WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP HYPOCRISY

The two new committees replacing CPAC namely RAC & TAG are up and almost running. I attended the inaugural TAG meeting last Thursday in Council Chambers. I loved watching two co-opted, bought and paid for citizens lie when asked if they had any conflicts of interest. The paid Chairman Richard Jackson seems to be a no nonsense type of fellow. I wonder how long it will take him to get fed up with the two aformentioned turds?

RAC begins this Wednesday afternoon in Council Chambers. That will also be interesting as I was advised by Eric Hodgins, hydrogeologist for Waterloo Region, that to date Regional Council haven't decided whether they want a representative present or not. Well that's just plain ridiculous as Woolwich Mayor Shantz has been advertising all the stakeholders interests in Chemtura, including the Region's, for many months. She wouldn't lie to us would she?

This whole process has let the two guiltiest parties, Chemtura and the Ministry of Environment, off the hotseat. CPAC, formerly the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee, now the Citizens Public Advisory Committee had whipped that pair of liars nearly into submission until Mayor Shantz, Councillor Mark Bauman and other assorted professional liars got involved. Now Chemtura and the M.O.E. can start over dicking around again for years. Yes the TAG Chairman will be up to speed very quickly but all the other neophytes not a chance. I don't expect Mr. Jackson to last long unless of course he's been bought and paid for under the table. Entire companies certainly have been bought and paid for in the past when they worked for Chemtura so anything is possible.

History will appropriately not be kind to Woolwich Councils past and present. They are all shortsighted and we are all paying the price for that.

ANOTHER SUNNY FRIDAY MORNING SPENT AT SUPERIOR COURT IN KITCHENER

From 8:38 am. when I signed in until 12:40 pm. when I left. The good news is that this time we had a no nonsense Justice of the Peace. Now that said I will admit that the proper Form (105) was both typed and Formatted appropriately although perhaps not perfectly. I also met Julian Ichim down there and had a chat. As I understand it he and a friend are laying an Information against a regional police officer in regards to the tent city currently in Victoria Park. Possibly it's in regards to excessive force although I am not certain.

A total of ten charges are being laid via a private Information against Mayor Sandy Shantz. The whole process is frankly ridiculous as all her contraventions are now a matter of public record and the Crown should have stepped in and done all this work a long time ago. Seriously what kind of legislation leaves all the hard work up to private citizens when we have a multi hundreds of millions of dollars, judicial system? Quite frankly I have found the whole process to be disrespectful and contemptuous of citizens who are paying the shot. The fact that most of these charges have already been admitted to by the defendant, via her sucessive after the legal deadline Financial Statements, is further outrageous. I wonder once she's received her Summons if she 'll instruct her lawyer to fight tooth and nail and further waste the Court's time?

PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS SPOILING FOR A FIGHT

Luisa D'Amato in yesterday's Waterloo Region Record has written this story titled "It's time to change teacher job descriptions". Luisa recites a very long list of working to rule actions that the public school teachers have been indulging in for some time now. As Luisa suggests many of these actions would seem to be essential education and teacher responsibilities and yet the teachers apparently can opt out of them with impunity. Luisa asks the obvious questions as to why aren't at least some of them included in teachers' job descriptions. Luisa has a decades long and extensive background in researching and writing education articles for the Waterloo Region Record.

OFFICER NEEDS ASSISTANCE NOT PERSECUTION

The Andrew Robson case involving the Waterloo Region Police Service has been a five year odyssey of shame and embarassment to the Service. The shame is on the police force not the individual. Yes there is no doubt that Mr. Robson was in serious difficulty prior to the "sting" that set him up. Also most unenlightened businesses from half a century or more ago might have mishandled things just as badly. That is no excuse for a police service who are top notch at public relations and puffery, claiming to be on the leading edge professionally. Horse manure. They are a little boys club filled with egomaniacs at the top more concerned with their staus and prestige than with achieving and maintaining a top notch professional police service. Shame on them and shame on their so called police board who are impotent "company monkees" at best. Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Officer who stole pot in police sting could lose job: lawyer".

