ONCE AGAIN WOOLWICH COUNCIL PUT THEIR INTERESTS AHEAD OF THE PUBLIC'S

Well last night Council and Staff's vacancy appointment scam unfolded pretty much to script. If you're a politician, lying to the voters is simply all in a day's work. It's all about their will and wishes versus what is in the public interest. Two speakers via Delegation advised Council and the public that the fastest, easiest and most responsive to public wishes was to simply appoint the runner-up candidate in Ward 1, Dr. Dan Holt. He was third with 1,036 votes for the two available positions in Ward 1. Lisa MacDonald also advised Council that the Staff Report was inaccurate with its' claim that an official Appointments Process involving advertising for Applicants, interviewing Applicants and then deciding on the winner would only cost $1,000-$3,000. Apparently Staff and Council like to add in Staff wages when they are totaling costs for say Election Financing Audits and Hearings but not so much when it doesn't suit them. They also forgot to add in the wages of the Township's taxpayer funded lawyers (Smith Valeriote).

Dr. Holt advised Council of his interest in representing Ward 1 residents as well as of his and other candidates having stepped forward in the last election, putting themselves out there, speaking publicly and spending time and money in order to get elected. An Appointments Process soliciting applications from far and wide was unnecessary, time consuming (2 months) and expensive. Furthermore the public had already spoken as to whom they wanted to represent them for this term of council.

Two other Delegates spoke. I am somewhat in awe of Jacqueline Hanley. She appears friendly, sociable, confident and out-going. She also speaks very well. The problem was in her message. She confidently advised that results in the last election were not to be a criteria as they did not represent the wishes of the public. She claimed that a wide open new Application Process potentially drawing in lots of applicants was far more democratic than relying on the results of the last election. In other words, unstated by her, was that the decision of five Councillors (actually 3- the majority) was allegedly more democratic than the votes of 1,036 Woolwich voters. Councillor Patrick Merlihan asked her the only question of any Delegate last evening. Could she explain or clarify how Councillors deciding could possibly be more democratic than the votes of over a thousand citizens. She was taken aback and stumped.

Then we had the last Delegate, Julie-Anne Herteis. Oh my. Julie-Anne "resigned" as Chair of CPAC before the very first public meeting ever occurred. This was after she stormed out of a meeting in the Councillor's Boardroom at which I was present. The kindest thing said after her sudden departure was that she was not "chairperson material". Julie-Anne later told Mayor Todd Cowan that she was going to resign as a Councillor. This was in her first year on Council. He talked her out of it. Then she didn't run for Council again in October 2014 to absolutely no one's surprise. Anyone who saw her at Council meetings found her knowledge base minimal and her grasp of the issues even less so.

Last evening she made it clear that she wants to throw her hat in the ring both now and in the fall. What are you doing Julie-Anne? You hated your time on Council. Is this simply for the part time salary available to Councillors? I absolutely do not know her outside her role as a past councillor. I have heard several good things about her work at Chartwell and about her social outings. She may be a wonderful human being but she simply does not have the necessary skills to be voting on issues affecting her fellow Woolwich residents.

Councillor Murray Martin introduced a Motion to accept the Staff Recommendation to hold a formal and extensive Appointments Process. He voted YES and did so without any explanation of his position. Larry Shantz followed him by voting YES also without explanation. Councillor Merlihan clearly explained why he felt that the best, least politicized move was to appoint the next runner-up Dr. Dan Holt. He therefore voted NO. Councillor Mark Bauman explained that he felt that the best decision for Woolwich was to vote NO and then appoint the next runner-up, Dr. Holt. Sandy Shantz as Chair broke the tie by voting YES, without any explanation.

The only surprise for several of us in the gallery was Mark Bauman voting NO along with Pat Merlihan. Then history and memory kicked in. This crap has happened before. In Council's In Camera meeting before they go public they claimed they were discussing an Ontario Municipal Board settlement. It is no difficult trick for even the dumbest of councillors to finish up the proper In Camera discussion and then go on to discussing another issue illegally in private (ie. in camera). This Council and others have been caught breaking Ontario law around In Camera meetings (Municipal Act) before and the most recent was only 2 1/2 years ago.

