Halloween seems a great time to write this piece and ponder the future of this term on council.
After the utter joke that was not only the Brock Frost term on council, but the manner in which council dealt with the the hot mess that was his tenure the public is sorta mulling about what to do.
The obvious is to appoint the next person on the list. It’s traditional, but going down the list leads to a position that actually supports a bye election which is council’s right.
11th place finisher Guy St. Jean sailed off to Florida with his Sugar Daddy. Carr himself has issues which this scribbler has written about in the past. If at City Hall the people that clean the floors can’t run for council how is it that we can have the President of the Labour Council or Heart of the City sit?
Now I’m not picking on Carr. Frankly I think he has some of the qualities that this council desperately needs. Not all, but a few. While the last council may have been under Bob Kilger’s thumb to the point of covering up his scandals and messes, this council is an utter dysfunctional gong show that is busy destroying public art galleries, shutting down kids hockey rinks and worm stands.
It has shown no leadership and no vision for our city. The latest farce is asking management for a report on the Chem tanks when most likely the very people writing the report were part of the cover up. That’s almost as good as Bob Kilger’s lawyer saying he was not in conflict over the Rob Hickley case. If council was serious an outside police agency would be called in to do a proper fraud investigation.
I am tending to lean to agreeing with Freeholder editor Hugo Rodrigues in Cornwall having a bye election. The piece written by self proclaimed hack, Todd Lihou, shows why a bye election just might be a good thing. I won’t belabour Mr. Lihou’s utter lack of professionalism, but suffice to say a bye election now might give the residents a chance to send a clear message to this council in their choice.
Of course this being Cornwall, Brock Frost II, might get elected.
The entire Frost mess is an example of many things. Do we choose younger and prettier over older and less pretty?
Frost’s campaign was utterly vapid. Buying a hockey team, bringing kisses to seniors, kissing under age River Queens (as alleged)…it simply is a Simpsonesque gross caricature that over 4,000 voters fell for.
It was embarrassing and scary.
And it was this writer that wrote upon finding out that Frost was running;
Brock Frost is to politics what Syphilis is to dating.
Looking down the list the only candidate that would make any sense is Mike O’Neil who ran the best campaign, had vision and would make a great addition to council, but sadly did not spend the money to create the awareness with the public.
Carr, Grant, and Gardiner would be the next in order of votes followed by Alyssa Blais.
Loading ...It is time for a bye election. Any other solution would be penny wise, pound foolish.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can vote in our poll and post your comments below.
Mr. Editor,,,,,
Two points you bring up, in your comments, “leadership, one would think that the Mayor or at least one of the Councillor’s would bring up the COI that Carr has , or the obvious perception of a conflict, with his HEART of the CITY position ? Wake up Leslie, you ran on transparency ? Why is Pitt & Second in the state it’s in, another HOTC related project…… How long will this project go on before this Council takes some action ? That’s right folks, it’s goes back to leadership, & this bunch has none ! If I replace my small front step at home, on the permit , it will be noted the completion date, what is the completion of this eyesore ??? Once again,,,, no leadership,,,, go through the Cadieux kids in jail & charge their parents with contributing to juvenile delinquency ? That wouldn’t surprise me a bit !
Sorry, NO!!!!!! We do not need a by-election. My taxes are high enough!!!We do not to have a by-election that would cost $100-150k. Besides the cost there is the time involved. To have a proper be-election you would need three to four months. In the meantime council would be without a full complement of members. And adding a referendum on fluoridation and / or a ward system still does not justify the cost. The precedent has already been set in Cornwall previously. When a councillor resigns the next person in line gets the position. It`s too bad number 11 doesn’t live in Cornwall now. But he doesn’t, so on to number 12. ` It doesn`t go to whom people think may be the best for the job. It goes to who is next in line. Aren’t municipal politics fun??
Now, regarding Brock Frost and as you put it “the manner in which council dealt with the hot mess that was his tenure the public is sorta mulling about what to do.` In Ontario there is no recall legislation for municipally or provincially elected officials. As well, as he wasn’t charged under any Municipal Act violations there is nothing city council or the city could do about Brock Frost. This is truly sad.
Now, if we could just do something about the proposed municipal land transfer tax. If anyone is foolish enough to believe that municipalities will not jump on this they are sadly mistaken. Municipalities will jump on this as a way of reducing deficits or not raising taxes, as much. I see it being introduced at a low rate and then slowly raised from year to year. Toronto already has it. SO, I guess Premier Wynne thinks what`s good for Toronto should be good for the rest of us.
Hugger council could have been more clear to the public other than one councilor calling Frost a distraction. The city has a harassment policy. It’s very clear and I filed two complaints regarding what Frost did to me. They city never replied. Their policy allowed for direct action against Frost if found in violation.
