More cronyism in Cornwall Ontario as CFN has learned that former TC Media Seaway News editor Todd Lihou has been given a two year contract with Heart of the City, an arms length agency in Cornwall, funded with tax dollars, which employs City Councilor Denis Carr as it’s manager/leader.
We received irate phone calls from people that were upset to the point that one young gentleman stated:
It’s hopeless in Cornwall. I have a degree. I’m moving to Ottawa. How can they spend our tax dollars on a hire like this?
Lihou, who doesn’t have a University Degree, nor has a strong marketing background, will fulfill the role that Kevin Lajoie did after he left the Freeholder which led to his cushy job at City Hall.
This writer was refused assistance by the EOTB’s Denis Thibault in helping get a grant for a university grad to work at our former public art gallery that recently closed after city funding was cut for a second year. A gallery that Mr. Lihou had been on the war path about by either writing nasty pieces or refusing to publish activities on such as when A list artists attended the city, even going to the point of omitting the gallery from Apples and Art coverage. All done in spite of the fact that the gallery still advertised with the Seaway News.
Thibault had shared previously that there were 100% grants for graduating University grads, and with so few art jobs in the community it was a perfect fit.
The EOTB has been a fiefdom for former City Councilor Thibault, from using advertising clout to picking and choosing who gets funding for employment, such as the multitude of grants the EOTB helped former Brownell bagman Marc Owen get for his Dream Builder Studios in Cornwall.
Mr. Thibault’s board includes local Liberal provincial stalwarts like former MPP Jim Brownell who was involved in the poppy desecration scandal as well as Pat Finucan who was former Mayor Bob Kilger’s campaign manager as well as a mover and shaker in provincial Liberal politics.
Loading ...Lihou for some reason did not mention his new gig in his farewell column, which is odd, as Heart of the City and the EOTB are well connected with the Seaway News, which has lost a lot of staff recently according to reports.
Todd wrote:
I’m proud to say that now I’ll be home (almost) every night to cook for Kimberly – she deserves that and so much more for standing beside an old newspaper man.
Which makes sense as Kimberley Vass Lihou works at…. the Eastern Ontario Training Board with Denis Thibault.
Lihou, true to form, omitted this newspaper in a recent Heart of the City release, which is again funded with public dollars. CFN is the only local media that publishes raw numbers as we pull in over 1,000,000 human page views per month.
What are the messages that such blatant cronyism sends out? How many of our best and brightest have to leave our city before something changes? This writers knows of nearly a dozen talented people under the age of 50 who are either leaving or have left this city because of this sort of hiring which was almost as bad as when they got a two year grant which resulted in Graham Greer being hired for Aultsville Theatre, another government funded gig. And who was on its board? Denis Thibault.
No advertisements for the position were seen advertised in local media.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
UPDATED JULY 10th, 2016
We found a listing for the gig, which closed on June 16th, on the Chamber of Commerce website.
http://www.cornwallchamber.com/position-vacancy-heart-of-the-city-centertown-project-coodinator/
Position Vacancy Heart Of The City Centertown Project Coodinator
June 10, 2016
Generational Description:
Under the supervision of the Heart of the City manager, the Heart of the City project Coordinator will be responsible for advancing the “Link District“ approach to strengthening the Heart of the City identity while maintaining the individual character of each unique district. Coordination activities will focus on stakeholders communication, public outreach and event activity planning that establish Heart of the City, Cornwall as a destination for tourists and local residents.
- Identify, develop, coordinate and launch activities to further animate and brand the Heart of the City area including festivals, farmer markets, pop-up shops, art events, etc.
- Strengthen the existing relationship between partners including the Mohawk Council of the Akwesasne and work with the Heart of the City stakeholders districts to identify opportunities for synergies to cross-promote each district.
- Provide administrative leadership to both the Le Village and Downtown Business Improvement Areas
- Develop a sustainability strategy for promoting Heart of the City
Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience
The incumbent will possess a university degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience .
