Cornwall Ontario – Another cronyism hiring in Cornwall Ontario. As in many smaller cities it’s really hard to get a reasonably good, non minimum wage job, never mind an actual “Career”.
In a perfect world of course people would be hired based on merit, especially when dealing with the public purse, but Cornwall takes cronyism, and nepotism to new levels.
We had the Rob Hickley whistleblowing case where the former Deputy Fire Chief, who essentially was forced out of his job after relating issues about the hiring of the Mayor’s son as a firefighter amidst allegations of Conflict of Interest.
Mr. Hickley was treated brutally by the city.
Another case, was Graham Greer getting the marketing gig at Aultsville Theatre. Who was on their board at the time, and who helped get the grant for Mr. Greer’s salary? Mr. Thibault again!
There are many examples of what appears optically at the very least, to be an utter abuse of the taxpayer to promote cronyism or political support. Recently former editor of the Seaway News, Todd Lihou, got his gig with Heart of the City, again via a grant. Mr. Lihou’s wife works for….Denis Thibault and the Eastern Ontario Training Board.
When I spoke with Mr. Thibault and asked for his assistance in getting a one year grant for our public art gallery for a local university student majoring in Art he laughed and refused. Again, the EOTB isn’t a private concern, but a publicly funded organization.
The Art Gallery closed its doors after 36 years because of actions like this.
And now we have a sitting Cornwall City Councilor, Carilyne Hebert, no stranger to Conflict of Interest herself, getting a plum new gig with… the Eastern Ontario Training Board.
This writer only found out after being forwarded the screencap by a CFN viewer as they have been rejected for many such gigs over people that clearly didn’t have their qualifications. If this was an isolated example of course we wouldn’t be writing about it, but sadly it isn’t.
I personally know of at least have a dozen people that have moved from this city in the last 36 months because they simply gave up on trying to get a reasonably good job feeling that cronyism and nepotism ruled the day.
Is this illegal? Probably not, but again, it’s awfully hard to attract good people and build a community when the optics of this type of thing become word on the street.
Is Chad Kilger a bad fireman? No. I’ve seen him in action and I’m sure he’s a credit to the service, but then again so most likely were the more qualified candidates when he applied that are now serving in other communities.
Is Carilyne Hebert some drooling person with strange handicaps and really tacky tattoos? No. She’s bright and deserves equal opportunity with others to compete to better her life. She may have really poor judgement and be petty and ignorant politically, but we all deserve the chance to make a living.
And as long as people like Denis Thibault are allowed to run tax supported organizations like the Eastern Ontario Training Board as a fiefdom for political favors it will be hard for this community to move forward in this writer’s opinion.
Just looking at their board it looks like a retirement home for leftover Liberals like Pat Finucan and Poppy Desecration supporting former MPP Jim Brownell.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can post your comments below.
Interesting to have leaders of a training board needing some training in how to express themselves.. i.e. it is great to thank someone for a perk but you cannot be” greatful ” for it since the word does not exist.
Grateful for unearned blessings might be more appropriate, eh!
I wonder if this character in the picture is related to that other counsellor that I cannot stand and get ill over Caroline Hebert. God Help CornXXXX is all related to one another. Good thing that I married way beyond CornXXXX and Canada and bury CornXXXX for good. Croynism and nepotism for sure. CornXXXX lost everything and never to recover.
Jules it’s the same councilor and please stop calling Cornwall Cornhole. I either have to moderate or delete the posts when you do that.
It’s great to see a councillor bring loud laughter, dreams, bicycling and HER health to the forefront of Cornwall’s governance. Only in an election year do we hear about helping the citizens. Regular folk have zero chance of getting into any power where they can do good. Our council sucks, proof is the outrageous cash paid for outsiders to come in and do ‘studies’ because they can’t make decisions
There is going to have to have a whole new brain implantation for people to wake up and vote for better people. What is in Counsel and mayor is a real hilarious joke. No wonder I am very conservative and if I were mayor or council I would have changed everything. No libtards.
Jamie you are depriving me of my wonderful pet names. When the name sticks it sticks. LOL LOL. ROLF! Your favorite actress gave the town that name so you love that nice actress so the name has to stay. A lot of the people don’t know the real meaning. LOL LOL. Oh if only they knew.
Jules, O’Shaughnessy, Murphy, Carr, are Conservatives like you.
Jules you’re allowed to use your id instead of posting with your real name because we have certain rules grandfathered in. If you wish to be nasty you’ll have to post with your first and last name.
I also wanted to mention that this story is exactly why CFN is my favorite local news source. Where else can you read a piece like this? Thank you Jamie for all that you do, although I realize that thanks doesn’t pay bills, I keep hope that something will turn around for you. You do very well, considering all the resistance “they” provide. Happy new year CFN!!