Setting up a phony vote ahead of time so as not to give the appearance that everybody on Council are against one councillor, Pat Merlihan, is child's play. In fact a few phone calls or e-mails prior to even the In Camera session would work just as well. I saw this done at the end of 2006 when the lame duck Council (after the election) gave the go ahead for the Jigs Hollow gravel pit. Losing Councillor Murray Martin changed his position and then voted against the proposal (Jigs Hollow Pit) knowing there was a majority vote in favour already. All of this is about Woolwich Councillors serving their own interests not the public's. Keep in mind that for the 2006 vote Councillor Mark Bauman had not yet (for years) revealed that he was in a conflict of interest position due to his relationship with Ray Kuntz, one of the proponents for the Jigs Hollow Pit. Mark voted in favour.

WILL COUNCIL ADDRESS WOOLWICH'S VACANT SEAT THIS TUESDAY?

Well both the Waterloo Region Record (Tuesday) and the Woolwich Observer (today) have carried articles about the resignation from Woolwich Council by Scott Hahn. I am unaware of any other councillor ever having resigned from Woolwich Council allegedly due to "time constraints". I am aware of councillors outside Woolwich either having died on the job or resigning due to personal sickness or family tragedies. That said I will admit surprise a few years back that Mr. Hahn was running for Council after I learned that he had a full time job AND a very young family. He had every right to run under those circumstances nevertheless this may serve as a warning to future very young individuals who already have extremely tight family commitments.

The Observer have an Editorial today titled "Put public first in filling vacant council seat". It has several good points to make regarding the public interest and asking candidates to be public and community-minded. Their Editorial however makes it clear that they are not impressed with either the majority of the current crop on Council nor with the bureaucrats to whom they too often defer.

Scott Hahn has not done Woolwich Council any favours by resigning now. His actions may well be interpreted as immature somewhat in line with a citizen's Comment in the Observer's on-line version after their story on Scott's resignation. Others may somehow see Scott's last minute resignation as a shot at his former fellow councillors. Scott has now set up Council to fail. Thousands of votes other than for Scott and Pat Merlihan were cast in Ward 1 in 2014 and those voters obviously would like their candidate appointed. At the same time Council understandably would prefer to have a "fellow travellor" on Council with them for the rest of this term and then take their chances during the October election.

I would like Council to carefully look at both what is most appropriate as well as to which appointee will be most defensible and hence most likely not to provoke a strong backlash. This Council have been on the receiving end of serious public criticism over the last three years and heading into an election is not the time to remind the public of past errors on their part.

SCRUTINY OF LOCAL POLICE SERVICES BOARD LONG OVERDUE

Well I find myself choking each time I now hear Waterloo Regional Police Services Board Chair Tom Galloway talk about wanting more women and more diversity on that old boys club. Jim Wideman who resigned opening the door for Rosita Tse is an example of the old boys club. Far too many long time regional councillors, past or present, have taken up space and not much else on that Board. Mr. Galloway is just the opening shot of those who should be either resigning or given the boot. As Chairman he's been in the driver's seat and that Board hasn't been doing a good job. What it has accomplished is an entrenchment and continuance of the status quo and that is exactly what the regional police hierarchy and politicians have wanted including the regional chairman who also is a member of that Board.

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled "Regional Councillor calls for more women on police board". I agree with just about everything she (Jane Mitchell) says in that article but I've long had a problem with giving her any credibility. Is she just another Tom Galloway jumping on the current "womens' rights" campaign or is she the real deal? She was formerly a school board trustee for ten years and that was at a time when I was paying close attention to the school board. She did not impress. Hence I'm taking her solid support for more women on the Police Services Board with a grain of salt. Could she be angling for that appointment herself? Regardless of whether she would make a good appointee or not the fact is that she is right in that "It's time for change". Our Police Services Board is a disgrace. How much of that can be attributed to recent appointees is debatable. What isn't debatable is that the membership over decades have not promoted transparency or accountability within the Waterloo Region Police Service on many issues including gender equity.

Then there are the very interesting comments by Karen Scian a former City of Waterloo councillor. She is making veiled references to the old guard of established public figures stepping from one appointment or leadership role to another. She compares them to a bag of milk past its' expiry date. For me it's more about their support of the status quo and avoiding change than it is about their age. It's their politician's desire to talk about issues rather than actually deal with them and possibly offend someone important.

The bottom line is that both the Police Services Board and the Regional Police Service are in desperate need of a house cleaning. Unfortunately any housecleaning is likely to be done by the very same people who put these ones in charge in the first place. That would be our regional politicians. An election is coming. Time for citizens to houseclean the pack of them.

