CORNWALL Ontario – So are things improving when it comes to bullying in the Cornwall area? Another Pink Shirt day passed. It was the usual blah blah rah rah.
Monday night about 20 or so of our firefighters showed up at City Council. Some might consider that a form of intimidation or bullying of our council.
The budget issue is hot and the incendiary escalation of fire and police budgets are something everyone should be concerned about.
Sadly the only real way to to address this issue will result in either job losses or finding solutions to stemming the cost that most communities simply cannot afford.
Nobody expects the Firefighter Association to give up a single penny or right because it’s their job to improve the lot of their members, but at the same time it’s the job of council to do the right thing for taxpayers and not just cave in to threats of not getting re-elected and the impact of unions.
The $100,000 question is how to resolve this at some point without wounding too many people’s feelings.
CFN will be conducting an investigation into firefighting across Canada and Upstate NY and look at what different communities are doing. If you want to contribute any information you can email us at jamie@cornwallfreenews.com
Bullying hasn’t changed much in Cornwall this year. I can tell you that this newspaper is still being systemically being bullied.
The City, the United Counties, our MP and MPP practice fiscal bullying. They refuse to advertise in this newspaper, the largest in this city and riding because they don’t like what they print. Other agencies and businesses follow suit for fear of reprisals. One agency in recent memory had its pooh bah fired because they would not get their funding until that person was released. This is the community we live in today, in 2015.
What’s really interesting is public perceptions.
A lot of people think of bullying as a bad party putting the beats on a clear victim; usually found bloodied and battered whimpering in a corner. That’s the norm. Sometimes, in rare instances, a bully is stood up to and they end up being the ones whimpering in a corner.
Bullies hate looking bad. They hate losing chiefly because successful bullies are empowered by their posse, sometimes even made up of their actual victims!
So when a bully is stood up to they lose face, but they lose support and that can create chaos and the end of their reign.
It’s crazy, but bullies will sometimes freak out and that lashing out can create some very funky perceptions.
And sometimes bullies will call those that stand up to them bullies. And that’s even crazier.
And that ladies and gentlemen is what this writer has experienced a lot of this year.
I have had to endure false police charges stemming from a bullying incident. When I stood up to that bully I ended up with police charges that even though we’ve proven I never committed are still hanging over my head. Not only that, the failed bully tried to get me to breach those charges by saying things about myself on social media that if I had responded would have had me in clear breach. Imagine having to stay silent while those you cared about were being smeared just to try and get you arrested?
I just stood up to a bully in court. Thankfully for my amazing and talented legal representation in Para Legal James Moak they were defeated. Mr. Moak is undefeated in representing myself and CFN during this period of systemic bullying.
And now I’m facing bullying from the UCDSB who are pressing their lawsuit regarding my sharing my opinion that their Principal, by not having Swastikas removed in a reasonable and timely fashion from CCVS, is a racist. That’s going to be a tough one. I’ve been told that legally speaking it’s going to be a major challenge.
The irony of our legal system is that there is very little true justice available unless you can afford it. Small Claims courts only resolve dollar issues. To resolve anything else you have to go to Superior Court which is highly expensive and fiscally dangerous.
I actually will have to represent myself in the Swastika lawsuit which in many opinions will negatively prejudice my case. To me this is systemic bullying as the school board has pressed hard to have me apologize and remove the content. This is the sort of behavior you’d expect of Russia in the Putin era; not a country like Canada.
To me Bullying is the use of force, either physical or otherwise to implement what a party wants. It’s not a vote. It’s not a discussion. It’s just rolling over people and hurting anyone that gets in the way.
And it will take more than wearing Pink T Shirts to change things. It will take an actual hunger and desire combined with people willing to stand up to the bullies whether they be greasy hoods with sticks or well coiffed lawyers who beat you with legal gobbeldy gook.
Have you been bullied? Are you being bullied? You can post your comments below.
Good morning Jamie,
If my memory is accurate, it was around 1971-72 when Ed Lumley was our Mayor, their was some type of dispute with the Police Dept. & Ed instituted a hiring freeze. Both of our emergency responders are completely out of touch with what we can afford ! We simply cannot afford every new toy, that appears on our “out of town” Police Chief’s wish list ! As far as our firefighters are concerned, you disgraced yourselves greatly with your tactics of late, you have lost the respect that I have for you lads ! WE all admire the jo you do, we are simply saying we can’t afford these extravagant increases, year after year ? Council do what you said, prior to the October election. I say, amalgamate the two Chiefs position into one ? An immediate hiring freeze for both Dept’s, almalgamate all HR’s into one. If present members of either Dept’s aren’t happy, then move on folks, a can name you 500 people, that would give their left eye for a $100,000.00 job, with Cadillac benefits. While I’m on my rant, I’d also institute a hire Cornwallites, bye bye Chief ! lol
I sort of agree with Clyde Barrows. Time for the eaters of most of the city budget to realize things have to change.
And yes Monday night when about 20 or so of our firefighters showed up at City Council it was intimidation pure and simple.
As a kid in primary school (grades K- 5) I was bullied. Until one day I had had enough. I challenged the bully and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. We both got detentions. But it was worth it. He never bothered me or anyone else again. In fact after that we became friends.
I fully agree with Clyde Barrows and I said it in another post and I hope that Jamie puts it through but I will say it here there is too much waste for absolutely no reason at all and there are jobs where three or more people can be put into one. I also agree that 10 counsellors is way too much and should be cut down to not more than 6 or 7 at tops. Cops and firefighters I know have a terrible job but you have to cut the fat or else look elsewhere. What I find insane is that a cop in Ottawa or Toronto, etc. gets the same salary as those in Cornwall or Hawksbury and such small places with a lot less crime makes absolutely no sense at all. The same with the OPP that is insane. Many jobs can be put into one. When I worked in the federal government one woman who was working as a CR-4 (clerk at the 4th level) was earning big income for doing nothing and that came to an end and the secretary took over that job including her own and the CR-4 lady retired. Enough is enough – cut the fat.
I know there are provincial standards for police and fire. That’s good. But the police and fire departments can find savings in their budgets IF they truly wanted to. The eaters of most of the city budget can AND should find ways to save money.
It is a ratchet effect.
Reducing budgets elsewhere to pump up the fire department and police budget et al has been the undoing of most municipalities. The unions continue to operate unchallenged as unrealistic wages spiral unchecked out of control ever skywards regardless of inflation. All levels of government have received unrealistic settlements in comparison to the private sector. This disconnect has gone on for decades and we are now past the point where salaries and benefits can be maintained and taxpayers respected. We could start by paying for an economic course for the councilors that would address the concept of economic sustainability. Revenue is a finite not infinite reality. When the taxpayer cannot pay anymore what will we do, just run deficits and borrow until we join cities like Chicago etc?
David Oldham…..very well put. I agree 100%.