The Buzz Around Town

How can minutes of a council meeting be doctored?

The answer is they cannot. It took a conference between Neil Garbe and Christopher Cook, the town solicitor to come up with an idea to produce minutes which would "to save the town harmless" from the actions of the mayor and four councillors on May 12th.

Accusations and allegations encouraged and facilitated by the head of the council and condoned by the majority of the council were false and unsubstantiated. To permit them in a council chamber before an audience was not only reprehensible, it was a gross abuse of process and rendered the town liable for legal action.

The vote to waive the procedure bylaw, even if passed, to allow the comments to be included in the public record, dug the hole wider and deeper.

When the Mayor requested the individual to provide her comments in writing to staff, the page was handed immediately to the secretary of the council meeting who sits alongside the podium to provide assistance to speakers.

That action can be seen on the video tape.

Twice during the infamous process, although not by intervention, the town solicitor attempted to advise "this matter is not for council to deal with". His advice was ignored.

If none of it should have been allowed to happen in the first place; if the clear objective of the exercise was to do harm to a person's reputation before an audience, then placing the comments in the public record would exacerbated the offence and would have made the corporation complicit.

A way out had to be found

The option was to follow the illegal direction of council and place the written comments in the record. Or....not follow the direction and for the C.A.O. the town solicitor and the clerk to jointly offer an argument of precedent.

Whether it was credible was neither here nor there. The remarks could not be allowed to form part of the public record.

It was fascinating to watch. The municipality had to be protected after the failure to stop wrong-doing from happening. The mayor publicly stated a meeting with the C.A.O. and the solicitor had been pre-arranged. Did that suggest they were a party to the process ?

Once the mess was created , it didn't matter how things would look to the public, they could not , in law, do what council directed outside of law.

Another interesting fact is neither the chief administrative officer nor the town solicitor are statutory officers. They are not responsible for the public record.

A Director of Corporate Services, formerly municipal clerk, is the statutory officer responsible for keeping the public record. The requirements for record keeping are spelled out in the Municipal Act. A clerk is sworn into office as are elected officials. The Oath of Office provides both authority and obligation under the law. If the law is not upheld by a person sworn into office, that represents a breach of trust, which is an offence under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Council direction isn't worth a hill of beans, if it contravenes the law.

The problem is, the clerk has the statutory authority and obligation to advise council, but by establishing a pecking order which makes the clerk subject to the authority of a chief administrative officer, who has neither understanding nor experience of municipal procedures and throw into the mix, a Mayor who is convinced she is Supreme Ruler and councillors who also believe it , " you got trouble in River City " big time.

Neither is a town solicitor a statutory officer, but he is governed by the ethics and standards of the Ontario Law Society.

A Slew of questions and comments.

Anonymous on the Aurora Citizen comments the extras on the ball diamond were unnecessary. She understands seniors won't be using it and Evelyn has always been a full time politician because she never had a real job.

It's an interesting perspective. Taking the points , one at a time.

The Senior's new building was controversial when the decision was made.Strong voices in the community said the money would be better spent on young people.

The decision would not have been favourable had I not been there for seniors; for their contribution to the quality of life enjoyed to-day by to-day's generation of parents; schools, hospitals. a medicare plan, colleges, universities; a lifetime of hard work for modest wages and disproportionate taxes; for childhood hardships during a depression; for service and sacrifice to their country in war and a life haunted by its memories; for the hardship of emigration from families and their place of birth for a better life for their children; understanding the burden of taxation on people least able to handle it; over the years, their acceptance of left-over facilities for their purpose , which came from a lifetime of discipline and self-sacrifice. .

People retire to-day at fifty-five. They can claim senior status. For those willing to use it, Aurora Seniors and the facility can be the start of a great new life experience. Who is to say they will not avail themselves of the new ball facility and likely at a time when younger ones are in school or at work.

On Anonymous' last point. I raised seven children while I was a councillor, Reeve and Mayor of Aurora. I'm surprised a senior would suggest that was not a full-time, if uncompensated job. My youngest child was ten months old when I was first elected on my third campaign. My second youngest was born between the first and second.

For nine years,in the eighties, I served on the Ontario Social Services Appeal Board, a quasi-judicial tribunal. I travelled all over Ontario and had a chance to see how people without means survive and how municipalities were handling their resources and responsibilities. I became more familiar with provincial legislation and regulations in social services. I learned the rules of evidence and honed the decision-making skills I acquired as an elected representatives.

On May 12th, when Sher St Kitts was encouraged by the Mayor to hurl vitriol in a public forum, two of my sons were attending a council meeting for the first time. The Mayor was aware family members would be there. My grand-daughter Hayley, was one of the ten winners of the poster campaign being recognised by the Mayor at the town park on the previous Saturday

Individual seniors are as entitled to criticise as anyone but as a senior in good standing, I am proud to have had the opportunity to speak and make a contribution on their behalf.

Chronicle of a Baseball Diamond.

A hesitant step forward has been taken. Council has made a decision of sorts. It could evolve into a facility as identified as a need in the Recreation Master Plan approved in 2003 and as a priority in the budget of 2007. It may even be available for the entire Ball season of 2011A.D.

Financing has always been available without being a burden on property taxes.

Contortion and distortion have jointly been the substance of debate.

In 2007 budget, $2million for land purchase suitable to accommodate a baseball field was removed by this council. .

She who must be obeyed said " we should keep the money in the bank and let it earn interest?"

The funds derive from growth which drive the need. Using the money to make money is misappropriation.

In the 2008 budget, the funds were again removed. Desperate need was denied once more.

She said; " Why should we buy land when we have land available?"

We did not. The land referred to had no planning designation.It could not be used.

On budget night April 2008, AMBA delegated to council.Urgent need was suddenly discovered and acknowledged.

The Director was directed to retain a consultant($40k) to design a facility for the undesignated raw land and include the item in the budget of 2009.

In March 2009 , financial estimates for design and various works to build a baseball facility within the newly designated lands was finally on the table for discussion. The item had been listed in the budget since September 2008..

The Director was subjected to lengthy hostile interrogation from She. The impression was created that suggested cost of the facility had escalated to three times the original estimate.

The facts were deliberately distorted.

March 24th 2009 the approved budget included $1.6million for facility and the community park where it would be situated.

Still no approval of the project.

Chief Administrative Officer, Neil Garbe was directed to review all relevant documentation and make a recommendation.

May 26th C.A.O. reported with options and new estimates
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Approval was given for specifications to be prepared for the ball diamond alone. Not the work on the remaining land for sports needs in the immediate future.

Heavy duty equipment will be brought to the land to grade and service a site sufficient for a diamond. At a later date and duplicate cost, it will all be brought back to grade the rest of the property and remove a mound of soil currently being stored on the site. The work will be neccessary to prepare the land for additional sports fields.

In the meantime, numbers have not been refined. Figures are not hard and fast.

Approval has been given to prepare specifications and call for bids for a fraction of the work required on this land. A contract is unlikely to be awarded before mid July. .

On that schedule, expectation for completion is 2010A.D. In the eighth year from the need first being identified in the Master Recreation Plan. Four years from being tagged as first priority to fullfil the community's need.

May 2009: a false statement re-iterated by the Mayor that Council was unaware of the urgency of the need until April 2008 when input was received from AMBA.

As shown in the chronicle above that statement is not supported by the facts.

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Question of Privilege:

After giving careful consideration to my options to seek redress for the wrong facilitated against me in the Council Chamber by the Mayor and supporting members of council, I decided the instrument provided under Parliamentary Rules of Order was the appropriate mechanism.

Last night ,at the first council meeting following the obnoxious event I raised a Question of Privilege and made the following remarks .

I am offended Madam Mayor by events which transpired in Council on May 12th.

An individual took the podium during public forum and launched a spate of fallacious, unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations and accusations against me.

Permission had not been sought nor could it have been granted for the individual to accomplish her vindictive objective.

You facilitated the opportunity by failing to disallow her lengthy and abusive statement.

You referred to a pre-arranged “inquiry between yourself and staff”.

You invited a resolution to waive procedure to allow the spurious allegations to be part of the public record. And to direct the aforementioned meeting be held.

The motion failed for want of the two-thirds majority required but you pressed forward in your determination and declared the motion carried.

Twice during the meeting, legal counsel advised the matter was not within council's jurisdiction. You disregarded the advice.

The remedy when a councillor has been offended by remarks which impugn his or her motives is to demand a retraction and an apology.

In these circumstances, the remedy is neither adequate nor sufficient.

A number of the town's legislative requirements were circumvented to permit the vilification of a council member.

You identified a meeting between yourself and staff as an “inquiry”.

You clearly intended to give credence to unfounded, unsubstantiated and fallacious allegations.

You duty is to preside over council with fairness, impartiality and integrity. You abused your authority.

My motive in seeking clarity in accounting for funds raised and expended under the auspices of the municipality has been impugned by your actions, Madam Mayor.