IS WOOLWICH COUNCIL DYSFUNCTIONAL - SCOTT HAHN'S SUDDEN DEPARTURE

Scott works as an electrician not as a CEO or in a high powered management job. He certainly had full family support both from his parents and in-laws in his campaign for a councillor's job. This we learned after he was ordered to appear at MECAC (Municipal Election Compliance Audit Committee) hearings as they had anonomously and hence illegally paid for his election signs and brochures. Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the story titled "Woolwich councillor quits in last year of term". Heaven forbid if Scott or a close family member had fallen seriously ill. No one would question his commitment to family coming first. However there were three other defeated candidates all who were willing and able to represent Ward 1 in Elmira for the full term. The fourth candidate, Al Poffenroth, passed away in 2015 after a car accident. I'm sure they have to be thinking about the votes candidate Scott received. Those voters have to be disappointed. Fellow Woolwich councillors have to be disappointed. Scott's resignation letter states that he has a new position and "...it has become very apparent that it is no longer practical to continue to serve on Council...". No longer practical to continue to serve on Council... There are only nine months to complete the term of Council for which he was elected.

Scott's decision I believe will effectively eliminate him from any further political opportunities. I mean really who's going to waste their vote in the future if they suspect he's not going to last for a full term? There will be blowback on Council. Whether or not they embraced him fully and cooperated fully and effectively with him on Council, there may be questions raised. Could they have lessened his committee workload? Could they have permitted the occasional absence from Council meetings? Were there any personality conflicts? Does Scott's resignation speak to leadership issues on Council?

Politicians are the first to admit that politics is not fair. It's all about appearances and this does not look good. At this point in time it may be premature to express skepticism regarding Scott's explanation for his resignation. If there is more to it that comes out down the road then things may become less murky. If more does not come out then we will be left to wonder. My final comment is this: Scott did have the decency to apologize to his fellow Council members "...for not being able to finish the rest of the term with you.".
That apology was necessary under the circumstances.

THE ABUSE AND USURPATION OF AUTHORITY

Abusing authority is as old as humanity. Also is usurping authority. Instead of using the proper authority invested in a person or group for either the benefit of the majority or the benefit of the business, additional authority is claimed or assumed to accomplish these or other goals. Usurping authority of course means that the individual is claiming authority that they really do not have. They may be taking someone else's authority expanding upon their already known and understood authority. Usually this usurpation involves deception, manipulation or lying. Sometimes depending upon the circumstances it can also involve breaking the law. Of course abusing authority sometimes also involves law breaking. It could be the Human Rights Act of Ontario, provincial labour laws, health and safety laws etc..

What is the motivation for either abusing or usurping authority? Generally it is a nefarious motive. Perhaps during an emergency one could think of circumstances whereby abusing or usurping authority might be for the purpose of helping society. Possibly the October FLQ crisis (1972?) in Quebec occasioned a usurpation of authority via Pierre Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act. Note I say possibly. The vast majority of abuse of and usurpation of authority is all about greed, cowardice, aggrandizement, personal power and authority. it's about putting others down to make yourself feel bigger and better. It is little men desperately needing an ego boost by demonstrating what they can get away with.

Recent price fixing by Weston's is an abuse of authority. It's also illegal. Senators taking advantage of loose expense rules is also an abuse of authority. It turned out however not to be illegal albeit it was close. Woolwich Township's shenanigans including illegally holding closed Council meetings was an abuse of authority. Also their game playing both by individual councillors as well as by the Clerk was an abuse of authority. Permitting contrary to law, elected by acclamation, councillors to avoid submitting election Financial Statements was an abuse of authority. I personally believe that Woolwich Township also indulge in usurpation of authority. If it's not nailed down as regional, provincial or federal jurisdiction and it suits them, they simply go ahead and claim it as under their authority.

Then we have our Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). Anonymous phone calls occasioning middle of the night rousting of families out of their beds and homes is an abuse of authority. Individual officers demanding identification ("carding") from pedestrians minding their own business is an abuse of authority. "Driving while black" pullovers by police are abuses of authority. Coordinated suppression of complainants asking that their human rights be respected within the work force are an abuse of authority. Filing either Police Service Act or inappropriate criminal charges against their employees are both abuses of authority and illegal. Harassment and discrimination based upon race or gender within the workplace is also illegal in the province of Ontario. These are supposed to be the guardians of citizens rights yet they apparently routinely are the violators of citizens' rights.

