Trouble in Paradise

A common tactic to prevent citizens from coming forward with their concerns is to force presenters to apply for permission to speak on an agenda item by Friday morning by 9:00 AM  even though the agenda is not posted until the following Monday. This gives the council the ability to prevent presenters from speaking on issues that the politicians don’t want to hear or more importantly to be heard by the public. Are they transparent and open or just a crafty bunch of miscreants?

It gets worse – much worse!

Here we have a situation where the board members of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) are also Niagara Regional Councilors.

25 of the 30 regional Councilors were present to vote to allow a citizen the ability to speak regarding a forensic audit of the NPCA. The rules call for a 2/3 majority to allow a citizen to speak to council. 

The vote was 13 YES vs. 12 NO.

Of the 12 NO votes 6* are also conflicted board members of the NPCA that are against having a forensic audit of their untouchable organization!

As stated in a previous article there is a great number of citizens that have concern regarding the activities of the 
NPCA and this shabby conduct proves the point.

Instead of Chair Caslin making his ill informed apology to Councilor Timms he should first point out to the Citizens of Niagara the alleged 'misinformation and contained libelous and defamatory statements'. Given that Mr. Smith's presentation is now public and given that no specific allegations have been exposed it becomes obligatory for Chair Caslin to clarify the situation or be branded by many as just another squalid politician. 

 

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/06/15/caslin-apologizes-over-npca-presentation

http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/06/16/lafleche-the-strange-apology-of-alan-caslin

Considering the conduct being deployed against Niagara Citizens perhaps it would be appropriate for Chair Caslin to ask his legal beagles who would bear the cost of a 'Human Rights' lawsuit; the individual authoritarian or the hapless taxpayer?

It is not the NPCA Chair or anyone involved with the NPCA that Chair Caslin should have apologized to. Caslin now owes an apology to some of his Councilors including to Brian Heit,  Mr. Ed Smith and above all to the Citizens of Niagara!

 http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2016/06/24/editorial-whats-wrong-with-paying-for-npca-audit

When contacted Mr. Ed Smith said “Last Friday the NPCA audit was not on the agenda for the Regional Council Meeting so I did not apply to speak.  However I felt a little bit uneasy because I knew the issue of the audit was coming up and I suspected they might try to get something through with none of us noticing.  

On Monday I sent an email to the clerk asking for confirmation that the audit was not on the agenda, and I also followed up with another email shortly thereafter...they did not answer.

Finally on Wed at 2:30 pm they sent me an email apologizing for taking so long to respond but yes indeed the audit had just now been added to the agenda.

I told them I wish to be added as a speaker, they told me they can't do that because speakers must apply to speak by the previous Friday, I said that the issue was not on the agenda the previous Friday.  They said that regardless of that they cannot put me on the agenda.  

They said the only way I would get to speak was if a Councillor made a motion and the majority of the council voted to allow me to speak...by a 2/3 majority.

Of course I knew the chances of this council allowing me to speak were close to zero if they could control it, but I also knew that there are champions of democracy on the council, and I knew they would rally to the cause of the people's rights regardless of the issue, and they did.  Those Councillors are to be hailed, they represent the hope for the Niagara Region.

As for that night, the rest is history, bully tactics were employed to prevent the public from speaking to the issue and our democracy was corrupted once again.  That's OK though because it only strengthens us to re-double our efforts and broaden our look beyond the NPCA.  Things are not right within the Region, we're about to find out why.”

Click here to witness video of the entire May 19, 2016 Niagara Regional Council Meeting

Secret Niagara

They have finally done it! They took a sad situation, and made it worse! Through their squalid manipulations they have exposed their contempt for the Niagara Citizen as well as their utter corruption for all to see.

For the uninitiated please click on the blue words, which are links to further corroborating information.

It had gotten so bad that even Councilor Rigby had to rise to proclaim that the Niagara Regional Council was acting like ‘Jerks”!

The cause of Regional Council’s overwhelming panic was the specter of facing a proper audit on various projects such as the NOTL and Welland sewage treatment plants and various bridge construction including the new Burgoyne Bridge. Collectively the overcharges of our many projects are now running upwards of a whopping $100Million of unaccountable tax dollars, not to mention the squalid corruption going on at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.  