LOL LOL. ROLF! That photograph of Carr on CFN looks more like a vampire. He sure is all set for Halloween. LOL LOL. I think that Carr should be put in without a bi-election since it would cost a lot of money just to replace one seat. If there were three or more seats to replace I would understand that but there is a list to fill in the meantime. What more harm can be done than what was already done so far. We all know about Carr and all the rest of the baffoons in council are worse than the ones that were under BOB’s team. The present council are a bunch of misfits who don’t realize what they are doing. Like I said what harm can become of putting Carr back in since they are all misfits. Lez himself is no trophy since he won on lies – what difference is this going to make. Just put Carr back in since at least he isn’t panicking and asking for an ambulance to pick him up and deliver him to the hospital and making a huge scene out of himself any more than what he has done in the past.
I agree 100%. But if city councilors are not willing to rein in a problematic fellow councilor there is not much we can do until election day. Councillors may have had the attitude of letting Brock be the circus he was. The more attention on him,the less was focused on less productive councilors and administration. As well, if what he did was not done while he was representing the city, which may be hard to determine, then the city / council can’t do much. As I said previously he was never charged under the Municipal Act, so the city’s and council’s hands are tied in what they can / cannot do.
Frost did nothing, amounted to nothing, and now thankfully, will cost us nothing… which we’ll graciously count as a positive toward his laughable legacy.
And since Council has bumbled along as per normal with this waste of space and skin for the past year, why not just leave the chair empty?
From another site….Leaving the position vacant is not an option. According to the Municipal Act, the only time you can leave a seat vacant is if it occurs in the 90 days before a municipal election. It has been suggested that council could vote the seat away, that also cannot happen. Any changes to the size of council could only take effect in the next term of council. A municipality cannot remove positions mid-term.
Jamie Gilcig for council. Best qualified.
A breathalyzer at the City Council door before meetings is going to be a must now.
A by-election ain’t going to happen. The majority of council has already stated that they will go with what has done before….appointing someone from the list of non-finishers.
If I lived in Cornwall I would vote for Jamie Gilcig as mayor without one single doubt this man is the best there is around. I knew that the people of Cornwall would not vote for Jamie and I threw in Lez to be mayor because of that. Take a good look at how the minds of the people of Cornwall have been twisted and brain washed into having corrupt people as mayor and council. Folks how do you crawl out of this mess and the only ways is by educating yourselves and to stop demonizing a good man like Jamie Gilcig. The sheeple of cornwall have not changed at all and that is why they are in the mess that they are in because others have taken full advantage of them. Jamie is the best and that is the truth.
Evil Cornwall is at it again. Shame, shame!!
Hugger here is something else to put in your pipe and smoke it. What kind of a town allows their councellor to lay false charges on someone like Jamie and get away with it? Where are the BFPD and what are they doing about this mess of false charges? The same thing for the man Bedard who had the swimming pool company laying false charges. What kind of a town is that to do these things? Nobody anywhere would tolerate these kinds of things thrown at them at all. I am mighty sure that you would come out fighting like hell if you were in Jamie’s place. Cornwall gained itself a terrible reputation on the sexual abuse of children and it continued as time went on and then these false charges piled on a good man like Jamie. Well God is Great and things are going to change when He comes back to punish this evil world.
Jules….it is the people that lay the false charges that have to face the music. Please tell me how it is our fault that these charges were laid by a former city councillor and the swimming pool maintenance company man Bedard. If the charges are laid it is up to the police services to do what is required by law. Then it falls upon the district attorney and police services to determine IF the laid charges are true and proceed if necessary. Yes, I would come out fighting if false charges were laid against me. And if I recall Jaime did / is fighting these false charges. But false charges are laid all the time, some by private citizens, some by authorities. Some are laid in error, some out of vindictiveness. Some people are really sick puppies and enjoy seeing others suffer. What can we do about that? Not much, as it’s trying to control the actions of others. If the charges are false then those charges should be dropped. If they aren’t then there is a hidden agenda. That’s where lawyers get rich, defending against falsely laid charges and frivolous lawsuits. We don’t live in a perfect society. We never did, we never will. Until people accept that they will lead unhappy lives.
Hugger you’re being naive. The police have refused to charge Bedard, members of the hate group, and even Ian Bowering who not only had police officers refuse to charge him for what he did on camera, but also a crown and justice of the peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj5e7PVENY8
Likewise I’m trying to navigate the waters after having experienced a judge adjudicate a case without disclosing that he was a partner in the firm that I had current litigation ongoing.
In small claims if a judge punts on you the option of appeal is present, but you can’t use a paralegal which can place the cost of justice way out of the average person’s price point or the penalties you could win would not make you whole.
The justice system is very scary and it’s almost impossible to hold police and crown attorney’s to task when they abuse the system and the offices they hold.
Why should council at this point in time embroil themselves in trying to do the best for the Cornwall taxpayer? This has not been the case for years now so just continue with the hell with conflict of interest guide lines attitude and anoint Denis Carr. One more dysfunctional individual on this kangaroo council is not likely to make a difference.
Jules,
If you believe that God is Great and things are going to change why not
help, stop bashing our City, heck you don’t even live here , and perhaps
you could also add some positive thoughts and cut back on the negative
comments that you make ?