Nothing less than a public retraction of these spurious allegations, striking the same from the public record and a public apology for this egregious offence will suffice as a remedy.

The Mayor's response;

"I will consult with my lawyer about your remarks Councillor"

Still with the Rubik Cube.

The minutes of the May 12th Council Meeting were published on the Town's web-site. On Friday, I assume. Noted on the Aurora Citizen Blog on Saturday, the minutes did not reflect what everyone saw happen on the tape of the May12th meeting.

Next thing we know, the minutes disappeared from the town's web- site. As of this morning, Sunday, they have not re-appeared.Staff do not officially work at the Town Hall on Saturday and Sunday.

Well, isn't this a right turn-up for the book.

It may be the town is dealing with a similar conundrum to one other. .

An individual came to a public meeting and in front of an audience was allowed to utter accusations and allegations which were without foundation and could not be substantiated.

That fits the dictionary definition of slander

The presiding member.invited a resolution to permit procedure to be waived to allow the utterances to become part of the written public record .

That fits the dictionary definition of libel.

An injured party may well have recourse to law to correct the injury and seek compensation.

But what if the injured party is part of the first party responsible for the injury.

And what if the injured party is sworn to protect the interest of the first party.

What then?

Oh Me! Oh My! Oh What a tangled web-site we do weave.

Like a Rubik Cube

The story unfolds:

My last post noted the Mayor had stated in an e-mail the Dream Team is not a town initiative. I had made that point several times previously in comments to the Aurora Citizen I wasn't sure why it needed to be repeated.

It transpires I may have been wrong . In the same e-mail, the Mayor stated, $150. paid from five Councillors' expense account for tickets to the wing-ding held at the Legion in mid -March to raise "awareness", not funds, for the July 1st Parade. was re-imbursed by the Dream Team, not the July 1st Parade sub-committee of the town's Leisure Services Advisory Committee who organised the party which was not a fund-raiser , to the town treasury to be earmarked for the purchase of flags for the Canada Day Parade

Further to that:

A Memorandum dated May 19th from Director of Finance,Mr.Dan Elliott, in response to a question from the Mayor on April 28th. was an add-on to the Council-in-committee agenda of May 19th.

The Mayor's question :

Did the town provide funding to the Aurora Dream Team?

The Director's answer:

"The Aurora Dream Team has not been the recipient of town funds with the exception of payment for the purchase of event attendance tickets as follows:

March 31,2008 $400 for the purchase of four tickets for Members of
Council(Councillors Granger,MacEachern,Wilson and Mayor Morris)
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March 31,2009 $150 for the purchase of five $30."We're Canadian Ay!"
event attendance tickets for members of Council (Councillor Gaertner,
Granger,MacEachern.Wilson, and Mayor Morris).

The memo notes an approved council administration budget and further

"Following the 2009 "We're Canadian Ay" event, the town received $150.00 as proceeds from this event for the purchase of flags for parade day.The $150.00 was provided in the form of returning our town cheque originally sent for the payment of the event tickets noted above".

The memo ends:

"I trust the foregoing addresses the question sufficiently."

Now you know everything I know. I have had the Memorandum since I sat down at the Council table on Tuesday evening. The complete text must be on the town's web site since it was included on the agenda of the meeting of May 19th.

I will end this post here and allow time to digest the information presented.

I am publishing without the assistance of my trusty volunteer assistant Heather Sisman.

I apologise if lines are slightly higgledy-piggledy. Except for relaying it to you. I take no responsibility for the information contained herein. It is all documented in the Treasurer's

Memorandum.

Addendum to the Previous Post

Mayor Morris has circulated an e-mail to councillors and staff

It notes the Dream Team is not a town initiative.

It refers to how disbursement of funds from the treasury are controlled by staff.

It acknowledges councillors who attended the Legion wing-ding " Awareness" party for July 1st paid for tickets out of their expense allowances.

It notes the money was "re-imbursed" to the town by the Dream Team to pay for flags.

The Mayor is on record as being opposed to using e-mails to "discuss" town business.

The Ubiquitous Sher St. Kitts

Sher St Kitts has a public personna. Is it unique? It is not. Do I have an opinion? Indeed I do.

Ms St Kitts has been a frequent visitor in the Aurora Council Chamber during this term. The Mayor clearly admires the lady and encourages her to speak at length about her activities

Usually we have a full slate of town business ahead. But no matter.

I feel for staff in the situation. The majority of council obviously feel it is part of their function to spend hours in audience for a variety of non-business. Otherwise, they would use their authority to stop it.

Directors have been in their offices since early morning and undoubtedly will not see their homes again until early morning of the following day. Much of the evening will be spent
listening to Sher St. Kitts self-promotion and other spokespersons the Mayor has encountered the previous week.Many asking for free use of town facilities, others simply to exploit the cameras to promote their endeavours.

We frequently watch people being presented with awards already received in some other location and time. Santa Claus and July 1st Parades are two.

Last time we saw Ms.St.K. was budget night. An allocation had been made for the parade. She said it was not enough. She had a list on a handwritten note, of bands she intended to book for the occasion at a total of $11,300k. Council were informed "No bands.No parade."

Councillor MacEachern moved $2,000k be taken from the parks budget and given to Ms.St.K
budget.

Readers will remember the vigorous debate about why we should give parks sufficient money to build furniture in their workshop. Why should we not just buy in a hardware store where it is so much cheaper?

Mr. Tree, Parks Manager had to do a complete report ... contact three companies who make furniture, not the same as patio furniture, and get prices for each item .

He had to list supplies needed to build the items. Councillors had to know thenumber and price of every lineal foot of material to help them make the decision.

The report was several pages long. Probably submit it to his Superior, Director of Leisure Services who likely had to have it reviewed by his Superior, Chief Administrative Officer who probably ran it by his fearsome boss, Mayor Morris before it finally arrived at council. It was received without comment.

Back to Ms St.K., no reference was made to proceeds from the Legion event in support of the Parade when she came to demand more money.

Not wishing to look foolish and disappoint my colleague Councillor MacEachern who frequently comments on my competence, I sought answers quietly and discreetly.

What was the tally from the Legion event. Where is the accounting? I asked a number of people ending up with the Town Treasurer. No-one had answers.

I obtained copies of sub-committee reports to Leisure Services Committee, chaired by Councillor MacEachern.

Before the Legion shin-dig, a report noted a couple of mobile signs had been placed on Wellington St. for two weeks at a cost of $150. Committee members would sell ten tickets each .

The later report noted all tickets (150) had been sold, a great time was had by all. The event was fully paid for.
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What does that mean I thought. I called a committee member and asked. .

" Well" she said "we had caterers and entertainers to pay for. No money was left over. I didn't see you there Evelyn"

It seems all but three councillors attended.

People in the community have questions. In particular they have noted the promotion of Mr. St. Kitts business as a band entertainer It's hard not to. His name was on the mobile signs on Wellington Street.

As a councillor, residents expect me to answer questions. I could not. I had been trying. I drew the matter to the attention of Neil Garbe our new CAO. He did not dismiss it.

More time went by. I heard nothing. I put my concerns in writing for the record and sent it to Mr. Garbe in confidence on the morning of April 20th. I expressed my sense that a scandal was brewing and we needed answers.

I noted " it's a lot easier for a scandal to take hold than it is to allay public suspicions after it becomes full-blown"

Still no answers. When it seemed the wing-ding at the Legion was not a fund-raiser in
support of a community event, another thought occurred .

Councillors have an expense allowance. Because of many requests,they may use their allowance to buy tickets for events such as fund-raisers. I don't do it. If I am attending a fund-raiser for a charitable cause, I think I should use my own resources.

But it occurred to me, if councillors attended the affair at the Legion because they thought it was a fund-raiser,they might have used their expense allowance. That would indicate they too thought it was a fund-raiser. I asked the new Treasurer Dan Elliott. I have that authority.

He said, he had been directed to look into the issue. Rightly so. When I bring a concern to the attention of those who have authority to uncover facts and determine things are as they should be...or not... I have done my due diligence.

Days later Sher St.Kitts once more exploded on the scene in public forum at council. With support and encouragement from her friend the Mayor and full of righteous indignation she delivered a verbal assault upon myself for a dastardly attack upon her and fellow volunteer committee members. All apparently in the audience.

The Mayor indicated she had already arranged a meeting between herself, new Chief AdministrativeOfficer, Neil Garbe and new Town solicitor, Christopher Cooper for 10.30a.m, the following morning to conduct "an inquiry"

The Mayor invited a resolution from Council directing Ms St.K's presentation be transferred to the formal part of the agenda in order for her unfounded and unsubstantiated accusations and allegations to become part of the public record. Further, she asked for a resolution to direct herself, the Cao and the solicitor to hold the inquiry noted above.

Councillor Grainger and MacEachern obliged. Both motions were put to a single vote. The process was challenged. Director of Corporate Serices was requested to cite reference to the procedure bylaw which allowed the vote..

