Author Archives: theburgwatch

About theburgwatch

Amherstburg's first local blogger since 2011, writing about town council and issues.

Richard Peddie Needs Open Air

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Listen to Richard Peddie say he needs open air on am800 interview January 19, 2023; read text below at the end of the post.

Richard Peddie, a February 21 council meeting delegate, will once again voice his support for Open Air, also known as closed streets. The twist this time is that his presentation states a park in the middle of our town.

One of his pictures clearly illustrates the barriers on the sidewalk and in the streets where it would be difficult for people using mobility devices or who rely on visual cues for navigation.

I have raised awareness about barriers that exclude people with disabilities many times over decades and, during this past election campaign, wrote about encountering ableism.

This new council has to decide between closing a publicly funded highway requested by for profit businesses or adhering to public policy to provide for equal rights and opportunities without discrimination that is contrary to law?

Human Rights Code PREAMBLE

Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world and is in accord with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as proclaimed by the United Nations;

And Whereas it is public policy in Ontario to recognize the dignity and worth of every person and to provide for equal rights and opportunities without discrimination that is contrary to law, and having as its aim the creation of a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of each person so that each person feels a part of the community and able to contribute fully to the development and well-being of the community and the Province;

And Whereas these principles have been confirmed in Ontario by a number of enactments of the Legislature and it is desirable to revise and extend the protection of human rights in Ontario;

Text of Richard Peddie interview:

but we do need the help of town. I mean, it’s gonna be interesting. We have a new council, how will they rule on Open Air, open air is absolutely critical of these all new shops absolutely critical. And you know what it’s going to really it’ll be one of the factors on whether we open a hotel. I need open air because the hotel hotels are tough. I mean, it’s no coincidence there are none in Amherstburg, because there’s it’s tough to build them and, you know, when we make our decision on the hotel and we hope to soon, how Council reacts to how they’re supporting local business will be a big factor.

Copyright – this information is protected by Canada’s Copyright Act. Request written permission from the burg watch at gmail dot com.

Comparing Amherstburg To Other Municipalities: Police Requests For Information

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The OPP answered my questions without requiring a formal request.

When I requested two documents from Windsor Police, its FOI Coordinator advised me of the $5 fee for Municipal Freedom of Information and the Protection of Privacy Act requests; she quoted section 17(1)(c).

She did respond but stated any further requests should be in accordance with the Act; to submit my request and applicable fee by mail or by attending either Police Headquarters or Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment.  

She then responded to my access request, under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, for a copy of:

i)                    The Windsor Police Services Board diversity plan
ii)                   The Windsor Police Service accessibility policy

and denied access to the Windsor Police Service Board Diversity plan as the records do not exist.

Further, access is denied to Windsor Police Service Accessibility Policy as the information is contained within their Human Rights Directive, currently available on its website www.windsorpolice.ca

I assured the Coordinator that this was a simple request for records that i assumed would be publicly available in an organization committed to transparency and accountability to the public it serves. 

OPP Answers Questions

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I asked the OPP a few questions following Deputy Mayor Gibb’s February 8 comments about the OPP.

question 1: have all the essex county detachments undertaken community/satisfaction surveys?

answer: OPP have just recently begun interviewing for the 2023 West Region Detachments Community Satisfaction Survey (CSS), which includes surveying respondents in the Essex Detachment area.  An Essex Detachment-specific results report will be created once data collection is completed and there has been an opportunity to analyze the data/draft the report.  I should be able to receive the West Region report by Summertime (pending how long the approval process takes once the results are analyzed and the reports are drafted). Prior to this, the last time we did a survey in Essex Detachment would have been in 2017.

question 2: would you provide me with the cost of OPP policing to these local communities?

question 3: would you provide me with an estimate of the timeline for an OPP costing to the town of amherstburg?

answer: In reference to the Billing Model and Costing, it may be best for you to view the following links:

Ontario Provincial Police – Billing Model (opp.ca)

Ontario Provincial Police – Contract Proposals and Amalgamations (opp.ca)

There is a manual for the contract proposal process with the below timeline in it, along with other information that will assist you.