Thanks for your kind words and Happy 2017 to you too Jerry. There are lots of things viewers can do to help fight this silly boycott. Talk to those where you shop and spend your money. Let them know how you feel. If you’re on social media please share our stories or refer to them.
But mostly, and this is a biggie, but I’m seeing more and more of it locally, simply stand up to the silly bully followers. Because CFN isn’t really me. It’s our viewers. It’s the community.
Jamie I am literally shocked. No they are not conservatives like me – nobody is like me as you can well see that. It is long overdo to DRAIN THE SWAMP and I am just the person who can do that – get rid of the entire bunch and start from scratch. One thing tear down the Benson Centre and send the bricks to the prison in San Francisco for Willie to sign which will bring in some revenue. LOL LOL.
Honestly Jamie too much has to be done to straighten out Cornwall – gee that killed me to write that name instead of what the name is supposed to be. RATS! I am no libtard at all – I am so very conservative that it would be hard to get any money out of me unless absolutely necessary. Jobs have to come back – we have to get Trump in to help.
Trudeau and Winnie have to go immediately out the door for good. We have to get people employed instead of remaining idle. All young people must have university or college and be able to be an entrepreneur and make work. Depending on the US is gone and Trump wants to bring back jobs from Mexico, China, etc. and that is the way to go. Trudeau and Winnie are bankrupting Canada they have to go.
Jules Conservatives like you will have to own the Trudeau and Wynne gov’t on themselves; more so provincially as Tim Hudak all but guaranteed a win for an unelectable scandal filled government. That takes some doing.
Trudeau is going to impose carbon taxes this new year and it is going to impoverish many people and that is something that the sheeple cannot absorb. Whoever gets in the next election is going to have one hell of a time trying to sort out the mess and Ontario is finished for a mighty long time to come.
One girl that worked with my daughter went to Toronto to go to college and she went into entrepreneur in business to make a business of her own – a cleaning business and said that it was in demand here in Ottawa, Toronto and other big cities. She had plans to hire people. Schools are closing especially in farm towns like Cornwall, and surrounding areas. Many people will be leaving Cornwall.
Jamie just think about families with kids in school where are they going to go when Cornwall and area schools will close. People have to pack up and leave for the big cities and it will be one hell of a shock just like it was for you going from Montréal and Los Angeles to farm town Cornwall. We survived and my kids were born in Ottawa.
Actually Jules there are issues with schools in other cities across Ontario. I’m not sure school closures will impact our population that much.
Jamie there are at least 600 schools across Ontario stated for closure this coming September and yes it will impact Cornwall and area and the students who live there will have to go elsewhere with their parents. Yes it will have a big enough impact on the population. Cornwall and area have lost population and only seniors left who cannot meet the taxes.
Jamie there is a public school in the west end of Ottawa with less student population and it is on the chopping block for September. In my area it is so full that even where my daughter went to school they put portables – there are many Syrians and Iraqis, etc. who are living in this area. All schools have portables – the majority. Parents attending ESL down the ways as well – full.
Maybe a limit of one or two comments per day per commenter would work. There has to be a solution.
Hi Furtz, you should see the ones that don’t make it. Generally I let em roll if they are related the topic 🙂 Happy 2017 amigo!
There are 600 schools on the chopping block for September and I think one high school east of my area that has one that will close (quite a bit easterly). 600 schools in Ontario will be closed this September and yes it will affect Cornwall and the surrounding areas.
I think that there are a number of people who can do the job as mayor and councellor but the problem is that in CORNWALL there is too much small town mentality and they vote for a clique that gets them in trouble and then complain. A whole draining of the swamp from the top down has to be done and the draining of the swamp of the people’s mentality has to be done first.
Jules I can tell you in the last election that certain other media totally went Trump. I can tell you that the Seaway News essentially refused to interview me even though I was running for mayor. Same with the Queen of Mean, Bill Kingston. When you do that you’ve essentially said you have zero journalistic integrity. Even Todd Lalonde gave me the least time on Cogeco, but then again Todd just hosted a year review and didn’t invite me even though we have way more of the community reading CFN than any of the other media outlets he did invite. Honestly what does Sebruch and Kingston know about stories of the year in this city? If you don’t cover them how can you discuss them?
It comes down to false news. If a media outlet hides stories or just kisses butt they really aren’t media, but PR houses.
Heck, there were media that refused my ads for Mayor.
I am going to be 66 years old this month – oh my God how time flies. I look so much younger than most celebrities – they are all wrinkled up and dying and I am still going strong. I guess laughter keeps me alive and going. Your paper is the very best and the clique is envious. The toilet papers of Cornwall don’t have much hope of existing for long. I rate your paper 10 stars and up.
I will be checking out Ottawa’s toilet papers of record to see if there are more shootings and stabbings. The city has gone from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to a real circus of events. Trump wants to stop illegal immigration and take out the popcorn for what is to come Jamie. I am not kidding but laughing just the same. Close all the borders. There will be plenty to write about believe me.