Tag Archives: amherstburg

Town council asks for report on employees’ qualifications

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In a River Town Times article by Ron Giofu, “Town council agreed via a 4-3 vote to get details on employees hired and moved by former CAO Mike Phipps, pending a legal opinion, but there are also questions over if that will put the town in legal jeopardy.”

The town’s Hiring of Employees policy, one of the policies former CAO Phipps would not provide without “a reasonable explanation for the request,” can now be found on the town’s website and CAO Miceli did provide it.

The 2007 policy currently states, “The Town shall provide accommodation for persons with disabilities who become employees of the Corporation.”

An updated policy is needed to reflect the passage of the 2005 AODA, the IASR (Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation) and the town’s 2013 IASR Policy to include the requirement to notify its employees and the public about the availability of accommodation for applicants with disabilities in its recruitment processes.

Is $12,000.00 On Law Firm Well Spent?

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The River Town Times reports that “Town council has approved spending $12,000 in the fight to preserve General Amherst High School by hiring a local law firm.

The development of the plan will include stakeholder and partner consultation which will include the Council of the Town of Amherstburg.

Mayor Aldo DiCarlo was the lone dissenter, but said it had nothing to do with Leardi or his firm. He feels council is “passing the buck” on the matter and that it is that body that should be dealing with it directly.”

Poll will close in one week. The usual disclaimer applies – it’s not science; it’s entertainment.

 

Toronto can’t afford another sweetheart deal with its police union

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According to The Star’s editorial on policing costs in Toronto, “The base salary for a first-class constable is now more than $90,000. But there’s more. Officers enjoy perks exceedingly rare in the private sector, including permission to bank up to 18 sick days a year and cash them out for tens of thousands of dollars; lavish “retention pay” bonuses; city-funded massages, and even having taxpayers cover the cost of doing their laundry.

Salaries and benefits gobble up 90 per cent of Toronto’s $1.15-billion police budget. And they’ve frankly become unaffordable, especially in light of falling crime rates across North America.”

Comment by Linda Saxon: fortunately, Amherstburg Police Service is one of those rare services in Ontario that did not negotiate ‘retention pay;’ it would have cost the taxpayers more, but nowhere near what the feared OPP takeover clause has cost us – an estimated million dollars a year to ‘keep it local.’

Town council to seek RFP for legal services

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Town Council has examined legal fees of $1.4 million from 2010-14 and has decided to seek an RFP (request for proposal). The legal fees for the Amherstburg Police have not been mentioned; as previously noted, Amherstburg Police Chief Tim Berthiaume stated, “the amherstburg police service does not ‘breakdown’ legal expenses.” As inevitably happens in a small town, there is a rumour that a certain ‘local lawyer’ is in a favourable position. River Town Times full article.

Anne Rota Now Has Completed Human Rights Training

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1762668 Ontario Inc., owned by Rennie and Anne Rota, was added to the Accessibility Hall Of Shame because it failed to comply with a February 20, 2014 Human Rights Tribunal Ontario Order, part of which stipulated, “The landlord must retain a consultant with expertise in human rights, disability and access who will provide training to Mr. Rota, and any managers, on the landlord’s obligations under the Code with respect to accommodating disability, and the landlord must provide to the applicant by June 1, 2014, a copy of a letter from the consultant verifying that the training is completed.

Six and a half months late, a December 20, 2014 letter certified that Rennie Rota completed a Human Rights Training Program; the letter was received via regular mail December 30, 2014.

Now, seven and a half months late, Anne Rota completed a Human rights Training Program.

Double Dare Issued Regarding Police Contract – OPP takeover clause

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I dare the Amherstburg Police Association to remove this clause in the collective agreement and go to Arbitration on the matter. The members should recognize that it is the community, its ratepayers and council that decide what policing option is chosen.

Likewise, I dare the Amherstburg Police Services Board to remove this clause in the collective agreement and go to Arbitration on the matter. The members should recognize that in the best interests of the community and its ratepayers, policing options that may provide for optimal cost savings should not be limited based on a clause in a collective agreement.

I do not believe an Arbitrator would decide in favour of such a payout, considering the economy and established severance practices.

Commentary by Linda Saxon

Niagara Regional Policing Costs Inequitable Claims Councillor

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As reported in the Niagara Advance, Niagara-on-the-Lake Councillor Collard would like to see Niagara Region look at the new OPP billing model as one option for fixing the inequities to the way Niagara municipalities pay for policing.

For example, he says, Niagara-on-the-Lake pays about 7.2% of the cost of policing, with only 1.8% of the calls.

The NRP budget for this year is $142 million. Of that, Niagara-on-the-Lake residents pay $10.2 million – almost $2.5 million more than it costs to run the Town.

And that figure has risen 25% since 2011, he says.

Police service costs translate to $1,713 per household or $662 per person, in NOTL, with less than 2% of the calls.

Read the full story.