Two points near the end of the article are very telling. The first is that indeed the "...operation that they employed was completely disproportionate to the concerns that they had..." and secondly the prosecutor's inaccurate comment "The police did more than root out corruption in their ranks, which they had a duty and an obligation to do". Their was no corruption within their ranks from Officer Robson prior to their inducement and entrapment sting. They induced an officer requiring professional help into committing the crime of stealing a couple of ounces of confiscated marijuana. That is hardly even a 1 on the scale of real police corruption that North American citizens have witnessed over the decades. Nice way to help a brother officer in need.

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR THE NEW COURTHOUSE & STILL NO JUSTICE

What a godawful mess. Today's Waterloo Region Record advises us that the old Courthouse at 20 Weber St. has been renovated to the tune of $26 Million dollars. Apparently the Region of Waterloo will be transferring various departments in there. Hard to believe their huge edifice on Frederick St. isn't big enough, isn't it? For governments and courts maybe it's never big enough. Some huge egos to satify apparently.

I've been detailing on my Elmira Advocate Blog the ridiculous runaround I've been getting at Superior Court in order to lay election act charges against mayor Sandy Shantz. While I'm ever hopeful that this Friday will be a breakthrough why do I really suspect otherwise? Oh history I guess. From a process that is out of the middle ages and totally impossible for the vast majority of citizens to handle and navigate, to staff handing out wrong forms and it literally taking weeks to allegedly get the right ones, you can understand my disgust.

The last (ha who am I kidding?) straw was the case law that the J.P. gave me last Friday. While getting me the correct forms (allegedly) she also gave me multiple examples of case law indicating that despite the municipal elections act 1996, Section 81. (17), I and other citizens don't have the right to take an elected politician to court over campaign finance contraventions. Turns out every single case law she gave me was from before the 2009 revisions to the Act spelling out carefully that indeed citizens do have that right. Overall Superior Court has been an incredible waste of time and energy. Mostly it's been an education as to the incompetence and arrogance of self-entitled people. They seem to think they are working for NASA and everybody else are ditch diggers.

AND CANADIANS FOUGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS?

Following is a recent post from my other Blog, the Elmira Advocate. Normally I stick to environmental items however lately I've been commenting on illegal behaviour and worse happening in Woolwich Township.



Thursday, September 10, 2015
JUDICIAL SYSTEM RESISTANCE, INTERFERENCE AND ARROGANCE


Boy if you think your Doctor, Surgeon or local Hospital sometimes display impatience or arrogance towards you then you've seen nothing yet. Try on your local courts, judges and even support staff. Hell they even put school board staff and teachers union staff to shame. Ever notice how it is our so called public service industries that are the most unaccountable, unresponsive, unreasonable and just plain disrespectful?

The Municipal Elections Act 1996 is an intentional disgrace written by our provincial legislature. It has commonsense rules and regulations followed by written and specific penalties for non compliance. Yes it even carefully differentiates between stupidity and laziness by political candidates versus wilful and intentional cheating and lying with the most severe penalties being reserved for the most dishonest and disrespectful (of the Act) violaters.

Where it fails is in enforcement. It relys far too much on either individual citizens stepping up and saying "Hey you"ve broken the law" or even worse it relys on co-opted staff, employees, and even elected councillors all in a horrible conflict of interest position, to do the same.

I have been literally spoonfeeding facts and evidence to the Waterloo Regional Police and to Superior Court (Justice of the Peace). The response to date has been as described in the first paragraph and worse. It has included my filling out an Application to Commence a Proceeding for a Private Information Under the Criminal Code, taking it down to Superior Court and giving it to a Clerk as recommended 1 1/2 hours prior to the availabilty of the Justice of the Peace at 10:30 am.. Along with my Application I included exerpts of the MEA 1996 as well as copies of mayor Shantz's Financial Statements. I then sat and waited upon the J.P. even though I was assurred that I was first in line having attended at 9 am.. I sat and waited from 9 am. until 1 pm. when I had been advised that she would be taking an hour and a half lunch break until 2:30 pm.. I had asked and advised staff much earlier that I could come back at her next available date when they told me that she was studying and reviewing my Application. No that was not allowed I was told. If I left before she was ready then my Application would be tossed.