Motion to waive the procedural bylaw was cited. The Mayor declared the vote passed.
The requirement for two-thirds majority was raised. The vote was five to three. Again the Mayor declared the vote had passed.

It had not. Two thirds of eight is not five. Two thirds of an even number can not be rounded off to a lesser number to make a decision legal.

When a presiding member doesn't know her elbow from a hole in the ground in the matter of procedure and is nevertheless blindly determined to have her way, by hook or by crook and a consistent warranty of four votes at the table, there arrives point when mayhem is inevitable.... Then discretion becomes the better part of valour.

Ten, ten year old children, with teachers and parents were in the council chamber to be recognized for excellence in achievement.

A second group of high school students with their teachers came to present an award to the town for excellence in achievement.

For forty minutes they had been witness to a disgraceful display of hubris by elected officials.
It's only to be hoped their young minds were occupied by other thoughts.

It was no time for hell to break loose in the Council Chamber and certainly not over the question of who is the aggrieved party in the matter of an affair held under the auspices of the town, moneys spent and moneys received and no account rendered.

Rhyme and Reason

When I decided to add "All Around The Mulberry Bush " to the last post, my point was simple; I just wanted to observe how our council goes round and round in circles.. I had three lines of the rhyme in my head, first, middle and last. I knew there were four but I had no recollection of the one missing until I googled it.

I probably learned the jingle when I was three or four years old....the way most little people learn, by hearing it repeated in play. I remember it as running in a circle song.

Just about every game we played had songs attached. Songs for skipping rope. for bouncing balls for playing beds (hop-scotch) with a stone peever and circle games

" On the mountain stands a lady, who she is I do not know'"

"Gypsy.Gypsy lives in a tent. can't afford to pay her rent."

"Tipper-ripper-rapper on my shoulder"

An anthology of Ayrshire Children's Songs has been compiled. They had never been in print before.They were simply handed down from generation to generation.

In my early childhood, in my home, we had neither radio, television nor electricity. We played outside in the yard of the building.. If it rained, we played cards or guessing games in the entry. There was little room for play in our homes and certainly not with friends. In the short while around the little fire before bed-time, we played the same guessing games, sang songs, told ghost stories in the gas-light and jokes that only children could find funny.

The entire street was a single facade and two storeys high. Buildings were different.Ours had eight ,two room "apartments". Mr.and Mrs. Bissett a childless couple lived in one unit Mr and Mrs. Loughlin in another with one child Katherine. All the rest had five to eight kids in the family. So every building had thirty and more youngsters of all ages.

Games had a season. It wasn't written anywhere. They just happened in succession.

I read the Mulberry Bush rhyme with surprise yesterday. Then I realised it was one of those medieval rhymes which did not start out as a children's song.

In the time before people could read, before print or newspapers or reporters , wandering minstrels went from town to town bringing news to the people. But the story could not be openly and freely told.

People were not free .They were serfs or slaves in modern parlance. They had no rights, no elections. They could neither read nor write. The wandering minstrel was to-day's equivalent of a reporter, slyly informing people and commenting on events of the day or months before, in a way that kept themselves out of trouble with the powers-that-be.

Who knows what was the event all those hundreds of years ago that prompted the Minstrel to sing ;

All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought t'was all in fun
Pop goes the weasel !

Nowadays we can read and we can write. We have elections . We have Blogs. No longer does a single individual or conglomerate get to decide what we should know and keep from us what they think might rock their boat.

But for all the change, we still find the same blighters and harridans in power who don't much care for the idea.

Tough!

All Around the Mulberry Bush

Last year a motion by Councillor MacEachern , seconded by myself determined a park be located on the abandoned site of a former water tower.

It seemed the only possible use for the property. At the same time, I suggested property owners surrounding the site should be consulted about the proposed use.

The project was included in the 2009 capital budget estimates at $250k. to be taken from the Development Charges Reserve Fund. The cost was a bit of a shocker.

Last week, driving around looking at various parks and playgrounds, I realised with a shock,the enclosed site was entirely inappropriate for a park.

On Tuesday evening, I attempted to bring the issue to Council's attention as a matter of urgency in the new business section of the agenda.

Mayor Morris refused to allow it. With a consistent block of five supporting votes , the Mayor rules. If she does not choose to allow an urgent matter to be introduced, that's how the cookie will crumble.

The facts are: The one acre site is surrounded by homes. Mature vegetation on the residential
property encircles and encloses it. The area has no visibility from the road or the residences. Children playing there would have no protection from potential harm.

There's a reason why parks are open and visible from all sides.

There is even a York Regional Police Policy called Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design which would undoubtedly rule against a park being hidden away on the secluded former water tower site.

No matter. The Mayor has decreed. The issue can only be brought to Council's attention by a notice of motion. Then a motion duly moved and seconded. Then a council debate and a formal vote . Which may or may not succeed . Since the initiative is mine, the odds are stacked.

All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought twas all in fun
Pop goes the weasel.

A Fundraiser for a Worthwhile Cause

My daughter Heather and her family are involved in an annual fundraiser in the Town of Newmarket

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My grandson Adam is a goalie in a hockey league for players of various abilities and ages. As happens, the league started with one team and gradually expanded. There's a team in Barrie, one in Cambridge and a third in Newmarket; all spun from the initiative of one caring Dad.
.

Once a year, the team travels to a tournament elsewhere.

It requires transportation, accommodation, team jerseys ,equipment etc.etc. Team members need two support people. Usually parents. In Adam's case, he has three. His sister. Robin goes along. She is active in the fund-raising, knows the support needed and can pitch in wherever . Robin is fifteen years old.
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The team is well equipped. At Christmas a social event happens. They receive top quality jackets with numbers and crests and hockey bags. The gathering cements friendship and the cohesion needed for the parents to provide the same kind of experience for their children that others take for granted.

The fund-raiser makes it possible

It happens at the Newmarket Senior Centre There's a dance. refreshments, an auction and multiple raffles and guessing games to raise money. Each family has a number of tickets to sell and they are sold at the door as well.

Substantial prizes are gathered for the auction. A week at Disney for a family of four was on the block one year. People come back again and again. They look forward to the event but the auction is the greatest attraction. The facility is always filled to capacity.

Adam's entire family spend the day at the centre making things ready. They provide the refreshments ,make the sandwiches and. set out the tables. Adam and friends put out the chips and cheesies keep the bowls filled throughout the evening.They socialise with the guests and dance with the ladies.

Brothers Keenan andAaron and Keenan's girlfriend Carey shift tables into place and do any other heavy work that's needed.. Robyn circulates the room selling tickets for the guessing games. Dad and friend Bob are the bar-tenders and it's a five hour stint. A table of ten from a group home are invited guests and they have a wonderful social evening .

They dance, they kibbutz, they chuckle and laugh and know that they belong.

Everyone works hard but it's a labour of love and the proceeds are substantial.

Every penny is carefully spent and accounted for. Proceeds from the various projects are itemised. The fee for the facility is paid to the Town of Newmarket. They do not request fees be waived by the town. The music is paid for and the license.

It's an exciting event and a good time is had by all . The benefits, as noted above are substantial.

One year they made $14k .Last year, the final tally was $11k. Our communities are generous in support of worthwhile causes.

The Mayor's Dilemma

Mayor Morris is huddling with Chief Administrative Officer and Town Solicitor this morning. (May 13th)Ostensibly to determine what can be done about me and what I do here on this Blog and in my Letters to the Editor. Thousands of tax payer dollars have been spent already on a variety of legal opinions to ferret out a final solution to the dilemma.

Last night a person made use of the public forum to unleash a lengthy diatribe of accusations and allegations against myself. Public forum is an opportunity granted by council,for citizens to bring attention to concerns they might have about public business. Citizens granted the right to address council are bound by the Rules of Order.

When the complainant had finished her attack, the Mayor accommodated her further by receiving a motion to suspend the Procedure Bylaw, to allow the personal vilification of an elected member to be placed in the public record and referred to a private meeting between herself and town staff .

The gist of the complaints were that I had repeatedly insulted. harassed and defamed in my Blog.

Blog is a written record . Scrolling back to December 20th, 2008, and I invite readers to do so, there is no reference whatsoever to the complainant or her activities.

My grand-daughter Hayley Buck was in the audience with classmates ,parents and teachers. They were to receive their winning anti-litter plaqued posters. My sons Frank and Andrew and Hayley's mother Rhonda .were there to see this small member of our family being recognised for excellence.
First, by courtesy of the Mayor and a block of compliant councillors, they were obliged to witness an ignominious display of ignorance and such a gross abuse of power and process, the likes of which I have never seen, directed toward myself , an elected member of the council.

In one media or another, I have for more than fifty years used the written word to convey my opinion to all and sundry. I am a battle-scarred veteran of many political battles. Everything likely to be said about any politician has already been said about me, perhaps more than once. Still. I hold elected office by virtue of the trust of people who know precisely what might be expected from me.

