CFN – As I sat in the courtroom Tuesday I marveled at the utter waste of tax dollars at play. I watched Deputy Fire Chief Rob Hickley stoically sit through the process.
I watched his attorney Fay Brunning hold her own not just against Super Lawyer Will McDowell of the firm that defended Toronto high light reel Mayor Rob Ford, but a second and third lawyer as well.
Ms Brunning waded through the issues explaining to Superior Court of Ontario Justice, The Honourable John M. Johnston step by step why it’s in the public interest and honestly how insane the system is where there really are no steps to hold a corrupt council and administration accountable currently in the province of Ontario.
Mr. McDowell changed tactics with a more measured demeanor. It almost felt to this scribbler that he felt he wouldn’t win this round, but wanted to build up some brownie points with the judge for down the road.
Mayor Kilger’s Lawyer, Mr. Cameron decided to do the bluster and fuss attack. It was bewildering to watch; but essentially it felt like he was pointing all blame at Former CAO Paul Fitzpatrick which is easy to do now that Mr. Fitzpatrick has been given a settlement that the city has refused to disclose and has been pensioned off. As though somehow the case should be thrown out against the Mayor if it was all Mr. Fitzpatrick’s fault?
What is becoming clear is that the Mayor’s son, Chad Kilger, former NHLer, who had no real academic background; in fact it’s not clear if he graduated high school, (he was 16 for his first season with the Kingston Frontenacs) passed an entry test to the fire department with a very high score.
That when he didn’t get an interview he was told by Mr. Hickley to take the pre Fire Training courses that many of the other applicants had.
That Mr. Kilger and his dad contacted Mr. Hickley. That Mr. Fitzpatrick meddled as well as CAO and that the process was then changed; Mr. Kilger given the interview and then hired as a fireman with the city having to foot the bill for said training.
From that clear case of Nepotism and gross conflict of interest in conjunction with Mr. Fitzpatrick’s antics with Glen Stor Dun Lodge Manager Donna Derouchie has left the City of Cornwall Ontario reeling under a weight of an estimated $3M in litigation, settlements, and assorted bills and a huge black eye.
It’s interesting to note that Mr. McDowell acting for the city nor Mr. Cameron on behalf of the Mayor have not put forward any defensive evidence. They simply are attempting to use their skills to get Mr. Hickley’s appeal tossed out on technicalities.
Mr. McDowell even used the term “Grassy Knoll” to suggest that somehow Mr. Hickley’s complaints were the stuff of conspiracy theory in spite of Councilor Andre Rivette’s limited testimony which clearly showed that council had discussed the Mayor’s possible/probably conflict of interest.
Mr. Rivette under oath even stated that if he had been the mayor that he would have declared a conflict.
As the very expensive threads to taxpayers of this scandal start to unravel it’s the opinion of this writer that law enforcement should be entering this picture soon. Mr. McDowell was sort of right. It sounds like the conspiracy is not a theory, but something very real and conjoined by the Mayor, Mr. Fitzpatrick, former Clerk Diane Labelle Gelinas and councilors Clement, Carr, Thibault, Elaine MacDonald, Syd Gardiner with occasional silence and support of almost the balance of council.
When I wrote my open letter to Mayor Kilger it wasn’t meant to be mean. Much like OJ Simpson who somehow was declared innocent in one trial, the public clearly felt he was guilty. Even if somehow Mayor Kilger slithers through the eye hole of justice with the help of the legal system does he think the public will give him a free pass? Does his council?
We’ve had a poll running that pretty much answers that question.
Frankly though it’s the council I’m concerned about. They’ve impeached themselves collectively as a group. They have all violated their declaration of office. The decisions and discussions that have occurred behind closed doors reek of nothing more than an expensive exercise to cover up for Mr. Fitzpatrick, his good friend the mayor, and of course whatever else hasn’t been turned up yet.
There’s a brutal bullying culture at City Hall that needs to be broken and smashed. It needs to end.
Maybe this court case will be a first step? It is time for more of the public to step up and help steer this process and put pressure.
There is no recall process in our Canadian politics compared to US politics or in other countries. Frankly though there is no excuse for what has gone on in Cornwall Ontario.
And as for the hearing; yesterday the only politician to appear was former councilor Leslie O’Shaughnessy who resigned citing issues of being lied to; having information withheld, and a lack of transparency and accountability.
Mr. Hickley has not sought damages; just legal costs. He has not asked for anyone to resign. He’s even stated that he felt that Chad Kilger had turned into a good Fireman. Is he the villain that should have to spend over $30K of his money simply because he did his job and Whistle Blew? Should any public employee have to endure what he and Diane Shay have gone through?
We shall see how Karma treats this situation. Judge Johnson stated that he’d have an answer either by the end of this week or if not after he returns from two weeks vacation.
In the meanwhile we can talk amongst ourselves.
What do you think dear CFN viewers?
Is it time for law enforcement to start an investigation? Should council be forced to resign? Should there be a full investigation and city officials attempt to recoup some of the lost monies caused by Mr. Fitzpatrick and others? Should some of these back door deals be exposed so that the taxpayer can fully understand what’s been done?