Suspicion rises with senior staff (MIA) on indefinite leave immediately following the specter of a forensic audit.

It took a man named Ed Smith who burst onto the scene predicated on his concern over conservation authorities’ wild claims that they could create biodiversity offsetting and even went so far as to state that they could create slough forests, (forested swamps) and even relocate the current inhabitants. 


It seemed natural for Smith to assume his first effort would be a presentation to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). The outcome of that presentation left much to be desired.

His next exercise in futility was met with lies and deception before he even presented his message to the Niagara Regional Council, a message the council did not want to hear. They resented the fact that anyone would have the audacity to challenge the Region's involvement in a scheme to gloss over their attempt to destroy precious wetland in favor of a development. 

The fix was in! Intruders not welcome.

 
However, Mr. Smith’s first presentation to Regional Council managed to throw a wrench into the NPCA’ attempt to sneak through a vote of approval of their proposal to con everyone into believing they could create a slough forest after destroying a slough forest again in favor of a developer.

Smith’s appearance before the Niagara Falls City Council created an angry backlash against the NPCA CAO Carmen D`Angelo and Chairman of the NPCA Board, while garnering appreciation for Smith’s enlightening and informative presentation. Smith’s presentation even exposed skullduggery on the part of Mayor Diodati,  his executives and staff who were well aware that pertinent information was being deliberately withheld from their council!

Smith’s presentation to the city also exposed the fact that the negotiations for the $1.5Billion ‘Thundering Waters Project’ was in progress in March 2015 well before the September 2015 China Vacation proving that a hoax was perpetrated on the Citizen that the $1.5Billion deal was a result of the Taxpayer paid China Vacation!

Through a series of questions, Mr. Smith elicited stunning responses from obviously corrupt authorities.

Mr. Smith exposed the fact that the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority uses outright lies to deceive the Citizens of Niagara! 

As an example they stated that they were NOT lobbying the Ontario government to change the rules regarding biodiversity offsetting. Regional Councilor Nunziata (also vice chair of the NPCA) stated publicly in April 28, 2016 Council Chamber  (At the 46 Minute Mark) that the NPCA was NOT lobbying for Biodiversity offsetting while at the same time the NPCA was Paying a Lobbyist $24,000 to do just that!

Note NPCA: RELATED REPORTS AND APPENDICES:

1.Kealy and Associates inc. Proposal (May, 2015). – (marked) Confidential.

Obviously someone is trying to deceive the public!

The final disgrace manifested itself during Smith’s second attempt (near midnight at the 525 mark) on May 19, 2016  to enlighten our Regional Councilors to the true character of the NPCA; a daunting task considering the preponderance of the NPCA Board is made up of Niagara Regional Councilors. These same conflicted councilors voted to block any attempt to have the NPCA properly audited!

Raises the question; Why! 

 

Why would Councilor Quirk (Also a NPCA Board Member) be so loudly vociferous in making his point to the chair that Smith’s presentation should be removed on the basis that it was misleading and also demeaning to the NPCA Board? But none of the Regional Councilors currently sitting on the NPCA Board particularly those expressing injury to their integrity have anything to say about their permitting financial injury to innocent Niagara Citizens.

They ignore their ridiculous attacks on Niagara home owners!

They sell out the environment in favor of developers!

They remain silent on their extraordinary destruction of Niagara Families  while the NPCA seeks the right to do exactly what they persecute Niagara Families over.

They falsely claim they they have no authority over the NPCA while they think they hold sway over everything else. They are a bully pulpit but only when it suits them. 

Recent court cases indicate there will be monumental settlements against Municipalities and Conservation Authorities  over constitutional rights and human rights.

Councillor Timms, who is also the NPCA Chair, also complained that Smith’s presentation was full of misinformation, which it was NOT, and that he felt it was an attack on his character and integrity.

However, Timms refused to address the fact that it is he who refuses Freedom of information, and is still withholding FOI requests from Citizens! How does that square with Timms’ character and integrity?

Perhaps if the NPCA was more open, honest and transparent it would be less likely for misleading or inaccuracies in any presentation! It would also be less likely that citizens would be making such a fuss about NPCA modus operandi.

