More Cronyism in Cornwall w Lajoie Hiring for Tourism as Water & Sewer Rates Rocket Up 122117

Cornwall Ontario – There’s a dark side to journalism.  Play ball, don’t report certain things, report others in favorable terms and you too could do the Heart of the City to City Hall shuffle as Kevin Lajoie did, and now Todd Lihou appears to be doing.

All on the public’s dime.    Now this isn’t saying that these gentlemen are bad fellows(although Mr. Lajoie does seem to have issues with sending city releases to this newspaper on a regular basis)  or have broken any laws, but under Bob Peters clearly there are arcing lines, the lack of success and hiring/supporting of friends and cronies.

Tourism is a total clusterpuck.  The Unitied Counties of SD&G decided to divorce from Cornwall.    They had fired their ED and put a board member in charge, Linda Wilson, who frankly appeared to know about as much about tourism as my dog Fitzy.   The results were clear enough.  Cash down the drain for a few signs.

With an envelope of nearly $200K per year is there any reason to give Mr. Lajoie his reign?  Does he have any experience or qualities in tourism other than kissing Bob Peter’s posterior with the fealty of a Medieval peasant? Has he excelled at his current position with the city to warrant such a promotion and is it really necessary to replace him with what many expect to be Lihou as his funding contract with Heart of the City is coming to a close?  Was this position even advertised?  (this writer nor anyone he’s spoken to have seen an ad for the Tourism gig) Has Mr. Peters succeeded in his role with Economic Development to warrant adding the tourism envelope to his care?

This is a city where Alyssa Blais, another Peter’s crony, gets a job with a large local construction company close enough time linewise to when said company made a bucket of money from city deals.

If you’re in those dark and murky clique circles you make a living, but there’s a price to pay.  We call it the Lumley Tree; where you unquestioningly do what your told…or else!

Water & Sewer rates are going up 6.25% or about $50 per house.   That’s huge, and in an election year.  They wanted a lot more because of the corruption and incompetence at City Hall, and one council dumping problems on the next.

Reports of over 30 water main breaks alone in 2017 are costing taxpayers a lot of many as many of these repairs are being done in emergency situations rather than being replaced responsibly.  Reserves are nowhere near where they should be and no money is really available to fill them.  Contrary to what City Hall rumbles, there really are no major services to cut as Police and Fire are running uncontrolled cash wise.

Whether it be the bloated police and fire budgets, or the fiscal raping of this city by selling Cornwall Electric, the old adage of you get what you vote for is clearly coming to roost in Cornwall.   Voting for someone because they’re a nice guy or friend isn’t who to put in charge in a city anymore than it would be if you required brain surgery, which apparently many at City Hall may require based on their actions.

It’s decimated the local economy and the only expectation at this point is that next term we’re either going to see sharper tax increases or a new council that will do as Brampton and clean house of managers that either are hiring their friends or simply not generating positive results.    Sometimes it’s better to bite the bullet and pay out notice than simply allow a failure to fail as we’re seeing here in Cornwall.

Isn’t it time to build a welcoming, progressive community that is inclusive and a place where people can build things rather than be a thuggy bully town that tries to kill anything a very small clique can’t control?

Isn’t it time for a city of around 40,000 to stop acting like a village of 400?

And isn’t it time to have a conversation about amalgamation?  If Glen Walter can be on Cornwall Electric, and Cornwall water and sewage, shouldn’t their taxbase be contributing to Cornwall?

Simple questions which voters will be able to answer in 2018.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2018 to All! 



13 Comments

  1. What part of Glen walter is on city water and how does being on Cornwall Electric harm the city?

  2. Author

    Mike if an area is going to financially benefit from services paid for by a community then they too should be supporting that community financially. The aberration that is Cornwall is from certain people living outside of it which has artificially inflated our taxes. If Long Sault, Glen Walter, and a few areas North of the city were annexed our tax base would be much stronger.

  3. First of all this job was not posted anywhere! Is this not a violation? What experience does Lajoie have in tourism? What is his education regarding the tourism field? It’s a joke! And as far as water and sewer. I live on Tyotown road close to Rae Road and we don’t have water and sewer. I know the pple that live beside the Cornwall Golf Club have water service but not sewer.

  4. Is South Glengarry not paying to have water/sewer brought out to the corner of Tyotown and Boundary on the east side of Boundary to the Industrial part in 2018? I do know sections of Glen Walter have water and sewer such as sunrise acres off Purcell road. It’s a funny configuration that’s for sure. And we need a mayor that can do the job!

  5. Try explaining that to residents of Ottawa who still pay their ransom to Hydro One.

  6. Author

    Hugger we’re actually paying more per KWH than Hydro One charges. We don’t those wacky extra fees, but those are mostly relative to where you’re located.

    We’re essentially getting gouged for hydro in Cornwall.

  7. It all depends when you use it. We don’t have TOU rates. But in the end it boils down to six of one half a dozen of the other. Basically if you use hydro in Ontario, no matter where you live, we are getting royally screwed. I would have used another word, but I know it would have been censored.

  8. Author

    well we agree on hydro Hugger 🙂

  9. Cornwall had no participation in the debt retirement plan. Nor did it have a separate delivery charges. Smart (penalty) meters anyone ? Cornwall benefited greatly due to its exemption (Green Energy Act) however everyone will lose and pay in the end for the newest Liberal bribe the hydro rebate.

  10. We are definitely not getting gouged by Cornwall electric, we pay some of the lowest rates in Ontario, as for the Tourism gig it was probably going to go to someone who works for the city or is involved with day to day communications. The city is looking for workers all the time, you should apply ADMIN, but you’ll need to work 40hrs each and every week

  11. Perhaps selling Cornwall Electric was not a good idea. With Wynne acknowledging the failed Green Energy Act Cornwall could be selling hydro and profiting nicely. A war chest for law suits could have been set aside and zero property tax increases. Ya just more money to waste, best it’s gone.

  12. Author

    yes, I’d have to adjust from my 100+ hours per week…so true….

  13. Jeff; see Admin’s post from December 21, 2017 5:48 PM. We are paying higher KwH, but fewer of the extra lines on hydro bills.

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