I am advised that the J.P. is only available to citizens on one day of the week namely Fridays. Can you believe that just for starters? Fridays only thank you and be prepared to sit for the whole day on hard chairs without cushions. If you need to use the bathroom be sure to tell Staff so that you don't miss your window of opportunity to kiss their and the J.P.'s golden asses. You know even heart surgeons are willing to make appointments to deal with the riff raff politely referred to as clients or people. Not our judicial system J.P.s apparently.

It has become apparent to me that the local judicial system have intentionally erected roadblocks to citizens wishing appropriate enforcement of the Municpal Elections Act 1996. It is equally obvious that lawyers are fully aware of this and advise their clients (guilty politicians) to relax. Honest citizens with families and jobs absolutely can not access the judicial system even if they've finally figured out the proper route to do so. Those remaining citizens whether retired or otherwise are treated with haughty judicial contempt in their attempts to do so. I expect that for several thousand dollars plus I could have passed this off to a lawyer and he could have designated a paid intern or lackey to sit in my place. Or in other words we have the best judicial system in the world, that money can buy.
Posted by Alan Marshall at 8:10 AM

WAS SHE DRUNK OR IS SHE A PSYCHOPATH?

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys a very disturbing story. A 57 year old woman struck a cyclist after dark on a road between Guelph and Elora. She continued on and then played the slots at the Elora racetrack for 3/4 of an hour while the cyclist lay dying in the ditch. The title lof the story is "Driver who hit, killed cyclist gets $2,000 fine, probation". Good Lord it was hit and run. Her excuse was that she thought she had struck an animal not a human being. She neither stopped nor turned her car around to go back and check. Her windshield was smashed and her side mirror was torn off by the impact.

The Justice of the Peace categorically rejected her claim that she thought she had hit an animal. She was convicted of careless driving and failing to report an accident. A suspended license for a month, probation and a fine. Certainly driving a bicycle after dark without lights along a highway is a recipe for disaster but he didn't deserve to be abandoned after the accident. For that she should be doing jail time, nothing less.

POLICE BOARD FUN AND GAMES

Well that's politcs folks. Apparently criticism in the K-W Record has made the Police Board a little cautious about just giving their business as usual go ahead. Now they've decided that they want to study the situation a little bit. Turns out, unsurprisingly that they had no information regarding the negotiated settlement with former police officer Deborah Bourne. Also interestingly Chief Bryan Larkin is all in support of the Board taking their mandate and authority seriously. He's even complimenting them for their good governance. Seems more than a little bit thick to me. Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys the story titled "Decision on hiring ex-officer delayed".

ARE THE POLICE BECOMING AS DANGEROUS TO US AS CRIMINALS?

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Baltimore reaches $6.4M settlement with Gray's family". If this settlement for Wrongful Death was the one and only, then the above title would be inappropriate. However we are advised that Baltimore spent $5.7 million for 102 court judgements and settlements for police misconduct between 2011 and last fall. What the hell are you kidding me? Is this no more than the city paying a license fee to allow their police to continue on with business as usual?

New York City last July settled for $5.9 Million with the family of Eric Garner who died after being put in a police officer's chokehold. In 2001 the City of Chicago settled for $18 million after a wrongful death lawsuit in the case of La Tanya Haggerty.

Here in Waterloo Region we also have lawsuits against our police as well as sucessful settlements. The problem here is that everything comes with confidentiality clauses. In other words the police can say yes we'll settle with you for our misconduct if you sign a confidentiality clause. Again it simply becomes a shameful, taxpayer funded way to pay off victims and keep the public in the dark regarding police abuses.

JUDICIAL SYSTEM'S INCOMPETENCE WORLDWIDE

Often here in this Blog I discuss various Canadian and sometimes American idiotic decisions and verdicts. Finally we get a peek into the Italian system regarding the famous Amanda Knox murder trials. Italy's top criminal court "...has scathingly faulted prosecutors for presenting a flawed and hastily constructed case against Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend...". The Court of Cassation wrote there was an "absolute lack of biological traces" of Knox an American, or co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito in the room or on the victim's body.". Furthermore Italy's top court referred to the faulty verdict as being due to "...the result also of stunning weakness or investigative bouts of amnesia and of blameworthy omissions of investigative actrivity".