In 2003, after an absence of fourteen years,I was re-elected to council. In 2007 I was again returned. I occupy my seat as a representative of the people. When I am dis-respected, they are disrespected.

Profound ignorance of proper procedure , patronising, insulting, demeaning, condescending and disrespectful conduct from the head of the council are frequently endured silently for no reason other than respect for the people we serve and the symbol of responsibility and authority of elected office which the council chamber represents.

I have made the observation before , the current Mayor of Aurora enjoys neither my respect, trust nor my confidence.

Last night's display in the Council Chamber of Aurora illustrates why more perfectly than anything I could write .

Ethics and Hospital Funding

During the last term of council, the President and the Chairman of the Southlake Regional Health Centre came to Aurora and other municipal councils in northern York Region with a pitch for property owners to pay for hospital expansion. They had a resolution prepared for council. All it needed was a mover, a seconder and a favourable vote. Talk about a hard sell.

But that's not how it went down. Aurora Council gave a resounding no. Mayor Morris was a councillor then.

People have been donating money to the fundraising project ever since. But the expansion plans are ambitious. Fundraising is apparently too slow. The pitch was made again but this time, bypassed municipal councils. The movers and shakers went directly to Regional Council and were successful.

Recently Regional Chairman Bill Fisch came to Aurora Council by invitation of the Mayor(now regional representative). The chairman explained the decision to tax property owners for hospital expansion.

A full hour of council's time was taken to hear the rationale for a decision already made.

The argument is no more acceptable to me now than it was before but my opposition is stronger.

Fund-raising has been going on for at least three years. Thousands of people have already given voluntarily. With a tax imposed ,they will pay twice. Once from the heart and once without as much as a by-your-leave. Hardly a fitting way to express appreciation. And conversely, a good way to generate resentment

The tax is unfair. People who already gave what they could afford from their resources are forced to pay again. People who use the facility and live outside the region will not be taxed.

South Lake Regional Health Centre is not local. . Users come from a wider geographic region. Because of hospital facilities, Newmarket has become a centre for medical speciality. The Health Centre is where and how the specialists ply their trade. Patients come from as far away as North Bay. They hail from Simcoe County, Barrie, Beeton, Alliston and many distant points.

Even if we wanted to, we could not deny access to the facility. Health and hospital care is a provincial responsibility. Revenue sources are derived from income tax, lottery funds and I think, payroll contributions.

Mr. Fisch agreed with my argument. He contended however, the same principle applies to York Region residents having had and still having access to Toronto's hospitals.

It's not true.

Toronto property owners do not pay taxes to support hospitals. There is no line item in Toronto's budget for hospital services
.
York Region residents contribute to provincial revenues. We have a right to access hospitals which are funded from our taxes and gambling habits and I think, payroll contributions.

The Region's decision to tax property owners for hospital construction is not illegal. No question of legality applies.

It is not immoral. How cost is shared is not a question of morality .

The Region's decision is neither fair, just nor equitable. It cannot be commended.

Maybe the Region doesn't have a Code of Ethics to guide their decision-making.

If they do, they obviously need a workshop to explain the principle .

Fox in the Hen House 2

The squawking on the Aurora Citizen Blog was horrendous. Who would have thought a post about a missed council meeting would have created such a ruckus. Two council members were absent by the way.

I re-read my post to see what might have engendered such fury. But nope, I don't get it. I try to learn from younger more modern colleagues. They don't make it easy.

Last term I had the best record of attendance. What can I say ? I like being part of a council. It's what makes Evelyn run. But when the annual attendance record was reported the comment was "It's quality that counts not quantity."

Well, I thought, in modern parlance it must be bad to have a perfect record of attendance. The person with the second worst record was elected Mayor in the current term.

I referred in the same post to an award presentation on the agenda. It was a Regional Award. That mention too was a fault.

Along with seven other councillors and full complement of Department Heads, many hours are spent chained to chairs as a captive audience while awards are presented and pictures shot. As well, multiple delegations appear by invitation of the Mayor to take advantage of T.V.cameras to promote their particular endeavour. Aurora Council Chamber during a Council Meeting is like a Brokerage House for community events.

The devil finds work for idle hands and my mind is no less occupied. As I while away the hours I regularly contemplate a better use for public resources. Particularly when the hour of adjournment arrives and the corporation's business agenda is substantially incomplete.

Award presentations can be made with the same ceremony in the Mayor's office with councillors and photographers invited. It's how things used to be done and having been a part of it, I think it's better.

The presentation becomes an event then and not just an item on the agenda with people being ushered out immediately to get on with the next piece of non-corporate - business Tea and cookies can be served with an opportunity for conversation and the occasion made that much more memorable for those being honoured.

Heather's Note

It looks like Evelyn's blog has been bitten by the 'comment remover' bug too. There are a few comments that have gone missing.

A Meeting Not Attended.

I missed Tuesday's Council meeting.The agenda was sparse. There was an in- camera item I did not intend to participate and another on the public agenda, I did not intend to vote. Rules require all members to vote on all questions. Ethics mitigate against making a public issue of certain matters.

There is a way of avoiding the conflict. It was not taken.

Eat Smart Awards were being presented by the Mayor and a delegation of three, representing fourteen churches were seeking endorsement for Mayor's Prayer Breakfast event.

My feelings about the efficacy of group prayer are personal and will not be shared. The risk of being a captive audience to a politician fulminating on the issue is more than likely to provoke an inappropriate and irreverent response, the degree being entirely dependent on time consumed. .

I needed to steer clear.

York Region Transit Spring News Letter informing of changes in service was an item on the agenda.

Councillor MacEachern submitted the Arboretum News Letter as a memorandum. The document had already been distributed in our mail boxes. Why it was on the agenda was not immediately obvious.

A vexatious item was the recommendation from the workshop on April 21st with Mr. David Nitkin, the town's Integrity Commissioner.

During the course of the meeting, Mr. Nitkin explained his role would be educational. He recommended he would not review actions of members of advisory committees. He would recommend, as well as impose sanctions on councillors. He stressed the likelihood would be extremely rare. He would not be a policeman.

His comment prompted a reaction from the Mayor. A litany of complaints councillors had had to endure throughout the term was recited. Professional reputations had been sullied . Information had been leaked from closed meetings. Councillors had been accused of Breach of Trust. Legal advice had to be sought at taxpayer's expense ($16,200). Establishment of a Code of Ethics and appointment of Integrity Commissioner was the advice received. (Though no culprit was ever named)

Mr. Nitkin's advised his role would be that of an educator, not a policeman, and he would not deal with past complaints. It did not sit well.

The Commissioner was retained prior to the retirement of Corporate Services Director Bob Panizza in November 2008....six months ago.

One educational workshop has been held. The principle of ethics was examined. Never having had the advantage of such a forum before, I found it extremely valuable. But three members of council were missing.

The opportunity to learn was not shared .The value of the workshop was reduced accordingly. Though the cost was not.

The Commissioner had recommended private workshops. He felt participants would be more relaxed, find it easier to ask questions and engage.

But the second session was public. Council was not consulted. It went twenty-minutes beyond schedule. Nothing new was learned . People clearly have a different concept of ethics.

Thus far, the exercise has been like trying to take a bite from an apple hanging from the ceiling on a string.

The longer the string, the wider the swing.

The coherence of the Town's Code of Ethics does not improve with time and exposure to reality either.

An Email from the Website about taxation.

This comment is not anonymous to me.


From: < .... >
To: evelynb@aci.on.ca
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 6:37 PM
Subject: An Email from the Website

Evelyn, Who is this Robert the Bruce character , Does he honestly believe that the manufactures and sales outlets will reduce their prices , I cannot believe the naivety of people , where was Robert when Chrétien promise to abolish the Mulroney GST and where was he when that pxc&% conned everyone into thinking the manufactures and home builders and every other Tom Dick and Harry would lower their prices because they were no longer subject to the federal manufacturing taxes , the only tax relief anyone gets is either by cheating on their taxes or working for cash under the table. and this government is doing everything it possibly can to promote this underground trade.
This Out of Harmony tax is nothing but an absolute disgrace and will be the final nail in the Liberals Coffin , they just cannot continue to lie repeatedly to the public , they must go, I wish Robert all the best in his dream world of tax reform, one day he will realize the nightmare that it is. Keep up the good work of telling it like it is !!!

Harmonized Sales Tax Petition

Hello Fellow Ontario Taxpayers,

This new RST/GST tax is not getting any coverage in the news paper/television and I am not sure why. It is going to be the biggest tax increase in history. It's like no one wants to inform us of the facts. I have been investigating and I would like to share my findings.

The new tax will be administered by the Federal Government. It will be based on the GST, that means if the tax is currently collected on the Goods and Service Tax at 5% it is going to be increased to 13%, that sounds fine as Ontario's Provincial Retail Sales Tax is 8%. Add the two together and things seem fine.

