CFN – Holy Gilles Latour! The Waterfront Development Committee meeting in Cornwall Ontario was one Twilight Zone of an episode! It started with Chair Lee Cassidy telling we media, and truth be told, yours truly where to sit and not to move around during the meeting! Click to listen below.
Lee Cassidy Assigns Media seating at Waterfront Committee meeting.
It was odd listening and watching. I can’t believe the utter pettiness of some of the members or the disconnect with what the public clearly stated at the Waterfront meetings that took place at the Civic Complex in Cornwall over private development in the parking lot of Lamoureux Park!
If you really want to see some answers to many questions watch the video above. From Guy Menard’s accusation of us printing misinformation about his company to quibbling about the use of the term Condo. Suggesting that what people are talking about via the waterfront is mostly rumors! Kudos to Greg Kielec of the Journal for hammering home some powerful questions!
The video below has the committee going over Conflict of Interest which shows how badly this issue needs addressing not only at a committee level, but as a policy. Essentially the only person who can decide if they are in a Conflict of Interest position is the person who may be in that position. IE; The Wolf potentially baby sitting the sheep!
To watch all of our video from the meeting you can check out our You Tube Channel later as we continue to upload footage from the meeting. LINK
Listening to Vice Chair Guy Menard speak about being personally attacked and other members singing Koom by ya about how wonderful the process was, was weird. I mean, how many people get picketed by Little Leaguers? Should that not be a hint that something is foul? Dirty? Corrupt? Sleazy?
There were countless barbs sent our way during the meeting too. For some reasons about a half dozen references to another media outlet (term used very loosely) that didn’t even bother to send anyone to cover either meeting, never mind cover any of the committee sessions.
There also was the alarming reality that in this city many of the key players sit on multiple committees so the vision or lack thereof flows abundantly across the city.
Member Eric Lange suggested that it was time to move on to a greater project where multiple committees would work on a vision for the downtown core, les Villages, and waterfront.
To this scribbler it showed how this committee should truly be recused. There was no focus on actual waterfront development. The only pony this committee has had was taking parking lot space, which is already short, and putting up some form of development. (The committee is highly sensitive to the word “condo” for some reason?)
They’ve shown no actual connection to the clear and strong sentiment from the public and even now are still hanging on the results from the online survey. When asked about whether she knew that you can get companies to have surveys filled out online very inexpensively Chair Lee Cassidy drew a blank. There also is question to whether the data from the paper survey’s filled out will be handled separately or if all the responses will be pooled together?
It also showed a total disconnect on understanding how the media works and how to communicate with us. Mr. Menard blowing up in the first video shows that perhaps he shouldn’t be the spokesperson for this group? And sometimes when you’re in a group like this you have to be proactive and communicate more with the media as we only can work with what’s presented or we dig up.
We Will Be UPDATING as more video is available.
What do you think residents and tax payers of Cornwall? Did these guys do a great job? Are they being unfairly treated by we media? You can post your comment below.
Has anyone tossed out the idea to relocate the Second Street Cenotaph to an area near the RACF? Plenty of open land, easily accessible for Remembrance Day events, and viewing all year.
I doubt that it would take anything away from the Francophone structure being within 2 blocks.
The Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has sent out a survey by email using Survey Monkey. Of course this is only going to members of the Chamber. My expectations are that the responses will be generally pro development as development will generate business.
Thanks CFN & Le Journal for covering the meeting last night . But, it appears, as if the “clique” & their buddies, don’t really care what the consensus of the Public was at the public meeting. According to Reg, the Chamber sent out a survey, regarding the Waterfront issue ? Mr. Shaver please explain your motives for this ? Also, while discussing “SURVEYS”, I would sincerely hope that the CHAMBER survey, is more professionally accountable than the one put out by the CITY ! Please, let me explain, why was I, allowed, to take the CITIES survey, 3 times in a row, from the same computer ? I was prompted to do so, by a friend that notified me of this calamaty . Once again, this type of amateurish, wheeling & dealing must cease ! I am by far, a dinosaur when it comes to computers, but if I picked up on this, how easy is it to control a public survey ?
For an organization (CHAMBER), that is hell bent on trying to promote, shopping in our fair City, you sure seem to be going out of your way, to basically PI—NG off, a lot of people !
Holy Guy Menard! He’s pissed at you isn’t he. For what? Not jumping on the small bandwagon?
