Lack Of Commitment

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Commentary by Linda Saxon

As I mentioned in an earlier post, there have been approximately two dozen correspondence items regarding an accessibility policy question to council and the accessibility advisory committee, but my question remains unanswered.

From January to March, I corresponded with council/councillors/staff; in January Deputy Mayor Sutherland forwarded my concern to the Accessibility Committee for their input. At the February 18 council meeting, my correspondence was received.

In March I requested the item be placed on the council agenda, but I never received confirmation that it was.

From April to June, I corresponded with Councillor Bart DiPasquale, who is the council representative on the Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAAC). note: all grammatical errors are his.

Below are DiPasquale’s responses regarding the AAAC meetings:

April 23 – the next AAAC meeting is April 24 2024 (his typo) at 5pm Town Hall. Brenda Percy I found had responded to you March 4 2014 advising you your email had been referred to another person. It appears at this time no one acted on it.

April 24 – tonight’s AAAC meeting has been cancelled and rescheduled for May 8 2014 Town Hall 5pm.

April 26 – the meeting date has been rescheduled for May 15 2014 5pm town hall.

May 15 – In keeping you informed ,todays meeting has been rescheduled to next Thursday 5pm.Your information will be delivered at that time to the AAAC committee by me.

May 15 – Please be abvised that the meeting scheduled for today has been rescheduled toMay 22 2014 5pm Town Hall. Your matter should be discussed on that date.

May 16 – Please be advised that last night’s meeting was rescheduled to May 22 2014 5pm Town Hall.

May 25 – Please be advised that the meeting scheduled for May 22 2014 will be held on June 26 th 2014 5pm Town Hall  FYI.

There was no June meeting listed in the River Town Times calendar or on the town’s website.

June 30 – I emailed to request an update following the meeting; I learned that DiPasquale was out of the country. Although he has since returned, I have not received a response.

On June 30, I subsequently emailed council that I would still like an answer.

There were a couple of additional emails, including one on July 1 wherein Councillor Carolyn Davies emailed Nicole Rubli, Could you please look into this licensing question attached below from constituent Linda Sexton.

Also on July 1, Deputy Mayor Ron Sutherland emailed CAO Phipps, Mike, will you respond to Mrs. Saxon or direct her concern to the proper person. Phipps replied, Thanks for the note Ron. I will attempt tomorrow to determine the issue and when Nicole returns from vacation next week, we’ll look into the matter. Perhaps you could or Ms. Saxon could send me her earlier emails. Thanks

July 2, Councillor Diane Pouget emailed, Mrs. Linda Saxon is requesting that her question pertaining to “What policies and procedures are in place regarding accessibility for any and all business license approvals in the Town of Amherstburg,” be placed on the agenda.  It is a very straightforward request and I believe it should be dealt with in public session as requested, since Linda’s request for information appeared to be ignored in the past.

July 2, Phipps replied, Deputy Mayor Sutherland has raised this matter as a result of the Saxon email. I understand there has been a response to her, but administration will have all the details for Council next week when Nicole returns from vacation.

July 19, Phipps emailed a summary, prepared by staff, of contact with me, for the record; he ended it by stating that Administration will take no further action on this matter unless it is once again raised at a Council meeting.

I have requested corrections be made, pursuant to the Freedom of Information legislation, as the record contained factual errors and omissions.

After all the attitudinal barriers I’ve encountered, I shouldn’t be surprised that accessibility is not a priority.

Public Meeting A Lynching?

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As reported in an August 12 River Town Times article by jcharron:

Council agreed to work with Deloitte and town administration to deal with the implementation of the 41 recommendations. Council will also sit down with Deloitte to discuss the recommendations, one that Brindle suggested should be done in public session. Council members sparred over a second public meeting to discuss the issue with residents with Pouget originally suggesting two weeks, then a month. However, that motion was withdrawn until council has their meeting with Deloitte first.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to take it to the people of this town,” said Councillor Bart DiPasquale.

Sutton said his motion to implement the 41 recommendations stood as is with Councillor Carolyn Davies fearing the meeting could devolve into a “pissing match” like the “lynching” at the Essex Power public meeting. Davies said the meeting had to be “thoughtful” with council having to get a better grasp of the report.

Pillon agreed that more time was needed to meet with Deloitte and get a handle on the recommendations.

“You might as well have a meeting that makes sense, not a lynching,” he said.