One problem, Retail Sales Tax is not collected on everything that Goods and Services Tax is, the key word here is "Services". Retail Sales Tax is not collected on services. What is going to increase?

Here is a small list of services currently only taxed at 5% going up to 13%.

Natural Gas bill
Internet bill
Water bill
Gas at the pumps- That is like 6 cents per L. (that is a tax on top of a tax)
Hair cut
Massage therapy

Anything that requires labour around your house- plumber, electrician, painting, grass cutting ext.

Electricity bill- This is a good one. Look at your electricity bill there is a charge on it for debt retirement charge. That is a charge for the huge debt the OPC ran up. Only in Ontario would we pay tax on a debt, and only in Ontario would we increase this tax.

This is just a small list as there is so much much more.

Let talk about small business for a minute.

Mr. Mcguinty tells us in the budget that this new tax is going to save small businesses 500 million dollars. I do not know how much it costs to fill out a six line tax return monthly, but all small business owners I know do there own. If you are in business you will know about compensation on your Retail Sales Tax return. This is when you get to keep 5% of the tax collected up to $1,500.00 per year to help with your administration costs. That is gone once this tax is combined. Really it only helps large corporations with multiple vendor permit numbers, not small businesses.

Good news, I thought. There were two places where we were going to see an advantage to this tax. First there is no GST on used cars if bought privately and provincial tax on alcohol in between 10% to 12%. That is 2% to 4% higher then our normal Retail Sales Tax. Good old Mcguinty took care of that real quick. He is now saying to make it fair between used car lots, that he will collect the Retail Sales Tax on used cars still. Get ready for this one, he is going to add a levy on alcohol to promote social responsibility. This man is using the words social responsibility at the same time as he is raising our taxes, what he promised not to do.

I never forward chain letters and this is more or less what this is. This one has a reason, it could save you a lot of money over your lifetime. Please forward it to everyone in your contact list and call them and ask them to forward it.

I have added a few links at the bottom if you would like to send an e-mail. The first one is to sign the petition against this tax. The second is to Mcguinty if you would like to talk to him about being socially responsible. There are a few other ones but the bottom one is the best, it is the salary disclosure for 2008. We are paying him $207,000.00 per year to lie to us.

Stand up Ontario and tell him we cannot afford any more Mcguinty politics. No new taxes.

Please sign the petition.

Thanks


http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/Stop_HST_Ontario/signatures-10.html -Petition

https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp - Dalton Mcguinty

https://www.ontario.ca/en/contacts/feedback/index.htm -Any questions to the
Provincial Government

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/about/contactus/feedback.html Dwight Duncan

http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/contact.aspx The Ontario Liberal Party

http://www.ontariopc.com/home20/contactus/contactus.aspx The PC Party of Ontario

http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/publications/salarydisclosure/2009/ministries09.html Salary Disclosure

Show Me The Money

A coming event is being publicised.... intended to stimulate and revitalise the economy in the GTA. Mayor Hazel and John Honderich are co-sponsors. I'm always looking for ideas that might lead to something good for the town. It's a habit hard to break.

The happening is on May 7th at the new Seneca Campus in Markham. It would be handy. But wait... It costs $325. a person to participate. Aw heck! I've never seen a conference yet worth that amount of money for a day. There was a time when municipal people invited in to be briefed on something or other , the province paid the freight.

I saw a blurb in the Saturday Star. The Province is contributing $100,000 to facilitate the project.

The idea came from a proposal in a commentary to The Toronto Star last December by Stephen Del Duca, a one-time political operative in former MPP Greg Sorbara's office. Mr. Del Duca is currently Director of Public Affairs for the Carpenters Union.

Two hundred and fifty people are expected to attend the event. At $325. a pop.The Toronto Board of Trade is involved.

It occurred to me, as I was putting two and two together, Board of Trade involvement probably means sponsorships. I called their number for an answer to that question. And learned yes indeed .

It seems everyone connected was involved at a meeting this morning. I finally managed to speak to someone who knew the answer . He thought it would be alright to give names of sponsors but not amounts .

It was not exactly a refusal to reveal. He didn't know the tally. It just seemed to him it would not be public information. He did outline a few of the many expenses for organising an event like this. It 's happening at the new York Region Campus of Seneca College at Highway 404 and 7 on May 7th. That's a Thursday. It's a public institution. What chance fees might be waived, I wonder.

Now....let me be absolutely clear and transparent. I am not telling any reader what to think about the event and the fee to attend. My exercise this morning was to find out what an event like that cost so that I could understand why the fee to participate would be $325.

I hadn't even started to wonder what might be accomplished with all that expensive endeavour.

Holy Smoke !

A Bunch of Figures

I have to give the figures and they have to be read to get this point across.

On Christmas Eve I found myself in front of the newly renovated Shoppers Drug Mart. It was a beacon of light in a sea of darkness. I sat in front of it for ten minutes enjoying the incredibly cheerful scene.

Two storeys of light illuminated store shelves, Christmas trees and wreaths, people on stairs with the elevator sliding up and down behind them. It was a delight. Something I had never seen before in Aurora. The downtown block is always cheerful of course but not like this.

While being built, there was no indication it would look like this. It had been a small Canadian Tire warehouse structure.

On completion, an application was made for a sign plan and a sign variance. Staff processed it and recommended approval.

Council said no.

To say I was aghast is putting it mildly.

A couple of weeks ago I saw e-mails between Councillor Wilson and the Mayor. Shoppers had obtained a temporary banner sign permit for across the back of the building. It was to expire on March 31st and staff were on alert to make sure it came down by the final date on the permit.

Shoppers have three stores in Aurora. All of them beautiful . I asked for financial particulars of this latest project.

Construction was worth two million dollars.Interior renovations almost half a million . The permit fee was $16k for inside and out.

Town's development charge was $44,473.09. Region's $70,909. Education's$1,652. and appraisal fee was $2,467.

When all of that money had been expended and the building completed, the application was made for signs. The plan was for five including directional. Sign Value $60,000.,construction $12,000. and permit $375.

A variance application was made at the same time at a cost of $450. An additional sign at $12K., and permit at $175. It was refused.

The building currently has a dinky little sign on the front corner...the same on the great long on the south side and none at all on the long dark back wall, facing oncoming traffic on Edward Street. Canadian Tire Gas Bar obscures the building from oncoming traffic from the south. Signage is needed for the carriage trade to know they are there.

A failed store means a substantial loss of revenue to the town.

After all that private money was invested in the town, our assessment improved by two and a half million dollars . D.C. levies were collected in an amount of almost $120K, a sign variance application was made at a cost of $450, processed, recommended by staff and turned down by council.

A fee paid, work completed, nothing accomplished. .

The final irony was the Mayor's proclamation 2009 would be the Year of Aurora's Business Initiative. There was also the Mayor's constant reminder during budget discussions of how council and staff had to be mindful of hard times being experienced by local business.

Look no further

Another Little Tidbit

I will have the Dvd of last night's meeting to-night but I have to tell you this little bit now. It's too delicious.

In the course of other comments at the meeting, Mr.Fitkin mentioned he had had a meeting with the Mayor. I asked when and for what purpose. He answered. I expressed concern about a meeting which had not been authorised by council. The Mayor declared she would speak to whomever she pleased and needed no authority from anyone.

As usual, Mayor and Councillor MacEachern had much to say during the meeting and there was little time for anyone else before the clock ran out. I asked if Mr. Fitkin would be willing to have a conversation for me to learn how his office would be benefit the community. A couple of his recommendations were being put to a vote.

Mr. Fitkin expressed himself more than willing and offered to do so by telephone as early as today.

Councillor Wilson however expressed opposition. My questions should be asked in public he said so that everyone could hear the answers. He was right, of course. But there would be no opportunity between now and Council approving the recommendations.

Mayor Morris, as she is wont to do, directed the question to the Town Solicitor for his advice.

Mr. Christopher Cooper responded it would not be acceptable. His reason was unclear.

And thereby hangs a tale. Which is the correct answer? Alright for the Mayor to have a private meeting with Mr.Fitkin? Not alright for anyone else?

If there was ethical reason against the conversation, why would Ethics Commissioner Fitkin not be the first to say so?

I could have engaged Mr. Cooper in discussion and requested a reason for his negative response. Except that it's against the Rules of Order.

No self-respecting politician drags a staff person into the middle of a debate. Political battles are meant to be fought fair and square between politicians.

Ethics dictate staff should never be compromised.

That's the point where a Chief Administrative Officer must intervene, although it's admittedly difficult and should never be necessary to do so.

He did it later in the meeting, when it appeared the York Regional Police officer was being criticised by Councillor Wilson.

The Morning After

I missed the first minutes of the Ethics commissioner's presentation last night but I 'll get the DVD and talk about it later..

For now, let me tell you what they did to Alison last night. It was much the same as they did to Former Councillor Grace Marsh, only this time it was more carefully orchestrated and graphically apparent..

