Saturday 15 September 2012

Malignant Secrecy



Where is the concern? Once every three weeks the Regional Council meets to do its business; governing on behalf of Niagara Citizens. 

Folks with a particular interest occasionally show up to make a plea. When done there is an immediate evacuation.

Often you find yourself sitting alone in an empty gallery equal in size to the council chamber of fifty. Still the performance never fails entertain.

On the evening of September 13, 2012 Councillor Petrowski asked why the information regarding the Ontario Ombudsman’s findings against the Region’s misconduct and secrecy, including any remedial action of the Niagara Regional Government, was not on the Region’s website?

Ombudsman Marin
Sadly, we also learned from that meeting of Regional Council that there is a more serious situation; some are even finding it humorous, regarding even more secrecy.

Through a series of five questions Councillor Andrew Petrowski ferreted out the fact that the Regional Government had formed another secret committee made up of two commissionaires, two Councillors, plus the Regional Chair to interview candidates for the vacated position of Clerk.

This case of indiscretion lies in the fact that this whole secret setup was actually withheld from the REST of COUNCIL! 

 Even the CHOSEN Councillors couldn't see a need to enlighten their fellow Regional Councillors! 

This is hardly new to the Niagara Winners Circle. It was the NWC that first broke the 2010 story 'Inventing Darkness' to shocked Niagarans.'

   The NWC fought back against  the secret ‘CORK’ committee, which was fully supported by the whole of Regional Council to prevent the public from ever again presenting their views.

Even today the Niagara Regional Government demands that citizen presenters file to present no later than 9:00 AM on the last Friday before the Thursday council meeting and only on an agenda matter, even though the agenda is not posted until Monday!   


File Friday - Agenda posted Monday - Council meeting Thursday?

More:





Inventing Darkness
It was a very bleak night on September 23, 2010! That’s because it was the night the light went out at Niagara Regional Government! That’s the night that our current Niagara Regional Councillors voted to shut out the People of Niagara from our public forum, stifling any future input at Niagara Regional Council! That’s the night they decided to muzzle any possible dissent from the public! That’s the night they assured themselves that Niagara Citizens would never again witness, via their television sets, what is going on at our Niagara Region!

On the recommendation of The Secret ‘Council Organization Review Committee’ (CORC) whose members are
Regional Chairman *Partington, Councillors Baty, Augustine, Burroughs, *Casselman, Cordiner, Greenwood, *Heit, Henderson, Lepp, Marshall, *McMullan, Puttick, *Rigby, Saracino, Smeaton and *Timms  (* St. Catharines Councillors)

The whole of Regional Council, including Garcia, voted September 23, 2010 that,

Delegations {Inividuals} shall not be permitted to appear at Council Meetings

Note - Those that claim they did not vote for this also failed to raise their hand for a recorded vote

Our Regional Council is a municipal governing body. It does not operate as a parliament with opposition parties making their case, with opposition parties to present our opposing views, and to do so publicly on television.

Our self-adulating and unopposed Regional elected body took it upon itself to block the sunlight of vital information! Obviously these councillors could not risk the camera exposing the truth for the allotted time of even 10 minutes!

   Suppression of dissent is the first weapon of the Tyrant! Only a Tyrant would use dictatorial powers to secretly block the public from our public forum!

This is NOT a Democratic Act! This IS Democratic Corruption!

There are strong forces among our Niagara authorities to muzzle decent, promote secrecy and diminish property rights.
For his efforts Councillor Petrowski was accused of wanting to micro-manage through transparency.
Question: what should one conclude is the ramification of systematically governing in secrecy?

Undue government secrecy is a malignancy that must be checked or it will continually grow until it destroys its host!


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1 comment:

  1. "Dear Politicians

    I grew up in Ontario. Except for a four year period, I've spent my
    entire working life in Ontario. I've seen Ontario at its economic high
    and am living here during the bad times. However, I am recommending to
    my adult children that they leave the province because I don't see it
    ever getting back to the powerhouse it once was with the leadership we have.

    The economic storm that we are living through is not your fault. The
    World as a whole is suffering. But you are not blameless. For the last
    ten years you have embarked on a path that put us in a position that
    when this Depression hit (and yes it is a depression, although you would
    prefer to use the more gentle term, Recession) that we could not easily
    recover. You have allowed this Province to spend money that we didn't
    have and set us up for failure. You bowed to the pressures of organized
    labour when you should have stood strong and said we couldn't afford
    their demands. You have pushed back as long as possible dealing with
    tough issues. You have forced us to pay electrical rates we cannot
    afford and then introduced meters that result in higher charges when we
    use the power in the day time. You will notice that I say day time not
    peak period. Did anyone ever think that daytime is the only time that
    the elderly, the sick and the unemployed are going to actually use the
    power? The middle class is consistently hit by increasing costs beyond
    what we can afford.

    Then people got caught spending their way out of situations where their
    ass was on the line. What do you allow to happen? You let Parliament get
    prorogued for at least 4 months. Really? You will continue to take your
    pay cheque, while you hang this province out to dry? Is this what we
    need when we are already in big trouble? As the teenagers say, it's time
    you grew a pair and got your butts back to work.

    It doesn't seem to me that you care about this province or its people.
    Prove me wrong.

    Mike Powell

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