Should bylaws be created or changed to protect the city from ever going through something like this again? Should Ms Clement be disbarred for sitting through this in silence while being a member of the bar of Ontario?
You can post your comments below.
It’s “head in the sand” people like {MODERATED}
that think everybody should lay off attacks on Kilgers family
They are too blind to see…that by trying to sneak his son into
the fire department…by very dubious means…his family
becomes fair game. The fact that his right hand man Fitzy and
he have such a “colorful” history with underlings again
opens them to legit criticism about their politics and life styles
The CAO got snuck in a snowbank near an employees home
without getting really graphic this alone should have him fired not
given a golden parting gift.
If just one sentence of his conduct against deputy fire chief
is true then this is another reason these guys deserve no
soft ride…
Is it time for law enforcement to start an investigation? Should council be forced to resign? Should there be a full investigation and city officials attempt to recoup some of the lost monies caused by Mr. Fitzpatrick and others? Should some of these back door deals be exposed so that the taxpayer can fully understand what’s been done?
YES! YES! YES! YES!
A police investigation is warranted if we ever want to see accountability & transparency in Cornwall ever again.Tax payers need to know exactly where their hard earned tax dollars are going,if found to be guilty then Fitzy & Donna should be made to pay back their settlements, if found guilty the Mayor should not be eligible for yet another pension & be made to pay back his high priced lawyer fees
Good job Rob Hickley! Yes a police investigation is a must! Kilger and clan are guilty and it is time to finally put a stop to all this. This can not keep happening!!!!
Where were members of city council yesterday??? special meeting??..speaks volumes when nary a one shows up to the hearing …they should all be held accountable for the cover ups going on at city hall..Only Leslie had the balls to stand up and quit the corruption, yet he was there yesterday to see the outcome….obviously city council has no regards as to how our tax dollars are wasted…Rob Hickley deserves all of our support for standing up to the corruption at city hall
If you are calling on a police investigation, you best ensure it is not our own police department. That is like asking the dog to look up the cats butt for fixin’s.
With city hall and police department right next door and relationships and relations being so close, too many ‘conflusions and confligarations’ abound.
No, it would have to be a forensic auditing from OPP forensics or RCMP forensic auditors to clear this mess up. That would cost us even more money into the hundreds of thousands for a full reporting…….with no guarantees……or firings…..REALLY!
Only one or two councillors from the current ‘line up’ would be on my voters list for next election…..and I don’t mind telling you ho I believe in so far and that is Andre Rivette and Leslie Oshaunessy.
Hey, perhaps Mr. Hickley should run too.
Maybe forensic OPP investigation would be done by one or more of the 26 or so city police who had left to join OPP with integrity intact during project Lets get Perry Dunlop .They would already have inside info
you’ve asked many good questions, Jamie. but mostly you’ve helped people see what’s going on.
can’t help but wonder what kilger’s son is thinking. it’s as if he couldn’t win on his own merit. not a good message to give a person.
the son deserved the grown up advice to take proper training before applying. the fire department isn’t like talking a coach into letting your boy play hockey even if he’s never worn skates before. it appears dad was too jock-sure of himself.
that sense of entitlement grossly exposes the way dad’s worked all these years. was there any fair play? that’s why the bare ass cartoon is even more powerful now.
let’s hope the judge sees mr. hickley’s issue as one deserving full respect of the court. the judge will have to concentrate on the issues and ignore the game in the courtroom.
Well, O’Shaughnessy has heart and balls. For him to be the only one there!!!! Where was the rest of the Council members? Kilger got the job as a fireman because of his name, his Daddy, and he was treated ahead of everybody else no matter what. No one stood a chance for the job. I hope the City tax dollars did not pay for his training. I would like to see an investigation, our departments can handle this serious issue, the police need to step up on a good honest plate to settle everything right down, otherwise, something else will come out, and Karma will bite soon.
Mr. Hickley, hang in there, this is almost done, you are a hero to have come forward with these concerns, I thank you, you have all of my support.
The REAL HONOURABLE
Deputy Fire Chief Mr Rob Hickley
Dear Sir,
Just a few words to let you know that an action of this magnitude, is etched in the hearts and minds as an exemplary act of unselfishness and bravery. We will say, forevermore that you are a true honourable and courageous man.
Your courage and willingness to bring to light what you perceived to be an allege injustice, has without doubt caused you much grief. On our behalf you have mortgaged your, finances, health, personal and family life. And for this, we will forever be indebted to you and your family.
Your successful attempt to expose the alleged inappropriate behaviours of our Elected and Management officials have earned you the respect of many.
You Sir are the REAL HONOURABLE man in this scandalous
misappropriation of intrusted Power.
As difficult as some days may be going forward, don’t give up. Our thoughts are with you. Our wish for you is an abundance of strength, courage and good health.
WE STAND WITH YOU, AS YOU STOOD FOR US!
We remain.
From my family and myself
Citizens of Cornwall.
Cornwall is corrupt nothing new there. Why is teh average jpoe not screaming for someones head. Time for Police and RCMP and whatever other investigatory team needs to be brought in.