In the 2007 budget Grace ,whose expertise is municipal finance, successfully persuaded council to accept the treasurer's advice and make a sufficient contribution to reserves. As the weeks went by though, we saw steady hacking away at it by the MorMac twins. Eventually it was cut. The slick and sly and singularly focused determination contributed to Grace's despair about the possibility of being allowed to contribute and at least partly led to her resignation.

Part of Alison's election platform was a commitment to work for a solution for the growing problem of graffiti vandalism. She was successful in obtaining council permission for an ad hoc committee and worked for months with fellow citizens and the Regional Police. The work culminated in successful promotion of Graffiti Clean Up day.

It didn't mean graffiti was saved for a year to be cleaned up. Nor that the problem disappeared.

What it did was increase public awareness and involve the community in helping to solve the problem. Materials were donated, people turned out to participate in the scrub-down.. With the objective successfully realised , the Committee was dissolved.

Last night, on invitation from the mayor a representative from the Police Department appeared as a delegate and expressed appreciation for town support, reported on successful apprehension of numerous miscreants and announced May 29th as Graffiti Clean up date for 2009

First commendations to the police were repeated around the table. Then the systematic attack began. One after another made a contribution to denigrating the merits of the program.

What did it cost? How many man hours were involved.? Aren't staff cleaning up graffiti on an on-going basis ? Exactly what was the bill? Why did this happen and that not?

At that point Mr. Garbe , Chief Administrative Officer intervened to defend the police and assign responsibility for a particular failure to a junior staff member.

Each one of the cast had lines to read. The play ended with a comment from the Mayor denigrating the efforts of a particular individual who was not named although when challenged , reference to Councillor Collins-Mrakas was denied.

The final scene had the Mayor leaving the table to escort the police officer from the Town Hall, no doubt reassuring him all the way of council support for police efforts.

I fervently wished Mr.Fitkin, the Ethics Commissioner could have stayed for the performance. He had made an observation during the workshop on ethics indicating presumption of collegiality in the working relationship of a council.

Huh ! In a pig's ear.

Are You Bored Yet

A reader would like to know the time of the special meeting this evening.Another claims to be hungry and wonders about the food.. Others just wonder exactly what is going on.

Join the club. I'm a councillor and I'm not privy to the rhyme or reason .

The meeting is at six. It was to have been held in the Holland Room. Now it is in the council chamber. Food is being served for councillors at 5.30p.m.in the Holland Room . I'm not eating this time. I find it uncomfortable to be eating while receiving a presentation .Sort of like...bad manners. Isn't that an old-fashioned expression! It's mainly for councillors who won't have time to go home to eat.

The presentation is the same as the one already given in private. Six of us have to sit through it a second time because three didn't the first time. The six were not consulted whether that was acceptable . If we did what Councillor MacEachern did and declared we would not attend, there would be no quorum and no meeting..

It's not clear how it will proceed. Mr. Fitkin is an educator. It's what he did in the first meeting. The room was prepared like a classroom and the session was essentially a participatory lecture.

This time the Mayor is presiding. I'm not sure how that's intended to work. I am sure there's a plan. It's just not obvious at this time.

Somewhere lurking at the back of my mind, there's an impression A Code of Ethics requires unanimous support. I heard a hint of that in Mr. Fitkin's comments last time we met.It makes sense. How else would it stick?

The councils (Toronto and Vaughan) with a Code formed a steering committee and designed their own standards . They did not agree to have rules imposed upon them. Why would they? Who would have that authority ?

Why would people elected to exercise judgement to the best of their ability on behalf of the community, submit to control from an outside source, about whose judgement we know nothing.

Tonight,I will be like everybody else in town... waiting to see what's going to happen next.

Correction.

It was a child who was bitten by a dog at a hockey game. I do not suggest that's a non- issue. It most certainly is.

What isn't, is for a dog-owner, in the face of that particular circumstance, to have the hubris to fight for the right for a dog to be there.

That is nonsense.

Plans for Recreation.

I received the following e-mail from a concerned citizen:

The new Master Plan "draft" was presented to the LSAC. The LSAC committee decided not to refer it to Council because it was viewed as being deficient and in some regards not appropriate for Aurora. Instead they are going to have a sub committee review the recommendations and then send it to Council.

Since the document has not been recommended to Council can Council members use it? I would think not. But am I wrong in that assumption?

It has been referred to during Council meetings and even in the Banner and the Auroran.

In the minutes from the April 7 minutes "comments from the Master Plan" are requested to be included in information from Mr Garbe LS09-012. That then should be referred to the only Master Plan that has been approved which is 2003 and not the current "draft" version. But it is clear to me that the minutes actually refer to the unapproved document.

This is clearly an attempt to use information that is not to the AMBA's favour because while the previous document states a current need (now overdue) for the diamond, the "draft" incorrectly suggests we won't need it until 2013. What would Council's reason for this be, other than finding an excuse for not building the facility? I have trouble understanding why they would want to do that.

My question for you is... Can you refer to a document that is not approved by either the committee or Council?

I asked the same question of Chief Administrative Officer Neil Garbe during last week's council meeting and prior to receiving the e-mail. I knew the answer but needed it confirmed.

A Master Recreation Plan which has not been adopted by council cannot be referenced in a current decision.

Of course, if the decision can be deferred often enough then a different outcome can be obtained.

Councillor Evalina MacEachern chairs the Leisure Services Advisory Committee.

Clearly Council is not perceived as competent to make a judgement of whether the Draft Master Recreation Plan is acceptable and a sub-committee of an advisory committee needs to vet and obtain different findings before presentation to elected representatives. All of which takes time of course. Delay one decision long enough and it can be overtaken by another.The strategy is not subtle.

It's kind of like the letter we got from a lawyer last year on the issue of byelection versus appointment . The one page letter of advice wasn't acceptable so we sent it back and required something different. We got it. The result was appointment versus by-election. There wasn't much subtlety there either.

All that's needed is to thoroughly confuse the public with bafflegab and we're off to the races.

An Odd Thing

I received a call from Lucy Lopez, Roving Reporter with Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.The phone rang once. I picked it up.

"I'm looking for Evelyn Buck" she called.

"Aye, well you found her" says I.

"Oh" she said, obviously surprised .

She had been told she would not be able to talk to a councillor because they are all part-time. and difficult to reach.

Well, I thought...there's another one for the book.Why would anyone at the town hall convey such a message.

Even more strange; the story Lucy was following was not much of an issue .

An employee at the Leisure Complex had been bitten by a dog. A bylaw is being contemplated to prohibit dogs from town buildings.

A dog-owner finds the idea of a bylaw outrageous.

I thought that's not much of an issue for the CBC .

But it's odd a town employee would tell someone looking for me that I can't be contacted.I gave no such instructions.

Mind you, I'd noticed a drop in phone calls. It never occurred to me , the town hall might be steering people away.

Of course it's true.

Paranoia is rampant.

There is probably only one connection to the Town Hall that isn't currently under the maniacal control of the Mayor; Buck's Blog.

In the first battle for control the Dreaded Duo. MorMac had with our former Chief Administrative Officer was over the Communications division . The annual report was being submitted and the terrible twins had trouble accepting it. Mr. Rogers explained the function of the division is CORPORATE not political.

When a decision has been made by council , it becomes Corporate and therefore under the authority of the administration. Media releases are from the Corporation ...not the Mayor or Council.

Well now that did not sit well. There was hissing , clawing of the air and huffing and puffing.

Ever since, no media release appears without a sentence somewhere, relevant or not, from the Mayor, bearing full name and title. Mr. Rogers is no longer Chief Administrative Officer.

I seldom check releases. But last week Councillor MacEachern's name also appeared. Input is sought by Councillor MacEachern to a town initiative. Residents are invited to send comments to the attention of Councillor MacEachern.

So now we have a councillor as well as the Mayor improperly exploiting an administrative function and instrument for political advantage. No holds are barred

Normal process for dealing with flagrant abuse of municipal resources, would be to bring the matter to the attention of the administration or council. We have seen what happened to one administration. Signs and portents for the second are not positive.

As for council...there isn't one.. it's an amorphous blob .

The Commissioner of Ethics is attending Council on Tuesday. In public.His advice was to meet in private. The presentation is a repeat of the private workshop. It's a duplication of what went before, except the Mayor is in the chair and in control of the discussion with Councillor MacEachern at her elbow lending support , providing direction and running interference no doubt.

One hour is scheduled.

Food is provided.

We'll be eating while we're talking.

I would have thought a person bitten by a dog might have had more immediate recourse than to wait for a town bylaw to be passed.

Ethics... Yea or Nay

It's not true that ethics don't exist in politics. They do govern political decisions.

They are not written in a manual. Nor are they a matter of record. They are an on-going factor in the process of decision-making. They are handed down from experienced members or municipal staff. Failing either, they come from judgement of what is fair, just, equitable and consistent. . They are not principles of law or morality.

