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?
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| 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!
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!
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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"Dear Politicians
ReplyDeleteI 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