Non-union workplaces in Ontario run the gamut from hellholes to heaven on earth for employees. Astoundingly (at least for me) so do some unionized workplaces. I would like to believe that the majority of unionized workplaces make for better workplaces but I know that that isn't always the case. If you read Kelly Donovan's book about Ontario policing or the class action lawsuit and accompanying Affidavits laid against the WRPS, you will be hard pressed to have confidence in unions. At least for all their faults the various teachers' unions represent ALL their members to the best of my knowledge.

Abuse of authority is all about personal aggrandizement by little people at the expense of those around them with less influence and power. It is the behaviour of cowards.

JAMES BENNETT OF MADORIN SNYDER IS GETTING HIS KNUCKLES WRAPPED

Interesting! Very interesting! There are however exceptions to every rule. Usually all of us can appreciate the innocent until proven guilty aspect of our judicial system. Hence it is unusual for people to stand up and say "whoa there- it's not O.K. for you to publicly deny the allegations of gender inequity, harassment or discrimination filed against the Waterloo Regional Police Service ". Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following story on the front page titled "chief's comments trouble task force". The Sexual Violence Task Force was initiated by the Regional Police less than a year ago in response to a report indicating that the Waterloo Regional Police deem a greater percentage of sexual assaults as "unfounded" than other Ontario forces.

James Bennett of Madorin Snyder did more than simply proclaim his clients (Police Services Board & Police Association (union)) as innocent of allegations; he attacked the complainants by publicly stating that the allegations were "untrue, exaggerated, misleading and defamatory.". He also said that the Police Services Board "vehemently" denies the allegations. This is especially interesting when Police Services Board Chair Tom Galloway now says that the tone of the lawyer's statement was "over the top". He further adds that "There is no question there has been bad behaviour at the service and other police services. It is not unique to this organization", he said. "Nobody is sweeping this under the carpet and saying the allegations are untrue.". Holy crap! Really! Well your lawyer said it was untrue as in he vehemently said it! So while credit and kudos to Mr. Tom Galloway for saying this, where exactly have you been Mr. Galloway, Chair of the Police Services Board, for the last couple of decades on these matters?

This morning I sent a copy of my July 22,2015 Elmira Advocate post to both the Waterloo Region Record and to CKCO-TV Kitchener. The title is "Former mayor's lawyer is blackmailing me ???". The lawyer in the title is none other than James Bennett. His motive for blackmailing?/intimidating me was to keep me from testifying against his client, Sandy Shantz, in Superior court in Kitchener. This Advocate posting can be accessed through the Blog Archives section on the right side of my Elmira Advocate Blog (ie. not this one).

I am more than 4/5 of the way through the recently released Affidavits of four persons in support of the civil lawsuit filed by three former regional Police officers. The alleged language and behaviour of multiple named male police officers is way beyond disgusting. if those shits (alleged) weren't armed cops with almost the blind support of the courts behind them, they would have had their heads kicked in by brothers, husbands, fathers and friends (including females) decades ago. Perhaps some day we will look into the cases of those imprisoned for defending the rights of family and friends abused by others while the courts piously proclaim that we should not take the law into our own hands. If and when our courts and legal system ever gets within a mile of perfection then there would probably be no need to take the law into our own hands.

WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE - THEIR MORAL AUTHORITY IS GONE

HOLLYWOOD NORTH?




This posting is about the utter failure in leadership and decency within our police service. It is about more than the treatment of women by we pray a minority of males with authority within the service. It is about the institutional failure from middle management right up to the Police Chief over a period of decades and how it has intentionally turned a blind eye to the treatment of their female employees by ignorant and abusive males.

The irresponsibility and blame rises further up the political food chain than just multiple Chiefs of Police. Here in Ontario and Canada we are supposed to have civilian oversight of our police forces. That oversight is exercised through the Waterloo Regional Police Service Board. They can be Googled to find out who exactly the seven members are. I will advise that three of them are on Regional Council namely Ken Seiling, Tom Galloway and Karl Kiefer. Three of them are appointees of the province of Ontario. The last is a civilian appointee determined by Regional Council. It is my opinion that the local members, at least, are all good old boys and sometimes good old girls. They can be depended upon not to rock the boat of which the proof is in the pudding. Female police officers have gone to them in the past for help including Kelly Donovan with her "Fit4Duty - The Ethical Standard" campaign. In other words our police force reports both to the province and most importantly to our local senior level of government, the Region of Waterloo.