OPP AMALGAMATION PROCESS

Comparing Amherstburg To Other Municipalities: ‘Missed opportunities’: Saanich park renovation excludes people with disabilities: advocate

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Does this sound familiar?

A park renovation has one Saanich mother frustrated about a lack of accessibility for people with disabilities in design processes for public amenities.

Read the full Vancouver island Free Daily article.

Request For Routine Disclosure Policy Now Three Years Old

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It’s been three years since I requested council create a protocol for requests for information; a good indication of open government.

In February 2020, then-CAO Miceli advised, that the Town of Amherstburg was in the process of creating a Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination Policy and that I might wish to review the policy when it appears on the agenda for Council’s consideration and approval in the near future.

Current CAO Critchley now advises: the Town continues to investigate a number of policies and their associated role within the organization but at this time the Town of Amherstburg has not adopted a specific policy to govern the many ways in which the Town actively disseminates and routine discloses information to the public.

A Year Later, No Town Policy Re Routine Requests For Information

Amherstburg Needs Routine Disclosure Policy

Amherstburg Clerk And Mayor Respond to Routine Disclosure Policy Request

Councillor Prue Supports Routine Disclosure Policy

Request For Routine Disclosure Policy Now Two Years Old

Council Preview – Agenda February 13, 2023

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Did you know you can subscribe here to automatically receive email notifications of council/committee meetings? It didn’t work for the special meeting – policing contract.

5 pm Special Council Meeting – Planning Agenda

two items: Statutory Public Meetings to Consider a Zoning By-law Amendment for lands severed from 6436 Concession 6 N and to Consider a Zoning By-law Amendment, ZBA-01-23, for 41 Sandwich Street South.

6 pm Regular Council Meeting Agenda

It’s a full agenda. Of note, finally, the cheques are back on the agenda and a grant application is recommended for the Gordon House – paint and new windows along with an Economic Development and Communications position.

Comparing Amherstburg To Other Municipalities: Satisfied With Police Service

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I reached out to Essex County mayors of OPP policed municipalities and inquired if they have conducted any satisfaction surveys about policing in their communities.

Included in this post is the audio of Deputy Mayor Gibb’s February 8 comments; he mentioned that he spoke to other municipal leaders in the county and certain ones have said they’re not satisfied with the service they’re getting from the OPP. He also stated of those surveyed in Amherstburg almost 80% have a good opinion of the Windsor Police Amherstburg detachment.

Mayor Gary McNamara, Tecumseh, replied: We have held 3 overall surveys of all services we are doing another later this month. The average over the 3 surveys average in the high 80 percentile. I have no issue with our policing.

Copyright – this information is protected by Canada’s Copyright Act. Request written permission from the burg watch at gmail dot com.

Update: Deputy Mayor Gibb On Policing Options

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I edited the post, Deputy Mayor Gibb On Policing Options/Windsor Contract to include a follow up email to Deputy Mayor Gibb and his response, verbatim, set out below.

Also, he attached three financial documents and I added highlights to the sections he is referring to:

  1. Amherstburg Police
  2. OPP Essex Detachment
  3. OPP Kingsville Detachment

follow up question: you stated there’s a significant cost difference to the OPP of around $2 million a year; is that $2 million a year of savings or $2 million a year in higher costs?

response: I believe what I said is that it appears as if the OPP model of policing would be around $2 million per year less than our current WPD-Amherstburg Detachment policing model as per the attached 2022 budget documents.

Amherstburg’s net total cost of policing was pegged at around $5,397,437 (bottom right of Amherstburg police.pdf document)

Essex’s net total cost of policing was pegged at around $3,073,673 ($3,054,032 police + $19,641 police board)

Kingville’s net total cost of policing was pegged at around $3,391,714.

So, the OPP model for Essex and Kingsville appears to be around $2 million per year less than Amherstburg’s.

Listen to the audio.