I am not being naive. I am being realistic. Seeing / knowing how the “justice” system works (& not just here) and knowing that and expecting any other results is being naive. In a city where strange things happen expecting the “justice” system to operate as it should is being naive.
Admin…re your comment that the justice system is scary.
Dec 27th 2011 my neighbour ran me down with his plow truck. On Jan 1st 2012 he was arrested and charged by the Cornwall Police Service with assault with a weapon. This is a matter of public record of course and verifiable by anyone. At the time that my neighbour was to appear in court (June 2012) I attended the court building to seek out the crown attorney to have my victim impact statement read into the record. The crown attorney confused me with the defendant and before I could state my purpose she advised me that she had spoken with another individual and that it was all “okay”. I then advised her that I was the victim in the case and handed her my victim impact statement. The silence was deafening and awkward because the outcome had already obviously been determined.
David was it Jennifer Burke?
Hugger and Believe Me 1 I have very good reason to criticize Cornwall and what I see I do not like at all. When cops do not do their job to protect innocent citizens and the same goes for attorneys and judges that really shows corruption. I used to live in Cornwall and couldn’t take it anymore. If I lived in a small place I would have to live in a good town and I cannot see Cornwall at all for myself and my family. When there is no justice then it is not a society to live in. When I saw the man that has the museum touch Jamie’s camera all the man had to say was “please don’t film me” without touching someone’s camera. What is even worse was laying false charges of sexual exploitation on someone who has not done anything and they get away with it all. This is completely unforgivable and they should be prosecuted for this. What I see is a witch hunt against Jamie and anybody who is innocent of these false charges. Mr. Oldham we sure had our troubles with a few neighbors in Cornwall. We owned and rented and had enough of what we have been through with some of the people. Our building here in Ottawa is heaven in comparison. I won’t forget one of the supers was very racist against my husband and pulled out our phone wires from the room where that equipment is located and the technician from Bell Canada saw that. Another time he destroyed our A/C and he knew what he was doing. There were other issues that we had as well. When it was winter and we owned our house one of the neighbors would plow someone’s driveway and through the snow against our house and so much so that it sounded like a freight train against our house. When we rented in a building we were assigned a parking spot and one of the neighbors took it on us. Kids running wild in the small building and jumping and there was no control of any sort. Our landlord as well as our supers here in Ottawa do not put up with such nonsense. We told them what happened down in Cornwall. Never again would we live down there in Cornwall.
Sure it’s just another councillor handing out our cash to friends and future winers and diners… but it all adds up.
Some people like Cornwall, some don’t. Whatever…..
Hugger I don’t think these issues are about liking or not liking. It’s about being part of a community and seeing things that need to be improved and being proactive. Sometimes people don’t pick the way to get to where they want to go that another agrees on, but as I’ve always been told, when people stop caring and stop talking about an issue that’s when you’re truly in trouble.
I agree Admin. My comment was aimed at Jules.
Hugger Jamie nailed it where people who see things that are not right but don’t speak up then things get a lot worse. We also had cigarette butts put in front of our apartment door by the manager’s husband, this man also called my husband a skyjacker who is a Christian and had absolutely nothing to do with what happened on 911 and believe me I can write up plenty of what we went through. Cornwall’s BFPD did absolutely nothing at all to help us and I know the hell that Jamie has gone through and everything seems hopeless. Hugger you are very fortunate that nothing has happened to you in Cornwall. Yes there are good people like Mr. Parisien and his wife Sharon along with plenty of good people in Cornwall and that is very true. When bad things happen to a lot of good people and things are not remedied then what else do you expect of me and others who are badly hurt by some of the most ignorant and uneducated of society and real low lifes. I wish that I had the owner’s phone number at the time to contact him who lives in Montréal. Like Jamie said people have to speak up or nothing good will be done.
Oh speaking about speaking up Jamie in the Ottawa Citizen paper there was a man in his 30’s who was hit by a car on Montreal Road here in Ottawa while using those bike lanes and some people are speaking up about how dangerous they are. I am against bike lanes and no bike should be on the road at all. There are bike paths to use and there are buses all over here in Ottawa and just driving a vehicle in Ottawa is taking ones life in ones hands. I thought that I would tell everyone about this and those bike lanes in Cornwall should be taken apart and redone like before.
I agree that you should speak up when things aren’t as they should be. But when you have a lot of people willing to accept what is going on it makes it hard to get anything done. That’s one of the problems with Cornwall. That and it has a large senior population who just want to go with the flow.
Hugger it’s like the Emperor’s New Clothes. Just because a lot of people are happy with the incompetence and corruption doesn’t mean everyone should. Trying to change things at City Hall is just as important as picking trash up off the street or any other public service.
Admin….I agree 100%. .That’s a big part of the problem; people are willing to accept incompetence & corruption and sit on their hands. Personally I am not willing to accept incompetence and corruption. Isn’t the Internet lovely? Things you say can get misconstrued and misunderstood.