Openness and transparency is a critical and meaningful concept. Some decisions however must be made in private.

Example is the best illustration.

A vacancy occurs on a board or committee. Residents are invited to seek appointment. Name,
reasons for interest, and background experience are submitted to the town.

Only one candidate can be selected. Making an application should not mean a rejection in public. A split vote for one or other candidate would be public and a matter of record...a result which would be both undesirable and unjust.

Also unacceptable is for any councillor to be compelled to support a particular candidate where confidence is lacking.

The issue is easily resolved by slecting a candidate who has the support of all members.

The decision is neither moral or legal. It 's ethical.

Recently, there was a need to articulate the principle . A screech of outrage erupted with an ever- ready accusation of bullying to obtain a particular result.

As often happens in Aurora during this term , in the open and behind closed doors, conduct is neither orderly nor ethical.Civility goes by the board.Anarchy rules.

It doesn't mean ethics don't exist in municipal politics. It just means our current council is not an acceptable model. It is not the norm .

At once , Strength and A Liability

My addiction to tell all is a mixed blessing and definitely risky.It's a strength because it provides background to public decisions that have to be made. It's a liability because despite what people believe. politicians who persist in being open and frank do not always fare well.

Conventional political wisdom is never to say or do anything that might offend anyone. People are inclined to instinctive reaction. They will overlook almost anything if they have formed a loyalty.They will support and defend a rogue if they like him. They wouldn't vote for a pompous stuck-up arrogant genius, if he was the last person on earth. Mind you, they wouldn't get much chance . The high-and -mighty are inclined to look down their noses at politics and politicians.

The City of North Bay once had a long-time Mayor with a shady reputation. He was regularly a found-in and carted off in the police wagon...for gambling I believe.

I was on the Social Assistance Review Board with a councillor from North Bay. He was a good-looking man and had operated a men's wear shop in the city.

North Bay's main street was a delight. Owners knew their customers .When they went to seasonal trade shows they shopped for their clientelle. Then they phoned customers to let them know, they had something in that would suit them perfectly.

The Councillor was very well turned out. Shirts and ties perfectly complemented jackets and slacks. His hair was always perfectly coiffed and shoes polished to a high shine. Since council meetings had begun to be televised, he was sure he was handling himself better than anyone else on council.

The Mayor's reputation was terrible so the councillor put his name forward for the office.The shady little found-in whose name was known throughout Ontario, because he was a travelling man, beat him hands down. People in North Bay just liked him better. He was real. He was their Mayor.

Shortly after , the defeated one read somewhere how much money could be made from writing television scripts. He decided that couldn't be hard. He embarked on a new career. I never heard his name again after I left the Board. I don't even recall it now.

Jack Reid , Aurora's P.Eng was town engineer for the City of North Bay earlier in his career. He asked the city treasurer once how they could afford to have the Mayor going off to conferences and meetings all over the place. The Treasurer answered "Listen Reid. it saves the town money to have that little B" out of town"

The moral of the story is; practical politics are never as simple as they seem.

It's interesting to read people's ideas about how councillors should conduct themselves. Without experience, it's easy to make assumptions. It's just not realistic.

Sometimes being a politician is like being tossed about in a raging storm and others like a ship becalmed.Many prefer to create and control their own waves.Others just deal with events as they happen.

It's not hard to be loved by everyone. I've watched it done. But I can't do it. I can't resist telling people what I know, and trying to influence their view of things even when they don't want to hear it. And I know they don't want to hear it. It's not the best or easiest way to win friends and influence enemies. It's definitely chancy.But I just can't resist it.

At my grand-daughter's graduation at Queen's University three years ago, Jeffrey Simpson was convocation speaker.. I had seen him participate in an Ethics in Public Service Symposium on television. He has written books on the subject. He is also a columnist in the Globe and Mail.

His message to the graduates was that it's alright to be skeptical of government and question what you hear. It's not alright to be cynical and dismiss everything you hear. Politicians are just like the general population. . No better. No worse. In the democratic process, it's all that can reasonably be expected.

The introduction to Aurora's Code of Ethics states the public have a right to expect a higher standard of conduct from those privileged to have been elected. According to my own observations and Jeffrey Simpson' professional perspective, that's a mistake right there.

We have heard nothing of our Commissioner of Ethics for some weeks now. First, on his advice, we had an educational workshop in closed session. Three people were absent: the Mayor, Councillor MacEachern and Councillor Gallo.Their absence rendered the effort useless and a waste of town resources.

A second workshop was scheduled. Councillor MacEachern declared she would not attend as it was in closed session.

The Mayor claimed intervention. The second workshop was to have proceeded. It didn't.

A further meeting was scheduled to finalise an Agreement of Understanding between Council and the Commissioner. It wasn't clear how that could be accomplished under the circumstances. But no matter, it never happened anyway.

On Tuesday evening, in a closed meeting, on a matter not on the agenda and therefore not made public and agreed to, Councillor MacEachern sought comment from the town solicitor about legal action she intended to pursue because she claimed to have been falsely accused of a Breach of Trust.

The Mayor halted the discussion but only after she had added a few supportive comments of her own .

Ethics it seems, continue to be problematic.

Correction

I received an e-mail response to the Blog where I made reference to the million dollars the Region sent to the Red Cross for the Tsunami relief. I said the last I heard the money never reached the victims. Well apparently it did. I will post the e-mail as soon as I know how.

[ Heather's Note - here it is! ]

Evelyn Buck
Councillor, Town of Aurora
1 Municipal Drive, Box 1000 Aurora, Ontario L4G 6J1
ebuck@e-aurora.ca

Dear Councillor Buck,

I am writing regarding some information posted to your blog on April 8, which I read with great concern. The statement was related to donations made to the Canadian Red Cross for tsunami relief and recovery efforts:

“Regional business is sometimes conducted by telephone poll. That's how a million dollar Tsunami donation to the Red Cross was decided. Last I read, it never even got to the victims. I think the Red Cross pocketed the whole shebang.”

I would like to assure you that monies so generously donated by Canadians following this devastating disaster were put to use helping communities with immediate relief, as well as crucial recovery efforts. The Canadian Red Cross honours donor intent in every instance and covers only the expenses incurred to support its fundraising efforts for a specific appeal – these costs include activities associated with collecting donations such as processing and issuing tax receipts. In this case that cost was less than five percent.

You can view our latest tsunami donor report here:

http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/tsunami_financial20081211.pdf

The Canadian Red Cross recently celebrated a significant milestone in South Asia tsunami recovery with the completion of our housing reconstruction project. Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, the Canadian Red Cross, in partnership with Canadian International Development Agency handed over the last of over 5,500 homes built for tsunami survivors in Indonesia. In addition to the construction new homes, the Canadian Red Cross is supporting the development of sustainable communities by providing water and sanitation facilities, livelihoods assistance and implementing disaster preparedness initiatives.

Our CEO and Secretary General Conrad Sauvé was on hand to mark the occasion in Indonesia in March. You can find this story and many others at

www.redcross.ca/tsunami

I do hope this has clarified any misinformation you have seen related to Red Cross efforts in South Asia. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Kind regards,


Carrie Harrison
Regional Director

Lot Levy History

Anonymous said...
First the diamond is 600K now it's 1.7M. Then apparently we need to buy property for the diamond except we already own land for it. Then we promise to start building it and then it gets deferred. Now we're not sure if we want to build it at all because it's so expensive but we can't spend the money on other town needs because we have to retun it.Geesh! Why didn't council start with something a little easier like solving world hunger before moving straight into baseball fields?

Development charge levies changed substantially over the years. There were none when Regency Acres and Aurora Heights were built.

Other town requirements were also different. Front yards only were sodded. Driveways were gravel. Culverts and ditches provide storm drainage. Electricity was supplied by overhead wires and the road was a ribbon of asphalt, two lanes wide. Sidewalks were not provided though school sites and parkland were taken.

The town did have an engineer on the payroll. I heard he was a chemical engineer. His name was Stan Murray. I mention it because I remember it. I came to Aurora when Regency Acres was built. Annual taxes on my house were $260. They were higher than houses on the gracious tree-lined streets in Old Aurora.

There were at least seven models in our subdivision.Two-storey semis and the Princess Margaret model cost less than $11,000. The down payment was about $500. Apartment rents in the city were about $125 a month. Consumers Gas would provide a second mortgage, if a buyer opted for gas heating

The federal government used housing as an economic stimulant in those days. New home-owners bought new furniture.... planted gardens.... bought reliable cars to commute...decorated homes at Christmas. Regency was built in two phases. Before the second, the government reduced mortgage interest and in turn the Developer dropped prices by $1,000. No more semis were purchased and built.

Town water was from an aquifer. The sewage treatment plant was a tertiary system built in the mid-fifties in partnership with Collis Leather. Ontario Water Resources Commission had authority then. The tanning process was dumping toxins into the creek and that had to stop.

Capital projects were paid by debenture and Collis was still making payments when I was elected and reading my first budget.