Financial Review Complete

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A presentation was made at last night’s council meeting and as reported in the Windsor Star, the report was posted on the town’s website today.

From Julie Kotsis’ article: Coun. Diane Pouget wanted to set a date for a meeting to allow the public to comment on the report but withdrew her motion after several councillors said it would take time to digest the report.

Hurst said that first meeting with Deloitte would not be public. But afterward outside council chambers when asked by resident Rick Fryer if the meeting should be public, Brindle said yes.

“I would suggest it would be an open meeting, a public meeting,” Brindle said.

Who Does What

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Re: Accountability – it is fast approaching! by Ken Thrasher July 30, 2014 RTT

I’ve been called a naysayer too, and a thorn in the side as well as a critic; my all time favourite is the accusation that some of us were tearing this community down, brick by brick; shame on those who undertake tactics to discourage residents who wish to exercise their democratic freedoms.

Since January of this year, there have been approximately two dozen correspondence items regarding an accessibility policy question to council and the accessibility advisory committee, but my question remains unanswered.

Absent a motion by council, two weeks ago Mr. Phipps emailed a summary to council and me; not only does it contain errors and omissions that need to be corrected, but also he decreed “Administration will take no further action on this matter unless it is once again raised at a Council meeting.”

How many times do I have to request that council and/or the accessibility advisory committee address my concern? Then again, I’ve requested an accessible town website for twelve years and I’m still waiting for that and it was a decade long battle for me to get the library elevator installed.

The roles of council, head of council, and municipal administration are clearly defined in the municipal act so there should be no misinterpretation of who does what.

Council is to represent the public and ensure that administrative policies, practices and procedures are in place to implement the decisions of council; to ensure the accountability and transparency of the operations of the municipality, including the activities of the senior management of the municipality; to maintain the financial integrity of the municipality.

As chief executive officer of a municipality, the head of council shall promote public involvement in the municipality’s activities.

Municipal administration is to implement council’s decisions and establish administrative practices and procedures to carry out council’s decisions.

Regarding the hiring of a new CAO, why and how was the panel selected? What are the members’ qualifications? Was there an Information and Privacy Commissioner privacy assessment, considering residents are panel members who will access personal information? Is it a conflict of interest for Phipps to be a member? Did council rescind his notice to leave? Why would council acquiesce to the CAO, who changed his mind and wants to stay?

Unlike Mr. Thrasher, the only Councillor who consistently and professionally responds to my concerns is Councillor Pouget. When others did respond, my inquiries were forwarded to staff. I’m beginning to wonder why we need a council, let alone all the staff.

As for the new council, the electorate needs to ask the candidates specific questions because, for the most part, campaign literature contains limited marketing material.

Linda Saxon
as printed in the River Town Times

Accountability Finally Coming to Ontario Cities: Ombudsman

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The July e-newsletter of the Ontario Ombudsman, The Watchdog, includes information about the long awaited introduction of Bill 8, the Public Sector and MPP Accountability and Transparency Act 2014:

Once passed, Bill 8 will, among other things, finally allow Ontarians to complain to their ombudsman about municipal governments, universities and school boards — in addition to the hundreds of provincial government organizations his office already oversees.

“Ontario comes to this accountability party decades behind the other provinces,” Marin wrote. “All have long given their ombudsmen jurisdiction in the MUSH sector (municipalities, universities, school boards, hospitals and long-term care, child protection and police). Ontario is the only province whose ombudsman has no jurisdiction over hospitals, long-term care or children’s aid societies.”

Amherstburg Citizens for Responsible Government

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A group of residents, concerned about the town’s debt, policies and procedures, transparency and accountability, among other items, in addition to having an informative website, has started a facebook page, where it lists its goals and objectives:

Amherstburg Citizens for Responsible Government (ACRG) has the following goals and objectives:

1. To work toward the election of Councillors who:

• commit to open, transparent, accountable, respectful and responsive governance with minimal in-camera meetings;

• insist on fiscal responsibility;

• exhibit a high degree of integrity and progressive thinking;

• Pledge to monitor tax rates, public expenditures, processes and procedures at Town Hall and ensure this information is promptly made available to the public in a transparent and accessible fashion;

2. To continue to advocate sound policies, practices, and procedures beyond the municipal election

3. To remain a conduit for citizens to voice their concerns and views through our website and Facebook page.