Stella taking a shot at poor old claude mcintosh I thought you only said nice things about cornwall and its people ….smiley face
Seaway News
Stellabystarlight
– July 17, 2013 at 15:25:21
New name on column but same old content…my pal Bob Kilger Will Seaway news allow you to write speach’s for the mayor this go round???
Stella the fella…….you have the wrong person. Actually I never been to their website and for the record I have nothing against Claude. Get your story straight before shooting your mouth off **smile**
There is another person who calls himself “stella “BYE” starlight.
You are right on one count, I always have nice things to say about Cornwall………can’t move forward with negativity.
stellabystarlight, sometimes the truth is positive, sometimes the truth is negative, but it’s still the truth, unless your head is stuck in the sand
I’m sorry…its just to darn easy to punk old stella
she has been yelling and screaming and correcting the comments made under her name at the freeholder and now seaway news..seems the seaway spelling is yours..stella not bye..but by smiley faced upside down
I can see that Mr. Hickley is a very nice man and he needs our help. Bare Ass and his gang are mighty corrupted and yes like someone said above me that Cornwall has always been corrupted which is true but since Bare Ass came in he tops the list of corruption. If Bare Ass is not thrown out very soon you will see Cornwall go down a great deal more so than what it is now and into bankruptcy. I have predicted this since a long time as you all read what I post and many think that I am delusional or something but I am dead serious. What happened to Detroit and other US cities are going to happen right here in Canada. When the US goes bankrupt entirely the US will not be able to buy anything from any country and that includes our Canada. Listen to the economists and others on youtube and you will gain a lot of knowledge and not by reading “the toilet paper of record – SF” which is all sanitized and gives you nothing of interest at all. People have to wake up and mighty soon because Cornwall will go down if things are not changed for the better.
This internet stuff is really unbelievable people feel free to write whatever they want
Our former friend stellabystarlight decides to tell the world about the problems my wife had at her last job at City Hall.
This woman has no shame releasing enough detail to allow her present employer to signal her out.
We are hoping this doesn’t cost us dearly
This is really an outrage…Posting this without permission my god woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“I would love to elaborate on my friend’s situation to give you a clearer picture, but I think you got the picture by now”.
@betrayed
Maybe you should OUT Stella, she has hurt a lot of people on this forum….just a thought to ponder.
Pay back is a bit**….
Betrayed………there are many workers at city hall past and present.
Your wife is not the only person who has worked at city hall and quit. You have nothing to fear IT IS DEFINITELY NOT YOUR WIFE. Besides I was responding to Diane to let her know that I am aware of what she went through as an employee of the city.
Betrayed for your information, I had permission by the person just to show and prove that this didn’t only happen to MRS Shay and MR Hickley.
There are many people who have been hurt and betrayed by the City of Cornwall and many are afraid to come forward about what has happened and is happening.
Mrs. Shay and Mr. Hickley are two very good people and I stand up for what they are going through. I would like to see a lot more people come forward so as we can all do something about this dirty gang that exists at City Hall and the “lobbyist jerks” behind them. It is about time that the whole place comes down like a house of cards and we start over as a new slate. Bare Ass is costing the people big time and believe me this is only the beginning of things to come if things are not looked into. People cannot wait until the next election because it will be too late. Very poor management from the very top position down to the lowliest job.
English Lassie your so very right about stella
For somebody who claims to be so positive she sure seems to be very hurtful against innocent people
She claims to have asked permission but their is no way in heck that my wife would allow talk about her former job to get out into the public
Just in recent memory she was accused of making a family feel threatened…and she just laughed it off
Finally people are starting to understand why i have been complaining about this lady
Stella does not know how to play nice in the sandbox…
Best wishes to your wife Betrayed, I hope she’s okay 🙂
Betrayed July 20, 2013 at 10:06 pm
” English Lassie your so very right about stella For somebody who claims to be so positive she sure seems to be very hurtful against innocent people”
THANK YOU BETRAYED THAT NEEDED TO BE SAID AND READ!
Stranger than a lack of high school graduation, and prior firefighting training or experience, is that a criminal record seemingly doesn’t disqualify a candidate for the fire department.
I fully agree with diddlscatt’s comment about having an outside police body investigate. Do we not remember how much project truth costed? When it was the city’s finest that did not want the issue to hit the light of day. I know of some people that dealt with them and it was cover up after another. Man it’s astounding just how currpt this city and its governing body operates. Shame on all involved ( those that we know of suspect and those yet to be discovered). How can the public have faith in the governing body when these types of secret deals are going on.
Isabel July 24, 2013 at 2:03 am
Yea Isabel, I believe the two main issues would be ‘fraternal’ and ‘relative’ protectionism, exactly as you say, they protected their own during project truth. Keith J. hide a box of tapes because he was tipped off that the RCMP were about to search his premises, Perry did in fact overstep his authority BUT BECAUSE HE WAS AWARE OF THE COVERUP and protectionist attitudes involving the police force, the church and the Knights fraternity members involved in this protectionist problem.
This is why we need outside investigations on any issues involving the associations and people of Cornhole town.