By the time Wimpey built Orchard Heights, the town was demanding more. . We didn't have planning staff but we had Jack Reid and Associates, P.Eng. examining plans and advising. Roads had to be built to Department of Highway standards. Storm and Sanitary sewers were both underground, sidewalks on one side of a street and twenty-four month performance bonds provided. Boulevards for snow storage had to be provided. We went to underground wiring.

Yards had to be sodded back and front , driveways paved and lot levies steadily climbed. Jack Reid scratched his head once and wondered who would be able to afford to buy these houses. Lot levies would not be paid from developer profits.We all understood that.

Years went by. Demands grew. It was like found money. It could not be used for anything but the specified needs created by growth. But it meant facilities were provided that politicians could never in their wildest dreams have heretofore proposed to be paid for by debenture debt.

Developers paid willingly. Charges grew to thousands of dollars. Provincial sales tax and federal goods and service tax entered the picture. A tally about twenty years ago came up with a figure of over thirty-thousand dollars in taxes ,including development charges, hidden in the price of every new home built.

Market-value assessment came into being. Assessment is based on sale price. It means new owners pay property taxes on hidden taxes for ever after.

I have long had misgivings about development charges. Not shared by anyone else. Developers paid because time is money and in any case the charge becomes part of the overhead. Fellow politicians thought I was demented. Why spoil a good thing. New home owners had no idea of the unfairness and furthermore didn't want to know. They need to believe their decision to buy a new home is the right one. What could they do about it after the fact anyway?

But levies kept rising. As land prices increased, building houses at competitive prices became progressively more difficult . The levy and the price serviced of land, eats up more and more of the cost of a home. Lots became smaller, houses rose higher and rooms became smaller. Prices zoomed upward and product shrunk.

Developers took their problem to the province. The building industry represents a significant share of jobs and economy of the province. The province had to listen.

New regulations were created to control lot levies. Towns have to prepare a five year forecast to establish level of service and the need for new facilities to maintain the level. Vehicles and equipment and everything else extra to serve increased population from new homes must be specified.

The levy must be calculated on the basis on ninety-per-cent of the estimated cost of a facility. Existing residents are expected to share the facility therefore they must pay ten per cent of the cost.

Our last forecast and master recreation plan identified the need for more than one baseball diamond. Successive capital budgets have concurrently identified the needs. The figure for the baseball diamond never changed in the five years of forecast.

The cost of building a diamond is one thing. Building a community park sufficient to accommodate a baseball diamond is separate and in addition. That's what changed the estimated price. The land chosen by council, adjacent to the Stronach recreation facility has surplus material stored there which needed to be moved. Electricity, drainage and water supply are a necessity. Driveway access to the diamond must be provided. All of these amenities must be added to the cost.

We are currently at the end of a five year forecast period. We are preparing a new forecast to justify new levy calculations. We have not yet provided the diamond identified as a need five years ago.

Our new calculations must be submitted soon for approval by the province.

If we don't build what we said we needed and took money for, the chances of having it approved in the next round are zero to nil.

The need has never been challenged. We obtained the means to pay for it. It is approved in the budget. But if the Chief Administrative Officer gets the subliminal message from council and provides a different recommendation to the one already provided by Leisure Services Director, we might be pitched head first deep into doo-doo.

In a recent appeal, developers succeeded in taking funds back from York Region on the basis an actual cost for a project was not what had been forecast in the calculation of development charges. If it happened at the Region, it can happen to us.

Our new round of calculations of D.C. levies may be less than they should be if we are unable by failing to provide the baseball facility we fail to establish a level of service to support them.

None of this stuff is easy to understand. In fact, it's bloody complicated. It's why we have professionals to provide advice and guidance to council. We pay a high cost for necessary expertise. If we can't acknowledge we need it, let alone heed it, our community will not be well- served.

Hallelujah! We(I) Have Seen The Light

It's a funny thing about writing. Sometimes you have to read your stuff back to yourself to spot something obvious. .

In the last two posts I set down what happened at the end of Tuesday's Committee Meeting Councillor MacEachern tore apart documentation submitted by Leisure Services Director to support her intention to refer the matter elsewhere.

The material was in support of a recommendation to prepare specifications and call tenders for servicing a community park and construction of a baseball diamond as promised at the time of the last budget.

When the Councillor finished her diatribe,the Mayor picked up the theme and the issue was referred to the attention of the Chief Administrative Officer

A year ago, the night of the 2008 budget, the Baseball Association came to Council to plead for desperately needed facilities to be included in the budget. The Mayor directed Leisure Services Director to proceed with designs the very next day. There was joy and laughter and applause from the audience. They left the council chamber believing their worries were over and the Mayor was their champion.

Under the direction of Councillor Mac Eachern, the project had been eliminated from the previous budget.

The Director has done nothing but follow direction since.

But neither he nor I have understood the subliminal message. Not until I read the last Blog. Current direction is for the Chief Administrative Officer to report on the issue. On the basis of what ?

Well... of course... I have seen the light... on the basis that this council does not intend to run the gauntlet of hostile public opinion by going forward with the project after they deliberately created the false impression it was an outrageous price and would be a horrendous burden on the taxpayer.

They want a report from staff to give them an out from making a decision that might cost them support in the next election. If the Mayor can flim-flam the Baseball Association once, she can do it again.

Council must maintain their image as diligent keepers of the public purse.

In fact, the opposite is true.

If we do not spend the money .... taken from developers for the purpose ... there's a good chance, it will have to be given back. York Region has had to do that because of a miscalculation of need.

Add to that, our current round of calculations for development charges cannot be supported by the same level of service as the last. Because we failed to fulfill a need we forecast in 2003. We cannot claim a level of service that is not our level of service.

Talk about shooting ourselves in both feet.

Useless Tuesday

The agenda listed twenty-four items. An in-camera meeting was also scheduled with a separate list. I understand Council went into closed session at 11.20 p.m. and dealt with one urgent property item. I wasn't there. I surrendered hope at 10.50 p.m.

The public portion of the meeting was largely without accomplishment.

At yet another invitation from the Mayor, we heard from a regional delegation at the start of the meeting. The presentation with a myriad of questions about a facility twenty miles distant, in the Town of Vaughan ,continued for more than an hour.

We heard from residents who were still concerned after a decision in their favour from the Committee of Adjustment. They worried a development would be permitted without sufficient parking at the corner of Yonge Street which would exacerbate serious problems on their short neck of Tyler Street.

A planning report indicated agreement with the proposal if the Ontario Municipal Board ruled in favour of an appeal by the developer against the Committee of Adjustment's decision.

We heard from an architect arguing in favour of the development. He was then questioned at length by councillors.He indicated the developer wanted to avoid an O.M.B. hearing.

We heard again from residents of Tyler Street who answered more questions . They told us dates for an O.M.B. hearing had been deferred by the applicant several times.

We heard from Planning Director Marco Ramunno who explained legal time for a decision was running out on the application. And we heard from Town Solicitor Chris Cooper.

Eventually, Council understood the Committee of Adjustment decision could only be altered by the Ontario Municipal Board. Since the Committee's decision was based on the town's own zoning requirements , the town has no role to play in an O.M.B. hearing on the matter.

The planning recommendation was not accepted but making a decision on the development application within the legal time limit is still outstanding.

By the time I left, the town's business in large part remained unfinished. The hour of adjournment had been extended from 10.30 until eleven p.m.The extra time was taken up by Councillor MacEachern and the Mayor shredding the Report of the Director of Leisure Services No decision was made there either. The matter was referred to the Chief Administrative Officer to provide a recommendation. Clearly the Mayor and Councillor MacEachern are determined that staff will get the message and make a different recommendation than the one they asked for received and rejected on Tuesday evening.

Apparently another extension of time was voted and at eleven-twenty p.m. council convened in closed session to deal with one item on the closed session list.
.
A full complement of department directors were chained to their chairs throughout the tortuous and unproductive meeting. The Director of Corporate Services, Chief Administrative Officer and Town Solicitor likely continued in attendance at the closed session.

The witching hour would be upon them by the time they wound their weary way home.

The list of officials is as follows. Directors of ...Public Works... Leisure Services.... Planning and Chief Building Official.

On the other side of the podium ... committee secretary ... Director of Corporate Services... Chief Administrative Officer... Town Solicitor and Chief Financial Officer.

On Tuesday, Paul Dilman Deputy-Treasurer was present and the new Interim Treasurer.

Man hours are not generally measured in parts. Five hours of professional time multipled by that number of staff represents a substantial uptake of town financial resources.

Even without regard for expense, people who work for the municipality, have homes and families and a right to reasonable expectation of demands made upon their time.

Staff have the right to quit. Yes indeed. A number have. . No doubt others will do so, when opportunity presents itself.

Analysis has shown, it takes a year's salary to compensate for change in a staff position. And how pray, is that conducive to the efficient business management of the Corporation of the Town of Aurora ?