Skill necessary for success include written and verbal communication, analytic ability, organizational and computer skills and knowledge of the local economy and human support services. Driver`s License and access to a vehicle is required. Proficiency in both English and French languages is an asset.
Closing date for applications: June 20, 2016
Please apply to :
D. Carr
Heart of the City
Commerce court
113 Second St. E. Cornwall K6H 1Y5
To all the young people in Cornwall “don’t bury yourselves down in that hole – Cornhole” and go wherever you can and build a good future because there is no future in that town and never was and that is how I got the living hell out of that hole back in the mid 70’s era. I come here for a good laugh but honestly Cornhole is finished and always has been. You are young and get out of that hole.
Jamie this has been going on as long as your Wacky Jules can remember. I voted where its is all where you are connected to the clique and that is the truth. Nobody makes a business in Cornhole and succeeds. Everyone who is intelligent and educated leaves including all others – there is no life nor future in Cornhole. I just had a good laugh over what I read because I am 100% right.
Cornwall has been trying to re-invent themselves for a few years now, but keep biting off their nose to spite their face
Cronyism at its best or worst, depending on how you look at it. It still amazes me some of the crap that goes on in this city. Just goes to prove that the clique is alive and well in Cornwall. How Denis Carr can be on HOTC and city Council just boggles the mind. Arrggghhhh!!!!!
We received irate phone calls from people that were upset to the point that one young gentleman stated:
“It’s hopeless in Cornwall. I have a degree. I’m moving to Ottawa. How can they spend our tax dollars on a hire like this?”
How does one respond to that “LYIN LES” ? We all agree with that statement ! We all know it’s true ? HELLO, “LYIN LES”, are you there ?
Denis Thibault ;
What a charming fellow he really is ? Check out his shirt , Waterfront Development Committee
Perhaps people have forgotten but it was he who was hell bent on building condo’s on Cornwall’s
Water Front Land , access to WFL would have been cut off from the public if that had happened.
(PART 2)
“LYIN LES”, please describe for transparency reasons, the process that “HOTC” aka “CARR’s” obvious mega conflict of interest, used to hire “Lihou” ? Please supply me with dates of the advertisements in local papers, media etc, for the posting of this “thank-you position” ? Surely, this writer must of missed the postings for this public job, with your penchant for openness ?
I found an ad on the Chamber of Commerce site for a project coordinator position with a application closing date of June 20. Of course inot absence of a university degree equivalent education and work experience will suffice.
Lyin Lez is a coward and there is no way that he will respond. He promised Diane Shay some help and instead threw her under the bus. Lyin Lez couldn’t even handle a small problem in Cornhole about the worm and lemonade stands on private property and runs to CFRA Ottawa’s radio station to advertise what to do with the lemonade and worm stands. He is a coward.
Of course the waterfront committee wanted to steal Lamoureux Park from the sheeple and I remember commenting on that. You would all have lost that park and you couldn’t set your paws on that land. If you don’t stand up and fight for yourselves then nothing will get done. Who is going to purchase a house or condo in a place that is dead – only for the dying and the dead and not the living.
HUGGER,,,, Thanks for that great piece of detective work ! NO ONE, looking for a job, would of ever thought of looking on the Chambers Newsletter ? Let alone for a position that is totally connected to the City of Cornhole ? Why Ald. Carr was this not advertised in the local media ? By the way, Ald. Carr, Is Lihou fluently bilingual ? Any comments LYIN LES ?
It wasn’t really detective work. I was looking for something else and the job ad popped up in the results.
Jamie I don’t know where to post this but it is an update on the lemonade girls here in Ottawa
Sweet! Lemonade girls re
http://www.ottawasun.com/2016/07/10/sweet-lemonade-girls-re-open-stand-after-ncc-fight
I hope that Lyin Lez sees this and feels ashamed over what he did to the Cadieux kids and the Vincent family since he is not qualified to be mayor at all. Mayor Watson chipped in a $20. bill.