I am in the process of reading the Affidavits of three female and one male police officers, namely Shelly Heinrich, Vera McKenzie, Karin Eder and Barry Zehr. Their Affidavits go far beyond merely being powerful. They are a damning indictment of human (mostly male) stupidity, arrogance, cowardice and abusive behaviour. They are a damning indictment of written policies, laws and regulations that are totally and completely ignored by those in positions of authority to enforce them.

I have a link to the Cambridge Advocate run by Debbie Vitez on my other Blog, the Elmira Advocate. Once again Debbie has courageously stepped up and posted about this issue involving all of Waterloo Region and hence Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the Townships. I believe that she has links to these Affidavits and more in her posting of last evening.

One other point for those of us with pro union and or left wing slants. Just like the abysmal behaviour of the union at the City of Waterloo twenty years ago regarding female discrimination in their public works department of which I was involved; the police union have only added to the problems according to these and other Affidavits. The union, known as the Waterloo Regional Police Association, have consistently refused to protect and assist all their members. They too have the bizarre idea that dues paying female police officers aren't real members and or worthy of equal treatment.

MUNICIPAL COUNCILS NEED LESS LEEWAY NOT MORE

Back on January 10/18 the Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled "Changes allow more closed-door meetings". The problem is, somewhat misusing a military term:, "mission creep". Give many municipal councils an inch and they'll take a mile. Here in Woolwich Township it took myself back in 2015 making a formal complaint to the Ontario Ombudsman in order to rein in Woolwich Council. They routinely hid under the legal exceptions to open, public meetings to discuss things that either were embarassing to themselves politically or that simply they did not want out for public consumption or discussion. They were unaccountable and they knew it. I fully expect that they are still playing games as they always have albeit just a little more carefully.

The Ontario government changed municipal law at the start of this month to allow municipalities to discuss in private things like trade, financial and technical secrets, negotiations and information from senior governments. Really? Exactly what do our towns and cities have to do with trade, financial and technical secrets? Universities I could understand. Private or government "think tanks" perhaps, but municipal governments? As far as negotiations go certainly labour negotiations with their unionized staff is appropriate in private. Negotiations with suppliers I'm a little more concerned about. While the final deals and purchases need to be public information; accountability of buyers and purchasing agents is important to maintain public confidence in the integrity and honesty of the process. Lastly information from senior governments is also problematic. What we absolutely don't need is new rules, regulations or interpretations from the senior levels of government (regional, provincial, federal) either being ignored by some municipalities or intentionally misinterpreted or even simply kept secret from the public.

This new legislation has a funny odour to it. Is this our Liberal provincial government once more handing out goodies in hopes of getting last minute support prior to the upcoming provincial election this year?

WATCHING THE BOYS SQUIRM

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following Editorial titled "Tense days for regional police". I suggest that that title is an understatement. This is an organization clouded in secrecy, non-transparent and always hiding behind an attitude of trust us, don't question us, we're here to protect your very lives. Yes they are an essential service but the public service aspect is far too often forgotten. Also occasionally is either individual members abuse of their authority and even more shocking the abuse of authority at the higher levels of the organization. The current class action lawsuit by female police officers against the force speaks to the abuse of authority from the top down. And it speaks very loudly.

As the Record indicates, the allegations in the lawsuit are shocking. They include male supervisors and superintendents sending a female officer nude photos as well as intentionally pressing against their buttocks. I was going to say this is at the high school level of maturity but then realized that when I was in high school any male student who did that would be immediately suspended. Teachers not so much. Hmm I guess the double standard not just between the genders but between those in authority and those being supervised has always been with us.

The Record concludes that "...there are unresolved tensions and a significant level of dysfunction within this police department." That too I feel is a very mild statement as to the unaccountable behaviours within and without the Waterloo Regional Police.

EDUBABBLE AND OR "FLAVOUR OF THE MONTH"?

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following story titled "Year-round schools catch trustees' attention". There's a third option. Perhaps this story released to the Record is no more than a trial balloon. Maybe a few trustees out of desperation to change the channel on their infighting simply want to distract parents. It's all hard to say especially if you've ever had direct dealings with the Waterloo Region District School Board. The only good thing about them was when my youngest son finished high school and we didn't have to deal with various filth wearing suits and ties any longer. That was a day of rejoicing.