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys the story titled "Italian court explains Amanda Knox acquittal". Not very reassuring to learn that incompetence, conflicts of interest within the judicial system and just plain laziness combined with an inherent disregard for truth appear to be deeply embedded within all judicial systems. Dear God we humans are hopeless.

THE RULE OF LAW OR SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT?

My understanding of the expression Rule of law is that it basically means one law for every person in the country. In other words the law is not supposed to play favourites depending upon one's status, power and prestige. While indeed here in Canada we do have the odd wealthy murderer sentenced to jail the preponderance by far of jailed citizens are poor with little or no means to readily defend themselves professionally when charged with crimes. In the United States it is even more obvious. Canada has a disproportionate number of aboriginals jailed and the U.S. have a disproportionate number of blacks and hispanics in jail. Both money and race do indeed talk. "Carding" is also an example of that here in Canada. Far fewer WASPs get asked to show I.D. illegally then other ethnic groups.

Then there is a failure of the Rule of Law when it comes to obvious crimes such as Theft and Assault versus more subtle white collar crimes. Fraud is a good example. If we are talking a con artist who steals millions of dollars from clients in get rich quick schemes they usually end up getting charged. However at the lower end of the fraud spectrum it seems more likley that the Better Businees Bureay would be involved than the police even in egregious cases.

Here in Woolwich Township (Ontario) we are seeing a reluctance by our Police to enforce the Municipal Elections Act. We are also seeing a huge reluctance by them to even consider more serious charges such as Fraud or Perjury in regards to Election Act stickhandling and avoidance of accountability. It appears to this observer that there is indeed selective enforcement especially when local politicians are involved. Something blatant and obvious and readily understood by the public such as theft will proceed whereas more subtle but still illegal activities are not so likely to.

WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE SERVICES BOARD - A RUBBER STAMP?

Actually I'm kind of surprised anyone even needs to ask the question. Of course they are. They are a bunch of politician appointed yes men and women and if they weren't they simply wouldn't be there in the first palce. Way to late now to expect good things from them.Today's Waterloo Region Record Editorial is titled "This is no time for rubber stamps". Well maybe most of the time I would agree with them about that, however there's a funny smell about this whole alleged scenario regarding Deborah Bourne a 25 year veteran police officer. Lots of Police Service charges but no criminal charges whatsoever. Those Police Service charges include deceit and insubordination. Well personally I think when you're working with a pack of misogenistic dinosaurs with little or no ethics or morality then deceit and insubordination are probably a good thing.

Most of those misogenistic dinosaurs are of course the senior mangagement within the WRPS. Allegedly she had a boyfriend and allegedly she let some things slip in her paperwork responsibilities. Maybe the Record are right that those charges should have been exposed to a full, public hearing. Maybe they were legitimate and maybe instead they were typical authority figure abuses when they weren't getting their own way. Police Act charges are one hell of a way to enforce discipline whether appropriate or not. After 25 years I kind of expect Ms. Bourne knew where a few of the bodies were buried so to speak. To me it sounds like her union or her lawyer had the WRPS by the short and curlies and simply said F...Y.., if I go down I'm taking a few of you pricks with me.

This certainly makes more sense in regards to the WRPS finding a cushy well paid job for her after dropping all their Police Service charges. Do I for one second believe that the WRPS would cheerfully lie to the public? In a heartbeat!

IT'S ALL FOR SHOW FOLKS

The Municipal Elections Act and the Municipal Elections Compliance Audit Committee (MECAC) are all for show. They serve their intended purpose by giving the public the impression that local politicians are honestly living by the election rules and when they aren't they become accountable to the law. Nothing is further from the truth. Also very discouraging is any attempt to go around MECAC and directly to the Courts for either Fraud or Perjury charges. Boy have I tried hard with that and with very powerful evidence. Absolutely no interest in even initailly investigating by the Waterloo Regional Police Fraud Squad.

MECAC have twice turned their backs on their mandates and their duty here in Woolwich Township. They denied even a Compliance Audit for Mayor Shantz and also turned down sending Scott Hahn on to the courts after a very damaging Compliance (forensic) Audit was completed and made public.