Tag Archives: amherstburg

November 3 Council Meeting On, Off, On And Off Again

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Commentary by Linda Saxon

An October 20 post that the November 3 meeting would be held was subsequent to a petition to Paula Parker to call a special meeting following Mayor Wayne Hurst’s postponement of meetings.

A day later, the town posted a notice on its website that the November 3 meeting was postponed and rescheduled to Monday, November 17, 2014.

Are the Municipal Act and the town’s procedural by-law both not being complied with? Both are quite clear and specifically contain a mandatory clause for when the clerk shall call a meeting:

Section 240. of the Act: Subject to the procedure by-law passed under section 238,
(b) upon receipt of a petition of the majority of the members of council, the clerk shall call a special meeting for the purpose and at the time mentioned in the petition.

Procedural By-Law Section 9. b) the clerk shall summon a special meeting upon receipt of a petition of the majority of the council members for the purpose and at the time and date mentioned in the petition.

The issue is not the Mayor’s postponement, but who is making decisions that circumvent Council members’ legislated authority to call a Special Meeting and what will be done about it.

Craig Pearson, The Windsor Star, reports CAO Miceli also said that, after discussing the councillors’ petition with a town lawyer, he determined a special meeting was not warranted. “I advised all the members of council that calling for a special meeting is not to deal with regular town business,” Miceli said. “It’s to deal with special issues. What they (the councillors) proposed to discuss at that meeting did not meet the criteria for a special meeting.”

Special meetings of council 2014 were held to consider issues ranging from zoning by-law amendments and drain improvements to the Sale of Shares Offer from Entegrus Inc.

Since there is no criteria for a special meeting in either the Municipal Act or Procedural By-Law, and since both contain clear language, I would argue that there is no basis whatsoever for any objection to a majority of council calling a special meeting.

Council Meeting Will Be Held November 3

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The Town of Amherstburg’s website notice regarding Mayor Hurst’s postponement of the regular council meetings scheduled for October 6 and November 3 has not yet been updated.

As a result of a Municipal Act s.240 petition to Paula Parker, town clerk, a November 3, 2014 Special Council Meeting has been scheduled.

Edited: The petition, signed by Deputy Mayor Sutherland, Councillors Bart DiPasquale, Robert Pillon and Diane Pouget was presented to Paula Parker on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.

Amherstburg Police Patrol Zones Changed After Amalgamation

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Commentary by Linda Saxon

Following amalgamation, the Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services’ decision regarding the ‘new’ policing proposal was, “From the standpoint of staffing, deployment and supervision, the proposal overall appears sound, and if the proposal is implemented as presented, it should allow for adequate and effective policing in the Town of Amherstburg.”

Three patrol zones were proposed with 24 hour a day policing and a maximum strength per 12 hour shift of six officers: 3 in Zone 1, 1 in each of Zones 2 and 3. Another officer would support all three zones as may be required.

The minimum strength per 12 hour shift was to be one officer per zone with a minimum strength of four officers until 4:00 a.m.

By 2010, as noted on page 8 of the Amherstburg Police Service Annual Report, “The Town is divided into 2 patrol zones ensuring that all areas receive an ongoing police presence.”

In a December 9, 2011 commentary, Amherstburg Police Chief Berthiaume Tight-lipped About Deployment, I asked, how will we know if we’re getting the service that was proposed if there is no accountability?

The question is just as relevant today; the only way to determine the best policing option for our community is to undertake a full comparison and obtain an OPP costing. Council’s decision should not be a subjective one based on speculation or fears, but an objective one based on facts and figures.

Five of the seven essex county municipalities are policed by the OPP as are 324 of the 444 Ontario municipalities; what have we got to lose?

Glenn Swinton’s Comment On All candidates meeting draws large crowd in Amherstburg

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Glenn Swinton’s comment to the Windsor Star article is:
My apologies for anyone looking to connect with me that evening. The chamber was made aware well in advance that I was unable to attend their event. The Windsor Star’s report of me being a “no-show” was false. If there was a place set for me at the event it could have only been with ill intentions. As always, I am available 24/7 on my provided cell phone or via email for anyone who wishes to talk.

Aldo DiCarlo’s Comment On No Commitment To Remove OPP Clause In Police Contract

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In response to the Commentary, “No Commitment To Remove OPP Clause In Police Contract,” Aldo DiCarlo’s comment is:

This is an issue that I have spent a considerable amount of time on, specifically because of the large potential savings, $1M or more. At last night’s debate, Deputy Mayor Suttherland stated that an OPP costing takes at least 18 months. As a taxpaying resident, not a just a mayoral candidate, this both angers and frustrates me. If it does indeed take this amount of time, why then did not a single council member make the motion to request the OPP costing. If one of them did, I would like to know who and why it was voted down. ALL contracts have an expiry date. Did a single one of the current council members do their due diligence in requesting an OPP costing early enough so that we could have reviewed our options now that the contract is being negotiated? I believe the answer is no, and I’d be happy to be wrong.

New OPP Billing Model for Municipalities

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The new model, which takes effect January 1, 2015, reflects input from the Auditor General and municipalities to more fairly and transparently distribute policing costs.

Quick Facts

  • The OPP provides policing services to 324 Ontario municipalities.
  • The current OPP billing model was introduced in 1998 and has not been updated in 17 years.
  • The OPP acted on the Auditor General’s 2012 report in revising the billing model.
  • The average per property cost for OPP services in 2015 is estimated to be $355, compared to an average of $787 (estimated) for self-policed municipalities.

Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Newsroom