Now the next issue of course for the Board will be dealing with the self-serving Teachers' Union. Why exactly do I think that this idea is dead in the water now as it has been for the last fifty years? Oh yes, it's because the teachers have been brainwashed into believing that they are all professionals under extreme stress doing a job that nobody else (without a teaching certificate) could possibly do. The mere fact that pedophiles had thrived in the educational system for many decades without being held accountable certainly shouldn't dissuade them of their God complex. The mere fact that Waterloo Region students have been performing sub-par for many years in English and Math also won't dissuade them of their inherent superiority and entitlement to two months off every summer.

As hoped would reducing the summer break to one month from two improve student learning? Hard to say but certainly full day kindergarten has turned out to be nothing but glorified day care. Students do have a small edge in Grade 1 but the positive effect is gone by the start of Grade 2. Based upon that wasted taxpayers money let's take a huge grain of salt with any new claims by our school board.

PRINCIPAL DEMOTED AFTER TEST TAMPERING ALLEGATION

Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carried the following story titled " Principal accused of test tampering". Apparently at this point in time it's well past the accusation stage as both the Ontario College of Teachers and the Education Quality and Accountability Office have conducted investigations and concluded that tampering did in effect happen. The only surprise for me is that it took this long for anyone to get either caught or confronted for this kind of behaviour.

I've long felt that the results are most probably artificially elevated in order to make the degradation of our educational system look less dramatic. In other words what is the ratio of successful cheating to unsuccessful? Do a dozen schools cheat with officials looking the other way to perhaps one school blowing the whistle on the behaviour?

The individual's names and schools are listed in the article to which I am providing the link.

MINIMUM WAGE WHINING IS PREDICTABLE

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following article by Martin Regg Cohn titled "Small business needs to manage, not manipulate". He is basically suggesting that some Tim Horton's franchisees are acting out against their staff as much in frustration with their franchise agreements as with the new law. Apparently head office has to approve all price increases and to date they have not done so.

Also of interest though is the recital of a number of recent significant tax breaks given to small businesses which should have eased the financial burden of legislated raises. It seems small businesses get an extraordinarily low rate on the first $500,000 of income compared to small businesses in quebec and compared to larger corporations here in Ontario. That makes a major difference to me in the corporate whining about minimum wage increases. These workers need better and this apparently is one good way to do it.

SHAME ON THE BULLIES & COWARDS AT THE WATERLOO REGIONAL POLICE SERVICE

And further shame on each and every current and past Police Chief, and every past and current civilian Police Services Board members who have been approached for help and done nothing. And further shame upon all senior management, deputy chiefs and superintendents who decided to look the other way. And yes shame upon any female members of the force who played the game exactly as senior police members wanted and advanced while not using their authority to help other women maltreated on the job. Last but not least here's to you Ken and all the other senior politicians in the Region of Waterloo, male and female, who decided not to rock the boat but to allow this disgusting behaviour to continue, to fester and to lessen and demean the integrity, ethics and morals of what should be an institution devoted to truth, justice and decency.

Today's Waterloo Region Record carries the following story titled "More officers join suit against regional police". The story was very well written by Liz Monteiro of the Record. It is very disturbing and any decent human being, male or female, should be appalled by the behaviours described. All of us have said or done inappropriate things over the decades. Whether an unwanted advance, a dirty joke, a wolf whistle or even telling dumb blonde jokes; as human beings we all fail sometimes. That said the behaviours described in today's Record are not occasional, they are not a momentary failure or thoughtless word or deed. They are intentionally demeaning and intentionally derogatory. It is a majority of individuals (male), in positions of superior authority and physical strength (generally) abusing their authority. It is bullying by a pack of cowards, plain and simple.

Keep in mind readers that to date none of these allegations in today's Record have been proven in court. Keep in mind that my strong opinions on the matter have been shaped by decades working here in Ontario including being involved with a sexual harassment case years ago at the City of Waterloo. There certain members of the male dominated Public Works Department routinely harassed female employees in front of me. The superior attitude and arrogance of these male workers including supervisers provoked me to take action. The City of Waterloo eventually also took action. In fact a later disgraced Tom Stockie (due to Rim Park fiasco) actually stepped up and did the right thing. Kudos to him. Another kudo goes to municipal politician Lynne Woolstencroft whom I recall as being very helpful. Who in senior management at the Waterloo Regional Police will step up?