I’m sure that Lee Cassidy is a nice woman but to be a chair of a committee requires one to follow some deliberate process of thought. It appears that she has a very hard time understanding questions and resorts to “you are twisting my words around” time and again.
Committee Chair Lee Cassidy says the failed development plan has been “a diversion” from the Waterfront Plan 2007. You’re telling me! City Council must order this useless group to complete the redevelopment of Lookout Point/Pointe Maligne Lookout set out in this plan, or be dismissed. I speak of the high city park just east of the marina. One green-colored chart at the public meetings cost ratepayers $33,000, and was a first attempt at a new design for Lookout Point by an Ottawa park design firm. It’s a start. Let’s get going! The waterfront committee come Autumn will have been in place for two years and has accomplished nothing.
It’s hard to believe that this pro condo water front group didn’t realize the possibility of persons voting numerous times either in favour of or against their survey it’s also very disturbing that the CHAMBER got in the act on their own & put out a survey. I wonder if it is to be counted with the water group survey? What the heck With this happening It’s all flawed anyway. So much For Honesty.
I guess the question begs to be asked ? WHO, WHEN & WHERE, is in direct charge of the tabullation of this survey ? WHO is going to be the author of the final report to Council ? Will this process (tabullating) be open to the public, “yunno” for transparancy purposes ? As, I mentioed earlier, why is it possible, that one can vote multiple times ? WHO, was in charge of setting up this survey ? This on-line survey, is a joke, and should be tossed !
Eric please rethink your idea the Cenotaph is just fine where it is & the current water front group clearly do not need any help as they have clearly defined where they stand & what there objectives are CONDOS.We can use your help Eric but please stay on message thank you .
this voting on-line is not a good idea….. People can vote more than once… so what is the point of an on line survey..
Whoever that woman is that the journalist interviewed must be in some other world where she does not know what is going on. She is too old to function. There was always talk about condos being built in the parking lot and other areas. This woman contradicts everything since she does not know what is going on around her and we all read what was to be built in that parking lot. Leave the entire park alone. Restaurants do not work even here in the “so called prosperous Ottawa” restaurants come and go. People are literally broke and cannot afford such a luxury so what do you all think what would happen in Cornwall. I like to see the “marina” even though I am not a boater but I like to see the boats and the water as is. Leave all home construction of all sorts out of the parks. Cornwall has one of the best things going for it and that is the St. Lawrence River and its scenery. Keep your grubby hands off the parks Perkins, Kilger, Menard and all the rest. Water Street is the place to build condos and not in the park. Purchase land from people who want to get out of the high costs of home ownership and cannot keep up those run down shacks and build condos to your hearts content out there. With the economy sliding into a depression not many condos or houses will be sold. People will be hanging on to dear life to their money whatever they have since times are going to be mighty darn tough. Leave the RCAF alone as well – these men fought mighty hard for Canada and if anybody has ever served in a war then they would know the hell that these men went through – leave that beautiful structure alone for God’s sake.
I emailed chamber of commerce to to advise them this online survey has problems being that folks can complete it more than once… well they took no responsibility for it and passed it to city clerk who I called and they are aware that people can fill it in more than once. I questioned about better survey forms than the one they used “budget was not there for that”.. then I got transferred to Economic Development a chap by name of Kevin.. He told me the online surveys will be scrutinized by the ISP server; well in my opinion this will cost more man hrs than it might have cost to get a better survey. I really think this whole survey both written and online is not going to be an accurate vision of what people want..
Did Kevin really say that? 🙂
that is what he said Jamie.. but I find that to be a huge job and he also remarked that they would need to verify the paper surveys to be certain that they did not vote online also.. Do I believe I do not know.. I am not sure how he can do that when the ISP is not given on the paper survey 🙂
Well Jane like the saying goes….”you can fool some of the people some of the time…..”
Well, here we go again, those highly paid suppose-to-be untouchables in the Cornwall city hall,have shown thier true colours, jane Doe, ie. (on how to pass the Buck) and prefer not to take any responsibility for a survey that lacked any form of intelligence.
There were two (2) meetings with the commitee(s) city hall reps and other dignitys and the city folks that surely there was sufficent evidence that there was no reason to continue further.
Obviously, the city folks as mentioned are on another planet and it’s not called EARTH.
To bad that city hall can’t get there act together or maybe we are the lucky ones that they can’t.
Have a nice long weekend, folks, the city hall folks need it.