CFN – No doubt you’ll be reading in some Cornwall media that the city has been cleared after an investigation on the Whistle Blowing in Cornwall Ontario.
It’s a sad and expensive cover up. Here is the city’s release via CAO Norm Levac who now is of course guilty of participating in the cover up himself by allowing his good name to be the messenger of a contorted creation of fiction.
Chief Administrative Officer Norm Levac issued the following statement today:
.
The City of Cornwall has completed a thorough review of a complaint filed under the City’s
whistleblower policy. The complaint was found to be unsubstantiated by a qualified, experienced and
independent outside investigator..
It is a fundamental principle of the process that the individuals involved and the nature of the complaint are kept confidential. As a result, the City cannot release the details of the persons involved or the complaint.
Mayor Kilger and his cronies have a slippery grasp of the definition of confidential choose to release nuggets here and there and hide behind the term when it suits them.
Greg Kielec of The Journal just uncovered how much alone was settled on former Glen Stor Dun Lodge Manager Donna Derouchie only after having to file a Freedom of Information request.
Donna Derouchie received 15 months of salary under a deal reached with the city in July 2011. Based on her 2011 salary and benefits of $119,969, Derouchie would have received $149,961 by the time she reached her cut-off date of Oct. 7, 2012. Transitional training and legal costs totally no more than $10,000 each would put the maximum payout to Derouchie at $169,961.
The information is contained in a severed version of the minutes of settlement between Derouchie and the city, signed by Mayor Bob Kilger and then clerk Denise Labelle-Gelinas on July 5, 2011. The release of the information is the culmination of a 15-month battle The Journal has waged with the city to determine the amount of taxpayer dollars spent on the settlement with Derouchie.
Anyone that has followed this $2M and counting fiasco can tell you that there has been more than one Whistle Blowing case. We can’t tell you for sure because of the secrecy by the Mayor, CAO, and Clerk. We know of at least two.
The city has also refused to state how much money they have spent on this “investigation.”
They have refused to say how long it lasted.
They have refused to confirm that it was Judith Allen who was the investigator.
They have refused to confirm Stephen Alexander’s role in the investigation.
They have refused to say who was interviewed/
They have refused to say who the whistle blowers are.
They have refused to confirm who and how many lawyers they used through this process.
They have refused to say how much money these lawyers have cost.
They have refused to say if the Mayor paid for his own legal advice.
They have refused to clearly show the public what’s going on.
Why? Have the Whistle Blowers asked for protection of their identity? The city has refused to answer that question as well.
Yet you will read, most likely in the Seaway News incredible spin akin to the Mayor declaring his own innocence after his lawyer “cleared” him. Of course most viewers know that it’s judges that …judge can clear people.
And the big question is why hasn’t this matter hit the courts yet? Or will they ever? Why do Whistle Blowers have to bear the full financial burden in these situations while swinish politicians bleed the public dry without even having to disclose to tax payers how much they have spent?
There are so many more questions; but when you see a city go to the lengths that Cornwall has to cover up one case of Elder Abuse, one relationship between a former CAO and a city Manager, and the nature of the hiring of the Mayor’s son on the fire department the question is why is the public not reacting as much publicly as they do privately?
You can post your comments below.
Here is the mayor reading his statement from Monday’s council meeting. Again, like the many questions asked above when you see a mayor and councilor go to the ridiculously expensive lengths they’ve gone surely there is something to be disclosed and uncovered?
Isn’t the whole point of the whistle blower process that the ‘whistle blowers’ identity is protected? Why does this confound you? If the whistle blowers wanted to be known publicly, they would have made public statements.
Oh what a tangled web they wove when they first started to deceive, the Cornwall taxpayers are paying dearly for their lies,deception & corruption & it,s just getting worse
The whistle blowers do need protection, I agree, yet it appears that they (and we) are the victims, and where potential perpetrators of crime(s) are protected by an army of highly paid outsiders.
If the whistleblowers “come out” what would the legal issues be? If there are none, what have they got to lose? Up to now, they must be undergoing tremendous stress, and who knows what else.
Can F. Brunning comment on the whistleblowers’ situation if they were to come out?
I said it before that Norm Levac was involved in all of this corruption and I had a bunch of “SHEEPLE” jump down my back about it all thinking that Norm Levac was the next thing to Jesus Christ. I know a lot of what has been happening down in Peyton Place and I used to walk in one of the parks with some of Cornwall’s elite so I do know a lot of what was going on and some of who were involved in all the mess. Stop thinking because someone comes on to you like a lamb and all the time they are a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I bet that Willie Wise knows plenty and is sitting in a prison in SF for a good 20 years or more – he may come out in a hearse.
This is terrible where the tax payers are billed for all the nonsense that is going on and this is only the things that have been exposed so far.
Like I always said WAKE UP PEOPLE AND I MEAN THAT.
This just in from the 2012 Ontario “Sunshine List”…
PAUL FITZPATRICK
City of Cornwall
Chief Administrative Officer
Benefits $2,104.15
Salary $192,230.33
Presiding over corruption, bullying, incompetence, and grabbing a piece of co-worker on the side… that’s some job.