LAC-MEGANTIC CRIMINAL TRIAL UNDERWAY

This article in today's Waterloo Region Record is titled "Conductor not perfect but reasonable: lawyer for one of Lac-Megantic accused". The lawyer for the conductor has made a pretty good case that his client's blame does not reach the level of criminal negligence. Apparently the conductor applied the brakes in order to secure the train in its' stopped position but he did not apply enough of them nor did he properly conduct a brake test. Whether or not there was a lack of either knowledge or training on the number of brakes to be applied does not seem to be clear.

I wish this article had expounded upon the liability of the owners of this train. Was there a long history of minor infractions and or accidents prior to Lac-Megantic. Could a reasonable person in authority have had any forewarning of the risks involved in parking the train where they did? Two other employees have also been charged with criminal negligence including the traffic controller and the manager of train operations. 47 people died due to this disaster and it is incumbent upon all involved to fully understand where the errors and or faults lay. This was not a natural disaster. It was man made and the lessons learned from it must never be forgotten.
Posted by Alan Marshall at 10:46 AM

CORPORATE & WEALTHY SHILLING

Oh my Luisa, I think you have unusually missed the boat on this one! Today's Waterloo Region Record has an Opinion piece by Luisa D'Amato that I will characterize as pro business, pro employer and pro discredited trickle down economics. The latter has been best described as yes something "trickles down" from the wealthy to the poor and yes it is liquid but it sure as hell ain't money. Enough said. The title is "Roll up the rim to Wynne...a mess".

Luisa is defending the disgusting behaviour by some Tim Horton's franchise owners in which they are now paying the new and finally significantly higher minimum wage in Ontario ($14/hour). These well off individuals have decided to recoup some of the wage increase by cutting back on paid coffee breaks and other "perks".

It is my understanding that being a franchise owner of either a Tim Horton's, Macdonalds etc. is essentially a license to print money. You might have to be wealthy to buy it in the first place but the income is staggering especially while paying minimum wages. Thus my personal disgust at a few of this entitled class of shits turning around and cutting costs on the back of these very same employees. I also have to ask as to since when are paid breaks not mandatory under Ontario law? Or have these very same self-entitled @#$%^& managed to lobby past Ontario governments for exceptions to this and other labour laws?

Regardless yes we may have to pay a little more for employees to earn the magnificent sum of $14 for an hour of their labour. Or maybe not depending on the industry and its' particular profitability. It would indeed be shocking to learn that some of these franchise owners might be limited to only two trips to the Caribbean in 2018 versus their usual three.

THIS IS BIZARRE

One would think that the sanctity of our electoral process would be front and centre. It is after all the basis of our alleged democratic system of government. If it is then why does it tale an individual citizen to haul miscreants into court rather than our very well paid police and our Crown Prosecutors? Why when given evidence and testimony clearly indicating contraventions of either provincial legislation or even of a judicial order; do our judicial authorities fail to act?

If it is a simple trespass, theft or vandalism both the police and Crown jump right to it with charges being laid and prosecution and trial following in due course. Why when it involves the Municipal Elections Act or even a Superior Court ruling that has been blatantly violated, does the Police and Crown shrug their shoulders? Citizens should be expected to inform, advise and provide evidence within their capabilities and knowledge of the matter. They should not be expected to navigate the intentionally user unfriendly judicial system which certainly appears to be awkward, stilted and overly complex; primarily to keep lawyers in high paid employment.

The mayor of one of our regional Townships was reinstated to her position 2 1/2 years ago CONDITIONAL upon her filing a FULL and COMPLETE Financial Statement. This she did not do. That which she filed still did not capture all of her election expenses. This was clearly pointed out, with evidence, to the local Prosecutor and then to the out of town Prosecutor Mr. Kelly. I will state that in my opinion he was a serious disappointment compared to the next Prosecutor Mr. Carnegie who at least went out of his way to thank and congratulate the citizen (moi) who had brought this matter to his attention.

The ongoing situation in Woolwich Township has been an eye opener to me. Another councillor it turns out has likely been making decisions, lobbying other councillors and overall been in a position of trust and authority for many years all illegally. The law says that he must file Financial Statements after each election. The legal penalty is forfeiture of his position AND he is not allowed to run in the next election. Wow! One woolwich Councillor has filed a grand total of two Financial statements after running successfully in FIVE municipal elections. How the hell does he keep his seat? Collusion amongst his peers , municipal staff and the provincial authorities is my opinion on the matter. This is beyond a disgrace and is third world country democracy.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!