CORNWALL Ontario – So I attended the Chamber mixer at Table 21 Tuesday. I don’t go to many of these any more because frankly our Chamber here in Cornwall is a colossal joke. Corrupt, full of cronyism, and totally inept. From strange elections, to going hat in hand asking the city to cut the rates for the failing home show, mostly though by refusing to be professional.
It represents everything that’s wrong with the culture of business and leadership in Cornwall. Even when it came to the Chem tanks the Chamber refused to work with CFN against the common ill of our Mayor sneaking these odd tanks onto our waterfront. As a candidate for mayor for example I sent in a very polite request to visit a board meeting and listen to what the Chamber envisions for the future of our fair city. Nada.
I’ve written about the Chamber mixers before. I went to this one for three reasons. One I’m running for Mayor of this wacky town; two it drives some of them batshit when I walk in the room and is funny to see some of their reactions, and three Chef Ahmad is a truly amazing chef and Dom makes any room very very special including the lay out of the seafood inspired cuisine of the night. Her salmon sculpture was wild and the food was yummy and plentiful including freshly shucked oysters.
I don’t bring my camera to these events as I’m generally not reporting; but this was no weird shaped room at Kelsey’s with heated up pre-cooked frozen appys. There was lots of room for the larger than normal crowd to mingle although people don’t really mingle well in Cornwall. They tend to coagulate with their friends and occasionally nod or grunt at others that are walking by.
But then many Canadians communicate differently than say their American cousins. For example when I lived in Los Angeles hugging was the big thing and you had to learn some of the many different hugs that people gave each other. Here in Cornwall you don’t see a lot of hugging.
I’m also Agoraphobic so I usually fight that off with a glass of wine, and a will to keep moving and hopping. I had some fun chats; for example about my bogus police charges and running for mayor. Some of the Corus radio people were actually friendly this time around, but the tight faces and butt puckering by some was comical.
Most of the real city leadership was missing of course; many of them don’t actually live in Cornwall so it’d be a schlep to drive all the way from South Stormont, South Glengarry, or for his worship; Ottawa…
As if saying a polite hello with a fake smile would strain them. That’s one of the problems in this city besides not being able to work well together; people don’t know how to play well together, even if they may not like each other.
Life is too short for this type of small minded petty ignorance. It really is. It’s comical.
I may still go to Chamber mixers; at least the ones in better locations like Table 21; some of us have some maturity and honestly there were some terrific people in the room; some of whom were caught between silly clique boycott politics and reality.
Do you belong to the Cornwall Chamber of Commerce? You can post your comments below or bitch about them at Schnitzels 😉
j
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You must have been welcomed about as much as ants at a picnic, Jamie.
I thought to be mayor or councilor you had to live in the area you’re representing? Or at least own property or a business?
you mean like Mike Duffy, Hugger?
Well, Mike Duffy is “special`.” He “resides” in PEI, yet has not health card from that province. So what does he do? He gets someone to try and back-date his application. In this day of technology when are politicians going to get it?
So, you don’t have to live in the area, or at least own property or a business you’re representing? When did that change?
Hugger I don’t have the exact rule in front of me. I’m sure it’s on the city website though.
Jamie I sure would have loved to be a fly on the wall or ants in their pants that day – I would have had my own picnic and lots of laughs to boot. LOL LOL. One thing about Cornwall is that it is hard to make friends with people and they hate people from other towns. When we went back it was like living on another planet. When you live in big cities you see everything and when you live in farm towns like Cornwall you really go backwards in time. I feel like a complete stranger every time we drive down there and can’t wait to leave back to Ottawa again. An absentee mayor as well as councel living elsewhere which goes to show you that nothing is in order down there – a disorderly bunch who doesn’t care for the town at all. It is a lost cause.
Jules….you wonder why you and your comments are not liked on here sometime. Well making comments like you did above is a good example. Comments like “when you live in farm towns like Cornwall you really go backwards in time” do not do you any favours. It’s okay to not like Cornwall, but to continually hit below the belt like you do is uncalled for and not appreciated, And I’d rather not hear your stories about when you lived here. It’s in the past, perhaps choose a different path in life now.
I just wish to remind everyone that it’s fine to debate a point, but please do not attack each other. Let’s keep our comments section entertaining and informational please.
Hugger I tell the truth whether people like it or not. I may have more haters than what Jamie has and it doesn’t hurt me one darn bit. The people can put as many minuses as they want and people keep on putting the minuses because at this end I am laughing it all off. The more that you all hate me the more I love it – I have a strong character and I am not after people to love me. Ottawa made me grow up a long time ago and I fear no man only the Good Lord.