The fact remains that the conduct of the NPCA gives every indication that there is little or no reason to assume that those currently in charge of the NPCA are endowed with any integrity!

‘The Mirror online’ has posted Mr. Smith’s entire presentation notes for all to see and for these conflicted councilors to refute. To be fair we are also prepared to post all and any objections or clarifications from these same conflicted councilors.

Predicated on the obscene abuse and disrespect heaped on a private Niagara Citizen, Mr. Ed Smith, it must be considered abuse and disrespect to all Niagara Citizens, therefore  The Mirror online is joining in the call for a full and complete audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.

The question remains; just what is it that the NPCA is trying so hard to hide?

P.S. Every Niagara Regional Councilor receives The Mirror onLine News Alerts and therefore every Niagara Regional Councilor is fully apprised of all information and updates (Including this Article)! 

This Article was sent to all Niagara Regional Councilors on Wednesday, June 01, 2016 7:29 AM. responses from Conflicted Councilors will be posted as they are received!

The conduct of the Niagara Regional Council is for the Voters to Decide!

The following is a letter to Regional Councilors

Councilors,

You will recall that at last weeks' Council meeting I was accused of "egregious slander", conducting a "smear campaign" and, being "borderline libelous".  Of course our position on all of this is different.  Nonetheless, we understand that Council took the decision that it took and effectively prevented me from presenting our case by way of a robust question and answer cycle.

We are putting to you that every allegation in that presentation can be defended with facts, and we came prepared that night to do exactly that.  In no way was there any “misinformation” or “misleading” of council. I came to speak to what we believe are very serious breaches in our democracy. I must admit that I am somewhat perplexed that I was not afforded the right to do so.  There might have been some "misleading" going on that night, but it was not done by us.

I would like to close this email to you with 2 quick points. The first is a quote from the Vice-Chair of the NPCA that was made to Regional Council on April 28th of this year, and I quote:

"I can assure you as Vice-Chair of the NPCA that there is no active participation lobbying the province.  The communication has been one way, it has been from the province to the NPCA to respond"....and yet we now know that is not true.  We now know that this particular Councilor "misled" not only the Council in the whole, but the public also.  I will leave it to you to consider which is worse, and why it was done.

The second point is quite simply that anytime I am in front of the Council I come with the utmost of respect. I (and I trust all of us) hold this democratic institution to represent the very fabric that makes our great nation what it is.  If, in the preservation of the values of that great institution certain individuals feel defensive or slandered, it is not my intent, but I would welcome the challenge.  Democracy in fact demands these challenges.  Those who do the right thing have no reason to fear the light. 

Having said that I will gladly avail myself to any of you, at your behest, and will be more than happy to present the evidence and strength of the presentation I made that night.  I feel the resistance or "fear" of an audit that night was measurable, and I would welcome the opportunity to help you understand why that may be.

At your service,

Ed Smith

Just a citizen

Only Tyrants Misuse our Laws for Abuse

Under the legal term “Land grant patents” your property is your property. It does not belong to the government or any part of the government.

That has been determined by our courts reaching all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

Example: The Crown appealed (Walker et al v. the Attorney General (Ontario) to the Court of Appeal for Ontario and lost, then appealed further to the Supreme Court of Canada, again without success. Thus, the trial judgment was affirmed by the Court of Appeal for Ontario in 1972 and by the Supreme Court of Canada in 1974…”

More recently the Gilmor et al. v. Nottawasaga Valley and The Township of Amaranth where the judge ruled: In my view, the foregoing quotations from the Tribunal’s reasons indicate that it did indeed proceed from an unreasonable and fundamentally erroneous interpretation of the governing NVCA Regulation.   Neither the CAA nor the NVCA Regulation enacted there under can reasonably be construed as presumptively prohibiting development.

At what point are the individual perpetrators of the continuing attacks against property owners to be held accountable for their actions?

The perpetrators know very well that their actions fly in the face of superior court and supreme court settlement but they still use and abuse our lower courts to shake down private property owners.

Their actions have bankrupted and destroyed families for the sole purpose of building an empire on their ill-gotten gains.

Its time for them to pay!