers Pan Am Games in Toronto was far too low, and arrangements to protect venues and athletes are behind schedule, auditor general Bonnie Lysyk warned Wednesday.Lysyk did a special audit after the opposition parties complained that the Liberal government awarded a contract for the bulk of private security services at the Games to a company that did not have the lowest bid.The governments decision to award the contract to Contemporary Security Canada was fair, even though at $81 million it was $14 million higher than the next lowest bid, concluded Lysyk.The selection processes ... were fair and transparent, complied with government procurement policies and applied lessons learned from other similar sporting events, she wrote.Officials put appropriate emphasis on contractors prior experience with providing security at large-scale events and project management qualifications, added Lysyk.However, we had concerns with the timing of security procurement and the communication of the related expected costs.The auditor said the private security contract was budgeted in 2013 at only $42 million, far lower than the $81 million contract that was awarded.Our only concern was that the budget for security procurement was understated and should have been more accurate, wrote Lysyk. We noted the same understatement of budgets for other, smaller security procurements. Pan Am organizers now estimate security costs at $247.4 million, more than double the original estimate of $121.9 million in Torontos bid for the Games.I wouldnt say it was a deliberate ploy to mislead people, Lysyk told reporters. It really wasnt until there was more information, more work being done on security planning, when they started to appreciate that number was too low.Sport Minister Michael Coteau could not explain why the private security budget for the Games was off so much just a year ago, and said he would not put a firm limit on the security budget because there could be a change in the threat level.What would it look like knowing this government put a hard cap on security and comprised the safety of Ontarians, Coteau asked reporters. If the cost increases because of a (higher) threat level, Im quite comfortable with that.Deputy OPP Commissioner Brad Blair said the threat level was increased last month after a gunman shot and killed a soldier at the Ottawa war memorial before storming Parliament Hill, where he was fatally shot by security.The threat level has changed, which means theres a heightened awareness, not only within law enforcement but also with the general public, said Blair. Until we see a specific threat to these games, I would say our planning principles would not change.Arrangements to ensure athletes and officials have secure access to the field-of-play zones at Pan Am venues and to protect the athletes and their equipment are behind schedule, warned Lysyk.With only nine months before the Games begin, TO2015 had only just issued a request for proposals for contract asset protection security services, nor had it completed all procurements for security equipment, she said. TO2015 was supposed to look after the venue of play security, and that hasnt been completed.The opposition parties said they feared security was just one area where the Pan Am Games organizers would blow the budget.Theres a real good chance well be back here in November of next year, after the Games are over, and youre going to see that every piece of the pie involving the Pan Am Games is way over budget, and its the taxpayers of Ontario that are going to have to pay for those overruns, said Progressive Conservative Todd Smith.If theyre messing up so much with respect to the security costs, how much more is out there that we dont know about yet, asked New Democrat Jagmeet Singh.The Toronto security estimate is just a fraction of the nearly $900 million spent on security at the Vancouver Olympics, but officials believe there is a lower risk profile at the Pan Am Games, with far fewer high-profile dignitaries expected to attend.In September, the province had to pump another $74 million into the Games, most of it because of lower than expected sponsorship revenues.The government was criticized for not including the $709 million cost of the athletes village in its original $1.4-billion budget for the Games, which now is expected to top $2.57 billion and could go even higher.It could increase even more depending on future risk and threat assessments and changes in the scope of the Games, said Lysyk.Follow @CPnewsboy on TwitterNote to readers: This is a corrected story. 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The 34-year old was magnificent in 2013, throwing for just under 2,900 yards despite missing eight games, tossing an impressive 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 66 per cent of his passes in the process. Howie Long Jersey . - Maxence Parrot of Bromont, Que.The Chicago Cubs have been taking a lot of heat lately. First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". But the bigger target was the franchises owners of the past four years, the Ricketts family. Under their stewardship, the Cubs have compiled a record of 273-375 and havent come close to being a contender in any of the four seasons. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein felt compelled over the weekend to defend the Ricketts, saying at the Cubs Fans Convention in effect they were absorbing short term pain for long term gain. Epstein explained that the Ricketts had a long term plan that would ensure success for the organization. Last I looked, the Cubs havent won a World Series since 1908 and havent been in a Fall Classic since 1945. Thats not the point of this story though. I decided to compare the Blue Jays record to that of the Cubs over the last four seasons. The Cubs are 273-375. Thats an average of a little more than 65 victories per season. The Blue Jays are better but not by a significant amount. Their record from 2010 thru 2013 was 313-335. So the Jays averaged a bit more than 75 victories per season. Thats 10 more per season over the four years, but still under .500 and still nowhere near a post-season position. The Blue Jays record of futility in nowhere near that of the Cubs, but just the same, they havent been to the post-season since 1993, a stretch of 21 seasons. Over that span Kansas City is the only other Major League club that hasnt made the playoffs. The Blue Jays record since Rogers acquired the club consists of five winning seasons, eight losing seasons and one .500 campaign. The Cubs may be breaking their fans hearts, but the Blue Jays are hardly inspiring the planning of victory parades either. The Days of Key When the Dodgers signed their ace lefty Clayton Kershaw to that massive seven-year $215 million contract last week, it brought back memories of a veteran left-hander the Blue Jays had to make a decision on back in the off-season of 1992. Jimmy Key wasnt in the same talent class as Kershaw, but he will go down as one of the top pitchers in Blue Jays history. In nine seasons with the organization he went 116-81 with a 3.42 ERA. Key was to become a free agent after the 92 season. He and his agent wanted at least a four-year contract. Blue Jays GM Pat Gillick had a steadfast policy at the time of giving no more than three years to starting pitchers. So sure enough, Key left, signing a four-year deal with the Yankees. He was outstanding in his first two years in New York, and in fact led the American League in the strike-shortened 1994 season with a 17-4 mark and a 3.27 earned run average. In 1995 though, he blew out his arm and missed almost the entire season. Key bounced back strongly in 1996 though, and actually outdueled Hall of Fame-elect Greg Maddux to beat Atlanta in the final game of the World Series. That would be his final game as a Yankee and earned him a second World Series ring.dddddddddddd Jimmy Key would sign with Baltimore for 1997, where Gillick was now in charge and would finish out his career with the Orioles. In an ideal world Key would have pitched his entire career in Toronto. I still distinctly remember three landmark starts in his career, that helped define the pitcher and the man he was. On the final day of 1987 season at old Tiger Stadium, the Blue Jays had dropped six straight games and needed a victory on that last Sunday over the Tigers to force a tie-breaker with Detroit. Key engaged in an epic pitchers duel with Detroit southpaw Frank Tanana. Detroit won the game 1-0 on Larry Herndons home run that barely cleared the low fence in left. The Tigers went to the ALCS against Minnesota and the Blue Jays went home. In 1991, the Jays were facing Minnesota in the American League Championship Series. The organization made the decision to go with knuckleballer Tom Candiotti in the opener at the Metrodome against Jack Morris. Many felt Key should have been given that start. Just being around Jimmy as long as I had been, I could see how angry if not crushed he was at the snub. Candiotti was horrid in that game and the Twins got the quick jump in the series. Key finally did start in Game 3 with the series tied at a game apiece. Jimmy pitched six innings of two-run ball, but got saddled with a no-decision. The Twins ultimately won 3-2 in 10 innings on Mike Pagliarulos homer off Mike Timlin. Minnesota would go on to take the series in five games. I said to myself after that series that resigning Key would be next to impossible after he was passed over for that Game 1 start. To his credit, Jimmy put all that behind him and had a strong season in 1992. The game I will never forget was Game 4 of the World Series against Atlanta. Key was at his absolute best and went 7.2 innings against the Braves. When he walked off the mound towards the dugout, he received an incredible ovation and tipped his cap. I just felt at that moment, and Im sure Jimmy did too, that it was his final performance as a Blue Jay. As mentioned earlier, Key signed that four-year deal with the Yankees in the off-season, and the Jays took a fair amount of grief for letting him go. To this day I cant remember any other Blue Jays player who ended his time in Toronto with a moment like that. First Impressions Drake did an incredible impression of Alex Rodriguez on Saturday Night Live. If they ever do a movie about this sordid tale, Drake can play A-Rod and actor/comedian/radio host Jay Thomas can play Anthony Bosch. Thomas played Carlas second husband, the hockey player Eddie Lebec on Cheers. His character died when he was run over by a Zamboni, and Thomas bares an uncanny resemblance to Bosch. First Date The Blue Jays season opener at Tropicana Field against the Tampa Bay Rays has an unusual starting time. They kick off the season at 4:10 in the afternoon in the opener of a four-game series on March 31. ' ' '