Hey Muse,
I meant to ask you a while back if the issue discussed in the article posted in the this thread:
http://www.urbantoronto.ca/showthread.php?t=8963 affects your efforts (access to information)?
Hi there, Hydrogen.
Huge apologizes for not responding sooner. I've simply been too busy researching that I haven't had much time for Urban.
To answer your question, no, Harper's preference to keep citiizens in the dark hasn't affected my efforts. I do know why he's so terrified of Freedom of Information (FOI).
124 pages arrived on Friday that blows a hole into the argument about "If you've got nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about". The implications are so extensive that I don't even know how to deal with them except that I can't reveal them right now.
I do want to say this. It's no coincidence that at last Wednesday's Council meeting, Mississauga admitted to having no public complaints procedure and that they hired a lawyer-consultant who just estimated a citizen's complaint to come out at $50,000 and that it might be more once that citizen reveal all his complaints.
The report was "referred back to staff" to look at how to deal with "a process". My background FOI's revealed that Mississauga had no public complaints process that a reasonable person would regard as a public complaints process. I mean isn't No Complaints Process the epitomy of e
fficient government?
Here's what I didn't know and my ass fell off because it has implications for all citizens of Ontario. Directly from the Mississauga Corporate report:
"The Municipal Act, 2001 grants municipalities broad powers to establish a governance structure and provide for accountability and transparency of the municipal corporation and its operations. Save and except the obligation to establish a procedure for handling complaints respecting in-camera discussions, there is no statutory requirement that municipalities create or establish a complaints procedure, policy or protocol. While the Municipal Act, 2001, now authorizes municipalities to appoint an Integrity Commissioner or an Ombudsman as part of a governmance structure, these are discretionary powers. Also, there is no statutory obligation for municipalities to deal with complaints from the general public (except for a close [sic] meeting investigation) in any particular way. Accordingly, there is no guidance or direction in legislation regarding how a municipality may choose to investigate compliants such as those filed by Mr. Barber."
I know that elsewhere on Urban, I quoted Carolyn Parrish as saying that municipalities are "The Children of the Province". I'd proclaimed these "Children" to be
BRATS and unsupervised.
What I didn't know was how right I was.
Here's video of the admission that Mississauga hasn't a public complaints procedure. I'll remind readers of Mississauga's slogan, "TRUST, QUALITY, EXCELLENCE".
All the while they were crowing this during my observation period I witnessed some of Donald Barber's private hell when he was arrested by Mississauga Corporate Security, 76 year old Antonio Batista spend an obscene amount of money in legal fees when he was arrested for a frikkin' POEM he wrote after his frustration that his complaints weren't being addressed.
I've just deleted four paragraphs deciding I didn't want to reveal something else (don't want to "telegraph" something).
Just let me show you videos of Mississauga Council --this one, when they admitted to no complaints process. What's their response? Get "staff" (meaning Legal Department) to look into a complaints process to INVESTIGATE STAFF!
I ask you. How is that not a Conflict of Interest?
Here.
MISSISSAUGA COUNCIL ADMITS TO NO PUBLIC COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
And just for fun -- can't reveal all the undercurrents going on here but, this video shows the announcement --re-affirmation of support for the Mississauga City Manager and Mississauga's TRUST QUALITY EXCELLENCE.
"THE REVEAL" -MISSISSAUGA IN-CAMERA (post closed meeting)
I've begun researching other municipalities for a month now as a result of a "discovery". A kind of Freedom of Information a-HAH!
Over the Victoria Day weekend, we visited Ottawa City Hall and Kingston City Hall with just one purpose. To follow up on the Freedom of Informations I dropped down on both and run a quick "video surveillance test" on them.
Here's the Ottawa result. PASS. But. Freedom of Information may reveal a different story....
Far too much for one person to do --all this research. But the Province has seen fit not to have any oversight into municipalities. I'm almost OK, I didn't get scortched like Barber and Batista did.
Plus I can kind of fight back through YouTube and Google Video.
But what about all the others? I can tell you this. There are a people right now in jail because of municipalities. And many more with arrest records. And they just don't know that all they needed was to drop down an FOI with just the right questions on them.
As for the traditional media? Still trumpeting Mississauga's "efficiency" to the heavens?
I have even MORE CONTEMPT for them.
Thanks for asking Hydrogen. You provided me with an opportunity for an update. However, on the negative, I don't have time for a new Blog entry now.
Please forgive any typos. Lots to do today....
Funny. I was just about to send this and I got an alert from The Mississauga News.
Hazel going home for meeting of mayors
By: John Stewart
May 26, 2008 08:08 AM - Mayor Hazel McCallion returns to her home province this week when the mayors of Canada's 22 largest cities gather to discuss how they will deal with the many challenges they face.
McCallion, who was born in Port Daniel on the Gaspé Peninsula, will be at the Big City Mayors' Caucus in Quebec City, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. The conference begins Thursday with the release of a report on policing roles, responsibilities and resources at a news conference at 11 a.m.
Among other GTA mayors scheduled to be in attendance are David Miller of Toronto and Susan Fennell of Brampton.
The conference is being held at the Hilton Hotel. Part of the conference will be closed to the media.
Signed,
The Mississauga Muse