That was not meant as an attack. I’m just tired of Jules continuous putdown of Cornwall & the area and it’s residents
That’s funny Jules. I used to fear the monster living under my bed, but I got over it about sixty years ago. And what a relief it was!
Jules…..
1. I never used the word “hate.”
2. If you love the “hate” then you are as Gowan from his 1985 album said a “Strange Animal.” And are you sure you’re not a politician?
3. Try to say something nice once in a while. It’ll make you a happier person.
Furtz as we get older we get tougher don’t we? I remember mom’s words saying the same things to me. I live in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Ottawa and believe me I have seen plenty. LOL LOL. Plenty of beautiful homes but we are surrounded by mighty tough low income housing and a regular housing complex that has gone down hill into hell (gangs live there). On my daughter’s job she sees it all and you should hear her when she comes home but it is a good learning experience for her and for anyone. You learn to have courage or you would lose it.
Jules hit it perfectly in describing Cornwall. Well done Jules……Bravo!
Jules may have said how she feels about Cornwall. She is allowed to speak her mind. BUT there are some of us who love Cornwall. I moved here from a small village after moving from Ottawa. I would never live in a big city (Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, etc.) again. They’re too big and too impersonalable.
admin you never posted my coment from yesterday can you tell me y………..fern
Fern we do not comment on posts. It can be anything from being caught in our spam filter to something that is defamatory or not related to the post. We rip through a lot of comments in moderation and they are generally allowed to go through or deleted.
Fern;
Jamie moderates in a fair manner. I can`t count the number of posts that I`ve submitted that have not made it to fruition. I don`t always agree with everything Jamie says or how he moderates CFN. BUT this is his baby, so he decides what goes up and what doesn`t. It`s not perfect, but it works for me.
Hugger you are right when you said that I have a right to my opinion and that is true and I don’t knock your opinion nor anyone else’s. Ask Jamie how many times that I have complained to him about any of you both the good people along with the haters. I would like Jamie to respond to this right here in writing and I can tell each and everyone of you that I have not complained about you. If I have something to say it would be right here in print for all of you to see. You can all talk to your fingers fall off about me on Facebook or any other site that you wish since it doesn’t bother me one bit. It is your own opinion whether right or wrong I don’t give a hoot. I left Cornwall for very good reasons and would never ever return again dead or alive and I said that before many times. I mean what I say whether people agree with me or not that is their business. We all have our opinions and I know that I am right since I have been through so much in my 63 years and counting. I know so much about Cornwall and would never suggest for anybody to live there at all. I am honest in my words and I do everything not to hide anything. Hugger you have lived in Cornwall for 10 years and I lived there a great deal longer than what you have lived and I watched everything both good and bad but it is more of the bad and things have not gotten better but with the media of CFN that tells the truth you are seeing more honest opinions come out that were hidden in the past but most people knew what was going on but hid their heads in the sand. Most people don’t know how to move and live elsewhere since Cornwall is known as a “sticky town” as well as a “stinky town” and that is the entire truth. People do not know how to stand up to the mob that runs that town and they are running it into the ground.
Jules I cannot comment on other users of CFN. I can say that some times you can cross the lines as you know from the many posts of yours that I have to not publish or delete. I think it’s important for all to keep comments germane, fairly brief and not be focused on other commenters as that only leads to trouble.
We want to inform and entertain our viewers. There’s nothing wrong with disagreeing, but this forum is not here for personal issues or combat.
Thanks to all!
Agreed Jamie. Sorry that I dragged you into this but the way some people write it is as if Cornwall is perfect and nobody can say what their opinions are. If one cannot be honest then why post. The only thing is like you said is not to hurt the other person. I do try my best at that one and sometimes I explode at this end and don’t write a lot of what I really want to say. That is very hard for me to do. I like and respect you Jamie and I try my best.
Hugger do you remember when I said that there would be a $40 hike on gas and you laughed me off on CFN and now I have the proof of the pudding to hand it to you on a silver platter. Here it is for you and all to read and don’t call me a liar until you see it for yourself(ves).
Enridge’s $400. per year gas hike approved by regulator.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/enbridge-gas-boosting
Everybody here read this.
Yes Jules I remember that. You’ve never been wrong before? Not to put in a bad light on it, but that is about $1/day. If that is an issue with anyone and their ability to pay their bills then you have bigger problems and should consider other options. I’ve built a $300 / month rainy day fund into our budget. And Enbridge has said this will be temporary.
Seem strange Enbridge asks for a 40% hike and gets it. But Union Gas only asked for 28% and received it. Something is fishy here, that’s a 12% difference.