Hard to believe Donna Derouchie made so much last year…
DONNA DEROUCHIE
City of Cornwall Administrator
Glen Stor Dun Lodge
Benefits $1,327.84
Salary $118,757.08
And the other Henchpersons…
MAUREEN ADAMS
City of Cornwall
General Manager – Financial Services & Treasurer
Benefits $3,364.99
Salary $148,280.74
ROBERT MENAGH
City of Cornwall
Manager – Human Resources
Benefits $1,420.39
Salary $129,223.26
DENISE LABELLE GELINAS
City of Cornwall City Clerk
Benefits $1,275.08
Salary $115,065.78
For “F’s” sake! isn’t there a law?
DANIEL PARKINSON
City of Cornwall
Police Chief
Benefits $7,199.05
Salary $163,064.94
@ Simon… I have been saying it for year… UNIONS have no place in the public sector, council is literately held by the b@lls by these powerful unions and don’t have much wiggle room when negotiating salaries and benefits.
Mind you, these salaries are not out of the norm for such positions. For example… Maureen Adams is essentially the financial controller of the city ( a 150 Million dollar corporation)… so 150k salary is in line with the private sector…but even at that, you think she’d be better at giving reports… you know like something as simple as letting the city know that dishing out 500k to local groups might not be a smart idea, when the city itself can’t even balance its own darn budget and hence we keep seeing increased taxation.
these whistleblower policies are just wonderfull. they usually have some sort of punishment built in e.g. if this complaint is not substantiated the whistleblower will then be sentanced to life in prison. therefore im sure that employees all rush in every monday morning with another untrue accusation. especially in cornwall after seeing how things are done around here.
Just what are you proposing Jason?
According to your post, council does not have much wiggle room when negotiating salaries, yet you acknowledge that these salaries are not out of the norm for such positions.
I don’t want to see the city, as a 150 million dollar corporation, run by people who do not need to be paid the equivalent to private sector positions. That is a terrible idea.
If someone is qualified to do a job, they deserve the proper reimbursement for their skills and ability.
Furthermore, do you seriously object to .3% of the budget being used for local groups, heritage, seniors and the like? I am afraid of the city you envision.
It’ll be interesting to see how non-CFN media report on the city’s statement about conflict of interest. If it simply repeats the message, it’s churnalism not journalism.
ARE WE THE TAXPAYERS RECEIVING THE TRUTHFUL STORY FROM CITY HALL ??
CAO Norm Levac states the Whistle Blower complaint was unsubstanstantiated by a ” qualified , experienced and independent
outside investigator”. Was that report Truthful ? For the right amount of coaching as to what the City might have wanted
(requested ) + City $$$ Reports can sometimes come to the same
conclusions as requested . It’s sometimes all about the money .
There remains many things to be answered by City Council .
When a local Paper attempting to get Truthful Information has
to go through Freedom Of Information something suggests a
possible cover up .
Again, this is such a dark embarrassment for the City of Cornwall for its management and elected officials to try and spin such an empty statement. One Whistleblower case when there are two on the books that we know about?
Do these folks really think the people of Cornwall are that dumb or are they just used to the highest paid media whitewashing their fecal matter as happened yesterday as predicted?
@ Smith…
Want to know my vision for a city? Ok…
In my opinion the city government’s role should be to maintain the integrity and infrastructure ( roads, water, sewers, snowplowing…ect) necessary to allow its citizens to create, grow, and develop. Thus allowing enterprising citizens to freely setup and engage in commerce with other citizens, thus creating jobs through new business startups and innovations.
So, if a group of seniors wants to go ahead and set up a club, then they can freely do that… and like any club, allow its own membership to fund its operation for the benefit of those who wish to participate in such club. If there is a lack of interest or funds to maintain such a club, then it is up to those who have a vested interest in it to decide how they will maintain their own operations.
Likewise, let’s take Skate Cornwall, who received $5,000 from our tax base for its benefit. Why aren’t these people seeking financing from its own membership? Why are they not doing their own fundraising to generate the $5,000 needed? And, if say they weren’t able to raise their own $5,000, then so be it. Why does the interest of the few have to burden the whole?
I understand why people would support the idea of giving money to local groups, after all when your hard earned money is stolen through legalize force (taxation), the best you wish for is for that money to be used in some sort of mutual societal benefit.
But look…
As citizens, I think it is important to realize that we must stop demanding that our governments provide us with a zillion different services and focus instead on allowing our government to maintain the basic infrastructure ( they can’t even do this right, so why are we demanding they do more?) to allow its citizens to freely engage in an open marketplace.
Its really as simple as that.
1. City Govt must maintain the integrity and basic infrastructure of the city to allow its citizens to engage in a free and open marketplace, so they can grow, build and develop.
2. Citizens need to stop demanding that the government take care of them ( other than maintaining the basic infrastructure needed for the citizen to grow and contribute freely) and start taking 100% responsibility for themselves.
So… what will you do today Smith that will help you to grow and make this city a better place?